Book Tag Tuesday || Birthstone Tag

I stumbled across this book tag on Spines and Covers and thought it’d be a fun one to do! This one’s an original tag by booktuber, Jay G.

These are my tagees (that’s a word, right?):

McKenzie at Bookish Tea and Things
Jenna at Reading With Jenna
Becca at Becca and Books
And anyone else who’d like to do this tag, of course!

JANUARY | GARNET

Associate with warding off negative forces and dark energies – Name a book with the darkest/evilest character you can think of

After reading An Ember in the Ashes, I knew I had to pick someone from this brutal world. Though I could make a case for Marcus Farrar, I’m going to have to go with the greater evil and say Keris Veturius, or as we all know her, the Commandant.

FEBRUARY | AMETHYST

Purple is associated with royalty – Name a book with regal qualities…You can base your choice on characters or choose the king (or queen) of all books

This one INSTANTLY came to mind. Not because it was the best of the best, but because I immediately thought of a crown and Red Queen just so happens to have one (a bloody one, at that) on it’s cover. Plus, there is royalty involved in this book, so I stand with my choice.

MARCH | AQUAMARINE

Washed out – Name a ‘wishy washy’ character, a character who is not strong or is a follower

Stick from The Blood of Eden series is probably one of the worst characters out there. He’s extremely weak-minded and paranoid, and what’s worse, he turns out to be a conniving, traitorous, little thief. I’m sure no one likes this guy.

APRIL | DIAMOND

A diamond in the rough – Name a book that you loved but is not well known

I’m sure no one has heard of this one, but I read Goddess of Yesterday a couple times in high school. From the beginning, I loved this book. The plot centres around the Trojan War and Helen of Troy and after reading this, I saw Helen of Troy in a different light: I absolutely hated her. It’s a great read and I highly encourage you to put it on your TBR!

MAY| EMERALD

Said to balance energy – Name two characters who balance each other well

In the first book of the Half Bad trilogy, we’re introduced to Gabriel. In the second book, Half Wild, we get to know him a lot more by watching how he interacts with his scarred and severely damaged friend, Nathan Byrn. By Half Lost, we see just how much they really, truly balance one another out. Without Gabe, Nathan would definitely walk a darker path.

JUNE | PEARL

Associated with Loyalty – Name a character who is loyal to the end

Okay. I had to think reeeallly hard about this one and all I could come up with is Jem Carstairs from the Infernal Devices. Unerringly loyal to Will Herondale to the “end.”

JULY | RUBY

Blood red – Name a book that made your blood boil, one that made you angry

There are two books in this world that I still look on with disgust. The first is East of Eden, not because the story or the writing is bad. No, I just simply remember that b**** Cathy. The second, and whom I will give the honors to, is a strange book called The Princetta. The beginning and middle of this book were amazing, and then the ending just left me wondering “Why? Just……why?”

AUGUST | PERIDOT

It pales in comparison to other gems – Name a supporting character who you like better than the main character

In the Maze Runner series, BOTH Newt and Minho are better characters than Thomas. But I think Newt wins the cookies here.

SEPTEMBER | SAPPHIRE

Blue like the ocean which is calming – Name a book that had a calming affect on you

Any book by Morgan Matson works, really. But Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour just let the good vibes roll. I love this book to the ends of the earth and back.

OCTOBER | OPAL

Iridescent – Name an iridescent book; this can be with a beautiful cover (shiny, colorful) or you can base it off a character (quirky? unique?)

The Lady Midnight cover is so gorgeous. Once I got a look at it in the bookstore, I knew I had to have it. Some honorable mentions go out to: Everything, Everything and A Thousand Pieces of You, both of which I haven’t read yet, but have already fallen in love with because of those covers.

NOVEMBER | TOPAZ

Associated with resilience – Name a book with a character who rises to the top in a time of adversity

The Legend series by Marie Lu is definitely one of my all-time favorites, thanks to Day and his swoon-worthy heroics. Even though he was a reluctant hero, he refused to back down from his destiny.