My Favorite Books of 2017

Hello Everyone! I hope you had a great New Year’s holiday! Mine was good, but I have a bit of a cold that I’ve been trying to get over, and since my next class starts in a couple of days I’m anxious to get over it and jump into the class.

Have you decided what your first book of the New Year will be? If you follow me on Twitter I’m sure you have already seen what my first book of the new year is . . . and it kind of took me by surprise. I chose Turtles All The Way Down by John Green. I haven’t read any of John Green’s books (I know, it’s crazy) but I have seen and heard so much about this novel I just had to jump into it ASAP.

Anyway, I just wanted to throw that out there. So today we are going to talk about my favorite books for 2017. I wasn’t originally planning on doing this post but since I’m not sure when I will be posting again (probably in February) I figured why not share my favorites of last year? So let’s take a look:

So I have five top favorites of the year with four honorable mentions. These are not in a particular order except maybe the last two…

5) A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E Schwab

I rated this a 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads but it was still one of my favorite books of the year. The reason I didn’t give it a full 5 out of 5 stars was that it took me SO long to get into. That said, once I was into it, I couldn’t put it down. I cannot wait to get started on the second book. I am a mood reader so I can’t just make a TBR like most people because I tend to not want to stick to it if that makes sense. But I am very excited to pick up the next book in the trilogy. If you are not familiar with this story it is about a man who has the ability to travel between alternate versions of London and the adventure that takes place during his travels. I don’t want to give too much away because I feel like knowing less makes this one more fun to jump into.

4) Caraval by Stephanie Garber

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I had heard about it ages before it came out and was thrilled to buy it when it did come out. I was not disappointed at all. I loved this book and gave it a full 5 out of 5 stars. I heard mixed reviews AFTER I read it. A lot of people compared it to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern which I started but never finished (I had misplaced my copy and by the time I found it I wasn’t in the mood to pick it back up…again mood reader.) I don’t think that’s a good comparison, to be honest. The two stories feel very different in my opinion and although the “Caraval” sort of seems like a carnival, it’s definitely different than a carnival. This one is hard to explain its about two sisters who go want to go to this Caraval event and one get’s taken and the other has to find her to win. I know that’s not the best description so definitely check out the Goodreads link if you want to know more. Again, I feel like this is one you might not want to know too much going into it, but I loved it!

3) Reborn: Book One by Mark Millar and Illustrated by Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion

This is one I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did. Reborn is a graphic novel bind up of the first six issues of this comic book series. It’s about where we go when we die and the life that comes after this one. I really enjoyed this book and when I was done I was looking for the next one, which as far as I know is not out yet. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars and really enjoyed it. The art is amazing and so is the story! I definitely recommend you check this out if you are into comics!

2) A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

This book . . . where to begin. 5 out of 5 stars and I loved it! I read the entire trilogy this past year but of the three books in the trilogy, this is my favorite! The world, the characters, the things you learn that you had no idea about in the first book. I just loved it! If you have no idea what this book is about you would need to read A Court of Thorns and Roses which is the first book in the series. It’s a kind of beauty and the beast retelling, but it’s so much more than that. Do not let the first book keep you from continuing the series either. Some of the things that happen in the first book made me a bit iffy to continue but Mist and Fury had so much hype I had to continue with the series just to see what happens next. The first book is very much a jumping off point. This second one is so much better in my opinion. I definitely recommend checking out the series if you haven’t read it. I will say this one is not for younger ages since it does get a bit steamy so keep that in mind when making your decision. The overall story is amazing!

1) A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

This book had me speechless. 5 out of 5 stars! Best book of the year! I picked this one up after watching JesseTheReader on booktube (channel linked here) talk about it. It was one of my first books (if not the first) of the year.  I finished this one while I was out one day and was trying so hard not to cry in public. I wanted to reread it as soon as it was over! The story is about a boy whose mother is very sick and one day he has a monster visit him. I don’t want to say too much and spoil anything but this was an amazing book. I think this is one everyone should read! I loved it.  There is a movie out now. I haven’t seen it yet but I have heard good things about it. If you have not read this book, be aware it’s emotional, moving, amazing and just makes you feel everything. I highly recommend this one so please check it out!

 

Honorable Mentions:

• Heartless by Marissa Meyer (4 out of 5 stars)
• Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones (4 out of 5 stars)
• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (4 out of 5 stars)
• A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (5 out of 5 stars)

I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know what your favorite books of last year were and If you have any recommendations for me. Let me know also if you are going to check any of these out or if you have read any! I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on these books!

Happy Reading!
~mk