Top 5 Books I Read in 2022

1. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

This is hands down the best book I read in 2022. I finished this 400-page novel in less than 48 hours, which is very quick for me. I was so absorbed in the characters and the story that I couldn't stop reading. Check this one out if you like video games (or if you don’t), '90s nostalgia, Japanese culture and influences, academic settings, grandiloquent language choices, Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson, a character-based narrative, friendships that define and consume you, and love in all its many forms. Read my full review here. 

2. A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

This standalone prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree completely blew me away. I loved it even more than the first one, which is also one of my favorite books. This novel features multiple POVs, dragons, political intrigue, sapphic romance, motherly love, snowy adventures, hard decisions, and lifelong friendships. Read my full review here. 

3. Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R. F. Kuang 

This book has one of the best dark academia settings I've ever read. I loved this story. It was slower-paced but very rich and full of incredible characters. If you like history, linguistics, translation theory, Oxford in the 1800s, magic based on words' meanings, language etymology, very academic settings, and discourses on colonization, then you should check out this tome. Read my full review here. 

4. The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson 

The concluding novel to the Wax and Wayne era of Mistborn books was the most cosmere-aware novel to date, full of so many cross-references and easter eggs to Sanderson's other stories. I flew through this book and loved the ending. If you like magic based on different kinds of metals, western fantasy settings, intricate worldbuilding, unrivaled humorous banter, heists and adventures, and incredible characters, then read the Mistborn series, but definitely start with book one, not this one! Read my full review here. 

5. The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah 

I came to the realization this year that I love Arabian-inspired fantasy adventure stories set in the desert and full of djinn magic, and that's all thanks to this novel. This is a debut adult fantasy about a journey across a sea of shifting sands to find an ancient relic in a hidden jinn city. I loved the story and I loved the characters and I loved the magic and political intrigue and setting. It was all so much fun, and I recommend checking it out if you enjoy the desert fantasy genre. I can't wait for the sequel to be released. Read my full review here. 

2022 Reading Goals Review + Yearly Reading Stats

Reading Goals Review

My first goal was to read 100 books. I managed to read 152 books this year!! 

View my Goodreads Year in Books here to see all the specific titles I read in 2022!

My second goal was to read my TBR pile. I had 476 books on my physical TBR list on January 1, 2022. I wanted to reduce that number as much as possible and also read any new hardcover books within one month of purchase. The ultimate goal was to read more from my TBR than I added to it. Unfortunately, I did not accomplish this goal as my TBR at the end of the year was at 532. 

My third goal was to complete the Buzzword Readathon created by Kayla from Books and Lala, which I did. The prompts and books I read for each one are listed below. I also gave myself the added challenge of only choosing books from my physical TBR list, which I successfully did for every month. 

January: She Who Rides the Storm by Caitlin Sangster 

February: And I Darken by Kiersten White

March: The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor

April: Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

May: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

June: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

July: Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians by Janci Patterson & Brandon Sanderson 

August: Poster Girl by Veronica Roth

September: The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew 

October: Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

November: Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf

December: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Yearly Statistics

Number of books I read in 2022: 152
Number of those books that I listened to on audio: 78
Number of books I read from my TBR: 73
Number of frontlist titles I read (published in 2022 or 2023): 
Number of ARCs I read before the publication date: 29
Number of series I started: 28
Number of series I completed: 17
Number of books I DNFed: 8
Number of books I reread: 4
Number of books I acquired this year: 187
Amount of money spent on books this year: $1,481.82
Number of books I unhauled this year: 49
Number of books on my TBR at the beginning of 2022: 476
Number of books on my TBR at the end of 2022: 532

Books I read that were . . .
Middle Grade: 10
Young Adult: 37
Adult: 83
Manga: 21

*Note that I categorize anything not specifically labeled as middle grade or young adult as an adult title, such as nonfiction, humor, graphic novels, or religious books that could be enjoyed by any age group. 
**Also note that I added manga as its own category this year since I read an abnormal amount of manga and it could arguably fit into any age group and I didn't want to skew the numbers. 

