Welcome to our 2024 Year in Review, which also includes all of our reads from 2023! Woohoo! These past two years have been so BUSY for us, for obvious reasons, but also because we started this blog and have kept up with it for TWO WHOLE YEARS (minus a brief hiatus). The following will be a
thought on each book and a larger blurb of our favorite single books over the last two years.
2023
A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas - Main Read - ⭐⭐- We didn't love this book at all, and the blog post was pretty scathing, to be honest. This book could have done so much more, but instead felt like a garbage beauty and the beast re-telling with a boring beginning, middle, and end, and a crappy male lead.
I'm Glad My Mom Died - Jennette McCurdy - Main Read - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- Incredible! Ceraya's first auto-biography read ever. Really well-written, funny, and real, but also grounded. Justified opinions. Also, our post did really well. Very important to see that kind of abuse, instead of aggressive physical violence. Mental abuse is so much worse, and so much more prevalent. - Brieanna's Overall Favorite.
"A memoir that will not only sit in your heart for days after reading, but a story that must be heard. Well-spoken, funny, and intelligent, this book deserved every star it earned."
A Court of Mist and Fury - Sarah J. Maas - Brieanna's Quick Read - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The problem with the second book is that it was the best one, and then the rest of the books couldn't live up to that high AT ALL. This sequel is by far the best of the series and so, so well paced, and well-written. Required reading for sure.
WILD - Cheryl Strayed - Brieanna's Quick Read - ⭐⭐⭐- At the time, I was inspired, but now I'm disillusioned with it. Yes, by all means you should push yourself outside your comfort zone, but maybe don't put yourself in serious danger or go on a cross-country hike on a whim. Whille this one turned into a great film, maybe that's where it should stay. The book was not incredibly memorable, nor was it entirely as moving as the film.
Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo - Ceraya's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐- Very good book, Super different from the Shadow and Bone, less fantastical, gang of thieves on a heist. Great times! A small love story, but not too much. A fun adventure with a taste of romantic drama.
The Magicians - Lev Grossman - Main Read - ⭐⭐⭐ - Ceraya is in love with this series and Netflix show - we both love the show - but Ceraya loved the books and Brieanna did not. The books were a little too dry for Brieanna, and the main character was a lot less likable in the books compared to the show.
BOSSYPANTS - Tina Fey - Brieanna's Quick Read - ⭐⭐ - Not very memorable, wish it was more inspiring, but it was fun at least. A cute inside look at her personal and professional growth that led to her success in NYC.
Kith and Kin - Marieke Nijkamp - Ceraya's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐- Cute, connected to Critical Role, was a ton of fun, some origin story for funsies, not super in-depth, more focused on how these characters grew up and how they got started. Not super memorable to Ceraya, but still good.
Wishful Drinking - Carrie Fisher - Main Read - ⭐ - Not Super Fun in terms of content for reading, less of an Autobio - more of a comedy routine that was written down. Definitely better as an Audio Book or Stage Production.
Buy Yourself the Fucking Lillies - Tara Schuster - Brieanna's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐- Not super memorable, reads like a series of short autobiographical tales, but didn't have a lasting through-line that made the book particularly impressing unto the reader.
Cinder - Marissa Meyer - Ceraya's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐- super good - Cinderella, reimagined as a cyborg -The Cinderella Re-Telling was well-meshed with the sci-fi. By far an epic fantasy read.
Legendborn - Tracy Deonn - Main Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- Ceraya loves Legendborn, and we liked it a lot together. It was very well written. The Root-work magic was VERY cool. We've never seen that kind of magic in media before. Root-Work is when you deeply connect with your ancestors and they can or might not lend you their power. Spirit Walking was cool too - looking at her ancestor's memories.
A Court of Wings and Ruin - Sarah J. Maas - Brieanna's Quick Read -⭐⭐- It was fine, the action sequences were great, especially the finale, but other than that it was not too memorable. The story leading up to the great war in the finale felt like it paled in comparison to the actual end to the book.
