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Reddit2021 has been an interesting year for sure but there is one thing that was reignited this year for me and that is my love for reading. Even though I didn’t pick up a book for the first half of the year I did end up reading 26 books. Here are the 26 books I read in 2021.
In 2020 I got away from reading because the majority of the books I liked to read with post apocalyptic type stories. Well, when you are facing what felt like an apocalyptic event the last thing you want to do to your mental health is read post apocalyptic stories. 2020 seemed to be the year of binge watching and gaming for me.
This year, I did happen to read a few post apocalyptic and dystopian stories but I got really into fantasy towards the end of the year.
Today I want to share all the books I read this year and maybe a little blurb about my ranking and brief thoughts on the book. Eventually I do plan on writing full reviews of every single book I read through 2021 as well as continue those reviews on books I’ll be reading in the future.
Books I Read in 2021
If I’m being honest I wasn’t all that great about keeping track of everything I read this year on Good Reads. So far this is my list of actually started and finished books on my GoodReads list. Keep in mind I didn’t actually start reading again until sometime in July and the last three months of the year has been almost constant reading.
Ready Player Two – Ernest Cline
In Ready Player Two, we return to the world of Oasis and follow the story of Wade as he struggles with his new found fame, riches, and a new technology that will change everything in Oasis. The adventure, character growth, and nostalgia was just as fantastic in this book as in Ready Player One.
Red Queen Series (4 books) – Victoria Aveyard
This series is a fun series with incredible world building and character development. We follow Mare Barrow as she struggles in a classist society that saw her go from one side of the classes to the other almost overnight. This epic fantasy battle between those with special powers, those without, and those who come from the lower classes while still having the powers of the elite defending their friends and family without.
Book Order:
Full Red Queen book review here.
More reviews on this series coming soon.
The Divergent Series (3 books) – Veronica Roth
I know I’m a little late to this series but I finally got around to actually reading it and I was pretty pleased with it. I liked that it was based in Chicago which is where I’m originally from. I consider this story Sci-Fi Post Apocalyptic and it’s a fantastic story that really touches the emotions and left me absolutely broken in the end. The book is really good when I need to take a break to emotionally recover.
Book Order:
The Selection Series (3 books) – Kiera Cass
This series was a cute dystopian young adult series. I read all three books in less than a week so it was a super easy read. I wouldn’t say this was the best series or even compared to the previous series I read. However, it was a quick and light read that was perfect for me to read at the time. The series does continue past the first three books but is based on a different character so I may or may not return to the series in the future.
Book Order:
A Court Of Thorns And Roses Series (4 books and 1 Novella) – Sarah J. Maas
I’ve been waiting to write about this series. There is not a series I have ever felt as passionate about as this series. Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Red Queen, none of them did to me what this series did to me.
Now, fair warning, this series has some serious spice to it and sometimes it gets a bit graphic. So if you are not comfortable with that I do not recommend this series.
However, if you like spice but want a great story and world to go with it, A Court of Thorns and Roses is the series for you.
In the first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses, we follow Feyre who is the only person capable of helping her family survive the harsh winter. While out hunting she finds herself staring at what appears to be a wolf, little did she know it was a Fae in the form of a wolf. Suddenly a beast is at her house demanding retribution. In an effort to save her family she is taken to the land beyond the wall where the fae live.
Feyre is faced with battle after battle as she puts her life on the line for those she loves and cares about throughout the series.
Now, forewarning, this series does not go where you expect it to go and the first book is a little slow, but you need it to get to the books later in the series that are so much better than the first.
The second book in the series, A Court of Mist and Fury, was beautifully written and deals with healing from trauma that our main character faced. She discovers who she truly is and what’s most important to her is her freedom to choose her own path.
The third book, A Court of Wings and Ruin, took me on an emotional ride that had me legitimately ugly crying at one point. I felt the entire range of emotions from anger to happiness and felt it was the perfect ending to the trilogy while leaving it open for more stories to be told in the future.
The Novella, A Court of Frost and Starlight, was a fantastic look into the lives of our favorite characters after the war and how they are adapting.
The fourth book in this series, A Court of Silver Flames, really hit home for me in a lot of ways. There is a lot of spice and graphic content that is extremely adult in this book, the emotional recovery of the main character was perfect and her growth was spot on. I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down.
House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City Book 1) – Sarah J. Maas
At first House of Earth and Blood can be a bit confusing. There are a lot of characters introduced, a lot of information given, and world building happening through the first half of the book but by the end it all flows very nicely. It’s a great mystery fantasy book based in a technological modern world.
The story follows Bryce who is a bit of a party girl who works for a high end art dealer. When her world is shattered, things begin to change rapidly in Crescent City. She’s recruited to help solve multiple murders in the city that are familiar and somehow tied to Bryce. I highly recommend reading this book though you may want to take notes to keep track of who everyone is.
