Happy Sunday everyone! I know it's been nearly a month since The Reading Rush (previously known as BookTubeAThon) ended on July 28th, but I just now remembered that I ought to share my final thoughts on the books that I read for the challenges. I read all of the books for all seven challenges, the only thing I didn't get to during the course of the readathon was watching the movie adaptation. I did watch the movie later on, though, when it became available to me via my local library, so I will share my thoughts on it down below as well. Keep reading to see my mini reviews from this readathon:
1. Read a book with purple on the cover
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Once & Future (Once & Future #1) by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy is so much fun and it has a great sense of humor. The pacing isn't always the best and tonally it jumps around a quite a bit, but overall it was totally worth picking up especially if you're into Arthurian legend at all. Once & Future is like a fun combination of the tv series Merlin, and the movies The Kid Who Would Be King and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel.
My review can also be found on Goodreads.
2. Read a book in the same spot the entire time
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Even though Kamala herself is missing for the first three issues of Ms. Marvel, Vol. 9: Teenage Wasteland by G. Willow Wilson, this volume overall still works. I enjoyed seeing her friends trying to fill her shoes during her absence because that's what superheroes are supposed to do. I was also pleased to see the return of the Red Dagger, Captain Marvel, and Bruno this series. I can't wait to see what's next up Kamala in volume ten.
My review can also be found on Goodreads.
3. Read a book you meant to read last year
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Dreadful Company (Dr. Greta Helsing #2) by Vivian Shaw is an awesome sequel to Strange Practice. I absolutely love this author's style. Her combination of urban fantasy and classic gothic horror is exactly up my alley. How she works in Varney the Vampire among others, and even a variety of French classic since a good deal of the action is set in Paris, into the modern urban fantasy is so cool. Greta, Ruthven, and Varney are all fantastic characters to follow, especially since we've already had the chance to get to know them by this point, but I especially adore Shaw's world building now that we're getting to know more of the wider world. Overall, I can't wait to see what happens in the next book, Grave Importance, which I was lucky enough to win via the Goodreads Giveaway program. I highly recommend the Dr. Greta Helsing series yet, especially if you're a fan of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
My review can also be found on Goodreads.
4. Read an author’s first book
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We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya #1) by Hafsah Faizal is a pretty fantastic debut novel. She certainly has a way with words, doesn't she? The setting and the magic are all so well described that they feel so real, as do the characters who could practically walk off the page. My only real issues here are the romance (no surprise there, to be honest) and the pacing is kind of all over the place. When it came to the pacing, it seemed as if the story could slow to a dead crawl and then jump up to break neck pace which admittedly can be a little jarring. Overall, though, I can't wait to see where this series will go and as far as I'm concerned We Free the Stars can't come soon enough.
My review can also be found on Goodreads.
5. Read a book with a non-human main character
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This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity #1) by Victoria Schwab is a great new series opener from one of my favorite authors. I don't know how she does it, but her writing style always draws me into her worlds right away and this YA novel is no different. I particularly love Kate and August, especially the fact that there's no romance between them at all. August, though, became my favorite of the two as he fights to be normal. I also love her highly detailed world-building, but there's still so much I'd love to know about the wider world and some more aspects about the monsters. Overall, if you can't resist morally gray worlds and characters, Schwab's previous works, and Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer, I highly recommend giving the Monsters of Verity series a try. Finally, I'm dying to read the sequel Our Dark Duet and, of course, all of Schwab's future projects.
My review can also be found on Goodreads.
6. Pick a book that has five or more words in the title
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The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins has to be one of the strangest and confusing books I've ever read. That said, you have to experience it for yourself especially if you're a fan of Neil Gaiman. I need to read more by Scott Hawkins.
My review can also be found on Goodreads.
7. Read and watch a book to movie adaptation
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I had no idea what to expect with this YA contemporary, but it's definitely worth your time. I've only read one illness romance and while I liked that particular story I'm glad this wasn't like that at all. I highly recommend Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, especially on audiobook because the production is fantastic.
My review can also be found on Goodreads.
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Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a thoughtful gem of a movie that hasn't gotten enough attention. I'm glad I finally had the opportunity to watch it. It's easily made my list of best YA movie adaptations. The book itself is pretty great as well, but personally I think I like it a little more as a movie. A good deal of that goes back all of the movie references and that we actually get to see the films that Greg and Earl make together. If you're going to watch a teen cancer movie, make it this one.
My review can also be found on Letterboxd.
Have you read any of these books or watched this film adaptation? Did you take part in The Reading Rush back in July? As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!
I loved Me and Earl, and I thought Andrews made smart changes from book to movie. Maybe it's me, but some of the best adaptations had a lot of the author's involvement. In the case of Earl, Andrews pretty much did it all. They even filmed it in his childhood home. I wanted to read this book after seeing Andrews at BookCon, and I was glad I did.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad he was involved. I had no clue about that being his childhood home... huh! :)
DeleteI need to get back to Ms. Marvel. It's been a while since I picked her up. I still haven't read We Hunt the Flame, but I think it's going to be my next read. I'm in the mood for a fantasy. Hope you have a lovely week!
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely worth jumping back into. I hope you like We Hunt the Flame! :)
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