Top 10 Books of 2015

2015 has been an AMAZING year for books. I’ve read so many new books that are thought-provoking, ingenious, and fabulous. Unfortunately, this year was a pretty busy year for me, so I wasn’t able to read as many books as I did in my previous years. Nevertheless, I have decided to share with you guys a compiled list of my top 10 favourite books of the year!!

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all of you guys who are reading this post. You guys are so awesome! ❤

This year I’ve decided to go in reverse order haha. Here’s the list! *drumroll*

10. Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell

This book was bitter sweet (almost wrote sweet and sour there haha). I absolutely loved the characters, the time setting… but I loved the romance most of all. I highly recommend this book!!

9. Gathering Darkness, Morgan Rhodes

This is actually the third book in a series. I’ve always loved the books in this series, so it’s really no surprise to me that I’ve included this book in my list haha. This book is also another book that I really recommend (but I also recommend you read the first two books first, because some parts of the book might not make sense if you hadn’t read the prior books).

8. Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo

Mysterious and spectacular are two words I would use to describe this book. I loved this book so so much. The set of characters is also amazing.

Read my review here!

7. The Fixer, Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Political thrillers is one of my favourite genres, and this book was an intense political thriller. I enjoyed this immensely, and I definitely recommend this!! 🙂

Read my review of this book here!

6. White Cat, Holly Black

I’ve always had pleasant encounters with Holly Black’s book, so when I read reviews of this book, I knew I had to pick it up. I have to say, this book is brilliant. This book has one of my favourite narrators of all time. Seriously. Cassel is so cool.

5. The Mime Order, Samantha Shannon

The Mime Order also has a really strong set of characters. This piece of dystopian fiction also has a really interesting take on clairvoyance, which simply blew me away.

4. Queen of Shadows, Sarah J. Maas

Three words: Badass Aelin Galathynius. Need I say more? 😉 I highly recommend this book. It is a must read!!

Read my review here!

3. A Darker Shade of Magic, V. E. Schwab

Like The Mime Order, A Darker Shade of Magic is also based around a really interesting concept. V. E. Schwab is also an excellent writer, so I do recommend that you try this book out!

2. A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas

As I’m sure you can tell, I do love Maas’ books a lot haha. A Court of Thorns and Roses is a new book in a new series, and it is so amazing. It also has fey in it, so if you like fey, do check this book out!

1. Golden Son, Pierce Brown

Golden Son is the second book in this series. Compared to Red Rising, Golden Son is so much more complex and intense. It was a big step up, so if you didn’t like Red Rising that much, I do recommend you read Golden Son! It might just change your opinion on this series. 🙂

If you haven’t read some of the books yet, I hope you check them out, because they are really really good.

Do you like the books in my list as well? Comment below! 🙂

Top 3 TBR: July 2015

Top 3 Books To Be Read 

July 2015

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Book 1

Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee

Synopsis

Originally written in the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman was the novel Harper Lee first submitted to her publishers before To Kill a Mockingbird. Assumed to have been lost, the manuscript was discovered in late 2014.

Go Set a Watchman features many of the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird some twenty years later. Returning home to Maycomb to visit her father, Jean Louise Finch—Scout—struggles with issues both personal and political, involving Atticus, society, and the small Alabama town that shaped her.

Exploring how the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird are adjusting to the turbulent events transforming mid-1950s America, Go Set a Watchman casts a fascinating new light on Harper Lee’s enduring classic. Moving, funny and compelling, it stands as a magnificent novel in its own right.

Expected Publication Date: July 14th, 2015

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Find it on…

Goodreads

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Book 2

The Heart of Betrayal, by Mary E. Pearson

Synopsis

Intrigue abounds in this hotly anticipated sequel to The Kiss of Deception!

Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save her life, Lia’s erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komizar that she has the gift, and the Komizar’s interest in Lia is greater than anyone could have foreseen.

Meanwhile, nothing is straightforward: there’s Rafe, who lied to Lia, but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom Lia always believed to be barbarians. Now that she lives amongst them, however, she realizes that may be far from the truth. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her sense of self, Lia must make powerful choices that will affect her country… and her own destiny.

Expected Publication Date: July 7th, 2015

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Find it on…

Goodreads

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Book 3

The Girl at Midnight, by Melissa Grey

Synopsis

For readers of Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones and Leigh Bardugo’sShadow and Bone, The Girl at Midnight is the story of a modern girl caught in an ancient war.

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she’s ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she’s fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it’s time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, but if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it’s how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren’t as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

Expected Publication Date: April 28th, 2015

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Find it on…

Goodreads

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Why am I looking forward to these books?

Like An Ember in the Ashes, The Girl at Midnight sounds like a story filled with suspense, action, and adventure. On top if that, the story also includes the Firebird, a mythical entity most famously associated with Russian Mythology which I am very interested in. And a heroine who is also a thief? YES, yes yes. I loved I To Kill a Mockingbird, which is why I’ve shown so much interest in Got Set a Watchman. And well, The Heart of Betrayal just sounds great.

