My Top 10 Books of 2021

Another year over, which means another barrage of Top 10 lists for January. This list is for my top 10 reads of 2021. I read 66 books in 2021. Unfortunately, that's not the greatest, but it's not the worst either. (I'm looking at you, 2019.) This year, I don't have to move, start a new job, buy new furniture, etc., so I can focus on just reading what I want to. Yay!

Enough of the future talk though, let's take a look at the past. In this top 10 you'll notice a theme of fantasy/sci-fi books. No contemporary allowed. Haha. I just haven't been vibing with a ton of contemporary titles lately. I'm also getting pickier when it comes to YA fantasy. Oh, and the bottom five in this list aren't really in any particular order. They could be changed based on my mood, whereas the top five are pretty much good where they are.

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Glint by Raven Kennedy

I've gone back and forth about what to put in this spot. Well, to be fair, I've had a hard time making up my mind for the bottom four in this list. Like I said, it wasn't a great reading year. But I figured I'd go with an adult title here versus YA, as I'm still feeling a bit over YA for the most part. While Glint didn't completely wow me, it was a very fun, fast-paced sequel, and I'm excited to read the fourth book once it's released. I have already read Gleam, and while it was also good, I liked book two more.

These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan

Oh man, this book took a long time to really get into. There wasn't a lot of detail and things just seemed to be glossed over. However, if you stick with it, the ending does provide a very intriguing and fun time. I'm actually not sure who I'm rooting for in this duology. They're all terrible. In a trashy-YA fantasy romance way.

Aurora's End by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

While I will forever complain that this book did not have enough Tyler + Saedii scenes or enough team group scenes in general, I did enjoy myself with this final book in the Aurora Cycle trilogy. I even cried. Maybe there's some fanfic out there that can give me my Tyler + Saedii kick. Haha.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Now this book, it was just pure fun and cuteness overload. Yes, there are some very serious topics in it, but the relationships between the two main characters, as well as the main character's relationship with his cousin, was so wholesome. I will say that the ending was a tad predictable, but overall, adorbs!

The Exiled Fleet by J.S. Dewes

The sequel to The Last Watch, this book had some great character interactions and cool twists and turns. Unfortunately, it was missing a little bit of something that the first book provided. It was still a fun time, though, and I can't wait for book three!

The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty

The last two books in the Daevabad series gave me very mixed feelings as I was reading them. I loved every bit of the world-building and the actual characters themselves, but some of the characters' actions and the time jump had me conflicted. That's why book two didn't make it on this list. The Empire of Gold, however, has the world-building, character dynamic, and character actions that let me enjoy the series more. Thank goodness. I'm super excited that there's a short-story bind-up coming for this world, and I'm hoping one of the main characters gets his own spin-off in the future.

Oaths of Legacy by Emily Skrutskie

A YA sci-fi made it into my top five list! I'm not sure if that's a new development, but for some reason, it feels like it is. Maybe because there's very little YA sci-fi actually in bookstores right now. Oaths of Legacy is the sequel to Bonds of Brass, which I enjoyed, but didn't love. For some reason though, I found myself really enjoying this one. Maybe it was because the world had already been established and I'd become invested in the characters? I'm not sure. I think I do have a tendency to not really love books until their second installment, which is often the opposite of some people's reading experience.

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

For some reason, I can't stop thinking about this book. It was so cute. It had its slow moments in the middle, but the relationship between the two characters, Robin and Edwin, was adorable. The magic system was fun too, and I didn't even mind that the story took place in a historical fiction setting. While I am very disappointed the sequel is a companion novel and doesn't follow the same MCs, I am still planning on reading books two and three. Though I don't think I'll like book two as much, as it follows a character's sister, and I didn't really care for her.

Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin

So Blood & Honey does not have the greatest rating on Goodreads, and I knew that going in. I'd also heard some very meh things about it compared to the first installment. However, I loved this book. It was awesome and a pleasant surprise to round out my 2021 reading year, which had been fairly mediocre with only one 4.5-star read so far (see #1). But now I have two 4.5-star reads! Yay! I adore Reid and Lou's dynamic. Their banter and protectiveness was fantastic. This book was much better than the first.

The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes

Did anyone not see this coming? I've only been gushing about this book in every mid-year wrap up/tag post I've done. It was such a delight to read this adult sci-fi. The main character is hilarious and he balances out the female POV, who has a stricter disposition, nicely. Their dynamic is very entertaining. I can't wait for book three to be released in 2023. However, I'm hoping it releases sooner, as that is a looooong time to wait between sequels.

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Alright, there you have it. My top 10 reads of 2021. What 2021 books were your favorite? Let me know in the comments section.