2018 was a fantastic reading year for me. Even if some of the other areas of my life were a little hectic, I was able to carve out time to read 52 books! That’s the most I’ve ever read in one year, and for the most part, I ended up with a ton of amazing reads! I actually had 29 five star ratings last year and only four 1-2 star ratings, so I enjoyed the majority of books I picked up. Instead of reviewing alllllllll 29, I’m picking my top 18 in honor of 2018. They are all five star reads in my eyes, and to make this challenge more difficult, I am ranking them by how much I liked them (eep!)
Disclaimer: three of my fave books this year were actually published by my friends! You can find them on my GR and, like, all over my social media. I won’t be ranking them today though for obvious reasons. Links to my reviews below if you want to check them out!
Without further ado, here my top 18!
18. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
I “read” this via audiobook, and it slid into my list of favorites at the very end of the year. This YA contemporary is set in New York and follows a young latina student struggling with family, boys, and faith. She turns to poetry to cope with these issues, and the entire novel is written in verse. I highly recommend the audiobook for this one, since it is narrated by the author, award-winning slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo. It’s simply fantastic.
17. Saga by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples
For something different, I decided to pick up a graphic novel in the middle of the year, and I am so glad I did. I read the first volume of Saga, a Sci-Fi adventure about forbidden love, a family of outlaws, and their escape across the universe from politics that want to keep them apart. The art is stunning, but beneath that the story is everything I love to see in books. It’s a mix of great characters, lush settings, fast-paced plot, and scenes that will both crack you up and break your heart. I highly recommend for any graphic novel lovers.
16. Ruin & Rising by Leigh Bardugo
The third and final book of the Grisha trilogy blew me away. Bardugo never ceases to amaze me with her beautiful writing, and I loved seeing the conclusion to this series. There were times where I literally screamed during this book from both pain and excitement. My heart was broken and put back together again. I know the ending is a little divisive for this one, but I will say I think it ended perfectly. Praise Sankta Alina~
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
I didn’t expect to love this little book as much as I did. It’s a quick read, and the edition I have is illustrated with amazing drawings that evoke a Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark vibe. This is a children’s horror novel (I think?) but could honestly appeal to anyone. This is the story of a young boy who is visited by a monster at night but has his own monsters to face during the day. I actually sobbed while reading this one. It truly touched my heart.
14. Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman
This. Freaking. Book. I wasn’t sure I’d like it at first because of the dossier format it is written in, but somehow this YA Sci-Fi novel sucked me in and didn’t let me go. It follows an ex-couple as their world is literally destroyed and they are forced onto military spaceships. There’s comedy, romance, heartbreak, horror, and action all in one. This book blew my mind on multiple occasions, and I definitely recommend for Sci-Fi lovers!
13. Seige & Storm by Leigh Bardugo
This is the second book in the Grisha trilogy and my favorite of the series. I read the first, Shadow & Bone, in 2017 and fell in love with Bardugo’s writing. This sequel pulled me back into the world in the best way, and you can clearly see Bardugo’s growth in her skill with this addition to the series. The world and characters seemed clearer than it ever had, and the plot had me riveted from page one. I recommend this series to any fantasy lovers! (plus they’re making it a Netflix show AHHH!!)
12. Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
This book definitely lives up to the hype! It’s like A Cinderella Story, except our main character is struggling with his coming-out and we have no idea who his online friend really is. I loved the characters in this book, and the mystery behind Blue’s identity. It is such a great YA Contemporary, and a really fun book if you want something quick and lighthearted. The movie also came out this year, and it is so freaking adorable!
11. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
I guess I should have known after Illuminae that Jay Kristoff holds no punches, but no, I never learn. This book is one of the wildest fantasy novels I’ve read. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart. Even though it took me a while to get into it in the beginning, I eventually became riveted by the story of a school of assassins and their deadly games. Stylistically, this is a tough one if you aren’t used to fantasy, but otherwise I highly recommend pushing through those first few chapters to get to the wild ride that is Nevernight.
10. I’ll Give you the Sun by Jandy Nelson
YA contemporary novels sometimes get a bad rep, but this book is truly a work of literature. It follows twins as they struggle with family, sexuality, art, and ghosts. The story is so riveting, a whimsical adventure wrapped in teen and family drama. It is somehow both completely unrealistic and the total truth. It felt really relateable and left me with that ‘seen’ feeling I used to have with YA back when I was an actual teen.
