Hi everyone! It’s the final day of the year and that means it’s time for awards. But I’m going to do this a bit differently from what you’re used to. Since I read quite a lot of books that were published before 2019, I decided to look at the books I read this year instead of only 2019 releases. In every category I’ll list my personal favourite, and four runners-up in no particular order. I’ll also link to their respective reviews (if they’re available yet. If not, I’ll add them as soon as possible). So let’s go, here are my Best Of 2019 Books Awards!
Cover Lover
Let’s be honest: we all love beautiful covers and we’ve all added books to our TBR list just because of that. Here are my personal favourites of the year:
- The Beholder – Anna Bright
- King of Scars – Leigh Bardugo
- The Gilded Wolves – Roshani Chokshi
- Serpent & Dove – Shelby Mahurin
- For a Muse of Fire – Heidi Heilig
Best Standalone
Telling a story in just one book is quite an achievement. You have to introduce the characters, the conflicts and the setting, and then resolver everything, in just a couple hundred pages. That’s why I really appreciate a great standalone. Here’s my top five:
- Sorcery of Thorns – Margaret Rogerson
- Uprooted – Naomi Novik
- The Bird and the Blade – Megan Bannen
- Heartless – Marissa Meyer
- The Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett
Best Part Of A Series
As much as I enjoy standalones, I also like to lose myself in an multi-book series. Exploring the world, diving deep into characters’ emotions,… I love it! Here are my favourites:
- Illuminae – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
- An Ember in the Ashes – Sabaa Tahir
- The Bear and the Nightingale – Katherine Arden
- Serpent & Dove – Shelby Mahurin
- Scythe – Neal Shusterman
Plot Twist
Predictable books would be quite boring, right? Enter the Plot Twist! Here are the five books with twists that had my jaw on the floor:
- Four Dead Queens – Astrid Scholte
- Thunderhead – Neal Shusterman
- A Curse So Dark And Lonely – Brigid Kemmerer
- The Fifth Season – N.K. Jemisin
- Hunting Prince Dracula – Kerri Maniscalco
Swooniest
We all love swoony romance in our books. Two characters in a choreography of will-they-won’t-they, that’s just… *heart-eyes*. Here are my five swooniest books:
- Serpent & Dove – Shelby Mahurin
- Sorcery of Thorns – Margaret Rogerson
- The Kiss Quotient – Helen Hoang
- Hunting Prince Dracula – Kerri Maniscalco
- A Curse So Dark And Lonely – Brigid Kemmerer
Best Retelling
Taking a well-known story and reshaping it into something fresh, that sounds hard. That’s why I want to shine a light on my favourite retellings of the year:
- Heartless – Marissa Meyer
- A Curse So Dark And Lonely – Brigid Kemmerer
- The Bird and the Blade – Megan Bannen
- Fawkes – Nadine Brandes
- The Beholder – Anna Bright
Best Laughs
Life is serious enough as it is, so a book that makes you laugh is always welcome. Here are the five books that had me laughing out loud:
- Illuminae – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
- Heartless – Marissa Meyer
- The Kiss Quotient – Helen Hoang
- Sorcery of Thorns – Margaret Rogerson
- Scythe – Neal Shusterman
Best Of 2019
And finally, I want to list my top 5 favourite books I read in 2019. This was the hardest category to just pick 5, because there were so many amazing books!
- Scythe – Neal Shusterman
- The Fifth Season – N.K. Jemisin
- Illuminae – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
- Serpent & Dove – Shelby Mahurin
- Sorcery of Thorns – Margaret Rogerson
And that concludes my Best of Books 2019! What were your personal favourites this year? Let me know in the comments below!
