2020 Bookish Recap

Meant to do this last week buuuuuut life kinda got in the way.

(Aka Kaitlyn was just too lazy and wanted to read instead but pfft #minordetails)

Better late than never, right? *grins*

So. According to Goodreads, I...

-Read 69 books (Like...dude. For me, that's...a lot O.O)

-Read 18,387 pages (y i k e s)

And rather than recapping it all in text, here's some pictures 'cause they're so much more interesting.

This one was actually really good! Full review here.

I know I read a short story somewhere...*rubs chin* Oh well.  Find my review of The Coronation here.

Duuuude this makes me look like I worked hard! I like it. *cackles*

I...read a lot of good books this year. *shrugs* Definitely not a bad thing.

Definitely worthy of such a high rating. Definitely. *nods*

*GASP* This series...I binge-read all of them ('cept the last one 'cause #reasons but they're allll finished and AAAAAAH) and I LOVE THESE BOOKS.

Mmkay, so. Now is the time I start flailing about my top 5 'cause I kinda started that as a tradition. But Y'ALL THERE'S SO MANY THAT I WANNA PUT ON MY TOP 5 LIST THAT I JUST—*deep breath*

I want to talk about all. of. them. So. How 'bout I give you allll of my 5-star reads of the year, and then I'll narrow them to my top 5, and then down to my favorite one of the year. If possible.

Mmkay? Mmkay.

-The entire Blades of Acktar series by Tricia Mingerink

-The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus by Jaime Jo Wright // review

-The Long Way Home and The Truth of the Matter by Andrew Klavan

-All Manner of Things by Susie Finkbeiner // review

-Stories that Bind Us by Susie Finkbeiner // review

-Certain Jeopardy by Jeff Struecker & Alton Gansky

-Blaze of Glory by Jeff Struecker & Alton Gansky

-Fallen Angel by Jeff Struecker & Alton Gansky

-Every Bright and Broken Thing by Brian McBride // review

-Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin

-In 27 Days by Alison Gervais // review

-The Torch Keepers by Hosanna Emily // review

-Mercy Me by Margaret A. Graham

-Concealed by Lisa M. Clark

-Window Fellow by Faith Potts {a short story} // review

-Stop the Rain by Kassie Angle // review

-Untitled by Jesseca Wheaton // review

-Set the Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes // review

-Never Say Goodbye by Sarah Grace Grzy // review

Soooo apparently 25 of the books I read in 2020 I rated 5 stars?? Wow. *grins* Definitely not mad about that.

Now to narrow them down...*scratches head* *deep breath* okay. I think I've got it.

My top five favorite reads of 2020 are...

Defy

All Manner of Things

Set the Stars Alight

Concealed

Stop the Rain

AND NOW FOR ME TO SCREAM ABOUT MY FAVORITE READ OF 2020!!

*deep breath*

MY FAVORITE READ OF 2020 IS...

SET THE STARS ALIGHT

*queue fanfare and fangirling*

I linked to my review ^^up there somewhere, but just in case I only JUST NOW convinced you to check it out, and you don't wanna scroll back up to find it, you can find the book here and my review here. You're welcome. *smirks*

It's so WHIMSICAL and BEAUTIFUL and ACHING and COOL.

Also I love Dash.

(and just LoOK at ThAt cOVeR *alllll the heart eyes*)

Just go read it. You'll thank me later.

What was your top read of 2020?? (also if you've read Set the Stars Alight and didn't like it, don't tell me)

Book Review: Fawkes by Nadine Brandes

Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only cure to the Stone Plague is to join his father’s plot to assassinate the king of England.

Silent wars leave the most carnage. The wars that are never declared, but are carried out in dark alleys with masks and hidden knives. Wars where color power alters the natural rhythm of 17th century London. And when the king calls for peace, no one listens until he finally calls for death.

But what if death finds him first?

Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot—claiming it will put an end to the plague—Thomas is in.

The plan: use 36 barrels of gunpowder to blow up the Igniter King.

The problem: Doing so will destroy the family of the girl Thomas loves. But backing out of the plot will send his father and the other plotters to the gallows. To save one, Thomas will lose the other.

No matter Thomas’s choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the color masks have been put on, there’s no turning back.

My rating:

If you know me well, you know that I've had my eye on this book ever since it came out in '18. Seriously. I thought it was the most gorgeous cover ever, but I wasn't going to buy it without having ever read anything else by the author, and neither of the local libraries carried it, soooooo I was doomed to a life of longing.

