Top Five Books of 2021

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Shanah @Bionic Book Worm, and is now being hosted by Meeghan @Meeghan Reads. You can check out last week’s post here!

For this week, we’ll be looking at the Top Five Books of 2021. While I didn’t read nearly as many books as I wanted to this year, I still found more than enough amazing reads to make this a tough choice. I managed to narrow it down to five, but it was a close call. Hopefully I’ll find even more amazing reads in the new year.

Let’s get to it!

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Top Five Books of 2021

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

I’m not sure if I’ve made it clear by now just how much I absolutely loved All Systems Red, but it’s a lot. It has one of my favourite protagonists ever and featured a solid supporting cast, incredible tension, a fast-paced plot, and a great set up for more worldbuilding. If nothing else, I need to read more books this year so I can stop talking about it so much.

(I’m just kidding, of course: I’ll never stop.)

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

This is the first book in the second series I’ve read by Mark Lawrence and I’m still more than ready to say it’s my favourite. Red Sister has probably one of the most interesting and foreboding settings I’ve ever read about, and features a rich cast of amazing characters – most of whom are essentially Ninja Nuns loaded with more sass than throwing stars. It even has a pretty touching theme of friendship and comradery mixed in with some classic grimdark darkness, and I plan on finishing the series early next year.

Spellbreaker by Charlie N. Holmberg

Spellbreaker is a fun, easy read with a detailed magic system and a killer finale, and I blame it entirely for my current obsession with historical fantasy. The magic was complex, but also incredibly interesting and perfectly tailored to the story the author was trying to tell. Elise, the protagonist, was also a very entertaining and sympathetic heroine, and I’m dying to find out more about the mysteries of her past in the sequel.

The Iron Crown by L.L. Macrae

If you’re looking for a phenomenal new author to follow, L.L. Macrae should be on your radar. The Iron Crown is a fantastic, high-fantasy novel with great characters, some killer action, and magic controlled by mercurial (and oh-so-entertaining) Dragon Spirits, who may bless or curse you depending on their mood at the time. This was such a great introduction to this author and her work, and I’m on the hunt for more of her works (and the sequel to this one next year).

You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus

You’ll Be The Death of Me came to me courtesy of The Write Reads book tours, and was the surprise highlight of my end of year reading. I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy this book, given that I usually prefer some fantasy elements in my books, but this novel absolutely bowled me over with how much I enjoyed it. Great character, high-stakes plot, a mystery with a thousand plot twists: it has everything you need to keep you glued to the page.

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What did you think of this list? Did I mention any of your favourites? Let me know in the comments below

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