This year was my first year of reading freedom for quite some time! Having finished my literature degree last year, I was free to read whatever I wanted this year. I ended up being quite in the mood for fantasy and all of my top five books are either science fiction or fantasy. Without further ado, here are the books I enjoyed most in 2018.

1) Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray – While I have read a lot of YA science fiction, this book was something a little different being in the space opera genre rather than dystopia or apocalyptic. I was totally hooked all the way through. This really is a great book, and the best I’ve read all year. The sequel is already on my shelf waiting to be read soon.

2) Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Mass – I read the first and second books in the Throne of Glass series this year, and while I loved both, Crown of Midnight was the better of the two for me. Some of the flaws from Throne of Glass weren’t present in the sequel, and some issues I had were addressed. It was an emotional rollercoaster and I’m excited to continue reading the rest of the series.

3) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling – I’ve been re-reading the Harry Potter series over the last couple of years. It’s been so long since I read them and was quite young so can’t remember much about them. I love the plot of Goblet of Fire and it’s my favourite of the films so I was looking forward to reading the book again.

4) The Young Elites by Marie Lu – This is the first of Marie Lu’s books I’ve read and it’s made me eager to read more of her works. I found Adelina a really interesting protagonist and the storytelling was very good. The dark tone of this book really got my attention.

5) Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin – Finally, I read the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire this year. I enjoyed Martin’s style of writing, and although there were a lot of characters to keep track of, I was invested in each of their stories. There are so many strands to the story, I want to keep reading and see how they all tie together.

What books did you read and love this year?