Hello and welcome to Part Three of my year end favorite reads list. I’m doing three lists this year because there were just too many good books I read this past year. Definitely a good problem to have but still a problem in some ways! How to narrow down, for one. 😀

You can find part one here, and part two here, if you missed them. And next Friday I hope to be posting my Best of the Best list, which will be my top books pulled from these three lists. A list from a list! I’ve gone list crazy! Weeeeee!

Favorite Reads of 2019:  Part Three

New Series and Stand Alones Published 2019

So, pretty self-explanatory. These are all books that were either beginnings of new series or stand alone books published in 2019. This book does somehow include four books (FOUR!) which take place in an already established universe, but which are beginnings of new series within that universe (or in one case the first novel and you don’t need to have read the previous novellas to dive right in). Okay, so maybe I lied and that wasn’t self-explanatory, whoops.

1. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher – 5/5 stars

PLEASE GIVE ME MORE HOPEFUL APOCALYPSE BOOKS, BECAUSE APPARENTLY THIS IS MY THING NOW, THANKS. Words can not express how much I loved this book. Full review here.

2. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson – 5/5 stars

This book was such an unexpected surprise for me. I’m not sure that I can exactly put my finger on why I liked it so much (the characters probably) but I adored this one, and the last half of the book was especially exciting. Full review here.

3. The Ten-Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow – 5/5 stars

I had almost no intentions of reading this if I’m being honest but then everyone kept going on about how good it was and I had to check it out. So glad I did, because it’s such a delight. So many things to love about this book–the family dynamics, the way the story is told as far as structure, the prose, the characters, the creativity, the social commentary that is worked into the story…it’s works on so many levels. Full review here.

4. The Harp of Kings (Warrior Bards #1) by Juliet Marillier – 5/5 stars

I fully expected to fall in love with this book and I’m so glad it lived up to my high expectations. There was one pov character that wasn’t my fave, but overall this really delivered for me and because it gave me so many feelings (Marillier is great for that) I had to rate it tops. Full review here.

5. Turning Darkness into Light by Marie Brennan – 5/5 stars

This was another of my most anticipated reads this past year and it really delivered. I think I almost liked this more than the Lady Trent books? I really appreciated the way the story was told in epistolary form, too. Full review here.

6. A Magical Inheritance (Ladies Occult Society #1) by Krista D. Ball – 5/5 stars

I had been anticipating this book for a while and it did not let me down. Fantasy of manners featuring some societal commentary? Check. Fun dialogue? Check. Women being friends with other women? Check. Loved this one. Full review here.

7. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone – 5/5 stars

This is another book that had a ton of buzz this year, and rightfully so. Fantastic prose, interesting structure, timey wimey fun stuff, and a really beautiful love story. Full review here.

8. To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers – 5/5 stars

Another short one that I absolutely adored. I’m a huge fan of Becky Chambers at this point and I think this might be her best one yet. She made me love a hard sci-fi story, something I didn’t think was possible. Full review here.

9. Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater – 5/5 stars

Apparently there were a TON of books I was excited for this year that met my expectations. I have to say, I feel like this one exceeded any hopes I had for it. If you liked The Raven Cycle, you’ll probably like this one, so you should read it. If you haven’t read The Raven Cycle, you can start here as well. Highly recommend the audio on this one. 🙂 Full review here.

10. Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh – 5/5 stars

This book was another lovely surprise for me this year. It wasn’t really on my radar but then I bought it because I really loved the cover. I’m so glad I didn’t leave it languishing in my TBR forever like so many other books. This was just an story full of earthy magic and romance and I loved it. Full review here.

And a few others that didn’t make the Top Ten because they’re great and I don’t want to miss talking about them!

11. The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson – 5/5 stars

This book turned all magical realism on me and I loved it. The end got SO WEIRD. And I just love weird, especially when it’s used to explore themes and ideas and makes you think about things. Full review here.

12. An Illusion of Thieves (Chimera #1) by Cate Glass – 4.5/5 stars

I’m a huge fan of Carol Berg so I was really excited to see her coming out with a new series under a pen name. This book hit a lot of the things I love from Berg’s writing–putting the characters through some stuff, giving them a bit of triumph, etc. I thought this was a fun read. Full review here.

13. The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross – 4.5/5 stars

I really love Beauty and the Beast retellings. I wasn’t sure how I was going to react to this one because I thought it would be too straight of a retelling but setting it from the Beast’s perspective really put a new spin on a few things. Full review here.

14. A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) by Brigid Kemmerer – 4.5/5 stars

Speaking of Beauty and the Beast retellings, well this is more of a loose retelling, but the roots are there. I really loved this one a lot more than I thought I would. The world building is interesting and the characters were a lot of fun to follow. Looking forward to the next one! Full review here.

15. Where Oblivion Lives by T. Frohock – 4.5/5 stars

To my shame I have not yet read the Los Nefilim novellas, but the good news is you don’t really have to have read them to jump into this first full length novel set in the universe. This is dark fantasy at it’s finest, a sort of mix between horror and fantasy and historical fiction featuring angels at war with one another. It’s a fantastic read. Full review here.

So, that’s my favorites as far as new series and stand alone novels! What do you think of my picks? Leave a note in the comments, I’d love to chat! I’ll see you next Friday for my final ‘best of the best’ list. 🙂