The Hero of Ages is the final book in the first Mistborn trilogy. These were the first real fantasy books that I read and they occupy a special place in my heart. They really inspired me to set out on a life-altering journey through the genre. For that reason, I often recommend this series to people who don’t read fantasy but might be interested in starting it. Brandon Sanderson is the best at creating fascinating and exciting worlds. He’s also great for the plot-chasers out there. He takes you places that you would never expect and being surprised like that is one of my favorite feelings.   

There are other magics in this universe, but the main one is called Allomancy. Some individuals have the power to ingest metal and “burn” it to use special powers. Each metal is tied to certain abilities, such as increased strength, better sight and hearing, and much more. The people who have this ability either have one of the powers or all of them. One or the other—nothing in-between.

Mistborn a fantastic trilogy and a good introduction to fantasy and Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere.

The Hunger Games, by Suzzane Collins, has 73,751 Amazon reviews and nearly 5.5 million Goodreads ratings. It’s the most reviewed book in my recommendations. Is it the best? Not even close. I enjoyed the first two books very much, though. It’s a neat and terrifying idea that makes for some entertaining storytelling. It’s very much a page-turner and is action-packed all the way through.

It should be noted that I really disliked the third and final book in the series and it’s rare for me to outright not like a book I decided to pick up and read. Most of the time, I use book recommendations and ratings and reviews to decide what story I read. It usually works out. Not so much this time.

A Lion Among Menis the third book in the Wickedseries (yes, these were the books used for the smash-hit Broadway show). It’s essentially a retelling of The Wizard of Oz story from the Wicked Witch of the West’s perspective. I like these books well enough, but I admit that they can be pretty dense at times. They are definitely of the literary type as well. If you’re into that sort of thing, then these books might be up your alley. 

I wouldn’t recommend these books to just anyone. If you aren’t really interested in this series, I would recommend picking something else. That being said, I know a few people who absolutely adore this series, so I think it may be a hit or miss type of series.

Most people have heard of John Green from The Fault in Our Stars, his most popular book that was made into a motion picture. By the way, isn’t it weird that we’re still using the term ‘motion picture’? Like, “oh wow, that picture is moving! Incredible!” What, are we living in the 1930s or something? Note to self, this will be the last time you ever use that term ever again.

Anyways, Paper Townswas my least favorite of the three John Green books that I’ve read. What was really cool about it was that it took place in Orlando, FL, my hometown. John Green actually went to a school that I worked at for a while. It was neat to read about the references he used and knowing the areas he talked about. Still, storywise, I enjoyed Looking for Alaskaand The Fault in our Starsa lot more.

If you’re looking for the YA, funny/sad type of book, I would start with those two over this one. If you’ve already read those and liked them, by all means, read Paper Towns, just be prepared for a book that might be on a lower echelon then his most popular stuff.