Best of 2016

Because I've read so many books this year, I figured I'd do a post of the best ones.

The Winner's Kiss, The Winner's Trilogy #3
by Marie Rutkoski

This was such a hard one to choose, because YA fantasy makes up a large part of what I read. I was torn between this and a few others, but this won out in the end because it was a wonderful ending to a wonderful trilogy.

HONORARY MENTIONS
☆ The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
☆ The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
☆ Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
☆ The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
☆ The Graces by Laure Eve
☆ The Midnight Star by Marie Lu
☆ Shadowshaper Daniel José Older
☆ Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

The Long Game, The Fixer #2
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Realistically, it was always going to be a Jennifer Lynn Barnes book. There's honestly no other YA author writing mysteries who comes close. And she was the only author I actually considered for this one. That should tell you something.

HONORARY MENTIONS
☆ All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Illuminae, Illuminae Files #1
by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Illuminae pulled pretty much the single biggest and most effective plot twist I read this year (I mean, alongside The Thief and The Long Game) and actually had me in tears by the end. And then Kaufman and Kristoff went and did it all over again in Gemina.

HONORARY MENTIONS
☆ Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
☆ Nowhere Near You by Leah Thomas
☆ Valley of Fires by J. Barton Mitchell

Whatever
by S. J. Goslee

This was also a hard one because I've read so many good YA contemporaries, but this one has to win it. It's cute and funny and actually sounds like a realistic teenager.

HONORARY MENTIONS
☆ The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
☆ Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence
☆ The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
☆ Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
☆ You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan
☆ The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood
☆ The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis

The Dark Days Club, Lady Helen #1
by Alison Goodman

This is a perfect historical fantasy novel. Complete with the excruciating slow burn couple. I can't wait for book 2 to be out!

HONORARY MENTIONS
☆ Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin
☆ Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

The Hanging Tree, Peter Grant #6
by Ben Aaronovitch

My favourite Peter Grant book so far! Stakes are raised and finally, finally we know the identity of the Faceless Man.

HONORARY MENTIONS
☆ A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson
☆ Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell

Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil
by Melina Marchetta

Melina Marchetta never disappoints. This book is the first new one by her in a number of years and it's just as good as the rest. With all the themes that usually appear and a wholly wonderful new cast.

HONORARY MENTIONS
☆ The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
☆ The Little Death by Michael Nava

Invisible Planets
edited by Ken Liu

This is quite possibly the best anthology I've ever read. There is not a single weak story in this, though there were some I liked more than others.

Barracuda
by Christos Tsiolkas

I don't read a lot of adult contemporary books. A lot of the time nothing happens in them and I get bored. That was not the case for this one and, while I did have issues with it, I loved it.

The Last Kingdom
by Bernard Cornwell

I love historical fiction done right, and this was definitely that. Everything was well-researched and the writing was evocative. Definitely need to read the rest of this series.

HONORARY MENTIONS
☆ Dark Serpent by Paul Doherty

Iron Cast
by Destiny Soria

This was one of my hugely anticipated reads for the last year and it really did not disappoint. It was a slow burn but when it kicked into gear, it really got going. And it was really original too.

HONORARY MENTIONS
☆ The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
☆ Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
☆ The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
☆ Into the Blue by Pene Henson
☆ Whatever by S. J. Goslee
☆ Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
☆ The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

Into the Blue
by Pene Henson

This book has one of my favourite tropes ever, best friends to lovers. And Pene Henson wrote it so beautifully, it had me almost crying so many times.

HONORARY MENTIONS
☆ Timekeeper by Tara Sim
☆ The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
☆ Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

The Hating Game
by Sally Thorne

Aka one of the best tropes ever, enemies to lovers. And there was so much tension in this, it was almost unbearable.

HONORARY MENTIONS
☆ Into the Blue by Pene Henson
☆ The Right of First Refusal by Dahlia Adler
☆ Adrien English by Josh Lanyon
☆ Plumber's Mate by J. L. Merrow
☆ The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

Breaking Away
by Patrick O'Sullivan

This is a very important book, and I'm glad I read it, as hard a read as it was.

