It's that time of year again folks! So Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/have a good time doing whatever the heck you're doing. I have assembled for you a list of my top ten (in order from least favorite to most favorite) books of 2016! All but one of these books was rated 5 stars. These books were not all necessarily books that came out this year but ones I read this year.

Also...all opinions of my own and I did not include reread books like Narnia, Harry Potter, The Book Thief etc. because obvi they're favs.

10) The Return of the King (LOTR, #3) by J.R.R. Tolkien...
This is the only book I rated 4 stars instead of 5 and to know why you can read my monstrously long review of the book. Basically, its been a long time coming since I was to read this trilogy and I finally got around to it this year! *cheers* I had seen the movies 1000000000 times before hand but felt it was high time to just try and read the books. Glad I did.

9) The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
I read this book for school back in January (or February) and actually enjoyed it quite a lot. It is about a demon named Screwtape and all the letters he sends to his nephew demon on how to be a decent demon and ultimately, how to destroy a human's life. The book is hilarious but also rings very true. I learned more about humanity than I ever thought I would from this book. It is a short, fun read and remains my most highlighted owned book.

8) Yellow Brick War (Dorothy Must Die, #3) by Danielle Paige
I read all three books in this series that are out so far for the first time this spring and adored it! Yellow Brick War, however, was the only book I gave 5 stars to, hence why its made the list. I love how this series presents a darker, twisted, creepy version of Oz and its original characters.

7) Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
A new favorite classic! I expected to enjoy this book but not to love it as much as I did. It is by far my favorite Austen book (err okay...tied with Pride and Prejudice.) I have a full review up to explain why.

6) Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4) by Sarah J. Maas
I finally got around to reading what is published of the Throne of Glass series this year after reading ACOTAR last fall (and not being the biggest fan of it.) I will admit that while this series is problematic in many fashions, its entertainment level is 5 stars, and
Queen of Shadows is my favorite in the series.

5) The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
So...this is somewhat cheating because its 3 books instead of 1 BUT WHO CARES. This trilogy is one of the best. All 3 books are 5 stars due to the excellent world building, well maneuvered plot, interesting characters, and one of the COOLEST magic systems I've ever seen. I will certainly be reading more of Mr. Sanderson's work this coming year!

4) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I had been planning on reading this for a while and am IMMENSELY glad that I did so. This book is everything magic about a historic fantasy one would want. The characters are emotionally relate able and Morgenstern has presented a unique magic concept to the world of YA literature. I don't even know who to review this book, man. So good!

3) Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
I read Six of Crows in January, reread it in September and read Crooked Kingdom in October. Because I rated Crooked Kingdom 4 stars, I put Six of Crows on the list instead. (Full review for CK is up.) I feel like this doesn't even need an explanation. If you read it then you understand. If you haven't, then go read it. You're welcome.

This next one is going to be both a surprise and no surprise at all. It won't surprise you that's its only the list, but it might surprise you that this book is #2 instead of #1...especially since I rarely even speak of #1. But yeah...

2) A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2) by Sarah J. Maas.
Again...I have a few minor issues with this work but all in all I LOVED IT. And I don't really see a need to explain further.

Before I hit on #1, here are a few honorable mentions:

-Stars Above (A Lunar Chronicles Collection) By Marissa Meyer--4 stars
-Heartless by Marissa Meyer--4 stars
-Glass Sword (Red Queen, #2) by Victoria Aveyard--4 stars
-Illusionarium by Heather Dixon--4.5 stars
-A Time to Rise>/i> (Out of Time, #3) by Nadine Brandes--4 stars
-Beauty of Darkness (Remnant Chronicles, #3) by Mary E. Pearson--4 stars

AND FINALLY

1) A Draw of Kings (The Staff and Sword, #3) by Patrick W. Carr
About 90% of you probably have never heard of this book due to its highly underrated status. BUT I LOVE IT. So much so that the main character is my favorite male character of all time, this is my third favorite series of all time, my favorite trilogy, AND A Draw of Kings is my favorite ending to a series EVER. Full reviews of this series and why its so good will be posted as I reread the books in January.

That's all folks. I'd like to know what you're favorite books were! Let me know in the comments! Have a blessed Christmas,
Lydia