24 in 48 Readathon Wrap Up

24 in 48 Readathon was hosted from Saturday 22nd to Sunday 23rd, with the goal to read for twenty-four hours during the forty-eight hours. Here's my sign up and TBR post, which has more info about the readathon itself.

I failed miserably. Here, I said it. I only managed to read 14 hours, which was seven hours on each day. I was so tired during the weekend and slept way too much, and rest of the time I was either distracted by various things or preparing to leave to London at the beginning of the week. Personally, I'm not too upset because I still managed to read 494 pages and finish two books, which is good especially since I haven't read that much during July. I just failed the readathon goal.

So, I here's what I read:

I finished Because You Love To Hate Me by reading five short stories (136 pages total), and then I read most of Our Dark Duet (total of 358 pages)

COYER Weekly Wrap Up #5

Well, during the fifth week I read two books which is more than I've on previous weeks. It still wasn't the best reading week, I was so distracted by so many things. But I'm happy that I managed to read two books. Next week I'm not sure what happens because I'll be in London and attending YALC so I won't have much time to read. Hopefully I get some reading done on train etc.

Here's what I read and reviewed;

Because You Love To Hate Me (3 stars)

(Here's my sign up post for COYER challenge)

Review: Because You Love To Hate Me Anthology

Because You Love To Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy
Edited by Ameriie
Published by Bloomsbury
Paperback (purchased)
YA, anthology

Leave it to the heroes to save the world--villains just want to rule the world.

In this unique YA anthology, thirteen acclaimed, bestselling authors team up with thirteen influential BookTubers to reimagine fairy tales from the oft-misunderstood villains' points of view.

These fractured, unconventional spins on classics like "Medusa," Sherlock Holmes, and "Jack and the Beanstalk" provide a behind-the-curtain look at villains' acts of vengeance, defiance, and rage--and the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that spurned them on. No fairy tale will ever seem quite the same again!

Featuring writing from . . .
Authors: Renée Ahdieh, Ameriie, Soman Chainani, Susan Dennard, Sarah Enni, Marissa Meyer, Cindy Pon, Victoria Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Adam Silvera, Andrew Smith, April Genevieve Tucholke, and Nicola Yoon

BookTubers: Benjamin Alderson (Benjaminoftomes), Sasha Alsberg (abookutopia), Whitney Atkinson (WhittyNovels), Tina Burke (ChristinaReadsYA blog and TheLushables), Catriona Feeney (LittleBookOwl), Jesse George (JessetheReader), Zoë Herdt (readbyzoe), Samantha Lane (Thoughts on Tomes), Sophia Lee (thebookbasement), Raeleen Lemay (padfootandprongs07), Regan Perusse (PeruseProject), Christine Riccio (polandbananasBOOKS), and Steph Sinclair & Kat Kennedy (Cuddlebuggery blog and channel).

I was super excited to read Because You Love To Hate Me because I love villains, especially those who are complex and well executed, and ah, I just love villains. Of course, there was also the fact that Victoria Schwab was one of the authors, and I was so ready for her take on a villain tale. I had high expectations, and some of these short stories more than lived up to those expectations. However, not all of the stories were on same level and while I adored some, others I had neutral feelings or I just didn't like them at all. Few of the stories didn't even feel villainous at all, which was really disappointing. I had four favourites, all of which more or less blew my mind: Victoria Schwab's, Andrew Smith's, Adam Silvera's and Sarah Enni's.

I'm well aware of the huge controversy that came with this anthology, concerning the booktubers and their contribution. I don't have much to say about the matter as my feelings towards it are quite neutral. After reading the whole book, including the essays that the booktubers wrote, I think that some of the prompts were brilliant and some weren't. The essays, well, I don't think they added anything, because most of them just analysed the short story and I do prefer to think for myself. However, I have to mention that I really liked Jesse George's because it wasn't an analyses but really creative writing.

Okay, so I reviewed all the short stories and rated them, and the rating for whole book was the average of the individual stories.

The Blood of Imuriv by Renee Ahdieh - 3 stars

I haven't read anything by Ahdieh, so I was pleasantly surprised that the writing was really good. The main character Rhone was intriguing and I really liked him. The short story just felt like a prologue to a novel and it wasn't satisfying enough. There was just a little bit too much of history, intentions and culture crammed to the story that it took some of the charm from the story. I'd definitely read a full novel about Rhone if that was possible!

