Rapid Fire Book Tag

Hello, I'm back! It's been a while as a few things have happened in my life that have kept me busy lately (including getting married!!). So it's been a while since I did a tag and I've been looking for a good one to do for a while now. I saw another blogger do this tag and it looked really interesting so I've decided to do the Rapid Fire Book Tag (original tag by GirlReading).

1. Ebook or physical book?

I definitely prefer a physical book to an ebook. There's just something about seeing the books on your shelves and physically seeing how far you are through the book while reading that I really love. I don't mind ebooks and my kobo is useful for when I'm travelling and can't carry books with me, but I'll still always prefer my physical books!

2. Paperback or hardback?

Easily paperback. While hardbacks look quite nice on a shelf (and are mostly the same height!), they're just too bulky to read and carry around. My favourite paperback is a floppy paperback but they hardly ever sell these in the UK which makes me very sad.

3. Online or in-store book shopping?

Okay, this is a slightly tougher one. I do much prefer being in a physical bookshop and looking at all the wonderful books, but they're just so expensive. I probably do buy most of my books either from Charity shops or Waterstones, but occasionally Amazon is needed for when I want to buy a book box set that is too expensive/not available in stores. I think I will probably always enjoy wandering around a bookshop for several hours even if I can't afford anything!

4. Trilogies or series?

I'm struggling with my feelings for this one. While I prefer trilogies because long series often take years to be released, trilogies often suffer from second book syndrome and are either rushed or drawn out unnecessarily. I think overall I prefer series because they explore so much more of the world than trilogies.

5. Heroes or villains?

I often find that villains are so much more interesting than heroes. A good villain is usually more complex and fascinating than a good hero. Obviously I prefer rooting for a hero, but I feel like villains (and anti-heroes) are more interesting to get perspectives and backstory for.

6. A book you want everyone to read?

God, this is a hard question. I can think of tons of books I want people to read. I think I'll say We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver, because it's just such a powerful book and sadly very relevant to this day and age.

7. Recommend an underrated book.

There are so many books I want to recommend that no-one ever talks about but I think I'll limit this to two:

Dr Franklin's Island by Ann Halam - This is a book I read in Secondary School when I was about 13. It's a YA book about three teenagers who end up in a plane crash and are the only survivors on a seemingly deserted island. Semi, Miranda, and Arnie stumble into the hands of Dr. Franklin, a mad scientist who’s been waiting for them, eager to use them as specimens for his experiments in genetic engineering.

In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park - A true story of a young girl and her experiences living in and escaping from North Korea. Trigger warnings for rape and assault throughout this book.

8. The last book you finished?

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (I imagine everyone already knows this books so I won't go into detail as it's the fourth (3.5) book in the series).

9. The last book you bought?

The Extinction Trials by S.M. Wilson

10. Weirdest thing you've used as a bookmark?

To be honest, I nearly always use a bookmark because I literally have about a hundred of them. Other than that, the weirdest thing I've probably used is just an envelope or piece of paper.

11. Used books: Yes or No?

YES. I would't have most of my books if it weren't for used bookshops/charity shop books. So long as the book can still be read I don't know why people wouldn't like them!

12. Top three favourite genres?

Fantasy, Psychological Thrillers, and Science Fiction (including both Adult and YA in these genres)

13. Borrow or buy?

Buy if I can afford it! Good libraries are wonderful though.

14. Characters or plot?

Characters because, for me, a good plot can be ruined by boring characters.

15. Long or short books?

Long book! You can stay with the world for so much longer which I love.

16. Long or short chapters?

Short chapters. I feel like I sometimes struggle through long chapters and feel like I'm not getting anywhere with the book if one chapter is 40 pages long. I don't know why, I just prefer the short chapters.

17. Names the first three books you think of...

The Doomspell Trilogy by Cliff Mcnish

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

18. Books that make you laugh or cry?

Weirdly, I prefer books that make me cry. Whether it's sad or happy crying it usually means it's had more of an emotional impact on me than a book that makes me laugh.

