Welcome to a New Year and a new blog post! We've missed writing for you all and are excited to catch up by sharing our best—and worst—bookish experiences of 2024.
2024 WRAP-UP
2024 READING GOALS — HOW DID WE STACK UP?
Jordan: I feel like I keep setting lower goals and falling on my face anyway. 🤣 I am definitelyyy more in the background of this blog for a reason. In 2024, I attempted to tackle the unread books on my shelves, and I made it through a couple of them, one of which was indie because I'm trying to read more of those.
Kori: Most of the books I'd planned to read got pushed to the side—they were too chonky and epic to tackle. However, I did reach my book count goal and broaden my horizons with more BIPOC reads and witchy nonfiction, giving fanfiction and romance books a shot, and delving more into sci-fi and WEBTOONS.
NUMBER OF BOOKS READ
Jordan: I finished two books, five counting the ones I read for work. I know, I know, I really slacked on reading. In my defense, I DNFed a few, and my other hobbies—gaming, writing, and TV shows—consumed most of my free time this go-round.
Kori: 56! I was afraid I would miss my goal again, but luckily some manga helped boost my numbers.
FAVORITE READ(S)
Jordan: Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent definitely takes the cake for my 2024, and I'll be eagerly grabbing up the sequel to read this year.
Kori: It's hard to choose, so here are my top five: House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas, Manacled by Senlinyu, V.E. Schwab's Villains series, All Systems Red by Martha Wells (the BEST audiobook performance I've experienced), and Rachel Smythe's epic conclusion to Lore Olympus.
NOT QUITE FOR US
Jordan: I DNFed The Bonesmith, The Forest Grimm, and Rhapsodic. The writing styles and/or characters weren't really hitting with me for some reason, so you won't find those reviews on our blog.
Kori: I DNF'd two reads this year. A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic was a huge letdown. I saw it marketed as The Great British Baking Show but high fantasy. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past page three; the writing style just wasn't for me. I also DNF'd Escape From Oz on WEBTOON. It was too goofy for me.
FAVORITE COMFORT READ(S)
Jordan: A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft was an adorable comfort read. Marketed for fans of Bridgerton, it spun all of those regency romance vibes into a fluffy light fantasy that was so cute.
Kori: I did quite a bit of rereading for comfort this year, and my top two were Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas and Heartless by Marissa Meyer.
QUICKEST READ(S)
Jordan: A Fragile Enchantment for meee. Very quick and fun. 😊
Kori: ExtraOrdinary by V.E. Schwab and A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow were the shortest. I also binged House of Flame and Shadow, staying up and reading for 24 hours! I had small breaks, but I definitely don't think I'll do that again anytime soon.
SLOWEST READ
Jordan: Daughter of No Worlds, but not for lack of enjoyment. It's just a chunky book that I had to read between work and life. 😂
Kori: A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft, but ONLY because my e-borrow expired and I had to wait my turn again.
BEST SPICE
Jordan: I didn't read anything particularly spicy this year. Vereh tame. 😂
Kori: The Viscount Who Loved Me and Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn. If you liked Kanthony or Polin on-screen, you'll love their books.
BEST PLOT TWIST
Jordan: Daughter of No Worlds. The way Broadbent slowly unfolded one character's backstory and kept huge reveals about them until the end was awesome.
Kori: House of Flame and Shadow had me gasping aloud and crying by the end. Legendborn and Assistant to the Villain both slapped me in the face with twists I probably should have seen coming, but still haven't gotten over.
SADDEST READ
Jordan: While Daughter of No Worlds had its emotional scenes, I don't think I read anything particularly sad last year. All of that trauma came from watching Arcane. 🥲
Kori: Manacled gutted me. This one is definitely not for the faint of heart, so make sure you read the trigger warnings.
