The Cake Flavoured Book Tag

I was tagged on twitter by Krista from The Bookish Hedgemom in the Cake Flavoured Book Tag! When I started this blog a month ago, I didn’t even know these things were common in the bookblogger world. I’m glad I found out this way! And I want to thank Krista for making me feel more welcome in the bookblogger world by tagging me. Now, let’s see my bookish cakes!

Chocolate Cake: a dark book that you loved

We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart
I saw the book on Facebook several times, but never bothered to buy it. But when I saw it in the secondhand department in the Dominicanenkerk in Maastricht, I impulsively bought it (If you’re ever in The Netherlands, I highly recommend the Dominicanenkerk. It’s a bookstore in an actual church!). I didn’t read the back of the book, so I had no idea of what to expect. Well, I was hooked from the very beginning.

I actually don’t want to write a short summary of this book. I believe it’s better to just jump into the unknown here. The book made my cry and I wanted to throw it against the wall, but I loved it. I loved riding this rollercoaster and I wish I could experience reading it for the first time again. If you can handle an odd writing style, I highly recommend this book.

Vanilla cake: a favourite light read

The Selection, by Kiera Cass
I believe the Selection is what made me fall in love with YA books. I want to thank my sister for giving the series to me and by doing so, making me hooked on reading again. The books definitely aren’t perfect, but they are the perfect light read to me. I can easily finish each of these books in a day. I believe I’ve read the books about 5 times now.

The Selection is a dystopian book that follows America Singer. America was selected as one of the 35 girls who have an opportunity to prince Maxon’s heart and become the future queen of Illéa. However, America never wanted to be selected at all, because it meant that she had to leave her secret love Aspen behind. But when America arrives at the palace, she finds out that prince Maxon isn’t so bad after all. The Selection is the perfect vanilla feel-good book!

Red velvet: a book that gives you mixed emotions

Vicious, by V.E. Schwab
Vicious has a special place in my heart. I bought this book because V.E. Schwab came to The Netherlands and I wanted to read some of her work before meeting her. It was AMAZING. Vicious follows Eli and Victor, whom used to be college roommates but ended up as sworn enemies. When Victor breaks out of prison, his one goals is to find Eli.

What I love about this book, is that there isn’t a clear distinction between protagonist and antagonist. I understand the motivation of the antagonist. That left me with mixed emotions: who was I rooting for?

I highly recommend this book to everyone, which brings me to the next cake!

Cheesecake: a book that you recommend to everyone

Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo
As soon as I read the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, I couldn’t wait to read more about that world. I had to get my hands on Six of Crows, I just had to. And fortunately, it wasn’t too long before I did.

It took a while for me to get into the book. I expected to read more about Ravka, but Six of Crows was based in Kerch instead. The book follows a band of misfits who get the opportunity of a lifetime. They have to break someone out of the best guarded prison in the world, in exchange for lots and lots and lots of money.

I didn’t expect to like it that much, but the depth of the characters is extraordinary. I had never read anything like it. I’ll just give you one tip if you choose to read it: don’t forget the tissues.

Coffee cake: a book that you started but never finished

Ninth House, by Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo is one of my insta-buy authors. I loved the Grisha trilogy, I adored the Six of Crows duology and I loved King of Scars. So when I heard that she was releasing an adult fantasy book, I immediately pre-ordered the Waterstones exclusive edition.

When I started reading Ninth House, I was riding the train on my way to an amazing weekend. I guess that was my mistake. I was so excited that I couldn’t focus on a book that was already hard to follow. That was four months ago and I still haven’t picked up the book. I had been warned that it takes a while to get into the book, so I’m planning on trying again as soon as possible. I won’t give up on this book!

Carrot cake: a book with great writing

The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
Like with most books that are written in a very specific writing style, this is a love-or-hate book. Well, I loved it. It was SO WELL WRITTEN. The slow burn, the world building, the suspence, it was KILLING ME.

As you may have noticed, I’m very passionate about this book. I currently possess three different editions of The Night Circus, and I’m planning on adding more to my collection. Erin Morgenstern has truly written a masterpiece. I felt like I was sucked into the book and experiencing the story myself.

I recommend this book to everyone that loves a slow-paced piece of art and wants to escape reality. Read this in a place with a calm environment to improve your experience, and enjoy Le Cirque des Rêves.

Tiramisu: a book that left you wanting more

Clockwork Princess, by Cassandra Clare
Clockwork Princess is the final book in The Infernal Devices. I was not okay with the ending and I was okay with the ending. The book left me heartbroken. It made me sob and suffer and I just wanted to read more about Tessa and the Branwells. I was planning on reading the series again but I truly believe that I can’t handle saying goodbye to the characters again.

So if you enjoyed reading The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, don’t hesitate to read TID. And if you didn’t like the characters from The Mortal Instruments but loved the world of the Shadowhunters, you shouldn’t hesitate to read TID either.

BTW, this trilogy contains the best love triangle ever written. And you’re hearing that from someone who isn’t a fan of love triangles.

Cupcakes: a series with 4 or more books

Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead
Vampire Academy follows the dhampir Rose Hathaway, Lissa’s best friend and protector. I actually bought the series after watching the movie, which became a guilty pleasure of mine. Vampire Academy is one of the only longer series that didn’t bore me halfway through. Each book contained new, interesting adventures, funny moments and the perfect amount of romance. Even though I wanted to smack Rose sometimes, I enjoyed her sassy, badass character. She doesn’t hesitate to do everything she can to protect her loved ones.

Fruit cake: a book that wasn’t what you anticipated

Always and Forever, Lara Jean, by Jenny Han
Last but not least (well, it kind of is): Always and Forever, Lara Jean. It is the final book of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series. I hated this book. I’m not saying it’s a bad book, but I absolutely hated it. SPOILER ALERT: In my opinion, nothing interesting happened in the book besides Peter being a huge asshole. I was actually on team John Ambrose McLaren in the previous book. I expected to fall in love with Peter all over again and forget all about his actions in P.S. I Still Love You, but that wasn’t the case at all. I didn’t feel for the conclusion of the trilogy. I proudly show the first two books on my bookshelf and just pretend this one doesn’t exist. That might be rude, but I want to enjoy the first to books without being reminded all the time by how the story ends.

 

Thank you again Krista for tagging me! It was fun placing the books in unusual categories and comparing them with cakes. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this and have some inspiration on what to read next. And now I tag Leah from One More Chapter!