Jack by Ameriie - 1 star

This story was just boring. Mostly because I couldn't identify with any of the characters, and the writing was not the best. The prompt was weird and maybe that's why the story suffered some, but it was quite predictable and well, boring.

Gwen and Art and Lance by Soman Chainani - 1 star

I was quite excited about this because the prompt was right up my alley - because hey, what can go wrong with mashup of King Arthur legend and Hades/Persephone myth? Apparently everything can go wrong. For one, the setting was modern American high school and the story was told in text messages; the text message format made it hard to connect with anything, and the high school setting just followed up all the stereotypes. The characters were also, well, not likable. Gwen was plainly a selfish bitch, and while Arthur and Lance had potential to be something, they were both doormats and so easily manipulated by Gwen. And there wasn't really anything villainous either! I was just so disappointed.

Shirley & Jim by Susan Dennard - 1 star

I know, do these one stars never end? At this point I was just so over with the trope of retelling a great British classic that was set in modern American high school. More than that, this wasn't a story about a villain - it was more of a story how Shirley (gender-swaped Sherlock) became who she was destined to be, and it wasn't that much about Jim Moriarty. It all just left me cold because I hoped for truly villainous stories and I didn't get it. 

The Blessing of Little Wants by Sarah Enni - 4 stars

This was a little bit strange, but in a good way. I absolutely loved the setting in Britain, especially the part where the characters traveled to northern Scotland! The writing style was good and very engaging and brilliant. The main characters, Sigrid and Thomas, were also just so cool. This was a really nice villain origins type of story, and I'd love to read more about Sigrid. 

The Sea Witch by Marissa Meyer - 4 stars

This wasn't a surprise because Meyer is one of the best authors to write a retelling. I mean, this short story had it all from great character arc to plot and motives! Such a good and solid villain origins/fairytale retelling. There was absolutely nothing bad about this.

Beautiful Venom by Cindy Pon - 2 stars

It might have been just me, because I did look up the prompts before reading the short story. The prompt was Medusa, and basically while the story does a nice spin on that by setting it in ancient Asia rather than Greek, the story was predictable. I knew from the very beginning where the story was going and thus I wasn't very engaged with the story. I yearned for some mystery, for some thrill, but got nothing. Don't get me wrong, this deals with important topic that should be discussed more, but that did not save the story from being predictable.

Death Knell by Victoria Schwab - 5 stars

This was simply so great and true Victoria Schwab style! Death waking up at the bottom of a well? Yes please! Schwab certainly delivers because the prose is amazing, and the story itself if intriguing and magical. Brilliant villain, stunning story, everything was just perfect. 

Marigold by Samantha Shannon - 3 stars

This was good and engaging because it was hard to tell who was the villain because of the qualities every character had. There was also plot, solid storyline and atmosphere of nineteen century London. The only thing that I struggled with was the characters. I just didn't like any of them and that ate some of the enjoyment of the story. It was a good story, just unlikable characters.

You, You, It's All About You by Adam Silvera - 5 stars

This, if anything, blew my mind. I had no expectations going in but oh my, did I fell in love. This had to be the most villainous story because the villain was terrifying - I almost don't believe that a villain like this was included in YA anthology because of how ruthless the main character was. I loved the writing style and that it was written in second person. Just brilliant and genius story with truly intriguing villain. I basically loved everything! 

Julian Breaks Every Rule by Andrew Smith - 5 stars

Oh my, this was so good. I mean, psychopath as a main character? That's unreliable narrator if anything, and I loved it! Julian is so charismatic, and the story was full of suspense, and just so brilliant. I need to know more! I demand full novel of this, it was so great!

Indigo & Shade by April Genevieve Tucholke - 4 stars

I liked the story, especially the main character Brahm, who was just so brilliant Gaston-type of character full of bravado and arrogance. The story itself was interesting and twisty, something that's so Tucholke's type.

Sera by Nicola Yoon - 1 star

I just didn't click with the story. Prompt itself had potential with gender-flipped god of war, but the story fell flat for me. It doesn't even feel like YA because most of the time the narrator was the main character's mother and I felt like I was reading a story meant for mothers. I just didn't care about any of the characters and was bored throughout the story.

