Disney-a-Thon: Team Hercules Reviews & Team Beauty And The Beast TBR

Happy Saturday everyone!  I hope everyone is staying healthy.  It's now midway through the month of August and I've completed my first Disney-a-Thon map for Team Hercules!  You can see my original TBR post here.  Since we're only half of the way through the month, I thought I'd try to tackle a second map and Team Beauty and the Beast is just calling my name.  Keep reading to see my mini thoughts on my Team Hercules reads and my Team Beauty and the Beast TBR:

Team Hercules Mini Reviews:

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I'm so glad I finally had the opportunity to come back to this story and complete it after listening to that audiobook sample so long ago.  The Darwin Elevator (Dire Earth Saga #1) by Jason M. Hough reminded me just how much I enjoyed the author's writing style. He writes action very well and is great at building and fleshing out an intriguing core cast of characters.  His world building of future Darwin, Australia is pretty good as well. At least, this time I have the second and third books in this series on my shelf ready to pick up at any time since book one ends on such a cliffhanger.  

My review is also on Gooreads.

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Mistborn (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson is one of those books (and authors) that has been recommended to me over and over, but for some reason I kept putting it off.  Maybe I was intimidated by the hype, but I do know now that I shouldn't have sat on this for so long because it was absolutely brilliant.  The world-building, the characters, the magic system, and everything in between is truly fantastic.  I'm glad I have copies of the rest of the first trilogy on my shelf so I won't have to wait too long to jump into them.  I can't wait to read The Well of Ascension and more from Sanderson in the future.

My review is also on Goodreads.

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Sworn in Steel (Tales of the Kin #2) by Douglas Hulick is a great sequel and finale to the Tales of the Kin series.  I read the first installment Among Thieves ages ago and I finally decided to jump back into Drothe's world and I'm glad I did.  The characterizations are great and the world-building is pretty outstanding.  I wish there was a map to reference though.  If you're a fan of The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch you may want to give this a try.

My review is also on Goodreads.

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This Coven Won't Break (These Witches Won't Burn #2) by Isabel Sterling is a great sequel and finale to the YA LGBT+ paranormal fantasy These Witches Won't Burn. It was so good to see these characters again and learn more of their world.  The characters are my favorite element of this fantasy and I really appreciated that they've grown and communicate pretty well all things considered.  Yes, the reveal isn't all that much of a surprise, but I liked seeing the characters get there and the journey they undertake in this novel.  I know the series is a duology, but I wouldn't mind getting to see more of Hannah and company in the future.  The two novels of this duology are real gems and definitely deserve all the love they can get. 

My review is also on Goodreads.

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I was really looking forward to Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor.  I loved the Daughter of Smoke & Bone series to death so I had sky high expectations for this.  Plus, it has some of the fantastic reviews.  Unfortunately, I felt like I must have read a different book compared to everyone else.  There's so much potential for this to be on the same level as that other series, but it just never got there.  I was never hooked or drawn into Lazlo's story.  The first quarter of the book was doing well, but after that it slowed way down and practically bored me.  I felt like a lot could have been trimmed down and it wouldn't have actually hurt the overall story line.  I also listened to the audiobook production of the novel.  I wasn't the biggest fan of the narrator's performance, so I do wonder how much of my opinions here are tied to that performance.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Team Beauty and the Beast TBR:

Belle: Read a book with a grand adventure

My choice: Uprooted by Naomi Novik - I've heard so many great thing about this and I've been putting it off for way too long.

Beast: Read a book with a misunderstood character

My choice: Hawk of May (Down the Long Wind #1) by Gillian Bradshaw - I can never resist an Arthurian retelling, and this one features Gwaine.

Lumiere: Read a book you predict will be a 5 star

My choice: Night Watch (Discworld #29) by Terry Pratchett - I love this series so much and it's always good to see Sam Vimes.

Cogsworth: Read a book where time is running out for a character

My choice: Ill Wind (Weather Warden #1) by Rachel Caine - I'm really looking forward to starting this new to me urban fantasy series by one of my favorite authors.

Chip: Read the group book 

My choice: A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers #2) by Brigid Kemmerer - I loved the first book in this series and can't wait to see where it goes.

Have you read any of these books and are you taking part in this readathon?  What are you reading this weekend?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!