Top Ten Tuesday | Best Books I Read In 2018

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. 

Happy New Year guys!! This is Tina, hope you're liking our new layout. It has been a hectic year but it was time we came back from our hiatus and give our blog a fresh new look.

2018 has been a good reading year for me. I picked up series from  recommendations that varies from digital library to sponsored books. This was the first time since joining the book community that I strayed away from reading trends and picked series that were older or didn't garner much attention. I felt like I delved into the treasure trove ~ free to pursue whatever fell onto my lap.

 Best books I read in 2018:

• Kristen Ashley: The Fantasyland series
• Laura Thalassa: The Four Horsemen series, The Fallen World series, The Bargainer series
• Jonathan Maberry: Rot & Ruin series
• Neal Shusterman: Arc of the Scythe series
• Alexandra Christo: To Kill a Kingdom  

I will go more in depth with these series in future posts. How was your reading year?

 

 

The Empress by S.J. Kincaid

The Empress by S.J. Kincaid (The Diabolic #2)
Published October 31st 2017 by Simon & Schuster Books
Genres: Sci-Fic, Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Dystopia
Page: 378
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review by: Tina

Synopsis

It’s a new day in the Empire. Tyrus has ascended to the throne with Nemesis by his side and now they can find a new way forward. The ruling class, the Grandiloquy, has held control over planets and systems for centuries - and they are plotting to stop this teenage Emperor and Nemesis, who is considered nothing more than a creature and certainly not worthy of being Empress.

Nemesis will protect Tyrus at any cost. He is the love of her life. But she cannot protect him by being the killing machine she once was. She will have to prove the humanity that she’s found inside herself to the whole Empire - or she and Tyrus may lose more than just the throne. But if proving her humanity means that she and Tyrus must do inhuman things, is the fight worth the cost of winning it?

Thoughts

 

My heart is breaking. What an emotional journey.

 

The scheming, the manipulating, the agony. I was going through a rush of emotions chapters after chapters.

 

Frustration at the hopelessness, heartbreak at Tyrus and Nemesis' torn love. I wanted to grieve with them, scream at the indignity, wish for things to ultimately set right. But this isn't that kind of story.

 

S.J. Kincaid is a mastermind at breaking into the complex human psyche. What drives us, rages us, makes us break. This brutal story won't give me a satisfying happy conclusion. I'm left feeling raw and quaking.

Full review can be found on goodreads (Here)

April Reviews: The Belles and To Kill a Kingdom

 

 

Hello lovelies~ I want to share some YA fantasy novels

I read in the month of April.

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Published February 6th 2018 by Disney-Hyperion
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Page: 440 pages

Synopsis

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful. 
 
Review

The story thrust you into an intriguing mysterious world of color and beauty. The story opens with the Belles' placement in society. And the society's constant need for beauty and perfection. The concept of beauty varies in colors, shapes, and sizes. No one truly look like how they were born. People are modified so much that they do not resemble their family members. However, those with money, can modify and color themselves, within limits, as much as they desire. The cases vary in extremes but there is a dark side to this world.

This story has such a fresh take on the need for perfection. In many cases, the body modifications are plain unnecessary but society calls for newness, and the families of wealth full into the trends. The constant need to be unique takes away the qualities and values of being human.
Have you read this fantasy novel? I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

 

 

 

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
Published March 6th 2018 by Feiwel Friends
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Page: 342 pages

Synopsis

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most - a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever

Review

It had me at the intro of mermaids depicted as brainless wannabe humans whereas the sirens are much more deadly, mysterious, and superior.

This superior race has been at war with the humans since their ocean goddess Keto died many generations ago. They live to eliminate the humans and to find the missing stone of Keto to restore the Siren's full powers to dominate the world. The desirable qualities of sirens are emotionless, obedience, deadly, and merciless. When the princess of the Sea Queen was forced to live among the humans, she learned to feel and she admired the desires of humans to be more than their nature. She saw their ability to make their own choices.

I enjoy the different view of the two races. I haven't read stories about the sirens so the world is just fascinating. A great team of supporting characters and the mystery surrounding their world makes a perfect story.  

 

  

Monday Reviews: Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Highly anticipated January release from a popular YA fantasy author.
I have to say despite desperately wanting this book for its cover alone, the story is even better! It is unlike any plot I could ever imagine.
It is that good!

Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Published January 2nd 2018 by Little, Brown Books
Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Fairies, Romance, Paranormal, Young Adult
Page: 384 pages
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review by: Tina



Synopsis

I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
 And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy the odds and work at being better than all the fey.

Review

To start off, I wasn't prepared for how quickly the story transitioned from childhood to young adult. All the events that played in Jude's young life unraveled beautifully.

Stolen out of the human world to be raised by a Fae general, Jude is forced to adapt and find her place in the Fae world. Humans are lowly mistreated creatures and Jude will never be one of them but she can always best them, be better than them.

One after another, Jude's dreams are crushed but she continues to hold her head high. Somehow she finds herself playing in a game of political war. From her daily battles with her school bullies to outwitting her foster father, Jude never has a moment of peace. She must prevail, she must outsmart all; she must grow up fast. 

Thoughts

The fae world is indeed a land of misleads and betrayals. Loved the masterful way of blossoming this story into a complicated world of intrigue and mistrusts; oh the scheming. The last page has me gasping for more. And I combed through Holly Black's pages searching for signs of the next book. Sigh, I need more... 

  

Monday Reviews: Everless by Sara Holland

 

 

Good morning readers~ it's been a while since we've last posted.

How is everyone's New Years? Excited to get back into fantasy. I want to share a January release that caught our radar~ hope you will find it as thrilling as we do.

 

Everless by Sara Holland
Published January 2nd 2018 by HarperTeen 
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Page: 368 pages
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Review by: Tina


Synopsis

In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.

No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.

Review

In a land where the commodity is blood, people work for, pay, and use blood mixed with iron as trade.

Jules is someone special and has been on the run since she was a small child. Her father warns her never to bleed and to stay away from the Queen at all cost. Despite her father's warning, she was desperate to find work and went back into the castle.  


She discovers her blood acts differently from those around her and uncovers a mystery her father has been hiding from her since birth, something bigger than the crown, the origin of blood iron and magic of time. 

Thoughts

Well thought out fantasy novel from debut author Sara Holland. I have high hopes for her to develop this into a complicated world of the rich vs the poor and Jules who seem to defy all odds, will unite the two worlds. 

Shon's January TBR & Most Anticipated Releases!!

Happy New Year's Bookworms! 

2018 has arrived!! And it brings some really good books!!

Seriously, there are SO many books I plan to read this year, and my January TBR is only the of the iceberg.

So without further ado, here's my January TBR:

Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse

Empress of a Thousand Skies (Empress of a Thousand Skies #1) by Rhoda Belleza 

The Valiant (The Valiant #1) by Lesley Livingston

Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas

Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Caraval (Caraval #1) by Stephanie Garber

Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Most Anticipated January Releases! 

Batman: Nightwalker (DC Icons #2) by Marie Lu

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black

Between the Blade and the Heart (Valkyrie #1) by Amanda Hocking

Everless (Untitled #1) by Sara Holland

Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely

Iron Gold (Red Rising Saga #4) by Pierce Brown

Markswoman (Asiana #1) by Rati Mehrotra 

Reign of the Fallen (Reign of the Fallen #1) by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann

I didn't realize how many books had sequels coming out this year, yet alone this month.
I better get started on reading.
I hope I can keep up with them all. Wish me luck!!

What's on your January TBR??