Wayward-A-Thon - Wrap Up & Mini Reviews

Happy Saturday everyone!  This weekend I'm sharing my wrap up and mini reviews for round one of Wayward-A-Thon, hosted by @readingparent and @lifewhitme.  Wayward-A-Thon ran the entire month of February and was inspired by the first season of Supernatural.  You can check out my original tbr here.  My goal was to complete a blackout bingo of the entire board - and I came pretty close to it.  I picked up all but four of them, so I managed a grand total of 21 out of 25.  Keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I completed for this readathon: 

Pilot - First book in a series

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Undone (Outcast Season #1) by Rachel Caine is great series opener and spinoff.  I liked getting to know this cast of characters and more about their world.  It reminded me pretty quickly that I need to catch up on the Weather Warden series as soon as possible.  You don't need to be familiar with that series to enjoy this, but it would sure make it all the more fun.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Skin - Read a book you're unsure about

❋ ❋ ❋ 

I love the concept behind Ancient Images by Ramsey Campbell. I love watching classic horror so a book about a lost Karloff and Lugosi film sounded like it would be right up my alley. The beginning and end were both excellent but it fell short for me and slowed way down it the middle. It's a solid read for sure just night quite as engrossing as I was hoping.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Hell House - Paranormal

❋

DNF'd @ p. 40

I was really looking forward to Webmage (Webmage #1) by Kelly McCullough, but it just wasn't working for me.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Dead Man's Blood - Vampires

❋ ❋

Dracula is one of my favorite classics and Bloodline (Bloodline #1) by Kate Cary sounded like it had some potential. Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to that. I like the concept much more than the final product and most of that is due to characters and characterizations.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Salvation - Emotional read

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

A Sky Beyond the Storm (An Ember in the Ashes #4) by Sabaa Tahir is a fantastic series finale.  Needless to say, my expectations were sky high and it totally lived up to them.  It was a marvelous and brutal ride and I can't believe it's already over.  If you haven't already started this series or read this finale, I can't recommend it highly enough.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Bloody Mary - Retelling of a classic

❋

DNF'd @ p. 36

The Witch and Other Tales Re-Told by Jean Thompson wasn't what I was expecting or what I was interested in as it turned out. I usually enjoy a good fairytale retelling, but this just didn't agree with me. I barely made it through the first of eight stories.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Hook Man - Lore or mythology based

❋ ❋

That wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I liked the main idea of Norse Code by Greg Van Eekhout.  I wasn't much of a fan of the way story was told. I much would have preferred the perspectives to be different or to only be told from one POV.  One POV alone could have done this stand alone urban fantasy based on Norse mythology a lot of favors.

My review is alsoon Goodreads.

Faith - Book with a religion different than yours

❋ ❋ ❋

I've never read an ancient Egypt set mystery so I didn't really have a frame of reference going in, but The Right Hand of Amon (Lieutenant Bak #1) by Lauren Haney was okay.  It may not be a favorite by any stretch though it's still a solid read.  I appreciated the details about the era, but I wasn't particularly invested in any of the characters.  I probably won't be back for the rest of the series.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Scarecrow - A book that gives you creepy feels

❋ ❋ ❋

State of Decay (Revivors #1) by James Knapp was a solid zombie read, but I think I preferred the general concept of the story to the final product.  It's a good blend of sci-fi zombie horror, though.  I currently undecided if I'll be back for the rest of the series yet or not.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Dead in the Water - Water on the cover

❋ ❋

The concept of The Ferryman Institute by Colin Gigl sounded pretty good, but the end product didn't work out for me.  Aside from Charlie, the characters blended together to the point where I had to double check who I was reading.  I wasn't a fan of how Alice was handled over the course of the novel.  Overall, this just didn't quite agree with me as much as I would have hoped.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Sam - Book with a romantic character

