Top Ten Tuesday!

Hi all! As you know, it is Tuesday, so of course I have another Top Ten Tuesday for you! Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke And The Bookish. This week it is the Top Ten Best Books Of 2016.

10. The Retribution Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.

Mara Dyer wants to believe there’s more to the lies she’s been told.
There is.

She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She should.

She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
She will now.

Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.

Retribution has arrived.

 

It was really great to be able to finish this series this year!

9. The Rose And The Dagger by Renee Ahdieh.

The darker the sky, the brighter the stars.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad is forced from the arms of her beloved husband, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once thought Khalid a monster—a merciless killer of wives, responsible for immeasurable heartache and pain—but as she unraveled his secrets, she found instead an extraordinary man and a love she could not deny. Still, a curse threatens to keep Shazi and Khalid apart forever.

Now she’s reunited with her family, who have found refuge in the desert, where a deadly force is gathering against Khalid—a force set on destroying his empire and commanded by Shazi’s spurned childhood sweetheart. Trapped between loyalties to those she loves, the only thing Shazi can do is act. Using the burgeoning magic within her as a guide, she strikes out on her own to end both this terrible curse and the brewing war once and for all. But to do it, she must evade enemies of her own to stay alive.

The saga that began with The Wrath and the Dawn takes its final turn as Shahrzad risks everything to find her way back to her one true love again.

A beautiful completion to the WRATH AND THE DAWN series.

8. The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh.

One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad’s dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph’s reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she’d imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It’s an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid’s life as retribution for the many lives he’s stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.

An amazing retelling of A Thousand an One Nights. Not many people know about this tale, so I’m really glad that it’s getting told to a new audience.

7. Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.

 

I love a good heist story, what can I say?

6. A Darker Shade Of Magic by V.E. Schwab.

 

This was definitely an interesting read, and I’m so happy that I took a chance and picked it up!

5. The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkowski.

Book two of the dazzling Winner’s Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement… if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

A great sequel to the equally great The Winner’s Curse. The world development in this novel is great.

4. The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkowski.

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love…

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

I loved the characters and this world! Kestrel and Arin had some seriously undeniable chemistry.

3. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare.

Danger and betrayal, love and loss, secrets and enchantment are woven together in the breathtaking finale to the #1 New YorkTimes bestselling Infernal Devices Trilogy, prequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

It has taken me quite a while to wrap up this series, but I’m really happy that I finally finished it. It was amazing and I can’t wait for The Last Hour! Also, can we talk about this amazing cover? It is so beautiful.

2. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken.

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.

I have finally gotten around to reading this book. Everybody has talked about how great it is, and I must conquer, it’s fantastic.

1. A Court Of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J. Maas.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

I love this book. I love the world building, the complex characters, and the differences from the original Beauty And The Beast. This is an amazing retelling that I think everybody should read.

Top Ten Tuesday

Hey guys, it’s Liv, and as you know, it’s Tuesday. So, Top Ten Tuesday is in order. Once again, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke And The Bookish. This week, it’s the Top Ten Favorite Authors of all time. While I was writing this, I kind of knew immediately who was in my top three or four, but after that, it was a little difficult. Here are my Top Ten Favorite Authors Of All Time.

10. Andrea Cremer.

Andrea Cremer wrote a series that I was absolutely obsessed with called Nightshade. This series isn’t that well known, but it definitely should be. The main character, Calla Tor is a Searcher, the protector of the Keepers in her world. This trilogy is filled with love, loyalty, and mystery. She is also writing an adult series and a prequel based on the Nightshade Series.

9. L.J. Smith.

L.J. Smith is a completely understated writer. She is very prolific with her work and all her plotlines are original. Her works are the basis of the very popular The Vampire Diaries television series, as well as The Secret Circle. If you haven’t already, definitely pick up something by L.J. Smith.

8. Stephenie Meyer.

Stephenie Meyer is a classic. If you haven’t read, The Twilight Saga yet, you are seriously missing out. These books were so fantastic. The writing is absolutely beautiful and the characters are one of kind. They each come with their own back story that perfectly shapes who they are in the books.

7. Suzanne Collins.

Suzanne Collins’s, The Hunger Games, is, of course, one of my favorite series. I love the world that she created. With classic themes set in a dystopian society, what’s not to love? If you haven’t already, pick up one of Suzanne Collins books today!

6. Holly Black.

Holly Black creates a magical world of lies and deceit in her Curse Workers series. Cassel is one of my favorite characters, ever. Cassel is, as my mother would say, as clever as the devil and twice as pretty. He’s sweet and charming, but he’s also lying, cheating, stealing, con artist. This mafia ruled world of danger and deceit is one I’d definitely like to live in.

5. Michelle Hodkin.

Michelle Hodkin earns this spot for her fabulous Mara Dyer trilogy. These books were wonderfully creepy and spooky. I liked these so much because you could never tell what was real and what wasn’t. Just when you thought you had it figured out, you didn’t. It was just plot twist after plot twist and it was great.

4. Stephanie Perkins.

Stephanie Perkins is a favorite because of her novel, of course, Anna and the French Kiss. I love this book. I loved it the first time I read it, and every reread after that, it is just as great as the first time. The writing is beautiful, as is the setting, and the characters are, in my opinion, pretty great. I wish I had a romance as great as Anna and Étienne.

3. Rick Riordan.

Rick Riordan, like Cassandra Clare, is very prolific. He found something that worked and went for it.  I have read the majority of his books, my favorites are the books with Percy. His stories were really great because when they were published Percy and I were the same age, I didn’t read them right away, but it still felt like I was growing up with Percy, and I still am.

2. Cassandra Clare.

Cassandra Clare is practically a legend. I have read almost all of her books, and, they are so fantastic that I don’t even have words. Her books make me feel so much, and they have everything that I could ever want in a book series. What I especially love about her books is that they all interconnect. They all take place in the same world, but, until you read the other series, you don’t notice how connected every book she writes really is. And she just keeps writing, she even has plans for a fifth Shadowhunter series that won’t even be published until 2021. I can’t even wait. I’ve been reading her books since the fifth grade, and it looks like I’ll still be reading the into my late twenties.

1. Kelley Armstrong.

Kelley Armstrong has always been my favorite author. I love The Darkest Powers Series, I wish so much that there had been more, The Darkness Rising Series was also fantastic. Her Women of The Otherworld Series is one of the only adult series that I read, and I love it. If you haven’t picked up a book by Kelley Armstrong yet, I’d encourage you to do immediately, she is truly fantastic!