My Top 15 Best Books of 2023!

Рет қаралды 33,591

Күн бұрын

Hi everyone! Merry Christmas! And it's that time of the year again. With a week left before we are in the year 2024, it is time to tell you the top 15 (or 17) best books I've read in 2023. Also, due to my hectic schedule, my updated favorite ongoing fantasy series will have to be postponed to January instead. Sorry for this! Also, just a reminder, I have posted a full spoiler-free review of all the books I mention in this video on my KZfaq channel or Goodreads/Novel Notions.
Let me know what you think of this list. And what are your favorite books of the year? Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
0:00 Intro & Rules
1:11 2023 Reading Stats
2:25 Honorable Mentions
3:41 Top 15-11
11:20 Top 10-6
20:26 Top 5 Books of the Year
30:20 Closing
You can order the books mentioned in the video using my affiliate links:
-The Passing of the Dragon by Ken Liu
-Jade Shards by Fonda Lee amzn.to/3vf9jVe
-The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan amzn.to/3TCowJS
-Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson amzn.to/3tnY0tk
-Waybound by Will Wight amzn.to/3vdT8HP
-The Silverblood Promise by James Logan amzn.to/3RB1PmP
-The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez amzn.to/4ayhaxa
-Mother of Learning by nobody103 amzn.to/48aqLc0
-Esrahaddon by Michael J. Sullivan amzn.to/41CS2kF
-Eleventh Cycle by Kian N. Ardalan amzn.to/3NERzst
-Of War and Ruin by Ryan Cahill amzn.to/3NHuMwm
-The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams amzn.to/3RCkbE1
-Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang amzn.to/3veX7Ur
-Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson amzn.to/3TDohhH
-Light Bringer by Pierce Brown amzn.to/3TFmrgm
-Demon in White by Christopher Ruocchio amzn.to/41DzlxC
-The Will of the Many by James Islington amzn.to/47h7mVo
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Пікірлер: 269

@tarique6079 6 ай бұрын

I forgot it's that time of the year where every booktuber i follow adds atleast 10 books to my tbr

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Hhaaha mine, too, though! :'D

@fatimagarcia9606 6 ай бұрын

The list justo grow and grow 😅

@banaa9463 6 ай бұрын

Hahaha this is so true!

@noname3609 6 ай бұрын

So true ! :D

@covergirlbooks 5 ай бұрын

Ah yes, the TBR tax season 😅

@JustinCarroll88 6 ай бұрын

I completely agree that The Will of the Many is the book of the year. I am glad you are giving it attention because I think it was severely overlooked this year. Also, love your Goodreads review. You have not steered me wrong with your recommendations.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! James Islington deserves more and more recognition. The Will of the Many is gaining traction for sure because of how good it was! :)

@Abken. 6 ай бұрын

I am so so happy to see Blood over Bright Haven that high... I think it's so underrated/in the shadows of Sword of Kaigen. I equally like both - obviously different page count, different scope, different story, but as good!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

It is hard not to compare to The Sword of Kaigen, but yes, I do think it's another amazing standalone by M.L. Wang!

@SheWasOnlyEvie 6 ай бұрын

I’m so glad that you loved The Vanished Birds and that it made your top books of the year!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you, Evie i found an affordable hardcover and decided to get it, too. 😊😊

@khomo12 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! Merry Christmas!🎄🎄🎄

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas! :)

@Rosemoon78 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas! Thanks for posting today! 🥰

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas! You're welcome. Thanks for watching, too!

@dinocollins720 6 ай бұрын

Another fantastic video!!! Thank you Petrik!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you, Dino! :)

@Paromita_M 6 ай бұрын

Yay, a video for the festive season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones. 🥳

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you, Paromita. Mery Christmas to you, too! :)

@ZOMGfantasy 6 ай бұрын

Yay! I've been waiting all year for this list! Merry Christmas Petrik! Wishing you and yours a very happy holidays!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Donuts! Merry Christmas to you, too! 😊

@JoeSlucherArt 6 ай бұрын

Great vid and I love how you credit the artists and talk about it's impact on your reading!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Joe! Authors are not the only ones influential in my reading! :)

@zetsub0u115 6 ай бұрын

Just wanna thank you for getting me more into the fantasy more Petrick, merry christmas

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

You're so welcome. Glad I can help. Merry Christmas! :)

@yvesandrethevenot3489 6 ай бұрын

Thanks to directing me towards " The will of the many ". Will be starting the audiobook shortly. Thanks for your precious tips.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

You're welcome. Enjoy!! 😊

@nflower33 6 ай бұрын

Thank you Petrik for all your hard work. You have directed me towards some wonderful books that I might never have heard of😊

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

My pleasure! I'm glad to hear that. 😊

@Talking_Story 6 ай бұрын

I will Pick up Will of the Many soon just got a copy and can't wait to continue Suneater! Thanks as always.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

You're welcome! Have a great time reading them. The Will of the Many is AMAZING!

