Books of 2023
I read so many books this year, most of them being Warrior Cats. I pretty sure I forgot some books. Oh well.
Blood Meridian 11/10: One of these days I will talk about this. Truly a masterwork of writing. Please read. Do be aware that it’s very dark, but please read it. Thank you Wendigoon for introducing this to me!
Nimona 10/10: Cute and heartfelt. I love the characters, I love the story, and I love the art. It’s a very moving tale. And the movie is pretty good too! Just fantastic overall.
Seraphina 10/10: Another book that surprised me. I don’t have much to say other than I really liked it. It was a joy to read.
They Called Us Enemy 9.5/10: A historical non-fiction graphic novel about the WWII Japanese internment camps in America following famed actor George Takei. I feel like this is a great introduction for people who either did not know or knew very little about this black stain on America’s history. It’s important to never forget this. Please read. It’s fantastic.
Artie and the Wolf Moon 9/10: An absolutely adorable werewolf story about a young girl finding herself and finding strength in her family and community. It’s just good. Please read, especially to children. This is a book for them after all and it’s a really good one with a fantastic and important message. Plus the art is cute.
A Day of Fallen Night 8.5/10: The prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree. It’s pretty damn good. Not much else to say.
Wereworld 8.5/10: Technically, I already read this series. I’m just re-reading it to discuss it. I’m nearly done with my reviews of them. I have one more book to go. Regardless, this is still my favorite fantasy series of all time. Wonderful. Please read.
Crookedstar’s Promise 8.5/10: Hands-down, my favorite Warriors book. It’s slice-of-life done right.
Crowfeather’s Trial 8/10: Oh, what is this? A Warriors family drama set in my favorite Clan? And it’s actually good?! Loved the hell out of this! Crowfeather and his family are such a mess. I love them.
Hunting Monsters 7.5/10: A non-fiction book about cryptids. Fascinating but boring at points.
Dreams Come to Life 7/10: I really like Bendy and the Ink Machine and this book is a nice complement to it. I’m working on a whole post discussing the games and the books so look out for that.
Hawkwing’s Journey 7/10: I don’t like Hawkwing nor his incestuous relationship with his first cousin, but this one was pretty good for a Warriors SE. It’s a tragedy done pretty well for this series. I liked it.
The Lost Ones 6/10: The second book in the Bendy series. It’s not as good as the first one, but still pretty solid overall.
Bluestar’s Prophecy 5/10: Bluestar is a surprisingly layered character and this book doesn’t do a good job exploring that.
The Broken Code 5/10: I despise the supernatural stuff in Warriors but at least this one kept it interesting.
Leopardstar’s Honor 4.5/10: Leopardstar deserved a better book.
Dragon’s Champion 4/10: Boring. How tf do you make dragons boring??
Wolves of the Beyond 4/10: A weird series with confusing themes. Do not recommend.
The Power of Three 4/10: Boring. Nothing happens for five books straight.
The August Few 1: Amygdala 4/10: I hate this book. It’s poorly written, it has way too many characters, the themes are muddled and quite concerning when you break them down, and the plot is atrocious. I felt like I wasted my time with this.
A Vision of Shadows 4/10: Started good, but got bad halfway through.
Omen of the Stars 3/10: One of the worst plots in the series so far.
Dawn of the Clans 3/10: Started good, but got real bad halfway through.
Bramblestar’s Storm 3/10: Boring. Jessie was fun though.
Tigerheart’s Shadow 3/10: The SECOND most pointless book in the entire series. No contest. I hate Tigerheart and I hate his book.
Onestar’s Confession 2/10: THE most pointless book in the series. Onestar is an interesting character who got completely ruined by the new Erins. I weep for his wasted potential.
Yellowfang’s Secret 1/10: No.
Squirrelflight’s Hope 1/10: This should have never been written. 500 pages of Squirrelflight being treated like shit. No thanks.
Fourth Wing 1/10: The laziest book I’ve ever read. The author didn’t care about it and neither should you.
Crystal Keepers 0/10: Okay so… I read this sack of shit very early in the year. I did write a review of it but I deleted it because I didn’t like it nor did I want to give the shitty author any more attention. The “book” is literally unreadable. No joke. It’s incomprehensible. Avoid at all costs.
Warriors really screwed me up this year. I did not at all plan on reading that whole series but here we are. Next year, I am reading the entire Dragons of Requiem series by Daniel Arenson. It’s awful but there’s a lot of writing lessons I can get out of it. Plus it’s fun to rip on. Hopefully, I can get that series started next year. I plan on working on and completing the Warriors series and then Beastars part two. I have an Amygdala addendum in the works right now. It’ll be out when it’s done. I have a lot to say. Draft one of my novel Shadow Seers should also be done early next year (I hope), so once that is done I will talk about it. No spoilers though!
Anyway, this year has been great for my website! Didn’t think Amygdala would be the thing that brought people in though. I have mixed feelings about that. Regardless, I’m glad! Let’s hope 2024 doesn’t go to shit.
