Backlist Books I Want to Read in 2022

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to share a list of books that were published before 2022 (also known as backlist books) that I would like to read this year! I mostly chose books that I wanted to read in 2021 but never got the chance to do so, and also books that I want to read off my physical TBR! There are 15 books on this list, and I’m hoping I can read a good amount of them if not all of them!

King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair – I wanted to read this one so badly in 2021 when it released, but it just didn’t end up happening because I ended up focusing on trying to read my ARCs! This is a fantasy romance about a woman sent to marry the vampire king, but her goal is to kill him to stop a war. I’ve head some good things about this one, and the rest of this author’s works so I really want to give it a shot this year.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko – I bought the UK paperbacks for both books in this duology because not only are they stunning, but the books sound so interesting! It follows a woman sent to compete to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s council, and if she’s picked she’ll be connected to the other members through a bond deeper than blood. But she’s compelled to obey the demand of The Lady to kill the Crown Prince. Sounds so good and it has super high ratings!

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen – This is a retelling of the Goose Girl and I got it in one of my Illumicrate boxes (it’s absolutely stunning!) The main character Vanja crosses the wrong god and is cursed to turn into jewels because of her greed unless she can return what she stole by taking the place of Princess Gisele through the use of an enchanted string of pearls that makes her look just like the princess.

She Who Rides the Storm by Caitlin Sangster – This was on one of my recent TBRs, but it ended up being a really slow reading month for me so I never got a chance to get around to this book. It follows four teens who are trying to steal a cursed sword that is at the very bottom of the tomb of an ancient shapeshifter king. It kind of sounds like an Indiana Jones style fantasy story, and I’m very excited to read it!

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal – So many people love this book, and I now have both books in the duology so I definitely think I need to read this in 2022! It follows a girl who disguises herself as a man to feed her people, but if she’s exposed as a girl she’ll lose the respect she’s gained, and an assassin who would be punished by his father if he showed any sort of compassion. He’s sent to kill the girl, and the story goes from there!

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – This is an extremely popular series that I just haven’t had a chance to read yet, but now that it’s a completed series I think it’s time I read this one! I believe it’s inspired by ancient Rome and follows Laia who is a slave, and Elias who is a soldier.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir – I’ve had the audiobook for this for quite a while, and I really want to listen to more audiobooks this year so it just makes sense to add this one to the list! I haven’t read The Martian at all, but I think that would also be a fun read. Scifi is usually one of my top genres, but I fell behind a little with that genre in 2021 so this will be a great way to get back into it!

Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha Brockenbrough – All I really needed to know about this one to make me excited about it was the blurb that it’s a feminist twisting of the Brother Grimms’ stories, Game of Thrones style. I’m really hoping this one lives up to that description, because I love retellings and Game of Thrones so combining them should be great!

Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn – Like most of the others on this list, I meant to read this one in 2021 and just never got around to it. This one is a heist novel following a thief trying to stay one step ahead of the Guildmaster for long enough to finally win her freedom. I love anything that follows thieves and heist novels are always a plus, so I’m really looking forward to reading this one.

Odin’s Child by Siri Pettersen – This one is unique to this list because it’s actually a translated book from Norway! After reading and loving The Shadow of the Gods, I’ve been really wanting to read more Norse inspired fantasy and this one sounds so interesting! It follows Hirka, an outsider in her world due to her lack of a tail. She’s due to go through a ceremony where everyone is blessed by a Seer, but learns that she actually isn’t from this world and came through a stone circle.

The Coward by Stephen Aryan – I love a good fantasy about an accidental hero, and this sounds like it’ll fit the bill! Kell is the only one who returned from a quest to kill the Ice Lich and tales of his heroism are told all over, but now that something has taken up residence in the Lich’s castle, they expect Kell to repeat his great feat and save them all again. Only, he just got lucky the first time and doesn’t intend on risking his life a second time.

Seven Deaths of an Empire by G.R. Matthews – It’s been a while since I’ve read a grimdark fantasy and so I really want to give this one a go! The synopsis is a little vague, but it sounds like a group of people trying to either protect the heir to the empire or take it for themselves. I haven’t heard too much about this one, but the cover is beautiful so I ended up getting a physical copy for my shelves!

Malice by John Gwynne – Again, I read and loved The Shadow of the Gods in 2021 and so now I really need to read more from John Gwynne! All I really know about this series is that it follows a boy who wants to become a warrior in a land where giants stir and a war is coming. It also seems to have the good vs evil trope which I love, and I’m very excited about this one because so many people love it!

In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland – If I’m being honest, I don’t really know too much about this one other than it has a bloodmage who teams up with a ghost to start a rebellion. Truthfully, the reason why I added this to the list is because I heard it includes a poly romance, and after being very surprised by Iron Widow which also has a poly romance I decided I needed to try more books with that element and this was the one that I knew about!

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire – I have a feeling that Seanan McGuire will be a favorite author, but I can’t say that for certain having only read her Wayward Children series. She’s one of the authors that I would like to read more of their works throughout 2022, so I want to start with her October Daye series which is about a girl who is half human half fae who has to investigate a murder. It’s a pretty long series, so I’m hoping I like it!

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What are some backlist books that you want to read in 2022? Which one of these do you think I should start with?