THE NOPE TROPE BOOK TAG
This tag was created by Zoe's All Booked, one of the booktubers I'm subscribed too and I'm super excited to do it! I feel like this tag is a good way to demonstrate my current reading tastes and things that are a yay or nay for me. Be sure to check out Zoe's original tag here.
1. Eavesdropping w/ miscommunication - Name a book you heard great things about and expected to love but ended up hating.
I discussed this book in my last tag post, but this one goes to One of Us is Lying by Karen McMannus. As I previously said, which you can read exactly what I said here, this book was nothing special. We've all reads books like this YA mystery before and nothing about this book was worth the hype in my opinion.
2. Love Triangles - Name a series where you can't pick your favorite book.
I enjoyed The Cruel Prince by Holly Black trilogy quite a bit. While the last book, Queen of Nothing, is definitely not my favorite, I have a hard time choosing between The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King. The Cruel Prince does a good job shaping Jude into the character we learn to love and really jumpstarts everything, but I feel like we start to see more of the plot in The Wicked King and the overreaching direction is more visible.
3. Not Like Other Girls/Didn't Know I'm Beautiful - Name a book that has a pretty cover but was boring as all hell.
I know this is going to get me the stink eye from a bunch of people, but for me the answer to this question is The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. This book was an absolute bore to me and there is quite literally nothing about this book I liked outside of the cover.
4. All-Consuming Love - Name a book that gave you a book hangover.
I could go on and on about House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas for ages. Hell I'm thinking of rereading it just to chase the high that it gave me the first time I read it. I could not stop thinking about House of Earth and Blood for days after I read it.
5. Douchebag Boyfriend - Name a book that took you a while to get into, but you ended up loving.
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin Craig took me a hot second to get into but I ended up really enjoying it. The beginning is a little dull and I wasn't really sure what the book was really even going to be about, but once things started popping off I began to enjoy it more.
6. Tell us your favorite or least favorite trope!
My least favorite trope is a couple that has a “bond” or “link” that tethers them together and basically forces them to become a couple. I think it's a cheap way of forcing chemistry and closeness between characters. If I come across this in a book I will immediately stop reading the book because I hate it so much. For shits and giggles I'll tell y'all my favorite trope too, which is the enemies to lovers. As indicative of my 2019 favorite books, I love that trope more than anything else. I don't know why I enjoy it so much but it just really does it for me.
So that was the nope trope book tag! I had a fun time answering the questions. You guys should definitely look into doing the tag if you haven't done so already. If you have done it, you should leave a link to yours down below, I would love to check it out!
FEBRUARY - MAY 2020 WRAP UP
I read a whopping 8 books between February and May. Sad? Yes. Am I surprised though? No. I guess I should be glad I read anything at all. Without further ado, here are the 8 books I read.
Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
This was a re-read for me. I read it for the firsttime last August and really enjoyed it. I decided to reread this book because I wanted some cute, fluffy, queer literature in my life
Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Another re-read on the list- no surprise. I first read Stolen way back in August of 2014, aka my senior year of high school. I remember enjoying this book a lot in high school but putting off re-reading it as I was afraid I would realize the book wasn't actually any good. I still enjoy this book- probably not as much as high school me as there was definitely some problematic shit, but that was to be expected with the subject matter of the book. The second half the book could use some reworking as some things went from zero to 100 without much connection or build-up, but I digress.
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
I received The Bone Houses in an OwlCrate a few months ago. I tried to read it in January, but I just wasn't in the right headspace to give it a fair shot a shelved it. On a whim, I picked it up again yesterday and I finished the book in less than a day. I don't think you guys know how long it's been since I've consumed a book in such a short amount of time. I liked the book quite a bit. It's by no means a favorite or exceptional, but it was a nice read. I could visualize everything in my head as I was reading it and for some reason it was giving me Chronicles of Narnia movie vibes in the way it was projected in my mind.
Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim
This book didn't really do it for me. I really enjoyed the middle but the beginning was pretty boring and I don't know what that ending was. It was all rather anti-climatic. Apparently this is supposed to be a part of the series but in my opinion this should probably just be a one and done type of deal.
