**Top 17 Books of 2017: A Year of Empowerment and Adventure**

As I sit down to write about my favorite books of 2017, I feel like it's going to be an easy task. After all, this was a year that saw me reading some of the most empowering and exciting young adult fiction out there. From novels that celebrated women's strength and independence to those that transported me to new worlds of science fiction and fantasy, every book on this list is special in its own way.

**Moxie by Jennifer Niven: A Powerful Story of Empowerment**

For my first number 1 pick, I have to go with Moxie by Jennifer Niven. This book feels like it spreads such an important message of equality and strength, and that's the kind of stuff I wanna see in young adult fiction. It's super empowering, super fun, and it's another one of those books that is just it really hits the nail on what teenagers are actually like - its very realistic. The book has a very healthy love interest in relationship which I absolutely love. I love everything about Moxie; it's really really fantastic, and I will continue to recommend it to you guys so over and over again until the entire world has read it because it's just it's that good.

**Warcross by Marie Lu: A Ground-Breaking Science Fiction Novel**

Coming in at number 2 is Warcross by Marie Lu. This book feels like most of you will be surprised to hear as Number 2 because I've only really talked about it like twice on my channel, but that's because it was a very recent read. Warcross takes place in near-futuristic New York and Tokyo where it's a science-fiction world where like everything is Virtual Reality. There is this Virtual Reality game called Warcross that is just like an international phenomenon - everyone plays everyone watches it it's the biggest thing in the world, and our main character named Emika ends up accidentally glitching herself into the opening ceremonies of Warcross where she is then hired by the creator of Warcross to investigate some like problems going on within the internal stuff of Warcross. It's really hard to explain, but it's absolutely amazing. This book is probably one of the most well-constructed YA books I have read in such a long time. I love it. I love everything about it; I love the characters, I love the plot, I love the world, and I love the twist - everything about Warcross is absolutely amazing.

**Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare: A Masterpiece in the Shadowhunter Chronicles**

Coming in at number 1 on my list is Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare. This book feels like it's been a long time coming for fans of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, and I'm so glad that Cassandra Clare was able to deliver on her promise. Book 2 in The Dark Artifices Series takes the Shadowhunter world to new heights that we never could have expected from the beginning of it ten years ago. It is absolutely by far Cassandra Clare's best and most sophisticated work, and I'm just so proud to see her like her thing improving her writing and just writing such amazing amazing books.

**A Year of Empowerment and Adventure**

I feel like most of you will be surprised to hear as Number 2 because I've only really talked about it like twice on my channel but that's because it was a very recent read so Number 2 for my favorite books of 2017 is Warcross by Marie Lu. Warcross is another one that is just very very hard to give yea a short synopsis of it takes place in near-futuristic New York and Tokyo where it's a science-fiction world where like everything is Virtual Reality so there is this Virtual Reality game called Warcross that is just like an international phenomenon everyone plays everyone watches it it's the biggest thing in the world and our main character named Emika ends up accidentally glitching herself into the opening ceremonies of Warcross where she is then hired by the creator of Warcross to investigate some like problems going on within the internal stuff of Warcross where there is might be some crime goin on and some people breaking down stuff and whatnot it it's really hard to explain but it's absolutely amazing this book is probably one of the most well constructed YA books I have read in such a long time I love it I love everything about it; I love the characters I love the plot; I love the world I love the twist every thing about Warcross is absolutely amazing I can not recommend Warcross enough the second I finished it I just I need the sequels and I know I have to wait a full year for it but I just love it so so much I know there is a lot of contemporary on this list because I have read so much contemporary this year but if you're going to take the science fiction fantasy recommendation off this list I would highly recommend it for it to be Warcross it is ground-breaking in my opinion.

**Conclusion**

As I wrap up this list, I feel like every book that made it has a special place in my heart. From empowering stories of female strength and independence to thrilling adventures in new worlds, 2017 was a year that saw me reading some truly unforgettable fiction. Whether you're a fan of science fiction, fantasy, or just great storytelling in general, there's something on this list for everyone.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHey, What's up, Hello my name is Emmaand today I am giving you guysmy top 17 books of 2017in the year 2017I have read just under 85 books for this yearwhich is so amazingand I know that 2018 is going to be filled of even more wonderful wonderful storiesbut for today's video, I'm going to be talkingabout 17 of my absolute favorite books that I read this past yearand just as like a quick note before we jump indon't place too much value on the ordering of this becauseI've gone back and forth a million times as to what position they holdjust in total these are 17 of myfavorite books that I read in 2017coming in at Number 17 isDaughter of the Burning City By Amanda Foodythis is a fantasy murder mysterythat takes place at a traveling carnivalwhere our main character named Sorinahas no eyesbut she's able to create illusions that look and feel like real peopleand her illusions are being killed offdespite the fact that they're not realthis is a debut novel, and I really loved itI feel like one of it's strongest points is that it'sjust so atmosphericyou can really feel what its like to be in GomorrahI find the characters to be very lovable and very realisticand I also really loved the murder mystery aspect of this novelbecause I just could not tell who the killer waswhy they were committing these murders and howit's just it's so intriguing and fun and light-heartedbut also very dark and there is just a balance in this book thatis made so well I couldn't help but absolutely love itcoming in at Number 16 isEliza and Her Monsters By Francesca Zappiawhich is all of it a girl named Elizawho lives this online life as one of theinternets most famous web-comic designersbut she is totally anonymousand this boy named Wallace turns up at her schooland happens to be a huge fan of her seriesI loved Eliza and Her MonstersI know it is so many of you guy's favorite book of the yearit is just so adorable and fun and light-heartedbut the ending is just so heartbreaking and you can'thelp but really feel for Eliza with what she goes throughalso, I find the anxiety representation in this bookto be very very accurateone of my favorite things about it is thatalthough I am an adult reading YA booksI usually only relate to mental illness repas I was as a teenager whereas withEliza and Her Monsters I'm able to really resonatewith how Eliza feels as a 21-year-oldand I find that to be very powerfulif you love nerdy cutesy contemporary novelsthat also deal with some hard topicsI would definitely recommend reading Eliza and Her Monsterscause it absolutely very quickly became one of my favorites of the yearNumber 15 on my list isA Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstromwhich is all about a girl named Mel who has bipolar disorderbut she's really struggling to open upto her friends in her life about her disorderthis book this very short contemporaryhad such an impact on mewhere I feel like I was just blindsidedby the ending with the impact it had on meit's just such an emotionalpowerful novel that surprised mebecause I didn't really expect it to have this long-lasting impact on my heartbut I just feel the way the story was writtenwhere it represented teens very accuratelyfrom my education in psychologyI think it is a great representation of bipolar disorderand just all of the things that Mel goes throughreally really touched meand I think that's the best way for me to describe this bookit it made my heart feel happy and sad at the same timeand those are a lot of the times the books I love to readso I'm so pleased that I read A Tragic Kind of Wonderful this yearbecause it is definitely going to be one of my long-lasting favoritescoming in at Number 14 on my list of top 17 of 2017 isNice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelkewhich does not come out until January 9thbut I had the amazing pleasure to read it beforehandand it is so freaking goodso this book is all about this girl named Jane Sitterwho has recently been expelled from her high schoolas a result of a depressive/suicidal episode that she was experiencingbut she decides to go to a community collegeto finish up some classes to get her degreewhere she ends up being a part of an online reality showcalled House of Orangeisn't it such like a strange conceptbut I loved this bookthis is definitely one of my new favorite YA booksin general just because it is so realistic it deals withso many different themes so well and it'sso freakin goodit's also told in journal form which I really likedand that's not a format thatI feel is experimented with a lot in YAbut I think it really added to the storyI really value this book because while so much YAis obviously focused on teenagers and high school students and what notthis deals with a more college settingwhich is something that I can more closely identify withand a lot of the struggles that Jane goes throughespecially considering her struggle with her faith in Christianityit was just it was so good and so uniqueand I can't recommend it enough for you guys so do not forget toput this one on your TBR for January releasescause it is absolutely amazingas a note, if you are from the New York City areaI am going to be moderating the Nice Try, Jane Sinnerevent with the author on January 6th Saturday 4 p.m.at Books of Wonder, please come hang outand celebrate this amazing bookbecause I can't wait to talk about it more in depth with you guysthis happened last year tooI keep losing count of what number I'm up toI think this is Number 13 and that isThe Nowhere Girls by Amy ReedThe Nowhere Girls is all about these three girlsat a small town High schoolwhere a different girl named Lucyhas recently accused three of her classmates of raping herand because nobody did anything about it and nobody helped herLucy's family moves awayso our main characters named Grace, Rosina, and Erinstarts this group called the nowhere girlswhere it is an anonymous space for the girls of this school to talkabout things like rape culture and feminism and sexism andmake efforts to change the way people view women in their townall in the name of justice for Lucyand other survivors of rape who weren't able to have their story toldthis book deals with a lot of different representationfor various diverse populationsfor example, Grace is a plus-sized main characterwe have Rosina who is a Latina girl that also has a relationship with another girl and thenwe have Erin who it has Asperger'sand also anxieties so just likehittin all sides of the spectrum of stuff I love to see in booksreally really loved this one if you're at all interestedin feminist issues and making a difference in the worldof rape culture and similar issuesI would highly highly recommend itit is intellectual and sophisticatedand just everything I could have possibly wanted to readas a teen girlthat I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read as an adultNumber 12 I think isThe Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue By Mackenzi Leethis book takes place in like the 1700'swhere our main character named Montyis about to embark on a grand tour of Europewith his best friend named Percywhom he is also in love withso Monty's sister named Felicity also tags alongand they just go across Europe with all of these crazyadventures shenanigans there's piratesthere's chases there's like hidden objectsand stuff and it's so great like you've heard the hypefor this book, I know you have and it is totally worth itthe humor in this book is just unlike anything I had readthis year and anything I had read in a really long timeit is hysterical it has a lot of diverse representationin addition to having a bi-sexual main characterthere is a black love interest who also has epilepsyand it is just its so good guysin addition to the comedy which I absolutely lovedI was not expecting it to be this like super-high intensityadventure chase whateverand I loved it so much the action in the story is definitelyone of my absolute favorite thingsand I'm just so pleased I read itNumber 11 on my list of top 17 books of 2017 isOf Fire and Stars By Audrey Coulthurstthis is actually one of the first books that I read in 2017and it has prevailed through the entire yearit's this absolutely phenomenal high fantasy novelwhere our main character named Denna is a princesswho's engaged to the prince of another kingdombut the catch is she ends up falling in love with herprince / husband to be's sisterI did not know I needed a story about princesses falling in loveuntil now but oh my goodnessthis book absolutely changed the wayI view YA relationships for foreverthe chemistry of Denna and Mare is unbelievablethey are just absolute soulmates who deserveeach other so much and I can't remember the last timeI gushed about like a new couple in YAbutOf Fire and Stars did it for me manif you're lookin for a new fantasy standalonewhich I'm very upset it's a standalone butif you're looking to not commit to a huge seriesbut you still want an absolutely amazing fantasy storywith a cool magic systemgreat lovable characters and a steamy romanceI can't recommend Of Fire and Stars enough to youNumber 10 is another book that I also readat the very very beginning of the year but it hassuch a soft spot in my heart that I couldn't help butput it on this list, and that isUnder Rose-Tainted Skies By Louise Gornallour main character named North deals withagoraphobia, anxiety, and Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorderas well as self-harm and it's all about Norah's storyof this life where she has barely been able to leave herhouse for the past four years as a result of her illnesseswhere a boy named Luke moves in next door andLuke sees her as more than just her illnessesand wants to befriend her but Norah is very much afraidof forming a new relationship because she believes thathe deserves so much better than herI can't even begin to express to you how much I loveUnder Rose-Tainted SkiesNorah is just an inspiration to me she is such a survivorand I love her character growth throughout this storyit's really inspirational to methe author herself has dealt with the same issues as Norahand it is just such amazing representationI'm so happy we're getting moreown voices mental health novelsbut Under Rose-Tainted Skiesdefinitely left an impact on my heartand I know it is going to be one of my absolute favoritesfor a very very long timeNumber 9...9 on this list isThe Hate U Give By Angie Thomaswhich I actually read twice this yearThe Hate U Give follows a teen named Starrwho is the anonymous witness to the murder of herbest friend Khalil by a police offer while Khalil unarmedit is a very enlightening storyI don't think you can walk away from reading The Hate U Giveas the same person that you were whether it bethat you really identify with Starr's story or you learnsomething from it or you just enjoyed itbecause it is such a fun bookalthough it deals with some very strong themesStarr is super funny; her family dynamic is beautifuland one of my absolute favorites in YA in generaland there is so much to love about itif you haven't read The Hate U Give yet, you have beenmissin out and you better mark it on your TBR's for 2018what are we up to 8I ... I don't even know anymore butwhatever the next number is it isThey Both Die At The End by Adam Silveraya'll knew this one was cominThey Both Die At The End takes place in a near-futuristicNew York City where on the day you're going to die youget a call at midnight from this service called Death-Castwhere they let you know you have 24 hours to liveit is so hard to give a short synopsis of this bookbut basically, the world has obviously formed around thisnew intervention into their lives and there's this thing calledThe Last Friend app where if you were going to die thatday you were able to interact with other people who arealso going to die got the call that morningand its all about these two boys named Rufus and Mateowho meet on The Last Friend app and it takes courseover the last day of their lives and you will have to readit to find out if they both die at the endI want to shove this book inevery single readers facebecause it's so goodI mean I absolutely love the characters becauseI am all about more Latinx boys who like boysin YA literature andhello with that New York Times Best Seller Titlebut I think one of the things I love most aboutThey Both Die At The End is the world there are justendless possibilities for stories that Adam can writewithin the They Both Die At The End worldand I wanna know more about it I don't think I've everbeen more intrigued with a like not super superhigh fantasy world but one that's like thisit's very interesting, and I loved so muchso I don't know if this is 7 and 8 or if this is 6 and 7whatever I have two books from the same seriesand I don't normally do this I normally like if I readmultiple books in a series in a yearI will put them together as one spotbut I struggled so hard to pick like exactly number 17that I put these two together as individual slotsand moved everything upif you did not know picking 17 booksthat you wanna talk about as your favorites of the yearis very very difficult but the two books I chose areLair Of Dreams and Before The Devil Breaks You by Libba Braybooks 2 and 3 in The Diviners seriesI'm only gonna hold up Before The Devil Breaks Youcause these books are really heavytalk about The Diviners is really easy because I havenothing bad about it to say it is one of the mostamazing YA series of all timeand my voice just crackedI love talking about The Diviner Series and the onlyperson I can really do that with is Sara from sarawithoutanHso please read The Divinersif you haven't heard of The Diviners, it takes place in1920's New York City where there are ghost and peoplehave a special abilities, and there are all entirely differentyou have really amazing well-rounded fantasticcharacters we have a black main characterwe have a gay main character we havea half- Chinese half-Irish asexual main characterwho is interested in womenwho is also disabledyou also have a Jewish main character and like all ofthese characters are one of the best YA gangs I 'veever read I love The Diviners so muchso well written so exciting amazing fantastic wonderfulyou have to read itoh my god how are we only down to 4but Number 4 on my list of 17 in 2017 isWhat I Lost by Alexandra Ballardit's all about this girl named Elizabeth who has anorexiaand has recently entered in-patient treatment centerfor her eating disorderas someone who' s been battling anorexia for the lastTen years I love this book with all of my heartit is my favorite book with eating disorder representationof all time probably my favoritemental health book of all timeI just I can not express to you how happy I am that thisbook exists my favorite thing about What I Lostis not just that it has fantastic representationfor anorexia as the author has also dealtwith an eating disorder herselfbut it is focused on recovery and treatment and gettingbetter which is unfortunately not as focused onwhen it comes to mental health novels relatingto mental illness in Young Adult literaturethis book pretty much has everything I ever wantanyone to know about anorexia and everything I wantthem to know about eating disorder treatmentit is so important and if