Jean's 2023 Tomes

I read 24 for this challenge in 2022. Hoping to improve for 2023.

1. Absolution Gap - Alastair Reynolds - Series: Absolution Gap #4 - 768 pages
2. Sufficiently Advanced Magic - Andrew Rowe - Series: Arcane Ascension #1 - 623
3. Careless in Red - Elizabeth George - 871
4. A Dragon of a Different Color - Rachel Aaron - Series: Heartstrikers #4
5. Jade War - Fonda Lee - Series: Green Bone Saga #2 - 608 pages
6. Jade Legacy - Fonda Lee - Series: Green Bone Saga #3 - 678 pages
7. The Dark Between the Stars - Kevin J. Anderson - Series: Saga of Seven suns #8 - 692 pages
8. Court of Broken Knives - Anna Smith Spark - Series: Empire of Dust #1 - 512 pages
9. Ashes of the Sun - Django Wexler - Series: Buring Blade and Silver Eye #1 - 592 Pages
10. Gridlinked - Neal Asher - Series: Ian Cormac #1 - 532 pages
11. Blood of the Cosmos - Kevin J. Anderson - Series: Saga of Seven Suns #9 - 608 pages
12. Eternity's Mind - Kevin J. Anderson - Series: Saga of the Seven Suns #10 - 576 pages
13. Two of Swords - K.J. Parker - Series: Two of Swords #1 - 512 pages
14. Leviathan Wakes - James S A Corey - Series: the Expanse #1 - 592
15. Witch of the Federation - Micheal Anderlee - 627 pages
16. City of Brass - S A Chakraborty - 544 pages
17. Kingdom of Copper - S A Chakraborty - 640 pages
18. Blitz - Daniel O'Malley - 688 pages
19. Empire of Gold - S.A. Chakraborty - 816 pages
20. Battle Mage - Peter A Flannery - 652 pages
21. The Prefect - Alastair Reynolds - 576 pages
22. Conventions of War - Walter Jon Williams - Series: Dread Empire's Fall #3 - 688 pages
23. Fleet Elements - Walter Jon Williams - Series: Dread Empire's Fall #5 - 512
24. First Man in Rome - Colleen McCullough - 1152 pages
25. This Body of Death - Elizabeth George - 692 pages
26. The Ruin of Kings - Jenn Lyons - 560 pages
27. The Shadow of What Was Lost - James Islington Series: Licanius Trilogy - 736 pages
28. A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin - 720 pages
29. Caliban's War - James S A Corey - 624 Pages

Nice to see you here Jean.

Hi Jean, happy reading and good luck with the BFBs in 2023!

>3 MissWatson: Thanks. Back at ya!

Hi Jean, good to see you back here too. Goos luck with all your reading plans.

1. Absolution Gap - Alastair Reynolds -
Series: Absolution Gap #4
Pages: 768



AlphaKIT
Focus:SciFi
SFFKIT
BFB

Complex world building, intriguing characters. I do love his work, and this one was on exception.

2. Sufficiently Advanced Magic - Andrew Rowe
Series: Arcane Ascension #1
623 pages

Fun story, twists and turns, interesting characters.

3. Carless in Red - Elizabeth George -
Series: Lynley/Havers #15
Pages: 871


Lynley, still recovering, is hiking when he runs into the body of a boy who's fallen from a cliff while climbing. Things, as usual, aren't what they seem.

Lots of characters to care about and suspect, and Lynley, broken as he is, struggling to deal with it all

4. A Dragon of a Different Color - Rachel Aaron


Series: Heartstrikers #4
Pages: 524


BFB
SFFKIT
ROOT
SieresLove2023

Such a fun series. Julius and his clan are suddenly confronted with the Chinese Dragon who decides he's going to conquer Heartstriker. Things go downhill from there.

5. Jade War - Fonda Lee -
Series: Green Bone Saga #2 -
608 pages


What a fascinating and well written series. Rushing on to the end of the trilogy.

6. Jade Legacy - Fonda Lee
Series: Green Bone Saga #3
678 pages


Challenges:
ROOT
AlphaKIT
SFF Focus Series
BFB

Great wrap up to a great series. Deep family drama, action novel, fantasy.

7. The Dark Between the Stars - Kevin J. Anderson
Series: Saga of Seven suns #8
692 pages


Challenges:
ROOT
AlphaKIT
BFB
SciFI Focus Series
SFFKIT

This is a great sci fi series, lots of science, lots of action, complex plot. Surprises, and strange aliens.

8. Court of Broken Knives - Anna Smith Spark
Series: Empire of Dust #1
512 pages


Challenges:
TBR
ROOT
BFB
AlphaKIT

I'm going to borrow @karlstar 's STTM rating for this one. Slogging Thru The Mud was about 70 percent of this book, and made for a very slow read for me.

