Taylor Swift’s Folklore Book Tag

I haven’t done a book tag in a hot minute, and I recently saw this one from Cielo @ Bellerose Reads inspired by Taylor Swift’s new album Folklore. I was not tagged in this, but I wanted to give it a go myself.

Rules

• Credit the creator of the tag, Cielo @ Bellerose Reads
• Shout out the person who tagged you
• List the rules of the tag in your post.
• Tag at least 5 people to do the tag!

The 1 – A book you wanted to read but never did

You know the greatest films of all time were never made

One book that I wanted to read back when I was in high school that I never did was The Selection by Kiera Cass. Now I see it on TikTok a lot and keep going back and forth on if I’m going to one day read it. Especially now that there’s going to be a Netflix series on it. I might just watch the series there instead of reading the books as it’s an interesting concept.

Cardigan – A character that didn’t end up with their first love interest

You drew stars around my scars / But now I’m bleeding

Aelin Galathynius/Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. She goes through multiple relationships before finally ending up with her mate.

The Last Great American Dynasty – A book with an epic female protagonist

There goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen / She had a marvelous time ruining everything

Speaking of Aelin from Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. I can’t think of a single other female protagonist who isn’t as epic as her. There are other great female protagonists of course, but Aelin really takes the front runner of not being a passive character. She takes the situation into her own hands and deals with everything. Aelin goes through A LOT.

Every other female protagonist I can think of at the moment really just handles what is being put in front of them versus taking an active step to get in front of it. Examples:

Katniss Everdeen from Hunger Games, doesn’t plan the rebellion. She just deals with it, and is a puppet in a sense. Tris Prior from Divergent is just trying to hide her identity and just goes from one place to another as other characters dictate. Feyre from A Court of Thorns and Roses while she helps in the last book with planning the war, she doesn’t really do anything in it besides helping people after the battles.

These are still great characters, but they don’t take an active role in planning what’s going to happen and/or executing it. Aelin on the other hand does, which makes her such a great character. Plus, I was LIVING for her secret plans.

Exile – A book about walking out of a toxic relationship

You were my town, now I’m in exile, seeing you out / I think I’ve seen this film before

I have to go with A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. In this book, Feyre goes through and leaves a toxic/abusive relationship with Tamlin. He’s controlling and has a massive temper. This book explores the aspect of going through that kind of relationship, leaving it, and then learning how to move forward.

My Tears Ricochet – The fictional couple that made you suffer the most

And if I’m on fire, you’ll be made of ashes, too

Tobias Eaton and Tris Prior from Divergent series by Veronica Roth. I’m more going with what happened at the end of Allegiant. While these two never really had a solid moment of peace in their relationship, I loved them together. And then the ending of Allegiant came along. Spoilers, I didn’t think Tris actually died at first. Then suddenly Tobias (Four) is being shown her dead body. I had to go back a few times in disbelief over what happened before I threw the book across the room. And I never throw books, so this one takes the cake on making me suffer the most. I wanted them to be happy in the end, but nope… she dies and then he debates on wiping away his memories of her.

Mirrorball – A swoon-worthy, sweet couple

You’ll find me on my tallest tiptoes / Spinning in my highest heels, love / Shinning just for you

Luce Price and Daniel Grigori from The Fallen series by Lauren Kate. I loved reading about these two. While their love story is one of being torn apart every time Luce starts to remember their past, it’s so sweet that Daniel never gives up on her and hopes that one day their curse will be broken so they can be together. Literally, he goes through losing her every seventeen years and still wants to be with her over everything.

Seven – A book with fae characters

Please picture me in the weeds / Before I learned civility

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For this one I’m going to go with The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black. The whole series revolves around faeries similar to those of the Celtic and Scottish folklore.

August – A book you’ve read very fast

August sipped away like a bottle of wine / ‘Cause you were never mine

Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas. I was actually surprised by how fast I ended up reading this book. It’s not short by any means as it has 816 pages. I finished this book in one day. I just couldn’t put the book down as it was SOOO good.

This Is Me Trying – A coming of age book

Pouring out my heart to a stranger / But I didn’t pour the whiskey

I don’t actually have one for this category. I don’t read many coming of age books even when I was in junior/senior high school. I have seen many movies of this category that were book to film adaptions. So, I can’t speak to the look itself but if we went from that angle I would say The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

Illicit Affairs – A book with a forbidden love

Tell your friends you’re out for a run / You’ll be flushed when you return

Rose Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov from Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. This romance is forbidden in many ways. The main reason being she’s a student and he’s her mentor. Plus, an extreme age gap and they both are supposed to protect Lissa Dragomir meaning they can’t be together or they’ll protect each other over her.

Invisible String – A book featuring a road trip

Time, mystical time / Cutting me open, then healing me fine

I can’t think of a single book I’ve read that includes a road trip. Plenty of fantasy books where they travel a lot, but that’s not the same thing. But if I’m going from that angle, I would go with The Hobbit (also known as There and Back Again) by J. R. R. Tolkien. Which is about Bilbo Baggins’s adventure with dwarves and Gandalf to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its treasure from the dragon Smaug.

Mad Woman – Your favorite female villain

And women like hunting witches too / Doing your dirtiest work for you

While this character doesn’t stay a villain by the end of the book series. I would have to say Manon Blackbeak from Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. I didn’t initially love her sections, but I seriously grew to love her.

Epiphany – A book that made everything disappear while you were having a rough time

Just one single glimpse of relief / To make some sense of what you’ve seen

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Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. I easily can disappear into this world when I need an escape. Even though I have read these books multiple times each, I still can’t help but love the world.

Betty – A book with second-chance trope

I’m only seventeen, I don’t know anything / But I know I miss you

If a relationship ends, it usually is for a good reason. I’m not a massive fan of on-again, off-again relationships. But one that fits this trope would be The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. Allie and Noah break up having been in different worlds, and Allie didn’t get any of the letters from Noah during their time apart. Then they reunite years later, and fall in love all over again. It’s sweet in that sense, versus trying to work through drama of whatever caused them to break up in the first place.

Peace – A book with a passionate affair that wasn’t meant to be

But the rain is always going to come if you’re standin’ with me

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas. It wasn’t meant to be, but my goodness I cried my eyes out over Sam Cortland and Celaena Sardothien. I still get teary eyed when I read sections of the other books in the series when Sam is mentioned. He deserved so much better. Even though I love Aelin with Rowan… I would’ve loved more of Sam. He was so sweet. But as the prompt says, it wasn’t meant to be.

Hoax – The saddest book you remember reading

You know I left a part of me back in New York / You know the hero died so what’s the movie for?

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. This book stands out over the years as being one of the first books I read for school that had a lasting impression from a time where I hated to read. I was heartbroken over the ending, since it involves both Little Ann and Old Dan (the two Redbone Coonhounds) dying after saving their owner’s life from a mountain lion. Old Dan dying from his injuries and Little Ann giving up on life after losing her brother. It reminds me so much of the only cats I ever had growing up. Snippy and Snuggles, Snuggles got cancer and died then Snippy shortly after lost the will to live after his brother died. I just… yup, Where the Red Fern Grows is still one of the saddest books I’ve ever read, and still brings up that memory every time.

Tags

As I was not tagged in this, I’m tagging everyone reading this that’s interested in this tag. Also, I have no idea who in the community like Taylor Swift.

If you’ve listened to Taylor Swift’s new album which song was your favorite? Mine had the moment is exile.

Love ya,

Mae Polzine

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