@mythologypress9470 6 ай бұрын

I love how you showcased art in this video. Incredible!!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Awww, thank you so much! :)

@XxunforgottenxXxlove 6 ай бұрын

What a great list. The Will of the Many is definitely on mine and I have about 300 pages left of The Light of All that Falls, which is, so far, another favourite of the year!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! The ending sequence of The Light of All That Falls is superb. Happy reading!

@chrissereni9606 6 ай бұрын

Great reading year Petrik! Thanks for helping me discover some fantastic books - particularly The Bound and The Broken series. Here's looking forward to another great year in 2024!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your support, too, Chris! I'm glad I could lead you to The Bound and the Broken! :)

@FunFantasyBooks 6 ай бұрын

Oh I loved this list Petrik!! I didn’t know you were invited by Sando to discuss Yumi! What an honor in itself even if it didn’t turn out in the end! Amazing Will of the Many edition 🥲

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Isa! Yeah... if only I could make it. Oh well, hopefully next time! 😃

@javil1648 6 ай бұрын

Great list Petrik! My top 5 of 2023 were: Jade Legacy The Light of all That Falls Demon in White Sword of Kaigen Light Bringer (All but one were based off your recommendations, thank you!)

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! Those are some of my favorite books of all time. Jade Legacy was my book of the year in 2021. Sword of Kaigen in 2019. :)

@maceanglin 4 ай бұрын

Sword of kaigen was so so good!

@disneymagicfanatic 6 ай бұрын

I'm so excited! The Dragonbone Chair made it all the way into your top 10 books for 2023! WOOOHOOO!!🥳🥳🥳 This makes me so happy to hear.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

It makes me happy, too. I've been waiting to read that book for many years. Glad it lived up to my expectations! :)

@nmal8702 6 ай бұрын

You had my heart in a vise when you mentioned the Green Bone War Trilogy. I’m halfway through Jade Legacy and I lost track of how many times it nearly gave me a heart attack or just simply broke it in two. Thank you once again for steering my attention towards this masterpiece that I was clueless about!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Ah, you're in the middle of reading a rare fantasy masterpiece. Enjoy. Jade Legacy is insanelyyy brilliant.

@futsalenjoyer 6 ай бұрын

The will of the many was just the best thing I read this year too! Thanks a lot for recommending the book Petrick! Been a follower since 2019. Merry Christmas

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

You're welcome! Wow, 4 years now. Thank you for the support all these years! :)

@hursh6525 6 ай бұрын

Just read Ken Liu's short story, it was soo good. Thanks for sharing!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Yess! You're welcome. Glad you loved it! 😃

@BooksWithBenghisKahn 6 ай бұрын

Woooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! What an awesome list!!!!!! It especially makes me happy to see one of my favorite books Demon in White up near the top, along with some of my favorite reads of this year in Yumi and Tress. I also enjoyed Waybound and Jade Shards a good deal! Otherwise I love getting hyped for all of these other reads that I’m excited to get to!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, brother! Only valid Demon in White is on my top books of this year. Such an incredible achievement. Glad you loved Yumi, Tress, and Jade Shards, too! :)

@PageTurnersWithKatja 6 ай бұрын

Thanks! 7 of these are going on my reading list for 2024 😊

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Woohoo! I hope you will love them all!

@Morfeusm 6 ай бұрын

Okay Petrik I am going to break my TBR and read the Will of the Many in January! You convinced me!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Yesss I am happy to hear that. Let me know what you think when you finish it. Enjoy! :)

@giants8585 6 ай бұрын

I loved your reaction to War and Ruin. I have it in my top 5 for the year. I was really worried about this series due to the increasing book size. I feared the lack of a proper book editor due to being self-pub. But WOW, I loved this series! War and Ruin was so amazing and satisfying to have storylines in book 1 tie up in book 3. Simply great stuff.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! Yeah, The Bound and the Broken keeps getting better and bigger with each book. Let's see how Ryan will keep this up for book 4 and 5!

@darthandy6161 6 ай бұрын

Great list. My favorite of the year was Golden Fool and favorite from your list was Yumi and the Nightmare Painter.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! Golden Fool is a great one. I loved Fool's Errand more, but so many of Robin Hobb's are great! :)

@book_scent 6 ай бұрын

Glad to see you had such a fantastic reading year, Petrik!! 😀The Will of the Many and Of War and Ruin are sharing my #1 spot for best book of the year 😁 But it really is so hard to choose sometimes, especially this year, and especially since I also immensely enjoyed: Light Bringer, Demon in White, Tress, Yumi, Blood over Bright Haven (special edition - yesss, please!!!) and more. Excited to see what 2024 will bring for us! ✨

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Karin! I agree with you. Making a ranking of favorite books is difficult!! Glad you had an awesome 2023 reading year, too. Fingers crossed 2024 will be better for both of us! :)

@zenthepoet. 6 ай бұрын

Petrik adding to my TBR!!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Now read them all mwahahah!

