We’re nearly done with the 6th month of the year and that means it’s time for the Mid-Year Freak Out Tag again! Check out my responses from last year here and look for a video version of this tag on YouTube.
1. The Best Book I’ve Read So Far in 2021
The Darkness Outside Us
by Eliot Schrefer
Publishing 1 June 2021
Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: YA Science Fiction, LGBTQ+ Romance
Page Count: 416
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
My Rating: 5 Stars
Although I requested and was approved for an eARC copy of The Darkness Outside Us via NetGalley, I was delighted to discover a physical ARC waiting on my doorstep one day in May. Thank you HarperCollins Canada Influencer team! This was the summer catalogue HCC Frenzy title I was most looking forward to! Read my full review here.
2. The Best Sequel I’ve Read So Far in 2021
Pumpkin
Dumplin’ Book Three
by Julie Murphy
Published 25 May 2021
Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)
Genre: YA Contemporary, LGBTQIA+
Page Count: 336
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
My Rating: 5 Stars
“Pumpkin is fabulous! What can I say? I absolutely loved it! I haven’t read the Dumplin’ books in order (rest assured the previous two are on my TBR) but that just means I can promise potential readers in the same boat that you can absolutely read this book first and get the most out of it.” Read my full review here.
3. The New Release I Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To.
Spells Trouble
Sisters of Salem Book One
by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Published 25 May 2021
Wednesday Books
Genre: YA Fantasy, Mythology Retelling
Page Count: 320
Check it out on Goodreads!
Last Chance Books
by Kelsey Rodkey
Published 18 May 2021
HarperTeen
Genre: Contemporary
Page Count: 368
Check it out on Goodreads!
Murphy’s Law for Demons
by C.J. Pierce
Published 10 March 2021
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Page Count: 229
Check it out on Goodreads!
4. My Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of 2021
All of the following are on my NetGalley TBR and I’ve already heard great good things from other ARC readers who already got to them.
If This Gets Out
by Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich
Publishing 7 December 2021
Wednesday Books
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Page Count: 416
Check it out on Goodreads!
You’ve Reached Sam
by Dustin Thao
Publishing 2 November 2021
Wednesday Books
Genre: Contemporary Romace, Magical Realism
Page Count: 304
Check it out on Goodreads!
Before We Disappear
by Shaun David Hutchinson
Publishing 28 September 2021
HarperTeen
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Historical Fantasy
Page Count: 512
Check it out on Goodreads!
5. My Biggest Disappointment So Far in 2021
Ace of Spades
by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Published 1 June 2021
Macmillan
DNF at 20%
I was granted complimentary audio access to Ace of Spaces via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts are my won and my review is honest.
So, in the interest of being honest, this was an impulse request. I opened the new audiobooks page, recognized a cover everyone’s talking about in my Twitter circle, and hit request. I wasn’t actually counting on an approval since I requested a day after release, so I was pleasantly surprised when I got the approval email. Then I noticed I had less than a week to listen and review before it archived, so I let it play as I worked on some mindless tasks immediately after finishing my last read. This wasn’t ideal because I was tired and I was coming straight out of a solid 4 star in the same genre & category.
I know this book is super popular (see above) and I know it’s rated really well everywhere. I really, truly hate to give it a less than stellar rating, but I have to be honest. I was bored. I see what people love about it, it’s diverse and ambitious and people love Faridah (for good reason! She’s awesome.) But strip away the diversity and the little things that make the school a unique setting, and this is just every late-2000s teen TV drama, particularly Gossip Girl, rehashed. And to go along with the TV comparison, I saw someone else’s comparison that feels exactly right: the writing has a very adults playing teens feel to it. (Insert “Hello, fellow kids” meme here.) I just read two other YA high school drama stories, both with diverse rep, right before this. I’m still very much a YA reader. This just doesn’t read the same.
6. My Biggest Surprise so far in 2021
The Lost Village
by Camilla Sten
Published 23 March 2021
Minotaur Books
Genre: Thriller
Page Count: 340
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
My Rating: 5 Stars
Alright, so, fellow NetGalley reviewers, you know how NetGalley likes to send out emails hyping up particular books and you get tempted into requesting/claiming review copies you wouldn’t have picked up just browsing? This is one of those books for me. I didn’t expect to love it, but I did!
7. My New Favourite Author
Jonathan Nevair has been working with Storytellers on Tour this year to get the word out about his novel Goodbye to the Sun, and when he personally thanked me via email for participating in his cover reveal, I knew I had to be on the review tour as well. I really enjoyed his book, 4.5 stars, but I’m more impressed with this author’s whole package. He’s genuinely kind, really appreciates his supporters, supports other authors, and asks permission to quote reviewers.
