Hey, y'all! This is FINALLY the 10th and final post in a 10-post series listing some of my favorite things. The first seven posts are lists of my current all-time favorites, while the last 3 posts include only favorites of 2015.
If you want to check out the other lists/posts in this series, you can check them out here:
This list is my ranking of all of the books that I read in 2015. I meant to get this post up a lot sooner, but I just really underestimated both the length of time that this would take to finish, as well as my ability to actually focus and buckle down and actually do it. Anyway, this post is going to be super long, so I won't ramble much longer. Pretty much anything that could be linked on here is, in fact, linked on here. Video discussions, written reviews, video reviews, etc. If there's a place where I've extensively discussed a book, it's linked alongside the book. And all of the titles link to their respective books' Goodreads pages.
*ahh, one last note sorrysorrysorry*-- I thought it would be important to mention that there are a handful of books where I changed the rating somewhat after the initial review, so trust any ratings that I have on this list over any mentioned elsewhere. My opinions probably haven't shifted much-- typically I just realize that I rated it a bit too high for my actual feelings and then I return to the rating and fix it.
44) The Leveller
(The Leveller #1)
by Julia Durango
Rating: 4/10
This book was just a massive disappointment. The writing, characters, plot, world, and romance all felt incredibly juvenile- as if it were a book written for 13 year-olds BY a 13 year-old. Unfortunately, I went into this book with Ready Player One in mind, and although I was pretty confident it wouldn't live up to that expectation, I didn't expect it to flop as much as it did. I originally rated it a 6/10 both because I saw potential in the series, and because I didn't want to bash a book that someone spent a lot of time and effort writing. But, the more distance I get from it, the less I see the potential and the more I realize that this book was simply not good.
by Janine Carbone
Rating: 4.5/10
I received a free ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. Originally, I rated this book 7/10 for various reasons, all of which are discussed in the video linked
here. Either way, I thought the pacing was off at the beginning with the romance. There were sections in the middle that seemed irrelevant and disjointed. And then, the end, when it began to get more thrilling and interesting, I found it pretty predictable and figured out what was going on.
by Emily Carroll
Rating: 4.5/10
I was really excited about this one because I'd heard that the 5 short stories within were not only creepy, but had beautiful artwork. Unfortunately, I only found half of that to be true. The artwork was really cool throughout. The colors on the cover create the color theme for the book, which is really interesting and ominous. However, the stories felt like they've been done before- one of them, I'd definitely heard before, and the others just didn't seem very original. They reminded me of stories from "Scary Stories You Tell in the Dark" or a creepypasta... but not as good. I was just incredibly bored with this one.
by Jesse Andrews
Rating: 5/10
Video Discussion
Full disclosure, I completely finished this list and was getting ready to publish it when I realized that I was a book short. After flipping through my Goodreads, I realized that this was the missing one. That's how memorable this book was to me. I definitely didn't hate it by any means, but I thought it was just completely average. I enjoyed the narrator (for the most part-- he made a few unsavory comments about women). His style of narration was really humorous and unique. But that's like... the long and short of the things that I really enjoyed about this. The plot was... there. Kinda. I just didn't think that this book was that great. #sorrynotsorry.
(Hercule Poirot #23)
by Agatha Christie
Rating: 5.5/10
I love Agatha Christie's Poirot series. The books aren't necessarily my favorite things ever, but they're always very intriguing mysteries that keep me invested and curious throughout, constantly hypothesizing about whodunnit. Unfortunately, I just didn't get that at all from Evil Under The Sun. Just as with all of Christie's books, the mystery was intricate and well crafted. However, even though I had hunches and suspicions, I found myself not really caring about the execution of the murder and the individuals involved. Overall, I just had a sense of meh with this book.
by Ed Brubaker, Ill. by Sean Phillips, Color by Elizabeth Breiweiser
Rating: 6/10
This is possibly the biggest disappointment I've ever had, solely because of how absolutely gorgeous this cover is. Honestly, this is quite possibly my favorite cover of all-time and the story just simply doesn't live up to the cover. At this point, I quite frankly don't remember anything about the characters or the story other than the fact that it was a murder mystery set in the 1940s. At least... I think it was the 40s. This story was just not very memorable and was essentially just all setup for the rest of the series. I've considered continuing on to the second volume, but I'm not even convinced I want to do that.
