Time for my annual post of all the books I read in 2024. I read 59 books, 36 of which were fantasy, with my next most common genre being non-fiction, with 10 books. In the next few weeks I'll highlight some of my favorites!

I'll post more reviews of these books in the coming months. Have you read any of these books? Were any your favorites? Let's discuss in the comments!

Who among us hasn't seen the skits from TikToker and author Hannah Nicole Maehrer about the sunshine assistant to a grumpy (but hot) villain? Now a series (Assistant to the Villain, Apprentice to the Villain, and in 2025 Accomplice to the Villain), the quirky pairing is on the page for all of us to enjoy.

Evie Sage, desperate for a job, takes a position as an assistant to the notorious local Villain. She prides herself on a job well done, so when it appears there's a traitor in the office, she decides to sort out the problem. With plenty of pining for the handsome but not HR approved boss, this book and its sequel are popcorn for fans of romantasy.

I enjoyed the grumpy/sunshine pairing at the heart of the book, the pining with an actual reason not to make moves on said pining, and the wit throughout. Both were funny novels that clearly weren't being too serious or dark, despite the main characters being the purported bad guys.

There were a few worldbuilding questions I had that were left unanswered, and sometimes the romance crossed into definitely a couple territory, before pulling backwards for no clear reason and being like "wow we made out but does he like me?" Was that enough for me to put the books down? No.

This series is for you if you're looking for lighthearted, humorous romantasy, a grumpy/sunshine pairing, or a classic fairytale vibe without it being a literal fairytale rewrite. This book is not for you if you're looking for epic fantasy levels of worldbuilding, if you don't want a workplace romance, or if you want fantasy with a literary flavor.


Have you read Assistant or Apprentice to the Villain? What did you think? Let's discuss in the comments!

I'd had my eye on Story Engineering by Larry Brooks for a while before I came across it in a second hand shop. My copy is covered in pencil underlining the most random words and phrases, but it's clear where the previous owner stopped reading, as the pencil disappears. A bit tragic that this other author never finished, but it was a win for me, because I got to have this book at last.

Overview
Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing is 278 pages (paperback) of explanations of what a story needs, why it needs that, and tips on execution. The six competencies themselves aren't shocking to seasoned writers, but each section discuss a competency in depth, offering examples or exercises. The book ages itself with references to the Da Vinci Code often and a joke about Bill Clinton, but otherwise the advice is fairly timeless. 

My Experience
I highlighted something in most chapters, but the section I've returned to is about character. This book explained one, two, and three dimensional characters in a very practical manner that I'd never seen anywhere before. It changed how I'll see character dimensions forever, and will hopefully help me write deeper ones. A lot of the rest of the information, though useful, was information I've seen before. Story beats and what's happening in them, what is an idea vs a concept, voice, etc. All great reminders, but not exclusive to this text.
My only complaint is that the book hyped itself a lot. It often repeated how the six competencies would make me a better writer--and then not explain what they were, and would go on about how important they were with no other explanation. It happened often enough at the end of chapters that I'd just skip ahead to the next one.

Is It Worth It?
I paid $8 for my used copy from a locally owned independent bookstore. That alone is worth it. If you're looking for a book that gives an overview of what makes a solid story and guides you on how to get there, this is a great option. It's not too in depth on any one topic, so it feels more introductory than I'd hoped, but there were still valuable ideas that helped me as a writer. Overall, I'd say this is worth the read to improve your writing craft.

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Have you read Story Engineering? What about the sequel, which is on my TBR, Story Physics? Let's discuss in the comments!

There's another version of the cover with different colors which is also fabulous. Shout out to the cover designer!

The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean debuted this past August, and I found it on a list of new books on Instagram. From the moment I read the concept I knew I had to read it: a zookeeper for Phoenixes is determined to restore her zoo's breeding program but the last zoo to make the attempt had their phoenixes stolen. It's cozy fantasy with a queer romance subplot. I'm using it as a comp for the book I'm currently querying because my book also involves fantasy zookeeping, flirting while working at said zoo, and the theme of letting go of the fear of failure.

