Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog!
Last year I did a 5-star predictions post, and today I'm here to give you an update on said post. That's right, I read all eight books on that list! If you're an avid reader of my blog, I'm sure you'll remember when I read these books, but I'm going to go over them anyway.
Plus, I'll be making new predictions as well! This time I only have six books on my list, but hopefully that means it won't be as long between updates, yeah? Also, I don't own most of the books on my prediction list, which is something different. Usually I only pick 5-star predictions from my physical TBR, but the truth of the matter is, I just don't have enough books on my physical TBR that I think are going to be 5 stars!
Also you'll notice that once again, there are no sequels/series continuations on my new list. This is because I'm trying not to give an easy win to myself, because of course I'll probably give the third book in a series that I know I love 5 stars, right? I want to avoid that as much as possible, hence why these are all standalones or the first book in a series.
So yeah, let's just get into it, shall we?
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Wrap-Up
1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 5 stars
While I would consider this an easy win, I was honestly surprised at how much I loved this book. It even beat out
The Martian (another book by this author) for my favorite sci-fi. At this point, even though his sophomore novel was a bit of a let down, I trust Andy Weir implicitly with science fiction. I'll be buying and reading anything he writes in the future!
2. House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune - 5 stars
Another book on seemingly every BookTuber's "Favorite of 2020" list, and for good reason! While I actually read it in 2021, I totally understood why everyone was giving it such high praise. It's so soft and cuddly, it's the perfect book to read if you're feeling down, or to save for a rainy day as the saying goes. All of the characters are so easy to love and I came away from it with my heart feeling three sizes bigger.
3. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor - 5 stars
Is anyone surprised because I'm not. This was the oldest book on my physical TBR, I had my copy for over five years without reading it, but I finally got around to it this year and yeah, of course it was 5 stars. This is immaculate, and you'll definitely be seeing it on my 2022 favorites list, along with the sequel Muse of Nightmares. I read them back to back and I cried multiple times. It's been a while since a YA fantasy has moved me like that.
4. The Valkyries by Paulo Coelho - unrated
I kind of messed up with this one, because I wasn't aware this was nonfiction when I picked it for my prediction list. I don't rate nonfiction, as a rule. This is essentially a memoir of Paulo Coelho's time in the American Southwest. I liked reading it, because I'm a little obsessed with Paulo Coelho and will most likely be reading everything he's written as I get older, but I don't have an actual rating for this.
5. The Maidens by Alex Michaelides- DNF
Alright, get all your laughter out now. I really can't believe I put this on my list. I was totally fooled by the "Greek literature" aspect. Honestly, I don't read thrillers! Why would I ever expect a thriller to be 5 stars? I only made it a few chapters in before I put this book down for good. What a waste of money, truly.
6. The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec - 4 stars
I was super excited to read this book, because it's about Loki's wife! I love Norse mythology so much because that's my heritage, so I literally grew up on these stories, much more than Greek mythology (though that became my focus in middle school and on). I'm so glad we're seeing this resurgence of literary mythology retellings, like
Circe and
Ariadne and
The Witch's Heart. While this wasn't a 5-star read - I wasn't a fan of the dialogue in particular - this was still an incredible story and I'll definitely be talking about it at the end of the year.
7. The Diviners by Libba Bray - 5 stars
This was a reread for me, but it had been over four years since I first read it (and I never continued on with the series) so I decided to give it another go. Not only did I give this book 5 stars, but I read the entire series within a couple of months, and gave
every book 5 stars! I get the hype, everyone. I get the hype.
8. Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean - 4.5 stars
This is just pure joy in book form. I really loved everything about this, including the romance! You know that's when a book has really blown my mind, if I enjoy the romance. I read the sequel Tokyo Dreaming this year, and it currently reigns as the highest CAWPILE score of the year, so I highly recommend this series. I don't know if there will be another book or if it's just a duology, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be buying a third book if one comes out.
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New Predictions
1. Babel by R.F. Kuang
I feel like this is pretty self-explanatory, right?
Babel is getting an incredible amount of buzz lately and I'm excited to find out why. I loved R.F. Kuang's first series,
The Poppy War, and how she combines Chinese history with mythology and magic and all that good stuff. This is probably the first book I'll be picking up on this list.
2. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia
I'm both nervous and excited about this one. I've only recently gotten into horror as a genre, and I'm super picky about what I like. A horror novel can go from a new favorite to the worst book I've ever read in the blink of an eye. But
Mexican Gothic has been getting so much buzz since it came out in 2020 and I think I'm ready to take the plunge and try it out. I feel more comfortable about putting it on this list because of some books I've read recently. I know that
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher has a lot of similar elements to this book, and also I just read the original Gothic book,
Dracula. I feel like I've got a handle on what Gothic horror is like as a genre, and so I'm ready to read this one!
3. The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu
I think this is the book I know the least about on this list, so I'm really going out on a limb here. This seems to be a historical fantasy novel with an emphasis on martial arts, like a fantasy Jackie Chan novel. It also has a mentor/mentee relationship at the forefront, which I'm a sucker for. Apparently it has really cheesy humor, which isn't something I tend to enjoy, but I'm willing to take the risk.
4. Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
We all know how much I love mythology retellings, right? It's like my bread and butter. And yes, while I tend to read mostly Greek retellings, I really want to branch out and read more mythological books from other part of the world. Hence Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel. This is based in Hindu mythology, something I'm very interested in! I've read a few books centering on Hindu mythology, but nothing like this, so I'm really excited to pick it up.
5. The Dawn of Yangchen by F.C. Yee
I have really high expectations for this book, but surprisingly I don't think I'll be upset if this doesn't end up a 5-star read. Of course, I'd still love for it to be 5 stars, but I know I'll love it regardless. I read F.C. Yee's first Avatar novels,
The Rise of Kyoshi and
The Shadow of Kyoshi a couple of years ago and I thought they were brilliant. Avatar is one of my most favorite shows of all time, and I do love all the extra tidbits we get from the world (like the comics. Oh my god,
please read the comics if you're an Avatar fan! They're amazing) so to get Yangchen's backstory is super exciting, especially since we don't really know anything about her.
6. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
I've seen this book be compared to a Studio Ghibli film a lot, which is what got my attention. I love the aesthetic of Studio Ghibli so much, and I can already picture this book so clearly in my mind. The fact that it's a standalone definitely raises my interest, because lately I've been having trouble finishing series (or starting them, for that matter). Also, can we just take a moment and appreciate this cover? This has to be one of the most beautiful book covers I've ever seen in my life. Even if this doesn't end up being 5 stars, I still want a copy for my shelves - unless I really hate it. But I seriously doubt that will be the case.
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Alright, that's it for today! I really hope that all of these books will be 5 stars, it'd be so nice to get them all right for once. I'm definitely getting better at figuring out my taste, though. The first time I did this, I think I only gave two of my predicted books 5 stars, so this was clearly an improvement!
Tell me, what is a book on your 5-star prediction list? Let me know in the comments, or tweet at me @AllyEmReads.
Until next time!
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