I somehow managed to meet my reading goal of 52 books this year, despite being in a months long reading slump over the summer. Within those 52 books, there were a select few that stood out. I haven’t done a big reading wrap-up in a while, and it’s something I want to bring back next year. In any case, here’s a list of my favorite books I read in 2024.

Hellbent (Alex Stern #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Ninth House is one of my favorite books of all time, and Hellbent did not disappoint. Although I waited nearly a year after its release, the events of Ninth House stayed fresh in my mind and I picked up right where I left off. Like Ninth House, Hellbent was executed extremely well. I wish I could say more, but even the synopsis of this book would be a spoiler to Ninth House.

Ask for Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli

I don’t read many thrillers or contemporary mysteries nowadays, but this was one that I’m glad I picked up. I read this back at the beginning of the year and I still find myself thinking back to this book often. This novel takes a different approach to typical mysteries and thrillers and follows the spirits of the victims of a serial killer. They keep up with their own murder investigations, following the killer from place to place as he moves his wife and children (who are unaware of his actions) around the country all while doing everything they can to prevent the same fate befalling anyone else. This book was suspenseful, but it was also a moving and devastating story. I got tired of many thrillers being formulaic and this one really shattered that mold.

The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson

I knew this was going to be an all-time favorite from the moment I picked this book up in February. I had extremely high expectations for this book given how often I hear its title thrown around. I fell in love with everything about this book. I grew a near immediate attachment to Kelsier and Lin, the magic system was imaginative, and the entire book was playing out like a movie in my mind. I’m going to stop myself here because I can talk about Mistborn all day.

The Shepherd King duology by Rachel Gillig

One Dark Window, Two Twisted Crowns

This was the first year that I really tried to implement a new rule about finishing series instead of leaving months or years between reading each installment. The Shepherd King duology was the first one that I read back to back and so it feels like I read one big story instead of two separate books— and I consider this a good thing. I really enjoyed so, so many elements about this book. I found the playing card-based magic system fascinating. I loved the foggy, misty setting, and I was completely taken by the relationship between Elspeth and the Monster that quite literally lives in her head. The way she grows as a person, finds love, and the way she learns to accept the parts of herself that she never wanted to acknowledge were perfectly executed. I read these when I had Kindle Unlimited, but I think I’ll eventually give in and buy some special editions so they have a home on my shelf.

If We Were Villains by ML Rio

This is by far one of the most beautifully written books I’ve read, and the theatre setting felt very familiar (I did theatre growing up and well into university). I love the subtleties in the story, but also the way the mystery unwound itself through the story. I don’t have the desire to reread too many books, but this is one that I cannot wait to reread.

In the Company of Witches (Evenfall Witches B&B #1) by Auralee Wallace

I have really, really wanted to love a lot of the cozy fantasy that I’ve read thus far, but many of them have fallen flat. Although this book is witchy and not the swords and sorcery that most of us associate with fantasy, the execution of this book was exactly what I’d been craving from a cozy fantasy/mystery. While this book has that cozy, small town atmosphere, it didn’t feel like it was trying too hard to fit the mold of a trendy buzzword. It was a touching story about love, loss, and moving on. It had a good story, a fun mystery, and it left me misty eyed. I cannot wait to read the second installment, When the Crow’s Away.

Once Upon a Broken Heart Trilogy by Stephanie Garber

Once Upon a Broken Heart, the Ballad of Never After, A Curse for True Love

Stephanie Garber is able to weave these incredibly whimsical and fantastical worlds like no one else. I loved the Caraval trilogy and I think I may have fallen in love with the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy even harder. Like the Shepherd King duology, I read these back to back to back, so they all run together to create one big story in my mind. While there were minor flaws interspersed throughout the trilogy, I can’t ignore the enjoyment I took in reading these. They transported me to a magical world that I wasn’t at all ready to leave. I cannot wait to read more from Stephanie Garber because very few other books are able to transport me like hers can.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

I love gothic literature, and I especially love when it has genuinely tense and scary moments. The book was beautifully written with evocative depictions of a dilapidated manor and a slightly off-kilter world complete with its own religions and histories. The mystery that permeates the book is suspenseful and left me clinging to every word and revelation as they happened. I really couldn’t put this book down.

Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Though I enjoyed Six of Crows back in January, Crooked Kingdom was really the one that did it for me. The sheer scope of the story, the intricacies, and the character work that Leigh Bardugo seamlessly wove into the story made me feel like I knew the characters on a much more intimate level and made the plot that much more impactful. By the time the book concluded I’d felt the full range of emotions I’m capable of and it left me with a bittersweet feeling in my heart.

…

I’m actually quite surprised at the variety of the books that have made it into this final list. I think this list is quite representative of what I enjoy overall: a lot of fantasy, dark academia, bleak settings, with an occasional break in the clouds for something cozy or whimsical.

I’m going to hold myself to my promise to share some more reading lists in 2025, so I’ll be back soon with my winter reading wrap-up!

x

When I'd learned that Erin A. Craig was coming out with another novel, I couldn't contain my excitement. House of Salt and Sorrows is an all-time favorite that I still find myself thinking about. I picked up Small Favors as soon as it was available at my public library. 

If you'd asked me to rate it when I was halfway done, I would have said 10/10, easy. My opinion soon changed as I drew nearer to the end of the novel. 

Small Favors follows our protagonist, Ellerie Downing. The book is set in Amity Falls, a small town located in the middle of a mountain range, making it fairly difficult to access. Long ago, the town's founders fought off the creatures that inhabited the woods surrounding Amity Falls, which remain unofficially off-limits. Only planned supply runs to replenish the town's non-renewable resources like medicine and other sundries are made. When one of these supply runs goes missing, the fear that the creatures that once inhabited the woods have returned begin to creep in. Slowly, things begin going awry. There are sightings of silver-eyed creatures looking inwards from the treeline. Animals are born with various maladies and deformities. Suspicion begins to fall not only on the untimely visitors that arrive at Amity Falls but among neighbors as well.

One common complaint that I saw was about how slow the novel began, with things only picking up around the last 20% of the book. I, however, love slow burns. I think Craig did a great job at letting the reader get accustomed to Ellerie's norm while giving us subtle indications that things were just a bit off. Additionally, the author is able to create such a perfect atmosphere in her writing, that I personally wouldn't have changed the pacing of the book at the beginning at all. I was completely immersed in Amity Falls, and while I do have qualms with the book, the atmosphere that she creates is not one of them. The book had me craving honey cakes the entire way through, so much so that I let myself have a spoonful of honey every now and then (I even found a honey cake recipe that I can't wait to try). The world she created was *chef's kiss.*

My issues began with the final 20-30% of the book. While the first portion took great care to show us the dire circumstances that Ellerie and the entire town were experiencing, the last quarter just took OFF. Had this been executed in ways that made a little more sense or fit with the established attitude of each character, I wouldn't have had such an issue. Most of the questions were answered, but the ones that weren't were pretty significant. Loose ends were hastily tied and the overall ending felt incredibly rushed. Finishing Small Favors reminded me of answering an essay question on a timed exam: while taking time to write an eloquent and well thought out answer, you realize that you're nearly out of time and quickly scribble out your point before the time is up. 

Characters that had been established as being total asses throughout the book made a complete 180 with no explanation at just the right time. Ellerie makes decisions at the pinnacle of the climax that disregards everything that had been established about her person. And finally, the one question that the Downing family had- the sliver of hope that they clung to throughout the god-awful year they experienced in Amity Falls- is never addressed.

I could have enjoyed the fast-paced ending had it been done a bit differently. The combination of off-brand decision-making and peripheral characters that I never really cared about made the landing fall just a little flat for me. I would have liked the ending to have been more fleshed out and/or the beginning to focus on fleshing out the peripheral characters (Whitaker and Rebecca in particular) and their relationships with our protagonist to make me feel something for them when they come into play a bit later on. 

Overall, this book was a 7/10 for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptive and colorful building of Amity Falls, as well as the subtleties that made me feel everything from the bitter cold to half-starved to death, to unconditional love for my siblings, and everything in between. And let's not forget those honey cakes. I may even post about my attempt at making some in the future.