Petrik’s Top 19 Books of the Year! (2022)
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 28th December 2022, I’ve read 65 novels + 162 manga/manhwa volumes (69k 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 series.
- 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 (rounded up on Goodreads) or 5 out of 5 stars from me. Honorable mentions are for books I rated 4.5 stars but I didn’t round up the ratings. And I will also mention my favorite novellas first this year. Without further ado, here are the top 15 (or 19) books I’ve read this year! (All full reviews of the books listed can be found on Novel Notions and my Goodreads page.)
Honorable Mentions
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.”
Until the Last (The Last War, #3) by Mike Shackle
Publisher: Gollancz
“From devastating magic, bloody betrayals, and incredibly intense war after war against every creature in Sekanowari, Until the Last is an action-packed and thrilling concluding volume.”
Favorite Novellas
The Jade Setter of Janloon (The Green Bone Saga, #0.5) by Fonda Lee
Publisher: Subterranean Press
“The Jade Setter of Janloon is an exhilarating and heartfelt appetizer or dessert to The Green Bone Saga, depending on when you start this novella.”
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.”
BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
15. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Publisher: Self-Published
“Legends and Lattes is the wholesome and cozy fantasy you didn’t know you need.”
14. 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. “
13. The Knights of Erador (The Echoes Saga, #7) by Philip C. Quaintrell
Publisher: Self-Published. First published in: March 2020
“The Knights of Erador is the best first installment in the three trilogies in The Echoes Saga.”
12. Age of War (Legends of the First Empire, #3) by Michael J. Sullivan
Publisher: Del Rey. First published in: July 2018
“Age of War is the best of the series so far. And it is also among Sullivan’s list of best novels.”
11. Lord of Chaos (The Wheel of Time, #6) by Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books (US) & Orbit (UK). First published in: October 1994
“Lord of Chaos could potentially become the best book by Robert Jordan for me. Let the Lord of Chaos rule, and rule it did.”
10. Locklands (The Founders Trilogy, #3) by Robert Jackson Bennett
Publisher: Del Rey (US) & Jo Fletcher (UK).
9. 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.”
8. 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.”
7. 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.”
6. Priest of Crowns (War for the Rose Throne, #4) by Peter McLean
Publisher: Jo Fletcher.
“Priest of Crowns is a heartbreaking, ferociously blood-soaked, and unforgettable ending to the War for the Rose Throne.”
5. Sons of Darkness (The Raag of Rta, #1) by Gourav Mohanty
Publisher: Leadstart
“Mahabharata imbued with A Song of Ice and Fire, The First Law, & Malazan Book of the Fallen, Sons of Darkness is the best fantasy debut of 2022.”
4. Swan Song by Robert McCammon
Publisher: Pocket Books. First published in: June 1987
“Swan Song is one of the best post-apocalyptic stories I’ve read, and it is also one of the best standalone novels of all time.”
3. The Lonesome Crown (The Five Warrior Angels, #3) by Brian Lee Durfee
Publisher: Saga Press
2. The Lost Metal (Mistborn: Wax and Wayne, #4) by Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tor Books (US) & Gollancz (UK).
“The Lost Metal was an explosive and stunning conclusion to Mistborn: Wax and Wayne series. Sanderson has delivered another tremendous finishing volume in The Mistborn Saga, reinforcing my excitement for future Cosmere books.”
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.”
What I said the past four years is, of course, still applicable this year. Allow me to repeat them once again.
To every author, whether your book is on this list or not, I want to say—from the bottom of my heart—thank you for writing. The stories you wrote transported me into another world, circumstances, and time; that’s something irreplaceable to me. The insane harshness of reality became saner due to your imagination. I can only hope that the honest reviews and words I spread around help bring more readers to pick up your book; even if you get just one additional reader as a result, I’m satisfied.
To traditional publishers—especially Orbit (Nazia, Angie), Gollancz(Jenna), Titan Comics (Will O’Mullane) and Tor UK (Jamie-Lee Nardone)—and self-published/indie authors. As an international reader, it means a lot to me that you took some time and money to send me books (both physical and ebooks) to read and review. Please know that I will treasure them with all my heart! None of the books you sent will be wasted! :’)
Lastly, to fellow readers, reviewers, and viewers! I receive a lot of messages—on Goodreads, Twitter, and YouTube—from you saying thank you for all the reviews and recommendations I’ve posted; some have mentioned that the reviews I wrote have led them to books that sparked their love for reading again, some have sent me books, and some have asked and even support me monetarily. All of you have no idea how much this means to me, seriously. Next year, I will still read, review books, and post videos on my channel as best as I can.
That’s all from me this year. Thank you very much, everyone! Keep on writing and reading! See any of your favorite reads of the year on this list? What’s yours?
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