Here’s a look at my favorite reads of 2024. (And please note these titles are the best speculative fiction books I read in 2024—not necessarily ones released during the year.) These stories electrified me, ruined me, resurrected me, and made me feel filled to the brim with the power of fiction. I hope that if you haven’t read them just yet, you’ll consider adding these titles to your TBR.
THE BRIGHT SWORD by Lev Grossman — I almost don’t even know what to say about this book, it was so perfect. Grossman effortlessly reinvents Arthurian legend in a way I promise you haven’t read before, giving us an epic fantasy about what happens when the old world has passed you by—or perhaps never really existed to begin with. Diving deep into Arthuriana, Grossman returns with something that feels fairy-spun, lifted from the shelves of a forbidden library. It is tender and rollicking and sharp-toothed and wondrous, all at once. Grab a copy at Spiral | Bookshop.org | Libro.FM
THE SALT GROWS HEAVY by Cassandra Khaw — if you’ve heard “Mermaids” by Florence and the Machine and liked it, you’ll probably like this book. They’re nothing alike but also they’re exactly the same. Anyway. This novella packs more of a punch than books 10x its length do. A flesh-eating mermaid (sort of?) and her plague doctor roam the tundra. Oh no, they find a cult! Very bloody chaos ensues. Also, a devotion so tender it made my heart ache. Grab a copy at Spiral | Bookshop.org | Libro.FM
THE FALL THAT SAVED US by Tamara Jerée — how this author managed to wield Supernatural nostalgia AND discuss extremely heavy themes like religious trauma and familiar abuse, I don’t know. But they did, and now we’re the lucky ones who get to read about a relatable AF main character fallen from grace and the absurdly hot demon who rocks their world (in more ways than one.) Also, most of the plot is set in an indie bookstore! Grab a copy at Spiral | Bookshop.org
SAINTS OF STORM AND SORROW by Gabriella Buba — an absolutely electric debut featuring Filipino mythology-inspired magic, a disaster bisexual and a whole lot of “drown the colonizers!” vibes. Lunurin is probably one of my favorite MCs I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about. Buba crafts an intricately plotted story while also making plenty of room for lovely prose and a sizzling romance. Not to be dramatic, but this book was perfect. I can’t wait for the rest of the series (though this book ends on a happy-for-now, so don’t feel you have to wait for them all to come out!) Grab a copy at Spiral | Bookshop.org | Libro.FM
WHITE CAT, BLACK DOG by Kelly Link — the queen does it again and I worship at her feet. Link can twist a fairytale like no one else on this planet, and that’s what she does, over and over again, in her newest short story collection. Every story is balanced on a knife’s edge, every word considered. “We know that they are monsters because they come at night and they tear us to pieces. But they are also monsters, I think, because we do not understand why they do what they do.” I mean????? Read this goddamn book. Grab a copy at Spiral | Bookshop.org | Libro.FM
RULES FOR GHOSTING by Shelly Jay Shore — I’m actually furious this book is a debut because how the fuck do you write THAT well in your first book? Anyway, Shore gives us a deeply moving contemporary fiction about queer resilience, Jewish identity, grief, familial trauma, and daring to love again. I laughed and I cried; it’s fairly rare I do either from a book, but you bet your ass this story brought me to tears. Grab a copy at Spiral | Bookshop.org | Libro.FM
LONG LIVE EVIL by Sarah Rees Brennan — I grabbed an ARC for this isekai high fantasy because it looked fun. I did not, dear reader, understand it was going to drown me in stunning prose, put me through the emotional ringer, and introduce me to a cast of characters that I feel like I *know* on a deep, personal level. You’ll laugh and then as the story unfolds, you’ll cry more. It’s extremely difficult to create any piece of media where nearly every character is both good and bad, but Brennan nails it—just like everything else in this book. I can’t wait for the rest of the series to publish. Grab a copy at Spiral | Bookshop.org | Libro.FM
If you’d like to order any of these books from Spiral, you can do so here, too! <3