My Top Reads of 2015: You need to read these books!

Hey everyone! It has been forever since I posted anything on here. I'm not going to bullshit you and say that this is me finally returning to blogging frequently. It isn't. I do hope to be back in 2016 and posting much more often. Today I am here because I want to post my top reads of the year and that just happens to be the topic for this weeks Top Ten Tuesday hosted at The Broke & The Bookish.

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

This book is actually a 2016 release, but I was lucky enough to get a review copy. I didn't have many expectations when it came to this book, but I definitely wasn't expecting it to turn out to be one of my top reads of the year so far. This book reads like Arabian Nights/Aladdin meets a western, and the end result is incredible. This has the kind of slow burn romance that I absolutely love, where it takes a long time to develop. There's magic elements here, mythical horses, not to mention a sharpshooter heroine who knows how to kick some serious ass. I was in awe of this book and can't wait for whatever the author does next. I am going to be making grabby hands for the sequel all throughout next year. 

You can enter to win a pre-order here:

Rebel of the Sands by @AlwynFJH - a 2016 must read. Follow & RT to enter to win a pre-order! (INT ends 18/12) pic.twitter.com/lOCos9su5a

— Charnell (@reviewbookworm) December 3, 2015

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Red Rising was one of my top reads of last year and I'm happy to say that the sequel did not disappoint. I am counting down the days until the final book comes out next year. This book kept me guessing the whole time and the end just blew me away. It was a cliffhanger and then some, and now I just need answers. I need to make sure everything works out for my two favourite characters, but I'm not sure that Pierce Brown can be trusted not to kill everyone. You can read my full review here. 

 
Half Bad & Half Wild by Sally Green

This has quickly made it's way into my top series of all time, I absolutely adore it. I literally just received a review copy of the third and final book and I almost died. I can't wait to see how this wonderful series ends. It's a story that has witches and dark magic and fantastical characters. Plus it has stolen my heart... Well, Gabriel has. If you haven't gotten into this series yet then you really should, the third book comes out early next year and this is one you don't want to miss.

The Martian by Andy Weir

I still very much need to write a review of this book where I just gush and gush and gush. IT WAS AMAZING! It is seriously one of the greatest books I have ever read. It also contains one of the funniest, snarkiest and just plain fucking awesome male protagonists of all time. If you want a book that will have you gripping the pages in anticipation one minute, to laughing your ass of the next, to crying ten minutes later... This is the book you need. I know this is a book I will reread many times over the years. Mark Watney is a character I just connected with so strongly, mostly because his absolutely hilarious and sarcastic sense of humour just perfectly matched my own. 

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

I love me some Colleen Hoover. I have not been disappointed by one of her books yet. November 9 follows two characters that meet up on the same day every year... the 9th of November. We have Ben, an aspiring novelist, and Fallon, a girl who is struggling to deal with the lasting scars from the accident that almost cost her her life. I liked all their bookish discussions and both going through their least favourite romance tropes, it added a lot of fun to this story. Hoover is one of the few romance authors that I absolutely love and can't get enough of. She's on my auto-buy list for life. 

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

This one is hard because this book has me torn. I seem to both hate and love it in equal measure. There were a lot of things that I wish I could change about this book, but I can't deny that it was a brilliant story. I couldn't put it down and I ended up finishing the book feeling quite happy with where the story was going. I do still stand by the fact that I feel characters seemed to have suddenly changed for no reason, but I still love the series and can't wait for the next book. You can read my full review here. 

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough

I LOVED this book! This has personified versions of Love and Death, who I not so subtly shipped throughout. The Game of Love and Death is an exquisite story that I feel everyone should have the pleasure of reading. It made me sad, angry, hopeful, happy and everything above, beyond and in-between. I fell in love with the unique and individual characters, whose lives I came so wrapped up in that I felt far too heavily invested when I actually remembered they were fictional - they never felt it though. Brockenbrough brought her characters to life in a way that few authors can. I will be rereading this book for years to come, this is a story I will want to find myself getting lost in over and over again. This is a book to make you think and to make you feel, to make you question and look for answers. You can find my full review here. 

Night Owls by Jenn Bennett

This is contemporary young adult at its best! This is a book for anyone who loves contemporary. Or swoon worthy romance. Or mature YA characters. Or characters with a passion for art. Or a book that's filled with diverse and wonderful characters. This is a book for anyone. It should be devoured and loved! This read will leave you with the biggest smile on your face because the romance between our to main characters is just absolutely adorable. You can read my full review here. 

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

I'd had this new adult novel sitting on my shelf since last Christmas, and I finally thought it was time to give it a try. Colleen Hoover had recommended it a lot and I'd seen it around a lot. I gave it a try and was hooked by page one. I didn't put it down and devoured this like a crazy person. I was blown away by this book and my heart broke when I went to buy all the authors other books and realised this was her only book. I ended up spending about £100 on Amazon buying any book that had been compared to it. None of them were close to as good.



Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa

This was another fantastic contemporary novel. This book is diverse and wonderful. It explores mental health superbly, it has diverse characters, has LGBTQ characters and explores sexuality. It also contains witty, sarcastic humour and so much banter that will have you laughing out loud. Not to mention that the author manages to pull off using three different POVs, one written in 1st person, one in 2nd and another in 3rd. 

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I was so surprised when I ended up absolutely loving this book. I only say that because I was one of the few people who felt disappointed with the Grisha series. I loved the Grisha world, but just didn't think the story was that amazing. This book takes place in the same world, but with a whole new host of characters. This is a heist novel, set in a magical world and it is amazing. The characters are fantastic and I am itching to get my hands on the second and final book. 

Were any of these on your list? Are there any that you could recommend to me? What were your top reads this year? 

I can't celebrate my blogoversary without holding a giveaway for all of my amazing followers. One winner will win up to £30 worth of books from Book Depository. This will be open internationally, as long as Book Depository ships to your country.


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