Welcome to another Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag 2022 edition! That's right, we're already here again; the year has flown by. This year I've already read 79 books so far, which means it was pretty tough to narrow down the choices for the questions (especially since I've had 22 five star reads this year). So, let's get on with the questions!
1. Best Book You've Read so Far in 2022?
Jade City by Fonda Lee
This book. This book is absolutely amazing and I can't believe I waited so long to read it. I bought Jade City in 2018 when it first came out but I just never got around to it (despite it being on about 20 TBRs), but it's safe to say it's now one of my favourite books of all time. This trilogy is an urban fantasy, gripping Godfather-esque saga of intergenerational blood feuds, vicious politics, magic, and kung-fu. Jade City follows the Kaul family, who are one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon. It's the only place in the world that produces rare magical jade, which grants those with the right training and heritage superhuman abilities. The Green Bone clans of honourable jade-wearing warriors once protected the island from foreign invasion, but nowadays, in a bustling post-war metropolis full of fast cars and foreign money, Green Bone families like the Kauls are primarily involved in commerce, construction, and the everyday upkeep of the districts under their protection. When the simmering tension between the Kauls and their greatest rivals erupts into open violence in the streets, the outcome of this clan war will determine.
Firstly, Lee's worldbuilding is absolutely incredible. I really thought this world and the amount of characters would be difficult to understand or keep track of, but within 40 pages, I felt like I understood exactly what was going on. That shows some incredible writing skill in fantasy books in my opinion. I also loved every character in this book (but I especially loved Lan and Shae); even the villains were done so well. One thing this book did exceptionally well is that it felt so Game of Thrones-esque, in that no character felt safe and anything vicious could happen at any time. I was constantly on the edge of my seat. And then THAT happened halfway through the book and left me a wreck. Lee also explores women's places in this society and culture in such a well done way. I 100% recommend this to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy/gangster-type films or books. Lee is easily one of my new favourite authors and she made me want to pick up the next book immediately.
2. Best sequel you've read so far?
The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
I wanted to choose Jade Legacy for this but I also want to talk about different books/series for each question so I've picked another wonderful read. I absolutely adored this book. I can't say too much about it because it's the third book in a series but it was fantastic. This is a western/steampunk about Wax and Wayne who attempt to right wrongs in their society through a mixture of allomancy and police work. I genuinely thought this was the final book in this 'trilogy' but I've now found out that Sanderson intends to write more in this series. It also makes sense because although the ending was very satisfying, there were a few loose threads that would be good to be explored. I loved the character development in these books, especially Steris - she is amazing! Wayne's quips were so well-timed that this book had be laughing out loud. This book fully interweaves the Mistborn Trilogy as well and it's so good to still see plot twists from that world coming to play in this one. I highly recommend this series for anyone who enjoyed the Mistborn Trilogy. However, now I have to just sit and eagerly await the next book.
3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to?
Into Every Generation a Slayer is Born by Evan Ross Katz
This is a non-fiction book about the TV Show 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', which is my favourite show of all time. The author, with the help of the show’s cast, creators, and crew, reveals that although Buffy contributed to important conversations about gender, sexuality, and feminism, it was not free of internal strife, controversy, and shortcomings. Men, both on screen and off, would taint the show’s reputation as a feminist masterpiece, and changing networks, amongst other factors, would drastically alter the show’s tone. Katz addresses these issues and more, including interviews with many of the stars of the show. Because I love the show so much, I think I'm really going to enjoy this book.
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year?
This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron
I read This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron earlier this year, which is the first book in this series, and I loved it. So, now I'm really excited to read the sequel. The first book is a YA modern-fantasy that follows Briseis who has a gift - the ability to grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with just a single touch. When Briseis's aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined; it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri's unique family lineage. There is more to Bri's sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family. This was a beautifully written and incredibly diverse book (including queer parenting, bisexuality, race, poverty), and I highly recommend it.
5. Biggest disappointment?
Cell by Stephen King
Lore by Alexandra Bracken
Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
Seasonal Fears by Seanan McGuire
Sadly, I've read a lot of 2 star reads this years, so I have quite a few choices for this. I've listed a few here and I'll just give a quick rundown of why I found them disappointing. It's worth saying that just because I found it disappointing, it doesn't always mean I found it bad, just that I expected more of it.
So, the ones I didn't like were The Cell and Lore. These were both just super disappointing books. I've read a lot of Stephen King books (20+) but The Cell is the first one I actively disliked. It was just quite boring and had a lot of gore just for shock value rather than adding anything to the story. The ending was very lacklustre too. Lore had such a good premise but the payoff wasn't there. The characters were flat and the decisions they made frustrated me. Honestly, I've forgotten so much of it since January which I think says a lot.