❋ ❋ ❋

I was expecting more from The Husband Hunters: American Heiresses Who Married Into the British Aristocracy by Anne de Courcy.  I was hoping for more of a biography of a select group of wealthy American women who married in the British aristocracy, than a general history lesson about the aristocracy.  It has moments of where it really dives into the history of the women at the core, especially the further you go into the book.  I was really intrigued when I got to chapter sixteen when the book features Tennessee Claflin and her much more well known, Victoria Woodhull who was the first woman to run for U.S. President in 1872.  The author even discusses their hometown of Homer, Ohio for a second which is practically in my backyard, so that was a bit exciting since I rarely have the chance to see village/ small town/ rural central Ohio in fiction or nonfiction.  The author also gives a run down of many of their accomplishments until they marry into the aristocracy, including their connection with Cornelius Vanderbilt, their brokerage on Wall Street, their newspaper, and speaking before the House Judiciary Committee.  I was stunned to see that Victoria Woodhull's run for President garnered only one sentence (out of a sixteen page long chapter) given that that was such an important part of both Victoria and Tennie's lives and futures.  Like I said, I was just expecting more from Anne de Courcy's The Husband Hunters.  It was intriguing to see what she chose to focus on, gloss over, and leave out.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Meg - Friends to enemies trope

❋

DNF'd @ p. 39

We Used to be Friends by Amy Spalding was just not for me. It was just off-putting enough early on that I decided to call it quits after two chapters.  It's a real shame because I really enjoyed Spalding's The Summer of Jordi Pérez.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Dean - Bad boy trope

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Don't Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno is YA Contemporary Romance I'm very glad I decided to pick up.  I'd heard a lot of great things about it, and it lived up to that hype for me.  I'm going to have to keep an eye out for more from Nina Moreno in the future because this was just delightful.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Route 666 - First love trope

❋

DNF'd @ p. 40

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick was not for me.  I must have read a different book from the everyone else because this was physically painful for me.  I can honestly say that I do not get the appeal at all.  The style and the dialog is so grating and inauthentic.  The characters sound much too old and not like any seventeen year old I've ever heard.  And don't get me started on Clay - talk about red flags.  I'd almost call Samantha and Jase's romance instalove, but that doesn't quite work if she's been stalking-slash-spying on him for a decade.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Phantom Traveler - Main character goes under cover

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Orphan Monster Spy (Orphan Monster Spy #1) by Matt Killeen is a must read if you're looking for a thrilling YA historical spy thriller set during World War II.  It's very intense and fast paced and Sarah is quite a brave and intelligent leading character.  I just recently watched the movie A Call to Spy and I think this feels like a great read alike. Both come pretty highly recommended from me.  I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel Devil Darling Spy.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Bugs - Indigenous author

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Okay, I liked The Only Good Indians but I loved Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones . This is one of the best werewolf books I've ever had the chance to read. I can't wait to try more from this author in the future.  If you haven't tried his work, I can't recommend it enough.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Nightmare - Chosen one trope

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

The Crystal Cave (Arthurian Saga #1) by Mary Stewart is a classic that I'm so glad I decided to try.  I can't resist an Arthurian retelling and for the most part this hit all the right notes.  I need to catch up on rest of the series soon to find out what I've been missing out on.

My review is also on Goodreads.

W*ndigo - Set in the mountains

 

❋

Serena by Ron Rash sounded like something I may like and I'm hoping to try the movie soon anyway, but unfortunately it wasn't working out for me.  The writing style is very boring and I didn't like any of the characters at all.  Basically, the book didn't give me a good enough reason to keep going so I decided to skip it and move on instead.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Asylum - Mental Health Rep

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ 

I Wish You All the Best (I Wish You All the Best #1) by Mason Deaver is an absolute must-read.  The story and cast of characters are all fantastic.  Ben is a new favorite character of mine.  The representation here is outstanding in terms, especially when it comes to mental health and queer voices.  This is an important book and it has easily earned its spot at the top of reads of 2021 so far.  I cannot wait to try more from Mason Deaver in the future.

My review is also on Goodreads and here on my blog.

The Benders - Psychological Thriller

❋

DNF'd @ p. 64

I seem to be in the minority when it comes to Someone We Know by Shari Lapena. I wanted to like this domestic suspense novel, but it's just not agreeing with me. I'm really not a fan of the writing style and how it's being told. The characters all come across as far too flat to hold my interest. Finally, it's looking like it's shaping up to be a total soap opera and that's just not my style.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Shadow - Middle Grade or children's book 

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

You know, I had a fun time with Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (Mr. Lemoncello's Library #1) by Chris Grabenstein.  I got a kick out of the whole Willy Wonka's library thing going on here. Plus, all of those bookish references!  I have to admit that during some of those trivia moments I answered before and with the characters.  It's fun to play along with everyone.  The audiobook production is pretty fantastic as well.  I think I'm going to have to continue on with this series on audiobook in the future.

My review is also on Goodreads and here on my blog.

Did you participate in this readathon?  Have you read any of these books?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!