Whew this year is flying by! I cant believe its June already. I’ve had quite a fun filled year so far; I met Katherine Arden in Manchester *squeals*, went to see Kinky Boots the musical (which was awesome), went to my first blogging event at Gollancz publishing, got my hands on some awesome books and met another favourite author of mine Ben Aaronovitch, went to see The Spice Girls who absolutely smashed it and got my first even physical ARC from a publisher. On top of all these awesome events I have had the chance to read some amazing books. In fact I’ve not read a bad book or DNF one this year so far. I’ve managed 33 out of the 75 on my Goodreads reading goal and I’ve loved every single one of them. There have been some debuts that have knocked it out of the park, and some books from celebrated authors that have cemented my love for them. This weeks Top Ten Tuesday was supposed to be Unpopular bookish opinions but I couldn’t really think of any, so decided to shout about some of my best reads this year so far.

Top Ten Tuesday is run by Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl and you should definitely go give her blog some love 💛

The Priory of the Orange Tree – Samantha Shannon

Epic! This is pretty much the only way I can describe this book. I flew through it’s almost 900 pages, and tbh i would he read a further 900 just to get the chance to read more about the world that Shannon creates. We might only be 6 months into the year so far but it’s going to take something special to knock this off my fave read of 2019 spot.

Full review

Gods of Jade and Shadow – Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Love reading about other cultures folklore/mythology, kick ass heroines, swoon worthy gods and snarky demons… well this book is for you. I fell so deeply into the Mayan world that Silvia creates, and I loved hearing more about Xibalba ( I can thank The Road to El Dorado for me knowing what that was 😆). My review for this will be going live on 18.06 so keep your eyes peeled.

Aurora Rising – Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman

I mean, I’m pretty sure anyone who has read this book will agree with me on this one. A truly kick ass sci-fi novel that left me with such a big book hangover. Seriously though these two write some top notch characters, and the action scenes completely draw you in. My only regret is that I haven’t picked up the Illuminae files yet.

Full review

Once Upon a River – Diane Setterfield

I loved this twisty and turny tale about a girl that turns up one stormy night, and the multiple families who try and claim her as their own. This is a beautiful tale of loss and finding each other in that loss. Add in a fantastical element and I was hooked.

Full review

Lord of Secrets – Breanna Teintze

If I hadn’t known this was a debut before reading it, I would never have guessed. The writing in this was sublime, and I completely fell for the grumpy yet loyal sorcerer. Add in a completely fresh magic system and and enough twists and turns to make you dizzy and I flew through this one.

Full review

Crown of Feathers – Nicki Pau Preto

Another debut that knocked it out of the park. I couldn’t get enough of the World Nicki created, everything from the setting to the characters was sublime and I now want my own Phoenix.

Full review

King of Scars – Leigh Bardugo

I mean, I had high hopes for this one. A book about my favourite Cinnamon roll Nikolai. It definitely didn’t disappoint, and that ending… I need book 2 now.

Full review

The Dragon Republic – R.F. Kuang

I loved the Poppy War so was slightly wary picking this one up… you know, second book syndrome. But I was pleasantly surprised, I felt the character growth in this book was much better than the first, and we got to see more of Rin’s world. Another book full of twists and turns that I couldn’t put down.

The Kingdom – Jess Rothenburg

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book but it was sooo good! A really easy yet intriguing read, and some of the questions the author asks are going to stick with me for a while.

Full review

Sorcery of Thorns – Margaret Rogerson

I’ve literally just finished this and it was awesome! Swoon worthy romance, epic adventure, a kick ass heroine, magic, a demon you can’t help but fall for and books… this is literally a book filled with other books, some of which have personalities and others are just downright annoying! Seriously though this is a book that any book lover will enjoy reading. Make sure you check out my full review going live on Thursday.

Ok guys. So that’s my top ten for the year so far. This was super hard to narrow down because I’ve read soooo many good books this year. What have been your top reads of the year so far? Let me know in the comments.