I absolutely love when a book delivers on its premise, and this one is right on the money! We Could be Villains follows Rosemary, a huge Vigil & Ante (read: Marvel-esque) fangirl as she stumbles into the high-stakes reality behind her favorite movies. With her difficult home-life, cinematic passion, and quirky tagalong co-worker, Rosemary is definitely a character that you can connect with almost immediately, and it’s so fun to follow both her excitement and fear as she navigates the new and dangerous world of undercover superheroes. It was really interesting to see the Vigil & Ante world unfold before her, along with some twists that definitely caught me by surprise.
Interspliced with her narrative is an interrogation of Ironfall, the smooth villain of Vigil & Ante and Rosemary’s blackmailer. I absolutely loved seeing the contrast between his take on events and Rosemary, and the chemistry between them is intense! Let’s just say I’m a big Ironfall fan. The promise of a enemies-to-lovers romance is THICK and definitely has me checking for the release date of the sequel!
Definitely recommend for any superhero fans looking for a fast-paced romp through a world that you’ll definitely will want to jump into for yourself!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Throwback to that one time I was a superhero! It’s always a good time.🦸♀️
This book had so many elements that I enjoyed. The Italian vibes, the creepy darkness of the prose, and a plot of murder, princes of hell, and witches. I was totally on board. But, the MC, Emilia, kind of ruined it for me. Oh boy. Seriously, I could not Even with her. Though the audiobook was beautifully narrated, there were a couple times I had to pause it because Emilia was killing me. Again. The mental gymnastics she goes through to repeatedly end up at the wrong conclusion was exhausting, and her treatment of Wrath (who saved her life way too many times to count) was not cool. Seriously, run, Wrath. I’m sure there have to be other witch fish in the sea. So, great premise, great writing, but a nonsensical MC I really couldn’t find redeemable. But! That’s just my opinion, so if you’re into dark fantasy with strong Italian flavor, maybe give it a look!
I feel like this is one of those personality tests I didn’t know I was taking! I completed my Goodreads challenge, and have managed to read 61 published (so not counting beta reads) books this year! I’ll probably squeeze in a few more before the end of the year, and if I’m lucky enough to stumble across another contender this late in the game, I’ll be sure to update accordingly!
For the record, I usually love fast-paced books with likable characters and satisfying endings. Throw a slowburn romance in there, and you’ve got me completely hooked. That said, sometimes the books I like the most are those I had no idea I was looking for.
Without further ado (and in no particular order):
BESt young Adult read
Not only is this the best Young Adult book I read this year, but this is probably one of the best young adult books I have read EVER. Yeah. A contemporary rivals-to-lovers romance with a fun premise that is paced to perfection. Seriously, give me the movie now!!! *Grabby hands* Full Review here!
Best Fantasy
Okay. I read Kemmerer’s A Curse so Dark and Lonely and enjoyed it, but not enough to read the sequel. THIS book, however, was on a completely different level, and I will DEFINITELY be reading the next book in the series. I adored the double POV here, the high stakes, the interesting world – basically everything I love about books. And I currently have the book 2 audiobook on hold! Squee! Full Review here!
Best Romance
Okay, you know I think highly of a romance when I recommend it to my mom, and I can definitely say we both loved this one. Emily Henry’s “People We Meet on Vacation” didn’t work for me, but I absolutely adored this one. I loved the emotional depth, and the progression of their relationship was just so sweet. Loved it, and I have the Book Lovers audiobook on hold now. Full review here.
Best literary
This one’s definitely not my usual read, but I’m so glad I picked it up. Nana’s voice is so strong, and lends a light, sardonic air to this bittersweet reflection on life. Heavy and yet so soothing at the same time. Yes, I loved this one too. Full review here.
Best series
Okay, generally speaking, I’m not a series person. If the first one is amazing, I often find the sequel disappoints. And if the first one wasn’t amazing, why would I want to read the second. It’s such a trap! However… sometimes they do suck me in, and this one was SO worth. The characters, the romance, their quirky little town, the mystery – I loved it all, and I would read a million more of these suckers. Please write more Sunshine Vicram novels! Pleassseee! Full review here.
