Mid Year Freak Out Tag || Book Tag

Hiya bookish people!

I was tagged by Lauren way too long ago, and I only am getting to this now. Sorry Lauren!

I know it’s September, so way past mid-month, but I just had to do this tag! So, let’s get into it.

Best book you’ve read so far in 2020?

📚       House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.
Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.
Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly . . .

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Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020?

📚       The Raven King ( The Raven Cycle ) by Maggie Stiefvater

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love’s death. She doesn’t believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore . . .

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

📚       Blood and Honey ( Serpent and Dove ) by Shelby Mahurin

After narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Dames Blanches, Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from coven, kingdom, and church—fugitives with nowhere to hide.
To elude the scores of witches and throngs of chasseurs at their heels, Lou and Reid need allies. Strong ones. But protection comes at a price, and the group is forced to embark on separate quests to build their forces. As Lou and Reid try to close the widening rift between them, the dastardly Morgane baits them in a lethal game of cat and mouse that threatens to destroy something worth . . .

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Most anticipated release for the second half of the year?

📚       These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin

Anyone can ask the Red Court for a favor…but every request comes at a cost. And once the deed is done, you’re forever in their debt.
Whenever something scandalous happens at Heller High, the Red Court is the name on everyone’s lips. Its members–the most elite female students in the school–deal out social ruin and favors in equal measure, their true identities a secret known only to their ruthless leader: the Queen of Hearts.
Sixteen-year-old Ember Williams has seen firsthand the damage the Red Court can do. Two years ago, they caused the accident that left her older sister . . .

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Biggest disappointment?

📚       I don’t know what else I can say other than my Lockdown here in NZ due to COVID. It could have been so much worse and seeing the way the world reacted and was impacted was really hard to see.

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Biggest surprise?

📚       I got a boyfriend?!

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New favourite author ( debut or new to you )?

📚       Erin A. Craig

New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows, Erin A. Craig has always loved telling stories.
After getting her B.F.A. from the University of Michigan, in Theatre Design and Production, she stage managed tragic operas with hunchbacks, séances, and murderous clowns, then decided she wanted to write books that were just . . .

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Underrated gems you’ve discovered recently?

📚       The Boulder Wolves by Olivia Wildenstein

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Rereads this year?

📚       There’s a lot!

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Newest fictional crush?

Definitely Cassius, from a House of Salt and Sorrows. He is just awesome!

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Newest favourite character?

Louise le Blanc from Serpent and Dove. I am just absolutely in love with her character, and this book. It’s awesome!

Pic credit

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Book that made you cry?

📚       The Raven King ( The Raven Cycle ) by Maggie Stiefvater

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love’s death. She doesn’t believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore . . .

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Book that made you happy?

📚       The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, didn’t expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
As Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she’s never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

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Favourite book to movie adaptation?

📚       Twilight ( The Twilight Saga ) by Stephenie Meyer

It’s the blue tint for me! The first movie was the best.

Bella Swan moves to Forks and encounters Edward Cullen, a gorgeous boy with a secret.

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Most beautiful cover you’ve bought this year ( or received )?

📚       An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Every enchantment has a price.
With a flick of her paintbrush, Isobel creates stunning portraits for a dangerous set of clients: the fair folk. These immortal creatures cannot bake bread or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and they trade valuable enchantments for Isobel’s paintings. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—Isobel makes a deadly mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes, a weakness that could cost him his throne, and even his life . . .

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Favourite post you have done this year?

📚       Barbie Movies as YA Books, a list

Hiya bookish people!
As a kid, I loved Barbie, and I don’t know many other people who didn’t. Heck, I still watch it now, when I get the chance. And with recently ordering my physical copy of House of Salt and Sorrows, I felt it only fair to compile a list. Lists are cool.
I’ve written down the books that remind me of my favourite Barbie movies, of which there are four. Some of these are retellings, and some of these just had really strong vibes that made me think of these movies, or the books while . . .

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Favourite book community members? ( + my tags )

📚      In no particular order . . . (YES THIS TAG IS LATE SO NO NEED TO DO IT IF YOU DON’T WANT TO)

Aditi@ One in a Million
Alexandra @ Reading by Starlight
El @ Elated Books
Charlotte @ Bewitching Books, Ravenous Reads
Lucy @ Lifestyle Addict

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