I read 100+ fictional novels in 2023, 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.

In this post, I've listed the books/series that I rated 5 out of 5. For some entries, only a short description is provided followed by links to my spoiler filled blog posts. Picking favorites is a tough task, so I have ordered the books 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.

The Weirkey Chronicles by Sarah Lin

Wakespire book cover

Blurb:

Betrayed. Murdered. Reborn. One last chance, to make it right. Theo's adventure ended with his mentor's hands around his neck. The betrayal cost him his friends, allies and everything he had built... but not his life. Though broken and powerless, Theo has one last chance to enter the Nine Worlds, wielding the knowledge and expertise of his first life. This time, he needs more than just power, he needs to unravel the deception that killed him once... and is coming for him again.

Review:

The Weirkey Chronicles is one of my favorite ongoing progression fantasy series. The magic system is amazing and I immensely enjoy reading the main characters going about their crafting, working with each other, fighting, etc. The mystery of the overarching plot and the worldbuilding is great.

There are plenty of slice-of-life scenes too, which is a plus-point for me, especially when paired with compelling characters.

Books 6 and 7 were released this year. See my blog posts Bloodcrete and Wakespire for detailed reviews with spoilers.

The Captain by Will Wight

The Captain book cover

Blurb:

Sun-eating extra-dimensional insects, shadowy secret organizations, genetically enhanced alien super-soldiers, ruthless megacorporations, and hordes of cyborg undead all lurk in the darkest corners of the galaxy, and Varic knows that any of them can become a world-ending threat at any moment. All these are beyond any wizard, no matter how many spells he’s mastered or how many interstellar warships he’s rallied to his cause. Hopeless, Varic finds himself trying to preserve what little he can from the coming doom. Until he hears rumors of a mythical starship, an invincible vessel of heroes made to do battle against galactic threats. A ship called The Last Horizon.

Review:

This was an action packed beginning to a new series by Will Wight. Not often do you see such an expansive setting starting with main characters already close to their peak in terms of abilities. In a galaxy where various kinds of sentient beings co-exist, magic and tech intermingle, a mysterious starship manned by powerful crew members battle against existential crisis. In short, imagine an Avengers-like movie being the first introduction to the series.

In terms of worldbuilding, I'd say it was overwhelming a bit due to the sheer amount of variety. There's a trilogy worth of content packed into a book that's less than 500 pages. During one of the battles, Varic mentions mega-reptiles that feed on migratory flocks of extradimensional prey. In one simulation, he witnesses the birth of a solar dragon while using magic to protect that solar system. These are just footnote examples, easily forgotten unless you revisit copious chapter notes like I did.

I'd say the writing was on par with the best Cradle books. All of the main characters (including antagonists) had memorable traits and tics. Unlike Cradle, not all of the crew members were likeable, though there's room for them to grow in the sequels.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this book for those who enjoy a group of competent characters making a stand against overwhelming threats. Bloopers were hilarious as usual. The sequel (The Engineer) was good but I didn't enjoy as much as the first book.

The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells by John Bierce

The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells book cover

Blurb:

A new kind of war has come to the continent of Ithos. Airborne mage armies traverse enemy territory in utter secrecy. Vast city-liches conspire to influence events from afar, while city-states and archmages unleash strange new magics in a rapidly accelerating magical arms race. Nations and great powers that have remained quiescent for years have begun reaching out into the growing power vacuum. Magical superweapons and giant monsters are wielded by every side in an deadly tangle of alliances and factions, as each squabbling force spirals in towards their inevitable final conflict. At the center of that spiral lays the capital of the Havath Dominion, where a vengeful madman has proclaimed the precise date and time he will destroy the city.

Review:

Mage Errant is one of my all time favorite series. Especially loved how Hugh, Talia, Sabae and Godrick had complete trust in each other. Despite the escalating events as the series progressed, this series was a comfort read for me.

The final book was an amazing conclusion to the series. The battle build up, powerful mages and great powers battling it out, we even get a glimpse of Named powers fighting it out, and so on. Plenty of revelations and foundation laid for future series.

See my blog post for the spoiler filled review.