19. Our world or fictional worlds?

Fictional worlds. So much more can be explored with a fictional world (although I do love a good urban fantasy!).

20. Audiobooks: Yes or No?

YES. Perfect to listen to when you're doing something like cleaning and can't physically read.

21. Do you ever judge a book by its' cover?

Probably every book I see, but I do also read the blurb and look up reviews before I make a final decision on if I want to read it. A beautiful cover can really draw me in.

22. Book to movie or book to TV adaptations?

I think I generally prefer book to TV adaptations because less ends up getting missed out, but they're not always great.

23. A movie or TV show you preferred to its book?

I've got a few for this surprisingly(!): Matilda by Roald Dahl, Stand By Me (The Body) by Stephen King, and Stardust by Neil Gaiman.

24. Series or standalone?

I love a standalone if it's done well, but I prefer a series because you get so much more of the world and the characters.

And that's the Rapid Fire Book Tag! Let me know what you think and leave a link below if you do this tag! :D Glad to be back on here!

Book Review | The Queens of Innis Lear

Genre: High Fantasy

Publication Date: 27th March 2018

My Rating: ★★.5

Goodreads Page

Goodreads Summary:

A kingdom at risk, a crown divided, a family drenched in blood.

The erratic decisions of a prophecy-obsessed king have drained Innis Lear of its wild magic, leaving behind a trail of barren crops and despondent subjects. Enemy nations circle the once-bountiful isle, sensing its growing vulnerability, hungry to control the ideal port for all trade routes.

The king's three daughters—battle-hungry Gaela, master manipulator Reagan, and restrained, starblessed Elia—know the realm's only chance of resurrection is to crown a new sovereign, proving a strong hand can resurrect magic and defend itself. But their father will not choose an heir until the longest night of the year, when prophecies align and a poison ritual can be enacted.

Refusing to leave their future in the hands of blind faith, the daughters of Innis Lear prepare for war—but regardless of who wins the crown, the shores of Innis will weep the blood of a house divided.

**No Spoilers**

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I first heard about this book a few months ago and I was immediately interested when I heard the premise: King Lear retold in a high fantasy format. I really like the Shakespeare play, and fantasy is my favourite genre so I was very excited to see where this would go.

Let's start with the positives. The writing was exceptionally beautiful. Gratton has a wonderful talent of painting beautiful and picturesque descriptions with her words alone. I felt like I could imagine every aspect of the island of Innis Lear; it's beautiful hills and moors and forests. I also really loved the magic system. The magic was tied heavily to both the gods and the island itself which I found really unique and interesting. It also just felt like the magic worked hand-in-hand with the environment and plot, and it never felt like a plot device or add-on.

Gratton's characters were all so well-developed, even those that were only there for a few pages. I will say it took me around 50-100 pages to get all the characters straight in my head as I kept muddling up the various lords, but once that was settled, each character became so unique. Ban was obviously the most complex character; making decisions that were both infuriating yet understanding. I loved his mother as well in this. I found Elia to be quite a boring character compared to her sisters, but she was also the most likeable (to an extent). Gaela was incredibly fierce in every aspect of her life, while Reagan was fierce in her mental ability. I loved how different each sister is yet how alike they also were in what they decided to do. I also enjoyed that the author didn't shy away from difficult topics and addressed them (however, I will add trigger warnings for abuse and miscarriage to this review!). Overall, all of the characters were complex and it was so easy to both empathise with them, yet hate every decision they made. They were all flawed and that is exactly what made them so realistic.

My main issue with this book was the very slow pacing and the length of the story. Normally, I don't mind a slow start or a long book (in fact I love long epic fantasies), however, this one just felt like it went on for the sake of it. Some character's perspectives were shown that felt unnecessary, and I just felt like not enough was happening to warrant the length of the book. I really feel as though it could have been shortened by 200 pages and still been an equally amazing novel. 

