Mid Year Freak Out 2022

How are we at the end of June already?! It’s been a busy 6 months, both from a reading perspective and from a life one, but I still can’t believe time has flown by. Rather than doing my regular monthly wrap up, I thought I’d try and do the mid year freak out that I’ve seen doing the rounds, so let’s dive in!

Best book you’ve read so far:

Starting off with the difficult questions! The first 6 months have brought so many good books and it’s hard to choose one, so I’m not going to 😀 Instead, here are some of my favourite books so far:

• Legends & Lattes
• The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
• One For All
• The Forest of Enchantments
• A Marvellous Light

Best sequel you’ve read so far:

This has to be One Foot In The Fade by Luke Arnold. Luke Arnold has narrated all 3 books in The Fetch Phillips series and the audio narration has gone from strength to strength. To be fair, it’s probably one of the reasons why I’ve enjoyed the series so much and the narration for One Foot In The Fade is no exception – it is so good. I really hope this series continues – I’m not ready to leave Fetch and Sunder City just yet.

New releases you haven’t read but want to:

I’m going to cheat ever so slightly here, because I’m already part way through one, but Saara El-Arifi’s The Final Strife is one I would like to finish in the next couple of weeks. Also, Sue Lynn Tan’s Daughter of the Moon Goddess is sitting on my Kindle – I’ve head some good things about this one, so I’m excited to dive in.

Most anticipated release(s) for the second half of the year:

Surprisingly, I don’t have that many anticipated releases. The ones that do spring to mind are Becky Chambers’ A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, Tasha Suri’s The Oleander Sword and R.F. Kuang’s Babel (I know I’ve missed a few!)

Biggest disappointment:

Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn. On paper, this sounds exactly like the kind of book that I like. Don’t get me wrong, the plot was intriguing and there was definitely something there that kept me reading, but I also felt that there was something missing. I will probably end up reading the sequel though, as I am genuinely curious to see where the story goes.

Another one was Velvet Was The Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I’ve really enjoyed everything else I’ve read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but sadly, this one just didn’t work for me.

Biggest surprise:

Again, I’m going to cheat a little bit here – I’m currently listening to the audiobook of The Bone Ships by R.J Barker. It’s the first book I’ve read / listened to by this author and I’m really enjoying it so far.

Another pleasant surprise was The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. I read this back in May, as part of my Month of Retellings and I found myself really enjoying this, even though I still can’t quite put my finger on why.

New favourite character:

Hands down, this has to be Thimble from Legends & Lattes. This adorable little ratkin has a special place in my heart and just want to give him the biggest hug (and also try all of those baked delights!)

Book that made you cry:

Okay, this was a bit of a surprise. They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera broke me when I finished it. I listened to this on audio and the narrators were fantastic. However, for most of the book, I wasn’t too invested in the plot or the characters. Once I had finished it though, well, that was a whole different story. I sat and sobbed for a good few minutes afterwards. This one clearly got to me more than I thought it did.

Book that made you happy:

Again, this one goes to Legends & Lattes. This book is just so soft and so cosy. It honestly radiates comfort and it’s the perfect book to lose yourself in.

Most beautiful book you’ve received this year:

I could cheat here and say all of the Illumicrate books that I’ve received this year – their editions really are stunning, but their edition of This Woven Kingdom is a particular stand out. The cover and sprayed edges are really beautiful.

In terms of non-Illumicrate books, the UK cover of Axie Oh’s The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is absolutely gorgeous.

So that’s my mid-year freak out! To be honest, I’ve read so many good books so far and I can’t wait to see what the next 6 months of reading has to offer!