Top Reads of 2022

Ya’ll I read 155 books this year! That’s wayyyy too many to think back on in order to pick my top 10... but I’m going to try anyways! Even though I got back into reading in 2021, it was 2022 that really kickstarted my obsession with fantasy romance and a hyper-fixation on the worlds created by Sarah J. Maas. As you’ll see I read all of her books and all 3 series broke my top 5 list [shocking absolutely no one].

10. Guardian of the Drowned Empire by Frankie Mallis [# 2 in series]

I was completely enthralled while reading the second installment in the Drowned Empire series. For me, the first book was a little slow moving at the start — mostly due to the intricate world building and explaining a complex magic system, plus keeping all of the names of the ruling families and lands was difficult at first. But once you get into the series, it gets easier. Even though I said that I couldn't see the comparison to Throne of Glass in my review of the first book, I started to see it in this one. It's not that the characters are similar to TOG, but rather it was the brutal abuse that Lyriana suffers at the hands of her "villains" that brought up the same feelings I experienced while reading TOG. I'm not going to lie, it was hard to read some of those scenes because it made me so angry and frustrated. But that's what a great book and a talented writer do: they make you feel all the emotions. Because while there was anger and frustration, there were also moments of excitement and giddiness. The relationship between Lyriana and Rhyan is so well-written and their mutual pining was agonizingly good. I love and hate the forbidden romance trope for this reason—they just need to be together already! But I love the slow burn, especially when done right.

9. Book Lovers by Emily Henry

This was one of the only modern romances that made my top 10 list and for good reason! Out of all of Emily Henry’s books, I felt a deep connection with Book Lovers. I totally saw myself in the main female character, Nora. I love a female character who is independent, driven and a little bit of an ice queen bitch — or at least sees herself that way (see also, Nesta and Jude). Her line in the opening chapter about feeling like she’s the bitchy girlfriend in the Hallmark movie where the guy leaves her for the sweet girl from his hometown... yeah, that one hit hard. In case you don’t know, I literally cannot stand Hallmark movies that my parents watch constantly over the holidays and this book and that one line made me realize it’s because I also don’t see myself as the one getting the happy ending in those stories. Oof, need to decompress that in therapy. Anyways, this was just an incredible read and I literally finished it in one night (while I was pulling an all-nighter before an early morning flight).

8. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

For the other modern romance that made the list, I dove into the hockey romance genre after an introduction through the Off Campus and Briar U series by Elle Kennedy last year. But Icebreaker is in a league of its own (Nate Hawkins comes super close to my boy Jake Connelly). I find myself going back and forth on which type of book boyfriend I like the most, and even though I will always fall for the dark, brooding older brother or enemy, the obsessed, golden retriever is a league of its own. Can we somehow figure out how to create a man with both?! Anyways, this was a spicy hockey romance. Don’t let that cute little cartoon cover fool you!! I mean the chapter in the backseat of the Uber... holy shit. I do think the ending felt a little rushed, but overall I really enjoyed reading this book in between my intense fantasy romance series.

7. Devils Night series by Penelope Douglas [favorite book: Nightfall]

I was a little hesitant to jump into the Devil’s Night series only because I’ve been in a fantasy romance mindset with modern romances to act as palette cleansers between intense series. I had read other books by Penelope Douglas, so I knew what to expect in terms of spicy content (I mean, Credence was my first read of 2022...). But I didn’t know if I was going to love the darker bully romance genre until I was introduced to the trope in Zodiac Academy — and now I’m literally reading mafia + stalker romance books LOL. It’s a slippery slope. It basically takes enemies-to-lovers to the next level. I guess if you really want your love interests to viscerally hate each other to the point of causing physical harm or distress, this could be the genre for you. Anyways, I loved this series and honestly the books just kept getting better for me. I know the fandom is obsessed with Damon Torrance (as they should be, Winter is a lucky girl), but Will Greyson III is the one who has my heart. I mean the boy literally fell for Emory the first time he laid eyes on her and never wavered in his obsession. Why do I love that so much?? Also I am now an Emory Scott stan and will defend her with my life. Definitely saw a little of myself in her character, so I’m sure that’s why I was drawn to her so much.

6. What Lies Beyond the Veil + What Hunts Inside the Shadows by Harper L. Woods

This was a new series that took me by surprise! In my everlasting quest to find more books that compare to the first time I read ACOTAR and TOG, I came across What Lies Beyond the Veil (from a TikTok recommendation, of course). I don’t remember what scene sneak peek was in the video that made me add it to the top of my TBR, but it was clearly something that resonated with me because I bumped it to the top of my list right away (it’s available on Kindle Unlimited!).