I did enjoy this book but definitely not as much as I'd initially hoped. The slow pacing really made it less enjoyable for me personally, but I do know a lot of people have found their new favourite book in this. I would highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys character-driven stories, enjoys a slower pace fantasy, and is also a fan of Shakespeare (although I don't think it's necessary to have read the play to enjoy this!).

Book Review | Shatter Me

Genre: YA Dystopian

Publication Date: 2nd October 2012

My Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Page

Goodreads Summary:

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

**No Spoilers**

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. So, I can tell I'm going to have a hard time writing this review because I've actually already binge-read all four books. Overall, I absolutely really loved this addictive, fast-paced series and would give the books, as a whole, a 4 stars. However, this first book I kind of struggled with. 

First, lets talk about what I liked in this book though. I really loved the writing style, especially as it reflected Juliette's mentality and thought processes; it allowed the reader to really see her development as a character throughout the book. I also feel like it really accurately portrayed her mental state after being left alone for so long in the asylum. I loved her powers and was so excited to see more of them and how powerful she could become, and if she'd ever embrace them.  Juliette was slightly weak as a character in this book, but it definitely left a lot of room for growth in future books (and even a bit within this book!). Mafi has a great skill of writing complex characters with even more complicated motives and backstories. This is definitely more seen in future books though, and I wish this first book had more character development for certain characters, because a few of them fell flat to me (especially Adam).

This book was so quick and easy to read. It was fast-paced and action-packed, and the ending made me immediately want to pick up the next book (which I did!). Mafi's writing is just so addictive and enjoyable. In the end though, I gave this book a three stars because, although it was super quick to read and very enjoyable, the instalove was somewhat unbearable. I know it's addressed later in the series but this trope is just one of my least favourites things to see in YA books. I disliked both Adam and Warner in this book and the lack of real communicated bothered me. I also felt the worldbuilding was somewhat lacking (although this is somewhat expected in the first book in a series) and I wish Juliette had discovered more about the world in this book. 

Overall, although it contained some tropes I really dislike, the writing style and addictive style of this book helped me to really enjoy it. I immediately picked up the next 3 books in the series and thoroughly enjoyed them. I think this is perfect for people who enjoy books with power/abilities or the dystopian aspects. I will say that this first book doesn't do justice to the rest of the series though. If you stopped after Shatter Me then I definitely recommend just reading the novella that comes after this book to see if it can convince you to pick up the next book. They're well worth the read!

Top 10 Books of 2017

Slightly belated, but here are my Top 10 books that I read in 2017! (Note - these are books I read in 2017, not books that were released in 2017). I also haven't included any books that I re-read last year because otherwise I'd be talking about the same books over and over again. The below aren't in order, they are just 10 books that I loved last year.I actually found it hard to choose my top ten this year because I didn't actually read that many 5 star reads, or the ones that I did read didn't stand out to me as much as previous years' books have. Overall, I did read some pretty fantastic books, but hopefully next year is a better reading year for me!

1. Nyxia by Scott Reintgen

I received an arc of this book in an Illumicrate box last year and didn't really know anything about it, so I didn't really have any big expectations when I first went into this. However, it completely blew me away. This is a sci-fi YA novel about a group of teens who are chosen to go to another planet.

 The book follows Emmett who discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and have to compete to earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden, where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe. The substance is something that can be manipulated by a person's mind to effectively create anything.

 I absolutely loved the competition on the space station and seeing the scoreboard every few chapters constantly kept me hooked on the main character's progress. There were also so many twists that I didn't see coming and kept me turning the page. The characters were all so diverse and incredibly realistic; even now I pretty much remember every character in the competition because they were so well written. I would recommend this to anyone who already loves sci-fi, and even to people new to sci-fi. I think it's a wonderful addition to the genre and I am so, so excited to pick up the next book later this year.

