The Eagle Post - December 2023

Books of the Year!

Hello Friends!

I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you a very Happy New Year! During the Christmas holidays, I love to have a round up of all the books I’ve read over the year and pick out my favourites. So without further ado, these are the top ten books that I read this year.

What was your favourite book to read this year? Let me know in the comments or hit reply to this email!

All the best!

Lindsey

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Top Ten Books of 2023

Of Sea and Smoke by Gillian Bronte Adams

This is book 2 of the Fireborn Epic, a fantasy series with magical horses and a cast of incredible characters. It was one of those books that left me with a beautiful sense of hope amidst the darkness (not unlike Lord of the Rings). The world needs more stories like this!

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

This was a wonderfully whimsical tale of a lady scholar who goes to the far north in search of faeries and gets in over her head! A very enjoyable read with that perfect balance of fairytale, adventure, and comedy.

The Dark Star by H.R. Hess

This is the story of a young princess thrust into a world of adventure and a young soldier on a secret mission who end up on different sides of an ancient war. This was another story where the fight of the light against the darkness was very clear (though this story has more Narnia vibes).

Wishtress by Nadine Brandes

This was a beautiful story with a wintry folktale atmosphere. It follows a girl whose tears can grant wishes and a boy who can stop time with a snap of his fingers. At its heart it is a story of blessing, curse, and redemption.

Defiant by Brandon Sanderson

This is the fourth and final book in the Skyward series, all of which are brilliant. I won’t say too much about the plot (spoilers) but if you love spaceships, warriors, and witty dialogue, this is the series for you!

Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky

This is the third book in the Children of Time series and while a little different from its predecessors, I think this one takes the mind-boggling cleverness up another notch! Again, I won’t say too much (spoilers) but this is a tale of space exploration, evolving intelligent species, and other very clever things I can’t even begin to explain.

The Wonderland Trials by Sara Ella

I read both this book and its sequel in very quick succession and was hooked by the twists and turns of the story. As you might guess from the title, it’s loosely based on Alice in Wonderland. I loved how the story was structured around games, giving it all a very playful feel.

Winter, White and Wicked by Shannon Dittemore

How to describe this book? It has winter (and lots of it), ice truckers, ancient legends, magic in the air. It’s one great big, quirky, rip-roaring ride along an ice road.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

This book was like a mash-up of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Percy Jackson, though way more brutal. It’s one of those books that is not always a comfortable read (it deals with some pretty difficult topics) but is so well written you are drawn on to the end and left thinking.

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

Yes, it’s another Brandon Sanderson book on the list but he writes a lot of good books! This is part two of his epic Stormlight Archive and perfect if you like a REALLY long book packed to bursting with worldbuilding, magic, and great characters.