The biggest surprise for me was definitely The Bound and The Broken. I absolutely enjoyed it. And not only was I surprised from that, but I I ended up getting out of a year long reading slump and I ended up discovering a lot of authors that I really liked. So all in all it was a fun year for reading and I pretty much owe it to Cahill and his amazing writing (can’t wait for the next book).
I rolled the dice on the We Are the Dead books and bought all of them on Broken Binding based on your review and the sample I read. I was afraid if I waited too long they would sell out. They have been in my to-be-read Kindle pile for awhile.
The biggest surprise for me was the Daughter of the Empire. It was Game of Thrones before Game of Thrones was written. It is perfection and the most balanced novel I have ever read. The prose is rich but not too purple. There is punching without battle fatigue. This protagonist is if Rob Stark was more like Cerci Lannister. Everyone should check it out and you do not need to read Magician. If anyone could finish Song of Ice & Fire it would be Janny Wurts!
I have never been a re-reader. I always felt I’d be bored because I already knew the story arc. Boy did that misconception get blown out of the water this year. I read The Red Rising series again this year in preparation for Light Bringer. I was definitely surprised by how much I enjoyed the series again AND how much I didn’t remember. Now I’m looking forward to possibly re-reading some of my favorite books next year.
My biggest surprise was starting and finishing The Dresden Files. Everyone said Dresdens "gazing" would be off-putting, but I devoured that series. Thank you Mike (and others) ✨ 🌌
My biggest surprise of this year must be The Darkwater Legacy series by Chris Wooding (The Ember Blade, The Shadow Casket). Going off the reviews I knew it wasn't bad, but because it's relatively unknown I didn't think it was gonna be amazing. Turned out it absolutely was. Best two books I read this year, I think. Also a big surprise, even for myself: I started a bookstore... Never thought I'd do that! 🤣
Thanks for the content this year, Mike! What really sets you apart for me is all the great non-fantasy I've started to read thanks to you. Blake Crouch, Stephen King and Frank Herbert most notably. As a sidenote: Fully agree with you on Mark Lawrence. I think he's a great writer, most people seem to love his work. But for some reason I respond very lukewarm to all his books. The world building is great, I really loved the "advanced lost civilization" tropes. But the characters have no soul to them, to me at least.
It's funny how it goes sometimes as far as what clicks and what doesn't. Like yourself, Abercrombie is one of my all time favorites, but I started We Are the dead and it wasn't doing much for me. Didn't hate it, but got kind of bored. Bound and the Broken is working better (just finished the first full book). I also happen to love most of Mark Lawrence’s books and really thought you would love Book of the Ancestor 🤷🏻♂️
Seeing you fall in love with The Bound and the Broken (or just selfpub in general) has truly been the highlight of my year as well, haha. And thanks to you I am about to finish The Last War trilogy this month, it's definitely an underrated gem! Hope you find many more pleasant surprises next year 🤩
I’ve also been loving Bound and the Broken so far, should be continuing with Exile soon. My biggest surprises were how much I’ve enjoyed audiobooks, and then specifically how much I loved the Greatcoats series.
100% understand the feelings towards Book 1 of the Passage series. That being said, it is a good series moving forward. IMO, the first half of Book 1 should have been released as a prequel novella, with Book 1 starting at that halfway spot. There would still be a difference between the two, however I don't think it would be a jarring.
Ah man, shame you didn’t get on with The Passage! All I’ll say is I also put it down once I hit the second half, when I first read that I hated it. I was angry at the shift! I left it on the shelf for months, then finally went back to it mainly because I’d already invested quite a lot of time into it and felt like I should finish it. I’m so glad I did, because it’s now an absolute favourite of mine! The stuff from the first half comes back into play, and it all comes together. I know there’s no guarantee that it’ll click for you, but if you have the time and inclination I’d recommend trying to finish it. Great video, you’ve had a great year! Here’s to another fab one in 2024!
I have to agree about Mike Shackle and Ryan Cahill. Two amazing authors. Loved both of those series so much. Still have to read Of War and Ruin but I'm sure it will be so good. Currently almost done Nemesis Games and it has been a wild ride. Looking forward to the last 4 books of this series. Also, thanks for another great year! You're a pleasure to watch. been on board since 2019. What's your album of the year?
Your Mark Lawrence take still stings a little but you gave him a fair shot. Really want you to go back and finish The Passage trilogy, there are things you don't know yet.
My biggest surprise was the Cradle series by Will Wight! I DNF’d this series a couple years ago and still didn’t like the first couple books on reread. But I ended up bingeing books 5-12 in a week and had a fantastic time with them.
I'm so glad you've been trying self published books, Mike! I admit that I had the same apprehensions about them (and now I am one 🤣🤣🤣) but they put out some great content.
I'm pleasantly surprised by your reactions to One Piece and The Passage even tho I've never read One Piece and I loved The Passage. It's cool to know you're honest about being wrong or just not clicking with something. And it's great that you're not boringly predictable 🙂
I've got to stop watching these recommendation videos. The bank account has taken a dip since I subscribed... Just kidding, l love hearing about new series to look into. Keep up the good work on the videos!
Someone made a random comment early in the year on one of your vids about Dungeon Crawler Carl. I binged read ALL. Series of the year for me in a year of great reads!
Biggest surprises were enjoying so damn much Alastair Reynolds books (I read like 9), Terra Ignota by Ada Palmer (I sound like a broken record by now, but I don't care. It's a great series.) and, of course, Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio (I read everything released so far, and I'm ready to buy the e-arc of Disquiet Gods in Jan.)🤘📚💛
Mike, I’m reading The Stand for the first time and I’m about a 1/4 through it. I am loving it. But I gotta say… you said Larry was one of your favorite characters in the multiverse. He’s gotta go a long way by the end for me because he’s such a douche so far 😂
My biggest surprise is reading Stoner. Nothing in that synopsis sounded interesting me. I only read it because so many booktubers recommended it. It’s now one of my favorite reads of the year.
As an avid kindle reader, this year, I found myself craving physical books again. I set my kindle on the back burner for a little bit. Maybe others have too...🤷♀️
Question, what historical fiction books other than Lancelot have you not gotten on with that has made you think it’s not a genre for you? Hearing how much you love Warlord Chronicles, Pillars of the Earth, Lonesome Dove and Gone with the Wind, it seems like historical fiction is a genre that is certainly for you! I’d say my biggest surprises this year have been: Good surprise: Darth Bane book 1 Bad surprise: Legend by David Gemmell
I couldn’t agree with you more on The Passage. I did finish it but just barely. After the big bait and switch I was just like bruh…I was even stupid enough to start the second book but I had to DNF it
I don’t know if you will read this but, I watched one of your kindle videos and you seem to be having problems with the covers not showing up for sideloaded books. I also read a lot of sideloaded content and this issue has been bothering me too. One work-around I found is to edit your books and keep them in EPUB format, and then use the send to kindle feature from any iOS device or your computer. Then the cover for the EPUB file will be shown on your kindle.
Your Mark Lawrence is my Brandon Sanderson. I love Mark Lawrence books but I have tried numerous times to get into Sanderson & it’s just not for me. I couldn’t agree more with The Passage. I DNF it as well. Great beginning then BAM, WTF?
I read the Passage and the entire series. I do recommend continuing as it does improve. I also cannot read Mark Lawrence anymore. I just can’t get into his stories. I’ve read more than 4 books.
I did have a few surprises this year like Camp zero it's a dystopian book that came out this year unfortunately i didn't enjoy it But i was surprised how much I enjoyed lonesome dove and pride and prejudice by jane Austen
Great video. My biggest surprise was how much I loved Lonesome Dove. It''s been 3 months and it's still in my head. I owe that to you. I don't like westerns really and that story got my heart anyway!
I think gritty westerns are usually much better than traditional westerns. The characters tend to have a lot more depth and the plots tend to have way more emotion, intensity and philosophical themes.
One of the reasons that I keep watching your channel is because that you consistently give good book recommendations. I didn't expect to love the warlord Chronicles but it turns out that I really enjoyed them. On the flip side I really expected too enjoy the first law Trilogy, but it really didn't click for me.
Mike I want to see a video of you having some drinks and doing karaoke (since you said you love to sing),also your why you should read the bound and broken video was so damn good,especially the intro I had to stop the video because my tbr is so insane for next year,just the intros and excerpts haven’t pumped me up that much since your why you should read red rising video and because of that video red rising is my second favorite series of all time only behind First Law,but holy shit bravo that video was fantastic lol I’ll probably go back and finish watch it anyway TBR be damned !!
Maybe pacing is why you have varying results in historical fiction? I read a some of Cornwell and he is faster in pacing than other historical fiction. I can't plan too far ahead either for my TBR.
I think Musashi does a great job with pacing. It has the perfect balance of action, dialogue, tragedy, comedy, romance, character development and philosophical prose. I loved it.
Mike, I told you on your TAN with Christopher, but I finally read Dune since you’ve been bugging me through your videos for so long now. I gotta say, I was surprised. I didn’t know what I was expecting but it was nowhere close to whatever I thought it would be. Such a satisfying story, with so much good to teach you, to challenge you with, and to give you new perspectives. I LOVED it and I was only expecting to like it maybe a little above the average book.
One of my biggest surprise disappointments was reading Jurassic Park for the first time. For how much I've heard about Michael Crichton being a great writer, I was surprised with how one-sided the characters were in that book, especially Lex Murphy, who is really there to only cause drama to happen. I'm kind of surprised you enjoy that author's work, Mike, since you value character development so much. Maybe I need to read a different book instead?
I think my biggest surprise this year was Gideon the Ninth. My friend suggested it, but I was slightly hesitant since it didn't seem like my style of book. Thankfully I finished it because it was one of my favorites! My other surprise was reading the Poppy War trilogy and discovering the least likeable main character I've read in a long time!
