Book Tag: Mid-Year Check-In Book Tag

Hello, friends! This is one of Amanda’s favorite tags to do. We are excited to share our answers for this year. Let us know if you’ve done this tag too!

Best book you’ve read so far in 2021 – 

Amanda: For the Throne by Hannah Whitten is a top contender.

Antonia: House of Sky And Breath by Sarah J. Maas was amazing.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2021 – 

Amanda: Without a doubt, For the Throne by Hannah Whitten.

Antonia: Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality by Roshani Chokshi.

New release you haven’t read yet but want to – 

Amanda: Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

Antonia: A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow

Most anticipated release for the second half of 2021 – 
(See our full list of anticipated releases here)

Amanda: A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

Antonia: The Choice by Nora Roberts

Biggest disappointment – 

Amanda: My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey. I didn’t like this.

Antonia: I’ve actually really liked all the books I’ve started this year but Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

Biggest Surprise – 

Amanda: The Switch by Beth O’Leary. I really, really loved this one.

Antonia: A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers. I loved this so much and really wasn’t expecting to.

Favorite new author – 

Amanda: Finally read a Kasie West book and really loved it. Planning to read more later this year.

Antonia: Carlos Hernandez. I LOVED his Sal and Gabi series.

Newest fictional crush – 

Amanda: Hell Monkey from Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer. I love him so much.

Antonia: I don’t have any new crushes this year but continued to love Rhea in Seven Mercies by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May.

Newest favorite character – 

Amanda: Lee Stone from Fool Me Once by Ashley Winstead. She’s a hot mess and I would love to be her friend.

Antonia: Murderbot from All Systems Red by Martha Wells. They’re hilarious and weirdly relatable for an AI robot.

Book that made you cry – 

Amanda: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Antonia: The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan

Book that made you happy – 

Amanda: The Switch by Beth O’Leary

Antonia: Vision in White by Nora Roberts. It’s been so long since I read this one, it was just really pleasant to be back with these characters.

Favorite book to movie adaptation this year – 

Amanda: Jurassic Park Camp Cretaceous Season 5.

Antonia: Bridgerton Season 2.

Favorite review you wrote this year – 

Amanda: I don’t know if I have a favorite. I’d have to look through them all again.

Antonia: I haven’t written any reviews this year.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought this year – 

Amanda: For the Throne by Hannah Whitten and I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston. They’re both the Barnes and Noble Exclusive editions and I can’t decide between them.

Antonia: House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas.

What books do you NEED to read before the end of the year – 

Amanda: The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Antonia: I have so many. My physical TBR from last year is still super long and I want to get through all the old ones before I start buying again.

Anyone reading this that thinks it would be fun to do, consider yourself tagged, and feel free to tag us in your post.

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

Summary:
It’s New Year’s Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or remain at home in Brooklyn to pursue her passion for music and be with her boyfriend? As the countdown to the New Year begins, Oona faints and awakens thirty-two years in the future in her fifty-one-year-old body. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she’s told is her own, Oona learns that with each passing year she will leap to another age at random. And so begins Oona Out of Order…
Hopping through decades, pop culture fads, and much-needed stock tips, Oona is still a young woman on the inside but ever-changing on the outside. Who will she be next year? Philanthropist? Club Kid? World traveler? Wife to a man she’s never met? Surprising, magical, and heart-wrenching, Margarita Montimore has crafted an unforgettable story about the burdens of time, the endurance of love, and the power of family.

Review:
I picked up this book because Soleil from The Little Readers Corner recommended it in a video she made about time travel books (watch that video here).
The premise of this story is that it’s almost Oona’s birthday (which is New Year’s Day) and every year, at midnight, as her birthday starts, she time travels to a different age. She starts as she is celebrating her 19th birthday, except when the clock strikes midnight, she’s suddenly 30 years older and her body has just turned 51 years old. By her side is her good friend, Kenzie, trying to explain things but Oona is pretty much freaking out. The story follows from there as we get to see several years of Oona’s life, out of chronological order that most people live. She never knows what age she will be next and most times there is a letter waiting for her from the previous year’s Oona.
I really loved this book. The concept was an absolutely fascinating one and I think it was executed brilliantly. We obviously don’t get to live every year of Oona’s life, but the ones that the author did show us were beautiful, fun, heart-wrenching, and meaningful. Each year that we follow Oona in is a year filled with life lessons and mistakes, attempts to change her future (or her past?), and they were all enjoyable, even the hard ones. I absolutely loved the way this book was written. Living “out of order” alongside Oona was such an engaging way of telling this story and I really enjoyed every minute that I spent reading this book.
Oona grows so much in this story. I have to commend this author on some truly excellent character development. She’s flawed. She makes the wrong choices, sometimes in spite of the advice from the past year’s Oona, sometimes because she’s following that advice. She doesn’t always do the right thing and sometimes that ends up hurting the people that she loves (those few that do know she’s living her life out of order especially). I really liked following her as she traveled at random through the years of her life trying to find and make amends for mistakes that haven’t happened yet or have happened 20+ years in the past for the people in her life.
Overall, I will absolutely be recommending this book to everyone I know that likes science fiction.  I had such a good time reading this story (and the way my jaw dropped when we find out the twist about her tattoo. I wish I’d taken a picture). This book made me smile and laugh, but also occasionally a little mad and sad. There was such a range of emotions to feel throughout this story and the author did a great job of making me feel them all. I also really loved the fact that this story left me feeling filled with hope. That sounds sort of weird considering that Oona will continue living her life in random years, turning random ages, jumping through time, but the story that is told is filled with hope and lessons about living your life and making the best out of the time you have and the people you have that time with. I just really liked this book.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Amanda’s Adult SFF Backlist Book Reading Challenge TBR

