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Author: Frances Denny

Frances Denny is a writer and book reviewer.

MY FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2022

To celebrate December, here’s a list of my favourite books I read this year.

THE RARKYN’S FAMILIAR by Nikky Lee

GENRE: Young Adult, High Fantasy, Dark Fantasy

If you haven’t read my review, here’s the link. 

This young adult fantasy is for those who enjoy Garth Nix and Trudi Canavan. The worldbuilding is amazing and the characters are complex. The second book in the series, THE RARKYN’S FALL, is yet to have a release date, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for that.

THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by Ali Hazelwood

GENRE: New Adult, Contemporary, Romcom

Who doesn’t love a story about two nerds finding love? THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS is a new adult romance between a stem-science university PhD student and a professor – yes that does not sound appropriate but they’re only fake-dating, and the professor isn’t teaching any of her classes – the two made sure of that. So, it’s all goods. 

I think. 

Just read the book. It’s good.

KINGDOM OF THE WICKED TRILOGY by Kerri Maniscalco

GENRE: Young Adult, New Adult, Paranormal/Gothic Fantasy, Romance

Soooo…this was kind of a guilty pleasure read. It’s not deep, but it’s a lot of fun. The premise is a witch must team up with a prince of Hell to uncover the truth behind the murder of her twin sister. Along the way, there’s blood, demons, goddesses, magical tattoos, mystery, death, and sex…lots of sex. Chapters of sex – a small addition to the trilogy…

*Looks sideways*

ANATOMY: A LOVE STORY by Dana Schwartz

GENRE: Young Adult, Gothic/Paranormal Romance

Set in 1800s Edinburgh, the story follows wannabe surgeon Hazel Sinnett who uncovers a dark secret regarding the disappearance of its citizens, and it’s not all to do with the Roman fever. If you enjoy gothic romance and you didn’t faint when you dissected a frog in biology, you’ll love this book. One thing to note, Schwartz compares this book to FRANKENSTEIN. I see this book as more like THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE. Or maybe a mix of both. You decide.

ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART and THE BALLAD OF NEVER AFTER by Stephanie Garber

GENRE: Young Adult, High Fantasy, Romance

ONCE UPON A TIME meets SABRIEL – definitely! Heartbroken Evangeline makes a deal with the Prince of Hearts (Jacks) to mend her heart. But striking deals with immortals isn’t wise, and Evangeline must travel to the magical and mysterious North to save herself and those she loves. If you don’t mind your childhood faith in true love and happily-ever-afters being destroyed, you should read this trilogy. The third and final book, A CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE, comes out September next year and Garber better let Evangeline and Jacks have their happy ending. Or I’ll cry. 

CIRCE by Madeline Miller

GENRE: Adult, Fantasy, Mythology, Retelling

Superb. Incredible. Rich. Hands down, my favourite book of this year. It’s Greek mythology from the perspective of the enchantress/minor goddess, Circe. Through her point-of-view, a spotlight is shone on the misogyny of the Greek gods. Despite this, Madeline Miller is able to weave in hope, love, joy and passion through her complex and rich characters. Definitely worth a read.

LITTLE THIEVES by Margaret Owen

GENRE: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Retelling, LGBTQ+

Very few books accurately portray PTSD, but Owen has nailed it in this retelling of the Goose Girl. I absolutely believed Vanja and her experience. Vanja, daughter of Death and Fortune, escapes her parents by stealing the identity of her old friend, the princess Gisele. There’s so much I liked about this book, especially the shape-shifting demigod, Ragne, who is given the responsibility of “keeping an eye on Vanja.” I think Ragne should have her own series. The second book in the duology comes out next year. Will totally be reading it.

THE FORBIDDEN WISH by Jessica Khoury.

GENRE: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Retelling

I rarely like Aladdin retellings because they are often Disney rip-offs and have little to do with A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS. However, this retelling is an exception. Aladdin felt so real, as did the description of his appearance and behaviour as a peasant in ancient Arabia. And he was likeable. Zahra, the genie and narrator, was also a fascinating character. It’s not often books are told from the perspective of an immortal, and I thought Khoury did a good a job at making her feel believable.

THE CATS WE MEET ALONG THE WAY by Nadia Mikail

GENRE: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia

The world is ending, and we have a road trip, and we don’t want the world to end because we love the characters and their cats so much. Yes, I was moved by this book. It was so sweet, so sad, so human. If you want to have faith in humanity during hard times, read this book.

WE ARE OKAY by Lina LaCour

GENRE: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+

I talk about WE ARE OKAY a lot because it’s SO FLIPPIN’ GOOD. It’s the first book that’s made me cry – EVER. The story follows Marin, who, after the death of her grandad and main caregiver, fled to New York without telling anybody. However, Marin must still face the tragedy of her grandfather’s death, when her ex-girlfriend and best friend Mabel visits with questions. I loved this book so so so so much and FINALLY a story with accurate lesbian and authentic mental health rep. 

