Monday, June 20, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Releases of 2016 (So Far)

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish


Would you believe that Quest Reviews has never participated in a Top Ten Tuesday?! All I can say is, we've been living in the wack-ness, when we should have been living in the dope-ness. (That makes perfect sense, right?) This week's list is about Ellen's (Sierra has deferred this week, see note below) Favorite Releases of 2016 (So Far).


Ellen: Filling out this list has been difficult, because I'm behind on my Reading Challenge. Luckily, I have read more than ten books, even though it doesn't seem that way. However, I've been very critical this year, as usual. I'm a very picky reviewer. So, along with books that I loved, there are actually novels on this list that I just "liked okay." BUT IT'LL HAVE TO DO.


So without further yammering, Sierra and I present our first baby steps towards community participation!



Favorite Releases of 2016 (So Far)


1. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="199" class="imagepro-round"]my lady ane [/caption]

I'm 90% done with My Lady Jane and it's looking at a 3.5 star rating.  It's a little silly, but wonderfully so.  The authors get major props for their unique concept of rewriting real historical events with fantasy elements added to it. Expect this review soon!



2. Burning Glass by Katheryn Purdie


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="198" class="imagepro-round"]burning glass [/caption]

 

This fantasy debut had issues with love triangles and an indecisive heroine, but hell, I loved it anyway!

3. Summer Days and Summer Nights edited by Stephanie Perkins


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="185" class="imagepro-round"]summer days perkins [/caption]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Reading anthologies makes me think I'm smart.  Along with making me feel super intelligent, around four stories in this anthology made me happy in my bones.



4. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="198" class="imagepro-round"]court of mist and fury [/caption]

Maas is really hit-or-miss with me, but she knocked it out of the park with this sexy fantasy.  Read my discussion post HERE.



5. Undecided by Julianna Keyes


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="188" class="imagepro-round"]undecided keyes cover [/caption]

Here we have an immensely readable New Adult read with a love story much less geometrical than the cover implies.



6. Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" class="imagepro-round"]summer skin eagar [/caption]

Kirsty Eagar impressed me to my core with this modern romance set in her home country of Australia.



7. The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="198" class="imagepro-round"]raven king [/caption]

One moment in this book was everything.  [spoiler]The KISS. Not between Gansey and Blue either, but between Ronan and ADAM!!!!!!![/spoiler] Expect a discussion post soon where I gush endlessly.



8. Starflight by Melissa Landers


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="198" class="imagepro-round"]starflight [/caption]

Starflight is a satisfyingly lengthy teen space opera and a strong offering from Landers after her lukewarm Alienated series.



9. The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="203" class="imagepro-round"]impostor queen [/caption]

Sarah Fine continues to pop out good ones and doesn't disappoint with this fantasy about a girl whose Chosen One status is suddenly and horribly revoked.



10. Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" class="imagepro-round"]kill the boy band [/caption]

 

This smart, biting satire about the dangers of rabid fangirls had me laughing uproariously.  It's a must-read for anyone fascinated by the meteoric rise of boy bands on the backs (and heaving bosoms) of their female fans.



Sierra: While I would have LOVED to chime in on today's post, I actually haven't read any 2016 releases this year! It's been a crazy year filled with innumerable book slumps. Hence I stuck with books that were tried and true, had wonderful reviews, and were staples in my favorite genres. So for all you folks out there (please tell me there are some... I BETTER NOT BE ALONE IN THIS GUYS), we still have 6 more months of 2016 to go! We got this :)


And thus concludes our first Top Ten Tuesday!


What about you, readers? What new releases have you excited? Do you have hope for the upcoming reading year?

20 comments:

  1. Awesome! I need to add some of these to my pile. Undecided and Starflight caught my eye.

    Ah Sierra, don't feel bad. I so wish I can read more older released books. I sure have a ton of them. Sigh.

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  2. The timeless, torturous question: New release.... or back catalogue??? It keeps me awake at night.

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  3. Undecided sounds interesting - I definitely need to add it to my Goodreads to-read list :)
    Great list & happy reading!

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  4. Yes! I really enjoyed it. It was a better-than-average New Adult read. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. You have some great picks here and I couldn't agree more with the ones I've read and loved too, the others I still need to get to. ;)

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  6. I totally visited your "Best of 2016" page to get some inspiration, Ali! Thanks, as always, for having those lists handy!

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  7. I haven’t read any of these. I haven’t read any 2016 release at all.I bought some but they are still in my bookshelves.

    My TTT.

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  8. No worries there! Sierra's been reading "back catalogue" books as well. Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. YES to A Court of Mist and Fury! I'm also super eager to read Burning Glass, it sounds like something I'll really love. And I've been meaning to catch up with the Raven Boys series so I can read the Raven King too :) Great list!

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  10. I can tell you are a fantasy fan! Sierra and I are as well! I hope you LOVE Burning Glass and the Raven King. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  11. The only one of these I have read is The Raven King, but I loved it.

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  12. Weirdly enough, The Raven King kind of blends into the rest of the series for me, especially Blue Lily, Lily Blue, since I binge-read the series. It wasn't my favorite installment out of the four, but it did have my favorite moment! I'm so glad you loved it, too!

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  13. YES to ACOMAF! I still need to read The Imposter Queen, but it looks really interesting! Great list!

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  14. I've got My Lady Jane and The Raven King on my shelf and I can't wait to get to them! :)

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  15. Sierra - Don't feel bad. My list wasn't based on new releases--I just did my top reads of the years so far regardless of publishing date.

    Ellen - What a great list! I have yet to read anything by Maggie Stiefvater, can you believe it. I really must remedy that.

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  16. Ah! Start with The Scorpio Races! It's my absolute fave of hers, and one of my overall favorite books!

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  17. I look forward to seeing your reviews of those books!!

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  18. I really need to write a review to solidify my thoughts on The Impostor Queen... but I did really like it!

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  19. I really enjoyed Undecided and Summer Skin! I wish there were more like them! The other books I haven't had a chance to read yet so lots of catching up to do for me ;)

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  20. They were wonderful! I do love a romance. Are you up to date with the Raven Boys? Sierra has yet to read them and I read them all in one go just a few weeks ago.

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