I can’t believe how quickly the year is flying by! So far I’ve read over 50 books and I don’t plan on slowing down any time now! With me reading so many books, they all sort of start to blend together but there definitely are a bunch that have stuck out to me over the year. Without further ado, here are my top 5 books of the first half of 2019:
#1: Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
Without a doubt, this debut novel has quickly become one of my favourite fantasy series of all time. So of course, it is definitely one of my top reads of 2019. I think that this is going to stay on the list, even when I do my end of year wrap up with my favourite books. The best way I can think to describe the book is that it’s an epic fantasy where Mulan meets A Song of Ice and Fire. This is the first book that I plan to read twice within a calendar year, something I have never done before. But I’ve heard such good things about the audiobook (and it’s production) that I couldn’t resist requesting it from the library. A full review of this book to come!
Related: Crown of Feathers Review
#2: Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin
Fire & Blood is the first volume of the complete Targaryen History, taking place from the Conquest of King Aegon I to the end of the Regency of Aegon III. This enthralling tale is written like a history textbook, complete with additional footnotes. The history of House Targaryen is riddled with power lust, betrayal, and kinslaying which lead to the extinction of dragons. It further attests to what Cersei Lannister says in A Game of Thrones: “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” And from the first 136 years it is proven that, indeed, there is no middle ground.
#3: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
This is the first book in Faizal’s Arabian fantasy duology, Sands of Arawiya. The book alternates between the two legends in the kingdom of Arawiya: Zafira, the Hunter, and Nasir, The Prince of Death. Zafira disguises herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is responsible for assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. The two are forced to work together to save the world, and magic, as they know it.
#4: The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
A heist novel set in Paris 1889. No one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can't yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much. This book is filled with vivid descriptions and strong character development that will change your mind about antagonistic characters time and time again.
Related: The Gilded Wolves Review
#5: The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman
This is a character-driven story about a young unwed mother named Maggie who is forcibly separated from her daughter, Elodie, at birth and the lengths to which they go to find each other. It follows the life of these two women as they fight the the life they want and believe they should have. This book even had me tearing up on the streetcar! I felt really connected with the characters in this book and I desperately wanted them to reunite in the end. If you want to find out if this reunion happens, I recommend you read this book.
Question of the Day
What are your favourite books of 2019?