HONORARY MENTIONS
☆ Eichmann in Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt
☆ A Universe From Nothing by Lawrence M. Krauss
☆ The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard

Spiderman: Miles Morales
by Brian Michael Bendis

I didn't read all that many comics this year, but this one stood out as the best easily. Miles Morales is my favourite spider-person. Alongside Silk, that is.

HONORARY MENTIONS
☆ Silk by Robbie Thompson
☆ The Pack by Paul-Louise Julie
☆ Monstress by Marjorie Liu
☆ Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch

Review - "How to Make a Wish"

How to Make a Wish
by Ashley Henning Blake
rating: ☆☆☆ 1/2
published: 2nd May 2017
spoilers? a little

Goodreads

Galley provided by publisher

This book is a good example of how to write a book about LGBT+ characters that isn't about coming out. The fact that the main character is bisexual and falls in love with a girl is incidental to the story (that is, there are no Oh my God I'm in love with a girl moments, no "gay panic" and no coming out).

It took a little while for me to get into this book, but then I met Eva, the love interest, and suddenly I couldn't stop reading. Eva, although this may be a bit of a harsh assessment, carried the book along for me. Before she showed up, I was getting a little bored by it all. So I guess it's good that she turned up early.

The one, kind of big, problem I had was with the dickhead ex-boyfriend. Who the main character is having to live with, on account of her mother getting together with his father. When Grace, the main character, broke up with Jay, the dickhead ex, he posted all of her sexts online - which, besides, was it really a necessary plot point?. Because he's an arsehole. So, understandably, Grace isn't too happy with this arrangement.

And then there's the fact that he genuinely doesn't see what's the problem with his actions. And sure, it's there in the narrative, because we get everything from Grace's point of view, but she never tells him (though she shouldn't have to, but as I said before, he's an arsehole).

He also has this scene where he tries to force himself on Grace, pulling her towards him by the belt. In the bathroom of the house. Which makes what happened next all the more annoying for me, and is the reason I'm reluctant to round up for this rating.

About halfway through the book, he changes and becomes a not-a-dickhead ex, after Grace becomes nicer to him. Bearing in mind, he is still the arsehole who did what he did to her. They get friendlier with each other, but he never apologises for what he did. He's not sorry for it, we still don't even know if he recognises what's wrong with that. And that's what's frustrating to me. I wouldn't mind this whole "redemption" kind of thing, if he genuinely recognised what a dick he'd been and was sorry for it, but none of that happens. Granted, I don't think Grace forgives him, per se, but she's definitely less angry with him for it by the end.

So overall, it's a cute book. And I liked that Grace described herself as bisexual. There aren't enough books that do that. But the whole plotline with the ex-boyfriend made me like it a little less.

Review - "Georgia Peaches And Other Forbidden Fruit"

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit
by Jaye Robin Brown
rating: ☆☆☆
published: 30th August 2016
spoilers? a little

Goodreads

So I finished this, then I went and did some other stuff and while doing that other stuff, I realised I have some Thoughts about this book. Hence this mini-review.

1) It's way too long a contemporary book for me. Given that most contemporaries follow the same pattern - meet someone, fall in love, angst it out, make up - 430 pages drags it out for too long. Especially when the first 300 or so pages have not much going on. But maybe that's just me and my short attention span.

2) All the lesbians introduced besides the love interest and the best friend hate the main character. For no apparent reason. And they also turn out to be bitches/bad influences/manipulative/abusive. Holly's jealous because Jo is Dana's best friend, I'm not even sure why Deidre hates Jo (besides the fact that she [Deidre] is framed as manipulative and borderline abusive).