@red_mind8567 6 ай бұрын

Great list Petrik! This has been the year of Christopher Ruochio and Ryan Cahill praise in booktube. I'm really excited to give that newer generation a try!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! Haha, I guess that's true. Both Ruocchio and Ryan deserve all the praise. I hope you'll enjoy reading their books!

@saucebot7214 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for posting this on Christmas. I hate it when the socials slow down and there is nothing to watch. Merry Christmas dude. Have a good holidays 🍻

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

No need to worry on that. I still have one or two videos to post before we're in 2024. Merry Christmas!!! Happy holidays! 😊

@MM-introvert 6 ай бұрын

I read the Red Rising saga this year and cannot wait for the last book. I just finished the Justice of Kings and am glad to hear the 2nd book in the series is on your list. I will also be starting The Will of the Many.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

The Will of the Many is spectacular. Enjoy! 😊

@subressor1 6 ай бұрын

You couldn't have said a better sequence of words to recommend The Silverblood Promise, instantly on the TBR list

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

It's an incredibly entertaining book, imo. Nothing mindblowing, but page-turning and fun! :)

@calebm2161 6 ай бұрын

So happy you ended up loving The Dragonbone Chair. I know those older fantasy titles tend to be hit or miss with you. Happy reading. Hope 2024 is another great year for you!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Caleb! Yeah, totally. Older fantasy books tend to not click with me, but this one and Riftwar Empire trilogy certainly did! :)

@prasenjeetbanerjee2867 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas Petrik 🎉, Excited to read The will of the many next year

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas! It will be worth the read when you are ready! :)

@noname3609 6 ай бұрын

More books to add on my TBR :)) My favourite books of the year gotta be most Abercrombie books but John Gwynne is growing on me right now ! :D

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Can't fault these two. They are some of the best authors! :)

@esmayrosalyne 6 ай бұрын

What a list, I am so glad that you found so many gems this year!! The Vanished Birds has also really left its mark on me, it came completely out of left field and now I love it with my whole heart! And OWAR, Will of the Many, and Light Bringer also made it onto my faves list (will be officially releasing that 31st December, so spoilers here I suppose hahah). Can't wait for The Silverblood Promise to come out, I got the ARC and I felt like a little kid unwrapping gifts at Christmas hahah SO excited!!! Here's to making 2024 even better, happy reading Petrik 🥰

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, my friend! Really pleased you loved The Vanished Birds. It was one of the best surprises for me this year. And of course the same goes for OWAR, The Will of the Many, and Light Bringer! I look forward to seeing your list, Esmay. Happy reading to you, too! 😊

@rtd1859 6 ай бұрын

Its hard work keeping up with all of these great recommendations lol @petrik im currently thoroughly enjoying the Ash and Sand series you recommended, book 2 and Ruka, Kale and Dala are great characters. Thanks

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

You're so welcome! Ash and Sand series is amazing. And so underrated. I have been voicing my enjoyment of the series for years now. Enjoy!

@cilliansands6166 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas, Petrik. Your videos definitely bring me joy, I love seeing you on my KZfaq notifications. The Dragonbone Chair is my favorite book from the ones you listed, and my favorite books this year are Dreams of the Dying, Mr. Magic, Les Miserables (although I will never reread that book ever), Killing Commendatore by Murakami, a reread of The Count of Monte Cristo and one I'd say is a Petrik book: An Ocean of Others. I thought a lot about you and our love for Dreams of the Dying while I read that book even though they're not similar at all...they both have that dream-like (nightmarish) atmosphere. Can't wait for your end of the year video, P. I hope you had a lovely Christmas.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas! Thank you for the kind words. Hearing you loved An Ocean of Others and it reminded you of Dreams of the Dying is a resounding praise. I will have to give it a try someday! :)

@mythologypress9470 6 ай бұрын

You sold me on the Silverblood Promise. I loved Kings of the Wyld.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Such fun books! 😊

@scotts1912 6 ай бұрын

You have quite a few books I haven't read YET. My best of reads of 2023: Swan Song, Demon in White, Tyrrany of Faith and my first re-read of The Lord of the Rings in nearly 20 years, which I finished on Christmas Eve.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Very solid picks for books of the year. Swan Song is awesome! :)

@fcsolis 6 ай бұрын

My awesomest read this year was Holly by Stephen King. I started my Realm of the Elderlings journey. The ride has been immensely pleasurable so far, my nightly fix. Keep it coming. Your new Will of the Many edition is a beauty. Thank you.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

You're welcome. Thank you for tuning in to my channel. I haven't read Holly yet, but I can confirm The Realm of the Elderlings journey is superbly written! :)

