The Best Books of 2024 So Far! (Most Disappointing Book Included)

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

What an honor and a joy to see that Return to Edan merited inclusion in this video! Not only that, but I'm delighted to see it among a couple books by my fellow self-published authors. My deepest thanks for giving The Edan Trilogy a chance, Petrik!

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much for the great reading experience, Philip! It has been my pleasure to read your trilogy. :)

[@anniecochrane3359]

I"ve just started reading the first Suneater book, at your recommendation. And I"ll continue because of that recommendation, even though I'm rather dismayed at Hadrian's self description as a monster, a tyrant etc. Hmmm. I"ll definitely read Philip Chase's Edan books. Thanks Petrik for your great reviews

[@PetrikLeo]

You're welcome! Here's hoping you'll love The Sun Eater series as much as I did! 😄

[@StoryGirl1128]

I have Empire of Silence sitting on my shelf waiting for me…hoping to love the series as much as you do, Petrik. Hope you have many more five star reads in the second half of the year!

[@PetrikLeo]

@@StoryGirl1128 thank you so much! I hope you love The Sun Eater series, too! 😄

[@rosssims7224]

You won’t regret it! First is a little different than the rest, but it takes off from 2 on!

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

So happy to see a couple Sun Eater books here for you - Kingdoms of Death is indeed an un-put-downable masterpiece!! I’m hyped to try all the rest of these (except the murder mystery one 😅)

[@PetrikLeo]

Glad you agree with me, brother! Haha, I don't think Thursday Murder Mystery will be for you! :D

[@Josheatsbooks]

Stoked you finally got into Sun Eater. I knew you'd love it!!

[@PetrikLeo]

@@Josheatsbooks it's an amazing series!!

[@amy_harboredinpages8272]

I just finished Howling Dark last night and have a library hold on book 3... I let the Sun Eater world distract me from finishing The Way of Edan... with a 14-day wait , I've got nothing to stop me from reading the last 125 pages of Philip's book... 📖😎📚

[@PetrikLeo]

Howling Dark was amazing! Glad you've read it. Last 125 pages of Way of Edan is great, too. Enjoy, Amy!

[@fjuran1]

Great video. I enjoyed the Bonds of Chaos, Return to Edan I expect to get to next month, glad you liked it. The Witchwood Crown, have to read soon as well. Disquiet Gods was excellent, perhaps the best in the series!!

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much, Frank! I think you'll love Return to Edan. Such a great conclusion to the series. I have to continue to Empire of Grass quickly, too!

[@akellerhouse83]

I agree with everything you said about Return to Edan. It was really good. I'm so excited to keep reading Suneater. I read Empire of Silence and the Lesser Devil so far. I really liked both of them. I know Howling Dark is gonna be amazing.

[@PetrikLeo]

Howling Dark is amazing! You're going to love it. Be a bit patient with the beginning, but once they've arrived in a certain planet... that's when things keeps getting better and better, imo. :)

[@brucetrathen8011]

If I’d stop watching KZbin and wanting to read all your recommendations I would probably double my reading productivity. 😂.

[@PetrikLeo]

@@brucetrathen8011 hahaha! Reading pile never decrease. 😂😂

[@Kim_Miller]

I've also been reading the Sun Eater this year and am loving it. Just finished Ashes of Man and have some intermediate novellas etc before going on to Disquiet Gods. I intersperse Ruocchio with lighter reading and The Thursday Murder Club was a filler for me. It's funny to see how many English 'armchair murder investigators' there are out there. Thursday Murder Club was just a matter of conveniently fitting various experts together in the retirement centre, like Tetris pieces, so that every nook and cranny was covered. The final line of my review on Hardcover was, "I was left with the feeling that murder is OK as long as the victim deserved it." I probably won't pursue others in the series, but I've no doubt they will show up on TV sooner or later.

[@PetrikLeo]

Glad to hear you're enjoying The Sun Eater. I feel like Thursday Murder Club, at least the first book, is good for you to pass the time without having memorable reading experience. I hope the sequel gets better. But if it doesn't, then I'll drop the series, too.

[@dinocollins720]

Another fantastic video! thank you Petik!

[@PetrikLeo]

@@dinocollins720 thank you, Dino!

[@ZOMGfantasy]

Glad to hear the reading is looking up a bit, Petrik! I hope the second half of your year is even better!

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much, Zammar! That's truly the hope here! :)

[@andrewlavigne44]

I'm just kind of relieved that between you and Jimmy the Last King of Osten Ard is finally getting some wider exposure. For 2017-2022 I did my best to spread the word but it was unfortunate not to see so many ignore it. Hopefully you get some more 5 stars later this year!

