Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag

We are half-way through 2020 and I am still the following:

• Still in quarantine (yes, Philippines gets the gold medal for the longest quarantine)
• Getting my Goodreads reading challenge-ass kicked (I have only read 11 books, but I am catching up!)
• Still the lazy ass blogger that I was back in 2015.

Anyho! I saw this tag going around the Booktube community and thought to myself, “Why not do this in my blog since I have no idea what to post next!“. So here is my Mid year Book Freak out.

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2020.

Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

Full review!

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020.

This goes to The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing. I am so glad that I decided to continue on with this series. If you want to know my thoughts about this book go check out my review!

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

This is not a new release but I recently purchased it (Ha, ha- who says I can’t bend a prompt?) . I am excited on reading Foundryside by Robert Jackson Benett and City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty.

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

Who is excited for this too?

5. Biggest disappointment.

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

This book is definitely not for me. It was something I did not expect with how the plot went. I wished there was more politics, drama and like anything besides the cringey love story between the two main characters.

6. Biggest surprise.

The Wicked King by Holly Black

Definetely was not excepting this one. I was kinda letdown with the pacing of The Cruel Prince, but this one was different. This was way better, and the characters? I did care more for them in the second book than the first.

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

Madeline Miller.

I love how Madeline Miller writes her prose. And that is saying something since I have only read one publsihed work from her. I know I am not the only one who love her writing.

8. Newest fictional crush.

9. Newest favourite character.

None. Ghad, this is what reading 11 books in the first half of the year gives you. No favorite character to root for.

10. Book that made you cry.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

I watched the movie before and I cried. I read the book this year and I cried.

11. Book that made you happy.

Pretty covers make me happy. And books with pretty covers make me happy.

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

Circe by Madeline Miller

Look how pretty this edition is! I just cant with how this is beautiful. This is the best purchase I ever made so far this year.

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

Coming from someone who has to spend the rest of the year reviewing for her board exam, I do have a lot of guts listing a lot of books to read.  That Brent Weeks’ complete trilogy will haunt me until 2030 so don’t hold me up on it, I know I won’t be finishing it this year.

14. Favourite Book Community Member

I love you all and you are al my favorite!

Are having a book freakout too this year? I am curious on how you’re doing in your 2020 Goodreads challenge.

Top 5| Series I need to catch up

Seeing how little I have read the past year, I sure missed a lot of books I have been anticipating for 2019. My Goodreads to-be read aint moving either. What a sad reader life.

In my defense, it was the final year of university and I have been busy and I was suffering the scariest reader affliction — Reading slump!

 

Here’s a very shameful list of series I haven’t caught up and is planning to catch up:

1. An Ember in the Ashes Series by Sabaa Tahir

I have fallen in love with the series last 2016 and devoured the first two books, however for unknown reasons (my laziness and book slump)  I have not read the third book and now the fourth is coming out!!?! ? I need to get my life back on track.

2. Strange the Dreamer Duology by Laini Taylor

Laini Taylor is one of my favorite authors of all time. I loooooved the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy and now I also feel the same with this duology. Thankfully, I have decided to finally finish this duology and am currently reading the second book!

3. Shattered Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima

I — I have no other reason but laziness on why I haven’t caught up with this series. I bought the third book on a sale last year and up until now I still haven’t.STARTED.THE.BOOK! Yes, I am a shame to all Cinda Williams Chima stans. I apologize.

4. Red Rising Saga by Piere Brown

This will be the only series in this post which I have a very very very (!) legitimate reason for not catching up on it. I have finished the third and final book of what has been a trilogy (but no! the saga still continues) last year and Lord Jesus Christ and all the sci-fi author gods, finishing the first 3 books turned me to a husk of emotional human potato. I need to recover! I need time to mourn my favorite character. 

 

5. Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab 

I listened and enjoyed the first book last 2016 as an audiobook. I don’t know why I still did not read the other books.

There is no excuse for my incapacity as a reader. I just suck last 2019.

How about you? Any series you like to catch up this 2020? Share your dirty reader laundry down at the comments!

