Hey, guys!
Sorry for not posting on here OR on YouTube. I'm terrible. :( My only excuse is exhaustion, and my meds don't help as much as I thought they would. BUT I did read a LOT. 161 books to be precise! So let's start with some facts.
Goodreads Stats
Sorry for not posting on here OR on YouTube. I'm terrible. :( My only excuse is exhaustion, and my meds don't help as much as I thought they would. BUT I did read a LOT. 161 books to be precise! So let's start with some facts.
Goodreads Stats
Pages Read: 35,419
Longest book: Game of Thrones by George RR Martin with 896 pages.
Shortest book: The Storyteller: Faeries Issue #1
Most Popular Read: Game of Thrones
Least popular: Winter Fox by Nicole Whittington
Average rating was 4.3 out of 5 stars.
Gaphic Novels/ Manga/Comics: 99
Gaphic Novels/ Manga/Comics: 99
Novels/Novellas: 43
Picture Books: 8
Poetry Collections: 3
Rereads: 15
Did Not Finish: 5 (two of them were rereads)
Okay, let's move onto the my top books!
NUMBER 10
Okay, let's move onto the my top books!
NUMBER 10
Thrawn and Thrawn Alliances
by Timothy Zahn
As I've posted everywhere, I love Star Wars, and in particular the animated shows. Especially after the mess of The Last Jedi (UGH) I was like, can I even continue to like Star Wars now? Answer: YES!
In Rebels the greatest villain (other than Vader, of course) is Thrawn, who I have never heard of. Turns out he is the smartest being in all of Star Wars, Legend or Canon, and now, he's CANON! When the first book was announced I was interested, but after the show ended, and then book 2 Alliances was announced, I *HAD* to read it. Finding another Star Wars book fan online, she didn't even know who he was and said he's now her favorite character thanks to the first book!
I totally understand! Of all the villains he is definitely the most interesting, and I can't wait for the next book with him, especially since it's probably going to take place after Rebels' finale.
NUMBER 9
Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls 1 and 2
by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo
When I heard about this book I was stunned. A book all about female empowerment, down for little girls, specifically in small sections so as to be read to a small child? WHAT? I HAVE TO READ THIS!!! And I did, and I loved it! While there are some women who straight up shouldn't have been including because they are/were straight up bad people, most of them are amazing, and is something I want whenever/if I ever have little girls.
NUMBER 8
Wonder Woman: Warbringer
by Leigh Bardugo
This is the first book in the DC Icons quartet, and BOY did it start off strong! It came out shortly after the movie did, but I put off reading it until this year to try to seperate them in my head, a problem I had when I tried when it first came out. But does it compare to the movie? YES! Is it AMAZING? YES! I love this book and if you liked the movie you will like this one too.
NUMBER 7
Aru Shah and the End of Time
by Roshani Chokshi
This book is the first of Rick Riordan's Presents, an imprint that features other authors of color with stories revolving around their people's mythos. It sprang from people loving his books and wanting him to write using other mythos. As a straight, white man he didn't think that was a good idea. Instead he reached out to other authors and asked them to write books about their mythology, and he would use his name to promote their books in his imprint.
It's a brilliant idea, and book one in this imprint started out strong! It's fun, whitty, and feels like a part of Rick Riordan's world, which is awesome. I'm adding all of Roshani Chokshi's books onto my TBR and I can't wait to pick up the next books in this series and imprint!
NUMBER 6
An Ember in the Ashes and A Torch Against the Night
by Sabaa Tahir
This is a series I've had on my radar for years. It blew up very quickly when it had the old covers (which are alright, but these are BEAUTIFUL!!!) and I always was intrigued. Then I won ATATN from Goodreads, and I had just purchased AEITA last Black Friday so I was like, what the heck? I started reading, and then moved right into ATATN, but I've been so scared to pick up A Reaper at the Gates that I haven't read more than a few pages.
These books are brilliant, and dark, and sad, and heart wrenching, and empowering, and so so SO good! I'm forever a Sabaa Tahir fan and once book 4 comes out I will be finishing ARATG once I can read it back to back with the last book!
NUMBER 5
Children of Blood and Bone
by Tomi Adeyemi
This book. This book has so much hype around it pretty much everyone was worried it wouldn't live up to it, including me. There was a special edition created. And it's Adeyemi's first book. How could it live up to it?
It didn't.
IT SURPASED IT!!!
