The Highs and Lows of 2018 (in terms of books) ft. 2018 favs and disappointing readsssssse

Hi, welcome to my MasterClass on how to smush posts into one.

This is a favorite books / least favorites of 2019 post.

Which you all…. definitely want. And haven’t seen enough of already.

you guys @ me. i’m sorry

My least favorite books aren’t really “I hate these!!!” but more so “yea so this was mediocre which is kind of awkward” because I only had one 1-star in 2018!!

I’m going to be ranking my favorite books, from the least liked to the most liked, because I like putting myself through pain to try and determine which book I enjoyed the most!

Fun fact: I had 7 favorite books in 2018, which is the same number as I had in 2017!! Is 7 my lucky number???? Should I change my blog name to “seven seven seven???” Let me know in the comments below if you think that “seven seven seven” is a good blog name.

(I just looked at my favorites shelf and had a small moment of arrest where I couldn’t choose which book I loved the most. So. There’s that.)

{all covers link to their respective goodreads/reviews}

   

7. Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan

blog review

• Okay so I’ve literally screamed about this book too much but!
• Look at the color palette of the cover!!
• The pretty asian girl!!!
• The lettering!!!! (I know it’s just a simple font but I LOVE IT)
• Anyways, this is an amazing, diverse adventure sci-fi novel that’s Classic and yet fresh!
• I could scream on and on about this book < 3

6. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

• I’m only here for Jude, my cruel queen.
• Also, Holly Black’s writing is so atmospheric and amazing and I’m so looking forward to reading The Wicked King!!
• (everyone has read The Wicked King already and I still can’t. believe myself. that I haven’t read it yet?? I’m just trying to get into the right headspace so that it can Officially and Properly ruin my life!)
• I totally want to read Holly Black’s other books, such as The Darkest Part of the Forest which I actually own a paperback copy of! I… lost it though.

5. Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

blog review

• Catch me on the sidewalk screaming about Levi and Enne and their slow-burn relationship?
• I WANT TO SCREAM ABOUT THIS BOOK FOREVER AND EVER. It was so amazing, and just saying, I could totally tell the difference between this book and Amanda Foody’s debut! She grew so much and it’s very noticeable and WE STAN A DEVELOPING QUEEN.
• Also, Levi is a chaotic bisexual. Do I really need to continue?

   

4. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

• Wow this was so amazing and captivating and I stayed up so late reading this on my computer? But I want you all to know: the main character doesn’t actually possess the ability to create gold from silver, she’s just a smart and witty trader who figures out how to finesse her way into profit.
• (I can’t believe I used the word “finesse”.)
• But anyways! This features three different powerful feminist voices and their stories and it’s all very complicated but the strings come together in the end and Naomi Novik’s mind is stunning. (Also, I forgot the names of the characters.)

3. Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

blog review

• *inhales*
• SAPPHIC MAINSTREAM ASIAN FANTASY NOVEL THAT FEATURES AN AMAZING, DIVERSE CAST AND PULLS ITS SETTING FROM REAL ASIAN COUNTRIES. AND ALSO, NATASHA NGAN IS SO SWEET I LOVE HER.
• Guys???? Can we just take a minute to look at that cover? The sly one-eye-covered and the amazing reflection off of the hair? It’s so sleek that it’s almost minimalist in its design.
• I’m waiting for the day I have money so I can simultaneously buy 29839 copies of this book at once. (my life goal)

2. Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer

• I think my goodreads review for this book was the longest I have ever written? (Y’all should check it out wink wink) (It’s linked in the book cover)
• But that’s because I have so. much. to say about it! I mean, I freaking love all of the characters, even the terrible ones, and the world is just so vivid and real to me that I’m kind of upset that I CAN’T TRAVEL THERE. #rude
• Like… I love all of the characters, especially Mokosh!
• (and the main character too I guess)
• I’m honestly… like… infatuated by this book. I could not stop reading it and obsessing!!
• THIS IS SO UNDERRATED YOU GUYS CAN MORE PEOPLE PLEASE READ THIS BOOK.
• (my blog review will be coming in like a week!)

