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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Scranton chapter.

In 2024, I spent a lot of time reading, 22 books worth of reading to be exact. As always, I have a lot of opinions about the books I read. Some I loved, some I hated, and others were just okay. Instead of telling you about all of the books I read, I’m going to highlight my favorites. The books are in the order that I read them in, not how much I liked them. No spoilers!

The Villains Duology by V. E. Schwab – 4.5/5

Victor Vale and Eli Cardale are college roommates who have to pick a topic for their senior thesis. They find out that fabricating near death experiences can result in acquiring extraordinary abilities. Their research quickly turns from academic to experimental. The first book, Vicious, had a very quick start and I was immediately hooked. I read the book in three days because I could not put it down. Victor and Eli are foil characters, which really deepens the plot and helps the reader to understand the characters’ actions. All of the characters are morally grey, which adds even more depth. The timeline shifts between Victor and Eli’s college days and 10 years later. The timeline shifts can be confusing at times, but I think V. E. Schwab did that intentionally. The ending of Vicious ties up the book nicely, and there is a sequel called Vengeful. 

Vengeful introduces a new main character called Marcella Riggins, and she is not to be messed with! Marcella has one goal: to bring down the whole city of Merit. She’ll do whatever it takes, including pitting Victor and Eli against each other. Vengeful was a bit harder for me to follow than Vicious but I enjoyed the read nonetheless. After finishing Vengeful, I was left with more questions than answers. There are rumors of a third book coming out, which I will be reading as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan – 5/5

Mad Honey follows the lives of mother Olivia McAfee and high school student Lily Campanello as they navigate their new lives in New Hampshire. Olivia’s son, Asher, begins to date Lily and is then questioned by the police when Lily is found dead. Mad Honey has a quick start that keeps you interested in its suspense. I read this book in two days. There is a huge plot twist at the end of the book. There are a lot of court scenes, which I usually hate, but found interesting in this book. Mad Honey does a great job of confusing you about which character is guilty, along with fleshing out all the characters in the book. As a nice plus, I love how the title ties into the story. 

Nightbane (Lightlark #2) by Alex Aster – 5/5

Nightbane is the second book in the Lightlark series where Isla Crown must navigate being the leader of two realms and learning to control newfound powers. On top of that, she finds herself in the middle of a serious love triangle. Nightbane was my most anticipated read of the year. I loved both the plot and the romantic aspect. The ending of Nightbane was so unexpected that I cried for an hour and did not stop thinking about it for months afterward. I even texted my sister and made her read the whole series so that we could share the pain. The third book of the Lightlark series, Skyshade, is being released at the end of this month and I cannot wait to read it!

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Trilogy by Holly Jackson – 4/5

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (AGGGTM) follows the adventures of Pippa Fitz-Amobi as she investigates the long-solved murder suicide case of Andie Bell and her boyfriend Salil Singh. Everyone swears that Pip is crazy, that the case was already solved, but she uncovers some contradictory evidence that proves everyone wrong. The first book, AGGGTM, is a quick, easy read but the plot is insane. Holly Jackson pulls you in and leads you to reach many false conclusions before revealing who is guilty. 

In the second book, Good Girl Bad Blood, Pip gains internet fame after publishing her findings about the Andie Bell case on a podcast. After becoming obsessed with the Andie Bell case, Pip swears off investigating, that is, until her friend goes missing and the police refuse to do anything about it. Once again, Pip finds herself in the middle of a dangerous situation. More and more of the small town of Fairview’s secrets are revealed, each one more disturbing than the last. This book begins to explore a romantic subplot between Pip and her partner in crime, for lack of a better term. I did not enjoy the second book nearly as much as the first, but I do not regret reading it. The ending is incredibly sinister but leads to a good start for the third book. 

In the third and final book, As Good as Dead, Pip begins to lose her mind and public favor. People who listened to her podcast speculate that her stories are made up. Pip is used to receiving threats but begins to notice a suspicious pattern of comments. She reaches out to the police for help and gets dismissed. Pip is left alone to solve another murder case, but this time it’s her own. As Good as Dead is a brilliant book, and Holly Jackson is an incredibly talented author. This was my favorite book in the trilogy. I accidentally stayed up all night reading because I couldn’t put it down. The plot is very circular and ties back to ideas referenced early in the first book. If you read this series, I recommend paying attention to small details because there is lots of foreshadowing. 

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett – 4/5

The Vanishing Half takes place in the small Louisiana town of Mallard. Mallard is a community for Black people who have light skin. The Vignes twins, Stella and Desiree, decide to run away from Mallard when they turn 16. Although they were once inseparable, they end up splitting off and going their own ways. Stella lives her life passing as a White woman and hides her past from her husband and daughter. Desiree chooses to live her life more authentically but returns home to Mallard with her daughter after her marriage falls apart. The Vanishing Half is a multi-perspective book that follows the lives of Stella and Desiree, their daughters, and how they are all intertwined in the end. There are many characters in The Vanishing Half, but they are all complex and explored in depth. The Vanishing Half explores many complex issues including generational trauma, classism, racism, colorism, and domestic violence. I will say that it is not the most comfortable read but it is very thought-provoking.

A Day of Fire by Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, Eliza Knight, Sophie Perinot, and Victoria Alvear – 4/5

A Day of Fire is a work of historical fiction that imagines what transpired in the town of Pompeii on the day that Mount Vesuvius erupted. The book includes six sections, each of which details the experience of a new character. The characters explored are a boy, an heiress, a soldier, a senator, a young mother, and a prostitute. I will say that I am not a big fan of historical fiction, but I have always been fascinated by the story of Pompeii, so I decided to give it a try. I genuinely enjoyed each story, but it took me a long time to get through the book because every section was written by a new author and I had to adapt to a new writing style. One thing I really loved was that the six characters’ lives are interconnected, despite their varying social classes. At the end of the book the authors included notes about what was real and what was fictional which was a very nice touch.

The Powerless Trilogy – 4.5/5

Powerless takes place in Ilya, a kingdom where Elites rule and are superior to Ordinaries. Elites have special powers that they received after surviving the plague, while Ordinaries are powerless. Powerless is a dual perspective book, alternating between Paedyn Gray, an Ordinary, and Kai Azer, an Elite and second heir to the throne. Every year, trials are held to show off the powers of Elites and reinforce the power dynamics of the kingdom. Paedyn becomes a contestant after posing as an Elite. Powerless follows the journey of Paedyn and Kai as they compete in the trials and attempt to deny their forbidden love for each other. The chemistry between Paedyn and Kai is palpable. To be honest, Powerless has every single clique that other fantasy “enemies to lovers” books have, but I loved it! It combines a bunch of aspects from my favorite fantasy novels like Harry Potter, Lightlark, and The Hunger Games.

In the second book, Reckless, Paedyn finds herself in trouble and has to flee to a neighboring city. Kai is given one mission: to find Paedyn and bring her back to the king to be dealt with. Once Kai finds Paedyn, they dance the line of enemies and lovers again. You have to wait until the end of the book to find out if Kai completes his mission or not. I found that Reckless had a slower start than Powerless, but the insane ending made up for it. The third book, Fearless, will be released in April 2025 and I will be reading it.

Kirsten Johns

Scranton '26

Hey! My name is Kirsten and I'm an occupational therapy major in the class of 2026. I am one of the social media directors at Her Campus Scranton. Some of my favorite things are going on walks, reading books, and hanging out with my friends!