I read A TON of amazing books last year and it was so hard to narrow it down to 18 books, but I finally did it! Like I said in my least favorites post, these aren’t all books that came out in 2018 – just that I read in 2018. None of these are going to have spoilers – except for my favorite book, but I will put when I’m about to start writing about spoiler-y things! I hope you enjoy! (These are all five-star reads.)
18. Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor
Overall, I enjoyed the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy but had major problems with it. This book, though, was one of the cutest most insta-lovey things I have ever read. And I LOVED it. Zuzana and Mik are too cute and reading about the crazy way they met (and fell in love) was so much fun.
17. 9 Days and 9 Nights by Katie Cotugno
I really did not enjoy 99 Days, so I wasn’t going to pick this book up. I saw it one day at Target, though, and decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did! This book was amazing. Everything I hated in 99 Days (pretty much everything) was solved and the writing was so much better. I read this book in like one day because it was so much fun that I couldn’t put it down!
16. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
This book was so gripping that I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the main characters, but the shining star of the novel was August – who I was kind of (very) obsessed with. This book is so well written and gripping, but also easy to read and fun. I loved the mystery, but I really also enjoyed just going through all the struggles the characters went through and really being in their shoes.
15. There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins
This was (by far) the best YA thriller I have ever read. It was equal parts thriller and romance and I loved both aspects. There was a lot of action, but there was also a lot of backstory and drama and falling in love. This is a perfect Halloween read that I couldn’t stop thinking about way after I had finished the book.
14. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
The romance in this book was exceptional. It was so well written and just overall adorable that I almost couldn’t stand it. It was just too well written! Now I have a higher standard for enemies to lovers. This book has so much action, romance, and magic. I loved all the aspects and think the author did an amazing job incorporating all of them in a logical way.
13. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
I said this in my review and still stand by it – this is the most flawlessly written book I have ever read. The writing is magical and I can’t think of a single flaw in it. This book is just so good. There is so much foreshadowing and suspense and things leading up to each other that it is so intricate – but not hard to read. I loved the romance (the main love interest has a stutter!) and the magical atmosphere. This book was amazing and 100% the most beautifully written thing I have ever read.
12. Star Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi
The Star Touched Queen and Crown of Wishes are two of my favorite books of all time, so I was expecting to love this. I wasn’t let down. This book had me in tears the entire time I was reading. The stories were so powerful and beautiful and added so much to the world. I really, really loved all three of the stories, but the last one was my favorite. I love Gauri and Vikram so much!
11. The Selection by Kierra Cass
I haven’t ever heard anything good about this book, so I had super low expectations. This book blew them out of the water. It was just so fun to read! I loved the cheesy love triangle so much! Also, I am the biggest subpar YA dystopian sucker in the world, so I naturally adored this book. The romance was really cute and I really enjoyed the royalty dynamics in this story.
10. The To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Trilogy by Jenny Han
I’ll be the first to admit that these books aren’t very good. The first one was really well written, but the second and third just weren’t. It was way too dramatic and drawn out. That being said, these books were so cozy to read. I felt so good reading about all the high school drama and Lara Jean’s crazy life. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the plot, but these books are so important to me. They made me feel so happy while I was reading them, and they will always have a special place in my heart.
9. Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather
How to Hang a Witch, the first book in this series, was a very unexpected favorite of mine last year. I had super high expectations for this book and it met them. I love how the love triangle turned out so much. I was so worried Sam was going to not choose who I wanted her to – but she did! This book was kind of hard to get through and the first eighty-ish pages weren’t great, but when I got past those, I really enjoyed this book!
8. The Reckoning of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin
This one was leagues better than The Becoming of Noah Shaw! I enjoyed the entire book – and the ending is killing me. Noah has grown so much in the course of his books and I’m enjoying it. That being said, if someone asked me if I think the Noah Shaw series should have ever happened, I would (without a doubt) automatically say no. I think the Mara Dyer trilogy was perfect and ended perfectly. I did really enjoy this book, though. I can’t wait to see Mara and Noah get together in the last book (hopefully)!
7. My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows
This book was brilliant. It was funny, romantic, and about one of my most favorite eras of all time. I enjoyed every second of this book and wish I could go back and read it for the first time a million times. I picked this book up on a whim at Barnes and Noble, and I’m so, so glad I did. I loved Jane, Gifford, and Edward so much. The plot was quick, the humor was amazing, and the romance was excellently written.
