Hey Book Lovers!
Today I am bringing you something super special and that is a wrap up of all the books I read in 2016! Now before you think WOW BEX CALM DOWN THAT’S A BIG WRAP UP… Let me ease your mind and say, I am only wrapping up 29 books. These are the 29 books I read during my journey from June to December 31st.
It’s been a big year, this is the year I started my Blog to join all you wonderful people, and then my Bookstagram and BookTube account! I discovered my love of reading again this year, and I am excited to say I will be spending 2017 reading and having such a good time doing it!
With that being said, I will stop rambling and WRAP IT UP!
1 – Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton- Rated 4/5 stars
‘A New Dawn, A New Desert‘ and I loved every second of the journey! Its surprising that this is Alwyn’s debut, she writes this story beautifully as if she had been writing novels for years, and I loved where she took this story. The characters were well written but Amani was missing something in my opinion. She didn’t learn from her mistakes and I hope Traitor to the Throne brings us some epic character development.
Traitor to the Throne synopsis reveal review
2 – The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson – rated 5/5 stars
The Unexpected Everything is cute, funny and sometimes awkward… But my love for this story was unexpected… Yes that was a cheap pun… don’t laugh, if you laughed though we probably should be friends… if you rolled your eyes we can be friends too, because I would have haha. The Unexpected Everything was a fun read, it was easy and delightful and the characters were well developed and lovable. The romance was exactly what I want from a YA read, and I was excited that this was my first 5/5 read for the book!
3 – Firstlife by Gena Showalter -rated 3/5 stars
I was fascinated from the first page, two worlds fought against each other and in the middle was Tenley Lockwood, trying to decide what decision was right for her life… but the decision did take a long time. Firstlife was a lot different that expected and unfortunately I was underwhelmed. This book promised a life changing decision for the main character, however it took her the whole book to get there and made the book drag. There is promise that the next book will be better, and I will try it out.
4 – Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan- rated 3.5/5 stars
Rick Riordan writes a funny and entertaining first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series. Enjoyable, humorous but unfortunately hard for me to jump into. Although I liked this book, it was hard to get into when I am reading from a 12 year old male perspective however I am a 25 year old female. I feel if I had read this earlier I would have loved it, and I think as I continue the series I will see the characters grow and mature, and be able to appreciate the books for the epic story they are!
5 – You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan – rated 5/5 stars
This story is captivating, unique and worthy of the five star rating! I had no words when I finished this book. This story was an incredible read, it was heartbreaking, character driven, and definitely not something I would normally pick up. It surprised the hell out of me, for a small read it really tugged on the emotions!
6 – The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater – rated 5/5 stars
A compelling, unpredictable an engrossing story following Blue and her Raven Boys. This was the first book in The Raven Cycle and this is by far one of my favourite series. The Raven Boys is an amazing adventure with friends in search of a Welsh King. I loved the writing, characters, plot and I couldn’t find a fault.
7 – Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs – rated 4/5 stars
Time loops. Peculiar children. & WWII! What a unforgettable story. I enjoyed this book more than I expected. If we start with the front cover this book looks like it is going to be a paranormal thriller, but Ransom Riggs writes a synopsis that demands attention and it definitely caught mine! Overall, a wonderful read. It was written well, it drew me in and I enjoyed going on the journey with Jacob and the peculiar’s
8 – Half Bad by Sally Green – rated 3.75/5 stars
An interesting writing style to start, a dangerous journey but a conclusion that left me wanting more! This story blurs the concept between good and evil, and I loved that! The only thing about about this was the writing style was hard to get into! I enjoyed this read, the plot was fast paced, the characters stirred up emotions whether you liked them or hated them with a passion, but it lacked a WOW!
9 – Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – rated 5/5 stars
If this book could be given a 6/5 stars, it would be, it lives up to all expectations and all hype. It is a masterpiece! Illuminae is like nothing you have ever read before, seriously, it is told through various multimedia like survellience footage, instant messaging, journal entries epic stuff like that, and you will learn to love it. It takes a 400 page book into a read you can smash though in one sitting… which I did. SO GOOD.
