Last updated on 10 November 2021

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Time to share my top 5 fave books of 2020!

I love looking back on my reading year and remembering a) what I read in general and b) all the books I really loved and more likely than not given five stars to. Ever since 2013, I’ve been doing this wee roundup, and it’s such a joy to put together each January.

2020 brought with it an immense amount of time at home. Which should have meant a lot more reading, and therefore me sky-rocketing my Goodreads Reading Challenge. And for a few weeks that was the case, but as the year went on I found myself reading less and less until it was a frantic race to the finish line at the end of December.

I think I got into a reading slump for such a long time, it really made a difference in a) how many books I was reading, and b) which ones I was actually enjoying.

That notwithstanding, I did read some great books in amongst the meh ones, and I’ve managed to pull together my top 5 fave books of 2020.

The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte
Goodreads

"The Vanishing Deep was such a great concept. The description does a great job at giving you the low down on the setting and overall plot so I won’t go into it too much, for fear of giving anything away. But the characters in The Vanishing Deep are really well written.

Our protagonist, Tempest (or Tempe – pronounced Tempee), is strong and a take-no-crap kinda gal, who knows exactly what she wants and will do what it takes to get it. She cares for her sister and her family more than anything else in the world, and that really comes across in the story. When Elysea joins the story after she’s been revived to live out her last 24 hours, she’s softer than Tempest, less feisty, but still wants the best for her sister. Lor is the quieter one, mostly content keeping to the shadows for now, wallowing in guilt, until he has to step in for Raylan and do his job for him. That’s when it all goes to custard."

Read the full review here.

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare
Goodreads

"The storyline of Chain of Gold seemed way less frantic or busy than some of the other stories, but I liked it! There are unexplained demon attacks suddenly occurring in London have years of near-on silence, the new generation of Shadowhunters barely having seen any fighting action in their lives. As I mentioned before, both James and Lucie are trying to learn more about their abilities inherited from their demon grandfather (Tessa’s father), who is unknown to any of them, which adds another dimension (HA) to the story. Between these two main story threads, the rest of the book (loosely) is character building, as the series kicks off. Sometimes this can hinder a novel – too much about characters and less plot – but I think it worked wonderfully for this. I’m not saying it was lacking in plot, not at all, but I do feel like I knew the characters really well come to the end. I’m looking forward to Chain of Iron which doesn’t come out till 2021 (cry!)."

Read the full review here.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Goodreads

"I'm not a big reader of the genres this book fits into usually, but from the first pages, I was drawn into the story. In fact I actually started this book before the book club for May began (oops shh), and I did so accidentally. I had it on my Kindle and clicked open the first page and read it ... and found it very hard to put down. There were many nights in a row where I read for too long and spent too much time in the story.

For the most part, The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo is a classic Hollywood tale, one you'd definitely see on the big screen. A beautiful girl wanting to be big in the film industry does whatever she can to get there, even if that includes lying, cheating, sleeping, and marrying her way to the top. She makes it, of course, she does, because she's strong and determined and passionate about chasing her dreams. But at what cost?"

Read the full review here.

The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson
Goodreads

"Once again Johnson is back at it with superb storytelling, brilliant characters, captivating plot lines and stunning settings. The Hand on the Wall is the third (and final?) book in the Truly Devious series. If you haven’t read the first two, Truly Devious and The Vanishing Stair, then I highly recommend them! There won’t be spoilers in this review, so you’re safe to keep reading!

In The Hand on the Wall, we continue following Stevie in modern-day, up at Ellingham Academy, in the mountains of Vermont. When a huge storm is forecast to hit the mountain, all the students at Ellingham are sent home … but Stevie and the rest of the residents of Miranda House hide and remain behind so they can continue figuring out the mystery of the murders in the previous books, and also stop Edward King from becoming President. Sounds like a lot, but there aren’t too many storylines happening at the same time, so it’s not hard to follow."

Read the full review here.

Lore by Alexandra Bracken
Goodreads

"Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.
Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family's sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt's promises of eternal glory. For years she's pushed away any thought of revenge against the man--now a god--responsible for their deaths.

Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.

The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore's decision to bind her fate to Athena's and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost--and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees. "

From Goodreads.

A few shout outs

Because it’s really really difficult to pick just five books, so here’s a few more than I gave really high stars to (4 or 5). You can see all the books I’ve read this past year on Goodreads.