My Top 11 Favorite Books/Series
Why top 11? Because I couldnât narrow it down by one more.
1. An Ember in the Ashes (series) by Sabaa Tahir
An Ember in the Ashes is told by two POV characters: Laia of Sierra and Ellias Veterus. Laia is a Scholar, a people who have been conquered by the Martials, the people Ellias is a part of. The Martials are a militarian people, and the best of them are called Masks, which Ellias is close to becoming, but he has plans to escape and run away. Laia is willing to live in fear and follow the rules of the Martials, but when her brother is taken, she must become a spy for the rebels, and act as a slave of one of the most dangerous women in the Empire. It is beautifully written and has deep lore.
2. The Lunar Chronicles (series) by Marissa Myer
I have an interesting relationship with this series because when I was getting into my young adult years, I hadnât been introduced to the wide world of Young Adult Literature, and I thought I just didnât enjoy reading anymore, but I happened to pick up Cinder one day, and I fell right back in. I binge-read the series and loved it. I love retellings and sci-fi so this series was right up my alley.
3. Skyward (first in a series) by Brandon Sanderson
Skyward is about a girl named Spensa who is one of the few remaining humans, now living on a remote planet and being attacked by the Krell. Pilots are the only defense against the Krell and are highly honored in society. Spensaâs father was a pilot who fled and was shot down, deeming his daughter to a lifetime of shame. Despite the odds, Spensa is determined to become a pilot and clear her fatherâs name. It is such a good book. Brandon Sanderson is a master of words and I canât wait until I can get my hands on more of his books.
4. The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstein; revised by William Goldman
I love the sarcasm of this book, it is a hilarious adventure romance, and all the characters are memorable and likable. Plus, it's a pretty short read, but definitely worth the read.Â
5. Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus
I just read this book so this is pretty fresh and holy crap. This book... the mystery keeps you guessing until the very end and it gave me chills. I donât read a lot of murder mysteries, but I keep loving every book Karen M. McManus puts out. In fact...
6. One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Yep, another Karen M. McManus book. This one has a bit more focus on the relationships of the characters then Two Can Keep a Secret, but the mystery is still really compelling and I never saw the answer coming. McManus knows how to write a mystery.
7. Renegades (trilogy) by Marissa Myer
Yeah so, youâll probably figure out that Iâm a huge Marissa Myer fangirl. Read all her books, canât wait for her upcoming projects, all that jazz. Renegades is another sci-fi, and this one is about a society of prodigies and non-prodigies. Prodigies are humans who have superpowers, and we follow Nova, a member of the Anarchists, a group of villains left over from a battle between them and the first members of the Renegades. Nova goes undercover as a Renegade to get the other villains information on their foes. We also follow Adrian, a Renegade and son to three of the original Renegades (his mother died when he was young, and he was adopted by two others) he doesnât always want to follow the strict rules of the Renegades, so he creates his alter-alter-ego, the Sentenial. Marissa Myer is amazing at building new and interesting worlds and I am beyond excited for Supernova!Â
8. Heartless by Marissa Myer
Renegades just barely edged past this one, pretty much only for my love of sci-fi. So Heartless is an origin story for the Queen of Hearts from Lewis Carollâs Alice and Wonderland stories. It starts out kind of slow but picks up as the story goes on. I love Lewis Carollâs stories and I felt Myer really captured the feel of his universe, and I still havenât gotten over this book. (No Spoilers)
9. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
This book DESTROYED ME. It is so beautifully written, and heartbreaking, and just SO GOOD. I hate this but I love it so much (as is my relationship with most sad books). This book takes place in a world where on the day you die, you get a phone call saying youâre gonna die, and there is also an app where you can meet other Deckers (people who are going to die that day). Our two main characters, Rufus and Mateo, meet on this app and spend their last day together.
10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This is another book I read around the Lunar Chronicles re-introduction to reading. I read this after the Lunar Chronicles, and I was so engrossed in the story. Death is our narrator and we are treated to a touching story about friendship and family set in the World War II era. It is a really slow book, like really slow. But it is so worth it.
11. Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
I couldnât go without at least mentioning this book, just because I literally laughed out loud multiple times reading this book. It has great comedic timing, and you may or may not know this, but I donât usually read or really like contemporary romances without like a different aspect. But I loved all these characters and the setting is great. Our main character, Linaâs mom has just died, and she is set to live with her momâs old friend, Howard. She is given one of her momâs old journals, and uses it to try and figure out who her father is along with her new friend, Ren.
