Top 5 Books I Read in 2018

I read a total of 69 books in 2018, and I want to share a bit about my top five books of the year. It was very hard to narrow it down this year, seeing as I read five full fantasy series, each which I loved for different reasons, plus a multitude of books in other genres, but I feel confident that this list of books contains the ones that will stick (and have stuck) with me the longest.

1. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

This is one of the first books I read in 2018, yet it has stuck with me throughout the entire year, and I still feel enchanted by its magical, ethereal nature. I can’t tell you how many people I have recommended this book to over the past few months. The Forgotten Garden solidified Kate Morton as one of my favorite authors even though it was the only book by her I had read at the time, but I have since been inclined to read another of her books just because this one was so good. I love historical fiction, but this book is special because it combines historical fiction with modern fiction in a mystery that spans decades and characters that are inextricably linked. Check out my full review here.



2. The Heart of Betrayal (but really the entire Remnant Chronicles trilogy) by Mary E. Pearson

The Remnant Chronicles was my favorite of the five complete series I read this year, and The Heart of Betrayal was my favorite book in the series. I absolutely love the concept of a runaway princess on her wedding day that is being chased by the jilted prince and by an assassin, but when they both find her in a nearby town, the princess doesn’t know who is who. I flew through this trilogy in just two weeks because the characters were so enjoyable to read about and the plot was utterly addicting. I like the second book best because (without giving anything away) the male lead in this book is my favorite character, and I love the gritty setting where the majority of the story takes place. This is a great minimal-magic high fantasy story. Here are my reviews of the first book, the second book, and the third book.


3. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Even though I read the whole Graceling Realm trilogy, the third book, Bitterblue, was one I believe could be read as a standalone, and it was by far the best book in the series. It had a heavy political influence, one that didn’t overwhelm the story but enhanced it very well. The character of Bitterblue really had to work through a lot of trials to learn about herself and how to be an effective queen, and I loved seeing her character growth over the whole book. I love the idea of a queen who goes out in hiding among the commoners to learn about them firsthand, and seeing the consequences of this was just so entertaining. Even though I don’t think I’ll reread the other two books in this series, I know I’ll come back to this one.


4. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I listened to this entire audiobook in two days and I still remember exactly where I was as I heard the story unfold around me. This book is absolutely stunning. It’s the story of the famous sex icon and actress Evelyn Hugo as she tells her detailed life story in her old age to a reporter of little merit, a reporter who somehow plays a part in Evelyn’s story. It is addicting, it is entertaining, and it is beautiful. It is hard to describe this book well enough to give it justice, but it is well worth your time. The story is addicting, it is entertaining, and it is beautiful. Here is my full review.





5. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

I can’t make a “top books” list without including a Sanderson book. This book opened my eyes to the joys of science fiction, which, until now, I always thought I didn’t like. Spensa’s goal and dream in life is to be a pilot, but because of a terrible thing that happened to her father, she is shunned and discounted and deemed unworthy. She works harder than anyone to make it into flight school and learn the ways of a pilot prepared to defeat the alien race called Krell, but she learns some secrets along the way that make her question everything she thought she knew about her world, about the Krell, and even about her father. My review can be found here.