Top Ten Tuesday: Top Books with Forest Settings

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Make sure to visit this blog to find links to other Top Ten Tuesday posts! 

This week's topic: List your top ten favorite books in a certain setting of your choice. 

My top ten (fantasy) books with a forest setting, in no particular order: 

1. Redwall by Brian Jacques (MG)

My all-time favorite book. I was given this book when I was about seven, and was hopelessly addicted to the Fantasy genre afterwards. It’s the book that sparked my love of reading; without it, my life may have ended up completely different than it is now.

2. Ranger’s Apprentice: The Book of Gorlan by John Flanagan (MG)

I spent most of sixth grade holed away in my room reading this series. It’s fantastic; action, adventure, fantasy, and a touch of romance. What more could you ask from an MG series?

3. Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter (MG)

Okay, so I spent sixth grade reading Flanagan AND Hunter. I just love the Warriors series; it’s so cute! And it’s about cats, so how could I not love it?

4. The Marked Son by Shea Berkley (YA)

I recently finished this book, and I adored it. The main character is so wonderfully snarky and loveable, and the fantasy aspects blew me away. Such a unique world!

5. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (YA)

How could anyone not love this book? The main character is totally kick-ass, the world-building is breathtaking, and the love interests are totally swoon-worthy. Definitely one of my favorite books out there!

6. Destiny Binds by Tammy Blackwell (YA)

When people are just starting to venture into indie novels, I always recommend this one. It’s such a sweet and heartbreaking story, and the writing is of very high quality.

7. Light of the Moon by David James (YA)

This is another indie novel I recently finished, and I must say, it took me by surprise. I adored the magic-system, and the main character was just so loveable. As a side note, I’m convinced the main character is gay, and I’m rooting for him to get together with his best friend. What is he doing chasing after a girl?!

8. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (YA)

It’s about werewolves. And it’s by Stiefvater. Must I further explain its awesomeness to you?

9. Moon Spell by Samantha Young (YA)

This was the first book I read by Samantha Young, and I love it! And it’s also about werewolves, so hooray!

10. The Mayfair Moon by J. A. Redmerski (YA)

Okay, this one is about werewolves, too. Can you see a trend in my reading pattern? I can’t help it, I swear! But this is one of my favorite werewolf books; the characters are awesome, and the cover is gorgeous!

Book Cover Love (#1)

I love book covers. Were it legal, I would probably be in a polygamous relationship with a harem of forty different book covers. (Because that’s not awkward at all. *cough cough*) Anyway, every Sunday, I’ll be posting my favorite covers of books releasing this month. If you’re interested in any of the books, click the image to be taken to its Goodreads.com page. So, without further ado, my favorite book covers of the week!

5. “Into the Deep” by Samantha Young (August 20^th)

Thoughts: This new book has a fantastic blurb, and I love the cover. I really want to know who designed it; Young usually uses PhatPuppy Art for her indie covers, but this doesn’t look like that designer’s style. (If anyone knows who designed this cover, please tell me!) Usually, I dislike covers this plain, but there’s something special about this one. It’s just screams “Contemporary Romance”, which is a definite plus for me; I love it when I can tell a genre by the cover. Also, the girl’s expression is almost Mona Lisa-ish. I can’t quite tell what emotion she’s displaying, but I know it’s not a happy one, and that makes me intrigued.

4. “Elegy” by Amanda Hocking (August 6^th)

Thoughts: Amanda Hocking isn’t my favorite author, but she sure gets great covers. She started with PhatPuppy Art (who is my favorite indie cover designer), and now that she’s signed traditionally, her publishers continue to put out books with truly fantastic covers. This one is just so intriguing: Is the model sinking or floating? Are the feathers just red, or do they have blood on them? I have so many questions about this cover, and I just have to read the book to get them answered!

3.  “Crown of Midnight” by Sarah J. Maas. (August 27^th)

Thoughts: Sarah J. Maas is such an inspiring young author, to readers and writers alike. I adore her and her writing, and I love this cover just as much! It’s beautiful and frightening at the same time, and the fonts fit it perfectly. I love how the theme is opposite of the first book: “Throne of Glass” was blue ice, and “Crown of Midnight” is red fire. Perfect!

2. “The Bitter Kingdom” by Rae Carson (August 27^th)

Thoughts: Speaking of blue ice… Here’s some more! I love this cover; at first it seems so simple, but the closer you look, the more you realize how complex it is. The red font looks beautiful against the blue background, and the dead tree branches give it a doomed feeling. I can’t wait to pick this one up!

1.  “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” by April Genevieve Tucholke (August 15^th)

Thoughts: This cover takes my breath away. I usually don’t like large fonts, but this is definitely an exception. It’s terribly gloomy, but at the same time, it’s absolutely gorgeous. The color gradient on the font is perfect, and the people on the cliff immediately caught my attention. I can’t quite tell what they’re doing up there, and that just makes it more interesting. The clouded sky is gorgeous, and I love how it flows into the water almost seamlessly. This is by far one of my favorite covers of the year!

--Laura