As we approach a new year, it gives us time to reflect on the year gone by. For me, 2018 was definitely hard. I've had worse years but in a different sense I guess. This year, was very challenging for uni - third year is done and dusted thank the lord, now only one more year to go and if it all goes well *crosses fingers* then I'll be an Accredited Practising Dietitian - well hopefully practising but we'll see - perhaps I'll do a bit of travelling.

But more importantly for this blog post, I like to reflect on the books I've read - in the shortest way possible.



1. The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
2. Reign the Earth - A.C. Gaughen
3. Goodbye, Perfect - Sara Barnard
4. The Upside of Unrequited - Becky Albertalli
5. The Vegetarian - Han Kang
6. Hero at the Fall - Alwyn Hamilton
7. Risk - Fleur Ferris
8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky *re-read
9. Obsidio - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
10. Quidditch Through the Ages - J.K. Rowling
11. When Dimple Met Rishi - Sandhya Menon
12. Don't Call Me Kit Kat - K.J. Farnham
13. Red Rising - Pierce Brown
14. Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi *re-read
15. Unravel Me - Tahereh Mafi *re-read
16. Ignite Me - Tahereh Mafi *re-read
17. Restore Me - Tahereh Mafi
18. Black - Fleur Ferris
19. A Court of Frost and Starlight - Sarah J. Maas
20. Piecing Me Together - Renee Watson
21. Lifel1k3 - Jay Kristoff
22. Speechless - Hannah Harrington
23. It Ends With Us - Colleen Hoover
24. To All the Boys I've Loved Before - Jenny Han
25. P.S. I Still Love You - Jenny Han
26. Always and Forever, Lara Jean - Jenny Han
27. Scarlet - A.C. Gaughen
28. Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys
29. A Thousand Perfect Notes - C.G Drews
30. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid
31. A Reaper at the Gates - Sabaa Tahir
32. The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris
33. Warcross - Marie Lu
34. The Cruel Prince - Holly Black
35. The Love That I Have - James Moloney
36. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman
37. City of Ghosts - Victoria Schwab
38. Wildcard - Marie Lu
39. More Than a Number -  Tia Souders
40. Kingdom of Ash
41. Wreck - Fleur Ferris
42. Grace and Fury - Tracy Banghart
43. Out of the Easy - Ruta Sepetys
44. Uprooted - Naomi Novik
45. This Savage Song - V.E. Schwab
46.We See Everything - William Sutcliffe
47. Wonder Woman Warbringer - Leigh Bardugo
48. Hunted - Meagan Spooner
49. Death of the Family - Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo
50. The Evolution of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin



50 books completed! 50 was actually my Goodreads goal so I got it bang on. I'm thinking 2019 will be less due to a busy year ahead.


-----


WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:



Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @thenutritionedition
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Life of Erena or click here

Follow my blog with Bloglovin'!

I had ups and downs when reading in 2018. I usually start off strong in the first couple of months of the year, this time however, I was incredibly busy with packing up my apartment to move houses and going overseas for four weeks - and I don't tend to do a lot of reading when I'm travelling.

I also wanted to include some honourable mentions that didn't make the top 10 but were still something I'd rave about - this isn't included in my video because I forgot haha. Also here is the video version if you'd like to hear me talk about it.


MY TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2018: (in no particular order except for the last one which is my FAVE of the year)

10. This Savage Song - V.E. Schwab
I love the concept of monsters - I feel like the idea was taken from previous supernatural creatures and developed into the author's own original idea and I loved it.

9. Hero at the Fall - Alwyn Hamilton
Full review here; a super exciting yet emotional end to a trilogy. I love the fantasy elements and glad there was more depth in this book, also the cover is to die for.

8. The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
Surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement gives it an edge that is relevant and diverse however, all the other aspects made for a perfectly executed story. Also, there are a few Harry Potter references.

7. Reign the Earth - A.C. Gaughen
Trigger warnings: domestic violence; full review here.
I love the fantasy elements in this story and how dark it got (though not for everyone). The main character is one to admire and I'm looking forward to the next book.

6. Restore Me - Tahereh Mafi
Warner, need I say more? Ok, I don't want to get carried away but the author wrote this book so amazingly - her writing developed so well since Ignite Me (IMO) and the world building and addition of new characters was amazing.

5. The Cruel Prince - Holly Black
This gave me mad ACOTAR vibes which I didn't always like however, this book was well written otherwise and the main character is a badass and I admire her.

4. Obsidio - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
I'm sad The Illuminae Files came to an end but oh how much I loved this book... The new characters, along with the rest of our faves made for a bittersweet ending whilst seeing what else the heck our favourite AI gets up to.

3. Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys
A great introduction to historical fiction if you're looking for it. This is set in WW2 times with the POV from four very different characters. A very emotional read! Audiobook is narrated well.

2. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman
Trigger warnings: PTSD, depression, anxiety, alcohol addiction
I went into this book not really knowing what to expect and as it turns out, I enjoyed it immensely. As the story went on I found I was truly empathetic with the MC and while it was an emotional ride, it made me feel very content by the end. Recommend the audiobook.

1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book... I didn't know too much going into it but I it took over my thoughts for days - it was literally on my mind all the time so I definitely recommend setting aside some time to read uninterrupted to consume it whole. Written SO WELL, this book gave me everything I never knew I needed. Audiobook was amazing and recommend!


HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

The Lara Jean trilogy - Jenny Han; while I didn't love everything about this series, it surprised me so much that I had to include it here. The audiobooks are mega addictive!

The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris; a heart breaking true story that gave me knowledge and grief. If you're keen to read this story and you're very much into an author's writing and depth - don't expect too much. The author wrote this with respect to the person who's view it is from and you cannot blame one for not giving every single detail of their time in a concentration camp during WW2.

A Reaper at the Gates - Sabaa Tahir; after waiting what felt like a decade for this book (book three /4), I read this as slowly as one could. I think this is my favourite in the series so far even if it made me want to die on the inside and I got tears on the pages. The author's writing and original story is an absolute wonder. This would've definitely made it on the list if it was a 'Top 11'.

We See Everything - William Sutcliffe; a standalone dystopian novel that I didn't really expect much from - I also went into it not knowing too much which perhaps made it better. The two MC's never meet but their lives cross paths under unfortunate circumstances. Full review here.


THANKS FOR READING
And may your 2019 bring you great stories.

-----


WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:



Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @thenutritionedition
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Life of Erena or click here

Follow my blog with Bloglovin'!

SPOILER FREE REVIEW


Title: Reign the Earth
Author: A. C Gaughen
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: 30th January 2018
RRP: 

Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence

Synopsis:

Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for peace. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bonelands.
But she soon learns that her husband, Calix, is motivated only by his desire to exterminate the Elementae—mystical people who can control earth, wind, air, and fire. Even more unsettling are Shalia’s feelings for her husband’s brother, which unleash a power over the earth she never knew she possessed—a power that could get her killed. As rumors of a rebellion against Calix spread, Shalia must choose between the last chance for peace and her own future as an Elementae.

-----
I hadn't heard of this book until I saw other book bloggers receiving this in the mail and upon reading the synopsis I was desperate to read this book. When it showed in my mail box I was stoked so firstly, thank you to Bloomsbury for sending it my way to read.

As you may have seen above (or skipped over), I'm giving this book a trigger warning for domestic violence. It shows a lot of emotional and mental abuse and small bit of physical abuse so read with care. These parts of the story are very heavy but necessary to the story.


I was really wanting to enjoy this book so with each page I was nervous however, those nerves were slowly put at ease as I finished each chapter. There were so many different elements to love in the book, the first being the main character Shalia. She was so likeable in so many ways; I loved how much she loved her family and how involved she was with her beliefs. She is a very strong character and doesn't break easily, she thinks about her words and actions yet isn't afraid to voice her opinions when she deems necessary. If you didn't get it by now, I adored her character and hope to see more characters like Shalia in 2018 across young adult fiction.

One of my other favourite characters was one of Shalia's many brothers, Kairos. He has this air of mystery about him but still very playful and his love for his sister and family is admirable.
Pretty much every other character (except the awful tosser that is the king - more on that soon) is likeable. Some of them we didn't get too much about in this book but as the series goes on, I am very certain we will.

Something that made me so dang happy was that there was no female/female 'catty-ness'. There was one instance when I thought it would happen but the main character being ever so great, played the situation cool and developed the relationship to make it pleasant to read.


So I was talking about domestic violence and the king; as many King and Queen relationships go, the king in this story - Calix, makes the decisions on everything and despises to be contradicted and shown up. After only a couple of Shalia's and Calix's encounters you will either see the emotional abuse or you won't (but you'll realise later) - and that is how, in my own knowledge, how a lot of victims experience emotional and mental abuse from their partner. Even though Calix is a complete asshat, he is very necessary to the story, not only for it to develop but perhaps also to take note of how domestic abuse can play out.

The story itself was such a pleasure to read. It had fantasy elements - which I'm so excited to see more in the next book and I love books that are part set in deserts (unsure as to why though). And while I had some inkling of what would happen in the end (you'll probably know too about a third of the way through), it still surprised me when certain events took place and it literally had me SHOOK.

I highly recommend this novel especially if you're into dark fantasies but just as another warning: there is a lot of abuse in this story (majority emotional and mental but also physical).

My rating: 5/5

----

*This book was sent to me unsolicited by Bloomsbury Australia. All opinions are my own.


WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:

Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: My Life As Erena or click here

Follow my blog with Bloglovin'!