The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag 2019

Did I somehow not do this for 2018? OH, I think I did it as a BookTube video during my short-lived attempt at BookTube. Anyway, it’s that time of the year, and I was just looking for a quick and easy tag to do, so here we go!

1. The Best Book You’ve Read So Far In 2017

I know I’m only supposed to pick one, but it’s been a weird reading year for me, where I’ve really enjoyed a lot of books but I can’t seem to settle on one that was like, life-changing, you know. So I’m choosing to highlight some of the excellent fantasy I’ve read this year! The Gutter Prayer was such a triumph of imagination, the perfect Lovecraftian fantasy with terrifying gods and vibrant worldbuilding. Empire of Sand was much quieter and more personal, but beautifully written and so evocative. Magic for Liars was thrilling and fun with a touch of fantasy and an emotional core.

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2. Your Favourite Sequel This Year

Okay, so I read a whole bunch of sequels earlier this year, and again I’m struggling to pick just one, so I’m choosing a bunch! The True Queen was absolutely delightful, bringing back Regency-era England but populated by magic and POC. The Girl in the Tower was a fantastic follow-up that made excellent use of a trope I usually dislike (girl dresses up as boy) and introduced a fascinating antagonist. Days of Blood and Starlight did an excellent job expanding the universe of the first book, had a fantastic villain, and was light on the romance.

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3. A New Release That You Haven’t Read But Really Want To

I’m just gonna stop apologizing for choosing more than one book (it’s easier to post three images than one anyway). Anyway, I’m dying to read all of the above books. With Wilder Girls, I’m scared I won’t like it, because I’ve heard it compared to Annihilation and I had very mixed feelings about that one. With The Priory of the Orange Tree, I mean, it’s hella long, and I know it will take me ages to read it. With These Witches Don’t Burn, I’d been feeling tired of YA recently, but I just read a witchy YA book that reminded me how much I actually love witchy YA books, so I just requested his from the library.

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4. Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half Of The Year

Y’all know how much I love the Kristoff’s series. I was so annoyed when the release of Darkdawn was delayed, because I thought, hey, for once I’ll get to read a fantasy series I love back to back so I don’t forget any details, and what happens? It gets delayed so of course I’ve forgotten all the details. I’ll have to find a good recap. Gideon the Ninth has been getting a ton of hype, so even though I don’t even really know what it’s about, I’m excited. And finally, Leigh Bardugo’s adult debut Ninth House was one I wasn’t super excited for until I saw Leigh post this quote on Twitter and I died.

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5. Your Biggest Disappointment

Two of these books, Poison Study and Heart’s Blood, are generally hyped. The first is a classic in the YA fantasy world, but I really disliked certain elements of it. Heart’s Blood was my first Juliet Marillier book, and she’s beloved, so I was surprised when I really didn’t like this one. Dare Me has mixed reviews, but I loved Megan Abbott’s latest release, so I’d been hoping to like this one too. Alas.

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6. Biggest Surprise Of The Year

The Babysitter’s Coven is the last book I finished, and it was hilarious and so much fun; I’ve been feeling kind of iffy about YA lately, so it was a pleasant surprise how much I liked that one. Kind of the same with Wicked Saints; YA fantasy is usually a total hit or miss for me, so I really pleased that I loved it so much and am dying for the sequel. Under the Pendulum Sun was the weirdest fucking book, and I’m not even sure I loved it that much, but it’s definitely stuck with me in a way no other book has. Interestingly, all these are four star books!

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7. Favourite New To You Or Debut Author

I am now going to go back and read Sarah Gailey‘s backlist, which I think is a couple of novellas about an alternate US that imported hippos. Gareth Hanrahan doesn’t have a backlist, but he’s become an auto-read author. Same with Tasha Suri.

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8. Your New Fictional Crush

In general, this whole trilogy had me enamored of Morozko and his weird ass brother and a certain antagonist who crops up in the second book to my absolute delight.

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9. New Favourite Character

Oh, definitely Prunella Gentleman for Zen Cho’s Sorcerer to the Crown. She’s a half-Indian woman living in England, and she’s the sort of person who just does what she wants. She’s also totally ruthless. I adore her. I also very much love Vasya, especially in The Winter of the Witch, where she really comes into her own, and Malachiasz from Wicked Saints, who’s just…such a fascinating character.

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10. A Book That Made You Cry

I literally cannot think of a single book I read this year that gave me any strong melancholic emotions.

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11. A Book That Made You Happy

Not all of these books are necessarily happy in any particular way, though the first two are quite funny, but I just remember really enjoying my experience reading them.

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12. Your Favourite Book To Movie Adaptation That You’ve Seen This Year

Well, the only Book to Movie Adaptation I’ve watched this year was To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. I actually DNF’d the book because I couldn’t stand it, but I loved loved loved the movie version.

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13. Favourite Book Post That You’ve Published This Year

Uhhh I haven’t done too many unique book-themed posts this year, but I did enjoy the Pancake Book Tag. I also really like my Fireside Chat about my path to librarianship.

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14. The Most Beautiful Book You Bought Or Received This Year

I’ve been buying way too many books this year and not reading them at all, but hey, at least they’re pretty!

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15. What Are Some Books That You Need To Read By The End Of The Year

I made a whole post about my Fantasy TBR for 2019!