Powder & Page’s Best Books of 2024

It’s that time of year again where I share my 20 favorite books of 2024. The books selected are rated either 5  or 4.5 stars and you can check out my full review by clicking on the title links!

The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan – 5 Stars
The Empire of the Wolf is one of the only series where I’ve enthusiastically given each installment 5 Stars. It’s a delicious blend of mystery, medieval fantasy, and magical horror that I would wholeheartedly recommend. Plus, the finale was just incredible!

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown – 4.5 Stars
This book had solid friendships, a truly awful villain character, plenty of adventure, and strong women! I also admire any book that can wring emotion from me AND it had a well executed time travel sequence. Trust me, this is the portal fantasy you’re looking for.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins – 5 Stars
I admire Ruby McTavish’s stone cold practicality and I love that the author didn’t put her killer instincts down to ‘female madness’ or some nonsense. This is an excellent story full of twists and turns and plenty of family drama.

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang – 5 Stars
This book was a surprise favorite because Wang’s previous book, The Sword of Kaigen didn’t really work for me. Blood Over Bright Haven explored some difficult but important themes like the treatment of immigrants, sexism in the workplace, and how dark academia can really be. The worldbuilding and characters were also top notch!

The Hemlock Queen by Hannah F. Whitten – 4.5 Stars
Delicious tension between characters, the gods have really come into play, and some interesting character growth! I know this installment didn’t work for everyone due to how certain characters changed after the first book, but the changes made sense and I enjoyed it.

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo – 5 Stars
The Familiar is a brilliant historical political fantasy with enough drama, longing, and magic to keep you turning pages late into the night.  I enjoy a good standalone and Leigh Bardugo certainly delivered with her adult fantasy yet again.

The Lord of Stariel by A.J. Lancaster – 5 Stars
This is a really sweet, slow burn fantasy romance with very low spice levels. It’s perfect for those that are looking for something a little more cozy and like the fae.

Evocation by S.T. Gibson – 4.5 Stars
Evocation is an excellent modern day occult fantasy, perfect for fans of Ninth House or for anyone looking for a good ‘deal with the devil’ type story. The sequel is high on my list for 2025!

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst – 4.5 Stars
The coziest of cozy fantasies! This follows a librarian and her sentient spider plant as they create a new life for themselves after a political coup upends their lives and I LOVED it. 

Assassin’s Anonymous by Rob Hart – 5 Stars
Perfect for those folks looking for an assassin thriller with a unique spin to it. This does a surprisingly good job looking at addiction through a different lense and it’s packed with both action and emotion. Also, there’s a cat.

The Witchstone by Henry N. Neff – 4.5 Stars
And, we’ve got another book with ‘deal with the devil’ vibes and boy, is this generational curse alive and kicking! This surprised me with it’s quality storytelling and lovable characters. Yes, even the demon is lovable because he’s actually a good guy deep down.

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher – 5 Stars
As with many of T. Kingfisher’s stories, A Sorceress Comes to Call is a dark fairytale, with all the darkness wrapped in a thin veneer of humor and magic. You can’t help but to root for the heroine and even though it deals with heavy topics, Kingfisher’s humor keeps the reader from being bogged down in the dark stuff.

Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent – 5 Stars
What if I told you this was my favorite fantasy romance series ever? I could have easily put all three installments on my Best of list, but that would be unfair. I love the characters and the slow burn of their romance and the worldbuilding is on part with some epic fantasy stores I’ve read.

The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman – 4.5 Stars
This was a dark story that really illustrated how horrific the Goblin Wars, mentioned in The Blacktongue Thief, really were. It also serves to flesh out Galva dom Braga, the terrifying warrior and how she came to have a war-corvid. This is perfect for fans of military and/or grimdark fantasy!

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson – 4.5 Stars
A school for adults gifted in the art of ‘persuasion’, a  morally grey female main character, and a dark, tattooed love interest. It’s like a glorious combination of Vita Nostra and The Magicians, and so perfectly scratched that dark academia fantasy itch!

The Gathering by C.J. Tudor – 4.5 Stars
An amazing blend of vampire horror and police thriller! I honestly couldn’t believe how much I loved this and it now ranks as one of the best paranormal mysteries I’ve read.

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry – 5 Stars
I love a historical fantasy and this happens to be set in an alternate England right around WWI. The main character goes off to a magical branch of Oxford and Cambridge Universities to learn to remove a faerie curse that afflicts her brother. Amazing friendships, entrancing magic, and a solid ending earned this a place on my Best of list!

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie – 5 Stars
Even though this doesn’t come out until May 2025, it was burning a hole in my TBR. In typical Abercrombie fashion, he’s created a cast of characters that are somehow both despicable and lovable. I can’t wait to see where this story goes next!

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson – 4.5 Stars
I was clearly in my fae era for the latter portion of this this year. The Courting of Bristol Keats was like a nostalgic throwback to the romantic fantasy books I loved as a teen, but upgraded for adult me. There was never a dull moment and I enjoyed the world, the courtly politics, and most especially the two main characters.

Quicksilver by Callie Hart – 5 Stars
Even though I just finished reading this and haven’t had much time to sit and think on it, I think Quicksilver deserves it’s place on this list. Its a romantasy that swept me away just as Fourth Wing did last year. I loved the characters and the plot had me hooked so quickly! It’s not everyday I stumble on a book that I literally don’t want to put down.