My Top 10 Books of 2024

Another year over, which means another barrage of Top 10 lists for January. This list is for my top 10 reads of 2024. I read 46 books in 2024, and I'm hoping to do better numbers in 2025, but as long as I get over 50, I think I'll be fine.

Enough of the future talk though, let's take a look at the past. In this top 10 you'll notice a theme of fantasy/paranormal books. No contemporary allowed. Ha ha. Unlike last year, though, the top seven kind of fluctuate in terms of which one was better, simply based on my mood... So, let's get started.

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Bride by Ali Hazelwood

I kind of just threw this book in here, as it was between Bride and Pucking Around by Emily Rath. Bride won because I like the world-building more. The idea that vampires and werewolves have different types of blood with the age-old trope that they war with each other à la the Underwold film franchise just makes me glued in. And then the whole enemies-to-lovers trope on top of it is a nice bonus. It gave me major Kresley Cole Immortals After Dark vibes. But, the ending is very rushed and a bit of a letdown.

Kestrel by Adrienne Lothy

This was just a good time. I enjoyed the space murder adventures. It was kind of like a less dense version of The Expanse for its space-detective elements mixed with Law & Order: SVU, only make it gay. I had fun reading it, and it got me out of a pretty big slump. I think the sequel will be a good time too.

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

This is another one that was just fun. It was a nice, easy fantasy book to get sucked into at the beginning of the year. It doesn't hurt that I have a pretty FairyLoot edition now, either. Hee hee. Bjorn and Freya's dynamic made me want to throw things at the wall, but I also really enjoyed their interactions as well. It was a little weird that way.

The Last Sun and The Hanged Man by K.D. Edwards

My first double pick, which might technically be cheating, but it's so hard to pick just one book in a series sometimes if you've read multiple throughout the year. This series gave me a Supernatural TV show vibe mixed with Kresley Cole's Arcana Chronicles series. And while book three didn't have quite the same kick, it was still enjoyable. Unfortunately, there was just too many mentions of the pandemic for my tastes. I don't want that in my fantasy/paranormal books. No thank you. Books one and two were top tier, though.

Gold & Goldfinch by Raven Kennedy

Man, I can't believe The Plated Prisoner series is over. There may be a spinoff one day, but it won't be the same. Although the characters in this series are great and there's some awesome world-building, there were elements in the final installments that were just off. Therefore, they couldn't be higher on my list. Like in book five when the beginning is just Auren being lost and book six when a confusing range of things happen way too quickly at the end with more of Auren being lost in the beginning. Still, it's one of the top romantasy series for a reason.

Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

I had a good time reading this book. It actually helped me stay out of my reading slump at one point. This book is kind of a mix of Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series mixed with Freya Marske's The Last Binding trilogy. It has the vibe of a Victorian historical fiction with magic. It has a magical forest as well.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Number three being Iron Flame kind of shows that this list is just a mish-mash of four-star reads until we reach the top three. Not because I didn't enjoy Iron Flame, but because I read it so long ago in 2024 that I honestly remember very little about it other than liking it. I'm definitely going to have to get some sort of recap before the third book comes out because I can only recall the general plot points and nothing else.

Restless Stars by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

The last book in the Zodiac Academy series was extremely bitter sweet. And, when I first finished it, it was more bitter than sweet with too-long battle scenes and not enough character interactions. However, now that I've had some time to sit with it, I appreciate the ending a bit more than I first did. I really want to do a reread of the whole series at some point. Maybe once all the special editions are out so I can have all the bonus content and just binge it all.

Alpha Wolf & Feral Wolf by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

Yep, another Twisted Sisters book, or books, technically, made the Top Ten. While I read all four of the Darkmore Penitentiary books back-to-back, I enjoyed books two and three the most out of all of them. The characters had so much banter in these two books and the crazy events were off-the-wall hilarious and entertaining. It's like Prison Break with comedy and magical powers. I love it, and I'm sad it's over.

Born of Blood & Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Does this surprise anyone that a JLA book is my #1 book of the year? Well, it surprises me. I never thought a Flesh & Fire sequel would make it this high on my list. But, BOBAA was excellent. I really enjoyed myself reading this one. I think the world-building and the general build-up to Primal of Blood and Bone's plot points really just helped me love a majority of the book's events. Were there still some things I didn't like? Absolutely. Did that matter? Not really.

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Alright, there you have it. My top 10 reads of 2024. What 2024 reads were your favorite? Let me know in the comments.