This book is amazing! It was chosen as The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon's summer read, and even he struggled to explain. It's magical and wonderful. It takes tropes and throws them out the window, and then places this awesome story and brilliant badass characters and puts them in a fantastical world based on West Africa. It's got beautiful dark women with powers, a princess who refuses to bleach her skin, and plot twists your don't quite see coming. And if that wasn't enough, it's got elements from one of the greatest stories I've ever seen, Avatar the Last Airbender.
Tomi Adeyemi made something so special and wonderful, powerful, brilliant, it's no wonder it won Goodreads Choice Award for Debut Author, and was on TV. YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!!! PLEASE!!!
NUMBER 4
the witch doesn't burn in this one
by Amanda Lovelace
This is the sequel to the princess saves herself in this one, and book two of the Women Are Some Kind Of Magic series. But while princess was personal to Manda herself, this one is about how it feels to be a woman tired of sexism and the terrible actions of the patriarchy. It's intense in a way princess wasn't, and I love it for that.
This one isn't for the faint of heart. But if you're tired of the bulls***, and tired of being tired, and just plain mad, READ THIS. The witches don't burn in this one at all, and every woman with half a brain is a witch to the patriarchy.
NUMBER 3
ElfQuest: The Final Quest
by Wendy and Richard Pini
I tried to move this title lower on my list, and couldn't. This is my favorite American comic, tying with Fullmetal Alchemist and ACOMAF as one of the greatest things I've ever read, and it's finale is AMAZING. This issue I'm showing above is the only book to make me cry all year long, and it was beautiful. Even witch didn't do that, because it was satisfying to see my rage on the page. But this isn't about rage. Especially in Final Quest.
ElfQuest is about family, and the main family we focus on is Cutter's. Cutter is the chief of the Wolfriders, and by the time we get to Final Quest he's been through a lot. No longer a chief who makes spur of the moment decisions, he's lost too much over the years to be anything but wise. He's childhood was at first peaceful, and then turned to war with a human (more like Cro-Magnon) tribe that had devastating effects on his people. He united all the tribes of Elves across his world of Two-Moons, learned he's an alien, befriended humans, went to war against trolls and humans again, and then adopted a human daughter. And watched as his children, wife, and brother were taken through time to 10,000 years in the future, leaving him alone in a foreign, hostile world.
In Final Quest the threats have only seemed to compound into a monster that is threatening to tear his people apart, even as they have to decide to return to their homeworld or stay on the only world they've ever known? And where does Cutter and his children fit, especially since his son and human daughter are expecting children?
The ending is bittersweet, and as Cutter himself says, "Perfect!" It's brilliant and honestly the best way to end a 40 year journey. If you haven't started this, you need to. It's easy. Go to elfquest.com and click on "Read Online", and read from the top to the bottom.
NUMBER 2
The Worldwalker Trilogy
Trial by Fire, Firewalker, Witch's Pyre
By Josephine Angelini
This trilogy barely missed being number one, but that's because number one is a single book which automatically makes it stronger than the series.
This is a series I've seen so little of online. Usually it's only in unhauls, where people bought it for the same reason I bought it: cheap and pretty on book outlet. WHY HAVEN'T MORE PEOPLE TRIED TO READ IT!?!?
The main character Lily Proctor has crippling allergies, the kind that put her in the hospital repeatedly. She doesn't know how much longer she'll live, but decides to go to a party with her best friend now boyfriend and is betrayed. So when a voice in her head (her own voice) says, "Wanna leave?" She likes, "Yeah, I'm done."
And is suddenly exactly where she was behind her house, and then turns around and finds out she's in a parallel dimension where this universe's Lillian is the High Witch, ruler of the 13 cities, waging war on science, killing lots of people. She's summoned Lily because she's dying, and she needs her to continue her mission. But is Lillian evil?
This series is just like Percy Jackson, where a disability is the mark of power. Her problems don't go away, she just learns how to harness her abilities to keep her problems down or as close to gone. Even so if, say, she runs out of salt she could die just like if she breathed in mold she could die.
That alone makes is amazing, but add in a gorgeous male lead who is Native American (YES!) and several more supporting characters of various Native tribes, and the fact that the main character wins by using her mind and science, and you have a winner. The only thing I wish was changed was Lily's white, leading to the whole white savior trope, which needs to die. That also kept it from being number 1.
NUMBER 1
Want
By Cindy Pon
Want became my number one the second I finished it, and nothing toppled it. This book BLEW MY MIND. I'm not the biggest fan of science fiction, and I was never really into the whole dystopian trend, but I probably would have been if I had read this before Hunger Games!