Bloodmarked - Tracy Deonn - Ceraya's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- Much BETTER than the first book, very excited for the THIRD book. An epic continuation of the first book, this one follows our main character deeper into the lore.
They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera - Main Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐- We both loved how unique this one was. You have to be a great writer to keep the readers committed while also knowing the finale at the beginning.
A Court of Frost and Starlight - Sarah J. Maas - Brieanna's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐- A Christmas special for fun. Bothered us due to the flaunting of money and careless dealings of Nesta.
Cherish - Tracy Wolff - Ceraya's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐- only because it was not Ceraya's favorite in the series - incredible series - if you don't read anything else in your entire life, make it this series. Very big for Ceraya.
Endgame: The Calling - James Frey - Main Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐- We recommend reading the rest of them. Very smart way of writing this book. Very clever with the mystery around it and when to reveal clues.
Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens - Brieanna's Quick Read -⭐⭐- This book was very disappointing. Not only was the plot dry, even though they tried to do a plot twist that I saw coming a mile away, but it was boring. So, so, very boring.
Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros - Ceraya's Quick Read-⭐⭐⭐⭐- Very Good! Great World-building that got better in the Second book (Iron Flame), the third book on the way, (Onyx Storm) - everything we love in a fantasy story - we have an academy, we have drama, we have romance. And DRAGONS! Not quite a five because it just could be better, room for improvement, as a reader Ceraya was unaware of the spice level. It was not necessary. This story didn't feel like it needed any spice at all.
The Alchemist - Paulo Cohelo- Main Read -⭐- Long and unnecessarily drawn out, clearly written in a short period of time (which it was), and not interesting at all. Dissapointing conclusion and points to religion and Jesus as the answer, which is totally cool if you're into that, but it felt like the answers the main character was seeking were never answered, and the answer being God and Jesus was not supported very well.
A Court of Silver Flames - Sarah J. Maas - Brieanna's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐- Origin Story for Nesta to convince people to love her? We don't buy it. We liked that she was empowering the female characters in the library as well. The bits of feminism that we see are pretty great, but god, is Nesta a bitch. The only time we liked Nesta was in the middle of ACOTAR when she was seeing through the bullshit glamour, and she tried to get thru the barrier into the Fae World. BUT, was she trying to find her for good or bad reasons?
Gods of Jade and Shadow - Silvia Moreno-Garcia - Ceraya's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- Ceraya LOVED this book, VERY well written. Ceraya loved this book because this author has a trend of creating interesting worlds with interesting and well-written characters. GoJ&S was Ceraya's intro to Mexican & Maya mythology, VERY cool, and these characters are super well-written and creative- this girl is traveling with a GOD that she found in her house. So, they need to go find the last part of his body, so they can give him back his God-Power. The ancient mythology from this part of the world is super fucking cool, and people back then created so many cool stories to explain the world around them. - Ceraya's Favorite Overall
"Gods, I love this book. Honestly, I might read it again and that's really saying a lot since I don't really care to re-read books. But I want to feel the magic and the love again and I want to go on this incredible journey with Casiopeia and Hun-kamé again. Miss Silvia, it has been an absolute honor and a privilege to be able to experience this story and I can't wait to read what you write next."
Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia - Main Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- Also written by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Well-written mystery, did not spoon-feed the audience and really had us on the edge of our seats. Really liked the plot twist with the fungus, and was a super cool idea. To have the story be an unexpected mold and fungus-style bad-guy is so cool, that it really stuck out to us.
Olga Dies Dreaming - Xochitl Gonzalez - Brieanna's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐- Meh? I think it IS culturally important, in the same way that some books are meant to make a point and not necessarily to be enjoyed. The Story didn't sit with me very well, and I think I may re-visit in the future.
