Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art by: Alejandro Colucci
A Touch of Light by Thiago Abdalla
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Series: The Ashes of Avarin (Book #1 of 4)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 447 pages (Hardback edition)
Published: 1st March 2022 by Thiago Abdalla (Self-Published
A Touch of Light is a confusing and challenging character-driven fantasy debut. …
Cover art by: Mansik Yang
Mother of Learning: ARC 2 by Domagoj Kurmaić
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Mother of Learning (Book #2 of 4)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Progression Fantasy, Web novel
Pages: 644 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 1st December 2021 by Wraithmarked Creative (Indie)
Mother of Learning: ARC 2 by nobody103 or Domagoj Kurmaic was as good as the first volume. It almost completely topped ARC 1 that I read last month. …
Review copy of audiobook received from the author in exchange for an honest review
![Dawn Razed: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Ethereal Earth Book 4) by [Josh Erikson]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/518pEXME0PL.jpg)
Dawn Razed by Josh Erikson
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Ethereal Earth (Book #4)
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Published: 13th December 2022 by Josh Erikson (self-published ebook) and Audible Studios
Dawn Razed might have taken its time, but it was worth it.
A self-published series that’s also superbly self-narrated by the author, the Ethereal Earth books (and audiobooks) are some of the best urban fantasy reads out there, in my opinion. I’ve enjoyed these stories tremendously not only because they were so much fun, but because both character development and worldbuilding were excellently executed.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by Kyra Gregory
The Way of Edan by Philip Chase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Edan Trilogy (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 539 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 21st March 2023 by Philip Chase (Self-Published)
In The Way of Edan, Philip Chase has weaved a lyrical fantasy debut that will highly appeal to fans of classic and modern fantasy.
“The old tales take us to faraway times and places, but they’re also where we come from. They tell us how we got here.”
Cover art by: Mansik Yang
Mother of Learning: ARC 1 by Domagoj Kurmaić
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Mother of Learning (Book #1 of 4)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Progression Fantasy, Web novel
Pages: 644 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 1st December 2021 by Wraithmarked Creative (Indie)
Mother of Learning: ARC 1 was a marvelous start to a time-loop fantasy series. It was so damn enjoyable to read. …
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 5)
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.”
Cover art illustrated by: Chris McGrath
A Clash of Fates by Philip C. Quaintrell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Echoes Saga (Book #9 of 9)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 836 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 28th May 2021 by Quaintrell Publishing (Self-Published)
This is the end. I have finally finished reading A Clash of Fates and The Echoes Saga, a series comprised of 9 books and 1.6 million words.
“Love is an exceptional power in this world, one that can keep us standing when all else abandons us.”
Cover art illustrated by Marc Simonetti
Age of Empyre by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Legends of the First Empire (Book #6 of 6)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic fantasy
Pages: 464 pages (Mass Market Paperback)
Published: 5th May 2020 by Grim Oak Press (Self-Published)
Age of Empyre provided a relatively satisfying ending to the series, but the series never reached the height of The Riyria books.
“That’s what stories are for, Brin realized. They are magic that aid people in times like this. They provide hope, a light to see by when all others are snuffed out.”
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.) …
Cover art illustrated by Marc Simonetti
Age of Legend by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Legends of the First Empire (Book #4 of 6)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic fantasy
Pages: 464 pages (Mass Market Paperback)
Published: 9th July 2019 by Grim Oak Press (Self-Published)
Age of Legend starts the second half and the end of The Legends of the First Empire, and I was so engrossed with this fourth installment.
“What a strange treasure is innocence, a virtue to the old and a curse to the young, so highly prized but eagerly parted with—the riches of beautiful skin traded for the wisdom of calluses. — THE BOOK OF BRIN”