1. The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

• Hey wow this is exactly what I needed after watching the Aladdin movie and feeling an intense mental hangover!!!
• Seriously, the writing is so captivating and the characters are amazing and look at how beautiful that cover is!!!
• I… can’t believe I lost the cover jacket of this book I hate myself
• Also I spilled water on this book and the cover jacket is like… kind of stained and warped
• Is this a post on my favorite books or is a post on how I ruin all of my physical books
• Anyways, READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!

Because this was my #1 of 2018, I gave it a little crown:

bask in my artistic skills

If any of you guys want to compliment me, don’t worry: I’m very aware that I should be a cover artist. (Also, I didn’t realize but I covered Jessica Khoury’s name I’M SO SORRY)

Also, my favorites that are lower on the list are JUST AS VALID as the ones on top. Tbh I’m not even sure about the ranking but um. anyways.

Now we’re moving on to my most disappointing books! Feel free to say that those aren’t valid! I literally only have like three sooooo this list is going to be short.

Also, all of my favorites were five stars, which is why I didn’t mark my rating, but for my most disappointing reads I’ll put up the ratings because some of them are different.

   

3. Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

★★★

• I know that May and Elise and Kav are glaring at me and: I’M SORRY OKAY.
• But like. this book had no plot and I just like… want some plot. (pls)
• The ending was actually amazing though! Which redeemed it from being two stars. And also, the writing was pretty beautiful. And the characters were interesting. IT’S JUST THAT NOTHING HAPPENED *screams*
• Guess who still’s going to be reading Anna-Marie’s other book, Blanca y Roja, tho!!! (spoiler: it’s me)
• (I’ve been informed that Blanca y Roja actually has less plot than Wild Beauty but… I have a copy of it from my older sister standing in line at BookCon for an hour so! I’m still going to read it!)
• This cover thoughhhhhh I love it so much.

2. Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich

★★★

• *awkward silence*
• This is an NYT bestseller and I’m lowkey confused because I haven’t seen ANY HYPE for this, at ALL but I guess that makes sense because the musical community might be buying it? I recently saw one of my irl friends reading a finished copy of this book, sooooo…
• Also, I’m glad that my musical nerd friend likes Dear Evan Hansen because after I finished reading this book I could immediately pass it on to her. (If you’re reading this, hi. I’m sorry I gave you a book I disliked.)
• “Dear Evan Hansen,” more like “Dear God, Why Does This Exist”
• Okay, I don’t hate this book that much. It’s not that bad. I just???? Expected more??? And it was just more privileged white boi nonsense that frustrated me to the core.
• And I feel like it was trying too hard to cover all the aspects of the musical while also trying to be unique that it just ended up being mediocre all around.
• (The cover I used for this is the paperback cover, which doesn’t have a weird black outline like the hardback cover. BUT THE PAPERBACK COVER IS SLIGHTLY LESS SATURATED THAN THE HARDBACK, and if you’re going to change the cover, WHY MAKE IT SLIGHTLY LESS SATURATED. what is the point. Do you want people to get jealous and buy the more saturated hardback instead????)

1. Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

★★

• I originally rated this three stars before I realized that my rating system is literally so messed up because I rated Wild Beauty and a couple of books that I actually liked as three stars, soooo I quickly changed this one to two stars.
• (My reading stats are going to be wrong. You heard it here first!)
• I only mildly enjoyed Marieke’s debut, This is Where it Ends, but I did see potential!! So I was hoping that her next novel would be… well, competent. (this is so mean. I’m sorry)
• Y’all should read Elise’s far more coherent review because my reviews are terrible.
• But anyways, I seriously expected something more out of this book than random unexplored “whisper/ghost/shadow” nonsense and plain, boring writing. And my expectations weren’t freaking met.

What were your favorites of 2018? Do we have any matching ones? What were the most disappointing books of 2018? Does the slightly less saturated cover of Dear Evan Hansen confound you too?