2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Last year, I read my first Leigh Bardugo book last year and ended up binge reading pretty much all of her books straight afterwards. I read the Grisha trilogy first, which I enjoyed but found them to be somewhat similar to other YA fantasy (although the world building was beautifully unique). However, I'd heard nothing but positive things about the Six of Crows duology which follows the Grisha trilogy, and I wasn't disappointed.

This duology follows a group of criminals and outcasts who end up banding together to complete a heist for a large reward. Each character in this book is unbelievably unique and it deals with such hard hitting issues even in a fantasy setting. I loved the female characters in this book; they are so powerful and strong (emotionally as well as physically) and so inspirational. The world building is again fantastic. Both the books are fantastic, so although I'm only mentioned The Six of Crows, the sequel is also equally amazing. This duology brought me out of a reading slump last February/March and I couldn't be happier I picked them up.

3. Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

I believe this was a debut novel by Jennifer Mathieu. I first heard about from some badges I received in the Illumicrate box, and when I googled more about it I knew I'd have to pick it up. This book follows a girl called Vivian who is fed up with sexist dress codes, sexist boys in her school, and hallway harassment. She decides to create a zine to encourage girls to stand up for what they believe in and to change the way the sexism is allowed to run rampant in her school.

This book. I wish I'd had this to read when I was in school. It's so unbelievably inspiring and I felt like everything that happened to these girls, I could say 'Yep, I saw that happen to someone', or 'that's happened to me'. This entire book portrays how it feels to a young woman growing up and how being a feminist should be. I really love that the love interest in this book didn't get feminism or the sexist things, but was completely willing to learn. Equally, I loved that some female characters also had to learn that things could be different. I think my favourite thing in this book though were the strong female friendships. They were so real and it's something that's often not portrayed well in books, but this one was brilliant. This is a perfect book for anyone who loves contemporaries, and for anyone who wants to understand more about feminism/how it feels to sometimes be targeted as a woman.

4. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Again, this is another debut contemporary, but this time by Angie Thomas. I had heard a ridiculous amount of amazing things about this book and when I saw it for £2 from The Works (a discount book shop in the UK), I just had to pick it up. This book follows 16-year-old Starr Carter who is from a poor, black neighbourhood and who goes to a rich, mostly white school. She lives in both worlds but everything collides when she witnesses one of her friend being shot my a policeman. She is the only witness and, soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some police and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. She has to decide whether to remain quiet or to stand up and speak, even if it means risking her own life.

This book is so (sadly) relevant to the USA and the world, and it touches on some of the most difficult topics to discuss. Angie Thomas does a fantastic job of portraying these difficult issues, while also showing what it means to be part of a family. Starr's family are wonderfully realistic and I loved all of them (especially her dad). This book was just beautifully written and unbelievably powerful. I feel like it's something that everyone should read to become more aware of the world around them.

5. IT by Stephen King

As I've said before on this blog, I absolutely love Stephen King books. I try to read at least one a year as I have a pretty large collection of them. I really love the old It film (1990), but I've not seen the newest one. Last year I decided to pick this up because so many people were talking about the film again. This book is a horror following seven people in two periods of their life (in childhood and in adulthood), when their town is going through a time where something evil is killing children. I really loved it despite some of the problematic elements that were in it.

Stephen King's writing is always so easy to read which made even this huge book easily readable in a few days. His characters are always fascinating and I always adore the way he portrays small towns in America, and the difference between children and adults. It is a terrifying antagonist, although I found the book itself to not be that scary. I think the pacing is quite slow which stopped anything truly terrifying from happening. He does write some great action scenes though.

It's also made me really want to re-read 11.22.63 (my favourite Stephen King book of all time), because there's a section set in Derry with the same characters in it. I do love that he intertwines so many of his books together in that way. Overall, this was yet another great Stephen King book and I'm looking forward to reading even more books of his this year. 

6. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman is a very interesting writer and I was so excited to pick up American Gods last year. I still haven't watched the TV show and I'm not sure I plan to because I really enjoyed the book. This is a rather strange book, but it follows a man who is released from prison and finds his life has completely changed (for reasons I don't want to spoil!). On the plane back, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America. Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, meeting many other Gods along the way.

As with any Neil Gaiman book, many parts of this were extremely strange. However, his writing is entrancing and I loved both the American Gods and the Old Gods in this book. I am baffled that I didn't see the huge twist at the end, but I'm so glad I didn't because it made the book so much better for it. Some parts of the book were much slower, but overall I really enjoyed this book. Gaiman has a talent for writing flawed and interesting characters. 

7. I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

I was recommended this book by one of my close friends, and had wanted to read it for a while. She very kindly lent me the book and I ended up reading it in little over a day because it was so, so interesting. This is the true story of Malala Yousafzai, a young woman who was shot by the taliban for trying to promote education for women and girls. 

This book was so, unbelievably moving. It not only details how her life changed because of the conflict in the Middle East, but also her community's way of life. She also details so much history of the area going back hundreds of years that I had absolutely no idea about, and it was fascinating. I feel like this should be compulsory reading in a way to show how different life is for other people (something which isn't always appreciated), and also so people can understand more about the conflict than the little we get from the news. She is an inspiring woman and the book really shows her courage and humble nature.

8. In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park

Again, this is another non-fiction book, but this book follows the life of Yeonmi Park as she grew up and later escaped North Korea. I was very interested in reading this as I know very little about North Korea and am very interested in learning more about the country.

Park details so much history of the country and how communities live/lived in North Korea, which was fascinating. I really loved hearing about how she grew up because it was so different to how I imagined. I had absolutely no idea. Her story of how she escaped the country and what happened to her family is just incredibly moving and heartbreaking. I definitely teared up a few times when I read this book because it's so hard to believe these atrocities are actually happening in the world. Her strength, not only to go through what she did, but also to write this book is amazing an I admire her for that. I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about North Korea, or anyone who enjoys autobiographies.

9. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

I've had this book for a while and hadn't got around to picking it up until last year. This was the fifth or sixth Brandon Sandserson book that I've read. I absolutely loved the Mistborn trilogy and also the Steelheart books, but I was nervous about picking this one up because I knew it was his first book and I'd heard it wasn't very good. I think because my expectations were quite low, I ended up really, really enjoying this! Don't get me wrong, it's definitely not his best book but it's also up there with the top few for me!

This epic fantasy follows three characters in a city where magic has disappeared and left behind people who can become infected with a deadly disease. It is mostly a character-driven book rather than plot-driven, and it worked so well. The characters were all so interesting and the women were portrayed as very strong. Overall, it was just a great stand-a-lone fantasy book, which is rare to see! 

10. The Leaving by Tara Altebrando

This was one of the first books I read last year and I ended up reading it in one day because I was so hooked. I feel like this is a very underrated book as I've never seen anyone else talking about it in books blogs/booktube. This is a YA thriller/mystery that follows the disappearance of six children, five of whom then reappear 11 years later with no memories. It is about them trying to fit back into their lives and how the families react. It also follows the young adults as they try to figure out where they were for 11 years of their lives and why they were suddenly brought back. And also, what happened to the last child?

Like I said, this book had me hooked from the very first page. It was fast-paced, the characters were interesting, and the reality of them returning was so thought-provoking. Although the twist at the end didn't quite live up to my expectations as much as I hoped (I do struggle to find thrillers that do this because my expectations end up being so high!), I still absolutely loved it and would  definitely read it again. It's so rare to find a YA thriller, but this one very much reminded me of The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke which was one of my favourite books of 2017 (also very underrated!!).

So those are my (slightly belated), top 10 books that I read in 2017! Let me know if you've read any of these and what your favourites were of 2017!

