Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
1. The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black: there was hype around this one, right? It was a group-read pick for a group I was part of on Twitter and I was definitely planning on reading it anyway but. I'm glad I got to it so soon after it was released because I really enjoyed it.
2. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: this one has A LOT of hype on Tumblr. It actually took me to attempts to get into this one after I read The Scorpio Races (also a recommendation from someone, but I wasn't blogging back when the hype would have been happening...) in one sitting and went prowling the library for more Maggie Stiefvater books.
3. When the Moon was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore: This one is something I don't think I would have known about or picked up without people telling me that they'd really enjoyed it.
4. And I Darken by Kiersten White: After my not-so-fabulous experience reading The Chaos of Stars, I'm not sure that I would have picked this one up without the generally super positive response people had to it (and the group-read).
5. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz: OH. SO. MUCH. I actually audiobooked this one while I was doing a temp job as a cleaner in a factory. It is difficult to have a serious emotional reaction to a book while you're vacuuming and scrubbing out microwaves and toilets but. This one managed.
6. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski: I'm pretty sure the hype contributed to me picking this one up?
7. A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab: okay so this is slightly a lie, I only REALLY got swept up in this series when I was reading A Gathering of Shadows but I am using the first book to represent the trilogy in this case.
8. Illuminae by Amie Koffman and Jay Kristoff: I remember this book being such a big deal when it came out (justifiably so, it was a fantastic reading experience).
9. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee: I think I did pick this one up before a lot of the hype actually hit? That or I missed a lot of the hype by the early readers, read it around the release day, and then got to watch people discover it later on, which was lovely.
10. First and Then by Emma Mills: I can't remember who recommended this one exactly but it isn't something I think I would have picked up if I hadn't heard really good things.
I'm pretty sure it was the cover for The Winner's Curse that prompted me to pick it up. These original designs are stunners - and yet I still haven't read the series. Oops! Hopefully soon. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm still a tiny bit bitter about them changing the covers to ones that don't remotely suit the series but... it's fine. I'm mostly over it. I really like the typography on the cover of The Winner's Curse, especially, it really stands out. (Sideways text! Big words! Super eye-catching!)
DeleteI need to read The Gentlemen's Guide... I don't know how I've NOT read it yet. Fab list! My TTT
ReplyDeleteSo many books, so little time, I guess? It's definitely worth picking up when you get the chance!
DeleteI remember wondering why all the hype for Illuminae, and then I read it lol. Although Gemina for me was even better! And I want to read The Darkest Part of the Forest- I've been meaning to try Holly Black for a while.
ReplyDeleteI think Illuminae was still my favourite of the trilogy, partly because it was rather unlike anything I'd read before (sci-fi epistolary-style novels aren't super common, I don't think?) and it was a great experience.
DeleteThe Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue made my list too, i love it so much!
ReplyDeleteIt was such a great read, I'm really looking forward to The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy!
DeleteI picked up And I Darken and Now I Rise(?) the other day when Amazon had them both on sale for cheap. I'm about halfway through And I Darken and it's really a fascinating twist on the theme. I'm loving it!
ReplyDeleteHere is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
I haven't read Now I Rise yet! I kind of put it off until the trilogy was complete and then I just... haven't yet read it. I'll get there eventually, although I may have to reread And I Darken to prep (there's so many details that could be important that I've probably forgotten in the intervening years...)
DeleteI totally get that. I started so many series late and then raced to catch up and find myself waiting. It's a bummer. Hahaha. Yeah, I can't even imagine how many of these little details I'm being fed in And I Darken will come into play later.
DeleteIt's politics so random details are Important a lot of the time... I'm kind of a mood-reader, paired with being weird about how and when I read series so sometimes things are in a state of chaos...
DeleteAh, that makes sense. And I can see how you might not be ready for a book like that randomly, too.
DeleteIt's kind of heavy... or dense? Something like that... lots of information, lots going on, not a lot of comedy because sometimes you're just too busy being a hazard to everyone's safety (Lada) or worrying about your sister being a hazard to everyone's safety (Rabu) to do comedy.
DeleteYou're the first one I've seen who also had The Raven Boys in their list!! I really agree. The books are amazing!
ReplyDeleteIlluminae will also always have a special place in my heart!
Our TTT: https://thebookdutchesses.com/2018/07/31/ttt-38-popular-books-that-lived-up-to-the-hype/
The Raven Boys was a really good read but it is a slower book, so I think it isn't quite everyone's cup of tea. I REALLY liked it though the writing style and character creation were wonderful.
DeleteSo many books I loved on this list. I recently read Gentleman’s Guide, and it’s a new favorite for sure. I need the sequel now!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I'm really really looking forward to The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, Felicity is a really special character for me and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of her!
DeleteI LOVED And I Darken, Gentleman's Guide, and The Winner's Curse! Great list!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm really looking forward to a continuing The Conquerors Saga, and the companion to Gentleman's Guide... and if Marie Rutkoski ever felt like writing something else in the world of The Winner's Curse I would also be very cool with that...
DeleteADSOM and The Raven Boys books were on my list this week too!
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/07/31/top-ten-tuesday-170/
They were both really fantastic series (and both getting continuations/spinoffs so that's exciting!)
DeleteAHH SO MANY FAVOURITES OF MINE HERE TOO!! The Gentleman's Guide was EVERYTHING. I adored every page. Same with Illuminae (omg so much hype for that one, right?!) and The DArkest Part of the Forest! I actually felt Anna Marie McLemore's books were underhyped haha...I clearly am running with the wrong crowd here. 😂 I love them a lot though of course!
ReplyDeleteI mean I think I got the impression that Anna-Mari McLemore's books were hyped because I spend my time looking at a lot A LOT of queer literature recc lists (bias sample there I guess) and also because they are books that I, personally, hype a lot? When the Moon was Ours in on this list because I feel like it was a bit more widely known but Wild Beauty is actually my favourite... I think she's my favourite writer of magical realism overall?
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