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Sunday, January 1, 2017

Top Favorite Books of 2016 & 2017 Recs!

Happy New Year, everyone! I made a video of some of my favorite books of 2016 and some 2017 books I think you guys need to have on your TBR. For those of you who prefer to read my posts OR would just like easy access to the books I've mentioned, I have all the info below ^_^





It would take too long to actually list all of the books that I thought were amazing this year, but if you're interested, here is my Goodreads shelf to all of my favorite books of 2016!


Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (Review)
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson/Hachette Book Group
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
I finally got my review for this out yesterday, but I love this book so, so much. Audrey Rose is absolutely amazing and this book made me want to read more of these types of books, even though they are generally not my thing. 



Dreamology by Lucy Keating (Review)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Hands down the best romantic contemporary book I've ever read. It's so sweet and fluffy, but also has so much depth. I read it whenever I need more sunshine in my life and I highly suggest you give it a read.  


Fear the Drowning Deep by Sarah Glenn Marsh  (Review)
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Sarah is an absolute writing genius. This book's setting and characters are so interesting and like nothing I've ever read before. Her writing has a classic feel, but with a modern spin. It's absolutely amazing. 



Flashfall by Jenny Moyer 
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company/Macmillan
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Flashfall renewed my love for dystopian novels. Before this one came along, I had started disliking them because it had been so long since I read a good one, but this book changed all of that. 




The Midnight Star (The Young Elites #3) by Marie Lu (Review)
Publisher: G.P. Putnam Son's/Penguin Random House
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
A beautiful end to an amazing trilogy. I was fearful to read this book because of the massive book hangover I got after reading The Rose Society. Although this one did make me cry several times, I didn't get a book hangover and I'm really happy with how this trilogy ended.



Night Speed by Chris Howard (Review)
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
I don't often read action books because I find that they aren't well executed, but that's not the case with Night Speed. It's really fast-paced and with a great setting, if I do say so myself xD (NYC for those of you who don't know). 



The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

I really believe that this book needs to be taught in schools. Everyone should read it, but especially teenage girls. I really love all of the female relationships in this book, even the ones that involve enemies. It's one of the most important books that came out this year, in my opinion. 

Metaltown by Kristen Simmons
Publisher: Tor Teen/Macmillan
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
This is the first of Kristen's books I've picked up and I absolutely adore it. I highly recommend that you listen to the Les Mis soundtrack while reading this book because it is the perfect backdrop for it. The writing is great, the characters are extremely distinct, and the story will break your heart and inspire you!


The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository 
This book is basically a sci-fi Game of Thrones, and the main character is an android. Though I wasn't sure how I felt about that at first, I was immediately sucked into the story and couldn't put it down. I read it all in one sitting and re-read my favorite sections whenever I get the chance.


The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (Review)
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
This book is simply beautiful in all aspects. If they hung books up in museums, this would be in one. Roshani's writing is so gorgeous that it made me want to weep while I was reading. On top of that, the story is a wonderful sweeping fantasy that is a twist on the Persephone myth mixed with Indian Folklore. You need this book in your life, trust me!


Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company/Macmillan
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
I've tried repeatedly to write a review of this book but each time I try, I just want to curl up into a ball and cry. I do really love this book but I still need time to get over how it ended. That being said, I really think that if you haven't read any Bardugo books yet, you need to read the Grisha Trilogy before the Six of Crows duology. Characters from the Grisha Trilogy play a huge role in Crooked Kingdom, and if you don't know who they are, it just won't mean much to you.
The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye (Review)
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository 
I only had 3 three favorite books originally—the entire Grisha trilogy and Tryst by Elswyth Thane, and then this book happened. This book made me feel at home, I fell in love from the very first page. The Crown's Game will forever be special to me, and it's definitely my favorite book of the year.



Publisher: Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
It's not the first female pirate book I've read, but it's the one that made the biggest impression. It's fun, cute, and witty. I highly recommend it as your next pirate read!
Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza (Review)
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin Random House
This book reminds me a lot of Illumiane, except written in a more traditional format and more diverse. I loved it instantly. It's incredibly action packed and the characters are great. Plus, this is the first time I've read a book where it is mostly dual POVs, and the characters from those POVs don't get together—it's so awesome. 


