SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My 2016 Favorites

I read a lot of books every year. A lot of times,  I don’t remember all the details about the books I read. But I always remember how I felt when I finish. I remember which books follow me throughout the year – how I feel when I see them in the bookstore or library or online. These are the ones I want to go back and read again. These are the ones I recommend over and over and over.

When I went back through my list of the 304 books I read in 2016, I came up with 28 that were candidates for the best of the year. I whittled that list down to ten. And here they are:

10. The Scourge by Jennifer Nielsen

I read this one earlier this year, so I don’t have a review posted here at The Neverending TBR. This is a fantastic middle grade fantasy from the author of The False Prince. You can read more about The Scourge here.

 

 

9. Alien Nation by Gini Koch

You can find my review of this here.

 

 

8. Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson

You can find my review of this here.

 

 

7. Darkstalker by Tui T. Sutherland

I love the middle grade dragon series Wings of Fire. This book stands alone as a backstory for a dragon that makes an appearance in the second five book series.

 

 

6. Still a Work in Progress by Jo Knowles

You can find my review of this here.

 

 

5. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

You can find my review of this here.

 

 

 4. The Christmas Town by Donna VanLiere

You can find my review of this here.

 

 

3. The Charming Life of Izzy Malone by Jenny Lundquist

You can find my review of this here.

 

 

2. The Boy Is Back by Meg Cabot

You can find my review of this here on February 1. This was a fun romantic story told totally in emails and chat rooms and memos!

 

 

1. The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

You can find my review of this here.

REVIEW: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Summary


A set of triplets born to be Queen. Each girl born to eliminate the other two and win the crown. Katharine is a poisoner. Arsinoe is a naturalist. Mirabella is an elemental. Each girl is nurtured in her powers by factions that want their girl to win – and their group to be in power. Who will win? Who will die? And who can be trusted?

Three Dark Crowns

Review


This was amazing from start to finish! If you are a fan of Young Adult fantasy, I highly recommend this story. The author did a great job making each of the sisters distinct. Each one has a unique “support system,” too. I expected to like one more than the others from the start. Maybe get more of her perspective. I thought there might be a clear favorite at the outset. But they were so different. I cared about them all. And even when I did develop a “favorite,” the author up-ended things enough to leave me wondering if she would still be my favorite when it’s all done.

The author does a fantastic job of hinting at backstory, but she does it sparingly so that even at the end, we have unanswered questions. The ending was HUGE and sets up the next book perfectly. My only complaint is having to wait so long for it!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