December 18, 2024
Hey, folks!
As we wrap up 2024, I’m looking back at the books I’ve read in the second half of the year. And since I’ve started editing novels, I thought I’d add some novels I’ve enjoyed to the list this time around!
Let’s get into it 😄
Poetry & Novels in Verse/Lyrical Novels
Silent Edelweiss by Jay W. Song
The perfect read for anyone who’s going through or who has experienced grief. Though Edelweiss experiences grief over a medical diagnosis, Jay W. Song does a wonderful job of making the story feel universal. We all experience loss and sadness, hope and love, and Silent Edelweiss manages to capture it all. “Is my pain painful enough to be called by that name?” “Just because something has to end doesn’t mean it’s unworthy of beginning at all.”
Becoming the Dawn by Jay W. Song
A beautiful book about love and loss, of changes and resilience and learning to accept where you are. Of moving from a place of darkness to reaching for the light. These words are for anyone who feels unseen, unheard, and unable to be understood. For those who blame themselves where no blame is due, and for those who struggle to put their feelings into words. And the imagery and metaphors? My goodness does she do it well.
Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill
This novel in verse tells the story of the girls central to the Salem Witch trials. Hemphill did a great job of balancing fact with imagination, and really getting us inside the girls’ heads. They were hard to like, but that was the point. Though we’re not meant to particularly like them, it’s near impossible not to feel sympathy for them. You come to understand why they did what they did, and wonder if you would have done the same in their shoes.
Picture Books
I didn’t read as many picture books this half of the year, just by fluke (though the first half makes up for some of that), but the one I did read was definitely worthy of being on this list!
How to Staycation Like a Snail by Naseem Hrab
Some of you probably know how obsessed I am with Snail. The first book in this collection, How to Party Like a Snail, is easily one of my favourite picture books ever. So it’s no surprise its companion made me unbelievably happy! It’s such a fantastic reminder that where you are can hold plenty of adventures if you’re willing to listen and look for them. It’s also perfect for the kiddos (and kiddos at heart) who don’t like loud, busy crowds and would rather stick to where they know. There’s beauty and fun in the every day!
Craft Books
The Design of Books by Debbie Berne
This one is a must-have for writers and editors (and anyone else in the book creation process!). It’s an approachable explanation of what designers for both the exterior and interior of books consider, the terms they use, and how other team members are brought into the process and when. It’s definitely a help to me both as an author and an editor working closely with them!
Indie Novels
The Quiet Beyond the Well by C.W. Wren
(New adult dark fantasy)
This one snuck up on me. By the time I closed the book, I went, “Oh. I’m obsessed. I see.” Wren does a phenomenal job of not only writing in third person omniscient (I’m always amazed at the skill some people have to do so!) but at weaving lore and emotion into everything. I also loved how more than one type of love was depicted, and how they’re all shown to be important. Definitely recommend for Celtic folklore lovers and lovers of atmospheric reads.
Beyond Veiled Destinies and Toward Dawning Light by H.E. Bauman
(New adult epic romantasy)
The last two books in the Darkened Skies series, Beyond Veiled Destinies and Toward Dawning Light, did a great job of wrapping everything up and delivering epic scenes mixed with the cozy elements this series has included since the beginning. The relationships between the characters remained a star, and the emotional journeys the characters all go through hit HARD. The epilogue was also an absolute delight! (I am a sucker for a sweet epilogue at the end of a series.)
I love that the series as a whole centred on a healer who grows more into her own power, that the MMC is a cinnamon roll who loves his chosen family fiercely and gently, and that each member of the found family got their chance to shine. A great ending to a wonderful series 💜
The Have Not by Beth Crowley
(Young adult contemporary)
The banter, the emotion, and the depiction of grief were all so well written. This book made me feel light even through the heavy moments. Crowley did a great job juggling every emotion and making us root for the FMC, of writing a family dynamic that was complicated but ultimately still provided support – while also showing the journey of finding support outside of it. And since Crowley is a singer-songwriter, she wrote a soundtrack to her own book, which adds such a delightful addition to the experience!
Fire’s Hand, Fate’s Heart by Lindsey Brounstein
(New adult epic fantasy)
I fell for each of these characters. I laughed and cried with them. And the ending has me NEEDING answers. This book delivers found family, gods, ancient powers, multiple villains on the board, and sweet tropes like comfort after a nightmare (BFF edition). FHFH pulled at everything in me. I’d say more, but then I’d be spoiling the fun.
Traditionally Published Novels
Spectacular by Stephanie Garber
(Young adult fantasy)
This holds all the whimsy and magic that I’ve come to expect from a Stephanie Garber novel. It is absolutely PERFECT for this time of year (so perfect, in fact, that I was sad I read it in November and not December because of the vibes… so I’m already rereading it to coincide with Christmas). It was great seeing how the original four act around the holidays, and seeing them in general after the events of Finale. Now all that’s needed is a holiday novella for the Magnificent North ❄️
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
(Adult historical fantasy)
The atmosphere is impeccable, like you’re actually sitting around a fire in 14th century Russia listening to folk tales. The weaving of household and woodland spirits, of larger forces at play, of a wild girl meant for more all work together to create something beautiful. There’s definitely darker (i.e. creepier) elements than what I anticipated, but by the time those came around, I was too invested to care. But I did stop reading it before bed 😂
And there we have it! Some of the books I enjoyed most in this second half of 2024.
What about you? What was your favourite read of the last six months, or perhaps of the whole year? Recommend some in the comments!