End-of-Year Book Freakout 2018!

Aaaaand it's back! The End-of-Year Book Freakout! I'm not calling it a tag anymore because I havne't been tagged and I'm not tagging anyone, haha. I think I've had a reasonably good reading year — my average rating was 4.1, which isn't bad. Though, let's be real, it's been a really long year, and I can barely remember what I read in July. Thank God for Goodreads. (In my defense, I read 107 books this year, and about 45 of those were since July.) And technically 2018 isn't quite over, so I'll probably get another book or two in by the first of January . . . but I wanted to get this up now.

1. Best book you've read in the second half of 2018:

Ok, full disclosure: a lot of my favorite books that I've read this half of the year have been rereads. So that's kind of sad. That said, one of those rereads does count:

 The Worth of a King by Kendra E. Ardnek

Just read my review for all my fangirling, but this is tied with LDTD for my favorite of Kendra's books. Delaney and pre-scale Amberite are the best parts, but political intrigue, masked assassins, and the adorable romance that is Delsida all make the book doubly awesome.

A few other pretty awesome reads:

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Heistyness and sharp-edged friendships and diversity make this super fun. (Plus, the story starts in a Netherlands-esque city, which is really cool.)

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

Not an easy book to read at all times, but an exciting and thought-provoking one. More contemporary than fantasy, but it's so Hank-ish that I'm ok with that.

2. Best sequel you've read in the second half of 2018:

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman

I fully expected this to rip out my heart and crush it into small pieces — that seems to be the trend with series finales — and, I mean, it did. But it also had some moments of pure triumph and relief and happiness that I loved. The gang's all together, plus we've got the con-artist newbies, and Kady's dad is just fathering everyone and I don't know. It made me happy at the same time as it killed me with plot twists.

And the runners-up:

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Except for one twist that I'm INTENSELY MAD about and the fact that this one is slightly gayer than the first one, I loved Crooked Kingdom just as much as Six of Crows.

The Plastic Magician by Charlie Holmberg

Getting to see another magic type in action was super fun! And it was nice to have a plot that was centered on something a little less high-stakes than black-magic murderers on the loose.

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

The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman

This was one of my Christmas gifts this year, and I can't wait to get back to the worlds of the Invisible Library! Now the question is: do I reread the whole series before I read this one? Or just the last book?

Bitter Winter by Jaye L. Knight

Not going to lie, I kinda forgot that this book was coming out until I got the email about the blog tour. And it's anyone's guess if I'll actually read this soon or if I'll wait until it's been out for six months. Based on the past, the latter is more likely.

4. Most anticipated release for next year: 

Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Eugenides is baaaaaack! And it's the end of the series, which is tragic, but it is what it is. I'm just glad we get one more installment, and I'm super excited to see how it goes.

5. Biggest disappointment:

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

I wanted magical heistyness and snarky friendships and time-manipulation magic in an urban historical fantasy setting. And, ok, I got three of those four, but the most important of the four was replaced by angst and suspicion of everyone except the right person and it was just a mess. Why did I read this book.

One runner-up in this category, sadly:

 Dagger's Sleep by Tricia Mingerink

To be fair, this wasn't a bad book as far as characters and plot go — Alexander annoyed me immensely, but otherwise, both those categories were fine. But the worldbuilding drove me crazy in that I couldn't make it make sense in my head.  

  

6. Biggest surprise:

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

I did not expect this to be as much contemporary as it was. I also didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did, given that it is more contemporary and, between the two Green brothers, I prefer John. But I actually really liked the book, even if I did have to put it down for extended periods once or twice because I could see the train wrecks coming.

Another surprise: the fact that Skyward wasn't another instant favorite as Sanderson books usually are. It was a good book, but a bit . . . I don't know. It lacked the Sanderson spark. Still, it's far better than the Alcatraz books, so I plan to stick with the series. 

7. Favorite new-to-you author:

Kathryn McConaughy isn't actually on my Goodreads shelf because I beta-read Overpowered and haven't had a chance to read the final version yet. (By which I mean that she kindly sent me a finished copy, but I haven't had time to read it, not that I don't have it.) But Overpowered, even in its unfinished state, is awesome, and Kathryn knows her stuff when it comes to the Biblical era. I look forward to reading more of her work! 

8. Newest fictional crush/ship:

Sadly, authors continue to pair off all the crush-worthy male characters. On the upside, I have a few new ships to fangirl over!

• Delsida (Delaney and Obsidia) from The Worth of a King.
• Kaz x Inej from Six of Crows.
• Also Nina x Matthias from Six of Crows.
• And Jeremy and Gwen from The Seven Drawers. Those two are adorable.
• Yeah, mostly just those four.

9. Newest favorite character(s):

• Delaney from The Worth of a King.
• The whole crew from Six of Crows.
• Alvie from The Plastic Magician.
• Gwen from The Seven Drawers.
• Daemyn Rand from Dagger's Sleep.

10. A book that made you cry:

A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews

No actual tears, true, but definitely pain. Beck needs to be hugged and kidnapped from both his mother and his author.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

I should not have read the end of this book in a public place, especially since I was already upset and stressed from other causes. That's all I'm saying.

11. A book that made you happy:

The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reader

This is a delightfully steampunky mystery, and while it does have its share of angst, it also has quite a bit of heart and humor. The main character duo is fabulous, the plot is exciting, and it's just generally a good read all 'round.

 

12. Favorite book to film adaptation you've seen this half of the year:

 Uhhhhh I rewatched Mary Poppins back in August. Does that count?

13. Favorite post(s) you've done this half of the year:

Oooh! I do have a few fun ones to share here.

• PWID Major FAQS (in which I answer the most common questions I get about my major).
• Hero's Perspective: Delaney (in which I interview my favorite character from Worth).
• Why I'm Now Self-Publishing (a response to an early post of mine, explaining the thought process behind my new plan).
• Blood in the Snow Meet the Characters(featuring character art that I love immensely).
• "Types of Tears" (a poem I wrote after noticing how my roommate and I reacted differently to a very similar event). 
• "A Symphony of Thanks" (Thanksgiving special short story featuring Callie from Fight Song).
• "The Promise Star" (Christmas special short story, featuring a legend from the world of Blood in the Snow).

14. Most beautiful book you've bought/received this half of the year:
Can I count Blood in the Snow? I know it's my book, but I am absolutely in love with the cover, and technically I did buy copies of it.

Other than my own book, my aunt bought me Illuminae for my birthday, and it both has an awesome cover and an awesome interior.

And though I haven't read The Enchanted Sonata yet, I love its cover and interior as well.

15. Any other books you want to babble about for any other reason?
Normally, I use this space to talk about the books I still need to read that I've been meaning to read for ages. But this time, I'm going to talk about all the awesome books I've reread lately.

The DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul

Over Christmas break, I've reread all but one of Donita K. Paul's Amara and Chiril books. I wanted to see how they held up, since I loved them and drew so much inspiration from them when I was younger. Thankfully, most of them have been just as good or better than I remembered.

 

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvate

Some people's stress-fueled college decisions involve alcohol, excessive sleep, and worse. Mine involve rereading books about rich boys and psychic girls and dead Welsh kings. I regret nothing.

 

Scholar's Plot by Hilari Bell

And speaking of college decisions . . . I don't even remember why I reread this book, but I'm glad I did — it was just as good on the reread as the first time around. Also, I miss Michael and Fisk.

What were your favorite 2018 reads? Any favorite rereads? Or major disappointments? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)   

 

Fall 2018 Reads!

Hello, everyone! It's officially fall, and at least where I am, it definitely feels like the seasons have changed. And you know what that means: it's time for a new season of releases! 2018 has been a pretty great year for books overall, but I think that fall is going to be especially awesome. There are so many great books coming out; I'm going to have trouble deciding which ones to feature! (Not that I'm going to let that stop me . . .)

Fall 2018 Reads!

1. Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan (September 4). The last few sci-fi books I've read have been disappointments to some degree or another, but y'know what? That's no reason not to give Ignite the Stars a chance. It's Asian-inspired, which is pretty cool, and features a 17-year-old criminal mastermind as the protagonist, so . . . should be interesting!

2. As She Ascends by Jodi Meadows (September 11). I really enjoyed the first Fallen Isles book, even if it suffered from a lack of promised dragons. I think that As She Ascends will rectify that, though, so yay! And I'm excited to find out what happens to Mira and her friends. This isn't a top-priority book, but I'm still looking forward to it.

3. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green (September 25). This one is actually the next book on my TBR (I'm reviewing it for Cedars), so y'all will get my thoughts on it pretty soon. I'm not quite sure what to expect from it? I mean, the concept sounds pretty cool, but I have exactly zero idea how it's going to play out. But it seems like it might sort of blend sci-fi and contemporary, so that's cool? I think? I don't know, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

4. West by Edith Pattou (October 23). This is the sequel to East, which I read two Februaries ago. I'll probably need to reread East before I pick this up because I remember very little about it other than the fact that I enjoyed it. Reviews suggest that this one focuses on Rose and Charles after they've started a family, which should be interesting — a lot of fantasy series drop off after their protagonists are married. I'm looking forward to a bit of a different perspective. All the same . . . if Charles has been turned into the huge snake on the cover by some evil magical being, I'm going to scream.

5. The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth (October 23). So, this sounds very Narnia-ish, but with a greater focus on the after-Narnia than the in-Narnia adventure. I love the idea — over the last several years, I've become increasingly fascinated with the question of what happens after the adventure ends. Reviews are mixed, but I plan to give it a chance anyway.

6. Red as Snow by Kendra E. Ardnek (October 24). I alpha-read this one over the summer, and I can tell you that Kendra carries off her downright fascinating concept quite well. She thoroughly mixes up the plot, while keeping it recognizable for what it is. Plus, we've got a bit of a cute sibling relationship in here, so yay!

7. The Princess and the Invisible Apple Tree by Meredith Leigh Burton (October 25). Accidental murder! Reluctant sisters! Mystery! Fairy tales! What more could a girl want in a book? (Don't answer that.) Anyway. I can't wait to read this one, especially since people who have read it have said plenty of lovely things about it.

8. Blood in the Snow by Sarah Pennington (October 26). Oh, look! It's my book! Which comes out in less than a month! What the actual pumpernickel. I'm so excited, but I also have so much left to do . . .

9. For Such a Time as This by Heather L.L. FitzGerald (October 27). So we've got a retelling of Snow White . . . combined with a retelling of Esther . . . set in a Persian-inspired science fantasy world? I never saw that coming . . . but I also didn't realize until recently how much I needed it in my life, and I can't wait to see how Heather pulls it off.

10. Overpowered by Kathryn McConaughy (October 29). Here's another Snow White retelling combined with a tale from the Bible . . . but this one is actually set in Bible times, with a few hints of fantasy. I got to beta read it, and it's pretty awesome. 

11. But One Life by Wyn Estelle Owens (October 30). Yeah, if you haven't noticed by now, I'm basically posting all the Magic Mirrors books. But I'm excited for them all to some degree, so it's fine. (Also: cross-promotion.) Anyway. But One Life is another historical, though this one is straight fiction and set during the Revolutionary War. So, not my usual cup of tea, but I'm still looking forward to it. (Plus: spies! And intrigue! I'm always down for good spying antics.)

12. The Seven Drawers by Kendra E. Ardnek (October 31). And here's the last of the Magic Mirrors! I alpha-read this one, and I'm currently beta-reading it, and it's awesome. I mean, it's a Kendra book, so you know it's going to be creative — even the worst of Kendra's books are still really unusual and unique. But Seven Drawers is a particularly enjoyable concept and I can't wait until I get to read the whole book at once.

13. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (November 6)! NEW SANDERSON NEW SANDERSON NEW SANDERSON!!!!!!! Sci-fi! Sentient spaceships! Aliens! NEW SANDERSON! Yeah. I'm going to push to review this for Cedars; Cedarville needs to know more about the awesomeness that is Sanderson. (Hopefully this doesn't turn out to be another Alcatraz, though . . . it would be super awkward if my probably one-and-only Sanderson review for the newspaper is a bad one.)

14. The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman (November 29)! As if this season wasn't awesome enough — NEW INVISIBLE LIBRARY! And apparently Irene and Kai are investigating a murder mystery at a dragon-Fae-Library peace conference, which means maximum awesomeness. I want it yesterday, but as it is, it'll have to wait and be my post-finals celebration.

Well, there you have it! Twice as many seasonal reads as I normally have, and a whole lot of awesome! I'm going to have a busy fall, let me tell you. And now, you tell me: what books are you most excited for this fall? My TBR may be big, but it always has room to grow.

Thanks for reading!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)