throne of glass booktag!

Yes, you guessed it. I am here and I am doing ANOTHER BOOKTAG!!! As many of you will know, I am completely in love with Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass series, and when I saw this tag on Polished Page Turners, I knew I had to participate. This was originally created by Alexa and Hannah, and I am so excited to complete it. If you love this series too, I tag you to do this tag, and leave links to your posts so I can see what your answers are!

Lysandra | A book with a cover change you loved | 

I absolutely love the UK cover of Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson. I like the US cover fine, but I think this one captures the whimsical quality that the book has. I just love the way that it looks like scenes from an animated movie :) 

Abraxos | A book that's better on the inside than it looks on the outside |

 

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord. I was skeptical of this book at first, because the cover just makes it look really cheesy and romance novel-y, which I'm not a huge fan of. But I had heard such amazing things about this book, so I went ahead and read it anyways, and I'm so happy that I did. The cover does not do the story justice at all! It is about so much more than just romance, and I can think of a million other options for a cover. 

 

Erilea | A series with great world-building |

I'm going to go with The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski. Not only does she do a great job of building our setting in the first novel, she goes ahead and makes the next two installments take place in different locations, which allows her to fully characterize more of the world and make it feel super real. I like how the political machinations serve to show the reader what this world is like. Super highly rated setting in these, for me. 

 

Rifthold | A book that combines genres | 

Vicious by V.E. Schwab has a little bit of everything in it. It's a superhero book with a more villains than heroes, a bit of a thriller, a bit paranormal. It also is action-packed but also introspective. I can't quite pin down what I actually think this is. Mystery, action, urban fantasy: it is all of these things and more, and its complexity is what makes it so fascinating. 

 

Damaris | A book based on/inspired by a myth/legend |'

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh is inspired by the story of 1001 Nights, and I absolutely love what this novel does with that well known tale. It takes the bare bones of 1001 Nights and makes it richer, with more backstories, twists, and magic. 

 

Kaltain Rompier | A book with an unexpected twist | 

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke was one of the twistiest books that I've read all year. It makes you think one thing through the entire novel, then completely turns that on its head in the end. (or does it?) This book definitely made me think, and the twist was something that I would have never saw coming! 

Assassin’s Keep | A book with an unreliable narrator | 

The narrator of the Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin is Mara Dyer herself, a girl who is, debatedly, insane. There will be whole scenes in these books where you aren't sure if what is happening is real or not, and that is part of the psychological thrill of reading these books. I definitely am not a fan of unreliable narrators all the time, but when they're done right, I think they're useful, and Mara is excellent as an unreliable source of information. 

 

Asterin Blackbeak | A book that’s got SQUAD GOALS |

What can the answer to this question be but Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo? I think the reason that these characters are so popular is because they get their own POVs, which could be confusing, but instead just makes them all so real. I absolutely adored this book, and every single one of our six main characters. I cannot wait for Crooked Kingdom to come out, so I can see what will become of my children in Ketterdam.

 

Terrasen | A book that feels like home |

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale is one of my favorite books that I have ever read in my life, and I have been rereading it every year since I was about ten. Whenever I read this book, a sense of total calm washes over me, like nothing too bad can happen as long as something like this book exists. It is like an instant pick-me-up, and it always makes me happy.

 

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | A book with the power to destroy you |

The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone. This might be a little unfair, since this book isn't out yet, but this is the most recent book that absolutely destroyed me, emotionally. I was bawling my eyes out, trying not to cry too loud so I wouldn't wake up my roommates, for the last 70ish pages of this one. This book is about loving and losing the people that are important to you, about finding yourself, about first love, and about grief, and it is PERFECT and will make you cry a lot. 

Manon Blackbeak | A book that intimidated you |

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is enormous, something like six hundred pages, and I knew going in that it was a heavy sci-fi book, which I am usually not a huge fan of. However, I had heard so many amazing things about this book, so I decided to read it despite become completely afraid of it, and I am so glad that I did, because the pages absolutely flew by and I finished this in about two days. 

 

Rowan Whitethorn | A book that makes you swoon |

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz is a book that is so melancholy and sweet, and the ending of it just makes me positively giddy. The first time I read it, I shed tears of happiness, because I didn't think that the ending was going to be as amazing as it is. Definitely some swooning going on at the end of this one. 

 

Chaol Westfall | A book that challenged you to see things differently |   

Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan definitely made me think about the difference between a good person and a person who does bad things. If two people are brought up in similar situations, what is it that separates a would-be mass shooter from the person who saves people? I liked the ambiguity of those roles in this book. 

 
Fleetfoot | A book that you received as a gift |

I got the Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman as a Christmas present from my family last year, and I was so happy because this book is absolutely gorgeous, both the writing and the illustrations. 

 

Eye of Elena | A book you found right when you needed it |

I read City of Bones when it first came out, and I was in middle school. I was bored of most of the middle grade books that I'd been reading for years, but didn't know what to do next. Without this book, I might never have gotten into YA like I have, and who knows if I'd even still love reading the same way. This series and this book in particular put me on the path that I'm on today, and I will love it forever for this reason.

Hope you liked this tag! I would love to see what some of you would choose for these questions. 

Until next time!

xx

Caroline