Top Ten Tuesdays is hosted weekly by The Broke and Bookish and anyone is free to participate! This week’s subject is related to most unique books you’ve read/heard of. But I already covered that topic recently last year (click here to read it!), so I’m going to take a slight detour on this topic. For this week, I’m going with top unique books in genre/trope/theme etc. I got this idea from a tweet about The Night Circus in which someone said no other carnival themed book would top it (which I support and will expand upon later). I’m sorry I can’t remember who tweeted it, so if you see it, let me know and I’ll link it up! Without further adieu, let’s get started! In no particular order here are the best of the books in each category!
- Top Time Traveling (YA) Book: The Girl From Everywhere Duology by Heidi Heilig
The concept of this book is so fun and imaginative and the characters are so funny and warm. I really like the main character because she’s so driven and purposeful. This is also the time traveling book I’ve read with the least discrepancies in it. It made the most sense logically and confused me the least when relating to all the time paradoxes that can exist. - Top Circus Book: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I’ve read a couple other circus like books and one was just OK and the other was pretty good. But I was influenced by the aforementioned tweet and I was like, “That’s so right,” the grace and elegance Morgenstern wrote with made you want to stay forever in this world. It’s definitely not a book you should breeze through. The forbidden love and the side characters were all just so delightful and fun to read about. It’s everything. - Top Cinderella retelling: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
You guys know this one was coming. I’ve mentioned Ella Enchanted on my blog and Instagram several times and I don’t have enough great things to say about it. Levine crafted this amazing heroine who takes destiny in her stride and tries to break the curse on her and doesn’t wait for anyone to save her. The world is fun and cohesive - Top “Slump getter-outer” Book: The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare
I JUST finished reading this trilogy (for the second time), and it’s completely destroyed me. But also reminded me why I love reading. I felt myself falling into a slump so I decided to go on the offensive. There’s nothing particularly deep about Cassandra Clare’s books IMHO, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with that either. It’s just a really enjoyable story with memorable characters. Her ability to make you care about her characters is unmatched in any other author except maybe Leigh Bardugo with Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom. - Top “unintentionally misogynistic” Book: Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshabaugh
I honestly can’t understand why people liked this book. I saw some hype of it and my favorite part of the book was the cover. Nothing else in this book appealed to me. I disliked the writing style and I can’t even get into all the misogynistic stuff because it would literally take all the live long day. Just go read my review. - Top badass heroine in a Book: Katsa from Graceling by Kristen Cashore
I remember reading this book for the first time when I was around 16 and being so excited because I finally had found an independent heroine who was skilled and was so different from most of the other heroines I was reading about at that time in my life. Katsa has always been a great example to me because she learns to accept help from Po and other people in her life, but she also is still fiercely independent and still remains herself. - Top dystopic Book: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margret Atwood
Among The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner etc. there are some older dystopic novels that I have also appreciated. The book most outstanding in this category undeniably has to be The Handmaid’s Tale by Margret Atwood. Haunting and disturbing, this is another book I talk a lot about. I consider it minimum mandatory feminist text and it’s as insightful as it was when it was first published in the 1980s. Just go read it!
Completely agree with you about The Night Circus, Graceling, and the Handmaid’s Tale! I cannot wait to see the TV series that is recently in the works for Atwood’s novel. I feel like there’s so much potential there for an amazing show. Great list! 🙂
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The TV series looks CHILLING. Have you seen the trailer? I’ve watched it like 3 times and I should stop, haha.
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I totally agree- The Infernal Devices are the best “slump-get-outters”! I love that you’ve categorized the unique books into sections of your own!
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Thank you! The characters are just SO GOOD. Like I care about them so much and wish them well.
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I like the way you structured this! The Night Circus almost made my list too!
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Thank you! I’ve seen it around on a lot of lists this time around!
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The Night Circus was such a good book. I have the first of Cassandra Clare’s books on my Kindle, but haven’t read it yet. Must fix that soon!
Here is my TTT. Thanks!
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I personally didn’t like The Mortal Instruments. This is the first CC book I actually really liked. TMI was just OK for me.
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All of Cassandra Clare’s books are fun to read, even though as you said they aren’t that deep 🙂 I need to read Lady Midnight soon. I really want to read The Handmaid’s Tale too 🙂
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haha I know! Lady Midnight, I think, is the strongest 1st book of all her trilogies. Lord of Shadows comes out next month too!!
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I know, need to read it before or right after book two is out ^_^
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I just put a hold on Lord of Shadows I can’t wait!!
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The Girl From Everywhere almost made my list. I don’t often read time-travel books, but I really enjoyed this duology. Great list!
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I LOVE Nix and Kash together so much, they have amazing chemistry and love each other so much!
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I love those two!
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I loved Ella Enchanted and I loved the movie too, I thought the movie was a great adaptation.
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the movie was certainly imaginative. My sister adored it!
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Excellent picks! I’m so happy to see Heilig’s book make your list! 🙂
Lauren @ Always Me
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! I really want to read The Handmaid’s Tale too 🙂
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It’s SO good. The Hulu show changes a lot of things, but gets the spirit right.
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Love Ella enchanted 🙂
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I know! So fabulous. Ella is such a great heroine and Char is SO swoon worthy!!
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