Today's blog post will be a smart recap of the best books I've read this past year and the volume of the books I've read.
I'll start with Part I: fiction.
I read fifty fiction novels this year. They ranged from about 50.000 words to 170.000 words. I believed the longest must have been Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff. The shortest was The Chrysalids by John Wyndham.
Let's go into the actual reviews!
What were my favourites this year and why? (A warning: there aren't a whole lot despite the volume of books I've actually read. This is because I have very high standards when it comes to my reading for enjoyment.)
1. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
This is just a beautiful book. In a lot of alternative Victorian era fantasy fiction there is a huge focus on magic and yada yada and the hero is all special because he can do the magic better than others. This isn't the case with the Watchmaker. There is magic, yes, but a) the main character doesn't wield it, and b) it is only a tiny part of the happenings in the novel (although it is a huge part of WHY everything happens). There are no overt shows of fireballs being thrown or demons being sent off to harass some twelve-year old (I greatly enjoyed the Bartimaeus series though!). The magic in Watchmaker is gentle and subtle (just like the romance!) and I definitely loved this book best of all the fiction I've read this year.
2. Shadowblack, Charmcaster, and Soulbinder by Sebastien de Castell
I started to read the Spellslinger series in 2017 if I remember correctly. It's a fun YA series about a boy (Kellen) who wanted to be a mage and turned into an outlaw instead. It's a fantasy western with a cool magic system (or should I say cool magic systems? The world de Castell has created is really huge!) and despite being a lot YA doesn't have an annoying romance in it. The romance is actually... well. I'm not sure how to explain it. Let's just say it's a lot more realistic and less destined than other YA romances. The focus of the book concerns Kellen's journey from being exiled by his rather fascist clan to... I'm not yet sure what. He definitely still has some journey ahead of him after the 4th book (Soulbinder) but nonetheless I definitely recommend it!
3. Medusa Uploaded by Emily Devenport
This was a fun read especially because one of the main concepts of it. In the not too far but far enough future there are certain sentient robot suits (not like mechas... but more like Cthulhu) and they are supposed to link with humans in order to help them survive in space/their new community. The main character is quite decent (It's hard to have an opinion on her as she's sort of a 'blank slate' in terms of emotions/inner world) and leans towards the bad-ass rather than weak but supposedly powerful YA girl. Oichi is cunning and calm and quite cool (or should I say 'emotionally frozen') all in all. The plot is average as far as a novel goes but decent for YA. All in all it was enjoyable enough to earn a place on my favourites list.
4. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
This was so beautiful! I had to take a while to decide whether to include this one or The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivy which are both amazing works of Russian-ish folklore art. They are at their cores somewhat similar although The Bear and the Nightingale builds much more of a world then The Snow Child. This is ultimately why I chose it above The Snow Child. The Bear and the Nightingale then is a riveting story with a slower pace than what I normally read. It's the story of little wild girl turning into a wild young woman - in a traditional world where she is shunned for being as she is. It also involves magic and demons and the King of Winter.
5. The Tangled Lands by Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias S. Buckell
I don't actually have a lot to say about this novel. The most important thing to know when you go into it is that it's actually a compilation of short stories set in the same world that all build upon each other. There are two male storylines and two female (with Bacigalupi writing the male and Buckell the female). The second female storyline of a blacksmith girl was IMO the best of the book. This character was the most amazing of all four of them.
6. Witchmark by C.L. Polk
Another Victorian(ish) era book set in an alternate London-ish city. This one was not as great as the Watchmaker even though it was somewhat similar. It involves a romance between two men (yeeeeesssss!) and a veritable TON of magic when compared with the Watchmaker. It's a wild ride as well! A lot of things happen and the protagonist is often in trouble and it's generally fast-paced. I did not like it as much as the Watchmaker but it was still a lot of fun.
7. Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
This is one of the few YA books with a romance that I enjoyed. It follows a Japanese girl in a magical feudal Japan and it's just... It sucked me in and didn't let me go with both the action and its slower but high-tension scenes. It's an awesome read. I don't want to admit it but even the romance was great. This was the first book in which I actually rooted for the two main characters to get together. The book left on a cliffhanger however and I'm worried the second installment (which begins with very high tension already) might ruin the first so I haven't read it yet.
A few others I liked but do not want to discuss in as much detail in order to keep the post from becoming a wall of text:
The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt: A cool space adventure! I read this at the beginning of the year and it's fun!
Planetfall by Emma Newman: Weird. Weird. Weird. The main character is creepy but at the same time her quest is so exciting you just have to follow her into the City of God.
Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill: A lovely story about a robot (called Brittle) who dismantles failing robots in order to herself alive but doesn't feel great about it. All humans have died and technology to save Brit is slowly running out. There's another robot who has the tech she needs - but he's not about to fail soon and Brit shies away from actually destroying robots that still have a bit of a life before them.
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham: This one deserves it's own review to be honest. The premise is somewhat silly (I mean - walking plants that kill humans?) but the execution was neat!
Thoraiya Dyer's Giant's Forest books: There's currently two and they're fun and action! They're admittedly not very 'deep' in theme or the events that happen (except perhaps the tidbit about children falling down to Understorey) but still worth a read. They were fun!
Semiosis by Sue Burke: This is a science fiction novel without any magic. The plot follows a group of people (and successive generations) as they land on a new planet and make connection with the inhabitants. Plot twist and minor spoiler: the inhabitants are plants. These plants are very sophisticated (although most of them not as much as the Triffids!) and over time alliances are made and dangers are battled. It's a strange book but it deserves to be listed simply because of its ideas. I'd never read anything quite like it before and it's stayed in my mind.
All right. That's it about Part I of this review of the year. I read a lot more books than are listed (obviously) but had to restrict this post to a few that stood out against the rest. I do hope you enjoyed this post and perhaps you'll read some of these books yourself! I definitely recommend them!
Have a good New Year's Eve and a Happy New Year!
PS: Here are some questionable but still funny fireworks available in the Netherlands:
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