50/50 Friday is a meme hosted by Carrie @The Butterfly Reads and I and focuses on the opposite sides of books (best/worst, differing opinions, etc). Every week will have a new topic and several advance topics will be listed in the tab labeled 50/50 Friday!
Today's Topic: Books You Were Late/Early to the Party in Reading
Late:
Harry Potter #1
Goodreads Blurb:
"Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.
Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.
Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come."
After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.
Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.
Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come."
I was so so so late in reading this series! I started reading it 7 years after the last book was published. Granted, I was young when they first started to be published but I jumped on this train really late. Everyone kept making HP references and I felt like I needed to read this series to find out what all the fuss was about and that may have been one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Early:
Defiance #1
Goodreads Blurb:
"Defiance by C. J. Redwine is rich postapocalyptic YA fantasy perfect for fans of Graceling and Tamora Pierce.
While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.
When Rachel's father fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the city's brutal Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector: her father's apprentice, Logan—the boy she declared her love to and who turned her down two years before. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself.
As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making."
While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.
When Rachel's father fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the city's brutal Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector: her father's apprentice, Logan—the boy she declared her love to and who turned her down two years before. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself.
As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making."
This one was a little more difficult for me. I don't tend to read books right when they come out because of two reasons: a) I'm always super busy so even if I do buy a book (or just get it through some other means) right away, I probably won't have time to read it for at least a month (that's what's been happening with the books Sarah J. Maas is releasing) or b) I just wait for my local library to get a copy because I don't have an endless stack of money that I can buy books with. It's a very sad situation. Still though, I think I came upon this one entirely by accident (right when I was starting out with reviewing) and I read it right away at the beginning and loved it! There wasn't a super big fan base though so I was hard pressed to find someone who had read it and liked it those first few weeks. I should really do a reread of this though and see if I still feel the same way about it!
Which books were you late or early to the party in reading? Have you read either of these? Make a post and link up down below!
Next Week's Topic: Book That Left You Hungry For More/Satisfied
I was late to Harry Potter too. I think I started reading them right before book five was released. I haven’t tried the Defiance series.
ReplyDeleteI don't really know much about it, but maybe they just started to gather steam around then and became a more widespread thing. Thanks for stopping by, Jenny!
DeleteI guess you could say I was kind of on-time to the HP party since I started reading the series around the time the third book came out. So I still got to read some of the books as they were being released, even went to a release party for the last one! But I'm late to the party for most popular books lol.
ReplyDeleteHaha definitely more on time than I was! That's so cool that you were involved in a release party, though! I've heard stories of people going to those or waiting overnight for their bookstore to open so they can get a copy the day it comes out. It's basically Black Friday for bookworms and I want to be able to take part in one of them!
DeleteIt's the same for me: I tend to read books after I've seen some reviews. Thanks for stopping by, Kristen!
I am super late to the party for Harry Potter.... haven't even read it yet :O
ReplyDeleteYOU MUST! But seriously, though, it's quite a solid series so if you don't read it for the hype, read it for the substance. Thanks for stopping by, Wren!
DeleteI was a bit late to the party on HP - my grandma bought me book four when it was new, so I went back to the beginning and the rest is history! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's kind of great :) You were just late enough that you didn't have much of an agonizing wait in between books because you were just a little bit behind. The one benefit of being late to the party! Thanks for stopping by, Lauren!
DeleteOMG I'M SO GLAD YOU READ HP AND LOVED IT! Sorry I just am a HUGE Potterhead :P I haven't read Defiance though and I'm thinking it's something I'd enjoy!
ReplyDeleteUma@Books.Bags.Burgers.
I can't believe I waited so long! I seriously just read it because it was convenient and I needed to see what all the fuss was about and that was the best decision I ever made to finally read the series.
DeleteI haven't read it in a while, actually, and was thinking of a reread! It's one of those books that you read back in the beginning of the YA genre so I'm not sure if I'll like it anymore, Worth a shot! Thanks for stopping by, Uma!
I'm super duper late with HP. I've still not finished the books....
ReplyDeleteWHAT?? CARRIE! You must finish them! I mean, yes they've been hyped for literally a gajillion years but it's totally worth it to take the plunge :) Thanks for stopping by, Carrie!
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