Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books of 2022

Best Books of 2022

This past year, I read 171 titles in exchange for reviews. I also read something like thirty books from my backlist. I did a terrible job keeping track of my backlist reading, something I’m hoping to do better at this year. All that to say that I read just about 200 books, and so many of them were great. It’s really hard to narrow that list down to just the top ten.

Note: Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Best Books of 2022

The Bone Spindle by Leslie Veddar

Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: A gender-flipped retelling of sleeping beauty where the prince waits for a kiss to wake him, and two fierce, determined treasure hunters will stop at nothing to break his curse. Features a M/F romance and a F/F romance. I LOVED this book. It is, hands down, my favorite of the year.


Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: An icy planet. A race run with sleds and wolves. A girl whose only chance for survival depends on the race. I couldn’t put it down. Fantastic characters. Intense, action-packed story.


Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow

Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: An island with a history of unsolved murders. A girl whose best friend and sister were both murdered on the island will stop at nothing to find out why. This book gripped me from the first page to the last. I love the ending. I didn’t at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I loved it for the risk the author took in writing it.


This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke

This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: A magic river kept a girl’s family safe in WWII Hungary. Now she must decide whether to finally take her chance to escape to safety or fight for revolution. Oh. My. Gosh. The writing in this book left me aching. The magic. And the revolution. And the characters. I love it.


The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R. M. Romero

The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R. M. Romero

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: This has been a great year for me with reading novels in verse, but this one is my favorite of all. I loved the magical Prague setting. The sweet, slow burn romance. It was all beautiful and fantastic.


The Luminaries by Susan Dennard

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: I don’t know what I expected going into this book, but I was completely blown away. The forest is creepy and the small community feels so real with its prejudices and complex connections. And… ugh Jay. (I loved Winnie and Jay!)


Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson

Ravenfall by Kalynn Josephson

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: I adore this book with its cat-who-is-not-a-cat and its sentient inn filled with a magic-wielding family. And the boy on his own looking for answers. This was the book I didn’t know I needed.


The Prince of Nowhere by Rochelle Hassan

The Prince of Nowhere by Rochelle Hassan

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: Anonymous letters lead a girl and a shapeshifting boy/crow on a journey to save their world in a mysterious place called Nowhere. This one totally blew me away. I loved Roda and Ignis so much. I’ve already got Hassan’s debut YA novel which comes out this year on my TBR!


Wingbearer by Marjorie Liu

Wingbearer by Marjorie Liu

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: A girl guarded by birds, who’s never left the safe haven of her tree until a sinister force threatens its existence. The story of this one is excellent, but the illustrations are absolutely stunning.


Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo

Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: The cover copy calls this one “folksy” and “fresh” and it totally is! I loved the southern feel of the town and characters, and the exploration of identity and magic in this book. I’m super excited to read more by Ash Van Otterloo.

What are your favorite books from 2022?

Take a second and think through the books you read in the last year. What are the best books of 2022 that you read? Tell me below. I would love to know what you read last year.

Did you read any of the books on my list? What did you think of them? Leave a comment and let me know!

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About Kasey

Reads things. Writes things. Fluent in sarcasm. Willful optimist. Cat companion, chocolate connoisseur, coffee drinker. There are some who call me Mom.

14 Responses to Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books of 2022

  1. Wow, congrats on reading 200 books! That’s impressive. I can imagine it would be very hard to pick favorites from that many.

  2. Carrie says:

    Hi Kasey, thank you for checking out my post on Tuesday. There are so many books here that sound great. I’ve been meaning to read Bone Spindle, Wingbearer, and The Luminaries. Now, I want to also read Ravenfall and The Ghosts of Rose Hill.

    • Kasey says:

      Of course! I love your blog. ? I’m so glad you’re adding The Ghosts of Rose Hill and Ravenfall to your TBR. I hope you get a chance to read them soon.

  3. Jo says:

    The Luminaries is on my TBR-it’s not released in the UK until later this month!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2023/01/03/top-ten-tuesday-401/

  4. Okay, I obviously have been missing out on some great books because a few of these are on my TBR (that I actually own) and yet I still haven’t read them! Looks like I need to immediately get to Luminaries, Bad Things Happen, and Ravenfall!

    • Kasey says:

      Yes yes! They were all SO good. I hope you are able to read them soon and that you love them. ? Happy 2023!

  5. I loved Cattywampus and The Bone Spindler. and I want to read The Luminaries. Natalie @ Literary Rambles

  6. I haven’t read any of these, but there are some stunning covers here! I’m glad you enjoyed so many books of 2022, and I hope you have the same in 2023.

  7. Kappa says:

    I also loved Cattywumpus this year! And I really want to read the Bone Spindle cause it just sounds so cool!