Welcome to Goldilox and the Ten Lists, our year end countdown of our favorite books by category. We'll have a new subject every weekday between now and the end of the year.
I'm an obsessive series reader. I almost always binge read if all the books are out and I often re-read when the latest book makes me wonder about things that happened before. (I've read Kate Daniels all the way through four times.) When I was making my list of my favorite books of 2014, I realized that I started a lot of new series this year. And once I started listing my favorite new series, I realized that almost as many of my favorites had ended this year so it was only fair to give them equal time.
Tell me your favorite beginnings and endings in the comments.
Five Fave Firsts
by Jaye Wells
Links: Goodreads Amazon
Why I chose it: This might be favorite book of the year. It completely blew me away! I actually re-read it over the summer to break out of a rut. I love paranormal police procedurals in general, but imagine if on your favorite cop show the drug dealers were actually selling magic. (Then imagine you're watching it on HBO because the f-bombs start about three lines in.) It's kind of like that.
Read Goldilox's audio review here.
House of the Rising Sun (Crescent City #1)
Links: Goodreads Amazon
Why I chose it: I absolutely loved this book! It's a spin-off from Painter's House of Comarre series set in New Orleans. The main characters are Fae, but there are also witches and vampires and even a gator shifter. I love all the different powers the characters have and how rich the world is.
by Ilona Andrews
Links: Goodreads Amazon
Why I chose it: This book was so good, I hardly know where to start. The magic is HUGE, both in its dominance of the story and the scope of what the characters can do with it, but it's otherwise pretty recognizable as our world. My absolute favorite thing is the supporting cast. Nevada's family is so much fun! And it's not like Ilona Andrews ever gives us a bad book.
Read my review here.
Bitter Spirits (Roaring Twenties #1)by Jenn Bennett
Links: Goodreads Amazon
Why I chose it: This is one of those genre-benders that I absolutely love. I'm not really a fan of historical romance, but what impressed me most about Bitter Spirits were the historical details. I loved the attention Bennett paid to Ava's clothing particularly. And I loved the city of San Francisco. On top of all that, it's a ghost story. I loved both books in this series so far.
by Lisa Shearin
Links: Goodreads Amazon
Why I chose it: I might have mentioned that I love paranormal police procedurals. This one is similar to Dirty Magic in some ways, though it's more lighthearted. It's also recognizable as our world. It just has these creatures in it that most people don't know about. My favorite thing about this book is the TV and movie references. (Yes, I have weird favorites sometimes.) They're really well done and create some great images.
Five Fave Finishes
Banishing the Dark (Arcadia Bell #4)
by Jenn BennettLinks: Goodreads Amazon
Why I chose it: I was not happy when I found out this was going to be the last book in the series, but it was a great way to end it. Scene stealer Jupe gets to be the star for a little while. And Cady gets to fall in love with Lon all over again. I really hope that Bennett gets to return to this world some day.
Read Goldilox's review here.
The Sharpest Blade (Shadow Reader #3)by Sandy Williams
Links: Goodreads Amazon
Why I chose it: Ok, technically this one released in 2013. But it was on December 31 and seriously, how many people would have read it on New Year's Eve? Plus, all the Best Of lists were already made by then so I say it counts. I loved this series with its unique take on the Fae. It's nothing like the Fever series, regardless of what anyone else tells you.
Read Goldilox's review here.
by Delilah S. Dawson
Links: Goodreads Amazon
Why I chose it: This is the most ambitious book in the series. It deals with some real life issues in a completely different world. The setting is original, vivid and entertaining. It has a wonderful subtle and seductive villain. And it has great gadgets, which I require in all steampunk. I love the sendoff Dawson gave her characters at the end.
Up From the Grave (Night Huntress #7)by Jeaniene Frost
Links: Goodreads Amazon
Why I chose it: We all have that favorite movie that we know is never going to win an Oscar, but we love it beyond reason anyway. That's kind of how I felt about this book. I didn't try to analyze it. I didn't even write a review. I just enjoyed it, knowing it was the last I'd see from Cat and Bones, at least for a while.
Read Goldilox's review here.
by Kim Harrison
Links: Goodreads Amazon
Why I chose it: I'm pretty sure they'd take away my membership card if I left this one off the list. The Hollows is one of the defining series of the Urban Fantasy genre. The demons have been warning us about the worlds colliding for a while now and the vampires have been threatening drastic measures if Rachel doesn't save their souls. Now everything finally comes to a head. I was pretty happy with the way it all ended, but if Harrison wants to return to this world, I certainly won't complain. I would love Lucy and Ray to get their own series some day!
We're taking a few days off to nurse our egg nog hangovers, but we'll be back on Friday with our Top Ten YA Paranormals of the year.
I absolutely loved DIRTY MAGIC and I'm super excited for the rest of that series! I also loved the ending of the Arcadia Bell series and the McKenzie Lewis series, even if I was super sad to see both of those series end.
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