Want follows Jason Zhou, in a world--omg did anyone else hear that in the old movie trailer voice??? ANYWHO!--where the pollution is SO bad that the mega rich wear suits that protect them from pollution, and have pure air pumped in their cars and homes. After a person close to him is murdered for fighting to end the pollution and save the rest of the world from the diseases and side effects of such terrible air, he and his friends decide to take down the suit manufacturer who is probably behind everything.
It paints a terrible future that we're heading for, especially since Dumpf and his fucking morons have pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement so he can make more money, and it doesn't pull the punches. It's also set in Taiwan, where Pon is from, making it an Own Voices novel. It's wonderful, and brilliant, and I straight up love it.
Y'all need to pick this one up. Seriously, it'll make you wanna do want you can to save the environment. (Even though it's businesses that are the main cause, something that's shown in this novel)
Yay! That was my list!
Now for the best and worst of!
Best OTP (Romance): TIE- Yona + Hak; Feyre + Rhysand
NUMBER 8
Wonder Woman: Warbringer
by Leigh Bardugo
This is the first book in the DC Icons quartet, and BOY did it start off strong! It came out shortly after the movie did, but I put off reading it until this year to try to seperate them in my head, a problem I had when I tried when it first came out. But does it compare to the movie? YES! Is it AMAZING? YES! I love this book and if you liked the movie you will like this one too.
NUMBER 7
Aru Shah and the End of Time
by Roshani Chokshi
This book is the first of Rick Riordan's Presents, an imprint that features other authors of color with stories revolving around their people's mythos. It sprang from people loving his books and wanting him to write using other mythos. As a straight, white man he didn't think that was a good idea. Instead he reached out to other authors and asked them to write books about their mythology, and he would use his name to promote their books in his imprint.
It's a brilliant idea, and book one in this imprint started out strong! It's fun, whitty, and feels like a part of Rick Riordan's world, which is awesome. I'm adding all of Roshani Chokshi's books onto my TBR and I can't wait to pick up the next books in this series and imprint!
NUMBER 6
An Ember in the Ashes and A Torch Against the Night
by Sabaa Tahir
This is a series I've had on my radar for years. It blew up very quickly when it had the old covers (which are alright, but these are BEAUTIFUL!!!) and I always was intrigued. Then I won ATATN from Goodreads, and I had just purchased AEITA last Black Friday so I was like, what the heck? I started reading, and then moved right into ATATN, but I've been so scared to pick up A Reaper at the Gates that I haven't read more than a few pages.
These books are brilliant, and dark, and sad, and heart wrenching, and empowering, and so so SO good! I'm forever a Sabaa Tahir fan and once book 4 comes out I will be finishing ARATG once I can read it back to back with the last book!
NUMBER 5
Children of Blood and Bone
by Tomi Adeyemi
This book. This book has so much hype around it pretty much everyone was worried it wouldn't live up to it, including me. There was a special edition created. And it's Adeyemi's first book. How could it live up to it?
It didn't.
IT SURPASED IT!!!
This book is amazing! It was chosen as The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon's summer read, and even he struggled to explain. It's magical and wonderful. It takes tropes and throws them out the window, and then places this awesome story and brilliant badass characters and puts them in a fantastical world based on West Africa. It's got beautiful dark women with powers, a princess who refuses to bleach her skin, and plot twists your don't quite see coming. And if that wasn't enough, it's got elements from one of the greatest stories I've ever seen, Avatar the Last Airbender.
Tomi Adeyemi made something so special and wonderful, powerful, brilliant, it's no wonder it won Goodreads Choice Award for Debut Author, and was on TV. YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!!! PLEASE!!!
NUMBER 4
the witch doesn't burn in this one
by Amanda Lovelace
This is the sequel to the princess saves herself in this one, and book two of the Women Are Some Kind Of Magic series. But while princess was personal to Manda herself, this one is about how it feels to be a woman tired of sexism and the terrible actions of the patriarchy. It's intense in a way princess wasn't, and I love it for that.
This one isn't for the faint of heart. But if you're tired of the bulls***, and tired of being tired, and just plain mad, READ THIS. The witches don't burn in this one at all, and every woman with half a brain is a witch to the patriarchy.
NUMBER 3
ElfQuest: The Final Quest
by Wendy and Richard Pini
I tried to move this title lower on my list, and couldn't. This is my favorite American comic, tying with Fullmetal Alchemist and ACOMAF as one of the greatest things I've ever read, and it's finale is AMAZING. This issue I'm showing above is the only book to make me cry all year long, and it was beautiful. Even witch didn't do that, because it was satisfying to see my rage on the page. But this isn't about rage. Especially in Final Quest.
