Best Books of 2016 Part 1: New Releases

Of course I need to rant and rave about my best books of 2016 so I’ll be doing this in 2 parts. Part 1 will be the best books that were released in 2016 and Part 2 will be the best books I read this year that were published before 2016!

Keep in mind that these are ordered by the dates I read them (oldest to newest) and NOT by favorites, I love all of these books!

I also will link up full reviews for these books if I have them since I won’t be spending too much time going into detail about all of these (there are quite a few!).

13.) The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine

A very unique and refreshing YA Fantasy book with a very interesting magic system. Also the world building and characters are great as well, the pacing got a bit slow sometimes but that’s about my only complaint!

You can read my full review of “The Impostor Queen” here.

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12.) The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

An excellent mystery/thriller that gets pretty dark and twisted for a YA book not to mention it’s totally unpredictable making it for one of my favorites.

You can read my full review of “The Darkest Corners” here.

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11.) The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

An absolutely fantastic retelling of the Aladdin story along with some of the most gorgeous writing I’ve ever read. I think of this book as I kind of hidden gem since a lot of people haven’t read it.

You can read my full review of “The Forbidden Wish” here.

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10.) With Malice by Eileen Cook

Another twisted YA mystery/thriller book where the main character wakes up with amnesia making it a lot of fun to read through and had some great plot twists. Plus I really love when books are set in Italy which this book’s flashbacks do.

You can read my full review of “With Malice” here.

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9.) Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

One of my new all time favorite books (and authors) I loved this book for it’s beautiful writing, fantastic world-building, and a downright dirty, gritty, dark, and twisted storyline.

You can read my full review of “Nevernight” here.

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8.) And I Darken by Kiersten White

This book has one of the most badass female protagonists that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about, Lada is awesome! Also how can you resist a book that’s a gender swapped Vlad the Impaler retelling? This is very character driven and all of the characters are interesting and complex and very fun to read about.

You can read my full review of “And I Darken” here.

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7.) My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows

This book is charming, silly, and just plain wonderful. It’s a historical retelling of the Lady Jane Grey (or the Nine Day Queen) and it is just so hilarious, light-hearted, and very fun!

You can read my full review of “My Lady Jane” here.

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6.) Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova

A beautiful book both inside and out full of magic and a kind of dark, twisted version of Wonderland. I loved this book for said magic and the fact that’s it’s something so unique and rarely seen in YA books, I also love the strong family dynamic.

You can read my full review of “Labyrinth Lost” here.

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5.) Kingdom of Ash and Briars by Hannah West

If there is going to be one true hidden gem of a book that was released this year it’s this one, you all seriously need to read this beauty! We have an original fantasy world complete with magic, world building, and one evil villain and it also includes retellings of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, and Jane Austen’s Emma as well.

You can read my full review of “Kingdom of Ash and Briars” here.

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4.) And The Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich

First of all…just look at that cover! This is also one of the creepiest books I’ve read and it also really messes with your mind, in a good way that is. I love horror books and it takes quite a bit to get the hair on my neck to rise in terror and this book definitely had these moments!

You can read my full review of “And The Trees Crept In” here.

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3.) This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston

A surprisingly great YA mystery/thriller that actually breaks the mold, it’s definitely not like others that I have read that’s for sure! You also won’t see these twists coming!

You can read my full review of “This Is Our Story” here.

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2.) Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Probably the most surprising book for me this year since I did not enjoy Meyer’s book “Cinder” at all and here I am loving this book to bits and pieces. An origin story for the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland and it’s sure to be a fun read for any Alice fan!

You can read my full review of “Heartless” here.

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1.) The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

This was slow to start but then turned into something absolutely epic! Political intrigue, a badass heroine, a romance that I shipped so hard, and plenty of action! This was a seriously amazing book and I’m hoping to have my full review up soon.

What new releases did you read this year?

Which ones did you like and/or dislike?

Have you read any of these 2016 releases?

Let me know in the comments!