by Joe Hill, Ill. by Gabriel Rodriguez
Rating: 6/10
This volume of the Locke & Key series was definitely my least favorite. I thought it was just very disjointed in the beginning, and I didn't think that the plot was as intriguing as the other books in the series. We don't get some explanations about what's going on (within the series overall) until a bit later than I think it was needed, so that made this volume a bit confusing.
by Gretchen McNeil
Rating: 6/10
Ten is a re-telling of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (aka my favorite book ever), so I wasn't expecting too much from this. But I was mildly impressed. While I thought that the characters & dialogue were quite annoying (especially at the beginning), and the writing wasn't amazing, I did think that McNeil made some interesting choices. I thought that there were some clever twists thrown in that even I didn't totally see coming, as someone who's already read the source material (many, MANY, times). And, once the ball got rolling on the murders, the book was actually really fast-paced and interesting.
by Joe Hill, Ill. by Gabriel Rodriguez
Rating: 7/10
At this point, I'm honestly kinda blanking on a lot of the details of this one. I remember that I liked it, and that it was a decent continuation of the series, but there wasn't really anything particularly outstanding or interesting about it.
by Joe Hill, Ill. by Gabriel Rodriguez
Rating: 7/10
Written Review
Video Discussion
This one had some cool moments. I definitely didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first volume, but that was also because the first volume was more twisty than this one. Either way, this was better than the two following volumes, and kept me interested in the story.
by E. Lockhart
Rating: 7/10
This one was alright. I was told that this book was really surprising, and I found that it just really wasn't at all surprising. The plot was pretty basic and the mysterious stuff was pretty transparent to me. I liked it, but I didn't think there was anything special about it at all.
33) Armada
by Ernest Cline
Rating: 7/10
This book was just pretty average. I had high hopes for it because it's written by Ernest Cline, the author of Ready Player One (AKA one of my favorite books ever). Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to that. It was fine. It had moments where it was pretty interesting, and moments when it was over-complicated with terminology. The plot was pretty basic and predictable as well. Overall, it was just alright.
32) Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Rating: 7/10
Video Discussion
It was very difficult to not compare this book to the movie (which I love). I ended up actually enjoying the movie a lot more than the book. The movie was a much more fleshed out version of the book, and almost felt like the movie was the source material for the book, not the other way around. But I already enjoyed the story, so I ended up enjoying this too.
31) Murder After Hours
(Hercule Poirot #25)
by Agatha Christie
Rating: 7/10
Written Review
Video Discussion
I read somewhere that Agatha Christie thought that her biggest mistake with this book was introducing Poirot into it, and I kinda agree with that. My biggest problem was that it didn't quite read like a Poirot novel. Poirot didn't seem incredibly important to the story and seemed to be there simply to provide the solution and wasn't super important otherwise. I still enjoyed it, just as I do with most Poirot novels, but my biggest complaint was that it didn't read like a Poirot novel.
30) Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft
by Joe Hill, Ill. by Gabriel Rodriguez
Rating: 7.5/10
This was a really interesting beginning to this series. It took me a little while to warm up to the graphic format (this was my first trade comic ever!) and to the artistic style, but once I warmed up to it, I really enjoyed it as a first volume. It introduced the story really well and was interesting and clever. However, it was occasionally confusing and didn't really stick with me too much.
29) The Future Collection
by Beth Revis
Rating: 7.5/10
Written Review
Video Discussion
Overall, this was a solid collection of novellas. I'm not a huge novella person, and I usually can't really get very connected to novellas. Even novellas that I enjoy typically get average ratings. The only ones I've ever
really enjoyed were ones connected to stories and characters that I already loved. That being said, I think that these novellas are a good sampling of Beth Revis's writing. There are a couple that I thought were really great (The Turing Test and The Most Precious Memory) and the rest were just solid.