Hello, lovelies! I’m here today to share with you a wonderful and fun reading challenge that my friend Ari over at Bookish Valhalla is hosting (her announcement post is linked for anyone that wants to read it). For the last few months, I’ve really been trying to focus on moving away from YA fantasy and science fiction and exploring more adult SFF stories. I just haven’t been connecting with YA stories as much and I’ve really loved the adult SFF that I have read recently.

So! To say that I was excited when Ari shared this reading challenge is an understatement. This challenge focuses on reading backlist adult books that are fantasy and science fiction. Each month has a loose theme, so I’ve picked some books that I think will work for each month. I’m going to share all the options that I have on my TBR for each of these because I’m not sure which book I’ll end up reading for the months that have more than one option to choose from. Also, this TBR will only be the books that I own, I may end up reading books I don’t own for this challenge but as of now my goal is to focus on the adult SFF series that I already own.

January // Winter

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

February // Time

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

March // Oaths

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

April // Hidden Places

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark

May // Starlight

The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

June // To Sea

July // To Sky

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

August // Sacrifice

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

September // Fire

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

October // Ritual

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

November // Forest

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

December // Omens

I have some ideas about recommendations for this reading challenge, too. So, you can expect to see a post about that eventually. Share some recommendations for the themes that I didn’t list anything for please! What adult science fiction and fantasy books are you hoping to read in 2022?

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

End of Year-A-Thon: Round Four!

Hello, lovelies! Can you believe we’re already almost at the end of 2021? I absolutely cannot. This year has totally flown by. There has been good and bad for me. We moved and found out that we’re having another baby. So, it’s certainly been an exciting year. As for reading, it’s been a pretty good year for me, but there are always more books to read. And to help with that, Vicky and I are bringing End of Year-A-Thon back for its fourth year! If you’ve been a follower of this blog for a while you’ll know what that is. But if you’re new here, let me explain!

End of Year-A-Thon runs from December 26th to December 31st, starting and ending at midnight in your local time zone. Vicky from What Vicky Read and I thought it would be fun to create a readathon for the final days of the year to read just a few more books. I don’t know about you, but I definitely haven’t read all the books from my ‘books I’m going to read in 2021’ lists I made back in January. I also am going to need that final push to meet my GoodReads reading challenge. So, we’ve planned five prompts to help us read those books we were definitely going to read in 2021, but haven’t yet. This is a super flexible readathon, so use the prompts or don’t, just read with us as we close out the year!

Read a book released in 2021

Read a book from a series you’ve started but haven’t finished

Read a book by an own voices author

Read one of your most recently acquired books (whether bought, borrowed, gifted, etc.)

Read a book with gold on the cover

Well, there you have it. End of Year-A-Thon is back for its fourth year and these are our five prompts for this year. You can find the End of Year-A-Thon Twitter where Vicky and I will be hosting some reading sprints and sharing other readathon related things. Let me know in the comments if you think you’ll be participating this year!

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

#SciFiMonth: Intergalactic Book Tag

ARTWORK by Liu Zishan from 123RF.com
QUOTE from Babylon’s Ashes by James S A Corey

Hi, friends! What is a themed blog month without a book tag, honestly? Amanda found this one from last year’s #SciFiMonth posts at Time for Tales and Tea. The original creator is Life of a Female Bibliophile to promote the book Starflight by Melissa Landers.

Space // name a book that is out of this world – that takes place in a world different from our own.

Amanda- A classic, I think, Red Rising by Pierce Brown.

Antonia- The Martian by Andy Weir

Black Hole // name a book that completely sucked you in.

Amanda- A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. This is her newest series and I’m already obsessed with it.

Antonia- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Lightspeed // name a book you are anticipating so much that you wish you could travel at lightspeed to get to it.

Amanda- The Genesis Wars by Akemi Dawn Bowman. I loved the first book so much and I definitely can’t wait for the second.

Antonia- Seven Mercies by Elizabeth May and Laura Lam

Nebula // name a book with a beautiful cover.

Amanda- A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers. It’s weird, but in a way that I can’t stop looking at.

Antonia- Seven Devils by Elizabeth May and Lauren May

Multiverse // name a companion set or spin-off series you love.

