This year, I have finally returned to the crazy-for-reading personality of my past, and therefore, have been consuming books like it’s my only chance at survival. So far this year, I have made an evident dent in my TBR (to-be-read) pile and thought I should share some of my favorites so far. These books made me giggle, cry, and wonder what would happen next with their adventures, romance, and amazing characters. So here are my 5-star reads of 2024:
The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman
The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman (our beloved author of The Magicians series) is about a young knight named Collum who is trying to figure out the future of Camelot, and himself, alongside the remaining, lesser known members of the Round Table. It’s a story of adventure, discovering one’s purpose, and making one with ourselves.
I personally loved this book because of the beautiful world-building, historically accurate yet exciting duels, and character development that had me growing attached. From the beginning of the book to the end, there were constant mysteries and surprises that had me grasping at the few clues and questioning my own judgement. Secrets about Collum, King Arthur, and even Britain all came into play and it really made me love the world more. I also loved how these secrets and the chapters dedicated to explaining the character’s history added a lot of depth to the characters, making it feel like I was also on the journey with them.
Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune is a heartfelt, sweet, cozy story about regrets and what happens after death. In this book, we follow our protagonist, Wallace, as he navigates his afterlife and the regrets he had during his life. Alongside Wallace is our sweet Hugo (owner of the odd tea shop Wallace stays at after his death), his sassy Grandpa Nelson, and the free-spirited Mei.
I originally picked this book up since I had enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune last year, and I can’t say I regret it. I loved Wallace’s character development throughout the story as he reflected on his life and himself, as well as how this development affected those around him. I also enjoyed watching Wallace establish and build relationships with the other characters in the book, especially with Nelson since he could always make me laugh.
Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver is probably one of the funniest dark romance comedies I’ve ever read. The story is about two serial killers (the good kind, if that’s even possible), Sloane and Rowan, who fall in love as they compete in a yearly game to see who can kill their target first.
Rowan and Sloane have some of the best banter that just had me cackling as I read. Despite being a horror, thriller type of book, I found it to be pretty light-hearted and fun to follow. This book’s hilarious plot twists always surprised me (I’ll never be able to eat cookies-and-cream ice cream again [if you know, you know]) and kept me interested.
Before you read the book, do make sure to read the content warnings (as it is a page long) and make sure you are comfortable with the explicit content before continuing as it does contain gore and explicit sex scenes.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a beautiful reimagining of the story of Achilles told from the perspective of his “bestie”, Patroclus. We all know the story of Achilles (or at least you know about the heel/tendon that is named after him), but Madeline Miller spins a tale of love, loss, and adventure in this story that I believe could rival that of the Ancient Greek plays. The quote-worthy lines made me cry, my heart sore, and my mind wish I could have a relationship as sweet and trusting as that between Achilles and Patroclus.
The poetic prose and deep feelings displayed in this novel connect you to the characters in a way that causes heartache, heartbreak, and heartfelt longing. Despite the ending being well-known, Madeline Miller made us all still grow attached to and mourn the characters, and now I can never forget them. I love them so much.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is my most recent read of the year. The book follows our protagonist Violet as she attends her local war college’s dragon rider major because her mom made her. In all seriousness though, Violet has to learn to survive, ride dragons, and try not to fall in love with her hot nemesis and wing leader Xaden (did I mention he was hot?) in preparation for joining the war front. With her mom’s reputation providing her with endless enemies, how will she make it through her 3 years at Basgiath War College?
I loved this book with its interesting magic system, world-building, war system, and dragons (because how can you not love dragons?!). I personally listened to the [Dramatized Version] audiobook by GraphicAudio and I think that made it 100X more awesome. The story was already insanely interesting, especially with its plot twists, but this audiobook, which has voice actors for each character and amazing background noise effects, made it feel more immersed than ever. It got my heart racing and blood pumping as I wondered what would happen next.