Ten Best Books of 2018 | Top Ten Tuesday Blogmas Edition!

Top Ten Books of 2018 Top Ten Tuesday Blogmas Edition!

Hello everyone! Today I’m doing a Top Ten Tuesday freebie, and thought that it would be a good idea to do my top ten books of 2018! Also, this time I’m actually going to be doing ten things! I know, actually doing what the tag is about, shocker right?! (if you didn’t know, when I first started doing this tag I had a very blonde moment and didn’t realise it was meant to be ten things in the post… I’m clever I promise!)

These are books that I’ve read in 2018 but also came out this year as I’ve read some from 2019 and didn’t want to count them in this.

I’m not going to say a lot about each book as I do that in my wrap ups and reviews, so without further ado, in no particular order, here are my top ten books of 2018!

Dry by Neal Shusterman, Jarrod Shusterman
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on October 2nd 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 390
Goodreads

When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, one teen is forced to make life and death decisions for her family in this harrowing story of survival from New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman.

The drought—or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it—has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers.

Until the taps run dry.

Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbors and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don’t return and her life—and the life of her brother—is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive.

Okay so this book absolutely BLEW me away, I was honestly shook when I read it. You need this in your life!

This Splintered Silence by Kayla Olson
Published by HarperTeen on November 13th 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 368
Goodreads

Lindley Hamilton has been the leader of the space station Lusca since every first-generation crew member on board, including her mother, the commander, were killed by a deadly virus.

Lindley always assumed she’d captain the Lusca one day, but she never thought that day would come so soon. And she never thought it would be like this—struggling to survive every day, learning how to keep the Lusca running, figuring out how to communicate with Earth, making sure they don’t run out of food.

When a member of the surviving second generation dies from symptoms that look just like the deadly virus, though, Lindley feels her world shrinking even smaller. The disease was supposed to be over; the second generation was supposed to be immune. But as more people die, Lindley must face the terrifying reality that either the virus has mutated or something worse is happening: one of their own is a killer.

I read this recently and it was AMAZING. A murder mystery in space, with a virus involved? SO GOOD.

The Light Between Us by Katie Khan
Published by Doubleday on August 9th 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 320
Goodreads

Isaac and Thea were once close, but they've grown apart.

Thea works tirelessly, convinced she can prove everyone around her wrong - convinced she can prove that time travel is possible. But when one of her attempts goes wrong, she finds herself picking up the phone and calling her old friend.

Isaac is in New York - it's the middle of the night, but when he sees who's calling him, he cannot ignore his phone. At Thea's request, he travels home, determined to help her in her hour of need.

But neither of them are prepared for what they will discover when he gets there.

The Light Between Us was really great and was so well thought out! The science seems to make sense.

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
Published by Gollancz on November 6th 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 513
Goodreads

Defeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot. When she discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this dream might be possible—assuming she can repair the ship, navigate flight school, and (perhaps most importantly) persuade the strange machine to help her. Because this ship, uniquely, appears to have a soul.

Okay so Brandon Sanderson wrote a YA Sci fi… yes it is as good as you think it will be.

This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada
Published by Simon Pulse on October 30th 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 394
Goodreads

Cat thought the Hydra epidemic was over, but when new cases pop up, Cat must team up with an enemy to fix the vaccine before the virus spirals out of control in this thrilling sequel to This Mortal Coil, which New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman says “redefines ‘unputdownable.’”

The nightmare of the outbreak is finally over, but Cat’s fight has only just begun.

Exhausted, wounded, and reeling from revelations that have shaken her to her core, Cat is at a breaking point. Camped in the woods with Cole and Leoben, she’s working day and night, desperate to find a way to stop Lachlan’s plan to reprogram humanity. But she’s failing—Cat can’t even control her newly regrown panel, and try as she might to ignore them, she keeps seeing glitching visions from her past everywhere she turns.

