The 8 Books on My End-of-2024 TBR

Can you believe 2024 is almost over? It’s weird because I swear this year just started, but alas, we have less than four months to hit our reading goals for the year. What did you set your Goodreads goal at? I was feeling silly when I made mine, so I set it at 65. Apparently I thought I would have more time to read than I’ve actually dedicated because I’m barely halfway to that goal.

So, I thought it would be fun to share the eight books on my End-of-2024 TBR. It’s a weird mix of fantasy and real-life romance, but that’s what keeps things fresh and exciting. That being said, it’s all YA books, so I’m staying on brand with that.

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Ignite by Kara Swanson

Can Mara survive in a world where the fire in her veins is worth killing for?

In a frozen wasteland suffocating beneath a dying sun, Mara is a young phoenix raised by her father to explode at his command. He’s the only one who can help her control her fire, and Mara desperately follows his orders to protect their phoenix family from relentless human hunters.

Her sheltered existence is shattered when her family mysteriously vanishes, thrusting Mara into a perilous quest to find them. Along the way, she unravels a devastating truth: her people may not be the innocent victims she’s been taught to believe.

When she comes face-to-face with the kindhearted Eli, she begins to wonder if the humans aren’t the monsters she’s always feared. What if the greatest danger doesn’t lie in the icy world outside—but in the truth of who Mara really is?

Fire and ice collide in this thrilling tale of a phoenix girl born with the power of a dying sun.

I actually think this is my most anticipated book of this year. I’ve been following Kara on Instagram where she’s shared so much of her heart and dreams for this book, and I can’t help but feel like she wrote it for me. I haven’t always felt safe in my own mind, so finding a book that tackles that head on is already really healing.

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.

Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.

Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.

Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.

I meant to buddy read this with my friend, but I had to return it to the library before I made it more than two chapters in. I love The Cruel Prince trilogy, so there’s no reason why I wouldn’t like this one just as much. That being said, I’m not always a huge fan of spinoffs, so I’m cautiously optimistic about this one.

We Will Be Heroes by Megan McCullough

Make a movie. Fool the public. Save the world.

After VIGIL & ANTE Studios’ latest publicity stunt, Agent Rosemary Collins and former supervillain Ironfall must maintain their cover by starring in a film of their own. This calls for a precarious truce, one rife with suspicion. But with ANTE remnants still at large, the pair must set aside their feelings, join forces again, and hunt the enemy down.

Following their only lead, Rosemary and Ironfall barely escape ANTE’s latest secret weapon: a brutal villain with a tranquillizing touch. The VIGIL team now has more questions than answers, sending them on a twisted ride of challenged loyalties and revenge. Rosemary and Ironfall must figure out who is a hero, who is a villain, and whether or not they can trust each other before this new threat destroys everything they care about.

ANTE was always prepared to lose. Now they’re about to rise again.

I devoured the first book in this duology, and I cannot wait to do the same with this one. I fell in love with the characters (specifically Ironfall), so it’ll be really exciting to see what this new adventure holds for all of us. I also pretty much sent Megan live reading updates last time, and I can’t wait to do that again with this one.

This Life of Mine by Victoria Lynn

Marcus is tired of losing those he loves. The last shred of his childhood has been uprooted and he feels alone… again. When the ruler’s new policies take effect, the anger of the Rusalkan mountain king is unleashed upon the borderlands.

With refugees streaming into Elira by the hundreds, the stories from the wall are horrific. Marcus joins a convoy to lend his medical skills to those in need at the Eliran border. What he finds there is about to change his life forever.

Dilara’s life as a slave in Rusalka was anything but idealistic. Consumed by a system that was designed to use, abuse, and discard the likes of her, she has been taken through the very depths. Carrying a traumatic secret and wounded in her frenzied escape, she finds herself with an unlikely protector and an even more confusing relationship. Can she traverse the waters of this new life and make it her own?

And can Marcus overcome his own deformities to find the one missing piece? Or will his life forever be marked by suffering and sacrifice?

The first book in this series healed parts of me that I didn’t know were still broken. And I fell head over heels for Marcus in that story, so it’s really cool to know that now he has his own story. I haven’t felt quite ready to dive back into this world just yet, but I think God will show me that I’m ready before the end of the year (I’m thinking it’ll make a great winter read).

The Selection by Kiera Cass

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

One of my IRL friends (the same one I was supposed to buddy read The Stolen Heir with) told me the entire plot of this story while we sat in a Barnes & Noble a few months ago. She based the entire thing on her 13-year-old memory, and I thought that was hilarious. Obviously that means I have to go read the book so I can tell her how accurate her retelling was. I think she was pretty accurate based on the vibes alone, but I’m excited to finally dive into this 2012 staple.

Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

When it comes to romance, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to play games.

Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway. Crucial to this plan is to bring back her high school’s spring musical, but when Riley takes her mom’s car without permission, she’s grounded and stuck with the worst punishment: spending her after-school hours working at her dad’s game shop.

Riley can’t waste her time working when she has a musical to save, so she convinces Nathan—a nerdy teen employee—to cover her shifts and, in exchange, she’ll flirt with him to make his gamer-girl crush jealous.

But Riley didn’t realize that meant joining Nathan’s Dungeons & Dragons game…or that role playing would be so fun. Soon, Riley starts to think that flirting with Nathan doesn’t require as much acting as she would’ve thought…

I haven’t talked about it a lot on here, but I’m a DnD girlie. I had to leave my group earlier this year, and it was really hard. I don’t know if reading this will make me miss it more or help heal that part of me, but either way, I’m down for more DnD shenanigans.

XOXO by Axie Oh

Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word.

Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating.

When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love.

I read the sequel to this book, ASAP, earlier this year. I don’t know if I knew it was a sequel when I started reading it, but regardless, I knew I had to read this one. I love Axie Oh’s writing style, and her ability to tell such simple stories in a way that feels refreshing and gripping.

This Night is Ours by Ronni Davis

For one teen girl, the summer before college brings uncertainty about the future, familial pressure, and a budding romance—perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon!

It’s the longest day of the year, and eighteen-year-old Brandy Bailey has just received the worst news of her She’s been accepted to a top nursing school, making her mother overwhelmingly proud.

The thing is, Brandy wants to be an artist. She knows all the risks of chasing her dream. She’s heard them from her mother over and over.

On top of that, Brandy’s annoying classmate from high school, the startlingly handsome Ben Nolan, is catching his far-fetched dream of being an actor. Why does he get to be fearless while she has to be practical? Ben is the last thing Brandy wants on her mind, so of course today is the day he decides to glue himself to her hip. Now his perfect face is right there in the cacophony crashing through her head.

Spinning in too many directions, Brandy’s emotions clash with the flashing lights at the town’s summer carnival. Can she have one extraordinary night before everything changes?

I bought this on a whim while I was at Barnes & Noble with a friend. I noticed it because of the cover (it’s stunning), but then I realized it has a lot of similar vibes as my WIP. So, I’m not saying that this is research, but I’m also not going to say that it isn’t research . . . Plus, it just looks adorable, so there’s that.

Let’s Talk!

What’s on your End-of-2024 TBR? Are you overly ambitious like me, or do you set reasonable goals? What upcoming releases are you most excited about? Let’s talk all things 2024 releases and TBRs in the comments below!