Three posts in one day? Unbelievable! Well, Strangers, that is due solely to it being Sunday and the office is literally dead. Anyway, I thought I’d try another book tag, this one I found on a video LilyCReads did and thought I’d give it a go. So, no more pussyfooting around. Let’s get on with the questions.
- The Awkward First Date: A book where something felt off. It wasn’t a bad book, but lacked that spark for you.
The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan. I didn’t discover the Percy Jackson books until I was an adult, but I burned through that first series and the Heroes of Olympus series after it. But this one I thought was just okay. I didn’t particularly like reading from Apollo’s point of view, his attempts at humor a bit too juvenile for my tastes. I appreciate that he’s a bisexual main character in a middle grade book, but that’s really the most I got from that book.
- The Cheap First Date: A book that turned out less than you expected.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. Everyone and their mother was hyping up this book (including the Barnes & Noble cashier when I bought it), but it just wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. It relied too heavily on tropes, didn’t do much to develop the romance, and had an incredibly predictable plot twist. Victoria’s a great person to follow on Twitter though, because she kicks meninists’ asses consistently.
- Well-Prepared First Date: A book that was better than expected.
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness. Given the concept (a story about the regular kids who are just living their lives while fantastical chaos reigns and a parody of the Chosen One trope), I expected to enjoy it. But I didn’t expect to connect so deeply with the narrator Mikey or that it would be a five-star book. It really touched me.
- Hot, But Dumb: A pretty book, but not so hot on the inside.
The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee. That cover was sooo beautiful, but the story was bland as hell. The world-building was terrible and it took forever to figure out who was who and what was going on. A lot of people compare it to Gossip Girl and I haven’t read or watched it, but I’m sure that’s offensive to Gossip Girl. I actually wound up DNF-ing it.
- Blind Date: A book you picked up without knowing anything about it.
The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd. I saw this book at Barnes & Noble and was intrigued enough by the summary that I bought it. I’d never heard of it before, but still gave it a whirl. And I really enjoyed it. I bought the two sequels but I haven’t read them yet.
- Speed Dating: A book you read super fast.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I read this entire book in a few hours. I didn’t find it particularly groundbreaking, but it was cute and moving and kept me engaged.
- The Rebound: A book that you read too soon after a book hangover and it kind of ruined it for you.
The Embrace series aka the Violet Eden Chapters by Jessica Shirvington. I had just finished The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare for the first time and saw that this was also about half-angels, so I checked it out from the library. I read the first book and a half before I decided it was too similar to TMI and quit. However, about a year later, I got back into them and actually love them a lot. In fact, I’m due for a reread.
- Overly Enthusiastic Date: A book that felt like it was trying too hard.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. The whole books plays up this big plot twist and when you finally get to it it barely makes any sense. It tried to be edgy and shocking, but was just confusing and kind of messed up.
- The Perfect First Date: A book that did everything right for you.
Honestly, The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. I still point to it as the perfect execution of a trilogy and am always so deeply moved by these characters and their story. I can’t imagine ever changing anything about it. It’s flawless.
- Humiliating First Date: Book you’re embarrassed to admit you liked.
The A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. She’s so messy and her writing is… not actually that good. But I love these characters so much. I feel #fakewoke liking it but… I can’t help it.
All right so… that was fun. Got any answers for any of these questions? Let me know in the comments! Until next time, Strangers!
Strange Storyteller 