Jam's Top Reads of 2023

It's December, and that means that it's time for those lists highlighting those books that we have particularly enjoyed or that have impacted us more; and 2023 has been especially prolific in reading terms for me.

Consider that this list has no particular order, as I feel ordering them numerically would be quite unfair; I can't simply choose a book and call it THE BEST taking in account how eclectic my read has been.

Let's go!

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This Too Shall Burn, by Cat Rector

A feminist proposal by Cat Rector, a book that will leave you full of anger, but really cathartic at the same time.

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However Many Must Die, by Phil Williams

A fantasy inspired by the WWI, an excellent start to a series, and a book full of emotion, which will make you end loving the characters.

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Candy Cain Kills, by Brian McAuley

A perfect festive proposal, that mixes the horror of a slasher with the joyful character of Christmas. A really really fun book, trust me.

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No Port in a Storm, by Cal Black

The second instalment on the Legends & Legacies series was even better than the first one, transporting us with Millie to Amelior and exploring survivors' guilt.

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These Burning Stars, by Bethany Jacobs

An excellent space opera depicting a complex political empire, whose foundations are threatened by a coin that might unveil secrets about its atrocious past. A masterclass on writing characters.

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A Woman of the Sword, by Anna Smith Spark

Smith Spark's prose combined with an excellent story about the difficulties of motherhood, all through the eyes of a warrior.

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Through Dreams So Dark, by Angela Boord

An ambitious portal fantasy, with an incomparable setting; more reasons of why Angela Boord is one of my favourite authors.

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The Wicked and The Willing, by Lianyu Tan

Steamy, F/F, vampires; a really intense novel that takes Gothic horror to another level (and you can choose the ending).

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Mothtown, by Caroline Hardaker

A really unique sci-fi horror, a story about grief and identity; it's weird, but its weirdness is partly why it's so good.

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World Running Down, by Al Hess

The traditionally published debut of Al Hess; an excellent novel about the efforts of becoming what really are. Cozy and gay.

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Panacea, by Alex Robins

Greek mythology reimagined to tell an epic and dark story; a series that I will definitely continue reading.

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Winter Harvest, by Ioanna Papadopoulou

A reimagining of Demeter's myths by a Greek author; a story that explores motherhood and grief.

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The Bloody Chorus, by John Marco

The return to fantasy of John Marco, and one of my favourite books of the year; loved the cast and the nautical themes.

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Dark Woods, Deep Water, by Jelena Dunato

A Slavic horror proposal by an author with a ton of potential; probably one of my favourite settings.

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Poisoned Empire, by Elyse Thomson

A feral Cinderella, and a really fun story that keeps you hooked until the end; a series that will have me as a fan for a long time.

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Him, by Geoff Ryman

A re-imagination of Jesus' life, a FTM story in which Maryam struggles to accept the real nature of his son.

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The Children of the Black Moon, by Joseph John Lee

Historical inspired fantasy is one of my favourite genres, and Joseph John Lee's series is definitely all of what I expect, with an extra addition of emotional damage.

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Seeds of War, by Joao Silva

An excellent grimdark debut, a character-driven story which excels at creating compelling stakes.

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The Many Shades of Midnight, by C.M. Debell

A fantasy whose plot is a perfect reflection of real world; really interested if Debell continues exploring this world.

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Salt in the Wound, by Benjamin Aeveryn

Arthurian re-imagining in a post-apocalyptic world; a plot that remembers at points to Kill Bill, and characters that stay with you after finishing.

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Boys in the Valley, by Philip Fracassi

Possession horror mixed with the dangers of isolation; excellent execution that only makes me more eager to continue reading Fracassi.

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The Folly, by Gemma Amor

More isolation horror, a flawless execution combined with an excellent use of Gothic horror tropes.

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Your Blood and Bones, by J. Patricia Anderson

A dark fairy-tale like novella, excellent at making us care of the characters.

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The Words of Kings and Prophets, by Shauna Lawless

An excellent second instalment of this Irish historical inspired fantasy, a consolidation over what we had in the first book.

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The Wretched Spy, by Eli Hinze

Mesopotamian inspired fantasy, the characters you've loved in the first book and the set-up for a third book that promises to be epic.

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Merciless Waters, by Rae Knowles

Sapphic horror seems to be a recurrent theme on this list, and Knowles can't be missed; a novella which you will be thinking about days after finishing it.

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Shadows of Nyn'Dira, by H.C. Newell

Third instalment of this series, and the consolidation of H.C. Newell as an author to take in account when writing dark fantasy.

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Honestly, it has been an excellent year of reading, and choosing this list has been extremely difficult (I feel I've left out many titles that I loved); so I can just ask for a 2024 as good as 2023.

Cheers!