My Favorite Books of 2015

The year is almost over and I've been reflecting on the books I've read. It's kind of crazy looking back because at each time I read a book or was planning to read one it reminds me of that time in my life. I remember deciding that Rebel Belle was going to my first book of 2015 and how I decided to read the Legion series by Kami Garcia after getting to see her talk about her books the year before. I'm really excited to go down memory lane and show you all what my favorite books of 2015 are.

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Favorite Mystery Read

Never Never is perhaps the best mystery I've read in a long time. So much so that I was wondering what on Earth was happening throughout the entire book. 

Excerpt of my review:

"Basically, this book was the biggest tease ever. What Never Never has going for it is the extreme amount of mystery that you will have to navigate through while reading the story. But, like everyone else, I did not know what was going on. All I kept saying was "What is happening!? as I flew through the pages."

"I love that this book kept me guessing. I want a book from time to time to challenge me and have me consider things I wouldn't have before in order to try to figure out the mystery in a story."

Honorable Mention

The Raven Boys has a really great mystery concerning a certain king's whereabouts and a lot of the weird things happening throughout the town.

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Favorite Supernatural Read

Unmarked is the second book in The Legion series filled with the supernatural. The second book gets so crazy good. I won't ruin anything, but you can expect ghosts and a demon. I only wrote a short review on Goodreads so here it is:

"So this sequel did not disappoint. From the very beginning I knew I was going to go on another turbulent adventure. I can't even with the ending. I thought something crazy like that was going to be revealed, but it's completely different than I expected. How are our heroes going to survive?"

A quote from the book:

“I realized that sometimes we have to step outside the walls and fight. Sometimes the armor we thought was protecting us was actually weighing us down.” 

Honorable Mentions

If you've read The Dream Thieves then you know what supernatural elements I'm thinking of. As you can see Ronan is the center of it all but there's also the fact that there are psychics and a particular area that shouldn't even be possible.

This was one of the weirdest books yet I oddly enjoyed the concept of another dimension. I count it as supernatural because it can't be explained by nature.

This supernatural read features vampires where they are an accepted concept. It's pretty amazing and I kind of loved Holly Black after the end of this year with all the books I read by her.

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Favorite Tearjerker

I had forgotten about this until I actually looked it up again. I saw the first two sentences of my review and all the heartache came back to me. 

Excerpt of my review:

"Faking Normal tore me up inside. I couldn't help thinking towards the end that if this was my child and she/he told me that they were raped how I would feel like the world just ended. How my baby was hurt and I didn't notice."

A quote from the book:

“He's opening a door, but he already knows I won't walk through. The power of Bodee is in the way he reads me, sees through me, and then understands the truth behind the facade. He's the guy who can walk straight through the House of Mirrors on the first try. It's almost annoying. No one should ride tragedy like a pro surfer while I drown.” 

Honorable Mentions

This girl dealing with schizophrenia and paranoia so of course that led me crying for her situation.

This is about a boy and girl basically saving each other from killing themselves. You can imagine the emotional turmoil I faced.

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Favorite Retelling

This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling and I'm sorry to say it took me forever to really confirm my suspicions. This was such a fantastic retelling with fae and this whole world. The writing was out of this world.

My short review on Goodreads:

"I can't believe how easily I was able to enjoy the writing and Feyre's character. The story isn't too high fantasy that it's too hard to follow along. This had the best story, characters, and journey. The next book is going to have me squealing with joy throughout. Oh this is going to get so good."

Honorable Mentions

This was such a magical story that I don't think I was ever aware of the original story before. Such rich writing and a series I look forward to continuing in the future.

This actually made me like Wendy which is shocking for me. Such a cool story and I loved this reinvention of characters.

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Favorite Middle Grade/Children's Book

This one was a bit of a toss up, but I chose The Truth About Twinkie Pie because it had such a great twist. If you notice all the books I chose either had a food theme or there is a food in the title.                                                                                          
A quote from the book:          
                                                          
"Walking through town with Trip, I thought about how easily he had folded me into his group. Sometimes when Didi makes peanut butter cookies, she'll get all cranky trying to blend the peanut butter in the sugar, eggs, and butter. See, the peanut butter always stays in a big clump and the eggs are all slimy and you have to really work at it before everything gets nice and smooth. But the way Trip pulled me into his buttery, sugary life, you'd never know when I was peanut butter in the first place."