by Max Barry
Rating: 7.5/10
Video Review
Lexicon is a really fast-paced book, and it's incredibly twisty. The "magic" system, for lack of a better word, is really unique and interesting as well, and the plot is really twisty. There are a lot of points in this book where you aren't really sure what's going on, and several times, that's purposeful and I really enjoyed it, but other times, it was due to a lack of explanation, and that's where many of my problems with this book lie. And on top of that, I think that my feelings toward this book lean much more toward appreciation than enjoyment. I think that, in general, it's well-constructed and that the twists worked. But I didn't find myself getting personally attached to it in any way. I don't see myself ever re-reading this book, and looking back, I enjoyed reading it, but I wouldn't necessarily say that I "like" it. There's just a disconnect there that made me lower my initial rating to its current 7.5/10 rating.
by Joe Hill, Ill. by Gabriel Rodriguez
Rating: 8/10
This was definitely one of my favorite volumes in the series, especially as a conclusion to the series. It was basically everything you'd want from a conclusion-- emotional, fast-paced, and exciting. Overall, I really enjoyed it and thought that it ended the series really well.
by Joe Hill, Ill. by Gabriel Rodriguez
Rating: 8/10
This was definitely my favorite volume in the series. I felt like the series left some things unexplained for a bit too long, which is why volume 4 wasn't my favorite. However, a lot of things were finally explained in this volume and we got some of the back-story, and it was not only really interesting, but really helped me to understand what was going on and made things a lot clearer. Overall, a really great volume in the series.
(The Ascendance Trilogy #1)
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Rating: 8/10
I read this near the beginning of last year, and I really want to go back and re-read it because I have a feeling that I will enjoy it more the second time around. Overall, I thought this book was really interesting. It was a lot slower paced than the rest of the books in the trilogy, but instead, it was really intriguing with character development and some world building. I did have a couple complaints, one of which was that I thought that it was a little predictable, but overall I enjoyed it.
by Marissa Meyer
Rating: 8/10
I read the entirety of the Lunar Chronicles in 2015, and this one was unfortunately my least favorite. I think that overall, I thought that the plot was less intriguing than the previous and following plots, and I didn't enjoy the characters introduced in this one as much as I enjoyed the characters in the previous book. That being said, I still found Scarlet to be overall enjoyable. Even though it was my least favorite in the series, it was still a solid book overall.
by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson
Rating: 8/10
It's actually pretty impressive that The Bane Chronicles placed this high on this list and got such a good rating, because I had a very different opinion of the book when I began it in 2014. I read 6 of the 10 novellas in 2014 and ended up putting it down because I wasn't enjoying it very much. I didn't hate it by any means, because there's really no way that I could hate anything dealing with Magnus Bane. However, since I prefer long books, novellas aren't exactly my favorite way to take in stories, so it was already at a slight disadvantage. And on top of that, the first few stories were just OK. But then, when I picked it up again in July, I really enjoyed the last 4 novellas. So, it all ended up evening out to a rating of 8/10.
by Patrick Ness
Rating: 8/10
This is another book that I initially picked up in 2014 and then ended up setting down. I picked it back up again in late 2015 and overall really enjoyed it. I was pretty torn between an 8 and an 8.5, but since I didn't absolutely love it and there wasn't anything that particularly impressed/surprised me, I decided to go for the lower of the two. Overall, I really liked this book. The world, plot, and characters, were all interesting. I think the big thing for this one for me with this one is that it hasn't really stuck with me. I remember it really well, but I haven't cared enough to want to carry on in the series, which is I think why it didn't get any higher than an 8-- I really enjoyed it, but it hasn't stuck.
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Rating: 8.5/10
Overall, I thought this was a really great conclusion to the trilogy. I really enjoyed it, because it was very fast paced and tugged at my emotions just as I wanted it to. I did find it to be slightly predictable, but I was only mildly bothered by that. I think my biggest problem with it was that I felt that some things came too easy for the main character in this book. He tended to have some elaborate plans to get out of different situations, and while I found them really awesome and epic in the previous books, some of his plans seemed a bit far-fetched and reaching in this book. Aside from that and the minor predictability factor, I really enjoyed it.
by George Orwell
Rating: 8.5/10
Overall, I thought that Animal Farm was really clever. I really enjoyed the statement that George Orwell was making, and I thought that the analogies and comparisons made were really well-done and interesting. I do have to say that is is definitely a book that I appreciated more than I enjoyed. I thought it was really great, but there was nothing about it that made me
love it. I really liked it, but there's no real emotional attachment there and I don't see myself re-reading that. I liked it, I appreciated it, and I respect the statement it's making.
