As an avid reader, I read anywhere from 40 to 90 books per year. This year I read 40. It was a slow year for me, due to graduation, my summer job, and starting college. I've picked out five books that were my favorite reads this year.

1. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand

As a history major and a lover of all things humorous, I loved this lighthearted retelling of the short reign of Lady Jane Grey. This book fused romance, history, and magic together to tell the story of Jane's life and her short reign as Queen of England. I would recommend this novel to any history and fantasy nerds, and anyone who enjoys comedy reads.

2. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

This book is a collection of poetry about survival, especially survival as a woman. It's broken into four parts and explores loss, femininity, violence, abuse, love, and pain. I read select poems from this collection weekly to make myself feel better or remind myself of challenges I've overcome. There are many different poems to relate to multiple situations. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys well-written poetry.

3. Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Technically, this is two books, but you can't include one without the other. I've been a fan of Leigh Bardugo since her Grisha trilogy. These books are set in the same world, but follow a diverse group of young adults as they plot to stop a criminal heist. These books have romance, action, humor, and fantasy. Each character is so unique and pivotal to the story. Fantasy fans who are looking for a twist in the genre should read this duology.

4. King's Cage by Victoria Averyard

This is the 3rd book in Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen series. This series is political fantasy and minor dystopian. It follows the life of Mare Barrow in a world divided by blood. Silver blooded people have powers and are elite, while red blooded people are powerless and poor. Mare is a Red with Silver abilities. Without giving too much away, I will say this story was as charged and excitable as the first two books. The series ends next year with the release of War Storm.

5. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is well-renowned fantasy author, and a personal inspiration of mine. This book is part of her A Court of Thorns and Roses series. This series begins with a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Feyre is the main character and these books follow her experiences as she endures the fae realm of Prythian. I love anything Sarah writes and I would recommend her books to mature readers who love fantasy.