@anniecochrane3359 6 ай бұрын

I managed to get the Will of the Many from our local library, so will be reading it very soon. Totally appreciate this list, it will inform my reading to come. I need to take notes on the books I read. I can never remember which one I liked best over the past year of reading. hmmmm

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

That's one of the purposes of having a Goodreads account. I track the books I read there haha. I hope you will enjoy The Will of the Many as much as I did! :)

@foreverlucky75 6 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

You're welcome. And thank YOU! 😊

@wesleyrouch5193 6 ай бұрын

I’m just about to finish the first in the red rising saga, this makes me more excited than ever to continue!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

The first is the weakest of the series, imo. You will have a blast reading the rest if you liked the first one already!

@wesleyrouch5193 6 ай бұрын

@@PetrikLeo good to know!

@TheBookishMom 6 ай бұрын

I really need to finally read VAnished Birds, I have been meaning to get to it forever! Yumi is one of my top books of the year as well, it is so hard for it not to be because it is so good!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

I think you will love The Vanished Birds! Simon Jimenez's prose is so beautiful. And I'm still so glad you love Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, too! :)

@thepussycat66 6 ай бұрын

What a great list! 😊 I'm excited to pick up a lot of the books on your list in 2024. 😊 I have almost all of them on my tbr. 😅

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Kari! Here's hoping you'll enjoy them next year. 😊

@thepussycat66 6 ай бұрын

@PetrikLeo Thanks, Petrik! I'm sure I will. I'm ready to come back to my adult fantasy era after a long pause. 😄

@laurahihaha 6 ай бұрын

My most anticipated video from you this month! Ahhh we’re finally here! Merry Christmas to my fav book tuber. U deserve all the merry tidings! I too think the first book of the hierarchy is a top 3 novel this year. Do you by chance know how many Islington is gonna make in the series? I am only aware of book 2 that he is contracted.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! I hope the video is worth the wait. Islington has mentioned that the Hierarchy series might end up being four books long. It all depends on the story and how many it needs. But at most, it shouldn't go beyond 5 books. :)

@jackiesliterarycorner 6 ай бұрын

I have a hard time doing favorites/best books list, but I love watching these lists.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Yeah, it can be a really tough choice deciding which one win over which!

@jackiesliterarycorner 6 ай бұрын

Finally filmed a favorite and narrowed it to 18 books. Haha

@tyarak5669 6 ай бұрын

I read all of The Bound and The Broken this year. It was some of the biggest books I’ve ever read and it’s also one of the most enjoyable and we’re only halfway through!! Ryan is a wizard can’t wait for the next book in the series. P.S. read the novellas they’re worth it

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

I know right? Dayne Ateres is my favorite character in the series. And of course I've read all the novellas. :)

@brokenredflag 6 ай бұрын

Merry christmasss!!!🎉🎉 dang, that final three books must have been really hard for you to rank. Congrats to will of the many! Yumi is amazing, yes. Ml wang book i wana get, but im wating for pritier editions. Thanks for the sugestions. Take care.❤😊

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas! I'm sure there will be special edition for Blood Over Bright Haven someday! :)

@cipriansirbu3699 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas Petrick and happy holidays to you and your family. I can't believe The Will of the Many remained your best book of the year,I can see why,I also loved it,it's in my top five: 1- Swan Song 2- Boy's Life 3- The Mad Ship 4- The Will of the Many 5- Light Bringer P.S. I'm so happy to see Demon in White so high on your list.😊

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! The Will of the Many and Demon in White are both my favorite books of the year. Can't decide between them. 😂 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you, too! LOVE McCammon's books!

@clarkkentnaruto4322 6 ай бұрын

Hey Petrik. Merry Christmas to you too. I hope that you had a great one. I haven't read or listened to any of those books, but a bunch of them are on my tbr pile for next year. I also wanted to let you know, that I am 81% into reading while listening to the Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson. I only have about an hour and a half left to go until I finish it. It had a little bit of a slow beginning but it is really good now. I should get done sometime in the afternoon tomorrow. After that, I just have to go through the decision process of do I want to start reading while listening to the bands of morning on Wednesday or Thursday or should I wait until the beginning of the year to start that. I am really enjoying the humor or the style of humor in the mistborn era 2 saga.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! Merry Christmas to you, too. I hope you continue to Mistborn Era 2. As you said, the humor in that series is pretty fun! :)

@nikimclamb7436 3 ай бұрын

I agree with the Will of the Many. It was incredible!

@PetrikLeo 3 ай бұрын

Such a terrific book! Glad you loved it, too!

