Can you believe 2020 is coming to a close at last?! This year started off strong for me but then once COVID-19 hit I felt stuck reliving the same day over and over and over. I am more than ready to leave this year behind and hope that maybe, just maybe, the new year will be a smidge kinder to us. Anyway, as it is the end of the year, it is time to share my Top Reads: Part 2 which covers the months of July – December! If you’d like to check out my list of Top Reads: Part 1 featuring my favorite books that I read during January – June, you can do that here. As always, let me know what your top reads have been this year!
A DEADLY EDUCATION
(The Scholomance #1)
Naomi Novik
Paranormal/Dark Fantasy
Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
“A Deadly Education kicks off one hell of a school term end full of monsters, maleficers, traitors, and nasties, but between the horror and angst there is friendship, honor, and a surprisingly amount of wit and laughter. Not a tale for the dimwitted or faint of heart, Novik has crafted what promises to be an epic fantasy series full of magic, mayhem, and a girl with the power to level kingdoms.”
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FANGS
Sarah Andersen
Paranormal Romance Comic
Goodreads | Amazon | My Review“Funny, quirky, and adorable.”
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THE IPPOS KING
(Wraith Kings #3)
Grace Draven
Fantasy Romance
Goodreads | Amazon | My Review“The romance, the action, the characters, the magic, the fantasy…all of it is magnificent and I eagerly await the next book.”
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THE LIVES OF SAINTS
Leigh Bardugo
Fantasy Short Story Collection
Goodreads | Amazon | My Review“…a beautiful book that brings a fantasy world to life, adding a richness to the series written by Leigh Bardugo, and makes for a dazzling decorative piece for the casual passerby while providing an inspiring piece of myth and intrigue for the dedicated reader. I must applaud Bardugo and her team on managing to turn what was once a simple YA Fantasy trilogy into a growing empire.
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MERCY THOMPSON SERIES
Patricia Briggs
Paranormal Thriller/Urban Fantasy
Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
“The Mercy Thompson series is beyond a saga, it’s a commitment and well worthy of it. Pulling from legends and lore from all four corners of the earth and weaving it together into a thrilling and sometimes terrifying playground in which these characters carve out their lives gives it a uniqueness and strength upon which each plot can stand firm. Nothing is certain or steady, nothing is guaranteed or safe, yet each page matches the darkness with light as the heroine Mercy Thompson fights for family and what is right. Funny, chilling, grounded, fast-paced, and full of heart, the Mercy Thompson series is not a paranormal snack but a feast, a journey one simply must embark upon.”
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QUIET:
The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking
Susan Cain
Non-Fiction
Goodreads | Amazon | My Review“I feel pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this book. It resonated with me, revealed things in my own life I hadn’t taken pause to defend before, and in conclusion gave me a better understanding of myself and others, introverts and extroverts, people and society, and left me feeling refreshingly validated.”
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SPLINTERS OF SCARLET
Emily Bain Murphy
YA Historical Fantasy
Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
“Emily Bain Murphy simply has a way of spinning prose and turning phrase that pulls me under, lulling me into a story with a gentle rhythm both magical and exciting. I genuinely enjoyed reading her debut novel The Disappearances and so I was eager to get my hands on a copy of her latest work. Splinters of Scarlet is a mysterious tale dipped in history and swept up in the dance of fantasy. Danger lurks in the shadows between heartbreak and smile, love warms the heart between hope and past, and with each pirouette the story spins upon the page one finds their self leaning closer and closer to catch every breath, every moment until the ending sweeps it all away. If you’re seeking a historical fantasy standalone that rings with something both lovely and chilling, something rather forgotten yet new, then you might just find yourself reaching for Splinters of Scarlet.”
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VICINUS
(Walking Shadows #3)
Talis Jones
YA/NA Dystopian Fiction
Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
“This book was not what I expected (do I even know what I expected? lol) but I’m not mad at that at all. I was prepared to meet new characters since each book features a different MC and I knew it would take place somewhere different based on the blurb and yet it definitely stands out as the first major shift in the series. While before this series featured a strong Wild West theme, in this book we dive more into the urban gritty sci-fi world behind it all. Definitely different from the others but I enjoyed it just as much and am genuinely intrigued to see what will happen in the next book – who we’ll meet and where we’ll go. These books tend to have a quick pace that some people might not like but I personally really appreciate because it hooks and keeps my attention from start to finish. Vicinus is a dark yet festive twist in the ever-evolving Walking Shadows series and a must for dystopian fiction fans everywhere.”
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Honorable Mentions
ALPHA & OMEGA SERIES
Patricia Briggs
Paranormal Thriller/Urban Fantasy
Goodreads | Amazon
NOTE: Reading the prequel novella, Alpha & Omega, FIRST in my opinion (and most everyone’s opinion is seems) is absolutely necessary and I’m genuinely annoyed it isn’t just part of the first book because of how much it adds to it. Without it the first book feels a bit confusing and UGHHH you just need to read the novella first. FIRST. Whose dumb idea was it to cut out the beginning of the first book and sell it separately as a “novella”?? Mercy’s series doesn’t require the reader to buy a novella to get what’s going on! SMH.
“Whether you read this series in conjunction with the Mercy Thompson series (you can find that timeline-based reading order here) or read it separately, it so intriguing to learn more about Bran, Charles, Montana, and that whole side of things that Mercy only shares in snippets and memories. This series has more romance than the Mercy one, but both are still kickass series full of dark dealings, powerful magic, sneaky villains, and a race against the clock. Because Charles travels so much we really get a slightly wider view of the werewolf community/Bran’s role as the Marrok than in the Mercy series, but as much as I absolutely love Charles & Anna, Mercy is still my number one I think (the side characters like Zee might be the scale-tipping factor haha).”
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DELIVERING EVIL FOR EXPERTS
(The Guild Codex: Demonized #4)
Annette Marie
NA Urban Fantasy
Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
“I love Zylas. Read this series for him if nothing else.”
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DOWN INTO THE PIT
(Stones of Fire #2)
Sarah Ashwood
NA Urban Fantasy
Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
“I’m slowly becoming a sucker for these characters haha.”
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MERCADIA CALLING
(Mermaids & Merliens #1)
Shaka Bry
YA Fantasy
Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
“Mercadia Calling is full of intrigue and adventure as the familiar human world collides with that of mermaids and merliens one hot summer day and it is all told in a voice that is easy to be lulled into the story with, rather like a siren song holding you captive to read just one page more…I’d definitely recommend this one to any reader of YA fiction looking to dive into something a little new with a grand adventure akin to the Percy Jackson series.”
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