The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,708 authors and super readers for their 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Captive Prince

Cassia Hall I this book because...

I enjoyed the characters and story so much, from the details of warfare to Laurent’s cutting remarks, from Damen’s internal conflict (that just kept growing) to the forced proximity trope played out so hilariously on a balcony.

I especially loved how their relationship evolved over the course of the trilogy. The slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers arc was a treat to read. This is the only fantasy series that, for me, lives up to the hype.

By C.S. Pacat,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Captive Prince as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From global phenomenon C. S. Pacat comes the first novel in her critically acclaimed Captive Prince romance trilogy—includes an exclusive bonus story!

Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos. But when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.

Beautiful, manipulative, and deadly, his new master, Prince Laurent, epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of A Thousand Ships

Cassia Hall I this book because...

A Thousand Ships is a powerful and entertaining retelling of the Iliad and the Odyssey, focusing mainly on the Trojan War.

Told for the first time from the women’s perspective, it is a moving and insightful account of war and its aftermath. I laughed at the Judgment of Paris. I cried at Andromache's loss. I loved Penelope's increasingly frustrated tone in her letters to her wandering husband, Odysseus. Witty and poignant, brilliant and insightful, this book is a modern classic.

By Natalie Haynes,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked A Thousand Ships as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction

In A Thousand Ships, broadcaster and classicist Natalie Haynes retells the story of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective, for fans of Madeline Miller and Pat Barker.

This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of them all . . .

In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen.

From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands…


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My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Snow Child

Cassia Hall I this book because...

A tender story lovingly told, The Snow Child is a blend of historical fiction, magical realism, and a fairy tale for adults.

This is an unusual read that completely drew me in and moved me to the core. The author seems to be saying, Nature can be harsh and our place within it tenuous. She uses snow as the perfect metaphor for impermanence, for all that is fleeting—joy and sorrow, childhood and innocence, for the miracle of life itself. 

By Eowyn Ivey,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked The Snow Child as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A bewitching tale of heartbreak and hope set in 1920s Alaska, Eowyn Ivey's THE SNOW CHILD was a top ten bestseller in hardback and paperback, and went on to be a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Alaska, the 1920s. Jack and Mabel have staked everything on a fresh start in a remote homestead, but the wilderness is a stark place, and Mabel is haunted by the baby she lost many years before. When a little girl appears mysteriously on their land, each is filled with wonder, but also foreboding: is she what she seems, and can they find room in…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Songs of Love & Longing: Poem & Songs from the Seasons Cycle

By Cassia Hall,

Book cover of Songs of Love & Longing: Poem & Songs from the Seasons Cycle

What is my book about?

Songs of Love & Longing is a collection of fantasy-themed poems and songs, all inspired by fantasy art and the stories and characters from the Lake Traveler high fantasy series and the romantic fantasy series, the Seasons Cycle.

QR codes have been embedded within the text to allow the reader to listen to original songs composed by the author, taking you to a world of lyrical fantasy, music, and magick.