Amanda- The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers. It’s technically a series, but each book follows different characters in different parts of this fictional universe. They’re all fantastic.

Antonia- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Gravity // name your favorite romantic pairing that seems to have gravitational pull to each other.

Amanda- Darrow and Mustang from the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown.

Antonia- Red and Blue from This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.

The Big Bang // name the book that got you started on reading.

Amanda- In regards to science fiction, Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix is what kindled my love for dystopian fiction/sci-fi.

Antonia- I’ve been reading for forever so I honestly couldn’t tell you. It started early with Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl and just grew from there.

Asteroid // name a short story or novella that you love.

Amanda- This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone & Amal El-Mohtar.

Antonia- I almost never read short stories or novellas.

Galaxy // name a book with multiple POVs.

Amanda- Seven Devils by Elizabeth May & Laura Lam.

Antonia- Winter by Marissa Meyer.

Spaceship // name a book title that would a great name for a spaceship.

Amanda- Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee.

Antonia- Artemis by Andy Weir

Considering it’s #SciFiMonth, we did our best to pick mostly science fiction books for our answers. But that wasn’t always possible. Just know that we did aim for mostly science fiction answers. Feel free to consider yourself tagged if you like this one!

Blogtober Day Eleven: Fall into Fall Book Tag

Hey, bookish friends. We found this fall themed book tag and knew it would be perfect for a Blogtober book tag. This tag was created by Silver Button Books and you can find their post here.

Apple Picking: A bright shiny book on your shelf.

Amanda- Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard. The gold cover is truly so shiny.

Antonia- The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi. This cover is seriously so pretty.

Pumpkin Spice: A book that everyone loved that just doesn’t sit well with you.

Amanda- A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee. From reviews I’ve seen so far, people either loved or didn’t love this book. I didn’t love it and there were some specific things that I really didn’t like.

Antonia- The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I’ve loved some of her previous books but was so disappointed by this one. I couldn’t connect with the main characters and didn’t like the romance at all.

Fall Leaf Tour: A gorgeously written journey.

Amanda- Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers. This is a stunning and lyrical story that I still haven’t stopped thinking about.

Antonia- Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Tristran goes on such a crazy journey throughout Faerie and learns so much about the world and himself. I loved every bit of it.

Pumpkin Picking: A book that reflects the pumpkin you always pick.

Amanda- The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow. I like to pick big, chunky, round pumpkins that will be easy to carve and full of seeds. This book was chunky for sure, and I would say a nice round story with how the plot and characters are all tied together in a satisfying ending.

Antonia- This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El Mohtar and Max Gladstone. I never pick a perfect pumpkin. It always has to be a little weird or flawed. This book was so unique and just a little odd but still so beautiful.

Halloween Costume: A book with a character whose style you admire.

Amanda- For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten. I’m thinking of Red’s cloak, but also, I love the fantasy dresses that sound so pretty.

Antonia- The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn. I LOVE regency era fashion. I think it would be so cool to wear all those gorgeous dresses every day.

Fall Beverage: A book that reflects your favorite fall drink.

Amanda- My favorite fall drink is either hot chocolate or apple cider. So, I have an author instead of a book for this one. Nora Roberts is my go-to when I need a familiar and comforting book that makes me feel warm.

Antonia- The Witness by Nora Roberts. My favorite fall drink is apple cider so I picked a book that I find warm and comforting. This is a very old favorite that I can come back to anytime to make myself feel good.

Corn Maze: A book you can get lost in.

Amanda- I don’t often have an issue getting pulled into the story. But most recently, For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten really sucked me in and I had to stay up late until I finished it.

Antonia- All of them. It’s so easy for me to just lose myself in a book.

Hot Food: A book you waited all summer to read.

Amanda- Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. I preordered this one last year, but it was back ordered from my local indie store. So, I didn’t get it until after spooky season was over. It was the first book I picked up in September.

Antonia- I’ve been so excited for Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan to come out. I love all his books and this one sounds so fun.

What a fun fall book tag! We tag anyone that feels like doing this. Thanks for reading!

Book Tag – Mid-Year Check-In Book Tag

Hey, bookworms! We’re back with Amanda’s favorite tag of the year. It’s July, so a bit past mid-year, but we’re here to share some best and worsts of 2021 so far.

Best book you’ve read so far in 2021 – 

Amanda: I can never pick just one, so Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler and The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman are both pretty high up there.

Antonia: Seven Devils by Elizabeth May and Laura Lam. This book was seriously amazing. I can’t wait for the sequel.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2021 – 

Amanda:  Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo. It was just so good.

Antonia: Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi. These books just get better and better.

New release you haven’t read yet but want to – 

Amanda: The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore. I’ve loved all of McLemore’s books and I’m itching to get to thhis one.

Antonia: Legacy by Nora Roberts.

Most anticipated release for the second half of 2021 – 
(See our full list of anticipated releases here)

Amanda: Into the Dying Light by Katy Rose Pool and The Bronzed Beasts by Roshani Chokshi. Two series finales to favorite series of mine. I can’t wait to finish both of these series.