Until Christmas. I tore off the wrapping paper and literally went *ggggaaaaasSsSsSSSSSPPPP* when I saw that this beauty was FINALLY within my grasp.

*dramatic pause*

Well. I still think it's one of the most gorgeous covers I've ever seen, and if possible, it's even more beautiful in person.

I'm rambling, I know. Because I'm literally in love with a book cover.

(And this should tell you the state of my mental capacity. *Ross Geller voice* I'm fINE!)(for real though, I just never outgrew my obsession for pretty book covers and I'm okay with that)

So let's just get out of the way why this nugget of unmatched beauty with the creepy mask on the front got 4 stars instead of 5.

The real answer? BOREDOM. Seriously. For the first 150-200+ pages, it. was. boring. Learning about the color system and all was fascinating, but the majority of that first half was a combination of "Oh look the people are being oppressed by the other people" and "PooR ThOMaS DoeSN't hAVe HiS MAsK" and while I liked Thomas, he was just kinda...a brat. Don't get me wrong: it was very well-written. Just slow and not quite what I'm used to. ;)

BUT. The SECOND half.

Guy Fawkes was...my favorite. *grins* The dad learning to be a dad. Complex. Secretive. And it's so obvious that he cares even when Thomas can't see it, and the lengths he goes to are just...ACK. All the blubbery feels.

All the other characters were great, but let me just take a moment to appreciate Emma. Emma has a secret that she doesn't let anyone else know about, and it holds her captive. (those that have read the book know what I mean *smirks*) But I love her strength. I love her nature. She's a strong female character; very strong. But I. loved. it.

And, of course, we can't forget Thomas. *grins* Like I said, he was just a general brat at the beginning. But his character arc was *chef's kiss* The struggles he went through were so real and relatable, and the hardest decision he ever had to make in his life was just *cries* 

So then we get to the BATTLES and the SOURCE of the MYSTERY and everyone's screaming and pointing fingers and Thomas is grappling for control and the *censored for spoilers* is there to help him and *flails*

AND THEN THOSE LAST COUPLE OF CHAPTERS. I'M NOT OKAY. I REPEAT: I. AM. NOT. OKAY.

I'm soooo glad I didn't fully read any reviews. 'Cause I was expecting a little bit of heartbreak, but then I got sucked into the story and kinda forgot about it.

I halfway knew what the end would be. It was inevitable, really. But...like...that ONE SCENE and then he SAW WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO *again, censored* AND I WAS CAUGHT SO BY SURPRISE THAT I LITERALLY WAS ON THE VERGE OF TEARS.

Seriously.

*deep breath*

That. Ending. Scene. Though.

*incoherent fangirl noises*

My first Brandes novel is complete. And I'm still fighting a literary hangover.

Will I read more by this author?

Bring it on.

(for real though, I'm kinda sorta DYING to read her Out of Time trilogy)

Anyone else wanna come scream about this book with me?

New Year, New Changes

For so many people, 2020 was an awful year. But while I feel kinda bad saying this, knowing how most people say how horrible it was...for me it was a really good year. I grew a lot. I learned new things, and the extra time spent at home was my introverted dream.

My germophobic self was thrilled when everyone started doing what my family has tried to do all along: wash hands when out in public and don't get in everyone's faces.

I won't go into detail here—you can read the post I did on Instagram.

Anyway, my word for 2021 is ONWARD. It's time to move forward in life. I'm not completely sure what that looks like...but I do believe that my schedule will be changing. I still plan to keep blogging a part of it, though reading time may dwindle a bit and I might have to slow down on the book reviews. I still hope to write some, though I don't plan on making it a priority (I'll try to keep up with the Throwback Tuesday posts...heh). When I first published Beloved, I didn't have any publishing dreams; I never thought I'd be published one day anyway. But now I do have publishing dreams. (I just won't tell you about it yet. *smirks*)

So. Like I said, my time is going to become limited. I'll be looking to host some guest posts in the near future, and I won't be opposed to some collaborations. If you've got some ideas in that aspect, you can comment them below or email me using the form on the sidebar. ;)

All this to say...I'm not planning on disappearing from here. Not yet, anyway. Let's see what the year holds.

Happy new year, y'all. Let's take the world by storm.