This post is based on the questions for the ‘Mid-Year Freak Out Tag’, but I’ve edited it to suit my needs a bit better. I’m pretty sure most of these will be to no one’s surprise but let’s see! I’m still going to be doing a June Wrap up, which you will be able to find here, but for some more specific check ups, here’s how my 2019 is going!
BEST BOOK SO FAR
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
★★★★★
Absolutely no one is surprised by this. I debated not including it as I first read it in 2018 and this was a reread, but I feel like I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have it somewhere in this post.
Check out my full review here.
BEST SEQUEL
Godsgrave (Nevernight Chronicle #2) by Jay Kristoff
★★★★★
I started Nevernight at the end of last year and hosting F/F February was the perfect opportunity for me to pick up the sequel. It was phenomenal.
The writing style of these books is so unique, the narrator is probably one of my all time favourite characters and I’m deeply in love with Mia Corvere. We stan a stabby bisexual icon.
NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T GOT TO YET
All three of these books are sequels to some of my fave 2018 reads. I spent a lot of last year desperate for these sequels and while I pre-ordered them all, I still haven’t had a chance to pick them up yet. Hopefully soon!
Kingdom of Copper (Daevabad #2) by S.A. Chakraborty
If you haven’t picked up this The City of Brass yet, I would highly recommend it. High fantasy with own voices muslim rep as well as djin, a lil smidge of romance and some badass magic.
Kingsbane (Emperium #2) by Claire Legrand
I know Furyborn was hit or miss for a lot of people but personally I adored it. Seeing bisexual rep in an M/F relationship was really great for me, plus magic challenges and BAD ANGELS. I think I’d devour whatever Legrand writes tbh.
The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious #2) by Maureen Johnson
Truly Devious is a super fun boarding school mystery and I loved the anxiety representation in this! I’ve heard very mixed things about the sequel but I’m still crazy excited.
MOST ANTICIPATED JUL-DEC RELEASE
Darkdawn (Nevernight Chronicle #3 by Jay Kristoff
There are definitely a few books I could choose for this category and yet Jay Kristoff makes his second appearance on this list.
The end of Godsgrave was a brutal cliffhanger, added to by Jay’s sneak peaks on instagram and now I’m just desperate.
Bring on Stabtember.
Notable others are Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo and Queen of Nothing by Holly Black.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Aurora Rising (Aurora Cycle #1) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
★★★½
This was not a bad book, and it is absolutely not the worst book I have read this year so far, however, it was my biggest disappointment. I just expected more from Kaufman and Kristoff and this let me down.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
The Boss by Abigail Barnette
★★★★½
New Adult Romance [GR | CLAIM FREE]
I don’t often talk about the amount of smutty romance I read, but it’s 100% a guilty pleasure of mine. I don’t generally rate them particularly high because they’re not always great for storyline, however, this completely took me by surprise. It was sold to me by firstly, being free on Amazon, and secondly, being “what Fifty Shades should have been if it was a healthy D/s relationship”.
It was good. The storyline was interesting, the sex was healthy, and let me tell you it was hot.
FAVE NEW-TO-YOU OR DEBUT
The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
★★★★★
This one could definitely have been quite a few of the books I’ve read but I’m giving it to The Simple Wild because wow. This book was a christmas gift from Melanie @ Meltotheany and I thought it would be good and fun, but wow. This book stole my heart and took me away to Alaska.
It was also, if you remember, my top read of May!
NEW FICTIONAL CRUSH
Sabran Berethnet
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
I’m not entirely sure I would class Sab as a crush, because my deep rooted love for her is so much more than that. There is something about the characters Samantha Shannon creates that forces a bond between me and them. I can’t let them go. I am too far gone. She is the true Queen of my heart.
NEW FAVE CHARACTER
Evelyn Hugo
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My answer to this should definitely be Ead from Priory, but I wanted to change it up a bit so have a different fave from another 5-star read.
Evelyn Hugo was a dream for me. Morally grey, extremely human despite her status as a starlet, flawed, inspirational and so much more. I related to her, hated her, worshipped her and cried for her.
When everyone was calling this book their top 2018 read, they weren’t over exaggerating. This book is brilliant, and what better time to pick it up than now?
BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY
The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum
★★★★★
Thanks to Kayla, the author, I was lucky enough to read an eARC during F/F February. All I can say is wow. While this book is technically a contemporary, it has a lot of sci fi elements so I would definitely recommend it to SF lovers!
I read this in one sitting in just a few hours. Due to the chapter format, it’s incredibly high paced and unputdownable. Throughout that short space of time, I felt a myriad of emotions, but you can bet by the end I was bawling like nothing else.
BOOK THAT MADE YOU LAUGH
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
★★★★★
This book could have fit into so may of these categories, but I chose this one because of the iconic video I posted on twitter of me CRYING WITH LAUGHTER while reading this book. I devoured it in one sitting and holy hell it was fantastic.
I remember being apprehensive about it because whenever American authors write Brits, they’re heavy on the stereotypes and get things wrong and it bugs me. And yeah, there was some stuff, but it was overshadowed by the AMAZING.
Notable others are A Girl Called Shameless by Laura Steven and Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) by L. C. Rosen.
FAVE BOOK TO FILM ADAPTATION
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
★★★★★
YA Contemporary
[GR | BUY | DVD]
I read THUG at the end of last year and then Walker YA were kind enough to send me the film version. This is actually the only book to film I’ve seen this year so it’s kind of a default answer.
The adaptation was really good, very true to the book and made a lot of great strides for the Black Lives Matter movement. However, as a film, if you saw it without connection to the book, it isn’t the best.
FAVE POST OF THE YEAR
My review of The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Again, to no one’s surprise, Priory claims another title. It was so challenging because I love the book so much and I wanted to do it justice. It took me a long time to actually write, but I’m really proud of that post.
MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK OF THE YEAR
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
★★★★½
Honestly, the foiling on this book is beyond incredible and was made even better by Illumicrate when they created the gold version for the special edition box. Both editions are absolutely amazing and to be honest, I love the dust jacket cover too.
Personally, the book wasn’t one of my favourites and if it hadn’t featured characters that I’m so in love with from previous Grishaverse books then the rating would probably be lower.
TOP PRIORITY READS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR
Well, if you read my monthly wrap ups, you know that there are 10 books which have been recommended my friends and 12 books that I chose back in December which I told myself I have to read in 2019. I have currently read 1 of those 22 books. So as I’m sure you can guess, those books need to be my priority now. You can find all of my 2019 goals on this post.
MY TOP 10 OF 2019 SO FAR…
Feel free to take part in the tag if you haven’t already – if you have, let me know in the comments!
If you like my content, please consider supporting me elsewhere
TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS | BUY ME A COFFEE | WISHLIST
Imi Reviews Books 
I also have Dorian Gray on my TBR (asap, because it’s research for my novel)! Also, you might be interested to know that Abigail Barnette is the pen name of Jenny Trout, who has a blog which includes some fun chapter by chapter roasting of a few books, including 50 shades and EL James latest.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I knew she was an author under another name but I did not know about the blog, I LIVE FOR THE ROASTS YES
LikeLike
I spy Mort on your priority reads. The Death books are so good!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I’ve never read Pratchett but a good friend gave me Mort and Hogfather for Christmas a few years ago so I NEED to read them!
LikeLiked by 1 person