9. Impostors by Scott Westerfeld
This was my most highly anticipated book of the year and it did not disappoint! As Uglies was my favorite series back in middle school, I was stoked that my favorite author was writing an addition to that world. There were enough Easter Eggs to keep a fan like me happy, while still being a new story. We follow Freya, who has grown up as a secret body double for her twin and is thrust into the crazy politics of the world after the Uglies mind-rain. I’m so pumped for the sequel coming out this year!
8. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
This is another book that I didn’t expect to love as much as I did. The writing was dense but beautiful, and the story was gripping besides that. I am in awe at Lynch’s worldbuilding skills, but I have to give it to his characters. Locke especially is the anti-hero I’ve been waiting for. As the leader of a gang of thieves, he is truly morally gray: ruthless to his enemies, loyal to his friends. This book totally ripped my heart out. I still can’t believe any of those plot twists. I highly recommend for fantasy lovers.
7. Dear Martin by Nic Stone
This short book left a huge impact on me. It tells the story of a young black boy who was racially profiled by police and the aftermath of that incident. It’s fast-paced and so real in an era where #blacklivesmatter is a life or death reality for black Americans. The main character’s experience reminded me of a student I had in New York during the Stop & Frisk era, and it drove home the point in a whole new way. This is one book I think everyone should read.
6. The Savior’s Champion by Jenna Moreci
This was another of my highly anticipated reads of 2018, and I was lucky enough to get an ARC! I was picked to be on Moreci’s street team, so when I read this book I was nervous I wouldn’t like it as much as I suspected and then have to promote it. Luckily, I genuinely fell in love with this story. This fantasy romance adventure follows an artist thrust into a deadly tournament to win the hand of a magical holy queen--but he falls in love with her sister instead. It’s a huge book, but I was unable to put it down! Even if fantasy isn’t typically your genre, I recommend this if you like romance or want to break into the genre. TBH, Tobias & Leila are my OTP of the year~
5. Winter by Marissa Meyer
This is the fourth and final book in Meyer’s YA Sci-Fi series, The Lunar Chronicles. This series is essentially a retelling of your favorite fairytales with a Sci-Fi twist on each of them. The largest book I read this year, Winter didn’t feel as long as it was because I flew through it. This was truly an epic ending to one of my all-time favorite series. I’m just sad it’s over...
4. Our Dark Duet and 3. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
I still can’t stop thinking about this YA urban fantasy duology. After picking up TSS on a whim, I was hooked on Schwab’s writing. She truly does it all perfectly: world, character, plot, style. I fell in love with her characters, and I couldn’t leave them at the end of TSS. Though I rarely do this, I immediately went out to buy ODD because I needed to know how it ended. Though the sequel started out a little slower, it quickly picked up and left me with my heart shattered in pieces. I don’t want to say too much about the plot, because I think you should experience it for yourself, but I definitely recommend you go read this like right now!!
2. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
This book had a huge impact on me as an aspiring writer who took my dreams of a writing career much more seriously this year. This story follows Darcy, a young debut author who wrote her novel during NaNoWriMo and moves to NYC during the publishing process. We also get the paranormal romance that she wrote, interspersed with Darcy’s struggles with publishing and living on her own for the first time in her life. There were so many relateable and educational snippets in this book for a writer like me, and they were woven in with two genuinely great stories. If you’re a writer, especially in YA, you need to read this one.
1. Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Before I picked this up I never suspected this book would sit on the top of my list this year, but here it is. This novel is simply brilliant. For the first time since I was in high school, I found a book that I physically could not put down. This dystopian redefines the whole genre, showing its capabilities after the rise and fall of the dystopian craze a few years ago. The world of Scythe felt unbelievably realistic, and somehow the plot twisted so many times my stomach wound in knots the entire novel. I am wrecked after this book. I think it actually sent me into a slump for a while because nothing seemed to compare. It’s not hyped enough--please go read it!! You won’t regret it.
That’s all for 2018~ Here’s to even better reads in 2019!
Peace out, Grace K.