I'm going to give this three stars, because there were stories that I gave five stars but also stories I gave one star. Overall, I'd just say that there are stories that are absolutely worth to check out, but then some are not.

3 of 5 stars

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Stacking the Shelves (62)

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and is all about sharing the book you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Here's what I've got in July this far - in a sense this is pre-YALC & London haul because I'm bound to get plenty of books there next week.

Purchased

 

Review Copies

 

I'm super excited and happy to receive Circe by Madeline Miller because The Song of Achilles is one of my all time favourites!

24 in 48 Readathon Sign Up & TBR

I'm so late with the sign up and TBR post but here we go, I'm participating on 24 in 48 readathon! The official website has a tons of information, but the basics are easy: read for twenty-four hours during forty-eight hour period, which means this weekend (22nd July to 23rd July). The official time is from 12.01am Saturday morning to 11.59pm Sunday night in Eastern time. However, to keep myself sane and just to take it easier for me, I've decided to go with same starting time but my own time zone which is GTM. I'll still have the whole Saturday and Sunday for reading but I'll be starting few hours earlier than the official one and finishing up a few hours earlier.

I have a very loose TBR in a sense that I have a bunch of books I'd like to read. However, I probably can't read all of them, but here's a list of what I hope to read and everything I do read, will be from this list.

COYER Weekly Wrap Up #4

How it's already beginning of fifth week of COYER? Time certainly flies! Fourth week wasn't any more productive than the weeks before it, as it seems I have a steady pace of one finished book per week. Let's not talk about how many seasons of House MD I can binge watch per week because it's ridiculous amount. Next week (this week because this post is a little bit late) I probably read more than one book because I'm participating on read-a-thon, at least I hope to get a lot of reading done!

Here's what I read and reviewed;

Heart of the Steal (4 stars)

House of Cards (5 stars)

(Here's my sign up post for COYER challenge)

ARC Review: House of Cards by Garrett Leigh

House of Cards (Porthkennack, #4)
by Garrett Leigh
Published by Riptide Publishing
eARC (received via NetGalley)
Adult, LGBT, contemporary, romance

Calum Hardy’s life has unravelled. Reeling from the betrayal of a man he once loved, he boards a train heading south, with no real idea where he’s going except a world away from London.

Brix Lusmoore can hardly believe his eyes when he spots one of his oldest friends outside Truro station. He hasn’t seen Calum since he fled the capital himself four years ago, harbouring a life-changing secret. But despite the years of silence, their old bond remains, warm and true—and layered with simmering heat they’ve never forgotten.

Calum takes refuge with Brix and a job at his Porthkennack tattoo shop. Bit by bit, he rebuilds his life, but both men carry the ghosts of the past, and it will take more than a rekindled friendship and the magic of the Cornish coast to chase them away.

House of Cards was a brilliant story because it had it all: beautiful and atmospheric scenery of Cornish seaside, great and fleshed out characters and real emotions. Even when there was problems, pasts and obstacles to go over, there wasn't any melodramatic reactions. Leigh's writing style is a little bit melancholy which transferred to the story beautifully, and made it seem so real with plenty of emotions. Overall, everything from the fictional seaside town to the characters and plot twists seemed to real that I couldn't help but love it.

The characters were great, and maybe the best part of the story. Calum's going through a rough patch in his life after a bad breakup with his manipulative ex, and he's lost what to do with his life. He ends up at Truro and meets Brix who was his friends years ago when both of them lived in London. Brix, who just disappeared one day and moved from London back to his hometown, Porthkennack. Brix offers Calum a place to stay and it all starts from there. Calum and Brix were the characters I fell for because of how strong and sweet they were even after the life had kicked them multiple times. There's also Brix's eccentric (and somewhat criminal) family, who were great and funny, and of course the tattoo shop gang. The romance was slow burn but Calum and Brix had almost unbelievable chemistry - which wasn't all about steamy stuff either, because their chemistry made them work well together in every way possible. It was just so brilliant and sweet.

House of Cards is the best story of Porthkennack series this far. Especially after the disappointment of Broke Deep, this was a very pleasant surprise and I fell in love with the story, Calum and Brix, and restored my faith in this series. I highly recommend this one - either as a standalone or as part of the series as either way it's a brilliant story.