6. Furyborn by Claire LeGrand
The alternating timelines in this book were what really stood out to me. The plot progressed in one of the most creative ways I have ever seen – and I loved it. The characters were realistic, the plot was so unique and creative, and the romance was well written but not a major part of the story. I read this book on vacation – with a beautiful view of the ocean – and had an absolutely amazing time. This is one of those books that you can just fly through while enjoying every page.
5. The Darkest Minds Series by Alexandra Bracken (Including The Darkest Legacy)
I received the original trilogy for Christmas a few years back but didn’t get to reading it until this year.I don’t know why I waited so long – these books are amazing. I love how we’re given backstory so that we aren’t just thrown into the story knowing nothing, like in many YA dystopians. I also absolutely adore the character development that takes place in these books. The original trilogy is amazing, but The Darkest Legacy is my absolute favorite. I thought there was no way I would like the main love interest in The Darkest Legacy as much Levi, but I ended up liking him even more. Who knew that was even possible? Also, there were queer characters in a YA dystopian. FINALLY.
4. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
I adore this series. I tried to read Cinder like four years ago and got about forty pages in – and absolutely hated it. I decided to give the series another try, though, and I’m so thankful I did. These are by far the best science fiction books I have ever read (besides The Host by Stephanie Meyer – they’re tied as my favorites). I usually hate sci-fi, but this series is incredibly well done. While I love all the characters, Thornes is my absolute favorite. My favorite novel in the series was Scarlett. My favorite couple in the series was definitely Jacin and Winter. I’m so in love with this series and am incredibly glad I finally decided to give Cinder a second chance.
3. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
We’re down to my top three favorites! I think you’ll notice a common theme in my three favorite books of the year (faeries). I absolutely adored this book. I loved Cardan so much and I loved Jude so much and I loved everything so much! This book was so predictable in so many ways but I don’t even care. It was an absolute joy to read. I loved every single second I read this book and read it super slow because I really didn’t ever want to finish it. This book is phenomenal and has such a unique and well thought out world!
2. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
I didn’t know SJM could write a better book than A Court of Mist and Fury – BUT SHE DID. This book was insane. My favorite thing about this book is that Feyre and Rhysand have their ups and downs but they never ever want to hurt each other. Also, I think I may like Feyre’s sister more than I love Feyre. This book was so interesting the entire time, which I was worried about since it was 700 pages long. I love the characters so much and this book did not disappoint me in that regard. There was character growth – but the characters were also very realistic. I loved everything about this book and can’t wait for the new series to begin.
1. Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
Is anyone surprised? Cassie’s done it again! I have A LOT to say about this book, so I’m going to have a nonspoiler and spoiler section. The spoiler section is honestly just me screaming about what happens, but it was really fun to write!
Nonspoiler
This book was incredible. I was nervous I would get bored because it was so long, but I didn’t. The plot was intricate, the romance was as good as it gets, and everything wrapped up nicely. I loved seeing so many characters that we haven’t seen a lot of or haven’t seen in a while. There was also major character growth, which I really enjoyed. I could have never imagined we’d get as good of an end The Dark Artifices as this one.
Spoiler (Scroll Down)
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AAAAHHH! This book was perfection. I can’t believe there was a polyam triangle! I did not expect Mark, Christina, and Keiran’s love triangle would end that way, and I am so glad it did. I have never read a book with a ployam triangle and loved that aspect more than anything else in the book. I feel like it was definitely the most natural outcome for the three of them – it didn’t seem forced at all. I cried so much during this book. ALEC AND MAGNUS GOT MARRIED!!! I couldn’t stop crying. I have waited YEARS for that and finally, FINALLY, it happened. JACE AND CLARY ARE ENGAGED!!!! My heart is so full right now. Emma and Jules together is the cutest thing ever! The end killed me! JACE FROM THULE????? I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE WICKED POWERS! Ty and Kit were literally breaking my heart the entire book and I can’t wait to see what is in store for them. AND DRU, my sweet, fat, horror loving Shadowhunter. I LOVE HER. Also, the comment Christina’s mom made about Christina having to be with two men to measure up to Perfect Diego? ICONIC. Alec better get Idris back or I’m going to be mad. Also, I didn’t know how much I loved Aline until this book. SHE IS PERFECT. The Blackthorns are like the queerest family ever and I’m so here for it.
(Thanks for listening to me scream about QOAAD; it felt really good to get out!)
Thanks for reading! ❤
AEB Book Reviews 