Justin鈥檚 Year in Books

What did you read this year?

Go to previous year Go to next year

2023

29,613

pages read

books read

Justin

Shortest Book

pages

Longest Book

1,157

pages

Average book length in 2023

485

pages

Most Shelved

17,101

people also shelved

Least Shelved

people also shelved

Justin鈥檚 average rating for 2023

3.6

Highest Rated on 欧宝娱乐

4.61 average

Justin鈥檚 first review of the year

it was ok

This is halfway between two and three stars for me. Part of me wants to say halfway between 2 and 4 just so I can average it out at 3 but that doesn't feel right. Leaving at two because of how annoying I found some of the decisions. It's a solid 2.5 rounded down.

Tldr; There is a ton of really good ideas and points in this story dragged down by a chunk of other points.

The good:
Random dungeon gives actually unique themes. This is incredibly solid. ...more

闯鲍厂罢滨狈鈥橲 2023 BOOKS

The Problem With Princesses by Macronomicon

it was amazing

The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound 5 by Noret Flood

The Blood Orchard War Arc by Vash The Author

it was amazing

The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound 4 by Noret Flood

really liked it

The Dungeon That Walks Like A Man by Alex Raizman

really liked it

it was amazing

really liked it

it was amazing

Justin鈥檚 last review of the year

really liked it

This whole series was above average and really fun. Its a high fantasy with a genius loci.

I came into the series looking for a dungeon core series and didn't quite get it 鈥� sure it 'counts' and the "Main character" does in fact create a dungeon part way through book three...but there鈥檚 barely any focus on it. There鈥檚 no described building or experiments, very few mentions of the adventurers delving the series. Instead this series goes the high f This whole series was above average and really fun. Its a high fantasy with a genius loci.

I came into the series looking for a dungeon core series and didn't quite get it 鈥� sure it 'counts' and the "Main character" does in fact create a dungeon part way through book three...but there鈥檚 barely any focus on it. There鈥檚 no described building or experiments, very few mentions of the adventurers delving the series. Instead this series goes the high fantasy route of showing off the world and politics and ways of dealing with the world. Its very much a dark fantasy but doesn't quite hit a grim dark tone.

I鈥檝e read dungeon core stories that attempt to do what this story is doing and cringed before. All the other DC series with multiple characters and a focus on the politics and worldbuilding flop. This on the other hand鈥tands alone and makes for a good story.
To reiterate this is a bad dungeon core series...but a good fantasy story. The politics are actually good, the darkness of the world feels real 鈥� the horrors are everywhere without being too explicit. And they are horrors. The magic slavery is given enough detail to be horrifying without shifting to fetishized. The adversaries are realistically evil. That means while they are doing abhorrent things and are selfish or purposefully ignorant鈥hey feel human. Instead of filling the world with cartoonish villains this series makes each and every person a monster you can imagine existing.
That realism extends to the worldbuilding and decision making and thought process of every POV.

Everyone from the villains to the heroes to the random soldiers make realistic decisions. The world is not info dumped. The antagonists have plans that sometimes fall through due to a lack of perfect knowledge they sometimes succeed leading to deeper depths of darkness. Everyone makes plans and decisions and its all satisfying to see come about.

I came to the series hoping for another divine dungeon and left feeling like I read game of thrones again.
...more

What did you read this year?