In 2019 I got hugely into podcasts so my reading fell away slightly in favour of choosing a podcast for my entertainment on train journeys. I managed to bring the reading back up on my holidays and later in the year as I ploughed through the backlog of podcasts, but it did mean I fell a bit short of my target of 50 books for the year. Nonetheless, there were a number of stellar reads from 2019 that I wanted to highlight.
- Deathless, Catherynne M. Valente
An outstanding retelling of traditional Russian fairytale Koschei the Deathless blended with contemporary Russian history events, such as the Siege of Stalingrad and the Russian Revolution of 1917. I loved the lyrical writing and the mixture of fairytale, fiction and history – I particularly have a soft spot for Russian history and folklore so this was an absolute winner in my eyes.
2. Firefight, Brandon Sanderson
Part 2 of the Reckoners Series, Sanderson change the setting and explores the characters of Megan and David against the backdrop of a flooded and futuristic city of Babylon Restored – also known as Manhattan. The setting and the way the buildings and landscape interacted with the characters really added a unique depth to how the story unfolded – and I never tire of how Sanderson so perfectly captures David’s voice in the novel.
3. Calamity, Brandon Sanderson
Part 3 of the Reckoners Series and a fantastic finish to what was an outstanding sci-fi series that was unlike anything I’d ever read from Sanderson before. Excited to see him continue in this vein of a more science fiction approach, mixing technology with magic to create new landscapes.
4. A Natural History of Dragons, Marie Brennan
Although I was excited by the idea of Victorian steampunk sci fi with dragons, I found the actual end result a little flat and lacking. Possibly because this was the first novel in what is now a 5 book series, but Brennan just didn’t capture my interest. Although I understand this was laying the groundwork for future novels, I didn’t seen enough of Lady Trent to make me want to read more, and honestly – not enough dragons.
5. The Hunter’s Kind, Rebecca Levene
Book 2 of The Hollow Gods series, following Smiler’s Fair, Levene steps up the action, the madness, the magic and the adult themes overall – much to my delight. I particularly loved the sections with Eric the worshippers of Mizhara, as well as learning more about Cwen and the Hunters. This is such a richly imagined and original setting (it reminds me a lot of Howl’s Moving Castle and other Japanese anime) I am desperately excited to read the third instalment when it comes out in 2020.
6. Unbound, Neal Shusterman
Having encountered Shusterman in Scythe in 2018, I was keen to explore more of his work and stepped back to one of his first novels with Unbound. The premise is exciting – children and teenagers bred for their parts who are taken away and ‘unbound’ – quite literally reduced to the sum of their parts. We follow three young protagonists as they attempt to avoid being caught and ‘unbound’. While it was an interesting read, and I really enjoyed the chapter where the process of being unbound happens (it was dark, sad and lonely, as one might expect), overall I think it was a little too ‘teen’ for me and I was longing for some deeper connections and for the themes to really sucker punch me.
7. A Winter’s Promise, Christelle Dabos
Drawn in by the beautiful cover (I know, I know, cliche), this is a French novel only recently translated to English. This novel draws on very steampunk-esque themes and is set in a universe that has suffered a huge catastrophic event, resulting in worlds broken apart and powerful beings known as Ancestors residing over each remaining world, known as Arks. Our protagonist, Ophelia, has the ability to read objects – with her touch she can see the memories of an object and follow them back in time. She quickly finds herself a pawn in family politics on a new Ark as she is sent off to be married to the grim faced Thorn in an act of alliance.
Dabos crafts a world that feels both intensely real and wonderfully fantastical at the same time, with her characters showing a lot of flaws and feelings which adds to the atmosphere. The beautiful description and the hapless but likeable Ophelia add a great deal to this novel and help it stand out from other steampunk inspired fantasies.
8. Strange the Dreamer, Laini Taylor
A re-read from last year, I still loved this novel as much as the first time round. Lazlo and Sarai have such a beautiful and tender relationship, and the literal and metaphorical use of the moths is artfully done. Weep is a stunning backdrop and Taylor really nails it with the relationships and development of the characters – as one might expect.
