A year of books; 2017

Hi! Believe it or not the end of the year is nigh, and much like last year I wanted to encompass my favourite book in one post. Basically, I look at the books that I read in every month, and pick my favourite book for the month. I’m only picking books that I read this year, so no re-reads!

But first…

Some Honourable mentions!

These are the books that I have loved, but didn’t quite make it as book of the month.

King’s Cage (Red Queen #3) by Victoria Aveyard. Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassie Clare. Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeline Thien. Our Dark Duet (This Savage Song #2) by V.E Schwab. Even The Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett

 

 

January: Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassie Clare

Since I only finished The Mortal Instruments in its entirety in 2016, this was my first opportunity to read Lady Midnight, despite it being out for a year prior. It was easy to see that Lady Midnight, and The Dark Artifices in general is Cassie’s most sophisticated work. I’m not saying that it’s my favourite of her Shadowhunter Chronicles, (not until the trilogy is completed, at least) but you can really see how much her writing has grown and improved. The plot of this series is beautifully complex, with a much larger cast o characters than we’re used to, but both of these elements work in tandem to create the fascinating tale of the Blackthorn family. Don’t forget you can check out my full, spoiler free, review for more of my thoughts!

February: A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3) by V.E Schwab

I could never have a list without V.E Schwab on it, now could I? I’m not a longtime lover of the Shades of Magic trilogy, having only begun it in December 2016, however I was scrambling to read the second in time for this release. Somehow this book just knocked me for six when I began to read it, and despite being at university ended up reading it in one day. This is a book that you can just sit and read for days. It also mark the first time I’ve read an end-of-the-series book from Victoria, and boy does she know how to deliver. A Conjuring of Light wraps up all those loose ends perfectly, and it’s because of this book that I may now possess a second copy of A Darker Shade of Magic, and hope the rest will have collector’s editions too!

 

March: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

There are some books which stick with you, they change you, the way you think, the way you see the world. I read enough books to know that as much as I might adore a book, for it to have such a profound,  and startling effect, is rare, at least for me. It Ends With Us changed me, and I do not make that claim lightly. It’s a new adult, contemporary, that follows both Lily’s present relationship and her past, but delves into some pretty serious issues.  I have a full spoiler free review that you can read for a more in depth view on my feelings, but this truly is a very special book.

 

April: The Julius House (Aurora Teagarden #4) by Charlaine Harris

Admittedly, April wasn’t the best month for me, I read plenty but not as many highly rated books as previous months, and The Julius House turned out to be my favourite of the bunch. The Aurora Teagarden series, is a cosy murder mystery series set in a small town in Georgia (or one of the southern states). As the fourth instalment I really enjoyed it because it’s only with this book that I felt the sub-plot of Roe’s love life is actually moving continuously. Of course that’s not the main plot of this book, nor this series, but the mysteries themselves are a lot of fun. They’re not going to shock you to the core, they’re not gruesome or especially violent, but they are a nice few days of fun.

 

May: A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas

I still don’t have very many coherent thoughts about this one.  I guess the only thing that truly expresses the way I feel is frantic screaming, but I’ll give it my best scream-less shot. I can’t really talk about the plot since it’s the final book in a series, and I don’t want to spoil the three people in the world who haven’t read this series yet. What I will say was this book tore my heart in two, and you’ll know the speech I’m talking about, delivered by a certain Night Court Lord. However it also gave me so much like with the conference, and addressing certain issues that had been brewing. I can’t wait for a re-read though I’m also kind of terrified too, because of the potential for a fresh torrent of tears.

 

June: Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

My first ever FairyLoot box, my first ever bookish subscription box, brought Flame in the Mist to my doorstep, and I will be forever grateful. This Mulan inspired story is set against the backdrop of a historical-fantasy feudal Japan, as Mariko infiltrates a gang of thieves, in order to discover who tried to assassinate her as she traveled to her wedding. This was so compelling, from setting to characters, to the future of this series. Having never read any Ahdieh I didn’t really know what to expect, but, regardless of the plot, which was great, I fell in love with her writing style, and am ready to pick up everything she has written/will write.

July: Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) by Brandon Sanderson

Having this book here doesn’t just represent Hero of Ages, but the Mistborn trilogy as a whole which I cannot recommend enough if you’re a fan of epic fantasy, or looking for some epic fantasy. That said, it is extremely lengthy, which it needs to be, but you might want to bare that in mind if you’re new to the genre. I absolutely adore this trilogy, and Hero of Ages, which was a fantastically unexpected conclusion to the narrative arc. I already have plans to re-read, hopefully one after another, but I’m not making any promises. This gave me everything I was looking for in a length epic fantasy! Any recommendations of where to go from here?

August: Rogue One; A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but Rogue One is my favourite Star Wars film, so much so that I even have a WIP which was inspired by this film, and as a result has a very special place in my heart. All I wanted was a paperback version of this book, but little did I know that it wasn’t going to be released for another year. Luckily, Audible came to my rescue with a fantastic audiobook, read by Jonathan Davis, and complete with an array of sound effects. For me this gritty war film, brought the Jacobean Tragedy into the space age, and is one of my favourite sci-fi books, regardless of the film.

September: Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by Sarah J. Maas

It’s no secret that I’m not Chaol’s biggest fan. That said I liked his portrayal in Queen of Shadows (pause for angry yells), because of what had happed in Heir of Fire, but this is a discussion for elsewhere. I’m also not the biggest fan of novellas, so I wasn’t intending to read this. Then where it turned from novella to novel, and I realised I had no choice, I had to reassess that. Still, I love Sarah J. Maas and will read whatever she puts out, so I preordered, and maybe a week later sat down to read. I loved his journey, though can’t speak for it’s authenticity, having never been affected by his situation, regardless I am now a Chaol fan.

 

October: Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

I was definitely caught up in that John Green fest leading up to the release of TFIOS back in the day, but since then, have admitted that not everything John writes is golden. However, I went in to Turtles blind, something I hate doing, because I know that when it comes to his books, it’s about the emotional journey rather than the physical one. This was the best decision, because I ended up adoring this books, and Aza’s struggle with her mental health. As with Tower of Dawn, I cannot tell you that it’s an accurate depiction of OCD, having no first hand experience, however it did feel very realistic.

 

November: Emma by Jane Austen

Remember my Summer of Austen, well, as you can tell I didn’t quite limit my Austen reading to the summer months, but it doesn’t matter because I found my Austen book. Emma is the book that (finally) proved why readers are so enamoured with Austen. There was something so fun, so witty, and so Austen about Emma, so much so that I didn’t want it to end. Hence, why it took me four months to finish the audiobook. Even a couple of chapter in I knew that this belonged up there with my all-time-favourte, Jane Eyre, and see it as a yearly read sort of situation.

December: Release by Patrick Ness

The second I finished Release, which was probably around the first week of December, I knew that it would be my favourite book of the month. I even popped it onto this list with a question mark (because I didn’t wan’t to be too closed minded about the rest of the month). Still, nothing even came close. Release takes place over one day, and follows Adam, the son on a small town preacher, on the day that his ex-boyfriend leaves town. So, why did I love Release so much? There was just something really specially about this book. It’s super concise, theres no going off on needed tangents, with these beautifully crafted, realistic, characters. Ultimately, there’s just something really special about this book, and is my favourite Ness book to date.

 

 

And those are my top 12 books on 2017. If you were wondering what some of my favourites from 2016 are, you can check that out right HERE.

Have you read any of these and do you agree? If not, what are some of your favourites from 2017? Which ones should I put on my TBR for 2018?

Thanks for reading!

Victoria