10 – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany – rated 4/5 stars
I am going through my review and realising this book wasn’t a 4/5 stars… It was a 3/5 stars if not something less… Sorry. The hype was huge, the expectations were high. I loved this book, and it made me extremely nervous reading. I loved immersing myself back in this world, but it had a lot of pitfalls. It questioned some of the canon from the Harry Potter books, and it felt like fan fiction. I don’t think it was the 8th book, I may enjoy the play, but as a book it fell short of the world we know and love.
11 – Half Wild by Sally Green – rated 5/5 stars
A vast improvement from the first book, Half Bad was intriguing, but Half Wild took the trilogy to a whole new level. It was captivating, action packed and the character development was on point! This is the book that made me love this trilogy, Half Wild had character development, and it made you feel certain emotions which I love in books. I want a reaction, and I definitely received all of this in Half Wild.
12 – The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater – rated 4.5/5 stars
Yet again, The Raven Cycle has given us an unpredictable, compelling and enjoyable read. There is a reason Maggie Stiefvater is a #1 New York Times bestseller. She has mad writing skills and I absolutely loved the second book in this series. I didn’t love this book as much as The Raven Boys, but I enjoyed the trials the characters were put through. They were different in this book, developing, testing each other, testing themselves. I am still utterly engulfed in this adventure.
13 – Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – rated 4/5 stars
Red Queen is a fast-paced story full of superpowers, love interests and lies.This book was The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor but with superpowers, written in such a beautiful way. I enjoyed how Victoria lulled us into a false sense of security, and hit twists right at the end and it devastated. Red Queen is such an interesting way to write, because everything is all at once and you are engrossed with a story that not only can break your heart but leaves you desperate to find out what happens next.
14 – All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven – rated 4/5 stars
All the Bright Places is a story that needed to be told, even if it hurt. This book was hard to read, it was devastating, heartbreaking and covered the topic of mental illness within two teenagers. I think this message was important, however this book wasn’t easy to read for me.
15 – Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater – rated 4.5/5 stars
Blue Lily, Lily Blue is a captivating story and three books into The Raven Cycle and you can’t help but be in love with the characters. What I love most about Blue Lily, Lily Blue is how at home you feel, with the story bringing the characters back together and taking you along for a gripping ride. This book dives more into the adventure than previous books, we are so close to the ending and this book really drives the story forward which I enjoyed.
16 – Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon – rated 4/5 stars
Everything, Everything was an beautiful easy read, with love, laughter and unexpected twists! For someone who doesn’t like books that have contemporary genre elements, I loved this book. It was fun read, that I managed to get through in two sittings. The bright and bubbly nature was beautiful, but had a serious undertone which I am still shocked with.
17 – This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp – rated 3.5/5 stars
A heart-wrenching story of a school shooting that you won’t want to put down until it is over, however I needed more from this story. I ended up reading this book in one sitting, because ultimately the suspense was just too much for me. It was a fast paced book, and the book was well written and touched on a important topic. However, there was one important perspective missing, and that was the shooters.
18 – Caraval by Stephanie Garber – rated 5/5 stars (Advanced Readers Copy)
Release Date: 31st January 2017
Caraval has it all. It is magic, mystery, intrigue, romance and deception, all melded perfectly with beautifully written details that portrayed scenes of movies. A 2017 Must Read! I was mesmerized by Caraval, it was beautiful written, with a mysterious and magical vibe that you can’t help but immerse yourself in. The characters were complex and the storyline left me wanting more of this world.
19 – With Malice by Eileen Cook – rated 1/5 stars (DNF @ page 174)
This book unfortunately didn’t interest me as much as I thought it would. I disliked a few things mainly I felt irritated by characters I didn’t like, a storyline that was slow moving and girl bitchyness which honestly I can’t deal with. High school ended a long time ago for me, so I just can’t deal.
