I read 100+ fictional novels in 2022, including re-reads. Most of them were fantasy, rest would fall under sci-fi and magical realism. Progression fantasy continued to be my favorite subgenre. I'm highly excited by the recent trend of cozy and comfort reads.

Picking favorites is a tough task, so I have ordered the lists by dates I read them. I've also listed honorable mentions at the end.

The links lead to the book page on goodreads, from where I've copied a portion of the blurbs for this post.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Legends & Lattes book cover

Blurb:

Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.

Review:

Right from knowing the book title and seeing the cover, I knew I had to read this book. Being the debut of audiobook narrator Travis Baldree was just a plus point.

Characters shone through this very enjoyable slice-of-life book. The pacing and writing were good, it felt like the work of an experienced writer instead of a debut. I'd say the worldbuilding was bit light on details, but more than enough for the story to come alive.

About halfway through, I was a bit disappointed about a magical device feeling like deus ex machina, but turns out that was part of the main plot and it was more than satisfying to see the direction author went with it.

I'd highly recommend this book for all fantasy readers, and especially for those seeking a comfort read. Oh, and all the chapters had a nice illustration at the start too!

Dreadgod by Will Wight

Dreadgod book cover

Blurb:

The battle in the heavens has left a target on Lindon’s back. His most reliable ally is gone, the Monarchs see him as a threat, and he has inherited one of the most valuable facilities in the world. At any moment, his enemies could band together to kill him. If it weren’t for the Dreadgods.

Review:

Phew! This was an intense experience. Plenty of action, cool moments and top notch humor. A few more breather chapters/scenes would've made it perfect.

See my blog post for the spoiler filled review.

Tongue Eater by John Bierce

Tongue Eater book cover

Blurb:

Kanderon Crux has fallen. The traitors who brought the powerful sphinx down have fled with plagues and other magical weapons stolen from Skyhold's Vault, intending to use them against the Havath Dominion, no matter the cost to the rest of the Ithonian continent. Havath teeters on the edge of collapse after their failed invasion of Skyhold, and the nations and monsters of Ithos circle like vultures. The Dominion has no interest in going down without a fight, however, and there are few depths they're unwilling to sink to for survival.

Review:

The series was initally planned as six books, but due to length the last book got split into two. I loved the directions this book went and the insane plan cooked up by Hugh and his friends. I would've happily devoured a trilogy of this book's content. However, in the context of the series, it did feel a bit weird even knowing that "Tongue Eater" was pretty much a setup book for the finale.

I was already a big fan of the worldbuilding and this book went overdrive on that aspect. And as usual, the intricacies of the magic system continued to play a major role. Plot wise, the initial part of the book deals with the aftermath of the siege, which included a lot of nifty surprises. The rest largely revolved around the insane plan and Alustin's preparations for Havath's destruction. Given the cliffhanger ending, the beginning of the next book is probably going to be explosive in terms of revelations and character reactions.

Overall I enjoyed this book, can't wait for the concluding book and looking forward to future series set in this multiverse.

The Umbral Storm by Alec Hutson

The Umbral Storm book cover

Blurb:

A thousand years ago the Heart of the World was shattered, its fragments scattered across the lands. In the chaos that followed, martial orders arose to gather the shards, for it was found that great powers were granted when these pieces were bonded to the flesh of the chosen. These are the Sharded Few, warriors imbued with the divine energies that once coursed through the Heart, driven to absorb enough fragments to claim godhood.

Review:

I found the book engaging right from the first chapter and it got difficult to put down as the plot progressed. Especially the secrets and suspense about magical powers and abilities. The magic system falls under progression fantasy sub-genre, where characters improve their magical strength and abilities as the story moves forward. The main method to increase power was straight forward to understand, but not so easy to implement for the characters. I'm very excited about the possibilities and innovation hinted towards the end of this book. There were also some other types of magic at play, but not much in terms of details yet.

As usual, characters were well written. This book had three main characters from different backgrounds, with their fate intertwining, somewhat like "Wheel of Time" I suppose. The secondary characters were well written too, even those who had only a few scenes. Themes included family and friendship.

The main plot was driven by political will and some sort of background changes, as is common in epic fantasy. I didn't mind the political stuff since the focus was on the three main characters. There was a schooling section too, though I'd have loved if the learning lessons were more detailed and had some fun stuff.

I'd say the worldbuilding was great too, woven nicely with everyday living, mannerisms, political factions, etc. There were giant trees, weird and scary magical creatures, other worldly stuff and so on. Plenty of action along the way. The fights and twists at the end were cool.

Soul Relic by Samuel Hinton

Soul Relic book cover

Blurb:

Born with an enormous well of power but no way to regenerate it, Raysha will risk anything to fix herself, even if it means venturing into the unknown with nothing but her brother, an enchanted water bottle, and a stubborn attitude. Without the ability to cultivate aeon from the world, Raysha has been treated like an outcast her whole life. While she has to ration her power drop-by-drop, others use it as commonly as breathing. In a world where true masters of aeon have slaughtered gods, Raysha's future in her village is limited to babysitting pre-awakened children who inevitably surpass and mock her.

Review:

When was the last time you read a fantasy book where the main character's parents and siblings were alive and the entire family loved each other?

