My Favourites of 2024

[wyrmlore]

It does feel weird to do this in March, but I still feel it's worth to share my favourite books, anime/mangs, and video games from last year. Recycled from my Substack post.

Books

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

The second and concluding installment of the The Radiant Emperor duology. I do prefer the first book and this one really needed time to warm up to me. The chapters from the third point of view character proved to be a bit of a challenge to read through and Zhu was a bit insufferable at times (also because a lot of things ‘just’ work out for her). I still listed it because the pay-off was well worth it and I loved how everything came together in the end. General Ouyang was still my favourite character of this series and his arc broke my heart.

 

The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan

The second installment of The Empire of the Wolf series. I’ve also read the third one this year and it had a very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, but the second installment is my favourite. The book continues where the first left off and raises the stakes a lot, and I prefer Helena in this installment. I also like how her perception of her mentor starts to get more brittle and the politcal intrigue that’s afoot alongside the more demonic issues going on.

 

Tailchaser’s Song by Tad Williams

An older book, which is basically an epic fantasy but with cats. It kind of reminds me of Watership Down (one of my favourite books ever), but with fewer layers and more fantastical elements but not getting any less dark. We follow the cat Tailchaser as he tries to find out what happened to this female cat he likes (which is interesting, because we humans immediately figure out what happened but he has no idea). Along the way he gets into what reads as a very traditional fantasy adventure. I really liked how Tad Williams portrayed the cat society and how they view humans. The writing is beautiful, too! I really want to check out more works by this author next year.

 

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

A novella based on the short story The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe, and I do prefer this queer version that is also much more creepy and atmospheric. The characters were very likable and I like how this novella focused more on the horror aspect. I can be a bit picky with horror, preferring atmosphere over gore or body horror, but this book managed to nail it. I also really enjoy Kingfisher’s writing. The second book, What Feasts At Night, was also a lot of fun, but I do prefer this one.

 

Consumed by Aja Barber

Nonfiction about a very relevant topic: consumerism, climate change, and colonialism. Barber focuses on the fashion industry, and though I do not consider myself a fashion girlie, I still (of course) wear clothing. Also, a lot of it applies to other industries. It’s an eye-opening read, going into the exploitative and polluting production of textiles at the start of the production cycle, as well as the global South being stuck with the waste when bad quality fast fashion is tossed after only a few washes, and how all this ties to colonialism. The tone can be a bit harsh and confrontational, leaving no excuses for buying fast fashion or even clothing you don’t need in general, but this is still an important read for anyone who cares about this topic. Definitely motivated my low buy and my journey to consume/buy less in general. After this, you could watch the documentary The True Cost for visuals.

 

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

The first book in the Murderbot series, this is a very lighthearted scifi following a self-aware security cyborg who just wants to watch its shows and Not Talk To People. Unfortunately, it keeps getting into situations where it has to protect its human clients, which involves not a lot of watching series and a whole lot of Talking To People. The main character is very lovable (and relatable to an anxious and socially awkward penguin like me) and the tone of the series is really fun.

 

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

A classic and a slow-burn, I really liked seeing the March sisters grow up. The events are very slice-of-life but still fun to follow as the girls learn various lessons throughout their lives. I especially appreciated how ‘aroace’ the character Jo felt, despite the ending (that wasn’t according to Alcott’s wishes — she intended Jo to remain a spinster, but due to pressure by society and publishing she had Jo get a partner in the end). This book was really cozy, despite some heavier stuff happening in the second part.

 

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

The first in the Teixcalaan series, this isn’t a very easy scifi to read. It’s a slow-burn with a lot of worldbuilding and political intrigue to get through. I personally love this type of stuff, however, and the very likable main character Mahit helped. The story follows her as she arrives in the empire as an ambassador of an independent mining station. She had a lot of chemistry with her love interest and I enjoyed the mystery of why her predecessor was killed. I’ve also enjoyed its sequel this year, but the first was my favourite of the duology.

 

The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri

The concluding installment of The Burning Kingdoms series. I felt the second book had middle book syndrome, but this third one made everything right again. I loved where all the character arcs went, the lore and world-building, and the continuous tension between the sapphic main couple after how the previous book ended. Suri’s writing is also really atmospheric. 

 

What You Are Looking For is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

This book follows five different people as they are a bit lost in life. They eventually find their way into the library where the eccentric librarian gives them book recommendations. Most match what they’re looking for, but one title is a bit weird. The books jumpstart the characters finding a new path in life that grants them purpose and happiness. These are very formulaic, but the book manages to balance having enough depth, while simultaneously being a warm, comforting hug.
 

Video games

Little Kitty, Big City (Switch)

This is the one video game I managed to finish this year (that wasn’t a replay) — I dropped the others. Little Kitty, Big City was a very cute indie with about 4 hours of cat shenanigans. The main character falls from the window during a nap. He is unharmed, but he needs to find his way back home. The game is a bit buggy at times and the jumping mechanic is a bit rough, but it’s very cute and whimsical as you engage in chaotic cat behaviour. I had a blast playing this, and no matter all the bells and whistles bigger games come up with, the ‘fun’ aspect is the most important part in gaming to me.

