Favourite Books of 2021!

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my Favourite Books of the year! 

I don't have anything else to say, so with further ado, enjoy!

1. Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4), by Sarah J Maas

I read the entire Throne of Glass at the start of the year, but Queen of Shadows was the standout book of the series. It felt like everything that had been bubbling underneath for the past three books finally rose to the surface in this book. If the series had ended there, I would have been okay with it. Of course I loved the other books, the characters I met in the second half of the series, but I just fell right into Queen of Shadows and stayed there. 

2. The FlatShare, by Beth O' Leary 

This was my first Beth O'Leary book and although I've thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them, The FlatShare is definitely my favourite. I'm actually considering reading this again, because of how much I enjoyed it. 

So basically, it's about two people that share a flat, but who have never actually met. They communicate through post it notes, and it's too adorable. Plus there are more serious issues mixed in with both characters, and what I love the most is how seamlessly the issues and the cute moments are mixed in together. 

3. Instructions for Dancing, by Nicola Yoon 

Such a quick read, but so much was packed in. And it didn't feel rushed, at all. Nicola Yoon is known for her wonderful YA contemporaries, Everything Everything and The Sun is Also A Star. I was surprised to find that I hadn't heard even a whisper about this until I stumbled upon it on Goodreads at the end of last year. But I will say that out of all three Nicola Yoon books that I've read, this one is by far my favourite. As a summary, Instructions for Dancing is about a girl that can see how and when a relationship ends when she sees that couple kiss. It's a great premise, and an amazing book. 

4. Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigators #1), by B.B. Alston 

The standout middle-grade of the year! Fantastic main character, who feels original and genuine, but just an echo of all the protagonist's I've read in the past, a compelling plot, an easy magic system and an explosive ending! 

I picked this up at exactly the right time, and I am counting down the days until book two comes out in February, so I can see what happens to Amari as she navigates through the events of the second book. 

5. The Ghosts We Keep, by Mason Deaver

Going into this, I knew this was going to be an emotional book. Any book with the subject matter of losing your brother will be, but one thing I didn't expect was that I would finish it in as little as two days. 

Sensitive and beautifully written, my heart was simultaneously broken and put back together as I read this book because, while this book is about having to deal with the loss of a loved one, it's also about two people finding love and coming together to help eachother deal with their grief. Highly recommend this. 

6. The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman 

Over the past couple of years I've been reading Neil Gaiman's books, one every few months or so, and I've been loath to find one I like. Now, I'm not sure why, and I'm not sure how. But as soon as I heard about this one, merely heard the title, I sort of knew that I was going to love this. If you've read the title, then you'll know how I feel about it. 

If you haven't read the title then here you go. It was one of my favourites of the year. 

This genuinely felt like it was told by a child. Not like in the way that there's a bunch of spelling mistakes or things didn't make sense. In fact, the story was told in such a way that, I had to read a couple of sentences a second time, just to make sure I had read it right. No, it genuinely felt like I was in the mind of a child whilst reading, I was able to fall into that mindset so easily. The POV fit into the story so easily, I don't believe it would have worked half as well if I hadn't been reading from a child's POV.

All in all, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, was a whimsical, surreal, beautifully written read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I honestly doubt I'll enjoy a Neil Gaiman book as much again. 

7. The Kane Chronicles trilogy, by Rick Riordan 

And finally, the Kane Chronicles. I was seriously considering skipping past these three when I finished The Heroes of Olympus series, because of how much I thought that series dragged. But I decided to at least give them a try, and that somehow manifested into, why not try and read them all in 24 hours?

And the rest is history. It's currently my favourite Rick Riordan series to date and although it might be a while before I re-read these, I will have those wonderful memories of digesting this trilogy until that time comes. 

Not only was the relationship between Sadie and Carter absolutely precious (with them jumping in with random dialogue during eachother's chapters) but this trilogy just hit differently to the other three I've read of Rick Riordan.

Such a wonderful trilogy. Highly recommend. 

Okay! Those are my Favourite Books of 2021! Let me know in the comments what yours are, and we'll talk about them! 

I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all soon with my 2021 Wrap Up! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx