2016 End of the Year Survey

Hello guys. So, I did this last year and it was pretty enjoyable so I am doing it again this year. Plus, I did better at reading this year so this will be a pretty difficult survey to answer. 

Let's jump into it. 

This was created by Jamie at the Perpetual Page Turner I'll be linking up there as well. 

Number of Books You Read: 109

Number of Rereads: 2

Number of Pages: 38, 912

Genre You Read the Most From?: Young Adult Fantasy

1. Best Book You Read in 2016 

I did a whole post with my favorites of 2016 which you can find here.  This is always the hardest question, because I love so many. 

2. Book You Were Really Excited About and Thought You Would Love More But Didn't? 

A Taste for Monsters by Matthew J. Kirby

I'm very disappointed in myself, to say that I am still struggling to get through this book. This isn't even a hard book, it's just a little boring. One day, I will just sit down and read the entire thing but that day has not come yet. 

3. Most Surprising [in a good way or bad way] book you read?

[Pictured Above in Order: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, Shadow of a Girl by Shannon Greenland, And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich, Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls]

Most of these, I didn't expect to really enjoy. Me Before You and The Glass Castle are both Adult books that I really enjoyed. I never read Adult books unless they are Fantasy/Sci-Fi and one of these is a contemporary and the other a memoir. Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows didn't look up my ally but I enjoyed them both. Shadow of a Girl looked like it would be boring but it wasn't and I never read horror so I thought I would hate And the Trees Crept In. 

4. Book You 'Pushed' The Most People to Read [and they did]?

I push everyone to read Cinder by Marissa Meyer and they do which makes me so so happy. I also push everyone to read Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes and so far not many people have but I have hope. 

5. Best Series You Started in 2016? Best Sequel? Best Series Ender?

Series: Tie: The Lux Series and Falling Kingdoms Series

Sequel: The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May and The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson

Series Ender: Winter by Marissa Meyer and The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016?

Jennifer L. Armentrout, Morgan Rhodes, Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, Shadow of a Girl by Shannon Greenland, A Drop of Night by Stefan  and And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich. 

The first two books are both Contemporaries that are way out of my normal reading zone. Especially Me Before You because it is an adult contemporary and I loved them both so much. The last two are both Horror/Paranormal books which were really well written. 

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Winter by Marissa Meyer and any Falling Kingdoms book by Morgan Rhodes. 

 9. Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Any Falling Kingdoms book by Morgan Rhodes

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016?

[I have a full list that you can find here]

11. Most memorable character/s of 2016?

The Six of Crows gang.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2016?

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokra

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2016?

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes or The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. 

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2016 to finally read? 

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. These were honestly so good and I have had them on my shelf for the longest time. 

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2016?

I don't have just one but here are two that I really like from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo:

“Kaz leaned back. "What's the easiest way to steal a man's wallet?"
"Knife to the throat?" asked Inej.
"Gun to the back?" said Jesper.
"Poison in his cup?" suggested Nina.
"You're all horrible," said Matthias.” 

AND

“I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.” 

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2016?

Shortest: A Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau: 90 Pages

Longest: Winter by Marissa Meyer: 832 Pages

 

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

All the Falling Kingdoms books by Morgan Rhodes

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

 

DON'T YOU DARE ASK THIS OF ME! There are so so many. I did a whole post which you can find here. But I have a couple main ships that I obsess over: 

Cress and Thorne from Winter by Marissa Meyer

Cleo and Magnus from the Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes

Inej and Kaz from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

 

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

I have a couple for this question as well: 

Jonas and Cleo [friends] from the Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes

The Squad from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Kate and August from This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2016 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Winter by Marissa Meyer

The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan 

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

21. Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo because the internet was screaming at me to read it, so I did. 

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2016?

Another really hard question to answer. I will just list new ones [not ones from sequels of books I read in 2015] Here are my top ones: 

Magnus from Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Daemon from Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Pan from Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell

Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 

Chaol Westfall from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

The Darkling from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

23. Best 2016 debut you read?

Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie 

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

 

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes and The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

 

I'll have to go with Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout OR Winter by Marissa Meyer. 

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2016?

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. This book made me cry, which is pretty obvious. 

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

GO READ THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN BY ROSHANI CHOKSHI. Okay, sorry for the caps. But this book is so beautiful and well-written and everyone should devour it and love it. 

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, again. Why? Why, must you make my poor little heart suffer?

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2016?

After the Red Rain by   was pretty interesting. I've never read anything like it.  Of Metal and Wishes was also an interesting book. 

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.  I adored this book but I'm so angry that things didn't turn out perfectly. 

1. New Favorite Book Blog You Discovered in 2016?

Paperfury. I love Cait's blog. Her blog is hilarious as she is and she actually responds to my comments and tweets. <3

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2016?

Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

 Family Relationships and Why They Are Important in YA Lit

Zootopia Movie Review

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

 Blogmas 2016 was fun to participate in. 

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2016?

Actually being able to reach out to other bloggers and talk about books and flailing! 

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

Managing reading and my blog with all my schoolwork. 

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

My Blogmas Posts got a lot of views. 

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

My movie and book reviews as I put so much time and effort into them and yet, they never get enough love. 

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Society6 and NetGalley. I use NetGalley so so much and I got a cute mug from Society6.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

Yes. I did. Mainly my Goodreads challenge which I set for 80 books and I surpassed it. 

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017?

I don't know about it being my number one priority in 2017, but I will read this book in 2017. And that book is Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. 

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2017 (non-debut)?

There are tons but a main one that isn't a sequel is RoseBlood by A.G. Howard.

3. 2017 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Daughter of a Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2017?

Kings Cage by Victoria Aveyard

The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May

The Falling Kingdoms Sixth Book by Morgan Rhodes

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2017?

Keep a consistent blogging schedule. Aka, write posts ahead of time so I can post them consistently. 

6. A 2017 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

 I haven't read any. 

Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout [Lux 0.5]

I received an eArc from Netgalley and the publisher. That has in no way affected my thoughts and opinions in this review. This is also a spoiler free review.

Shadows

Written by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Paranormal

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Release Date: February 21, 2012

Pages: 179

Source: eArc provided by NetGalley

Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!

Summary:

The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane.

Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in.

Captivated. Lured. Loved.

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence...and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.

Review:

I saw this on NetGalley and I jumped at the opportunity to read and review it. I love the Lux series, and the characters in it, so much. I honestly adored this book. It was so cute and if it is possible, I may love Dawson even more now. Now, I just have to catch up on the regular books in the series. [WARNING: Read Obsidian before this book]

COVER

As usual, I don't like the covers of this series. I mean, I feel like they could do better.

WORLD-BUILDING

Most of the world building in this book was said before in one of the other books because this is a prequel. We do learn a little bit more about their lives before Katy which is really interesting as some of them are similar but some of them are a lot different.

Then there are the characters.

DAWSON

I love Dawson. He is Daemon's twin brother and he is such a precious little smol bean. I have only read up through the third book, and a little bit of the fourth so I'm not familiar with his character in those books but in this, he is almost the opposite of his brother. Dawson is the good boy to Daemon's bad boy. I know, that I say this in a lot of these reviews, but honestly, Daemon and Dawson remind me so much of Damon and Stefan from the Vampire Diaries [respectively]. Dawson is so sweet and kind and is first appearance shows him to be more trusting and a lot friendlier than his brother.

BETHANY

Beth was like Katy but then she wasn't. Beth automatically stole my heart. She was such a sweet, innocent character who I wanted a lot more of. Bethany is so nice and sweet. Katy has a strong backbone and you can see that she is equipped to be with a Luxen but Bethany is different in that respect.

FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY

Family is a main thing in the Lux series. The Lux are determined to protect their kind and their own families which is why they are strongly against relationships with humans. I am happy that family and friendship is such a strong point.

PLOT

The plot was fairly well-known to Lux fans, but I thought it was good. It was very short and sweet and it had just the right amount of everything.

ROMANCE

The romance was obviously the main focus. It's so beautiful and fans of the series know how heartbreaking it is going to be. It is pretty much an insta-love story but it was done right. Their relationship is frowned on so hardly by the Lux but Dawson doesn't care and he is willing to risk everything, which is exactly what he does.

WRITING

The writing is the best for a book that isn't supposed to have eloquent vocabulary. I always enjoy the writing.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Anyone who is a Lux fan, should read this book. It should be read after Obsidian and it is a perfect short novella.

Quotes from the Book:

“How could he explain what happened? 'Hey, honey, I'm an alien and apparently I just doused you with some radioactive loving! Wanna catch a movie?' Yeah, not cool.” 

“Oh, for the love of baby humans everywhere, you’re an idiot.” 

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns

Top 10 of 2016: Favorite Fictional Couples

So, I am participating in at least a little bit of Top 10 of 2016. This is hosted by @Fiktshun

This is a week-long event but I may not participate in all of them. Monday's was the Top 10 Best Books of 2016. Yesterday's was the Best Book Covers of 2016.  Today's is a freebee so I chose my top 10 fictional couples from books that I read in 2016. Don't have to be 2016 releases. Let's get into it. 

#1: Cress + Thorne from Winter by Marissa Meyer

#2: Warner + Juliette from Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

#3: Cleo + Magnus from Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes

#4: Kiaran and Aileana 

#5: Daemon and Katy from Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

#6: Louisa and Will from Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

#7: Inej and Kaz from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

#8: Chaol and Caelena from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

#9: Darkling and Alina from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

#10: Elias and Laia from Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir