I spotted this tag over the last weeks and I thought “OMG it’s August already!!!”.

I just wanted to look back on what I had read these last seven months and push my favorites, rant about my disappointment and maybe help other to buy THE book just suited for their taste!

So let’s play and if you want to read the review click on the graphic.

Best book you’ve read yet in 2018

This one is a difficult one as I’ve read many good books but there is one branded in my memory: The Silver Cage by Anonymous

It’s a powerful and tragic story. Filled with incredible amounts of suffering. Yet it’s written in such fashion that it feels just real. Not overdone. Not exaggerated.

This book was the one to send me over the edge and see “LGBTQ” literature for what it is: love stories. Pure and simple. No gay no lesbian no…I don’t want to label them M/M or F/F or… anymore because it’s just love.
Gone my preconceived ideas about the genre.
They have been reduced to ashes by Red Feather Lakes lightning.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2018

Restore Me by Tahere Mafi

Favorite quote ““The world tried to crush you, and you refused to be shattered. You’ve recovered from every setback a stronger person, rising from the ashes only to astonish everyone around you. And you will continue to surprise and confuse those who underestimate you. It is an inevitability. A forgeone conclusion.” “But you should know that being a leader is a thankless occupation. Few will ever be grateful for what you do or the changes you implement”.“

Juliette and Warner how they love each other! They will have much to overcome. It was angsty! It felt desperate sometimes. And that ending!!!!! Tahere how could you leave us on such cliffhanger! I just NEED the next one!

New release you haven’t read yet but want to

Reaper At the Gate by Sabaa Tahir (already on my shelf but I had too many books to read for YALC and ARCs) and Lifel1k3 by Jay Kristoff (bought at YALC in a gorgeous UK edition because all my friends and especially Shanah and Wendy rave about Jay Kristoff. So I have to read it!). I also bought the UK cover of Reaper as I am still mad that they discontinued the covers! I tried to find something looking like the other ones.

Book 1

Most Anticipated release for the second half of the year

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare without one second of hesitation but also followed by Ravensong by TJ Klune (I so loved Wolfsong!).

Biggest disappointment

Immortal Reign by Morgan Rhodes

Maybe I outgrew this series? I awaited the last book in the series so much and now it seems like all characters were like caricature of themselves.

The ending….will satisfy all the fans.

Honestly you will probably love it but to me it seemed “flat” and too “white or dark”. No nuances, no real conflicts in characters except maybe in Amara. I love my books with many colors of grey.

Biggest surprise

Pestilence by Laura Thalassa

It surprised me! I did not expect this happening in our modern world! I thought it would happen in Antiquity ( mind you the Four Horsemen are a belief from the Bible!). Then I had no idea Laura Thalassa would make me like Pestilence and see all his character’s development whereas he still killed innocent people and kids. I should have hated him yet I didn’t!

This story is the perfect blend of action and character driven story!

Favorite New Author

I will give you two of them here for totally different reasons:

1. James Cudney alias Jay. He simply blew me away with Father Figure.

Everything was amazing: the writing, the brilliant plot, the characters, the …Honestly I did not expect the book to be that exceptional. I guessed Jay could write as I follow him for some time now but to think that it’s only his second book and have that level of mastery was certainly not something I had foreseen.

2. Heather Demetrios with her “I’ll Meet you There”

I loved Heather Demetrios’s writing.

It’s real, raw, solid. Descriptive but not flowery. Straight like an arrow. It sucks you in the middle of her story and the character’s lives.

The first scene is in the Mitchell’s backyard :

“Packed full of recent and not-so-recent grads in various stage of decay. The girls leaned against one another, wilted flowers that looked on while the guys got louder, sweatier.

I craned my neck and scanned the crowd for Chris, but my wingman had disappeared.

“Shit”, I muttered.

Like I needed any more confirmation of my loner status.”

In just a few sentences the tone is set. Heather Demetrios’s writing and story made me forget the outside world for two days. The reality was “kept away”. Compelling and real. I loved it so much that I had barely finished the book that I ordered two of her other books.

Newest Fictional Crush

I have two characters totally opposite!

Ren from The Boy and his Ribbon by Pepper Winters

Ren is wild and made to live in the woods. He is a noble hero pure at heart. Nearly a Saint. No wonder Della said she could not avoid falling in love with him! He was savage and lost until he “found” Della. She’s been his guiding light. The one inspiring him to do better, to be better, to be worthy. It is short to amazing how Ren turned out to be such honorable hero when he had horrid humans “taking care” or rather exploiting him. It shows that worth is not to be measured to the size of your bank account but to your actions, courage and work.

Ren is deeply protective of Della and that’s the kind of hero that I love!

Christian from Tethered Souls by Beth Flynn

Christian Bear is your dream came true if you love bad boy who don’t have a dark heart but “just” love crossing lines. Christian is hotheaded. That could be his middle name. Christian Hotheaded Bear. How does it sound?

Well he is not only hotheaded and determined he is also hot as in sexy as sin. He’s left a trail of broken heart but he could not care less.

Since he’s been a kid the one owning his heart is Mimi. Christian is Uber Alpha, protective, hot and sexy basically the kind of book boyfriend I love!

Newest Favorite Character

Atticus in Atticus by Sawyer Bennett! Added bonus he is REAL!  yes yes I know he is a dog but who cares! I love following his antics on Instagram and in the book he was pure sweetness rolled into misschief.

Atticus is really smart and empathic.

He may be behaved…when he wants. At heart he is good, generous and mischievous.

A Book that made you cry

Love my Way by Kate Sterritt and The Girl and her Ren by Pepper Winters

It’s a character driven story with a stunning plot. Kate Sterrit took a huge risk with this one.
When I told her I nearly DNF (because you bet that I reached for her as soon as I finished!) she told me that she knew the risks but she had to write the story “her way”.

So go into this story “my way”: blind and trusting.

As Pepper said this story is brutal, heart-breaking but somehow uplifting. Ren and Della’s love is all consuming and never ending. It left me with an empty box of tissue, heaving shoulders and sweeping the mascara from my cheeks.

Book that made you happy

The Kiss Quotient

This story simply is a little gem. Essentially character driven, the writing is light, charming, funny and just right. The dialogs were pure gold! Here is one of my favorite to help you understand why I was swooning and smiling, basically being happy!

“You smell really, really good. What is it?”

Where was that scent coming from? It seemed to be everywhere on him, but too light. She craved a more concentrated dose.

“Michael?”

A funny look crossed his face. “It’s just me, Stella.”

“You smell this good?”

“Apparently. You’re the first to comment on it.”

“I want it all over me.” As the words left her mouth, she worried she’d said the wrong thing. That statement had sounded a little too personal, a little strange. Would he notice how strange she really was?”

Favorite book to film adaptation

Wonder by R.J. Palacio! I got to see it with my daughter and we were moved all the time. Cute, charming, moving, insightful!

Most Beautiful book you’ve bought this year

Pestilence by Laura Thalassa and Bright We Burn by Kiersten White

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

Too many!!!! Let’s just say that I will read with 100% certainty Queen of Air and Darkness, Ravensong, Reaper at the Gate, Kingdom of Ashes, More than We Can Tell  and Tears of the Storm. I hope to read The Belles too….

That’s it! Pfew that’s quite a few books!

Now do tell me do we have any “bests” in common? Or what would your Oscars and Raspberries be? And I am not tagging anyone but if you want, you’re in!

Thanks for reading!

Sophie