2023 | A Year in Review

It’s that time again in the year, the end of the year where I look back and see how much I’ve read during the year. The only place I track my reading is on Goodreads so this is what Goodreads says I’ve read:

What a coincidence that I read the same amount as last year?! Honestly I need to remove the children’s books from the count. It’s there because I use my kindle app to borrow books for my kids to read. So there are about maybe 15-20 titles in this log that are books my kids read – not me. So let’s say I actually read 160 books.

The hardcover for Iron Flame says actually 640 pages, but for some strange reason, the ebook came out to 884? I don’t get it but that’s what it says.

Wow, I’m pretty generous in my ratings I think! 

That sounds about right – Fourth Wing was THE book of 2023 I think.

I had a pretty good year of reading I think. Though I do feel like I had more of a burnout at the end of the year. I’m trying to go into 2024 slowly- even though I have to finish 3 arcs this month! I just really need to slow down this year and read less – just so I don’t get into a reading slump. 


This is how I rated books this year – but I will note that in the 5 stars category, some were 4.5 stars, and in the 4 stars category there are a lot of 3.5 stars in there too and so forth. In the 0 stars category there are 2 dnf’s in there and the rest aren’t rated because they are the children’s books my daughter read. 



How was your reading year?

Looking Back on 2023: New to Me Authors

I saw a Blogmas post on the blog Bookish in Bed where she did a feature of new to her authors this year. I wanted to do a similar post and look back on my year of 2023 and see which new authors I took a chance on this year!

New to Me Authors in 2023

  • Rachel Gillig – One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns – I read both books in 2023! And I’m excited to read more from her.
  • Jumata Emill – The Black Queen – this one was an entertaining read. Especially because I decided to read more thrillers this year and I don’t know why.
  • Sue Lynn Tan – Daughter of the Moon Goddess – I still have to read the other books in the series. I love the covers!
  • Susan Stokes-Chapman – Pandora – I just couldn’t get into Greek mythology this year and I don’t know why!
  • Sophie Sullivan – A Guide to Being Just Friends – this one was just okay.
  • Nisha J. Tuli – Trial of the Sun Queen, Rule of the Aurora King, Heart of Night & Fire – I think it’s obvious I like her work and was glad to stumbled upon her books on Kindle Unlimited.
  • Sajni Patel – My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding – this one was quite and the book cover is so vibrant!
  • Beth C. Greenberg – First Quiver – Greek mythology characters but again this year was not my year for Greek mythology.
  • Lauren Kung Jessen – Lunar Love – I saw this all over the blogosphere – I liked it and will definitely try a book of hers again.
  • Lina Chern – Play the Fool – this was a fun mystery and will definitely try this author out again.
  • Ginny Baird – Right Girl, Wrong Side; The Holiday Mix-Up – I read two books of hers this year and both were 3 stars.
  • Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin – Nevermore Bookstore – this was entertaining.
  • Autumn Blake – Bewitched Shadows – a witchy book that I just couldn’t really get into.
  • Lana Ferguson – The Nanny – this one was spicy! Would definitely try more of her books.
  • L.J. Swallow – Thornwood Academy – one of those quick read series – very reminiscent to Wednesday (the show) though. Won’t continue unless I have nothing else to read.
  • Margaret Atwood – The Handmaid’s Tale – I wanted to read something classic and this one was good!
  • Ebony LeDelle – Love Radio – this one was good! Will read more from this author.
  • Elayne Audrey Becker – Forestborn – it took me awhile to finish this one and I don’t think I’ll finish the series – not because I didn’t like it but definitely a mood read.
  • Rati Methrotra – Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove ; Flower and Thorn – I read two books from this author this year and found both entertaining. Will definitely read more from her.
  • Alexis Calder – Kingdom of Blood & Salt – this one was okay – won’t continue series.
  • TJ Klune – The House of the Cerulean Sea – wanted to see what the hype was about and it’s a very cozy story!
  • Kristyn J. Miller – Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts – I liked this one.
  • Maren Stoffels – Stranger Danger – this was a fun thriller. Will definitely read more from this author when I’m in the mood.
  • Alex Aster – Lightlark – I wanted to see what the hype was all about and this wasn’t for me. Won’t continue.
  • Kyrie McCauley – All the Dead Lie Down – I couldn’t get into this one.
  • Sarah Adams – Practice Makes Perfect – this was cute and will definitely revisit this author.
  • Stacey Trombley – A Taste of Torment (read the whole series) – this was pretty good and addictive! Bingeable series.
  • Stacia Stark – A Court this Cruel & Lovely – not bad and I was going to continue the series but for some reason couldn’t get into book two but will try again.
  • Amanda Linsmeier – Starlings this was interesting and will definitely check out more from this author.
  • Lena Jeong – And Break the Pretty Kings – I love the cover but didn’t love the story.
  • Mazey Eddings – Tilly in Technicolor – I loved this and am surprised I’ve never read a book from this author before!
  • Ellen O’Clover – Seven Percent of Ro Devereux – I loved this one a lot so will definitely read more from this author.
  • K.L. Walther – The Summer of Broken Rules – will definitely read from this author when I’m in a Taylor Swift mood!
  • Krystal Marquis – The Davenports – I didn’t love this one but I’m still interested in more works from this author.
  • Zoulfa Katoun – As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow – amazing book! One of my 5 stars reads of 2023. Will definitely read more from this author.
  • Skyla Arndt – Together We Rot – I liked this one, it was definitely dark and sorta creepy – more mysterious though.
  • Mia Tsai – Bitter Medicine – this was a fun urban fantasy book that I enjoyed!
  • Sharina Harris – Sign of the Slayer – Buffy the Vampire fans would love this book.
  • Delilah S. Dawson – Midnight at the Houdini – this was an interesting book but not my cup of tea.
  • Julie Soto – Forget Me Not – loved this one and can’t wait to read more!
  • Kate Pearsell – Bittersweet in the Hollow – I liked this one a lot and will look forward to reading more!
  • Ana Huang – King of Wrath; King of Pride – I’m working on King of Greed right now so I think it’s safe to say that I enjoy her books so far!
  • Jamie Varon – Main Character Energy – this was a blogtour read and I liked it!
  • Thea Guanzon – The Hurricane Wars – this one has very interesting world-building but I like that the author is Filipino so I’ll continue the series.
  • Brandy Colbert – The Blackwoods – there was one very compelling character in this story that I loved a lot, she was my favorite part of this story.
  • Diana Rodriguez Wallach – Hatchet Girls – this one definitely hit the spot for a creepy, somewhat gory thriller – would love to read more!
  • Abiola Bello – Love in Winter Wonderland – this one was cute, I love that it revolved around saving a book store!
  • Elana K. Arnold – The Blood Years – love this historical novel.
  • Isabel Ibañez – What the River Knows – I can’t believe this is the first book I’ve read from this author! Loved it!
  • Alix E. Harrow – Starling House – I actually had a book from this author years ago but I never read it. So this was my first book and I thought it was entertaining.
  • Sara Hashem – The Jasad Heir – some parts of this was slow but overall I loved it and look forward to the sequel.
  • Jennifer D. Lyle – Swarm – this one was funky! Giant butterflies that attack? And zombies? Pretty entertaining if you are into end of the world scenarios!
  • Lauren Roberts – Powerless – this one was okay, and I’m 50/50 on whether I’ll continue the series.
  • Erin La Rosa – Plot Twist – a cute rom-com with some heavy topics (alcoholism)
  • Jennifer Chen – Artifacts of an Ex – I thought the art aspects of the story was cool but the characters felt older than high school age. Still interested to read other works though.

