Despite the title, this isn’t a post where we plan to poo-poo on authors who have disappointed us. It’s more to be reflective of the books we were initially anticipating or desperate for.. and how they fared in execution vs expectation. Also please know that if any of these books, or authors, are your favourites, that’s great! Every reading experience is different.
Worth noting is some of these books might have been three stars. But if we expected it to be a five, it’s kind of disappointing to only like, not love, it. Please bear that in mind. Disappointment doesn’t mean hate; but there might be some on those in this list, too.
For clarity, these are books we read in 2022, not necessary books published in 2022, and presented in no particular order.
We are (depending on your timezone) mere hours away from the New Year and we here at A Take From Two Cities want to take a moment to say..
Whether you’re having a quiet celebration with your household, hanging out on your own, making a virtual splash, or out with a group, we are raising a glass to you and hoping you are all having a great (and safe!) time.
Here’s to not only a fresh start in 2023, and hopefully a few less disasters (echoing this from last year because sadly it bears repeating), but also a ton of great books and a lot more laughs.
Hi, Hollis here! A few years ago I bemoaned all my started-but-unfinished series and went to some painstaking effort to shelve them on GR to keep track. I quickly discontinued that effort but the fact remains that we as readers, and we here at A Take from Two Cities, start so many series and only manage to finish some. Whether that’s because said series are yet to be completed, delayed, or just forgotten about amidst all the other new releases, who can say. But to keep us (me) accountable, I want to start a blog series not unlike our Five On Our TBRs but where we (I) try to complete (at least!) five series a year.
This was once again successful for me in 2022 and overall this endeavour continues to keep me not just accountable but motivated. Honestly, it’s only the thought of having to type “I failed” in this box that I pushed on and completed the fifth series on last year’s list. Now that’s motivation.
Topping my list for series I’d like to complete in 2023 are :
Starting this list off with the repeat and that is Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series. Well, not the main trilogy, at least, as I snuck that in right near the end of the year. But I would like to push on with at least one of the two spin-off trilogies (Imriel’s Trilogy and Namaah’s Trilogy). If all goes well, I’ll tackle both. But, once again, I’m not committing to that on paper.
The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas is next on my list. I have a rocky relationship with this author (some buddies witnessed me hate-reading the end of the main A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy and I have yet to read on..) but it has haunted me that I gave up on this series around Queen of Shadows and I just need to finish it. It might not be a great ride towards completion, not to mention reliving those early books!, but I remember enjoying, more than disliking, everything I read prior to quitting and I do hope I have some fun with it.
The Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown. I completed the main trilogy upto Morning Star but never tackled the series after the series expanded; and now with the penultimate instalment releasing next year (May 23, 2023!), this feels like the best time to catch up.
Next up, The Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole. I started this series back in 2015 (!!) and before I could get caught up (I’ve read upto book three) I think the author ended up getting pulled into other commitments. When I added this series to this draft post, months ago, we still hadn’t had any news about book six — but I’m here now to edit this to say we now have a release date (April 18, 2023). I have no idea if this YA (NA?) post-apocalyptic Arcana-based love triangle series will hit the way it did way back when but there’s only one way to find out.
And lastly, for this round up, Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s The Inheritance Games series. This YA mystery series is probably the newest/most recently published offering on this list (book three came out in the fall) and it’s mostly on here because I had books two and three checked out from my library just the other day when I realized.. maybe, for this kind of story, with all the twists and turns and reveals that occurred in book one, maybe I need to go back and binge so I keep it all straight. And so here we are.
Micky here and I’m squeezing into this one because I have 4353 series unfinished or so it feels. I do have a problem and I think it’s because the minute I start thinking of series to finish, my mind goes to series I want to start. Thus my problem expands.
My list for 2023 goes like this:
First up is Grace Draven’s Fallen Empire series. I’m a big fan of Draven and tend to enjoy this author’s writing most in her full novels than her short stories.
I’ve been meaning to catch up on the two latter Daevabad books for a couple of years and now we have short stories just out, so I feel very left behind on the love for this. I remember book one being quite dense storytelling but good.
