Farah’s Top Reads of 2020
Happy New Years everyone!
2020 has been a weird year for so many reasons. In terms of my reading though it’s been amazing!! I’ve read so much this year and tried to read different genres with my book club members. However, I have mainly read Fantasy and NA Contemporary romance books.
First, before giving my list, let's start with the overall number of books read in 2020:
I HAVE READ 171* BOOKS THIS YEAR
*According to Goodreads, I read 182 books. After investigation, found out they counted the books I reread this year twice 🤷 So 171 is technically the correct number.
While I read a lot of books, not all of them were 5 star reads. I DNF'd a few books and gave 2 or 3 stars to some of them. Also, most of the books I read this year were read as an ebook. I usually read ebooks in 2/3 days if the story is good and physical books in 1/2 weeks (usually takes me 1-week max. but that was before work 😢).
Ebooks read: 126
Physical book read: 45
Reread: 18
That’s a lot of books to put in a post but I’m going to do it anyway. I will showcase this list by genre since I read different ones this year, and 4 books per each. Here we go!
TOP FANTASY BOOKS
Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian
Ash Princess was AMAZING!! It met all my expectations and then some. It's typical YA book and kinda cliche but was really addicting.The story in this book is devastating. Pretty much every page tugged on my heartstrings. Loved the main character, Theo, but the love traingle bothered me a bit in book 2.
Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat
So I read this book because it was controversial and my friends kept discussing it. I heard so much about this series that I wanted to know what the talk was all about. Can I just say OH. MY. FFING. GOD! This was not what I expected it to be. It blew every expectation that I had and captivated me from the get-go.
Trigger warnings: rape, abuse, slavery, paedophilia.
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
A Thousand Pieces of You was exactly what I wanted from my current read - something fun, fast-paced, and gripping. I found this put impossible to put down right from the start. Claudia Gray does a great job of throwing you right into the action and making you excited to see what happens next.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
I am finally no longer the only person on the planet to not have read this book already, and I am so happy to say that I absolutely loved it! This was so well done and was seriously a page flipper. The best beauty and the beast retelling I ever read so far!
TOP PARANORMAL BOOKS
Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
At a glance, Sweet Evil seems like another young adult paranormal romance book. And to be honest, it is... but Sweet Evil is just so much more than that! It's completely amazing and has two of my favourite things! Fallen Angels and Demons!
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers trope, and once I knew that this trope was in a book, I definitely picked it up. Filled with sentiments and laughter, tears, magic and above all, Love, S&D has all the elements which an Awesome Book promises. It is a Must Read. Unlike book 2 though, absolutely hated it.
Pestilence by Laura Thalassa
Other enemies to lovers romance! First off, let me warn any potential reader that this book is full of violence. So, not for the faint of heart. There are romance and sweet and funny moments, but there's also gore and savagery and, more importantly, the cruelty of humans. I personally don't mind a bit of reality 'thrown' into the books I read but some people might find this book a bit too much for them. So, consider yourself warned.
Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa
Another series I absolutely loved by Laura Thalassa! I'll start off with saying, I am absolutely in love with Desmond Flynn. This book may have a few cliches, but it also has a plethora of unexpected twists. I couldn't put it down until I reached the final page.
TOP STANDALONE BOOKS
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Its the perfect story of two young ambitious, broken people coming together in what feels like a natural way. The respect that builds before the love is refreshing in a YA novel. The story was quick paced and the heroine was cunning and morally gray. It's a delightful read that I highly recommend.
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
A Little Mermaid retelling which is a quick fun read! I really enjoyed the book and the characters. We get to live both sides of the story with two povs which is really nice. I was scared about to love part of the story since it's not a series but the writer did it very well, I didn't find their feelings odd or "fast" at all. I only wish it was a duology or a series since the ending felt a little rushed, but overall amazing!
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones this book contains everything Iove in one: A wonderfully creepy novel with zombies, themes of family, an excellent slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance, a nice mapmaker boy, a fierce gravedigger girl who chops up zombies with her axe, chronic pain representation, and an undead goat. What's not to love? Highly recommend it.
The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
Fantastic, unique story paired with exceptional writing and interesting characters. Wish I could read this all over again, it was exactly the kind of fairytale-esque story I was looking for. The ending broke my heart and made me cry like a baby.
TOP ROMANCE BOOKS
The Hunter by L.J. Shen
This story. The world. I loved every single page. Every single moment. Seeing Hunter grapple with his self worth, seeing Sailor come into her own more than she was with him, and seeing these two come together and fulfil each other was PERFECTION. I couldn't get enough of them, and this world. The cameos, the new characters, the series set up has me more excited than my words can express. This series is, I am sure, primed to take me a top spot in my LJ Shen favourite list.
Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly
An Arranged Marriage Standalone Mafia Romance. Two of my favourite things in a romance book! Sweet Temptation is pure perfection from the first till the last page. I strongly encourage you to pick up this fantastic story and let the intriguing characters put you under their spell. I really loved this book and its family dynamics and the mystery surrounding Gaia's death.
The Kiss Thief by L.J. Shen
Another book by LJ Shen! Is anyone surprised? I almost read half of her books this year and just wow, this book was one of my favourites this year. The plot is intricately weaved like a beautiful tapestry. It’s complicated and intriguing. Unexpected twists abound. I was on the edge of my seat while reading it. And did I mention, I devoured the book at a record speed. *chef's kiss*
Enemies by Tijan
It is no secret that I am a huge Tijan fangirl. There are plenty of books by her that I love, but especially the Fallen Crest High series, I can read over and over again. The same now goes for this book. It rocked my world and I am sure I will be re-reading this one over and over again in the future as well.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
What're your favourite books you read this year?
Have you read any of the above books? Let us know!