Antonia: The Becoming by Nora Roberts coming out in November.

Biggest disappointment – 

Amanda: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Everyone raved about this book and I let the hype get to me because I wasn’t impressed.

Antonia: Luckily I haven’t been disappointed by any books so far this year.

Biggest Surprise – 

Amanda: Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant. As a rule, I don’t like horror. But now, maybe I do? I loved this book and that surprised the heck out of me.

Antonia: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan. I’d been putting off reading this one for such a long time because I was worried I wouldn’t like Apollo as a narrator but I ended up completely loving it.

Favorite new author – 

Amanda: Akemi Dawn Bowman and Adrienne Young. I still have more of their backlists to read, but I’m hoping to catch up before the end of 2021.

Antonia: Roshani Chokshi for sure. The Aru Shah series has been amazing and I can’t wait to pick up her other books too.

Newest fictional crush – 

Amanda: Casteel from The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I would die for both him and Poppy.

Antonia: Not really a new crush because I loved him from A Court of Thorns and Roses, but I have to pick Cassian from A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas.

Newest favorite character – 

Amanda: Rocky from Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I loved him so much.

Antonia: Aru Shah from Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi. She is definitely one of the funniest narrators I’ve ever read about.

Book that made you cry – 

Amanda: Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield. This book has some really tough subject matter so check out the content warnings before picking this one up.

Antonia: A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas.

Book that made you happy – 

Amanda: Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler. I wish I had this book in high school. It really spoke to my soul in a way that I haven’t felt in a long time.

Antonia: Stardust by Neil Gaiman. I’ve loved the movie for years and even though the book obviously had differences, it was still so nice to see all my favorite characters again.

Favorite book to movie adaptation this year – 

Amanda: I’m sure everyones answer is this one but Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo that was adapted by Netflix. I had some issues with it, but I really did enjoy it.

Antonia: I have to agree with Amanda about Shadow and Bone. I think they did a really good job overall.

Favorite review you wrote this year – 

Amanda: Probably my review for Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo. I feel like I came across as clear and said what I wanted to say.

Antonia: I haven’t written any reviews this year.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought this year – 

Amanda: Ohhh, probably a tie between The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He and the Fable duology by Adrienne Young (put them side by side and they are stunning.)

Antonia: I’ve been really good about not buying books this year.

What books do you NEED to read before the end of the year – 

Amanda:

Grace and Glory by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson
Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Antonia: So many. I’m way behind on my reading so I still have a lot from my winter TBR that I haven’t read and a bunch still coming out this year that I’m excited about. I’m definitely going to try to focus on books I already have before buying new though.

Anyone reading this that thinks it would be fun to do, consider yourself tagged, and feel free to tag us in your post.

Info Dump Bookish Tag

Hello, friends! It’s been a while since we’ve done a booktag. We saw this one over on Way Too Fantasy and thought it would be a good way for our readers to get to know us a little bit better. We thought these were some great questions. This tag was originally created by Books & Chocaholic over on YouTube, check out their video! Let’s get right into the questions.

1. How many books on average do you read per month?

Amanda- My average for 2020 was 31 books per month. But I have to add that I’m a stay at home mom, so, I’m home all the time and between physical books, eBooks, and audiobooks I’m reading almost constantly. So, please don’t compare you’re reading habits with mine.

Antonia- Recently my average has been around 4, but it can vary greatly month to month depending on my schedule.

2. How many books are on your TBR?

Amanda- My GoodReads ‘want to read’ shelf has 485 books on it. But the books I own and haven’t read yet is 107 with my physical books, eBooks, and my graphic novels.

Antonia- I don’t keep an actual TBR list, just kind of keep track of what I want to read in my head. I’d say I usually have around ten that I want to read at any given time.

3. How are your books organized on your shelves?

Amanda- At the moment, they’re alphabetical. But I’ve been itching to rearrange them again. I’m not sure if I’ll do it by genre or if I’ll go it by age range.

Antonia- I used to organize by genre then author. When I downsized my shelves I switched to just author. Since I moved last, I never took the time to actually organize so right now they’re just chaos.

4. Which genres do you read the most from?

Amanda- According to my 2020 statistics post, I read the most YA fantasy with adult romance as second.

Antonia- Definitely fantasy, either adult or young adult.

5. Which genres do you own the most of?

Amanda- This is probably also fantasy again.

Antonia- It’s probably fantasy tied with romance.

6. Which is your preferred format of reading (eBook, physical, audiobook)?

Amanda- I will always prefer physical books. But I also think eBooks and audiobooks have their times where they shine.

Antonia- Physical books, then ebooks with audiobooks way in last place.

7. Who is your most owned author?

Amanda- Probably Nora Roberts. I haven’t counted. But Nora Roberts, Rick Riordan, or Janet Evanovich are probably my top three. With maybe Cassandra Clare coming in close too.

