My Top 6 Reads of 2020
By: Tiana Attard
Tags: Rankings, Reading, Books, Lists

For me, 2020 has been a strange year (to say the least). I read way more than I expected to as a result of being in quarantine, though, over the last couple of months, I’ve been in such a big reading slump! This year was filled with amazing reads- my Goodreads star rating average was close to 4.5 stars! My original goal for this year was to get through 35 books- I surpassed this goal by nearly 200% (reading 69 books so far).

Enough blabbering on- here are my top 6 books of 2020! (In no particular order).

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon:

“A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.”

This book took me by surprise! Before going into it, I was aware that Samantha Shannon was a well loved author, but I did not think this novel would have such beautiful writing! I am not usually into high fantasy, but this book captured my attention from the very first page.

2. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Alex Stern is tasked with monitoring Yale’s various secret societies after being involved in a traumatising crime. A dead girl appears on campus, though Alex does not accept the polices answer to the murder. Alex knows the secret societies are far more dangerous and sinister than anyone expected: they tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living…

“There were always excuses for why girls died” – Leigh Bardugo

This book… I have no words! I absolutely loved each of the characters, the plot, the setting, the atmosphere, the writing and so on! I was intrigued through the whole novel and couldn’t bring myself to put it down. Plus- that ending!! I can not wait for the next instalment in this new series :)

3. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

“After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen year-old Bree Matthews wants to escape. A residential programme for bright high-schoolers seems like the perfect opportunity- until she witnesses a magical attack her very first night in campus…

Bree will do whatever it takes to discover the truth, even infiltrating the Legendborn (a secret society of individuals descended from King Arthur’s knights). Should she use her magic to take the society down- or join the fight?”

I finished this book in a matter of days, because (once again), I just could not put it down! I really liked each character and their purpose in the storyline. The campus made for an interesting setting, filled with rich history and background. The magic system was extremely interesting as well!

4. The Final Empire (Mistborn Book One) by Brandon Sanderson

“What is the Dark Lord won? The mists rule the night, the lord ruler owns the world.”

I’m not going to go much into the synopsis of this books, because I believe going into it with less I for song enhances the story. What I will say is that Vin, Kelsier, Sazed and Elend are some of my favourite characters I’ve ever read about! This magic system is 100% my favourite… it does unto such depth!! It really shows how much effort Brandon Sanderson put into the construction of this system and its laws and limitations.

5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

“The circus at arrives without warning. No announcements precede it… it is timely there when yesterday it was not.”

This book is definitely one of my all time favourites! Not only did I fall in love with the characters, but the setting is really what made it for me. I could really imagine the circus environment, the smell of popcorn and caramel, the crowded alleyways and chatter of excited children! Everything about this books was just *chefs kiss*- there is literally no other way to describe the way it made me feel.

6. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerrie Maniscalco

“He murdered women in cold blood. He terrorised the entire city. He taunted those is us who hunted him down. Bet despite all of these horrors, in the end, I could not deny it… I was the girl who loved the Ripper.”

I still think about Audrey Rose, Thomas and this plot twist ending now, even though I read this book many months ago. The atmospheric London setting really added to the eeriness of the novel. The murders were terrifying! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. I finished this book in a couple of days and instantly bought the rest of the series… I just couldn’t help myself. If you love mystery and romance, you NEED to pick this one up soon!!

Well, that’s all for now! I hope you found a book you are interested in reading :)

Thanks for reading ✨