Best and Worst Series of 2022 Book Tag

I first did this tag way back in 2019 (check it out here) and had even more fun posting it last year, which you can find here. While I’m still figuring out what books will make it to my 2022 favorites list (it’s currently at 48 and I haven’t even started my Dec reading …), I thought writing this post might help me figure it out. So, here come some of the series I loved reading this year and some I’ve decided not to continue. Let’s get on with it…

1. What is the best series that you caught up with this year that is still a work in progress?

I started my reading in 2022 with Nophek Gloss and what a wonderful beginning it was. It setup my exciting reading year (though I had my share of ups and downs) and Azura Ghost proceeded to exceed my expectations. I’m stunned at the imaginative prowess of Essa Hansen and can’t wait to read the finale Ethera Grave.

This is a series I had been wanting to read since 2019 when The Rage of Dragons was first republished by Orbit but I kept postponing it because I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. And turns out it is quite dark and intense, but also very well written with some memorable characters and world building, so I’m glad I caught up with the series and finished The Fires of Vengeance too. Hopefully the third book will release soon.

2. What is the best work in progress series that you are still catching up with?

I’ve only finished reading Paladin’s Grace and Paladin’s Strength in this series and while I assumed this was only a trilogy, I’ve heard rumors that there might be more books coming. Let’s hope the news is true and I definitely will try to finish Paladin’s Hope soon.

3. What was your favorite first book in a series this year?

Actually I have many answers for this question and probably most of them are Orbit’s releases (which I’m honestly not surprised by). But I’m gonna just list The Stardust Thief and Empire of Exiles because these two debuts were even better than I expected and have left a lasting impression on me.

4. What is a first book in a series you read this year that you think should have just been a standalone, not a series?

This is another case of me not wanting the sequel because I loved the first book too much. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is probably my favorite romance of the year and I’m just scared what the sequel has in store for my favorite couple. But I will ofcourse eagerly lap it up when I get my hands on it, hopefully next year.

5. What is your most over-hyped series of the year?

This book was on my anticipated releases of 2022 list. And as it’s an SJM book, it’s definitely overhyped. But when it came nearer to the release date, I realized that I couldn’t remember anything from House of Earth and Blood (even though it was a 5 star read) and I had completely lost interest in the characters or their fate. So, I ended up not reading this one.

6. What is a series that you DNFed this year?

So, I did read both these books. I even thought Master of Sorrows was a fun story with lots of exciting characters and even more cool world building and magic system. But Master Artificer went in a direction I was not completely prepared for, and the rest of the series is going to be grimdark, so I have decided not to continue with this series.

7. What was your favorite series finale of the year?

This is only the ending of a duology and I read both the books this year, but it still has to be my favorite ending of a series. This Wicked Fate goes hard on the mythology and we get more recovering of familial history as well as an adventure to save loved ones. I absolutely adored this series.

8. What was the biggest cliffhanger you had in a series this year?

To be honest, because of my awful memory, I don’t remember most of the endings of the books this year, so I can’t even tell you which ones had cliffhangers. But I can still recollect that the ending and especially the betrayal in The Sunbearer Trials was something I didn’t see coming at all, so I guess this qualifies. And I’m definitely interested to see where the story goes next.

9. What is your favorite spinoff series you read this year?

I’ve read exactly one spin off this year, so here it is – Fight the Landlord, Fall in Love. This is only technically a spinoff of Golden Stage, which was a favorite of 2021, but it turned out to be a fun contemporary romance. Golden Stage did get an official English translation this year as Golden Terrace, so I’m more looking forward to a reread of that.

10. What is your most anticipated next book in a series that you read this year that will come out next year?

Richard Swan’s debut The Justice of Kings was one of my earliest favorites of 2022, so I’m very excited to get to it’s sequel which is coming in the next couple of months. In the meantime, I’m just staring at that stunning cover of Helena.

11. What is your most anticipated series to catch up with next year based on what you read in that series this year?

I technically haven’t read anything in this series (or multi volume story) because I just started TGCF Vol 1 yesterday, but it is definitely one I wish to finish in 2023. I’ll probably have to pace my reading a little bit because I don’t want to be completely destroyed by this story.

12. What is your favorite series that you finished this year?

This is a series that has been with me for more than a decade now, so finishing it this year almost felt like I was closing a chapter in my life. And all these years of wait was totally worth it. It ended as explosively and poignantly as I expected and I was glad to say goodbye to one of my earliest favorite fictional found families.

13. What is your favorite episodic series of the year?

I don’t think I’m into reading episodic series. I’ve only ever read one season of Criminal Intentions more than two years ago and then abandoned it because it was getting too intense for my taste.

14. What is a series that you finally bailed on after holding onto it for a long time?

I manage to catch up a bit on this series and read The Archive of the Forgotten this year. While it was a fun read, I don’t feel as invested in the characters anymore and don’t think I will be picking up the finale anytime soon.

15. What is the series you were most surprised that you liked this year?

I haven’t read Longshadow yet but after reading Half A Soul and Ten Thousand Stitches, I can say they are definitely some of my most beloved books of this year. And I totally wasn’t expecting that when I picked them up. This series is charming and whimsical and has some very lovable characters and I can’t wait to read the final book before the end of this year.

And that’s it for now…!!!! It was much easier to answer these questions than to come up with a Best Of.. list. But I promise that one will also be posted soon. For now, I hope you enjoyed reading about some of my favorite series of this year. Feel free to either do this tag or share your favorites with me in the comments below…

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