2024 was a huge year for me, so it’s a challenge to reflect back to January when it feels like I’ve come so far. Heading into the year, I knew it would be a big one, but nothing quite prepared me for the seismic shifts that would take place. 

In 2024, we travelled, I accomplished professional goals, and most significantly, I gave birth to our first child, my beautiful baby girl.  There were times when reading wasn’t a priority, but there were also a lot of times when reading allowed me to weather better the fear and uncertainty of all that was to come. 2024 was overwhelming in 50 different ways, but through it all, I’m glad I managed to preserve the pockets of peace and joy that come from snuggling up with a really good book. 

I didn’t hit my 100-book goal this year, coming in at 65 books read, which is not bad given everything that was going on. This is extra impressive when you take into account that I didn’t read a single book between August – October when I was wholly focused on welcoming my baby girl and adjusting to parenthood. My mix of genres was a lot different from last year as I took in more non-fiction than normal in preparation for welcoming our first child, but generally speaking, I focused my reading efforts on what I always do: pure, unfiltered enjoyment and escapism. As a result, almost all of my top books of the year were from areas that you’d expect from my tastes, like fantasy, romantasy, and romance novels. 

As always, my best books read list features books that may have been released outside of 2024—I choose to focus on the books I consume rather than release dates. Also, the descriptions below are extremely short, but I’ve endeavoured to link my full review to relevant books whenever possible in case a more detailed description/rant of why I loved the book is desired. 

Now, without further ado, here are my absolute favourite reads of 2024:

• The Elements of Cadence Duology by Rebecca Ross

This was the year of Rebecca Ross for me. I absolutely loved the Letters of Enchantment series, and I came to love the Elements of Cadence duology just as much. Both A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless had this wonderfully folkish feeling magic in a setting that felt like a mystical, magic Scotland. I loved every second of this series and the romances in them still have me swooning. I’ll have a full series review for this one posted in the coming weeks. 

• Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series (up to book 4) by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson came along after my adolescence, but with my very own little one on the way, I decided that this would be the year I’d take in a little more middle-grade and young-adult fiction of popular series. Percy Jackson has been so utterly enjoyable and compulsively readable that even though I’m well past middle grade, I’ve found it entertaining and engaging anyway. I’m looking forward to finishing the series in 2025, at which point I’ll write a full series review. 

• The Love Of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood

This romance had me simultaneously laughing out loud and swooning. The female main character is cringy and quirky in all the best ways and I found the plot twisted and turned in ways that pleasantly surprised me. 

The Love Of My Afterlife quickly shot up on my list of favourite romances ever. You can read my full review here. 

• The first two books in the Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett

These books are peak cozy fantasy and I love the loose academic setting and quirky, awkward characters. They’re also stunning audiobooks with fantastic performances. I rated both The Encyclopedia of Faeries and The Map of the Otherlands five stars. You can read my reviews here:

Emily Wilde and the Encyclopedia of Faeries
Emily Wilde and the Map of the Otherlands

• The Murderbot Diaries (up to book 5) by Martha Wells

What’s not to love about an apathetic, pessimistic cyborg who just wants to be left alone to watch soap operas? These books are endlessly entertaining and thought-provoking, and I love that most are in a novella format. I’m up to book 5 at this point and can’t wait to finish the rest in 2025. Right now I have reviews posted for the following books:

All Systems Red
Artificial Condition
Rogue Protocol

• The Bone Season and The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

I intentionally waited to read this series until Shannon finished revisiting each book at their 10th anniversary, and while I’m glad I did, I also wish I’d read it sooner, because WOW. These books are quickly becoming my favourite fantasy books ever, and The Bone Season was my favourite read of the entire year. Shannon is a master at world-building and the clairvoyance-based society steeped in oppression and violence is so incredibly fascinating and captivating that I can’t put the books down. 

I rated both The Bone Season and The Mime Order five stars, and you can find my review of The Bone Season here.

• Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim

I loved this Arabian-inspired fantasy, it felt extremely immersive and I felt like both the magic and the characters held a lot of potential for future books in the series. I also listened to this one on audio and felt like it was the perfect format for the story. 

My full review for Spice Road can be found here. 

• The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black

This was another YA series that I didn’t read when it was released but had always wanted to, and it did not disappoint. The dark nature of fae magic, the political machinations, and the incredible plot twists all kept me hooked for the full series. I loved these books and completely understand why many view them to be classics of the genre. I have reviews posted for the first two books here:

The Cruel Prince
The Wicked King

• The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

This was easily the most unique book I read all year, it completely blew my mind and was almost my favourite book of 2024, just narrowly being edged out by The Bone Season. The premise was wild and unpredictable, the characters were supremely multifaceted and often unlikeable, and I found myself routinely questioning how exactly someone even comes up with a book like this. 

