Top 5 Favourite Books of 2017

12/26/2017

I can’t believe how quickly this year has flown by! And while I’ve only had this blog running since the end of September this year, I’ve read so many amazing books, some of which I didn’t have the chance to write about. So in honour of there only being a few days left of this year, here's a countdown of my 5 favourite books of 2017!

#5: Caraval by Stephanie Garber
My Rating: 4.5/5

There was was much hype around this book, and all of it well-deserved! Garber brings us into a world where nothing is as it seems, and we get to experience how strong the bonds of love and sisterhood really are.

Characters are strong and the storyline is incredibly well developed; readers will continue to fall deeper into the story as Scarlett begins to unravel the difference between truth and fantasy. The even better news is that the sequel comes out in May 2018, so we'll get to read Tella's story very soon.

This is a high recommendation for anyone who enjoys fantasy books!

Full review here: Caraval

#4: Year One by Nora Roberts
My Rating: 5/5

Full review here: Year One

This book completely made it in just under the wire of my timeline as it came out this December and I only read it last week. Any Nora Roberts fan will immediately love this book; it really feels like Roberts has pushed herself to try something new, and we are rewarded with a wonderful mix of romance, magic and a very dystopian future.

I loved all of the characters we met and I’d say this is one of the first times where Roberts is not holding back when it comes to killing off characters! I honestly have no predictions on where this series is going, which makes it even more exciting. I’d recommend this to any current Nora Roberts fans, and to any readers who’d like to try a romantic/sci-fi(ish) novel.

#5: Carry On (and Fangirl) by Rainbow Rowell
My Rating: 5/5

This is a bit of cheat, but I'm including Fangirl with my recommendation of Carry On, even though it's from 2013!

Carry On itself is such a fun read (especially if you've read Fangirl) The POV changes in each chapter were perfect and give us insight into characters that we are only meeting for a short period of time. Because we're basically dropping into the "last novel" of a hypothetical series, readers know that we'll be missing a lot of information. Rowell straddles the line perfectly between giving us some backstory without bogging us down with information that we would have found out from previous (if they existed) books.

Overall, Fangirl will always be one of my favourite books, and Carry On is such a perfect companion to it!

Goodreads review here: Carry On

#2: A List of Cages by Robin Roe
My Rating: 5/5

Full review here: A List of Cages

I don’t think there’s a book that has had such a big emotional impact on me as A List of Cages had. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel, but it completely blew me out of the water. The dual POV from Julian and Adam was incredibly powerful, and my heart still starts racing when I think about everything that Julian went through.

First time author Roe beautifully addresses issues of abuse and mental health, and creates an amazing friendship between the two boys. I absolutely loved this book and cry every time I read it.

This is a definite recommendation for all ages and readers.

#1: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5/5

Yes, this book came out in 2016, but it was near the end of the year and I didn’t actually read it until 2017…so I’m counting it. Hands down, this is one of my favourite books (and series) and I cannot read it enough. The sequel to Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom drops us back into the stories of Kaz Bekker and his group of rogues trying to face down threats from every corner.

It’s hard to put into words what I liked best about this book – the characters? The storytelling? The relationships? The way it all comes together in the end? – but this book will always hold a big piece of my heart.

It’s also at the top of my recommended list for anyone who is a fan of YA or fantasy fiction.