Top Ten Books of 2014 (So Far)

Once again I’m linking up with The Broke and the Bookish’s Top Ten Tuesday. This week’s list is of the top ten books I’ve read so far this year. Now we’re halfway through the year, this is a great time to look back and appreciate the books I’ve read in the first six months, before anticipating the good books I am sure to read in next six. So without further ado, here are ten books I read and loved this year.

1. Cress

Marissa Meyer  

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This book has been in several of my Top Ten Tuesday posts, with very good reason. This sci-fi retelling of Rapunzel is a fantastic read. I love all the characters, especially Cress. They’re all so distinct and lovable. One of the best things about this book is that, even though I haven’t yet read either of the first two books, I still understood what was happening perfectly, without the backstory being overpowering. I think this is a sign of a well written sequel.

2. The Screaming Staircase

Jonathon Stroud

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Jonathon Stroud is one author whose books I pick up on the strength of his name alone. This book features a group of not very successful ghost hunters who go up against the largest ghostly threat they’ve ever faced. One of the best things about Stroud’s writing is the imaginatively humorous descriptions, which have made me laugh out loud more than once, and wish that I could describe half as well as he can.

3. The Raven Boys

Maggie Stiefvater

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I mentioned this book in last week’s Top Ten Tuesday post as one book I looked forward to reading. Now I look forward to rereading it. This book is just as good as its sequel, The Dream Thieves, which I read first. It’s full of magic, loyal friends, unexpected surprises and a fantastic cast with distinct personalities. I can’t wait for the third book in this series to come out so I can find out the conclusion to the Raven Boys’ adventures.

4. Unhinged

A. G. Howard 

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This is another book I mentioned wanting to read last week, and it too immediately went on my top ten list. While it had a little too much romance for my taste (I very rarely read any romance), the reimagining of the Alice in Wonderland story is incredibly vivid and the whole book is littered with references to the original book, which are fun to identify. I wish the main character had actually gone to Wonderland properly, but I guess I’ll have to read the first book Splintered to see what it’s really like.

5. Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling

D. M. Cornish 

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I borrowed this book on a whim without knowing anything about it as it had no description on the back or inside the cover. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. The world this book is set in reminds me very much of Victorian England mixed with a fantasy world. From the main character, a boy with a girl’s name, to the world building, and of course, the monsters, this book was a pleasant surprise. I can’t wait to read the second one.

6. Embassy

S. Alex Martin

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This book is a very special one for me, because I actually know the author, and I had the great honour of helping critique the first chapter. This is another sci-fi, and the world building in this book blows me away. It’s set mainly on two planets, as well as in space, and the planets are brought to life with amazingly vivid descriptions. I read this book at the very beginning of the year, but it’s still one of my favourite reads of this year.

7. Pretties

Scott Westerfield 

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I heard a lot about this series, but took a while to read it, despite the glowing recommendations it had. I’m very glad now I did try it. Being me, I started with book two, and will soon read book three before I even touch book one (libraries…). What really hooked me in this book is the whole set up of the world, people being made pretty and having ‘perfect’ lives of fun and parties, which are really being controlled, and characters trying to break free from this life. Definitely one of the best series I’ve started reading this year.

8. Princess of the Silver Woods

Jessica Day George

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Fairy tale retellings are some of my favourite books, and this is probably the best one I’ve read this year. It’s a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, which isn’t a retelling I’d read before. The story was really creatively imagined and the wolf and grandmother certainly weren’t what I expected. I loved the main family. They’re all so loyal, and brave, and ever so slightly crazy to boot. I can’t wait to find the other books in this series and see if they’re just as good.

9. What’s Left of Me

Kat Zhang 

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I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but it’s a firm favourite now. In this book, everyone is born with two individual minds inside their heads, but only one of them ends up in control of the body. This is a very unique idea and that hooked me into the book initially, and the rest of the story kept me there. I learnt, while hunting for a picture of the cover, that there are another two books in this series, so it looks like I more books to track down and read.

10. Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code

Eoin Colfer 

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I am a big Artemis Fowl fan, and have read all the book about him. I read this one early this year, and loved jumping back into the world of Artemis Fowl. It combines fantasy, with fairies and centaurs, with sci-fi, and a boy genius who is also a criminal. Put Artemis Fowl and fairies together and you get an explosive mix that might be just the right thing to save the world.

What is the best book you’ve read this year? Have you read any of the books on my list this week?