The Terror of Knowing

Greetings one and all, today on this auspicious day I bring you a tag which you may very well have seen floating around A LOT – the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag. The tag was originally created by Ely and Chami, and it does the rounds at this time of year as all us book bloggers, Booktubers, and book enthusiasts alike look back over what we’ve read so far in the year and (maybe) freak out about all the fantastic (and not so fantastic) books we’ve read. I think that’s all the introduction it needs so, without further ado, let’s freak out…

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2018.

This question is never not tricky. If we’re discounting re-reads, then The Language of Thorns, The Power, The Girl from Everywhere, The Essex Serpent, The Lie Tree, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and Genuine Fraud have been my 5-star reads. As far as my favourite goes, that would probably be either The Essex Serpent or The Lie Tree, I read them at a similar time though so maybe I was just in the right head-space to REALLY love what I was reading. Both were full of mystery and definitely NOT what I expected them to be. But I’m not choosing between them.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2018.

Despite my commitment to finish series this year (a resolution I have been failing hard), I actually haven’t read that many sequels at all – I can literally count on one hand the amount of sequels I’ve read, and have fingers to spare. So, the choice is limited but, thankfully, I’ve read a pretty good sequel and that was the second book in Marie Rutkoski’s Winner’s Trilogy, called The Winner’s Crime. The stakes were raised so much higher from the first book and this sequel had much more court politics and intrigue and spying so, suffice it to say, I loved it.

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

I’m really bad at reading things on time, ask my protesting pile of eARCs on NetGalley if you don’t believe me! How “new” is new though? Because I still haven’t read Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi and that came out back in March. I’m a bad reader, I know.

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

I’m sure there are many others that I’m forgetting right now as I’m faced with this question but the thing that sticks in my head is the two books we have to look forward to from V.E. Schwab, Vengeful, sequel to Vicious (which I still haven’t read, I know, I need to), and City of Ghosts which is about a girl who can see ghosts and is set in a very haunted Edinburgh. That’s all I need to know, I’m in.

5. Biggest disappointment.

Probably The Wicked Cometh which was my first book of the year so didn’t really start 2018 in the right kind of mood. It was… fine…it just wasn’t what I was expecting and I expected to love it a lot more than I actually did. That being said, I can see a lot in it that other people would like, so I would never fully discount it, it just was a bit of a let down to my expectations.

6. Biggest surprise.

Most pleasantly surprised by Furyborn. I’m not sure why I’m so surprised but I’d tried to pick the ARC up when it was first gifted to me in a Fairyloot box, and I didn’t even get a chapter in before I ditched it. Then, I picked it up again this year and I LOVED it, I don’t know what Past Emma was thinking so this was definitely a surprise.

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

Even though I’ve only read one book by her so can’t really speak to all her books, I am ALL ABOUT Heidi Heilig, author of The Girl from Everywhere. I’m yet to read the sequel to that book, but I’m excited for it, and for her new release For a Muse of Fire which is set to be released this year. I’ve also started following her on Twitter and think she’s pretty damn great so, yeah, she’s made it onto my faves list now.

8. Newest fictional crush.

I really quite enjoyed a bevy of men so far this year – specifically Morimaros from Queens of Innis Lear, Kash from The Girl from Everywhere, and Miles from Royals. All very different guys but so very My Type™.

9. Newest favourite character.

Probably Circe from Circe by Madeline Miller, it was great to hear her story from her own mouth (so to speak) and she was an incredible character to read about.

10. Book that made you cry.

You know, I don’t think there have been any tear-jerkers as of yet this year. I wonder if that will change in the next 6 months ahead…

11. Book that made you happy.

I grinned like an absolute idiot at both Royals by Rachel Hawkins and Unconventional by Maggie Harcourt. Such fun, enjoyable reads and hilarious to boot, I loved every ridiculous character in them.

12. Favourite book to film adaptation you saw this year.

I haven’t actually seen any strictly book-to-film adaptations this year yet unless we’re counting MCU films because they’re based on comic books? In which case, without a doubt, Black Panther, it’s likely to be my film of the year overall unless something major happens, and I don’t think that comes as a surprise to anyone who’s seen it.

13. Favourite review you’ve written this year.

I’m doing okay at actually keeping up with writing reviews this year (she says as she still is yet to review a book she read in March, shhh don’t tell anyone!) but I’m not sure which review is my favourite. Perhaps I should say my review of Circe because Bloomsbury were kind enough to send me an email saying thanks for reviewing the eARC and they made a little banner for me with a review quote on so I could easily share my review on social media. That means someone at Bloomsbury at the very least skimmed the review to find the quote and make the banner – that means a lot, weirdly, and it’s good to know reviews actually are paid attention to by the publishers in some capacity.

14. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

I’m starting to sound like a broken record here but Circe is STUNNING, believe me. Also The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar.

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

A lot of them. I desperately need to clear my eARC shelf (and stop requesting them until I have cleared it), I’d like to have finished re-reading/reading the Artemis Fowl series, and I’d like to have tackled a couple more of the chunky books on my shelves. Laura from Reading in Bed is hosting her summer readalong of The Count of Monte Cristo so I definitely want to get to that, as well as FINALLY finishing the last 300 or so pages I have left of War and Peace from her last summer readalong (oops). Aside from that, I don’t really have any grand plans as far as TBRs go, I just hope to keep reading at the same pace as I have been so far this year as it’s been going great, but who knows what the future will hold?

Well, that was the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag. It’s nice to pause for a moment and reflect on the great books I’ve already consumed this year, and to think ahead to all the anticipated books I have lying in wait for me in the rest of 2018.
Have you done the tag? Link me below if so; I’d love to check it out. Or, just comment and let me know what’s the best & worst book you’ve read so far in 2018!

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