We’re halfway through 2022! We did it.
Today I’m breaking down almost all of the books I’ve read in the past six months and ranking them from best to worst via a highly scientific methodology, the results of which have been peer reviewed by both of my dogs. Be amazed.
Although I am a reader who uses numeric ratings, this Highly Official Ranking System is different. So here’s your nifty guide:
- God Tier: new favorite, bookish perfection, something to screech about, etc.
- Really Good: enjoyable, memorable, would read again without hesitation, “not your average book” kind of book
- Good: a solid read, would recommend, probably wouldn’t read again for whatever reason
- Fine: is it awful? no. is it something I want to have living on my shelf for the next decade? also no.
- Bad: it’s not a good book, Susan, it’s just not
- Horrible: jail for book! jail for One Thousand Years!!!
- It’s Complicated: books I maybe enjoyed but have difficulty categorizing due to problematic stuff
God Tier
AKA: new favorite, bookish perfection, something to screech about, etc.
SISTERSONG by Lucy Holland — magical alt history folktale retelling featuring a trans prince (!!!)
THE QUEER PRINCIPLES OF KIT WEBB by Cat Sebastian — the ultimate “be gay, do crime” romance novel
ONCE UPON A QUINCEÑERA by Monica Gomez-Hira — everything that is wonderful and messy about being 18
HUNT THE STARS by Jessie Mihalik — A perfect meld of romance and sci-fi.
Really Good
AKA: enjoyable, memorable, would read again without hesitation, “not your average book” kind of book
WE WERE RESTLESS THINGS by Cole Nagamatsu — literary magical realism for the youths
OLGA DIES DREAMING by Xochitl Gonzalez — colonialism, family dysfunction, political thriller *chef’s kiss*
WEATHER GIRL by Rachel Lynn Solomon — an excellent workplace romance
THE FIFTH SEASON by N.K. Jemisin — is there anything to say? we all know this is good.
WINTER’S ORBIT by Everina Maxwell — political thriller sci-fi with strooooong romantic elements
THE WOLF DEN by Elodie Harper — Roman Empire, but about the lower classes outside of Rome itself
GIRL GONE VIRAL by Alisha Rai — the Platonic ideal of a bodyguard romance
SOMETHING FABULOUS by Alexis Hall — utterly absurd and utterly gay
GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert — unique and wholesome contemporary romance
DELILAH GREEN DOESN’T CARE by Ashley Herring Blake — excellent romance with a lot of realistic family complications
WHEN BLOOD LIES by C.S. Harris — this is my favorite series, my favorite couple, etc.
ALL MY RAGE by Sabaa Tahir — a very uncomfortable book to read but also very very good
NIGHTCRAWLING by Leila Mottley — a nonsensationalized glimpse into police corruption, poverty, racism, etc. (and Mottley is nineteen!)
THE DEGENERATES by J. Albert Mann — highly informative story about girls who were institutionalized as part of eugenics policies
THE WAGES OF SIN by Kaite Welsh — Victorian England was about more than pretty dresses and dukes; here’s a book to make you hopping mad @ the patriarchy
Good
AKA: a solid read, would recommend, probably wouldn’t read again for whatever reason
THE HALF-DROWNED KING by Linnea Hartsuyker — exciting plot + excellent research into Viking society
BEASTS OF A LITTLE LAND by Juhea Kim — beautifully written, bittersweet intergenerational saga set in 20th century Korea
A LADY’S GUIDE TO MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM by Manda Collins — more of a mystery than a romance, but enjoyable
THE RIGHT SWIPE by Alisha Rai — good, but development of hero’s character was lacking
HOW HIGH WE GO IN THE DARK by Sequoia Nagamatsu — innovative hybrid between a novel and a short story collection
RENEGADE LOVE by Ann Aquirre — solid “morality chain” alien romance
THE DEATH OF VIVEK OJI by Akwaeke Emezi — very pretty and bittersweet
PACHINKO by Min Jin Lee — well-written, but becomes too episodic by the end
NO BEAUTIES OR MONSTERS by Tara Goedjen — if Stranger Things was a book, basically
THE FALLING GIRLS by Hayley Krischer — toxic murdering co-dependent cheerleaders (!)
NEVER LOOK BACK by Lilliam Rivera —interesting Greek myth retelling set in the Bronx
THE SCHOOL OF MIRRORS by Eva Stachniak — slowish story about women during the final days of the French monarchy
SO THIS IS EVER AFTER by F.T. Lukens — what happens after you save the world?; AKA “two idiots in love”
WHEN WE LOST OUR HEADS by Heather O’Neill — rich girls in Montreal as a metaphor for the French Revolution (I guess???)
FIREBREAK by Nicole Kornher-Stace — post-climate crisis dystopia in which megacorporations rule the world
BOOK OF NIGHT by Holly Black — solid urban fantasy featuring a heist and interesting magic
THE DRAGON’S BRIDE by Katee Robert — not as sexy as I wanted, but a good “captive” romance that heavily emphasizes mutual consent
Fine
AKA: is it awful? no. is it something I want to have living on my shelf for the next decade? also no.
