This is Part Two of my book recommendations series! These are all the fiction books I read this year, including any I re-read. Find Part One on nonfiction books here.
The fiction books, except in one or two cases, are clumped by series if I read multiple of the same series–in most cases, I didn’t think each individual book needed it’s own paragraph and rating.
These are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about my affiliate philosophy here. That being said, my first preference is for you to check these out from your local library! You can also check them out from the library in e-book form and download them to the Kindle app, which means you don’t even have to put on pants and leave the house to get your book. Isn’t technology grand?
In the list below, the books are labelled by level of recommendation:
- Drop everything to read this book (DEAR for short)
- Highly recommended (HR)
- Good book (GB)
- OK
- Meh don’t bother (MDB)
I’m not a super critical reader, so don’t expect the distribution to be even. Also, the descriptions definitely get way shorter near the end. I stopped caring…#sorrynotsorry.
Ok, here we go. For your reading pleasure:
Fiction Book Recommendations
- Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas.
- Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas.
- Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas.
DEAR. This whole series is DEAR. The first one in the series is Throne of Glass. Kingdom of Ash is the last book of the series. The full order is: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, QoS, EoS, Tower of Dawn, and KoA. Sarah J. Maas does such an amazing job of building her worlds and her characters. Some of my favorite parts about her books are that they don’t give into stereotypical young adult fantasy tropes, namely: that the main female and main male are destined to be soulmates, that the main female can only love one person, that the main female is basically perfect except for maybe some self doubt, or that evil comes in one shade. Her writing is dynamic and exciting and I really hope we get to see some spinoff books for some of these characters. This is definitely one of those series that I buy because I know I’ll be rereading them multiple times. - The Power by Naomi Alderman.
HR. This was such a fascinating book. The premise is that women suddenly discover/develop a new power as an evolutionary strength. With that power, the whole dynamic of society shifts so that suddenly men are the weaker sex that needs to be protected. It highlights some of the existing inequities in our society and hypothesizes how the tables would turn if a power like this suddenly developed. It’s a really interesting read, and it made President Obama’s list of favorite books in 2017. - Artemis by Andy Weir.
HR. “Jasmine Bashara never signed up to be a hero. She just wanted to get rich.” If you’ve read The Martian, you’re already familiar with Weir’s entertaining writing. Artemis is his latest novel, set in a colony on the moon. It’s hilarious, and the attention to detail makes this book a joy to read. Bonus points because it’s centered on a bad-ass female lead character. I recommend both of Weir’s books, and I will definitely keep an eye out for anything he writes in the future. - Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton.
- Traitor to the Throne
- Hero at the Fall
HR. Wow, was this an awesome series. I’m not going to try to summarize the plot, but it involves another bad-ass female protagonist and beautiful world-building. Combine that with Middle Eastern folktales and fantasy, and I’m hooked. I picked this up randomly, but I’m so glad I found this series. It’s definitely one that I’ll reread, and probably a series I’ll go ahead and buy (I originally rented it from the library). - Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce.
HR. Pierce is one of my all-time favorite authors. Her Alanna series was probably one of the first fantasy books I read as a child, and definitely contributed to my love of the genre. She paints such beautiful worlds, and I was so excited when she released this prequel series focused on one of my favorite characters in her Wild Magic (and subsequent) series. I can’t wait for book two! 
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas.
DEAR. Look, if Maas writes it, hands down I’m there for it. And it’ll make it on my annual list, and it will have a DEAR rating. Please get on my level. This book specifically is a bridge between A Court of Thorns and Roses series (which is gold) and Maas’s planned spinoff novels in the series that follow other characters. Because of that, it felt lighter than the main books of the series, but in a wonderful, eating pie for breakfast way (aka not nutritious but so much fun).- Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson.
- Shadows of Self.
- Bands of Mourning.
HR. Sanderson is a fantasy novel master. He’s an expert in his craft and knows how to tell a story. This series is a continuation of the Mistborn series (set far in the future but in the same world). I am a little ashamed to admit that I haven’t read Sanderson’s other books other than the Mistborn series and these three, but I’m hoping to soon! And I can’t wait for the fourth book in this series. I re-read the first two books in this series this year, and also read the third book for the first time. It had been on my Kindle for awhile, but I didn’t get around to it before now. - The Sleeping Prince by Melinda Salisbury.
- The Scarecrow Queen
GB. These are the second two books in the Sin-Eater’s Daughter trilogy. It’s a unique premise, and I really enjoyed this series. It’s probably not a series I need to own, but definitely one I’m glad I checked out from the library. - Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh.
- Smoke in the Sun.
HR. Ahdieh is an amazing writer. Her first series, which really put her on the map, was The Wrath and the Dawn, which is a Middle Eastern fairy tale setting àla Scheherazade. This series is set in a fictional version of Japan. I love both series for the other culture they bring in; it’s not another tale told in some version of Western Europe (which seems to be the default). She also writes fantastic strong female characters, which I appreciate always. With both of these series, there are only two primary books, which is a nice change from never-ending sequels. - Sea King by C.L. Wilson.
