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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,624 authors and super readers for their 3 favorite reads of the year.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

My favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Cursed

Robyn Tocker Why did I love this book?

Meyer is an exceptional writer who knows exactly how to twist a beloved fairy tale, making it its own story but keeping threads of the original tale that readers love.

Rumpelstiltskin isn’t a commonly retold fairy tale, which is one of the main reasons I loved the first book and needed Cursed as soon as it came out.

Once I started reading, it was impossible to put the book down. Meyer had me on the edge of my seat until the last page – I needed to know how Serilda and Gild’s story ended! 

By Marissa Meyer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cursed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer concludes her young adult retelling of Rumpelstiltskin in this breathtaking sequel!

'The reigning queen of the genre.' - New York Times
'Intricate worldbuilding and star-crossed romance.' - Publishers Weekly

It isn't true, she wanted to whisper. To lean forward and nuzzle her cheek against his temple. To press him against the wall and mold her body to his. I am not his. I will never be his.

Serilda and Gild cannot break the curses that tether their spirits to Adalheid's haunted castle. There they remain trapped for eternity. On the night of the Endless…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Lies We Sing to the Sea

Robyn Tocker Why did I love this book?

This retelling of a little-known area of Greek mythology captured my interest from the beginning, and although the ending wasn't what I expected, I think that's why I enjoyed it so much.

As Underwood's debut, she did a great job making me, as the reader, care about each of the main characters' story arch. She took the deaths of Penelope's twelve maids and created a compelling story out of their tragedy.

By Sarah Underwood,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Lies We Sing to the Sea as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

A fantasy romance, by dazzling new talent Sarah Underwood, inspired by Greek mythology and the tale of Penelope's twelve hanged maids.

'A lavish epic of power, vengeance, love and fate.'
YA Book of the Month in The Observer (2/4/2023)

'A lovely, lyrical fantasy which takes the fate of the hanged maids of the Odyssey and weaves something brand new. A story overflowing with emotion and full of magic.'
Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne and Elektra

In the cursed kingdom of Ithaca, each spring brings the hanging of twelve maidens, a gift to the vengeful Poseidon. But when Leto awakens…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of A Spark In The Cinders

Robyn Tocker Why did I love this book?

This is by far my favourite "evil stepsister" retelling, and definitely in the top three of my favourite Cinderella retellings.

The sass! The romance! The magic and fae lore! There were just so many different parts that I loved that it's almost impossible to narrow it down. So often, villain retellings try to redeem the villain without having them acknowledge the harm they caused, but Moke made Aralyn's redemption believable – I was rooting for her from the beginning!

By Jenny Elder Moke,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Spark In The Cinders as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince meets Jennifer Donnelly's Stepsister in this fairytale reimagining about a kingdom on the brink of ruin, and one wicked stepsister’s journey to become the heroine of her own quest.
 
Aralyn has lost everything - the coveted glass slipper, the prince's hand in marriage, and her only chance to save her mother and sister from destitution. Now she spends her days sweeping the cinders and washing dresses as her stepsister Ellarose once did, plotting her revenge against the girl who robbed her of her future.
 
But when Ellarose, now the princess, comes to beg her help…


Plus, check out my book…

Don't Go Swiftly, Darling

By Robyn Tocker,

Book cover of Don't Go Swiftly, Darling

What is my book about?

Set in 17th-century Spain, Don't Go Swiftly, Darling tells the story of Catalina, Cinderella's eldest and most willful child, who has fought her arranged marriage since the day she was first told about it.

When her husband-to-be sends notice of his return, Catalina does what every princess should do in that situation: she runs. With her brother Rafael at her side, who is running away from problems of his own, she breaks away from their parent's watchful eyes and decides to explore what life is like outside the castle walls.

Don't Go Swiftly, Darling turns fairy tale conventions upside down, taking the reader on a journey through heartbreak, growing up, true love, and dealing with the past.