I can't believe this year is already halfway finished. There have been so many ups and downs, but as always books have helped keep me on an even keel. So far this year, I have read 56 books, not counting any I've re-read or the books I've been reading with Alexis. I've discovered a few new authors that I'm really enjoying and added a few series into my favorites list. These are my top 7 books and series for 2022 so far.

Author: Greta Kelly

This was actually the first thing I read this year, and I truly couldn't have picked a better duology to kick things off. It had a bit of a Tolkien vibe to it, and the main female character (MFC) was brilliant. Askia is the heir to the throne of Seravesh, but an invasion from her northern neighbor has led to Askia  fleeing her country to ask for the aid of her birth country. To save her people, Askia must secure an alliance with Vishir and learn to use her magic.

Author: Colleen Cowley

Technically, I read the first book of this trilogy in December, but I couldn't not include all three books for this. This trilogy is a magical retelling of the women's suffrage movement. In this reality, only men can wield magic, and wizards are the top tier of society. The women's suffrage movement is on a mission to put magic and non-magic users on an equal playing field when it comes to politics. Then, Peter Blackwell comes back to town and conscripts Beatrix Harper, sister of the anti-magic league's president, into becoming his apprentice. Subsequently, Beatrix discovers that she can, in fact, do magic. There's just one problem, she and Peter have become magically connected. For me, this trilogy felt a lot like The Paper Magician series, which is an all-time favorite.

Midnight at the Blackbird Café

Author: Heather Webber

This is one of those books that you can recommend to anyone. It's all about family and the power of forgiveness. It's beautifully written and has so much depth. Plus, the similarities between Wicklow and my own hometown are so accurate it's almost painful. Anna Kate Callow temporarily moves to Wicklow to run her recently-deceased grandmother's café and fulfill the stipulations of the will. While there, she learns that the magical tales her grandmother told her about the blackbirds for which the café is named are more real than she ever believed. And although she isn't planning on staying forever, Anna Kate wants to use her time in Wicklow to investigate the accident that caused her father's death and her mother's departure from town.

Author: Tirzah Price

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you'll already know that I love a good retelling of my favorite classics, and this book definitely fits the bill. It's like Pride and Prejudice meets Agatha Christie. In this retelling, Elizabeth Bennet's father is a barrister, and she badly wants to follow in his footsteps. All she needs is a case to prove her competency. She crosses paths with Mr. Darcy, a solicitor for the  much-larger Pemberley firm, on a murder investigation involving Darcy's friend. There are a lot of twists and turns in this mystery, and I truly wasn't sure how it was going to end.

The Deadly Seven series

Author: Lana Pecherczyk

Okay, so genetically-modified superhero books aren't typically my jam, but this series was so dang good, y'all. The Deadly Seven are a group of siblings who were born in a lab. They were each genetically engineered to sense one of the deadly seven sins and then eradicate the sinner. Fearing the ulterior motive of the siblings' creator, their biological mother and lead scientist of the project built in a failsafe. If the heroes find their soulmate, their sin will be balanced and they'll gain extra powers. If they do not find their other halves, they risk being completely taken over by their sin. The siblings were rescued from their creator as children, but the Syndicate hasn't stopped in its pursuit to rid the world of all sin and will stop at nothing to get their hands on the Deadly Seven.

Court of the Underworld series

Author: Alessa Thorn

I have always been fascinated with Greek/Roman mythology and give pretty much read any fantasy book that has to do with the topic. I'm frequently disappointed by these books. However, this series blew me out of the water. I think it's because it takes the characters who are typically viewed as the villains and portrays them in a new way. Here's the gist of what this series is about: Hades and his court preside over the city of Styx, rebuilt over the ruins of Corinth. Pithos is a monster-hunting cult on a mission to rid the world of all supernatural beings, starting with Asterion, the minotaur of legend. In each book, the members of the court find their better halves and get closer to unraveling the truth behind Pithos.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book is an intimate look at the film industry spanning the decades between the late 1950s and early 90s. It's also a poignant story of the sacrifices one woman makes for stardom and her true love. Evelyn Hugo is a film icon who's as well known for seven marriages as she is for the roles she's played. Now, at the end of her life, Evelyn wants to do a tell-all interview and has hand-picked Monique, an up-and-coming young journalist, to work with. But as with everything in her life, that choice was anything but random.