Honorable Mentions

This was a really good story about a daughter whose mother died young and the dog that got left behind.

Another Sarah Weeks book about a giving aunt who loved pies as well as a mystery only her niece is trying to solve.

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Favorite Series

I devoured The Raven Cycle series and I'm beyond excited to see how it all wraps up. I'm sure I'll cry and freak out. I don't know how everyone is going to handle everything. 

An excerpt from my review:

"I could not handle what was going to come at me as I read The Raven Boys. You see on almost every blog and it's given rave reviews. I couldn't prepare myself with the unbelievably AMAZING writing and storytelling that Stiefvater showcase in The Raven Boys. Everything and I mean everything was done brilliantly well. The pace, the characters, that story - all of it was perfect. I'm sure you have heard it before, but in case you haven't read The Raven Boys do yourself and read it and you can come back and thank me later."

Honorable Mentions

Another series I devoured and can't wait to see how everything wraps up. I really hope she ends up with who I want!

Although the romance in this series doesn't appeal to me I love the supernatural aspect and the plot. I wish Kami Garcia would just write the third book already.

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Favorite Couple

I have two favorite couples. Faking Normal: Alexi and Bodee and Made of Stars: Hunter and Chance.

Faking Normal: 

“I know these two weeks have been God walking right into my life like he has flesh and Kool-Aid coloured hair. The gospel according to Bodee Lennox. His safety. His protection. And love.” 

Made of Stars:

"I got the dragon because it reminded me of you. A reminder that the guy I loved would always come home to me, and he'd always have my back." He smiles a tired smile and rolls his gaze to the ceiling. To the stars. "How's that for ridiculously sentimental?"

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Favorite Friendships

Who did you expect? Blue, Gansey, Noah, Adam, and Ronan are the most amazing friends. I absolutely love them.

“You can be just friends with people, you know," Orla said. "I think it's crazy how you're in love with all those raven boys."

Orla wasn't wrong, of course. But what she didn't realize about Blue and her boys was that they were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they would be with one another. Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn't all-encompassing, that wasn't blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she'd had this kind, she didn't want the other.” 

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Favorite Siblings

Chloe and Benny are as thick as thieves. Benny always had his sisters back when she really needed him and she had his back when he had to deal with coming out.

This is a remarkable story in itself and makes you realize how much celebrity children can be exploited.

Honorable Mentions

Eadlyn and Ahren are very close. Eadlyn really relies on Ahren more than he does her, but I love how he cares for her and how she wants him to be happy.

Lara Jean and Kitty are the cutest siblings. I know the Song sisters are three but it's mostly just the two of them. Kitty is such a little rascal and has her sisters back even if she thinks she is wrong.

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Favorite Male Character

Bodee is simply a good guy who tries so hard to protect Alexi when no one else notices what she's going through. I really love this kid and wish he didn't go through a tragedy himself. He wins in my books because he's a really good guy.

Honorable Mentions

In Made You Up Miles was pretty relentless with Alex. You just know that he fits right with Alex and when he becomes concerned for her - you can really see his heart on his sleave. In A Court of Thorns and Roses Tamlin is awkward and badass and Rhysand is just the ultimate bad boy who I can't help but love.

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Favorite Female Character

Blue, of course, is the best female character I've met this year. Her prescence and coolness is just something I admire. 

“She recognized the strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that was sometimes so big that it felt like sadness.” 

Honorable Mentions

Ally was always good for a laugh. Her antics would crack me up and her passion had me rooting for her. Feyre is a real badass and I can't help but admire her conviction especially for a family who didn't really seem to care about her.

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Favorite Covers

          

          

         

          

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Favorite Books

I just couldn't decide! Faking Normal tore me up inside and I loved every minute of it. Meanwhile, A Court of Thorns and Roses had amazing writing and an epic story.

Honorable Mentions

Made You Up really got to me. It's such a wonderful story that really shows how everyone has different struggles in their life.

The Raven Boy and the series as a whole feels like a whole new world. The writing iss impeccable and the characters are the best.

Made of Stars has one of the best romances. It floored me how much I enjoyed Hunter and Chance together almost immediately.

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What are your favorite books of 2015?