2021 Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag

Folks, it’s true. I’m back! It’s been a long 18 months since you’ve heard from me, but my job got extremely busy and complicated last year and has just now decided to finally slow back down and let me get back to the wonderful world of blogging. Did you miss me? You know I missed you! And hey, what better way to get reintroduce myself to you than a mid-year catch up?


Best Book You’ve Read So Far

Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far

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New Release You Haven’t Read Yet But Want To

Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half Of The Year

Biggest Disappointment

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I was super excited for this book when it was first announced. However, I found it to be incredibly slow and the mystery didn’t quite capture my interest like I thought it would. I was just expecting a little bit more from this one.

Biggest Surprise

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This is a series that I came across on Kindle Unlimited and I had no idea what to expect. But man, oh man, did this series have me hooked from the very first page. It’s not amazing, nor will the writing win any prizes, but it is soooo stinking fun. It’s my guilty pleasure series of 2021… and no, I do not feel one ounce of guilt for loving it. Definitely recommend it if you want some naughty fun, but fair warning that a large portion of it does deal with some very adult situations around extreme bullying.

Favorite New Author (Debut/New To You)

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Whattttttt?! Larkin’s choice is a rom-com writer?! Yes, it’s true! I started listening to Jenny Colgan’s books on audio earlier this year and really fell in love. They’re cozy and cute and the small Scottish village setting really becomes its own character. Her books are like eating your favorite comfort food. I can’t get enough!

Newest Fictional Crush

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Selwyn Kane. Bad boy and resident Merlin… Be still my beating heart.

Newest Favorite Character

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Sophie and Howl. I couldn’t really choose just one of them because their hilarious back and forth sassy comments made this book for me. I caught myself laughing aloud whenever they got into one of their arguments. And controversial opinion time: The book is wayyyy better than Miyazaki’s film adaptation. Like not even close.

Book That Made You Cry

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Yes, I bawled my eyes out at this finale. No shame.

Book That Made You Happy

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I was provided an ARC of this book from the publisher and enjoyed it so much. It had the cutest little romance that made me smile the entire time I read it.

Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought So Far This Year

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What Books Do You Need To Read By The End Of The Year

Favorite Book To Movie Adaptation You’ve Seen This Year

It’s not a movie, but the Shadow and Bone series on Netflix was absolutely amazing. It completely blew my expectations out of the water! I just really need season two to come out immediately, please!


What is your favorite book read of 2021 so far? Biggest disappointment? Have you discovered a new favorite author? What book are you most looking forward to reading in the second half of the year?

2019 Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag

Another half year has gone by super fast. I think it really is true what they say, “The years go fast, but the days go slow.” I think that’s especially true as you get older. I mean I will turn 30 in 18 months and that doesn’t even compute with me sometimes. However, that also means that we’ve had 6 months of reading time so far in 2019 and that is awesome. It also means that I’m THIS much closer to my favorite time of year – fall. Cold weather is calling me and I cannot wait!


Best Book You’ve Read So Far In 2019

I couldn’t pick just one book because all four of these books just rocked my freaking world this year for different reasons. I cannot recommend them enough to people.

Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far In 2019

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I’m honestly just trash for this series. The first one was so unique but maybe suffered from a bit of slow pacing, but holy moly this sequel was insanely amazing. There was an outlaw style space port, cage-style fighting, etc. I don’t even know how Caine and Aguirre are going to be able to top this sequel, but I have really high hopes!

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet But Want To

Basically I’m kicking my ass over having not read these books because I am obsessed with Jeff Zentner and Emily Henry’s novels. But I will say that I own Kingsbane but I’ve been putting it aside until I do a reread of Furyborn. It’s happening soon though, for sure.

Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half Of The Year

Okay, just give me all of the books at this point. I promise I won’t complain.

Biggest Disappointment

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I wish I understood what the hype was with this book but it did not work at all for me. The main character was so whiny and naïve, making it really hard for me to care about any of her thoughts. I get that maybe that’s a reason because she’s been so isolated but still, it just didn’t work for me.

Biggest Surprise

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I know there was a lot of hype going around this book when it first came out, especially considering it was Reese Witherspoon’s book club pick. But even with that, I wasn’t sure it was going to work for me as I’m super picky when it comes to contemporary novels. However, I freaking loved it so much! I listened to the audiobook and it was amazing. I’ll definitely be picking up whatever else this author writes.

Favorite New Author (Debut/New To You)

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I am so impressed by the world-building Fonda Lee created in Jade City. It was so impressive and interesting. This was my first read by her but I know I’m already obsessed. I can’t wait to continue with this series and also explore some of her other novels.

