Top 10 Books of 2017

2017 has been a fantastic reading year for me. I surpassed my Goodreads goal by 36 books which is a massive achievement for me, I normally only just make the 50. I started book blogging and reviewing books and as a result have had the opportunity to work with some fantastic publishers to promote some great books. I have also read a lot of brilliant books this year so without further ado I'm going to jump into the top 10 books I read in 2017!

The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Star Rating - *****

This was one of the first books I read in 2017 so I don't have a full review of this one. All I can tell you is that it's a brilliant, heartwarming middle grade story full of myth, magic and adventure. One I really want to get round to rereading very soon.  

Pantomime by Laura Lam 

Star Rating - *****

Another one I read early on in the year so I don't have a review for this one either. This was one of the books that really solidified my love for circus settings, along with The Night Circus, which I read last year. This book also has great representation as the main character is both gender fluid and bisexual. This is also the start of a trilogy, I'm still yet to read the 3rd book so that is high on my TBR for 2018. 

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

Star Rating - *****

Another one without a review, I promise I start reviewing books very soon! This was a fantastic read. Another one of my favorite things to read about is cults and this was a great example. It was so atmospheric and I was completely hooked from beginning to end. I read this in a day which is unusual for me so it must of been good. I can't wait to get to Stephanie Oakes next book The Arsonist. 

 Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Star Rating - *****

Review

Yay finally I have a review for this one! From here on out the rest of the books with have reviews. Retellings are another thing I enjoy reading (I like reading a lot of things!) and this is one of the best I've read so far. The writing was so whimsical and really reflected the original story well. I loved the relationship in this book and I was fully invested in the characters.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 

Star Rating - ****.5

Review

This is one of the most important and poignant books I have read all year. Great relationships, great characters and great representation. If you only take one book recommendation away with you from this post then please take this one! Although I do hope you take more than one. 

Rattle by Fiona Cummins

Star Rating - *****

Review 

This was one of the best thriller/mystery books I read this year. I received it on a whim when I saw the publisher offering finished copies for review on Twitter and I was lucky enough to receive one. I was completely gripped throughout and the writing was fantastic. This book was extremely creepy and it chilled me to the bone. 

13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough

Star Rating - ****.5

Review

Another great thriller novel full of mystery and suspense. There were lots of twists and turns throughout this story which I didn't see coming. I also thought the author did a great job of depicting very real characters. I'm looking forward to diving into more of Sarah Pinborough's work in 2018.

 The Scarecrow Queen by Melinda Sailsbury 

Star Rating - ****.5

Review

This is the final book in the Sin Eater's Daughter trilogy which I managed to complete this year. For me this book really solidified the series for me. I wasn't completely smitten with the first book but I loved this one. I loved the character development and the pacing of the story. The female characters in particular were great, with such strong personalities. 

Ultimate Sacrifice by S.E. Green

Star Rating ****.5

Review

Another cult/ritual themed book that I devoured in a day. This was creepy, gripping and all the other things that make up a fantastic thriller novel. Yes there was some flaws, as you can read in my review, but this didn't stop me from gobbling this one up.

Winter by Marissa Meyer

Star Rating *****

Review

Another final book to another fantastic series I completed this year. This installment was full of fast paced action and adventure. It made me laugh, it gave me the feels, it was just an all round great book. 

So there are my top 10 book I read in 2017. I hope you manage to find something that interests you on this list. If you do take away any recommendations please let me know, I'd love to hear about them. Also I'd love to hear about your top books of the year!

Review - Numbers by Rachel Ward

Numbers by Rachel Ward

Published 8th November 2008 by The Chicken House 

Star Rating - *.5

Goodreads Challenge - 85/50

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Since her mother's death, 15-year-old Jem has kept a secret. When her eyes meet someone else's, a number pops into her head - the date on which they will die. Knowing that nothing lasts forever, Jem avoids relationships, but when she meets a boy called Spider, and they plan a day out together, her life takes a new twist and turn 

My Thoughts 

This wasn't what I was expecting at all. I picked it up a while back based on the premise and I'd seen a couple people mention it and based on these things I was expecting a sci-fi/dystopian novel, full of action and adventure, but that wasn't what this was and to be honest I was a bit disappointed. When I started I was interested, I liked the writing and Jem's personality. I thought she was quite edgy and I was looking forward to seeing how her unusual ability fit into the story but this didn't continue. After the initial event everything seemed to go downhill. It was just a story about Jem and Spider on the run. Nothing else really happened and we didn't really see Jem's ability come through again other than her obsession over Spider's number. It got to the point where I found myself skim reading as the story just wasn't holding my interest.

