The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag: 2021 Edition

It’s almost July, which means there are only six months left in 2021. This year has gone by so fast, but I need this summer heat wave to disappear. So autumn, here we come! But anyway, the year being halfway over also means it’s time for the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag.

This tag was created years ago by someone in the book community to basically wrap up the first half of your reading year. I’ve had an okay reading experience so far, but it hasn't been the best reading year ever. I completed my 2021 Goodreads Challenge already, so I may not have the quality, but I'm getting the quantity. XD

As of June 15, 2021, I’ve read 31 books. I’m not sure if I'm going to change my Goodreads goal, as I don't want to pressure myself, but I might try to reach 75 books by the end of the year. That's how many I read last year. I'm also hoping to read more books on my TBR shelves in the coming months.

BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2021

Oh lord. This is a difficult question to answer. There's clearly a winner, because I've only read one 4.5-star book and no 5-stars this year so far (I'm very picky with my 5-star ratings), but I'm going to end up listing this book so many times in this post. Yikes.

I’m going with The Last Watch for my favorite read of 2021 so far. Nothing else even came close. Not even the third book in JLA's Blood & Ash series, which I had very high hopes for. Alas, this random adult sci-fi won the award. Congrats!

BEST SEQUEL YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2021

This is not an easy question to answer.

Of the sequels I've read, a lot disappointed me for one reason or another. They simply weren't as good as their predecessors. So I guess I'll go with The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty because even though I love Chakraborty's world-building and writing style, I didn't love what she did with my favorite character in the second book or the beginning of this one.

NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET, BUT WANT TO

Super easy question to answer.

Grace & Glory by Jennifer L. Armentrout. The last book in the Harbinger series. I'm actually waiting to do a reread of the entire series, including the prequel series, before I dive into this one. I want to remember everything!

MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR

THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR

There really aren’t a lot of books I’m super excited for in the last half of 2021. I've grown more patient over the years. Plus, I'm trying to read series when they're complete.

It was between this one and Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson. But, overall, Dark Rise wins for reasons I can't explain.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Oh man, this one made me so sad.

Winter's Orbit was just mediocre. It wasn't a very good sci-fi and it wasn't a very great romance. It was just something in between. I'm hoping a reread one day will make it less disappointing, but I don't know if I want to put the energy into it.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

I'm going to apologize in advance for talking about this book too much. Again, it's the only 4.5-star book I've read so far this year.

The Last Watch was so funny and everything you want in a light-hearted but adventure-packed sci-fi.

FAVORITE NEW AUTHOR

I don't know how to answer this because of the new authors I have read, I've only read one of their books so far and I'm not 100% confident I'll love everything they write in the future. I want to hope I do, but you never know. That being said...

J.S. Dewes totally blew me away with her The Last Watch. I'm super excited to read the sequel, The Exiled Fleet, and I hope I get approved for it on NetGalley.

NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH

I had to think about this. It's been a pretty eh fictional crush year so far.

Reid from the Serpent & Dove series. I haven't read books two and three, so I don't even know what scene this is from. I just know that, though his background is a bit problematic because he was raised in a bad environment, Reid is adorable when he blushes and has no idea what Lou is doing.

NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER

I'm cheating. Surprise. Surprise.

Kieran Contou from Jennifer L. Armentrout's Blood & Ash series is my favorite character. He was introduced in the first book, From Blood & Ash, which released in 2020. However, I didn't realize how amazing he was until the second book in the series, which released in fall 2020. I did read the third book earlier this year and it just reaffirmed my love, though. So I'm not totally cheating. Right? Oh, and I also have a crush on him too, but I didn't want to list him twice.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

So I didn't think I was going to be able to answer this question, then I read this book.

This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills. Honestly, this book wasn't that life-changing. However, there were a few scenes that tugged at my heartstrings and made me shed a tear or two.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY

I thought this would be difficult. I was wrong.

The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes was so funny. The main character is hilarious, and the opening line is amazing!

FAVORITE BOOK-TO-FILM ADAPTATION

YOU SAW THIS YEAR

I'm sure this will be of little surprise to anyone in the book community.

Shadow & Bone was amazing! I honestly did not expect to love it so much! I'll also say that The Expanse season five was good. However, I haven't read past book two in the series, so I can't judge it based on its adaptation status. Same for the first season of Bridgerton.

FAVORITE REVIEW YOU’VE WRITTEN THIS YEAR

I've written so few! It's been a bad year for blogging, and I doubt it will get any better. I'll probably only be posting a few times a month. I just can't read, exercise, work, sleep, AND blog. It's not feasible anymore with a full-time in-person job. But anyway, my favorite review was probably The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes. It was a super fun time.

MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE

RECEIVED SO FAR THIS YEAR

I'm cheating again and listing a series instead of just an individual book.

 The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. These are the special FairyLoot editions. I've been buying a lot of special editions lately. It's bad for my wallet, but my shelves are gonna be so pretty.

WHAT BOOKS DO YOU NEED TO READ

BY THE END OF THE YEAR

All of the ones on my TBR shelves. Literally hundreds of books. Here are some highlights:

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

Grace & Glory by Jennifer L. Armentrout

These are just the ones I think I'll get to soon. I have many more that I want to read before the year is over.

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Alright, there you have it. My Mid-Year Book Freak Out answers for 2021. What would your answers to these questions be? Let me know in the comments below!