As most of you with a Goodreads may know, the Goodreads Choice Awards has finally come. If you aren’t following it or don’t have a Goodreads, it’s where users vote on the best books of the year. There are 24 different categories with one of two special ones that change yearly. This year it happens to be best of the best (or winners from past years). Anyways, I’ll mainly be covering YA fantasies from here, but even if you typically read other novels, you should definitely consider reading these.
Keep in mind that these are in no particular order!
1. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
The Cruel Prince was one of my favorite releases of the year. It’s basically about a girl named Jude who gets swept from her home to the faerie realm after her parents got killed. She strives to fit in, but instead, gets mocked for being human. Throughout the book, she grows in a journey to be accepted. I’d definitely recommend this if you’re a fan of any faerie stories (ex. ACOTAR) or if you’ve read her other books (there are crossovers from other characters).
2. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
In order to read Kingdom of Ash, you have to get through the Throne of Glass series, which may seem overwhelming, but it’s worth it. There are a total of 7 books, but they only get better. Kingdom of Ash was my favorite book from the Throne of Glass series, and was an amazing conclusion to the story. I would give a summary, but there are a lot of spoilers from the first book, so just trust me on this. You’ll enjoy this series if you like thrilling fantasies with romance mixed in between.
3. Legendary by Stephanie Garber
Unlike Throne of Glass, Legendary is the second of a three part series, so you’ll only need to read the first book, Caraval, before reading this one. Legendary picks up right after Caraval left off, but switches perspectives between Scarlett and Tella. If you haven’t read the series yet, Scarlett and Tella are two sisters who have been thrown into the yearly game of Caraval. In the first book, we saw how Scarlett participated in Caraval, but in this book, it’s Tella instead. I would definitely recommend this if you’re a fan of The Night Circus, or if you’re just looking to read a YA fantasy with an amazingly sculpted world.
4. Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
Reaper at the Gates is the third book of the Ember Quartet, with the first book in the series being An Ember in the Ashes. This book is about an empire where people who do not vow themselves to it get murdered. Among them is Laia, who fights to find and protect her brother from what may happen (as he was accused of treason). Throughout the story, there are a ton of unexpected plot twists, and I loved how the romance developed throughout the series. I would recommend this book if you enjoy books based on clashing sides that with a touch of bleakness and romance.
5. Wildcard by Marie Lu
Wildcard is the final book of the two part Warcross series. Honestly, I enjoyed Warcross more than Wildcard, but it still wrapped up the series in a well written way (I was still disappointed in what happened to the characters). I loved the characters and it’s a really good sci-fi book based on what will happen if technology advances too far. The plot is fast paced which prevents the reader from being bored, leading it an interesting novel. I would recommend this book if you enjoy action packed, thrilling sci-fi books. If you enjoyed Legend or The Young Elites, I would also recommend the series to you as well.
If you’ve read any of these, let me know what you thought of them! Also, if you’re looking for books to read, I hope you take these into consideration, as they were some of my favorite 2018 releases.
If you want to check it out, I actually reviewed one of the books from the Choice Awards quite recently, Kingdom of Ash. Additionally, I reviewed Strange the Dreamer, the book right before Muse of Nightmares, another book from the choice awards (that I am currently reading right now). Honestly, I’m really enjoying a ton of books from the Choice awards, so if you want that’s on your mind, you should check it out!