★★★★★ A truly excellent start to a trilogy about an orphan who infiltrates an Academy for societal elites in order to uncover a conspiracy.

★★★★★ Yarros gives us a rarity -- a sequel to a force-of-nature debut that's just as good as the original, and in some ways possibly better.

★★★★☆ After a bit of a slow and clunky start, the story of a young human woman imprisoned in faerie lands barrels to an excellent climax.

★★★☆☆ The first book in a series with plenty of potential, it establishes characters and foundation but fails to deliver a full story arc.

Inspired by an underwhelming list from Goodreads, this counts down a far superior list of the Top 50 books of the last 5 years (2020-2024).

★★★★☆ A mostly average offering from an author I normally enjoy, which follows the next generation of her "An Ember in the Ashes" heroes.

★★★☆☆ A continuation of the "Cerulean Chronicles", but lacking the sweetness, joy and novelty that made the first book delightful & special.

★★★☆☆ A sweet little story about friendship and starting over, focused on an orc who tries to leave violence behind and open a coffee shop.

★★★★☆ McGuire's unparalleled creativity is again on display as she explores Lunar deities working to solve a murder of one of their own.

★★★★☆ A uniquely creative fantasy novel, it's ultimately a struggle between those in power and those powerful enough to overthrow them.

★★★★☆ A memorable novella, inspired by Polish folklore, that follows a guilt-ridden hero's journey through the magical underbelly of Chicago

★★★☆☆ A rare ho-hum effort from an author I enjoy, Bardugo's novel of 16th century Spain struggles to blend history, fantasy, and romance.

★★★★☆ An inventive concept suffers a bit when the inevitable potential plot holes that come with time travel emerge. Entertaining but flawed

★☆☆☆☆ By the author of the excellent Thistlefoot, a collection of short stories written six years ago that should have remained unpublished.

★★★★☆ A new set of characters and worlds from El-Arifi, but a book that is far more in the "romantasy" category than her previous novels.

A running tally of my "Best Books of 2023", updated each time I finish a book throughout the year.

★★★★★ Perhaps the most-hyped book of 2023 lives up to it, as we follow the journey of a young girl as she attempts to become a dragon rider.

★★★★★ Harrow returns to top form with a genre-blending story of a young woman trying to scrape by in a town haunted by its past and secrets.

★★★★★ El-Arifi builds on her stellar debut The Final Strife (my #3 book of 2022), and does so both ambitiously and successfully.

★★★★★ A sometimes dark exploration of a world where humans and sentient machines coexist, balanced by Klune's trademark humor and heart.