Round Up: Top 5 books read in 2021

Hello to all my wonderful readers!
I hope that you and your loved ones are safe and the holidays are treating you well.
This is my first Round Up post for the year. I would like to highlight my favorite books of the year which honestly were 5 star reads and beyond for me!

I am listing the books in no particular order, but they really made a difference to my choice of books to read and authors to follow this year!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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The author has done a brilliant job and the story is gripping until the very end! There are so many twists and turns that it is impossible to stop reading once you start! This book is a must read!

The Wrath of the Hellfires (Book 4 in the Vikramaditya Veeragatha series) by Shatrujeet Nath

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In conclusion, this book is worth the read as is the entire series! The Vikramaditya Veergatha proves to be a treasure trove of mystery keeping the reader guessing until the very end! The readers are in for a treat and eventually arrive at a conclusion that will satisfy everyone with strong characters fighting to save humanity against all odds!

The Last Queen by Chitra Baneerjee Divakaruni

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This book is well-researched and very well-written. The author brings to us a story that is long forgotten, but one that should be known. It shows us what a woman can do and how much she is capable of dealing with, both physically and emotionally.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

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This is a wonderful story that is told in a manner that will leave the reader spellbound. The author casts a wonderful web of magic on reader that carries them along until the end. I loved reading this book and am looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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I am yet to post my review for this book but I thoroughly enjoyed the duology and the concept of the book. I highly recommend this series to everyone!

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Do share your best books of the year or any book recommendations for me for next year!

Weekly round up – 11/01 to 16/01

Hello All,

To keep things interesting, I have decided to do a round-up of books read every week and share some insight into the books I liked best and those which did not live up to expectations (though I am sure this is very less so far!).

So here is the list of books read in the last week, from 11.01.2021 (Sunday) until 16.01.2021 (Saturday).

 

 

This duology is definitely worth reading and describes one of the best heists and revenge plots that I have come across with wonderfully crafted characters who are ruthless and still honorable in their own way. A must read series!

 

 

 

 

 

This fast paced book has so many plots and sub plots and sub sub plots that it is hard to keep track, but important all the same. I love that there are so many aspects to the story that add value to the entire story! In the end, the book will leave the reader wanting more! I have never felt so happy after having read a book and this series has done this and more! It has left me raving and talking about it even after finishing the books!

 

 

 

 

In conclusion, this book is worth the read as is the entire series! The Vikramaditya Veergatha proves to be a treasure trove of mystery keeping the reader guessing until the very end! The readers are in for a treat and eventually arrive at a conclusion that will satisfy everyone with strong characters fighting to save humanity against all odds!

 

 

 

The Newlyweds

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and was truly shocked by some of the revelations. I would never have guessed at anything that happened. This is the beauty of the story telling and I highly recommend this book for fans of psychological thrillers!

 

 

 

 

Do share your thoughts and the books read in the last week! šŸ™‚ Have a great weekend and week ahead!

Book Review: Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo

About the Book:

Welcome to the world of the Grisha.

Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties.

A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets – a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

My Thoughts:

Having completed Book 1, I had to read Book 2 to know what happens in this duology! Leigh Bardugo brings to us an epic conclusion in this fast paced novel! Crooked Kingdom sees Kaz and his crew double-crossed and forced to go underground with almost no allies. Almost all their faces are on wanted posters and it looks like everyone is teaming up. Lured by the promise of jurda parem, everyone is coming to Ketterdam in search of the secret.

The story follows Kaz as he once again forms a master mind plan and sets out to execute it with the help of this crew of outcasts and some more people they pick up along the way. Friendships are tested, relationships are strained, new bonds are forged among everyone in this story. With revenge and justiceĀ  being strong motives as well as a sense of righteousness to get what is owed, the plot lines are brilliant and very well formulated!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading more about the characters who somehow make themselves beloved to the reader and who carve a space in their heart and mind! The book is gripping and kept me reading late into the night with an interest to find out what happens next. The author brings a few unexpected twists into the mix and leads us to an almost happy ending (can be interpreted in any way and may differ based on each person’s perspective). She also plays to the strengths of each character while also ensuring that they come into their own and discover what they can really do, thus finding their place in the world.

This duology is definitely worth reading and describes one of the best heists and revenge plots that I have come across with wonderfully crafted characters who are ruthless and still honorable in their own way. A must read series!

Book Review: Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo

About the Book:

Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1)

Nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2017, thisĀ fantasy epic from the No. 1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of the Grisha trilogy is gripping, sweeping and memorable – pĀ erfect for fans of George R. R. Martin, Laini Taylor and Kristin Cashore.

Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams – but he can’t pull it off alone.

A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist.

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction – if they don’t kill each other first.

An epic new exploration of the Grisha universe from the writer of SHADOW AND BONE, SIEGE AND STORM and RUIN AND RISING, totally consuming for both old fans and new.

My Thoughts:

This book is my first 5* read of 2021.

Wow! Just Wow! That was and is my reaction after finishing this book! I must say that in spite of all the hype around it, the book lives up to everything! I am glad that I read it and I cannot wait to read the next book!

Six of Crows follows six outcasts as they set out on a journey to pull of an impossible heist. However, impossible is a loose term, I am not sure that there isn’t anything this group cannot do when they set their mind to it! We are introduced one by one to the various characters and given an overview of who they are along with the progress in the story. I enjoyed this way of handling a story!

The characters we meet have been through a lot or have a lot of secrets, but with each revelation, we come to understand them much better. I also enjoyed the fact that the entire plan for the heist was not fully revealed to us and the reader discovers the plan along with the other people on the team. Considering that they are all in their late teens, none of the characters behave in that way, but sometimes we are reminded of their age and it makes them more real to the reader! Nina is delightful and turned out to the opposite of what I assumed. I also loved Inej and Kaz. Each one different but finally everyone comes together by some common thread.

The setting at Ketterdam reminded me of Amsterdam, but is very well described. So is the journey and the place of the heist. I quite enjoyed reading about their journey and how these six people learn to accept each other and maybe trust one another. With the threat of the jurda paremĀ and it’s affect on the Grisha, there is indeed a lot happening and a good precedent is set for Book 2.

This is a very unconventional review from me considering that I have focused more on how I feel and on raving about the book. But, I cannot help it!

The author has done a brilliant job and the story is gripping until the very end! There are so many twists and turns that it is impossible to stop reading once you start! This book is a must read!