2023 was not the strongest year in books for me. The very beginning and the very end of the year were when I read some great books. A lot of the plots were repetitive and there were not many published in my favourite genres such as magical realism, dark academia, or victorian supernatural.
I read over 60 advanced reader copies this year and no other fiction.
Down below I have included the best and worst advanced reader copies I read in 2023 ranked in order. I have been sticking with my goal of not purchasing physical copies of fiction books anymore and so I ranked my best books by how much I enjoyed them.
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Top 5 Fiction Advanced Reader Copies
1. The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman
I had a magical experience reading this book that was full of sychronicities for me. It was as though I called this book into my life. For that reason, it is the best arc I read this year.
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2. The Bleeding
This was the first arc I read in 2023 and it was a story about witches and multi generational malevolence. It was really interesting and creepy.
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3. Rouge
This was an occult fiction masterpiece, and the big standout for me was Mona Awad’s dark glamorous prose.
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4. The Star and the Strange Moon
Original and excellent storytelling with a creepy occult plot that spun an intricate web of mystery and magic. Yet another book by the author which I really enjoyed.
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5. That Night in the Library
It was the first time I read a locked room thriller and the atmosphere and twists were so good. I did not think I would like it as much as I did.
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Standouts
Biggest Surprise
I didn’t think I would enjoy literary fiction, but Holly Ringland has a way of layering in bits of whimsy and magic into her story so that it comes across as magical realism without it actually being magical realism. I also watched the Amazon adaptation of her first novel The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart which was beautifully done.
Best Comeback
The Order of the Seven Stars duology by Luanne G. Smith- Best comeback for me. Her last series was a big disappointment , so I was happy that her new duology delivered.
Best Fiction
I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review on Netgalley, and it was originally published quite a few years ago, so I didn’t want to include it in my best arcs category, but honestly, this was an occult fiction masterpiece that was a cross between The Cloisters by Katy Hays and Renaissance Moon by Linda Nevins.
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Authors to Watch
Alli Dyer- Her 2024 novel Strange Folk was a nice addition to the witch genre, focusing on Appalachian magic. I have a feeling it will be a big hit.
Mona Awad- I have not read her first novel yet, but her crisp dark writing complimented her weird story perfectly. I definitely need to be on the lookout for more of her books.
Biggest Surprise
Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle- a very complex magical system and fantasy world which I normally don’t read but I was able to follow along and thought the author did a great job.
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What I Learned from my Favourite Books This Year:
Magic and atmosphere should not drive the plot but support it by having the characters emotionally develop through self discovery. To be able to write about that journey in a magical way without being fantastical truly is a talent. I feel like my taste in magical realism if shifting towards a more mature take on the genre even leaning slightly towards literary fiction with a slight magical infusion. Holly Ringland and Mona Awad’s prose were standouts to me. Sayers and Dyer’s ability to tell great stories with a supernatural element were also stand outs to me.
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Biggest Disappointments
1.The Alchemy of a Blackbird– really wanted to read this but there was hardly anything tarot about it
2.The Fortune Seller– was compared to The Cloisters but should not have been
2.The Devil and Mrs. Davenport- a bit of a disappointing follow up to her previous book
3.Wildwood Magic– prose was too flowery which took away from the plot.
5.What Wild Women Do– plot contained nothing about wild women.
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Common Thread between all Disappointing Reads:
Plots and atmospheres competing with each other, causing the stories to over complicate themselves with bad pacing and too many ideas.
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Themes- goddess cults
The Glow
Time’s Mouth
Goddess
What Wild Women Do
Rouge
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Themes: Ancestors/Family
Spitting Gold
Strange Folk
The Main Character
Castle of the Cursed
The Invisible Hour
The Bleeding
Rouge
The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding
Wildwood Magic
The Book of Thorns
The Order of The Seven Stars
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Biggest Lesson I Learned from all of the Books I Read This Year:
You carry your ancestors and family within you and it is your past that has led you to where you are today. The greatest power you have is choosing growth, evolution, and sovereignty so that you are not held back by your past, but are able to grow out of it with the knowledge of where you need to go next.
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Looking forward to more reading in 2024!
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