5 of 5 stars

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Thank you, Riptide Publishing, for giving me a chance to read and review House of Cards!

(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)

Book Tour: Heart of the Steal by Avon Gale & Roan Parrish

Heart of the Steal
by Avon Gale & Roan Parrish
Published by Philtre Press
Release day: July 11th, 2017
Adult, LGBT, contemporary, romance

Responsible, disciplined William Fox channeled his love for art and his faith in the rules into being an FBI Art Crimes agent. Right and wrong, justice and injustice—the differences are clear, and Will has spent his career drawing a line between them. Maybe his convictions have cost him relationships, but he’s not willing to compromise what he knows is right. Until the night he meets Amory Vaughn.

As the head of his family’s philanthropic foundation, Vaughn knows very well that being rich and powerful can get him almost anything he wants. And when he meets endearingly grumpy and slightly awkward William Fox, he wants him more than he’s wanted anything. Vaughn is used to being desired for his name and his money, but Will doesn’t care about either. 

When Vaughn falls back on old habits and attempts to impress Will by stealing a painting Will admires, their nascent bond blows up in his face. But Vaughn isn’t willing to give up on the glimpse of passion he saw the night he took Will apart. Before Will knows it, he’s falling for the man he should have arrested, and Vaughn has to realize that some things can’t be bought or stolen. Love has to be given freely. But can a man who lives by the rules, and a man who thinks the rules don’t apply to him, ever see eye to eye?

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You can find my 4 star review here!

Excerpt

Will shook his head in frustration, his irritation clear. I could work with irritation. One strong emotion would do just as well as another. “Don’t act like we’re close. Like you know me. Like you know what things I like and who I am. Because you don’t.”

“But I’d like to. I’d like to know who you are inside and out. I wanted to see you again.”

I’d banked on the same spark that had flared to life in my study after Val’s wedding reigniting, if I could just get William close to me again.

I let go of the check then and it fluttered to the floor at our feet. Will glared at me, eyes wide, cheeks flushing. He stooped and snatched the check up, slapping it down on the desk and whirling back around to face me.

“You think that you can do anything, get away with anything, because you’re rich and privileged and handsome,” he spat out, though his lip twitched at “handsome,” suggesting he hadn’t meant to include it in his list of offenses. “But it doesn’t work that way. Eventually, things catch up with you. Eventually, you make a mistake and give the game away. Eventually, you get caught. And I’m going to be there when you do.”

He’d closed the distance between us and I could smell him: inexpensive aftershave and soap, and a hint of stale, after-work sweat clinging to his clothes. It was the smell I imagined was associated with the first kiss after a lover walked in the door. The kiss that said, I’m so happy to be done with work and home, here, with you. The kiss that said, I’ll go change and then we can start our evening together. The kisses I’d thought about enough that they felt real, but never actually had.

“You’re here now,” I murmured, mostly to myself. I’d lost the thread of the conversation a bit, distracted by thinking about William coming home to…me. I wasn’t sure where the thought had come from. I wasn’t the coming-home-to type, or so I’d been told by enough lovers I assumed they must be onto something.

But William’s eyes were narrowed and his color was high and his breath was audible. Either he was about to hit me, or—

The kiss hit me like a fist, and I had to grab him around the shoulders to keep from pitching backward under the onslaught. I allowed myself the briefest moment of victory that my plan had worked, and then I sank into the kiss. His mouth had the slightly sharp bite of coffee, but that gave way almost immediately to the warm caramel taste that was Will’s alone. It was sugar and heat and richly turning leaves and I opened my mouth, desperate for more of it.

Author bios

Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.

When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.

She is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.

Connect with Roan: website | newsletter | twitter | facebook | goodreads | instagram | pinterest

Avon Gale wrote her first story at the age of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it — even if it was a bit weirder than the other, more normal hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after — though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.

Avon grew up in the southern United States, and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal midwestern college town. When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together, already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert and will never say no to candy.

At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

Avon is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.

Connect with Avon: Website | Twitter | Facebook | FB Group | Newsletter | Goodreads

ARC Review: Heart of the Steal by Avon Gale & Roan Parrish

Heart of the Steal
by Avon Gale & Roan Parrish
Published by Philtre Press
eARC (received from book tour organizer)
Adult, LGBT, contemporary, romance

Responsible, disciplined William Fox channeled his love for art and his faith in the rules into being an FBI Art Crimes agent. Right and wrong, justice and injustice—the differences are clear, and Will has spent his career drawing a line between them. Maybe his convictions have cost him relationships, but he’s not willing to compromise what he knows is right. Until the night he meets Amory Vaughn.

