68 books in which 24 different books were chosen as contenders, out of those 24 only 11 will be chosen as winners.
This year I have read so many amazing books and trying to narrow down each category to one book is really difficult. For each category, I will have a 1st, 2nd, and possibly 3rd place (depending on if there are enough books in that category). The books that I considered for this blog post are those that I have read in 2018, except for a couple of the titles in the “Favorite Cover” section, so not all of the books are recent releases (to see the list find the tab on the website). Without further ado, let’s jump into it!
Favorite Cover:
Contenders:
Say You’ll Remember Me by Katie McGarry; the purple sky with the Farris Wheel seems like a fun summer night
Amber and Dusk (OwlCrate Edition) by Lyra Selene; the different purple hues and the material over the top of it with the city makes me ready for the adventure inside of the book
Wildcard by Marie Lu; the blue and green makes me want to pick up from where Warcross had left off
*have not read Amber and Dusk or Wildcard yet*
Winner: Amber and Dusk by Lyra Selene
1st Runner-Up: Say You’ll Remember Me by Katie McGarry
2nd Runner-Up: Wildcard by Marie Lu
Favorite Standalone:
Contenders:
Save the Date by Morgan Matson; Morgan Matson is one of my favorite authors, and when this book came out, she didn’t disappoint. The story of Charlie and her family is so sweet and heartfelt despite some of the issues they face close to her sister’s wedding.
Royals by Rachel Hawkins; this story is so much fun following Daisey and her adventures in Scotland before her sister’s wedding.
The Supervillain and Me by Danielle Banas; awwww I have so many great things to say about this book, I might have to reread it soon so I can write a review about it. But it was so refreshing having a MC that didn’t have any powers in a world with superheroes, and the relationship between Abby and a certain guy is so cute.
Winner: The Supervillain and Me by Danielle Banas
1st Runner-Up: Royals by Rachel Hawkins
2nd Runner-Up: Save the Date by Morgan Matson
Biggest Plot Twist:
Contenders:
Warcross by Marie Lu; between finding out who Zero was and the thing that Hideo was planning had my head spinning when I was reading the end.
Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi; I could not believe that Juliette had a sister and that Juliette and Warner were best friends when they were children.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black; honestly wasn’t really shocked that Carden liked Jude, but I didn’t see the whole making Carden king unlike it happened (sad reason, I know, but I really didn't see it coming).
Winner: Warcross by Marie Lu
1st Runner-Up: Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi
2nd Runner-Up: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Favorite Fantasy:
Contenders:
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson; I was kind of hesitant going into this book because a couple of booktubers had mixed feeling, but I absolutely loved the story between Isobel and Rook
Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin; apparently, I now have a thing for books with werewolves, I have spent so long looking for the right type of werewolf book, and I think I found it with this story.
A Court of Frost & Starlight by Sarah J. Maas; reading this book I had so much fun revisiting these characters. This story picks up shortly after ACoWaR and shows everyone picking up pieces of their lives and trying to rebuild the city and their lives.
Winner: An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson,
1st Runner-Up: A Court of Frost & Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
2nd Runner-Up: Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin
Favorite Sci-Fi:
Apparently, this want not my year for sci-fi novels *sniffle*
Contenders:
Warcross by Marie Lu; this story was so much more than I thought it would be, with the VR lifestyle that everyone uses to the romance to the plot twists, this book left me speechless.
The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout; Luc *insect heart eyes emoji* absolutely love him. This book picks up four years after Opposition and follows how society is dealing with the aliens that have been living on Earth since then.
Winner: The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout
1st Runner-Up: Warcross by Marie Lu
Best Contemporary:
Contenders:
Save the Date by Morgan Matson; I got to see Clark (btw love him) and Andy *awwww*, see the response from above.
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett; this story is so good. It follows Bailey trying to find her pen pal over the course of the summer while staying with her dad in California.