by Lauren Gibaldi
Rating: 8.5/10
I went into it expecting a pretty basic contemporary, but was pleasantly surprised to find a really enjoyable story. I really enjoyed the dual timelines because of how they paralleled each other in many ways. And on top of this, the characters were all really into alternative/punk rock music, which is something that I really like too, so I felt that connection with the characters. Overall, even though it wasn't anything groundbreaking, I found it really enjoyable.
18) Cinder
(Lunar Chronicles #1)
by Marissa Meyer
Rating: 8.5/10
This was a really great start to the Lunar Chronicles. I really enjoyed the way that Cinder played with the story of Cinderella and how different tropes and scenes within the story were twisted into this really interesting sci-fi dystopia. Cinder is one of my favorite characters in the series, so I really enjoyed reading her part of the story. I felt like the foreshadowing was a little heavy, but that definitely still didn't take away from my enjoyment of it overall.
by V.E. Schwab
Rating: 8.5/10
Vicious is a booktube favorite, so I had some pretty high expectations of it. Overall, I really enjoyed it. I thought that the anti-hero characters were really cool and I really enjoyed the dual timelines. However, I definitely wasn't quite as impressed as a lot of people on booktube. Although I really enjoyed it overall, there wasn't really anything that stood out as incredibly impressive, which is why it didn't any higher of a rating.
by Brian K. Vaughan, Ill. by Fiona Staples
Rating: 8.5/10
This is a really intriguing series, and I really enjoy it overall, but the volumes tend to run together a bit, especially at this point. Overall, a solid volume in the series, on par with the rest. I enjoy all of them pretty equally, but just ended up putting this one the lowest.
by Brian K. Vaughan, Ill. by Fiona Staples
Rating: 8.5/10
As stated before, I enjoy pretty much all of the volumes equally. This one introduced the series really well and got me very invested in everything that was going on. The world is really well developed and well explained, and the plot is really complex and well-woven. Definitely worth trying out if you're wanting to get into comics.
by Brian K. Vaughan, Ill. by Fiona Staples
Rating: 8.5/10
Not sure what else to say about this volume that wasn't said in the last two books on the list. This has been my favorite in the series so far because of how fast-paced and interesting the plot was. Overall, a solid installment in a solid series.
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Rating: 9/10
This was definitely my favorite in the Ascendance Trilogy. This is one of the most fast-paced books I've ever read- constantly stuff happening throughout the entirety of this ~300 page book. On top of that, the main character is one of my favorite main characters ever. There are some really awesome, exciting things that happen in this book, and I was hooked the entire way through.
by V.E. Schwab
Rating: 9/10
This was a really solid first installment in a series. It took me a little while to get invested in the story, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. The characters were really cool, the plot was really intriguing and the world/parallel Londons were so awesome. Overall, it was a really cool book and I can't wait to see how the events of this first book affect the rest of the world and the series.
by Brandon Sanderson
Rating: 9/10
I was really impressed by this book. It's been a while since I've read a middle grade novel, and I was surprised by how quickly I got into this book. The chalk-based magic system in this book is really cool and really well-constructed, and the plot was really intriguing and kept me interested all the way through. And on top of that, I loved the school setting and the friendships between the characters in the book. The real tragedy here is that there's only one book out in the series, and I have no idea when book 2 is coming out.
10) Cress
(Lunar Chronicles #3)
by Marissa Meyer
Rating: 9/10
Once again, it took me a while to warm up to this one. It took a while for this book to pick up steam, but once it did, it was
awesome. The last ~150 pages were super intense and really fast-paced. I flew through them in less than an hour because I was just so invested in everything that was going on. Despite the slightly slow beginning, the end made up for it and more. Plus, the characters who were most focused upon are some of my favorites in the series. Captain Thorne= da best.