Antonia- Definitely Nora Roberts since I own most of what she’s written.

8. Describe your favorite writing style.

Amanda- I like a writing style that’s pretty and lyrical without being overly so. I don’t want purple prose so flowery that the story gets lost, but I do still love beautiful writing.

Antonia- I don’t think I have a favorite, I just need a fast-placed plot.

9. Which literary devices do you like/dislike?

Amanda- Ohhh, I think imagery and flashbacks are tied here, but only if they’re done well.

Antonia- A clever plot twist. Something that you don’t see coming but once it happens all these little things from earlier in the book just suddenly make sense.

10. Which character archetypes do you enjoy?

Amanda- I like a lot of them. But the jester is probably my favorite. I always find myself loving the character that brings the comedic relief.

Antonia- I have to agree with Amanda on this one. Bonus points when that character is really snarky or sarcastic.

11. What are your favorite book settings?

Amanda- Honestly, settings are one of the least important thing to me. But if the world building is done well, I love any well built world. It’s described well enough for me to picture is a rare occurrence.

Antonia-I don’t pay too much attention to setting but I love when an author can help me see the setting without spending a page describing it.

12. What are your favorite tropes?

Amanda- I love childhood friends to lovers. It’s my real life love story. So, I love to read about it too.

Antonia- Antiheroes. I just think it adds so much more dimension to the characters. No one is wholly good or wholly bad.

These are all of the questions! We’re not going to tag anyone specifically, but if you feel like doing this tag, let us know!

Five Star Predictions – Round Three!

Hello, bookworms! During Blogtober and Blogmas we decided to try to predict a few books that we thought would be five star reads (find them here and here). We thought it was fun to predict what books we might love and then see how right or wrong we were, so, we decided to keep it going outside of October and December. Today we are going to wrap up our last five predictions and then come up with some new books that we think we will love. We both will be choosing books we already own (or plan to buy soon) because we’re working on getting our TBR that we own a bit smaller.

Amanda’s Prediction Wrap Up

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
I haven’t managed to pick this one up yet. It’s on my list for the summer, so hopefully soon.

The Ever Cruel Kingdom by Rin Chupeco
I was right with my prediction! I absolutely loved this book. The characters are amazing and the things they do and go through made the story so great. I highly recommend this series. The world is fascinating. There’s compelling characters and relationships.

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
This one wasn’t 5 stars, but I did enjoy it. I think it was really interesting to read about a female firefighter moving from a station she considers home to one that has some really terrible opinions on female firefighters. I didn’t love the romance, but I liked the main character.

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
I didn’t read this one yet. I really want to, but I’ve been rereading a lot lately instead of reading new things.

The Ravens by Danielle Paige & Kass Morgan
While this wasn’t quite 5 stars, I had a really good time reading it. I think it would have been higher rated for me if not for the petty dislike between the two main characters. This was resolved before the end of the book, thankfully. I liked the magic and the sisterhood and I’m definitely excited for the sequel.

Antonia’s Predictions Wrap Up

Seven Devils by Elizabeth May and Laura Lam
I LOVED this one. Definitely five stars. The characters were amazing, well developed and each had their own unique personalities. The futuristic world was so cool and I really appreciated seeing all the little details of it. I can’t wait for the second book.

To Sleep in A Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
I still haven’t been able to get to this one but I’m hoping to soon.

The Awakening by Nora Roberts
I also really loved this one and Nora’s forever my favorite so five stars for this one too. I can’t wait to see where the rest of this story goes.

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
I think this one fell just a smidge short of five stars only because Apollo’s narration took a little getting used to. I liked his character development and I get that his arrogance and non-human traits are sort of the point but it was really weird having a protagonist that’s so unlikable.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman
I’d have to give this one four stars. I really enjoyed it and I’ve loved the movie for years. Some of the differences from the movie I liked and some I didn’t but it was a really fun read.

These are our previous predictions and what we thought about the books. I think we did had a mix of books we loved and just liked. For the next round of predictions, we’re going to keep it to three since neither of us have been managing to read all five predictions.

Amanda’s Predictions

Miss Meteor by Anna-Marie McLemore & Tehlor Kay Mejia

Jade City by Fonda Lee

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Antonia’s Predictions

The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Legacy by Nora Roberts

These are our next three predictions, a few books we think we will completely love. Do you have any books you own that you think will be five star reads?

The Cake Flavored Books Tag

Hi, friends! It’s been a while since we’ve done a book tag here on the blog and Amanda saw this one from Jess @ Jessica C Writes. It took a bit of searching, but the original tag was created by Paper Fury and inspired from the #CakeFlavoredBooks tag over on Instagram. Cake is something that we love here, alongside our love for books. So, we though it would be fun to do this tag that combines both!

Chocolate Cake // A dark book you absolutely love

Amanda- All the Bad Apples by Moira Fowley-Doyle. This book was honestly hard to read during certain parts, but it’s such an important story.

