Apologies for my lack of posting in the last couple of weeks! Although I am back in Australia, the holiday season has swallowed me whole with roadtrips, daytrips, and numerous end of year meetups. I promise to be a more consistent blogger when the new year rolls around and life gets back into its usual pace.
For now, I want to send off 2015 with a list of my favourite books this year! Thanks to book blogging, I read a lot more than I usually would – but it also made picking out my favourites extremely hard. Here are my top 12 this year in no particular order:
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton: I recently finished this one and immediately kicked myself for taking so long to pick it up. The proses in book is exemplary of the lyrical, evocative writing style that I love so much. Walton mixes her hypnotic writing with a tragic yet hopeful tale about strangely beautiful women and the folly of love. It left me in a daze for days! My review.
Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace: In this dark and brutal tale, our heroine confronts her identity and helps a listless ghost in finding his purpose. Archivist Wasp defy genre boundaries, bringing to the table a post-apocalyptic dystopia, a trip to the underworld, and questions about what it means to be human. My review.
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: I don’t usually read contemporary, in fact – Fangirl is one of about 4-5 I read this year. Nonetheless, the sincerity of its characters won it a space in my heart. It captures the emotional roller coaster that is college perfectly, never forgetting humour, family and love. My review.
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby: Magical realism is quickly becoming one of my favourite genres, and books like Bone Gap is wholly responsible for it! In this strange modern fairy tale, we explore societal judgement of humans – especially of women. My review.
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin: In this unique fantasy, apocalypse are dime a dozen thanks to the ever changing tectonic plates. Themes of oppression and free will are examined as we follow the perspective of three orogene female. The proses are beautiful, the stakes are sky high, and the reveals are startling. My review.
The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey: This is one of those books that are best experienced when you know absolutely nothing about it. Hence, I won’t elaborate. Go in blind, trust me, it’s amazing! My review.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: Possibly my favourite young adult book of the year! Six of Crows with its charismatic and dangerous cast, along with whip smart dialogue and engaging world, is a book to be remembered! My review.
Golden Son by Pierce Brown: While I had some issues with Red Rising, Golden Son blows everything out of the water by raising the stakes, introducing a host of intriguing females, and being completely unputdownable. Watch as Darrow navigates through planets and wage war against both armies and his own heart. My review.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab: This was my first Victoria Schwab book and I quickly fell in love with her insane creativity. ADSOM features four Londons, two tortured magicians, a charming prince and the best leading lady of all time. Lila pretty much stole my heart! I loved going along with her and Kell’s adventures through worlds. My review.
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas: In the space of one week, I went from a non-believer to a rabid Throne of Glass fangirl – mostly thanks to the latest two books in the series. I loved seeing the added complexity each novel brings to its world and the characters. My review.
Vicious by V. E. Schwab: The amazing Victoria Schwab appears once more- I love how each of her novel are so different to the last. Vicious features one of fiction’s most compelling frenemy, and a truly grey cast of characters. Although I yearned for more depth into Eli, Victor and his gang made this book memorable. My review.
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Hoerr: I read this book thanks Jenna‘s ringing endorsement, and she did not lead me astray. There’s poetry in every sentence and beautiful symmetry to every chapter. Moving, devastating and hopeful, this is a WWII story to savour. Review to come soon!
Have you read any of my favourites this year? What were your picks? Please link me to your post if you have a similar one up on your blog 😀
Read at Midnight 