Mid Year Book Freak-out | Book Tag

I was mentioned over on A Court of Books and Love (check it out!) on this book tag and it seriously looks like a lot of fun! So I’m joining in 🙂

This is normally where I would mention the creator of the tag, but I have researched and researched to no avail. It seems the original creator’s  identity has been lost to the internet so whoever you are … I’m sorry!

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Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2017

 A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3) by V. E. Schwab

THIS BOOK OWNS MY SOUL!

Oh. My. God. This book was so beautiful and intricate and action packed! I laughed, I cried, I felt ALL THE FEELS! This book was one of my top 5 most anticipated book releases of 2017 and WOW!

My actual post read comment was:

“What turns a book into a knife that carves out a piece of your heart and then becomes a part of you? Because … this book is now a part of my soul!”

This whole series was a major surprise for me but quickly became an obsession. I felt like it got better and better and BETTER with every book. Obviously I gave this book 5/5 stars ❤

If you have not given this series a chance and you like magical worlds and intricate plots and characters … I encourage you to give Shades of Magic a try! NOW! GO!

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Best Sequel You’ve Read so far in 2017

So I’m going to try and choose different books for each of these questions even though the answer to question 1 could work here as well. But in the spirit of fairness … I’m going with …

Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare

Another book from my top 5 most anticipated for 2017 and IT WAS WONDERFUL! I know I know I have already raved about this book on several other posts of mine … BUT IT WAS SO GREAT!

Lady Midnight is one of my favorite books of all time and this The Dark Artifices series of Clare’s is definitely her most sophisticated work to date! These characters are a part of me. Their pain is my pain! And this book had a lot of pain. I swear … the tension did not let up at all for the full 699 pages of this story. I thought my heart might explode it was strung so tight.

My actual post read comment was:

“Can someone come pick up the broken pieces of my soul for me? Thanks.”

SO BEAUTIFUL AND BROKEN AND I LOVED IT! 5/5 stars for this book!

Warning though … that cliffhanger will kill you.

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

SO MANY!!! AHHH!!! But I will have to go with …

Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #3) by Jenny Han

This book was released the beginning of last month and is another highly anticipated book for me! I adored both of the previous books in this series and cannot wait to have the opportunity to read the conclusion to the Lara Jean series. I have heard really great things about it and I wouldn’t expect anything less from Jenny Han.

 

 

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Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half Of The Year

If you read my Top 10 Tuesday | 10 Most Anticipated Book Releases For The Second Half of 2017 post, you know I am pretty hyped about a lot of books releasing the second half of this year! I am honestly not sure which one I am most excited about! But I am going to go with …

Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by Sarah J Maas

I am honestly a bit leery of handing over my hype again to Sarah J Maas after the catastrophe that was A Court of Wings and Ruin.

But … CHAOL WESTFALL!

I know … I am a hopeless fangirl … but I really don’t care. I am Chaol trash to the end. Now I just need to read Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, and Empire of Storms before this book is released this September! No pressure!

So help me Maas if you let me down again … !

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Biggest Disappointment

Well … I eluded to it already … and amid the sea of disappointment that has been the year of 2017 … hands down my biggest disappointment has been …

A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas

This book let me down so hard I can’t even look at it! If you read my A Court of Wings and Ruin “Rant-view” , then you already know most of the ways this book disappointed me. That being said, these characters still have a special place in my heart as does this series as a whole (which is 100% because of A Court of Mist and Fury honestly). I gave this book 2/5 stars.

I think perhaps my expectation were set WAY too high for this book to deliver on in the end. I am hoping that Maas has learned from her first experience with ending a series and manages to wrap up the Throne of Glass series more successfully next May.

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Biggest Surprise

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J Maas

Good lord … Maas is ALL OVER this post! And I’m not even a Sarah J Maas superfan.

Crown of Midnight was a major surprise for me basically because it’s predecessor Throne of Glass took me four attempts to finally get through. I HATED it! SO MUCH! So I was resigned to hating this installment as well.

Well … shocker but this book is one of my all time favorite books ever!

This book had me emotionally invested and emotionally spent. I adored this story and the tension and the development so much! I have heard many people say this series goes downhill fast after Heir of Fire (which I have not read yet), but this book in particular will always be very special to me! To anyone who couldn’t stand the first book in this series … I encourage you to give this one a try! Well worth it. I gave this book 5/5 stars.

Read my review of this book here.

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Favorite New Author

Laurie Forest author of The Black Witch (The Black Witch #1)

Recently, Laurie had to weather some pretty nasty attacks from the book community when some bloggers and influential names called this book racist. I am more than halfway through with reading this book now and can honestly say that this is absolutely not a racist book. There is however a major undercurrent of racism from the people and the societies in this book, but none of these behaviors are in the least bit glorified or portrayed in a positive light. This book touches on some pretty heavy topics as the MC is coming to terms with the racism of her community. She sees the wrong in it.

So is this a racist book … absolutely not. It is a book about racism however … which I feel is a very important topic to discuss and openly.