@dianeal-hakari1479 6 ай бұрын

More books to read in 2024 The pile will crush me one day haha

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

The TBR pile is dangerous... More books to read in 2024 for sure! :)

@Heathennation1976 6 ай бұрын

Another great video I just started reading The Wolf by Leo Carew and it grabbed me from the prologue last night I read almost half of it couldn't put it down looks like this, Under the Northern Sky Trilogy is going to begin my new year, Happy New Year to you and your family and thank you TRULY TRULY THANK YOU for all your videos and recommendations. Your love of books and reading shines through in every video that you do, keep up the great work

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! Merry Christmas to you, too. I still have one or two videos to post before the year ends, but again, thank YOU for watching so many of my videos. I will do my best next year, too! :)

@akellerhouse83 6 ай бұрын

Wow. I'm going to have to read The Will of the Many. This is the 2nd time I've heard about how awesome it is.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

You have to! I read it in March, it remains as the best fantasy book of the year. :)

@safinan8008 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas to you and ur family… 🎉🎉🎄🎊

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas to you, too, Safina! :)

@crazzzzybones77 6 ай бұрын

The will of the many youtubers telling me to read it might have convinced me to finally try lol. I didn’t read much this year but I did read the entirety of The Realm of the Elderlings and there’s like 5 books in that series in contention for my all time favourite so I’ll say one of them

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Yes! It is The Will of the Many telling you to read it. 😂 The Realm of the Elderlings is amazing. Not surprise it is some of your best books of the year! 😃

@cinxschannel9937 6 ай бұрын

Reading Vanished Birds right now, based on your recommendation.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

SO GOOD! Enjoy! 😊

@severianthefool7233 6 ай бұрын

Just found your channel, and considering I see a copy of The Paper Menagerie peeking out in the background… I think I’m gonna love it. Edit: wow, guess I should’ve gotten further into the video before commenting, as you mention Ken Liu right in the beginning!!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

I LOVE Ken Liu's books! :)

@severianthefool7233 6 ай бұрын

@@PetrikLeo man, the Literomancer broke me

@cheryllovestoread 5 ай бұрын

Jealous that you have Swan’s third book! Mine’s on preorder. I highly recommend them in audio! What great characters!

@PetrikLeo 5 ай бұрын

I agree! I will be reading it next! 😃 Excited.

@dougsundseth6904 6 ай бұрын

For me (in no particular order): Top New Reads Frank Chadwick: How Dark the World Becomes Andrew Mayne: Jessica Blackwood series Dale Lucas: Fifth Ward series Honour Rae: All the Skills series Lois McMaster Bujold: Shards of Honor and Barrayar Lynn Murphy: The Prodigal Tongue (non-fiction) Alex Maher: Hedge Wizard series Andrew Rowe: Arcane Ascension series Peter Grainger: DC Smith series Top Rereads Drew Hayes: SuperPowered series. Tony Hillerman: Leaphorn/Chee series S.M. Stirling: The General series Steven Brust: Vlad Taltos series Robert A. Heinlein: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress Notes: Where I list a series, there were multiple books read this year, but I might have begun the series previously. Of your books, the only one I read this year was Waybound, which I gave a charity 2 stars to. (Just finished it this week.) It was ... not good. Glad you enjoyed it, though. I do want to read Fonda Lee soon.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

From your list, I have Drew Hayes and Lois Bujold on my list of books to read someday. Glad to hear you loved their books! I hope you'll enjoy reading Fonda Lee's books as much as I did. I loved them dearly! :)

@naomizee9229 6 ай бұрын

Merry Xmas Petrik! 😊

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas! 😊

@ronaldwatson3862 6 ай бұрын

The only ones I've read so far were your two Sanderson picks. Time to add to my already endless TBR, lol. I'm especially interested in The Will of the Many, Blood Over Bright Haven and The Silverblood Promise. Thanks for another solid video and Merry Christmas! My Top 15 Best Books* I read in 2023: 15. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison 14. Kindred by Octavia Butler 13. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson 12. Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett (Book 1 in The Founders trilogy) 11. Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding (Book 1 in Tales of the Ketty Jay series) 10. The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams (Book 1 in The Winnowing Flame trilogy) 09. The Light of all That Falls by James Islington (Book 3 in Lycanius triology) 08. The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu (Book 1 in The War Arts saga) 07.The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson (Book 4 in Mistborn Era 2) 06. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree 05. The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne (Book 2 in The Bloodsworn saga) 04. Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames (Book 1 in The Band series) 03. Ruin by John Gwynne (Book 3 in The Faithful and the Fallen series) 01. Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King (part of The Dark Tower series) 01. The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang * I only included the best book within a series - otherwise this would have just been a King/Gwynne list. The books omitted that would have easily made the list are: 05. The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (Book 2 in The Dark Tower series ) 06. Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames (Book 2 in The Band series) 08. The Dark Tower by Stephen King (last book in The Dark Tower series) 12. Wrath by John Gwynne (Book 4 in The Faithful and the Fallen series) 13. The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne (Book 1 in The Bloodsworn saga)