10 POPULAR BOOKS / BOOK SERIES I HAVEN’T READ YET | Ring the shame bell!

Notice to Public: Please don’t throw rotten tomatoes at your screen as you try to painstakingly read this post.

Hello, blog-o-sphere and welcome to another entry for Top Ten Tuesday. Top Ten Tuesday is a meme run by the lovely blogger over at @ Broke and Bookish. (It’s still Tuesday, no?)

You may notice why every blogger posted different topics, it’s because we like to rebel this week’s Tuesday is post whatever you want week! We basically get to choose the topic, and I thought, what a better day to have someone rung the shame bell on me?

This week I will be talking about the 10 Popular Series I haven’t read yet!

1.) Miss Peregrine’s Home for Pecular Children Series by Ransom Riggs

So the movie is coming up and the trailer looks good and a very close friend practically shove-it-in-my-face recommended it. I need to pick up this series before watching the movie!

2.) Shatter Me Series by Taherah Mafi 

This I am afraid I don’t know if I’ll love it or will I hate it. This has been recommended by a lot of trusted book friends and also a lot of my trusted book friends discourage me from reading this. Will I survive the too much load of Insta-love and the painstaking YA Love triangle?

 

3.) The Wrath and the Dawn Duology by Renee Ahdieh

This is just so popular over BookTube and the book blogging community. A lot of great reviews have been posted making me want to read it.

 

4.) All the Boys I loved Before Duology by Jenny Han

 

 

5.) Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Marie Lu loved it, and I love Marie Lu. A lot of people I trusted loved it. It’s Sci-Fi and I am having a thing for Sci-fi now and I still haven’t picked up the book. What is wrong with me!

Someone slap me back to reality! 

 

6.) The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

I am on the fence with this one. I loved Bardugo’s Six of Crows and I am fervently anticipating Crooked Kingdom this year, but after seeing meeeh reviews for the third book I currently marked it as lost-interest in Goodreads.

 

 

7.) The Darkest Minds Series by Alexandra Bracken

 

8.) The Raven Cycle Series (Quartet?) by Maggie Stiefvater

I need to read these books. I need to start the this series.

 

9.) The Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R Martin

The books are too long, the series is too long. I need to stop for a year from university to marathon all the  books.

or I should just stick to the T.V. Series ( R + L = J !!!)

 

And the most shameful of all…

10.) Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

I waited for 2 years *insert Sirius Black meme* 2 whole year in Azkaban! for this book and suddenly I lost interest in. Which is sad, very very sad. But regardless of my uninterested attitude toward this book, I hope I will be picking this up soon.

 

Now let’s here it out for the Shame nun!

Heir of Fire: Even more hot guys + history lessons

Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas (Throne of Glass #3)                                       Pages: 562                                 Format: Paperback                                Publisher: Bloomsbury                     Source: Purchased                               Shelve it at Goodreads

She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth…a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.

Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.

The king’s assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before in this follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Crown of Midnight.

Amazon | BookDepository

Hands down to Sarah J. Maas in perfecting the art of writing hot guys. I need to stop drooling.

From the past 2 books, we have been grace by the crown prince of Adarlan, Dorian Havilliard and his sapphire eyes *drools*. We also have the brooding Captain of the Guards, Chaol Westfall (which for the past 2 books I have been consistently pronouncing as Chawl) and their semi-charming Roland Havilliard whose whereabouts we don’t know and we will all miss that hot bastard Archer Finn (whose death I really didn’t care about)

If those weren’t enough, we got three additional hot guys:

1. Aedion Ashryver 
2. Galan Ashryver 
3. ROWAN freaking WHITETHORN 

(How great are the genes in the Ashrryver line?)

Now aside from all the hot guys we have additional characters (either to mourn for or to hate)

1. We have Manon Blackbeak, the heir of the Blackbeak Throne(?) starting at the latest movie :How to train your wyvern coming soon in cinemas.
2. We have Sorscha (which I pronounced as Sriracha)
3. Those lords on the run from Terassen
4. Those “soldiers” at Wendlyn
5. Maeve being a b*tch

Now listing: All the weird thoughts I had when reading HoF

1.) On seeing Aedion with the ring (that rule them all) :We have another ring-bearer, you guys. Gollum will be so jealous.

2.) On Celaena’s magic training: Let’s  make Celaena even more unstoppable. Yes let’s do that.

 

3.) On same-sex couple mates:  Aren’t Emrys and Malakai so cute?

4.) On one particular death: You don’t effing give a character a POV in the book then kill him/her by the end! you just don’t!

5.) On the Fortress Battle betrayal: Please don’t let it be Lucas. Please don’t let it be Lucas.

6.) On King of Adarlan: God, I can’t wait to see you be Ramsayed and be fed to the wyverns. Every fiber of my being  just wants to be done with him. Guh!

7.) On hearing about the massacre: Don’t cry, don’t you fucking dare cry.

8.) The weirdest of them all: Why am I shipping Manon and Chaol? Why? Help me understand myself please! Is there any chance of Manon and Chaol meeting by Queen of Shadows? Is there? Because right now, this is the ship I want to sail with.

I am clearly forcing this ship to happen.

 

You collect scars because you want proof that you are paying for whatever sins you’ve committed. And I know this because I’ve been doing the same damn thing for two hundred years. Tell me, do you think you will go to some blessed Afterworld, or do you expect a burning hell? You’re hoping for hell–because how could you face them in the Afterworld?

-Celaena Sardothein

Talk about character development! I can’t..just.. the characters were just awesome. Gah! Especially with Celaena. It was a step-back for Chaol and for Dorian, I was glad that he had finally realize that he didn’t actually love Celaena. I think he was infatuated with the fact the Calaena was unlike any other girls he meet (basing on the pool of ladies attending his mother’s little tea parties).

I was happy that SJM didn’t milked too much when it comes to the relationship between Rowan and Celaena (Aelin). Yeah, you can tell that it may actually lead to something along the series, but how their relationship (currently in a platonic status) development along was pure gold. I am always a firm believer that of the quote “great relationships starts with great friendship” ( tbh, i just made up the quote).

Celaena clearly find Rowan attractive but at least she didn’t throw herself at him (ehem ehem, talking about those YA female progs), shouldn’t that be a good thing?  I never really saw her relationship with Rowan as something Chaol should be worried about until by the end of the book, until I realize that Rowan is much much much more suited with Celaena.

 

My greatest problem with this book was the build up was dragged too long. It took up atleast 3/4 of the book before the-part-where-you-are-sitting-at-the-edge-of-your-seat happened. And even that particular scene didn’t justified that roller coaster of emotions we had in Crown of Midnight. This is what leads me to knock down half a star.

There were a lot of backstory (history)  which I love. I, personally, finally had my answers. But it took too much for the plot to actually be more than than what was written. Heir of Fire was not the bad, but it wasn’t as good (plot-wise) with Crown of Midnight.(there i finally said it)

Another thing. ( for you to hate me)

This may sound as an unpopular opinion, but Chaol was really getting on my nerves. Chaol, you can’t just choose the certain attributes of Celaena to love. You don’t. You love the person as she is. You love her whole. Get it? But who am I kidding, never really liked Chaol even fom the first book. (Now don’t stone me to death, we all have our opinins)

 

What were your thoughts while reading Heir of Fire? How much do you hate the King? And also I need to Read Queen of Shadows right now!

 

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: R.I.P Disney Damsel Princesses

I just finish the reading Winter this month, and I just want to write a book talk (yup not a book review, but still please bear with me and read it in its entirety) that may sound like an Honest (Book) Trailer!

WARNING: SARCASM AND SPOILING AWAITS

Disney presents…

Cinder the Cyborg as Cinderella, the true lost princess of Lunar

Scarlet as Little Red Riding Hood, who feel in love with Wolf-the street fighter

Cress as Rapunzel, who is thrown in a satellite with no stairs leading to earth  and is socially awkward

Winter as Snow White (and if there will be a movie about this,let’s hope that the role will not go to KStew), the illegitimate child which could possibly delusional ( could also be paranoia)

And combining all those bitchy antagonist in Disney Movies (The mongols in Mulan included and Elsa of Frozen ) Disney brings you the wicked of ‘em all Queen Levana, the mist-using evil queen of Luna (Yes, there are living creature with superpowers living on our moon)

(How I wish Disney will take this franchise… But I can stretch the deal until Michael Bay.)

Prepare as Marissa Meyer, turned your regular Disney Princesses and characters to some bad-ass characters:

(a.) who one is a half cyborg,

(b.) who can fly planes,

(c.) who are left by their parents,

(d.) who was left alone in a satellite to stalk people on Earth,

(f.) who saw their love ones die in front of their eyes,

(g.) who might be suffering delusions and paranoia and

(h.)one was convicted as the most wanted criminal of the Union.

(Yes, just your typical teenagers overcoming coming-of-age crap)

Read on as they rescue helpless their princes , who only care about flirting, lying, his hair, betraying  and saving his own face and one almost ate his one true love  (Disclaimer: In this series only one is a legitimate prince, others vary from a mutant soldier – nope not a turtle, trust me-, a queen’s guard, and finally a thief – yup I didn’t type it wrong) But they are still as hot as they were in the original Disney movies (maybe a tad hotter *wink)

Read as they travel the world in 80 days. Read, as one of them searches for answers regarding her true identity. And prepare yourself for the final book that will narrate on how the true princess of Luna overthrow her own aunt the wicked witch  queen of Luna, who tried to kill her when she was a baby, who actually killed her mom the true queen who—damnit just read the book.

 

LONG STORY SHORT: They could be doing this to possibly land an audition of the remake of Lara croft.

 Have you read the Lunar Chronicles? What’s you’re favorite book in the series? Let’s talk/gush/fangirl about it at the comment section!

 

{Book Talk} Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crow #2)

CROOKED KINGDOM BY LEIGH BARDUGO  Pages: 448                        Publisher: Orion Children’s Books        Expected publishing date: September 27, 2016

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world.

PREODER THE BOOK NOW: BookDepository | Amazon

No mourners. No funerals – Kaz Brekker

Can I get confetti over here?  This duology deserves it.

Now, if you are asking if should you value my opinion since, (1.) I have only read the first one and (2.) the second book is yet to come? My answer is yes. (Because I just said so)

If you saw and read my review ( I rated it 5 Hodor heads), you would understand why.

                                                                           CHARACTERS

Bardugos’characters have been the main reason why I have love the book so much (i.e. fangirling about it, shove-it-to-your-throat recommending to my friends, begged my book and real-life bff to read it so we can fangirl together) Thankfully, my bookhangover was short (pweh!)

Everyone’s banters are just on fleek! But sometimes there few point s in the book where you yourself would want to end their lives because of the denials (of feelings) among your ships.

Image via book reaction of Lucia

They all are flawed and imperfect in their own way, and that what makes them real and human (but that just me). They all have great backstories from the first book, and from that standpoint a lot could arise (secrets to divulge) for each of them.

P.S. I hope all my ships will finally sail.

Image via Google

                                                                          WORLD-BUILDING

I guess not everyone will be including this. Full disclosure: I have not read and probably will not really the Grisha Trilogy (I just heard a lot of not so great things with its final book– it’s probably suffering the same case with The Retribution of Mara Dyer).

But to me (a Grisha Trilogy non reader) the world-building hit me with a bag full of epicness. The world’s description if so on point that it fueled my imagination. ( Yah get it?)

P.S. I also like and appreciate books with maps especially those  fantasy/high-fantasy genre

                          About the Author                                                           

Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling and USA Today bestselling author of Six of Crows (awarded starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, SLJ, and the BCCB) and the Grisha Trilogy: Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising. She was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from Yale University, and has worked in advertising, journalism, and most recently, makeup and special effects. These days, she lives and writes in Hollywood where she can occasionally be heard singing with her band.

Visit her: BLOG | GRISHA UNIVERSE

 

 

 

A 5 month long book ban | This depresses me.

Over 3 months of purchasing books online, I have accumulate quiet much and 3/4 of those I haven’t read yet and don’t get me started on the books I left home.

Since my dad already warned me in not getting myself a debit/credit card if I wouldn’t stop this obsession, so I am going to cut my spending and try to catch up with a massive tbr pile.

Book ban starts this April – August.

