Hey everyone! I know it’s probably customary to do these sorts of posts at the end of the year, rather than at the beginning of the next year, but better late than never, right? Today I’m going to be talking about some of my favorite books that I read last year.
These are in no particular order, because trying to order them into a definitive list is going to be way too hard and I would rather not have to choose between all my faves. Here we go!
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
I read a lot of Brandon Sanderson in 2018, and honestly I could put basically all of the books I’ve read by him on this list, but I’ve already spent a lot of time talking about those books this year. This one, however, is one I haven’t talked about all that much, since I read it in January of last year, a few months before I started this blog.
Oathbringer is the third and most recently released book in Brandon Sanderson’s gigantic epic fantasy series called the Stormlight Archive. The first book in this series, The Way of Kings, was actually the first book I ever read by him several years ago and I have loved his books ever since. These books are all over 1,000 pages long, and they’re my favorite books by him.
Honorable mention to all the other books I read by Brandon Sanderson last year, especially Skyward and The Rithmatist.
Seafire by Natalie C. Parker
This is a book about a ship full of female pirates who are all fighting against a tyrant who has been terrorizing the people who live in their seas for years. The main character and captain of the ship, Caledonia, swore vengeance after her family was killed by some of the tyrant’s men. It’s a story full of action and female friendships, and it’s basically just awesome in practically every way. Plus, I’m interested in what exactly is going on in this world, and I’m excited to find out in future books.
I don’t know exactly when the next book is coming out, but I believe there is a next book and I’ll be getting that book as soon as I can after it comes out.
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
One of the books I wish I had gotten around to in 2018 was the sequel to this book because I absolutely loved this book and when I read it I was very excited to read the next one. Then I never ended up getting to it. This book is set in the far future, when humanity has conquered all of our problems, even death, and the only way a person can die is for someone who is ordained to do so, called a scythe, kills them. We follow two characters who reluctantly become apprentices to a scythe as they learn about the convoluted politics of the scythedom.
One of my favorite things about this book was how it raised questions about what being effectively immortal really means. This story manages to be both fun and full of action, while also examining deep questions about the meanings of life and death.
- Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone
This is the book that was the most personally relatable of all the books I read this year. It was a beautiful story that centered on two girls who have been best friends since they were little, but they haven’t talked in 3 months. It’s about friendships and relationships and faith. I identified with both of the characters at different points of the story.It deals with some really important and relevant topics.
I don’t want to get into too many details because I really think that you should read this book and I don’t want to spoil it, but suffice it to say that this a beautifully poignant story that will really hit home for those of you in one of the many transition periods in life, especially the one at the end of high school. It’s incredible.
- Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
This is the third and final book in this author duo’s amazing Illuminae Files series. It’s a sci-fi series about what happens when corporate wars become actual wars and follows several hundred refugees as they struggle to survive on a cross-the-galaxy trip. It’s told through a series of documents, like video transcripts, interviews, chat logs, diary pages, etc.
It features some super cool female characters and plots that will keep you turning the pages until the very end. The books seem really long when you look at them from the outside, but because of the story and the way they’re written, they read super quickly.
- What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang
I don’t know if I’ve talked about this book much because, like Oathbringer, I also read this book before I started this blog, so I didn’t have much opportunity to talk about it, but I absolutely loved this book. It’s the first book in what I believe is a trilogy set in an alternate universe where everyone is born with two different souls in their body. Then, once they get to a certain age, one of the souls fades and the “dominant” soul takes control.
That’s what normally happens, but our main character, Eva, is still alive. She can’t move, she can’t talk, but she still lives in the mind of the body that she shares with her sister Addie. No one but Addie knows she’s still there, and they want to keep it that way. They are what their society calls “hybrid,” and being hybrid can have some disastrous consequences. And yet, Eva longs to be able to move again.
The concept alone was enough to sell me on this book, and then I read it, and it was just as cool as I thought it would be. I hope I’ll be able to get to the other books in this series soon.
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Those are my top books of 2018! I read a lot of amazing books last year, and I’m sure I’ll read even more in the coming year. Let me know down below what your favorite books of 2018 were, and I’ll see you next week to talk about the books I’m most excited about in 2019!
-Ariel