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much, Andrew! I'm about to start Empire of Grass next week. Here's hoping that will be one of my 5 stars book!

[@arabellawillow]

I'm beyond excited to read Sun Eater! The Edan trilogy and The Last King Of Osten Ard are right behind that on my list and Zach Argyle has been on my radar for a while. I'm currently finishing up Of War And Ruin by Ryan Cahill. P.s. That copy of Dragonbone Chair behind you looks incredible 😍

[@PetrikLeo]

Of War and Ruin is amazing! And thank you. I made a gamble buying this edition of The Dragonbone Chair. Thankfully, it paid off nicely. 😄

[@esmayrosalyne]

Love to see Sun Eater just taking the win! And I can't wait to read something by Tad Williams myself, his works sound like some of the epic fantasy fare that I've been missing in my life! Also, I am super curious to hear if Thursday Murder Club improves for you now that your expectations are adjusted!! Happy reading ;)

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much, Esmay! Sun Eater and Osten Ard some of my favorite recent finds. So beautifully written and filled with iconic scenes. 😄

[@noname3609]

Hi Petrik ! So far this year I had read Gwynne,Sanderson,Jordan,Rothfuss and Fonda Lee ! can't wait to start Jay Kristoff soon ! :)

[@PetrikLeo]

What a year you had so far!! 😍

[@noname3609]

@@PetrikLeo Thank you Petrik!🙏 Wot book 9 ain't that bad so far,page 340 atm. 😁

[@bigaldoesbooktube1097]

Yes Petrik! Return to Edan really is a special book that stands above the other entries in the trilogy. So happy you had a similar experience to me and I am sure now that you have read it many other people will want to do the same 💪

[@PetrikLeo]

I hope more people will give the series a try. Philip did a such a great job with first trilogy! :)

[@dianeshearer6989]

I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy Thursday Murder Club. I’ve read the series this spring and absolutely loved these books. They are so funny! The writing is so clever it gives me chills. You are right that they read like a tv series. The author writes for tv. I hope you enjoy the others more, but maybe you are too young to laugh at a group of octogenarians in a retirement home solving murders 😂

[@PetrikLeo]

Hahaha I don't know! It could just be the wrong expectation going into the book. I hope the 2nd book will be much better. 😄

[@miriammichalak8872]

Happy to hear you're enjoying the GodEater books. I just read Demon and did something I never do - I jumped straight into Herald which I'm reading at the moment. Herald ...OMG, I think (hope) you're gonna love it - it's a "can't put down" book for me and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Rob J Hayes has knocked it out of the park with this series!

[@PetrikLeo]

So reassuring to hear that. I loved Demon and Deathless already. Chances are high that I'll love Herald, too! 😄

[@hadesbb4708]

hey man, i like your depiction of the Jade City covers....nice work.

[@PetrikLeo]

That's very nice of you! I know many people would disagree. xD

[@mariareadsssf]

My favorite books of the year so far: "A Master of Djinn" - P. Djèlí Clark "The Tainted Cup" - Robert Jackson Bennett "Mirrored Heavens" - Rebecca Roanhorse "Annihilation" - Jeff VanderMeer (not a 5 star, but I can't stop thinking about it) "Kavithri" - Aman J. Bedi I also loved 2 Historical Fiction this year: "8 Lives of a Century - Old Trickster" - Marinae Lee "A Little Luck" - Claudia Piñeiro

[@PetrikLeo]

I've read 3 books from your list! Definitely have to read Mirrored Heavens!

[@BrianBell7]

Excellent breakdown! I just finished Disquiet Gods and also loved it. We for sure don't align on our thoughts on Kingdoms of Death, but it's great that art can be interpreted in so many different ways. Love your videos as always, Petrik!

[@PetrikLeo]

@@BrianBell7 thank you so much, Brian! Haha I think I'm one of the rare ones who love Kingdoms of Death that much. The darkness of that book has put some people off, understandably. But for me, too many fantasy and scifi books are feeling way too safe lately. 😅

[@kingdon1297]

Reading Herald at the moment, all 3 books came yesterday, super excited and it’s already amazing only 100 pages in!

[@PetrikLeo]

Aaaaa I think I might as well read it. The physical book is taking too long to arrive. 😂

[@LuckbeaSladey]

Just started Empire of Silence. So excited it got to the top of my queue. Been highly anticipated since your high praise

[@PetrikLeo]

@@LuckbeaSladey superb! I hope you'll love it as much as I did!

