How did you get on with your reading? Somehow I managed to read fewer books, according to Goodreads, but I did read a lot of short stories in 2020. I am a slow reader so, if I finish them in a few hours, you know they are short!
I was just able to squeeze in my final read before New Year, so I managed fourteen of my fifteen book target. So close, but yet so far! Unfortunately the last half of the year was tremendously busy and I just didn’t have the hours in the day. It goes that way sometimes.
Anyway, similar to last year, I thought it would be a great idea to round up a top five of the books I have read so you can add them to your to-be-read piles if the fancy takes you. Happy reading!
5) Ocean Heart – Ally Aldridge
This is a great debut novel by Ally Aldridge. Mermaids, magic, coming of age, family secrets and a love triangle, what more could you ask for?
This is a lovely story where the reader is able to grow along with the main character. There are times you are cheering, and times when you hold your head in your hands, but through it all there is love. Love of friends, family, first loves, and something much more powerful.
If mermaids were teens navigating daily life and first loves.
4) The ACOTAR Series – Sarah J. Maas
I absolutely could not choose just one book out of the series. They pulled me out of a massive reading slump, jumping from one to the next, and finishing all of them in around 3 weeks!
The world that Sarah J. Maas is so rich and diverse, it jumps from the pages, sucking you in no matter how much you fight it. The first book is a great entry, but the second book is much darker, and probably my favourite out of all of them. All of the characters go through growth and changes, and I can guarantee that your opinions of some will change dramatically by the end.
At times I was brought to tears, both in sadness and in laughter. The bat boys are hilarious at times and bring much needed comic relief at just the right moments.
An emotional roller coaster, you’ve been warned.
3) The Anahata Divide – Julia Scott
Just like the first book, The Mirror Souls, I found The Anahata Divide extremely easy and enjoyable to read. It’s one of those books where you can pick it up and time passes by without you noticing, then suddenly you are at the last page screaming for the rest of it as surely that can’t be the end!
Don’t be put off by the sci-fi element, as that is all it is, just a small part of a much bigger and broader story. There are also dystopian and romance themes, as well as hidden secrets of the past, friendships and betrayals. You really need to read it, now!
Hooked from the first page to the last!
2) The Sentinels: Saving Innocence – Cassidy Reyne
Mixing it up a little, this book is completely FREE! Seriously! And what’s more, it is a full length novel, not just a few chapters or short novella that some of these sign ups offer. All you have to do is visit Cassidy’s website and sign up to her newsletter.
If you’ve read any of The Sentinels series, and even if you haven’t, you will love this fast paced romantic suspense which is based around the teenage lives of some of our favourite characters. I loved seeing how they were, and certainly made me question what might have happened for some of their personalities and outlooks to change over the subsequent years.
Cassidy never disappoints, bringing an exciting mix of romance and suspense that doesn’t shy away from difficult or challenging events.
1) Whispers of War – Kara S. Weaver
The Ilvannian Chronicles just get better and better as the tension and action cranks up. Whispers of War, or WoW for short, is exactly that. WOW!
Now, with another POV added into the mix, you get a really in depth and intimate take on multiple locations across the spectacular world that Kara has created. It’s amazing how the story is connected with little drips of information, foreshadowing, and relaxed conversation between characters that seems entirely innocent but is laden with detail.
If you’ve not read any of the books yet, you really don’t know what you’re missing.
Thank you so much for reading this far. If you’ve read any of the books on this list, I’d love to know what you thought about them, either in the comments below or on Instagram/Facebook.
If you’ve not had the joy of reading any of them yet, I hope I have given you a few ideas!
Lastly, I’d like to invite you to join my newsletter by just popping your email address below. I will be sending out my first post in the next week of two (don’t worry, you won’t be inundated!) and I’d really like you to get all of my announcements and news before anyone else.
Thank you and happy reading.
Jodie xxx