2020 Wrap Up

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And it's finally the end of 2020! I know I'm not the only one that's glad to see the back of this year, but here's what I did anyway! 

Enjoy! 

~Books Read In December~ 

1. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings #2), by Mackenzi Lee 

The second book in the Montague Siblings trilogy (I wanted to get to this quickly because the third book is out next year) and I absolutely devoured it! The pacing was slightly different, due to the story being different, and a different protagonist (Felicity was fabulous, I immensely enjoyed reading from her perspective) but I still enjoyed it nevertheless! I could never have predicted the direction the story took, and I cannot wait to see how the trilogy wraps up in 2021! (It takes place 10 years after the first two books, and I can't wait to see what Felicitiy, Monty and Percy have been up to since The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy! 

2. Darkdawn (The Nevernight Chronicle #3), by Jay Kristoff 

Finally! I've conquered The Nevernight Chronicle trilogy! Darkdawn is a contender for my favourite book of the trilogy, but I think Godsgrave just scrapes it. As happy as I am to have gotten through the series, (I very much considered DNF'ing the series during book 1) the last two books went up a notch, even more so than I hoped it would. I still haven't released my review for this yet, but rest assured, it'll be one of the first posts I write in 2021. 

3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter #1), by J K Rowling 

4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2), by J K Rowling 

5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3), by J K Rowling

6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4), by J K Rowling 

7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter #5), by J K Rowling 

8. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter #6), by J K Rowling 

9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter #7), by J K Rowling 

Under a poll that I released in November, I considered re-reading this, as it has been three years since I attempted it. Under over-whelming votes, of course I did! Alongside The Lady's Guide and Darkdawn, I knew it would be a challenge and, with 24 days left of the year, I started the series. 

Somehow I finished it on Monday. 

It has been both an honour and a challenge to take on this series in just over three weeks, but I managed it! (Though I think this is the only series I would have managed it with.) 

~Series Completed in 2020~ 

1. The "This Mortal Coil" trilogy, by Emily Suvada 

I've been following this trilogy since the first book was released in 2017, and I've been entranced ever since! This Mortal Coil follows Catarina Agatta, a hacker who can break through firewalls and cripple mainframes, in a world where people can change their appearance using technology that can change their DNA. She is also the daughter of Dr. Lachlan Agatta, a legendary geneticist that was kidnapped by a mysterious corporation called Cartaxus. When a sketchy soldier comes to collect Catarina, with the news that her father has died, (but not before creating a vaccine that can save mankind) Catarina is stuck with a dilemma: does she go with this soldier, leaving behind the safety of the bunk she's been living it for two years, under her father's orders, or help release a vaccine that could end the DNA virus that's been plaguing the world? Honestly, believe me when I say that the blurb is literally just the tip of the ice-berg with this series. The chapters are swift and fast-paced, short enough that you never want to put the book down. Highly recommend if you like tech-savvy stories that are plagued with secrets and character developments. 

2. The "Darker Shade of Magic" trilogy, by V.E. Schwab 

Now, this trilogy is significantly more well-known, so I doubt I need to explain what this is about. The Darker Shade of Magic is arguably V.E. Schwab's most popular and well loved series, and my opening statement will be that it absolutely deserves the hype it receives. Cut throat face-offs, wonderful characters, a writing style and plot that will have you desperate to want to keep reading. If you haven't read this yet, I implore you to do so. I'd go so far as to say that you aren't a V.E. Schwab stan until you've at least given this series a try. 

3. The "Grey Land" duology, by Peadar O' Guilin

I was introduced to The Call a few years back when Booksplotion (a trio of Booktubers doing a live-show every month for specific books) and I found it okay. The Call is about a school of students being raised as warriors, because at some time during their time at the school, they'll be called- sent to an unforeseen world where the creatures there have 24 hours to hunt the child down. I thought The Call was okay as a standalone, but it wasn't until I found The Invasion a few years later that I decided to marathon the whole duology in a weekend. Very enjoyable duology, though not my favourite out of all of these.  

4. "The Illuminae Files" trilogy, by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff 

This very much might be my favourite series of the year! They're case studies, extracted entirely from texts messages, map diagrams and reports, and I love it so much, it's up there on my favourite series' of all time! I was genuinely getting withdrawal symptoms when I finished the final book, because I need to know these characters for longer! I need to be reading about them! Honestly, I doubt I'd get bored if it was a ten book series because these novels are genius. 

5. The "Arc of A Scythe" trilogy, Neil Shustermann 

Wow. Okay, I know this is a severely hyped trilogy, but it just didn't gel well with me. Thunderhead was okay, but even that book barely made 4 stars. If it wasn't for the fact that I'd bought the entire series in bulk, I most likely would have given up on it. I know some people love this series, but it just wasn't for me. 

6. The "Chronicles of Alice" duology, by Christina Henry 

I was saving this duology for October, because I had read The Girl in Red the previous October, and from what I'd heard, these were darker. And my god, were they. They were exactly what I needed for the month of Halloween. As expected, the story follows Alice, as she wakes up in a mental asylum, and the world thinks she's a danger to herself. But the rabbit calls, and Alice must return to Wonderland if she is ever to be rid of him. This duology was gritty and disturbing, and I recommend this for anyone that wants a psychotic book that will give you goosebumps (though there are triggers for rape, cannibalism, addiction, murder, prostitution amongst other things, so maybe don't read this if you don't like those kinds of stories.) 

7. "The Nevernight Chronicle" trilogy, by Jay Kristoff 

And finally, The Nevernight Chronicle. I've written reviews for 2/3 of these so far, so if you want more of my in-depth thoughts, but honestly, my feelings regarding this series is... mixed to say the least. Godsgrave was probably my favourite, but they each had positive and negative points within them. I'm glad I managed to finish this series at last though. 

~Series I Started & Caught Up on~ 

1. The "Heartstopper" series, by Alice Oseman- Finished Volume Three 

2. The "Legacy of Orisha" series, by Tomi Adeyemi- Finished book 2

3. The "Skyward" series, by Brandon Sanderson- Finished book 2

4. The "Wayward Children" series, by Seanen McGuire- Finished book 5

5. The "Skulduggery Pleasant" series, by Derek Landy- Finished book 13

6. The "Circle" trilogy, by Teri Terry- Finished book 1

7. The "Villains" series, by V.E. Schwab- Finished book 2

8. The "Saga" series, by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples- Finished Volume 9

9. The "Montague Siblings" trilogy, by Mackenzi Lee- Finished book 2

~What I Achieved in 2020~ 

1. I read 93 books! (My Goodreads Reading Challenge goal was 60, which I reached in September.)

2. I ran my longest distance to date (16.45 miles- Naseby.) 

~What I'm Looking Forward to in 2021~

1. Finally passing my Driving Test (was meant to be in November- since been moved to April.)

2. Brighton Marathon! 

3. Attempting my Goodreads Reading Challenge! (I'm attempting 75 books.) 

4. Talking to you guys on here! 

Okay! That's my 2020 Wrap Up! I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you all very soon! 

(Remember, you can comment if you want to!) 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxx