My 2016 in Books

Unfortunately I didn’t reach my goal of reading 60 books this year. Again! With about 10 days left and another 2 books that are almost finished, I’ll have read 38 books. Which is a bit disappointing. I definitely wish I had had more time to read this year. New Year’s resolution: finally stick to my Reading Challenge in 2017!

Nonetheless, I’ve read some amazing books this year that will end up on my favourites shelf.

Favourite books of 2016

City of Blades – Robert Jackson Bennett

I figured it would be hard to beat the success of the first book, City of Stairs, but boy was I wrong. City of Blades blew me away with its complexity, its multifaceted characters and the amazing world Bennett has created. In April 2017 the next book, City of Miracles, will be published and I’m dying to read it! From the synopsis it seems a lot has changed and some shocking twists will probably make this book as interesting as the previous two.

Read my review here

13 Minutes – Sarah Pinborough

If you’ve been following my blog or twitter you may know that I have a fierce love for Sarah Pinborough’s books. Not one of her books that I’ve read have disappointed me so far. 13 Minutes was no exception. This was probably one of the first thrillers I’ve read that kept me guessing, whereas I normally see through the twists and turns quite quickly. It was such a raw and real story of high school drama, a perfect mix between the common coming-of-age tale and a mind-bending mystery. Moooore, please!

Read my review here

Saint’s Blood – Sebastien de Castell

One of the greatest things about this blogging thing is seeing authors rise to popularity and seeing people fall in love with their books. Sebastien de Castell was one of those authors. I still remember receiving an advanced copy of his debut Traitor’s Blade back in 2014 and immediately realising that this was going to be big. Three books later and everyone is still buzzing about the Greatcoats. All three books have consistently high ratings on Goodreads and it’s no surprise, because they are amazing. Saint’s Blood again exceeded all expectations, delivering an emotional roller coaster with sides of the by now familiar banter and exhilarating sword fights. Tyrant’s Throne, the 4th book in the series, will be published in April 2017. Something to look forward to!

Read my review here

Gods of Nabban – K.V. Johansen

Another 3rd book in an incredible series that absolutely blew me away. Johansen’s Marakand series is not easily defined as a particular type of books. They are very special and the reasons why I liked them so much is very different from the reasons why I liked the books listed above. Similar to the previous two books, Gods of Nabban is a complex story full of detail and intriguing characters. Johansen’s writing style is elaborate and an absolute joy to read. Marakand is really incomparable to any other series and that is probably part of the reason I’ve fallen in love with it. A review of this book is still in the making, I find it hard to put my thoughts in to words with books like these.

Special mentions

The Tiger and The Wolf – Adrian Tchaikovsky

The start of a new series by Adrian Tchaikovsky, who is best known for his Shadows of the Apt books. The Tiger and the Wolf has a completely different atmosphere than the Shadows of the Apt books, more wild and raw. I really loved this book and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Bear and The Serpent.

Read my review here

Planetfall – Emma Newman

A thought-provoking science-fiction story that will leave you shaking in your boots. Emma Newman has a powerful way of describing emotions and Planetfall is an interesting book exploring anxiety and dealing with loss and guilt.

Read my review here

Vigil – Angela Slatter

Vigil was such a refreshing book! I’m not usually a big fan of urban fantasy, but Angela Slatter wrote such a compelling main character in Verity that I couldn’t help but fall in love with her and her story.

Review to come!