A fantastic reading year over all! But if you think I missed some of your favorites, please feel free to drop them in the comments and I’ll check them out on Goodreads! I’m always on the lookout for new gems, and I’m excited to see what books 2023 brings my way. Please remember to support your favorite authors with ratings and reviews, and as always, thanks for reading! 😊
May your 2023 be filled with new and amazing books!
The Travelling Cat Chronicles was an unexpected gem. Told from a cat’s perspective, the story follows a sardonic stray (Nana) as he is adopted by a Satoru, a kind, optimistic cat-person with a somewhat tragic backstory. The main meat of the plot follows Satoru as he visits his friends across Japan trying to find a place for Nana to stay.
And it is just incredibly poignant, thoughtful, funny-in-turns, and in the end completely satisfying. The themes of friendship, the journey of life, and closure are so well delivered here, but in such a flowing, peaceful fashion, punctuated by amusing commentary from the sarcastic cat (especially in contrast with his benevolent owner.)
This is one that’s hard to give justice through a review so you really just have to go read it (or listen to it, because the audiobook is narrated fantastically). Definitely one of my favorite books of 2022, and I’m absolutely adding it to my list of books that I shall now go recommend to everyone and their grandmother. A truly beautiful novel. Don’t miss this one.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oh my heart. One of my favorite reads of the year.
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant follows a research vessel and the many characters upon it as they go out to investigate the disappearance of another entertainment vessel whose crew was… well… eaten by mermaids.
And I really enjoyed the first third of this book. The characters are varied and interesting, and as they’re battling their demons and beginning to set off it really gives off Jaws like vibes. We are going to hunt a monster… and we are both excited and kind of scared, but it’s okay because we’re prepared for anything, right? …right?!?
Should’ve brought a bigger boat.
But as stuff starts going down, people are dying and blood is washing the deck, I didn’t feel the rise in tension that I felt like I should have. Mostly because the characters are surprisingly …okay with it? They’re kind of like “oh well, we knew people would die, but we have TO DO THE SCIENCE!” I really felt like there would be more people storming the cockpit to get them turned around. So, I felt like the middle got a little mushy for me and the reveal/climax at the end felt a little underwhelming.
This book had all the capacity to read as a stand-alone (while still part of a larger series), but rather, it feels like it got stretched a little too thin and then just kind of ended. Still! While I don’t think I’ll be picking up the sequel, if you like mermaids that eat people and interesting characters, I recommend giving this a look (or a listen because the audiobook narration is fantastic.)
⭐⭐⭐¾
As a mechanical engineer, I would’ve been sure the shutter system worked. Just saying.
I picked up this mystery on the recommendation of a friend, and definitely enjoyed this modern murder mystery. I liked the main character, Molly’s, unique voice and her moral compass made the narrative interesting to puzzle out. The side characters were all fleshed out well, and even the hotel seemed to have a character of its own from Molly’s eyes. Her growth and resolution were both strong and satisfying, but the only thing that really threw me at the end were a few missing pieces (are there no video cameras in the hotel? No alibis?) that I kind of had to suspend my disbelief for. Overall though I found this to a fun murder mystery with a unique perspective and a few fun twists.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Molly would be *horrified* at the state of my house. I wonder what her hourly rate is?!
This was a charming fantasy about a girl who makes a deal with a fate following a broken heart. For me, the highlight of this story really came in the world itself. Roughly split between Magic and non magic, there’s tons of interesting lore and eccentricities that really made me want to soak this world up. The mystery of the fates, prophecy, and stories without endings also definitely kept me turning pages. But though I liked Jax and Evangeline well enough, I didn’t totally fall for them, and I was definitely wishing the connection between them was a little stronger. Really, Evangeline’s goals in general didn’t feel super compelling, and the ending felt a little forced. The narration was great though, and I’d still totally recommend this to YA fantasy readers. Although this doesn’t work well as a stand-alone in any way, I’d definitely give the sequel a look to see what happens next!
