It’s the most wonderful time of the year: reflecting on 365 of great books with Perpetual Page-Turner’s 8th Annual End Of Year Book Survey! Thank you Jamie for the post and for the graphics. It’s always one of my favorite posts to write 🙂

Number Of Books You Read: 73
Number of Re-Reads: 9
Genre You Read The Most From: equal amount of fantasy and contemporary

1. Best Book You Read In 2017?

Fantasy: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Contemporary: Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills
Historical Fiction: Lady of the Eternal City by Kate Quinn

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George- I’ve loved most of her previous books and I love reading about Ancient Rome but this was unfortunately tedious and I didn’t care for the narrative style.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas surprised me simply because I loved it and because it recalled the strengths of the early books in the Throne of Glass series. In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan surprised me in every good way possible because it was so unique and hilarious and unexpected.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

I’m not sure whether people read it on my recommendation but I loved Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust and pushed it every chance I got!

 5. Best series you started in 2017? Best Sequel of 2017? Best Series Ender of 2017?

Best Series Started: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Best Sequel: Rose & Thorn by Sarah Prineas
Best Series Ender: Lady of the Eternal City by Kate Quinn

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2017?

Stacey Jay through her book Princess of Thorns, which encompassed everything I love in fantasy and fairy tale retellings.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

Juliet Takes A Breath by Gaby Rivera was very different from the normal contemporary books I reach for but I’m glad I read it because it was enlightening and enjoyable. And even though I love sci-fi, Illuminae‘s format really intimidated me. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down!

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff is the definition of action-packed and unputdownable, while A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab was an unbelievably thrilling trilogy conclusion.

 9. Book You Read In 2017 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I plan on rereading lots of books next year but I’ve been wanting to reread Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay because I enjoyed it so much.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2017?

Something about Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum is really aesthetically pleasing and adorable to me. I love it.

11. Most memorable character of 2017?

Kell Maresh from the Shades of Magic trilogy is terribly memorable, everything from his appearance to his attributes to his introduction- “Kell wore a very peculiar coat.”

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2017?

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust was gorgeously written, lyrically and narratively.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2017?

Juliet Takes A Breath by Gaby Rivera made me examine a lot about my own feminism and assumptions; Juliet and I might be very different but she voiced a lot of questions that I could relate to.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2017 to finally read? 

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. I mean really, how dare I.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2017?

“Maybe I don’t think the first part is the best part. Maybe I like the part later on. Hearing a song so many times you know all the little ins and outs of it. Experiencing something so many times that you can just … live in it. Maybe I like that better.” Claudia in Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills.

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2017?

Shortest: Adventure Time Marshall Lee Spectacular by Melanie Gillman (25 pages)
Longest: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (784 pages)

17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff shocked me in almost every way- the major plot points I didn’t expect, the direction of said plot, and a dozen jaw dropping moments.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

I always cheat the most with this question- not including rereads: Kell and Lila (ADSOM), Gavin and Noah (Illegal Contact), Gideon and Claudia (Foolish Hearts), Elliot and Luke (In Other Lands), Lara Jean and Peter K (Always and Forever, Lara Jean).

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

More cheating, sorry not sorry: Desi Lee and her father in I Believe In A Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo, Lila Bard and Alucard Emery in A Gathering of Shadows, Iris & Claudia in Foolish Hearts, Vix and Annia in Lady of the Eternal City, Charlie, Taylor, & Jamie in Queens of Geek.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2017 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

In Other Lands was full of Sarah Rees Brennan’s trademark wit, originality, and shippiness.

21. Best Book You Read In 2017 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta, recommended by Ellis of course! I’m not sure I would have read it otherwise but I really enjoyed it even though it’s darker than most contemporary I go for. I loved seeing characters from Saving Francesca.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2017?

I really loved Miller from The Truth About Happily Ever After– he was such a genuinely good guy, funny and sweet- someone I could picture myself hanging out with and having a crush on in my college days.

23. Best 2017 debut you read?

Geekerella by Ashley Poston was everything I had been looking for in a fandom book, and it was a Cinderella retelling to boot! I loved it so much.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

Best Worldbuilding: the Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab. I haven’t been so swept up in a new fantasy world and thought so long and hard about it in quite awhile.
Most Vivid Setting: The Blazing Star by Imani Josey made ancient Egypt come to life.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

The Truth About Happily Ever After by Karole Cozzo made me smile so much and In Other Lands by SRB was by far the most fun I’ve had reading all year. It was hysterical!

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2017?

This might be silly but the acknowledgments in Geekerella by Ashley Poston made me tear up.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee was incredibly sweet and unique, with wonderful characters and meaningful relationships of all sorts. A “modern California fairy tale” indeed.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May was without a doubt a soul-crushing finale. It’s a great finale but it’s intense and weighs heavily on the characters and the reader!

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2017?

Definitely Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff- the formatting alone made it unique but so did its AI character AIDEN.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May made me really mad for Reasons. It knows what it did.

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2017?

I’ve followed a lot of great blogs this year so it’s hard to choose just one! And some favorites I’m not clear when I started following so it could have been this year, it could have been last year.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2017?

I really love my review for Girls Made of Snow and Glass, both the way I expressed my feelings on the book and the gifs I chose 😉

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

Favorite Top Ten Tuesday post: Yummy Foods Mentioned In Books
Favorite Discussion Post: Cont Rom 2017- Favorite First Kisses
Favorite Book Tag: Hamilton Book Tag

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

I participated in a round of OTSP Secret Sister this year and got the most wonderful sisters to send to and receive cheer from! I also love my fantasy football league Game of Throws, which is made up entirely of female bloggers & readers. We’re extremely competitive!

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2017?
Starting my own solo blog! It will be one year in February and I can’t believe it.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
Consistency with posting, keeping up with engagement, and reading enough- I always seem to be caught up on reviews so if I read slowly I don’t have reviews to post! Figuring out a schedule that worked for me, that kept blogging fun and didn’t make it feel like a chore or make me feel guilty was a challenge as well.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

Besides my intro post, my most viewed post was Back To School: History of Fictional Worlds Syllabus, which makes me SO happy! I worked really hard on it and I’m glad other people found it fun to read and engage with.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

My Mini Review Monday post of Fireblood and Illegal Contact- I really liked both books so much!

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
Nothing comes to mind unfortunately.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I completed my Goodreads goal (73/70 books), and a bunch of my reading challenges: Flights of Fantasy (25/20 books), Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge (25/10 books), and a personal goal of rereading more (9 books).

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2017 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2018?

The Valiant by Lesley Livingston- one of my 2018 goals is to read more historical fiction!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2018 (non-debut)?

Adult: Circe by Madeline Miller
YA: Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston

3. 2018 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Adult: The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
YA: The Unbinding of Mary Reade by Miriam McNamara

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2018?

Sequel: Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller
Series Ending: Throne of Glass #7 by Sarah J. Maas. I need to know how it ends.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2018?

Post even more, keep up with comments, grow my blog views, give myself more reading freedom, read more books that I already own. Hopefully go to ALA in June!

6. A 2018 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable):

I haven’t read one yet but I plan to read Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk shortly!

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I hope you all had a wonderful 2017! What was your favorite book? Did you complete an End of Year Survey? Happy reading in the new year!