What Moves the Dead - T. Kingfisher - Ceraya's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐-Mold and Fungus AGAIN!!! In this story, we also deal with fungus being symbiotic WITH people, but it differs greatly from Mexican Gothic OTHER than that point. The Zombie fungus is IN THE PEOPLE. Gross. The scary part, is when, at one point, the Mold is trying to LEARN things. Like sentient robots. Very GOOD for Halloween and actually scary for Ceraya- she scared herself really bad. She is also a romance author!!! Go read her other work.
IT - Stephen King - Main Read -⭐⭐- If it was abridged, it would have been so much better, well-written, just suspenseful and scary, with the excessive shitty bits. Blegh. Just watch the movies.
Coraline - Neil Gaiman - Brieanna's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐- Well-written scare for kids, nostalgia pick. Definitely a moving tale that speaks to the young and the old, and also turned into a fantastic film that is a popular favorite.
Trail of Lightning - Rebecca Roanhorse - Main Read -⭐⭐- Not too memorable, didn't give me what I thought it was going to give. Fell flat, and could have been way better. Nothing Dynamic about it. The stakes weren't high enough.
Betty - Tiffany McDaniel - Brieanna's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐- I was super fond of this book, because it held nothing back, laid it all out there, talked about how men don't take care of women, and how these women have to support themselves. Not so much a plot, as it is making a point about the world we live in.
Black Sun - Rebecca Roanhorse - Ceraya's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐- Solid. Respectable. It was OK. There is some Drama with the author, but we also know better now to research more. It seemed like this book was more fictionalized communities, whereas TOL is totally fictional in this world.
2024
Josie and Jack - Kelly Braffet - Modern Adaptation -⭐⭐⭐⭐- Ended in the right spot, but it bothered us for sure. We wanted her to stand up for herself, but she never did. Has re-readability for sure. I like that it is a stand-alone.
John Henry Days - Colson Whitehead - Modern Adaptation -⭐⭐⭐- Similarly to Carrie Fisher's Book - this does not work as a novel because it is a series of anecdotes and does not have a throughline or a plot at all. Meant to prove a point, not to entertain.
What Feasts at Night - T. Kinfisher - Ceraya's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐- Did not like this one as much as the first one. Didn't seem like a sequel in the way that the story could continue, but just another story in their lives. Serial style. On it's own, it was okay - definitely a ghost story, but did not capture the magic of the first one. Hard not to compare it to the first one. Felt incomplete. Kind of cool haunting, but the plot line was harder to see thru the scares.
Bunny - Mona Awad - Main Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐- Not a 5/5 because it gave Ceraya the big ICK. Made us VERY uncomfortable for the right reasons as readers. But overall threw us for a loop and was unexpected in every way. Brieanna loved it.
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- Incredible Writing and an incredible story, blew Brieanna away all over again - another nostalgia pick from Brieanna, this book sets you up for never knowing where it will go next. The multiple voices viewing the father who is the quintessential "white savior" absolutely takes the reader on an epic journey told from the point of view of the women around him.
The Ex Hex - Erin Sterling - Main Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐- Stakes were well done, not out of control, the characters believable, and a story that had us rolling with laughter. By far the funniest read of the past two years, and by far the lightest read. Quickly paced and over and done in the best way. VERY enjoyable.
What Doesn't Break - Cassandra Khaw - Ceraya's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐- Included some political social commentary and an amazing cast of characters that will live with you well after reading.
This World is Not Yours - Kemi Ashing-Gwia - Main Read -⭐⭐- Mad at every character and not in a good way, the characters were not dynamic nor were they interesting beyond their drama. World Building had nothing to do with the story.
Sky Full of Elephants - Cebo Campbell - Brieanna's Quick Read -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- Great characters, great context, and important. Brieanna's ABSOLUTE Required reading book, moving and emotionally charged, but well-spoken and poignant. Not a word misplaced.
WELL THEN!
What an amazing two years! We are so happy that you've taken this journey with us, and if you haven't join us for our 2025 Year! Themed: FEMININE RAGE!!!
Check out the Podcast for our Awards Ceremony AND our final reviews of each book, as well as our rankings!!!
-Much love, and see you with our first post in January 2025!
Brieanna & Ceraya
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