Best Standalone Books I Read in 2020

Yesterday I posted about the best series I read in 2020, and then I started thinking about some incredible standalone books I read in the same year. A couple of them are underrated and deserve an honourable mention, and the rest are popular mentions.

The Swallow: A Ghost Story by Charis Cotter 

This is a middle grade story about two girls: Polly and Rose who feel like social outcasts until one day they find each other and believe that the other girl is a ghost. A surprising friendship follows as they both learn how similar they are, and they spend their days feeling invisible and finding solace from their books. This was a beautiful and touching story with a bittersweet ending that shocked me and almost made me want to cry. One of the best middle grade and a standalone book I have read.

Best Series I Read in 2020

Finally the year 2020 is almost done and about damn time. This was a difficult year, personally and mentally. Everything that I used to do at home, at work, and with my family I had to learn to readjust my routine while surviving through this pandemic. It was a tough year and I struggled a lot just to get through the day, and I feel like I have aged a few more years too. I have the rest of this year off to refresh and just relax while counting down to 2021. This also gives me a chance to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good part: my reading challenge for 2020. I read 160 books. Let me be specific: I completely finished reading 160 books. Goodreads says that I read 164 but 4 of those books I did not finish and so, they don’t count.

I was thinking about making a list of all the best books I read this year but instead, I decided on writing about the best series I read. It makes it more interesting and you will notice that I listed manga series too. Instead of listing all the volumes (and there are many because mange series are ongoing) I encourage you to look it up. 

Yona of the Dawn by Mizuho Kusanagi

I want to share a special thank you to my friend and manga reader who recommended this to me. Yona of the Dawn is the best shojo series I have read and I am so glad to have started it! It is still ongoing and I love every volume. The characters, the building romance, the friendships, the politics, the betrayal, the geography and history, it’s all in here! I also love the illustrations and the light hearted and comedic moments really add a nice touch and makes the characters more interesting. If you’re looking for a good shojo manga, I highly recommend Yona of the Dawn.

Review: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Rating: 4 hoots out of 5 hoots

Published: July 7 2020

Number of pages: 336

Format: electronic advanced reading copy

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Genre: fantasy, romance

Audience: young adult

Get it at: Chapters Indigo

Shelve it at: Goodreads

Summary:

Soraya has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens. She is cursed to be poisonous to the touch and she must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time.

A demon is inside the dungeons and holds the knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of Soraya with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison. Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she wonders who she is and who she is becoming.

My Review:

I received an advanced reading copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Quick note: I received the advanced reading copy late and I took my time reading it because July was a weird month for me. A lot of things were happening to me for the past two months that it was hard for me to focus on reading and writing this review. 

Review: Dark Skies by Danielle L. Jensen

Rating: 2.5 hoots out of 5 hoots

Published: May 5 2020

Number of pages: 464

Format: electronic advanced reading copy

Publisher: Tor Teen

Genre: fantasy, romance

Audience: young adult

Get it at: Chapters Indigo

Shelve it at: Goodreads

 

Summary:

Lydia is a scholar who finds herself tangled up in the plots of the most powerful man in the Calendar Empire. With her life in danger she escapes to the far side of the Endless Seas and is entrapped in a foreign war. Killian is marked by the God of War but his gifts fail him after the Corrupter invades Mudamora. Disgraced, he vows his sword to the crown princess but his oath and loyalty are put into a test. After Mudamora falls beneath the armies of the Corruptor, Lydia and Killian strike a bargain to save those they love the most until there are consequences they both must face to survive.

My Review:

An electronic advanced reading copy was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Funny story, I didn’t know this was a sequel in a series, I honestly thought this was a standalone. I was very surprised to have found this out after I received the electronic ARC! I wasn’t sure what to do as I only had 60 days to read the ARC, and with my job I wasn’t sure I could start and finish the first book on time. Plus the libraries are closed so that didn’t give me a lot of options. I decided to just dive right into Dark Skies and review it as it is without any knowledge about the first book. So here goes my review. 

