what christine reads : The New Disney Princess Book Tag

I haven't done a book tag in what feels like forever, so it was a nice surprise when the lovely Flavia of Flavia The Bibliophile Blog tagged me in a Disney Princess Book Tag. I'm a big Disney fan and this book tag is simply amazing. I love seeing everyone's unique answers and seeing the newer princesses included in the content.

The Rules

1) Mention where you saw the tag/thank whoever tagged you (Thanks, Flavia!)

2) Tag Zuky’s and Mandy’s posts so they can check out the wonderful Princess fun throughout the blog world (Mandy @ Book Princess Reviews & Zuky @ Book Bum)

3) Play a game of tag at the end!

The Tag:

SNOW WHITE

THIS BOOK (LIKE THE MOVIE) STARTED IT ALL

Favorite Debut Book From an Author

This is really hard for me to choose because I've read so many incredible debut books from various authors. So is it ok if I list more than one? I definitely loved Saints & Misfits by S.K. Ali, which I have a full review of here! I also really loved Our Little Secret by Roz Nay, which I also wrote a full review for here! Both were simply amazing debut novels and I'm honestly so excited to see what both actors write next!

CINDERELLA

A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

Just Like Cinderella, You Either Didn’t Expect Much Out of This Character in the Beginning But Turned Out to Be a Total Gem

I've got to say Kitty Pong from the Crazy Rich Asians series. I was not in love with her when she was first introduced, but I loved how much her character grew in the second book. I kind of flip-flopped with her again in the final book, but in the end, she did turn out to be a total gem and did something redeeming which I admire! Full review for: China Rich Girlfriend & Rich People Problems.

AURORA

SLEEPING BEAUTY

A Book That Makes You Sleepy or Just Could Not Hold Your Attention

This book is definitely going to be The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara. I did not enjoy this book one bit. It made me so sleepy and bored at a lot of moments, but also made me incredibly angry. I listened to it on audiobook and I definitely slogged through it for months. I do not recommend this book at all. It's a shame. I do hope that Yanagihara's other books are better.

ARIEL

UNDER THE SEA

A Book With a Water/Ocean Setting

I'm going to say Salt to The Sea by Ruta Sepetys. This book takes place on a boat and is incredibly heartbreaking. I had all the emotions and more while reading this book. It takes place in WW2 setting and introduces the reader to a story that many are not familiar with. I loved it so much and I immediately went out to buy Sepetys' other books.Would highly recommend if you are looking for something historical fiction.

BELLE

BEAUTY AND THE BOOKS

Name a Book With the Best Bookworm/Book Lover

Ok, I think this one is obvious, but how could I not choose Hermione from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series? She is the obvious choice and heck, Emma Watson went on to play Belle in the new live-action version which is some inception if you ask me ;) She made reading cool again, and I loved that she always had her head in a book. Another would be Henry in Words in Deep Blue.

JASMINE

THE THIEF AND THE PRINCESS

Name Book with an Unlikely Love Story (Either in Terms of Romance or a Book You Didn’t Expect to Love So Much)

For this one I'm going to say Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I won't say too much but this book definitely fulfills both categories: there is an unlikely love story which I did not see coming at all and I absolutely loved. I also knew that her books were popular, but I did not know just how much I would love it. I'm still swooning over it and I'm itching to sit down and reread it this instant!

POCAHONTAS

THE REAL LIFE PRINCESS

Name a Book that is Based on a Real Life Person You Want to Read/Have Read

I read a ton of Non-Fiction and I always love a good memoir/biography. I often pick up these usually knowing a bit about them before hand. My most recent one that I've read and loved is digital influencer/Youtuber: Anna Akana's So Much I want to Tell You: Letters to my little sister. I knew I wanted to get it right away because I've been a fan of Anna's for a long time and reading this only reaffirmed my admiration for her as a human being and content creator.

MULAN

THE PRINCESS THAT SAVED HER COUNTRY

Name the Fiercest Heroine You Know

This one is easy! I will definitely say Celaena Sardothien from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas - she is so incredibly badass and I just love how fierce she is. She's a train assassin and does not back down easily. Another character created by Maas is definitely Feyre in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I loved her seeing her come into herself and really transform into a strong individual.

TIANA

THE PRINCESS WITH THE COOLEST AND MOST DIVERSE CREW

Name a diverse book whether it is a diverse set of characters (like Tiana’s group of Naveen, Louis, Ray, and more) or just diverse in general

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas! This book is not only incredibly diverse, but just such an important read for our time. The characters are amazing and I just love the dynamic of the entire group. There's Starr (the protagonist), Chris (the boyfriend), Maya (one of the bestfriends), Seven (her brother).. and more! I loved those characters in particular but the other family members were also really lovely and made a huge part of the book.

RAPUNZEL

LET YOUR LONGGGGGG HAIR DOWN

Name the Longest Book You’ve Ever Read

I really can't name the longest book I've ever read off the top of my head, and I don't have my full book collection with my currently. From what I can remember, I believe Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the longest one, coming in at 816 pages and for school, I've read James Joyce's Ulysses a few times, and that is about 1056 pages (depending on which edition). For more recent, going on what I've read in the past few years, Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Mist and Fury was quite long, coming in at 656 pages.

MERIDA

I DETERMINE MY OWN FATE

A Book Where There is No Love Story/Interest or Isn’t Needed

So I have two Victoria Schwab titles for this category. First is Vicious, there isn't a love story in this book at all. It is simply about two incredibly evil individuals and their rivalry with one another. Sure, you can ship characters, but it isn't explicit in canon. I really liked that it focused more on the questions of good and evil, and did not force a love story in there somewhere. Another book by Schwab that follows this is This Savage Song. Imagine Romeo and Juliet, but without the romance. The boy and girl are from opposite sides and it's really interesting to see the dynamic between the two. There's a possibility for romance, but the narrative does not hinge on that and can stand on it's own. I really admire Schwab's writing because she doesn't require a love story to make her books. She is so amazing at character building and world building that it is simply all you need and all you want.

ANNA/ELSA

FROZEN HEARTS

A Book in a Winter/Cold Setting

This one was quite hard. I believe one of the Tahereh Mafi books took place in the winter and if I'm remembering correctly, it was Unravel Me? I also think of The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, which I read growing up, and C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I also think of holiday & Christmas books when I think of a Winter setting so basically any book that mentions Christmas or snow ever :P

MOANA

HOW FAR I’LL GO

A Character That Goes on a Journey

For this one, I'm going to choose Stephanie Garber's Caraval. In this book, the main character, Scarlett, and her sister, Tella go on a journey to Caraval, a once-in-a-lifetime performance/experience. They have to go on a boat and once there, it is like another journey throughout Caraval itself. This trip really allows Scarlett to explore her strengths as a character but also uncover the hidden secrets of the mysterious Legend. I loved following along with both characters as they embarked on their journey and make through this strange wonderland/circus world. I found myself wanting to travel to Caraval as well as I was reading and I think that is a sign of a good journey in the book, if the reader wants to come along as well on the trip ;)

Well, we've reached the end! Thanks for sticking around and reading all my picks for each category. It was definitely hard to choose for some of these, so I hope you don't mind that I may have put multiple answers for some categories. I definitely feel like I need to go sit down and watch Disney movies on loop for a while now after doing this tag and I must admit, I haven't watched Moana yet, so I must rectify that situation. Thanks again to Flavia for tagging me! It was a ton of fun. And before I go, I just want to play the game of tag, so....

I'm tagging: