Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

I saw this tag on this blog and I thought it was cool, so I’m going to do it. I’ve read 46 books this year so far, according to my Goodreads challenge (which I am desperately behind on, it’s been a pretty slow reading year for me). So let’s see what books will make it onto this list.

Best book you’ve read so far in 2016

For this, I have to say A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. I’ve read quite a few good books this year, some of them very thought-provoking or very emotional, but I just can’t not give it to ACOMAF. I just enjoyed this book so much. I didn’t read it, so much as absorbed it and as soon as I finished it, I flipped right back to the beginning and started reading it again. I adored it! I have not yet had time to review it properly and talk about all the things I loved about it, but you can read my Goodreads review here.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2016

I’m going to say Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore. This isn’t so much a sequel as it is a companion novel, but I’m going to say that this is a series of companions, so it’s a sequel. I really loved the entire Graceling series. I loved the characters, I loved the themes broached and of all of them, I think Bitterblue was my favourite. It’s not a very fast paced book, but it dealt with topics such as mental illness, with anxiety, with trauma. It was full of mystery and I really love books where I have to try and puzzle things out. This is another one I haven’t done a proper review of, but I’ve written a pretty comprehensive Goodreads review which you can check out here

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

This is a difficult question. There are quite a few. But I think the one I want to read most is The Shadow Queen by C. J. Redwine. I’ve been meaning to buy this and read it pretty much since it came out in February, but for some reason, I just haven’t. That happens to me sometimes. I want to read a book so badly, but instead I keep buying and reading other books for no reason that I can discern. And I don’t just want to read it. I want to own it. I mean, look at that gorgeous cover! Hopefully, I’ll get to this one soon!

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

My answer for this one is another Sarah J. Maas book. I love Sarah so much (and I’m going to meet her this fall!!!). My most anticipated release for the second half of the year is Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. Queen of Shadows blew my mind. I loved it so much, it was so amazing. Things didn’t turn out quite as I expected them, but it was one of those rare occasions when I didn’t mind because what did happen was awesome. So I’m really pumped to see how the story continues. I have a video review of Queen of Shadows if you’d like to hear more of my thoughts. 

Biggest disappointment

 I’ve read a few disappointing books this year. Thankfully, not as many as awesome ones. But I think the biggest disappointments were the first two books in the Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini. I’ve wanted to read that series for YEARS. I’m not sure why I didn’t until now, but I’ve given up on trying to understand my reading habits. So I was really disappointed by how little I liked them. I didn’t really like the characters, I didn’t like the writing. The story itself is not half bad. It’s pretty much a Tolkien ripoff, but that’s what I was expecting so I didn’t mind that much. But overall, I didn’t like them and I’m not sure that I will continue with the series. You can check out my Goodreads reviews on Eragon and Eldest. 

Biggest surprise

For this one, I definitely have to go with Tangled by Emma Chase. This is an adult contemporary romance. It’s like three genres that I don’t read that much in one book. I’m not even sure why I picked it up, I don’t even like the cover. But I did and I surprisingly really enjoyed it. It was funny, it was sexy and I really liked the characters (mainly Drew). So this was definitely the biggest surprise for me. You can check out my review of it here.

Favorite new author (Debut or new to you)

This one goes to Jojo Moyes. I’d never read anything of hers before reading Me Before You, but I really loved it. I loved the characters, I loved the no-nonsense way in which it was written. It wasn’t one of those cliched, happily-ever-after love stories. I loved that it was a bold novel,  it dealt with difficult topics and themes and I always love that in a book. So now, I’m really curious to read some more of her books. 

Newest fictional crush

I kind of developed a crush on Will Traynor from Me Before You. He’s a cutie and I mean… Sam Claflin. Enough said. But really, I like his character a lot. He’s witty and sarcastic and clever and cultured. He’s someone who’s had a lot of experiences in his life and I genuinely think that he’d be a person I would really like if I met him.

Newest favorite character

RHYSAND! Rhys, Rhys, Rhysand! This was a complete no-brainer. Let’s be honest, the only reason Will got the last one was because I read Me Before You after ACOMAF. So technically, Rhys isn’t my *newest* fictional crush. But it’s just as well, because otherwise, my answer would have been Rhysand for two questions and that’s not cool. I absolutely love Rhys. He’s right up there with Will Herondale on my top favourite male characters ever. I guess I have a type: dark-haired, blue-eyed smartasses. 

Book that made you cry

I don’t cry that often when reading or watching films. I’m heartless like that. But I cried, despite my best efforts, while reading Me Before You. It occurs to me, this is the third answer in which this book has come up. I really loved it, guys. I really loved it. Yeah, it definitely made me cry. I knew it would be heartbreaking from the start, so I was prepared and I didn’t cry as much as I might have otherwise, but even with preparation, it still wrung tears out of me. You can check out my review of it here. 

Book that made you happy

This is actually very difficult to answer. Hmmm, I’m gonna go with Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. I’d really been looking forward to this book and I was fortunate enough to be able to meet Cassie and get it signed. I also met Dominic Sherwood at the book signing and got a picture with him, so there’s a lot of excitement and happiness associated with this book even though the book itself did not necessarily make me happy (it made me suffer, like all Cassandra Clare books). See my review of it here.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken. Look at that gorgeous cover! I really love the covers for The Darkest Minds books. I love how they look, I love how the feel. And I really love the paperbacks of it. They’re bigger paperbacks and they’re really… hefty. I don’t know how to describe it. But I really love how they feel in my hands. I love the texture of the pages and the covers. And I love how Never Fade looks alongside The Darkest Minds. I can’t wait to get In the Afterlight and the novella bind-up! You can check out my review of it here.

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

Oh boy! So many. I will limit myself to 4 books to keep it realistic (it should have become apparent by now that I have really weird reading habits) and to reduce the size of this post. But I absolutely want to read these 4 by the end of the year. I just have to!

So that’s it for this tag. It took me ridiculously long to put together this post, but I had a lot of fun doing it. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it up. I don’t know who to tag, so I tag everyone who read it and wants to do it.