Review: Defy or Defend by Gail Carriger

Rating: 2.5 hoots out of 5 hoots

Published: May 3 2020

Number of pages: 240

Format: electronic advanced reading copy

Publisher: Gail Carriger LLC

Genre: espionage, romantic comedy, supernatural

Audience: adult

Get it at: Chapters Indigo

Shelve it at: Goodreads

Summary:

A vampire hive descending into madness. A beautiful spy with a sparkly plan. A handsome bodyguard who must keep both vampires and the spy from killing each other. A charming story of espionage, love, and makeovers set in the Parasol Protectorate universe.

My Review:

An electronic advanced reading copy was received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Minor spoilers below!

I just want to say a big thank you to Gail Carriger for reaching out to me about her next new book in the Delightfully Deadly series. This series is the spin off from the Finishing School books and follows after Poison or Protect.

Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott is back! For those who don’t know or haven’t read The Finishing Schools series, Dimity is Sophronia’s best friend and sidekick with a love for all things sparkly, hence her codename Sparkles in this story. After graduating, Dimity has earned her place in the Honey Bee where she takes on espionage missions for the War Office. A fitting position for a Finishing School graduate who has a knack for flirting while gaining many marriage proposals from her unsuspecting targets, and keeping dangerous yet, fashionable weapons hidden in her purse. 

Review: His Hideous Heart Edited by Dahlia Adler

Rating: 3 out of 5 hoots

Published: September 10 2019

Number of pages: 480

Format: advanced reading copy

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Genre: goth, mystery

Audience: young adult

Get it at: Chapters Indigo

Shelve it at: Goodreads

 

Summary:

Readers will revel in Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tales and how they’ve been brought to life in thirteen unique and unforgettable ways by favourite YA authors.

My Review:

There were a few short stories that I really enjoyed. The two stories I liked were Happy Days, Sweetheart and Changling. This anthology also includes thirteen of the original Edgar Allan Poe stories the retellings are based off of too, so I’m giving this book another star. The whole anthology was alright in terms of taking some of Poe’s classic stories and rewriting them in a different setting that is either this present time or somewhere in the far future.

Review: Only Ashes Remain by Rebecca Schaffer

Rating: 4 out of 5 hoots

Published: September 3 2019

Number of pages: 432

Format: advanced reading copy

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Genre: urban fantasy, horror, mystery, paranormal

Audience: young adult

Get it at: Chapters Indigo

Shelve it at: Goodreads

Summary:

Nita escaped her kidnappers and is running away from the black market. Now all she wants to do is live her life without having to look over her shoulder. But when the video of her self-healing herself comes out on the Internet, Nita becomes the target for the black market again. So to keep herself safe she makes herself be feared, that way no one will dare to come after her.

With Kovit back, her plans begin to backfire but Nita is sure that after she takes her revenge on Fabricio for betraying her, she is sure that her plan will work. But killing Fabricio is hard work even with Kovit and yet, Nita is determined to kill him at all costs.

My Review:

An advanced reading copy was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

It was a year ago after I read Not Even Bones and I remember thinking how intense and thrilling it was to watch Nita’s character grow from a naive girl working inside her parent’s basement to a survivor who escaped from her kidnappers and destroyed the black market. She had help escaping from a zannie name Kovit. A zannie is an unnatural creature that has a hunger for pain to stay alive. Normally, it would be wise to stay away from a zannie but this particular one chose to stay with Nita after she was detained inside her cage. But now Nita is outside of her cage and has a thirst for revenge against the boy who started her kidnapping.

September 2019 New Releases

Wow to think it’s September already. Did anyone else feel like summer went by pretty quick?

All those days of hot weather and clear sunny skies are coming to an end as we approach cooler weather, rainy days, and of course who can forget pumpkin spice. I feel like whenever I see pumpkin spice anything you know that fall is approaching. This is also the busiest season for books as there are a lot of anticipated new releases coming out in this time of year.

Only Ashes Remain by Rebecca Schaffer (release date September 3)

The sequel to Not Even Bones and the ARC that I am currently reading. After Nita escapes from her kidnappers she seeks her revenge on the boy who betrayed her. The first book was so intense and deceptive and after halfway through this sequel, I am on a thrill ride with the characters Nita and Kovit. My full review to come very soon!