The prologue was messy and reminded me of Powder Mage series. Thankfully, that was just a sub-plot as I was in a mood for light hearted fantasy. The main one revolved around Raysha trying to fix her magical issues (with help from her brother and mentors). The first couple of chapters seemed full of tropes I've read often, but the chemistry between the family members and the light banter got me hooked.

The overall plot had a good balance between adventure, slice-of-life scenes and action. The travelling portions (which included visits to natural and man-made wonders), training, tidbits about the magic system and the various scenes involving the sibling duo discussing about gifts were some of the best I've read. The light banter, puns and bickering had me laughing often. I was so invested in their lives that I didn't want action scenes to intrude. I'm still mad that the sibling duo had to skip buying the planned gift for their younger sister. They better find a way in the sequels or the author will get some angry fan mails.

The best thing I liked about the magic system was how flexible it was (some of it reminded me of The Weirkey Chronicles). I wish the naming system for advancement levels was easier to remember/comprehend — perhaps I'm just spoiled by Cradle. I'm definitely hoping that the sequels will continue to have discussions and interesting applications like seen in this book.

It is very rare for progression fantasy novels to lead with female main characters. There were POV scenes from other characters too, but Raysha's were by far the most. I hope books like this one would help in getting more diversity. Speaking of characters, I found them all well written. The two old mentors were an instant hit with me, and that extended to some of the side characters too.

The Weirkey Chronicles by Sarah Lin

Weirkey Chronicles book covers

Blurb:

The Nine Worlds span dimensions filled with wonder and adventure, but for Theo they mean bitter tragedy. For years he resented the betrayal that killed his friends, sent him back to Earth, and made him question everything he thought he knew. But now, after a lifetime of struggle, he's found a way back to the Nine Worlds. An old man reborn in a new body, he has a second chance to rebuild what he lost and unravel a mystery that spans dimensions.

Review:

Sarah Lin continues to impress me with her variety of works. Best part of the series for me were the characters and the magic system. I liked the world building too, but it hasn't been that deep yet. In a way, that worked in my favor as I binged first three books in about 2.5 days. I just wanted an enjoyable, comfort read without having to think too much and this was a perfect fit.

The next two books expanded the story a lot and had some great twists too. Some of the plot points from the earlier books finally came together and I'm excitedly looking forward to the rest of the series.

Edict of Honor by Bernie Anés Paz

Edict of Honor book cover

Blurb:

A screaming sword. A dangerous renegade. Both stand in the way of the coterie's first mission. After being sanctioned by Avyleir Library, Roun and his friends find themselves looking forward to their futures as sacred guardians of humanity. Roun knows, however, that their evaluation was only one obstacle along an endless path, and it does not take long before they receive their next challenge: the coterie’s first Copper rank mission.

Review:

I enjoyed "Edict of Honor" a lot more than "Awakening Arte". Characters were more fleshed out, plenty of action and cool use of magical powers.

The book started steadily, which helped me get immersed in this setting again and recall events from the first book. Once the action started, it was enthralling all the way through. What I enjoyed most were the display of magical powers and the combat scenes. They flowed really well with the narrative, thanks to the set up at the start. The main characters from the first book got good attention through their magical progression as well as personal quirks and issues.

The new setting and thus new characters were amazing as well. I didn't expect the antagonists to be so varied and interesting in their own ways. One of them got a very memorable scene!

I'd highly recommend this series for those who enjoy epic and progression fantasy. Though the setting is dark, there were plenty of light-hearted moments and many characters are honorable and optimistic.

It was also good to read the afterword from the author, which explained a few things about the series and what to expect going forward.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet book cover

Blurb:

Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space-and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe-in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Review:

This was a reread and enjoyed it very much this time around as well. Every crew member was fleshed out memorably, and the side characters were well written too. Especially liked the various cultures and their quirks.

Dim Stars: A Novel of Outer-Space Shenanigans by Brian P. Rubin

Dim Stars book cover

Blurb:

Kenzie Washington, fourteen-year-old girl genius, signs up for a two-week tour as a cadet on the spaceship of her idol, Captain Dash Drake. Too bad Dash, who once saved the galaxy from the evil Forgers, is a broke loser and much less than meets the eye. But when an intergalactic evil appears and launches an attack, Dash, Kenzie, and the ship’s crew escape, making them the next target. On the run and low on gas, Dash and Kenzie encounter cannibal space-pirates, catastrophic equipment failure, and a cyborg who’s kind of a jerk.

Review:

This was a fun read and filled with humor that had me laughing almost every page. I especially enjoyed the slice-of-life feel in the first half of the novel. Some characters stood out right from the start and some grew to be likeable as the events progressed.

Humor is hit or miss with me, I enjoyed most of them while a few were a bit uncomfortable for me (but I could still appreciate how it'd be funny for some). Kept imagining how the dialogues would pan out as a live-action movie, thought it would be great and it helped me feel more immersed while reading too.

The pacing was steady to start with, became more faster paced when action started. While I liked the second half, I would've enjoyed more if the novel had stayed as low-stakes. Guess I should start reading the blurbs before starting a book to avoid misplaced expectations. Another plus point I'd say was the foreshadowing, especially those that played out humorously in multiple scenes. Even the chapter titles played a role!

Honorable mentions