I see this tag a lot at this time of the year and I have always really wanted to do it, and now I have a platform on which I can! I have not been tagged by anyone, but I’m going to do it anyway, because I think it is a really great tag and I want to share my reading year so far with you!
(This tag was created by Chami and Ely!)
1: Best book you’ve read so far in 2019
This feels somewhat like a personal attack because how can I choose? I think I’m going to have to give more than one answer here, so…a four way tie between King of Scars, Vengeful, The Afterward and Like a Love Story. I just adore these books with all my heart and you should all give them a try because they are FABULOUS.
2: Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019
I don’t know how many sequels I have read exactly, but I think definitely Vengeful, again, and Queen of Air and Darkness. These are the two that I have given five stars, and wowed me completely and carved a place in my heart, but I have read a lot of really great sequels this year, like Finale, The Wicked King and Song of Sorrow.
3: New release you haven’t read yet, but want to
Uh, all of them? I don’t know, too many. I really want to read Sorcery of Thorns soon, as well as Kingsbane and Anna of Kleve. These are just the ones that I own, but are multitudes of new releases on my Goodreads tbr that I am dying to get to.
4: Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
There are so many!! I’m so excited for Wilder Girls which comes out in July, The Dragon Republic which comes out in August, Wild Savage Stars which also comes out in August, Darkdawn which comes out in September, Eclipse the Skies which comes out in September, Gideon the Ninth which also comes out in September, Ninth House which comes out in October, The Never Tilting World which also comes out in October, Call Down The Hawk which comes out in November, The Queen of Nothing which comes out in November….
5: Biggest Disappointment
For a book that I didn’t like much, I would say Four Dead Queens. I thought I would really love this one, but it just didn’t live up to my expectations. But perhaps my most disappointing read was a book that I still really liked: Sawkill Girls. I hyped this up in my mind for so long, and it just didn’t turn out to be as good I wanted it to. It just needed more atmosphere, more darkness, and I was left a little underwhelmed.
6: Biggest Surprise
The Cold is in her Bones shocked me with how much I loved this, and I had passed on purchasing this earlier this year because of mixed reviews. But this was dark and horrifying and sad and everything I didn’t know I wanted.
7: Favourite new author (debut or new to you)
I don’t really tend to class someone as a favourite author until I’ve read two or three of their books and consistently loved them. But I think Alice Oseman could become a favourite author once I’ve read some more of her books, because I loved Radio Silence to pieces.
8: Newest fictional crush
I don’t have one? I don’t really tend to crush on fictional characters very much, or maybe my standards are just too high…
9: Newest favourite character
I ended up loving Zoya more than I ever thought I would in King of Scars, even though she isn’t exactly a new character. I also loved June from Vengeful and I want to read so much more about her. I think I have a preference for morally grey women with a few redeeming values….
10: Book that made you cry
I literally never cry in books. I wish I was a more emotional person, but I’m not. But probably the most emotionally draining book I have read is Like a Love Story. That also made me happy as well, but there are some heavy themes.
11: Book that made you happy
The Afterward made me happy, with the beauty of its story, its wonderful characters, subversion of tropes and the softest f/f romance. I loved this book so much, and yes, it isn’t full of sunshine and rainbows, but essentially it was a book that warmed my heart.
12: Most beautiful book you’ve bought this year (or received)
King of Scars is stunning. I mean, have you seen that book under the cover? It’s gold and SHINY. It’s such a majestic cover, and it suits the book perfectly. And its so big and thic and I love it.
13: What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
Um, all of them? SOOO many. I need to read Godsgrave soon, because Darkdawn is coming out and I feel like such a fake fan because I LOVED Nevernight so much. I want to read all the new releases, and I would like to finally read A Conjuring of Light because I have been putting that off forever.
I had a lot of fun doing this tag, and I hope you enjoyed reading my answers. I have loved a lot of books this year and I feel like I’m really loving reading again which makes me so happy. I look forwards to what the rest of the year has to bring!
The Bookish Courtier 