Click here if you want to see the list of all the books I’ve read so far this year: Petrik’s Year in Books (2022)

Between 1st January 2021 and 27th June 2022, I’ve read 39 novels + 55 manga/manhwa volumes (31k pages).

Please read this first. There will be three rules I set in this list in order for me to give appreciation to more authors rather than having only a few authors hoarding this list. These rules allow me to highlight more authors, and at the same time, I’ll also be able to include both new and older books (many of them still need attention) that I read within this year.

• Rereads aren’t included.
• One book per author.
• The books listed here are not all exclusively published this year; the list consists of the top books I read for the first time within this year. Non-2022 published books on this list will have their first date of publication included.

Do note that although there’s a rank to this list, I HIGHLY recommend every book/series listed below because I loved all of them immensely, and they received a rating of 4.5 or 5 out of 5 stars from me. Without further ado, here are the top 10 books I’ve read this year so far! (All full reviews of the books listed can be found on Novel Notions and my Goodreads page.)

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10. The Fall of Neverdark (The Echoes Saga, #4) by Philip C. Quaintrell

Publisher: Self-Published. First published in: November 2018

“Overall, despite my doubts and the slow start to the novel, The Fall of Neverdark is an engaging fourth novel in The Echoes Saga series. It continued superbly from Relic of the Gods while also starting something new in the world of Veda without sacrificing its characterizations.

9. The Hunger of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga, #2) by John Gwynne

Publisher: Orbit Books

“The Hunger of the Gods tempestuous final chapters have successfully prepared readers for the grand conclusion to come.”

8. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Publisher: Self-Published

“Legends and Lattes is the wholesome and cozy fantasy you didn’t know you need.”

7. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Publisher: Del Rey (US) & Pan Macmillan (UK). First published in: July 2018

“Spinning Silver is one of the most immersive and satisfying one-off standalone fantasy novels I’ve read. “

6. The Exile (The Bound and The Broken, #2.5) by Ryan Cahill

Publisher: Self-Published

“Incredibly action-packed, engaging, and surprisingly emotional, The Exile is hands down the best installment in The Bound and The Broken series so far.”

5. Locklands (The Founders Trilogy, #3) by Robert Jackson Bennett

Publisher: Del Rey (US) & Jo Fletcher (UK).

 

4. Babel by R.F. Kuang

Publisher: Harper Voyager (US) & (UK)

“BABEL is one of the finest standalone novels I’ve read. It is a victory for literature, and its quality is what every other dark academia novel should strive to be. Paying homage to the importance of languages, translations, identity, and ethnicities, BABEL is one of the most important works of the year.”

3. Illborn (The Illborn Saga, #1) by Daniel T. Jackson

Publisher: Self-published. First published in: March 2021

“From the beginning to the end, Illborn provides an incredibly absorbing story about well-realized characters doing their best to survive in a brutal world ravaged by violence, injustice, and religious oppression. The year 2022 has just begun, but I have no doubt Illborn will remain in one of my top 10 reads of the year by the end of it.”

2. The First Binding (Tales of Tremaine, #1) by R.R. Virdi

Publisher: Tor Books (US) & Gollancz (UK).

“The First Binding is the first volume in a new magnificent and ambitious high fantasy series to obsess over, and I can see myself coming back to this world multiple times.”

1. The Wall of Storms (The Dandelion Dynasty, #2) by Ken Liu

Publisher: Saga Press (US) & Head of Zeus (UK). First published in: October 2016

“A mind-blowing masterpiece. The Wall of Storms is the best second book of a series I’ve read since Words of Radiance.”

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