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Superb list of best books read in 2023. I haven't read The Goblin Emperor, Art of Prophecy, and Wolves of the Calla from your list, but I've read the rest and enjoyed them all greatly! I will certainly read War Arts Saga in 2024! :)

@surpriseitsus9622 6 ай бұрын

I loved Kings of the Wyld and need the second book. Thanks for the reminder and Happy New Year 🎉

@AndyM0790 6 ай бұрын

My top best books of the year 1. The Will Of The Many by James Islington 2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 3. Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes 4. Bear Town by Fredrik Backman 5. Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb 6. Light Bringer by Pierce Brown Great list Petrik, I've read a lot of them but you've convinced me to put The Vanishing Birds and Blood Over Bright Haven high on the TBR.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! Oh heck yeah! The Will of the Many at the number 1 spot. I have to read Frankenstein and Flowers for Algernon, too! :D

@UNIDiver 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas, and great list. What edition is your The Will of the Many? I've never seen that cover for it before.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Merry christmas, and thank you! This is The Broken Binding edition. 😃

@MaedBetweenthePages 5 ай бұрын

The Passing of the Dragon was absolutely phenomenal….I think it’ll stick with me forever. Ken truly has a gift ✨ I’m seeing Silverblood Promise EVERYWHERE…the comp to Locke sold me immediately. Definitely on the TBR. I still haven’t started Sullivan 😢 Once I close out some of my open series, he’s a high priority author to pick up! The Will of the Many SWEPT the best books videos this year! Loved this video Petrik :)

@PetrikLeo 5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Taylor! I am so glad to hear you loved The Passing of the Dragon, too. Here's hoping you'll enjoy The Silverblood Promise and Sullivan's books when you get to them. Also, The Will of the Many is absolutely amazing! :D

@MaedBetweenthePages 5 ай бұрын

@@PetrikLeo Based on how similar our tastes are, I have full confidence I'll love all of these! :)

@ChemicalPenguinn 6 ай бұрын

There are so many books on this list that I've never even heard of **opens tbr**

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

That's a good thing then! 😁😁

@fjuran1 6 ай бұрын

Great group of books. It's funny I have either read or have all those on my TBR, waiting to get a copy of Logan's book. Your Will of the Many cover, is that the UK edition, I have never seen it, so nice? My copy is the traditional US version.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you, Frank! This copy of The Will of the Many is The Broken Binding edition! :)

@jessicar.6268 6 ай бұрын

My top 3 for this year (because I can't decide): Ember Blade. I read this in Feb and can't stop thinking about it. The Goblin Emperor Age of war

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Nice. The Ember Blade is absolutely amazing. Age of War is great, too. I haven't read The Goblin Emperor, though! :)

@Xxpastore10xX 6 ай бұрын

Hi Petrik, can u do a tier list for all fantasy books/series? That would be fun.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

I really want do to that, but I am so horrible at this. I tried recording a tier-ranking video, but I can't seem to setup my equipment properly. I'll try again next year! *sigh* I love technology, but not recording technology. xD

@maggythestray6869 6 ай бұрын

I didn't want to read Yumi but after hearing it's like your name I want to read it :)

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Oh yes, tons of inspirations from Your Name in it! 😊

@davetarantula5851 6 ай бұрын

Because of yoooou my TBR is groooowing! I wish i had the room of spirit and time (Seishin to Toki no Heya ) from Dragon Ball to read all those books😂

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Ahhh I think about that room of time so often. What a blessing if we can have that. 😂😂

@paulmiller2807 6 ай бұрын

I just finished The Will of the Many last night, so good! Do you know when the second book in that series is planned to be released?

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Glad you loved it! Last I chatted with James, he said it should be out next year. No concrete month yet, though.

@wizflame9960 5 ай бұрын

Please read project hail mary and recursion. Do try to avoid reading any blurbs or spoilers for them. The twists in them absolutely blew me away

@PetrikLeo 5 ай бұрын

I already did last year! I enjoyed Project Hail Mary, but Recursion is the amazing one. Incredible sci-fi standalone!

@Majesticon Ай бұрын

Vanish Birds didnt hold me after that first, extremely well written first part. It was so so good. I actually thought ehile reading it that it was a short story someone convinced him to make into a novel and i was right. The never next part has a totally different writing style. Ill try to finish it though

@PetrikLeo Ай бұрын

Ah, that's too bad. I still end up loving the entire book, but the first part was definitely some of the best chapters.

@gryftkin 6 ай бұрын

I feel your pain. I read Becky Chambers for a book club shortly after it came out and I DID finish it, but it really felt like she tried to cram too much into it. Also, I may have purchased Eleventh Cycle before I even got to the end of this video :D So thanks for adding to my TBR pile. If I die under a pile of books, someone tell the cops it's Petrik's fault :D

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Haha you're welcome! I'll take the blame. 😂 I hope you'll like Eleventh Cycle!