Graphic Novels: 10
Short Stories or Novellas: 18
Nonfiction Titles: 9

Star Ratings:
1 star: 15 books
2 stars: 20 books
3 stars: 34 books
4 stars: 53 books 
5 stars: 30 books 

Reading Survey

Favorite book of the year: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Least favorite book of the year: Nothing but Blackened Teeth 
Most surprising book of the year: Carrie Soto Is Back 
Most disappointing book of the year: The Blood Trials 
Longest book of the year: Oathbringer (1,233 pages) 
Shortest book of the year: No Intention of Dying (15 pages) 
Book that was on my TBR the longest that I read: Memoirs of a Geisha (10+ years)
Biggest accomplishment: A Day of Fallen Night 
Most read genre: Fantasy (54%) 

Reading Reflections

I had a great reading year this year! I managed to read a ton of ARCs, I think more than any other year, and that kept me from buying quite so many books if I read an ARC but then didn't love it enough to purchase a copy. I did buy a ton of books this year, but I believe I am honing my reading tastes and I am confident I will enjoy the majority of those books, whereas in previous years I would buy books if they were on sale or if I had heard good things about them without taking my own feelings into account. I'm proud of my reading this year and managing to finish so many books from my TBR and so many ARCs before release day as well. Let's hope next year is as prosperous. 

Review: EMILY WILDE'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES by Heather Fawcett

 

Rating: 3.5/5 stars 

Emily Wilde is a dryadologist from Cambridge on a research trip in the early 1900s on a tiny island in northern Scandinavia off the coast of Norway, researching their Hidden Ones, or their faeries, for her faerie encyclopaedia. One day, Emily’s academic counterpart Wendell (Is he a rival? A friend?) arrives at her cabin with his two assistants and insists on helping her with her field research. Their camaraderie and discoveries end up changing the lives of all those who live in the tiny village they’re staying in, as well as all those who reside through the door in the faerie realms. 

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia is a more academic-focused take on fae, at least for the first half of the book. Emily and Wendell are trying to learn as much as they can about the faeries that live in these northern regions, and the novel is written in journal-like entries that Emily is recording for her research. There are also footnotes, as if this book were a real academic encyclopaedia. 

This book reminded me of a grown-up version of The Spiderwick Chronicles. It’s about fae, but it focuses more on the tiny sprite variety of faeries. There are “courtly fae” as they are called in this book, the adult romantic type, and there are “common fae,” the smaller varieties of fae found in the wild. The common fae are more the focus of Emily’s research, but both types are heavily present in this novel. 

I really enjoyed the first 75% of the story and overall had no complaints, but the last 25% lost me. I wish the focus of the novel had remained on the academic side of common fae and less on the courtly fae toward the end. The whole Hidden King and courtly politics bit felt cliched and overdone, in my opinion, and it pulled the story in a different direction than felt natural. I thought Heather Fawcett had a unique idea for writing a fae story about the smaller more traditional types of faeries, but then the adult-sized romantic and courtly fae came into play, and the story kind of lost its magical quality for me and started to feel like all the other fae novels out there. I liked the beginning and middle a lot more when the story was more focused on the common fae and the research aspect. 

The novel did not end on a cliffhanger, even though this is the first of a series. I have no idea what the sequel will be about since this volume tied up the plot it presented at the beginning, but I also don’t feel a large inclination to continue the series. I like neat endings, and since there weren’t any loose threads left, and since I was kind of turned off by the direction the story went in anyway, I am likely going to just treat this book like a standalone in my mind. 

Overall, I did enjoy Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries quite a bit and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a soft and wholesome novel about faeries. The story features a mix of folklore, history, romance, and fantasy set in a lush and cozy wintery landscape. I thought the book was well-written and had good characters, for the most part. It read a little younger than I expected it to and the plot went in a direction I wasn’t entirely pleased with, but overall I still had a fun time reading this book and I think many people will really enjoy it as well. 

