Hello, everyone! I’m cheating a little this week with my top five post because instead of everyone’s recommendations, I’m sticking with just Ashley’s. She’s far and away the person I talk the most about books to, and she always had recommendations for me. These are the top five that I would CONSTANTLY hear about — which makes me wonder why I still haven’t gotten around to reading them yet?
1. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Since we became friends, Ashley has tried to get me to read Uprooted. I have every intention to, and I know it’s going to be amazing. Why won’t I read it? I honestly have no idea.
2. The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa
I have this whole series on my kindle, and the premise sounds super intriguing, so all I have to do is buckle down and read them. I have no excuse, and if Ashley likes them, I know I will too.
3. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
This is still embarrassing to admit, but the only Schwab book I’ve read is Vicious. I absolutely loved it, and I know I’ll love her other books as well, so I’m not sure what’s holding me back. I own them all too, so like I said before, no excuse.
4. These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas
I had actually never heard of these books before meeting Ashley, but corsets and powers? Count me in.
5. Any Cassandra Clare book
I’ve only ever read City of Bones, and it’s sad that I’m this far behind on Cassandra Clare’s works. I think the reason I keep putting them off is the sheer amount of pages it’ll take to get caught up before Queen of Air and Darkness. Honestly, waiting until after it’s published might help me because then I can read the entirety of her books and not feel pressured to do so before a certain date? Who knows?
That’s all, folks! There are many more I could list here that Ashley’s talked about, but these are the top ones I could remember. I have a few — Strange the Dreamer, Vicious, etc. — that I always recommend to her, so she has some to read as well! Having a book friend is always nice because they might get you to pick up something you normally wouldn’t have that could be your newest favorite!
Until next time,
What are some books you always recommend? Let me know in the comments!
Lost in Pages 
Lately I’ve been recommending the Shadow & Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo… It’s a lot shorter than most other fantasy series out there which makes it totally binge-able! I am up to date on Cassandra Clare’s books, but I get what you mean about being intimidated by page count! Sometimes I put off big books, even though once I buckle down and read them I do not regret it ever 🙂
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I read the first book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy, but for some reason never continued! I definitely want to though.
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Howl’s Moving Castle! Anything by Diana Wynne Jones, really. As a writer, you will LOVE her craft essays in Reflections on the Magic of Writing.
Uprooted is awesome! I read the first trilogy (as in not books 4-6) of Mortal Instruments, but frankly, I enjoyed the Infernal Devices trilogy far more. There’s more depth to the characters, and the warlock Bane is used perfectly. 🙂
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I’ve heard that the Infernal Devices ones are much better! I just need to work toward those 😂😂
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Yeah, you probably should read at least the first 3 books of Mortal Instruments first to establish a character set and some world rules, but honestly, the more I heard about books 4-6 (I just can’t believe that, considering how book 3 ends, she was planning 4-6–I’m certain she wrote those because the first 3 sold so well) the more I was fine NOT reading plot twists out of nowhere. Infernal Devices is decently tight. She and some other authors also wrote a collection of short stories dedicated to Bane, which I of course had to read. Some are just awful (like the collection of voice messages on Bane’s phone), but some are heart-breaking, like when Bane’s visiting one of his few true loves, who was currently elderly and suffering dementia.
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I like VE Schwab but I’ve only read This Savage Song and A Darker SHade of Magic… so you aren’t alone in this one. I feel like I should keep going because I know I will like the other books but for some reason I haven’t picked them up yet
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Same! I know I’ll love them, but for some reason that makes me put them off more.
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I loved A Darker Shade of Magic, I hope you will too!
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I loved Vicious so I have a feeling I definitely will!
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Added the Iron Fey and These Vicious Masks to my unowned TBR. The Iron Fey seems more my style though.
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I’ve heard they’re both great, so I hope you like them!
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