2024 Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag

We are halfway through the year which means it's time for one of my favorite tags! Yay! Last year I smooshed together the questions from the original tag created by Ely and Chami with the revamped version from Jesse the Reader, and I decided to use the same combo I used last year. I honestly don't remember what questions I left out from either place, but this post isn't lacking questions, let me tell you that. Lol.

1. Best book you've read so far in 2024.

This book was SO good! I cannot get over it! The world was interesting, I loved the complex characters, the action was amazing, and the overall story was just so well done!

2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2024.

This book in Zane's POV was everything I wanted and more 😍 Also, I just love everything that Jennifer Estep writes 😆

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

It is my mission this year to catch up on Lynn Painter's adult romances! I've read all of her YA books and loved every single one, so I have no doubt I'll love these as well. My mood just needs to cooperate with me 😅

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of 2024.

This question was so hard because there are SO many books I'm looking forward to! But one of them, of course, is the next book in the Galactic Bonds series. Jennifer Estep just has a chokehold on me with these books 😆

5. Biggest disappointment.

Ugh. I don't even want to talk about this book. Just looking at the cover makes me so mad 🙃 So I'm going to redirect you to my rant-filled review of this book if you want to find out not only why it was the biggest disappointing, but also why just the sight of it makes me mad 😘

6. Biggest surprise.

Going into this I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. I wanted a fantasy book with a heist and I got exactly that... and more! It was just SO GOOD! I'm shocked at how much I liked it considering I don't read a lot of high fantasy (and considering I started the Grishaverse with this book instead of Shadow and Bone 😂)

7. New favorite author.

I don't know if I have a new favorite author quite yet, but Leigh Bardugo came pretty close. I read the entirety of the Grishaverse earlier this year, and while I enjoyed it, the only series I actually loved and gave a full 5 stars to was Six of Crows. That being said, I did love this world overall and I enjoyed her writing, so I'm definitely going to be giving some of her other books a shot!

8. Newest fictional crush.

I also don't think I have a crush just yet, though I really liked Ronan. Janette Rallison writes some great romances with some really sweet, lovable guys.

9. Newest favorite character.

My newest favorite character is a white blood cell... yes, you read that correctly 😂 Listen, he is badass okay, and I'm a sucker for a badass character. Lol. But not only that, he actually cares about the cells in the body and he protects them selflessly. Some of the other types of white blood cells can be a little more arrogant, but this guy, he's just sweet. I love him. And omg the little platelets were also SO cute! I love them! But I digress. Lol.

10. Book that made you cry.

The thing that happened at the end of Crooked Kingdom, and the thing that Nina had to do in King of Scars... if you've read these books then you know 😭 I didn't actually full-on cry while reading these books, but that's only because I was reading them in public. Lol. But let me tell you I was STRUGGLING to keep it together. As the great Gerard Way once said, "I'm not okay." 🙃

11. Book that made you happy.

This book was so cute and wholesome... it definitely made me happy 🥰

12. Favorite book-to-movie/TV show adaptation you've seen this year.

 

It wasn't perfect, but it came pretty dam close (that- that was a joke... if you've read PJO then you know 😆). There were some things that I wasn't a fan of, but overall, the TV series just made me very happy 😌

13. Favorite post you've done this year.

I don't post a lot of bookish nail art these days, but I did this mani a couple months ago and I was really proud of it! They turned out so pretty!

14. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or one you'd like to own).

Wait for it...

 

The hardback! I love it! 🖤

Omg and those sprayed edges! 😍 I am a sucker for a special edition of a book, and this one is gorgeous! It's spooky and Halloween-y and I just love it! (I also haven't read anything by Nikki Jefford in a while and I am trying to remedy that!)

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

  

I need these in my brain ASAP!! As soon as those last two are released, I'm going to be devouring them! And as you may or may not know, I've been playing catch-up in the Camp-Half Blood Chronicles, so I WILL read the new Percy Jackson book before the next one releases this Autumn! So many good books! I can't wait!

16. What's the best book recommendation you've received this year?

I can't really think of one book that was directly recommended to me. I feel like all of them I had my eye on at one time or another. But, I mean, I was told that this duology was really good so I should definitely read it. (I read Six of Crows first and loved it! I read the Shadow and Bone trilogy next and was a little disappointed, so that's why I was told to continue with this one. I definitely enjoyed this duology more than S&B... but Six of Crows is just top tier 👑 Lol).

17. What was your first DNF of the year?

This was boring and the plot got lost amidst all the tangents 🤷‍♀️

18. A new release from this year that you've read and your thoughts on it (good or bad).

I really enjoyed this author's Dead Silence from last year, so I was really looking forward to reading this one! But I didn't end up loving it as much as I was hoping. There were some fakeouts in the beginning that I was not a fan of, and overall, it was a much slower-paced book than Dead Silence. It also wasn't as creepy, which was unfortunate. But overall, I didn't hate it. It was a decent sci-fi horror.

19. Do you feel your reading tastes have changed/shifted at all this year? (A new genre you love, a new favorite trope, or a new favorite theme?)

I feel like my reading has been changing a lot over the years in general. Lately, I've been reading more high fantasy (as you saw lol) and contemporary romance. This year alone I've read 8 high fantasies and 3 romances, when I used to read only ONE a year! That's big for me! Now, I wouldn't say I love these genres, per se, but I am enjoying exploring genres I normally would've avoided.

20. A book you've read so far this year that you feel embodies the vibe of your reading year.

Fantasy, science, action, humor, and all-around fun 🖤

I am not tagging anyone in particular, but feel free to do it yourself if you'd like! I'd love to see your answers! 😁