Review: THE LOST METAL by Brandon Sanderson

 

Rating: 5/5 stars

We've been waiting six years for The Lost Metal, and I can safely say that the wait was well worth it. The Lost Metal is the best book in the second era of Mistborn books. I loved it. 

This book starts six years after the end of The Bands of Mourning, and our characters are in new places in their lives. Wax is largely retired, marking Wayne as Marasi's crime-fighting partner. But then a new explosive discovery pulls Wax back into the swing of things, and our trusted trio, with the help of some new companions as well, must do whatever they can to save Elendel. 

I love the character work in this book. My favorite was probably Steris and how she is finally being acknowledged and appreciated for her idiosyncrasies and emergency preparedness skills. Also Wayne was incredible. He delivers his usual quips and his banter with Wax is absolutely hilarious, but his overall growth and understanding of himself are so great to see. 

There were a lot of action and fight scenes in this book, which usually I don't prefer to read, but Brandon writes those scenes so well that I didn't even mind reading them and I flew right through them. 

The most impressive part of The Lost Metal, however, was the immense amount of cosmere crossover. Brandon did say that this would be the most cosmere-aware novel to date, and I can absolutely see that. I've read every cosmere book so far except for Rhythm of War, and The Lost Metal blows all of them out of the water with how many references to other worlds and other magic systems that it has. I was losing my mind as I was reading and picking up on all the subtle references sprinkled throughout the book. As far as I can tell, there are even references to unpublished cosmere worlds. It all makes me extremely excited to read the third era of Mistborn and the second arc of Stormlight because I’m sure the crossovers will be even more plentiful as the cosmere progresses further into the future. 

Overall, The Lost Metal was an extremely satisfying conclusion to the Wax and Wayne era of Mistborn and has lots of setup for future Mistborn books to come. It was funny, fast-paced, and tied up some loose plot points set in motion from a few books earlier. Absolutely read this series. 

*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*

Here is a list of references to the greater cosmere I found in The Lost Metal:
This is not a definitive list as this is just what I personally noticed, and I made the list largely after I finished reading, so I’m sure I missed a few things. Contains spoilers for the entire cosmere. 

EARLIER MISTBORN
—Marsh appears in the flesh.
—Kelsier returns.
—Wax has a vision of the battle of Luthadel.
—Wayne becomes a Mistborn for three seconds.
—There were obviously many more references, but these were the big ones.

ELANTRIS / THE EMPEROR’S SOUL
—Moonlight can soulstamp and is actually Shai from The Emperor’s Soul.
—Codenames is actually Kaise, a relative of Sarene from Elantris.
—Seons appear. Codenames has one.
—The use of Aeons. 

THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE
—Roshar is mentioned by name many times.
—The Ghostbloods are mentioned, first by their symbol (three triangles interlocked) which is actually a stylized marewill flower, and then by name. Members are present on Scadriel, and it turns out the organization originated on Scadriel as Kelsier is their leader. Their motives (protect Scadriel at all costs) and many of their members are revealed. 
—Shadesmar / the Cognitive Realm is referenced a few times, and MeLaan travels there at the end.
—MeLaan is going to help a bunch of redheads at the end. Could it be the horneaters? Not sure, but maybe. 
—Wayne eats some chouta! 
—Dlavil, a Ghostbloods member on Scadriel, is siblings with Iyatil, a Ghostbloods member on Roshar.
—Potential references to Skybreakers, though not by name, when Steris receives help from a group of people to sink the ships. They fly into the air, which Steris interprets as Allomancy. One of them had a red tattoo on the back of his hand. 

WARBREAKER
—Mentions of items being Awakened.

OTHER COSMERE / UNKNOWN
—The word “cosmere” itself appears many times.
—Hoid is mentioned by name throughout the book. 
—TwinSoul can use aether magic, a possible reference to Aether of Night, an unpublished cosmere novel. 
—The Dor, purified Investiture, is mentioned and seen on-page.
—References to Shards, Splinters, Investiture, Connection, and Perpendicularities. 
—Shards named in this book: Preservation, Ruin, Autonomy/Trell, Odium, Whimsy.
—Mentions of the planet Silverlight. Also the note from Harmony to MeLaan that was stamped “Silverlight Mercantile.” 
—References to Bjendal and Mythos, potentially related to cosmere worlds we haven’t seen yet but that will come in the future.
—I remember seeing references to White Sand as well, but I can’t remember exactly what they were.
—Ominous references to Discord. 

