I expected to read about 20 books in the year 2019 due to the fact I had my undergraduate thesis to do, and an work to go.
Boy, I was wrong.
The year 2019 has driven me to stress and depression so many times that I barely can look at my laptop anymore and not feel disgusted at that piece of technology (writing this using the same laptop, I'm okay now, a little bit).
I can consider this year that I came out of my YA shelf and started to read more adults and romance. Initially, I wanted to do the top 20 but I think I should be critical on this because I rarely gave less than four stars to the books I read unless I hate them and this is a rare occasion also.
I cut down to 16 books.
Let's!
(In chronological order in which I read first until I have my top three!! Click the pic to go to Goodreads.)
The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
This is not my first high fantasy that revolves around Asian main characters. But this is the first high fantasy that revolved around Asian main characters that the book is labeled as 'adults'.
I got into this expected to like it. With all the awards and recognition this book got, this is not hard for me to like it.
The only issue I had with this book is that I don't feel connected with any of the characters like I wanted to because I'm a huge believer that connections deliver more feels but all of the characters, I just don't find any of them that I relate with.
What I do like the most reading this book is that history that based on the real event mushed up with the world of lore and beliefs. And I love how this book talks about religion because not a lot of writers would talk or let their characters question the world.
Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Beauty and The Beast retellings are one of the comfort retellings that I would just grab and read anytime if I'm just lost or bored. Some of them are good, some of them are meh. This one is good.
It's good because it's different. It takes this old fairytale and remodeled it and make its own. The most solid thing that I enjoyed in this book is that the characters' relationship. It built with enough amount of time to give trust and respect and it was not rush. And the world-building is great, which I did not expect from a retelling, and it is promising to be full of magical threads.
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
THIS IS MY BOY!!! The story of me literally preorder this book and got it three months later.... this is why I hate buying shit online.
This book is not as ~exciting~ or ~heartwrenching~ as its predecessors are but this is why I like it.
This is about what happens after years of war, about consequences of war, about a country that was so powerful fell down and have to build it back itself again. This is about a monarch who wants to build back its country's glory without any violence that the country once built on, and replace with so much empathy and understanding of what its country needs to get up again.
The main characters did it for me. I found Nikolai to be one of the lovable and fascinating characters Bardugo ever has written and I've loved him since. I also expected Nikolai's chapters to be my favorite but I'm more into Zoya's chapters. Shes's once a secretive and complicated character and we didn't get enough of her in the Grisha Trilogy but now we have and I love her.
A Storm Of Swords AND A Feast For Crows
by George R. R. Martin
Ummmm, this is the third and fourth book respectively. I read this series out of SPITE because of the atrocious ending of the tv show. The show actually broke my heart and made me depressed.
Jaime Lannister is my favorite character and I was rooting for his redemption/character development quite hard and I just really like the idea of him leaving this toxic of a love that he believes is good, to someone who truly respects and grow to love him as a character, that just hurt.
And you know what fucking happened. So I read the books.
I was not surprised that I love A Storm of Swords. It was the most exciting and full of plot twists amongst all the books. It was fun and exciting but A Feast for Crows is my favorite because of the character studies happening throughout the book. AFFC's main characters are not fan-favorites characters (except Jaime, but he's not as popular as much as Tyrion, Dany or Jon), and this book mainly their character studies.
Am I glad knowing the real story and getting into the books? Ye. Am I frustrated because I'm officially in the 'George R. R Martin, where are the other books?!' club?
Absolutely yes.
Absolutely yes.
Sorcery of Thorns by Margeret Rogerson
I went into this book feeling iffy because I don't' like the author's debut novel and I DNFed it. I went into this story with low expectations and honestly, I'm glad about it.
This book reminds me so much of Howl's Moving Castle because of the magical wizard, a demon companion and the main character that got accused of treason.
The best thing about the book is the relationship between the three main characters. It was adventurous, magical and a lot of fun. ((Silas is my favorite boy I LOVE HIM))
I had a lot of fun reading this book and it was my first YA after months not reading the genre. I laughed and cried several times and it is just so WHOLESOME.
And the best thing about this book is that it' a standalone.
Radiance by Grace Draven
This one has been in my TBR for years and I finally read it and I loveeeeeeee.
It was such a simple book with rich cultural backgrounds for the main characters. This book has ALL my favorite tropes in fantasy romance and I love it so much and it was very well written.
I love both of the main characters and their resignation in accepting each other's hands in marriage to stop the war between their countries. I love both of them formed of truce to be friends from the beginning and what a miracle to read y'oullsssssss.
I love how both of them willingly learning their partner's culture and both without a sigh, trying to make their people have better lives. This both hit the very soft spot in my heart and I could see myself rereading it over the years.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
I've been wanting to read AtTwN since middle school to the point that I halted myself from watching the adaptations. I finally found it in a used bookstore sale in my uni.
Gawd, I'm so enamored with it. I basically ate this book up in two days.
The characters are smart, and not stressful to read, the phasing is quick and the plot is sometimes terrifying but always engaging. And I suspected the right person but my dumbass dismissed them ughhhh.
The tv show is boring though lmao.