When news arrives that the Hydra virus might not be as dead as they’d thought, the group is pushed into an uneasy alliance with Cartaxus to hunt down Lachlan and fix the vaccine. Their search takes them to Entropia, a city of genehackers hidden deep in the desert that could also hold the answers about Cat’s past that she’s been searching for.

But when confronted with lies and betrayals, Cat is forced to question everything she knows and everyone she trusts. And while Lachlan is always two steps ahead, the biggest threat to Cat may be the secrets buried in her own mind.

This Mortal Coil was my favourite book of 2017 and This Cruel Design didn’t disappoint!

Carve the Mark (Carve the Mark, #1) by Veronica Roth
Published by HarperCollins on January 18th 2017
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 468
Goodreads

In a galaxy powered by the current, everyone has a gift.

Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power — something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.

Akos is the son of a farmer and an oracle from the frozen nation-planet of Thuvhe. Protected by his unusual currentgift, Akos is generous in spirit, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get this brother out alive — no matter what the cost.The Akos is thrust into Cyra's world, and the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. Will they help each other to survive, or will they destroy one another?

Carve the Mark is Veronica Roth's stunning portrayal of the power of friendship — and love — in a galaxy filled with unexpected gifts.

I really LOVED Carve the Mark. I know a lot of people didn’t but I wrote a very lengthy review about why I loved it here.

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on March 13th 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 615
Goodreads

Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they'll find seven months after the invasion?

Meanwhile, Kady's cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza's ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha's past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict.

With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heroes will fall, and hearts will be broken.

The perfect conclusion to an awesome trilogy!

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
Series: Constellation #1
on April 4th 2017
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 503
Goodreads

She's a soldier - Noemi Vidal is willing to risk anything to protect her planet, Genesis, including her own life. To their enemies on Earth, she's a rebel.

He's a machine - Abandoned in space for years, utterly alone, Abel's advanced programming has begun to evolve. He wants only to protect his creator, and to be free. To the people of Genesis, he's an abomination.

Noemi and Abel are enemies in an interstellar war, forced by chance to work together as they embark on a daring journey through the stars. Their efforts would end the fighting for good, but they're not without sacrifice. The stakes are even higher than either of them first realized, and the more time they spend together, the more they're forced to question everything they'd been taught was true.

Why did I wait so long to read this trilogy?! IT’S SO GOOD.

Hold Back The Stars by Katie Khan
Published by Doubleday on January 26th 2017
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 304
Goodreads

A startling and evocative novel, harkening to both One Day and Gravity, a man and a woman revisit memories of their love affair on a utopian Earth while they are trapped in the vast void of space with only ninety minutes of oxygen left.

After the catastrophic destruction of the Middle East and the United States, Europe has become a utopia and, every three years, the European population must rotate into different multicultural communities, living as individuals responsible for their own actions. While living in this paradise, Max meets Carys and immediately feels a spark of attraction. He quickly realizes, however, that Carys is someone he might want to stay with long-term, which is impossible in this new world.

As their relationship plays out, the connections between their time on Earth and their present dilemma in space become clear. When their air ticks dangerously low, one is offered the chance of salvation—but who will take it? An original and daring exploration of the impact of first love and how the choices we make can change the fate of everyone around us, this is an unforgettable read.

OW MY HEART. This is another Katie Khan book and HONESTLY was so amazing

Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on May 1st 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 400
Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Stella Ainsley wants just one thing: to go somewhere—anywhere—else. Her home is a floundering spaceship that offers few prospects, having been orbiting an ice-encased Earth for two hundred years. When a private ship hires her as a governess, Stella jumps at the chance. The captain of the Rochester, nineteen-year-old Hugo Fairfax, is notorious throughout the fleet for being a moody recluse and a drunk. But with Stella he’s kind.

But the Rochester harbors secrets: Stella is certain someone is trying to kill Hugo, and the more she discovers, the more questions she has about his role in a conspiracy threatening the fleet.

Brightly Burning is Jane Eyre in space… need I say more?!

Have you read any of these books? Needless to say I love Sci-fi… I’m not sorry!
What were your favourite books of 2018?

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