fairy skeletons.: 2014 End of Year Book Survey

I think everyone here is very aware that I am a reader. 

I shout my love of books from the figurative rooftops. I flail about the whisper-soft turning of pages, the disgracefully small number of books I own, the way words can toss my heart this way and that, the trials and tribulations of characters I desperately need in my life.

But I feel like the focus of this blog has shifted mainly from reading to writing, and so I don't get to talk about specific books as much. (Actually this might be a lie, since I made an entire booklist just a few months ago, but bear with me. I AM COMING UP WITH AN EXCUSE FOR THIS POST.)

Normally, I'd post something bookish like this on Literoses, the group book blog I help run, but today I'm bringing the bookish-ness to you. (I will be linking to some of my Literoses reviews, though. If I haven't reviewed the book, I'll link to Goodreads.)

This OF COURSE means that I must talk about my reading year, which is where the 2014 End of Year Book Survey comes in. Hosted by the wonderful Jamie @ The Perpetual Page-Turner, this is a blogging event where we get to recap the highs and lows of our reading journey this year.

So, um, here goes nothing, I guess. *throws caution and any semblance of normalcy to the winds*

2014 Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: I... have no idea? Goodreads tells me I only read twenty-seven, but I know for a fact that THAT IS A LIE. I just counted based on my foggy memory and I have read at least fifty.

Number of Re-Reads: One, I think. I had to reread Lord of the Flies by William Golding for school.

Genre You Read The Most From: I do not know (you can see I'm terrible at keeping reading stats), but I can say confidently that it was most likely fantasy. YA fantasy. Because honestly I just... it's my favorite genre of ever.

Best in Books

(NOTE: I tried to only talk about each specific book/series once in this to make room for as many books as possible. This means that some books could have applied to multiple categories.)

1. Best Book You Read In 2014?

This is an evil, evil question and I will not deign to answer it because picking favorite books is probably as hard as picking favorite children or something (possibly harder). All the books I'm flailing about here are GIFTS TO HUMANITY that you should indulge in.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

find it on Goodreads

I was beyond excited for this, because Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm were utter freaking PERFECTION, but this just... fell flat. Also I am FOREVER RAGING over the ending because I feel that my darlings deserved better. Especially Alina and NIKOLAI MY LOVE. I'm trying to be as un-spoiler-y as possible, but... basically Leigh Bardugo spent the entire first two books dealing with power and how it should be handled and that was GREAT and then suddenly the series ended on a completely different note. And I was angry and sad. But I still somewhat liked the book.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014? 

read my review here

Definitely did not expect to enjoy this nearly as much as I did. Jim Di Bartolo's illustrations were magical and fierce and passionate and spooky in the best ways, and Kiersten White's text storytelling was woven in with it wonderfully (plus really great writing in and of itself; I'll have to check out some of White's other work!). Give it a read if you're looking for a slightly unsettling, mysterious, magic-filled standalone and/or just plain great art!

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?

read my review of Blue Lily, Lily Blue here

I didn't so much recommend this series to specific people as make A SIGNIFICANT CHUNK OF ALL MY TUMBLR POSTS about it. I read all these books this year, and just. *internal screaming* Let me tell you about this amazing series about dead Welsh kings and complex fascinating prep boys and psychics and fast cars and sleepy small towns and ley lines. Let me tell you about my two liferuining ships (I'm looking at you, Bluesey and Pynch *sobs forever*). Let me tell you about the CHARACTERIZATION and FRIENDSHIPS and SNARK. Let me tell you about the drop-dead-gorgeous writing.

Just read The Raven Cycle because Maggie Stiefvater has some kind of mystical power over readers.

5. Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?

find it on Goodreads

Best series started: The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski (read: The Winner's Curse, book one)

I just couldn't even after reading this book. Politics and betrayal and romance and blackmail. Just add water. The writing is so overwhelming it should be illegal. Kestrel is a wonderfully unique protagonist, relying on strategy and cunning to solve her problems rather than fighting, like many YA heroines lately. She's also a total steel-hearted queen and everyone should bow down to her because AGH. Arin is sometimes a mystery, but at heart I believe he's really kind. This means of course that my Kestrin emotions are never-ending and BOOK TWO PLEASE.

find it on Goodreads

Best sequel: Cress by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)

The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorite series of all time and this third book just left me speechless with joy. Cress is so adorable and cute and nice and idealistic - really refreshing for a YA heroine, and her hacking skills only serve to make her cooler. Thorne is totally perfect for her, with his snark and semi-heroism (I love Thorne honestly just so much), and Cress/Thorne now rival Cinder/Kai as my series OTP. Speaking of Cinder and Kai - I was so glad that they each had so much development entirely separate of each other, but it kind of hurt my heart that I hardly got to see them together. BUT STILL. I will follow Marissa Meyer to the end.

