Mid Year Freak Out Tag

The name of a tag has never felt more appropriate before, because it is the middle of the year and I’m freaking out. Where has the first half of 2018 gone? Does anyone know because I feel like not long ago I was writing my post wrapping up 2017. Before I know it I’ll be preparing my post to wrap up 2018. I was tagged by The Orangutan Librarian. Thanks for the tag, I had a lot of fun answering the questions for this one so I hope you enjoy reading my answers just as much.

Best book you’ve read yet in 2018

Circe by Madeline Miller

I knew this book was going to be good, after all The Song of Achilles was an incredible read, but it exceeded all of my expectations. Circe is a beautifully written story, and the character development as we watch Circe grow over the thousands of generations she’s exiled on Aiaia is incredible.

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Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2018

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff | Bright Ruin by Vic James

Both of these books are the final instalments to two of my favourite series and I can’t choose just one, please don’t make me.

Obsidio was even more intense than I thought it would be, with so much at stake. I loved seeing the conclusion to Kady’s, Ezra’s, Hanna’s, Nik’s and Ella’s stories as they take the fight back to Kerenza. Bright Ruin was one of my highly anticipated releases and I was lucky enough to get my hands on an eARC. Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down; it was dark, intense and fast-paced.

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New release you haven’t read yet but want to

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

Last year Caraval was one of my favourite reads of 2017 and so far I’ve heard brilliant things about Legendary as well. The reason I haven’t started it? It’s one of the books I’m saving for when I’m on holiday, I’m not sure why but this strikes me as the perfect beach read for when I’m in Dubai.

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Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor | The Ladies Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

Again I can’t choose just one.

I loved Strange the Dreamer but after the way it ended I need to know where things go for Lazlo and Sarai. One thing is for sure given who the author is, it’s going to be a beautifully written book. I wasn’t swept away by the hype for The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue until it was released and I saw the amazing reviews, but I’m beyond excited for The Ladies Guide to Petticoats and Piracy.

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Biggest Disappointment

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

The more I think about this book the more I realise it just wasn’t that good. I enjoyed reading it at the time, but I feel like we’ve come to the end of Feyre’s and Rhys’s story. I was much more interested in the secondary characters, but there wasn’t enough of them in this book to suit me.

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Biggest surprise

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

A lot of people are really excited for the release of Sea Witch, and while I was thrilled to receive an ARC I didn’t really have any expectations for before I started reading. I quickly fell in love though; with the story, the characters, and the friendship which seemed to be the backbone of the story.

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Favourite new author

Neal Shusterman

I’ve heard brilliant things about Neal Shusterman’s writing and brilliant things about his Arc of a Scythe series, which I finally decided to pick up. Scythe and Thunderhead were incredible reads, not heavy on the action but there was always something to keep me firmly hooked on the story.

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Newest fictional crush

Abel, Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray

Can this be called my ‘newest’ fictional crush when I read the first book in this series last year?

I love Abel; his character arc so far has been fascinating to read, and based on the way Defy the Worlds ended I can only imagine how far he still has to go. The Constellation series is an all-time favourite of mine, and Abel an all-time favourite character.

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Newest favourite character

Eelyn, Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Sky in the Deep is another book, like Circe, with incredible character development. At the beginning Eelyn is firm in the beliefs she has been raised with, but the more time she spends among the Riki clan the more she realises there’s more to their people than what she sees on the battlefield.

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Book that made you cry

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

Again The Amber Spyglass is a book I re-read this year, but the ending never fails to have me welling up. After everything they went through together, and after only just discovering their feelings for one another, for it to end like that for Lyra and Will was so bittersweet and I’ll never be over it.

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Book that made you happy

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

YA contemporaries never fail to make me happy and Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is one of the best. The relationship between Simon and Blue is so sweet, I loved reading their emails as Jacques and Blue, but there’s a lot of emotion and important representation in this book too.

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Favourite book to film adaptation

Love, Simon

Is this a surprise considering my answer to the previous question?

There was so much hype surrounding the release of this film. When it came out in the US people went insane over it, and I understood why when I saw it myself a few weeks later. Love, Simon was everything I wanted the film to be and more, and I can’t wait for my DVD pre-order to arrive so I can watch it all over again.

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Favourite post you have done this year

There’s not really one that’s stood out as my favourite; I always like publishing my Reading Around the World posts because it gives me an excuse to talk about travelling which, after reading, is a major love of mine.

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Most beautiful book you’ve brought this year

Circe by Madeline Miller

I spent extra money on the hardcover edition of Circe simply because of how gorgeous it was. The cover on its own is pretty spectacular, but the design under the dust jacket and the artwork of the Aiaia map published inside just added to this incredibly beautiful book.

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

Can I say all of them?

There are so many books on my TBR list; series I was to start and series I was to finish, books I need to re-read and books I can’t wait to pick up when they’re finally released.

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My tags:

• Ashley at The Infinite Library
• May at Forever and Everly
• Shai at Cade Under Books
• Tiana at The Book Raven

What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year, and what new release do you still need to get to? What’s your favourite book to film adaptation, is it Love, Simon like mine is? What’s been your favourite post of 2018 so far? Let me know, and if there’s anyone out there who wants to take part consider yourself tagged.