Antonia- I tend to avoid darker themes but I fondly remember reading The Devouring by Simon Holt with Amanda when we were teenagers. It was definitely terrifying but still such good memories.

Vanilla Cake // A light read

Amanda- The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai. While looking through my reading list, I realized I don’t read many ‘light’ books.

Antonia- Well Met by Jen Deluca.

Red Velvet // A book that gave you mixed emotions

Amanda- A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas, I almost hated Feyre and Rhysand by the end of the book and I’m not happy about that at all.

Antonia- Night of the Dragon by Julie Kagawa. I loved this series but the end was just a little bittersweet.

Cheesecake // A book you would recommend to anyone

Amanda- This is a hard question because everyone has different reading tastes. So, I’m going to give a few for a few different genres.
Contemporary: Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
Fantasy: For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig
Mystery/Thriller: A Good Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Antonia- Oh wow, there’s so many. I always recommend Nora Roberts to everyone because she’s forever my favorite. I also always recommend The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss to fantasy lovers.

Coffee Cake // A book you started but never finished

Amanda- The Fiery Heart by Diana Gabaldon. I’ve been reading this book for what feels like a million years.

Antonia- The Ever Cruel Kingdom by Rin Chupeco. This one is only sort of a DNF. I liked the first book but was having trouble getting through this one. I just wasn’t in the mood for it. So I moved on to something else but I do plan to pick this one up again at some point.

Carrot Cake // A book with great writing

Amanda- All of Anna-Marie McLemore’s books. Their writing is absolutely stunning. I’ve read Wild Beauty and Blanca & Roja which were both filled with beautiful prose.

Antonia- This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El Mohtar and Max Gladstone. I loved the way this book was written, it just worked so well with the story itself and really drew me in.

Tiramisu // A book that left you wanting more

Amanda- The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders. I really enjoyed this book right up until the ending. I was left wanting more and not in a good way. It felt like there were chapters missing to conclude the story. I wanted any semblance of a conclusion and I didn’t really get that from this book.

Antonia- All of them. I’ve never read a book and not wanted more from the story and characters.

Cupcakes // A series with 4+ books

Amanda- I absolutely devoured the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown in 2020 and I recommend that you do the same this year.

Antonia- Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. All of them are amazing.

Fruit Cake // A book that wasn’t what you anticipated

Amanda- Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft. I went into this one thinking that it was a spooky and magical mystery in a creepy mansion. While part of the story is this. There is much more to the story. There’s interesting world building and politics, characters I loved and hated. This book wasn’t what I anticipated but not in a bad way.

Antonia- Year One by Nora Roberts. This book was so much darker than she normally writes but it was amazing.

Lamington // Favorite Australian book

Amanda- This was a fun question because I didn’t realize some of the books that I’ve loved were written by Australian authors. Some of those books are The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend, Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne, and of course, The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff.

Antonia- I actually haven’t read any Australian authors. I would love some recommendations though.

If you’re reading this and think it would be fun to do, consider yourself tagged!

Lowest Rated Books on Amanda’s TBR

Hi, lovelies! I’ve been seeing a few people on the various bookish platforms do a reading vlog or post where they read the lowest rated books on their owned TBR. I thought it was such an interesting way to get a few books off my TBR shelf that I might not love and unhaul them if that’s the case. As those of you that have followed the blog for a while, you all know I love lists, so this is just another way to keep me accountable to myself and read the books that I have. These are the five books that have the lowest GoodReads rating.

Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher
Average Rating: 3.21 / 5

The Graces by Laure Eve
Average Rating: 3.29 / 5

A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee
Average Rating: 3.47 / 5

The End and Other Beginnings by Veronica Roth
Average Rating: 3.54 / 5

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon
Average Rating: 3.61 / 5

I’m going to try to read these five books this month. At the end of March, I’ll come back with a wrap up post with my thoughts and whether these books will be staying on my shelves or headed to my local library or used bookstore. Let me know if you’ve read these books or which one you think I should start with.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Amanda’s 2020 Superlative Awards (Book Tag)

Hello, lovelies! I created this original book tag last year (find it here) when people on twitter were talking about how the bookish world should have an end of the year superlatives like our yearbooks did in high school. I loved the idea, so I made a book tag based on that and ran with it. I thought it would be fun to do it again this year!

Rules: 

1. Tag me as the original creator
2. Choose from either all the books you read in 2020 or only 2020 releases.
3. Most importantly, have fun!

Best All Around: Your number one favorite book of the year.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow, a story of sisters reconciling, magic, and a female/female romance. I loved it.

Biggest Flirt: Newest or favorite book boyfriend of 2020.

Casteel from From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout (I know many will agree with this one, hah!)

Class Clown: Sillest/most goofy/funniest book of 2020.

I didn’t read many ‘funny’ books this year but I think The Martian by Andy Weir fits the bill for this one.

Cutest Couple: Favorite bookish couple of the year. 

This is technically two couples but in The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco both Haidee & Arjun and Odessa & Lan were definitely my favorites this year.