Scion of Storms by Samuel Hinton

Scion of Storms book cover

Blurb:

It's time for Raysha to embrace her power. After an arduous journey to integrate an ancient spirit heart into her core, Raysha sets out to prove her worth in the Academy's tournament. Raysha must find a path, forge her own techniques, and advance to the Initiate. But as the clock ticks down to the start of the contest, will she be able to prepare and overcome the fierce competition from the student elite? Can she control the vast ocean of aeon with sheer stubbornness and claim victory? Provided the tournament is a straightforward content of will and power, Raysha is determined to find a way. Political incidents, internal and international, are something she'd like to stay in her past.

Review:

This was a fantastic follow up to "Soul Relic". The main focus was on training, advancing and the tournament (limited to students at the Awakened and Initiate stages). As with the first book, there were plenty of slice-of-life scenes. I especially enjoyed the scenes featuring the misfits group and their banter. The third book (Sanctuary) was another good entry.

See my blog posts Scion of Storms and Sanctuary for detailed reviews.

Waybound by Will Wight

Waybound book cover

Blurb:

Years ago, Lindon left his home as a powerless Unsouled. Now, he goes to war with the most powerful beings in the world over the future of Cradle itself. The Weeping Dragon has a grudge to settle, and Lindon intends to take out the Dreadgod with his friends by his side. But rival Monarchs know his plans, and they won’t let things end so easily. If Lindon does win, he will ascend to the heavens. But he may not find a safe haven there either. In the worlds above, Suriel and Ozriel face off against the Mad King to determine the new shape of the cosmos. The victor will decide the fate of countless universes. Whether he wins or dies, Lindon will soon leave this life behind. The time has come to say good-bye to Cradle.

Review:

What a journey! I started Cradle after the release of the fifth book (Ghostwater) and since then I've always started the newest book on release day. One of the best ever series I've had the pleasure to discover, thanks to the many gushing reviews I saw on the r/fantasy sub.

Characters, worldbuilding, the magic system, high-stakes action scenes and humor make Cradle special for me. Despite the epic scale, it is a fun read, unlike what you usually see in (grim)dark works. Perfect for the escapism I crave. And it has great reread value, especially after the reveals in books 8 and 10. I did a full reread in preparation for the final — felt like I channeled Lindon's will power to alternate between reading and getting work done over three weeks!

See my blog post for the spoiler filled review.

Mark of the Fool by J.M. Clarke

Mark of the Fool book cover

Blurb:

The gods chose him. He said no. After his parents died, Alex Roth had one desire: become a wizard. Through hard work, he was accepted into the University of Generasi, the world’s greatest academy of wizardry... Fate, however, had another plan. On his eighteenth birthday, he is Marked by prophecy as one of his kingdom’s five Heroes, chosen to fight the Ravener, his land’s great enemy. But his brand is 'The Fool'. Worst of the marks. Rather than die or serve other Heroes like past Fools, he takes a stand, rejects divine decree…and leaves. With his little sister, his childhood friend, and her cerberus, Alex flees for the university, hoping to research the mystery of the Ravener.

Review:

Another progression fantasy series that hit just the right spot for me. The main character's choice to run away from the prophecy and see to his own needs (and that of his sister and friends) was a nice hook to start the story. This might eventually turn out to be just a part of a grand plan of the prophecy itself, still it was good to see this difference from the usual trope.

And then there were the thrilling action scenes, the world slowly opening up, the magical academy and all the lessons, wonderful cast of characters and familiars. The tone was light hearted despite the dangers. The academy instructors being competent and helpful was another plus point in my book. To top it all were the slice-of-life scenes, which I prefer over series that focus just on action. Of course, this series goes a bit overboard on this aspect. I still finished four long books in about five days, but I can see how some readers would drop the series.

The magic system was interesting, with a variety of choice available. It was nice to see non-magical parts being given importance as well! I enjoyed Alex having to come up with workarounds due to his Mark, especially the weaponization of potions. Though, I wondered why other wizards didn't already use them or at least learn from him. Some of his rich friends could easily arm themselves with such potions instead of borrowing from him. And that extends to other options like wizard staff, armor, golems and so on. They are rich, so why aren't they making effective use of their inheritance? To be fair, some did have retainers, familiars and golems, but it felt a bit odd that they didn't maximize their options.