Book Talk |End of Days by Susan Ee

The feeling when one of your anticipated book of the year have finally have the cover reveal. ‘

Ahh it’s so freaking fantastic.  Honestly I haven’t included Penryn and the End of Days on my 15 for 2015 Book list because during which I did research on the books, it still don’t have a settled publication date. A week ago, I received a forwarded mail from a friend with details on the book cover reveal to be feature in Entertainment Weekly.

When I received the mail, I was on line to pay my tuition fee together with some of my friends at school cashier with more or less 20 people excluding all those in other offices, I was jumping up and down my seat and practically shoving my phone in my friends face.  Everyone within radius was giving me a strange looks but what the hell, they don’t know the feeling on a cover reveal.

With the strange looks and my friends passive reaction, nevertheless the excitement was on me, when even if it was my turn at the cashier I told the in-charge about the cover reveal and she just started at me like an old cat.

You all don’t know that I freaking love the series, because it was my first YA Fantasy book with no love triangle (thank god, sometimes I just want a break). I read the first two books last summer, which you may all know I wasn’t that active on my blog, so I haven’t done any feature of it like now.  I’ll be honest, at first I have no knowledge about the book except that there would be angel apocalypse, and oh! A hot winged-lead man. It was basically a cover buy, come one just look at that cover, who would pick it up?

The first book, Angelfall was a really, really good series starter. It was action pack and witty and really creepy with Penryn’s mother. It is still something to pick-up.

(Image Source: Entertainment Weekly)

Publication Date: May 12, 2015

PRE-ORDER:

 End of Days :  Penryn and the End of Days  #3

By Susan Ee

Book Depository | Amazon 

Follow the Author

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Book Talk | Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

*Disclaimer: This is not the original and final cover for the Lady Midnight. Site*

This one is way way too far from publishing date which is still this September 2015 (But at least we have a date right? RIGHT?) No it’s not unless we have an ARC this very minute.  

However I posted this article of the 15 YA Books for 2015 over two weeks ago, But good ól Goodreads has an update regarding the book recently. At first I thought, It would probably be the official cover. But no. NO, It was something worst.  The date of the expected publication was move to MARCH 2016!

But regardless this all the excitement I’m feeling, and to think that this book haven’t yet have a fix release date.

Ending her epic series with yet another cliffhanger to another trilogy, Clare surely knows how make make her fans wet with anticipation. No joke.

Synopsis:

Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

---

Publisher: Margaret McElderry Books

Page: –

Expected date of publishing: March 2016

Catch Cassandra Clare at : Goodreads | Site

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: R.I.P Disney Damsel Princesses

WARNING: SARCASM AND SPOILING AWAITS  

                Disney presents

                Cinder the Cyborg as Cinderella, the true lost princess of Lunar

                Scarlet as Little Red Riding Hood, who feel in love with Wolf-the street fighter

                Cress as Rapunzel, who is thrown in a satellite with no stairs leading to earth  and is socially awkward.

                Winter as Snow White (and if there will be a movie about this, Kristen stewart is not allowed to audition), the illegitimate child.

                And combining all those bitchy antagonist in Disney Movies (The mongols in Mulan included and Elsa of Frozen ) Disney brings you the wicked of ‘em all Queen Levana, the mist-using evil queen of Luna (Yes there are living creature with superpowers living on our moon)

                                How I wish Disney will take this franchise…

                Prepare as Marissa Meyer, turned your regular Disney Princesses and characters to some bad-ass characters who one is a half cyborg, who can fly planes, who are left by their parents,  who saw their love ones die in front of their eyes and one was convicted as the most wanted criminal of the Union.

Read on as they rescue helpless their princes , who only care about flirting, lying, his hair, betraying  and saving his own face and one almost ate his one true love (sarcasm alert! Bleh).

Read as they travel the world in 80 days. Read, as one of them searches for answers regarding her true identity. And prepare yourself for the final book that will narrate on how the true princess of Luna overthrow her own aunt the wicked witch  queen of Luna, who tried to kill her when she was a baby, who actually killed her mom the turn queen who—damnit just read the book.

 

LONG STORY SHORT: The princesses are trying to audition for the next Lara Croft movie.