Chinese New Year Book Tag // featuring way too many books I’m so sorry

I had a completely different post scheduled for this date, but then I saw that there was a Chinese New Year tag, and clearly I had to change my plans completely.

(Also, I know I said I would be back on Wednesday and this is technically four days late but I was busy and I’m sorry!!!)

Anyways, I don’t think I’ve done an actual tag in a million years, but this sounds FUN and I want to do more tags and yeah, what can I say.

• Answer the questions and share your zodiac animal (Only if you’re comfortable with it! If you don’t know, you can look it up online based on your birth year!)
• Pingback to the creator of the tag (hammockofbooks) and whoever tagged you so we can read your responses!
• Tag some of your friends! (But not four because that’s unlucky!)

---

So… I didn’t get tagged for this post but it looks fun and I’m Chinese, so I think I have a natural right to do this post. ALSO THIS IS ALMOST LATE BUT TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF THE OFFICIAL CHINESE NEW YEAR HOLIDAY. (Happy Chinese New Year!!!!)

Also, for some of these I’m doing more than one book because I cannot be restrained.

{all covers link to their respective goodreads}

1. NEW YEAR / a book with a phenomenal beginning

blog review | goodreads review

This book’s prologue was kind of amazing and interesting and I loved it. A lot. And forgot that the prologue was even the prologue.

Not going to lie, but I hated Roshani’s debut, The Star-Touched Queen. I mean, when I was reading it, I mildly enjoyed it, actually! But the ending of the novel just made me cringe. A lot. And the fact that it was kind of just aimless meandering around a world (although the worldbuilding was kind of pretty & the writing was lush). But this one actually had plot!!!

2. CHINESE NEW YEAR / a book by an asian author

blog review | goodreads review

Listen, how could I write a post and just not feature GoPaF? it’s literally impossible.

I mean, this book tore my heart out the second I read that epilogue. Which was pretty cool. It was fun. It was fresh. I’m still in pain, whatevs.

ALSO THIS COVER IS SO GORGEOUS and I’m just thinking of the cover of the second novel… like how on earth can this improve?? What will the second cover be?? Another pretty Asian model?? WHAT WILL HAPPEN.

3. LUNAR NEW YEAR / a book that takes place in space

blog review | goodreads review

I’ve definitely talked about this book way, way too much but uhhhh… listen this is a GOOD BOOK RIGHT HERE although I wouldn’t recommend it to ~everyone~ mainly because it’s more of a “classic sci-fi type” novel?? BUT STILL AMAZING.

Some people didn’t like this cover but LISTEN. I LOVE THIS COVER SO MUCH. I don’t know why but this space color palette is really just, like, *clenches fist* working with me.

---

blog review

(Off topic but oh my god I’ve never formatted text with the image on the right side of the page and I am not used to it at all.)

Contrary to the above novel, I don’t think I’ve mentioned this book a lot in recent years. But it’s actually amazing!!! Even though the sequel was really confusing, and I don’t even recall anything that happened in the last half, but maybe that was because I was reading it on my phone???? But this book is good enough that I’m going to try rereading the sequel.

ALSO THE ROMANCE IN THIS BOOK IS SO ADORABLE AND I LOVE THE MAIN CHARACTER SO MUCH.

Can we talk about my goodreads review. What is this

what is this. who am I

4. YEAR OF THE PIG / an animal sidekick

blog review | goodreads review

Okay, my reviews up there ^^ are lowkey incoherent but I mean… you can go and read them if you’d like to.

I STILL LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH oh my god!!! The author is writing an avatar novel this June!!! The sequel is coming out either this year??? Or next year?? And I’m so excited!

Also, this doesn’t 100% count as an animal sidekick?? It’s hard to explain, but you should just read this and then you’ll know what I mean!!

(I think that this prompt and this book is kind of ironic because this book is based off the Monkey King story, and in the original story the Monkey King has an animal sidekick: a pig!!!)

5. LUCKY COLOR RED / a book with a red cover

I feel like I never really talk about this book, but this is one of the first novels that drew me into reading YA fantasy!! IT WAS SO GOOD and the cover was so beautiful and ahhhh!!! I love Renée Ahdieh so, so much. (I loved her Flame in the Mist series, but they weren’t as *good* to me as this duology was??)

Wow, I really want to reread this novel. I’m just kind of recalling the absolute amazingness of the main character and how she was just an absolute queen. I MISS HER.

