Hannah Steenbock's 3 favorite reads in 2024

"Empire's Edge" is the first of a huge, epic steampunk series, so there is a lot to read if you find you love it as much as I did.

I give you a plucky heroine, a taciturn assassin and a nice assortment of sidekicks who have the most insane adventures. Of course, they are all fighting for good, that is, for a young Emperor out of his depth. For reasons (which I won't spoil).

Even better if you like snark. There is so much snark in this book!

And hey, it's free. Can't beat free entertainment, right? I promise, you will be entertained.

A black, arrogant and yet likable gryphon, a gentle healer mage, a powerful wizard - the cast in this epic book is impressive.

Yes, it's a bit black and white (truly evil antagonist), but there are sweet romance subplots and great friendships found in the midst of a brutal war. The worldbuilding is great, and this book explains the background of the whole Valdemar world and magic Mercedes Lackey developed over decades.

I immensely enjoyed this story because of the great story-telling, the rich world and the strong plot.

(Just don't read the rest of the series. White Gryphon is still okay, forget Silver Gryphon (truly terrible).)

Lindsay Buroker created a truly epic series here that spans several worlds.

And it has dragons! There are bad dragons, good dragons and a very cute one. Also a huge cast of characters, most of them snarky (it's Lindsay, after all), and many who are gray and having to choose sides. Expect truly strange conversations, and some slow-burn romance.

The entire series is fast-paced, full of magic and unexpected twists. Totally enjoyed it and binged it all.