Powder & Page’s Best Books of 2022

Reading through everyone’s yearly wrap ups is always one of my favorite things this time of year! Once again, I’ll be sharing my “Best Books” list, which is primarily going to feature books I’ve rated 5 stars, with some particularly memorable 4.5 star reads thrown in. You can check out my full review for each book by clicking on the title links!

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan – 5 Stars
I started off 2022 with this book and said then it would make my Best Books list for the year. It was a brilliant combination of murder investigation and political fantasy told by Sir Konrad Vonvalt’s scribe Helena in her memoir many years later.

Castles in Their Bones Laura Sebastian – 5 Stars
This book is jam packed with court politics, intrigue, assassination attempts and powerful female characters. Also, the ending was absolutely jaw dropping!

The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller – 4.5 Stars
A truly impressive debut novel that defied all my expectations. It presents itself as a fairly standard mystery/fantasy hybrid where the emperor tasks his mistress with solving his murder, but it’s SO much more complex than that.

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe – 5 Stars
A delightful graphic novel that began (and continues) its life on Webtoons, but is being traditionally published in volumes. It tactfully deals with just about every issue you could think of – infidelity, being raised by a helicopter mom, fear of disappointing others, dealing with past trauma, the consequences of becoming a public figure, etc…. also, the characters’ expressions are hysterically funny at times.

Kingdoms of Death by Christopher Ruocchio – 5 Stars
This book is absolutely visceral and will shred your heart into small, bloody pieces. The quality of the storytelling is unparalleled and it warms my heart even as it breaks it.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher – 5 Stars
I loved that this book turns standard fairytale tropes on their head and it so excellently blends in darker elements. The main character isn’t a sword-wielding ass kicker like so many heroines, but has a quiet strength and will to get things done.

Daughter of Redwinter by Ed McDonald – 5 Stars
This book had it all – likable characters, badass warriors, epic magic, and loads and loads of secrets and ancient history. 

Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro – 4.5 Stars
Imagine Victorian X-Men with a dollop of Harry Potter themes mixed in for good measure. This was an excellent read with a perfectly gloomy setting and creepy villains.

In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan – 5 Stars
This book is a brilliant combination of detective work, war, and political intrigue much as with the original Powder Mage trilogy and frankly, it’s a combination I find totally addictive.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher – 4.5 Stars
This book creeped me out so badly I had to stop reading well before bed just so I could shake the memory of it before I went to sleep. 

Babel by R.F. Kuang – 5 Stars
A masterpiece, blending academia and revolution beautifully together. Definitely recommended for folks who can’t get enough of dark academia!

Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross – 5 Stars
This is a really, really cool story that pleasantly surprised me with its deep lore and quality execution all in a single, standalone volume. It explores how family ties, guilt, and love can all influence how people make decisions and shape themselves. 

Farilane by Michael J. Sullivan – 5 Stars
Talk about an emotional rollercoaster, folks. This book made me laugh, cry, and in general punch me a little in every emotion there is to feel. I literally cried writing the review and it’s probably the best Michael J. Sullivan book yet.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig – 5 Stars
It’s not just pretty sentences and thoroughly described scenery, it has exquisite characterization, a cool magic system, and romantic tension! The ending was also enough to make me yell (but in a good way).

Uncanny Times by Laura Anne Gilman – 4.5 Stars
This was a really awesome story about monster hunters with a good mystery to solve. When I initially came across it, the Goodreads synopsis was way wrong and fortunately I liked it even better as a New England based supernatural whodunnit than whatever it was initially described as.

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard – 5 Stars
I loved the characters, loved the weird, elite secret Hunter society, and I liked seeing how the author handled outcast Winnie suddenly becoming accepted again. It had the vibes of YA from circa 2010, but GOOD.

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney – 4.5 Stars
This was a memorable, shocking book that left me thinking about it for days afterward! Even disregarding that incredible ending, the whole book was so well written and fraught with emotion and family history that I didn’t want to stop listening to it.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir – 4.5 Stars
It’s such a weird blend of genres – a gothic space opera with far more fantasy and horror elements than science fiction. I also loved Gideon’s sweary irreverence and Harrow’s very emo skulking.

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace – 5 Stars
I appreciated how this book handled the difficult subjects of death and mortality while also being the best sort of angsty, slow-burn romance. Not to mention that it’s also *atmospheric* as hell.

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten – 5 Stars
This was an amazing fantasy that seriously took inspiration from the Court of Versailles right before the French Revolution. You can just tell that heads are going to roll in the sequel! This isn’t out until March 2023, so prepare yourselves!