Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is “Top Ten Best Books I Read In 2015 (you can do it by only 2015 releases, overall , by genre (top ten fantasy books I read in 2015), etc. however you choose to make your BEST list).” The year is coming to such a quick end. 2015 was such a great year in terms of reading. I picked up so many great titles this year, it was a little difficult to narrow this list down. I also took a bit of a different route, not all of these titles were five-star reads. A couple of these were four-star ones, but they were so impressive (and so very close to being five-stars), that it would be unfair not to mention them in a list like this. Titles below will be linked to my reviews and covers are linked to Goodreads.
1. Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan – I finally picked up the final book in the Lynburn Legacy and it was so good. Kami Glass remains one of my favorite protagonists in literature.
2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – I am head-over-heels in love with this fun heist book, full of complex characters and fantastic world-building. Even if you weren’t a big fan of her Grisha Trilogy, I recommend giving this one a shot.
3. The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski – How do you make this blogger cry? Make her read this second book in the Winner’s Trilogy. This book left me in shreds, and I’m still trying to recover.
4. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson – Why didn’t I read this book sooner? This one has been on my TBR for ages and I didn’t get around to reading it because I wasn’t sure I would like it. It blew me away! Forget Peter Pan, Wendy, and Tinkerbell, Tiger Lily is my favorite.
5. Uprooted by Naomi Novik – In need of a complex fantasy read? Look no further than this one. Magic has never seemed so dangerous and awe-inspiring.
6. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab – Fantastic world-building. Frightening foes. What more can you ask for? The sequel is actually the first book of 2016 that I’ve preordered.
7. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton – This book may be the reason why I now crave magical realism on a regular basis. I cannot say enough about how beautifully written this debut novel is.
8. Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers – This is another final book that I put off reading for a while. Why must I say goodbye to so many amazing series? I love so many things about the His Fair Assassin trilogy. If you haven’t had a chance to pick it up, do it! I leave you with two words: assassin nuns.
9. The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle – Another magical realism novel on my list this week. This book really surprised me. I really didn’t know what to expect, but it’s whimsical, odd, and oh-so beautiful.
10. In the Time of Dragon Moon by Janet Lee Carey – Goodness, I read quite a few series conclusions this year. The second book in this series, Dragonswood, will always be really special to me, and I loved having a chance to visit this world one final time.
Do we have any 2015 favorite reads in common? Have you had the pleasure of reading any of these or are you contemplating it? Let me know in the comments and be sure leave a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit.
I think you already know which one of these is gonna be in my favorites 😉 but I think Six of Crows might end up in there too but for sure in the honorable mentions of 2015.
I really need to read The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows; I’ve heard such good things
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I might have an idea…I have a feeling Six of Crows will be everywhere today. Ava Lavender is just so good, I can’t believe I had it on my shelf for so long before I actually picked it up.
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I’m hoping to read Unmade very very soon! I can’t wait to finish the series. It looks like you’ve had a great reading year!
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You’re going to really enjoy this final book, even though it’s sad to let such a great ensemble of characters go.
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Ah great list. I still have Tiger Lily and Uprooted on my wishlist. Fingers crossed for Christmas. Lol! My list is here: https://lipsyy.wordpress.com/2015/12/15/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-books-of-2015-ttt/
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I hope you get both, they’re both superb reads!
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I WILL DIE IF I DONT OWN A COPY OF SIX OF CROWS BY THE TIME I SEE IT ON ANOTHER LIST. Or, well, never mind, cause I am going to see it on another list in like five minutes. It is on every list. WANT WANT WANT. The list hype has gotten to me it seems… 🙂
I am listening to Uprooted right now, though so far it isn’t everything everyone has promised me…but the narrator is also not great, kind of wooden. Hope I like it more as I get deeper into it.
My top ten list is here, if you’re interested: http://www.bookpunks.com/year-books-best-books-2015/
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Six of Crows is well-deserving of the hype in my opinion. I hope you love it! I actually heard from another blogger that they weren’t too fond of the narrator for Uprooted, that’s a shame because it’s a fantastic fantasy.
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I read the entire His Fair Assassin trilogy this year and loved it! They are some great books.
Thanks for sharing your list.
Amanda
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I’m so glad you enjoyed them. I adore that series, though I have a soft spot for Grave Mercy. Thanks for visiting!
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We only share A Darker Shade of Magic this week – The Accident Season almost made it. I need to read the others on your list. 🙂
Check out my TTT and Music Monday.
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So glad A Darker Shade of Magic made you list this week. I actually almost left off The Accident Season, but I just couldn’t. So many fine choices out there!
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I have Ava on my list this week also. I think its my favourite one that I have read this year, it was just so beautiful ❤
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Yes, it’s just so lovely and heartbreaking and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it’s magic.
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So many of these are on TBR list! I actually have Tiger Lily and Uprooted, I just need to make the time to read them.
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I hope you can get to them soon, they are wonderful!
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I LOVED the Winner’s Crime and Mortal Heart. Some of the others are on my TBR list. What a great year for books!
Here’s my Top Ten Tuesday
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Both of these are among my very favorite series of all time. Such great characters! It was really a wonderful reading year.
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So many of your favorites are books that I wanted to read. This is even more encouragement to pick them up along with some new ones!
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I’m so glad to hear it, you’ve got some amazing books on your TBR!
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You’ve made all these books sound utterly exquisite tempting! You know my taste in characterization and worldbuilding, which one do you highly recommend for me!? Six of Crows and Uprooted are on my Christmas wishlist! 😉
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Oh my goodness, can I recommend them all? You love world-building, so definitely Six of Crows, Uprooted, and A Darker Shade of Magic. For great characterization, again Six of Crows, the Lynburn Legacy, and His Fair Assassin trilogy. And I know you like good writing too, so if you’re up for some magical realism and often stunning writing, check out The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. Too much? Haha.
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I really want to read Uprooted next year! The Accident Season, too. My TTT
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I hope you get to both, they’re fantastic reads. Uprroted has amazing world-building and The Accident Season is so unique.
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I REALLY want to read Tiger Lily now!!!!
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You must! Oh my goodness, Tiger Lily had me from the very first page.
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I made the arbitrary decision not to include audiobooks on my list, but seeing your list makes me realize that that was a mistake… because Uprooted was absolutely one of the favorite books of the year, but I left it off my list 😦 I still need to get to A Darker Shade of Magic, especially with the sequel coming out!
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Aw, man, maybe you can make a best audiobooks of 2015 list. Love ADSOM, I’m actually planning to reread before the year ends.
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Ooh, I like the idea of a best audiobooks list!
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Great list! I haven’t read any of these titles, but several of them are on my wishlist. Now I’m really excited to start them. 😀
I hope you have just as good of a reading year in 2016.
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Thanks! Hope you enjoy and the same for you!
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The Accident Season was so creepy but the ending just didn’t work for me. Still a good read 🙂
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That’s too bad, the ending actually made me want to reread it immediately.
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I have only read Mortal Hearts from your list, Alicia, and I loved it. Several others are hiding in various places on my TBR shelf… one day 😉
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His Fair Assassin is one of my favorite series ever, glad you like it too! Hope you can pick them up soon! 🙂
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Uprooted, A Darker Shade of Magic and The Accident Season made my top 10 as well – they were wonderful! I’m now definitely checking out the Ava Lavender book, even the cover is gorgeous!
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Yay! Great picks! If you enjoyed The Accident Season, you’ll enjoy Ava Lavender.
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