My Top 10 Surprises of 2019

For this week’s Top 10 Tuesday I decided to go with a list of the top 10 books that I read in 2019 that surprised me! 

You by Caroline Kepnes – I honestly didn’t think I was going to like this book. I had heard all of the hype about it when the series came out earlier this year but I kind of dismissed it. Then when I read the book I actually loved it!

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Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes – This is another series that I really had my reserves about. I didn’t know a lot about it going in and I kept putting it off for months thinking I wasn’t going to enjoy it. Then I finally bit the bullet and gave it a read and I was immediately sucked in!

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Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto – when this book first came out there was tons of people talking about it and praising it and then things got really quiet and no one really talked about it anymore. This was kind of a sign for me that this book would be forgettable but I really taken back with how immersive and action packed this book was!

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Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff – I just had this feeling that because Illuminae Files was so good and very well loved that they wouldn’t be able to back it up with another good sci-fi series. I was wrong, this is one of my favourite books of the year and I can’t wait for Aurora Burning to come out!

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Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead – I thought since this series was quite old that it wouldn’t age very well and I wouldn’t end up liking it. Totally opposite, I absolutely loved this series, super engaging, fast paced and addictive!

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The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang – this is on the other side of the spectrum. I thought I would 100% love this book just because it’s a high fantasy that people have been hyping up ever since it was released and I just couldn’t get on board. Rin just didn’t get with me as the main protagonist and the pacing was a little off.

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Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young – with debut novels I always kind of go in with low expectations, just in case it’s not the best book, but I ended up really loving this book! Definitely not as hyped as what it should be!

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Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I think this book takes the cake for the most hyped book of the year. It was because of this that I really didn’t think I was going to like it, when I read the blurb and heard all of the review I had no intention of even reading it, but when I saw it at my local library I couldn’t miss the opportunity to read it and I was pleasantly surprised how much I actually enjoyed it!

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Truthwitch by Susan Dennard – another series that was released quite a few years ago now and I just thought this series wouldn’t be as fresh and unique as some of the newer fantasy series out there but boy was I wrong. I was invested right from the start, the magic system was unlike anything I’ve read before and the books kept getting better as the series went on!

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Paper Towns by John Green – I have only read one other John Green book which I really enjoyed, so I went into Paper Towns thinking I would like it equally if not more than that previous book but I was a little underwhelmed. I didn’t really connect with any of the characters and it was a little unremarkable for me.

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5 Fantasy Series I wanted to start Update

Back in January I posted about 5 Fantasy Series that I wanted to start in 2019 and I did an updated post in May, so I decided to do one last update and see where I am at with these 5 series that I wanted start this year!

The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima – I completed this series back in May and absolutely loved it, now one of my all-time favourite fantasy series and I am dying to start The Shattered Realms series!

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The Falling Kingdoms Series by Morgan Rhodes – I am now half way through this 6 books series. I am really, really enjoying the direction of the series so far, and it gives me serious Game of Throne vibes!

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The Witchlands Series by Susan Dennard I have completed all four books that are currently out at the moment. This series took me by surprise; I didn’t think I was going to like it as much as I did!

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The Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks – This series is really intimidating me for some reason. I have all four books that are out currently but I have been overlooking them for other books. I really need to priorities these books because I have heard such great things, I may actually try and start The Black Prism this month and see how I go!

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The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb – I have read The Assassin’s Apprentice only so far. It was during the Reading Rush and I found it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It was lacking a little bit of action and adventure and kind of dragged a little for me, which in turn has put me off from continuing on with this series. I am still going to give Royal Assassin a try, but I have not plans to in the immediate future!

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Gathering Darkness Review

17342700Gathering Darkness pretty much continues straight from where Rebel Spring ended. Magnus is back at the castle after everything happened at the camp where the rebel forces have been decimated. Jonas is one of the only survivor’s left and Lysandra and three others including her brother Gregory have been captured and are currently in the dungeons awaiting execution. Cleo and Lucia have started to grow closer and everyone has their eyes on the Kraeshian’s Amara and Ashur.

I loved this book. I just felt like we really dug so much deeper and we are definitely rooted into the story. All of the establishing phase of the series I think is done and now its really starting to explore the mythology and build up a lot more intrigue and tension.

I think a lot of the book was centred more around Cleo and her interactions with all of the other characters, but I am absolutely LOVING all of it. The tenuous relationship between Lucia and Cleo is so entertaining. I like that even though it is built on lies they still sort of have a bond together and I think they really would have been great friends if King Gaius hadn’t of killed all of Cleo’s family. I’m still a little on the fence with the whole Cleo, Jonas and Magnus love triangle. I am a hard shipper of Cleo with Magnus, I just love a good hate to love trope and I think this was done perfectly! It was just the right amount of angst, stubbornness and hatred for me to be on board! Jonas I think doesn’t really know who he likes at the moment. I predict that he is going to end up with Lysandra even though he still is pining over Cleo. It just makes sense that he would want to honour Brion and keep Lysandra safe, thus feelings will grow stronger.

OMG I really enjoyed the twist with Nic and Ashur. I thought it was built up just enough and came at exactly the right time in the plot. Everything kind of felt like it was just plodding along steadily and then that really like woke me up and kept me invested enough to finish it off!

Lucia honestly I never really liked from the start and now she starting to get a little self-centred and boring. She seems very selfish and unlikeable to me. I much prefer the underdog in the story like Cleo. Lucia is just a selfish princess who has been given everything in life and just expects to get what she wants. I do like the direction her character seems to be going and I’m invested enough in the story to want to know what she will do next.

⭐️5/5 It just keeps getting better!

5 Quotes from 5 Books

These are five of my favourite quotes from the last 5 books that I have completed!

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes

“Sometimes, to regain sanity, one had to acknowledge and embrace the madness.”

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The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

“Trust is won in years. Not words.”

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House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

“Nights like this were meant to be shared, remembers, and talked about for years. Skies like this were meant to be kissed under.”

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All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klehfoth

“In many ways, my mother, my father—the people I was closest to, the people who meant the most to me—were strangers. Beautiful strangers.”

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Paper Towns by John Green

“It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world.”

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