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Vale

STACEY L. PIERSON

Stacey L. Pierson’s Vale is a YA paranormal murder mystery about a group of teens who are all hiding something regarding the disappearance of an old friend.

The first thing that struck me about this book was the TV-script style of Stacey’s writing. It reads like I’m watching a television show; the layout, the immediacy of the writing, the fast pace, is all reminiscent of a TV show. And it works perfectly for the large cast. 

The second thing that struck me was how well Stacey has characterized Vale High School. The High School itself feels like a living organism, as all the students are described in dispassionate terms of how they function in the school. And the school feels like it’s watching them.

Lastly, I love how Charles’s epilepsy is drawn. Stacey has mentioned this aspect of the book is #ownvoices and it reads as an authentic portrayal. So many books that feature characters with disabilities or conditions make a big deal about the disability/condition, but Charles is just allowed to be a regular character who is in no way different from the rest of the cast. 

Double lastly, that twist at the end was totally unexpected! 

Overall, Vale is an engaging read that I definitely recommend to those who love YA and mystery.

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Moneyland

By Michael Botur

If I were to describe Moneyland, I would say it’s Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies, meets Squid Game. This is a futuristic horror novel, where robots have taken over the world and are experimenting on humans. One of these experiments involves leaving twelve teenagers in an abandoned suburb where they must fight over resources.

The main character, Eden, is a participant in this experiment. She is a wealthy and entitled teenager leading a consumerist lifestyle. Usually, I’m not a fan of this kind of trope: the bratty high school bully who comes from a rich family. But in this story, the trope works, because Eden is quickly thrown into an environment where there is a shortage of everything. This stark contrast to Eden’s old life offers very interesting character development. 

The juxtaposition of settings is a compelling aspect of this novel. We have the humans who are rich and hedonistic. And then we have the human experiments who must fight each other for resources. These extremes reflect on how an imbalance of resources, whether too much or too little, breaks and tears apart society. 

Just a note, there is violence towards animals in this book, so if you’re at all sensitive or squeamish, I would proceed with caution.

Overall, an intriguing read. Would definitely recommend to fans of horror and science fiction.

3 Comments

Realm of Kings

BY DUSTIN B FISHER

I sat on this book for a while as, although the pace picks up towards the middle and the characterization of the hero deepens, the opening is slow, and the female characters are a little problematically portrayed (more on that later). 

Realm of Kings follows DT who discovers he and his friends have superpowers and are called to save the Realm of Kings. 

The writing style shows promise. I know some reviewers have mentioned that there’s too much dialogue and not enough description, but I enjoyed the dialogue. It felt natural and moved the plot forwards. I thought DT was a complex and interesting character with some challenging flaws. 

However, some of the female characters seem to be stereotypically sexual in their demeanor, particularly in the opening. I would have liked a little more variation with their personalities.

Overall, I would recommend Realm of Kings to those who enjoy complex worldbuilding and layered protagonists.

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Interview with Nikky Lee (The Rarkyn’s Familiar)

Nikky Lee is a multi award-winning author of science fiction and fantasy. She’s twice been placed in the Aurealis Awards for Best Young Adult Short Story and Best Science Fiction Novella. She’s been published in multiple presses and magazines, including Deadset Press and Breach Magazine. 

Lee’s debut novel, The Rarkyn’s Familiar, will be released in April. I was lucky enough to read an ARC copy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Read my review here.

Most of your works are rooted heavily in science fiction and fantasy, what is it about this genre that sparks your interest? Was it a conscious decision to stick primarily to one genre?

I’ve always been drawn to the unreal. I think it comes from my inner child who’s always wished magic was real. There’s a sense of wonder and wanderlust wrapped up in it too, I love exploring strange lands and different cultures—real or in my head. And intellectually, I enjoy playing around with ‘what if’ scenarios and imagining how worlds, technology, social structures and culture would develop if they have (or don’t have) certain magic or technology.

I don’t think it was ever a conscious decision to write primarily in the spec fic genre. It’s my favourite genre to read and I never imagined myself writing creatively in any other genre.

It’s no secret that you are a prolific short story writer, snapping up many awards and appearing in many publications, do you have any tips for writers who are looking to submit work to magazines, anthologies or short story competitions?

For the longest time I didn’t think of myself as a short story writer, my ideas were always these big, sprawling epics. Then I discovered that writing to a specific theme—be it a submission call out or even just a prompt—helped me narrow down my options and come up with a “small(er)” idea. The more short stories I wrote, the more I realised that limiting myself in this way actually makes me more creative. 

It’s been said that learning to write a good short story can help tighten your prose and sharpen your plot in novel writing. How has your experience in short story writing helped you with writing your debut novel? 