Frostblood by Elly Blake 
Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
This firey read is the perfect thing to warm you up this winter. This book is Game of Thrones mixed with Throne of Glass. It's sassy and badass, and I loved every second of it. 




Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Publisher: Flatiron/Macmillan
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository 
I have been in love with this book since the beginning of this 2016, when I was lucky enough to get a bound manuscript of this wonderful book. It's a beautiful, sweeping fantasy, with an Alice in Wonderland type feeling. I highly recommend this book, if it isn't already on your TBR, you need to fix that immediately!

20 comments:

  1. I haven't read any of these books but I'm reading Crooked Kingdom as soon as I can!

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    1. I hope you check some of them out, and make sure you have a box of tissues handy when you're reading CK!

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  2. Awesome list of books, so glad you enjoyed them! Happy reading for 2017!! May it be a wonderful year for you :)

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    1. Thank you! Happy Reading, to you too! I hope you have a wonderful year as well.

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  3. Great list! I just subscribed to your youtube channel. :) A lot of these are on my TBR and I just haven't gotten around to them yet. Dreamology, Flashfall, The Diabolic, Empress of a Thousand Skies, and Frostblood are all on my TBR. I'm hoping to read all of them the first half of this year. :)

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    1. Thank you!!! You should get to these books as soon as possible because they are amazing! Can't wait to see what you think, thanks for stopping by!

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  4. So many great books! I've only read (and loved) Crooked Kingdom and The Crown's Game, but every other book on here is on my TBR :) Your 2017 recs are all some of my most anticipated reads, so I'm happy to hear you enjoyed them!

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    1. CK and TCG are both amazing! I'm glad to hear that you also loved them. I hope you like all of the other books too ^_^

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  5. Oh my gosh Dreamology was one of the best books I've read to date, let alone in 2016. It was such a cute, sweet romance! I'm super excited to check out the books you've recommended for 2017, especially Frostblood and Empress of a Thousand Skies!

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    1. Oh my god, I can go on and on about that book. It's so wonderful and happy. I hope you love both Frostblood and Empress of a Thousand Skies.

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  6. sooo many amazing books on your list omg I CAN ONLY FLAIL. 😍😍 I absolutely adored Crooked Kingdom and The Crown's Game (!! RUSSIA !!) and The Diabolic too!! I was actually really surprised by the Diabolic, because I expected it to be super cliche and it wasn't. It was amazing.😍 And I can't wAIT for Daughter of the Pirate King so I'm super glad you loved it. I'm allllll the excite.

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    1. I was also really surprised by The Diabolic because I had heard very little of it before I began to read it so I wasn't expecting it to be as great as it was. I hope you love Daughter of the Pirate King. You're excited energy, as usual, is infectious, and I love it <3

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  7. I loved Stalking Jack the Ripper, The Female of the Species and Crooked Kingdom. And a lot of the books on your list is on my TBR. I'm especially looking forward to reading The Midnight Star and Frost Blood. :)

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    1. Those books are amazing, glad to hear that you love them too! They're pretty easy to love. I hope you read The Midnight Star and Frostblood soon.

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  8. Reading though this has reminded me of a few books that I need to prioritize from 2016! I cannot wait to read Crooked Kingdom! I am reading Caraval right now and I totally agree with you. It is a totally mesmerizing and incredible story. Here's to another year of fantastic books!! :)

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    1. Another year of fantastic books is right! I looove Caraval can't wait to see what you think of it! Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. Can you believe I haven't read any of the books on your list? Bad Sinead! But I'm definitely going to look them up!

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  10. Yaaay for loving so many awesome books last year :D I have only read three of them. Ack. But I loved Crooked Kingdom :D And Daughter of the Pirate King. <3 Sadly, I hated Metaltown, lol :) But anyway. Gorgeous list Brittany. <3 Hope you are reading and loving tons of books this year too :)

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    1. 2016 was a very good book year for me and 2017 is turning out to be a good one as well. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy Metaltown but here's to all the other great books out there!

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