Happy Friday my lovely bookworms!

We are back with another weekly Binding of Bindings and showcasing my favorite reads from 2018, in a big black cauldron of Yes, YES, YESSSS!

Servings: 10

Read Time: 80-100 Hours

Book Hangover Time: Eternity

Calories: 0 (Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, and Gluten-Free)

Ingredients: Magic, tears, humor, anxiety, love, adventure and a royal or two

Directions:

1. Start by opening your spell books to page 394
2. Grease your cauldron with the heart of a Villain, and preheat to 975 degrees.
3. In a large bowl add your dry ingredients: 1/4 Cup of Historical Fiction, 1 Cup of Adventure and 1 heaping Tablespoon of sarcasm. Mix together thoroughly.
4. Add 4 cups of Fantasy and 1 Pound of fresh Young Adults.
5. Stir in a handful of Science Fiction and a sprinkle of sadness and regret.
6. Now carefully fold in your 2 cups of mini spells and curses, and maybe even a zombie (optional).
7. Pour the mixture into your cauldron and stir rapidly until sparks fly and it begins smoking.

Garnish your dish with mischief and a curse, and VOILA:

My Top 10 Best Books of 2018

1. The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith

The obvious place to start is at the most morbid one.

Did I say morbid? I meant soul-crushing.

This book is all the feels and the most brutal of my 10. It’s the story of how a girl lives the rest of her high school years after being raped one night. The reader follows Eden as she struggles to come to terms with what happened, and while she seeks to find a way to relieve her pain.

Clear a day and night for this read. You’ll need it.

2. Along the Indigo by Elsie Chapman

Along the Indigo is intriguing, unique and BEGS to be read. It’s slightly unorthodox in that the main character skims dead bodies and lives in a brothel.

HEAR ME OUT!

It sounds a little weird, but its actually a hidden-gem and something I guarantee you haven’t read before. It’s a about a sixteen-year-old girl named Mars who seeks to leave her small town with her sister. Down by their home there is the covert where townspeople go to commit suicide, and where Mars skims bodies for money to escape. It sounds strange I know, but it will forever be one of my favorite YA books. You can check out my review for Along the Indigo here.

3. The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

A 2018 FAVORITE of MANY readers, The Wicked Deep is the perfect witchy story. The legend goes that three sisters were drowned by the townspeople of Sparrow in the early 1800’s, and each Swan Season three girls are inhabited by one of the sisters who seek their vengeance by drowning a boy each. A witch-hunt ensues, there is possession and mystery, and eve a little love. It’s a MUST read. You can see my review here for more info.

4. Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Deception, royals, torture, death, rebellion and crowns made of ash?

Um…YES PLEASE!

Ash Princess is the first in this amazing trilogy, and I know I’m not alone when I say I can barely stand waiting for book 2! It’s about a Princess who’s country was invaded when she was child, her parents were killed in front of her and she was enslaved by her conquerors. Years later, she is used as a trophy for the Kaiser to show his people (and hers) that he won. It is a tale of rebellion, and of brutality. Buckle in for this one! You can also see my review here for more!

5. Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas

I can’t believe it’s over!!

I devoured five of the seven books in this series in 2018, and I have read through them twice more to prepare me for the last two. This series is EVERYTHING a Fantasy addict could hope for in a series. A badass female assassin with a pension for stabbing people, magic, Fae, demons, WITCHES! This series did not disappoint, and all I am left with is a sadness and hole in my chest because it’s over….and I’ll never be the same.

6. The Lone City series by Amy Ewing

I know I mentioned this series in my last post. It’s only because it is THAT amazing. The Handmaid’s Tale meets the YA world in ball gowns and rebellions. It’s a vicious, vicious world in The Lone City, so bring your battle-gear readers! You guys won’t be able to stop yourselves from annihilating these books. They’re just amazing.

7. Dead Dog (Zombie Dog series, Book 2) by Doug Goodman

I was SO lucky to have received this second book in the Zombie Dog series from Doug Goodman! This series is great for the readers who love books set in the wilderness, and who also love science fiction. It’s all about a young woman who formally trained dogs to be Cadaver Dogs (to find dead bodies), but who now works with her lead dog Murder to hunt zombies. But these aren’t those virus-ridden drooling zombies. These are wasps who have attached to the heads of humans, and who are reproducing at a rapid rate.

Scared?

You should be.

See my review here.

8. Quelling (The Purification Era, Book 2) by Angie Grigaliunas

*Le Sigh*

If there was one book I could describe as making me happy cry EVERY TIME I read it, it would be this book and this series.

I was SO lucky to have been able to Beta/Alpha read this book, especially because I needed to know what happened. This books follows two sisters, with two very different outlooks on their governments. One appears to be meek and trust her superiors without question, while the other hates them and joins a rebellion to end their control. This book has a feel of The Handmaid’s Tale, but is completely of its own uniqueness.

This is not a recommendation. This is an order. Buy these books.

Click here for my review!

9. The Quantum Ghost (The Quantum Worlds, Book 2) by Jonathan Ballagh

This is the second book in a series, but can be read as a stand-alone. The main character is a young child, but it is a great read for any age! It is all about traveling into a parallel dimension and fighting evil androids who have taken over humans. It is EXCITING and it is so incredibly enjoyable. See my review here for more information.

10. In The Company of Wolves (Of Witches and Werewolves, Book 2) by Cory Barclay

If you have noticed from my reviews and posts, I don’t get around to reading too many Historical Fictions. Thankfully I gave this series a shot, because it is SPECTACULAR. The writing is fantastic, the characters are well-formed, and it twists a little fact with fiction. This series starts at the height of religious reformation in Europe in 1589, and is based on an ACTUAL trial that was held for a man called the Werewolf of Bedburg, who was accused of murder and cannibalism. This series snowballs into something truly fantastic, and I am so excited to read book three in 2019!

With that, ladies and gents, I give you my Top 10 Best and Favorite books of 2018!

I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did.

Until next time, stay Witchy 😉

*Warning: Severe weight loss may occur from the devouring of these books due to the raw emotions they may induce. Please do not operate heavy machinery after reading these books. Please do not mix books, as this may become lethal. In case of an emergency, please dial 9-1-1 dispatch*

*Don’t actually dial 9-1-1 dispatch*