Writing was easy to follow. Given the large cast of characters, I wish they each got POV chapters instead of just some of them. This is an ongoing webserial and the published books don't really have a separate arc on their own. I found the third book a bit dragging, especially as the events promised at the end of the second one were fulfilled in the fourth book! I did enjoy the tournament arc, but it took me a while to realize the plot switch. I enjoyed the fifth book as well!

Overall, I'd highly recommend the series to those who enjoy progression fantasy, magical academy and slice-of-life.

Harper Hall of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

Dragonsong book cover

Blurb:

Every two hundred years or so, shimmering Threads fall from space, raining death and black ruin on Pern. The great dragons of Pern hurl themselves through the beleagured skies, flaming tongues of fire to destroy deadly Thread and save the Planet. But it was not Threadfall that made young Menolly unhappy. It was her father who betrayed her ambition to be a Harper, who thwarted her love of music. Menolly had no choice but to run away. When, suddenly, she came upon a group of fire lizards, wild and smaller relatives of the fire-breathing dragons, she let her music swirl around them and taught nine of them to sing. Suddenly Menolly was no longer alone -- she was Mistress of Music and Ward of the dazzling fire dragons.

Review:

The first two books focus on Menolly, who just wants to learn and play music. She can't but help write new songs and would sing to any audience, even a bunch of fire-lizards (they are the best). She faces opposition from her family and then students from Harper Hall. But, she also gets plenty of support from her fellow artists and other kind-hearted people. Along the way, she makes friends and grows from a shy girl to a confident woman. It's a journey we've seen in plenty of fantasy books, and this was one of the best I've read.

The third book was a departure from the first two books, so much so that I feel it should've been a separate mini-series. Yes, the main protagonist (Piemur) is still a Harper Hall member and a close friend of Menolly. But there's hardly any music, I especially missed reading about Menolly and her fire-lizards performing. Also, similar to the first two books, the main character faces unwarranted hostility. Thankfully, the second-half was much better, even if it was an adventurous ride instead of fulfilling music.

Overall, I found the series a comfort read, despite the side-characters who made life difficult for others. I wish the books were longer too.

Mother of Learning by Nobody103 (Domagoj Kurmaić)

Mother of Learning book cover

Blurb:

Zorian Kazinski has all the time in the world to get stronger, and he plans on taking full advantage of it. A teenage mage of humble birth and slightly above-average skill, Zorian is attending his third year of education at Cyoria's magical academy. A driven and quiet young man, he is consumed by a desire to ensure his own future and free himself of the influence of his family, resenting the Kazinskis for favoring his brothers over him. Consequently, Zorian has no time for pointless distractions, much less other people's problems. As it happens, though, time is something he is about to get plenty of. On the eve of Cyoria's annual summer festival, Zorian is murdered, then abruptly brought back to the beginning of the month, just before he was about to take the train to school. Finding himself trapped in a time loop with no clear end or exit, he will have to look both within and without to unravel the mystery set before him. He does have to unravel it, too, because the loop clearly wasn’t made for his sake, and in a world of magic even a time traveler isn't safe from those who wish him ill. Fortunately for Zorian, repetition is the mother of learning…

Review:

The first few chapters were a bit slow and Zorian (main POV character) was annoying to say the least. Speaking from hindsight, they were needed to set up the plot and the character growth was more satisfying as well. Once we got introduced to the time-loop, things got interesting real fast and it was a breeze to finish the rest of this long series in less than a week.

Most loops covered something new, introduced new characters (or covered them in more depth), etc — so don't worry that things would be repetitive. I enjoyed the characters progressing in terms of magical power, getting better at information gathering, etc. As I kept reading, I felt like these four long books wouldn't be enough — turns out that the author had cut short a few sub-plots!

As the title indicates, there was plenty of learning involved. Though the magical academy plays an important role, most of the actual learning we got to see was through mentoring from all sorts of people, including some very surprising choices. And almost all of the teachers had weird quirks, which I came to appreciate as the story moved forward. The mystery of the time-loop and characters involved were a main driving force. Even though there were plenty of slice-of-life scenes, I'd say the pacing was great. Hardly any dull moment and I just wanted to finish the books ASAP. Good thing I was reading a completed series, the wait would've been excruciating!

