Best and Worst Books I Read in 2021 (Spoiler Free)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! 

Today I'm going to be talking about the best and worst books I read in 2021. I have independent reviews for the majority of these books, which I will link to in case anyone is interested in my more in-depth thoughts.

Without further ado, let's get into the post, beginning with the best books I read. 

Best

These books aren't in any particular order, as I find it difficult to rank books I enjoy. All I include here are synopses and my spoiler-free thoughts.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia 

Eliza and Her Monsters is a YA contemporary romance novel. This story follows Eliza Mirk, an eighteen-year-old girl. She's the anonymous webcomic creator of Monstrous Sea. In real life, Eliza is shy, friendless, and has anxiety, but online she is LadyConstellation and has millions of followers and fans. 

Her world is changed when a boy named Wallace Warland transfers to her school. Wallace writes fanfiction for Monstrous Sea. The two become friends, but Eliza doesn't tell him that she is LadyConstellation, the creator of the exact web comic he is a fan of. 

I really liked this book. It was cute. I also liked the artistic elements that were weaved into the story. They were seamless and made the story more enjoyable. The characters were fantastic and I instantly fell in love with them.

I wrote a review for this a few months ago, if you want to read my complete, spoiler filled thoughts on this book (linked here: Book Review: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia (opens in new window)).

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a children's/middle grade novel told in words and drawings. This was technically a re-read for me as I read this book many years ago.

This book is about 12-year-old Hugo Cabret, an orphan who lives in a train station in Paris in the 1930s. This is a historical fiction novel. It has a lot of historical elements sprinkled in (as it should), and gives a good introductory insight into the history of film and cinema.

This is a novel told in words and pictures. It's very unique and is the first children's novel/chapter book to receive the Caldecott Medal, an award given annually to the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children." The Caldecott and Newbery medals are considered the most prestigious awards for American children's books. 

I love this book. I loved it as a child, and I love it now. It's a fantastic book that mixes two of my favorite things: reading and drawing. Plus, the cover is absolutely stunning for a children's book.

Much like the last one, I wrote an independent review for this book (linked here: Book Review: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (opens in new window)).

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows is a YA fantasy novel with romance aspects sprinkled in, though it isn't the focal point of the novel. This series is technically the second series in the Grishaverse, the first being the Grisha/Shadow and Bone trilogy (depends on who in the fandom you ask; both are valid search queries, though if you read the Six of Crows cover at the top, it clearly states Grisha Trilogy).

This story is written in third-person point-of-view following six characters (five have a POV in this novel). These six characters are members of a gang in a world inspired by Amsterdam, Antwerp, Las Vegas, and Old New York (New Amsterdam), with one member being a leader. 

The leader of this gang (the Dregs) is Kaz Brekker, a 17-year-old boy. Kaz is very well known in Ketterdam, particularly in the place called 'the Barrel,' where he is known by 'Dirtyhands.' 

There are numerous other protagonists, such as Inej Ghafa (the Wraith), Jesper Fahey (the Sharpshooter), Nina Zenik (the Heartrender), and two others who are introduced a few chapters in. This book is very similar to the general idea of Ocean's Eleven, but as if it was a YA fantasy novel. 

My full review linked here: Six of Crows: Ocean's Eleven Meets YA Fantasy (opens in new window).

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi

War Girls is a YA Speculative Fiction novel. It takes place in 2172, but is meant to tell a partial history of the Nigerian Civil War/Biafran War/Nigerian-Biafran War that began in 1967 and ended in 1970. 

I say partial because it is still fiction, and Tochi Onyebuchi took inspiration from other aspects of African history, as mentioned in the Author's Note.

War Girls is told from the perspectives of two characters. Two "adopted" sisters named Onyii and Ify. This story is told in third-person present tense, so the writing tense is definitely not for everyone. 

I checked this book out in 2020 to read during quarantine. Despite checking it out in March 2020, I actually read and finished this book in March 2021, due to my local library being closed.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different as well as intriguing. I also really enjoyed the writing style.

Review here: Speculative Fiction Set in Africa: War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi (opens in new window).

Sick Kids In Love by Hannah Moskowitz 

Sick Kids in Love is a YA contemporary romance that was released in 2019. The story is about Isabel Garfinkel and Sasha Sverdlov-Deckler, two Jewish teens who meet at the NYC hospital Isabel's father works at. 

Both of these characters have chronic illnesses and fall in love, hence the title. I was excited to read this. I read this one in December, so this read was pretty recent. I was excited for two reasons. 

I was excited to read a book with a romance between characters who have medical issues where both live. To clarify, this isn't a spoiler. The tagline at the top of the cover reads, "They don't die in this one." 

Isabel has rheumatoid arthritis and Sasha has Gaucher's disease. I really like this book, but there were a few things I didn't like about it. I will be posting a spoiler review for this book next month, so look out for that. That's where I will discuss the spoilers, but I'll explain the biggest problem I have with this book: Isabel's diagnosis. 

She's 16 (17 at the end of the book), and she explains that she was diagnosed with RA at the age of 9. This is impossible. Children cannot be diagnosed with straight up RA. Isabel has JIA, and the fact that she is described as having RA is medically inaccurate. I will explain this point further in my review.

This is one of only two books that I have not reviewed on my blog, but the review will be coming soon, so keep an eye out for that if you are interested. 

Worst

These books were the worst books I read in 2021, ordered from "best" to worst. Again, these "mini-reviews" are spoiler-free.

My Little Pony: Applejack and the Honest-to-Goodness Switcheroo by G.M. Berrow

I'm going to preface this by saying that this book was fine. I had no problem with this book, plot, writing, or characters. 

The problem I had was that the blurb on the back of the book gives a detail that doesn't happen until the last couple chapters of the book.

That was my main complaint. Other than that, this book is fun and enjoyable. I just didn't like that the title and blurb give away something that happens toward the end. 

What this book really is about is Applejack trying to win an award for Sweet Apple Acres, her family's farm, not whatever the blurb advertises.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything is a YA contemporary romance novel. I read this book in November. This review is spoiler free, but let me just say this: I hated the ending of this book. 

This was a 2.5 star read for me. I wrote a spoiler filled rant review for this book (linked here: Rant Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (opens in new window)).

This story is about Madeline Whittier, an 18-year-old biracial (half-African American, half-Japanese) girl who lives inside a sterilized home because she has a rare disease called Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, or SCID for short. 

It is also known as 'bubble boy disease' after the media used it to refer to David Vetter, a young boy who was diagnosed with the condition in the 1970s.

Maddy has lived a pretty happy life. She spends a lot of time with her mother and her nurse, Carla. Then, Maddy's life changes drastically once Olly, a new boy next door moves in. They begin to talk through emails and get to know each other. 

This book is a romance story about a girl falling in love with the boy next door. 

If you are interested in this plot and think it'll be a great book with disability rep, I'd highly recommend reading my review, despite the numerous spoilers included. 

If you're interested in this for the romance aspect then I'd recommend it, but if you're interested because you want to read about this illness/disability that Maddie has, then you'll likely be disappointed, as the ending is an offensive letdown.

The romance was cute, but this book was hands down the worst book I read in 2021. The amount of times the second half frustrated me was uncanny as I don't get that frustrated that often. 

To a certain extent, I'd say that I hated the second half of this book more than I hate Twilight, which is saying a lot, as Twilight was my book to rank on in 2020.

So there you go! 

Those are best and worst books I read in 2021. I intend to do another for 2022, as long as I have at least two books I disliked.

See you Thursday,

Lexi K🖌