3) Deidre is an absolute bitch. And I just don't get why this has to be the case. Is it just to show that Jo is the person Mary Carlson should really be with? Deidre is nothing more than a bitch, too. Like, all Jo's friends describe her as is manipulative and good at twisting words. She's so 2D and she then goes and outs Jo. I just don't see the point of her at all.

4) The whole thing with her dad saying 'you gotta pretend to be straight' is iffy. I mean, if she herself had decided that, as a self preservation sort of thing, I would understand, but it's not. It's her straight dad telling her she has to act straight, because he, as a preacher, and with a homophobic mother-in-law, doesn't want any shit. B Y E.

Anyway, I think that's all. It was a cute book despite all this.

Review - "The Thief"

The Thief, The Queen's Thief #1
by Megan Whalen Turner
rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
published: 31st October 1996
spoilers? maybe

Goodreads

And the Earth had no name. The gods know themselves and have no need of names. It is man who names all things, even gods.

I can't believe I didn't get to this book before now. I knew the series was partly inspiration for Melina Marchetta's Lumatere Chronicles, but I just never really got the urge to read it. But I saw it in the library the other day, and I figured it was time to make a dent on my to-read shelf, so borrowed it. And, boy, am I glad that I did.

This book is amazing. I know that general consensus is that the later books are better, but if they're better than this HOLY SHIT I AM STOKED. The plot was maybe slow to begin with, and normally, I'm awful with that, but in this one, I loved the characters (actually, one character) from basically the first page so it didn't matter.

Quite honestly, this book is probably going straight onto my best books read this year list, it is that good. The whole plot is thought out so carefully and there is absolutely no way that you can see the plot twist coming (because Gen's telling the story, because he's purposefully an unreliable narrator!!! I love everything about this!!!). And even if you didn't like certain characters at the beginning (I know I didn't), they grow on you (will I ever stop crying over Pol?) and then Megan Whalen Turner rips your heart out and stomps on it in glee. I'm tearing up just thinking about it!!

Basically, everyone needs to read this book. EVERYONE.

Anticipated Reads (Jan - Aug 2017)

2017 looks like it's gonna be one helluva year for books, so here's one for each month (January to August, at least) that I'm stoked for (plus of course some honorary mentions).

JANUARY

History Is All You Left Me
by Adam Silvera

synopsis
When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course.

To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. He’s losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart.

If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.

HONORARY MENTIONS

(1) Welcome To Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo
(2) The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman
(3) The Prometheus Man by Scott Reardon
(4) Off Base by Annabeth Albert
(5) Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

FEBRUARY

Storm Season
by Pene Henson

synopsis
The great outdoors isn’t so great for Sydney It-Girl Lien Hong. It’s too dark, too quiet, and there are spiders in the toilet of the cabin she is sharing with friends on the way to a New South Wales music festival. To make matters worse, she’s been separated from her companions and taken a bad fall. With a storm approaching, her rescue comes in the form of a striking wilderness ranger named Claudia Sokolov, whose isolated cabin, soulful voice and collection of guitars bely a complicated history. While they wait out the weather, the women find an undeniable connection—one that puts them both on new trajectories that last long after the storm has cleared.

HONORARY MENTIONS

(1) To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough
(2) Nowhere Near You by Leah Thomas
(3) Starfall by Melissa Landers
(4) We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
(5) The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera
(6) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

MARCH

The Inexplicable Logic of my Life
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

synopsis
Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican-American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it’s senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he?

HONORARY MENTIONS

(1) Fair Chance by Josh Lanyon
(2) The Monet Murders by Josh Lanyon
(3) The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
(4) Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner
(5) These Ruthless Deeds by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas
(6) A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi
(7) Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
(8) Done Dirt Cheap by Sarah Nicole Lemon

APRIL

The Upside of Unrequited
by Becky Albertalli

synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back.

There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him.

Right?

