So… 2017. One of the weirdest, most stressful, and oddly, best years of my life. The year I graduated from high school (which to some people doesn’t count as a real graduation) and finally created the blog that I had wanted to for so long. I know that I have been pretty shit at writing for the past few months and I apologize, but it has truly been wild for me. Now I’m getting back and writing all of my delayed reviews (you can check out what those are here), but I didn’t want to wait to write this.
Even though I wasn’t at my best reading game this year, I surprisingly managed to read 60 books, amongst the insanity that is Brazilian senior year and everything university-related, therefore I’m quite pleased. I decided not to choose a number for this list (5, 10, 17) and instead to make it entirely composed of books that I have given 5 stars to and thus made it to my “favorites of all time”. I obviously am not including the books that I have read for a second time this year, as most of them (Jane Eyre, The portrait of Dorian Gray, Epitaph of a small winner, ASOIAF) were already amid my favorites. Now, without further ado, here are the best books that I have read in 2017:
6. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
The Six of crows duology became an instant favorite of mine ever since I first read the previous installment. It had everything that made a young adult fantasy book be good, and more. The world is full-fledged, the plot is ingenious and fast-paced, and the characters are complex, compelling, and form delightful relationships with eachother. It has the perfect balance of darker and action-packed and brighter, heartwarming and funny moments. Crooked kingdom doesn’t fall behind at all, and proceeds to expand the world and the plot, having much more at stake than the first one. This is one of the best ya series out there.
5. More happy than not by Adam Silvera
It took me long enough to read More happy than not, but it was totally worth it. I believe that my appreciation for this book directly correlates with what I was going through and would not be the same had I read it some other time. More happy than not discusses many of society’s issues with equal mastery, but its strength lies on the diverse and realistic cast of characters and the message that you might not get what you wish for in live, but you must endure. It’s a theme that has been done many times before and may seem like I should have it implanted on my brain already, but it has never come across as as authentic and far from moralizing as in this. More happy than not is a beautifully moving, sad and raw story that offers just a glimmer of hope.
4. Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Vicious is the first popular sci-fi book I read that did not disappoint me in any way. In fact, it was everything that I love and look for in science fiction. It is exciting and addictive, its premise is rooted on science and well explained to the extent that it seems realistic, thus very intriguing, and that is used as a mean to develop deeper themes, in this case, ethics and creation (which actually relates to #1 book in my list). The characters are comepelling, multidimensional and morally ambiguous, and have fascinating relationships amongst themselves. This works both as a standalone and a setup for later books, and I cannot wait for the release of the rest of the series.
3. The hate u give by Angie Thomas
I wanted to read this from the moment I saw the cover, without even knowing its premise, because… Just look at it! It seems extremely impressive, and it is fitting. The hate u give is one of those rarely found books that are powerful and bearing a sociopolitical message, as well as emotionally-charged, addictive and thrilling. It has really vivid and realistic characters, each very distinct and faced with their own problems, and emphasizes on their personal arcs and relationships. And needless to say, it covers a large scope of issues surrounding race dynamics and racism in America. The hate u give is an incredibly important book, one whose popularity I’m very thankful for, and profoundly urge those who haven’t read it to do so.
2. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
This is yet another book that I just happened to read at the exact right time. Tiger Lily is a retelling of Peter Pan, and surprisingly does what most amongst this genre don’t do: explore the same themes as the original, in this case, growing up. But it contains significantly different tone and emphasis, exploring all of the ways we change and the things we lose when we mature, the unexpected paths and unavoidable misfortunes in the process, and the inherent sadness of it. There’s a lingering melancholy carried out through the beautiful prose that give this novel the feeling of a grim fairytale. I read Tiger Lily in the beggining of my senior year, and it really resonated with me, becoming the book that had most likely the biggest emotional impact on me this year.
1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Frankenstein is possibly the most unexpected amid my all time favorites. I had an idea about the depth of the messages in this, but it doesn’t even begin to cover the actual thing. To my surprise, in the original book, Frankenstein’s monster isn’t an unintelligent green guy with studs on his neck whose creation incites the scream: “he’s alive!”, and the novel itself never truly becomes a thriller. Instead, the monster is far more human than you would think, and so is every other theme explored this story. There’s plenty of different interpreations and philosophical deliberations that can appeal to people, namely, criticisms of science, the relationship between creator and creation, and my personal favorite, the way society treats its outcasts and the effect it has on them. It is a brilliant, though-provoking book on several different levels, but also a raw, sad, painfully human story.
Honorable mentions (books I loved but didn’t quite hit the mark to become a favorite): The Chaos walking trilogy by Patrick Ness, Barren lives (Vidas secas) by Graciliano Ramos, The diary of a young girl by Anne Frank, Beauty queens by Libba Bray
So, these were my favorites books I read in 2017, I hope you share your thoughts on them as well as what were your personal favorites. I also want to adress to everybody that has been following the blog, you all had a very positive impact on my year, therefore, thank you!
Living in Fiction 
One thought on “Favorite books of 2017”