By the way - extraneous information - I went to a Marissa Meyer signing once and she's such a cool person, you guys. She radiates cool and IT IS UNFAIR.

find it on Goodreads

Best series ender: The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan (Ranger's Apprentice, #12)

Although it leaves something to be desired in the conclusion aspect (I needed an EARTH-SHATTERING DEATH-DEFYING HIGH-STAKES SHIPPY series ender), this was still a great, great book. I absolutely adored seeing more of Will and Halt and Gilan (really they're all just bros and they happen to be Rangers which is code for AWESOME AT EVERYTHING), as well as Cassandra and Horace (most adorable married couple ever I'm sorry). Plus, I really loved Madelyn, and I'm so glad Flanagan took it into his head to write a female Ranger because IT HAD TO HAPPEN.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?

find it on Goodreads

In the next section, I talk about Adler's YA debut Behind the Scenes, which was actually the first of her books that I read, but I also read her NA debut Last Will and Testament this year. (It was also WAY out of my comfort zone as a) I don't read a lot of contemporary and b) I've never read an NA book ever.) But argh, she just does such a great job of creating relatable, utterly human protagonists with great romances and very deep feels. She's definitely one of my top contemporary authors now, and I'm eagerly anticipating her forthcoming books!

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

read my review here

Way, way, WAY out of my comfort zone - you can probably tell just from the cover. I mean, it's a Hollywood contemporary romance. Ordinarily, if I saw this book, I'd be like yeah... no. But I won an ebook copy of this in a Twitter giveaway, and I follow the author on Twitter (Dahlia Adler is a lovely person guys), so I figured I might as well give it a shot. And then. AND THEN. Adler totally blew me away with her heartwarming characters, swoony romance, and big emotional punch. This is a thing you need in your life, guys. (Also *ahem* the sequel Under the Lights comes out in 2015 and IT'S ABOUT THE MAIN CHARACTER'S KOREAN ACTRESS BEST FRIEND. YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT.)

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

My idea of 'action' is... rather skewed. But for good old heart-racing fight-scene type action, The Archived by Victoria Schwab is your best bet. (I talk about it more in-depth below.)

9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I... don't really do rereads? I'm not sure why; I just never get around to them. I may reread some series books, though, so that I'm all refreshed and ready for the next installments.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?

read my review here

I loved many, many covers this year, but this. THIS. Look at this. It's just the right level of creepy, beautiful, and rich. AND THE BOOK WAS SUPERB. It's a horror graphic novel short story collection thing. It's like the scariest Grimm fairy tales put into illustrations, plus perfect characterization and narration and everything. Put it and Emily Carroll on your radar IMMEDIATELY.

11. Most memorable character of 2014?

Female: Celaena Sardothien (Throne of Glass series)

Celaena grew and changed SO MUCH in Heir of Fire and just. MY FIERY QUEEN (spoiler: both of those descriptors are far more literal than you think). She totally ripped my emotions apart with her development and her power.

Male: Richard Campbell Gansey III (The Raven Cycle)

I've flailed about Gansey enough. I will spare you. (But you guys must surely be aware of my utter adoration and undying love for him, right? RIGHT?)

Seriously, though. If you ever even mention Gansey anywhere near me I will pull a Bingley.

Non-human(ish): Iko (The Lunar Chronicles)

If Iko starred in her own spin-off book, I'd devour it, no lie. She's adorable and snarky and amazing, plus she has a shipper's heart like all fangirls do - and yet she is a robot! WHAT.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?

find it on Goodreads

I just. Laini Taylor must be some kind of goddess, because I swear mere mortals couldn't even DREAM of writing as beautifully as she does. This was an utterly soul-slaying series finale and Karou is my queen. Bonus points for ZIRI MY DARLING and also LIRAZ who is just so great. And Zuzana, of course, because short fiery bundles of snark who are absolutely unshakeable are my jam. (All hail Laini Taylor, though, seriously.)

