Another year, another list of the top books I want to read during the year. I haven't been very successful at this, but I feel like it is kind of a rite. It also helps, or is supposed to, focus my reading so I don't struggle to find my next read.
Let's just get straight into it.
LORD OF THE RINGS
Don't get the wrong idea here, I have read this series already. It would kind of make me a bad fantasy reader if I hadn't. The last time I read it though was for a class in university which was a while ago, so I think I am due for a re-read.
MANACLED
I am throwing you for a bit of a loop here because a fanfiction, on this list, absolutely. I have known about this for not too long now, but what I have heard frankly scares me. I am not ready for the devastation that this story will bring upon me, but I am also expecting greatness from this so I will take the risk.
RAVENSONG (GREEN CREEK #2)
Wolfsong was an unexpected surprise for me. I have read T.J. Klune before, and I had heard of the book before but never really thought to pick it up. Boy, am I glad that I did though, and with the way that it ended I am kind of surprised that I didn't immediately pick up the next book. A reading slump would do that to you though, so at the least I am hoping to get to it sometime this year. I will admit though, I wasn't expecting this book to follow a different character but I am open to it.
A GAME OF THRONES (A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE #1)
I will be honest, I never really had an interest in picking up this series. Part of that is because of how long it is taking to finish the series, and the other part is that it is pretty much just all political intrigue. I don't mind political intrigue, especially in a fantasy setting, but I have a hard time reading about manipulation and I feel like this series has it in spades. Nonetheless, I still think that I should give it a shot which is why it is on this list.
THE GREAT HUNT (THE WHEEL OF TIME #2)
I have read the first book twice now, and probably should read it again since for some reason I barely remember it, but I have yet to pick up this one yet. I do want to make my way through the series but they are intimidating books to read. I also refuse to watch season two of the show until I read this.
LORD OF THE MYSTERIES
If I thought The Great Hunt was an intimidating read, this is leagues beyond that. I know that this is supposed to be peak storytelling, but this webnovel comes in at a whopping 1430 chapters and over 2 million words. That roughly comes in at about 6000 pages which...ouch. Anything over 900 pages is a struggle so 6000 would take me the entire month at best.
IRON FLAME (THE EMPYREAN #2)
If this book being on this list isn't telling enough, I was one of those people who actually enjoyed reading the first book. It is in the same ballpark as SJM and that works for me. This came out only a couple of months ago and already has a bunch of ratings, though I don't know how good they are and will see for myself.
THE GONE WORLD
This book popped up when I was looking for books similar to Recursion and Dark Matter. Sci-fi mysteries are a subgenre that I don't read a ton of but feel like I will enjoy. So, I am really hoping that this book works for me, especially since it is penned as being Inception meets True Detective.
DIVINE RIVALS
Do I have even the singleest clue as to what this book is about, no, but I have seen good things about this. I kind of want to go in blind for this one so I won't read the synopsis and am going in with blind faith that this will be good.
THE SERPENT OF THE WINGS OF NIGHT
Like the previous book in this list, I also know nothing about this book and don't plan. All I know was that people were saying that this is for fans of SJM which caught me hook, line and sinker.
THE WATER OUTLAWS
Historical, martial arts, bandits; sign me up. I did manage to put this on my hold list at my library so I will definitely be reading this at some point.
PANDORA HEARTS
Another series I don't actually know anything about, other than that I need to read it. This series I feel like is stuck in that weird area between seeing no one really talking about it currently and being beloved. Clocking in at just over 100 chapters, this is actually a pretty doable read considering I just read over 200 chapters of One Piece in two months. This was also published by Square Enix, a.k.a the company behind Final Fantasy, so I have high hopes for this.
LEVIATHAN
I actually planned on reading this in October, but well, I read only one book that month so...that wasn't happening. This title shows up on several lists for must-read completed manhwa. This is a tiny bit longer compared to Pandora Hearts at over 200 chapters, but this does sound good. It reminds me of Pacific Rim but instead of giant robots you just have people fighting some sea monsters.
ASSASSIN OF REALITY (VITA NOSTRA #2)
I read Vita Nostra last year and was kind of blown away by it. It was a weird book, and it didn't make much sense, but it made for such an interesting read. I don't have as much luck with dark academia books as I would like, but this one really worked. I was a bit devasted when I finished a book only to find out that the rest of the series was not translated into English. Thankfully, the second book ended up being released shortly after and I've been meaning to read it since then.
JUJUTSU KAISEN
Having just binged season two of the anime, and having already read through the Shibuya Arc a while ago, it is now time to continue on with the series. At the least, I want to get through all the way to after the Culling Game Arc which is about 80 chapters.
NOTES ON AN EXECUTION
As someone who is slowly but steadily making my way through the Morbid podcast, this book sounds like it is something for me. I love true crime, and really enjoyed Miracle Creek which seems like it is kind of up the same alley, so I think this could be good. I do hope that the audiobook is good since books like this I usually listen to on audio.
CAIN'S JAWBONE
This book is a bit of a unique entry on this list. This is more of a puzzle than an actual book, as the reader is encouraged to quite literally take apart the book to solve the mystery. Now, I am not confident at all that I can get anywhere in this but it looks like a fun experience.
RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES (GENTLEMAN BASTARDS #2)
I read The Lies of Locke Lamora in 2021, and it was such a complicated read that I knew I wasn't continuing the series for a while. This is slightly shorter than that, and the fact that there is a ship on the cover hopefully makes this an easier read. I also really just hope there are pirates in this.
HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW (CRESCENT CITY #3)
How could I not have this on this list? To be fair, the previous book did end up disappointing me because it wasn't nearly as good as I was expecting it to be. That is until the very last pages which gave me hope for this book. I will have to be on the watch out when it comes out so I can quickly put a hold on it when my library acquires it (and so that I don't end up waiting like 6 months to read it).
LOVE ADVICE FROM THE GREAT DUKE OF HELL
I read two seasons of this a while ago now, but boy did I love it. I don't gravitate towards comedy, but this just worked for me. Instead of starting the next season, I decided to wait for it to finish which ended up working out for me since the series actually ended up concluding. Now I can happily binge the entire webtoon.
ONE PIECE
Staring this series was rather ambitious of me, but it was a long time coming. I have been stalling starting this because of how long it was, but as I was waiting it only got even longer... So I finally decided to pick it up and managed to get through two sagas. That being said, I still have a very long way to go. If I am really motivated, I hope to catch up entirely this year but, if not, I want to get to Wano at least. I know that 1000 chapters of manga don't seem like a lot to people who don't read it, but it is, so this is going to take me a while to get through.
UNHOLY BLOOD
Another title on the must-read completed manhwas, the only thing I have seen about this series are just images of the characters and that's it. It is fantasy though, and manhwas are always pretty to look at so there is no way this isn't going to be good.
PURPLE HYACINTH
I have been wanting to read this for a while now but didn't because I didn't want to start another webtoon that wasn't completed. I like to binge things and don't want to have to wait for more to come out just because it is more satisfying that way. But I do really want to read this so I will bite the bullet.
WALKING GODS (THEMIS FILES #2)
Sleeping Giants had such a unique premise and I really enjoyed the book when I listened to it. The reason I didn't pick up the second one was because I heard there was a character with a really annoying voice which bummed me out because I rather liked to audio and wanted to continue with it rather than reading it physically. Once I remembered this existed, seeing as I read the first book two years ago, I had to put it on this list.