I did like the cool way that transcripts and interviews were incorporated into the story and the cover was something from the start that I really enjoyed, so much so I purchased the hardcover. However, that’s where my like for the book ended unfortunately.
20 – Hollow City by Ransom Riggs – rated 3/5 stars
Hollow City is enjoyable, spooky and unforgettable story, with time-loops, monsters and the most wonderful bunch of peculiar children. However, this book did have second book syndrome and didn’t move the plot forward in the slightest.
21 – Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – rated 4.5/5 stars
Matching covers, fantastic stories, kick-ass characters… what else could we want? Nothing your right because this book is everything! Overall, this book is full of so many twists, and Amie and Jay have a way of breaking you apart in these stories and destroying you but then bringing you back together at the end.
22 – Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson – rated 3/5 stars
Ms. Marvel, vol. 1: No Normal was my first experience at reading a graphic novel or comic book and what a wonderful experience it was! A great place to start for people who haven’t delved into comics before, but it lacked something for me and I didn’t love all of the artwork in this one.
23 – Heartless by Marissa Meyer – rated 4.5/5 stars
Heartless is a beautiful written retelling with monsters, magic and decadent pasties that will make your mouth water! What I enjoyed most about this book was that we know where The Queen of Hearts ends up, this was getting us to that point and the research Marissa put into the details of this book was fantastic.
24 – The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon – rated 4/5 stars
The Sun is Also A Star is a light read, featuring illegal immigration, diversity and a love story that tugs on all the heart-strings. There are beautiful weaved undertones and hidden messages in this book that I appreciated, and a fast read that I suggest everyone delve into at some point.
25 – The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling – rated 5/5 stars
This collaboration of short stories brings me life! The Tales of Beedle the Bard are five short children’s stories that warm your heart and bring you so much closer to the Wizarding world.
26 – A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – rated 4.5/5 stars
A Court of Thorns and Roses is a beautiful story that was absolute perfection. This book is full of beautiful fae, handsome warriors, and a strong mortal woman that gets hooked in a world she once feared. This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling that is done so perfectly, and I enjoyed every second of this one.
27 – The Call by Peadar O’Guillin – rated 2.5/5 stars
The Call is an intriguing dystopian story based in Ireland, which included brutal details, beautiful fairyfolk and young teens that will do anything to survive. The premise of this book is amazing, however overall it did fall short for me. I hated the writing style, it didn’t flow nicely and completely distracted me from the story. I pushed through and ensured I read right to the end because I did want to know what happened, however it wasn’t enjoyable.
28 – milk and honey by Rupi Kaur
milk and honey by Rupi Kaur is a collection of poetry that centers around femininity and survival. It was inspiring, shocking, beautiful and thought provoking. milk and honey, although a beautiful read, was shocking in parts. It in no way strays from hard topics, that I myself wouldn’t pick up usually. The poems were beautifully written, and easily pulled emotions out of readers. I give a lot of credit to the writer for leaving her blood, sweat and tears in the pages of milk and honey.
29 – The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater – rated 5/5 stars
he Raven King brings us back to an adventure with characters that we have seen and loved since book one. This is now the final book in The Raven Cycle and Maggie yet again captivated me from the first line.If you have’t read this book I just want to take a second to convince you why you should: Diverse characters, magicians, dreamers and a King, writing that is beautiful, lyrical and flows perfectly, ships and characters that your heart will love! This book was a perfect ending to our adventure, it was fantastic and although left me wanting more of my questions answered I was content and definitely can’t wait for Maggie Stiefvater’s next story in this world which I believe revolves around Ronan!
THAT IS IT!
Those are the 29 books I read on my journey through my blogging year! I hope you enjoyed, even though this was a long post! Please talk to me down below and and let me know which of the books were your favourites from this year!
I hope you had a beautiful start to the year and I cannot wait to interact with you during the next 12 months!
Happy Reading Book Lovers!
Bex
bexnbookx 