Anime

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

What to say about this fantasy series? The elf Frieren and her party have defeated the Demon King and they each go their own way. The years fly by, but elves perceive time differently from humans. She eventually visits the human hero Himmel and he has grown old. When he dies soon after, Frieren realizes she never took the time to get to know him. I love the premise of it taking place after the big bad has been defeated and the party of heroes returns home. I love the focus on treasuring your connections even if they move in and out of your life, the way it handles the passage of time, on appreciating the small and calm moments. I love the characters, the soundtrack, and the animation. This adaptation manages to alleviate an already excellent manga series and I’m all here for that. This series is nostalgic, reflective, a bit melancholic, but I love it so much.

 

The Apothecary Diaries

MaoMao is a very fun and entertaining main character as she ends up at court as an apothecary. The mysteries she has to deal with are fun and interesting, but my favourite part of this series are the characters. MaoMao and Jinishi have a lot of chemistry and they are super entertaining to watch. Also, the colors are so vibrant.

 

Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master

Political intrigue in definitely-not-feudal-Japan. There is a fantastical element of the people being able to transform into crows, but the focus is on the intrigue and mystery. And man, does this series throw some amazing twists at you. The animation is also lovely and Yukiya is a very entertaining main character. This is based on a novel series and I hope they’ll translate it to English some day.

 

Heavenly Delusion

This first season left me with many questions, but this was a ride! The production values are stunning, really bringing the post-apocalyptic setting and the monsters to life, but the mystery and plot are also very intriguing. There were a lot of intense and/or freaky moments. The humor alternated with emotional punches. It’s hard to discuss this series without spoilers, though (but be aware, trigger warnings for SA apply in episode 12).

 

I would also like to shout-out NieR:Automata s2 for an excellent second season and proving that awesome video game adaptations can happen. Honorable mention to Delicious in Dungeon as well, but I haven’t finished that one yet.
 

 

Manga

Only including the manga I actually finished this year.

 

Golden Kamuy by Satoru Noda

This is a weird but such an amazing series, defying genre distinctions. It’s a historical action-adventure series with wacky comedy and cooking elements, delving into war, ptsd, and Ainu culture. It follows war veteran Sugimoto as he teams with Ainu girl Asirpa to find gold treasure of which the map has been tattooed on the backs of escaped convicts, but multiple parties are after the treasure (and the convicts). There’s a big cast with people switching alliances. It can get pretty brutal and the bizarre humor is definitely not for everyone, but I enjoyed this series a lot due to the characters and the amount of depth they have. I think the cast did get too big so a couple of side-characters get a bit shafted, but still an amazing series. I definitely want to reread this.

 

Ooku: The Inner Chambers by Fumi Yoshinaga

More political intrigue and court drama in this alternative history of feudal Japan. A decease has decimated the male population, so the remaining men need to be protected while the women run everything — including the shogunate. That doesn’t necessarily mean that patriarchy and political shenanigans are no longer a thing. Ooku follows multiple generations of the shogunate as they try to navigate court politics as well as ruling the country. Not every generation is as interesting, but there is definitely plenty of intrigue, horrible people causing tragedy, and remarkable characters.

 

A Story of Seven Lives by Shirakawa Gin

A short manga following strat cats and the sometimes harsh lives they have to endure. It can get predictable and a bit melodramatic, but I still really enjoyed this series. The art was lovely, too!

 

Movies

I don’t typically watch a lot of new movies that aren’t anime, but somehow I ended up doing so anyway this year.

 

Little Women (2019)

Watched this after reading the book and I really enjoyed the non-lineair way the movie decided to tell the story. I can imagine it can be a bit disjointed, but I thought it was interesting. I like how they made the ending a bit more ambiguous (see my text wall over at the book), how Jo felt ‘more aroace’, and how they portrayed Amy in a more likable way.

 

Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish

This was a surprise. The first Puss in Boots movie was fine, and when I borrowed this dvd from the library I didn’t have a lot of expections. Just an entertaining few hours. Boy, was I blown away! The animation is somewhat reminiscent of the Spiderverse movies (which I also enjoyed), but it still had its own character. The strongest part of this movie were the characters, however. The villains were great and thematic and I loved how the movie went into valueing life through Puss’ character arc. I also loved how panic attacks were portrayed. All of this added emotional depth to what was already an entertaining fantasy adventure

 

Suzume

And still an anime movie ended up here. I’ve watched a lot of anime movies this year, but Suzume was definitely my favourite. The animation is beautiful and really highlights the abandoned places the story visits, but the focus on trauma and natural disasters gives this movie a very interesting layer. I also really liked the main character and how she travels from place to place, meeting strangers who end up helping her.

 

Also shout-out to the Lord of the Rings (extended version), which I rewatched during Christmas and it’s filled with so many amazing and heartfelt moments. I kept crying because so many moments were just so beautiful!


Other?

I would like to add a shout-out to the board game Wyrmspan, which I was gifted this year. I’m very new to board games so I try to be very picky and not add yet another slippery slope in terms of buying stuff, which I’m succeeding at so far. It’s an engine-builder similar to Wingspan, but with dragons! The only downside is that I wasn’t paying much attention to the beautiful art when I was playing it, but I still had a lot of fun. It’s not the only new board game I’ve played, and they were all fun and interesting, but this was my favourite.

 

So, this concludes my list of favorites of 2024. I hope you found this interesting and maybe even found some new titles that piqued your interest.