Aila is the zookeeper in question, a very shy and anxious animal lover who has her dream job of being the phoenix keeper at her hometown zoo. She's great with her BFF, but with anyone else from guests to crushes, she's not as capable. When the phoenix chicks at another zoo are stolen, Aila's program has the chance to step up and become the next breeding facility. However, Aila can't do it all alone, and must learn to ask for help, including from attractive griffin keepers, if she's going to achieve her dream, and protect her phoenixes.

As a former zookeeper, I enjoyed the zookeeping parts of this book, which were realistic despite the animals being fantasy. I really liked the grounded nature of it. I thought the plot was enough to keep be entertained and had specific, achievable stakes. (If you've listened to the podcast, you know I don't always find that the case for things described as cozy.) As a side note, one of my random favorite parts of this book was Aila's family's restaurant. It was a fantasy world fusion as nonsensical as Carlos O'Kelly's, the very real Irish/Mexican midwestern restaurant. If that's not what S.A. MacLean based Aila's family's restaurant on, then I will be blown away. Another thing I liked about this book was that Aila was a really high achiever in school, and was terrified of failing as an adult. (Oh look, it's me!) Her whole character arc, and the theme of the book, was letting go of that fear, figuring out that asking for help is not fear, and realizing you can be successful without that fear.

There were some things that didn't always work for me. I'm a person who suffers from second hand embarrassment, so when characters are too cringy (which the author is doing on purpose because the character is supposed to grow, I know!) then I really struggle and have to skip ahead. Since Aila's social anxiety was so bad, I had to skim some of the more painful interactions. I also knew who was helping the smugglers immediately, so there was no tension there, so I experienced less tension than most readers will. There were also a lot of place and animal names, so I admit I didn't keep track of some after a while.

This book is for you if you love zookeeping/zoos/wildlife breeding programs, fantasy animals, queer romance, or lower tension (cozy) fantasy. This book is not for you if you have social anxiety that can be heightened by reading about others' social anxiety, if you need higher external stakes, or if you're not interested in a romance subplot.


Have you read The Phoenix Keeper? Which was your favorite animal? Let's discuss in the comments!

Air Awakens by Elise Kova came across my Instagram in a list of books to read after finishing A Court of Thorns and Roses series (ACOTAR.) It was pitched as Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) meets ACOTAR, and since ATLA is my favorite show of all time, that comparison was all I needed. Air Awakens is the first of a five book series that came out in 2015-2016 and were indie published by the author. She has seven series total, some indie and some traditional, and she's hit best sellers lists.

Air Awakens follows librarian-in-training Vhalla. When asked to find a cure for a prince injured by a magical weapon, Vhalla surprises herself by unlocking her own buried magic to find the information. The healed prince delves into her powers only to discover she has an affinity for air magic, a power thought lost over 100 years ago. His affinity is fire, but he still attempts to tutor her, despite her protests that she doesn't want to do magic. But when other power players begin making moves, Vhalla has little choice but to embrace magic and the dangers it brings.

There was some really cool worldbuilding in this book, for example someone with an affinity for one of the elements can also do other things within that element's category, like word magic along with air magic. Vhalla and the prince had decent banter that made for some enjoyable chemistry.

I struggled sometimes with how overly similar it was to ATLA, like the air affinity people having been all (or nearly all) killed 100 years ago. The fire prince with daddy issues. A large war going on. The air user needing training. I kept picturing the woman who plays Aang in the Ember Island Players episode as Vhalla and Zuko as the prince. Is that fair to the author or book? No. Did it decrease my enjoyment of this book? Yes. However, a more book-related critique is that the prince's personality felt wildly different in his POV vs her POV. Not in a he's so mysterious and private kind of way but in a is this the same man way.

This book is for you if you enjoy elemental magic systems, bad boy prince love interests, or if you were a Zaang shipper when you watched ATLA. It's not for you if you love ATLA so much that you won't be able to unsee the similarities, if you are not a fan of morally gray/bad boy love interests, or if you're not in a headspace to read about genocide, war, or city bombings.