When I first started the story I felt sorry for Jem as a character. She had had a hard start in life, loosing her mum and growing up in foster care, I could relate to that. I understood her want to distance herself from other people and her difficulty making a sustaining relationships with others but in the end I just found her to be annoying. She was full of self pity and it was only near the very end of the book that she finally realized that not everyone is out to get her. I also found Spider to be really irritating, I don't know what it was about him, his personality just annoyed me. The big thing that really bugged me though was how stereotypical the characters were. Spider especially, was doing all of the things people would 'expect' a black lower class boy to do such as, drug dealing, stealing cars and being on the run. This just didn't sit right with me. In my opinion we should be doing things to debunk these stereotypes not support them. I understand that the author may have done this so people can see the struggles that certain people are up against and I did appreciate how Spider cared for Jem as their relationship progressed. I just would of liked the characters to be a little less stereotypical.

Overall I didn't really like this one. It stared off on a negative as it really wasn't the story I was expecting to read and then it didn't really get any better. There are two other books in this series, which I own, and unfortunately I will be unhauling these. It is a shame as the premise was really interesting to me but you can't enjoy them all.

Overall Rating (1.5*)

 

 

Review - The Traitor's Crux by Jessica Prather

The Traitor's Crux by Jessica Prather

Published 14th November 2017 by Oftomes Publishing 

Star Rating - **

Goodreads Challenge - 84/50

I received a copy of this book from Oftomes Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

 Synopsis (from Goodreads)

In a country ravaged by years of war, plague, and death, witches and wizards are blamed for the state of the world and hunted by the U.S. government. Kenadee Coria was only a young girl when her brother was taken prisoner for having magical powers.

Now sixteen years old, Kenadee discovers she too has magical powers and must face the facts: the government is watching, and they have plans for her. She’s given a deadly mission and an impossible ultimatum: the lives of a hidden group of magic refugees, or the safe return of her long-lost brother. 

My Thoughts

I saw this book about quite a lot on Twitter and the premise intrigued me. It's a mixture of a dystopian, which I havn't read in a long time, and fantasy, which I'm loving at the moment. So when I received an email from Oftomes asking if I would like to read and review this one I jumped at the chance. I'd built up quite a hype for this book and unfortunately it didn't quite live up to my own expectations.

When I began reading my first thought was this reminds me a lot of The Hunger Games. There were also several other elements that sounded familiar to me. I can't pinpoint what they reminded me of exactly, only that I've read about similar things before. The story plot itself was quite 'tropey', corrupt government, group of so called 'traitors' and a main character who discovers she had powers, but this doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be a bad story and it wasn't bad, to me it was just predictable. The whole story was set in a dystopian world with fantastical elements, select people had magic, and I liked this idea I just really wanted more depth. I really wanted some more exploration into how the magic actually worked. It seemed to be just a touch or flick of the hand and I wanted more. The 'magic' books Kenadee was taking out of the library sounded super interesting and I wanted this to be explored a bit more, along with Kenadee's magic training with Harlow.

The writing style was okay. The story was really easy to read and was quite well paced but I struggled with the predictability. There were times I found myself thinking, well I know what's going to happen so I can just skim. This meant it took me a while to read the first half of the book. At about 70% through the pace seemed to pick up and we got some more action for a while but things seemed to be over quite quickly. Something would happen and I would be excited for a while but things seemed to fizzle out quite quickly, which was a shame because there was so much potential there.

I also found it really difficult to connect to the characters. Kenadee was particularly difficult to connect to. She didn't seem to have much fight in her and, although I understand she sided with President Reed to save her family, she quickly fell back into his trap even after the offer of help from the others. She seemed to take the easy way out of the situations put in front of her and seemingly lacked sympathy for others. I would of liked a little bit more character development from her and to see her grow as a person however, this may come in the following books. I also wasn't a massive fan of the romance. It was very 'instalovely' and this just didn't sit quite right with me. I did like Harlow as a character however, she was strong willed, feisty and always fought for what she believed in. I liked learning about her back story and I did feel some emotional connection to her as a character.

