Considering this is the first Top Five Tuesday post of 2020, I thought I’d take the time to reflect on the year just passed and talk about some of my favourite discoveries of 2019. Thankfully, there was quite a few to choose from!
Call Down the Hawk | Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT
Contains: Violence, Murder, Death, Strong Language, Blood/Gore
‘Call Down the Hawk’ was one of my most anticipated reads of the year since discovering its release in 2018. Needless to say, it was definitely worth the wait. As a huge fan of The Raven Cycle, it was no surprise that this book was one of my favourites. Ronan Lynch is a brilliant protagonist, and has been a favourite character of mine since first reading The Raven Boys and the return of both him and Adam in this instalment was amazing to read.
The Kingdom | Jess Rothenberg
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Contains: Blood/Gore, Violence, Anger, Implied Sexual Assault, Death, Murder, Threats
‘The Kingdom’ was a book I picked out at Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC) earlier this year and fell in love with from the very first page. As a huge fan of anything magical and Disney-esque, this book was the perfect read. It was clever, interesting, and full of anticipation throughout with an incredible amount of backstory and flashbacks for each of the characters. It definitely put an interesting spin on “the happiest place on earth”.
King of Fools | Amanda Foody
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult,
Contains: Death, Violence, Blood/Gore, Arson, Torture, Implied Strong Language, Sexual Content, Murder, Grief
‘King of Fools’ is the second instalment of the Shadow Game series, and what a wild ride it is. It has everything you might want within a fantasy novel; high stakes, lovable characters and just enough angst to keep you wanting more. The protagonists, Enne and Levi, are some of my favourite characters of all-time, reading about them is just so entertaining to read; they bring me so much joy.
Hunting Prince Dracula | Kerri Maniscalco
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Mystery
Contains: Death, Violence, Blood/Gore, Arachnophobia, Anger, Murder
‘Hunting Prince Dracula’ is the second instalment of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, one of my favourites of all-time. In this instalment, we see deeper into the protagonists, following Audrey and Thomas as they solve more bizarre murders. Audrey comes alive in this instalment, her feminist views shining through the pages. She’s strong, logical and full of hear throughout, regardless of the fact she’s struggling with her PTSD from the events of the first novel. Overall, she’s an incredibly inspiring character in this book and I loved every second of it.
Shatter Me | Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Fantasy
Contains: Death, Murder, Violence, Torture, Grief, Blood/Gore, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Trauma, Kidnapping, Threats, War
‘Shatter Me’ is the first instalment in the series of the same name, all of which I read in the past year. However, I felt as if the first novel was a worthy enough mention on its own. It was an extremely enjoyable read, even though the language is very simplistic and the romance was extremely fairytale-esque. Plus, with covers as beautiful as these, it’s impossible not to love them.
A Little Fool Reads 
One thought on “Top Five Tuesday | Best Reads of 2019”