Have you read Air Awakens? The entire series? Do you recommend any of Kova's other series? Let's discuss in the comments!

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa was recommended by my writing group. It's very popular in Japan where it was published in 2012 and has been translated into many languages, including English (2017). If you're worried that the cat will die, rest easy. The main character, Nana, is not in danger.

Nana begins life as a stray, but is adopted by his owner, Satoru, who takes him in after Nana is hit by a car. Satoru begins travelling around Japan meeting with people from throughout his life and Nana learns about his owner's past as well as the friends'. Often, Nana is a comfort and some sort of emotional wound is healed with each stop. However, Nana soon realizes that Satoru must have a reason for all this travelling, and it is perhaps in Nana's best interest to not get close to Satoru's many friends.

This was a very cute book told from the POV of Nana, which I thought would get old but stayed cute. The way it built our understanding of Satoru was well done. The ending was so beautiful that I ugly cried.

On the downside, I ugly cried. Thankfully, I saw it coming and finished the book at home and not on my commute.

This book is for you if you love cats or pets in general (remember: Nana does not die!), bittersweet endings, contemporary Japan, or if you have something in your eye and need to cry to get it out. This book is not for you if you'll be reading in public or away from tissues, if you hate cats or pet ownership, or if you are not in the headspace to read about death (this is not a spoiler: Satoru's parents died, when he was a child, which is discussed when he visits his friends). 


Have you read The Travelling Cat Chronicles? Did it make you sob too? Let's discuss in the comments!

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May came up in my search for 20th century secondary worlds, even though it technically takes place in our world, just on a fictional island off the coast of England.

The 1920s prohibition in this book isn't against alcohol, but magic. Annie comes to Crow Island to take care of her late father's estate, and doesn't care much for the illegal magic parties at the house next door. However, the witch in residence, Emmeline, catches her eye. As Annie uncovers her father's surprises, she also reconnects with a friend who moved to the island, who happens to owe Emmeline a lot: the life of the husband she enchanted into loving her. However, the debt is costing Emmeline's life, bit by bit, and the husband is not just unwilling to pay, he's willing to fight over it. Annie makes choices that continue to wrap her up in the whole business, and eventually she must come to terms with not only who she's become, but who her father was. 

This book's twist with prohibition was cool, and I liked that the location was confined to the island to limit the amount of worldbuilding required. The story kept a good momentum and never really languished anywhere. It gave Practical Magic vibes in terms of the magic system, very herbal and soft.

Hurdle number one is that I dislike The Great Gatsby, and only after buying this did I learn it's a Gatsby retelling. I thought it was just the 1920s. (Let me have the 20s without Jay Gatsby barging in PLEASE!) I wasn't a fan of the flashbacks purposefully hiding who the flashbacks were about, then resolving that with a character being forced to change her name. I felt the author messing me with there, and I never like to notice the author while reading.

This book is for you if you like The Great Gatsby, if you want a sapphic romance in the 20s, or if you enjoy Practical Magic. It's not for you if you dislike The Great Gatsby or if you aren't in the headspace to read about fertility problems or abusive partners.

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Have you read Wild and Wicked Things? Let's discuss in the comments!

The Reckoning of Roku by Randy Ribay is the latest novel in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. This is the first novel about Avatar Roku, Aang's predecessor, and also the first avatar novel by Randy Ribay. As a longtime fan of the avatar series, I knew I'd be reading this book the moment it came out.

The Reckoning of Roku follows a young Roku as he leaves for the air temple to begin his avatar training and his first adventures there. If you think you know Roku from the flashback episode (Season 3, episode 6 "The Avatar and the Firelord") think again. Roku is thrust into his first major conflict, but nothing is what it seems on a mysterious island, and with his new friend Gyatso, Roku must learn how to trust himself, and how to let go of the past.

I liked learning more about Roku, though I didn't expect to. Some of his deeper past added depth to his relationship with Sozin, though also explained how it broke down so easily. The new location and new angles on bending were also interesting, especially considering how much I know about the avatar world.