[@Drivenby]

Prepare to have your mind blown over and over

[@MacScarfield]

My list so far this year: 1) «A Brightness Long Ago» by Guy Gavriel Kay (Fantasy inspired by the Mercenary Wars of Renaissance Italy) 2) «Imperium» by Robert Harris (Historical Fiction, book #1 in Cicero Trilogy about the Eponymous Roman Statesman) 3) «Når landet mørknar» (Approximately «When The (This?) Land Darkens») by Tore Kvæven (Historical Fiction set during the 13th Century end of the Norse Settlement of Greenland, think of it as a Norse John Steinbeck novel, winner of the Brage Prize for Best Norwegian Novel in 2018) 4) «The Last Light of the Sun» by Guy Gavriel Kay (Fantasy inspired by the Viking Great Heathen Army and King Alfred the Good) 5) «The Dragonbone Chair» (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #1) by Tad Williams (Epic Fantasy) 6) «Brother Red» by Adrian Selby (Grimdark Fantasy, standalone «midquel» to «Snakewood» & «The Winter Road») 7) «Howling Dark» (Sun Eater, #2) by Christopher Ruocchio (Space opera) 8) «Islands in the Net» by Bruce Sterling (80s (Post-)Cyberpunk) 9) «Stonehenge» by Bernard Cornwell (Historical Fiction about the Creation of Stonehenge during the Late Neolithic Period) 10) Splitt: «The Name of the Wind» by Patrick Rothfuss (Fantasy) & «The Darkness That Comes Before» (The Prince of Nothing #1) by R. Scott Bakker (Grimdark/Dark Epic Fantasy)

[@PetrikLeo]

That's a LOT of great books there. Dragonbone Chair, Howling Dark, Name of the Wind! Need to read Darkness that Comes Before!

[@alzaronwayne5255]

I just finished Empire of Silence and I am so excited to continue with the rest of the series 🙌🙌

[@PetrikLeo]

The rest of the series is even better. You'll love it! :)

[@ithrahmunchswallow468]

Fun list 🙌🏻 The Daughters' War, Low Town, Fragment of Water, Shards of Honor, Columbus Day (ExpeditionaryForce), The Martyr (CovenantofSteel), Star Splinter (Fractured Space), Library at Mount Char, The Broken Sword (Poul Anderson), and Burned (Alex Verus). It's been a great year so far 🎉❤🙌🏻

[@PetrikLeo]

Superb list! I'm excited to read Mount Char this year! 😄

[@ithrahmunchswallow468]

@@PetrikLeo I look forward to your review!! Have you seen the Midworld press special edition?

[@ivingzuniga841]

Unrelated to the content but I literally just had a thought. Have you ever considered changing your hairstyle? I’ve been watching your videos since you started your channel but just now it occurred to me that you’d look cool with Levi Ackerman’s haircut 👀😂

[@PetrikLeo]

Hahaha! I have certainly thought of changing my hairstyle to Levi's. I'm not sure how that will turn out, though. Maybe I'll give it a try one day! :)

[@shadowoflugia]

I reeeally need to start reading Christopher Ruocchio!

[@PetrikLeo]

Yes you do!!!

[@AuthorJacksonDickert]

Bonds of Chaos also has beeg monke on the cover which automatically makes it a strong contender for best books of 2024. that's just how it works, i don't make the rules

[@PetrikLeo]

That's a fair rule, I cannot deny it, Jackson! :D

[@safinan8008]

Hi 👋 I’ve not read yet 5 star 💫 rating book yet…..happy reading to you!! 🎉

[@PetrikLeo]

Likewise, Safina!

[@Talking_Story]

Great start to the year. Hope you get alot of 5 start reads on the back half!

[@PetrikLeo]

@@Talking_Story thank you, my friend! I hope so too!

[@andreabknight]

You might like Murder at Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang (the SPFBO9 winner)- its a fun, quirky, gas lamp fantasy murder mystery with great characters. It is a series now, with third book just released this week.

[@PetrikLeo]

Oh yeah! That's another I want to try. I don't know when yet, but I certainly want to!

[@lizardman1303]

Going to give thread light a try audible has it for only 11.20 for the trilogy .

[@PetrikLeo]

Enjoy!!

[@heretic124]

The best one so far this year is John Gwynne's Ruin followed by Wrath, The Lies of Locke Lamora and McClellan's The Autumn Republic. I can't wait for TBB editions of Of Blood and Bone so that I can continue. I hope TBB will eventually also make special edition of Gods of Blood and Powder. I'm holding off for now but I love Powder Mage world.

