Stranger Things Book Tag

I wasn’t tagged by anyone, but I wanted to write something in the spirit of the 4th of July (a.k.a. America’s Independence Day). I asked myself, what’s going to happen on this day? Probably cook outs, hanging out with family and friends, fireworks, and STRANGER THINGS SEASON 3, BABYYYYYYYY!

Let me tell you, I have been waiting for this season to come out for too long. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT and now I can finally do it! My family doesn’t really celebrate the 4th of July other than going to watch the fireworks in the evening, so you bet your bottom dollar that I’m going to be spending the whole day binging the whole season.

Anyhow, in the spirit of 4th of July and the next season of Stranger Things coming out, I’m doing the Stranger Things book tag.

I got the graphics for this tag from Flavia the Bibliophile. (The creator of this tag is Nisha @ A Running Commentary but all the links I clicked send me to this page saying it doesn’t exist. I think she either deleted her blog or changed the name….)

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

I haven’t finished writing my review for this yet, and my thoughts over the story have pretty much solidified now that my emotions have slowly settled down. I chose this book for this prompt because the ending left me a little confused. I can assume certain things, but to me it was pretty vague. I want to read the next book so I fully understand what went down in the last chapter of the story. I haven’t read the blurb for the next book yet (which I should), but I like to go into sequels blind. I feel like sometimes blurbs can give away too much of the story and then none of the events are a surprise. That’s also why I restrained myself from watching the trailer for Stranger Things Season 3. I don’t want to know anything about it went I dive head first.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

I honestly could’ve chosen any YA fantasy/sci-fi book because most of the time the protagonist is on a quest to overthrow/rebel against a corrupt rule/system, which is never fun to live in. However, Illuminae has it own personal brand of horror. There’s this powerful company after the Kady and Ezra, a killer AI, and very, very terrifying zombie/alien things itching to devour anything alive. The ship they’re stranded on is malfunctioning, and there seems to be no escape.

So basically, a great place for a summer vacation. 😀

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I would’ve answered Harry Potter, but I *technically* don’t own the series. (Please don’t murder me in my sleep!) My older sister owns the whole series and I just borrow them from time to time. The books are… well-loved… to put it nicely. The next series I know that I’ve read a bunch of times over the years is Percy Jackson, specially the first book. The first three were gifted to me by a friend’s mom as a congratulations gift and I’ve loved the series ever since. The spine and cover has been tumbling in my backpack for many years and it’s clearly been through some stuff. Despite the lack of care, I still love the book to pieces.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy by Jenny Han

Ok, I’ll admit it. I haven’t finished this trilogy yet. How in the living heck can I recommend a series, saying it’s a pick-me-up, when I haven’t even read the second or third book? It’s more of a hunch. I feel like I’m going to fall in love with the rest of the series like I fell in love with the first book. If the other books are anything like the first one, then this will definitely be a series I revisit whenever I need some wholesome content in my life.

My sister can attest. She’s read the first book multiple times (basically every time she visits me) and has go on to finish the trilogy. She said she liked it, and for someone who doesn’t really care for cutesy, romance stuff, that’s saying something.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I wouldn’t say Amarantha is a beast in the physical sense, but she’s definitely terrifying. Not only does she have powerful magic, she’s also cunning and manipulative. That is a scary combination to go up against. I pretty much have no chance if I bumped into her. It doesn’t even have to be at night, or in an alley. It could be the middle of the day, in broad daylight, in an open field, and I would still die instantly if I had to go up against her.

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

This could be applied to most of the Throne of Glass series, but Maeve is super dedicated to her goal. What she did to get to where she is today can only be described as sheer dedication. And obviously she’s super manipulative. She uses her blood bonds to control her soldiers and her words cut deeper than knives. I can’t say more about her power without spoiling some really important parts of the series, but just know she’s not someone you want to mess with. In fact, you don’t want to ever cross paths with her. You would wish you’d never met her. Or maybe not. Who knows?

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

I read this book twice now, and the first time around I thought the book was okay. It was interesting, but I didn’t think much more about it. It wasn’t until I read it a second time for English class that I realized how much meaning I missed within the stories. Each short story is jam-packed with meaningful lessons and there’s something beautiful about his story-telling. He has a way of immersing the reader into the story, making them feel what he was feeling. If you haven’t read the book before, I highly suggest that you add it to your TBR.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

I’ve never read a book that takes place in the same place but in four different dimensions. Sure, there have been books about crossing into different dimensions, but never one that takes place in the same city all the way through. If you haven’t heard of the Shades of Magic series before, it’s about this dude name Kell who has the ability to travel between these worlds. There are four worlds, Red London, White London, Grey London, and Black London. Black London is pretty much a dead zone, only festering darkness and nightmares. He’s an ambassador for the different Londons and smuggles on the side. He steals a stone from Black London, which a girl named Delilah Bard steals from him. It kick-starts the adventure of a lifetime. Little did they know that that stone was something not to be messed with.

I’m not going to tag anyone because I wasn’t tagged by anyone, but if you’re excited for the season of Stranger Things that just came out, consider yourself tagged!

Have a safe fourth of July, everyone! And if you don’t live in the US, have a lovely day! 😀

Until next time….