#cj archer

[incorrectfantasyquotes]

India: Duke, Willie, Cyclops - I have left you all notes to refer to while myself and Matt are away.

India: Yes, Willie?

Willie: mine just says ‘no’

India: and I’d like you to apply it liberally.

[cactuskat]

Sylvia Ash and Gabriel Glass of The Glass Library series

And India Steele and Matthew Glass of the Glass and Steele series

[booksbeyondimagining]

Just finished the last Glass and Steele book and man it felt satisfying to do that. Especially since it was good. The few books before it were only so-so, and I was a little nervous I wasn't going to like it going into it but it lived up to the first half of the series that was so exceptional.

[rosereview]

Top 12 Books of 2019

I read a total of 71 books this year and so many of them were five stars. That’s why this list has twelve instead of ten and why I had to put two or three books in the same placement. The only rules for this list are that I have to have read them this year and no rereads.

12. A Lite Too Bright by Samuel Miller

To start off we have A Lite Too Bright which is a story about a young boy who goes one a hunt for answers regarding his grandfather's disappearance, who had Alzheimers. I was really excited to pick this book up because I had heard good things and Alzheimers is a topic that I have a personal relationship with. Little did I know that this book has so many more elements to it, like politics and adventure and family. It was beautifully written and I will definitely read whatever Samuel Miller comes out with next.

11. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book was raved about when it came out, so when I saw it at Costco for cheap, I had to have it. I don’t regret that in the least, and now I’ve gotten my mom, aunt and cousins hooked on it. It’s told in the form of documentary interviews and tells the story of a rock band in the 1970s. I loved the format that it was told in and I loved the story. I don’t even have the words to describe how good it is, besides the fact that you just have to read it.

10. Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

I read Francesca Zappia’s book, Eliza and her Monsters, last year and it was my number one book of 2018. So I had to read her other book and I’m glad I did. Made You Up is about a girl with schizophrenia and her struggle with distinguishing between reality and her imagination. It’s such an important story because it’s told in a way where you really realize how hard life is for the main character and you can empathize with others like her. It was a powerful story and I highly recommend. 

9. Ministry of Curiosities #6, 8, 9 by C.J. Archer

I finally finished the Ministry of Curiosities series this year and I’m so happy. This series is a total of ten books and I finished the last six books after only reading the first three last year. I was not disappointed with the series and it just keeps getting better and better with each book. My favourites from this series are From the Ashes, Veiled in Moonlight, and Vow of Deception. This series is about a paranormal Victorian England with a ministry that takes care of paranormal activity including several mysteries that you follow throughout the books. I was really impressed with the way all the mysteries tied together in the end and the character development throughout the books. 

8. The Conqueror’s Saga by Kiersten White

This year I read all three books in this series and loved all of them. The series includes And I Darken, Now I Rise, and Bright We Burn. This series takes place during the Ottoman Empire and follows sister and brother, Lada and Radu, as they have to navigate politics and wanting to get home after being taken by the Ottomans. Even though these books aren’t short, they flew by. The pace was very fast and I loved the characters and the way you could see them grow up throughout the books since they start out young in book one. It was a very fun ride.

7. Charlotte Holmes Series by Brittany Cavallaro

This was another series I started and completed in 2019 starting with A Study in Charlotte, The Last of August, The Case for Jamie, and A Question of Holmes. They’re a retelling of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson and follow their descendants Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson. I didn’t think I liked mysteries until I read this series. Now I love them! This book has several themes I didn’t even expect, like addiction and mental illness, which gave the characters more development and obstacles. I really think that if you like mysteries, that you’ll like these books.

6. Finale by Stephanie Garber

I read Caraval and Legendary by Stephanie Garber last year and really enjoyed them. This year the last book Finale came out and I loved it. This is the best book of the series and I’m really happy with how it ended and how is tied the series together. The series is about two sisters who both play this scavenger hunt game called Caraval, which is filled with magic and wonder. But through the next books you realize that this world is more than just a game. The issues I had with the first two books weren’t in this last one, or were made less annoying and by the end I was really satisfied. I will now be reading whatever Stephanie Garber comes out with next. 

5. Supernova by Marissa Meyer

Finally the end to Renegades is here and I couldn’t have been more happy, except that I still want more. I loved Renegades so much and Marissa Meyer didn’t disappoint me with this last book. This series is about superheroes and supervillains with the perspective of both sides and the supervillian goes undercover to join the superheroes and take them down. I loved the concept (superheroes!) and loved the way Marissa Meyer told both sides and showed that it wasn’t as simple as good or bad, wrong or right. It’s more complicated than that. 

4. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

This book I got from my Aunt last Christmas and I was very surprised with how much I loved it. It's about a famous author who hires a girl to write the author’s life story. It’s full of mystery and tells from both the present and the past. I loved that about it and it has many twists and turns and moments of shock that it really keeps you on the edge of your seat. I don’t want to say much more than that because you should really go into it knowing knowing a lot .

3. Truly Devious Series by Maureen Johnson

I read both Truly Devious and The Vanishing Stair this year and I’m just waiting for the last book to come out in January. Both the first and second book were amazing and like the Charlotte Holmes series, made me love mysteries. It takes place in a special boarding school and switches between the mystery in the present and the mystery that took place there almost 100 years before. It’s very well written and keeps you wanting more. I’ll be very sad when the series ends in this next book. 

2. The Folk of the Air #2, 3 by Holly Black

This year I also read both The Wicked King, and The Queen of Nothing after reading The Cruel Prince last year. Honestly the series just gets better and better and the final book is a very satisfying end. The series is about Faerie and main character, Jude, growing up there even though she’s human. She has to navigate all the politics and tricks that come with Faerie and try to survive. Holly Black is an incredible writer and paired with her world building and imagination, she brings her characters to life and keeps you needing more. I love her world of Faerie. 

1. The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare & Wesley Chu

The best book of 2019 is of course a Cassandra Clare book. The Shadowhunter world is my favourite place to visit and her characters are my best friends. Kidding, but not really. Cassandra Clare is an amazing writer and every book she writes is a work of art and somehow better than the last one. This story follows Alec and Magnus from The Mortal Instruments on their vacation they took during City of Fallen Angels and it’s not the relaxing vacation they’re expecting. I love Magnus and Alec so much, and to see them at the start of their relationship again is so refreshing. I knew this book would be good but I wasn’t expecting everything that happened in the book and to love it as much as I do. I can’t wait for the next book!

So that’s my list of 2019 favourites. I hope some of these can become your new favourites too in the future. 

Until next time!

~Rose Reviews

[boomyahh]

Literature Poster: The Ministry of Curiosities by C.J. Archer

[incorrectfantasyquotes]

India: you don’t think I can fight because I’m a girl?!

Matt: I don’t think you can fight because you’re wearing a wedding dress. For what it’s worth, I don’t think Cyclops could fight in that dress either.

Cyclops, with a completely straight face: but I would make a radiant bride.

[incorrectfantasyquotes]

Cyclops: so…

Duke: who should we call?

Matt: I’d call Willie

Cyclops:

Duke:

Matt: but I feel safer in jail

[incorrectfantasyquotes]

Willie to Matt: There is only room in this family for ONE unstable person and I've held that title for a very long time, so you're going to need to get it together.