13. Most Thought-Provoking/Life-Changing Book of 2014?

read my review here

Although technically I 'discovered' Wilde through The Importance of Being Earnest, I talk about it down below as my shortest book of the year. So I figured I may as well highlight The Picture of Dorian Gray, because not only is it a well-written (EXTREMELY) and engaging novel, EVERYTHING IS COMPLEX AND FASCINATING. And my friends, the themes are strong with this one. Dorian Gray, Basil Hallward, and Henry Wotton are all layered, screwed-up, and utterly intriguing characters, and this book is a very heavy but totally worthwhile exploration of youth, art, and the real meaning of beauty.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read? 

read my review here

HOLY CRAP. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE, BOOK? Victoria Schwab is a new favorite author of mine just from this book (I mean, I currently have The Unbound and Vicious sitting on my bookshelf just waiting to be read), because OH MAN. The premise is A+, the writing is plain awe-inspiring, the characters are dynamic, and the action scenes will leave you speechless. THIS BOOK IS SO PRECIOUS.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2014?

read my review here

Here's a (not-so-)secret: I hoard quotes. I'm like Quote Smaug. It's obvious that I love beautiful writing and so I keep beautiful words very close to my heart. That said, one of the most powerful quotes I read this year (and this was HARD because I wanted to throw so many quotes at you guys) was this one from Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira, which was a wonderfully written book in parts despite its several flaws:

'What I told you about saving people isn't true. You might think it is, because you might want someone else to save you, or you might want to save someone so badly. But no one else can save you, not really. Not from yourself. [...] You fall asleep in the foothills, and the wolf comes down from the mountains. And you hope someone will wake you up. Or chase it off. Or shoot it dead. But when you realize that the wolf is inside you, that's when you know. You can't run from it. And no one who loves you can kill the wolf, because it's part of you. They see your face on it. And they won't fire the shot.'

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2014?

read my review here

Shortest (not counting novellas and short stories and the like): I believe it was The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. Oscar Wilde was one of my great classic author discoveries of the year - sparkling wit and deeply running themes and mind-blowingly quotable writing. Also hilarious character descriptions. This play was so great, with fluff and banter and UGH. Highly recommended.

find it on Goodreads

Longest: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare, to the surprise of literally no one, because everyone knows of my deep passion for Shadowhunters and the terrifying length of Cassie Clare's books. But seriously, I tore through this one, despite its potential-murder-weapon-level heft. (In retrospect, I'm kind of sad that the ending took no risks whatsoever - I felt like Cassie played it safe in order to keep fans happy, and it detracted from the impact. But hey, SIZZY AND MALEC FOR LIFE. Plus Infernal Devices connections are everything, because the Infernal Devices remains my favorite Shadowhunter series.)

17. Book That Shocked You The Most

find it on Goodreads

Honestly just the plot twists in this book. Not only was it a gorgeous series conclusion and a treasure of a historical fantasy with POLITICS and ROMANCE and FEMINISM EVERYWHERE, it had specifically two freaking brilliant plot twists that actually made me get up from where I was reading and yell, "PLOT TWIST!" (True story. I kid you not.)

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

I'm not even going to try to answer to this question definitively. It's going to give me too much pain. ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY CHOOSE FAVORITE OTPS. Instead I will send you over to my Tumblr tags page where you can browse my ship tags.

But I felt that Bluesey deserved mentioning because ARGH. Blue Sargent and Richard Campbell Gansey III's almost-kisses are my kryptonite.

These two dorks are from the previously mentioned Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, so I won't include a cover image because you've already seen it. BUT OH MY GOSH Blue and Gansey give me all the feelings on the spectrum.

For those of you in the fandom: please can we cry over the Camaro scene in The Dream Thieves together?

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

read my review here

AHAHA I think everyone knew this was going to go to Rowan Whitethorn and Celaena Sardothien, my precious platonic Fae darlings who also happen to be two shining examples of DEATH INCARNATE. Their sharp banter, their soul-crushingly deep bond, their sacrifices for each other. THIS IS THE KIND OF PLATONIC RELATIONSHIP I LIVE FOR. 

(But some evil part of me also wants them to just kiss because IT WOULD BE GLORIOUS.)

