This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic was perfect for us today because at the moment, we’re trying to sort out our reading priorities for the end of 2016, and moving some of the best books on our TBR over to 2017 will definitely take the the pressure off!

♡ Maddie’s Picks ♡

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

This is one of our favourite book-to-movie adaptations, and Bee’s been recommending it to me every time I’m stuck for something to read but it’s so long and I don’t want to feel like I have to rush through it, so 2017 will be the year I finally sit down and soak up The Host, at a leisurely pace!

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Everyone was talking about this book when it first came out because it was about writing and a teenage girl publishing a book, and that sounded awesome. I bought it straight away, read the first 50 pages, loved it and then put it down. Why? Who knows. Not next year though.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Another book that I started reading and couldn’t get into, 2017 is like the year of second chances. I couldn’t keep the world straight in my head, but I really want to like this series because it’s slightly more adult and the author is from the UK, and I already own the second book!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

I’m so hyped for the movie to come out in 2017, starring Zoey Deutch, that I need to read the book to satisfy my need to see the movie right this second. I’ve loved all the Lauren Oliver I’ve read so far, and I’m really excited to go back to her debut novel and see how far she’s come!

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

It’s been a while since I read my last Rick book, and I’d say I’m far enough away from the Heroes of Olympus series to not just dislike the new kid on the principle that he is not Percy or Annabeth or any of the other demigods I fell in love with. I know he’s also written The Trials of Apollo and I need to catch up with my old fave middle grade author before I fall completely out of the loop.

♡ Bee’s Picks ♡

https://heartfullofbooks.com/2014/05/07/review-slated-by-teri-terry/

https://heartfullofbooks.com/2015/06/25/review-one-by-sarah-crossan/

Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini

First of, I would recommend you check out the Goodreads page for this book and look at all the different covers, because each one seems to market the book in a slightly different way, and now I have no idea what to expect from it! All I know is that the characters share surnames with the characters of The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and it’s about witches and that was intriguing enough for me to buy the whole series!

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

I’m really excited to read this trilogy now that the final book The Winner’s Kiss came out this year! I’ve been waiting so I can binge them without any wait in between and from the reviews Maddie has already given the series, I think I was right to do so. The covers for this series are just outstanding and I’ve heard SO many good things, it’s about time I finally read them.

Slated by Terri Terry

This is another trilogy that Maddie has raved about, so I think you can see a pattern emerging. This list could’ve been made entirely from series that Maddie has completed and loved, but I limited myself to just the two. Maddie’s read quite a few of my series recommendations now, so I think I should take some of her recommendations seriously in return! Slated was actually one of the first books that she reviewed on this blog too, so the wait has been long enough!

One by Sarah Crossan

Sarah Crossan is such a diverse author. This year we both read the Breathe duology and loved it, and One has been nominated and won a few awards for being just so brilliant! It’s the story of conjoined twins, so I know it’s probably going to be a very emotional read for me, but Maddie and I are actually going to a reading and signing that Sarah Crossan is doing with the co-author of her next book We Come Apart, Brian Conaghan, so I definitely want to get it done by then, but I might even sneak it in before the end of this year, who knows!

Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour

I have had this book on my TBR for what feels like forever, and I know it’s had some mixed reviews, but I’ve only been reading the positive ones! It’s the story of Emi and Ava who fall in love and that’s enough to make me desperate to read it!

When anyone brings up the subject of Greek mythology, it is no longer the Disney’s 1997 adaptation of ‘Hercules’ that comes to mind, with its colour coded gods and clueless hero, but Percy Jackson, the prodigy of Rick Riordan, rightfully labelled as the Myth Master. When I imagine this author, he’s wearing a laurel on his head, with Nike on his shoulder.

I recently finished the ‘Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods’ anthology of short stories, both an educational and humorous discussion of the twelve Olympians and, you know, Hestia. It was amazing. I could pick it up and put it down, enjoying stories I knew and stories I was yet to discover. Who knew Dionysus was the god of androgyny? Or that Hera was so evil? (Ok, we all knew that one.)

But Rick Riordan has managed to create an empire of mythological goodness. Let’s have the run down!

1. First, there’s Percy Jackson. This guy is probably more famous than his Greek namesake. He battled Kronos from the age of eleven, until he was sixteen, slowly falling in love with Annabeth, who’s adorable, no question. With Percy, we experienced many summer and winter solstices, the sea of monsters, the labyrinth and many epic battles.

2. Then, there’s Jason Grace. He’s not as great, but still great. We all had to get over the fact that he wasn’t Percy before we could accept him and his girlfriend, Piper as the neo-Percabeth (a registered OTP) Jason gets his own book, but the second book in his series is all about Percy. (Yippee!) We get to experience both Greek and Roman mythology and a new cast of gods and goddesses. Of course, epic battles are present, but it’s the friendship between Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel and Frank that warms my heart the most.

3. Carter Kane was technically the second of Rick’s demi-god children, but everyone overlooks him because he’s Egyptian…and not Percy Jackson. I’ve only read one and a half of Carter, and his sister Sadie’s, series but I hope to enjoy even more gods and goddesses in the coming year. Plus, there are some PJ and Kane Chronicles crossovers, which solves the lack of Percy problem.

4. The next up and coming demi-god is Magnus Chase, a Norse guy. And yes, we all recognise Annabeth’s surname. Does that mean even more crossovers?! We shall have to wait and see. (Dang it, Rick, write faster!)

As you can see, it’s mostly males that are getting the spotlight series. But Annabeth, Piper, Hazel, Reyna, Sadie and Zia are all kick-ass females who can fight monsters and demons without their boyfriends’ aid. My wish would be to see a series devoted to the girls of the Riordan universe, forming a super group of demi-god warriors.

There are a lot of other books that supplement the Riordan universe, such as the ‘Demigod Files’, ‘The Demigod Diaries’, ‘PJATO Ultimate Guide’, ‘KC Survival Guide’, etc. all of which are valuable additions to your selves.

It’s safe to say I love Percy Jackson and Rick Riordan, and look forward to the expansion of his literary empire!

Tag: Magnus Chase

Top 5 Books We Want to Read in 2017!