Top Ten Tuesday: Recent 5 Star Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish where we get a new topic for a top 10 list.

Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday. This week we’re all about that 5 Star moment. I always wonder whether I am too generous with my ratings but I try not to dwell on that too much. Now the real question is, why? What did these books specifically do to get that top rating. If I’m honest, I think my mood has a huge influence the rating because I love forming that emotional connection to the characters and the world.

Here are my 10 most recent 5 star reads and when I read them.

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1. [February 2016] A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab: My first 5 star book of the year. I’m not surprised by this result because A Gathering of Shadows was everything I wanted and so much more. The character insight took the crown for me. Getting to explore the mindset of Kell, Lila and Rhy was such a joy. They’re all so conflicted, emotional and layered. I still have some burning questions that I hope are answered in book 3, but most of all I need to know what happens after that evil cliffhanger. 

2. [December 2015] Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner: My review states I gave this a 4.5 but I rounded it up to 5 on my goodreads so I’m including it in the list. I loved the conclusion to this series. I thought the way that Kaufman and Spooner brought all these characters together was impressive. In particular I liked how plot points from the previous installments were explored and further expanded upon here. 

3. [December 2015] Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta: My heart ❤ This book is nothing but emotional and that is what made me give it the 5 Stars. I felt so connected to these characters and was so emotionally invested in their journey. My heart ached for them but I also finished the book with such a strong sense of hope. 

4. [November 2015] Winter by Marissa Meyer: Another epic series conclusion. I was nervous about this book because I had such high expectations and I am so happy it delivered on the goods. My shipping heart was going wild. Now I just need to get my hands on Stars Above. 

5. [October 2015] Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: Fast paced. Intense. Dark. Fascinating character dynamics. Tortured souls. Romantic tension. What more could you possibly want?

6. [October 2015] The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson: This entire series is rich in its world building and offers some wonderful character insights. Everything is at stake in the final installment to the Mistborn trilogy and I was impressed with the way things ended, even if it meant having my heart ripped to shreds.

7. [September 2015] I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson: Artistic. The perfect way to describe the book. Our characters are so wonderfully flawed and I love getting to see the world through an artists eyes. 

8. [August 2015] Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta: Apparently I don’t talk about this book enough. 😛 You all know how much I love this book and I loved exploring the themes of identity, loss, love and hope and the impact they have on our characters. 

9. [July 2015] The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson: It took me a while to finish this book but I loved every minute of it. Getting to meet the crew and seeing how Kelsier’s choices and actions set in motion the events our characters face in next installment was masterful. 

10. [June 2015] A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab: In hindsight, I may have been a bit too generous with the rating but I was so captivated by this world that I can’t find it in me to change it. Plus I think the book does a good job of setting up the characters and future events set to take the rest of the series by storm. 

Those are my most recent 5 Star books.
Which books made it to your list? What do you look for in a 5 star book?

21 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday: Recent 5 Star Reads”

    1. haha I must admit that the length of Winter was pretty daunting but then when I got to reading it I found it still wasn’t long enough. I just can’t seem to let go of these characters 😛

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  2. LOVED Six of Crows and A Darker Shade of Magic! Both made my list as well! I’m so excited for Crooked Kingdom it’s not even funny. I almost wish authors would just wait and release their entire series at once so we don’t have to suffer, haha! Also, I have I’ll Give You the Sun sitting on my TBR pile so I’m glad to hear you liked that as well! Great list!!

    My TTT 🙂

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    1. haha that is exactly why I have a tendency to wait until the entire series is out so I can binge read it one sitting and so I don’t have to deal with cruel cliffhangers.
      I’ll Give You the Sun is such a moving book. The focus on the family dynamics between our characters was beautifully explored. I hope you enjoy it when you get round to reading it. 😀

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    1. V. E. Schwab is such a talented writer. Each and every single one of her books are so atmospheric and the characters are always so layered. I’d definitely recommend them to anyone. I hope you enjoy them when you get round to them. 😀

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    1. A Darker Shade of Magic is such a great book. The world building is rich and the characters are so layered. I hope you enjoy the book and Winter as well. 😀

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    1. YES! A Darker Shade of Magic is such a good book and the best part is that the sequel is even better. Trust me if you like morally ambiguous characters, ADSoM is the book for you. 😀 I hope you enjoy it.

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  7. I have A Gathering of Shadows on my list too! I really love that series so far. And I absolutely loved The Final Empire, although it’s been a while since I read it. I never continued with the series, and I keep telling myself every time to pick it up. I have no clue why I haven’t done that yet. Seeing two of the books on your list makes me even more excited to read them though.

    Great list!

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    1. I’m still recovering from the emotional rollercoater that was A Gathering of Shadows haha. It took me 3 month to pick up the second book in the Mistborn trilogy. For me after the intensity of the Final Empire, I needed to read something a bit more lighthearted haha. I hope you enjoy the rest of the series when you get round to it. 😀

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    1. The Lunar Chronicles are probably my favourite fairy-tale retelling. The characters are just so wonderful and I already talk too much about the Shades of Magic series but the character complexity is s raw and beautifully crafted. I hope you enjoy both series. 😀

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  9. AHH. So many fantastic books here! I absolutely adored Winter, Six of Crows and I’ll Give You the Sun as well, so I am so glad to see you enjoyed them as much as I did. 🙂 Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous post! ❤

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    1. I always find that sticking a rating on a book is the hardest part so I usually go with my gut and those books just punched me right in the feels. I feel like I need to re-read I’ll Give You the Sun cause it’s been a while since I read it and I’m feeling a bit artistic haha.

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    1. Both I’ll Give you the Sun and Jellicoe Road do a great job at exploring human nature and the emotions are so pure and raw. I hope you enjoy the books when you read them. 😀

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