Following up on my last blog post, here are my favorite books I read in 2018 (in case the title didn’t make that abundantly clear). Also, not all of these books were published in 2018, but that’s when I read them. Second Also: Yes, I know that there are actually twelve books on this list, but whatever, it’s my blog, I make the rules (was that hostile, sorry, that seemed hostile).
1.) The Black Tides of Heaven/The Red Thread of Fortune by JY Yang
(Published Sep 2017 by Tor.com)
cover art by Yuko Shimizu
Set in a world where everyone uses gender-neutral pronouns until they decide their gender, the first two books of the Tensorate series blew my mind. They are richly detailed silk punk books featuring vividly flawed characters, and a fun magic system. I loved the political intrigue and the dinosaurs. Honestly, I’m a sucker for dinosaurs or anything vaguely dinosauric. But if you don’t want to take my word about how fantastic these books are, THE BLACK TIDES OF HEAVEN was a finalist for the Hugos, Nebulas, and World Fantasy Awards.
2.) The Poppy War by RF Kuang
(Published May 2018 by Harper Voyager)
cover designed by Dominic Forbes with art by Jung Shan Chang
This book made me equal parts mad, excited, and devistated. Mad because there’s still a teenie (not so teenie if I’m honest) part of me that is competitive and likes to measure my success against other people’s arbitrarily and that part of me can’t help but be jealous that the author of this book was 22 at the time of publication and I’m 25 and what have I got to show for it god damn it? But monkey brain aside, this book kicks ass. It’s a war story featuring a female protagonist who is unapologetically badass in the pursuit of her goals, sometimes (frequently) with devastating consequences. Kuang doesn’t hold back anywhere in this book. It’s brutal in its depiction of war and atrocities (based on real Chinese history). It’s kind of the emotional equivalent of a gut punch, which may not sound like the most appealing thing to read and to be honest this isn’t a book I’d recommend to everyone. I think you have to be in a safe emotional space to read it, preferably surrounded by dogs or cats (or both). But it’s an important book and an impactful read.
3.) The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
(Published Jan 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
cover art by Whyisitsohardtoeffingcreditartistsfortheirwork SeriouslyIcouldnotfindthenameoftheartist
I read this book in a single sitting. I literally couldn’t put it down. I was ten when I first read Holly Black’s TITHE (probably too young now that I think about it). Black’s books were my first exposure to the wonderful realm of stories set in faerie courts and no doubt some of my love of THE CRUEL PRINCE is due to the nostalgia of revisiting Black’s take on the fae. The rest of my enjoyment I lay solidly at the feet of the book’s protagonist, Jude. I freaking love Jude. If I were a lonely, nerdy teenager, Jude would have been one of the characters that kept me sane, along with Tamora Pierce’s Alana Garth Nix’s Sabriel. I will follow Jude on whatever adventures Black has in store for her next.
4.) Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
(Published Jan 2018 by Tor.com)
Again, couldn’t find who to credit for the cover. Grrr.
This is another one of those books that makes me a little bit mad, because I’ve had an idea for a story that examines the psychological ramifications of having been to and forced to return from a magical world on my back burner for years, and I will never be able to pull it off the way Seanan McGuire has with the Wayward Children books. This is the third book in the series, and it is effortless in its worldbuilding, in its diverse characterization, in its emotional impact. This series is seriously brilliant, and I will love it forever and ever. It’s a really good book. Read it. There’s candy.
5.) Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens by Eddie Izzard
(Published June 2017 by Penguin Audio)
cover by Igiveupgoogling I’mtootiredandthisisbullshit
Eddie Izzard is a treasure, and anyone who says otherwise is incapable of experiencing joy. Izzard’s memoir is funny and poignant and above all a story about not allowing yourself to give up on your dreams. It was a super important book for me to listen to (listen too Izzard read it, it’s the best thing ever) at this point in my life where I’m pretty much waffling between the singleminded pursuit of my dreams and daily second-guessing my very non-conventional life (seriously, what the fuck am I doing with my life right now?). Anyway, listen to this book, it’s great, even if there aren’t actually any jazz chickens.
6.) The Vagrant by Peter Newman
(Published May 2015 by HarperVoyager)
cover art by Jamie Jones (thank you, Peter Newman, for crediting the artist ON YOUR BLOG. You’re a beautiful human being.)