As the head of his family’s philanthropic foundation, Vaughn knows very well that being rich and powerful can get him almost anything he wants. And when he meets endearingly grumpy and slightly awkward William Fox, he wants him more than he’s wanted anything. Vaughn is used to being desired for his name and his money, but Will doesn’t care about either.

When Vaughn falls back on old habits and attempts to impress Will by stealing a painting Will admires, their nascent bond blows up in his face. But Vaughn isn’t willing to give up on the glimpse of passion he saw the night he took Will apart. Before Will knows it, he’s falling for the man he should have arrested, and Vaughn has to realize that some things can’t be bought or stolen. Love has to be given freely. But can a man who lives by the rules, and a man who thinks the rules don’t apply to him, ever see eye to eye?

Heart of the Steal is sweet romance (without being sickeningly sweet) about two men who are different from each other and from completely different backgrounds. Will is an FBI agent from Art Crimes division, a little bit awkward when it comes to meeting new people and he's from average midwestern family; while Vaughn is rich philanthropist with no family left and specialized in flirting and socializing. Not to mention that Will sees world as black and white, right and wrong, while Vaughn tends to steal painting when the mood strikes him. It's a disaster of making, but sparks fly because Will and Vaughn have this intense chemistry. Their differences were what made the relationship and their story so adorable and endearing.

 I had a hard time deciding whether I liked Will or Vaughn more, at least until I decided that it doesn't matter because I liked both of them. I loved seeing how Vaughn fell for Will, and how Will had to face that relationships and world doesn't work as black and white as he'd like. It was a journey for both of them, but I loved how neither of them lost any of their adorable quirks. They're both likable characters, which made the story flow nicely. The pacing was on point, and the authors' writing styles were a great match because I couldn't tell the difference, which made the story flow perfectly.

What I really loved about Heart of the Steal, was the fact that it doesn't have overly dramatic and angst ridden revelations and problems. True, Will and Vaughn have things to overcome but those felt realistic because it was mostly about different kind of morals and views of world meeting. It was truly freshening reading experience, and made the story unpredictable. And obviously I'm going to love a character that dresses up as Lucius Malfoy on Halloween. It might have just been the best part of the book, or at least the funniest.

I highly recommend Heart of the Steal if you're in need of great contemporary romance that's sweet and loving but also entertaining.

4 of 5 stars

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(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)

Release Day Blitz: Heart of the Steal by Avon Gale & Roan Parish

Heart of the Steal
by Avon Gale & Roan Parish
Published by Philtre Press
Release day: July 11th, 2017
Adult, LGBT, contemporary, romance

Responsible, disciplined William Fox channeled his love for art and his faith in the rules into being an FBI Art Crimes agent. Right and wrong, justice and injustice—the differences are clear, and Will has spent his career drawing a line between them. Maybe his convictions have cost him relationships, but he’s not willing to compromise what he knows is right. Until the night he meets Amory Vaughn.

As the head of his family’s philanthropic foundation, Vaughn knows very well that being rich and powerful can get him almost anything he wants. And when he meets endearingly grumpy and slightly awkward William Fox, he wants him more than he’s wanted anything. Vaughn is used to being desired for his name and his money, but Will doesn’t care about either. 

When Vaughn falls back on old habits and attempts to impress Will by stealing a painting Will admires, their nascent bond blows up in his face. But Vaughn isn’t willing to give up on the glimpse of passion he saw the night he took Will apart. Before Will knows it, he’s falling for the man he should have arrested, and Vaughn has to realize that some things can’t be bought or stolen. Love has to be given freely. But can a man who lives by the rules, and a man who thinks the rules don’t apply to him, ever see eye to eye?

Add on Goodreads

Get your copy

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

Excerpt

“So, William. You came. But something tells me the sentiment behind my invitation has gone rather astray.”

“Then you admit that you left the Staunton painting and a note outside my apartment,” he said flatly, and my eyes narrowed.

“Have I miscalculated your interest?”