5. Zodiac Academy series by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

These women are evil geniuses. The way this series hooked me immediately only to emotional destroy me time and time again, should be illegal. I guess I love the pain *cue Midnight Rain lyrics by Taylor Swift*. I mean, truly, anyone who reads these books should be entitled to compensation for emotional distress. I have video evidence (that will never see the light of day) of my reactions to the end of book 4, 5 and 7. I WAS NOT OKAY. I don’t think any normal person can read these books without feeling absolutely crushed by the devastating twists and turns they put us through. Not only is there an enticing plot, but there’s incredible character development (hi, Seth!), epic love stories (Tory x Darius have my entire heart), and the most evil villain I have ever come across in literature. Seriously, Voldemort is nothing compared to Lionel Acrux. Not even exaggerating. There is something to be said for a series that keeps you coming back for more even knowing that it will come at a cost to your emotional stability because it means that the writers made you care for the characters as a reader. I was worried I wouldn’t ever feel the same epic rush that came from reading Sarah J Maas books for the first time, but Zodiac Academy is the closest I’ve gotten to that euphoria. It hits you in a different way. Whereas ACOTAR felt like a safe space that feels like a warm hug, Zodiac Academy is like chasing an adrenaline high (with lots of therapeutic crying). Note: This is NOT for the faint of heart. Other than my ramblings about the emotional distress the plot delivers, it is a bully romance at its core, especially in the first 3 books. (Bonus: the entire series is available on Kindle Unlimited!)

4. House of Earth and Blood + House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas [from the Crescent City series]

Up next is the Crescent City series—the most recent one from SJM. After the first 50-100 pages of confusing world building where I was low key lost at times, this quickly became one of my favorite stories. I ended up reading this series immediately after ACOTAR to stay on my SJM “high” and it was right around the release of HOSAB which everyone was talking about. I don’t do FOMO well, so I caved to the peer pressure to jump right in to the new series even though it was far from incomplete (and 10 months later, we’re still waiting on a release date). This was actually the quickest series of hers that I got into. It’s definitely more adult that TOG and ACOTAR with more mature themes and less of a typical dystopian fantasy blueprint. It was a little weird reading a fantasy story set in a modern-day metropolis when I’m used to the more medieval settings where indoor plumbing doesn’t even exist. So when cell phones, guns and manicures were mentioned, I was definitely thrown for a loop at first. I remember immediately thinking “OMG I want to be best friends with Bryce!” (and of course, I also fell in love with the entire Frat Pack). There was so much unexpected humor in Crescent City that I would find myself smiling and giggling at times (in between the trauma of course). And the romance is top tier. Bryce and Hunt are the cutest (I mean, just thinking about the shower scene makes me emotional) and I love the direction we’re getting for Ruhn’s love interest. It is still crazy to me that so many people hate Hunt though—like for no valid reason. I feel like people overlook all of the trauma Hunt has been through and somehow him not being a toxic asshole makes him boring? To be honest, he’s probably the most unproblematic of all of SJM’s leading men. Anyways, I won’t go into more detail (although I could) about the unfair treatment Hunt gets from this fandom, and instead I’ll sum things up by saying I absolutely loved these books. Especially the twist at the end of HOSAB that shocked the entire fandom.

3. A Shadow in the Ember + A Light in the Flame by Jennifer L. Armentrout [from the Flesh & Fire series]

I was actually introduced to Jennifer L. Armentrout with her popular From Blood and Ash series, which was one of the first series I read in the beginning of 2022 that jumpstarted my obsession (ACOTAR came right after!). And while I loved the first two books, I felt like the narrative was being dragged out unnecessarily in the third and forth books with a lot of filler content and character regressions (I could go into heavy detail on this regarding Casteel, but I’ll save that rant for another time). But that didn’t deter me from checking out the prequel series that is set in the same world hundreds of years before the events of FBAA. And while I loved Poppy and Casteel, Sera and Nyktos hit different. Like IDK what she put in these two books, but I’m all in. Fully addicted despite it being a prequel that we already kind of know how things end up. In my opinion, Jennifer’s writing only improved with each release, fixing some of the writing/editing issues that were present in FBAA. A major difference is the dynamic between the FMC and MMC in each series. Personally, I prefer the strong, confident assassin FMC we have in Sera compared to Poppy’s secret badass underneath a naive, innocent virgin FMC. And while I love a cocky bad boy MMC with a hidden identity, Nyktos has this misunderstood, secret softy vibe down. I feel like the mythology is also more fleshed out in Flesh & Fire because it was super confusing to keep track of everything when you first get into the FBAA books. There’s definitely a maturity in her writing and less inner monologues that helps move this story along at a better pace.

2. Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas [favorite book: Kingdom of Ash]

Coming in at a close second is the Throne of Glass series. Even though it’s her only completed series (or is it???), Throne of Glass was the last one I read by Sarah J. Maas and it was also the hardest one for me to get into. It took me until midway through Heir of Fire to really become interested in the series. But once I invested that time, I was HOOKED. I totally understand why so many people say this is their favorite series by SJM now. I even go back and forth on whether I like it more than my number 1 pick for the year... There’s a certain nostalgia element to the TOG characters and I do think the group as a whole is simply elite. I mean... firebreathing bitch queen Aelin, shadow daddy Dorian(!!!), MUCKF*CKING MANON, Rowan, Elide + Lorcan, Fenrys! It’s an iconic cast of characters.

I chose to do the tandem read for Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn (as recommended by many other readers) and I’m so glad I did. I still loved TOD and Chaol’s incredible redemption arc, but the end of EOS killed me to finish the rest of TOD before getting back to our other main characters. And I made the mistake of putting off The Assassin’s Blade prequel later than suggested because once I got into the main plot, I didn’t want to go back to read events that have already happened. I am also scared to admit that I wasn’t as destroyed by Sam’s death as everyone else seemed to be—of course it’s tragic, but I definitely wasn’t as attached to him as the other characters. Sorry if that makes me cold and unfeeling!! Anyway, it’s safe to say Kingdom of Ash literally destroyed me. I’m still not recovered and I doubt I ever will be. I’m actually designing a new tattoo that will incorporate The Thirteen in some way (IYKYK). Just, for the love of God, go read this series.

1. ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas [favorite book: A Court of Silver Flames ]

And on top of the pyramid, going 3 for 3, once again is... A Court of Thorns and Roses! Is anyone surprised, honestly? It’s like me saying my top artist on Spotify Wrapped was Taylor Swift—BTW the Venn diagram for Swifties and SJM girlies is literally a circle—it’s a given at this point. I like what I like and I finally don’t care how others perceive that. I’m a self-proclaimed basic b*tch when it comes down to a lot of things, so I don’t really care that my favorite read from 2022 is one of the most popular series in the fantasy genre that was super hyped up on TikTok. It deserves the love! Something about Sarah’s writing resonates deeply with me. I love the world building, the political dynamics and the plot choices, but for me, it really comes down to the characters (again). If you can get me to obsess over a fictional character—it’s not that hard really—I will be a fan for life (until you kill off a favorite or ruin a character’s development like The 100 and Game of Thrones so cruelly did). It is difficult to explain the feeling of reading these books for the first time. I honestly don’t think I savored it enough because it was at the beginning of my reading journey and I was so focused on making my yearly goal of 100 books. The attention to detail that SJM puts into her books is unparalleled. One of my favorite moments in the entire series is the major reveal at the end of ACOMAF giving a new meaning to the iconic line, “There you are, I’ve been looking for you.” I mean, that book is simply a masterpiece (one I’m still pestering my mom and sister to finally read). And I will defend Nesta with my dying breath, so don’t even get me started on her flawed character and redemption arc that was beautifully written in ACOSF. I know I’m not alone in feeling seen and represented by Nesta in many ways and I’ve truly never felt such a strong connection to a female character in my life. Plus, Nessian has my entire heart. By far my favorite SJM couple and honestly Cassian still holds my number one book boyfriend spot (followed closely by shadow daddy Dorian, of course). Either you will read this series and fall in love the same way I did, or you will refuse to read it because of the hype or non-seriousness of the fantasy romance genre or some other reason (which, that’s fine, you can say you’re boring). But there is a reason Miss Maas is absolutely killing it right now (12 million copies sold, no big deal) and has all of her fans coming up with Swiftie level conspiracy theories while we anxiously wait for a release date for Crescent City 3.

**Honorary Mentions have to go to Ruthless Villains series by Marion Blackwood, The Score [from the Briar U series] by Elle Kennedy, The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black, Shatter Me series by Taherah Mafi and The Bridge Kingdom series by Danielle Jensen.

Most Anticipated Releases for 2023

• The Stolen Heir by Holly Black [coming January 3rd]

• Lady of the Drowned Empire by Frankie Mallis [coming February 14th]

• A Kingdom of Vengeance and Vows by Holly Renee [coming March 23rd]

• What Lurks Between the Fates by Harper L. Woods [coming March 28th]

• A Soul of Ash and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout [coming July 18th]

• A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber [coming September 12th]

• Crescent City 3 by Sarah J. Maas [coming TBD fall 2023]

• A Touch of Chaos by Scarlett St. Clair [coming TBD fall 2023]

• A Flesh in the Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout [coming December 12th]

• Zodiac Academy 9 by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti [coming TBD]