HONORARY MENTIONS

(1) Tyrant's Throne by Sebastien de Castell
(2) Definitions of Undefinable Things by Whitney Taylor

MAY

When Dimple Met Rishi
by Sandhya Menon

synopsis
Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

HONORARY MENTIONS

(1) Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
(2) The Battlemage by Taran Matharu
(3) Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman
(4) Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
(5) The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan
(6) Release by Patrick Ness
(7) The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich
(8) I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo


JUNE

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
by Mackenzi Lee

synopsis
Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

HONORARY MENTIONS

(1) Want by Cindy Pon


JULY

The Library of Fates
by Aditi Khorana

synopsis
No one is entirely certain what brings the Emperor Sikander to Shalingar. Until now, the idyllic kingdom has been immune to his many violent conquests. To keep the visit friendly, Princess Amrita has offered herself as his bride, sacrificing everything—family, her childhood love, and her freedom—to save her people. But her offer isn't enough.

The unthinkable happens, and Amrita finds herself a fugitive, utterly alone but for an oracle named Thala, who was kept by Sikander as a slave and managed to escape amid the chaos of a palace under siege. With nothing and no one else to turn to, Amrita and Thala are forced to rely on each other. But while Amrita feels responsible for her kingdom and sets out to warn her people, the newly free Thala has no such ties. She encourages Amrita to go on a quest to find the fabled Library of All Things, where it is possible for each of them to reverse their fates. To go back to before Sikander took everything from them.

Stripped of all that she loves, caught between her rosy past and an unknown future, will Amrita be able to restore what was lost, or does another life—and another love—await?

HONORARY MENTIONS

(1) The Gallery of Unfinished Girls by Lauren Karcz

AUGUST

Dress Codes for Small Towns
by Courtney C. Stevens

synopsis
The year I was seventeen, I had five best friends…and I was in love with all of them for different reasons.

Billie McCaffrey is always starting things. Like couches constructed of newspapers and two-by-fours. Like costumes made of aluminum cans and Starburst wrappers. Like trouble.

This year, however, trouble comes looking for her.

Her best friends, a group she calls the Hexagon, have always been schemers. They scheme for kicks and giggles. What happens when you microwave a sock? They scheme to change their small town of Otters Holt, Kentucky, for the better. Why not campaign to save the annual Harvest Festival we love so much? They scheme because they need to scheme. How can we get the most unlikely candidate elected to the town’s highest honor?

But when they start scheming about love, things go sideways.

In Otters Holt, love has been defined only one way—girl and boy fall in love, get married, and buy a Buick, and there’s sex in there somewhere. For Billie—a box-defying dynamo—it’s not that simple.

Can the Hexagon, her parents, and the town she calls home handle the real Billie McCaffrey?

HONORARY MENTIONS

(1) You Don't Know Me But I Know You by Rebecca Barrow

Review - "The Blazing Star"

The Blazing Star, Nemesis #1
by Imani Josey
rating: ☆☆☆
published: 6th December 2016
spoilers? yup

Goodreads

Galley provided by publisher

If I'm honest, this book dragged a bit too much for me. It took a good two thirds of the whole thing to actually get to the part where there was any action, and I need to be hooked on pretty much the first page to fully like a book. So as it was I was a little disappointed.

Basically the slowness of the plot was the biggest issue I had with this book. It was also a pretty complex plot and I got lost on that a couple of times, which is also not going to help with my enjoyment.

Then there was the fact that Portia seemed to have more chemistry with Selene and Tuya than any of the male characters. But of course Tuya is then killed off to clear the way for Portia and Seti. The instalove with Seti is pretty stifling too. I know that loads more time passes in the book than appears, but even knowing that doesn't help that it seems they meet and he's immediately suggesting marriage. It's like their relationship hasn't developed at the same rate that time has passed, meaning it seems all the more like instalove.

There was also when the author kept referring to Selene as "the freshman" when she could easily have used her name. Or a pronoun. Because referring to someone by a noun, once they have a name, makes for awkward writing. Or at least it does for me.