Just Another Struggling Writer

Hello friends and welcome back to Fiction Friday, the blog series where I talk about the books I’m reading rather than writing.

Friends, I’ll be honest, I really hesitated whether or not to do this post because frankly I haven’t read as much as most people who do it. I’ve only read fifteen books to completion this year, and while that isn’t a lot in the book blogosphere, it’s a lot for me. That’s more than I have read in an entire year most years! So, I decided, why the hell not. Lets have fun with it!

So, without further ado, Just Another Struggling Writer’s first edition of the Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag!

Best Book I’ve Read So Far

While I sadly have not yet found a five star read so far this year, the closest book that came to that magic number was The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah. A lot of reviewers compared it to City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty, and while there were definite similarities in setting and lore, for me The Stardust Thief was superior. The relationship between Loulie and Qadir was so special and really carried me through. The Thousand and One Arabian Nights inspiration was both evident and tantalizing. This was the rare book for me where if the sequel had been available, I would have immediately picked it up.

Best Sequel I’ve Read So Far

Okay, awkward confession: I actually haven’t read any sequels this year. I find it very difficult to stay within the same world for more than one book in a row and so after I read a new book, I tend to let it percolate before picking up the next one. 

That said, I am currently reading a sequel and this is the second book of a series that did hit that sweet spot for me that tempted me to read book two immediately after finishing book one. Prince of Secrets is the second installment of the Stariel series, a cozy romantasy that I found really helped coax me out of a dour reading mood. It’s a light read with a sweet romance and low stakes. Perfect for when you’re feeling cozy or need something easy to bridge between denser tomes.

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To

I’ve heard a lot of really great things about this book. I love middle-Eastern inspired stories and I’m really excited that the main character of this book is a badass pirate queen and a mother. You don’t often get to see women in fantasy stories be both. 

Most Anticipated Release Read of the Second Half of the Year

Okay, so I don’t actually pay attention to when books are coming out. I know. I’m a bad book-blogger. I just have too many older books that I’m trying to catch up on to pay too much attention to upcoming releases, unless it’s an insta-buy author. 

Now, Mark Lawrence is an instabuy for me but the edition I ordered of this book ended up getting delayed, so it only recently arrived in my mailbox. But I am so super excited to get into it really soon.

Biggest Disappointment

I wanted to like this book so much. The setting was baller, the lore with the Antari and Kel was really interesting. Even Lila had her appeal. But it just didn’t work for me as one cohesive unit. The fact that the pacing felt like I was strapped to a rocket also took away from my enjoyment of the elements I did like. Ultimately, I finished this book with a sense of deflation. Major let down considering how popular it is in the genre. 

Biggest Surprise

Okay, maybe it’s cheating to include the first book of a series I’ve already mentioned, but this book just fits the category of surprise so perfectly. I honestly did not have high expectations going into this one. I thought it would be like a few other indie fantasy romances I’ve picked up in the past that were poorly produced and in need of further editing to really bring it to life. I was so wrong. This book delighted me from start to finish. 

Favorite New (To You) Author

So, because I’m so thinly read, the majority of books I read are from authors I’ve never read before, and because I rarely read sequels the same year I read series starters, doubling up is rare. 

And it might seem as odd that I would take Rebecca Roanhorse for this category, since I did have a lot of things about Black Sun that I didn’t love. But the writing was very good despite those flaws, and I found myself looking for reasons to pick up other books by Roanhorse. That’s a good sign.

Newest Fictional Crush

I’m trying really hard not to double up here on books, but it’s just not going to be possible. Xiala, one of the main POV characters from the aforementioned Black Sun was just too perfect. A monstrous mermaid-like creature, a child of the sea, bisexual pirate queen. I love her so much, I can’t even explain.

Newest Favorite Character

Doubling up again here with Qadir from The Stardust Thief. He was so imperfect, yet so pure. Such a pain in the ass, yet the light of my life as the story progressed. He was emotionally weak where he was physically strong, brave for Loulie when he would not have courage for himself. An enigma, yet so easy to understand when you come right down to it. I adore him, and his relationship with Loulie. He’s so wonderful.

A Book That Made Me Cry Angry

I don’t cry when I read books. In fact, I purposefully try to avoid sad books because I just don’t have the mental energy to be depressed about things that aren’t real. My anxiety has that pretty well covered. 

Anyway, so while I am not a crier, I do get angry about books, mostly when they are bad or when I feel like I was sold a bill of goods that were not delivered. With Order of Shiran, I was ensnared by the words in the synopsis “a new fantasy series,” when, in actuality, this was the first of a companion series to a previously published set of books. And, don’t get me wrong, when done well, companion books make great entry points into a new series. This book was not done well.

A Book That Made Me Happy

Lord of Stariel. Yep again. Sorry, a bunch of the books I’ve read this year I’ve felt really middling about, so the good ones stand out.

The Most Beautiful Book I Bought This Year

I love this cover so much. Not only is it visually stunning, it also perfectly conveys the gothic beauty of the story itself. While I was disappointed by the contents therein, there is no doubt this is a gorgeous book. 

What Book Do I Need to Read By the End of the Year

I’ve been trying to finish the Broken Earth trilogy for two years, but my reading experience thus far has been so viscerally emotional that I’ve been avoiding it. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’ll love it, but for the reasons I mentioned above, it is hard for me to read books this emotionally devastating.

That said, I’m starting to get anxiety about not having finished this series and having it hang over my head. At this point, finishing it will be like a huge release of tension that could only do me good, and yet…

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And that’s it. This was really fun, but I was expecting to talk more about my stats. Maybe I’ll do a statistical breakdown of my reads so far next week. 

Until next time, friends, may your reading be plenty and your struggles be few. 

Kerry Share