Most Likely to Succeed: Most hyped book you read in 2020. 

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater
Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

Best Celebrity Lookalike: Favorite book based off of another story (fairytale/mythological/classics, etc.)

A Million Junes by Emily Henry

Best Dressed: Most appealing book cover of the year.

Tallest & Shortest: Share the longest & the shortest books you read this year. 

Shortest: Skyward, Vol. 2: Here There Be Dragonflies by Joe Henderson, Lee Garbett, & Antonia Fabela (104 pages)
Longest: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (963 pages)

Best Clique: Share your favorite friend squad you read about.

Okay, I’m going to try to pick a book I haven’t already mentioned, so the crew from To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini.

Most Likely to Survive the Hunger Games: Share the character(s) you read about this year that you think would do well in the world of the Hunger Games. 

The crew from the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown basically have their own version of the Hunger Games and I loved it, but I also think that Xiala and Serapio from Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse would totally win together.

Best/Worst Plot Twist: What did you read that had a really great or really horrible plot twist?

Best: The Final Six by Alexandra. Aliens are my favorite.
Worst: This is more of a lack of a plot but, The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker.

Series: Best/worst second or concluding book in a series. 

Best: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (this is only sort of a sequel).
Worst: A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

Most likely to become a classic: What book has the potential to become a modern classic?

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab or The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern.

Tagging to play:

Alana @ The Bookish Chick

Avhlee @ Tea Cups and Torn Pages

Blogmas Day Eleven: End of the Year Book Tag

Hello bookish friends! Blogmas, of course, means getting a few book tag posts up for the month. They’re always a fun time, especially the end of the year ones. This book tag is actually one of my favorites, along with the mid-year one. This tag was originally created by Ariel Bissett, but we found it on Bookbinder Way. Let’s get into it!

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

Amanda- For once, no.

Antonia- Nope. I’ve actually been really good this year about not DNFing anything.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition to the end of the year?

Amanda- Nothing specific, but as Autumn comes around I tend to start picking up the mysteries and thrillers I’ve been collecting through out the year.

Antonia- I really don’t read seasonally, so no.

Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

Amanda- No. I am getting a great haul for Christmas and all the 2020 books I’m excited about have already been released.

Antonia- I’m still waiting for The Awakening by Nora Roberts.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

Amanda-

Well Played by Jen DeLuca
Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia
The Awakening by Nora Roberts

Antonia-

The Awakening by Nora Roberts
Rules for Being A Girl by Candace Bushnell and Katie Cotugno
Seven Devils by Elizabeth May and Laura Lam

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

Amanda- Absolutely. I have so many books on my TBR that I’m really excited about.

Antonia- All of them. I’m so excited about everything on my TBR.

Have you already started making reading plans for 2020?

Amanda- They’re about the same as this year. Focus on my owned TBR (physical and ebooks), and buy less books.

Antonia- Mostly just a continuation from my current TBR. I’ve been such a slow reader lately that I’m sure I’ll have some left over for the new year.

We tag anyone that feels like doing this one!

Blogtober Day Twenty-Six: The Nightmare Before Christmas Book Tag

Hey, bookworms. Today we have another book tag for your enjoyment. We found this Nightmare Before Christmas one over at Erica Robyn Reads while searching for a fun one. This definitely fits that. This tag was created by The Butterfly Reader. Check out her post here!

Jack – A book character who longs for more

Amanda: Zachary Ezra Rawlins from The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. He misses his chance for more when he was a kid and it lingers into his adulthood.

Antonia: Cress from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. She spends her whole life stuck by herself floating in the middle of space and just wants to see the world and meet people.

Sally – A book character who loves someone so much and actually gets them in the end

Amanda: Amani from the Mirage duology by Somaiya Daud. Forbidden love that ends with a happy ending is always a good time for me.

Antonia: Alina from The Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. She’s loved Mal for so long and even though I kind of hated him for most of the first book, I ended up being so happy they got together.

Zero – A book with a loyal sidekick

Amanda: Lehaba from House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas. She’s literally just fire. I adored her.

Antonia: The Outstretched Shadow by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory. Not only is Shalkan the most sarcastic, hilarious best friend but he’s also a freaking unicorn. Like literally. It’s amazing.

Oogie Boogie – A book with one hell of a wicked villain

Amanda: The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty. The villain is trying to retake her city, a place her ancestors used to rule. She was complex and interesting, but took things too far.

Antonia: The Dragon King from The Last Namsara by Kristin Ciccarelli. Seriously, he was just awful.

Halloween Town – A book that’s creepy or has a scary theme

Amanda: The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher. I read this in September and it was creepy and suspenseful and everything I wanted for Spooktober.

Antonia: I never read scary books because I will definitely give myself nightmares.

Christmas Town – A book that left you feeling warm and fuzzy inside

Amanda: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. A man goes to an orphanage filled with some of the more dangerous supernaturals. He isn’t sure what to expect. He finds a family and I loved every page of this book.

