With 2023 now over, I wanted to share my favourite reads of the year! I narrowed down the 240 books I read this year to just my top 12. This was a very difficult process and I have so many that just missed out on the list. They’re listed below in no particular order, with a few lines about why I loved them and links to my longer review if applicable.

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Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

Kuang proves once again why she is one of my all time favourite authors. Her books are challenging, cerebral and inspire me to go off and learn so much more. Yellowface is a biting, sharp-edged satire on racism within publishing, the wider bookish world and asks who gets to control the narrative.

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

Wellington leaves scorched earth in her wake with this biting, bloody and brilliant take-down. Their Vicious Games is exceptional and I cannot recommend it highly enough. This is a cutting satire, providing social commentary on privilege, power and the ways blood will be shed to maintain the status quo.  

Where The Light Goes by Sara Barnard

Where The Light Goes stole a sliver of my heart. This was an aching, raw and devastating read that cut to my core. Rarely has a book hit home that much for me. It is so emotionally rich and complex, with one of the best depictions of grief I have ever seen.  I cannot fault this book and can only implore everyone to read it.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

A Study in Drowning is a masterclass in pacing, characterisation and tension, with a beautiful meditation on stories and who gets to have an authorial voice. Reid’s writing is like watching a moment become crystallised in time. It has a depth of detail that is so immersive and enrapturing. This book is also a love letter to the very act of storytelling.

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He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

This is an incredible conclusion to the gunpowder trail started in She Who Became the Sun. That was an epic tale that weaves historical and fantastical elements together and combines them with themes of identity, fate and above all else, ambition. Here, Parker-Chan takes every element and raises them to the next level. 

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea

This is a fang-toothed beast, determined to draw blood and demand its place in the world. I absolutely loved this riveting, bloody and feral look at ambition in a Faustian take on Black Swan. There is something just so enjoyable about the vividly angry nature of this book. This is an unbridled, bloody book about the pursuit of ambition at all costs. 

Eyes Guts Throat Bones by Moira Fowley

Eyes Guts Throat Bones is a deliciously dark collection of sapphic horror short stories and one of the strongest short story collections I have read for a while. I found it absolutely phenomenal and totally unforgettable. It is a standout horror collection that everyone should add to their shelves.

Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

Little Thieves left me absolutely stunned in 2021 and I was craving the sequel ever since. Luckily, Painted Devils smashed through every lofty expectation I had. This is an achingly beautiful story around family in all its forms, but beware the devastatingly cruel sting in its tale.

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Catch Your Death by Ravena Guron

This is a scintillating, scheming marvel of a book and one of the best mysteries  I have ever had the joy of reading. Ravena Guron is quickly emerging as a shining star of YA mysteries.  It was such a rich and well-layered plot to uncover, so I implore you – do not miss out on this incredible book.

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

So Let Them Burn is a powerhouse of a book and an incendiary debut, full of dragons, danger and deceit. This is exceptionally good YA fantasy, with brilliant characterisation, tension and twists. It has stabby sapphics, dragons and terrific world building – what more could you ask for?

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

This book has haunted my dreams since reading. It is powerful, impactful and unforgettable – it burns with a deep seated rage that struck such a chord with me. It is a dark and heavy read at times, but also provides hope and solidarity amidst the darkness too. Gothic Dark Academia mystery at its finest.

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

A Tempest of Tea is a smoking gun of a book – powerful, incendiary and finishes with one hell of a bang. It was  a beguiling, beautifully written and brutal read. This was the oncoming storm and readers better brace themselves for what Faizal has in store. Also, Arthie Casimir is now one of my favourite characters of all time.