2018 End of Year Survey

The annual End of the Year Bookish Survey was created by The Perpetual Page-Turner. You can link up here.

2018 READING STATS

Number Of Books You Read: 121

Number of Re-Reads: 25

Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy

Best in Books

1. Best Book You Read In 2018?

There was one book that I read at the beginning of January that was on my mind literally all year long. That book is The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black. 

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1) by Marie Lu. I didn't dislike the book by any means, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I was anticipating. I have been waiting years to read this book. I adored the Legend series to pieces and I thought that this book would give me the same feels. Alas, it did not. I may have been going through a reading funk so I might try to reread this book at some point, or perhaps try the audiobook.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  

Muffin Top (The Hartigans #2) by Avery Flynn surprised me in a good way. I have never really given any thought to contemporary romance before. I had never really given it a try. Fantasy will always be my go-to genre, but now I have a soft spot in my heart for contemporary romance. I enjoyed this book very much.

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

Chase the Dark (Steel & Stone #1) by Annette Marie. I adore this author and every book that she writes is incredible. She is my go-to recommendation. 

 5. Best series you started in 2018? Best Sequel of 2018? Best Series Ender of 2018?

Best series I started in 2018: 
There were several: The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima, The Witchlands by Susan Dennard, Spell Weaver by Annette Marie, The Guild Codex: Spellbound by Annette Marie, The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare, Darkness by Stacey Marie Brown, Collector by Stacey Marie Brown, Lightness Saga by Stacey Marie Brown, Shattered Love by Stacey Marie Brown, The Royals by Erin Watt, The Messenger Chronicles by Pippa DaCosta, Lux by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, & The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken.

   

   
   
    

Best sequel of 2018: 
Prince of Dreams (The Messenger Chronicles #4) by Pippa DaCosta



Best series ender of 2018:
Rise From The Embers (Lightness Saga #4) by Stacey Marie Brown 

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2018?

Stacey Marie Brown. I read all of her back catalog (apart from one book) in less than a month. I started one series and jumped right on the next one and then the next. Her books are well written and addicting as hell. I am so thankful to have discovered her books. She is now an auto-buy author for me. I highly recommend her books!

   

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

Trickery (Curse of the Gods #1) by Jaymin Eve and Jane Washington. This book was actually my first go at the reverse harem genre. I actually read the entire series. I found out what I do and do not like about this genre.

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Rise From The Embers (Lightness Saga #4) by Stacey Marie Brown. This book was the final book in a storyline that spanned three book series. All of the characters from all three series come together in this final book for the major conflict that has been building up throughout all of the series. This book is epic.

 9. Book You Read In 2018 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Haha, I suppose The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black because it is my current (re)read and my first book of 2019. =P

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2018?

I think I would have to say that the covers of the Messenger Chronicles book series by Pippa DaCosta were gorgeous as hell. I can't pick just one since they are all magical and I read the entire series. Have a gander at these books and tell me if they don't make you salivate. =P

   

11. Most memorable character of 2018?

Definitely both Jude and Cardan from The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black. I was constantly looking up fanart of these two all year long.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2018?

The Shattered Love series by Stacey Marie Brown is a work of art. Truly. It brought forth emotion in me that still lingers inside me. I won't ever forget this story and I expect that I will reread the series at some point. It was beautifully written, for sure.

 

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2018?


The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black. This book is a recurring star in my 2018 Best in Books list. I have always loved books about fae or faeries. This book makes me think, inspires me, and kept my mind occupied throughout 2018. 

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2018 to finally read? 

The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken. This book has been out forever and on my TBR for just as long. I have no excuse. I had planned to read this before I saw the movie that came out in 2018, but I never actually saw the movie.

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2018?

“If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.” - The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2018?

The shortest thing that I read was a short story from Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series, The Wedding (Lux #5.5). The longest book that I read was Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare. 

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare shocked me, for sure. So much is changing in the Shadowhunter world and I can't wait for more!

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Jude and Cardan all day long! From The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black. I need all the fanart now, please?

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

I have several memorable ones. Kesh and Sota from the Messenger Chronicles series by Pippa DaCosta, Safi and Iseult from The Witchlands series by Susan Dennard, and Katy and Dee from the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. 

  

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2018 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Immortal Reign (Falling Kingdoms #6) by Morgan Rhodes. I adore this series and this book was such a great ending.

21. Best Book You Read In 2018 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.:

Fallen (The Shadows of Regia #1) by Tenaya Jayne. 

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2018?

Oh lord, all of them? Haha. Seriously though, how am I supposed to pick only one book boyfriend of 2018? Here were some of my favorites. (Not counting rereads.)

Hunter Harris from the Shattered Love series by Stacey Marie Brown, Daemon Black from the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, pretty much every guy (Talen, Kellee, Eledan, Sirius, Sota, Arran) from the Messenger Chronicles series by Pippa DaCosta, pretty much every male from the Darkness series, the Collector series, and the Lightness Saga by Stacey Marie Brown (Eli, Lorcan, Ryker, Lars, West, Croygen), all the males from The Guild Codex: Spellbound series by Annette Marie (Aaron, Ezra, Kai, and Zak), Reed and Easton from The Royals series by Erin Watt, and I could probably list more but I'll stop. =P

   
   

23. Best 2018 debut you read?

I did not read any 2018 debuts.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson, hands down! This book had the most incredible world!

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

Annette Marie's new series, The Guild Codex: Spellbound, released two books this year. Both books were SO much fun to read! I am looking forward to more books in this series in 2019!

 

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2018?

The Shattered Love series by Stacey Marie Brown made me cry all over the place. I was embarrassingly distraught.

 

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

I would say all of Stacey Marie Brown's books, Annette Marie's books, and Pippa DaCosta's the Messenger Chronicles series. These are all indie or self-published authors so they are not as well known.

Stacey Marie Brown
   

Annette Marie
   

Pippa DaCosta

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

The Shattered Love series by Stacey Marie Brown. There is just so much emotion in this series and so many tragic things happen. -sigh-

 

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2018?

Lailah (The Styclar Saga #1) by Nikki Kelly was definitely a unique book. It had a different feel than most books. I found myself in a hard spot trying to rate the book after I finished reading it. 

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Captive Prince (Captive Prince #1) by C.S. Pacat. I can't even analyze this book. I know that a lot of people adore this book, but I am not one of them. I almost DNF this book more times than I could count. I did finally finish it, though I don't know if that is necessarily a good thing.

Looking Ahead

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2018 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2019?

This is kind of a loaded question. I choose Under the Lights (The Field Party #2) by Abbi Glines. I started this series in December. I intended to finish all four books, but only read the first one. 

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2019 (non-debut)?

There are a few. The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black, King of Scars (Nikolai Duology #1) by Leigh Bardugo, Vortex Visions (Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles #1) by Elise Kova, & Bloodwitch (The Witchlands #3) by Susan Dennard.

   

3. 2019 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy #1) by Emily A. Duncan. 

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2019?

The fourth (and final?) book in the Legend series by Marie Lu! (No title or cover yet.)

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2019?

Continue my no-pressure reading streak by reading what I want and what my mood dictates rather than fussing about ARCs and deadlines and the like. Also, read more indie authors and reread some old favorites.

So, yes, I had an interesting year. I had a 5-month slump (hello bipolar!), but still managed to read 121 books. How did your year go reading-wise? Anything interesting you'd like to share? If you have an end of the year post feel free to share your link in the comments!