Happy 4th of July! Today, I'm sharing my wrap up and mini reviews of the books I completed for G. @ Book Roast's
Mini Magical Readathon: Visit Hogsmeade which ran from June 22nd through June 28th. You can check out my original tbr post
here. There were ten total prompts for this readathon and I managed to read five of them (one of those ended up as a DNF). Keep reading to check out my thoughts on these books:
The Marauder's Map - Read a book with a map (the only required task for the readathon)
❋ ❋ ❋
I've never read this author before, but this sounds like it could be a great YA fantasy.
Court of Fives (Court of Fives #1) by Kate Elliott has so much potential to become a favorite YA fantasy. Unfortunately, I never quite managed to get as invested or as sucked in to the story, world, or characters as I hoped to be. It was a little too flat for me when it shouldn't have been. There's so much more I would have liked to see than what we ended up getting. I don't think I'll be coming back for the sequel.
My review is also on
Goodreads.
Three Broomsticks Inn - Read a book that's part of a trilogy
❋ ❋ ❋
I didn't enjoy
The Defiant (The Valiant #2) by Lesley Livington quite as much as the first book, but it's still a solid YA historical action adventure story. I have a feeling I would have enjoyed the audiobook production a little more since it's narrated by Fiona Hardingham who is one of my favorite voices. I'm still looking forward to the picking up the finale. I would certainly like to read more books set in this time period in the future.
My review is also on
Goodreads.
Madam Puddifoot's Tea & Cakes - Start a read with a cup of tea (I had an Arnold Palmer, half iced tea, half lemonade so I hope that counts!)
❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋
I loved every second of
The Counterfeit Detective (The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) by Stuart Douglas. The whole scene where Holmes and Watson talk to Mrs. van Raalte, the landlady of his imposter, is comedy gold. When Holmes has no choice but to come up with an alias on the spot when she catches them trying to break in (because they assume no one is at home and Holmes has to think fast and tells her they were just admiring the quality of an antique doorknob), he manages John Murray for Watson and in a moment of panic Mr. Lestrade for himself. Watson, obviously, has a hard time keeping it together when he hears that and doesn't plan on letting Holmes forget it. Later, he asks Holmes "I have one question, however. Will that remain your name of choice for the entirety of our time in the Americas, or should I expect to find strangers addressing you as Athelney Jones or Tobias Grayson in the near future?" Both of them have a good chuckle after that.
My review is also on
Goodreads.
Honeydukes - Pink or green cover, or has sweets/ baked goods on the cover
❋
DNF'd @ page 55
I wanted to love
Walk the Wild With Me by Rachel Atwood , but unfortunately it just wasn't working at all for me. I mean, it's a historical fantasy retelling that combines Robin Hood with faeries. The potential for this is outstanding, but it was way too dull and boring for my tastes.
My review is also on
Goodreads.
The Shrieking Shack - Read a horror or a thriller
Wax by Gina Damico is a delightful YA fantasy horror comedy. I'm so glad I decided to give this a chance. As a fan of
House of Wax (1953) with Vincent Price, this was a lot of fun to see a modern fantasy twist on that kind of story. Damico's characters make the story - they are all unique and quirky and the dialog Damico has written for them is clever. Dud is my favorite - a lot of fun comedic moments stem from him. As funny as this is, the doesn't shy away from the creepy stuff either and it does it very well. Finally, there was one very unlikely scene that really stood out to me and that's when Poppy, her family, and Dud went to eat at Friendly's. My hometown used to have one of those until it closed several years ago and I still miss it. Now, there aren't even any more in the state of Ohio.
My review is also on
Goodreads.
Did you take part in this mini readathon? Have you read any of these books? As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!
