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Make Me Read It Readathon - Results and Mini Reviews


From August 6th - August 13th, I took part in the Make Me Read It Readathon, hosted by Ely @ Tea and Titles and Val @ The Innocent Smiley.  I selected five books to try to get through in that week span which you all voted on, and big surprise - I actually completed all five books for the readathon!  I'm so proud of myself!


Before I get to my mini reviews, I'll share the results of your votes:


The Way Through the Woods (Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #45) by Una McCormack - 6 votes, my first read

Ex-Heroes (Ex-Heroes #1) by Peter Clines - 6 votes, my second read

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle - 5 votes, my third read

Nevermore (Supernatural #1) by Keith R.A. DeCandido - 5 votes, my fourth read

Ghost of Manhattan (The Ghost #1) by George Mann - 2 votes, my fifth and final read

Mini Reviews:



❋ ❋ ❋ 

This Doctor Who tie-in novel, set during the sixth series, was a great way to kick off the readathon.  It's a fun and fast-paced, creepy and mysterious, and the author does an excellent job of bringing the Doctor, Amy, and Rory to life.  Definitely felt like I was watching an episode - I wouldn't say no if this were adapted to the screen either.  Amy and Rory are one of my favorite fictional tv couples, and although they are apart for a good deal of this story they are spot on, especially good as Rory is remembering his two thousand year wait for Amy.  If you're a fan of Doctor Who, you'll definitely want to give The Way Through The Woods by Una McCormack a try.



I read this novel from August 6 - 7, 2017 and my review is also on Goodreads.



❋ ❋ 

Not quite as good as either The Walking Dead or The Avengers (that's a very tall order, anyway), but still a good combination of zombies and superheroes. My main issue was keeping track of who's who and who can do what - it's easy to get the characters mixed up, especially right off the bat. I'm not sure if I will be continuing the series, but I do think that Ex-Heroes could be awesome on the big screen.



I read this novel from August 7 - 10, 2017 and my review is also on Goodreads.



❋ ❋ 

To start off, I've never read the Lovecraft story that this is based off of, but even I could see the Lovecraftian elements - more subtle in the beginning and becoming more obvious as the tale goes along - especially the underlying sense of dread. I wish I enjoyed this novella a little more than I ended up liking it. Honestly, I think The Ballad of Black Tom could have benefited from being a longer novel and fleshing out the cast of characters and their world a little more than they are already. Plus, I wish the novel had followed Tommy in the first person throughout which would've help me feel more connected to his character. Overall, if you're interested in a quick Lovecraft-inspired horror/ urban fantasy set in an alternate 1920s NYC, then The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle is for you.   By the way, I had the Supernatural episode called "Crossroad Blues" in the back of my mind throughout my entire read.



I read this novella on August 10, 2017 and my review is also on Goodreads




❋ ❋ ❋ 

This was a decent tie in novel and I could totally see it as an actual episode - the characterization of Sam and Dean's pretty on the nose and it has a decent sense of humor. Now, if only the conclusion to both cases, Poe and the haunting, was a little more satisfying.  Nevermore is set early on in season two and I think it would have made a fun episode seeing the brothers in their younger days.  Favorite moments: p. 171, "Sam shrugged as he sipped his coffee. "What can I tell you, Dean, it [The Murders in the Rue Morgue] was revolutionary at the time. And hey, if it wasn't for that story we probably wouldn't have CSI today." "No loss," Dean said. "There's better things on Thursday nights anyhow."; and p. 245, Sam gets to pick their aliases for a change and they are Archie Leach and Marion Morrison (the real names of Cary Grant and John Wayne).  I definitely want to try more of the Supernatural tie-in novels in the future.



I read this novel from August 10 - August 12 and my review is also on Goodreads


.
❋ ❋ 

Do you like noir, pulp, The Shadow, Watchmen, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, steampunk/ decopunk, Sin City, and Batman?  Then I have a feeling that you'll love getting to know The Ghost, our lead character and vigilante of Ghosts of Manhattan.  The story moves along at a lightning fast pace and it's a lot of fun, especially when it comes to the fight and chase scenes.  The only down side is the characters, they were a little too flat when it came down to it.  The tale is very visual and I think it could make a really cool movie.  I may be continuing on to book two, Ghosts of War, in the future.



I read this novel from August 12 - August 13, 2017 and my review is also on Goodreads.


Overall with this challenge, I actually enjoyed my two tv tie-in novels the most, the characters were exactly right for both. Have you ever taken part in the Make Me Read It Readathon?  Have you read any of the books I tackled earlier this month?  As always thanks very much for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below.

Comments

  1. Hi Lauren! I'm soooo pleased you like the 1st Supernatural book, I've got that too and haven't read it yet, but it's one of those books I really want to like as I love Superatural!

    I think it's kind of cool you also like Dr Who!

    Hope you have a good Monday x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sassy! :)

      I hope you like Nevermore as much as I did! The Doctor is cool!

      Delete
  2. You did so well for the readathon! Keeping track of who is who and who's doing what can be so complicated sometimes! I struggle most with it when I'm reading fantasy graphic novels. It seems like it wouldn't be a problem considering that they are drawn out, but I always forget everyone's names and have to refer back! :) This post definitely made me want to give Supernatural another go. I tried watching it a year or two ago, and only made it 5 episodes. I personally like tv shows to have a over-arching plot, and the series felt a bit too episodic for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Genni!
      I know what you mean - I have a hard enough times with names in the real world myself!
      You definitely need to stick it out for Supernatural, Genni!

      Delete
  3. I think I have that Doctor Who one on my shelf, it's high time I read it.

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