The book itself is not the best book I have read this year. But it is a good book. It is an important topic. It is an amazingly well written book as well! But none of this is why Laurie Forest is my favorite new author right now. Her strength and character have earned her that place. Laurie Forest has weathered the undeserved hatred with amazing restraint and dignity. She is obviously a worthy human and has certainly earned my respect.

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Newest Fictional Crush

Anthony Lockwood from Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud

I’m going to let my inner child claim this book boyfriend because … Anthony Lockwood would be more appropriately classified as a fictional son instead. But seriously this kid is the greatest!

He is snarky and sarcastic and broken. All the things I love in a  main character.

This series was forced upon me suggested to me by a fellow Goodreads reviewer and I am basically in her debt. This series is SO GREAT! Technically, Lockwood & Co. is classified as middle grade … but this definitely reads older and can easily be enjoyable for all ages. I gave book one 4.5/5 stars.

Read my review for The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. #1) here

Read my review for The Dagger in the Desk (Lockwood & Co. #1.5) here

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Newest Favorite Character

Ok I know I said I wasn’t going to re-use answers but darn it if I didn’t struggle a little. So I’m going to do that which I said I wasn’t because I can 😛

Kit from Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare

*possible series and book spoilers*

Everyone loves a Herondale … or at least I do! Kit Herondale just found out he is a part of this prestigious shadowhunter family at the end of Lady Midnight but we really don’t get to know him well until this book. Kit is a little brooding but super sarcastic and caring. So basically … a Herondale through and through. I would also classify Kit as a new book son for me! Broken and snarky as mentioned above … two of my absolute favorite traits in book characters. Kit is both and I simply adore him SO MU-HUH-HUCH!

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Book That Made You Cry

Yeah so I wanted to break the rules here and list A Conjuring of Light or Lord of Shadows because both of those books had me sobbing big ugly tears. But I’m going to be good again. So I am going with …

Full Tilt (Full Tilt #1) by Emma Scott

This book was recommended to me by a fellow Goodreads reviewer and I am glad I took the rec. This book was not the most well written book, or the most unique book, but it was a heartbreakingly beautiful book.

You basically know how this whole thing is going to end from the moment you begin this journey. But the journey is what this book is all about.

I am actually not a fan of contemporary romance books where one character is famous in their world … I find them to be a bit too dramatic and unrealistic … so I typically stay away. This book has a famous character and it is really the main complaint I had. But the rest of the book is absolutely beautiful. The relationship development is organic and precious. This story still claws at my heart. I loved it and ended up giving this book a 3.5/5 star rating.

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Book That Made You Happy

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe #1) by Benjamin Alire Saenz

This is a beautiful story of friendship, acceptance, and love. This book touched on some cultural and social issues but was at it’s cure, just a nice feel good story ❤

It made me smile and I ended up giving this book a 4/5 star rating.

 

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Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought So Far This Year (Or Received)

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor

Physically … this book is STUNNING! I MEAN LOOOOK AT IT!!! ❤ ❤ ❤

Blue pages! Gold foil! Stamped title page! It’s everything ❤

 

But let’s face it … this book is beautiful inside and out. The writing itself is absolutely gorgeous and the story is as well! It is a slow build story but this is something that I am ok with. The characters and the world are very detailed and enrapturing. I really enjoyed this book and gave it 4.5/5 stars!

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

ALL THE BOOKS!!!!

Ok but seriously top tier would be all the books on the following lists:

Most Anticipated Book Releases of May 2017

Top 10 Tuesday | 10 Most Anticipated Book Releases For The Second Half of 2017

Most Anticipated Book Releases of June 2017

As well as the following other books (these are just a few … there are literally SO MANY):

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas

The Savage Dawn (The Girl at Midnight #3) by Melissa Grey

Avenged (Ruined #2) by Amy Tintera

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1) by Patrick Ness

The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking #2) by Patrick Ness

Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking #3) by Patrick Ness

Vicious (Villains #1) by V.E. Schwab

The Scorpion Rules (Prisoners of Peace #1) by Erin Bow

Poison Study (Study #1) by Maria V. Snyder

A List of Cages by Robin Roe

Shadow Run (Kaitan Chronicles #1) by AdriAnne Strickland, Michael Miller

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

… AND MORE! I’m seriously going to need more days in the year!

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Favorite Book Community Member (Blogger, Booktuber and Bookstagrammer)

I know it says “member” singular … but there are just so many wonderful bloggers, booktubers, and bookstagrammers out there ❤

So I’m going to list about a thousand blogs I follow and bloggers I adore ❤

You should follow them too!

Blogs to follow:

A Book. A thought.

Literary Dust

Read Rant Rock-and-roll

Howling Libraries

This Is My Truth Now

The Bookish King

Moms Book Collection

The Bookish Actress

Booksprens

A Court of Books and Love

Life of a Literary Nerd

Perspective of a Writer

Dust off Your Machalo

Kristin Kraves Books

Book Allure

The Suspense is Thrilling Me

Uptown Oracle

Peanut Butter and Books

She Reads at Past Midnight

Blame Chocolate

My 1st Chapter

A Ravenclaw Library

Book Bastion

Storeys of Stories

Phew … I feel like I’m missing like a thousand amazing bloggers in this list! There are literally SO MANY ❤

 

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