I’ve been doing extra reading recently, and I’ve decided to do a book roundup to spotlight some of my favorites so that I don’t have a ridiculously long list like I did at the end of last year. I’m not an Amazon associate, so all of the links are just ways to make your life easier :).
So, here are my top reads so far for this year!
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#1 Calculated, by Nova McBee
Rating: 5 Stars
About: Math prodigy Jo Rivers isn’t like others in her craft. She isn’t just good at numbers– she can see them everywhere, calculating her world. And it’s that exact gift that has led to her being kidnapped by the world’s fiercest crime bosses. But when her freedom is bought by a wealthy billionaire who wishes for her to fix a financial problem in his business, Jo suddenly finds herself with a chance to set the score with those who hurt her– and the discovery of a worldwide economic crisis only she can stop.
THIS BOOK. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. The audio is fantastic. The action and internal narrative make you feel like you’re living inside the character’s head. And while Jo is tough, she’s not the cliche type of “tough girl”– she actually embraces being female, and acts like a girl. Added with strong male characters and a slight touch of romance, this book was the highlight of my reading so far. I’m already halfway through its sequel, Simulated. And there’s a movie series being made from them! Like, seriously, go read this book now.
Link: Amazon.com: Calculated: 9781953944504: McBee, Nova: Books
#2 Wayfarer, by K.M. Weiland
Rating: 5 Stars
About: All Will Hardy wanted was to rise above his simple upbringing as a blacksmith’s apprentice and join the high society of Georgian England. Then he investigated the mysterious Dr. Silas and his “Affrey Plague”, he suddenly finds himself affected with the most curious of symptoms. Suddenly, bright lights and heights make him dizzy and nauseous, but he can run and jump faster than any other man alive. And when he finds himself on the wrong side of a powerful noble’s ambitions, Will is thrust into far more adventure than he bargained for.
With a full-cast audiobook narration and a fantastic diesel-punk/gaslamp setting, Wayfarer is NOT your normal superhero book. The beginning is a little slow, but once the action gets going, Wayfarer takes you on a journey of rooftops, inner London, illusions, and the quest of a man to discover his true calling.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Wayfarer-K-M-Weiland-ebook/dp/B07JJMQ765
#3 Raising Dragons: The Graphic Novel by Bryan Davis
Rating: 3.5 Stars
About: Billy’s been called Dragon Breath for his hot mouth, but when he actually starts to breath fire, he knows that something is up. As it turns out, his father is a dragon, and he– along with his new friend, Bonnie– are halfbreeds. Now his principal (actually an ancient dragon hunter) is trying to kill him, his home is burnt to the ground, and his entire family is being hunted by a medieval version of an anti-Dragon mafia.
The graphic novel adaption of the beloved Christian fantasy story was intriguing to say the least… but there were some parts that felt cheap. I haven’t read the novel, so I don’t know how faith is handled differently, but there were sections where it bit the borderline of cheesy. I also have very mixed feelings about dragons in literature as a whole, so some of the “lore” that Davis includes feels almost sacrilegious. But, that is my opinion. The art was okay– the expressions could have been done better. Other than that, I loved that there were strong adult rolls in the story, as well as strong male characters.
Link: Raising Dragons Graphic Novel: Davis, Bryan: 9780989812290: Amazon.com: Books
#4 Honey Butter, by Millie Florence
Rating: 4.5 Stars
About: Jamie is a lonely 7 year old girl with an unusual hobby– she collects paint cards. And life stuck in the middle of her big family with an entire summer of nothing to do seems like the most awful predicament in the world– until Laren Lark moves in next door. Laren’s thirteen, and there’s no way that she would want to be friends with Jamie– but she does. And Jamie’s summer turns into something spectacular.
This is one of those books that you read when you need a pick me up. There’s no intense plot, no heart-stopping drama– just the sweet and simple tale of two girls who form a beautiful friendship. While some of the narration could have been better (it feels more third person omniscient, which can get a little bit tiring to read) this is ultimately a chocolate chip muffin kind of story, one that you can read in an afternoon when you need more sunshine.
Link: Amazon.com: Honey Butter: 9780692927847: Florence, Millie: Books
#5 A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes
Rating: 3 Stars
About: In a world where you know the minute you’re going to die, Parvin Blackwater believes she has wasted her life. She wants to do something special to commemorate her days on earth, but what is a girl with a very normal life and nothing life changing supposed to write about in her autobiography? Asking for help from a famous author takes a dangerous turn, and suddenly Parvin finds herself thrown beyond the limits of the city, in a dangerous world of outcasts and Radicals. But the truth of what lies beyond the wall is nothing like she expected…
I loved Nadine Brandes’ historical fantasy novel Fawkes, so I decided to try her debut novel. I have to say, I was a little disappointed– I found that A Time to Die was notoriously hard to connect into, and many of the faith scenes were far too conveinient. It just didn’t have the same appeal as Fawkes did. Otherwise, it was an excellent book.
