Favorite Books of 2019

In 2019, I challenged myself to read 20 books. I am pretty proud that I accomplished my goal, because by the time the last week of the year rolled in I had 5 books to be completed.  It’s the first time in a long time that I not only read this many books out of leisure instead of required coursework. Luckily I found some new favorites among what I read!

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars [My Review]

This was honestly one of my favorite books this year. It’s a collection of short stories from the Grishaverse – the world where at least two of Leigh Bardugo’s previous series are set. These short stories are supposed to be fairy tales and legends that young children hear growing up there as well. There are some that can be seen as twisted reimaginings of folklore we know and love, and others are entirely new.   

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

🌟🌟🌟🌟4/5 stars

I was encouraged to get this book after having a library day with a friend in the summer. Although I had been dying to read this book, I still hadn’t and needed the extra push to start the series before the third book was published. Jude is a human girl who was raised in Faerie, where faeries and other mythical creatures dwell, who just wants to belong. But as a human she never truly will. This is the first book in a trilogy that I am actually nearly done with. In this book Jude is determined to make a place for herself and protect her sisters even if that means ending up in the crosshairs of the prince that hates her most. I love Jude as a character, although at times I grew frustrated with her and her choices. She is strong willed and relentless when it comes to protecting her family. 

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟5/5 stars

Binti is about a girl from a small community that is offered a seat at the most prestigious university in her galaxy. She often faces prejudice and feeling othered both on her home planet where her people are a small and separate community and while travelling to the school. While Binti is trying to deal with the consequences of being the first of her people to leave home, she ends up in the midst of a war that may threaten her ability to safely reach her destination. I have one more book left in this trilogy and I am so happy I found it. This book combines different cultures, sci-fi, space travel, and more in the story about a girl who leaves her community to expand her horizons. I don’t read sci-fi often but this was very intriguing and quick paced. 

Sadie by Courtney Summers

🌟🌟🌟🌟⅘ stars

Back in middle school I was really into mystery books (anyone remember Killing Mr. Griffin or The Westing Game?)  so I decided to give them a try once again. And I was *not* disappointed! Sadie is about a sister who goes missing while trying to avenge her younger sister, who was mysteriously found dead. No one knows what happened to her sister, Mattie, but Sadie thinks she knows who is responsible. It’s told through both Sadie’s narrative and a podcast that is following the story. I really enjoyed the story and the format, which is a mix of traditional narration and podcast. I highly recommend listening to this as an audiobook to really get this effect. 

Shatter Me by  Tahereh Mafi

🌟🌟🌟⅗ stars [My Review]

This is a dystopian novel set in a world where there are limited resources. It follows a girl named Juliette, who has an unusual ability. It was quite heartbreaking to frequently hear Juliette what thinks of herself. Although she has suffered a lot in her past leading her to live like this, I hope that throughout her arc she breaks away from this thinking. This is the first book in a series so I am interested in seeing how she grows as a character. I really enjoy Tahereh Mafi’s writing style. It’s different and almost poetic which did take a little getting used to. Overall, I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.  

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

🌟🌟🌟⅗ stars [My Review]

I did not expect to like this book. In fact, I did not realize it was a vampire book when I read the synopsis. This book follows a Tana who is a teenager living in a world where vampires are not myth and have caused an outbreak causing people to live in constant fear. “Coldtowns” are quarantined areas where people and vampires live alongside each other. Throughout the novel you’ll learn about the outbreak and how it has impacted the structure of their society. Some humans went there by choice, while others were locked in when the area became infected. After a tragedy occurs in her town, Tana ends up heading there because she believes it is the only way to save herself, her ex-boyfriend, and an unknown boy who are the only three survivors. More importantly, she thinks this is the only way to protect her younger sister. The novel is quick paced and full of surprises. Despite being a stand alone book, I felt like I went on a wild adventure.

For 2020, I’ll be challenging myself to read 25 books and hopefully I need to rush to complete the challenge at the end of the year again. I even made a list of books I’d like to read this year to give me inspiration and keep me on track. 

What books have you been loving recently?

– Tatyana x