@Jistarii 6 ай бұрын

Ughhhh most of these books are on my Christmas list. Of course the kids and wife got sick and have to postpone Christmas for a week or more so I have to wait to open!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

😵 urgh that's unfortunate. Get well soon to your family! 😊

@JoshSinnott97 6 ай бұрын

Great video, happy new year Are both Ryan Cahill's and Christopher Ruocchio's series completed? I tend to only read finished series as i end up having to reread them when a new book comes out as it's not fresh in my mind

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! And nope. Both of them will be finished in the year 2025 if everything goes well. I predict Ryan's will be finished in 2026, though. :)

@XJDBaku15 6 ай бұрын

Good video Petrik! I was interested when hearing you bring up Mother Of Learning from Royal Road. As a small time authour on that same platform, do you frequent it often? And do you enjoy reading webnovels? I would like to hear your thoughts on it! And Merry Christmas!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! Webnovel is still a format I'm getting used to. I did enjoy my time with Mother of Learning, and I will try to read more webnovel for sure! :)

@MacScarfield 6 ай бұрын

My Top Favorite Read of 2023, is a tie between «Under Heaven» by Guy Gavriel Kay & «The Veiled Throne» («Dandelion Dynasty #3) by Ken Liu: «Under Heaven» should be teached next to «War & Peace» and «Le Miserables» for GGK’s prose and Ken Liu’s Character Work has few if any rivals! A character that has only one scene in «TVT» (though a series veteran in «The Dandelion Dynasty»), earned with that scene alone my favorite character of 2023: Cogo Yelu! Next is another tie between «The Retreat to Avalon» by Sean Poage & «The Winter King» by Bernard Cornwell: Poage has written my favorite take on «A Historical King Arthur» and the Seige of Yves Trebon/St. Michel in «TWK» shows why Cornwell might be the best at writing battles! The next are unsorted: «The Way of Edan» by Philip Chase «Bold Ascension» by Vaughn Roycroft «The Winter Road» by Adrian Selby «Salammbo» by Gustave Flaubert «The Farthest Shore» & «Tehanu» by Ursula K. Le Guin «The Name of the Wind» by Patrick Rothfuss «Speaking Bones» by Ken Liu «River of Stars» by Guy Gavriel Kay «Brigantia» by Adrian Goldsworthy «The Little Emperors» & «The Conscience of the King» by Alfred Duggan «Tortilla Flat» by John Steinbeck «The Black Gods Kiss» (Jirel of Joiry) by CL Moore

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Not sure why there are two comments, but thank you for sharing your list. Really glad, once again, to hear how much you love Dandelion Dynasty. Cogo Yelu and many other characters in the series are amazing characters. Not a surprise that Cogo Yelu is your favorite! :)

@MacScarfield 6 ай бұрын

@@PetrikLeo I commented on your «Petrik Choice Awards» also, where I added my favorite movies and TV Show! 😅

@Olphas 6 ай бұрын

i am at 83 books as of yet. But I include short stories, novellas and a few Graphic Novels in there. And since this is the first year in a good while that I got back into actively reading a lot - not too bad, I think! I just started Oathbringer, and that might carry over to the new year. But who knows with the Stormlight Archives. Maybe it gets done this week 😁 I do have a Top 5 but I don't want to rank it. And I only include two Sanderson books. I have read much of the Cosmere this year and it would have been mostly a Sanderlanche otherwise ... The Top 5 I have read this year are: The Will of the Many Words of Radiance Tress of the Emerald Sea Sons of Darkness Untethered Sky (my first Fonda Lee book, more to come soon!)

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Amazing reading stats. Well done! I am pleased to see The Will of the Many, Words of Radiance, Sons of Darkness, and also Untethered Sky are on your list of favorite books. I loved them all. And I have no doubt you will LOVE The Green Bone Saga! :)

@caitlinl2750 6 ай бұрын

I have read all but the vanished birds (I also got the arc for silverblood promise!)🎉

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Woohoo!! Amazing reading you had. Time to read The Vanished Birds! 😊

@caitlinl2750 6 ай бұрын

@@PetrikLeo it appears so!

@Erinn_Nicole 6 ай бұрын

My first Sanderson book was Tress :)

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Yay! Did you enjoy it?

