Welcome to my post, today I want to share the 2022 releases I read each month and my favourites overall. I did a monthly release series so I stayed on top of the newest books, but did I actually read any? Let’s see!
January
Starting off strong with 3 in January! Unfortunately these weren’t my favourite: I rated The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Violeta were 3 stars and Daughter of the Moon Goddess 3.5 stars, but I do have the ARC for the sequel so at some point I will reread that one which could bump it up in my rating. It was my favourite out of these 3 though (and the first book I read in 2022!), I loved the descriptions and ending, so I’m not too sure what the sequel will be like.
February
All the White Spaces is the only 2022 release I read in February, and another 3 stars sadly. Start of the month not looking too good in terms of rating! I mentioned it in my wintery books post recently, and the greatest thing about this was the atmosphere and trans rep, but it was pretty slow and got boring.
March
My march read was The Paris Apartment, and I gave this 3.5 stars. I liked the twists and start and end, but the middle dragged a bit and I didn’t find the characters very interesting. It was a solid mystery/thriller and might make me pick a few more up!
April
I only read 2 books in April but luckily one of them was a 2022 release with Portrait of a Thief, and my first 4 star on this list! You have to suspend your disbelief a lot for the heists, but what I liked most about it was the discussions on colonialisms, museums and heritage, and how different characters thought about it.
May
Still going strong, I read Yerba Buena in May and also rated it 4 stars. Although there is some romance, the main focus was on the individual characters and their development, which I enjoyed about it. It was quite slow and reflective but it worked really well here.
June
Unfortunately I didn’t read a 2022 release in June! The closest one was In the Dream House which was published in 2019 (which I loved by the way). It wasn’t an aim to read a 2022 release every month, but it would’ve been really cool if I’d done that. Moving onto July!
July
I read Lapvona in July which I found hard to rate but ultimately gave 3.5 stars. It was my first Moshfegh book and I didn’t know what to expect but I mostly enjoyed it (if enjoyed is the right word). It explored a lot of interesting themes but there wasn’t a really strong narrative so I got bored at parts.
August
A busy month for 2022 releases with 3 great books! I rated The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches a 3.5 stars because it was a fun and cozy book but it was a bit forgettable to me and I would’ve like more character depth and background. Elektra and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau were both 4.5 stars, though I think I could have given The Daughter of Doctor Moreau a 5 stars. The writing style and characterisations for both was beautiful, and I loved the history of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau which made it even more impactful.
September
I think The Things We Do To Our Friends is actually coming out in 2023, but it’s a new release and where else would I talk about it?! It’s one of the lowest rated on here though at 2.5 stars and could’ve been lower, because the plot and the character interactions weren’t very interesting and the ending was anticlimactic. Babel was a completely different case. I rated it 4.5 stars but I think I’ve been pretty harsh rater this year because it’s definitely a new favourite and the only new release I actually bought a physical copy of because I knew I’d love it. Admittedly, the worldbuilding felt lacking but the themes discussed and crazy plot made up for it.
October
For my horror filled October I read We Spread, which was 3.5 stars for me. The perspective of an older person felt unique and the character was well developed, and I did enjoy the horror aspect but the pacing felt off to me. It was too slow at the start then suddenly picked up so it felt like there was some disconnect.
November
In November I read The Sunbearer Trials and this ended up being 4 stars and a solid read. The plot was fast-paced and the trials gave it a good structure, but there was also some sweet and emotional scenes too. I liked the mythology, culture and trans rep incorporated into the story. I definitely want to continue the series with the cliffhanger at the end!
December
Lastly, in December I’ve read 2 new releases. I gave Animal Life 2.5 stars, just because it was pretty boring and the narrative felt clunky and slow. Tread of Angels was a little better at 3.5 stars. It had me hooked with the plot but as with a lot of novellas, it felt like we didn’t have time to properly get to know the characters, so the relationships and ending felt a bit unbelievable.
So that’s all the new releases I read in 2022! I read 17 releases, which averages to 1.4 a month even though I didn’t read any in June! It feels good to stay on top of new releases, so I’ll try to carry this on into 2023.
As for my favourites, they have to be Babel, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Elektra!
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a good holiday! What were your favourite 2022 releases?
—ella♥
♦ Goodreads ♦
ella isn’t writing 
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