This tag is all over the place right now because it is the prime time to start freaking out about what books you still need to read before the end of the year. I don’t know about you but I am about 26 books behind on my Goodreads goal so I am freaking out a little bit! Anyways, the point of this tag is to talk about what you have read so far and to assess what you are excited to read for the last few months of the year. There are 13 questions, so let’s get right to it!

Question 1
Best book you have read so far in 2019.

Easily, out of the 27 books I have read this year, The Bride Test by Helen Hoang is my favorite. There is just something about her writing that draws me to her works and I will always recommend her to those asking for romance suggestions.

Question 2
Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019.

This. Freaking. Book. I cannot even begin to explain what this sequel has done to me without giving everything away. The Wicked King by Holly Black is that kind of book that when I finished this book early in the year and instantly knew I needed the third and final book of the trilogy. If you have not read The Cruel Prince and then The Wicked King, you need to do yourself a favor and do so. These are easily two of the best fae based books I have read in a long time.

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

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo is the first in a new Grishaverse duology following Nikolai. I received this a couple days after it was released in January and the fact that I have yet to read this hurts me. The Grishaverse is one of my favorite book based universe so I am DYING to get to this book and I will get to it before the end of the year.

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

Of Ice and Shadows by Audrey Coulthurst is one of the two of my most anticipated books for the second half of the year. This is the sequel to Of Fire and Stars which was one of my Top Five books from 2018. This book releases on August 13.

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black is the third and final book in The Folk of the Air trilogy. I mentioned The Wicked King earlier in this tag and to reiterate, I needed this finale the second I closed the book on the end of The Wicked King. This book is released (the day after my birthday) November 19th.

Question 5
Biggest disappointment.

Fairest by Marissa Meyer is a novella in the Lunar Chronicles. While novella’s are not necessary to read, this one though, I was told I needed to read it before I go on with the series. I wanted this novella to make me pity and feel something for Levana besides hatred. I wasn’t even half way through the novella and I despised her and her attitude. This was such a let down because I really wanted to like this novella but I struggled not to DNF it before getting halfway.

Another book that was a disappointment, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. So, this book was a disappointment because I was so confused as to why everyone loves it so much! I think it is mostly my fault for thinking it was going to be this wonderful classic when really, I did not get the hype around it.

Question 6
Biggest surprise.

Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart is easily the biggest surprise during the first half of the year. One of my most trusted friends did not enjoy it and another of my friends DNF’d it. I expected it to be tolerable but it turned out to be fantastic! I listened to the audiobook in the span of like a day. It’s a fast pace book and really enjoyable. I look forward to getting my hand son the sequel soon!

Question 7
Favorite new author (debut or new to you).

Isabel Sterling is a new to me author and according to my research, she is also a debut author so her book These Witches Don’t Burn seems to be her first. I finished this book between the late hours of June and the early hours of July. It was not a book I intended to read so soon but am I glad I did!

Question 8
Newest fictional crush.

Jack Lim from Somewhere Only We Know by Maureen Goo. While Jack starts out as a deceptive jerk, he comes to realize his feelings for Lucky mean much more to him than getting a coveted position at a tabloid company in Hong Kong. I think his devotion to giving Lucky a day away from her K-Pop Idol status, even if it is for a story, was adorable. She wanted a day away and Jack was he perfect guide for that.

Question 9
Your new favorite character.

Asha Grant is the older cousin of Katy Grant who we know from Illuminae and from Gemina. Well, we meet Asha in Obsidio and she quickly became one of my new favorite characters in the series and one of my favorite female characters of all time.

Question 10
A book that made you cry.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown is the first book to have made me cry this year. Now that I think of it, it is the only book to have made me cry this year. It wasn’t until the end of the book that the tears spilled over. I listened to this on audio book so towards the very end when the book was closing and the music was coming on, I cried. The ending of this book was beautiful and I cried out of happiness for the main character.

Question 11
A book that made you happy.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia made me so happy. This is one of the first books where social anxiety was actually done well and made me see myself in the character. It is easy for me to relate to any character with social anxiety but the level that Eliza felt made me feel not so alone because I have seen many people identify with her for this very reason. The book was amazing as well so it was an added bonus that this ended up being a Five Star book.

Question 12
What is the most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)?

I mean, look at this cover! A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer is a retelling where the main character has cerebral palsy and that is something I have never read about in a YA book before so I am hoping the inside of this book is as stunning as the outside.

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

I had to scroll through my TBR on Goodreads to find something that grabbed me enough to make me feel like I needed to read it before the end of the year. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir is the one that grabbed my heart and squeezed. I am honestly surprised that I am yet to have picked it up considering how much I love the previous two books in the series. So, by the end of the year, I will have read this book and cried with everyone else.

And that is the end of my Mid Year Freak Out tag! I am curious what book you feel like you have to read by the end of the year! Let me know in the comments. Maybe it is one I still need to read as well!