by Scott Snyder, Ill. by Jock, Color by Matt Hollingsworth, Lettering by Clem Robins
Rating: 9.5/10
I was really impressed with this. It is, by far, my favorite single volume of a trade comic that I've ever read. The plot kept me constantly on my toes and trying to figure out what would happen next. The concept was really unique as well. But the best part of the comic was definitely the art style. It was really dark and matched the mood of the story, and every page had a watercolor stain effect across it which I thought was super cool. Overall, really awesome, and I can't wait to see what the next volume has in store.
by Beth Revis
Rating: 9.5/10
This book solidified Beth Revis as one of my absolute favorite authors. The concept was really unique, and the world was really interesting and well-developed. And on top of all of that, the plot is really action-packed and fast paced. There are constant twists and turns, which keeps it really interesting constantly. It was just a really epic, well written book and I loved it.
by Marisha Pessl
Rating: 9.5/10
The best part of this book is its mood. I rarely get affected by books, but this one really messed with my mind and left me with an overwhelming sense of paranoia pretty much the entire time I was reading the book. I got incredibly engrossed in it, and was always thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it. It constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat because of all of the craziness and twists and turns going on. Overall, it's just an awesome, atmospheric novel.
6) Winter
(Lunar Chronicles #4)
by Marissa Meyer
Rating: 9.5/10
This is easily my favorite book in the Lunar Chronicles. I really enjoyed getting to see all of the different storylines from all of the major characters get woven together really nicely. Even though it was more than 800 pages long, it was a really quick read because of all of the crazy things that were going on. Overall, I really enjoyed the way that Marissa Meyer wrapped the series up.
by Brandon Sanderson
Rating: 9.5/10
This was the conclusion to a really amazing trilogy. This was my least favorite in the trilogy, but only marginally. I read the majority of this book in a single day because I was just so invested in finding out what was going on. There were so many twists and turns, and it made the book pretty unpredictable. I just found that I couldn't put it down, because any time I thought I was at a point where I could take a break, some new twist popped up and I found myself still unable to put it down. It gave me all the feels and I just really loved it.
by Jandy Nelson
Rating: 9.5/10
I'm not a huge fan of contemporaries. I enjoy them, but it's definitely not my favorite genre and I don't tend to read them a ton. And, when I do read them, they rarely end up this high on my favorites list. But this is where I'll Give You The Sun is at, and this is definitely where it belongs. Everything about this book was wonderful. The two POVs are incredibly distinct, and both are written beautifully. The way that all of the threads within the story are woven together is masterful- I found myself falling completely in love with the storytelling and the twists and turns. Seriously, everything about this book is amazing. I loved it.
by Patrick Rothfuss
Rating: 10/10
This. Book. I have to admit- it took a little while to get invested. And it took me a while to read this. However, the #1 thing I would say for anyone wanting to read this is not to worry about how intimidating it seems. I mean, it's a large book and it's high fantasy, so you think it's going to be a little dense or hard to get through, but I promise you, it's not. The writing is beautiful in a very approachable way and I found myself immediately in love with that aspect of it. And on top of that, the story is incredibly interesting. I loved the main character, Kvothe. He's sassy and snarky in the best way. The "magic" system within this book (they don't call it magic, but it's basically magic) is really interesting and intricate. And, there's a magic school. Which is literally the best thing about this book. So good. Amazing. Love.
by Brandon Sanderson
Rating: 10/10
I have so much trouble being objective about this book series, but I feel like it's so great that I really don't need to be. The characters are awesome and have great development/character arcs. The plot is intriguing and the political finagling is really awesome. The magic system is pretty much my favorite magic system. There are some really awesome twists and turns. It's just
so good. Srlsy. This series is amazing.
by Brandon Sanderson
Rating: 10/10
And here we are. My favorite book of 2015. If you've been following me for any length of time, this comes as no surprise. If you've been reading this list so far, it should come as no surprise. This book impressed me so much. The magic system is so well-constructed and explained so well. The characters are awesome. The plot is awesome. The world-build is awesome. Literally everything is amazing. I've dubbed this book "my favorite book since Harry Potter" and I stand by that wholeheartedly. This is the best book I've read since the first time I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. If you love fantasy and you haven't read this book, please. Please. PLEASE. Read this trilogy.
Well, that was a marathon, so I'm not even going to do some sort of spiel here.
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