Review: A DAY OF FALLEN NIGHT by Samantha Shannon

 

Rating: 5/5 stars

A Day of Fallen Night is set about 500 years before The Priory of the Orange Tree. It’s a mutligenerational, multi-POV political fantasy that’s very intricately detailed and a little bit longer than the first book. Priory is one of my favorite books of all time that I have not stopped talking about or hyping up since I read it the month it was released. I cannot tell you how excited I was to learn that there was going to be more books written in this world, since Shannon originally planned it as a single book. 

I want to point out right away that you do not need to read Priory prior to reading Fallen Night. In fact, if you haven’t read either book yet, I would start with this one. I feel like this story is the kind that is best told in chronological order but with the knowledge that the author wrote the books in reverse chronological order, that she already had everything planned out ahead of time. Both books, though, are standalones with different characters, so you could read them in either order you like. 
It was very interesting to see the subtle changes to the world that we knew in Priory. Of course history changes over time, and this is seen in the slight changes in spelling between some of the city names in the two books. I love that this small detail made the world feel so much richer and more realistic. 

We have four POVs but way more than four main characters. Our storytellers are: 
—Dumai: 27, a godsinger at the High Temple of Kwiriki in Seiiki (the East). Daughter of Unora, the Maiden Officiant, and Emperor Jorodu. 
—Tunuva: 50, tomb keeper for the Priory and guardian of the remains of Cleolind Onjenyu, who founded the Priory in Lasia (the South). 
—Glorian: 15, daughter of Sabran VI of Inys and Bardholdt I of Hróth. Sole heir to the Queendom of Inys (the West) and figurehead for their religion. 
—Wulfert: 18, a sailor from Inys and childhood friend of Glorian. He comes from mysterious origins. 

I don’t want to say too much about the storylines for the individual characters because I don’t want to give anything away, but if you know your history of this world, this installment takes place during the time of the second great eruption of the Dreadmount, which released the five High Westerns and their wyverns into the world and caused the Grief of Ages. Each character must deal with the effects of the Draconic Army wreaking havoc on their land while also dealing with a lot of personal trials and political machinations in their own nations. 

Three of the four POV characters have someone come in to their lives who they aren’t really sure if they are a friend or a foe. It was very interesting to read about these characters becoming close to these outsiders, only to wonder if they were going to be betrayed or not. This book definitely punches you in the heart at times. 

Somehow I loved all of these characters and their relationships even more than those in Priory, which I didn’t think was possible. I especially loved seeing how intricately linked they all are to each other and how their stories intertwine. 

I loved this book so much and I have already preordered two copies because I will reread this for the rest of my life. I love this rich and detailed world that Samantha Shannon has created, and I am so excited that she has a third book planned!! It will be a few years before its release, but it’s another prequel and I really hope it’s the story of Cleolind and Galian and the first great eruption of the Dreadmount. I will read anything that takes place in this world because I love everything about it so much. If you love epic fantasy, rich worldbuilding, flawed and relatable characters, dragons, and excellent writing, then do yourself a favor and read this series. 

Note: Do NOT look up this book’s characters in the glossary in The Priory of the Orange Tree because it does spoil some critical scenes that happen in A Day of Fallen Night. I wanted to see if this book’s main characters were listed there, and they were. But then I made the mistake of reading their bios and I thought, “welp, I guess I know how this character is going to die, and what decision that other character is going to make about this big thing” etc. So yes, save yourself the spoilers and finish this book first before you learn how the characters were remembered in history. It’s very awesome, however, to see how much of this story that Samantha Shannon already knew was going to happen when she crafted Priory. The lore and history of this world is so incredible deep and rich. 

