WE ARE FINALLY INTO MY FAVOURITE BLOG POSTS! THE END OF YEAR POSTS! I feel like all my reading just boils down to these next 3 months and these next batch of posts. I love reflecting, looking back and having all my spreadsheets numbers come together.

This year I did expect to finish more series but I have a trilogy, 1 graphic novel collection and a manga series.

Plot for Book 1: When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising. But surprises aren’t always good. Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school. For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . . Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.

What a monumental series. I also read Kuang’s Yellowface this year which is making it to my top reads of the year 100%. I will say I was spoiled for the ending of The Burning God which meant I found the last book a little bit less enjoyable than the others as I knew what was coming.

Plot for Volume 1: Emma, Norman and Ray are the brightest kids at the Grace Field House orphanage. And under the care of the woman they refer to as “Mom,” all the kids have enjoyed a comfortable life. Good food, clean clothes and the perfect environment to learn—what more could an orphan ask for? One day, though, Emma and Norman uncover the dark truth of the outside world they are forbidden from seeing.

Up there with Fullmetal Alchemist as one of my favourite manga series ever! The final volume did take a turn that I am still not sure I loved but I understood why the author did it!

Plot for Book 1: Explore the magic, folklore, and mystery of Hilda’s world as she rides fluffy woffs through the sky, dodges trolls through the forests, and catches up with giants the size of mountains. With the help of her lovable deerfox friend Twig, the grumpy (but no less loveable) Wood Man, and with a backpack full of cucumber sandwiches, there’s nothing to stop Hilda from exploring the wilds and getting into sticky situations…

Such a fun, exciting and whimsical series that had me sad I don’t live in that world!

I have a feeling that next year I might not finish any series. I don’t know what it is I just feel that I will be reading so much and dedicating less time to series.