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

find it on Goodreads

This book was extremely difficult for me to read because of a certain foregone conclusion *choked sobbing in background*, but it was totally worth it - and it contained some of the best series tie-in novellas I've ever read. It was also amazing that all five novellas were loosely linked and in chronological order, so that together, they almost read like a prequel novel. But anyway CELAENA'S PAST, IT TURNS OUT, IS FULL OF FEELS. It was so great to see the experiences that made her the person she is (and understand some of those references within the main series), and overall I just.

(Also possibly new series OTP. Just saying. The OTP in this book and Rowan/Celaena are currently battling for top spot.)

21. Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

read my review here

People have been pressuring me to read this book for AGES, because their thought process runs along the lines of "so if she loves Jane Austen so much she has to like this other thing about a Jane" (I lied; people are just very, very aware of my love for period-drama-esque books). But I read this finally, and to the surprise of no one except me, I adored it. It was graceful and rich and passionate and full of emotion, and Jane was a truly great heroine.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?

Please don't make me do this. It's too difficult, especially for an indecisive person like me. (Here I'll send you over to Tumblr again so I can avoid making decisions about who to list here.)

Although my absolute NEWEST crush is Sam Cortland from the previously-mentioned The Assassin's Blade, because that was the most recent book I've read anyway and SAM MY LOVE.

23. Best 2014 debut you read?

find it on Goodreads

Mmm this was amazing. It's an intergenerational story about love and loss and grief and healing, plus MAGICAL REALISM and THE PROTAGONIST HAS WINGS. Plus there is a bakery and the pastry descriptions just... mmm. But other than that it will make you feel all the emotions and it is marvelous and deliciously quaint and so, so lovely.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

read my review here

THISBY. THISBY, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, TERRIFYING ISLAND THERE IS. This book was my introduction to Maggie Stiefvater (I feel like I've adored her FOREVER but in reality I only found her this year!), and by gosh it was fabulous. It's probably the hands-down best dual-POV narration I've ever read, plus gorgeous writing and November cakes and killer water horses and a delightful mix of characters who will make you feel Things with a capital T. I love Puck and Sean and Corr and Dove and Finn so much my heart could burst.

And George Holly, who really just spends the whole book shipping.

Thisby is so vividly and frighteningly brought to life - I could probably describe the air to you right now if you asked, because it's so imprinted in my memory. The descriptions of the savage Scorpio sea, the quaint shops, the no-nonsense nature of its residents. GAH.

Also, if you're a TSR fan please check out this Tumblr because it will make you cry with joy.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

read my review here

ALL books are fun to read until they wreck you with feels. But I know that something lighthearted or happy is supposed to go here, so I'll highlight another contemporary pick I read this year (I hardly read any contemporary but when I do I love it; I have the same problem with historical fiction). While it did have an emotional impact, Golden really was fun to read and I was pretty much smiling most of the way through. Parker's voice shines through everything as a great example of pure teenagerdom, and that is a precious thing. (Also runner-up for favorite cover much?)

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?

read my review here

HA. HA. I listened to this one as an audiobook and ACCENTS AND FRIENDSHIPS AND WAR AND MY HEART PLEASE SPARE ME. Verity and Maddie's freaking FRIENDSHIP I mean just how even does this happen? I was an absolute wreck after this book. I think I cried more tears and flailed more flails than I knew I had in me.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

read my review here

NO ONE has read this book and this makes me very, very sad because REASONS - reasons that include dragons, exiled royalty, girl power, and writing so beautiful that it'll make your head hurt. I mean really you guys just please. Someone read this so we can fangirl and end my suffering. (Also I know some people are sick of fantasy series but this is a STANDALONE so double incentive!)

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

read my review here

Granted, several books utterly crushed my soul this year. But THIS BOOK. TUDOR ENGLAND HISTORICAL FICTION AT ITS FINEST. My emotions were all over the place because politics and girl power and complex characters. Also because the ending. *sobs quietly*

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?

read my review here

This book earns that title without a doubt, because heck, it's a cyberpunk novel about love and death and art set in futuristic Brazil where the government is a matriarchy, and if that doesn't sound unique to you, you must come from a strange place indeed. The book itself is wonderful, too, with diversity all over the place (not only are people Brazilian, there's a Japanese character and queer characters all over and even some polyamory if I remember correctly) and sex positivity and impossibly vivid writing and searingly lifelike characters.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

I have to highlight two that completely and totally TICKED ME OFF in an extremely bad way because riding on this great-book high will not do good things for me *cue rant*:

read my review here

I cry forever over this train wreck of a book. I WAS SO LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. It's a retelling of my favorite Poe story of all time, "The Masque of the Red Death", and it's freaking steampunk and the main character is named ARABY and there's a thing called the Debauchery Club in it. WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

Everything, apparently. First there was the insipid protagonist, then the horrible love triangle, then the flat writing. I couldn't even finish this book.

read my review here

Same feeling of righteous anger - absolutely glorious premise goes terribly wrong. This book screamed immature and the characters were horribly flat and just ugh. UGH. IT MADE ME SO SAD AND FILLED ME WITH RAGE.