I can’t believe I read 58 new authors this year! 😱 Wow…I wasn’t expect that many. But I’m happy to say almost more than half of these are authors I would love to read from again!

How many new to you authors did you read in 2023? Or who is your new favorite?

Let me know in the comments!

Looking Back on 2023: Series That I Started or Finished

I did a similar post last year to see what series I started and finished during the year. It’s very interesting to see if I stick to a series or not. It’s so hard sometimes to get back into a series after waiting so long for the next book since I don’t re-read a lot of books anymore.

Series That I Started or Finished in 2023

Here’s what I started:

  • One Dark Window (The Shepherd King series) by. Rachel Gillig
  • Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos series) by. Nisha J. Tuli
  • Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom series) by. Sue Lynn Tan
  • Song of Silver, Flame Like Night (Song of the Last Kingdom series) by. Amelie Wen Zhao
  • Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment series) by. Rebecca Ross
  • Blood & Steel (The Legends of Thezmarr series) by. Helen Schuerer
  • The Foxglove King (The Nightshade Crown series) by. Hannah Whitten
  • Silver in the Bone (Silver in the Bone series) by. Alexandra Bracken
  • The Liar’s Crown (Dominions series) by. Abigail Owen
  • Fourth Wing (The Empyrean series) by. Rebecca Yarros
  • Lightlark (Lightlark series) by. Alex Aster
  • Immortal Longings (Flesh and False Gods series) by. Chloe Gong
  • Stealing Infinity (Stolen Beauty series) by. Alyson Noel
  • A Taste of Torment (Shadow Hills Academy series) by. Stacey Trombley
  • Twin Crowns (Twin Crowns series) by. Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber
  • Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde series) by. Heather Fawcett
  • House of Marionne (House of Marionne series) by. J. Elle
  • The Scarlet Alchemist (The Scarlet Alchemist series) by. Kylie Lee Baker
  • King of Wrath (Kings of Sin series) by. Ana Huang
  • The Stolen Heir (The Stolen Heir duology) by. Holly Black
  • The Jasad Heir (The Scorched Throne series) by. Sara Hashem
  • Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy series) by. Lauren Roberts
  • Heart of Night and Fire (The Nightfire Quartet series) by. Nisha J. Tuli
  • Night of the Witch (Witch and Hunter series) by. Sara Raasch and Beth Revis
  • The Hurricane Wars (The Hurricane Wars series) by. Thea Guanzon
  • To Kill a Shadow (Mistlands series) by. Katherine Quinn

