2022 wasn’t such a good reading year for me. I couldn’t finish my reading challenge and I didn’t make time for reading. 2022 was a year of transition for me. I finished my master’s degree and I was trying to figure out what to do after that. All in all, it wasn’t such a good year. But 2023 is nearby, and I see a lot of new things on the horizon.

The new year is the year of many fabulous book releases. There are so many books I want to read in 2023. Their plot and their covers are fantastic and I just can’t wait to read these books. I already know that 2023 will be a great reading year for me because I have promised to not lose sight of what’s important. Just focus on the things I love and not stress about anything else.

Here are 10 books that I look forward to reading in 2023.

Chain of Thorns (The Last Hours #3) by Cassandra Clare

Release Date: January 31, 2023

Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her. In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.

After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.

Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help—ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.

For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city—and their families—they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything—even their souls.

I’ve been waiting to read the final instalment of the Last Hours trilogy since two years. Even though I’m not a fan of the Shadowhunters series, I love this this trilogy. Also the covers are really pretty! It looks damn good on my bookshelf.

The Last Tale of The Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

Release Date: February 14, 2023

Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was heiress to a fortune. They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after–and in exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past.

But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist. For within the crumbling manor’s extravagant rooms and musty halls, there lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure, Indigo’s dearest childhood friend who suddenly disappeared. As the house slowly reveals his wife’s secrets, the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy, even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage . . . or their lives.

If I’m being honest, I have only read Roshani Chokshi’s ‘Aru Shah and the End of Time,’ and I didn’t like it. But the synopsis of ‘The Last Tale of The Flower Bride’ is mind blowing. Is giving me dark fairy tales vibes, and I’m here for it. I’ve already heard reviews of this one from people who received an ARC and they can’t stop recommending it.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

Release Date: February 21, 2023

Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement.

But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she’s desperate to discover the truth and save herself.

A thriller set in a remote mansion that is cut off from the rest of the world due to a snowstorm… if that’s not exciting enough then add a writing retreat to it. The manor belongs to a horror writer, and you just know things are about to get weird. Can’t wait to read this!

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

Release Date: February 21, 2023

A forty something podcaster and mother of two, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family history that marred her adolescence and the murder of one of her high school classmates, Thalia Keith. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia’s death and the conviction of the school’s athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are the subject of intense fascination online, Bodie prefers—needs—to let sleeping dogs lie.

But when she’s invited back to Granby, the elite New England boarding school where she spent four largely miserable years, to teach a course, Bodie finds herself inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn’t as much of an outsider at Granby as she’d thought; if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.

I love mysteries and this one sounds perfect. A mother gets embroiled in a murder investigation that happened when she was a student. I feel like this one will be a tear jerker and might explore the theme of racial and religious discrimination.

She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

Release Date: February 28, 2023

When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.

But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound, while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves her cryptic warnings: Don’t eat.

Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house—the home her family has always wanted—will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house’s rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.

I think I have a thing for gothic novel. Would you agree too looking at my choices? I can’t watch horror films but I love reading horror. Ever since I read Mexican Gothic, I’ve gotten hooked to the gothic genre. This one seems just like Mexican Gothic. I think this is the book I’m most excited to read.

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez

Release Date: March 7, 2023

The Ramirez women of Staten Island orbit around absence. When thirteen‑year‑old middle child Ruthy disappeared after track practice without a trace, it left the family scarred and scrambling. One night, twelve years later, oldest sister Jessica spots a woman on her TV screen in Catfight, a raunchy reality show. She rushes to tell her younger sister, Nina: This woman’s hair is dyed red, and she calls herself Ruby, but the beauty mark under her left eye is instantly recognizable. Could it be Ruthy, after all this time?

The years since Ruthy’s disappearance haven’t been easy on the Ramirez family. It’s 2008, and their mother, Dolores, still struggles with the loss, Jessica juggles a newborn baby with her hospital job, and Nina, after four successful years at college, has returned home to medical school rejections and is forced to work in the mall folding tiny bedazzled thongs at the lingerie store.

After seeing maybe‑Ruthy on their screen, Jessica and Nina hatch a plan to drive to where the show is filmed in search of their long‑lost sister. When Dolores catches wind of their scheme, she insists on joining, along with her pot-stirring holy roller best friend, Irene. What follows is a family road trip and reckoning that will force the Ramirez women to finally face the past and look toward a future—with or without Ruthy in it.

I love complicated female relationships. Four women go on a road trip that may change their lives forever. Dysfunctional families and generational trauma are themes I love. It is a debut novel from the author and I’m sure it will be fantastic.

Take What You Need by Idra Novey

Release Date: March 14, 2023

Set in the Allegheny Mountains of Appalachia, Take What You Need tracks the aftermath of a long estrangement between a stepmother and daughter. Leah is a web editor and young mother who’s sought an urban life and clean break from her rural childhood. But with her stepmother Jean’s death, Leah must return to sort through what’s been left behind.

What Leah discovers is astonishing: Jean has filled the house with giant sculptures she’s welded from scraps of the area’s industrial history. There’s also a young man now living in the house who’s played an unknown role in Jean’s last years and in her art.

The relationship between a daughter and her step mother maybe complicated. After all, most of the time step mothers are portrayed as evil. So I’m curious to see what happens here. I’m expecting some mystery and some complex emotions.

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner

Release Date: March 21, 2023

May mercy be upon the man who finds himself the enemy of a vengeful medium…

1873. At an abandoned chteau on the outskirts of Paris, a dark sance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. But as the women team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive Sance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves…

Mystery and seances together!! Who doesn’t want to read that? The synopsis doesn’t give much away but I’m sure it will be a fascinating read.

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

Release Date: March 28, 2023

“Mom seems off.”

Her brother’s words echo in Sam Montgomery’s ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

March seems to be an expensive month for me. There are so many books I want to read in March. This one again has a gothic-mystery vibe. A mother who is scared and a house with secrets…. Sounds fun, right?

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

Release Date: April 4, 2023

There’s a cottage on a cliff. Gabe and Pippa’s dream home in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Night after night Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge. Until he doesn’t.

When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral…Did the victim jump? Was she pushed?

And would Gabe, the love of Pippa’s life, her soulmate…lie? As the perfect facade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets begin to unravel.

A couple buys a home in a small coastal town. The cliff beside that is a famous spot for committing suicide. The husband saves all those people who tries to commit suicide, except one. Why wouldn’t he save one of them, especially when he knew that person? Secrets in a marriage can be dangerous and can even end an marriage. We need to see if this secret will unravel Pippa and Gabe’s marriage. Can’t wait to read this thriller!