One of the annoying things at the start of the first book for me was Zorian's attitude towards his family. He did have some genuine complaints, but I do not prefer reading novels with such family angst. Things did improve a lot by the end and I especially came to enjoy interactions with his sister. But overall, it was a sore point. Zorian's various dates were another thing I disliked (they made sense due to the time-loops and stuff from the past, but I felt like it was overdone).

On the other hand, I loved the various characters who ended up as friends and acquaintances. They played a big role in shaping Zorian to become a better person. Speaking of characters, the various antagonists were well written too. Not everybody was clearly good or bad, and from a certain perspective you could even switch the sides.

The magic system was nicely done, though I found it harder to keep track of abilities and stuff as the series progressed. Some of it was probably because time-loops were skipped and some things got explained during action scenes. I didn't mind though, as I was more interested in the plot and characters. The finish was really, really well done! So many surprising twists and turns till the very end. Overall, an amazing fantasy series that I'd highly recommend.

Silvers by Brian J. Nordon

Silvers book cover

Blurb:

A world infested by demons. An Academy designed to train Heroes to save humanity from annihilation. A new student's power could make all the difference. Humans have been pushed to the brink of extinction by an ever-evolving demonic threat. Portals are opening faster than ever, Towers bursting into the skies and Dungeons being mined below the last safe havens of society. The demons are winning. Quest Academy stands defiantly against them, as a place to train the next generation of Heroes. The Guild Association is holding the line, but are in dire need of new blood and the powerful abilities they could bring to the battlefront. To be the saviors that humanity needs, they need to surpass the limits of those that came before them. In a war with everything on the line, every power matters. With an adaptive enemy, comes the need for a constant shift in tactics. A new age of strategy is emerging, with even the unlikeliest of Heroes making an impact. Salvatore Argento has never seen a demon. He has never aspired to become a Hero. Yet his power might be the one to tip the odds in humanity's favor.

Review:

This book had a nice blend of magical studies and slice-of-life scenes. There's a bit of action as well towards the end. I especially enjoyed the crafting sessions. The author did a great job of bringing together the Heros who needed the magical items, guild politics, support staff, teachers and Sal (main character) using his unique powers related to crafting.

Sal had a really overpowered magical ability — I thought he (and other such OP students) would've been pulled from the academy and fast tracked to work as much as possible against the demons. That said, only a month passed in this book and the already established safe zones are perhaps good enough to not require desperate attempts. It didn't really feel like there was an apocalypse going on. I don't mind though — it made for a very enjoyable lighthearted read.

Writing was easy to follow and characters were well written, including side characters. Other than the first few chapters that felt a bit slow, there never was a dull moment — I didn't want the book to end! I had a few more nitpicks, but overall this was a fantastic experience.

A Coup of Tea by Casey Blair

A Coup of Tea book cover

Blurb:

When the fourth princess of Istalam is due to dedicate herself to a path serving the crown, she makes a choice that shocks everyone, herself most of all: She leaves. In hiding and exiled from power, Miyara finds her place running a tea shop in a struggling community that sits on the edge of a magical disaster zone. But there's more brewing under the surface of this city—hidden magic, and hidden machinations—that threaten all the people who've helped her make her own way. Miyara may not be a princess anymore, but with a teapot in hand she'll risk her newfound freedom to discover a more meaningful kind of power.

Review:

This was a delightful read. There really wasn't much in terms of action, but the pacing was great throughout thanks to a good plot with a bit of mystery and skillfully crafted tension between characters. The romantic sub-plots were fine, but I wish there were more POVs to get a better feel for their experiences.

The different ways of performing magic were intriguing and played a significant role in the plot even though we don't get much in terms of details. I especially liked that magecraft could be learned as a skill and yet had a neat restriction.

The tea ceremony was very interesting. Initially, I found it a bit hard to believe the kind of training tea masters had to go through until I got a better sense of what they did (hint: it's not just about concocting tea). Overall, despite the higher stakes and emotional stuff, this was a heartwarming read.

Honorable mentions

4.5 stars:

4.25 stars:

4 stars: