2015 End of the Year Survey

Yeah, well, I might be a tiny bit late with this, but hey, better late than never, right? So, let's have a look at 2015 in terms of reading.

READING STATS

Number of books read: 106
Number of re-reads: Sadly ... 0
Genre you read the most from: Honestly, I have no idea but I would guess Fantasy and/or Science Fiction would have to be it.

BEST IN BOOKS

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?
It has to be The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. It wasn't released this year, but I only got around to reading it in 2015 and I loved every nanosecond of it, as well as all of its sequels so far.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
Uprooted by Naomi Novik! Definitely. I think maybe the hype kind of killed it for me, because maybe if I would have gone in with less expectations, I wouldn't have been so disappointed in the end. Then again, if it hadn't been for the hype, I probably would have never picked it up in the first place... Anyway, I thought I would love it for sure, everything about its synopsis appealed to me, but it turned out to be such a letdown.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  
The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West! I definitely did not expect to end up loving it as much as I finally did, but I am really glad for this miracle.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
Uhm, The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, naturally. I know there were no new releases for it this year, but I lent it out to two friends and urged another two to read it, and the two to whom I lent it out did read it already and loved it! The other friend read it but didn't like it that much (shame. on. her.) and the fourth one still hasn't gotten around to reading it (shame on him too).

5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?
For best series I started, I want to say The Naturals again, but I think I'll go with Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard this time around. I know many people didn't really like it that much, but for me, especially seeing as Aveyard is a debut author, it truly blew me away and having recently read the sequel, I am really loving this series so far! Then again, I feel like I need to throw a special mention to A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab as well out here, because I just realized it's the first in a new series, too...
The best sequel, oh God, ... this is hard, especially because I read so many series enders this year and not a lot of sequels, and I really want to pick something that is "only" a sequel. So I'll go with The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson. This whole series is kind of a secret favorite of mine, and I am very excited for the next book, even if there is absolutely no information about it out there. I'll wait as long as I have to.
And now I have a huge pool of books to choose from for series ender, but I just have to hand it to Winter by Marissa Meyer. It was simply amazing, no more and no less.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?
Jennifer Lynn Barnes! For damn sure. I also read her other new book, The Fixer, this year, which was pretty much almost as good as The Naturals was, so all in all I read four books by her (which I think also makes her my most read author of 2015) and I literally loved all of them. I still need to read all her other books.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
Well, I already mentioned The Fill-In Boyfriend, but another contemporary book I — surprisingly — ended up really, really enjoying was To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
The Naturals, no doubt. I read it in one sitting, and I think that was one of the only books I have read in one sitting, truly read in one sitting with like only a toilet break here and there, this year. Except for maybe its sequel, Killer Instinct, which was similar.

9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
Difficult, since lately I haven't re-read books quite a lot and there's none I read this year that I would be inclined to re-read, actually. There are some I read in previous years that I might consider re-reading, but ... for 2015, none.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?

This beauty, there is no question about it. It's Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray, with not only a gorgeous freaking amazing title, but also a perfectly stunning cover to go with it. Plus, the content is pretty good, too! This is just. The full package, really.

11. Most memorable character of 2015?
Kaz Brekker from Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows! The way he is simply written, at first clouded in mystery and then over the course of the novel, more and more of his past is revealed; that was just such a memorable experience and he is such a unique character. I loved him.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?
I am really not surprised that this title goes out, once again, to Victoria Schwab, this time with A Darker Shade of Magic. She can write anything, and I would read anything she writes, honestly.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?
You know what? I'm gonna give it to The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon. It makes you think about how relationships can change for better and for worse, and how that can affect you as the person you are and how it is also needed to drop some people from your life and gain new ones in order to grow up.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read? 
Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Reading it was actually only semi-voluntary on my part, because we had to vote for a drama to read in German class and originally, I suggested Antigone by Socrates but in the final voting round, only Faust and one other drama remained and then I voted for Faust, because it was the better one. Still, it's nice to add another classic to my reading belt and it truly is an astounding piece of work. And not boring at all!

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?

“Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday you'll meet a boy who will learn your favorite flower, your favorite song, your favorite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won't matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart.” 

— Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo

That's it for favorite passage, and favorite quote:

“My soul sees its equal in you.” 

— The Wrath and the Dawn, Renee Ahdieh

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?
The Shortest was actually the 5 Seconds of Summer Annual Book (don't judge me, I know I'm 5sos trash), which was about 64 pages I think, and the longest with ~900 pages was Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most
Reborn by Jennifer Rush. It shocked me with how awful and unnecessary and dumb it was, to be honest. I was ... appalled.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR 
Actually, I didn't like too many of the couples I read about this year, or rather, I liked a lot of them but I didn't love any of them. However, there was one and it has to be Luc and Ingrid from The Dispossessed trilogy by Page Morgan. The last one, The Wondrous and the Wicked was released this year, so it counts.

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
Inej and Nina's friendship from Six of Crows. I just loved every little thing about it and all I want from the sequel is even more of them. (Also I loved Scarlet and Winter from the Lunar Chronicles)

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
You know what? I am going to say The Heir by Kiera Cass. Because while I didn't love it or anything, I truly enjoyed it for what it was and I thought it was such a huge improvement for Cass from her Selection trilogy.

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
I read a lot of books this year because it was so hyped and praised by the community and/or friends, but to be perfectly honest with you, I didn't really like any of them. I guess the best one would have to be Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, but it wasn't actually that great, at least I didn't think so personally. So, instead, I'm going to tell you which was the worst one I read solely based on recommendation and promotion: Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?
Gideon Marchant from Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, who reminded me of my boyfriend and thus, I thought he was really, really cute.

23. Best 2015 debut you read?
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard!

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta, hands down. It was fantasy and I loved the world, but sadly I couldn't really connect with the characters and the book itself.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
You know, I think, besides some of the books I already mentioned, I had a lot of fun reading The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by M. G. Buehrlen. I read it while I was on vacation in Italy, and it kept me in its grip even while I was out and about exploring Florence or Siena.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?
I know that there was one where I almost cried, I know it, but I just ... can't remember it. I didn't shelf it under "I cried," because I only almost did. Goddamn. I'll add it if I ever remember. There was one, though!

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
Apart from Alex Wayfare, I'll say The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I get the feeling that not a lot of people have read it or even know about it, even though it's so amazing.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover, because it was so bad.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?
A Darker Shade of Magic as well as The Uninvited by Cat Winters.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
So many. So, so many, too many almost to count. I mentioned some already, in addition to those I would also like to add Anew by Chelsea Fine.

LOOKING AHEAD

1. One book I didn’t get to in 2015 but will be my #1 priority in 2016?
All of the sequels I have missed so far, for example The Rose Society by Marie Lu, which I am currently trying to catch up on.

2. A non-debut book I am most anticipating for 2016?
Heartless by Marissa Meyer and This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab. Just give them to me already. Please.

3. A 2016 debut I am anticipating?
Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst.

4. A series ending/sequel I am most anticipating in 2016?
I think we all know the answer to this .... The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater. It will be so fulfilling, while at the same time heartbreaking and bittersweet.

5. One thing I hope to accomplish or do in my reading/blogging life in 2016?
Just... write more reviews. I have been so lazy writing anything recently, it's a huge problem.

6. A 2016 release I’ve already read and recommended to everyone?
I have just read Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard, which is the sequel to Red Queen, and I enjoyed it a lot, so I'm hoping others will like it just as much. And maybe those who didn't like the first novel are going to read this sequel and end up liking it anyway! I hope so. It was great.