Empire of Books Top 10 Books of 2012

This is always the hardest post for me to write. It's my third year doing it and it never gets any easier. Every year it just seems to get ten times harder. The books that come out seem to be even better. The magins are even harder to distinguish and you find yourself hmm-ing and ahh-ing for hours on end. Well, finally, and after some last minute disruptions that made me have to change the list for the umpteenth time, I am, I think, finally finished! So...

 10) The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling.
This woman is a legend. As I have stated before, I would buy her shopping list and fall in love with its prose, it's plot, it's characters (eggs, butter, milk and bread count as characters, right? I say so! I will always welcome new JK into my heart, no matter what the subject matter, so bring it on Jo, gimme what you got! 

9) Black City by Elizabeth Richards.
A late comer in this list, I only read this a week or so ago but oh my word it is one beautiful novel that needs to be devoured right this instant! I cannot wait to see what happens next, in Phoneix!

8) Another Life by Keren David.
Yet again, Keren does it! She knows how to push your buttons and get you sitting right on the edge of that seat, teetering on the edge, occasionally gasping and then falling off in a messy heap on the floor!

7) Zom-B by Darren Shan.
Gory. Bloody. Brainy. Just fantastic! An awesome start to what looks set to be an amazing series! Bravo Shan! Bring it on! 

6) Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver.
This woman can do no wrong, whatsoever! Another cracking start to what looks to be an amazing series, and one I can already feel myself falling in love with. Adventurous, and it takes you right back to the Bronze age! Bring on The Burning Shadow (book two, out August 2013)...

5) Undone by Cat Clarke.
Another late comer, read only last week. Oh boy! Too many things to say, too many feelings! I was in two minds as to whether or not to include it as the Kindle edition is out now, but it's not out physically until the end of January, but it's out there in some form so therefore it's a 2012 book... INCLUDED!

4) Unrest by Michelle Harrison.
One of the most chilling books I have ever read. It made me go cold, it made me feel sick, it made me want to read on and on and on until I'd reached that last page. Utterly addictive and stunning in every way!

3) Insurgent by Veronica Roth.
The tale of Tris and Four and of the factions continues! A stunning sequel that has left me pining for the third and final book in the trilogy, not out until right at the end of 2013! Waaah! What are you doing to me, Veronica? What are you doing to all of us?!

2) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.
Beautiful in every single way, right from the start of the book. It's powerful, brilliantly written, funny, smart, sad, heartbreaking, raw, amazing. Just read it!

So, we come to the Number 1 spot. My favourite book of 2012? Hmm...

And it is.......

........

My Top Book of 2012....

1) Department 19: The Rising by Will Hill.

It was the first book I read this year and it kicked things off with an epic bang. Lots of blood, fighting, action, vampires - REAL VAMPIRES... Will just has this knack of getting it all right, of getting the reader, of trapping them within the pages of the book, capturing all their senses and getting them so deep in the story that they feel as if they're right there, in the thick of it all. He is a storyteller of epic proportions and deserves a lot of credit, praise and so much more. Wonderfully written and just generally great fun.

Now, if you follow me on twitter you might of seen me say that I've struggled with this post a bit. There have been so many amazing books this year, and then there are those late comers that, just when I thought I had this all sorted, came along and decided to throw all of that out the window, so I just wanted to include the covers of some of the books that just missed my Top 10 but I love all the same!

 It has been an epic year for YA! With the release of The Hunger Games film, the growth of dystopian fiction, new voices and old voices alike all publishing some amazing titles! I really cannot wait to see what 2013 has in store for us all! The final Divergent book! Four instalments of Darren Shan's Zom-B series! More Michelle Paver! A new series from Justin Somper (author of Vampirates) which I cannot wait for! 2013 sounds like it's going to be awesome! Come and get me, 2013! Come and get me!