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
Yet another reread because I'm predictable like that. I read my original review from 2015 (which you can read here) and I can’t help but cringe. High school me really loved that shit but now post college me can’t help but shake her head. There is a lot wrong with this book. Not to say I think it is a terrible book. I think there is still a lot of insightful shit. But hot damn is there a lot of problematic shit with this book. Don’t even get me started with all the little microaggressions. If I could sum everything up it would be white make rage. And I don’t want to skirt over the cause of this rage because it’s a very valid reason and something terrible that too many people experience. But Jesus I know there is a better way the themes could have been delivered. Also I never realized how abruptly this book just ends. Like no resolution or anything. Anyways, rereading this taught me that I truly have grown since high school and that’s great.
The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel
At this point I should just self-crown myself as the Queen of Rereading. Welp I still really enjoy this book. In retrospect not a whole lot happens and I’m not the hugest fan of the last quarter, but damn is Bishop still a heartthrob.
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas
This is my new favorite book of the year. Sarah J Maas just knows what she's doing.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
God damn does Jennifer L Armentrout know how to get me out of a reading slump. Was this book predictable? Yes. We’re the characters identical to her other ones from other books? Yes. Does she essentially take the same story and twist it a little each time? Yes. But damn it if it doesn’t still capture my attention and draw me in each time. I need the next book ASAP.
Welp that's what I read the past few months. Overall I guess I've read some pretty good books, granted a good chunk of those were rereads. But hey, rereads count!
MID-YEAR FREAK OUT TAG 2020
2020 has been quite the year. I've been pretty MIA on here and the same can be said for my reading life. Despite the shitty year, I've managed to read some books- not a lot, but better than nothing. As I don't have school or work for damn near two months until my pre-PhD program starts, I've finally got time back in my hands to do things like read and blog. I figured what better way to get back into things than to go with a good old-fashioned tag. I actually used this as an opportunity to get back into booktube, so if you'd rather watch my tag than read, you can check that out at the end of the post. Without further ado, here's the tag!
1. Best book you've read so far in 2020
This one was a close one, but ultimately it came down to House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas. I enjoyed the high(ish) fantasy elements, especially the absurd amount of worldbuilding that went into this book. The characters, plot, and romance were very much in the fashion of Maas's other works, but hey, if it works, it works.
2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2020
As of today I haven't read any sequels in 2020.
3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to
Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout just came out this week and I was lucky enough to get the ebook from my library this week, so I plan on reading it ASAP.
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
I absolutely loved Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin and cannot wait to read Blood and Honey, the sequel. I just might have to do a reread before I pick up the second book, that's how much I loved it.
5. Biggest disappointment
In the Darkness by Mike Omer was such a pile of hot shit compared to the first book that I can't even believe it was written by the same person. There were so many problematic elements in the book that it was just unbearable to read.
6. Biggest surprise
Unfortunately, One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus just did not meet the mark. I do not understand why there was so much hype around this book in the booksphere. This book was incredibly predictable and middle of the road. There wasn't a single aspect of the book that I thought was unique or mind-blowing. I was really surprised because I was looking forward to a good YA mystery, but honestly this was along the same vein of Riverdale, and that is not a good thing.
7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)
I read The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary and quite enjoyed it. Women's lit or contemporary isn't really my thing but she made it work for me.
8. Newest fictional crush
If I had to pick, I guess it would be Hunt from House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas. Like he didn't really do anything for me in like a crush way, but he was such a badass that like I wouldn't mind hanging around him.
9. Newest favorite character
Poppy from From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout took the crown for this one. Listen, I am well aware that most of Jennifer L. Armentrout's books are essentially the same thing, tweeked, and her characters are pretty cut and paste, but I still really enjoy those books and those characters. So is Poppy like those other characters? Yes. Do I care? No.
10. Book that made you cry
I don't really cry when reading so...
11. Book that made you happy
I reread Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston and it just made me really happy and feel-good. It's just some wholesome queer shit that makes me smile.
12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year.
You cannot look at me and tell me that House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin Craig does not have a beautiful cover???
13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
I don't really do TBRs so this is up in the air. I'm very much a mood reader so I just kinda go with the flow as things come up. I'll definitely read Rage and Ruin and Blood and Honey, but other than those two, nothing else is guaranteed.
Well that was the written part of this post. If you're interested at all in watching the video I made doing this tag as well as giving a brief little update and doing a mini-unboxing, watch below! Otherwise, thank you guys for tuning and let me know what you thought of the tag and any of the books I mentioned above.
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