Top Five Favorite Standalones

Hey readers! It’s Kamama with a short list of my favorite standalones. I don’t read as many standalones as I would like, to be perfectly honest and that might be why this list is so short. I do feel as if there is a standalone shortage though, because every time I go to the library to find an interesting book it ends up being in a series.

For once, I have labeled them in the order of how much I liked them. We’ll be going from least favorite to most favorite, and I will try not to ramble.

Number Five: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The book takes place on an English island and every year on November first the islanders hold a race with magic water horses. We follow two perspectives, Puck (whose real name is Kate) and Sean, and both are entering the race. Puck’s family is struggling with finances and unity, and she believes that her only solution is to enter the race, so she puts her name on the board for the very first time. Sean, on the other hand, has won the races for the past few years and works regularly with the water horses but is being bullied and challenged by his boss’s son. The two of them cross paths along the way, and you can guess what happens from there.

If you know me, you know why I loved this book just from that brief summary. Not only is the book fantasy (my favorite genre), but it is also about horses, which is one of my other passions in life. Other than the horse element, I loved the characters and the realistic family situation that Puck finds herself in. I also thought that the romance was really well done. It was definitely a slow burn romance, the author took her time with it, which I appreciated. The two became friends before they started dating, which I liked, and once they started dating they kept things appropriate, which I liked even more. If you do decide to read this book, I will say there is some minor language. Throughout most of the book everything was kept pretty clean, but in the last few chapters some words were said, which was disappointing. Overall though, a pretty good book! I mean, it made it to my favorites list.

Number Four: Brightwood by Tania Unsworth

I believe this is the shortest book on this list. If not the shortest, then it has the fastest pacing. This book is about a young girl named Daisy who lives on an estate in a mansion called Brightwood. Her mother has kept Daisy hidden from the outside world all her life, and nobody knows of her existence. She was born on the estate grounds and not once in her life has she walked through the gates or climbed over the wall. Despite living alone with her mother, she has many friends, from Tar the rat, an adventurer ghost, a hedge horse named True, and a boy trapped in a painting. However, everything goes awry when Daisy’s mom goes missing and a strange man appears on the grounds.

It’s been a while since I’ve read this book, but I remember finishing it in a day and making a space for it on my bookshelf the moment I read the last chapter. I don’t quite know what the genre is. It's set in the real world with supposedly no magic, but the main character’s best friend is a talking rat so I don’t know what to tell you. It’s a fast paced book that is very hard to put down once you get into it, and I can’t tell you too much about it without spoiling it, so good read it! As far as I can remember, it’s completely clean with no language or suggestive content. There is some minor violence, but I don’t think it’s enough to bother most people.

Number Three: Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Ah, here is the customary Brandon Sanderson book! I think that Elantris is an underrated book of Sanderson’s. Warbreaker (one of his other standalones) attracts much more attention than this book, but I like this one better. Elantris is a magical city that used to be inhabited by people who were silver and had magical powers, but by the time of the story, Elantris has fallen. The people who used to live there have become ugly with their skin and hair turning gray, and their magic gone. What used to be a blessing is now considered a curse, and people who become an Elantrian are considered unclean and are tossed into the wretched city never to be seen again. There are three perspectives in this story, Raoden, Sarene, and Hrathen. Raoden is a prince who becomes an Elantrian and is thrown into the city, Sarene is a princess who is coming to marry Prince Raoden for an alliance only to arrive and find him “dead,” and Hrathen is a priest from a foreign country.

I love this book. There’s a lot I can’t say because of spoilers, but it’s just… yes. The magic system, as always with Sanderson books, is well thought out and impeccable. The characters are diverse with many different personalities and lifestyles. The plot has so many mysteries and twists, I can think of three off the top of my head, and in my opinion the pacing is fabulous. The reason this book is number three and not number one on my list is because of one character: Hrathen. I hate him. I understand his importance to the plot and everything, but I hate him. I can’t even explain why, because spoilers and also I don’t have any real reasons, I just hate him.

Number Two: The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkein

How could you have a top standalone list and not have The Hobbit on it? It’s a classic! Also, I don’t have to give a detailed summary for this one because literally everyone knows what it's about. Wizard recruits a hobbit to join a group of dwarves off to claim back their mountain from the dragon sleeping on top of piles of gold. There is a lot more to it than that, but this post is already way too long than it needs to be, so I’m rushing just a little bit.

I love this book because it’s a classic, it has great themes, the characters are so very likable, the worldbuilding is detailed and some of the best fiction has ever seen, and it has been a great inspiration to me personally. Bilbo is such a relatable character, and you can’t get any better than Gandalf. As one of my writerly friends can attest as he’s read The Hobbit over thirty times now, you find something new every time you read it.

Number One: The Book Jumper by Mechthild Gläser

Now we are onto my favorite standalone of all time! The Book Jumper is about a girl named Amy who moves to her mother’s childhood home, a magical island where people can jump into books, and she is obviously ecstatic at the opportunity to do this. However, as she spends more time on the island, she begins to discover many secrets that some would rather she not know about. I can’t say much more than that because, like I said, this book has many secrets.

I love this book for so many reasons, I don’t even know where to start. Amy, our main character, is so relatable and realistic from her love of books to her anxiety and self doubt. The romance between Amy and her love interest is so cute, I was smiling like a fool every time they interacted. But also, the plot twists. You see none of them coming. Each one is like a slap to the face and you’re left shocked by the sting. This book has the best plot of any book I’ve ever read in my entire life. And that’s one of the biggest reasons I love it so much.

Well, thanks for sticking around and listening to my rambling for the past few minutes! If any of these books interest you, check them out and let me know if you liked them. (There are, after all, my favorites!)

Until Next Time!

~Kamama Deere