The ones I won’t be continuing are:

  • The Liar’s Crown – Dominions series. I actually read book two but have no interest in finishing the series.
  • Lightlark – this was okay for me but didn’t spark my interest to keep going on in the series.
  • Emily Wilde series is fascinating but a little too slow for me at times. I’d have to be in a really cozy mood to read the next book or I’ll listen to it as an audiobook so this one is a maybe.
  • House of Marionne series is a maybe also. I was intrigued by the ending, but we’ll see how my mood is when book two comes out.
  • Night of the Witch – this was another okay book for me. Don’t think I’ll continue.
  • To Kill a Shadow – I didn’t feel anything new with this series to set it apart from other romance fantasies out there. So I won’t continue this one.

Here are the series that I finished:

  • The Sweetest Betrayal (The Kinder Poison series) by. Natalie Mae
  • Immortality: A Love Story (The Anatomy Duology series) by. Dana Schwartz
  • The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King (Crowns of Nyxia – The Nightborn Duet series) by. Carissa Broadbent
  • These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows series) by. Lexi Ryan
  • Tokyo Dreaming (Tokyo Ever After series) by. Emiko Jean
  • A Dose of Agony (Shadow Hills Academy series) by. Stacey Trombley
  • Forestfall (World at the Lake’s Edge series) by. Lyndall Clipstone
  • Foul Heart Huntsman (Foul Lady Fortune series) by. Chloe Gong
  • Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King series) by. Rachel Gillig
  • This Cursed Light (The Last Finestra series) by. Emily Thiede
  • A Curse for True Love (Once Upon a Broken Heart series) by. Stephanie Garber

Duologies are way easier for me to finish than trilogies for sure! So many of the series I finished were duologies.

What series did you start or finish in 2023?

Let me know in the comments!

Book Sequels I Want to Read in 2023

There are a few sequels I’m excited to read in 2023. Some of them are the last books to some series that I look forward to finishing and others are the second book in the series. There is actually a bunch of them with no news of a sequel or a cover or publish date – so those are TBD (to be determined) and won’t be listed here. Also release dates may change so I will update these as needed. These are sequels I’m looking forward to reading in 2023!

Book Sequels I Want to Read in 2023

Two villains do battle for the heart of one girl in A CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE, the deadly conclusion of the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy

Release Date: 9/12/23


The second book in an epic, romantic fantasy trilogy based on Persian folklore, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Cassandra Clare called “exquisitely crafted,” by bestselling and National Book Award–nominated author Tahereh Mafi.

Alizeh is the heir to the Jinn throne and fulfills a long-foretold prophecy of a Jinn sovereign destined to free her people from the half-lives they’ve been forced to live under the rule of humans.

Kamran is the heir to the human throne, and he’s being pressured to marry before he becomes king. When he falls in love with Alizeh and subsequently learns her true identity, he must question everything he’s been taught about Jinn and their future in his kingdom.

These Infinite Threads picks up at the explosive cliff-hanger ending of the New York Times bestselling novel This Woven Kingdom, and is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Tomi Adeyemi, and Sabaa Tahir.

Release Date: 2/7/23


This sequel to the contemporary fantasy Only a Monster—which New York Times bestselling authors Chloe Gong, Stephanie Garber, and C. S. Pacat called “captivating,” “unputdownable,” and “utterly fresh and unique”—will take Joan deeper into the monster world, where treacherous secrets and even more danger await.

Despite all of the odds, Joan achieved the impossible. She reset the timeline, saved her family – and destroyed the hero, Nick.

But her success has come at a terrible cost.

She alone remembers what happened. Now, Aaron, her hard-won friend – and maybe more – is an enemy, trying to kill her. And Nick, the boy she loved, is a stranger who doesn’t even know her name. Only Joan remembers that there is a ruthless and dangerous enemy still out there.

When a deadly attack forces Joan back into the monster world as a fugitive, she finds herself on the run with Nick – as Aaron closes in.

As the danger rises – and Nick gets perilously closer to discovering the truth of what Joan did to him – Joan discovers a secret of her own. One that threatens everyone she loves.

