Booknut's YA Year Book ~ The Best of 2015

Which YA books made 2015 a year full of laughter, tears, love, and all-nighters?

I cover my top picks in my YA Year Book for 2015!

Just like a real year book, my YA Year Book comes with a bunch of awards (some serious, some just for fun!) which are given to the books that truly stole the spotlight and won themselves a permanent place on my bookshelf...and in my bookworm heart.

The awards up for grabs in my Year Book are:

Best Dressed
Best Smile
Homecoming King
Leader of the Pack

**Note: My YA Year Book includes only books published in 2015. Books published in previous years, or ARCs for 2016, are not included.**

So without further ado, let's get started!

BEST DRESSED

~ Best book cover of 2015 ~

Winner: Ten Thousand Skies Above You (Firebird #2) by Claudia Gray

This was such a hard decision to make as 2015 was a year filled with stunning book covers whose art transported readers to millions of worlds, places, and times.

But whilst I was scanning through the nominees, my eyes just kept getting drawn back to Ten Thousand Skies Above You. 

The colours are the highlight - bold, rich, melding perfectly with one another. The paint-esque edges creep into the surrounding white space and match beautifully with the white of the title. 

Speaking of the title, the cover art is the ultimate translation of it. It looks as if ten thousand skies - skies seen by millions of different people, at different times and in different places - have collided in a symphony of colour. You look at the cover and immediately think of infinite parallel universes.

Yet one of the most intriguing elements of the cover isn't even the colours. It's the symbolism. The opposing images of the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge (and the state they are in), the small hot-air balloons nestled in the background...every detail is special and holds a link to the story within.

A well-deserved win, if I do say so!

~ Best Dressed Runners Up ~

BEST SMILE

~ Best book title of 2015 ~

Winner: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A book's title is like a smile.

It's one of the first impressions you have of it and is meant to welcome the reader into the story. And A Court of Thorns and Roses has a charismatic smile that gives off the very best of first impressions!

Everything about the title of this book calls to me, as a reader! Not only does it provide a tantalising glimpse into the book and the world Sarah J. Maas has created, but it fits in flawlessly with colours and imagery chosen for the book's cover.

Let's just chat for a second about that font. I have fangirled so much over the font and in particular how the font and the letters are arranged. 

The decision to put 'a', 'of' and 'and' in the middle of the main words is a stroke of genius. The title gives off such a polished look, whilst maintaining an almost fairytale feel.

The title also provides links to the inspiration for the book: both Beauty and the Beast, and the tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon have similar title styles and motifs. 

Honestly, the only book title that could beat this one is the second book in the same series A Court of Mist and Fury (TBR 2016)!

~ Best Smile Runners Up ~

BEST BREAKOUT

~ Best newbie or debut of 2015 ~

Winner: Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard

Being a newbie isn't easy. Debut novels have to go up against tried and true series that have produced winners year after year. 

But some do rise to the challenge and manage to take center stage with their winning covers and spellbinding stories.

Red Queen is most certainly one such winner. Victoria Aveyard's writing transports readers into a world divided by blood and steeped in betrayal and lies. 

The book's concepts are fresh and well-constructed, leaving the reader informed and entertained. 

The book's heroine Mare Barrow is a flawed but brilliant character who remains fierce in the face of adversity. 

The glimpse provided by the author inside Mare's brain is a delight to read, as Mare enters into the dangerous dance of Reds versus Silvers in a world where even her own heart is in danger of being torn apart.

Plus, with such a stunning cover, it's no wonder Red Queen swept me off my feet!

~ Best Breakout Runners Up ~

Homecoming King

~ Best male character of 2015 ~

Winner: Rowan Whitethorn from Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas

So many beautiful males, so little time! 

2015 was a year of YA males to die for - guys who were the perfect mix of good hearts, wicked streaks, soul-searing gazes, bravery, and magical kissing scenes. 

Choosing just one to crown my YA Homecoming King was so, so hard. Like, you honestly have no idea how long or how hard I struggled over which male to crown. There were many tears shed, let me tell you!

But I feel that the man who stole my heart completely was none other than Rowan Whitethorn.

True, Queen of Shadows wasn't my first date with Mr. Whitethorn (a.k.a The Extremely Hot Fae Prince of My Dreams) but it was by far my most memorable. 

Queen of Shadows promoted Rowan from a cute and brooding side character to a star player in the series, and readers of the series finally got to see Rowan truly shine.

He's handsome, badass, and has a big heart. What's not to love?!

~ Homecoming King Runners Up ~

 The Ruby Circle nominee: Adrian

Ensnared nominee: Morpheus

ACOTAR nominee: Rhysand

Leader of the Pack
~ Best book of 2015 ~

Winner: Reawakened (Reawakened #1) by Colleen Houck

I cannot put into words how much I adore this book. Start, middle, end...every single step of the magical journey, I was enthralled. Colleen Houck proves herself to once again be a writing goddess as she pieces together a book filled to the brim with myth, wit, magic, and a romance that hooked me in from the start.

Reawakened woke up something in me that had been sleeping since the original Percy Jackson series concluded. True, genuine interest in a book's plot, characters and backstory. 

Those who know me will know that Egyptian mythology is one of my favourite things ever. In fact, it's what I'm majoring in! Colleen Houck's use of mythology is innovative and respectful, blurring lines between fiction and reality seemingly with ease.

And that ending...that ending. I don't think I will ever be able to stop crying there are enough emojis on earth to express the level of emotion I experienced. It was like Colleen Houck had reached through the pages of the book and brought me into her world. It felt real. It felt magical. It was the kind of book you savour every page of and you wish would never end.

With a richly exotic cover, multi-layered plot, and a awe-inspiring cast of characters, Reawakened is a book every lover of YA needs on their bookshelf pronto!

~ Leader of the Pack Runners Up ~

 

Do you agree with my choices? Who would your nominations be? What was your favourite book of 2015?

Let me know in the comments section below!