Newest Fictional Crush

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Nathaniel Thorn is one sassy sexy sorcerer. I was living for his witty one-liners and the back and forth banter between him and Elizabeth.

Newest Favorite Character

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Spensa is so feisty and strong-willed. I love that she doesn’t take no for an answer but continues to fight for what she wants and what she believes in. She’s just a little firecracker. I am slowly dying inside waiting for the sequel to come out because I cannot wait to see what she’s going to do next.

Book That Made You Cry

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Yeah, I’ll admit that I shed a few tears at work while listening to this audiobook. They were happy tears though!

Book That Made You Happy

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This book was just such a joy. It was engaging and fun, with a really great family story as well. It wasn’t what I was expecting at first but turned out to be just as great.

Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought So Far This Year

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What Books Do You Need To Read By The End Of The Year

Favorite Book To Movie Adaptation You’ve Seen This Year

I don’t know if it really counts since I haven’t read the books but I really enjoyed Dumplin’ and Mortal Engines.

Favorite Review You’ve Written This Year


What is your favorite book read of 2019 so far? Biggest disappointment? Have you discovered a new favorite author? What book are you most looking forward to reading in the second half of the year?

2019 Release Covers That I Love

I will always admit that I’m a sucker for a gorgeous book cove. I have definitely bought many a book based mostly on its cover… and I am not ashamed. I love pretty covers and I think it’s been pretty rare where I ended up not enjoying that book, too. So you can probably guess that all of the amazing covers being unveiled lately for 2019 releases has got me really excited. I can’t wait to add these beauties to my bookshelves!


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Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars, #1) by Elizabeth Lim

Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she’ll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There’s just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.

Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia’s task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.

And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.

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Finale (Caraval, #3) by Stephanie Garber

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…all games must come to an end.

It’s been two months since the last Caraval concluded, two months since the Fates have been freed from an enchanted deck of cards, two months since Tella has seen Legend, and two months since Legend claimed the empire’s throne as his own. Now, Legend is preparing for his official coronation and Tella is determined to stop it. She believes her own mother, who still remains in an enchanted sleep, is the rightful heir to the throne.

Meanwhile, Scarlett has started a game of her own. She’s challenged Julian and her former fiancé, Count Nicolas d’Arcy, to a competition where the winner will receive her hand in marriage. Finaly, Scarlett feels as if she is in complete control over her life and future. She is unaware that her mother’s past has put her in the greatest danger of all.

Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun―with lives, empires, and hearts all at stake. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win…and those who will lose everything. . .

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Lovely War by Julie Berry

It’s 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She’s a shy and talented pianist; he’s a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it’s immediate and deep—and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.

Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who’s played Carnegie Hall, he’s a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that’s before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who’s already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.

Thirty years after these four lovers’ fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.

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The Beautiful (The Beautiful, #1) by Renee Ahdieh

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she’s forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld, known as Le Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group’s leader, the enigmatic Sèbastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of Le Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sèbastien’s guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.

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The Merciful Crow (The Merciful Crow, #1) by Margaret Owen

A future chieftain

Fie abides by one rule: look after your own. Her Crow caste of undertakers and mercy-killers takes more abuse than coin, but when they’re called to collect royal dead, she’s hoping they’ll find the payout of a lifetime.

A fugitive prince

When Crown Prince Jasimir turns out to have faked his death, Fie’s ready to cut her losses—and perhaps his throat. But he offers a wager that she can’t refuse: protect him from a ruthless queen, and he’ll protect the Crows when he reigns.

A too-cunning bodyguard

Hawk warrior Tavin has always put Jas’s life before his, magically assuming the prince’s appearance and shadowing his every step. But what happens when Tavin begins to want something to call his own?

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The Devouring Gray (The Devouring Gray, #1) by Christine Lynn Herman

Branches and stones, daggers and bones,
They locked the Beast away.

After the death of her sister, seventeen-year-old Violet Saunders finds herself dragged to Four Paths, New York. Violet may be a newcomer, but she soon learns her mother isn’t: They belong to one of the revered founding families of the town, where stone bells hang above every doorway and danger lurks in the depths of the woods.

Justin Hawthorne’s bloodline has protected Four Paths for generations from the Gray—a lifeless dimension that imprisons a brutal monster. After Justin fails to inherit his family’s powers, his mother is determined to keep this humiliation a secret. But Justin can’t let go of the future he was promised and the town he swore to protect.