Antonia: Anything by Julia Quinn. Her books are just so funny and I always love the romance.

What’s This? – A book that took you by surprise

Amanda: Furyborn by Claire Legrand. I actually pulled this book out of my ‘to be unhauled’ pile and it was a 5 star read for me.

Antonia: The Martian by Andy Weir. I watched the movie first and really enjoyed it but it’s outside of my normal book genre so I was not expecting to love it as much as I did. Mark’s voice is just amazing. I really felt like I could hear him while reading this.

That’s all the questions! Feel free to consider yourself tagged if this looks like fun to you! Happy Spooktober!

Blogtober Day Eight: Halloween Creatures Book Tag

It’s been a while since we’ve done a book tag here, but Blogtober is the perfect opportunity for a new and fun one. There are a bunch of great ones out there for Halloween but we liked this one the best. Let’s get right into it!

Rules

1. Answer all prompts.
2. Answer honestly.
3. Tag 1-13 people.
4. Link back to this post.
5. Remember to credit the creator. (Anthony @ Keep Reading Forward)
6. Have fun!

Witch: A magical character or book

Amanda- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. I read this in August and I still can’t stop thinking about it. It was so many stories within one story that all connected to one another. The writing was beautiful. Plus, it’s about a magic library world.

Antonia- The Dark Witch by Nora Roberts. We all know how much I love Nora, particularly when she gets into magic. I love how in depth this book gets into the magic aspect.

Werewolf: The perfect book to read at night

Amanda- Literally any book. I don’t save specific books only to read a certain time. It’s more about format for me. Ebooks and audiobooks at night in bed and physical reading during the day.

Antonia- I also don’t have specific books that I read during different situations.

Frankenstein: A book that truly shocked you

Amanda- Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power. The twist at the end was wild. I know some saw it coming, but it was way weirder than what I predicted.

Antonia- Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. I had many problems with this book but the twist at the end was so good. I couldn’t believe it.

The Devil: A dark or evil character

Amanda- Lada from The Conquerer’s Saga by Kiersten White. She’s not evil, but she will do literally anything to reach her goals and I love her for it.

Antonia- The Darkling from The Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. He’s one of the villains we love to hate. He’s just so well written throughout the entire series.

Grim Reaper: A character that shouldn’t have died

Amanda- Without spoiling anything, I will say that a certain adult from These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling didn’t have to die and I’m still seriously mad about it.

Antonia- The thirteen from Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas. This scene killed me. Even the second time I read it, I bawled like a baby.

Zombie: A book that made you hungry for more

Amanda- The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. I read this trilogy in like four days because I just needed to know the whole story.

Antonia- I always want more of my favorite characters. The Age of X series by Richelle Mead is a big one for me though because she never continued the series after book two.

Gargoyle: A character you would protect at all costs

Amanda- All of my babies from The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman except Justin. I literally don’t care about him.

Antonia- Blue from This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Not that she needs protecting from anyone but I just love her so much.

Vampire: A book that sucked the life out of you

Amanda- Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust. This story sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go until I got to the end. I got lost in this story, so deeply invested in the characters and their goals.

Antonia- Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa. This series pulled me in so hard and gave me so many feelings. I can’t wait to read the last book.

Ghost: A book that still haunts you

Amanda- For this one, I tried to make sure to pick a book that I read before 2020 because I’ve read some great books this year that I can’t stop thinking about. So, I have a few. Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin, Ashlords by Scott Reintgen, and Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro are some from last year that I still have on my mind often.

Antonia- Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima. I vaguely remember finishing this book but can’t make myself read the rest of the series because I still can’t get over what happened at the beginning. I’m devastated.

Demon: A book that really scared you

Amanda- The Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab. There were many moments that had me nail biting and gripping the pages in fear for the characters.

Antonia- I don’t read many spooky books because I’m a wuss but when we were teenagers Amanda and I read The Devouring by Simon Holt and that series gave me nightmares.

Skeleton: A character you have a bone to pick with

Amanda- Dara, freaking Dara, from the Daevabad trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty. He was one of my favorites in the first book, but by book three he was not on that list anymore. I was happy with how his story ended, but I wanted more from him.

Antonia- Evie’s mom from The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I mean come on! Every choice she made just caused so many problems.

Mummy: A book you would preserve through time

Amanda- I hate to repeat books on these things, but I have to say The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern again. I think this book will be loved for many years to come.

Antonia- Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. Honestly these books are just so well written, especially for children’s books. I love everything about them.

Creepy Doll: A cover too scary to look at

Amanda- There are two books and neither of them are out yet. Horrid by Katrina Leno and Blessed Monsters by Emily A. Duncan.

Antonia- Since I don’t read anything remotely close to horror, I don’t have any book covers that creep me out.

The Monster Mash – It’s fun to be with friends on Halloween! Tag your friends here:

Alana @ The Bookish Chick

Avhlee @ Tea Cups and Torn Pages

Ari @ Bookish Valhalla