Favorite Books of The Year
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
I must thank The Book Geek Emily May for her sterling recommendation on her YouTube channel and didn't know what I was getting into, not having read The Grisha Trilogy prior to Crows and knowing nothing about Leigh Bardugo's magical and wintry Grishaverse. But Six of Crows is far more than one can possibly imagine, even though the sheer beauty of the physical hardcover book sparks thoughts of a dark fairy tale set in an intricate little music box. Part The Dirty Dozen, Part Oceans Eleven, Part YA, Part late-Victorian Noir, Six of Crows thrills down to its last drop with Leigh Bardugo's rich flourishes and promises an excellent cast of characters for a brand new series.
If you haven't read it, make sure to buy the hardcover.
Dawnbreaker by Jay Posey
The final book in Jay's Legends of The Duskwalker Cycle, Dawnbreaker blew me away like a direct shotgun blast to the chest. I loved Three, and I admired the bravery it took to end Three the way he did, and I was completely thoughtless about where the trilogy would go after the end of Morningside Fall, so my expectations were very high, but I had no pre-conceived notion of what the end of such an original trilogy would be like. Everything about Dawnbreaker worked perfectly, like a high-powered car engine winding up through the gears, ending the trilogy in a manner worthy of meriting his series an instant classic, (and hopefully the big screen) as a true original in its hybridization of genres and the execution in which he narrated his epic vision. If pressed, I would say Dawnbreaker was my favorite book of the series, for a great many reasons, one being I just don't know how Jay managed to pack so many awesome and truly meaningful scenes in the book while continuing to stretch out the incredible gravity of the trilogy's scope and plot, and if you don't have these books on your shelves you're definitely missing some pure and unfiltered awesomeness. The characters will stay with you long after you've finished the book.
Here's to Outriders! Pre-order now!
Storming: A Dieselpunk Adventure by K.M. Weiland
I was honored to beta-read Katie's passion project Storming and I don't know if I've ever had as much fun reading a book as I had with Storming. Much like watching The Magnificent Seven or The Adventures of Robin Hood, even Raiders of The Lost Ark, Storming carries the perfect balance of being light-hearted but packing enough gravitas for every punch and every punchline to really resonate on the page. I've never read anything like it, and I don't think I will ever again, unless of course, Katie has a sequel in mind, which is possible knowing how much fun she herself said she had in writing it. I can't recommend it highly enough, seeing as good entertainment of this kind is hard to come by.
Tell me your favorite books of the year! Top 3? Top 10?
My next post in January will concern the epic New Year's Book Haul!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Luke
I must thank The Book Geek Emily May for her sterling recommendation on her YouTube channel and didn't know what I was getting into, not having read The Grisha Trilogy prior to Crows and knowing nothing about Leigh Bardugo's magical and wintry Grishaverse. But Six of Crows is far more than one can possibly imagine, even though the sheer beauty of the physical hardcover book sparks thoughts of a dark fairy tale set in an intricate little music box. Part The Dirty Dozen, Part Oceans Eleven, Part YA, Part late-Victorian Noir, Six of Crows thrills down to its last drop with Leigh Bardugo's rich flourishes and promises an excellent cast of characters for a brand new series.
If you haven't read it, make sure to buy the hardcover.
Dawnbreaker by Jay Posey
The final book in Jay's Legends of The Duskwalker Cycle, Dawnbreaker blew me away like a direct shotgun blast to the chest. I loved Three, and I admired the bravery it took to end Three the way he did, and I was completely thoughtless about where the trilogy would go after the end of Morningside Fall, so my expectations were very high, but I had no pre-conceived notion of what the end of such an original trilogy would be like. Everything about Dawnbreaker worked perfectly, like a high-powered car engine winding up through the gears, ending the trilogy in a manner worthy of meriting his series an instant classic, (and hopefully the big screen) as a true original in its hybridization of genres and the execution in which he narrated his epic vision. If pressed, I would say Dawnbreaker was my favorite book of the series, for a great many reasons, one being I just don't know how Jay managed to pack so many awesome and truly meaningful scenes in the book while continuing to stretch out the incredible gravity of the trilogy's scope and plot, and if you don't have these books on your shelves you're definitely missing some pure and unfiltered awesomeness. The characters will stay with you long after you've finished the book.
Here's to Outriders! Pre-order now!
Storming: A Dieselpunk Adventure by K.M. Weiland
I was honored to beta-read Katie's passion project Storming and I don't know if I've ever had as much fun reading a book as I had with Storming. Much like watching The Magnificent Seven or The Adventures of Robin Hood, even Raiders of The Lost Ark, Storming carries the perfect balance of being light-hearted but packing enough gravitas for every punch and every punchline to really resonate on the page. I've never read anything like it, and I don't think I will ever again, unless of course, Katie has a sequel in mind, which is possible knowing how much fun she herself said she had in writing it. I can't recommend it highly enough, seeing as good entertainment of this kind is hard to come by.
Tell me your favorite books of the year! Top 3? Top 10?
My next post in January will concern the epic New Year's Book Haul!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Luke
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Rebecca wrote: "Luke wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Great list, I'll be posting one at the end of this month and The Muiread will be on it. :)" Thank you very much! There were some good ones this year but this was my t..."
Definitely, but it was the characters, the setting, and the plot for me. The dialogue just pushed it over the edge into a must read. It was very exciting, but it took its time in building properly, and I thought Kaz is one of the best characters I've come across in awhile. He reminded me a lot of Sam Spade.
Rebecca wrote: "Luke wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Luke wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Great list, I'll be posting one at the end of this month and The Muiread will be on it. :)" Thank you very much! There were some good one..."
True! I look forward to the sequel! Kaz' love for Inej will be driving it. He's realized love is stronger than greed. That's good. He's growing up. ;)
Yes! It's called Crooked Kingdom. Leigh has not yet written it, I think she's working on it now. There are speculations if Inej will be the heist and where they'll go.
Rebecca wrote: "Luke wrote: "Yes! It's called Crooked Kingdom. Leigh has not yet written it, I think she's working on it now. There are speculations if Inej will be the heist and where they'll go."Have you read ..."
Oh, absolutely! Check out my reviews! :D
Thank you very much! There were some good ones this year but this was my top three. Thank you for your support! :)