I’m not a prolific reader. In fact most years I’m lucky if I make it through 2 books a month. But in 2018 I set myself the goal of reading more books, even if that meant listening to half of them. So as the year’s end draws near I have read 38 books! This might actually be a record for me. Anyways, I’ve whittled them down to my favourite 5, and here we go (in no particular order).
5 – Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
“Holy hell this was a good book!”
I actually read both this and the sequel, Grey Sister, this year, but I chose Red Sister because in all honesty I think I enjoyed it a bit more. It mixes action and drama perfectly, and gives us characters we can root for, twists that wrench the heart, and a world that I can’t wait to hear more from. And it’s all wrapped up in Mark Lawrence’s beautiful prose. You can check out my full review by clicking this link.
4 – Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson
“If you like your fantasy epic and full of boundless depth, this is one you should definitely check out!”
I read all three books of Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives this year to see what all the fuss was about, and I was not disappointed. They are so full of epic world building that I found myself both completely absorbed and blown away.
3 – Paternus by Dyrk Ashton
“There’s action in this book that belongs in a Hollywood blockbuster.”
Dyrk Ashton broke all the rules when writing Paternus. ALL OF THEM. In the hands of 90% of the authors out there, it would be an unreadable mess. But somehow Dyrk manages to make it work. And not just work, but work so well that it flows beautifully. You can read my full review here.
2 – We Ride the Storm by Devin Madson
“And Miko… well the story doesn’t happen to Miko. She damn well happens to the story!”
WRtS was so utterly engrossing that I found something to love on every page (even the ones about the character I didn’t really like). It’s dark, it’s bloody, there’s war and death, and also beauty and power… And more severed heads than a GRRM novel. You can read my full review here.
1 – The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding
“The Ember Blade was a long time coming, and worth the wait.”
Chris Wooding ties the classical epic fantasy quest into the more modern, darker style of fantasy. It reminded me both of the reasons I first fell in love with the genre, and also why I continue to love the genre and how it is evolving. You can read my full review here.