ARSENIC AND ADOBO by Mia P. Manansala — mediocre mystery with a decent “hook”
THE RAVEN TOWER by Ann Leckie — queer fantasy Hamlet with second-person narrator and sentient rocks
DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS by Sue Lynn Tan — too long, plot is disorganized
THE SIREN OF SUSSEX by Mimi Matthews — working class Victorian romance but author doesn’t follow-through on attempts to explore oppression
MASTER OF POISONS by Andrea Hairston — climate disaster fantasy where author’s vision lacked clarity
SERPENT & DOVE by Shelby Mahurin — decent fantasy romance, but read like the stuff that was coming out 10 years ago
THE BEHOLDEN by Cassandra Rose Clarke — fun quest/adventure fantasy with a simple storyline more suited to middle grade than adult
THE VERIFIERS by Jane Pek — predictable and tropey mystery novel
THE IVORY KEY by Akshaya Raman — just okay; too many narrators, too much going on
FOLLOW ME TO GROUND by Sue Rainsford — lots of vibes, no real substance
THE ONES WE’RE MEANT TO FIND by Joan He — overly concerned with complex plot structure
MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite — the title says it all
A FAR WILDER MAGIC by Allison Saft — solidly readable, but I have Thoughts about the world-building
YELLOW WIFE by Sadeqa Johnson — would have been great if the narrative climax didn’t occur off-page (wtf?)
THE PERFECT CRIMES OF MARIAN HAYES by Cat Sebastian — understanding the plot is wholly reliant on the companion novel, which is not the point of romance series
DEAD SILENCE by S.A. Barnes — cursed space Titanic is a great idea, but it needed to decide if the narrator is crazy or not (instead, author left it vague and confusing)
ALL THAT’S LEFT IN THE WORLD by Erik J. Brown — pretty good, but plot structure was all over the place
AN UNKINDNESS OF GHOSTS by Rivers Solomon — had it brief moments of brilliance, but the world-building and even the action were often too vague
FIRST COMES LIKE by Alisha Rai — this was weird and not very romantic
Bad
AKA: it’s not a good book, Susan, it’s just not
THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN by Ava Reid — bad plotting, illogical conclusion, world-building was aggravating as hell
NIGHT THEATER by Vikram Paralkar —intriguing, but author could not find a focus within the story
STRANGE BEASTS OF CHINA by Yan Ge — great concept but too slow/sleepy/vague to fully pull it off
THE VALLEY AND THE FLOOD by Rebecca Mahoney — dear white people: this is not how magical realism works
GOOD GIRL COMPLEX by Elle Kennedy — 2012 is calling and would like her poorly written “not like other girls” new adult romance back
IN A GARDEN BURNING GOLD by Rory Power — your cool concept is meaningless if it’s not back up by actual human emotion
I’M SO (NOT) OVER YOU by Kosoko Jackson — the love interest dumps the narrator TWICE with no explanation and takes no accountability for his actions: garbage
PERSEPHONE STATION by Stina Leicht — not enough world-building, character depth, or initial exposition
DAUGHTERS OF A DEAD EMPIRE by Carolyn Tara O’Neil — massively oversimplifies Russian politics to make the Romanovs virtuous martyrs
A THOUSAND STEPS INTO NIGHT by Traci Chee — weirdly juvenile storytelling
WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS by Lauren Blackwood — a retelling of Jane Eyre which doesn’t actually communicate with the source text
THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone — nope
CAN’T RESIST HER by Kianna Alexander — so poorly written that the romance plot didn’t even register
A BOTANIST’S GUIDE TO PARTIES AND POISON by Kate Khavari — everyone in this book is so stupid (the protagonist poisons herself in order to prove the murderer didn’t use poison)
Horrible
AKA: jail for book! jail for One Thousand Years!!!
A PALE LIGHT IN THE BLACK by K.B. Wagers — propaganda in favor of the American military industrial context, with queer people for set dressing
BITE by K.S. Merbeth — badly written, but also: the love interest sexually assaults the main character
RAMÓN AND JULIETA by Alana Quintana Albertson — the author really thought writing about a gentrifying CEO billionaire was a good idea
GOLD MOUNTAIN by Betty G. Yee — one of the worst written books I’ve ever read (great concept though!)
MR. WRONG NUMBER by Lynn Painter — misogynist hero + jerk heroine + bad writing = not good
CHEROKEE AMERICA by Margaret Verble — a book about “good slaver owners”!!!!!
WE ALL FALL DOWN by Rose Szabo — in which the white protagonist falsely accuses a gay Black man of murder
SILK FIRE by Zabé Ellor — tone-deaf and clumsy story about a man getting revenge against an evil, oppressive matriarchy (also, author appears to be a misogynist)
It’s Complicated
AKA: books I maybe enjoyed but have difficulty categorizing due to problematic stuff
THE MAID by Nita Prose — breezy read but the depiction of autism was so concerning
IF YOU ASK ME by Libby Hubscher — I might have liked this if it had not been FALSELY REPRESENTED as a romance novel (it is not)
SET ON YOU by Amy Lea — this was a great romance…until halfway through it became women’s fic about the heroine’s individual journey (the hero was neither a participant nor a spectator)
PLACES WE’VE NEVER BEEN by Kasie West — it was good but WHY WERE THE ADULTS SO ABUSIVE?!
Phew!
That was a lot of books. 😳
I love this post, such a great way to show off all the books you’ve read so far (and that’s a LOT, I admire you SO much, wow!). I’m so sad that A Thousand Steps Into Night wasn’t that great. I loved Traci Chee’s The Reader series and have been curious about that one. But I’m SO glad to s eethat you’ve read The falling girls, I really liked this book as well! 🙂
Happy reading!! 🙂