As the year comes to a close, I was reflecting on all the reading I've done, and decided to throw together a small list of what I think are the best books released in 2017 (NOTE: These are all opinions, and you in no way have to agree with any of them).
7. Windwitch by Susan Dennard
It feels like I read this ages ago, but Dennard really reached a new high with this novel. Every detail that she painstakingly laid in the first book of the series, "Truthwitch," came back to play a big part. Threads weaved together, she expanded her already sprawlingly epic world. It was a quick read, but it kept me on the edge of my seat. The whole. Damn. Time.
6. History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
A story of love and loss and the desperate searching of a grieving child, "History Is All You Left Me" will break your heart with every turn of the page. This novel is raw and real, with emotions so real they transcend the pages and work their way into your heart. And, of course, it has the beautiful LGBT representation Silvera delivers in his work—something that can feel so hard to come across at times. Overall, one of his best works.
5. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
To say I was apprehensive about this story would be saying the least. I don't at all hate John Green, but his previous novels to me felt saturated and pseudo-profound. However, after a few years off, Green came back with a hit. "Turtles All the Way Down" is so important to me because it tells a beautiful story without trying to be beautiful: it simply is. It feels real, and Green incorporates OCD and anxiety into the main character's narrative without forcing it—something that is incredibly important for such a high-profile author such as himself. Beautiful and real, I found myself pleasantly shocked at "Turtles All the Way Down."
4. Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
Hands down one of the most important books of this year. Though I'm a Maas fan, I almost didn't even bother picking up this book. I was annoyed they added a whole novel in the middle of the Throne of Glass series, and I didn't care to see where their adventures would lead them. However, when I got around to reading this one, I was shocked. It was beautiful and adventurous and youthful. Maas brings the readers to the lands of Antica—never before seen in the previous novels—where her imagination ran free, bringing incredible new characters, places, and fights that were so authentic and varied I couldn't help but love it. However, further than just that, Maas was more aware than ever. She had a disabled main character who was treated with the utmost respect, care, and love. Furthermore, Maas includes a much more racially varied cast, and multiple sex scenes where consent is explicitly uttered. She not only created an incredible story, but also made her book more aware than ever before. Needless to say, this is my favorite book in the series to date.
3. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
I know, I know, another Adam Silvera book. This one, however, I have higher on the list because this book hit closer to home for me than HIAYLM. Obviously we have no Death Cast in the real world, and obviously we have no social media that pairs people who are dying. However, the recklessness the characters experience and the beauty in their friendship (before anything romantic or lonely occurred) felt so real and so relatable I connected much more with the characters and the story. A heartbreaking end, Silvera executed this book perfectly.
2. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
This book was so important when it came out. Amidst constant police violence and racism that had boiled to the front of American media, Thomas released "The Hate U Give"—a socially conscious and beautifully real account of what life is like for any black families across the country. Thomas wrote with such passion and such realism I felt shocks of terror and had fits of virulence at just how unfair Starr was treated. This book was a masterpiece, and could not be more timely.
1. A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
I'm a Schwab fan through and through. I love every book she puts out, and truly believe she has a way with words and characters that is entirely unparalleled. In this epic conclusion to the Shades of Magic series—her most popular to date—I could not believe how smoothly and beautifully she pulled off the story. It was emotional, and dangerous, and a completely heart-pounding read, however Schwab brought her series to a conclusion in this best way possible. It's my favorite book in that series, and by far the best book I read this year.