Wayward Son I really disliked but I was mostly just very disappointed because I loved Carry On even on re-read. I understand the importance of showing the trauma of the characters from the previous book, but it felt like all of the development from the first book had just vanished. The characters were also more unlikeable in general. The road trip aspect was interesting in theory, but again, it ended up falling flat. It felt like nothing happened in this book: driving, they get captured, they escape, driving, they get captured, they escape, etc. etc. It was just that on repeat and it got so boring I was tempted to DNF it. The only reason I didn't was because it was such a short book. Agatha's plotline also felt weirdly tagged on and I really disliked the new character that was added midway through the book (who was an obviously inserted love interest for one character). I definitely won't be finishing this series and I'm just going to pretend that Carry On was a standalone because it really didn't feel like it needed a sequel.
Seasonal Fears I did enjoy but I just loved Middlegame so so much more. I do have a full review of this book here that explains my thoughts more but overall this book suffered from a pacing issue.
6. Biggest surprise?
Circe by Madeline Miller
I was very surprised I enjoyed this book. Don't get me wrong, I'd heard great things about this author, but I'd also heard that you needed a lot of knowledge of Greek Mythology to understand the story. Thankfully, Madeline Miller does a fantastic job of telling Circe's story and I was so invested the entire time I was reading this book. The book itself is a retelling of Circe's story from The Odyssey. In the original tale, Circe is portrayed as a terrifying witch and is only seen for a few pages. However, in this book we see so much more of her character and the things she went through. Circe is a strange child - not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power - the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. Miller's writing is so beautiful and this story is so well told; I highly recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in Greek mythology.
7. Favourite new author? (Debut or new to you)
Hugh Howey or S.A. Chakraborty
For this, I would have to say Hugh Howey or S.A. Chakraborty. Hugh Howey wrote the Wool trilogy and I absolutely adored the series, but especially the second book, Shift. I thought they were brilliantly written and I loved the dystopian/sci-fi feel they had. d in Greek mythology. S.A. Chakraborty wrote the Daevabad trilogy which is an epic fantasy series that I also adored. I will definitely be picking up more books by these authors.
8. Newest favourite character?
I didn't want to repeat books in my answers but I definitely have to here because these two series contained by favourite characters by far. Shae, Lan or Hilo from The Green Bone Saga and Wax and Wayne from The Second Mistborn series.
9. A book that made you cry?
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
This is a non-fiction book about three generations of women in China. Jung Chang describes the extraordinary lives and experiences of her family members: her grandmother, a warlord’s concubine; her mother’s struggles as a young idealistic Communist; and her parents’ experience as members of the Communist elite and their ordeal during the Cultural Revolution. Chang was a Red Guard briefly at the age of fourteen, then worked as a peasant, a “barefoot doctor,” a steelworker, and an electrician. As the story of each generation unfolds, Chang captures in gripping, moving—and ultimately uplifting—detail the cycles of violent drama visited on her own family and millions of others caught in the whirlwind of history. This was a difficult read because of the subject matter but it was fascinating and it the situations of women over this period of time definitely caused me to tear up. I definitely recommend this if you're at all interested in Chinese history/politics.
10. A book that made you happy?
The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall
This is actually a book that I received an arc of and I loved it so much that I ended up buying a copy when it was released. I have a full review of the book here, but I'll also just mention some of the things I loved here. This is the first book I've read from Katy Birchall, and I believe it's her first foray into adult contemporary romance books. The books follows Freya, whose fiancé breaks up with her after 12 years together, on the day before their wedding. She then has 5 wedding to attend throughout the year so her friends come up with a list of challenges that she has to complete to distract her from the breakup. Birchall perfectly encapsulated life in your late twenties/early thirties - lots of weddings and the occasional, very tough break-up. I adored the way she showed Freya healing throughout the book and I love that the romance came into the story a bit later and that the story was spread over nearly a year so you could see her grow. Overall, it just becomes a feel-good book that I think lots of people will relate to.
11. Favourite book to film adaptation you saw this year?
This is book to TV Show but I'll definitely say Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. The TV show was done so well and I loved every second of it. It really encapsulated the graphic novel series and it was just so heartwarming.
12. Favourite review you've written this year
Probably Book Lovers by Emily Henry - which you can find here!
13. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received)
The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers
This is the fourth book in the Wayfarers series - one of my all-time favourite sci-fi series. They're companion novels so I'm not 100% sure who this one is about but I adore the covers of all of these books.
14. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
As always, there are so many books I need to read by the end of the year. I've chosen five that are my highest priority because I've had them on my TBR for a while now
So that was the Mid-Year Book Freakout tag! Let me know if you've read any of these (especially the ones I still need to read) and if I should prioritise any of them. Also, if you've done this tag, link it below and I'll check it out.
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