@Erinn_Nicole 6 ай бұрын

Loved it! I finished The Frugal Wizard (I also liked) and I am working on The Sunlit Man. I felt like the secret projects was a good starting point. The Cosmere is a bit overwhelming.@@PetrikLeo

@Michael_L_Morrison 6 ай бұрын

Great list! My one runner up is Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi. Following are my top 10: 1 - Until the Last (Mike Shackle) 2 - Light Bringer (Pierce Brown) 3 - The Tyranny of Faith (Richard Swan) 4 - Winter's Fury (A.E. Rayne) 5 - The Fury of Kings (R.S. Moule) 6 - Never Die (Rob J. Hayes) 7 - Of Blood and Fire (Ryan Cahill) 8 - We Ride the Storm (Devin Madson) 9 - Cold West (Clayton Snyder) 10 - Eleventh Cycle (Kian Ardalan)

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

I haven't read 3 books (Cold West, Winter's Fury, The Fury of Kings) from your list, but I certainly enjoyed the ones I've read there. Great list of favorite books of the year!

@mvinson8706 5 ай бұрын

I recently read Boys In the Valley and absolutely adored it. I'm definitely keeping Fracassi on my radar

@MetalGildarts 6 ай бұрын

How do you find time to read all those books dawg lol. I DNF'd Cradle, I love that you included The Dragonbone Chair though! Tad Williams made magic with Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. Actually finished another series of his earlier.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Haha, I try my best to always read whenever I can. I agree with you regarding Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. Tad Williams writes so beautifully! :)

@MetalGildarts 6 ай бұрын

@@PetrikLeo sadly he kinda toned it down with his Shadowmarch series. Still a decent read. I can’t wait to eventually get to Last King of Osten Ard.

@ChaptersWeLove 6 ай бұрын

Happy Holidays!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Happy holidays to you, too!

@ChaptersWeLove 6 ай бұрын

@@PetrikLeothanks!

@tomutting9935 6 ай бұрын

My top 5 was: 1. speaking bones 2. Exhalation 3. The wall of storms 4. The last argument of kings 5. Jade War

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

I haven't read Exhalation but loved the rest you listed. Superb list! :)

@thecomicreadern4344 Ай бұрын

Hi have a doubt,i got the tress of emerald sea gollancz hardcover and it doesn't have any interior illustration nor the cover of yours,so is that a tor version or Kickstarter exclusive?same for yumi?

@PetrikLeo Ай бұрын

Yeah! This is a Kickstarter exclusive version. The standard hardcover from Tor Books and Gollancz won't have any interior illustrations.

@curiouslanguage2032 6 ай бұрын

Excellent list! A lot of these are on my TBR, especially the Will of the Many and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. My favorite books of the year werebetween The Wall of Storms, The Sword of Kaigen, Strange Beasts of China, and Strange the Dreamer, in that order I guess haha

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! Ahh, The Will of the Many and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter are superb in their own way. I hope you'll enjoy them. I'm glad The Wall of Storms and The Sword of Kaigen are on your list of favorites, though. The Wall of Storms was my favorite book of last year, and The Sword of Kaigen was for the year 2019. I need to read Strange the Dreamer someday! :)

@banaa9463 6 ай бұрын

I read a lot of fantasy but my best books of the year turned out to not be fantasy books. My top one is Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano and 2nd place is A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. They both made me cry a lot so that's why they're at the top.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

I heard so many wonderful things about Hello Beautiful and A Man Called Ove. I have watched A Man Called Ove and enjoyed it! :)

@misternegative4918 6 ай бұрын

My top 5 from 1 to 5 The Book that Wouldn’t Burn The Will of the Many Empire of the Vampire Pillars Of Earth Golden Son Loved a lot of what I read this year

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

I haven't read The Book that wouldn't Burn and Pillars of the Earth, but I loved the rest you mentioned! :)

@SuperBrownieB 6 ай бұрын

Random question… what is that book series on his bookshelf by dandelion dynasty and the Jade series. They’re off white books.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Those are War Arts Saga by Wesley Chu! 😊

@vivekkhimself 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas! Did you shoot this and the previous one on the same day?

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Merry Christmas! And nope. I wear the same clothes, though. xD

@TN-xr7nu 6 ай бұрын

Have you read The Spear Cuts Through Water by Jimenez yet? In my opinion, it's even better than Vanisher Birds (and I really enjoyed Vanished Birds). Edit: Missed the part where you said it's on your TBR for next year!! I think you'll enjoy it!

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Yeah! Really excited to read Spear Cuts next year. I loved The Vanished Birds! 😁

@sakshathsm20 6 ай бұрын

Mother of learning will have a sequel but it will be like a slice of life novel and focus on what the characters are doing in the future.

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

Wait, is that real? That actually sounds superb! :D

@sakshathsm20 6 ай бұрын

@@PetrikLeo he wrote on royalroad something like, wanting to write about the aftermath and everyday life of the characters like an extended epilogue, but currently he's busy with a new series. Ps: Sorry if I got your hopes up, I went back and read he what he wrote, he also said that it's not guaranteed and we would have to wait and see 😭🥲

@PetrikLeo 6 ай бұрын

@@sakshathsm20 oh whoops. 😂😂 No worries! Good to know there's a chance that might happen someday. I'll read Zenith of Sorcery by him, too.