Review: THE ATLAS PARADOX by Olivie Blake

 

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

I was excited to read The Atlas Paradox because I quite enjoyed The Atlas Six, but unfortunately, this sequel was kind of boring and slower-moving than it should have been. I felt like the book was longer than it needed to be, and I was glad when it finally was over. 

This novel, like this first, continues to be very character-focused and less plot-focused. In fact, I would say The Atlas Paradox was so character-focused at times that neither I nor Olivie Blake nor any of the characters had any idea where the plot was going. 

I have no idea what The Atlas Complex, the third installment, will be about seeing as the initiates have all graduated from the Alexandrian Society now and this book didn't really leave off in a place that indicated what would happen next. 

I still fully intend to finish off this series as I really enjoy reading about all these characters, but I do hope the final volume will offer more of a solid direction for the plot to go in. I like Olivie Blake's writing style and I've enjoyed getting to read many of her books outside of the Atlas series, so I look forward to seeing what she will come up with when this series is finished. This series will likely remain Blake's most beloved and widely read series, but I feel like her best work is still out there waiting to be written. 

Review: THE SIX DEATHS OF THE SAINT by Alix E. Harrow

 

Rating: 1.5/5 stars

I read this story solely because it's by Alix E. Harrow, whose stories I generally really enjoy reading, and who I've read everything from so far. I didn't know anything about The Six Deaths of the Saint beforehand besides who the author was; I just jumped right in. 

I honestly didn't really enjoy this story that much. For one, it just didn't make that much sense to me, and I didn't understand what Harrow was trying to communicate with this story. It also didn't have any of her signature beautiful prose that I've come to love in her other works. 

This is a quick read; it took me less than forty minutes to read. The Six Deaths is told in a mix of second-person POV and first-person POV. Usually, I really like reading stories told in second-person, but I don't think it really worked in this instance. I felt that it made the characterization more convoluted, and I'm left still wondering who is who and why any of it matters. 

I can't say whether or not I will be reading any of the other stories in Amazon's "Into Shadow" collection as Harrow's story was the only one I was really interested in, but since they're all pretty short, I might give them a try later on. I know I will be reading any future novels from Harrow, but this story of hers was a flop for me, unfortunately. 

Review: STAR FATHER by Charlie N. Holmberg

 

Rating: 2/5 stars

When the skies go dark, Aija craves only for the Sunlight to return. Then she runs into an unconscious man glowing gold at the river’s edge: the Sun God himself. As she revives him, she realizes she’s falling in love with him, so once he returns to the sky, Aija vows to do whatever she can to become immortal so she can join him up there forever. 

Star Father is told in a similar style to Star Mother, which I read right before starting this book. Even though this book stands alone, there are references to scenes and characters in the first book, so reading Star Mother before Star Father is advisable, but not necessary. 

Star Father has more adventure than the first book as Aija is on a quest to return to the Sun and has to traverse the world and meet with many different gods and godlings, each not quite giving her what she wants, so she has to continue elsewhere in her quest. So even though the book is very adventurous, I got frustrated with how many times Aija’s plan was thwarted. I wanted something good to happen to her, but she encountered problem after problem after problem, and it just made me want to stop reading. I also got kind of bored during most of the middle of the book as I was just waiting for Aija to reach her end goal of returning to the Sun. 

I like Charlie Holmberg’s writing style and I have really enjoyed many of her books, but unfortunately, Star Father was a miss for me. The only reason I wanted to read it was because of the author, not because of the story. The synopsis itself doesn’t interest me as I have never been a fan of mythological retellings or fantasy stories featuring gods, which is obviously the entire focus of this novel. 

I think fans of Charlie Holmberg’s writing style who also like mythologically centered novels will enjoy Star Father, and anyone who loves a good romance between a mortal and a deity will likely enjoy this book as well. I really enjoyed the ending. I actually liked the ending of this book better than that of Star Mother, but I enjoyed the overall story of the first book better than the one in the second book. Star Father is ultimately a story about love, and about how far someone will go to be with the one they love.