This is a series that’s still got releases coming but as I got up to date with this author’s Mercy Thompson series and I remain in love with it, carrying on with this off-shoot series needs to be my next priority.
The Tomorrow’s Ancestors series is a super fresh take on evolution in the future clashing with the beginings of humanity. I loved book one and I want to see what happens in the next two books.
No pictures for my final series plan as I’m in tune with Hollis here, finally having picked the Throne of Glass series back up. I’ve recently enjoyed book two and want to see it through in 2023.
Are there any series you’re prioritizing this year? We’d love to know!
As we are seconds away from closing the door on 2022, we got to thinking about all the books set to release next year that we know of. There are so many! And so many still yet to be announced that we will also be excited for. However..
As usual, we are challenging ourselves to narrow down an anticipated list of only ten titles. Yes. Ten. Yes, we know, that’s not even one title per month. It’s a horrible exercise. Let’s begin!
Hollis’ Top Ten Anticipated Releases of 2023 (in order of publication) :
We just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all the very best. Whether you celebrate Hannukah, Solstice, Christmas, or nothing at all, we are thinking of you and hoping you are (again and always) well, safe, and hale.
Every year holds it’s trials and tribulations, some losses and (hopefully) some wins, and all of that seems to come to a head around the holidays. So if you’ve had a hard one, and this time of year is making it even harder, you are in our thoughts.
We’ve found that breaking down our TBRs can be something that inspires us to pick up hidden or briefly forgotten reads. ‘Five on my TBR’ is something that we have done a few times on bookstagram but it originated with someone else, though, eek, we’ve no idea who (if you’re the creator of this, please let us know and we will credit you!).
We are starting off the new year with the hope that we will include updates in this TBR series more often than we might have done last year. But whether we do or not (who can say!), here we are showing what’s risen to the top of our TBRs and/or what has us buzzed.
I finally mastered King of Scars so now it’s time for Rule of Wolves. I am haunted on my netgalley shelf by The Blood Heir, so I’m pushing myself on that. The other three are owned books I keep looking at, feel enthusiatic about but don’t pick up. Do we share any excitables?
This TBR is a pile of series — except the last. Why, why am I doing this to myself? Because I am a binge queen! I will naturally have to follow up each of these instalments with the subsequent ones and finish the series. Gulp. As for the reasons? The Cosimano because it’s everywhere and I’m curious about the hype! The Gale because it’s a long-overdue series to finish; I had picked up an ARC of the final book, gone back to read book one, and then.. got stalled, somehow. The Ashe because I’ve been hoarding each release of this spin-off (of a spin-off) waiting until the series finished. The Lam and May because I’ve put it on this TBR series twice now and I’m overdue. And, finally, the CLo because it’s a CLo and I’m curious about this different take on their usual fare.
Tell us the top five books on your TBR! Do any of ours make your lists?
We thought it would be fun to do a NetGalley check in, find some receipts for what some might call crazy clicking (Micky) and others might call the Marie Kondo method of NetGalley (Hollis).
We actually do this on the regular with one another on DMs and it’s always the same patten with us : Micky is the serial offender, a bit behind, requesting too much while the NetGalley shelf bows with weight. Hollis, meanwhile, is more considerate of her click habits — only because she learned her lesson after having overclicked and, subsequently, buried herself in ARCs a few years back. (*Micky interrupts…Excuse me, Hollis…some of us like that buried feeling.) Also, as many of you know, Hollis enjoys almost nothing so that’s also a factor.
Shall we screenshot? Did you say go on?
So, Micky’s oldest unread is from November 2019 – Blood Heir (sorry Harper, you will get my review one day). Currently there are 44 books awaiting feedback but the good news is that my stats are at 92% with feedback given on 552 books. So while I might be an over-clicker, I generally deliver on my reviews and am mostly on time.
Hollis actually cleared her outstanding eARC queue earlier this year (yesss, snuck it in before the bell!) so she has no overdue reviews. As of the writing this blog post she has five (5) eARCs to read and review and her status is at 98% with 310 out of 315 books read and reviewed.
