Book Riot's 2019 Read Harder Challenge - January Update: Only Human & The Stone Sky

How is it already the end of January?  Wow! This month has gone fast!  Anyway, this means that I've completed 2 out of 24 books of Book Riot's 2019 Read Harder Challenge!  How is 2019 going by so quickly?!  The tasks I completed required me to read an epistolary novel or collection of letters and a book by a woman and/or AOC (Author of Color) that won a literary award in 2018.  For the tasks, I selected Only Human (Themis Files #3) by Sylvain Neuvel and The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth #3) by N.K. Jemisin.  Read on to see my mini reviews and what's next for February:

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Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel is the third and final installment of The Themis Files. The first two novels in the series were absolutely fantastic and I loved the epistolary style they're told in. The finale is formatted in the same way and it's a pretty great wrap up to the story, but unfortunately this was my least favorite novel of the trilogy. I wasn't into the alien world nearly as much as I hoped to be. It's not quite that I didn't like it, I just didn't really care all that much. It didn't quite turn out as I was hoping and I missed some key characters who didn't survive this long, particularly the Agent Smith-esque interviewer. Luckily, though, we still have Vincent. Overall, this series finale is still worth picking up but keep in mind that it isn't quite as fulfilling in the end.

I read this novel from January 1 - 3, 2019 and my review is also on Goodreads.

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The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin is the brilliant finale to The Broken Earth series. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better end to a marvelous series! This entire series has been absolutely brilliant. With this series, N.K. Jemisin has quickly become one of my favorite authors with these three novels. Her world-building and storytelling skills are absolutely amazing. If you haven't tried this series yet, it is entirely lives up to the hype. I also have nothing but great things to say about the audiobook production which is narrated by the talented Robin Miles.

I listened to this audiobook from January 6 - 7, 2019 and my review is also on Goodreads.

Next Up For February:

A book published prior to January 1, 2019, with fewer than 100 reviews on Goodreads

My choice: Reveal (Among Us Trilogy #3) by Anne-Rae Vasquez - This May 2018 release currently has 15 reviews on Goodreads.  I've loved the first two books in this series and I can't wait to jump into the sequel!

A novel by a trans or nonbinary author

My choice: All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders - I've been eyeing this fantasy novel ever since its release and now this challenge is finally giving me a good reason to try it.

Have you read any of these books?  Are you participating in the Read Harder Challenge this year, or have you in the past?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!