I can’t be the only one who thinks this year is absolutely flying by right? Being able to go out now and socialise has made such a difference. So far this year I’ve been to musicals, gigs, trips abroad and next week am popping down to Wales for a week of, hopefully, sunshine and beach days. And in bookish news I started up a TikTok account! I’m on it very irregularly atm with working shifts, but if you want to check it out you can here.

Now time to get to what were here for… reading. I’d like to think my years going pretty well so far, and I have been a little better at not going crazy with requests on Netgally( let’s be honest, we always knew this was going to be a slow process.) I’ve also been slacking a little on my, only, reading challenge for the year which is the 12 friends/ 12 months / 12 books challenge, so fingers crossed I can catch up before the end of the year.

Now we all know it’s going to be virtually impossible for me to just pick one book for most of these prompts, so please bear with me & let me know what you think of my choices!

# OF BOOKS READ SO FAR

I think I should be able to get 17 more books read before the end of the year. I have read quite a few Novellas and romances in 2022 which I tend to get through a lot faster, so that’s definitely helped me beef up my total.

BEST BOOKS I’VE READ SO FAR THIS YEAR

Trust me when I say that narrowing down 63 book was HARD, but the above three are all books that I got a complete hangover from reading. They’re all angry, all about injustice and all about people fighting their oppressors, something that hits a little different in the current political climate.

BEST SEQUEL I’VE READ SO FAR THIS YEAR

As much as I enjoyed For the Wolf, For the Throne was just so much better. Neve was just a more complicated character than Red and I enjoyed the dynamic between her and Solmir. If you want, you can check out my full review here.

NEW RELEASES I HAVEN’T READ BUT WANT TO

These are all 2022 releases that I am dying to read, but just haven’t had the chance yet. They’re all drastically different books, but lots of bloggers I trust have rated them highly and I’m sure I will love them.

MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASES FOR THE SECOND HALF OF 2021

There are too many amazing books being released between now and December, and if you want to check out all the fantasy books I’m excited for click here. The above three though are ones I just know I’m going to read as soon as I can get my hands on them.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

I hate the word disappointment, because as a whole I did enjoy these books, there were just certain parts that made sure I didn’t love them. I do think I’m in the minority when it comes to This Vicious Grace & Daughter of the Moon Goddess because everyone I know has loved them, so definitely give them a go if you haven’t yet.

BIGGEST SURPRISES

These two both surprised me with how much I loved them, but for completely different reasons. With Iron Widow, I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to all the hype surrounding it & with The Shadow Glass is was a case of not really knowing what to expect going in. Both are stand out reads and ones that, if you love fantasy, should definitely be on your TBR’s.

UNDERRATED GEM

This series in general is criminally under-rated as far as I’m concerned. An Urban fantasy set in Manchester with one quirky group of characters that’s hilarious, witty but with plenty of heart. The first book is The Stranger Times and you should seriously have this on your TBR if you like your reads, characters and magic systems a little quirky.

FAVOURITE NEW AUTHOR

Nghi Vo absolutely blew my mind with Siren Queen and I adored it that much that I went and added their entire backlog to my TBR. In true me fashion, I haven’t got around to any of them yet, but you can bet I will be picking them up asap.

NEWEST FAVOURITE CHARACTER

I’ve just finished Babel by R.F. Kuang and fell head over heals for Ramy, one of our MC’s. Though the story is told solely from Robin’s POV, Ramy still shines through as a character. He’s the sunshine of the group, the glue that holds them all together, but he’s also someone living in a world that was not made for him and doesn’t want to accept him.

“Everything I’ve worked for his this! Ramy exclaimed. ‘What, you think I came to Babel because I want to be a translator for the Queen? Birdie I hate it in this Country. I hate the way they look at me. I hate being passed around at their wine parties like an animal on display. I hate knowing that my very presence at Oxford is a betrayal of my race and religion, because I am becoming just that class of person Macaulay hoped to create,”

BOOKS THAT MADE ME CRY

I had heard that Bannen likes to drink the tears of her readers but I thought ‘it’s a quirky fantasy romance… it cant get that sad right.’ Boy was I wrong. When I say I sobbed through the last few chapters of this book I’m not exaggerating at all!

BOOKS THAT MADE ME HAPPY

Romance is my pick me up genre. All three of these reads have a HEA guaranteed and sometimes I just need to know, going into a book, that everything is going to turn out hunky dory.

FAVOURITE POST I’VE DONE THIS YEAR

And now onto the most hated of prompts. I’m terrible at bigging myself up, but the below are all posts I’m proud of for one reason or another.

When Women Were Dragons – Book Review

50 fantasy reads of 2022 – Jan to June & July to Dec

Love Triangles – Love them or hate them

WHAT BOOKS I NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR

As I said at the start, I’m terribly behind on my 12 months / 12 friends / 12 books reading challenge, and these are the books I’ve missed so far. I would love to pick, if not all then at least a few of these up before the end of 2022, especially after hearing so many rave reviews for them all… wish me luck!