#kendare blake

Mirabella throughout Three Dark Crowns

Book Recommendations from 2019

Since the decade is almost at a close, I’ve decided to list my top five reads of 2019. This list will be mainly targeted at teenagers and young adults.

The Three Dark Crowns series by Kendare Blake- Icannotrecommend this book enough! Three triplets are born every generation to the Queen of Fennbirn. Each triplet is born with a power, which they will later use when they turn 16 to fight for the crown. Mirabella, an elemental, is the strongest, and seems to be the clear heir to the throne. Katherine, a poisoner, is very weak and sickly, but at least she has more powers than Arsinoe, a dud, an alleged naturalist, who can’t use her powers. But times are changing, and I won’t risk saying anything else with the possibility of spoilers. The Cruel Prince lovers will definately enjoy this series.

The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas- this one should not come to you as a surprise, especially since I basically made this account for my love of all things SJM related. Celaena Sardothien, an 18 year old assassin, slaving away in the salt mines of Endovier, is chosen by Prince Dorian to compete to become the King’s personal assassin. The series then spirals into an addictive fantasy world, where none of your braincells are safe from obsessing over the unfairly attractive characters.

The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald- here we have a classic. A highly aesthetic book from the roaring 20’s, that tells the story of Jay Gatsby and his infatuation with the narrator’s cousin, Daisy. While this book seems like a light and easy-to-read romance novel at first, it actually shows the problems of The American Dream. I recommend this to anyone who loves classics, but has too short an attention span for something like Les Mis.

In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park- this is an autobiography of human rights activist Yeonmi Park, who escaped the Communist regime of North Korea, and shows a humans strong will to survive, while also giving us an insight into North Korean life. It’s easy enough to read, and fairly short, so great for those who enjoy biographies, but also have short attention spans.

The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green- Princess Catherine, servant March, commoner Edyon and demon hunter Tash couldn’t lead more different lives. But one day when Tash collects demon smoke- an illegal substance used for recreational activities- that has very different properties from the usual smoke, the four of them are interlinked in the finding of the secrets of the smoke. A very fast paced, magical adventure with a bit of a LGBTQ+ sideplot for my friends, and has a very pretty cover.