I LOVE to read which is probably something you already know by this point (especially if you're on twitter - I love talking about books there! You can find me here!). Last year I did a post of my favorite reads from 2012 and I wanted to continue that tradition this year.
By far and away, my favorite book was actually a trilogy called The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. The books titles are The Clockwork Angel, The Clockwork Prince and The Clockwork Princess.
If you've heard of The Mortal Instruments, this is the trilogy that preludes it, however, you don't have to read them in combination with TMI. It won't matter if you haven't read her other books are have already done so. There are a few overlapping characters but the main protagonist in this trilogy is Tessa who is only mentioned (not even by name) once in TMI series.
I do not hand out 5 stars to very many books, but I did give books 1 and 2 in this trilogy a 5 (book three earned 4 stars because I wasn't completely keen on the ending, even though it fit well with the story).
The Infernal Devices deals with Shadowhunters and Downworlders and centers around Tessa Gray, an orphaned teenager who is trying to figure out how she belongs in this world. If you're a fan of TMI, you'll love that Magnus Bane appears throughout this trilogy as well.
Going in a completely different direction, we have another 5 star book called Sempre by JM Darhower. This book caught me totally off guard. It's about a modern day girl, living here in the US that is a second generation slave. This is a fictional book about a very real subject that I had no idea existed. It touched me so much that I wrote this post called "Slavery: Our Girls Are Not For Sale".
It's a great book that deals with a very real, very heavy subject in the best way possible. I didn't realize it at the time, but this book will have a sequel which was just released last month and I can't wait to read it.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco had vastly different childhoods. Haven, a second-generation slave, grew up isolated in the middle of the desert, her days full of hard work and terrifying abuse. Carmine, born into a wealthy Mafia family, lived a life of privilege, never having to answer for anything he did.
Both now seventeen, a twist of fate causes their worlds to collide, making them question everything they ever believed. Entangled in a web of secrets and lies, they learn that while different on the surface, they have more in common than anyone would think.
If you're wanting some light and not paranormal, I would highly suggest Northanger Alibi, book 2 of The Jane Austen Diaries. The books are can be read out of order and I didn't realize this was the second book of a series when I read it, and the fact that I hadn't read the first one didn't affect anything.
This is a lighthearted, modern retelling of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
The Russo family and Seattle, Washington, are no match for Claire Hart and her savvy knowledge of all things vampire-related. Thanks to her obsession with the Twilight series, if there is anyone who would know a vampire when she saw one, it's Claire. And she's positive totally hot Tony Russo is a vampire - she just has to prove it!
In this modern retelling of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, follow Claire's hilarious journey on her first summer adventure away from home, where she learns everything isn't what it seems, and that in some instances, reality is way better than anything she'd ever find in a book.
In this modern retelling of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, follow Claire's hilarious journey on her first summer adventure away from home, where she learns everything isn't what it seems, and that in some instances, reality is way better than anything she'd ever find in a book.
This book was so cute that I immediately bought the next one...and couldn't even finish it because it was so bad! You never know what you're going to get with these series but this particular book was very cute.
And my list wouldn't be complete without a Nicholas Sparks book. It seems like every year I read one book of his and this year, it was The Last Song.
Anyway, if you need a Nicholas Sparks fix (and who doesn't?) I highly recommend this book. I don't want to give anything away but I don't tend to like books with sad endings, so I try to steer away from those. This book had a perfect ending in my eyes.
Last but not least, I have to mention The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.
This was a hard one for me. In fact, I only gave it a 3 when I rated it on Goodreads, but this book has stuck with me since I read it. As soon as I started reading it, I knew exactly where the author was going to end up. And I cried my way through this book. I normally would never, ever recommend a sad book but this book is SO much more than that. Its a gut-wrenching story about a girl named Hazel who has terminal cancer.
John Green's writing style is just so me. It's exactly how I talk in my head but rarely do I verbalize. I am about to start reading my second John Green book and I hope it will make my favorite for 2014 list!
What are your favorite books from 2013?
