My Favorite Reads of the Year! | 2016 In Review

It’s time, everyone. It’s time for the most exciting post of the year: my favorite reads of 2016. I will already say that these are in no particular order, and they are not all 2016 releases. I just read them this year, and absolutely loved them. So let’s get into it! 

Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo

I don’t think this will be a surprise for anyone. I already enjoyed her Grisha trilogy, but this duology was just on a whole other level. Not only did I love the setting, which is I believe inspired by the Netherlands as I recognized quite some names of people and places, but I loved the characters and the diversity in race, religion, disability… I just adored it. And you all know heist stories are the way to my heart. 

The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) by Brandon Sanderson
The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) by Brandon Sanderson

I know, I chose two again. I just couldn’t pick a favorite! I finally finished the first Mistborn trilogy -after having read The Final Empire in 2013… I was blown away. They were even better than the first book. I adored the characters, the world, the religions -the character development- and just about everything. Although I have to admit I was both happy and devastated by the ending. Brandon Sanderson is a master of words. 

The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Assassin’s Apprentice (Farseer #1) by Robin Hobb

The Secret History was definitely a surprise for me. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, because I don’t often read general fiction. But I was blown away. This is the story of a group of college kids in New England who study Latin and Greek, and murdered one of their friends. I was so invested in the story adn the characters! Donna Tartt has a way of toying with your emotions when it comes to her characters.

Assassin’s Apprentice started my foray into Robin Hobb’s works. I’d heard nothing but great things for years, so I decided it was finally time to pick one up. I adored it. I have to say, don’t go into this expecting a fast-paced, action-packed assassin story. That’s not what this is. This is more a chronicle of Fitz’s life -and I adored it. I will definitely read the third book soon, and continue with her other works. 

Night Film by Marisha Pessl
The Warded Man (Demon Cycle #1) by Peter V. Brett

Night Film had been on my shelf for a while, until I decided to pick it up for the #spookathon. I adored this mystery book. It’s the story of Scott, a journalist trying to discover whether famous girl Ashley Cordova truly committed suicide, or whether she was murdered. It blew me away. It’s also mixed media because it has pictures, text messages, web pages, articles, etc. throughout the story. I felt like that only added to the mystique of this book and its story. 

The Warded Man is one of those fantasy books that’s really popular on Reddit, but I never really see on blogs or videos. It makes me so sad, because this was amazing. It’s about this world in which demons come out of the ground when the sun goes down. If you’re not in a circle of protective wards, you will be murdered by them. Does that not sounds EPIC? It is. I can’t wait to read the second book soon. 

Marked in Flesh (The Others #4) by Anne Bishop
Nice Dragons Finish Last (Heartstrikers #1) by Rachel Aaron

Marked In Flesh  will come as no surprise if you’ve been reading my blog for a while. I absolutely adore this series, and have for years. Each year, I screech with excitement at the next book. Although I can’t believe that the next book, Etched in Bone, will be the last one. I am so not ready to say goodbye. This is an amazing series about a blood prophet, shapeshifters, ancient creatures and (awful) humans.

Nice Dragons Finish Last is the first book in the Heartstrikers series, a series I’d been wanting to read for a while. I have loved every Rachel Aaron (/Rachel Bach) book I’ve read so far -which I think are 9 books? This is an urban fantasy series about a dragon named Julius, who is nice. Being nice is not a welcome trait for a dragon, which means he’s the family outcast. IT IS SO MUCH FUN.

The Alchemists of Loom (Loom Saga #1) by Elise Kova
The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1) by Rin Chupeco

The Alchemists of Loom is a book I immediately requested on Netgalley when I saw it. It’s a 2017 release, but I urge you all to pick it up when it’s released. I liked her other book Air Awakens, but didn’t truly love it. This one I adored. It’s got dragons, chimaera, steampunk, scheming, guilds -EVERYTHING I LOVE. 

The Bone Witch is actually also a 2017 releaese! Another one worth the wait though. It’s an Asian-inspired fantasy book that stars the main character Tea who discovers she is a  witch (or an asha as it’s called in this book) when she accidentally raises her brother from the dead. It’s told in two timelines, one starting when she discovers her powers, and one where she is alone on an island raising monsters. HOW AWESOME IS THAT??

We Should All be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This is such a short one, because it’s basically her speech written out. It’s only 49 pages but I honestly couldn’t leave it off my list. I feel like this is a must-read for everyone, from those who know nothing about feminism to those who are really educated on the topic. It’s an eye-opener. 

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Those are my favorite reads of 2016! Have you read any of these? What did you think of them? And what are your favorite reads of the year?