Torn between love and family and monstrous choices, Joan must find a way to re-gather her old allies to face down the deadliest of enemies, and to save the timeline itself.

Vanessa Len’s stunning Only a Monster trilogy continues with this second instalment, a thrilling journey where a secret past threatens to unravel everyone’s future.

Release Date: 6/7/23


Hazel Sinnett is alone and half-convinced the events of the year before—the immortality, Beecham’s vial—were a figment of her imagination. She doesn’t even know whether Jack is alive or dead. All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her.

When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: She has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly daughter of King George IV. Soon Hazel is dragged into the glamor and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death.

As Hazel’s work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn’t the only thing at stake. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right.

Immortality: A Love Story is the eagerly anticipated sequel to Dana Schwartz’s bestselling gothic romance, Anatomy: A Love Story.

Release Date: 2/28/23


Release Date: 11/21/23


Release Date: 12/31/22 (but I don’t see any information about the book anywhere so I think this date will change)


After the Seelie king Torin nearly froze me to death, I plunged through a portal into my true home. Turns out, my hometown is a wild Unseelie kingdom known as the Court of Sorrows. When Torin follows me and sees my new horns, he quickly realizes that his intended bride is an enemy of his realm. In fact, his name for my kind is “demon.”

But even if I have the horns of an Unseelie, I’m not welcome here, either. Queen Mab and her monstrous soldiers are delighted to torment us, accusing me of being a traitor. If we want to get out of the Court of Sorrows with our lives, the only hope we have is to stay as close to each other as possible–even if it means fleeing in horseback and sharing a bed. Every moment is bittersweet, since it could be our last–and Torin is condemned to kill anyone he loves.

Release Date: 1/24/23


In this heart-pounding conclusion to The Kinder Poison trilogy—which People magazine proclaimed a “delicious high-stakes adventure”—war looms over Orkena, but can Zahru save her people without losing herself?

War has come to Orkena.

Zahru has risen as Mestrah, and she is determined to peacefully end the escalating tensions with Wyrim, her country’s long-time enemy. Yet diplomacy proves to be futile, and when Zahru turns to Orkena’s allies for help, she finds that none are willing to come to her aid—not without Kasta ruling at her side.

As Wyrim advances on the capital, Zahru is desperate to protect her people, even if that means accepting Kasta’s help. But her enemy is merciless. And as ambushes and betrayals push Zahru to increasingly dark tactics, she wonders if perhaps Kasta had it right all along: maybe peace was never an option … and maybe she was never meant to do this alone.

Can Zahru spare her enemy without sacrificing her kingdom? Or will Orkena’s salvation only come if Zahru becomes the monster her people need?

Release Date: 2/14/23


Release date, cover, and blurb to be revealed soon!

Love is a sacrifice at the altar of power.

Oraya and Raihn’s story continues in book 2 of the Crowns of Nyaxia series, The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King.

Release Date: 3/15/23


The captivating sequel to the Gothic-infused Belladonna, in which Signa and Death face a supernatural foe determined to tear them apart.

A duke has been murdered. The lord of Thorn Grove has been framed. And Fate, the elusive brother of Death, has taken up residence in a sumptuous estate nearby. He’s hellbent on revenge after Death took the life of the woman he loved many years ago…and now he’s determined to have Signa for himself, no matter the cost.

Signa and her cousin Blythe are certain that Fate can save Elijah Hawthorne from prison if they will entertain his presence. But the more time the girls spend with Fate, the more frightening their reality becomes as Signa exhibits dramatic new powers that link her to Fate’s past. With mysteries and danger around every corner, the cousins must decide if they can trust one another as they navigate their futures in high society, unravel the murders that haunt their family, and play Fate’s unexpected games—all with their destinies hanging in the balance.

Dangerous, suspenseful, and seductive, this sequel to Signa and Death’s story is as utterly romantic as it is perfectly deadly.

Release Date: 8/22/23


Release Date: 5/16/23


Zetian, now ruler of Chang’an, must balance dangerous politics with her quest for revenge in the sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Iron Widow, a blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction.

Having reclaimed her homeland from the Hunduns and learned the true nature of the gods, Iron Widow Zetian returns to Chang’an with Emperor-General Qin Zheng to rule together and attempt to deconstruct the corrupt and misogynist system that plagues the country. However, she must not only contend with political unrest and continued Hundun attacks but also with the gods themselves, who hold Li Shimin’s life in their hands and seek to control Zetian as their puppet.

Dangerous forces seek to undermine Zetian at every turn. Can she enact positive changes as a fair and just ruler, and change the system from within? Or will she be forced to rely on fear and violence, and succumb to her darker instincts, becoming almost as corrupt as Chang’an’s previous rulers, in her quest for vengeance?

Release Date: 8/29/23

What sequels are you excited for in 2023?

Let me know in the comments!