[@PetrikLeo]

Wrath is so damn incredible. I remember reading that for the first time and felt so elated. Incredible series. I look forward to Of Blood and Bone TBB edition, too! :)

[@joshhall1967]

You added 3 books to my long TBR 😭

[@PetrikLeo]

I'm sorry but my TBR is so damn long too. 😂

[@Azhydehack]

Thanks for sharing your list ...I have suggestion .l really like some bookworms to share their pace of reading a book ...how fast they read or talking about if they add to or decrease the speed of reading in certain situations. Sorry to ask but I'm new to your channel so if you have answered my questions I don't know about it .have you ever rated or suggested "the priory of orange tree" ? I like to know your opinion about this book

[@PetrikLeo]

I have posted about this actually. There's a video How To Read More that I posted. And no. I haven't read Priory of the Orange Tree yet! 😄

[@Azhydehack]

@PetrikLeo thank you so much going to watch it right away and looking forward to your rating on this book

[@sheilakae_]

Suneaters is now on my tbr…

[@PetrikLeo]

Woohoo! As it should be!

[@bumblesby]

I recently read The Thursday Murder Club. I gave it 3 stars. I do like cozy mysteries, but I think there was too much going on in the plot. I was getting confused as to who did what and it seemed rather disconnected. I am continuing the series.

[@PetrikLeo]

I agree. It felt like it's trying to do too much but did not succeed at it. The conclusion was so lackluster. :D

[@ithrahmunchswallow468]

Oh i totally forgot The Gutter Prayer ❤️

[@PetrikLeo]

Such a GREAT book!

[@ithrahmunchswallow468]

@@PetrikLeo I actually liked the first book better than Lies of Locke Lamora. I'm going to pit the second books against eachother next month 🤪

[@damiang1442]

Threadlight was rather dissapointing to me. It truly is Sanderson light. The story felt rushed, the world small and the magic system wasn't particularly original. Maybe if the books were a bit longer the end result would have been more satisfying.

[@PetrikLeo]

Understandable! I enjoyed it, but yeah, I think Zack can definitely craft something more satisfying in his next series!

[@petervandeweyer517]

I've read the first two suneater books but I don't get all the 5 star reviews. For me they were clearly 3 star books. Quite some things ot love in them, but also things that got really on my nerves. My favorite books of the year so far must be The spear cuts through water and Men at arms (but that last one was a reread)

[@PetrikLeo]

I look forward to reading Spear Cuts Through Water this year!

[@OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels]

Before I opened this video, I told myself if you didn't mention Sun Eater I'd delete my account, because nothing would make sense anymore 😂 Great list!

[@PetrikLeo]

@@OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels thank you! Whew, thankfully you didn't have to delete your account. Crisis averted!

[@OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels]

@@PetrikLeo It was a safe bet, I knew I could count on you 😂

[@HTRM]

Justice for bibliodragons😢 (just a joke)

[@PetrikLeo]

@@HTRM i will start including them next week!!! So sorry about this! 🥲

[@HTRM]

@@PetrikLeo 🫡 ❤️

[@user-sy5is2uw4s]

Hey friend, read Drood by Dan simmons, you may enjoy that :)

[@PetrikLeo]

Haven't heard of that book before. I'll look into it!

[@user-sy5is2uw4s]

@PetrikLeo It is in my room, I am going to chew through it this Autumn 🍂. I am currently enjoying Hyperion (Book 1/4) by the legend, Dan Simmons. I really look forward to Eleventh Cycle and The Helm Of Midnight. Enjoy the remainder of your week fellow reader, keep playing Dark Souls games. My favor is BloodBorne. ✌️

[@deathdealer9054]

do you think five stars book are coming in the rest of the year?

[@PetrikLeo]

@@deathdealer9054 it better. Reading is not fun without it. 😂

[@MrYouarethecancer]

Dudes an idiot. Complaining about no 5 star books but look at the putrid reaction to his “art direction” on TBB green bone legacy

[@Avid_Reader]

The Pillars of the Earth!

[@focusrelax8838]

13 Novels 😳😳 may ask how you manage to read so many books in so little time? How many pages or hours do you read each day? My best days I can read 3 hours but that’s rare. Usually I have about 1 hour and that’s about 25-40 pages (depends on the book font size etc)

[@PetrikLeo]

I actually found myself reading much less than before now. I used to be able to read 7-10 books per month. Now I can probably read 6 at most. But 4-5 seems to be my output now. I read about 2 or 3 hours per day, but lately I've been so busy that some days I read only about 1 hour! :')

[@wander_lxst]

I rated The Thursday Murder Club a 1.25 stars. It almost bored me to death.

[@PetrikLeo]

I don't blame you. It was a struggle to finish that little book.

[@zenthepoet.]

Peeeetrik

[@PetrikLeo]

@@zenthepoet. zeeennnn!

[@arekkrolak6320]

It took me a while to understand what a chuji is :)

[@PetrikLeo]

Wait, what's a chuji? 😂

[@khomo12]

👍👍👍📚🤖🚀🐲