Mid Year Book Freakout Tag- 2020

Hello readers.

Todays post is a good ol' book tag. I pulled this from Sam, or thoughts on tomes. I believe this is a tag she does annually because I somewhat remember watching her video last year.

Some of my answers are repeats for these categories. So far, most of the books I've read this year have been under-whelming so I may tweak the answers a bit.

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2020.

Monstress

I caught up on this series within the first week of 2020 and managed to pick up the first Volume last month. I didn't imagine to enjoy the story as much as I did, however I am now stuck in the frustrating situation of having to wait for the next release. Ugh.

2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2020.

Catching Fire

This was by far my favorite book in the series, and I really enjoyed the entirety of it in mostly one sitting. The Third Quarter Quell was a fucking doozey man.

3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to.

Come Tumbling Down

This entire series is full of easy to read and interesting books. I like to keep them in my back pocket for when I fall into a reading slump of what to read.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

It's a tie between Blood & Honey or How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories. I enjoyed Serpent & Dove and I'm looking forward to where the series is going. King of Elfhame gives me more Cardan (hopefully) and thats all I need to survive.

5. Biggest disappointment.

Circe

I did enjoy this book, but the reason why I found it disappointing is because I thought I would enjoy it more. After reading Song of Achilles, I wasnt really sure where this story would go and what plot line it would follow. The reference nerd in me loves that this is entirely about the legends and myth about Circe being wrapped into one place during her lifetime. The fantasy reader in me wanted a more impactful story line.

6. Biggest surprise.

LifeL1k3

This is the biggest surprise because of how much I didn't like it. It also had a pretty huge plot twist in the story, so regardless of my feelings of this book, I think "Surprise!" is pretty accurate.

7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)

I would say Suzanne Collins. She has a great writing style that isn't too over flowery, but still impactful for the story. I do plan on picking up the Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes eventually and if she wrote another dystopian novel I would most likely read it as well. 

8. Newest fictional crush.

Gale Hawthorne

I thought Gale was pretty cute when the trailers for the Hunger Games came out. Those Hemsworth brothers have amazing genetics. Although I am 100% team Katniss & Peeta as OTP, I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my days with Gale in District 2.

9. Newest favorite character.

Sabine from Bone Crier's Moon

I am so excited to see where her character goes in the next book. The imagine of her and Ailesse for book 2 is amazing.

10. Book that made you cry.

I don't cry while reading, so instead I want to change this question to book that made me emotional. It was definitely Catching Fire and the first half of Mockingjay. Watching Peeta and Katniss struggle drew me deeper into their romance.

11. Book that made you happy.

Monstress

The novel really inspired me to reflect back on my artwork. As I mentioned in my review, a lot of the imagery reminded me of artwork I did 10 years ago when I would draw regularly. I'm excited to add physical copies to my collection and try to get back into my artwork.

12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received)

Bone Crier's Moon

I actually ended up with two special editions of this book. The first was from The Bookish Box that came with a limited edition dust jacket and the second was from FairyLoot that had gorgeous sprayed green edges and an illustration under the dust jacket. 

The original cover by Charlie is beautiful itself, but I was happy to have the sea green edges from FairyLoot.

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

Check out my last post where I discuss my goal TBR for the rest of the year.