ElfQuest is about family, and the main family we focus on is Cutter's. Cutter is the chief of the Wolfriders, and by the time we get to Final Quest he's been through a lot. No longer a chief who makes spur of the moment decisions, he's lost too much over the years to be anything but wise. He's childhood was at first peaceful, and then turned to war with a human (more like Cro-Magnon) tribe that had devastating effects on his people. He united all the tribes of Elves across his world of Two-Moons, learned he's an alien, befriended humans, went to war against trolls and humans again, and then adopted a human daughter. And watched as his children, wife, and brother were taken through time to 10,000 years in the future, leaving him alone in a foreign, hostile world.
In Final Quest the threats have only seemed to compound into a monster that is threatening to tear his people apart, even as they have to decide to return to their homeworld or stay on the only world they've ever known? And where does Cutter and his children fit, especially since his son and human daughter are expecting children?
The ending is bittersweet, and as Cutter himself says, "Perfect!" It's brilliant and honestly the best way to end a 40 year journey. If you haven't started this, you need to. It's easy. Go to elfquest.com and click on "Read Online", and read from the top to the bottom.
NUMBER 2
The Worldwalker Trilogy
Trial by Fire, Firewalker, Witch's Pyre
By Josephine Angelini
This trilogy barely missed being number one, but that's because number one is a single book which automatically makes it stronger than the series.
This is a series I've seen so little of online. Usually it's only in unhauls, where people bought it for the same reason I bought it: cheap and pretty on book outlet. WHY HAVEN'T MORE PEOPLE TRIED TO READ IT!?!?
The main character Lily Proctor has crippling allergies, the kind that put her in the hospital repeatedly. She doesn't know how much longer she'll live, but decides to go to a party with her best friend now boyfriend and is betrayed. So when a voice in her head (her own voice) says, "Wanna leave?" She likes, "Yeah, I'm done."
And is suddenly exactly where she was behind her house, and then turns around and finds out she's in a parallel dimension where this universe's Lillian is the High Witch, ruler of the 13 cities, waging war on science, killing lots of people. She's summoned Lily because she's dying, and she needs her to continue her mission. But is Lillian evil?
This series is just like Percy Jackson, where a disability is the mark of power. Her problems don't go away, she just learns how to harness her abilities to keep her problems down or as close to gone. Even so if, say, she runs out of salt she could die just like if she breathed in mold she could die.
That alone makes is amazing, but add in a gorgeous male lead who is Native American (YES!) and several more supporting characters of various Native tribes, and the fact that the main character wins by using her mind and science, and you have a winner. The only thing I wish was changed was Lily's white, leading to the whole white savior trope, which needs to die. That also kept it from being number 1.
NUMBER 1
Want
By Cindy Pon
Want became my number one the second I finished it, and nothing toppled it. This book BLEW MY MIND. I'm not the biggest fan of science fiction, and I was never really into the whole dystopian trend, but I probably would have been if I had read this before Hunger Games!
Want follows Jason Zhou, in a world--omg did anyone else hear that in the old movie trailer voice??? ANYWHO!--where the pollution is SO bad that the mega rich wear suits that protect them from pollution, and have pure air pumped in their cars and homes. After a person close to him is murdered for fighting to end the pollution and save the rest of the world from the diseases and side effects of such terrible air, he and his friends decide to take down the suit manufacturer who is probably behind everything.
It paints a terrible future that we're heading for, especially since Dumpf and his fucking morons have pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement so he can make more money, and it doesn't pull the punches. It's also set in Taiwan, where Pon is from, making it an Own Voices novel. It's wonderful, and brilliant, and I straight up love it.
Y'all need to pick this one up. Seriously, it'll make you wanna do want you can to save the environment. (Even though it's businesses that are the main cause, something that's shown in this novel)
Yay! That was my list!
Now for the best and worst of!
Best OTP (Romance): TIE- Yona + Hak; Feyre + Rhysand
Best Reread: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
Best New Manga Series: Carciphona by Silin Huang
Best New Book Series: Worldwalker Trilogy by Josephine Angelini
Best Book to Movie Adaptation: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Surprisingly Good: Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Surprisingly Bad: So You Want To Be A Jedi? by Adam Gidwitz
Biggest Disappointment: Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence (main character is a rapist)