Overall I thought this book had a lot of potential in the synopsis. It really appealed to me and I was looking forward to getting to it but it just didn't quite live up to my expectations, although this may be because I built this up a bit too much. So because of this please don't write this one off. If it sounds like something you might be interested in I urge you to give it a go as you may enjoy it more than me.  

Overall Rating 

  

 

Review - The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

 

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Published 5th February 2015 by Indigo

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 83/50

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough? 

My Thoughts

I've had this book on my shelf for a while now and it's always intrigued me especially as it's a standalone fantasy, of which you don't see many. Holly Black's new novel is due to be released soon and after seeing lots of fantastic reviews of that one I was inspired to pick this one up before I dived into The Cruel Prince. I've also heard The Cruel Prince is set in the same world as this one, not sure how true that is so don't quote me just yet, however, this seemed like a good place to start with her work and I don't know why I put this off for so long. I really enjoyed this book, it took me a bit longer than usual to read as I've been so busy, but I was glad to be able to savior the story. This was also the first faerie book I've read and I will definitely be diving into more.

Holly Blacks writing was exquisite. It fit the tone of the book perfectly with a great balance of wimsy and darker tones. I loved the idea of the faerie world being an extension of our own, I felt like I could immerse myself in the world easier as it was a bit more familiar. That being said, the detail and description of the faerie world was great, I thought Holly Black pulled off this immersion of the two worlds well. I loved how the faerie world was also much darker than our own. There was lots of mystery and intrigue as well as magic and I really like these aspects in fantasy novels. I also think these elements are quite hard to pull off in standalone novels but Holly Black did so very well.

I also loved all of the characters in this book. I loved Hazel, she was feisty and self assured but also completely loyal to the people she cares about. She was brave and strong willed and these are all characteristics I love to see portrayed in female protagonists. Ben was great to, I'd love to have a brother like him. I also like how Ben being gay wasn't made a big deal out of, it fit well with the story, I appreciated this. Although please note, this was a bit more of a side plot, the main focus of this book was Hazel. There was a great air of mystery surrounding Severin, The Horned Boy, and Jack and I loved seeing their stories unfold as we went through the story. I also enjoyed the feelings of acceptance surrounding the characters in Fairfold, especially Jack. Loyalty seems to be a trait in a lot of these characters, I liked that.

Overall I really enjoyed this story. I read it slowly and savored it. It was a great standalone fantasy which exuded magic and mystery and I would definitely recommend it. I can't wait to dive into The Cruel Prince very soon.  

Overall Rating

 

Review - The Nature of Gods by D.J. Torres

The Nature of Gods: The Awakening by D.J. Torres

Published 4th April 2017 by Creative Locks Publishing

Star Rating - **

Goodreads Challenge - 82/50

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

When gods and goddesses abruptly overthrow Earth, humans are given two choices – worship or die. Desperate to survive, Olivia and her family devote their days to fulfilling the will of the gods. But the wrath of the gods is insatiable and unpredictable. With her hope crushed, Olivia is resigned to her bleak fate . . . until she meets Nature.
 
Immediately, Olivia knows this charismatic girl with color-changing eyes isn’t normal. Nature looks like a teenager yet she has the power to control the weather and converse with animals. Nature opens Olivia’s eyes to a hidden world that had always existed in harmony with her own. However, know-it-all butterflies and mystical creatures aren’t the only secrets revealed as Olivia discovers the dark plan of the gods.
 
When Nature decides to confront the gods, Olivia is catapulted to the forefront of humanity’s battle for survival. Olivia must rely on her courage, strength, and newfound gifts as she faces monster-infested pathways and ever-looming traps. But does she have enough courage or skill to battle brutal gods eager to rule the world and dole out punishment to anyone who defies them? Nature and the world depend on it.

The Nature of Gods is a fantasy adventure appropriate for tweens and middle grade readers.

My Thoughts

I was contacted by the author and asked if I wanted to read and review this one. I read the premise and thought it sounded really interesting. I love books about mythology and gods and I was really looking forward to getting to this one. Unfortunately I was a little bit disappointed with the execution. Initially I thought the book started off strong, there was some good world building and things seemed to be moving at a good pace. The description was good and it gave you a good sense of what was happening. This description however, became a little bit too much. There was a lot of focus on where the characters were and what the people looked like rather then what they were doing. I felt like some of the action scenes were brushed over and lacked depth and some aspects jumped around too much and I lost focus on what was happening. There was also a big time jump at the beginning of several months and I felt we lost a lot of the explanation about what happened to the characters over that time. This time jump also meant I felt uninvested in the love interest. One minute they'd just met and the next they were together, it felt very instalovey to me.