Not so much with my debut—I’d finished writing The Rarkyn’s Familiar before I fell in love with short stories. But writing short stories did make a massive difference when I was writing the second book in the series. I could rave for paragraphs about how good they were for experimenting with voice, style, tense—even just to practise elements that I knew I was weaker on or wanted to improve on. For example, Dingo & Sister, which won two Aurealis Awards, began because I wanted to prove to myself I could write a story with deep characters. Short stories have also been excellent for teaching me word economy. 

On the project front, they have also been a great palette cleanser between bigger projects. Because they’re short, you can write one and then move on to the next idea pretty quickly. Plus the writer’s high you get from completing a short story is just as good as finishing something longer. 

I know that you’ve been careful with which publisher you’ve chosen to work with. Could you talk us through your decision process? What advice can you give to aspiring authors?

I knew that I wanted to try and get published in the US or the UK since the markets there are so much bigger than little Aotearoa! I’d been querying The Rarkyn’s Familiar for about a year and a half, and had some nibbles of interest but they eventuated to nothing. At the same time, I was learning a lot about self-publishing and getting quite tempted there after seeing several Kiwi indie fantasy authors do exceptionally well. There was also the potential to earn a good return off a series, which is what The Rarkyn’s Familiar would be. However, the initial outlay to get even the first book professionally edited, formatted and cover designed was very off-putting. 

Then I participated in #PitDark on Twitter and got an invitation from Parliament House Press to submit to them. I went to their website, checked out their books on Goodreads and Amazon and liked what I saw. The covers were fantastic and the quality of the interior samples was high, so I submitted. When the offer came through, I hired an agent from Australia to vet the contract and make sure there were no red flags that I hadn’t picked up. I also contacted a few of Parliament House’s authors to ask how their experience with the publisher had been. They all came back with glowing reviews—with the usual caveats of choosing to go with a smaller publisher: I’d be expected to do some marketing and self-promotion myself and not to expect bestseller sales. I was okay with that. I view publishing as a long game, it takes most authors several books to start earning a decent income. So I don’t expect to quit my day job anytime soon!

In other interviews, you’ve mentioned how you’ve drawn on your own experience with anxiety in The Rarkyn’s Familiar. From my experience reading your book, you dig quite deep into this topic and I can imagine it might have been difficult to write. What did your self-care routine look like when writing this book?

I was very fortunate to write the majority of The Rarkyn’s Familiar when I was in a good place mentally. I hadn’t had an anxiety flare up for a couple of years and was fairly confident I had it under control (all that changed when Covid arrived!). When I was searching for a way to deepen Lyss’s internal struggles, I realised my journey of understanding and accepting my anxiety was very similar to Lyss’s journey of discovering and accepting her magic: at first she doesn’t understand what is happening to her, then she initially tries to suppress it and fight it off, until she finally realises that accepting it lessens its power over her. 

In terms of self-care, exercise is one of the best things for me. When I’m starting to feel stressed or anxious, it’s a sign I need to get up and move, even if it’s just a walk around the block. It does wonders for my sleep too, which then sets me up for the next day. Routine also helps (hence why Covid threw a spanner in the works). For managing a flare-up, I find square breathing works well along with making a conscious effort to set aside time for relaxation—be it some yoga, a hot bath and a book, or a short guided meditation. Lastly, the biggest leap forward in my self-care was the decision to go to the doctor and get professional advice—that has made a world of difference. 

There are no real heroes or villains in The Rarkyn’s Familiar, which is one of my favourite aspects of your debut novel. To write such morally complex characters, what were some of the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?

I’m of the belief that villains aren’t born, they’re made. When I started writing The Rarkyn’s Familiar, I wanted to do more than the standard good versus evil setup. The antagonist’s motivation needed to be more than “because they’re evil”. I wanted to show characters who are the product of their society and their experiences within it; characters who think they are the heroes of their story, even when from another point of view, their behaviour is heinous.

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Bubba The Bee

BY CHARLOTTE FARMER, ILLUSTRATED BY COURTNEY HUDDLESTON

This is a cute story designed to teach children not to fear bugs. It follows a girl named Camilla who’s afraid of a bee until she discovers the bee’s afraid of her. The book shows how Camilla learns to coexist with the bee and eventually gives it a name, Bubba. 

What’s charming is that the book addresses our inherent fear of the unknown and how naming our fears (in this case bugs) can help us move past them. Camilla eventually names all the bugs she encounters, which helps her to become affectionate towards them.

The illustrations are well done and perfect for the kind of story this is. The book also provides a letter to parents about the importance of helping kids conquer their anxiety over insects and other creepy crawlies. 

I recommend for parents of young children with a fear of any kind of animal. 

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The Rarkyn’s Familiar

BY NIKKY LEE

I received a free ARC from the author and am leaving a voluntary review.