No major complaints about this book, honestly. I could have used a little bit of a clearer picture about the island, and there were a few minor mistakes, but nothing to put me off the next one. 

This book is for you if you enjoy Avatar: The Last Airbender, elemental fantasy, or the Kyoshi and Yangchen novels in the same series. It's not for you if you are wildly unfamiliar with the TV show, because the book doesn't stop to explain things like what is an avatar and what the world is like for new audiences.


Have you read the Reckoning of Roku? What did you think of that new character from Roku's past?! Let's discuss in the comments.

The Science of Game of Thrones by Helen Keen was on my planned-but-not-yet-purchased TBR for a long while because I thought 1) it sounded interesting and 2) it could help me with my own fantasy writing. I happened upon the book at a community book sale and bought it for $1. 

An important thing to know about this book is it was published in 2016, between seasons 6 and 7 of the show. It also focuses on science within Westeros/Essos, not on the science of how the show was made. It covers topics like incest, dragon anatomy, the Wall, and wildfire. It's a short read (251 pages). 

I liked that this book had a playful tone and communicated the science clearly.

I disliked that this book was so basic. If you know anything about any of the topics discussed, then you know everything the book will tell you. Probably more. I learned nothing from this book, but  I'm not the right audience because I already know so much science.

This book is for you if you are a GoT fan who has shied away from science, if you want to learn more about fantasy worlds for your own worldbuilding purposes, of if you want to know more about the specific topics covered in the book at an entry level. This book is not for you if you have no familiarity at all with Game of Thrones (it tosses in a lot of character names and events), if you are familiar with basic science, or if you were hoping to learn about the science that was used in the show itself (like pyrotechnics and CGI).  


Have you read The Science of Game of Thrones? What about other books that delve in to the science of other fantasy worlds, like Harry Potter? Let's discuss in the comments!

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel is a retelling of part of the Ramayana (an Indian epic focused on Rama, one of the avatars of Vishnu). The main character, Kaikeyi, is one of Rama's mothers (technically a step-mother) and is famous for banishing Rama from his home for ten years shortly after he gets married. A good portion of the Ramayana is about those ten years, and Kaikeyi is often cast a a villain. This book looked at things from her perspective, kind of like Wicked. This book was a Book of the Month pick, a NYT Bestseller, and was nominated for the Ignyte Award for best Adult Novel.

Kaikeyi follows the titular character from her childhood through the banishing of Rama. Kaikeyi's mother was banished from her home kingdom by Kaikeyi's father and so Kaikeyi had to take on the burden of raising her seven brothers. As a teenager, she was married off to the king of the nearby kingdom that had great power, but no heir from his first two (still living) wives. Kaikeyi makes a deal: she'll marry him if her first son becomes his heir, regardless of whatever other children he has. He agrees. As you can guess, this becomes a big issue later. This is all going on while Kaikeyi discovers a hidden power, and learns to control it. When faced with choices over the years over what's best for the kingdom or herself, she always chooses the kingdom--but not in the way the men around her would prefer.

This book was interesting. I came at it knowing what the Ramayana was and the basic concepts in it, but no memory of if we discussed the character Kaikeyi in my Asian Cultures class 10+ years ago. I think it definitely justified a lot of Kaikeyi's actions, and made Rama look like the bad guy. (I'm not sure if this is intentional because if Rama is an avatar of a god, shouldn't he be considered at least A good guy if not THE good guy in a retelling?)

Some of Kaikeyi's choices weren't the smartest, and if she'd just stopped to think she could have made better choices. Of course, the author was constrained by the Ramayana, so only so much could really change. Kaikeyi also sometimes came off as Not Like Other Girls, which is among my least favorite tropes.

This books is for you if you enjoy fairy tale retellings from new perspectives, if you want a feminist lens in the Ramayana's world, or if you enjoy stories focused on mothers. It's not for you if you aren't familiar with the Ramayana and don't want to be, if you dislike retellings, or if you aren't in the headspace to read about maternal abandonment.


Have you read Kaikeyi? What other retellings have you enjoyed recently? Let's discuss in the comments!