the end of the year book tag | turning the page on 2024
Hello, dear friends, it’s me again! I hope you are all well, and if not then I hope brighter days head your way soon! Well, friends, we have once again reached the end of yet another year. Who would’ve thought that would happen…again 😂 Anyhoo, December means we’ve reached the mad dash to the end, and I’m no different than all the other bookish influencers scrambling to finish just one more book before time’s up. So, I figured to help keep me on track, I’d share with y’all the End of the Year Book Tag, created by the one and only Ariel Bissett! Without any further ado, let’s dive right in…
Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?
Oh god, definitely! A lot, as a matter of fact, but to avoid decision overwhelm, I’ll talk about my top three here, which are…
📜Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L.. Wang Did I just start reading this in December? Yes. But that still counts, okay?! Especially when you consider that I’m already loving this book so much that I am absolutely devouring it!! This book is an Adult fantasy standalone about the first woman accepted to her society’s university for mages, who ends up teaming up with an unlikely assistant and uncovers some darker secrets about her society. I’ve heard so many amazing things about this book, and I gotta say: so far, it’s living up to the hype. I am already clinging onto each word for dear life, because the story is so incredibly interesting! And—as a woman in STEM myself, I’m happy to finally be reading about the fantasy equivalent of a woman in STEM!
🗝️What The River Knows by Isabel Ibanez I started What The Rivers Knows earlier this year and was really loving it but then I got distracted and set it down. I’ve been meaning to finish it, though, cause it has such an interesting story, so I’m hoping I can manage to do so before the end of this year! It’s a historical fantasy about an Argentinian girl who heads to Egypt to solve the mystery of her treasure hunting parents’ deaths. The book has plenty of adventure, a pinch of romance, and even a dash of magic, making this read-a-like of The Mummy (one of my all-time favorite films) a perfect pick for me!
🔎The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson Unfortunately, this is yet another case of “I was loving this book but got totally distracted halfway through and still need to finish it.” What can I say, there’s definitely no denying I’m an ADHD squirrel girl 😅 I have yet to read Jackson’s backlog, but was completely hooked by the premise of her latest YA mystery/thriller, The Reappearance of Rachel Price. The story follows Bel Price, who’s in the middle of being part of a true crime documentary about the famous disappearance of her mother (Rachel Price) over a decade prior, when, suddenly and mysteriously, her mother reappears—but she has no real answers as to how she vanished in the first place or where she’s been. So far the book has been haunting and intriguing and full of mystery thrills, so I can’t wait to race the narrator to the end to find out what’s really going on!
Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?
I started on A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney about a week before Halloween and it is just the perfect autumnal transitional book for fall!! It’s got witches and takes place around Samhain and is full to bursting with autumnal vibes—perfect for the season of autumn! A Dark and Secret Magic is a cozy, contemporary, witchy fantasy romance about a witch who has to enlist the help of a necromancer from a rival coven to solve a dark mystery left behind by her deceased mother. It’s super cozy, and I cannot stress how perfect it is for autumn!!!
Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?
That’s releasing in what’s left of 2024? Not that I can recall, as we’re at the end of the year and all of my most anticipated releases of 2024 already came out.
What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?
Oh, god, clearly I already have too many on my list, haha! Buuuuut…If I could squeeze three more on the list, I’d go with…
🐦⬛Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse This is the final book to one of my all-time favorite series and I still somehow have yet to read it!
🌦️A Sky Beyond The Storm by Sabaa Tahir This is another one that’s the final book in yet another of my all-time favorite series—and! The first book in the sequel series to this original series just released as well!! I can’t believe I’m still lagging on this one, honestly.
⚔️Lightbringer by Claire Legrand What’s this? Another finale to one of my all-time favorite series?! Unacceptable 😆
Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?
I honestly think all of the books I mentioned above are good prospects for becoming new favorite books of this year. All of them are books I’m excited about and have already started and been enjoying, so that’s definitely a good sign!
That said, one of them rises above the rest in terms of being a good candidate, and that’s my current read: Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang. I am a little over twenty percent into this book, and already I’m completely enthralled!! I went in with already high expectation, given I’d only seen rave reviews for it, but even still, my expectations have been blown completely out of the water—in the best way possible! Everything this book has so far presented—from the characters to the world to the story itself—is so fucking fascinating and I haven’t been able to put the book down without continuing to think about it!!! I honestly haven’t been this in love with a book or had such an intense reading experience in a while, so if everything stays on track, I think there is a very good possibility that Blood Over Bright Haven will end up being my favorite read of 2024!
Have you already started making reading plans for 2025?
I never have and probably just never will make really solid plans for my reading. For me, reading is meant to savor and take joy in, so I’m very much of the “quality over quantity” mindset and feel like planning my reading ruins that for me, personally.
spill the beans, friends!
What are your reading plans for the rest of 2024? Have you met any of your goals for 2024? Do you like making reading plans each year?
A Dark and Secret Magic sounds interesting. I… had plans to read the Empirium trilogy this year and… everything else happened ha so next year?
Also I was so sure/half planning that December would be a chill reading month and instead it’s gonna be wild 😂
Ah, yes, the December Scramble, I’m familiar 😂 Definitely read the Empirium trilogy next year if you’re able, though, it’s an absolutely AMAZING series (although, I will warn you, most readers find one of the main characters is quite unlikeable—which is on purpose, but still, I know that can annoy some people)!!!
Loved reading your answers! 🥰 I can’t believe it’s the end of the year already 😱 I hope you manage to finish The Reappearance of Rachel Price, it’s not my favorite Holly Jackson book but her books are always a fun time 😄
Thank you, Caro, I’m so glad you enjoyed <3 I think sadly I'll have to finish The Reappearance of Rachel Price early in 2025 but I'm looking forward to finding out how it ends!