Wow. What a ride this was. The Rarkyn’s Familiar by Nikky Lee is a YA: High Fantasy. It follows orphan, Lyss, who accidentally finds herself in a blood-pact with a beast from “the other world”: the rarkyn named Skaar. The magic bond she has with Skaar will drive her insane if she doesn’t find a way to break the pact. 

First thing I want to clarify. I’ve heard this book being compared to Sarah J. Maas’s books. This is NOTHING like her books. The style, the content, the characters feel more in conversation with The Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan. 

Now that’s out of the way… 

The world-building is incredible. There’s so much history, lore and politics packed into 496 pages and a prose-style that zips along. Nowhere did I feel bogged down. And that’s amazing given Nikky Lee has created a made-up language, a foreign universe, a complex magic-system and an array of brand-new creatures. 

The characters are beautifully drawn. There’s a large cast, as is expected in High Fantasy. Every character’s motives are clearly explained, making them easy to relate to. Even the antagonists have understandable motives, which adds to the richness of the world. I even felt sad when one of the major villains died. That, to me, is good writing.

The prose fits perfectly for the genre. It’s fast-paced, exciting and leaves enough room for world-building and character relationships to develop. It’s also at times dark and includes blood and gore, but not over-the-top. In fact, I would argue that readers who are not fans of dark themes, would enjoy this book too.

Over all, I recommend this book to anyone who likes their characters complex and morally ambiguous. 

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A Santa Fe Xmas

BY CECELIA GUZMAN

This was a wonderful book to read over Christmas.

The story follows Evie And Alex. Evie bumps into Alex on the way to the family restaurant she runs and she ends up hiring him as a bartender. Things heat up between them and we learn some juicy family secrets.

Also included in this book are some family recipes from the author. I love this addition as it adds a personal touch. 

This is a really sweet story about the importance of family in times of grief. It also has some adorable romantic moments between Evie and Alex.

I found the writing very easy to read. It was simplistic, but flowed well and the style fitted nicely in the spirit of a holiday read. 

Overall, I definitely recommend A Santa Fe Xmas. It’s a quick read and a lot of fun. 

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Cosmogony (A romantic drama)

CHRIS WHEAT

Cosmogony follows an interracial newly-engaged couple as they uncover the secrets of their new home, the conservative small town, Goldwater, California.

The novel is a quick, easy and engaging read. The writing is solid, although at times it can overuse the word, “and.”

The characters feel authentic and the relationship between Isaac and Ruth is romantic and satisfying. Perfect for the romance genre.   

This book packs a lot into 117 pages. There’s drama, shoot-outs, bank-robberies, government secrets, social justice, and romance. In other words, everything exciting is jammed into this short novel. However, the storyline never feels too busy, which can be a potential problem when reading complex plotlines.  

What I love most about this book is the empathy. Although it’s easy to preach on sensitive topics, such as racism and sexism, this book still manages to maintain a non-judgemental tone and trusts the story to open the discussion with the reader.

Overall, Cosmogony is definitely worth the read.

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Borderlanders

GILLIAN POLACK

Borderlanders is about three friends who are dealing with everyday life issues, but against a backdrop of magical realism. Melissa, the main protagonist, suffers from chronic pain. Bettina is dealing with a family secret and struggling to come to terms with her psychic dreams. Zelda is writing a book while going through a difficult divorce.

I enjoyed how the writer leaves Bettina’s dreams to the reader to decide whether there’s a supernatural element to them.

I also appreciated the way Melissa’s chronic pain was handled. It’s rare you come across a book that addresses the toll physical illness has on a person’s mental health. I particularly loved this passage, 

“She won’t give me tablets for depression because she says it’ll get better as I get better. Then, next visit, she admits I may not get better for years. Or ever. Not until we know more about things. And she sends me for tests and forgets the depression.”

The author doesn’t shy away from the real struggles the chronically ill face when trying to seek recognition and validation for their pain. It’s clear a lot of research has gone into writing this book. 

Some other quotes that beautifully illustrate the chronically ill experience are:

“I’m doing this because I’m wonderful and you’re an invalid. You shouldn’t really exist but I’m making it possible because look, I’m washing your dishes while I tell you how to live.”

“I need to pretend to have a different disability in order not to be yelled at.”

“What I’m not so impressed about was the way he shouldered in front of me for everything. He was so sick. And the family treated him as special. And I sat there at dinner thinking, “Maybe I’m not as sick as he is. Maybe I’m kidding myself.””

One aspect I found jarring at times was that the dialogue felt wooden. Everyone sounded the same. Although the characters are well drawn and I didn’t feel that the dialogue detracted too much from the storytelling.

Overall, if you’re looking for a book that accurately portrays chronic illness, I strongly recommend Borderlanders.

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