Link: Amazon.com: A Time to Die (Out of Time Book 1) (Volume 1): 9781621840299: Brandes, Nadine: Books
#6 The Truth Seeker by Dee Henderson
Rating: 5 Stars
About: The third book in Henderson’s O’Malley series. Lisa is a forensic pathologist with an insatible curiosity, so when her recent endeavor leaves to a bad injury and being shoved into cold case paperwork instead of on-sight jobs, she thinks it’ll be her most boring assignment ever. Then patterns begin showing up, and the harder she works on the cases, the more threatening notes she gets from a secret stalker who clearly doesn’t want the truth to be found.
OH THE ROMANCE. I haven’t read very many enemies to lovers because… eh, it’s overdone… but this was MASTERFUL. Cowboys, murder mystery, excellent faith exploration… this book series is one of the few that includes both romance and Christianity without either of them being cheesy or fake. The pain and struggle to trust Jesus is real– you hurt with the characters. And strong male characters! *applause*
#7 The Boy, The Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Rating: 5 Stars
About: When a lonely little boy loses his way in the forest, he meets an intriguing cast of animals– the cake-loving mole, the wise old horse, and the fox who rarely speaks because he’s been hurt by life. While this story has little in ways of a plot, it flows like an elegant children’s story, with watercolor and charcoal drawings that illustrate the wonderful questions and pieces of wisdom this tale has to offer. It’s not my first time reading this book, nor shall it be the last. It’s the only book I’ve come across that gives your heart a hug.
Link: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: Mackesy, Charlie: 9780062976581: Amazon.com: Books
#8 Mooses with Bazookas by S.D. Smith
Rating: 5 Stars
About: If you ever needed a collection of stories to make you laugh, cry, and think, then Mooses with Bazookas is for you. From the wacky letters of the stranded Wally Warmbottom, to the origin of the word “abundance”, to an absurd novella about a war between mooses and bears, and a sweet story about a mouse’s quest to get a bottle for his poem to sail away in. I fell out of my chair twice, almost shed a tear, and found myself rereading things three times to try to make sense of the wackiness. A joy for anyone to read, definitely my favorite standalone of S.D. Smith’s books.
#9 Coral, by Sara Ella
Rating: 5 Stars
About: Every mermaid fears Red Tide, a mysterious disease that somehow only affects merwomen, characterized by a trait only known to humans– emotion. And Coral is the only one who can see her sister slowly dying from Red Tide.
Meanwhile, above land, Merrick spends his time split between abhorring his father, looking out for his mother and sister, and trying to keep up appearances with his arranged girlfriend. Then his mother disappears and his sister attempts suicide, and Merrick’s life is thrown into chaos. And not far away, a young woman named Brooke is struggling to stay above water as she drowns in her own life at a rehab facility, removed from everything she used to know.
Coral, a Little Mermaid retelling, is a painful, intense book. Someone I knew once described it as having a dagger shoved into your heart. Dealing with topics of suicide and depression, it’s not a book that younger kids should read, but its a stunning, beautiful story about healing, struggling, and surviving. You will cry, and you will hurt– but you will return changed for the better.
Link: Amazon.com: Coral eBook : Ella, Sara: Kindle Store
#10 The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson
Rating: 2.5 Stars
About: For years, their country has been enslaved by armies of lizard-men. But when Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby learn that they are the last surviving heirs of a fallen country, the three siblings find themselves on the run with their family and struggling to find their places in the world.
I finally decided to read these books when I borrowed it from a friend. I have to say, for all of the hype… I was disappointed. The author infodumped all over the place (including a not-so-coy infodump of pointless lore and terms through scattered footnotes), and the plot didn’t really start until the middle of book 1. I almost wished he could have cut book 1 in half and made it a trilogy. While the sibling dynamics are wonderful and the action pleasing, there are sections that lost me. Book 1’s sense of POV almost had me throwing the book at the wall. We are given back characters that didn’t really matter to us only for them to be killed seven chapters later. Thankfully the books got better as the series went on, but of all the books I have read so far out of this list, this series was the worst. I suppose it depends on the reader, but this is one of those books that you read once, then return to the library to never read again.
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So that’s all I’ve read so far this year! Have you read any of these books before? Which would you choose as your next read?