My Top Books of 2024

This year hasn't actually been a good reading year for me! My target was to read my standard 52 books and I spectacularly failed with only 37 books.

There are probably a variety of reasons for this. Did I get sucked into too many Netflix shows? Yes. Did I spend more time writing than usual? 100%. Did reading slumps take over my year? Unfortunately, yes.

But, of the 37 books I did read, there were a few that stood out to me the most. I'm going to list my favourite books and series of the year, which are in no particular order.

Bride - Ali Hazelwood

Ali Hazelwood never fails to deliver. I devoured this book in a day and it was so much fun. I haven't read vampire and werewolf books in so long and it reminded me of how much I love a good paranormal romance read.

Six Crimson Cranes - Elizabeth Lim

I read quite a few Elizabeth Lim books this year but Six Crimson Cranes was by far my favourite. I loved Shiori - how headstrong and stubborn and determined she was. I thought the concept was really compelling and I also loved Takkan. The small links and references to Spin the Dawn was also great. I will say, I didn't like the sequel as much as I liked the first book, but overall it was a really strong duology.

The Graham Effect and The Dixon Rule - Elle Kennedy

Elle Kennedy books are hit and miss for me. I love the Off-Campus series but the Briar U missed the mark for me. So I wasn't sure which way the Campus Diaries series was going to lean but I loved it! I love all the references to the original Off-Campus characters and I love all of the leading characters. They were classic rom-coms - making me laugh and swoon in equal measure.

Heartless and Ruthless - Elsie Silver

I fell in love with the Chestnut Springs series this year, along with the rest of BookTok. Heartless and Ruthless were the books that stood out to me the most, though. Ruthless was my absolute favourite which surprised me because I'm not usually a fan of the unplanned pregnancy trope - but Theo Silva was just too perfect for me to love this book. And then Heartless had Willa who made me smile every time she was on the page, in any of the books.

A Dowry of Blood - S.T. Gibson

This one was a last minute addition! A Dowry of Blood was the last book I read in 2024 was a great way to end the year. This book was just mesmerising. I read it in a couple of sittings and fell so easily into the world.

It was fascinating to watch the dynamics between all of the characters and the second person point of view was refreshing and interesting to read. I found myself rooting so badly for Constanta, Magdalena and Alexei and the final third of the book had me on the edge of my seat.

Vampires is the trend that never goes out of style.

We Hunt the Flame duology - Hafsah Faizal

Saving the best till last, this was probably my absolute favourite read this year. The plot twists, the slow burn romance, the world... it was all perfection.

Hafsah Faizal did an amazing job at making sure each and every chapter ended on a cliff-hanger. I feel like she looked at every chapter, brainstormed every bad thing that could possibly happen to these characters, chose the worst, and ran with it. We had death, dismemberment, betrayal, torture... it was all there! These characters went through so much and it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

The characters were just so lovable. We had a scorching slow burn romance but also the best bromance of all time. I already can't wait to re-read this series to be reunited with all the characters.

Those were my favourite books of 2024? What were your stand-out books this year?