9. Muse of Nightmares, Laini Taylor
Sequel to Strange the Dreamer, Muse of Nightmares takes us further into the history of what happened the day Weep was freed from the gods, and what happened to all their children, known as half breed ‘Godspawn’. We also get a glimpse into the wider universe and the types of powers that exist out there which leaves the door open for Taylor to explore in future. I felt the end was a little sappy but I think that’s just personal preference – still a highly enjoyable read and some interesting uses of power/magic.
10. The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
Considering the accolades and high praise this book had garnered I was looking forward to it, and I was not disappointed I’m pleased to say. This enchanting, enthralling book is about so much more than just a circus – it’s about how life takes us on a journey and while sometimes there are powers we can’t control, often we can shape our own destinies and find ways to carve out a corner of the universe for ourselves. Beautifully written and definitely will be a classic in future, for this to be Morgenstern’s debut is almost unbelievable with it’s style and execution.
11. Scythe, Neal Shusterman
One of my all time favourite YA adult reads, Scythe is an outstanding vision of a future without death and how humans learn to cope with this through the use of selfless, dedicated Scythes – and what happens when some start serving their own interests. An excellent dive into morality, ethics, and what it really means to live and be alive in a society that is no longer mortal.
12. Thunderhead, Neal Shusterman
Sequel to Scythe, Thunderhead takes us further into the inner-workings of the Scythedom and how the post-death world came to be established, as well as introducing us to ‘unsavoury’ Grayson Tolliver. The end of this was a real jaw dropper for me and the twist was just fantastic. Citra and Rowan have a great relationship as well and Shusterman sticks true to their characters as it unfolds rather than plugging in classic YA romance tropes, something I appreciated.
13. The Bees, Laline Paull
The Bees was my book of the year in 2019. I read it twice in six months and both times I was blown away by how original and unique the story was. Following the story of Flora, a bee born into the lowest class of bee within the hive, we are shown how intricate and political the inner workings of a bee hive are. The behaviour of the bees and the hive is so well researched and executed with writing so imaginative I often had to remind myself these were bees, not humans, in the story. Seeing the changing of the seasons and how much even small changes can make to the world was incredible, and I particularly loved the foraging adventures, learning about the various flowers and how the bees worked to collect the best nectar and pollen for their beloved queen.
Quite possibly one of my favourite books of all time!
14. Circe, Madeline Miller
I impatiently waited for this to come out in paperback, and I wasn’t disappointed thankfully. A masterful retelling of the classic Greek myth, it was a very enjoyable read and as someone not massively familiar with classic Greek mythology, it was great to see it explained in an accessible and original way. Circe is an excellent character and I really admire Miller for tackling such a well known piece of literary history and making it her own.
15. Grey Sister, Mark Lawrence
Sequel to Red Sister, Grey Sister finds us back with Nona and her assassin sisters in the next stage of their training. That means more violence, blood, treachery and betrayal – all the things Lawrence does best. Definitely love the originality in this series and I love how Lawrence has taken what would typically be a very innocent protagonist of a pre teen girl and is honing her into a fearless killing machine, while exploring some great instances of female friendship and loyalty.
16. Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor
Having visited Prague in May, I was constantly reminded of Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone while I was there and I was excited to re-read this when I returned. This is still my favourite novel of the trilogy and I love how the star crossed lovers tale unfolds, as well as the beauty to be found in the chimeras and the savagery of the seraphim. Now having visited key locations in the novel it made it that bit more real and romantic for me.
17. The Tethered Mage, Melissa Caruso
When writing up this blog I was confused to see this title, as I couldn’t remember reading it, and I think I donated it shortly after finishing it. The Tethered Mage just didn’t inspire me and although the idea of mages being tied to masters through the use of jesses (like hawks), the novel fell flat and lacked anything punchy or original. The fact I didn’t really remember reading it says a lot!
18. Vox, Christina Dalcher
Having seen this being hyped up in my local Waterstones I gave in and picked up a copy of Vox, a near-future world where women in the USA are limited to 100 words a day and severely punished for any infractions – such as sex outside marriage/non marital relationships (i.e. having a boyfriend/girlfriend/partner, not a husband), having a job, speaking more than 100 words a day. A terrifying glimpse into what doesn’t seem that far-fetched as a future against women, Vox is an exciting and equal parts frightening novel that follows a team of neuroscientists and psychologists as they work on a special serum to repair parts of the brain – or at least, that’s what the government have told them…
19. The Poison Song, Jen Williams
The final instalment in The Winnowing Flame trilogy, I knew Williams wouldn’t let me down and I was bang on the money. Electric action with the war beasts, do or die dogfights in the sky with dragons and alien bug people, the freeing of the Fell Witches and Noon and Vostok’s final glorious finale, The Poison Song was a triumph of fantasy writing and I can’t wait to re read this trilogy.