William looked like he couldn’t decide whether to laugh or yell. It was smoldering.

“You have miscalculated my profession,” he responded. We were standing close enough to kiss, and when he reached a hand into his jacket, my breath caught. I wanted to help him strip it off and kiss that spot of barbeque sauce off his perfect mouth.

But he didn’t take his jacket off. He slipped his hand out holding something from his pocket. A badge.

An FBI badge.

I was lightheaded. I spent three beats of my heart wondering what the medical diagnosis would be for dying of sheer irony. 

Author bios

Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.

When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.

She is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.

Connect with Roan: website | newsletter | twitter | facebook | goodreads | instagram | pinterest

Avon Gale wrote her first story at the age of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it — even if it was a bit weirder than the other, more normal hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after — though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.

Avon grew up in the southern United States, and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal midwestern college town. When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together, already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert and will never say no to candy.

At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

Avon is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.

Connect with Avon: Website | Twitter | Facebook | FB Group | Newsletter | Goodreads

Mid Year Freak Out Tag

Third year on the row that I'm doing this so I guess it's a tradition by now :)

I'm currently a few books ahead on my Goodreads challenge (I intend to read 60 books this year) and I'd like to it stay that way so I could actually go over my initial goal.

1. Best Book You've Read So Far in 2017

I've read so many amazing books so far, and this is a tough choice. I'm going with The Love Interest because it's an embodiment of everything I have always wished a book to be. And I simply loved Caden and Dylan, and the others.

2. Best Sequel You've Read so Far in 2017

It's funny that the best sequels I've read so far this year are all by Riordan. However, I have to go with The Dark Prophecy, because I love the Apollo series and this sequel was something I couldn't put down, and which left me craving for the third book.

3. New Release You Haven't Read Yet but Want To

Our Dark Duet by V.E. Schwab, and I'll dive into it next because I'm so excited about it and I want to read it before YALC at the end of this month.

4. Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half of the Year

The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan, because I need more of his books and I really need to know how Magnus Chase trilogy ends. Plus it'll soothe me a little bit because waiting for the next Trials of Apollo book takes forever.

5. Biggest Disappointment

There's only been two disappointments this far, and Broke Deep by Charlie Cochrane takes the prize. I simply had high expectations because the other books in the series were so good but this one ended up not just being one for me.

6. Biggest Surprise

Heels Over Head by Elyse Springer, because the synopsis sounded good but I never thought a book could get me so invested in sports. I spend so much time just googling about diving and divers mentioned in the book that it's almost surreal.

7. Favorite New Author (Debut To You)

Cale Dietrich because he just swept me away with The Love Interest. I devoured the book because it was so brilliant and so stunning, and I really liked the writing style and characters, and I can't wait what Dietrich comes up next!

8. Newest Fictional Crush

Hard choice (because my first choice is old crush, not new), but I'll go with Rhy from A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab. True, I read the first installment last year where Rhy was introduced and while I love him then, I think I fell more for him in the sequel where Rhy got a bigger part and there was even chapters in his point of view.

9. Newest Favorite Character

Nate from Insight by Santino Hassell, because Nate's adorable, loyal and very easy to approach as a reader. And he needs all the hugs (especially from Trent).

10. Book That Made You Cry

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan, simply because Nico di Angelo makes me feel all the feels, and I cried for so many reasons in this book because of him.

11. Book That Made You Happy

The Summer Palace by C.S. Pacat because I was so happy to have an epilogue for the Captive Prince trilogy. And I really need more Laurent and Damen, so a novella about them was bound to make me happy.

12. Favorite Book To Film Adaptation

Sadly, I haven't read any books that have been adapted as a film this year so far.

13. Favorite Review You've Written This Year

Hmm... That might just be my review of Trailer Trash by Marie Sexton. I'm happy with the review because I was so excited and captivated by the book that I wrote quite detailed review.

14. Most Beautiful Book You've Bought This Year So Far

I refuse to narrow this down any more because it seems like 2017 has been the year for new releases with absolutely stunning covers. Even narrowing the list to these five that I actually bought and now counting all those gorgeous ARCs I've received. 

15. What Book(s) Do You Need To Read by The End of The Year

There's always so many books I need to read because of reasons, so I'm just going to make a small (or not so small) list of those I really want to read by the end of the year (we'll see if I actually manage to read them).