Favorites of 2017 ~ Books & Audiobooks

I enjoyed doing a "look back at the year" in 2016 so I figured it'd once again be fun to bring 2017 to a close by listing some of favorites. I hope you enjoy reading about some of my favorites and I'd be happy to hear about any of yours!

*~*Books & Audiobooks*~*

• How the Duke Was Won - I chose this book solely because it was narrated by Beverley A. Crick but I found a new favorite author in Lenora Bell
• The Nightingale - a powerful read about how war affected women during WWII from Kristin Hannah
• Red Rising - so realistic in nature and well written, so many parallels to our world today
• Rock F*ck Club - a female anthem, if you will, for equality - especially in our sexuality
• Outlander - omigosh! I adore Jamie and Claire!
• And I Darken - I'm only waiting til 2018 to read the next installment - and honestly, I'm so anxious over it - because the final installment releases in June of 2018. Sometimes I hate the wait.
• Texas Rodeo series - an incredible series revolving around small town West Texas and the rodeo circuit - great writing and narration (Kari Lynn Dell & Johanna Parker)
• New Camelot Trilogy - I listened to the first two - excellent narration - and read the final installment because I was too anxious to wait for the audio! I adored this trilogy!
• The Angel - such a unique story and so very well conveyed
• Steal the Light - it's making the list because IT. HAS. IT. ALL!

Honestly, this list was hard to compile. I mean, I read 160 books this year so it's hard to narrow it down to ~10. In the end, I realized it was just a good reading year. *grins*

Favorites of 2017 ~ New-to-Me Authors

I enjoyed doing a "look back at the year" in 2016 so I figured it'd once again be fun to bring 2017 to a close by listing some of favorites. I hope you enjoy reading about some of my favorites and I'd be happy to hear about any of yours!

*~*New-to-Me Authors*~*

• Sierra Simone - I blew through her New Camelot trilogy - in both audio and ebook. I'm a fan and am eager to read more from her!
• Juliette Cross - I'm so happy I agreed to review The White Lily as Cross made a new fan in me with her fairytale mixed with vampires tale.
• Kari Lynn Dell - I can't say enough about how much I love her writing as well as her ability to make life in West Texas as well as rodeo so vivid and authentic! (thanks, Anna!)
• Lexi Blake - meeting Zoey and company from Blake's Thieves series was a highlight for me in 2017! (thanks, Kristen!)
• Heather Demetrios - she delivered a YA so gripping and emotionally moving...a treat despite the difficult subject matter. (thanks, Tanya!)
• Kiersten White - OMG! I still can't believe I put off reading this one - a female incarnation of Vlad the Impaler...need I say more?!? If y'all haven't read And I Darken, make it so!
• Helena Hunting - I binged on her Clipped Wings series back in June for a challenge...the lady can write!
• Georgia Cates - another author I can't believe I put off reading for so long. I'll be finishing her Beauty series in 2017.
• T. Torrest - Remember When dazzled me with it's 90's nostalgia and characters I fell for...hard. I'm looking forward to the spinoff series coming in 2018. 
• Diana Gabaldon - 'nuff said, am I right?
• Pierce Brown - I couldn't imagine how blown away I'd be by Red Rising despite how much my friends gushed about it. I have the next two books already laid out. *wink*
• Lenora Bell - I picked up How the Duke Was Won because the narrator is one I adore. However, I ended up a fan of Bell who delivered a tightly woven story with a feisty heroine and a hero to fall for.

Review ~ Red Rising ~ Pierce Brown #2017HW #ShelfLove

Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Red Rising #1
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Source: Purchased hardcover
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #2017HW, #ShelfLove
Goodreads

Synopsis
"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow--and Reds like him--are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Since I'm late to the party - story of my life - I'm not going to recount all that went down in Red Rising... because y'all probably already know. I'm only going to explain why, even though there was a point where the story dragged a bit for me, I still loved the heck out of Darrow and this story!

• the setup for the story. I was immediately gripped by the world Darrow inhabited, his clan, his being a HellDiver, Eo. Especially Eo. She served as the catalyst for all that came after and even though what she did was shocking, it had to be done. The shock is what set the wheels in motion.
• the detail and world building. We've colonized the moon and Mars?!? The detail of the tunnels and homes as well as the jobs of Darrow's people had me feeling the heat and the sandy grit from deep within Mars. The world on the surface, the Institute, the castles, the woods, the animals - Brown did an incredible job at drawing all the images in my mind. He also realistically portrayed not only the conditions the kids had to live and fight in - the lack of food, the lack of water, the stench of unwashed bodies and human waste - but also the emotions they felt. The things these kids were asked to do in order to survive caused fear, loathing, hate, but also camaraderie, loyalty, and love. I felt it all.
• Greek and Roman names, deities used. I found it ironic that Society would use these names - herald them - when those societies failed...especially since that was the objective.
• the colors - highColors, lowColors - this is how classes are created and distinguished. Society created a complex hierarchy and despite the elevation, the evolution, of the Golds, not much has changed in the future.
• the parallels I could draw between our world and Darrow's. It speaks to the problems of our current political climate and makes me sad to think humanity hasn't evolved...at least in fiction.
• the atmosphere. Even though the characters are primarily teens (late teens), the feel of the story is mature. The politics, the tactics of war employed, the subterfuge...it all lent to a sophistication not typically found in young adult literature. Watching as these kids adapt to the world they've been thrown into, strategizing for battle and survival, deciding how to best motivate your troops, etc., was fascinating.
• the characters. They're all very well developed. I loved and/or hated them all. All is fair in love and war as the old adage goes and these kids certainly learn that lesson. But Darrow sits atop the heap as my favorite. He's sacrificed much for a dream that wasn't even his. He felt denigrated. He felt rage and the need for vengeance. He felt pain and betrayal He felt exalted. But I think as he continues his mission he may learn that things aren't always simple. Black and white. Or Gold and Red in this case. And I'm eager to be a part of his learning, his continued evolution.

The only reason this isn't a 5 Bookworm read is that the middle dragged a bit. It fit in the story, of course, but it didn't hold me hostage to turning the pages like the rest did. I very much look forward to continuing Darrow's story though.