BOOK REVIEW | The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

Genre: Science Fantasy

Publication Date: 4th August 2015

My Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Page

Goodreads Summary:

THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS. AGAIN.

Three terrible things happen in a single day.

Essun, masquerading as an ordinary schoolteacher in a quiet small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Mighty Sanze, the empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years, collapses as its greatest city is destroyed by a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heartland of the world's sole continent, a great red rift has been been torn which spews ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.

But this is the Stillness, a land long familiar with struggle, and where orogenes -- those who wield the power of the earth as a weapon -- are feared far more than the long cold night. Essun has remembered herself, and she will have her daughter back.

She does not care if the world falls apart around her. Essun will break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.

**No Spoilers**

So, I'd heard so much about this book on both booktube and from the blogging community that I just had to pick it up. Fantasy is my favourite genre and this book just seemed to contain some of the buzzwords that makes me immediately want to read a book: unique magic system, diversity, immense worldbuilding, and incredibly real characters. I have to say, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest with this book.

In this world, the magic users are the oppressed people who are trained, feared, and used by the rest of society. The magic system is volatile and very difficult to control which leads to many of them being killed. The magic system itself is so complicated but so unique that it made it feel like it could be real. There are so many consequences to the magic/science that the oppression of their people is believable. 

This book follows three main characters: a young girl who is being brought to the University where they are trained by her Guardian, a young adult woman who is going on her first mission, and a middle-aged (maybe forty) woman who is trying to find her daughter. I found all of the characters so compelling and three-dimensional. Each woman was strong and each perspective was fascinating. I was constantly looking forward to reading the next person's perspective to see where their story was. Even every single side character was interesting and felt so real. I think I loved Syenite's perspective the most, especially when her and Alabaster grew to know one another. But so many side characters stood out: Alabaster, Innon, Hoa, and Tonkee.

Although this book was slow to get in to, in a sense, the worldbuilding was amazing. Jemisin really does throw the reader in the deep end and expects them to learn but it really makes it feel as though the world existed outside of the story, and not just for it. I know some people probably don't like that, but for me it's perfect. The history is fascinating and I could picture every part of the world. I just felt like nothing was lacking in this world and there was a reason for everything. There was no needless exposition, the worldbuilding just flowed so naturally alongside the story. Jemisin is an incredibly talented writer.

Despite being a fantasy, this book was also full of plot twists and reveals. They were done so, so well that I just didn't see then coming, and when the reveal occurred I had to go back to different parts of the book in fascination of how well it linked together. Not a single word is wasted in this book and I feel like I already want to re-read it to look for the clues.

There is also so, so much diversity in this book and none of it feels like it's token, or that it's done just for the sake of it. Jemisin is incredible at portraying a realistic world. I feel like the majority of fantasy books I have read are filled with white, male, straight characters, and it was so refreshing to see a world with people of colour (including many main characters), polyamorous relationships, homosexuality, fluid sexuality, and trans representation. It accurately reflected a real world with these very real people in it. It just all felt so natural and I hope to see more of this in future fantasy books.

Overall, despite the slow start to the book, I absolutely loved it. I found it refreshing and just an incredible story. I read it so quickly and constantly couldn't wait to go back to reading it. I'm already onto the second book and I hope it's just as good as the first. I would definitely recommend this to lovers of high fantasy/science-fiction; it's a wonderful book that deserves the praise it has got over the years.

Top Ten Books I Want to Read in 2018

I've seen a lot of people making these blog posts/videos about the top books they want to read in 2018 and it's something I definitely wanted to do. It's a great way to keep track of the main books on my TBR for the year and it's something I can go back to at next year to see how I did. So here are the ten books (and series) I want to read this year!

