All the Books I Read in 2019
I have in no way caught up on the blog posts I intended to catch up on from 2018. At least in all the chaos, I was able to read a decent amount of books again this year.The Goodreads challenge was yet another goal I did not finish this year, but I am not as upset about this one. I still managed to read a considerably long list of books, and was only short of my goal by 3 books. This also is one book more than I was able to finish last year! Once again, this was accomplished by reading and Audible.
You can always check out all of my shelves on my Goodreads profile. Below is a short review of how I felt about each read. This post is in no way sponsored. I am writing this to reflect and give honest feedback on each book I read.
Books I read in 2019
The Wicked King by Holly Black
Format: Hardcover
I had this book on pre-order the moment it was available. Holly Black’s Folk of the Air series is spectacular. Not only did she give us a great second book to the trilogy, but she surprised us all by not making us wait until 2020 for the final book! This book was the beginning of my attempt to add more posts about books to the blog. We’ll get back on that train in 2020.
Senlin Ascends by Josia Bancroft
Format: Audible
I was not happy this was my first Audible book of the year. This book has tons of great reviews, but it won’t get one from me. It was well written, but I just really didn’t like the story. I felt like it dragged on and on, and by the end there wasn’t really a resolution. Definitely will not be listening to the rest of this series.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Format: Paperback
My friend Kat who loves all things Mars recommended this to me. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’m happy I picked it up. This story is great if you like fantasy and books like The Hunger Games. It’s got a little bit of it all. I really need to get the rest of this series, and keep going because it was hard to put it down once I started.
Sadie by Courtney Summers
Format: Hardcover
The lovely Sara Beth got me this book because I mentioned I needed to read it since it was my name. This book is a murder mystery/ suspense genre, and very outside my usual styles on my reading list. I’m extremely happy I read it because it was such a unique pick. This would be a case where picking a book based on the cover paid off.
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Format: Audible
Gabby, the great recommender of books, insisted that I read this. A story about gods among men, this was a binge-listen for me. Such a unique story. The imagery in this book is the true winner, and I can’t recommend this duology enough.
Seafire by Natalie C. Parker
Format: Hardcover
Do you like lady pirates? This book is for you. The balance between revenge and sisterhood makes this an action packed fantasy adventure that you will definitely want to dive into. I highly recommend it since the second in this trilogy is already available now.
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Format: Paperback
I binged the first book in the Throne of Glass series near the end of 2018. I didn’t want to read them all super fast, then be left with nothing from S. J. Maas for an unknown amount of time, so I held off on reading the second one for a bit. I’ve been spreading the rest of the series out as well. This book is even more action packed than the first, and we really open up door for the epic tale to unfold in the future books from this series.
Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
Format: Audible
This is the sequel to Strange the Dreamer. Truthfully, of the two I enjoyed the first book in this duology better than the first, but as a set they are simply beautiful. If you’re looking to stick to the fantasy genre, but read something a bit out there, then this duology is for you.
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
Format: Audible
If you’ve read Leigh’s other series from the Grishaverse, then you will likely want to pick up this read in her latest duology. It follows Nikolai Lantsov , Zoya Nazyalensky, and Nina Zenik on a new adventure in her wonderful world, who are three characters we just wanted more of after the other Grishaverse books. I enjoyed this read because of the familiarity with the characters, but I will patiently await the release of the second. It is definitely recommended to read the other books in this universe before this one for background.
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Format: Paperback
The first two books in this series are great. I honestly wasn’t expecting them to purely be the warm up for the rest of the story. We meet new characters and lands in this third book, and I love it. I blazed through this one.
Kingsbane by Claire Legrand
Format: Audible
This is my biggest disappointment in 2019 for reading. I LOVED the first book in this series, and was eagerly awaiting the release of Kingsbane. I struggled through this audiobook. It is easy to understand that human urges are normal even in the characters we read about, but this book was more about how often the characters could have sex than an actual plot. I will not be awaiting anymore releases in this series.
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
Format: Audible
Margaret Rogerson is currently more well known for her book Sorcery of Thorns, but I noticed I’ve had this one on my “to read” list much longer. I also liked the cover art for this one more, which is why I decided to pick it up first. I really love this book because as much as I love series, sometimes I just need a stand alone that makes you feel good at the end. This is an enchanting fairytale journey into the world of the fae, and I can’t recommend it enough if you want a quick and delightful read.
Unfu*k Yourself. by Napraw się!
Format: Kindle
Every now and then I like to read motivational books because they often help you just feel like you can conquer the world. This is a fast read, but it definitely is not the best way to motivate me. Recently in life, I find it hard to take people seriously when they are trying to make a point using swear words. Additionally, this book is fine at the beginning, but repeats itself a lot throughout the book. For a quick read, go for it, but for substance, I found this to be a bit lacking.
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman
Format: Audible
I picked up this book because Charlie Bowater did the cover art, and I have been on a space themed high since Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. It even has a lot of similarities to Skyward from the get go, but quickly establishes its own wonderful set of characters and adventure. I will definitely be reading the entire series when this comes out, but it won’t be top of the priority list.
