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2018 in Review

So 2019 is within sight and I figured since next week is Christmas and I am going to be busy pretty much all next week that I would get all my review posts out of the way this week. 2018 has been a big year. I turned 20... got my Associates degree... had the Summer off without any classes or anything and published two books! 2018 was a year full of new experiences and lots of writing. I toggling so many different projects that I can't believe I managed to get all of them done before the years end. For the first time ever I published a book on Wattpad in segments and that was a fun, new experience.

Actually I wanted to share some of my favorite Wattpad books since I didn't add them in my post on Wednesday about books of 2018 and 2019. Just because Wattpad books aren't "published" or on Goodreads doesn't mean I didn't count them as books I read this year. So here are some of my favorites:
  • Belle Morte series by Bella Higgin 
  • Friends with the King of the Underworld series by LovePenny 
  • A Cap Stained with Blood by K. D. Campbell 
  • Their Blood be Laid by Aimee Meester 
  • Beauty and the Pharaoh by LuckyCharms 

Friends with the King of the Underworld is by far my favorite of all them. LovePenny is a very talented writer and I hope one day to get to buy one of her books and hold it in my hands! 

As for traditionally published books, here are my top five of 2018: 

  • The Cruel Prince by Holly Black 
  • Legendary by Stephanie Garber 
  • Flashback by Shannon Messenger 
  • City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab 
  • Vengeful by Victoria Schwab 

Top TV Shows of 2018: 

  • The 100: That last season was kind of a disaster... I mean it was good but it wasn't my favorite at all. I think this next one will be really good though.  
  • The Gifted: I'm really enjoying this show. I mean it's X-Men so how could I not enjoy it? I hope it gets renewed for another season! 
  • Legacies: This is... good. The plot is slow going, but I'm sticking it out because I love TVD and The Originals so much that I really want this show to work. 
  • Trollhunters: There's nothing to say about this show other than its amazing and a work of art and I don't care if it's a "kid's show" go watch it! 
  • Roswell: I discovered this older show on Hulu earlier this year and fell in love with Liz, Max, Michael and Isabel instantly. I'm a total fan of Roswell now and I can't wait for the remake, Roswell, New Mexico coming out in January on the CW. I just hope they don't mess it up. 
  • The Originals: Uph... the end of an era. :( I miss the Mikaelson's so much and that finale... Most of it was good but the ending just was kind of disappointing and unhappy. :( 
  • Siren: I do believe this show came out earlier this year. It feels like forever ago... But it's really good and I can't wait for the next one. 
  • 3Below: Ahhh this just came out today!! It's set in the same world as Trollhunters but is about aliens!! It. Is. So. Good. Guillermo del Toro is an amazing creator and writer! 
Top Movies of 2018: 

  • Venom: Out of all the movies that came out this year (so far), Venom was my favorite. I loved it so much I saw it twice in theaters and bought it the day it came out on DVD. I'm really hoping they make a sequel because that would be awesome. 
  • Infinity Wars: Wow, it feels like this movie came out forever ago! I saw this with my mom and it was really good. Not as good as Venom (sorry but its true!) but it was good. Plus, like one of the biggest and most ambitious crossover I have ever seen! It's amazing how they managed to juggle the stories of all those characters. 
  • Black Panther: This one took me by surprise. I didn't think I would like it but I actually enjoyed this movie a lot. They chose great actors and all the characters were really great. I especially loved T'challa. He's just a really honorable, good guy. A good king.  
  • Ralph Breaks the Internet: Awww, I loved this movie. It was so sweet and all about friendship and just so cute. I love Ralph and Vanellope and I thought they did a really great job with the sequel. It was a story worth telling. Plus, that princess scene? Best. Scene. Ever.  
  • The Maze Runner: The Death Cure: Wow, another movie that feels like its been a year since I watched it. I went out with some friends to see this one. The zombie parts sort of took me by surprised and freaked me out, but overall, it was a good movie. You can never go wrong with Dylan O'Brien. 
  • A Quiet Place: So I'm not into suspense or horror. Like at all. But one of my closest friends convinced me to give it a try, so I watched it in the safety and comfort of her apartment instead of in the complete darkness of a crowded movie theater. And... I actually liked it. It really was a masterpiece of storytelling and such a unique movie. I can understand why so many people raved about it. 
  • Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: This movie I saw this year on Amazon Prime. It's so weird but somehow... good? Like I enjoyed it in all its alien weirdness.  
  • Chocolat: This is an older movie and I watched this on Netflix while I was sick. It's such a good movie. Like really, really good. I loved it a lot. 

2018 Writing: 

Wow... I got a lot of writing done this year. It was a busy year all around, but I think I sort of pushed myself too far with the writing. I pushed myself so hard that I'm just now getting over the major writer's burnout and writer's block I've been experiencing for the past two weeks. All that creating really burnt me out, but it was so worth it. I worked so hard on getting Project Hellion ready to publish by November (and succeeded). I also wrote and published my first ever illustrated children's book, Firespot The Red Panda. I published my first book on Wattpad and that was a really great experience. At the moment, I'm publishing chapters of the sequel, Hunter's Heritage, on there too. I wrote a Christmas-y short story in the world of Weapon Icean and another children's story called The Christmas Fairy that isn't published (yet). This year I also wrote a Peter Pan retelling and then for Nanowrimo proceeded to completely rewrite the book from scratch and turned it into a Peter Pan/The Tempest retelling. Plus, during the beginning of this year I was also working on Golden, Silver and Bronze, my YA sci-fi trilogy. I'm taking a break from those right now, but I do definitely plan to get back them eventually. 

2018 Life Stuff: 

I was reading my review of last year and I had written about how my mental and physical health was all over the place and not good for a lot of 2017. I'm happy to say that this year was better. Of course I still have my anxiety and I've had a few depressive episodes, but both of those have been more manageable this year. Not only have I been taking my medicine every day, but I've also started taking many vitamins and other natural things to help too. My physical health has improved as well. I take probiotics and other vitamins to help boost my immune system so I don't get sick as easily as I used to. All this year I've changed my diet and changed it again, tweaking the foods and drinks I consume to find what bothers me and what doesn't and I think all that changing around has really improved my mental and physical health too. I know what foods are best for me and help me to have a good day and what foods make me sick or give me a bad reaction.

This year I turned twenty and next year I turn twenty-one *gulp*. I mean, it's not like I'm going to turn into a completely different person but I don't know, I'm a full adult now... Which means, I guess I should be doing more adult stuff whatever that means. I got another job at our new church too, helping with childcare every Wednesday and I actually plan to do that again in January. Speaking of church, they switched up our groups so I started a new college Bible study group just in the past few months. At first it was hard to get used to, I was really upset because I've had so many church groups shift and change and just stop being, that it was hard to hear that they were disbanding yet another group I was a part of. I'm thankful though that this one is going to stick for good and I hope I get to be a part of this group for a long time to come.

We also went to the beach like twice, which for us sort of counts as mini-vacations. It was fun (kind of) though I'm not really a beach person. Though I did enjoy the last time we went when it was a bit overcast and chilly during the Fall. But yeah, that was this year.

Oh and I got my Associates degree this month! I'm officially graduated and if I want to I can go back in the Fall to get my Bachelors degree. So yeah, that's my 2018! It was a good year and I'm excited for the New Year! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :)

Plus, chapters 4 and 5 of Hunter's Heritage is on Wattpad now! 

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