Hall of Fame
This hall is dedicated to the books I've read that received 5/5 stars from your's truly. They will be listed in order of reading:
"Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.
Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.
Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come."
(synopsis of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's
Stone)
Thoughts: I believe most people will include this in their hall of fames (if they have one). Basically the one series that encouraged people from all age groups to read again. If you are a milennial and a book lover, chances are, you love reading because of this series.
"Reared in the repressive world of working-class
respectability and false piety, two young women, Ellen Adair and her best
friend, Kitty, take different paths as they pursue their shared dreams of
living in luxury."
Thoughts: One of the books that also encouraged my love for reading. A poignant and engaging story set in England (and France) during the years that lead to the World War 2, through the eyes of a girl. Not exactly a war-centric novel. More like a memoir of friendship and love.
"Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.
Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.
With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights."
Thoughts: Basically the book that inspired me to make this list. This is the second book in Sarah J Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Can't tell much, in case if you haven't read the first book! In fact, I encourage you to read the first book just so that you can read this one!
4. Traitor to the Throne (Rebel of the Sands #2) by Alwyn Hamilton
"Rebel by chance. Traitor by choice.
Gunslinger Amani al'Hiza fled her dead-end hometown on the back of a mythical horse with the mysterious foreigner Jin, seeking only her own freedom. Now she’s fighting to liberate the entire desert nation of Miraji from a bloodthirsty sultan who slew his own father to capture the throne.
When Amani finds herself thrust into the epicenter of the regime—the Sultan’s palace—she’s determined to bring the tyrant down. Desperate to uncover the Sultan’s secrets by spying on his court, she tries to forget that Jin disappeared just as she was getting closest to him, and that she’s a prisoner of the enemy. But the longer she remains, the more she questions whether the Sultan is really the villain she’s been told he is, and who’s the real traitor to her sun-bleached, magic-filled homeland.
Forget everything you thought you knew about Miraji, about the rebellion, about Djinn and Jin and the Blue-Eyed Bandit. In Traitor to the Throne, the only certainty is that everything will change."
Thoughts: Everything is just perfect in this novel. The world-building, the characters, the villains! Everything! I think this novel has the most interesting villain that I've read so far.
5. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
'Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.
But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.'
Thoughts: This is one of the best thing I've read so far. Everything is perfect, from the humor to the drama to the unrequited love, to the teenage angst <333 Words cannot even begin to describe how much I like this book. Need to find book 2 TT
6. Heartless by Marissa Meyer
'Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.
Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.
Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
In her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author dazzles us with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.'
Thoughts: Meyer managed to retain the essence of Lewis Carroll's whimsical and quirky writing. If Carroll ever got around to writing the origin of the Queen of Hearts, it would look a lot like this, though his character probably would not be able to connect with me as well as Catherine Pinkerton did. This is one of those rare stories that I could not find any fault on. A magical reading experience.
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