Surprised by Chuck Wendig and his new release Black River Orchard. Didn’t think it would make me this much of a Wendig fan. Other surprise was 2x books that came out of nowhere for me. Truman Capote's In Cold Blood was an emotional roller coaster 🎢 and a book no one ever heard of called Power in the Blood by Greg Matthews. Both are on my top 10 this year
Mike u should take a look at the ranger apprentice series from John flanagan . Its imo the best ya fantasy series . wich has the tropes u realy like and im sure ur son wil too . Its written in a way adult can still enjoy it too. Greetings ✌🏻
Read theShadows of the Apt series by Adrian Tchaikovsky and just loved it. I also really liked The Sword of Kaigen. Finally got to Streets of Laredo. I had read the series in chronological order. Sadly,this last one missed the mark for me. Oh well. The rest were outstanding!
All of a sudden, I’m hearing lots of positive things about Robert R. McCammon’s book, “Speaks the Nightbird.” I haven’t read it but got it on Audible just last night after hearing so much praise for it.
Love your reviews (just recently discovered you). I feel your pain with Pierce. I've got a couple of authors I've been bugging for awhile now too :D Glad you got him on though and I'll be watching that next.
My biggest surprise was Ryan Cahill, I have his entire collection in Hardback SIGNED and I bought it after reading the prequel and book 1 of The Bound and the Broken. I knew I would love the series and the second book gets even better. For anyone looking for middle-grade fantasy (this is my palette cleanser so I read a surprising amount this year) I would recommend The Beyonders series by Brandon Mull, fantastic and original with tons of interesting races (no typical dwarves and elves).
I had three really big surprises this year the first was how much I loved the John Dies At The End series. I usually can’t read books in a series back to back but every time I tried to read something else I just couldn’t get into it. The second one was Red Rising. I’ve only read the first three but I read Golden Son in one day and Morning Star in two so…yeah loved that. And the third for me this year was something I was sure I was not going to be into, Lit RPG. Dungeon Crawler Carl is quickly rising to be one of my favorite series I’ve ever read and it was supposed to be just palate cleansers. Madison recommended them and I can’t stop. I just love them and it’s led to me giving more lit rpg a chance and He Who Fights With Monsters and The Wandering Inn and pretty high up on my TBR for next year.
Exact same experience for me with The Passage. The first half was amazing and then I ended up DNFing it because the second half was not to my taste at all.
Mike, I know you can’t get into audio books. I think you really need to try audiobooks for re reads. If you phase out or don’t give it all your attention your still good because you read it before.
Looking forward to your thoughts on Beyond Redemption next year. Do you have any plans to watch or read Attack on Titan? I’d love to hear your thoughts and impressions, especially on the later story arcs and whether or not you think the ending sticks the landing.
@@mikesbookreviews as long as you get to it eventually I’ll be happy haha. I’m not an anime watcher myself but Attack on Titan is one of the few out there that just hits different. I’d even recommend it to people that hate anime. It doesn’t have any of the annoying cringy stuff or awkward fanservice that makes most other anime hard to watch.
I read Hellmouth in October based on your recommendation. I loved the atmosphere but disliked the prose. It was too rigid, uncouth? I'm not native english speaker though I read most of the books in English so I hope it makes sense. Ending was also rushed, there should've been like two more pages of them walking to you know who, observing 'things'. I don't think I'll be reading anything else from him but if the story ever gets filmed I'll be first in line for the tickets because that story was made for the big screen. Or some medieval fantasy/horror anthology.
I received as a Christmas gift a couple years ago "The Wolf by Leo Carew. I waited to read it until the other two books of the trilogy came out, The Spider, and The Owl. I was surprised how much I liked this fantasy world that had no magic. I was also surprised how much I disliked Legends and Lattes. Boring.
Plot twist: they were never good…. Just kidding I love Metallica! Grew up on Justice, Black Album, Load and Re-Load, I even liked St. Anger song but rest of the album was disappointing. Haven’t listened to much of their new music honestly, I rediscovered their first 2 albums and I like them a lot!
@@Morfeusm You know, I have a great love for St. Anger. I think it truly is an anger concept album, and they really demonstrate that somebody in that effing band has been through the ringer.
I think there are some high points over others, but the whole tone is that of someone pushing against an unbeatable force, and then just getting angrier, and angrier. There's a great live, Studio performance of "Shoot Me Again" that might help pull you into the album. Lars is almost crying, lol. It's, insane.@@Morfeusm
Mark Lawrence... now I have seen several Booktubers be critical of his work. I finally got ahold of his latest and - I like the concept and the writing, yet I find myself struggling to pay attention. Not sure why but the naysaying is troubling. Also lol @ Metallica
Biggest positive surprise: Scythe. I loved the philosophy and the character work. Biggest negative surprise: Secret project 2 from Brando Sando (frugal wizard's bla bla bla...). I really don't know why I finished it. It's Sando's worst book by far, and one of the worst books I've read.
I thought the dialogue and characterization were too annoying and childish, especially compared to stuff like Berserk, Vagabond, Vinland Saga, Attack on Titan, etc.
@@nightmarishcompositions4536 Yeah Berserk is epic. It's one of my favorite STORIES of all time. I couldn't get into Attack on Titan but I might try it again some time. Vagabond is *chef's kiss* I haven't read Vinland Saga in a while but the little I read of it when I was 22 (I'm 31 now) I liked. But my tastes have shifted since then.
