Today I want to share my most favorite books of 2017 with you guys. At first, I wanted to do a “best 17 of 2017”, but I decided that my favorites list should really only consist of my FAVORITES of the year; it should consist of books that were clearly all 5-star books, and not in-betweens.
This list is in no particular order, I just listed all my favorites right here!
- Lord of Shadows – Cassandra Clare
Although I said that this list is in no particular order, this books is my #1 most favorite book of the year. I have been part of the Shadowhunter world for such a long time, and with every book I have the feeling that it gets better and better, the world gets more complicated, the characters more complex. All of this is definitely visible in Lord of Shadows, and honestly I think this is even Cassie’s most sophisticated book yet. I cannot wait to see where this story takes us!
- Cinder – Marissa Meyer
This was definitely the most surprising read of the year. I have had this book on my shelf for years (I think I bought it in 2013), and although I did eventually want to read it, it was not on my top priorities list whatsoever. I was participating in the “Holiday Adventure-a-thon” and one of the challenges was the read a fairytale retelling. Since Cinder was the only one available to me, I picked it up, and omg am I happy I did! The writing flowed so nicely with the story, and the characters you almost HAD TO fall in love with! Definitely one of my favs, and I can’t wait to continue with the series in 2018!
- Six of Crows / Crooked Kingdom – Leigh Bardugo
I know, I know, these are technically two books and not one, but they are by the same author, so I included both. Also: I couldn’t decide which of these two I liked more, so here we go! This duology quickly became one of my favorite books of all time. The character dynamics are just so incredible! Normally, when a book has multiple perspectives, I don’t care for at least half of the people in the book. Not with these ones, though, oh boy. I loved every single character, and I cared for every single one of them. And I think that says a lot about how much I enjoyed this book!
- The Upside of Unrequited – Becky Albertalli
Ever since I read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli I knew: this is one of my auto-buy-authors now. Her writing is just so addicting, and the worlds and characters she creates just make you feel so happy and fuzzy inside that you just can’t help but grin at your book after finishing it. The representation of diversity in this book is incredible, which I also love to see in YA books. I can’t wait for Becky’s newest release!
- History is all you left me / They both die at the end – Adam Silvera
Moving on from “happy and fuzzy” feelings to more sinister emotions, such as crying and sobbing until your eyes fall out. That is what I want to do after finishing a book by Adam Silvera. His books are incredibly thought-inducing, which I absolutely love about them. And even though his books might make you sad, (sometime also very very sad *cough* They Both Die at the End *cough*) in the end, these will be the books that stick with you the longest. Even though I read History is all you left me a long time ago, I still think about it so much. That is definitely a sign for a book that touched me. (Same goes for They Both Die at the End!)
- Traitor to the Throne – Alwyn Hamilton
Oh boy, oh boy. This series is going to be the end of me. Rebel of the Sands (the first book in the series) was already really good, but this one BLEW ME AWAY. The character developments were just so amazing, and visible in Every. Single. Character! Plus: the setting in this book (the Sultan’s palace) was one of my most favorite setting I’ve ever read about. The ending was a huge plot-twist and cliffhanger at the same time, so I am highly anticipating the last book in the series!
- The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue – Mackenzie Lee
This book was just a pure pleasure to read. I laughed so much while being on this incredible adventure with our main characters (which by the way, took such an unexpected turn that I was just sitting in front of my book like ??? What???) Monty, our main character, is incredibly flawed, but exactly that makes him so relatable. He makes some stupid decisions throughout the novel, and it was just so much fun to read about them. I just found out that this book will get a sequel (?) or companion novel (?) following Monty’s sister, which I am absolutely hyped for! (But we will get to see some MontyxPercy goodness, right? Please?)
- Illuminae – Amy Kaufmann/Jay Kristoff
Another book that surprised me. The format of this book is completely different than what I am used to, which also made it hard for me to actually get into the book. It was only after the first half of the book actually, that I was able to completely immerse myself in this story and the world it takes place in. In the end, I might have even cried a little. Usually, I am not a huge Sci-Fi reader, but I did enjoy this vey much!
- Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince/Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K. Rowling
I finished my first ever read of the Harry Potter series this year, and how could I not include the two books I read this year into my list? I just fell in love with this world and these character, as I’m sure we all have. *sigh* I just really want to be a wizard.
- Alte Geister ruhen unsanft – Thomas Brezina
This author accompanied me through my childhood. I didn’t have the chance to read HP when I was a child, but it was HIS books that I grew up with. Seeing him write another book, with the same characters just was extremely exciting for me. What have my childhood heroes been up to for the past 20 years? What has become of them? Are they still the same people I went on so many adventures with? The Nostalgia factor went through the roof while I was reading this, which is why it 100% belongs to my favorites of the year!
Honorable mentions:
These are the books that did not quite make it to my most favorites list, but I loved them, and I would recommend them nevertheless!
- Carry On – Rainbow Rowell
- When Dimple Met Rishi – Sandhya Menon
- And I Darken – Kiersten White
- A Series of Unfortunate Events: A Bad Beginning – Lemony Snicket
- Superior – Jessica Lack
What books were some of your favorites this year? Let me know!
Book and Fandom Obsessions 