8. My Newest Fictional Crush
Sulphur from…
She’s the One Who Gets in Fights
War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters Book Three
by S. R. Cronin
Published 14 May 2021
Cinnabar Press
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Page Count: 229
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
My Rating: 5 Stars
This is my favourite book yet in this series! Sulphur has absolutely won me over, far better than Coral was able to do in book two, and there’s so much interesting action in this book that takes us to different places and into different meetings than what we saw in book one. Read the rest of my review here.
9. My Newest Favourite Character
I’m taking part in a Discord server book club that is working through the Cosmere books one per month for all of 2021. Out of all of the Mistborn characters, from both eras, my favourite character is TenSoon, followed closely by Sazed. If you’ve read the Mistborn books, who was your favourite character?
I still need to write my reviews for all of them. We’re finishing the second era in July, and after that I’ll probably do a big Mistborn reviews post and video series.
10. A Book That Made You Cry
Lost in the Never Woods
by Aiden Thomas
Publishing 23 March 2021
Swoon Reads
Genre: YA Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling
Page Count: 384
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
My Rating: 4 Stars
Lost in the Never Woods is an interesting exploration of what grief does to a young person who returns to their life after an abduction type event, particularly one where a sibling or two remain missing. Wendy has blanked it all out and doesn’t remember. It’s been 5 years and she’s telling Peter Pan stories to kids in the children’s ward. She 100% believes that these are just bedtime stories her mother used to tell her. She doesn’t remember what happened 5 years ago when she and her brothers disappeared and only she returned, but she hasn’t slept in their former shared bedroom since her first night back, and everyone is waiting for the day that they too return. Read the rest of my review here.
11. A Book That Made You Happy
A Cat’s Guide to Bonding with Dragons
Dragoncat Book One
by Chris Behrsin
Published 28 December 2020
Genre: Humorous Fantasy
Page Count: 224
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
My Rating: 5 Stars
I absolutely adore Ben! If dragons were real and one chose to bond with a cat, this is exactly what would happen, and Ben tells her exactly what I would expect a cat to say at every twist and turn. He’s regal, proud, selfish, extremely food-motivated, and absolutely must have the last word. He’d like everyone to know that he’s not just any cat, either. He’s a Bengal! He’s descended from the great Asian Leopard Cat, don’t you know. Yes, be in awe! Isn’t he magnificent, graceful, and clever! Read the rest of my review here.
12. My Favourite Book to Movie Adaptation of 2021
Once again, for the second year in a row, still haven’t been to the movies since the 2019/20 New Year’s holiday week, and that was to see Star Wars.
13. My Favourite Review I’ve Written So Far in 2021
I honestly have no idea which review to pick from the several 4s and 5s I’ve read this year, so let’s just feature another great book I’m unlikely to use for any other answer but I really want you to consider reading this book, too.
Amelia Unabridged
by Ashley Schumacher
Published 16 February 2021
Wednesday Books
Genre: YA Contemporary
Page Count: 304
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
My Rating: 4 Stars
The first two chapters felt like a parallel universe version of my own high school years. Even though my name is Jenna, I was the Amelia in my story. The quiet bookish nerd from the broken family who bonded with an unlikely best friend over a love of books. Read the rest of this review here.
14. The Most Beautiful Book I’ve Bought So Far in 2021
I splurged on an autographed 20th anniversary edition hardcover copy of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, complete with red sprayed edges. Should I have bought it? Probably not. Did I already have a copy of The Name of the Wind? Yes, a first printing pocket paperback, but it’s falling apart because I’ve read it so many times and it’s far too long and thick for the pocket format.
Have you ever sprung for an autographed edition? What was it?
I seem to be slowly building a collection.
15. What Books do I Need to Read by the End of the Year?
Uh, that list is over 100 books long! I keep changing my Goodreads goal to increase the number of books. As I write this is says I’ve read 185 books, but I haven’t marked 2 audiobooks I recently listened to for tours as read yet so it’s actually 187…
I will say the other recently released book the HCC Frenzy team is expecting me to review is:
Sisters of the Snake
Ria & Rani Book One
by Sasha Nanua & Sarena Nanua
Published 15 June 2021
HarperTeen
Genre: YA Fantasy, Asian Cultural
Page Count: 512
Check it out on Goodreads!
Comments on “Mid-Year Freak Out Tag 2021”