Ever since Harper Carlisle lost her hand to an accident that left her stranded in the Gray for days, she has vowed revenge on the person who abandoned her: Justin Hawthorne. There are ripples of dissent in Four Paths, and Harper seizes an opportunity to take down the Hawthornes and change her destiny-to what extent, even she doesn’t yet know.

The Gray is growing stronger every day, and its victims are piling up. When Violet accidentally unleashes the monster, all three must band together with the other Founders to unearth the dark truths behind their families’ abilities—before the Gray devours them all.

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The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction–but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

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Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner

Every Friday night, best friends Delia and Josie become Rayne Ravenscroft and Delilah Darkwood, hosts of the campy creature feature show Midnite Matinee on the local cable station TV Six.

But with the end of senior year quickly approaching, the girls face tough decisions about their futures. Josie has been dreading graduation, as she tries to decide whether to leave for a big university and chase her dream career in mainstream TV. And Lawson, one of the show’s guest performers, a talented MMA fighter with weaknesses for pancakes, fantasy novels, and Josie, is making her tough decision even harder.

Scary movies are the last connection Delia has to her dad, who abandoned the family years ago. If Midnite Matinee becomes a hit, maybe he’ll see it and want to be a part of her life again. And maybe Josie will stay with the show instead of leaving her behind, too.

As the tug-of-war between growing up and growing apart tests the bonds of their friendship, Josie and Delia start to realize that an uncertain future can be both monstrous…and momentous.

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Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy, #1) by Emily A. Duncan

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy.

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Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, but when her beloved father is murdered, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of an unstable kingdom. Determined to find her father’s killer, Hesina does something desperate: she engages the aid of a soothsayer—a treasonous act, punishable by death… because in Yan, magic was outlawed centuries ago.

Using the information illicitly provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust even her family, Hesina turns to Akira—a brilliant and alluring investigator who’s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?

In this shimmering Chinese-inspired fantasy, debut author Joan He introduces a determined and vulnerable young heroine struggling to do right in a world brimming with deception.


What are some of your favorite covers for 2019 releases? Are you excited about any of the books that I shared?

 

 

My 2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge TBR

For the past couple of years I have participated in the annual POPSUGAR reading challenge… and with abysmal results. However, it’s a new year (unfortunately, same me) and I’m really going to try and actually complete it this year. It’s always a long shot for me as some of the prompts don’t really excite me for one reason or another (like I really don’t appreciate poetry.. oops?). But I’m going to do my best to finish this really intense reading challenge this year. It’s going to be a uphill battle, but I’m willing to make the trek! And for me, the best way to do so is to plan ahead with a TBR. I’ve actually come up with a couple of options for some of the prompts to help with my indecisive reading habits.

If you would like to learn more about this reading challenge, please visit the official Goodreads reading group. They have tons of participants and also discussions on books that would work for each prompt. It’s quite possibly the best group on Goodreads that I’ve ever come across. NO LIE.


A Book Becoming A Movie In 2019

A Book That Makes You Nostalgic

A Book Written By A Musician (Fiction Or Nonfiction)

A Book You Think Should Be Turned Into A Movie

A Book With At Least One Million Ratings On Goodreads

A Book With A Plant In The Title Or On The Cover

A Reread Of A Favorite Book

A Book About A Hobby

A Book You Meant To Read In 2018

A Book With “Pop”, “Sugar”, “Challenge” In The Title

A Book With An Item Of Clothing Or Accessory On The Cover

A Book Inspired By Myth/Legend/Folklore

A Book Published Posthumously

A Book You See Someone Reading On TV Or In A Movie

A Retelling Of A Classic

A Book With A Question In The Title

A Book Set On A College Or University Campus

A Book About Someone With A Superpower

A Book Told From Multiple POVs

A Book Set In Space

A Book By Two Female Authors

A Book With “Salty”, “Sweet”, “Bitter”, or “Spicy” In The Title

A Book Set In Scandinavia

A Book That Takes Place In A Single Day

A Debut Novel

A Book Featuring An Extinct Or Imaginary Creature

A Book Recommended By A Celebrity You Admire

A Book With “Love” In The Title

A Book Featuring An Amateur Detective

A Book About A Family

A Book Written By An Author From Asia, Africa, or South America

A Book With A Zodiac Sign or Astrology Term In The Title

A Book That Includes A Wedding

A Book By An Author Whose First And Last Names Start With The Same Letter

A Ghost Story

A Book With A Two Word Title

A Novel Based On A True Story

A Book Around A Puzzle Or Game

Your Favorite Prompt From A Past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


Are you participating in the POPSUGAR reading challenge this year? If so, have you figured out your TBR already? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, what did you think about them?