Blogging + Bookish Life

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2014?

What do you mean, pick just one? Okay, so fine. I'll say Paper Fury by Cait because she's the greatest combination of diabolical mastermind and freakishly kind book nerd there is. Plus, she posts basically on a daily basis and we bloggers know how difficult that is.

But I made SO many new wonderful friends this year and I've linked to some friends' blogs in the sidebar so GO GO GO.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2014? 

read my review here

My reviews generally aren't all that great, and my review style is very much in development, but I felt like I did a pretty good job of reviewing Volume III of Sucker Literary, a YA short fiction literary magazine. (Spoiler: it was pretty darn cool - so cool that I had to talk about each story in the issue.) The lovely Sucker Literary staff were even kind enough to feature my review on their blog.

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

I mean, on this blog I no longer do book reviews, so everything is a non-review post. But I felt like one of the best and most relevant posts I wrote this year was my diversity in books post about the importance of representation in literature. (Hopefully in 2015 I'll work up the courage to continue this series, because you can never talk about diversity enough.)

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

I went to a Laini Taylor signing at my local bookstore this year and it was so glorious to just be in the same room as her. (Also her hair is EVEN MORE PINK in person, if that's possible.)

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2014?

Without a doubt, the best moment of ANYTHING this year was when I found out that I'd won national medals in the Very Prestigious and Shiny Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

(Also I can't rave about the trip to NYC enough because the ceremony in Carnegie Hall was just amazing amazing amazing. My only regret is that apparently Topaz and Rona were there and I did not know them then so I could not see them. SOMEDAY WE'LL MEET UP, GUYS.)

One honorable mention is that moment when I looked back on everything and realized HEY. I'VE BEEN BLOGGING FOR THREE YEARS. *high fives self*

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

Pageview-wise, it was my post announcing that I was a winner in the Freshman Fifteens COMMON ROOM Teen Mentoring contest. It was a surreal time for me, and I'm still in a little bit of disbelief that I've gone through THREE rounds of edits with my mentor Kim Liggett. The anthology comes out in less than a month, guys. *heavy breathing*

Comment-wise, it was my blog party post celebrating Paper Fury and its wonderful blogger, Cait. I am not surprised, because a) I had a ton of fun writing it and b) Cait must have made it happen through her aura of awesome (which, as everyone knows, spreads through the Internet and changes lives).

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I was kind of hoping that my booklist of different types of 'strong' heroines in YA would have a bigger impact, because I made it with MUCH GUSTO. SUCH ENTHUSIASM. But I'm still happy with how it came out and I definitely don't regret posting it!

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

I... didn't really make any 'discoveries' this year? I did use Tumblr a whole lot more for fandom-related things, if that counts, but I joined Tumblr last year.

*crickets chirping*

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I did not, because I didn't start any reading challenges - because I'm a coward and was afraid of the pressure.

Looking Ahead

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015?

JUST ONE? Hahahaha I'll politely ignore the 'one' and feature a few:

find it on Goodreads

This is the sequel to The Archived, which I obviously adored, but somehow I didn't find the time to get to this book this year! Despite the fact that the drop-dead-gorgeous hardcover is sitting on my bookshelf! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? I must rectify this ASAP, because I miss Guyliner and Mac a lot.

find it on Goodreads

Another Victoria Schwab book that is ACTUALLY ON MY BOOKSHELF that I have not read. This is an adult book, but I have no doubt that it'll be fabulous because it's about a supervillain rivalry.

find it on Goodreads

Yet another book that I own and inexplicably have not read. I've screamed about the Fire and Thorns trilogy before, and obviously I just need more Rae Carson in my life. I'M GOING TO READ THIS. SOON.

find it on Goodreads

I've only ever seen positive reviews of this book, plus NON-WHITEWASHED COVER YAY. I mean, a Phantom of the Opera retelling set in a slaughterhouse with Asian characters? Please and thank you.

find it on Goodreads

I wanted to read this one for the morally ambiguous heroine alone. (But it's also a fantasy in a Renaissance Italy-based world so um why have I not read this yet?)

find it on Goodreads

Basically everyone's been raving about this. I actually checked it out from the library and started it, but was forced to return it when the due date loomed close. I love you, libraries, but sometimes you can be cruel.