you like mental health novelsand you like my recommendations for mental healthnovels, please take this oneWhat I Lost is honestly a book that I'm just going totreasure for the rest of my life it is so important to meit is literally a piece of my identityand I'm so so happy I read it this yearwe're up to the top 3 now book Number 3 on this listis one I've been raving about for a while and that isMoxie By Jennifer Mathieuvery similar to The Nowhere Girls Moxie is all aboutthis girl named Viv who is very fed-up with the sexist andmisogynistic culture at her schoolso she takes it upon herself to create a feminist zineinspired by the Riot Grrrl movement of the 90'sand distribute it anonymously at school to bring all ofthe girls together to create changeagain like the Nowhere Girls because this books reallyare just like sisters, and if you like one you'll love the otherI really wish I had this book when I was a teenI feel like it just it spreads such an important messageof equality and strength and women empowermentand that's the kind of stuff I wanna see in Young Adultsit's super empowering super fun, and it's another oneof those books that is just it really hits the nail on whatteenagers are actually like its very realisticit has a very healthy love interest in relationshipwhich I absolutely love I love everything about Moxieit's really really fantastic, and I will continueto recommend it to you guysover and over and over again until the entire worldhas read it because it's just it's that goodbook Number 21. I feel like most of you will be surprised to hearas Number 2 because I've only really talked about itlike twice on my channelbut that's because it was a very recent readso Number 2 for my favorite books of 2017 isWarcross by Marie LuWarcross is another one that is just very very hardto give yea a short synopsis of it takes placein near-futuristic New York and Tokyowhere it's a science-fiction world where like everythingis Virtual Realityso there is this Virtual Reality game called Warcrossthat is just like an international phenomenoneveryone plays everyone watches it it's the biggest thingin the world and our main character named Emikaends up accidentally glitching herself intothe opening ceremonies of Warcross where she is thenhired by the creator of Warcross to investigatesome like problems going on within the internal stuffof Warcross where there is might be some crime goin onand some people breaking down stuff and whatnotit it's really hard to explain, but it's absolutely amazingthis book is probably one of the most well constructedYA books I have read in such a long time I love itI love everything about it; I love the charactersI love the plot; I love the world, I love the twisteverything about Warcross is absolutely amazingI can not recommend Warcross enoughthe second I finished it I just I need the sequeland I know I have to wait a full year for itbut I just love it so so muchI know there is a lot of contemporary on this listbecause I have read so much contemporary this yearbut if you're going to take the science-fiction-fantasy recommendationoff this list, I would highly recommend it for it to be Warcrossit is ground-breaking in my opinion I loved it so muchand I can not wait for the sequeland finally, we get too my absolute favorite Number 1book of 2017 and I know I said like all of the orderdoesn't really matter this one is absolutely Number 1and I don't know why I keep it for lastcause you all knew what it was gonna be before I evenstarted this video it is of courseLord of Shadows by Cassandra Clarebook 2 in The Dark Artifices SeriesI am blown away by Lord of ShadowsI am deceased; I am dead this is my ghost speakingbecause this book wrecked meit takes the Shadowhunter world to new heightsthat we never could have expected from the beginningof it ten years agoit is absolutely by far Cassandra Clare's best and mostsophisticated work and I'm just so proud to see her likedoin' her thing improving her writing and just writingsuch amazing amazing booksI can not even give you a concise representationof why I love Lord of Shadows so much cause likemy review was 30 minutes longI love absolutely everything about this bookI love the characters; I love all the romancesI love the plot; I love the worldI love how everything about it is just expandingand growing bigger beyond any of us could have expectedit is so amazin if you haven'tstarted Shadowhunters Chronicles yet you need tooand so specifically so you can get to Lord of Shadowsbecause it is one of my absolute favorite books of all timeit is so good it's so amazing I'm so happyit came out this year, and I can not wait forQueen of Air and Darkness coming out December of next yearthat is really it for my top 17 books of 2017I had such an amazing reading yearI think this is probably like my favorite reading year of myentire life I read so many good books andI just love all of them so muchdefinitely, let me know in the comments belowwhat were some of your favorite books in 2017did you read any of these books, did you like themdid you not like them, are you planning to read any of themin 2018 which I really really hope sobut that is it for this videothank you guys so much for watchingand I'll see you soon for a new onebye\n"