We have reached the end of my discussions on the best and worst books of the year, and I saved the best for last. While I would say that my reading year probably had more downs that up on average, I did find have some incredible reads. There is really no use to ramble on, so I will just get right into it.
Here we go!
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
One of two books that I gave five stars to this year, this just made be feel things. I picked it up because I had seen that a lot of people were reading it and thought I would give it a shot. For a good amount of the book I was hovering around a 3.5 rating, but then I hit the 80% mark and suddenly got very emotional for the rest of the book. It was such a heartwarming story that will stick with me.
Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge
This series was an absolute wild ride. It was a bit slow on the uptake for me, but once it picked up I was left hanging on for dear life. This series had absolutely no mercy, and I was left a bit of a mess by the end because of the emotional distress I went through. This wasn't a particularly long series either, so it is the perfect binge read. The anime is great as well, and I am looking forward to the upcoming seasons.
Tokyo Revengers by Ken Wakui
Here we have another manga series that left me in shambles because of how stressed I was while I was reading this. You know based on the synopsis that this series wasn't playing around, which made reading this extremely difficult because of how attached I got to the characters. In all honesty, this is probably a five-star series for me because I cannot stop thinking about it. I am also very anxiously waiting for Season 2 to be announced because I need it now.
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
I was surprisingly hesitant to read this, only because it followed Nesta who I did not like at all. That didn't stop me from immediately loaning it from my library the second it was made available though. And, while Nesta still bothered me for the majority of the book, I overall enjoyed myself as I do with most SJM books.
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
I was extremely anxious before going into this book because I was sincerely hoping to love this. While this didn't quite hit a five-stars, I enjoyed this very much which I am thankful for. I am eagerly awaiting for her next book to come out since her ideas and worlds are fantastic.
The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman
I haven't heard many people talk about this series, but I was browsing through my TBR and thought, why not? I read both of these books in two nights, to my surprise. This just worked for me. The plot was good and the characters, thankfully, were not annoying (though they had their moments). It also felt like a good length as a duology; not too little and not too much.
Crown of Bones by A.K. Wilder
This book surprised me. This was the first new release of the year that I read, and going into it I had no expectations. It was one of those reads when, after I finished, I sat there and went 'you know what, I think I really liked that.' The premise was unique enough and the characters were intriguing. I am very much so looking forward for the second book to come out next year.
Stronghold by Kesha Bakunin
I found this by browsing NetGalley, and boy am I glad I did. This exceeded all my expectations and was absolutely magnificent. More of a chronicle than a traditional story, I was entirely engrossed in learning about the world and the stories of all the different characters. It was a bit chunky, at over 500 pages, but I enjoyed every second of it (for the most part).
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