Love’s Cruel Redemption by C. L. Stone; I had to wait about a half of a year to see what happens to Sang and the guys, and in this book, I have come to love Nathan a little more because it explores some of the issues that he has and never really talked about.
Winner: Save the Date by Morgan Matson
1st Runner-Up: Love’s Cruel Redemption by C. L. Stone
2nd Runner-Up: Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
Best Retelling:
Contenders:
Damsel by Elana K. Arnold; this is just a retelling of the basic concept of a fairytale where the prince saves the princess, and they have a happily ever after, except this princess questions everything that she is told and wants to explore her own destiny without others pressuring her to fit the mold of a typical princess
Magnolia by Kristi Cook; this is a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliette, and it’s not the families that have a problem with one another it’s the “Romeo and Juliette” that can’t stand the other.
My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows; this is a retelling of Jane Eyre.
Winner: Damsel by Elana K. Arnold
1st Runner-Up: My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
2nd Runner-Up: Magnolia by Kristi Cook
Favorite Historical Fiction:
Let it be known that historical books aren’t my cup of tea, but these books made me rethink my opinion of historical books.
Contenders:
The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell; the majority of this book takes place during the early 1900s
My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows; this book is set during the 1800s possibly, not exactly sure.
Winner: The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell
1st Runner-Up: My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Most Anticipated of 2018:
Contenders:
The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout; it has been years since the last time I had read this series and I couldn’t wait to jump back into this world.
Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi; I needed more Warner. The end of the Shatter Me series left off on a pretty big cliffhanger and we needed more of these characters.
One Small Thing by Erin Watt; Erin Watt is one of my go to authors and I was so thrilled to see that the author was releasing another story.
Winner: Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi
1st Runner-Up: The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout
2nd Runner-Up: One Small Thing by Erin Watt
Author of the Year:
This isn’t necessarily about who I read the most books from, but who wrote stories that have stuck with me throughout the year and left me wanting more.
Contenders:
Jennifer L. Armentrout; she is one of my favorite authors; Jennifer writes books ranging from Y.A. to adult and genres from contemporary to romance to sci-fi to mythology.
Miranda Kenneally; Miranda is one of my favorite contemporary authors (and her books are companions, so we get to see different characters pop up here and there).
Marie Lu; Warcross is the 1st book that I have read by Marie Lu, but the structure of here world and characters has landed her a spot in this category.
Winner: Jennifer L. Armentrout
1st Runner-Up: Marie Lu
2nd Runner-Up: Miranda Kenneally
Favorite of 2018:
Contenders:
Crossing the Line by Simone Elkeles; this story is slightly different than her other stories, but I loved the relationship between Ryan and Dalila.
The Supervillain and Me by Danielle Banas; this story completely stole my heart while I read it. It was so cool to finally see a MC that wasn’t the chosen one or discover hidden powers.
Damsel by Elana K. Arnold; this story changed the way I think about fairytales, and made me think if the ones that I have come to love as a child could be hiding something darker.
Winner: The Supervillain and Me by Danielle Banas
1st Runner-Up: Damsel by Elana K. Arnold
2nd Runner-Up: Crossing the Line by Simone Elkeles
Fluffiest of the Fluff:
This category is for the books who are so sweet you just want more, and they don’t have pressing issues that could affect the characters in some major way.
Contenders:
The Replacement Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts; yes, you may want to smack the MC for being dense at times for not talking to McNerd, but the story is still really sweet and funny.
Glitter and Sparkle by Shari L. Tapscott; this book is all fluff with just a little bit of drama to make things interesting.
Snow in Love by Kasie West; the fluff level of these stories is about to the level of a Hallmark movie.
Winner: Glitter & Sparkle by Shari L. Tapscott
1st Runner-Up: The Replacement Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts
2nd Runner-Up: Snow in Love by Kasie West
Did you read any of these books? Do you agree? Let me know in the comments.
Happy reading until next time,
