It’s the last month of summer (well, summer vacation), so there’s not much time left to do this tag. Overall, I’ve had a pretty decent summer so far. Unfortunately, I’ve fallen behind on my reading. But that won’t stop me from taking time to write this post. After the big organizational overhaul I just did to this blog, I’m eager to post something new. This tag takes a bunch of the classic elements of summer and makes questions out of them. I’ve got some pretty interesting answers, so here we go!
- Lemonade: pick a book that started off bitter but got better
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. I haven’t quite finished this one yet, but I’m far enough in to know that it fits this description. The first fourth of the book is heavy with world-building and unfamiliar terms. So much of this world’s history and make-up is thrust at you with minimal plot development, so it’s a bit of a slog to get through. It really starts to get good once Warden comes into the picture. His dynamic with Paige is wonderful and he’s kind of the opposite of what you expect. I still find the plot to be so-so, but these two make it worth the read.
- Golden Sun: pick a book that made you smile beyond compare
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. I loved Monty and his escapades so much. I loved the gayness. I loved Felicity’s fierceness. Even though a couple parts made me cry and even cringe, I spent most of this book grinning like an idiot. Honestly, this book is a very serious contender for one of my favorite books of the year.
- Tropical Flowers: pick a book set in a foreign country
A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes. This book takes place in Canada. While the overall culture isn’t too different (at least in the part of Canada they live in), you still need a passport to get in. It’s the spin-off series to Falling Kingdoms and takes place in Toronto (when it’s not taking place in Ancient Mytica). It follows two sisters, one of whom gets sent to Ancient Mytica and the other who does whatever she can to get her back, a young rich rogue with a chance to advance in a secret society, and a witch in Ancient Mytica. Their paths cross in the most interesting of ways. While it (and its sequel The Darkest Magic) are not high-quality literature, they still make for fun reads.
- Tree Shade: pick a book in which a mysterious or shady character was first introduced
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. At least, the first couple chapters. I had thought Kaz Brekker was going to be a mysterious figure who we only see through others’ perspectives. I didn’t think he’d be a POV character. I love that he was, but he would’ve been a far more frightening and difficult to understand character if he wasn’t. Still, I think my initial assumption helped frame the way I see him now.
- Beach Sand: pick a book that was grainy and the plot barely developed
Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. It’s not so much that the plot was underdeveloped, but that is was basically a mashup of YA fantasy tropes. The characters were generic and one-dimensional and the plot was predictable. I actually wound up DNF-ing this book because it was so boring and trite. The kingdom system was strange as well and was never adequately explained. Definitely not a fantasy series I’d recommend.
- Green Grass: pick a character that is full of life, making you smile
Daisy Calloway from the Addicted/Calloway Sisters series by Krista & Becca Ritchie. She’s a daring, adventurous girl who will try just about anything. She has big dreams and a big heart. She’s fun and flirty, always there to lighten the mood. Even at her lowest points, she feels so strongly. I would kill to be even half the girl she is.
- Watermelon: pick a book that had some juicy secrets
The Lying Game series by Sara Shepard. Each book had reveal after reveal after reveal. Granted, the stories started to feel cyclical and I never finished the series (I vastly preferred the show, RIP), but it was still filled with unpredictable plot twists and wild secrets. Honestly, it’s a great series to introduce preteens to the thriller genre.
- Sun Hat: pick a book that had a vast, big universe/setting
The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I mean, these parasitic aliens have made lives on planets all across the vast expanse of space. Wanderer, our protagonist, is a marvel because she’s lived on more planets than anyone else. It literally takes place across the entire universe and I’m still waiting on that sequel, Miss Stephenie.
Do you have any answers to any of these questions? Let me know in the comments!
Strange Storyteller 