10 Best Books of 2018

2018 has been such a magical year for me, reading-wise. I succeeded to read 70 books, and while this may not seem like a big deal- it is still more than I have ever read in an year before. Moreover, a lot of the books that I read were 5 out of 5 stars books, so beyond being a very dense reading year, it was also a very successful one regarding the quality of its content.

It was rather difficult to narrow it down to only 10 books as I have read so many impressive titles, I felt like a traitor every single time I erased one off my list. Nevertheless, here is my top:

1. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery

While I may be cheating a tad with this one, as I have began this book in late 2017, I did finish it in 2018, so I still think of it as my best read of this year.

Anne of Green Gables tells the story of the orphaned girl Anne Shirley that is adopted by two unmarried brothers, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert that were looking to adopt a small boy of a decent age to help them around the house. A lovely misunderstanding happens, and while they send word to have a little gal brought to them from the orphanage, they get Anne instead, a wonderful outspoken girl that will change their life in the best way.

Anne Shirley is by far my most beloved heroine of all time, and the story is for me one of the closest thing we have to magic in the real world. Avonlea will always be for me a place my heart will want to travel to, and I guess I will always be finding myself reading and rereading this book, wanting to be swept away once more in this beautiful tale of joy and woe. I will always find myself rereading this, as it was by my side in so many difficult years. Totally my favorite children's classic.

2. Legendary by Stephanie Garber

Legendary is the sequel of my favorite book of 2017, Caraval, and while I did not think it was possible, I loved it even more than the former one. This book draws an entire mythology from scratch, adding an exceptional love story and a mystery that will keep you shaking with anticipation at every step.

Picking up right after the first book ended, we are drawn into Donatella's story, and we follow her take part into Caraval once more. But the rules has changed this time, because this time everythig is real, and Tella is about can lose not only the game, but her life in the process. The greatest mysery of this book is the identity of Master Legend, one of the most enigmatic and fascinating appearence in a book I have ever seen. Everyone seems suspicious, and I find myself asking a hundred times at least "Who is Master Legend?". At some point, I was almost convinced my cat was Master Legend. She was so suspicious for some reason.

Totally a book that will stay with me for ages.

3.A court of Mist and Fury by (the legendary) Sarah J. Mass

After reading Legendary, I was almost sure there was no way I could find a book to win my heart just as fast and powerfully. Being the sequel of a much lesser good book, A court of thorns and Roses, the second book picks up soon after the first book ended, but it drives the events in a whole different direction.

We follow the same heroine that we fell in love with in its prequel, Feyre Archeron ( I love her name so much) after the events of the trauma she's been exposed to. We soon revisit a character I came to adore early on, Rhysand, The High Lord of the Court of Nightmares. If you think that this book is just a retelling of Beauty and the Beast-think again. This series shapes itself so wonderfully, creating a whole universe for itself, with bright and lovable characters that will stay in my heart for a long time. I was never one of those people that hated on Sarah's books before reading them just for the fact that she was so famous- but one of the prejudice I had was that while she was a very compelling writer- for some reason I didn't think she is a very good one. I was so wrong. The world she draws has a life of its own, and some scenes are so strategically crafted that I found myself shook with surprise so many times. The new love story we are introduced to is one to die for, and Rhysand is probably my favorite male character of all time. Totally one of my favorite books and series of all time. All the love to Miss Master Sarah.

4. Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter