Best Books of 2018

It's the last day of 2018, we made it! WHOO!

Below is a list of my top ten favorite books from 2018. They're not in any particular order, and they will only be ones that I read in 2018. I'm only numbering them to make sure I stop myself at ten, ha... ha.... I like books.

Rather than recap the entire book summary, I'm going to include the book title, author, location for my book review, and why it made the list.

Pardon any formatting weirdness, my struggles were very, very real today. Anywho, here's the list!

1.  Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier

My book review is HERE.

This has become my new book to recommend all the time when people ask me for a book to read. I find myself thinking back to how much that world lent itself to the story of Nan, Toby, and Char. I still appreciate how well the story was told while not shying away from the tragedies of the world. Marvelous.

2. The Good Demon by Jimmy Cajoleas

My book review is HERE.

I tend to run away from creepy books, and while this book is pretty chilling, I ran right to it. The depth of the character, the magic of the world, and having that sensation of is this character really their friend, or are they a foe, as the whole thing is a mystery slowly being uncovered.

3. Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

My book review is HERE.

Previously, I had tended to shy away from books that were only told in poetry. Sometimes I find the nuances of poetry to be a little tedious, but after a friend strongly recommended reading this book, I find myself considering books of poetry more often. Plus, the story told in this one is heart wrenching and kept me cheering for Xiomara the entire story.

4. Scythe by Neal Shusterman

My book review is HERE.

I loved this book so much. The world building is so fantastic, the character development, plot development, and interactions between all the characters felt so authentic in such a different world than what we know. I also frequently recommend this book to people.

5. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

My book review is HERE.

Where did all these giant robot statues come from? How does the world stay connected through social media, the news, and online communities? It's a little suspenseful but in the best ways, and I'm eagerly waiting for the sequel.

6. Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

My book review is HERE.

I normally go out of my way to avoid reading a mystery novel, but I tend to make exceptions when my favorite authors tackle the genre. I was very glad I made that exception, and the sequel is coming out for this soon, and I loved the main character as she felt very flawed and realistic, like a real person.

7. The Supervillain and Me by Danielle Banas

My book review is  HERE.

I read a lot of comic books, I usually prefer reading superhero stories in that format. This book was another exception, and I have no regrets. I loved the exploration of the gray area in this book between heroes and villains while Abby (main character) didn't have any powers but still played a very important role in all of the chaos. It was pretty great.

8. To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

My book review is HERE.

I'll always consider the fantasy genre to be my 'home zone' of favorite books. That being said, I tend to be very hypercritical about which ones I recommend or allow to be my favorites because there are just so many. This one definitely makes the cut since it's such a sympathetic telling of sirens who eat people. ...right!?!?

9. The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones

My book review is HERE.

This book does deal with the sensitive subject matter of abuse and different themes within abuse. However, I think it covers the topic well while giving it the gravitas it deserves, and still balances it with a story about daemons. It's also an interesting coming of age story in the middle of a daemon war. 

10. Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner

My book review is HERE.

A break down of nerd culture, female struggles within nerd culture, and struggles in general with the online, internet community. I really liked this story because the main character goes through hell, and then some, while also trying to figure out how girls act versus how guys act. In retrospect, it is kind of a gender breakdown, and there is a point in the book where Cam is just herself, with some tweaks to be a 'boy' when she's in her disguise. I also recommend this book to people. 

Happy reading, and I hope you find wonderful books to read next year!