Cover art illustrated by Eshpur
Demon by Rob J. Hayes
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Archive of the God Eater (Book #1 of 3), The God Eater Saga
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 202 pages (Kindle edition)
Publish date: 6th of August 2024 by Rob J. Hayes (Self-Published)
Wow. Demon was short, impactful, dark, and brutal.
“On wings of vengeance and blood set ablaze, freedom for all mankind!”
Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art by Omer Burak Onal
Bonds of Chaos by Zack Argyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Threadlight (Book #3 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 360 pages (Hardcover edition)
Publish date: 25th of August 2022 by Zack Argyle (Self-Published)
Bonds of Chaos has successfully nailed the necessary satisfying conclusion to the Threadlight trilogy.
“No matter how hard a man may try, he never truly understands hurt beyond what he has experienced himself.”
Cover art illustrated by Michael Whelan
The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Last King of Osten Ard (Book #1 of 4), The Osten Ard Saga (Book #4 of 7)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 736 pages (Hardcover edition)
Word Count: 350,000 words
Published: 27th June 2017 by DAW Books (US) & Hodder (UK)
It is with a heart of joy I proclaim The Witchwood Crown as an exquisite return to the world of Osten Ard.
“You have a fine voice. Remember that music is a noble charge, even a dangerous charge, because it can pierce a man’s heart when a spear or arrow cannot.”
Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art by Omer Burak Onal
Stones of Light by Zack Argyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Threadlight (Book #2 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 362 pages (Hardcover edition)
Publish date: 4th of April 2021 by Zack Argyle (Self-Published)
This was a great sequel. In Stones of Light, Argyle maintained the consistency of quality in his storytelling.
“It’s like comparing granite to clay. The clay may take shape more easily, but the granite, once you’ve chiseled it into place, is so much stronger. For some people, motherhood comes more easily. For others, it takes a hammer and chisel. No one is made for motherhood. Motherhood is made for you. Some of us aren’t so lucky.”
Review copy provided by the author’s agent—Zeno Literary Agency—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by Todd Lockwood
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Series: The Memoirs of Lady Trent (Book #1 of 5)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Word Count: 98,000 words
Pages: 334 pages (Paperback edition)
Published: 5th February 2013 by Tor Books (US) & Titan Books (UK)
A Natural History of Dragons is a very different kind of fantasy book compared to what I usually read, and it provided me with a refreshing reading experience despite its flaws.
…
Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art by Omer Burak Onal
Voice of War by Zack Argyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Threadlight (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 382 pages (Hardcover edition)
Publish date: 19th of March 2020 by Zack Argyle (Self-Published)
Promising beginning. Readers weren’t exaggerating when they said Voice of War by Zack Argyle is a great Sanderson-lite fantasy novel.
“The Rite of Revelation was such an important event for a parent, but would a parent really love their child less based on the color of their eyes? Love is not a calculated result of features and faults. Love is the unseen thread binding two souls together no matter the externalities.”
This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on The Dollmakers
ARC provided by the author’s agent in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art by Ashley Mackenzie
The Dollmakers by Lynn Buchanan
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Fallen Peaks (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 400 pages (Kindle edition)
Word Count: 114,000 words
Published: 13th August 2024 by Harper Voyager
The Dollmakers is guaranteed to be a contender for one of the strongest fantasy debuts of the year 2024.
“Shean enjoyed thinking. Logic was a comfort— as long as she had a plan, she had direction, a guide to follow and mull over and think and rethink until she’d thought of every possible outcome to every possible event.”
Cover art illustrated by Scott M. Fischer
Winter’s Heart by Robert Jordan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Series: The Wheel of Time (Book #9 of 14)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 705 pages (Kindle edition)
Word Count: 238,000 words
Published: 7th November 2000 by Tor Books
This was so damn rough. Winter’s Heart is easily the weakest book in The Wheel of Time so far.
“A man who trusts everyone is a fool and a man who trusts no one is a fool. We are all fools if we live long enough.”
ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit Books—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by: Martina Fackova
Cover designed by: Lauren Panepinto
The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Series: Empire of the Wolf (Book #3 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High fantasy
Pages: 496 pages (Kindle edition)
Word Count: 164,000 words
Published: 6th February 2024 by Orbit (US) & 8th February 2024 by Orbit (UK)
The Trials of Empire bestowed readers with a different direction and satisfying ending to Empire of the Wolf trilogy.
“One of the greatest feats of human cognisance is to realise and accept that every being capable of thought has a life as complex as one’s own.”
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 (2023)
Between 1st January 2023 and 31st December 2023, I read 80 books + 177 manga/manhwa volumes (76.8k pages).
Please read this first. There will be three rules I set in this list 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 this year.
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. Honorable mentions are for two best novellas and two short stories I read 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.) …