I know I just did a whole series of books I'm excited for in 2017, but what about the books I read in 2016? Well today kicks off a series of my top ten reads from (only three) different genres that I read this year! You can see a schedule below for what to expect. Hope you find some great books here.
Overall (December 8) | Contemporary (December 15) | Science Fiction (Last Week) | Fantasy (This Week)
THREE DARK CROWNS
Author: Kendare BlakeSeries: Three Dark Crowns #1
Source: ARC won in a giveaway
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Rating: 4/5 stars
Review!
Summary:
When kingdom come, there will be one.
In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.
But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.
The last queen standing gets the crown.
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ECHOES OF THE FORGOTTEN
Author: Kevin LooneySeries: The Winds of Eternity Trilogy #1
Source: Copy via the Author
Publisher: Sarah Book Publishing
Publication Date: April 20, 2016
Rating: 4/5 stars
Review!
Summary:
Book One in The Winds of Eternity Trilogy
In the kingdom of Uratha, the spirits are charged with an important task. They speed across great distances to deliver words whispered to them by the living. Like all Overseers, Ruhla must impart the messages the spirits bring her.
Twelve years prior, Ruhla was to marry Kaimen — until he started seeing the dead. Ruhla was forced to exile Kaimen because of this curse, and now years have passed since Ruhla last received any communication from him. Then one morning, the spirit of Kaimen’s dead father visits her with a communication from Kaimen. An immortal man named War’ach is coming for his blood. War’ach needs it to complete a ritual that will allow him to assassinate the Overseers.
Ruhla journeys to Kaimen’s secluded cabin, but when she arrives, his home is empty. Is she too late? Will War’ach destroy the kingdom’s entire communication system, along with the Spirit World?
Ruhla is only certain of one thing: if she fails, her people will suffer.
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THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN
Series: The Star-Touched Queen #1
Source: ARC via Publisher
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: April 26, 2016
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Review!
Summary:
Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?
Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…
But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself.
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THE SCORPIO RACES
Author: Maggie StiefvaterSeries: N/A (sadly)
Source: Purchased from TBD
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: October 18, 2011
Rating: 5/5 stars
Review!
Summary:
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
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FROZEN TIDES
Author: Morgan RhodesSeries: Falling Kingdoms #4
Source: Purchased from Chapters
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: December 15, 2015
Rating: 5/5 stars
Review!
Summary:
Rebels, royals, and monsters wage war over the Mytican throne in the shocking fourth book of the Falling Kingdoms series, from New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes.
CLEO: Reeling after a bloody showdown in Limeros ending with Amara’s abduction of the water crystal, and a vacancy in the Mytican throne, Princess Cleo must cast aside her feelings and look toward her kingdom with the eyes of a Queen.
MAGNUS: With the kingdom in chaos, Princess Lucia still missing and quite possibly in danger, and a shocking realization about Cleo, the steely prince is once again torn between love and duty, leaving him wondering whether he’s strong enough to rule his people.
LUCIA: The young sorcercess has had her vengeance after the cruel death of her first and only love. Heartbroken and unable to trust anyone, she allies with the awoken Fire god, who also seeks revenge.
JONAS: After escaping death by the skin of his teeth, the defeated rebel—along with a mysterious stranger–leader reunites with Princess Cleo, only to find himself a mere pawn in a dangerous hunt for the elusive Kindred.
KING GAIUS: Abandoned by Melenia and betrayed by his own children, Gaius flees Mytica and sails to Kraeshia, where he attempts to ally with the famously brutal emperor across the Silver Sea.
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THE YOUNG ELITES
Author: Marie LuSeries: The Young Elites #1
Source: Purchase from BookOutlet
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 7, 2014
Rating: 4/5 stars
Review!
Summary:
I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.
Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.
Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.
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ICE KISSED
Series: Kanin Chronicles #2
Source: Purchased from BookOutlet
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: May 5, 2015
Rating: 4/5 stars
Review!
Summary:
In the majestic halls of a crystal palace lies a secret that could destroy an entire kingdom…
Bryn Aven refuses to give up on her dream of serving the kingdom she loves. It’s a dream that brings her to a whole new realm…and the glittering palace of the Skojare.
The Skojare people need protection from the same brutal enemy that’s been threatening the Kanin, and Bryn is there to help. Being half Skojare herself, it’s also a chance for her to learn more about her lost heritage. Her boss, Ridley Dresden, is overseeing her mission, but as their undeniable attraction heats up, their relationship is about to reach a whole new level—one neither of them is prepared for.
As they delve deeper into the Skojare world, they begin to unravel a long-hidden secret. The dark truth about her own beloved Kanin kingdom is about to come to light, and it will change her place in it forever…and threaten everyone she loves.
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LADY RENEGADES
Author: Rachel HawkinsSeries: Rebel Belle #3
Source: Purchased from Chapters
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Rating: 4/5 stars
Review!
Summary:
Just as Harper Price starts coming to terms with her role as David Stark’s battle-ready Paladin, protector, and girlfriend—her world goes crazy all over again.
Overwhelmed by his Oracle powers, David flees Pine Grove and starts turning teenage girls into Paladins—and these young ladies seem to think that Harper is the enemy David needs protecting from. Ordinarily, Harper would be able to fight off any Paladin who comes her way, but her powers have been dwindling since David left town…which means her life is on the line yet again.
New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins brings the fun once again in the finale of this pitch-perfect romantic paranormal comedy series.
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NOBODY'S LADY
Author: Amy McNultySeries: Never Veil #2
Source: eARC via Publisher
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Publication Date: September 22, 2016
Rating: 4/5 stars
Review!
Summary:
For the first time in a thousand years, the men in Noll’s village possess the freedom to love whom they will. In order to give each man the chance to fully explore his feelings, the lord of the village decrees all marriages null and void until both spouses declare their love for one another and their desire to wed again. What many women think will be a simple matter becomes a source of village-wide tension as most men decide to leave their families and responsibilities behind.
Rejected by the lord and ashamed of her part in the village’s history, Noll withdraws from her family and lives life as an independent woodcarver. This changes when her sister accuses her of hiding her former husband Jurij from her—and when Jurij eventually does ask to move in. Determined not to make the same mistakes, Noll decides to support her male friends through their new emotional experiences, but she’s soon caught up in a darker plot than she ever dared imagine possible from the men she thought she knew so well. And the lord for whom she still has feelings may be hiding the most frightening truth of them all.
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THE ALCHEMIST OF LOOM
Author: Elise KovaSeries: Loom Saga #1
Source: ARC via Publisher
Publisher: Keymaster Press
Publication Date: January 10, 2017
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Review to come in January!
Summary:
Her vengeance. His vision.
Ari lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ market. There isn’t a place on Loom that is secure from the engineer turned thief, and her magical talents are sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon oppressors.
Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long. The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s assassins.
When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to get him where he wants to go.
He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom.
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I'm so glad to see Three Dark Crowns. Not many people who read it added it to the lists this year. While it wasn't perfect, I loved the world and the writing and I can't wait the sequel :D
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