1. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 4 stars
This book was just good. It was creepy in the kind of way that made me feel a little scared lying in bed at night. I loved Libby's honesty and cynicism, and I loved the way all the perspectives meshed together. Even more, I loved the ending, the "why" and the "how". This was honestly just a good mystery thriller.
2. The Hound of Rowan (The Tapestry #1) by Henry H. Neff
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3 stars
This is one of the MG fantasy books I read in between Percy Jackson (my first) and Harry Potter (my most loved). I have wanted to reread this for quite some time. It was not as good as I remember from when I was in middle school, but I love the crossover of different mythologies and I expect that the series will get better from here on out.
3. Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2) by Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 stars
I definitely like this book so much better than the first one. First of all, I think Sam and Grace improved both as individuals and in their relationship. Second, I like Isabelle and Cole so much more interesting than Sam and Grace. I can’t quite give five stars because the book still lacks an urgent plot, it’s just kinda about some people going through their everyday lives as werewolves with ominous asides about Grace gradually becoming sicker. But overall, I very much enjoyed this and I also liked this audiobook much more than the first one.
4. The Waste Land and Other Poems by T.S. Eliot
Genre: Poetry
No rating
I can’t rate this fairly because I think poetry just doesn’t get through to me. I wanted to try Eliot out because he was recommended to me, but I had a difficult time getting through this one. My favorite passage was definitely the Hippopotamus though, that’s a good one.
5. The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.25 stars
FIRST OF ALL how pretty is this cover??? Not why I bought the book but still I can't get over it. I had been looking forward to reading this book for a long time and I finally did and it did not disappoint. I can't even pinpoint why I liked this book so much, I just did. Right from the get-go, I was in love. I so badly wanted to give this book a full five stars, but there was some plot hole-ish things that came into play after the twist at the end, and sometimes the writing was a bit cringey/cheesy. It felt like the author had written some Rupi Kaur-esque poetry but not enough to publish a book of it, so she just inserted some of the poems into vaguely related scenes in this book. Still, the lyricism in the narrative is beautiful and I love this book. I recommend to people who love contemporary-fantasy, the kind of book where the setting is a normal small town and then creepy fantastical things start happening. I also may have a bias for this book because it's very similar to (it's like a YA/NA version of) the MG book Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn, one of my favorite books as a kid.
6. Sadie by Courtney Summers
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3 stars
I liked the Sadie parts of this book a lot, and I felt like I had to drag through the podcast parts. I didn't care about how other people discovered her story, I just cared about her story. Plus, Sadie's chapters had so much more emotion that the podcast felt annoyingly naive some times. It was a good book, but I have trouble categorizing it as a thriller because it didn't captivate me that much.
7. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: 4.25 stars
On top of the characters, which are entertaining, realistic, and diverse without being cringeworthily obvious about it (a common trope in YA contemporaries nowadays), the plot was unexpected and just interesting. This is really just a quirky and fun yet meaningful contemporary with splashes of science fiction throughout. I definitely recommend this one for people who like YA contemporary/science fiction.
8. Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.5 stars
I had the same problem with this book that I've had with the first two. The plot lacks direction! It's just people meandering about as/around werewolves, which to be fair, is pretty interesting but there is no sense of urgency. Still, this is one of the series I loved when I first started reading and I still enjoy reading the story so much. This is a good choice especially for character-driven readers.
9. The Second Siege (The Tapestry #2) by Henry H. Neff
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.5 stars
This is the second in a MG series. It was fast-paced and fun, and I love how it is getting more into the Irish folklore side of the fantasy. The stakes have been raised from the first book, and I'm excited for the rest of the series.
10. Go Set a Watchman (Sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird) by Harper Lee
Genre: Classics
Rating: 3.75 stars
My thoughts on this book were very different than the general consensus, which isn't normal for me. I liked the book, I liked the direction the author took Jean Louise's story in, and it was enjoyable for me. For my full thoughts, check out my review for it here on Lynsie's Lit!
11. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
The characters of this book carry the whole thing. The plot is almost an afterthought. The multiple timelines and perspectives made this book captivating and very easy to read. Highly recommend for historical fiction lovers, and you can check out my full review for more of my thoughts.
12. The Fiend and the Forge (The Tapestry #3) by Henry H. Neff
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.75 stars
Following the trend of this series, I was definitely entertained by this book, but couldn't rate it higher because of the lackluster characters. In reality, my rating is 4.5/5 for plot and 3/5 for characters. The book is a blast for me, but it doesn't move me in anyway because the characters are not interesting, likable, or relatable.
13. Sinner (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #4) by Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
This series is a guilty pleasure. I love Cole and Isabel. This book's plot has zero direction, and usually that is a problem for me. But not here. Here, I have my love these characters and this ship to hold onto. Unlike other books of its nature (where it's a fourth-book follow-up of other characters besides the main ones), I loved this edition to The Wolves of Mercy Falls.
14. Aura by Carlos Fuentes
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 3 stars
I didn't really know what the genre of this book was going into it; I had heard that it was horror so that was what I expected. It was not horror. It's hard to place, but I would categorize this as magical realism. It was creepy at times, but also had a mystical element. This is a fine book if you love creepy magical realism. It's not really my speed, but I'm sure creepy-book readers would like it more.
15. Circe by Madeline Miller
Genre: Mythology/Retellings
Rating: 4.25 stars
Overall, this is a beautiful novel. Circe is great main character. I must say I definitely enjoyed The Song of Achilles more, it kept me more engaged whereas I found myself bored at times while reading this. If you loved this book, I highly recommend checking out Song of Achilles.
16. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3 stars
I don't have much to say about this book, it's not twisty and turny and for the most part it's pretty predictable. I enjoyed it while I was reading, but I have issues with the way women are portrayed and treated in the book, and no I don't accept "well that's just the way it was at that time and place" as an excuse.
If I could only recommend one... It would have to be An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. This book is a ton of fun and a great combination of science fiction and contemporary. This is a great book if you love science fiction/fantasy and if contemporary books kind of put you to sleep (aka me). This book is also just so unique, with such a new and refreshing concept.
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