So what does your NetGalley shelf look like? Are you a Micky, a Hollis, or a SomewhereInBetween? Let us know!
We’ve found that breaking down our TBRs can be something that inspires us to pick up hidden or briefly forgotten reads. ‘Five on my TBR’ is something that we have done a few times on bookstagram but it originated with someone else, though, eek, we’ve no idea who (if you’re the creator of this, please let us know and we will credit you!).
We are starting off the new year with the hope that we will include updates in this TBR series more often than we might have done last year. But whether we do or not (who can say!), here we are showing what’s risen to the top of our TBRs and/or what has us buzzed.
Yes, I’ve transferred King of Scars for the third time but triumphing in that I read the other four off my last 5 on our tbrs posts. After finishing a Juliet Marillier series recently, I need more so this duo of hers is calling me and Hollis bought me one of the books. Sad Ghost Club volume 1 was a delight, so I need to jump into the second. Do we share any excitables?
I’m using some of the similar energy I channeled in the last post of this series and I’m tackling a trilogy in lieu of three separate books. The Green Bone Saga isn’t part of my Series to Complete goal but still one I’m way overdue to complete. I’m excited to crush the finale of the Girls of Paper and Fury series not because I like it (welp) but because I want to.. well, complete it. And finally I’m just generally excited about The Barnabus Project because it was pitched at a publisher event and looks adorable and if it is as amazing as I hope it’s going on the books to buy list for my nieces.
Tell us the top five books on your TBR! Do any of ours make your lists?
January often brings tones of blue-ness to the scene and books slumps are rife post-Christmas. What more could we need than a bit of romance, a bit of spice and add in some sports.
Micky here. I indulged in an unplanned sports romance re-read fest recently because my brain needed comfort with complete and utter attention-grabbing reads. Sports romance is a sub-genre I particularly love and I lean on old favourites as I can’t say that I’m up to date with more recent releases in this sub genre.
I’ve got some recs from my little impromtu sports-romanceathon and then some other sports romance I’d also rec. I’d love to hear from you about some more recent releases that you’d rec to me. Spice levels on a scale of 1-5 (but this is subjective).
First up, Real& Mineby Katy Evans. I lived the life of underground fighting with Remington ‘Riptide’ Tate and Brooke, his sport’s therapist and more. These were first published in 2013 and I’ve read them a number of times. They are super spicy and super alpha if that’s your bag. In truth, I don’t go for these types anymore but I will forever love these two. This is a six book series, with the first three focused on the same couple and later books are companions. Spice level : 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Content warnings for violence and mental illness
Next in my sports-romanceathon were Ride& Crash by Harper Dallas. These books are set in an elite snowboarding world with interconnected couples in each book. These stories are all push and pull, chemistry, a little drama and completely unputdownable. They’re also in Kindle Unlimited. There’s a third book to come in the Wild Sequence series and although it’s been a while, I can’t wait for more from Harper Dallas. Spice level : 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Now to some much-loved sports romance recommendations from Hollis and I:
The Keeperby Jillian Liota (YA) – female football (soccer) — 🌶️ Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu (NA) – LGBTQIAP+ hockey — 🌶️ The Wall of Winnipeg & Me by Mariana Zapata – American football — 🌶️🌶️ Kulti by Mariana Zapata – football (soccer) — 🌶️🌶️ Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez (YA) – female football (soccer) — 🌶️🌶️ From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata – ice skating — 🌶️🌶️ The Best Thing by Mariana Zapata – rugby — 🌶️🌶️ Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan – basketball — 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Wrecking Ball by P Dangelico – American football — 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid – LGBTQIAP+ hockey — 🌶️🌶️🌶️ The Year We Hid Away by Sarina Bowen (NA) – hockey — 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Him by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy – LGBTQIAP+ hockey — 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ The Game Plan by Kristen Callihan – American football — 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
So now we need your help. Update us on the more recent sports romances that you’ve loved, please and thank you! Tell us what your favourites are and if we share any.
A Take from Two Cities 