This book was probably the biggest surprise of the year for me. I bought it after attending the 2017 Writing Excuses Cruise where Peter Newman was one of the pros in attendance. I spent a good deal of that cruise listening to Peter and his wife Emma (also a fantastic author) talk attendees through their story problems. It was magical. I immediately bought THE VAGRANT upon my return from my cruise, and it sat in my to-be-read pile until I instituted a new system wherein I choose what to read next by pulling a title from a bowl (I kid you not, this is how hard a time I have making decisions sometimes). Anyway, this book is about a man wandering through a world in which civilization is actively breaking down, while carrying a magic sword that is somehow important and a baby which is simultaneously just a baby, just also the most important part of the story. This book was heartfelt and tender in ways I never anticipated, and it was visually spectacular. I don’t even know whether to call it sci-fi or fantasy because it was kind of both and neither at the same time. Every character was relatable, from the red shirts to the villains to the goat the Vagrant drags along to make sure the baby has fresh milk (seriously, the goat is the BEST character ever). I loved this book. It’s precious to me. It’s probably a book I’ll reach for when I need something to cheer me up.
7.) Torn by Rowenna Miller
(Published March 2018 by Obit)
cover design by Lisa Marie Pompilio with art by Peter Bollinger (thank you Orbit)
I went into this book with no expectations. I bought it because it was on sale for Kindle and I started reading it because I was bored and it was at the top of my kindle library list. In hind site, I probably should have been super excited to read this book since I love pretty much everything I read from orbit, but also the primary magic system is craft-based, and I will never not be here for craft-based magic. Also, it’s a political intrigue which is my jam, also it features a totally bad-ass lady protagonist who’s badass because she’s a seamstress and a successful business owner and has like hopes and dreams and shit and is a super good boss and sister (I think I may have a crush of her now that I think about it). Anyway, the badass magic entrepreneurial seamstress is not only super competent and proactive and has to pick up after her (kind of bratty) brother, but she does it in a way that doesn’t make you hate her guts for being so awesome (um, yeah, totally have a crush on her). Also, the women in this book talk to each other about things other than men and are super smart and supportive of each other, and I love everything about it, and I want more, please (lucky for me the sequel comes out in June!).
8.) The Teamaster and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard
cover art by Maurizio Manzieri
Aliette de Bodard is quickly becoming one of those writers who I will always read. If her next book is actually a serial box, I’ll read it. I’d pay a shit-ton of money for the privilege of reading it because I guarantee that that cereal box will be the most epically world built, intelligently plotted, beautifully characterized cereal box I ever did read. THE TEAMASTER AND THE DETECTIVE is essentially a genderbent Sherlock Holmes mystery in which Watson is a sentient spaceship in a far-future society based on Vietnamese culture. It’s weird in all the most wonderful ways and beautiful in all ways a book can be. The prose is lush. The cover is gorgeous. The endpapers are sumptuous. The paper it’s printed on smells so good (is that creepy). Anyway, if you come across one of the limited addition hardcopies, get it. Don’t look at the price tag, just buy it, it’s worth it. You’re welcome.
9) Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
(Published Sept 2015 and Sept 2016 by Henry Holt and Co.)
again, couldn’t find a credit for the artist. Am I just bad at Google or is this a thing?
It’s kind of criminal that I only picked up these books in 2018. Like, seriously Emily, you deprived yourself of something this good for this long? There are so many things I love about this duology. It features a diverse ensemble cast of flawed characters executing fantastic feats of thievery, skullduggery, and generally roguery. And when I say diverse, I mean diverse on so many levels: gender, race, disability, neurodiversity, class, body type. And it’s effortless. Not only that, but it’s fun and goes places I never expected. My only complaint is that the characters were all teenagers when they could easily (and more believably) have been adults. I lied, my other complaint is that there are only two books.
10.) A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
(Published Aug 2016 by Razorbill/Penguin)
cover art by Emily Osborne
The second book in Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes quartet, this is another one I stumbled onto via a kindle sale. I’m in love with these books now, maybe to the point of unhealthy obsession (seriously, where were all these awesome YA books when I was a teenager?). Not only do these books feature awesome strong female characters, but they also feature male characters who are actively fighting against their own ingrained toxic masculinity and allowing their female companions to make their own choices and respecting their female companions’ rights to make those choices even when they disagree. These books are woke. Like, that’s literally a thought that went through my head as I was reading them and scrunching my toes because I couldn’t contain my delight at how woke they are (Is woke still a thing people are saying? I don’t know. I don’t people very often. Most of my peopling takes place via YouTube with other people who don’t people much). Anyway, yeah, these books are toe-scrunchingly good. There’s a metric for you.
Anywho
Thanks for reading my super rambly, probably not-so-coherent reviews of my favorite books I read in 2018. If you made it this far you’re awesome, and I apologize profusely for the criminally long sentences I used throughout this post, but there really was no other way for me to convey just how much I LOVED these books (seriously Grammarly tried to get me to cut down on the wordiness and DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO GRAMMARLY).
So, what did you read last year? What did you love? What do you think I’ll like? Please share.
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