Cover art by: Mansik Yang
Mother of Learning: ARC 3 by Domagoj Kurmaić
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Mother of Learning (Book #3 of 4)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Progression Fantasy, Web novel
Pages: 743 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 6th September 2022 by Wraithmarked Creative (Indie)
Mother of Learning has been one heck of an entertaining ride, and the beginning of the end is here. …
This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on Morning Star and Red Rising Trilogy.
Morning Star by Pierce Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Red Rising Saga (Book #3 of 7)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Classic Fantasy
Pages: 518 pages (Paperback Edition)
Word Count: 173,000 words
Published: 9th February 2016 by Del Rey (US) & 11th February 2016 by Hodder (UK)
Morning Star is an absolutely prime conclusion to the first trilogy in Red Rising Saga, my favorite sci-fi series of all time to date.
“If this is the end, I will rage toward it.”
This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on The Dragonbone Chair.
Cover art illustrated by Donato Giancola
The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (Book #1 of 3), The Osten Ard Saga (Book #1 of 7)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Classic Fantasy
Pages: 703 pages (Hardcover edition)
Word Count: 288,700 words
Published: 25th October 1988 by DAW Books
Incredible. The Dragonbone Chair is an absolutely brilliant transition from classic to modern epic fantasy.
“When you stopped to think about it, he reflected, there weren’t many things in life one truly needed. To want too much was worse than greed: it was stupidity—a waste of precious time and effort.”
ARC provided by the publisher—Saga Press—in exchange for an honest review.
The Will of the Many by James Islington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Hierarchy (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Science Fantasy
Pages: 640 pages (Hardcover edition)
Word Count: 240,000 words
Published: 23rd May 2023 by Saga Press
This is not an exaggeration. The Will of the Many by James Islington is the best fantasy book with a magical school trope I’ve ever read since The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
“The power to protect is the highest of responsibilities… When a man is given it, his duty is not only to the people he thinks are worthy.”
ARC provided by the publisher—Tordotcom—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by: Jaime Jones
Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Standalone
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 160 pages (Hardcover edition)
Published: 11st April 2023 by Tordotcom
Judging this by my novella standards, Untethered Sky is one of the best standalone novellas I’ve read.
“We cannot know the price others pay for their good fortune.”
ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Of War and Ruin by Ryan Cahill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Bound and the Broken (Book #3 of 4)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 1481 pages (Kindle edition)
Publish date: 19th of January 2023 by Ryan Cahill (Self-published)
Of War and Ruin is Cahill’s golden ticket to the pantheon of the fantasy greats. This mid-season finale to The Bound and the Broken is 430,000 words of glorious epic fantasy.
“Where I come from, there is nothing more important than your honour. But honour is not determined by the perception of others. It is in how you see your own deeds. Treat him the way you believe he should be treated.”
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by: NinoIs
Cover art designed by: Shawn T. King
Eleventh Cycle by Kian N. Ardalan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Mistland (Book #1 of 4)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, Dark Fantasy
Pages: 802 pages (Paperback)
Published: 1st February 2023 (Self-Published)
Eleventh Cycle is one of the best books I’ve read. Berserk and Dark Souls fans, this page-turning epic grimdark fantasy novel is written for us.
…
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Cosmere
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic fantasy
Pages: 483 pages (Kindle)
Published: 1st January 2023 by Dragonsteel Books (Kickstarter) & 10th January 2023 by Tor Books (US Ebook)/Gollancz (UK Ebook)
Tress of the Emerald Sea was simply whimsical and wonderful. Starting the year 2023 with the first secret novel from The Year of Sanderson is the correct action for me.
“Even small actions have consequences. And while we can often choose our actions, we rarely get to choose our consequences.”
Cover art illustrated by: Richard Anderson
The Lonesome Crown by Brian Lee Durfee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Five Warrior Angels (Book #3 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, Epic fantasy
Pages: 1088 pages (Paperback)
Published: 29th November 2022 by Saga Press
The Lonesome Crown is a massive fiery, brutal, and unpredictable concluding volume to The Five Warrior Angels trilogy.
“One must cease trying to control every little thing. Let the rivers of time flow, let the waters run where they may, for what destiny is yours shall remain the same and polished from the journey.—THE WAY AND TRUTH OF LAIJON”
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.
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.) …