MIXED FEELINGS
Jordan: I had some very slight mixed feelings about A Fragile Enchantment, and that was only because I was in an epic fantasy mood last year and fluffy romances aren't uuusually my go-to. But I'm a sucker for things like Pride & Prejudice, so I just need to be in the right headspace for it.
Kori: I REALLY wanted to love Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana, but it just didn't check all of the boxes for me. It had great concepts and cozy vibes, but it lagged in the middle and had a plot hole that bugged me.
FAVORITE SHIPS
Jordan: Tisanaah and Max from Daughter of No Worlds, hands down. I am a huuuge sucker for epic fantasy slowburns with at least one grumpy, quirky character, and it doesn't hurt that Max seems to be vaguely based off of Howl from Howl's Moving Castle.
Kori: Dramione–– I totally get it now! I also adore Morgana and Oz from the eponymous WEBTOON. What's not to love about two fiercely loyal cinnamon rolls falling in love?!
FAVORITE FRIENDSHIPS
Jordan: Max and Sammerin (Daughter of No Worlds) and Niamh and Sinclair (A Fragile Enchantment). Both of these friendships packed a lot of love and humor, even when they weren't on-page.
Kori: Aziza, Leo, and Tristan from The Summer Queen by Rochelle Hassan. I would commit crimes for this trio.
BEST FOUND FAMILY
Jordan: The two books I read had strong elements of found family for the main characters Tisanaah and Niamh. Both characters were outcasts in their home for different reasons and fled everything they knew to immerse themselves in new worlds, and who found deep connections in their new lives.
Kori: Vicious and Vengeful by V.E. Schwab. If you like Silco + Jinx's relationship in Netflix's Arcane, just wait til you meet this group of misfits.
2025 GOALS
READING GOALS
Jordan: I've settled into a better routine with self-employment now that a good chunk of the setup is behind me, and I'm feeling less burnt out and ready to tackle more of my TBR. So I think I'm going to continue making my way through all the books on my shelf before I buy new ones.
Kori: I don't want to push my luck too much, so this year I'm going for 50 again. This year is shaping up to be my busiest yet, and I've got some THICK books on my TBR. I also intend to read more adult epic fantasy books and finally hop on the Brandon Sanderson train.
2025 MOST ANTICIPATED READS
Jordan: I have no idea what's coming out these days; turns out, leaving the library field has left me clueless about trad releases. 😂
But I can tell you what I'm excited to read from my shelf! The rest of the Crowns of Nyaxia and War of Lost Hearts series by Carissa Broadbent, Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, any new Rick Riordan books, aaand several past Fairyloot books I still haven't gotten to.
Kori: There are actually several book releases I'm excited for this year. Whether or not I get to them all is another story. But I'm looking forward to:
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab (I'll try anything this woman writes)
Oathbound by Tracy Deonn (even though I still haven't read book two)
Tea You At The Altar by Rebecca Thorne (my review of book one is coming soon!)
Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon (gotta catch up on these, too)
Red Tempest Brother by H.M. Long (anotherrr series I have to catch up on)
Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (I'm also reviewing the first book in this series soon!)
Alchemised by senlinyu (Manacled was one of my top reads; of course I'm gonna get the trad pub version!)
The Geographer's Map to Romance by India Holton (it just sounds so cute!)
BLOG GOALS
Jordan: Getting back to book reviews, for a start. This last year was a busy one for the two of us, and it feels like I'm crawling out of a bog filled with business papers, deadline reminders, and all the media I consumed to numb my brain so I didn't have to focus during my off time. I've since recovered some energy and shifted gears, so I'm hoping to be more regimented in my posting going forward.
Kori: Backlog! Ideally, I'd like to have 2-3 months of posts backlogged in case I burn out or just get too busy. I'm also in the process of revamping my services page with tarot and astrology readings focused on creativity, writing, and publishing.
Thank you so much for sticking with us through such a crazy year. We look forward to posting more here and on Instagram. If you want to make sure you don't miss our next post, give us a follow or subscribe to our newsletter.
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