Where do I begin with Love, Hate & Other Filters? Even though it has less than 300 pages, there is so much to unpack! It touches on themes of cultural and religious diversity, to romance, to extremism and terrorism. That might seem like quite a lot but I think they’re dealt with pretty well.
THE CRUEL PRINCE by Holly Black
The year has just begun and I’ve only finished three books so far, The Cruel Prince being the first, but I think I’m ready to declare it among my top 10 of 2018. Hah. I mean, only two books I read last year exceeded my rating of 4.883 that I gave The Cruel Prince, so yes I’m confident this book will be among my favourites. In other words, the hype pulled through for me, and I think it’s absolutely justified!
THESE SHALLOW GRAVES by Jennifer Donnelly
When mystery meets historical fiction, you can be almost certain that the book will be exciting. This was definitely the case for These Shallow Graves. The moody 19th century setting fit perfectly with the murder mystery plot.
A SEMI DEFINITIVE LIST OF WORST NIGHTMARES by Krystal Sutherland
A Semi Definitive List of Worst Nightmares was yet another book from Krystal Sutherland that made me cry. Something about the way she writes and crafts her characters make them so relatable. The emotions are so palpable, it’s impossible not to feel something for the characters. I think that’s what made this book particularly great. There was nuance in the way mental health was dealt with several times over.
DEFY THE STARS by Claudia Gray
For better or for worse, the UK book cover of Defy the Stars isn’t befitting of the story. Romance isn’t central to the plot. The overarching theme was what constitutes humanity, which I thought was explored exceedingly well in this book. It was also about sacrifice to save others and the chase to live forever.