1. The Darker Shade of Magic Trilogy by V.E. Schwab

I read my first V.E. Schwab book late last year (This Savage Song) and I really loved it. Her writing is beautiful and she's not afraid to put her characters in danger. I'm really excited to dive into another series of hers, especially since these books have so much hype surrounding them. The storyline of parallel London's just sound so interesting and I've heard the magic system is really well done. I own all three now so I just want to marathon-read them (this is true for most of the books on this list too though). 

2. The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

I received this book as an arc in my last Illumicrate box and still haven't got around to picking it up. Everyone who's read it seems to absolutely love it so I'm desperate to read this now. It's an epic fantasy (my favourite) set in 18th century Middle East. I find this fascinating as I've never read a book set in that era or setting so I'm excited to see what the story is like.

3. And I Darken by Kiersten White

This trilogy has intrigued me since I first heard about it; a Vlad the Impaler re-telling, where Vlad is a woman. It sounds like it's going to be dark and compelling. The idea and setting of the Ottoman Empire is so interesting. I already own the first two books in this trilogy and I know the final book is being released this year so I might wait until then before I pick it up and then marathon the series!

4. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Again, I've heard so so many good things about this series from people I trust. To be honest, it's probably the book I'm most excited to read on this list. The idea of three princesses, each with different abilities, fighting for the crown just pulls me in immediately (especially when the powers of each woman sounds amazing). I also read the Anna Dressed in Blood duology by Kendare Blake last year and really enjoyed her writing. Same as the And I Darken series, I already own the first two books and I think I might wait until later this year when the final book come sup before picking these up.

5. The Fifth Season Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin

So I've actually just finished The Fifth Season and absolutely adored it. I've already moved on to The Obelisk Gate which I hope will be just as amazing. This trilogy is an epic fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world. The world itself is hard to describe and it's better if the books are just read. However, the worldbuilding is immense and the characters are so real and incredible. It's full of powerful women, people of colour, and gender/sexual diversity. N.K. Jemisin is an amazing author and I'm so excited to continue with this trilogy.

6. The Stand by Stephen King

I absolutely love Stephen King's books. I own a shelf's worth of them and have read quite a lot of his work. His writing is so compelling and I haven't yet read a book of his that I haven't enjoyed (if not loved). I've heard so much about this specific book which is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy where a computer virus effectively destroys the world. I'm excited to pick up another Stephen King book this year while I'll hopefully love.

7. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Similar to some of the other books I've mentioned, I own the first two books in this  trilogy and I know the third is due out this year so I plan to marathon the series. These books are supposed to be packed with diversity and the plot and characters are meant to be great. This fantasy trilogy is based on ancient Rome and it's Empire and it follows people on either side of this. Although it does sound like other books I've read, I've heard it's very different and so many people have recommended this now.

8. The Black Prism series by Brent Weeks

I first heard about this high fantasy series on PeruseProjects' channel last year and I knew I just had to pick it up. I own the first four books (which are all huuuuge), and I'm super excited to pick them up. The magic system of using the light spectrum to create magic is super interesting and I've never heard of anything quite like it. The premise reminds me a little of Mistborn and I'm really excited to see if it lives up to the hype.

9. Snow Like Ashes Trilogy by Sara Raasch

I haven't heard wonderful things about this trilogy but I'm still very excited to read it. This is a YA Medieval fantasy trilogy which follows a refugee who is training to be a soldier in the enslaved Kingdom of Winter. I feel like it's going to be a fast-paced, enjoyable read, and will be perfect for when I'm in the mood for this.

10. Chronicles of Ixia series by Maria V. Snyder

I've heard so much about Maria V. Snyder's books and I own about 10 of them even though I've not picked one up yet. I recently picked up this series thanks to some recommendations and I'm very excited. This series is a high fantasy with a unique magic system. So many people have said it's an incredible series and I'm so happy I finally have them to read.

So, those are my top 10 books/series I want to read this year! Let me know what you think and if you've read any of these in the comments. So excited for this year of reading and I'm hoping it'll be even better than last year's!