Top Ten Tuesday (11): Books I Read in 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish!

So far this year, I've read 47 books in 2014, and I'm hoping to finish three more before year's end! So I have quite a few to choose from, but the following are what I think were my absolute favorites of the year. I have to admit, I've cheated a bit, because if I read more than one book in a series this year and I loved them, I included them in one number. So I technically have more than 10 books here. But what can I say? I'm a rebel. Also, I really, really love all of these books, so it's difficult to put them in a top ten order. So really, these are interchangeable. 

*Note: shout out to the AMAZING blog Pub(lishing) Crawl, whose past and present contributors have snagged FOUR spots on this list :)

10. Strange and Ever After by Susan Dennard: Here we have Pub Crawler #1. I've been waiting for this series since before it even sold for publication, so for the trilogy to finally be over is a bittersweet feeling. But I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion to the series. And luckily, it's not quite over! Susan is kindly continuing the story in a new Wattpad story, which just makes me the happiest girl alive. 

9. Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo: Pub Crawler #2! This is a series I only discovered last summer but it's quickly become one of my favorite fantasy series. Ruin and Rising finished the trilogy and though I knew some people had problems with it, I couldn't have been happier with it. Though it left me a little devastated for a while. Now I can't wait for her new series set in the same universe, Six of Crows! 

8. This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers: You can read my gushing review here! I love zombie books, and this is a zombie books for contemporary lovers, as well. The characters are at the forefront here, and I absolutely loved it. It's made me excited to read more Courtney Summers, so I picked up two more of her books during the Book Outlet Black Friday sale! 

7. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson: This is a retelling/reimagining of Peter Pan, which you should know I love. I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but it truly is an amazing, emotional read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. 

6. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: I've read three Rainbow Rowell books this year (I've yet to pick up Attachments) and I really loved all of them. But I think Fangirl was my favorite. Everyone talks about how adorable it is (and it really is), but I think it has a lot of emotional resonance, as well. It is just an all-around great book that made me laugh and cry. 

5. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness: This is the first book I've read by Patrick Ness so far, but what an introduction to his writing. It's a very short, illustrated book, but that by no means undermines its brilliance. It's a beautiful book, and its another that made me cry this year. You can read my mini-review here!  

4. Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: Just in the past two weeks, I read Cinder, Scarlet and Cress, and I finally see what all the hype has been about. These are sci-fi retellings of fairy tales, but they're so original and creative in how each fairy tale has been twisted into this world. The plot is fantastic, and the characters even more so. I'll be writing a review of each book in the coming weeks, so look forward to that! 

3. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein: This book broke me, but in a good way. Every once in a while, you just need a good "break-you" book. It took me a while to get into, but then I couldn't put it down. Another cry book, this one. I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but this one will always be one of my favorites. 

2. The Assassin's Blade AND Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas: Let's just be honest. Sarah J. Maas is probably going to make my Best of the Year lists for at least the next three years. She is Pub Crawler #3, and Throne of Glass was another series I waited on for a LONG TIME. It is probably my favorite fantasy series right now, and there are three more books in the series to be released in the coming years. In addition, her new series A Court of Thorns and Roses begins in the spring. If I could get a new book from Sarah every year until I die, I would die happy. You can read how much I loved Heir of Fire in my review here! 

1. Legend trilogy by Marie Lu: And here we finally have Pub Crawler #4! I marathoned this trilogy early this year and just fell in love with it. It is now definitely my favorite dystopian series. The plot is action-packed, the characters are amazing, and the writing is beautiful. Champion, the third and final book, killed me. I cried, and laughed, and then just hugged the book to my chest for a while after I finished. It was perfect. Now that I've read her newest book, The Young Elites, I can't wait to see where the rest of the series goes! 

Tell me: have YOU read any of these books? If you have, what did you think of them? What books made your Top of 2014 list? Let me know in the comments below!