I used to give out five-star ratings all over the place and definitely to books that didn’t deserve it. However, now I’m far more critical of books, so they are much rarer.
The idea for this post came to me a few weeks ago and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.
The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins
This series completely changed my life. I was an avid reader before I read it, but after, I had a new appreciation for books. When I say I was obsessed with The Hunger Games, I mean it. I was that kid at school.
I’m definitely going to re-read this series at some point, or at least the first book for now. Catching Fire is 100% the best book in the series though, you can’t change my mind.
Synopsis: Could you survive on your own in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weight survival against humanity and life against love.
Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare
Another series that completely changed my life and I’m not being hyperbolic. I’d read The Mortal Instruments before this and I really enjoyed the whole series, but my god is The Infernal Devices so much better.
I don’t usually like love triangles, as let’s be honest it’s the worst trope and they’re always one-sided, but The Infernal Devices does it so well. It was always Will and Tessa for me, but the relationship between all three of them is so special.
I recently re-read Clockwork Angel and I was so worried it wouldn’t live up to my memories, but of course it did. It is still a five-star read and I don’t think that will ever change, no matter how many times I read it.
Synopsis: In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.
The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them….
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