5 Books That Surprised Me

Hello, I hope you are doing well.

Last year I read about 106-ish books. And in reading that many, there were several books that surprised me. So today, I have compiled a list of the ones that surprised me the most.

1. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

This one surprised me because I don’t usually like Sci-Fi. I was prepared to finish it and go ‘eh’, not really my cup of tea. And leave it at that.
What actually ended up happening was the thrill of space and lightspeed travel, set against the backdrop of something so incredibly ancient I had trouble wrapping my head around the fact I wasn’t reading a straight-up fantasy at times.
I absolutely loved Gideon. And what she did at the end absolutely wrecked me. It was amazing.
Now I want to give more Sci-Fi a chance because maybe it will surprise me too.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Ah, Miss Rowling, the things you do…
So, last year I read through the entirety of the Harry Potter series. I had watched the movies, of course, and grew up with them. But despite knowing the details like James being a stag, the resurrection stone, everything between Remus and Tonks, and the unfortunate death of Fred. It still surprised me.
Specifically, in the scene where Harry is walking into the forest to face Voldemort, with the, I dunno what you would call it? The spirits? Souls? Images? Of his parents and Sirius and Remus and he was accepting his fate, that he needed to die in order for Voldemort to be defeated.
And I knew that scene. I knew about the anger and outrage towards Dumbledoor who raised him as a pig for the slaughter. But the writing of that scene specifically, had me crying for Harry. He lost everything. He was about to lose everything else. He didn’t have a choice. It was either he die or everyone else did. And it’s that kind of forced self-sacrificing bullshit, that isn’t self-sacrificing but forced to be sacrificed that I can’t stand.
I figured I would come out the other end angry. I didn’t think I was going to come out the other end broken.

3. The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

I believe this was described as a Historical Romance. It was certainly a romance.
I wanted to try a romance book, despite being pretty aromantic, because a good writer will read outside f their own genre and I had never read one before.
I didn’t mind it. The characters were well-rounded and had good chemistry. The plot was okay. I could see it coming a mile away but that didn’t make it bad. There were a few moments that were kinda cringy to me, but not to the point I felt physically revolted by things that were going on.
I wasn’t expecting to like it. But I did.
I’m not going to take this as a point to read a bunch more romance. Maybe a bit more, but I’m not going to change right over to romance as my main genre. I can see it getting very old, very fast.

4. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

This one surprised me in the worst possible way because I really wanted to like this book and I didn’t.
I thought the characters were interesting, the plot was amazing, and the conflict was the chef’s kiss, I wanted to love this book. And I was prepared to.
I don’t know if it was the fact I read it in audiobook or just her writing style but I couldn’t get lost in it. I was so sad. I really wanted to like this. And I just couldn’t.
I guess it does go to show that you don’t know if you’re going to like something until you give it a try.

5. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

A fae retelling of Rumplestiltskin.
I’ll be honest, I did not like A Court Of Thorns And Roses. But that’s not what we’re talking about right now. I just wanted to put that out there that my previous experience with Fae-based fantasy wasn’t good.
I liked this one. I liked the premise. I liked the idea of another malevolent force at work that has the power to potentially destroy the Fae and the humans are just kinda stuck in the middle.
I liked the lore of a name is a very sacred thing to the Fae. Of Miryem taking matters into her own hands and going back to the realm of the Fae when she just wanted to stay with her parents. Of love actually blooming between her and the king of the Fae to the point he was willing to do things the human way, specifically the Jewish way.

So those are 5 books I read last year that really surprised me. Are there any on here that you’ve read that surprised you? What are some books you’ve read that surprised you that isn’t listed here? Do you agree with me on any of these? I would love to know if you would like to share.

I hope you are having a wonderful day. And if it’s not wonderful, I hope it gets better. Stay safe and I will see you next time.

-T.R. Flynn.