I did appreciate the depth of characterizatio
n done during the STTM, but still, it seemed to really slow my reading down.

Very interesting book regardless of the STTM, though. Written a bit differently, style wise, and the characterization was great. The plot was twisty and surprising quite often.
I imagine this book is pretty controversial, with regard to whether someone liked it or not, but I'm firmly in the liked it camp.

9. Ashes of the Sun - Django Wexler - Series: Buring Blade and Silver Eye #1 - 592 Pages

Interesting world building, but I found the start quite slow. Complex plot, sometimes a bit hard to follow, but it all came together in the end.

10. Gridlinked - Neal Asher -
Series: Ian Cormac #1 -
532 pages



Nicely done sort of sci fi police procedural, with agent Ian Cormac hunting down terrorists and a critter that's been hiding in plain sight for centuries.

Blood of the Cosmos - Kevin J. Anderson
Series: Saga of Seven Suns #9
608 pages



Challenges:
ROOT
BFB
Focus Series: SciFi
Litsy SeriesLove2023
Litsy BacklistReadathon

The battle against the darkness continues with humans and Alderans struggling against robots and the darkness itself. Although a new player is on the horizon: Eternity's Mind. On to the last of the series.

Eternity's Mind - Kevin J. Anderson - Series: Saga of the Seven Suns #10 - 576 pages


Challenges:
ROOT
BFB
Focus Series: Sci Fi

Very satisfying end to a very interesting series. Lots of imagination, surprises and great characters. I enjoyed it very much.

The Two of Swords: Volume 1 - K J Parker



Challenges: ROOT
BFB
Roll100

Wow, so convoluted I lost the plot a bunch of times. I loved his Siege trilogy but this one I think I'm done with.

Leviathan Wakes - James S A Corey
Series: the Expanse #1
Pages: 592



Challenges:
ROOT
SciFi

I've read this before, and watched the series, and still I couldn't put this book down. I listened to the audiobook this time around and still loved it.

Witch of the Federation - MIchael Anderle
Series: Federal Histories 1



Challenges:
ROOT
BFB
SFFKIT

Surprising. Science Fantasy in which a planet and aliens can use magic. Humans can't - Or can they? Stephanie, for one reason or another, can use the magic of the aliens. Which makes her a target for folks who want to create chaos and war.
Lots of interesting psychological and socio-political threads throughout as well.

City of Brass - S A Chakraborty
Series: Daevabad #1
544 pages



Imaginative, well written and complex. The characters are well drawn and often surprise. Hurrying on to book 2.

Kingdom of Copper - S A Chakraborty
Series: Deavabad #2
640 pages



Challenges:
BFB
SFF Focus Series
AlphaKIT

Great second book of the trilogy. Characters evolve, plot thickens, and surprises galore.

Blitz - Daniel O'Malley
Series: The Rook Files #3
688 pages



Very nicely done! Great characters, compelling plot, lots of action, and the split between current and WWII timelines brings the whole thing together.

Empire of Gold - S.A. Chakraborty
Series: The Daevabad Trilogy #3
816 pages

Satisfying wrapup to the trilogy. A bit long, but it covered everything.

The Prefect - Alastair Reynolds
Series: Prefect Dryfus #1
576 pages



Continuation of larger series, so not the real beginning of the story. As usual, imaginative, complex, well drawn characters, and lots of action.

Conventions of War - Walter Jon Williams
Series: Dread Empire's Fall #3
688 pages



Challenges:
ROOT
BFB
Sci Fi Focus Series

Good wrapup to the war, but I'm not sure the solution they end up with is that much better. I'm eager to read the next book in the series.

Fleet Elements - Walter Jon Williams - Series: Dread Empire's Fall #5 - 512 pages



Space Opera with lots of space warfare and politics. Up my street for sure.

This Body of Death - Elizabeth George - 692 pages
Series: Lynley and Havers #16

As usual, complex, well written and thought provoking.

The Ruin of Kings - Jenn Lyons
Series: Chorus of Dragons #1

Okay, this is the second time I've read it, hoping to do the series, but... I hate the split timeline which I find needlessly confusing. So, no, no more.

The Shadow of What Was Lost - James Islington
Series: Licanius Trilogy

Challenges:
TBR
ROOT
CasttheDie



This was okay, but didn't really grab me, so not going to continue the series.

A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin - 720 pages



This is a Re-Read for me. Obviously not quite as jaw-dropping after having read the series up to now, and watched the series, but still an astounding work. No tropes left unturned.

Caliban's War - James S A Corey - 624 Pages
Series: The Expanse #2

I'd forgotten the changes made for the TV series, vs the Books. I really found the alterations for a different media understandable and thought they were actually good choices for a visual version.

I do love this series. Depth and understanding of human nature, and great complex characters. The whole Protomolecule is frightening and compelling, and the questions it raises keeps me glued to the series.