Sparrow by L. J. Shen
The first dark romance that didn't make me want to punch myself in the face due to stupidity (ACADEMY AWARDS!!!)
This book is not as dark as I expected but it's dark enough. The plot twist did surprise me and made my reading experience better. (((I literally cannot remember anything from this book unless I know that I really like it haha bye)))
Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin
This book is so sexy. I cannot use another word but this.
I'm not a fan of witch books in general (most of the time, I just not going to pick them up to read) yet this one called to me and when I saw it in a bookstore, I pick it up.
It has this nostalgic feeling of reading books from the early 2010s. And both of the main characters are so endearing and adorable (and my god, very hot too) you couldn't help but ship them.
Listen, the softboi agenda is working.
Trials of Apollo: The Tyrant's Tomb by Rick Riordan
This book is so sexy. I cannot use another word but this.
I'm not a fan of witch books in general (most of the time, I just not going to pick them up to read) yet this one called to me and when I saw it in a bookstore, I pick it up.
It has this nostalgic feeling of reading books from the early 2010s. And both of the main characters are so endearing and adorable (and my god, very hot too) you couldn't help but ship them.
Listen, the softboi agenda is working.
Trials of Apollo: The Tyrant's Tomb by Rick Riordan
Like many readers, I felt so betrayed and hurt from that particular scene in the previous book that I really don't know what to expect for The Tyrant's Tomb.
But this is probably my favorite book in this series after the first one to date. What I like the most is the aspect of learning new things, which I always sought after reading Rick Riordan's books and this book gave me something I never knew and it did make me excited reading them.
And Reyna in this book? and Hazel? Fuck yeah!!!!!
There are so many female characters in this one and have important roles and I dig it.
#DisneyAdaptPercyJackson !!!!!!!!!
Ghost by A. Zavarelli
This is not a kind of book, nor even dark romance I expected to pick up. It has trigger warnings that I personally feel disgusted and nauseating to read. It took months to start back again and I was rewarded.
The main characters DID so much to me in terms making me like this book. Both of them faced so much hardship and goddaAMN, them both learn each other's weakness and try to understand each other's coping mechanism and the way the characters explain to the reason why they did what they do because some of their actions are not 'common'- great aspect in what I love the most about this book.
This is actually proven that the author did research regarding Bratva's power structure and traumas and it just so nice knowing that and reading it.
The Toll by Neal Shusterman
The Arc of Scythe Trilogy is officially one of my favorite trilogies of all time (and I only have two including this: the other one is Red Rising)
What an ENDING. What a reasonable ending and a definitive one.
I cannot say much but the last line made cried and I spent 10 minutes staring at the ceiling.
~TOP 3~
It is harder to say what you like in books when you love that book. These three books shaped me this year despite my thesis and work and many things that were thrown at my face, these books helped me through the most.
Annie's Song by Catherin Anderson
This book was published in the '90s and it's a historical romance, so there would be a lot of flaws there. And this is also the type of books I don't usually read (Heck, I don't even read romance until this year).
A lot of readers could agree with me that we read because we want to learn something new; from the past, present and even the future.
I haven't had a favorite character that sticks with me for years but the main character; Alex Montgomery truly has my heart (and also ASoIaF's Jaime and Brienne). He's one of the few male characters in Romance that I read that is genuinely a good person and responsible. He's patient, considerate and compassionate too and very hardworking man.
(Inilah lelaki kita mahu!!!!)
Out of that, I love how the slowwwwwburnnnnnn the relationship is and how both Alex and Annie grow to care for each other and how patiently Alex trying to learn Annie's disability.
Alex Montgomery won the best male character (in and out of historical romance) AWARDS!!
Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Steifvater
Aside from officially being an ASoIaF reader, this is the longest time I had waited for a book to come out. Still, The Raven Cycle is a part of my teenhood and I’m wholly attached to them, so I was scared to start this.
I didn’t know my love for Ronan Lynch would multiple as I read CDtH. It was nostalgic to read his POVs again after so long. It was nice to read his views on things and his impulsive but gallant ways of handling trouble coming to him and his actions towards the people he loves.
Maggie's writing is whimsical as always. She has always been good at writing characters with interesting, contrasting personalities, each so beautiful and tragic in their own ways.
CDtH gave me the same feeling as I was reading TRC for the first time. It made me laugh, cry, smile, warm, gave me hope, gave me love.
Tamquam alter idem.
I've wanted to read this book since before it came out but I couldn't find this book anywhere until this year and MY GOD this is my favorite book of the year PERIODT!!!
What I like the most is the writing. I was sucked into the story immediately when I read the first chapter. It was so easy to read and there’s a difference between Monique and Evelyn’s voice. I LOVE how both of the women are so different in the way they pursue their passion and how they tackled their problems.
Evenly Hugo is that character that people called 'nuance'. She’s grey at best; driven, angry, romantic, passionate and just a great character. She has needs and goals that she cannot let anyone block her way, even the ones she loves. Her POVs made me angry, sad, happy and made me love her. You just CANNOT but to hate, respect and love her at the same time.
I guess that's it.
I don't what to expect how many books I will read next year but I think I can continue reading more I want to.
- Amni