(Okay so that turned into SLIGHTLY more than a few, but hey, looks like I have lots of stuff to look forward to while I wait for 2015 releases.)

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2015 (non-debut)?

Again, I'll turn 'book' singular into 'books' plural:

find it on Goodreads

AHAHAHA I'm a sucker for villain backstories, and Levana is super interesting despite being evil to the core (killer Lunar queen who uses beauty as her weapon YES). Plus Marissa Meyer is a genius. So I need this so badly I could cry. (I'm not counting this as a sequel since it's more of a prequel.)

find it on Goodreads

I did a Waiting on Wednesday post that encapsulates basically everything I need about this book (VICTORIA SCHWAB AND PARALLEL UNIVERSES).

find it on Goodreads

Despite my disappointment with the ending of the Grisha Trilogy, I still love Leigh Bardugo's writing and of course I want her new series NOW. Plus it's pitched as Ocean's Eleven meets Game of Thrones. How can I resist?

find it on Goodreads

New series from Sarah J. Maas? YES. Beauty and the Beast retelling with Fae in it? DOUBLE YES. I need this like I need oxygen or food or water. ARGH.

Also books without covers (linking to Goodreads):

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson: RAE CARSON'S NEW SERIES! AHH! It's about a girl who has the magical power of finding gold - in the California Gold Rush. If that doesn't sound awesome, you're lying.

Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan: I haven't read any of her books myself, but I've heard nothing but good things. Also, it's a retelling of A Tale of Two Cities (one of my favorite books of all time) with magic. EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT IS AMAZING.

The Shadow Behind the Stars by Rebecca Hahn: I obviously adored her debut A Creature of Moonlight and will now follow her books to the ends of the earth. Also, here, have the Publisher's Weekly blurb because it's delicious: "The youngest of the three Fates tells of the events that lead her and her sisters to leave their isolated island in aid of a mortal girl, only to discover that their quest to save the girl could bring about the end of the world."

3. 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Okay, okay, I'll try to keep this list shorter.

find it on Goodreads

I featured this one in Waiting on Wednesday because I need it THAT much (politics! blood! romance! magic! plus isn't that the most gorgeous cover?).

find it on Goodreads

Another WoW pick because RETELLING OF THE ARABIAN NIGHTS FRAMING NARRATIVE. What do you mean I can't have this until May?

And finally Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett - I've already urged you all to add this to your TBRs several times, because Kim was my mentor for the Freshman Fifteens COMMON ROOM anthology project and she is so, so amazing. Also, the book just sounds too cool for words.

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?

find it on Goodreads

Sequel to The Winner's Curse, obviously. I can't really form coherent thoughts about how much I want this. GIVE IT TO ME NOW I WANT KESTRIN.

find it on Goodreads

Sequel to Behind the Scenes, and I think I might love it even more than the first book, because it's about Vanessa Park, the Korean actress and best friend of the MC of Behind the Scenes. And also apparently there is a girl + girl romance and diversity is everything.

Throne of Glass #4: Because of course I need more Celaena. *flails*

The Raven Cycle #4: I AM NOT READY FOR THIS SERIES TO END.

Winter by Marissa Meyer: THE LAST LUNAR CHRONICLES BOOK. I am so ready and yet so not.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015?

If I had to pick just one thing? READ MORE DIVERSE BOOKS. Always, always, always. I'm sure anyone who knows me to some degree has heard me trumpet about diversity because it is SO important, you guys. In so many different ways.

6. A 2015 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

find it on Goodreads

Granted, I haven't read the final, edited book - I only saw it in manuscript form on Swoon Reads. (I'm sure the editing process will only have made it MORE AWESOME, which I'm not sure I'll be able to handle.) But Kimberly Karalius is a Figment friend of mine and super sweet all the time, and she's a brilliant writer. In fact, when the book was announced, I wrote an entire post about it, so I'll direct you there.

That's it from me! I hope I've added an extra foot to your TBR (because I'm evil)! Sound off in the comments - did you read/enjoy any of the books I did? What about your faves of 2014?