---

blog review | goodreads review

This novel kind of reminded me how much I love YA fantasy. It was a million times better than Amanda Foody’s debut (does that sound mean? I’m sorry) and while the cover is… moderately questionable… I’m still shocked that Harper actually sent me this. And that I read it way too late after the release date!! Why did I do that!! I make bad life decisions, kids.

I’M SO EXCITED FOR THAT SEQUEL. I NEED IT. I need more Enne and Levi, please.

(I’m doing all of these out of order and I just realized that I literally didn’t put titles for any of these.)

6. FIRECRACKERS / a book with action

blog review | goodreads review

I think that my blog review for this was one of my more well-written blog reviews, as of, like, ever? Probably because I actually took notes while I read it.

(Life tip: take notes while you read!!! You are welcome.)

Anyways, this was actually really enjoyable even though I was cringing because it was so, so long and it took me forever to go through it. It was also a little slow-paced, but you know what? It had a good payoff. I still enjoyed it. I feel like this book really took you on a tour through the world.

7. RED ENVELOPES / a book you can’t wait to open

There are so many books that apply to this (oh… my god) but I’m probably just going to list the ones that I actually own, in physical format so that I can narrow down the list.

---

I can’t believe I haven’t read this yet!!! I love the author so much (on Twitter) and literally everyone has loved this book and this pulls from real-life history, specifically the Second Sino-Japanese War which I really, really want to learn more about.

And I’m Chinese, and the author is Chinese, soooo it’s ownvoices. In both ways. (I was sent this for bookishwish and I’m so, so grateful oh my god.)

Also, I never really looked at the synopsis until around a month ago, and I’m MORE EXCITED for it because I love plots like this.

---

I know some people really, really hated this but more importantly some people LOVED this and I really want to read this!! The cover is actually gorgeous and this is an ownvoices for Muslim representation. (I originally thought the author was Asian, but she’s actually a white convert.)

I also thought that the main characters in this book were Middle Eastern, but I’m just now looking at reviews and apparently this is set near Cairo, so… I’m not 100% sure of the poc representation. ANYWAYS, this sounds amazing. The cover to the second novel is so freaking pretty!!

---

I got this from BookCon when I was actually trying to get Kass Morgan’s new novel (I forgot the title oops but it was space related and had a number in the title, I think) for my sister, and I’m so glad that I did because I was already excited for this novel!!

It’s inspired from Mughal India, and apparently the romance is one of the best ones soooo can I have a heck yea??

*the two people reading this blog post are silent*

8. DELICIOUS FOOD / a book that made you hungry

goodreads review

Okay, I haven’t actually written my Goodreads review yet (I’m going to be writing it… later today? Maybe?) and listen, I have mixed feelings about this novel (which I’ll elaborate on in the review) but guess who’s still in love with this cover?? ME.

This novel literally starts out with the main character and her mother making some murgir jhol in the first chapter, and oh my god I was SO HUNGRY when I was reading that.

9. GATHERING WITH FAMILY / a book with an amazing fictional family 

This is such an amazing novel and I know you’ve heard of it, but wow. These three sisters are so similar to me and my sister?? Kind of??? Both of my sisters agree that we’re super similar.

(Am I Lara Jean??)

*crowd boos because, like, I suck*

The father and the older sister, Margot, trying to take care of the family especially after their mom died is so touching to me and I really, really love the efforts that the dad goes to in order to try and keep the sisters in touch with their Korean heritage.

This post was literally 1.7k words?? How am I doing this?? Why am I doing this?? I’m so sorry for everyone who has had to endure whatever *gestures to blog* this is.

I know tags are supposed to be short and sweet, but when you read this post you signed up for my rambling, okay?

I’m tagging anyone who is Chinese and/or celebrates Lunar New Year in any way!! Love y’all!

The prompts:

1. New Year / a book with a phenomenal beginning
2. Chinese New Year / a book by an asian author
3. Lunar New Year / a book that takes place in space
4. Year of the Pig / a book with an animal sidekick
5. Lucky Color Red / a book with a red cover
6. Firecrackers / a book with action
7. Red Envelopes / a book you can’t wait to open
8. Delicious Food / a book that made you hungry
9. Gathering with Family / a book with an amazing fictional family

Do you celebrate Chinese New Year (and what did you do)? Have you read any of these books, or do you want to read any of these? What’s a book that made you hungry? What’s a book you loved that took place in space? Etc, etc, etc, what are your answers to these prompts?