1. The Maelstrom (The Tapestry #4) by Henry H. Neff
Rating: 3.75 stars
The characters are much improved in this book, and I was never really bored while reading, which is a difficult feat to accomplish in large fantasy books IMO. The plot still feels a bit scattered, and I wish they would use Astaroth as the main antagonist more. For my full thoughts, check out my review HERE.
2. Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
Rating: 2.5 stars
Man I had a lot of problems with this book... writing style, characters, plot... Definitely check out my full review HERE for the details, but let's just say that I have some questions for the author - nay, the EDITORS - if I ever got the chance. That being said: I didn't hate it. It wasn't unenjoyable. I sped through it in 2 days (400 pages). A good choice for people who like YA fantasy heavy on romance.
3. The Red Winter (The Tapestry #5) by Henry H. Neff
Rating: 3 stars
So The Tapestry is finally over! And when I say that, I do indeed mean I was waiting for it to end. For most of the series, I never felt bored. I enjoyed my time reading, which is why the books in this series have been rated relatively high for number of problems I have with each book. But this one. This one was rough. The pages are just filled with large paragraphs of description. By about 50% of the way through, I wanted to be done. I decided to stick it out because I'm not one to DNF a series in the last half of the last book. But it was rough. To read the rest of my thoughts on this book, and on the series as a whole, check out my review HERE.)
4. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Rating: 4 stars
This book is brutal. It's beautiful in how stark the issues are presented, but it's not an easy book to read, especially in the beginning. This book touches on the political issues of race, misogyny, domestic violence, and most of all, christianity. Christianity is viewed in this book as the White Man's Religion, which was forced upon Africans when they were forced into slavery. With this disclaimer, I think it's safe to say that this book is heavy, but also very lyrical and beautiful at the same time. The simplicity of the narration also really adds to the rawness of the content.
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Rating: 3 stars
Maybe I should just stop reading Victorian-era classics, but I HATE THE MEN IN THIS BOOK. AND I HATE HOW JANE DOESN'T HATE THEM. Same problem I had with Pride and Prejudice. I know. It's a time period thing. But I just couldn't stand Jane's relationship with Mr. Rochester. Also I didn't really see what I gained out of reading this. It wasn't boring but it wasn't overly intriguing or unique.
6. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating: 5 stars
Yay! A 5-star book! It's been a while... I loved this book. I couldn't stop reading and I didn't want to. To read my full thoughts, check out my review HERE.
7. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Rating: No rating
I don't like rating classics, especially children's classics, unless I really like them and can give them 5 stars. I just didn't really like Alice as a protagonist, and I thought the story was a little dry. Still, I love how metaphors are confronted in this; so many things are taken literally and it's adorable. It's a cute book, really charming, and I really want to get a fancy oversized illustrated version.
8. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Rating: 5 stars
I had so much fun with this book. People said it was hilarious, and I did smile quite a few times over it. There's love and drama and adventure and mystery and illness and empowerment and diversity. There are so many good elements about this book. I am not a huge fan of historical fiction, especially pre-20th-century historical fiction, but this book was so accessible, it read like a normal contemporary. I immediately placed a hold on the sequel at my library, which somehow has better reviews than the first one. Unheard of! Check out my full review HERE.
9. The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
Rating: 5 stars
I am not big on contemporaries, but this one got me. A great blend of contemporary with fantastical elements. Read my full review HERE.
10. The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah
Rating: 4 stars
This book had me shocked and emotional at a lot of points. I felt like I was with Winter through her struggle. It's a classic Riches-to-Rags storyline with a ghetto twist. It's done tastefully and expertly and I was thoroughly impressed. I was much more enraptured by the book than I thought I would be. I highly recommend this one, especially to people interested in diverse books/authors.
11. Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
Rating: 4 stars
I knocked this book out in a day. I wanted to just keep reading. It was so cute and yet so meaningful. The characters have very interesting motivations and really distinct personalities. I was really hesitant upon picking up this book - and inclined to immediately compare it to TFIOS by John Green. But to my great pleasure, this book was very original. Also, not only did I like the ending a lot, but I respected it. I think it's an important message to send to young people about recklessness and the value of life. Read my full review HERE.
12. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Rating: 4 stars
I had SUCH mixed feelings about this one. Read more of my thoughts HERE.
13. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Rating: No rating
IT'S FINALLY OVER!!!! I know this is like, the most important book is Spanish literature, and for that alone I have respect for it. But this was a long treacherous journey that I hope never to repeat. I won't rate it, and I won't label it as "good" or "bad" (I don't usually feel comfortable rating genres I traditionally dislike, aka classics), but this is a tough one to read.
14. Ghost by Jason Reynolds
Rating: 5 stars
I was SO pleasantly surprised by this one! Going into it, I only knew it was a contemporary and it was about track. I don't usually love contemporaries, and I don't usually love books about sports. But this one worked for me. There was just the right amount of light-heartedness and meaningful passion. For the most part, the story is just really fun. Read my full review HERE.
15. Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach
Rating: 3 stars
I had high expectations for this one because of my love for Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. This one didn't do it for me. It seems like such an interesting topic, except that most of the "science" is speculative and frankly, boring to read about. I suppose this could be expected from something so philosophical with so little evidence gathered thus far, but I feel like Roach tried to make up for this lackluster research by inserting herself too much into the story. The jokes that made Stiff so charming and accessible were forced, and the book read more like a diary than a nonfiction book about science and philosophy.
16. Godsgrave (Nevernight #2) by Jay Kristoff
Rating: 5 stars
Loved this book much more than the first! That seems to be a pattern with me lately and fantasy series. I tend to enjoy the second/middle installments. Read my full review HERE.
17. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Rating: 5 stars
WOW!!! I loved this. I think I just have an affinity for books that have a bunch of perspectives surrounding the same event/situation, and I love nasty gossipy small-town plots. The characters in this book are fantastic. As in, they're not all great people, but the story was so interesting because of them. And the plot was twisty and turny, it was just a ton of fun. There was a perfect blend of intrigue, humor, and mystery in this book. I love how the clues lead up to the ending, and how everything is connected at the end. This was a really good one.
If I could only recommend one... it would have to be Ghost. I don't know what it was about this book, but it made such an impression on me. I can't say it's particularly lyrical or mature or complicated. It's simple and raw and amazing for those reasons.
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