This was an easy five stars for me and my full review can be found here. 

• Normal People by Sally Rooney

This book felt like a punch to the gut in the best possible way. I loved the romance even though it never really felt like a love story in a traditional romance style, and Rooney’s writing never fails to capture the essence of the characters and their feelings. This was my second Rooney novel and it definitely won’t be my last, my full review for Normal People can be found here. 

• Happy Place by Emily Henry

This might be contentious, but Happy Place currently sits as my favourite Emily Henry novel. I LOVED this book. I smiled as much as I cried, and the way the romance between the two characters was presented and the way they accidentally fell apart, felt so achingly real. I still need to read both Beach Read and Funny Story, but as of right now, Happy Place has my heart in the EmHen roster. My full review can be read here. 

• Golden Son by Pierce Brown

I have to take in the Red Rising Saga slowly because let me tell you, Pierce Brown knows how to emotionally devastate a reader. Golden Son was phenomenal and soul-crushing in equal measures and I couldn’t get enough of it. I’m so keen to finish this epic sci-fi series that is so steeped in political machinations but also, it gives me anxiety because I get so stressed and invested, so I’m taking my time making my way through the series.

My full review for Golden Son can be read here.

• The Little Thieves series by Margaret Owen

I read this series on a bit of a whim but it ended up being one of my favourites of the whole year. It’s such a wonderfully unique and fun young adult fantasy with magic that feels folksy and fairy tale-like, and a female main character with a penchant for getting herself into wildly entertaining scenarios. I listened to both of these on audio and the performance was stellar as well.

My review for Little Thieves can be found here, and my review for Painted Devils can be found here. I can’t wait for the third book in this series to be released. 

• The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

The Seven Year Slip almost immediately became one of my favourite romances of all time. A publishing setting, a male lead who’s a chef, and a little bit of magic? What’s not to love! Combine this with the painfully accurate depiction of grief and I was hooked.

This is a romance I’ll definitely come back to. My full review of The Seven Year Slip can be found here.

• House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas

This was one of my first reads of the year and easily my most anticipated, and while it wasn’t my favourite book in the Maasverse, it was still awesome. It was peak Maas in its execution, which for me is always a hit, and I felt like the resolution of some of the characters and setup for others were all well done. Most importantly, I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish, which is what my ratings are all based on anyway. 

My full review for this third installment in the Crescent City series can be found here. 

• Yerba Beuna by Nina LaCour

This one broke my heart and then put it back together. I don’t read a huge amount of general literary fiction, but this beautiful sapphic story of two girls trying to overcome their demons and make something of themselves was just gorgeous. My full review for Yerba Beuna can be found here. 

• Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

This was the conclusion to the Letters of Enchantment duology and I  loved the way that Ross chose to close this story. I also loved that in this book, we got to see so much more of this world and its magic explained. It added a lot to the narrative and made me feel even more strongly for Roman and Iris.

My full review for Ruthless Vows can be found here. 

• Dance of Stars and Ashes by Nisha J Tuli

This romantasy series is quickly becoming a favourite of mine. The Indian-inspired magic feels unique, the romance is a beautiful slow burn, and the stakes are high enough that it kept me constantly turning pages. I loved this book and will definitely continue on in the series. My full review for Dance of Stars and Ashes can be found here. 

• The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

The Hurricane Wars was one of the denser books I read this year, and while it took some extra effort for me to get my head wrapped around everything, once I did, I was endlessly invested. This Reylo-inspired unique fantasy also has the most incredible slow-burn, it might be the best I’ve ever seen the trope executed. 

I’ll be picking up the second book in this series in 2025, but for now, my full review for The Hurricane Wars can be found here. 

• Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton

This was my only non-fiction book to hit my favourite books of the year list but with good reason. This memoir was honest, heartfelt, and exceptionally entertaining. It’s particularly fun if you’re a Harry Potter fan who wants a peak behind the curtain at things, but honestly, Felton is also just a fantastic storyteller who has led a fascinating life and has a knack for keen reflection, so even if you’re not a fan of the series, I think it’d still be a great read. I listened to this one on audio as well, and it was an extra treat to hear the whole book through Felton’s own voice. 

My full review for Beyond the Wand can be found here.

So these are all of my favourite reads of 2024! While The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon took the top spot, I don’t think I could rank much further beyond that because I read so many truly wonderful books this year.

For previous year’s reads, head over to my Book Lists page for more information.