HR. This is a fantasy romance novel, in case you couldn’t tell from the cover art! I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun this book (and the first one in the series–the Winter King) both are. It’s light but well written and with an interesting world to dive into. Maybe a good couple of books to read when you need an escape from holiday stress! - Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer.
- The Arctic Incident
- The Eternity Code
- The Opal Deception
GB. Ugh I love this series. It’s definitely geared toward a younger reading sector, but I still re-read it for nostalgia every couple of years. And I’m super excited that they’re making a movie out of the first book soon!! This is also a great series to read with kids, and I’ve also listened to the audiobook version on long road trips.
- Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake.
- One Dark Throne
GB. This is a really interesting series. I enjoyed reading it, and I’ll definitely read the next book in the series, but it’s also not my favorite ever. It’s pretty dark (not that that’s necessarily a bad thing). It will be interesting to see where this goes in the next book! The second book in the series is One Dark Throne, and the premise of the series is that every queen of the island gives birth to triplet girls, and when those girls come of age, the last one standing gets to be queen, so they attempt to kill their sisters. There’s a lot more to the plot, but that’s the basic gist of it. - Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman.
HR. This is a really cool series and premise. The plot is basically that we’ve found a “cure” for mortality, and no one dies. But to control the population, Scythes are appointed and have to randomly kill people to manage those numbers. The series follows two scythes-in-training as they face corruption in the scythedom and how they handle that. It’s such a unique idea and definitely worth reading. Thunderhead is the second book in the series (Scythe is the first), and the third book will hopefully come out soon! - Wandfasted by Laurie Forest.
- The Black Witch.
OK. The Black Witch is the first book in this series, and Wandfasted is its prequel. The plot and building is unique and interesting, but this only got an “OK” rating because the writing is at times rudimentary. Still, they’re interesting, and I’ll definitely read the next books in the series, I’m just not dying in suspense like I am with some other series on this list. - The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.
GB. Holly Black is a really great author in the sub-genre of fantasy novels based on faeries. I’ve enjoyed her past books, and this first in a new series is no exception. I don’t think her writing is groundbreaking in the genre, but she’s definitely a strong writer and a wonderful storyteller. - Seraphina by Rachel Hartman.
- Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman.
HR. This is a really great series! Especially if you like books with dragons. Which, let’s be honest, who doesn’t?? Seraphina is an awesome character, and this is really well-written. A follow-up book, Tess of the Road, was also good, but is below the cut. The original two books are way better.
- Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman. GB
- Why I Wake Early by Mary Oliver.
HR. I wrote about how I’m trying to bring creativity back into my life earlier this year. Part of that is reading more poetry, and I really enjoy reading Mary Oliver’s works. I’ve started writing my favorite poems in my Bullet Journal so I can read them when I need inspiration. - The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli.
- The Caged Queen
HR. This is a really cool series. Again with dragons. Are you sensing a theme? I liked the first one better than the sequel, but they were both great.
- The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle.
- Close Kin
- In the Coils of the Snake
HR. This is one of my favorite series ever. I re-read it at least once a year, and I always will. I can’t even pinpoint what about the series I love so much, but it’s a lovely simple pleasure that makes me happy. - Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima.
- Wizard Heir
- Dragon Heir
HR. This is a series I really love that I re-read every few years. And this is one of my favorite authors ever! The first one is also available on Kindle Unlimited! - Court of Fives by Kate Elliott.
- Poisoned Blade
- Buried Heart
This series is ranked GB. Interesting plot and world-building, but kind of simple writing and some simple plot devices. - The Jewel by Amy Ewing.
- The White Rose
- Black Key
GB. This was an interesting premise, and I enjoyed the series. Only ranked GB because at times the plot devices used to move the story forward were a little superficial. - Forbidden Magic by Jo Beverley
- St. Raven by Jo Beverley.
- The Demon’s Mistress by Jo Beverley.
GB. These are all good books, but not a series. Great fluffy romance novels. There’s not much more to say.
- Furyborn by Claire Legrand.
MDB. I wanted to like this book, but there were way too many plot holes in between all the random fight scenes that were the glue holding this together. Great concept, poor execution. - Legend by Marie Lu.
- Prodigy
MDB. Ugh. I love Marie Lu’s books’ general ideas, but they never end up working in reality. Overly simplistic, too formulaic, boy meets girl basic. Despite the awesome premise. - Warcross by Marie Lu.
MDB. Same issue with above. - Young Elites by Marie Lu.
MDB. Again, same as above.
Wow, that took forever. I didn’t realize how long this list was when I started. Maybe next year I’ll do Quarterly reports. Anyway, I hope this two part series helped you find a new book that you enjoy! And that you take some time this holiday season to slow down, read something new, and reflect.
Any books I need to add to my To Read list for next year? Let me know! I’d love recommendations!