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Format: Audible
Of course, as I mentioned before, this book is the author’s current obsession in the YA community, and I enjoyed Enchantment of Ravens so much that I had to read it. This is a tale of a girl who lives in a world with demons and magical libraries. Every book lover’s fantasy. I really enjoyed this read, and highly recommend Margaret Rogerson’s works. I would say I am in the unpopular boat of liking Enchantment of Ravens more however. All in all, I hope she continues to write these great one off stories because they provide a nice break from long series and having to wait for sequels.
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
Format: Paperback
I love when stories with tons of great characters all with individual plot lines start to converge upon each other. We start to see the story coming together in this book of the series. I’ve been holding off reading the next in this series because there were a lot of other reads I wanted to make time for in 2019, but I think it’s time to pick it back up to get my fix.
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Format: Audible
I downloaded this listen based on the recommendation of the fantasy author panel we sat in on at Dragon*Con this year. This book is very unique compared to the other books I read this year. It draws a lot from India culture and tales, which was refreshing because I know so little about them. If you like the tales of Hades and Persephone, you will definitely enjoy this book. Not your traditional fantasy read.
101 Ways to Have a Great Day at Work by Stephanie Goddard Davidson
Format: Kindle
This book is exactly what it says it is. Each page is dedicated to a small way to have a positive attitude in the work place. This was part of a Humble Bundle that I downloaded when I really needed an attitude adjustment about the office. It isn’t life changing, but it was nice to pull this out and read a few whenever I was having a not so stellar day at work.
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Format: Audible
This book was offered as a free listen on Audible one month, so I had to download it. The name of the books in this series have always intrigued me, and the first book in the series lived up to the hype. If you don’t like slow moving plots, then you will appreciate the fast moving pace of this story and all the wonderful adventures the characters go on in their travels.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Format: Audible
I think this book was probably my most surprising thumbs up? Listening to this book, I couldn’t put it down because of the beautiful descriptions of all of the wonderful sights, circus acts, and characters. The setting of this book was very intriguing and magical, but I spent a lot of this listen questioning where the plot was going. Sticking it through to the end made it all worth it, and I really loved how it wrapped up. I definitely recommend this one if you enjoyed The Greatest Showman, or just magical circuses in general.
It’s Not What It Looks Like by Molly Burke
Format: Audible
Memoirs are one of my favorite styles of book. Molly’s story about overcoming and discovering herself is so inspiring. I especially loved her opinions on service animals as someone who needs one to live. She is very well spoken, and this is a fun, easy listen.
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
Format: Hardcover
My unexpectedly most anticipated release of 2019 since we weren’t expecting it until 2020. I LOVE THIS TRILOGY. You can bet on there already being more Holly Black on my future reading list for 2020. I found this ending to be a bit more predictable than the other two books in this trilogy, but I think it wrapped up the storyline perfectly. 10/10 go buy the set if you haven’t dived into The Folk of the Air series yet.
Sabriel by Garth Nix
Format: Paperback
My husband took me to our local bookstore for my birthday, and let me pick out whatever I wanted. I ended up having the person working there recommend me some of his picks based on my preferred genre. Little did I know, this is a wonderful series I completely missed the boat on in middle school. Many of my friends were so excited to see me reading this tale. I never thought I would be someone into books about necromancy, but since this is about the fourth one I’ve read in the last year, I have to say it’s a great genre. Definitely a recommended read (or reread).
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Format: Paperback
I have always wanted to go back and read the books I was supposed to read in school as an adult. The Giver by Lois Lowry has always been one of my favorite books, and so when I saw this small paperback staring me in the face I knew I had to read it. This was a one day read for me. I definitely recommend picking it up, and giving it a read if you never got the chance as an elementary student.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Format: Audible
All things Leigh Bardugo writes, I will pretty much listen to. She always has great narrators for her stories, and takes you on wild adventures no matter where the setting. This book was very unique to the other books Leigh has read in that it is set in the real world at Yale. I WISH the interview with the author was at the beginning of this book because it made the story so much more intriguing. Leigh not only writes a wonderful tale of magic based around the secret societies of Yale, but she was actually in one herself while at school! How cool is that? Definitely a recommended read, and would also be a great spooky read for Halloween time.
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
Format: Paperback
Do you like intriguing female characters and dark fairytales? This book had me hooked from the first three chapters where we meet each queen this book is centered around. I wasn’t sure how I would like this book as it progressed because it is a little dark natured for me, but I really loved every page of this one. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.
Starsight by Brandon Sanderson
Format: Audible
I finished this book at 9PM on New Year’s Eve. I have pretty much recommended the first in this series to EVERYONE who will let me talk about it, and the sequel did not disappoint. In fact, the revelations in this book pretty much blew my mind. I am going to have to pack a lot of great books to help distract me in for the wait ahead on the final book for this trilogy. Such a great book to end the reading year on.
If you made it this far, you are a real trooper. I hope you find at least one amazing read to add to your reading list. There are great things ahead in my reading adventures, and I hope you’ll continue to come along for the ride! Happy New Year!
What was your favorite read of 2019? What is a book you would recommend in 2020? Leave a comment below, and don’t forget to subscribe via email or Bloglovin’ to never miss a post!