Top 5 (Belated) Wednesday | Best Books I’ve Read So Far in 2O18

I forgot to post this on Wednesday, but since I remembered and I like this topic, I thought I’d just go ahead and post it anyway!

I’m happy to announce that the majority of the books that I’ve read this year have been very enjoyable. This list was actually really hard to compose!

According to Goodreads:  The title is self explanatory. Choose the 5 best books you’ve read so far this year.

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THE CRUEL PRINCE | Holly Black

I’ve been a huge fan of Holly Black ever since I read Lament and Tithe. Not all of her books have been my favorite (coughTheDarkestPartoftheForestcough) but this one most certainly was. No one does dark and twisted Fae quite like Holly Black and we got a lot of twisted in The Cruel Prince. The back-stabbing elements, deceit, and cruel behaviors of the Fae got my blood boiling, but in a good way. I was deeply invested in Jude’s story and I cannot WAIT to see what other mischief the horrid characters get up to next.

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THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END | Adam Silvera

Despite the obvious promise in the title, I was still hoping that the ending might conclude some other way. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. Even knowing how the story would end, I couldn’t help but become attached to the Rufus and Mateo. Their connectedness was heart-warming and the way Silvera explored life and death was poetic. I don’t cry very often, but this one got me to shed a few tears by the end. A job well done.

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THE DREAM THIEVES (The Raven Cycle, #2) | Maggie Stiefvater

I finally got around to reading The Raven Cycle and it has got to be one of the best series I’ve read these past few years. The characters, the setting, the writing, the magic, all of it was near perfect. I had a hard time deciding which of the books was my favorite because honestly the only thing I can say is that I loved Blue Lily, Lily Blue less than the other three. But any book that follows Ronan’s POV is a winner in my book. So The Dream Thieves it is!

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HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE | J.K. Rowling

I’ve been meaning to read these books for the longest time now. I marathoned all the movies a couple years ago and I got a sense of why it was so beloved. But never having read the books then, I didn’t fully understand the appeal of Harry Potter. Until now. The first book to the series is absolute magic. Pure wonder and enchantment. The writing is spectacular, the characters even more so, and the world-building is unmatched. I can definitely see how Harry Potter and his friends captured so many hearts now.

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LEGENDARY | Stephanie Garber

Caraval was easily a favorite from last year. I love how much it reminded me of The Night Circus and I found the mystery aspect of the story very appealing. The quirks and oddness of Caraval and its cast of characters was really captivating and the purple prose only highlighted the enchanting quality of the material. Legendary built on these elements tenfold and gave us a story that was much more fast-paced and entertaining. Tella was a far better protagonist than Scarlett and the stakes were much higher too. I couldn’t put this book down.

Because I haven’t caught up on new releases, and there are one or two books that haven’t been released this month just yet, here are some books that I imagine would be included on this list if I HAD read them by this time.