20. Transcription, Kate Atkinson
I was keen to read some more historical fiction, being a fan of 20th century fiction, especially war era, Transcription sounded fascinating, as I had never heard of people in the UK being sympathisers to the Nazi regime during WW2. It had interesting moments and the writing was solid overall, but this was one I had to push through at times and finishing it left me feeling ‘eh’. I think I like my historical fiction to be a bit more perilous than this setting.
21. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
I’m ashamed to say that this was my first ever read of the absolute classic that is The Handmaid’s Tale. As so many more before me will have said, this is an outstanding work of fiction and literature and is deserving of every bit of praise it has garnered.
22. The Power, Naomi Alderman
On a kick of ‘women in a post apocalyptic future’, a friend of mine recommended The Power to me. She wasn’t wrong! Loved this completely alternate world of what could happen if women were able to use the power of electricity and how might it affect landscapes of power and politics. An absolute romp of a novel and I loved the different viewpoints of the world, especially the London gangsters.
23. Uprooted, Naomi Novik
One of my all time favourite books, Novik delivers an absolutely fantastic piece of fantasy with Uprooted. Taking elements from traditional Eastern European/Russian folklore and fairytales, she crafts a masterpiece of storytelling. From the refreshingly original take on good vs evil, to the beautiful prose, I can read this book again and again without getting tired.
24. Tower of Dawn, Sarah J Maas
Another re-read, I still believe Tower of Dawn is one of the best novels Maas has written, if only because it shows off her finest skills in character development and building relationships. The electricity between Yrene and Chaol is definitely one of the biggest highlights of this novel.
25. Kingdom of Ash, Sarah J Maas
Following my re-read of Tower of Dawn I went back to revisit Kingdom of Ash. Having raced through it on release weekend it was nice to read it again at a slower pace and absorb it more. I definitely enjoyed this much more second time round and I like how much damage, both mental and physical, Aelin had to overcome in order to really be a queen, and her relationship with Fenrys was really well explored. Still a little holey in places and could have been a bit more hard hitting (would have been nice to have some permanent damage with character deaths rather than everyone getting a happy ever after) but overall a good end to a great series.
26. Elantris, Brandon Sanderson
Sanderson’s debut novel, Elantris is a bit chat-heavy in places with characters talking a lot but considering this is a standalone novel he does an excellent job of building a world, a magic system, and a set of likeable characters with an intriguing plot to boot. I particularly like the Seons and their otherworldliness, and Princess Sarene is the kind of intelligent and savvy female protagonist I love to read about.
27. World War Z, Max Brooks
Let’s just say, if anyone knew how coronavirus was going to go down, it’s this guy. Always a great enjoyable read, even if it is erring on the side of being a little too close to reality right now.
28. The Last, Hanna Jameson
I’m not often one to pick up a crime/thriller type novel but the setting of the world ending and the enigmatic cast of characters stuck in an old Swiss hotel made this one intriguing enough for me to read. It was a great take on classic post-apocalyptic literature – it’s rare that idea of the world ending when you’re away from friends and family is explored in literature. I loved the slow burn of this one and it really gripped me right till the end. A fantastic bit of thriller writing against a unique setting, I look forward to seeing more from Jameson.
29. Ace of Shades, Amanda Foody
In the first few chapters of Ace of Shades I found myself rolling my eyes a bit. YA fiction, a lost rich girl in a big city, meets a bad boy, falls in with a dangerous crowd blah blah blah…but something changed around halfway through. The characters finally established themselves and we had a real plot on our hands, something dark and dangerous and very Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom. By the end I was absolutely sold and I think Foody did a good job of bringing it back around and injecting some originality into the YA genre. The richly imagined world of the City of Sin really added a lot to it as well – the gang dens, casinos and brothels were all so lurid and vivid it built the world up well.