Blood and Ash Series (3 books) – Jennifer L. Armentrout
After ACOTAR and Crescent City I went directly into this series and it was superb. The emotions, the mystery, the twists, and yes even the cliff hangers are perfect.
We follow Poppy who since childhood has been untouched and sheltered because she is chosen. Poppy, however, doesn’t always follow the rules which can put her into some dangerous positions.
After the loss of a friend and guard, Hawke enters and swears to protect her until she reaches her ascension. Poppy must choose to follow her heart, forsaking the gods’ plans for her or follow through with plans set in motion since her youth.
There is mystery, twists, and entire kingdoms tied into Poppy’s fates. This series is fantastic, filled with spice, excellent world building, and the character development is top notch.
Book Order:
King Of Battle and Blood – Scarlett St. Clair
After reading all of ACOTAR, the 800 page House of Earth and Blood, and all of the Blood and Ash series I was looking for a super easy read with a bit of smut. So when the book club I’m in chose King of Battle and Blood for their Smut of the Month I was in.
More smut than plot, but it is an easy read with a little bit of a predictable story entwined in. We’ve all read the same story line but this time it’s got Vampires and smut so it works.
I wouldn’t jump at recommending this book because personally I like a decent plot with my smut and I may or may not read the next book in the series. However, if you are looking for an easy smutty fantasy read, this one could work.
Throne of Glass Series (Only 5 of the 8 books this year) – Sarah J Maas
I’ve only read 5 books so far in this series. The 8 books series includes Assassins blade which gives the story of our main character before the series takes place. Due to spoilers though it was recommended that I don’t read that till later on in the series. I’m saving it till the end.
So far I absolutely love this series. The first book had me hooked, the second book slowed the series down for me, and by the second half of the third book I was hooked again.
The story follows Celaena Sardothien, a trained assassin serving a life sentence in the salt mines. She is given one opportunity to represent the crowned prince in a competition to become the King’s Assassin. If she wins she will serve the king for 4 years and then gain her freedom.
However, as dark powers arise and mysterious and gruesome deaths happen, Celaena must help find out what is really going on.
This series is absolutely delightful so far. I cannot wait to finish out the series in 2022. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and it’s hard to put the book down. The spice factor heats up around book 5, however it’s not nearly as spicy as the ACOTAR or BAA series.
Like I’ve said before, I’ve only read 5 of the 8 books in the series so far so I’m just now up to Tower of Dawn. All the books will get individual reviews in the future.
Book Order:
- Throne of Glass
- Crown of Midnight
- Heir of Fire
- Queen of Shadows
- Empire of Storms
- Tower of Dawn
- Kingdom of Ash
The Assassin’s Blade contains all the Novellas of Celaena Sardothien, completing the missions of her master Arobynn before the series takes place. However, I recommend reading the novellas after you read the series so you don’t have any spoilers for the series.
What I Read With
I personally read on a Kindle Fire. I used to enjoy reading books but the Kindle Fire allows me to read in my bed at night and comfortably with the lights off. This few hours of quiet time calms the kid as he also reads or relaxes during that time.
I have a Kindle Unlimited subscription which gives me a lot of different books to read, though this year I’ve actually started purchasing books as they go on sale. I also use Libby on new series or with new authors. I like to keep a running list of books I would like to purchase in book form after we buy a house and I have a place to actually put them all.
2022 Reading List
As of right now I have quite a few things I want to read and the list is ever growing. First, I plan on finishing the Throne of Glass series and read the 5 novellas that go with it. I plan on reading Shadow in the Ember which is the first book in the Flesh and Fire Series by Jennifer L Armentrout. After that I plan to dive into the Air Awakens series by Elise Kova as well as Shadow and Bone Series by Leigh Bardugo.
Discovery of Witches and The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness is on my list of books to read along with the releases of the second Crescent City book, House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas, and The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L Armentrout in February and March. I may also do an ACOTAR re-read.
I also plan on reading Realm Breaker, which is the first book in Victoria Aveyard’s new series. As you can tell I typically like to read books that are in a series as opposed to individual stories.
As far as sci-fi goes I still have to catch up with John Scalzi books and there are a few Hugh Howey books I still need to read. However, since I’ve been on a fantasy kick I don’t know that I will get to it this year.
My goal is to read at least 52 books in 2022. If I don’t take too long of breaks in between series I will likely reach this goal, but if life picks up I may fall short. We will see how it goes.
2022 is looking to be like another great year in reading now that I’ve moved away from dystopian and post apocalyptic to fantasy type stories. I’ve really enjoyed the escapism in Fantasy and I’ll probably stick with it for a while.
As I’ve previously mentioned I do intend on doing individual book reviews of each of these books and posting them in the coming weeks.
What books did you read in 2021 and what were your favorites? Let me know in the comments below. Follow us on Pinterest for more like this and pin this to your favorite book boards.
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