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
(Update: Tried to listen to the sequel, The Ballad of Never After, and got a third of the way through before I had to DNF. Evangeline’s poor decisions were killing me, but lots of people love that series, so it could just be me!)
The Captain’s Daughters by Doreen D. Berger is a charming middle-grade sci-fi that follows two twelve-year-old girls on their (mis)adventures aboard their adoptive father, Captain William Marsh’s, starship. This book absolutely reads like the Star Trek: Enterprise meets middle-grade adventure, and it’s a lot of fun.
The girls, Robin and Diane, both read like authentic MG characters with big personalities that manage to get themselves into and out of trouble on a regular basis. Their love of geology, horses, exploration, and independence are all aspects I would definitely have been able to connect to as a young reader. And honestly, who wouldn’t want to live aboard the Polaris and explore new worlds?
Captain Marsh definitely gets the *cool but firm* Dad award, and it was sweet to see his dedication and love for the girls through his POV. And the plot of a kidnapping gone wrong into a parallel universe was a cool twist that I really enjoyed.
The writing flows super easily and is well-suited to the MG crowd or even confident chapter-book readers. My only real critique, is there are quite of lot of flashbacks throughout the POVs showcasing the relationships between the interstellar family, which weren’t really my cup of tea, but that’s totally just my subjective opinion.
Themes of adventure, consequences, and the bonds of family are strong here, and I think this would be a fun sweet read for any middle grade sci-fi fan (ESPECIALLY for Star Trek fans.) Thanks so much to the publisher for the free ARC!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to live on the Polaris too! Capt Marsh, please adopt me!
Ah yes, how shall I start this ode to the newest Sunshine Vicram book, except it was absolutely *amazing.* Please just inject this series into my veins. I loved the audiobooks of the first two entries in the series, and the cliffhanger at the end of book 2 just about killed me, so when I saw the ebook for #3 on NetGalley, I jumped at the opportunity, and was NOT disappointed.
However, for the sake of the uninitiated (please start with the first audiobook and then we can all squeal together), I will try to keep my gushing spoiler free.
All of the elements we love from the first two books are here and in force: the witty banter is fun and a joy to read, Del Sol is as quirky and weird as ever, the muffins are back, The Dangerous Daughters and Sinister Suns are at play, the stakes are high, there’s a mystery to solve, and Levi plays his biggest part to date.
There were a lot of plot lines from the first two books (specifically regarding Levi & Sunshine) that came to a really satisfying end here. However, I am a little torn, because I’m seeing that this is supposed to be the end of the trilogy, and I feel like there is so many more questions/loose ends to tie up. So basically, if this WAS the end of the series, I think I would feel just a tiny bit disappointed because I’m still hoping to see a little more of Auri & Cruz, Hailey & Quincy, and the Dangerous Daughters.
But even if this is the last one, honestly, I can’t even hate, because I do feel like this *could* be the end of Levi & Sunshine’s story and it totally left me with such a gooey, satisfied feeling, I am TOTALLY okay with it.
Let’s just say, regardless of what Darynda Jones writes next, be it Sunshine or something else, I will *definitely* be reading it. Five wholeheartedly glowing stars.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free ARC! A Hard Day for a Hangover launches on 6 December!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Please tell me there will be more Sunshine books, Darynda. PLEASE!
Mirrorfall by Stormy Sto Helit really hooked with the premise (think Men in Black meets the magical realm), and it starts strongly with the action. The plot follows Stef, a hacker with a rough start, and she finds herself in the middle of some darkly magical mayhem. The magical world has everything and the kitchen sink and I found the characters she meets there to be interesting (Ryan is my favorite, but I also like Curt and Dorian as well.) However, Stef herself was a little difficult for me to connect with, and after about the first 25% I was wishing for a little more plot coherency. However if you’re into found family vibes and pop culture references, definitely check this urban fantasy out! Thanks so much to the publisher for the free copy!
Hayley Reese Chow 