30. Vita Nostra, Marina and Sergey Dyachenko
Vita Nostra is quite possibly one of the strangest, most original, and most intriguing novels I’ve ever read. A Russian novel exploring themes of science fiction and surrealism, we follow Sasha as she is set a series of tests by a stranger and then invited to a prestigious private academy where the studies are bizarre and the students not what they seem. This book is so weird it’s hard to summarise, but I was absolutely fascinated from start to finish and if you enjoy something quite different and a bit challenging I wholeheartedly recommend this.
31. Spare and Found Parts, Sarah Maria Griffin
Another steampunk novel (I seem to have picked up a lot of them in 2019!), Spare and Found Parts is an interesting novel that explore themes around loneliness, fear, technology and whether all progress is good progress. It’s definitely a slow paced novel and self contained in terms of plot, but I still enjoyed it.
32. The Missing of Clairedelune, Christelle Dabos
Sequel to A Winter’s Promise, I was keen to find out more about the adventures of Ophelia and how the Ancestors and Arks came to be. The book was a delightful romp through the world of Claire de Lune, with missing figures, intriguing powers, a bad tempered Ancestor and the emerging relationship between Ophelia and Thorn. Definitely looking forward to reading the third one, I just wish the translations didn’t take so long!
33. Viper, Bex Hogan
A YA novel but set on the sea, with pirates, princes, magic and dangerous sea beasts added in to make for a rather unusual setting. I was expecting Viper to be a bit of a standard YA novel with some pirateyness sprinkled on top for originality, but it was actually much more than that, which I was pleased with. It played into a few tropes here and there I did enjoy the life on the high seas and I will be keen to read the sequels.
34. King of Fools, Amanda Foody
Sequel to Ace of Shades, I have to say that Foody really steps it up with King of Fools and I was absolutely hooked. Enne’s transformation from a rich girl with a slight bad streak into full fledged crime boss is handled with deft writing and I like how she doesn’t just fall all over for Levi, instead trying to find out where she fits in this new world she’s inadvertently created. I really liked the exploration of Jac’s role as the loyal best friend and how Vianca, set up as the evil villain, had a lot more to her than just that.
35. The Toymakers, Robert Dinsdale
A beautifully crafted tale of the magic of childhood, Dinsdale brings out the romance of the toy shop and Edwardian winters through his wonderful storytelling. A perfect book for reading by the fire on a cold winter night, The Toymakers is enchanting right to the end.
36. Dry, Neal and Jarrod Shusterman
Another Shusterman novel and another apocalyptic/calamity setting, only this time in much more modern times. Dry explores a very real threat to people living in areas with limited water supply – what would happen if the taps ran dry? From the initial panic buying of food and water from the shops, through to the desperate race for survival as water becomes ever scarcer, we follow Alyssa as she tries to keep her brother safe and alive when their parents disappear after trying to find water. A very close-to-home disaster novel, Dry shows how essential water is to not just our wellbeing but our very society, and in the light of recent wildfires and the current pandemic, Dry feels more poignant than ever.
37. The Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
My go-to Christmas classic, I love reading The Hogfather every year as the festive season rolls around. Can’t fault Pratchett’s whip-smart writing and dark sense of humour. If you’ve never read Pratchett, this isn’t a bad place to start.
38. Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo
I rounded out 2019 with Leigh Bardugo’s first adult novel and I was not disappointed. Having enjoyed all her YA work with Six of Crows and the Grisha novels, I was excited for Ninth House as I love her dark and gritty settings and flawed, damaged characters. The unusual setting of the red-brick colleges of America was something I was unfamiliar with which made it that bit more intriguing to me.
Bardugo definitely didn’t disappoint and Ninth House was one of my top books of 2019. Alex is a brilliant female protagonist, one who has the ability to see spirits, a talent which has led her down a chaotic path into crime, drugs and violence, placing her at odds with the charming Darlington and the campus societies which she finds herself thrown into. A slow burn of a read with a switching timeline and heavy themes which are at times dark and traumatic (think PTSD, rape, drug abuse) I really loved Ninth House and I’m excited to see more of what Bardugo produces for an adult audience.
My Top Reads from 2019
- The Bees, Laline Paull
- Vita Nostra, Marina and Sergey Dyachenko
- The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
- King of Fools, Amanda Foody
- Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo
H.J.Albone Media 