I can hardly believe it, but we are now officially halfway through 2023. That being said, it’s time for a midpoint check-in on my favorite reads for the year, all of which are currently in the running for my best of 2023.
As of writing this, I’ve finished 43 books – here are my top ten so far in descending order:
10. Mary Jane
Mary Jane is a delightful, cozy historical fiction coming-of-age book. If you need an easy read that isn’t serious (but isn’t a romance), check this one out.
Premise: In 1975 Baltimore, 14-year-old sheltered Mary Jane takes a summer nannying job in a home where the psychologist father is treating a drug-addicted rock star and his movie star wife.
Click here for my review of Mary Jane.
9. Firekeeper’s Daughter
This one is for all the Nancy Drew fans out there who are also looking to read a YA mystery written by a Native American, featuring Native American characters.
Premise: When Daunis witnesses a murder, she is thrust into an investigation as a confidential informant. As more people die, she is conflicted between protecting her tribal community and trusting the feds to solve the crime.
Click here for my review of Firekeeper’s Daughter.
8. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries
This cozy fantasy is perfect if you want atmosphere, unique characters, a rustic Scandinavian village, and the Fae – with just a little bit of a sweet romance.
Premise: Emily Wilde is a socially awkward scholar of faeries. In this diary, she records the encounters and events she faces in a small Scandinavian village as she attempts to study their previously undocumented “Hidden Ones.”
Click here for my review of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
7. The Antiquity Affair
If you’re looking for something reminiscent of a historical action movie with an emphasis on sisterly love, check out The Antiquity Affair.
Premise: In 1907, two sisters, Lila and Tess, are swept up in a scheme to uncover an ancient (and potentially powerful) Egyptian relic.
Click here for my review of The Antiquity Affair.
6. The Inheritance Games
Like Firekeeper’s Daughter, this one is also for the Nancy Drew fans out there. This one is perfect if you’re looking for a fun YA mystery that doesn’t center on a murder.
Premise: A teenager, Avery, learns that a complete stranger has written her into his will – and that she’s inheriting billions. There’s just one catch: she has to live on the estate with his disinherited family for a full year first.
Click here for my review of The Inheritance Games.
5. House of Earth and Blood
It was the final 200 pages of this one that sealed it as one of my favorites so far for 2023. If you enjoy urban fantasy (with heavy worldbuilding), mystery, and a little romance, HOEAB is for you.
Premise: A half-fae “party girl” and an enslaved angel must work together to solve a gruesome case involving murder, demon summoning, and black-market drugs.
Click here for my review of House of Earth and Blood.
4. Go as a River
If you want a heart-wrenching tale full of drama, hope, and survival, you have to read this one.
Premise: In rural Colorado from the 1940s to the 1970s, we follow a young girl as she navigates becoming a woman, suffers a horrendous loss at the hands of those she trusted, then flees for safety.
Click here for my review of Go as a River.
3. Ninth House
For those of you who want to turn up the spook factor, Ninth House is a good place to start. It mixes mystery, horror, fantasy, and dark academia.
Premise: Alex Stern, who has lived a hard life of drugs and petty crime, is offered a place in Yale’s secret dark magic societies because of her unique ability to see ghosts. One semester in, a woman turns up dead – and Alex thinks the societies are involved.
Click here for my review of Ninth House.
2. A Dowry of Blood
If you like beautiful prose, dark and seductive themes, and vampires, you have to read this gothic horror novel.
Premise: Told from the perspective of Constanta’s letters to Dracula, we follow her through the centuries of her second life as the ancient vampire’s first bride.
Click here for my review of A Dowry of Blood.
1. Fourth Wing
If you’re plugged into bookish social media, this one probably won’t surprise you. Yes, I did join the hype train. Yes, it was worth it. Dragons, war college, romance, training, survival – what more can I want?
Premise: Despite being untrained, dealing with chronic pain, and having a target on her back, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail’s mother forces her to enroll in a dragon-riding military college – where the mortality rate for first-years is something like 50% or more. Now Violet has to survive not just the deadly training but the other ruthless students as well.
Click here for my review of Fourth Wing.
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