Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag 2020

Okay, I can’t believe it but this will be the THIRD YEAR that I’ve done this tag. That’s crazy to think that I’ve been blogging for this long! I said it last year and I’ll say it again, but time is going by so much faster the older I get because not only is it June, but we’re halfway through June already! Check out my 2019 version here and my 2018 version here.

Best Book You’ve Read So Far

This one is actually a toss up between House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas and The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso. I’m definitely SJM trash (which shouldn’t surprise anyone) and while I know that not everyone loves them, I just fall so easily for her characters and when I tell you that I sobbed, I’m saying I was full on UGLY crying throughout this book. She just has this way of making me so connected and so emotional! Then I also loved The Obsidian Tower because the world was so interesting and the characters were so much fun to learn about! I also loved how sexuality was never something that was made into a big thing, it was just so normalized and I loved the diversity!

Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far

For fantasy, I have to say Heart of Flames by Nicki Pau Preto, because this series is just so intricate and when you think you’ve gotten it all figured out it throws you MAJOR plot twists! I loved watching Veronyka grow and adapt through this second book, and honestly I’m so scared for these characters that I’ve fallen in love with. For a non-fantasy sequel, I have to say The Mistake by Elle Kennedy! I just love romances like these that have cute moments and great chemistry, with a bit of smut thrown in but not so much that it’s overwhelming. This is definitely a guilty pleasure series without the guilt!

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To

I could really expose myself here with the books that I’ve gotten but haven’t read yet, but I’m going to go with A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A Brown and Incendiary by Zoraida Cordova. I’ve been WAITING for both of them to be released and now that I have physical copies of them, I haven’t read them. I’m terrible when it comes to reading books close to their release dates, but I’m making it a goal that I NEED to read these by the end of the summer!

Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year

There are so many that I’m excited for, so I’ll just list out a few! I’m really excited for The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart because the early reviews have been great, Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles because the synopsis sounds so cool, and The Crow Rider by Kalyn Josephson, which I actually have an ARC of and just recently finished, but I’ll still be getting a finished copy of!

Biggest Disappointment

The Arrangement by Robyn Harding. I heard a lot of good things about it from people who enjoy thrillers, and I didn’t find any of it thrilling or mysterious. The characters were flat and everything was so predictable. There was also hardly any development in the relationships, the plot twists were weak, and by the end, there were too many loose ends. Overall, it was just a really disappointing read and I don’t know if I’ll read anything else from this author.

Biggest Surprise

I actually don’t have anything surprising this year! I guess if I had to choose something, I would say The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman because it surprised me that I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. There was just something with the writing that didn’t click with me. So it wasn’t really too surprising because you never know what to expect going into a book, but that’s what I’ll go with for this prompt.

Favorite New Author

I don’t know if you can consider someone a favorite author after just one book, but I think I would say Melissa Caruso because I really enjoyed The Obsidian Tower. I could also say Tessa Dare, because I loved the three books I’ve read from her so far, although they are fairly formulaic.

 

 

Newest Fictional Crush

Definitely Hunt from House of Earth and Blood! I mentioned last year that I’m not usually the kind of person who falls in love with book characters, but Sarah J Maas characters are always the exceptions to that. If you’ve read any of her books, I’m sure you’ve noticed how you just really feel for her characters even if you ended up not liking the book. The way she writes her characters just makes them feel so real!

 

Newest Favorite Character

Again, Hunt, Bryce, Danika, and all the other characters from House of Earth and Blood! I also think that The Crow Rider has solidified Thia, Kiva, and Ericen as new favorite characters for me.  There are just so many great characters in the books I’ve been reading lately!

 

 

Book That Made You Cry

Uhhh… House of Earth and Blood? I hate to be so repetitive, but it’s true! Like I mentioned earlier, SJM just has a way of making you really feel for her characters and I full on SOBBED during parts of House of Earth and Blood.

Book That Made You Happy

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune! It was just so heartwarming and was the perfect read to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside! Even though there was so much against these characters and they were so isolated from everyone else, the message of the book and the way the characters were always there for each other was just perfect.

 

Favorite Book to Film Adaptation You Saw This Year

I haven’t read the book for this one, but I watched Les Miserables this year! I also watched and really loved the 2019 adaptation of Little Women. I read the book when I was really young so I vaguely remembered what happened, but the movie was great and I loved the actors they chose for each character.

Favorite Review/Post You’ve Written This Year

I have a few that I really like from this year, most recently is my LGBT+ Fantasy Book Recommendations post. I also started a new series on my blog for themed book recommendations, starting with 5 Great Books With…Dragons!

Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought So Far This Year

Hmmmm….this is actually a tough one because so many books that I’ve gotten this year are absolutely STUNNING. I’ll just list a few here: Don’t Call the Wolf, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, the Owlcrate edition of Bone Crier’s Moon, the Owlcrate edition of Incendiary, and the Owlcrate edition of Ruthless Gods! I just apparently like a lot of the Owlcrate editions.

What Books Do You Need to Read by the End of the Year?

Can I still say all of them? I really want to make sure that I read the books that I already own instead of buying more, but I DEFINITELY need to finish all my ARCs before the end of the year!

At this point, this is less like a tag and more like something everyone does halfway through the year. I would love to know your answers to these questions!