My top 10 reads of 2017

This post has caused me a ridiculous amount of anxiety. At first, I thought it would be a simple enough task to sit down and nut out my favourites from the books I read this year. Silly me. I really should have known better. It was SO HARD!!

In 2017, I “officially” read 40 books (you can view these on my Goodreads). Unofficially, the number was probably closer to 100. Why the discrepancy, you may ask? I don’t tend to document my re-reads, and I re-read a lot of books this year. I’m also a teensy bit selective about what I put on my public account…

Anyway, down to business. You might think it’s not too difficult to choose 10 favourites from a list of 40 books, but you would be wrong. I ummed and aahed for hours trying to place them in some kind of order, and it almost brought me to tears. Fellow bookworms, you understand, right?

Once I had my list, I studied it for a moment with a frown on my face and a certain sheepish tingle running down my spine. My top 10 books for the year were dominated by a grand total of about two authors. Boring! I then decided to edit the list so it only includes one book from any given series. Much better!

You’re dying to know what they are now, aren’t you? Well, I won’t keep you waiting any longer! Here goes…

#10 – Of Last Resort by Megan Derr

To preserve the family honour after his brother runs away, Raffé must undergo the Blooding, which will turn him into a nigh-invincible warrior of fearsome magic and strength…if he survives the transformation.

WHY I LIKED IT: Megan Derr is a master world-builder, this time setting her story in a dark world ravaged by the monsters of an ancient war. In a unique twist, only those with demon blood can stand against the horrors, while angelic power is something far more disturbing.

GENRE: high fantasy | LGBT

SERIES: Princes of the Blood #1

#9 – The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

For a thousand years the Lord Ruler has reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, but now a new kind of uprising is being planned. Will it succeed where all others have failed?

WHY I LIKED IT: I found the magic system of Allomancy, which is based on “burning” metals, to be absolutely fascinating. Also, Kelsier. Need I say more?

GENRE: epic fantasy

SERIES: Mistborn #1

#8 – The Glass House by Suki Fleet

Seventeen-year-old Sasha is all sharp edges and self-destruction, not unlike the beautiful but untouchable sculptures he makes from broken glass. He doesn’t understand why his classmate, Thomas, won’t just take the hint and leave him alone…

WHY I LIKED IT: Suki Fleet has a stunning writing style and a knack for creating complex but lovable characters. I shed many a tear for Sasha and was captivated by his journey towards healing and forgiveness.

GENRE: contemporary | YA | LGBT

SERIES: (standalone)

#7 – The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington

It has been twenty years since the Augurs were wiped out and their subordinates, the Gifted, bound into absolute obedience. But an enemy long-thought defeated is stirring in the north, and it may take an Augur to stop them…

WHY I LIKED IT: This is a classic epic fantasy that smacked me upside the head on the penultimate page with a twist I did not see coming. You can read my review here.

GENRE: epic fantasy

SERIES: The Licanius Trilogy #1

#6 – The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

The Dragon Reborn is the hero prophesied to save the world…and to destroy it in the process. Able to touch the One Power, which will inevitably drive him mad, Rand al’Thor runs from his friends, desperate to prove he is not the Dragon Reborn.

WHY I LIKED IT: I’ve read a few of this series in 2017, but I was fascinated by The Dragon Reborn due to the book’s climax and the fulfilment of the Stone of Tear / People of the Dragon / Callandor prophecy (sorry—won’t make sense if you haven’t read it!).

GENRE: epic fantasy

SERIES: The Wheel of Time #3

#5 – Echo Volume 2: The Taste of Ashes by Kent Wayne

Most of us change gradually—over the course of decades. For Crusader Atriya, it will happen in a single, agonising day. At the edge of a decaying cityscape, Atriya faces death from enemies and friends alike…and he must decide whether to follow his training, or whether to stay true to himself.

WHY I LIKED IT: This book! I don’t even know where to start! It is one gory, nail-biting adventure that explores good, evil, and the grey areas in between. You can read my review here.

GENRE: science fiction

SERIES: Echo Volume 2

#4 – Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

The lost Queen of Terrasen has at last returned to the empire—to rescue her warrior cousin, to free the soul of a friend enslaved to darkness, and to destroy a king meddling with powers beyond his control. But first, she must confront the shadows of her past…

WHY I LIKED IT: In 2017, I read this whole series, but I loved how everyone came together in this book to face the King of Adarlan, and how the MC at last accepted her birthright.

GENRE: high fantasy | YA/NA

SERIES: Throne of Glass #4

#3 – The Summer Palace by C.S. Pacat

An epilogue to the Captive Prince series. Though the war is over, there is still work to be done…but that doesn’t stop Damen and Laurent from taking a break from their new responsibilities to explore what they could be together.

WHY I LIKED IT: Okay, so yes this is a novella, and yes it’s about 80% fluff, but Captive Prince is one of my all-time favourite series, so what can I say? I needed this!

GENRE: high fantasy | LGBT

SERIES: Captive Prince #3.5 (novella)

#2 – The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Here begins the tale of Kvothe—musician and warrior, villain and hero—told in his own voice. It is the story of his childhood in a troupe of travelling players, his years as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, and his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic.

WHY I LIKED IT: The fact it’s written in first person. The often lyrical prose. SCIENCE. And, of course, the humour (I’m looking at you, Elodin). You can read my review here.

GENRE: epic fantasy

SERIES: The Kingkiller Chronicle #1

#1 – A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Feyre survived the clutches of a depraved faerie queen, but now an even greater evil looms. Her harrowing new powers may be the key to stopping it, but only if she can heal her fractured soul and decide how to shape her future…

WHY I LIKED IT: I’m an absolute sucker for the whole misunderstood “villain” with a heart of gold trope, so I never stood a chance against Rhysand. Feyre’s character growth was also a pleasure to watch, and that conclusion…epic!

GENRE: high fantasy | YA/NA

SERIES: A Court of Mist and Fury #2

Rebecca Alasdair