2024 was an interesting reading year for me personally. Having been in the Booktube community for a few years, I had fallen into the trap of too many review copies, ARC’s I couldn’t get to, buying more books than I could possibly read and jumping on a hype train (or two). So, I decided to slow my approach down with a low buy year, a smaller reading goal and a focus on beta/alpha reading. Surprisingly it was also the year I gave into a wild mood read whenever the desire popped up. I have had some fantastic reading experiences this year; witling down a current top five was HARD! I think I’ve done it. Here we go. Kris’s top five for 2024!
At number five we have The Trees Grew Because I Bled There by Eric LaRocca. This short story collection left me devastated in the best possible way. Larocca’s unapologetic exploration of love and grief through the horror lens hits hard. This has been my favourite collection of LaRocca’s thus far, (and they have never missed for me personally). The poetic prose coupled with hard hitting thematics has kept me thinking long after the final page was closed. My favourite story in this collection was Bodies are for Burning which was a fascinating look at how intrusive thoughts can worm into our brains and take over our entire sense of being. Creepy, thought provoking and brilliant.
Up next at number four is Light Fighters by Palmer Pickering. The sequel to Moon Deeds knocked my socks off. Here I was thinking that no author could top Stephen King for me when it came to slow burn, slice of life storytelling. Move aside King, there is another player in town. Pickering couples a complicated, slow burn plot with character work like a pro. There is so much happening in the Light Fighters while at the same time, our characters are given room to breath and grow. This is an art form I am in awe of. For an 800-page chonker, these pages flew by. I felt like I was right there with our protagonists learning how to work together to fight along side them! This is up there for my sequel of the year!
Number three takes us back to horror with The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle by Steve Hugh Westenra. Now normally, comedy in books is not my jam, but this satirical horror was executed as master level. Creepy, campy, witty and thoroughly enjoyable! Westenra uses the island setting to it’s full potential while giving the reader a much deeper thematical experience than they probably realise when first picking up the book. This is one of those reads which is just as enjoyable at surface level for the casual reader as it is for those like me always searching for something more. A heartfelt story of self-acceptance and discovery packaged in pure insanity! I can’t wait to read more from Steve in the near future.
Number two is an indie debut that blew me away, The Council of Athyzia by D.H. Hoskins. This book turns political fantasy on its head by exploring what happens once the big bad has already been defeated. We are following exactly what the title states, a council. People (and a plethora of fantasy species) come far and wide to have a say on the future of the world. Queue internal politics, backstabbing, unrest and a whole lot more. I loved how original this felt while giving me all of the things I love about political fantasy. I cannot wait for the second instalment in 2024! I have my ARC order in, do you?
Which brings us to my book of the year. At this point, the fanboying is downright embarrassing for everyone. This is it. My number one. The Blood Stones by Tori Tecken. Holy smokes did this blow me away. Every single sentence felt meticulously placed for the progression of world and character. A coming of age with a dark military twist, blood versus found family and slow-paced character work with fast paced worldbuilding. I felt like I grew up with the characters, I was so taken by the events of the book that I could see myself inside of it. Utterly captivating and addictive. Believe me when I say I cannot wait for the sequel. I can see this series being up there with one of my favourites of all time and we are only at book one!
Whew! We did it folks! A top five for the year! All these books were standouts in a year of incredible reads! I will leave off with a few honourable mentions to keep us going (why can’t they all be my favourites?!?). An Exile of Gold and Water by Joshua Walker was a bold debut diving into environmentalism in a high fantasy setting. Utterly fascinating and wonderfully thematic. Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer, weird, wonderful and deep. I immediately want to consume everything he has ever written. Elegy of a Fragmented Vinyard by Kaden Love, I had to thank the author for helping me take a step to rebuilding my relationship with faith. Fiction touches parts of our soul that we didn’t know needed attention. Again, Kaden, thank you. Of Love and Loss by B.S.H Garcia, epic in every sense of the word, and an emotional gut punch if ever I’ve felt one. Simply incredible! And finally, The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick. Deliciously intricate, highly political and prose to die for. Another series I can see being one of my favourites very soon!
Ok! Ok! I’m done! If you made it to the end, I am sorry (not really) to your TBR! I hope you have all had a fantastic reading year and wish you an inspired 2025!
