Top Ten Tuesday: Books Read in 2014

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is brought to you by Broke and Bookish. Today's topic is top ten books you read in 2014, and with the year coming to an end it's so very hard to choose just ten. However I did manage to whittle it down! The links lead to the Goodreads summary!

1. The first, and by far my favorite, book of this year was The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima. Chima was a new author to me, and when I picked up the first book in this series (The Demon King) for five dollars, I have to admit I wasn't expecting anything special. But boy, was I wrong. Romance, action, and intrigue, the Seven Realms series hooked me and my love for reading was re-lit. All four books were amazing, but my favorite was the final book, The Crimson Crown
2. Next up is a book that I read based upon the hype surrounding it, which was Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I love fantasy, but science fiction is not really my thing. So when I read this book (and the other two in the series) I was greatly surprised! I loved it!
3. The Selection by Kiera Cass is next on my list, and again, is a book that surprised me. I had heard nothing but awful things about these books, but I quite enjoyed them. I read the first book in only two days, and the second one in less than one day. Both were fun, light reads.
4. Although I don't read much Middle Grade, The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani definitely stood out to me this year. I had been excited to read it, and it lived up to my every expectation. It was a fun but intense book, and I am so excited to read the second and third books in the trilogy.
5. Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson came as a shock to me when I read it. I read it as an assignment for school, and nothing more, but then, I became hooked. The characters are so strong, and the ending came as a real shocker for me. This was a historical fiction book, so not something I normally would read, but it deserves a place in the top ten without a doubt.
6. I'm not sure if it's a favorite, but Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta stood out to me from this year. The writing was so, so, beautiful and I felt as though this novel, seemingly light from the cover, was so much darker and more intense than I expected.
7. I know, I know, another Cinda Williams Chima book, but to me, The Enchanter Heir was a great read. I didn't love it as much as The Seven Realms series, or some of the others on this list, but it was fun to read either way.
8.  The 100 by Kass Morgan was a book I had been looking forward to reading, because of the hype around the TV show. It was a good book, and a fast read, and while I had a few problems with it (my book review is here if you'd like my more in-depth thoughts), I had no trouble balancing the four POV's and it ended in such a cliffhanger!
9. Another science fiction book I enjoyed this year was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I loved this book, and it definitely deserves a spot on my top ten list. What a fast-paced, action-packed plot! I loved the idea and how it was carried out, and this was another super fast read for me.
10. Last but certainly not least, is Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I know I'm not the only one who could really relate to Cath, as a socially anxious author who has a thing for peanut butter... it was such a great and relatable read, and Rowell's writing is great. I hope to read more books by her in the future.