The characters also seemed very promising at first but again I found I couldn't invest in them. Initially I thought Olivia seemed like a good character, she didn't give in to bullies, stayed strong and true to herself but I gradually grew to dislike her. I couldn't connect to her as a character, I began to find her annoying and negative at times. I also didn't really like Olivia's internal monologues. I found them a bit disjointed and they broke my flow of reading. 

The story as a whole followed lots of common fantasy tropes such as the chosen one, instalove and the hero developing powers which, generally speaking I don't mind in my stories if they're done well, but unfortunately this one fell a bit flat for me.

Overall Rating 

Book Series I Need to Read!

So last month I did a post all about my favorite book series. If you haven't seen that I'll link it here so you can check it out. It was great to hear all about what you thought of them so today I thought I would post all about some of the popular book series I have on my shelf that I haven't read yet. Please let me know if there are any here you think I should get to sooner rather than later. 

Throne of Glass

This has got to be one of the most popular YA fantasy books out there and I haven't even started the series. I think I'm a little bit intimidated by how many books there are but I'm still determined to give it a go. 

Goodreads Link 

 The Mortal Instruments 

This is another really popular YA series that seems to be loved by everyone. Again I think the shear number of books intimidates me as this is only the first in several connected series. I own the first 3 books and I do plan to read City of Bones, some day. 

Goodreads Link

The Chaos Walking Trilogy

It's not just this series that I haven't read it's actually anything written by Patrick Ness. I know hes super popular as an author and I only both The Knife of Never Letting Go and his standalone The Rest of us Just Live Here. I hear this series is being made into a movie so I'd like to read it first. 

Goodreads Link

This Mistborn Trilogy 

This is another author which I haven't read any books by. I own the first in this series and The Rithmatist but I've owned this one the longest. I've always been really interested in adult fantasy but it does scare me a little bit so I think this might be a good way in. 

Goodreads Link

The Raven Cycle

Yet another author I've never read anything by. I used to own the Shiver series but I unhauled it a while ago as I lost interest but I would still really like to read this one. 

Goodreads Link 

The Darkest Minds Trilogy

I've read the Passenger duology by Alexandra Braken and I really enjoyed it. In fact it was one of the series I featured in my favorite book series post and that has made me really interested to pick this one up. Next time I'm in the mood for dystopian this is what I think I might reach for. 

 Goodreads Link

So that is my top 6 popular book series that I have yet to read. Have you read any of them? Let me know if I should bump any of them up my TBR.

Review - Winter by Marissa Meyer

Winter by Marissa Meyer

Published 12th November 2015 by Puffin

Goodreads Challenge - 81/50

Star Rating - *****

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mark her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won't approve of her feelings for her childhood friend--the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn't as weak as Levana believes her to be and she's been undermining her stepmother's wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters? Fans will not want to miss this thrilling conclusion to Marissa Meyer's national bestselling Lunar Chronicles series.

My Thoughts

So, I finally finished this series and what an absolutely fantastic conclusion it was! As with my reviews on the other books in the series I won't go into the synopsis of this one as it's the 4th book. I will say however, as with the other books, this is also a fairy tale retelling, this time of Snow White.

This book was completely action packed and full of adventure. There were some tense moments as well as some emotional times and even some points that made me laugh out loud. I loved being back with all of the characters, even Scarlet, who is my least favorite. It was great seeing more of Winter in this book too, she was a great character with such a likeable personality and, even with her flaws, she is determined and knows what she believes in. The plot moved quickly there wasn't any point in which I found the story dragging which is saying something as this is a 800 page book. Even though this story was fast paced I still took my time with it. I was really able to savior the story which was great. I felt like the story flowed well. Just when we got to the peak in one characters story we moved onto another. Just as we thought everyone was back together something went awry and this really kept the story moving. Even as the story got to it's peak you still weren't sure if everyone was going to get their happy ending.

There's not much more I can say about this one without spoiling the story so I'll just leave things there in the hope that you will experience for yourself just how wonderful this series is. Even if you are put off with any of the earlier books, like I was a bit after reading Scarlet, just keep going as I promise you it will get better.

 Overall Rating