Hope you are looking forward to them as much as I am!!! Cheers,

Kellie

Top 3 TBR: April 2015

Top 3 Books To Be Read 

April 2015

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Book 1

Black Iris, by Leah Raeder

Synopsis

The next dark and sexy romantic suspense novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Unteachable.

It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating’s world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn’t worth sticking around for.

If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.

She’s not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses—and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crime who has thorns of her own.

But Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. When a ghost from her past resurfaces—the bully who broke her down completely—she decides it’s time to live up to her own legend. And Armin and Blythe are going to help.

Which was the plan all along.

Because the rumors are true. Every single one. And Laney is going to show them just how true.

She’s going to show them all.

Expected Publication Date: April 28th, 2015

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Why am I looking forward to it?

I’ve read a lot of reviews on this book, and the main compliment that kept on popping up was the gorgeous prose that it contains. Apart from that, many of the Goodreads reviewers that I follow gave this book 5 stars, which is not an often occurrence, which basically caused me to become even more interested in this book. There is a dark atmosphere surrounding this book, which also seems quite interesting.

Find it on…

Goodreads

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Book 2

An Ember in the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir

 Synopsis

Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It’s a story that’s literally burning to be told.

LAIA is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire’s greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars who claim that they will help to save her brother from execution.

ELIAS is the academy’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias is considering deserting the military, but before he can, he’s ordered to participate in a ruthless contest to choose the next Martial emperor.

When Laia and Elias’s paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself.

Expected Publication Date: April 28th, 2015

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Why am I looking forward to it?

That BLURB!  I mean, a military academy, a martial empire, espionage kind of stuff? I love reading stories that contain those elements. They’re always exciting and fun to read. Seriously looking forward to it.

Find it on…

Goodreads

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Book 3

The Girl at Midnight, by Melissa Grey

Synopsis

For readers of Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones and Leigh Bardugo’sShadow and Bone, The Girl at Midnight is the story of a modern girl caught in an ancient war.

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she’s ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she’s fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it’s time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, but if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it’s how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren’t as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

Expected Publication Date: April 28th, 2015

---

Why am I looking forward to it?

Like An Ember in the Ashes, The Girl at Midnight sounds like a story filled with suspense, action, and adventure. On top if that, the story also includes the Firebird, a mythical entity most famously associated with Russian Mythology which I am very interested in. And a heroine who is also a thief? Sign me up 😉

Find it on…

Goodreads

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Hope you are looking forward to them as much as I am!!! Cheers,

Kellie

Top 10 Books of 2014

According to my reading target of 2014 on Goodreads, I’ve read about 100 books this year. As always, I’ve encountered some amazing novels, and some books that I didn’t like so much. However, there were 10 books that I really really loved and I think everyone should try reading. That’s why I’ve decided to share with you my version of the Top 10 books of 2014:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee:

When this book was first recommended to me, I didn’t really want to read it. However, my friends started telling me to read it, and I’m really thankful they did. To Kill a Mockingbird is AMAZING. From the very first chapter, I was hooked. 

2. The Queen’s Thief Series, by Megan Whalen Turner:

I actually had this series on my to read lists for a while. Having so many books to go through, it took me a while to start reading this series. But WOW, I was blown away by Ms Turner’s novels. The plots and twists in these books are so well hidden, you’ll never see them coming.

3. A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin:

This book made it to position #3 on my list, because the world Mr Martin has created is astounding. Not long after I started reading this book, it became glued to my hands. 

4. All the Light we Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr:

This is officially one of the most depressing world war II book I have ever read (but it is gooooood). 😥 

5. Red Rising, by Pierce Brown:

Action packed, and completely fascinating. Mr Brown creates a very interesting world. 

6. Cress, by Marissa Meyer:

Wonderful take on Rapunzel. I’ve always loved this series and this book is the best in its series so far. 

7. Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta:

Two words- EMOTIONAL TURMOIL 

8. The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Robert Galbraith:

Lovely mystery, and lovable characters. Got me hooked from the beginning to the end. 

9. The Rook, by Daniel O’Malley:

To be honest, I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I do now. This book was very intriguing. 

10. The Blood of Olympus, by Rick Riordan:

I grew up with this series. How could the last book in the Heroes of Olympus not make it onto this list? 😉 This book was an exciting end to an awesome series. Kudos, Mr Riordan. 

2014 has been a wonderful year. Of course, these 10 books aren’t the only great books of 2014. For example, I’ve read classic books like The Great Gatsby. That book is the Top 11th I’ve read this year. I’m sure all of you guys will have different opinions on this. If you have any book recommendations for me, please post them in the comments!

Cheers,

Kellie 🙂