I read 78 books in the first half of 2022. (Which is, I admit, excessive.) Of those, 23 of them have been 5 star reads. (Which is also excessive.) This is in part due to the fact that I’m ridiculously easy to please, but it’s also because I have found some truly phenomenal books (and even new-to-me authors) this year. I wanted to share these with you, in the order that I read them.
…
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Winternight Trilogy (Book #2 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Pages: 383 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 5th December 2017 by Del Rey (US) & 5th December 2017 by Del Rey (UK)
If you enjoyed The Bear and the Nightingale, I see little chances of The Girl in the Tower failing for you.
“Every time you take one path, you must live with the memory of the other: of a life left unchosen. Decide as seems best, one course or the other; each way will have its bitter with its sweet.”
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Winternight Trilogy (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Pages: 370 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 10th January 2017 by Del Rey (US) & 12th January 2017 by Del Rey (UK)
I enjoyed reading this debut. The Bear and the Nightingale is an atmospheric read with a likable main character.
Similar to Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, one of the reasons I wanted to read The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden is because I want to imagine how it feels to live in the wintery season. Actually, on that note, if you love Spinning Silver, I think you should give this novel a try as well; there are a lot of similarities between the two books, though I liked Spinning Silver more. But back on point. As someone who lived in a tropical country all his life, winter, snow, or cold seasons are pretty close to being fantasy weather for me. I wanted to read a fantasy book that will make me feel this experience, and with the combination of cold air conditioners, I got what I wanted from reading The Bear and the Nightingale.
…