Mythothon - Team Merlin Wrap Up & Mini Reviews

Hello everyone! Today, I'm sharing my wrap up and mini reviews for Mythothon which ran for the entire month of April and was hosted by Louise @ Foxes and Fairy Tales.  This round was based on Arthurian mythology and I was part of Team Merlin where I completed 11 of 15 books. You can see my original TBR here.  I think I did a pretty great job and read some good books along the way.  Keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I completed for this readathon:

Team Merlin Prompt - Read a book with a witch or wizard.

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Hollow Empire (Poison Wars #2) by Sam Hawke is a great wrap up to a wonderful fantasy duology. It was so great to be back in this world and see these characters again.  As with its predecessor, Hawke's world-building is absolutely outstanding. I can't wait to see whatever Sam Hawke decides to do next because I can just about guarantee it will be fantastic.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Quest Prompts:

Sir Lancelot (Arthur’s greatest companion) — Read a book from a favorite author.

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I'll be the first to say that this little collection of short stories is unnecessary.  But I 100% loved being back in this world with How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (The Folk of the Air #3.5) by Holly Black. The stories have such a magical quality and it's fun to see things from Cardan's perspective. Holly Black is one of my favorite authors and she does a wonderful job of bringing us back one last time to this series.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Sir Gawain (Known as the Green Knight) — Read a book with the color green on the cover or in the title.

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Rod Serling was such an intriguing figure and I really liked the sound of this biography, Rod Serling: The Dreams and Nightmares of Life in the Twilight Zone by Joe Engel. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the author's writing style or tone. Perhaps I was expecting a higher level of professionalism.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Sir Bors (Arthur’s successor) — Read a sequel.

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It was easy to jump into Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by Robin LaFevers although it's been so long since I read Grave Mercy.  I really enjoyed LaFevers brand of historical fiction and fantasy.  It's always intriguing to see out what's inspired by the real world.  I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how this series concludes.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Sir Lamorak (one of the best knights but overlooked in the chivalric romance genre) — Read a book you think is under-hyped.

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I'm always in the lookout for new to me urban fantasy and I'm glad I just happened to stumble upon this series opener, Unshapely Things (Connor Grey #1) by Mark Del Franco. It's a little too slow at times, but otherwise it's worth jumping into Connor's world. I'm looking forward to the sequel because I think this has the potential to become a great series.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Sir Kay (Arthur’s foster brother) — Read a book with a significant sibling relationship.

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I've heard a lot of great things about I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez and I'm glad I decided to finally try it. It's easily one of my favorite YA Contemporary reads of 2021, so I don't know why I put it off for so long considering that it was originally released back in 2017. It handles its tough subject matter in a realistic way and you won't want to look away from Julia's story. Also, I know I've said it before but I feel like I need to learn more Spanish than the smattering I know.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Sir Gareth (the youngest knight) — Read a recent addition to your TBR.

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I was expecting something much different than I ended up with in The Rise and Fall of the Gallivanters by M.J. Beaufrand. It was still interesting to read a book set in 1983 featuring a punk band - that was a first for me. I'm not all that familiar with the music genre to begin with, but either way it seemed almost too modern.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Sir Bedivere (returns Excalibur to Nimue) — Read a book with something pointy on the cover.

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DNF'd @ p. 51

The Barrow (The Barrow #1) by Mark Smylie is a grimdark epic fantasy that just didn't work for me. I only read the prologue which was a whole 51 pages, but I wasn't a fan of the writing style. It's kind of a slog to get through it. I wasn't interested in the characters or the world to enough to keep going for another 602 pages. Plus, it comes across like it's trying much too hard to let you know exactly just how very grim and dark it really is and that just didn't do the trick and hook me into continuing on with the story.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Sir Tristan (falls in love with Isolde) — Read a book with a romance that should be legendary.

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Twilight of Avalon (Twilight of Avalon #1) by Anna Elliott  was such a pleasant surprise. I loved every second of this novel. I'm always on the look out for new to me historical fantasy and Arthurian retellings, and when I just happened to spot all three books in this series at a local Friends of the Library sale I couldn't resist taking them home with me. I mean, just look at that cover - it just begs you to read it. This novel follows the next generation after the fall of Arthur and Camelot and features the story of Trystan and Isolde. Isolde is a fantastic character. I loved where this author takes the story and the cast and I can't wait to dive into book two, Dark Moon of Avalon.

My review is also on Goodreads.


Sir Gaheris (“the least well spoken of all his peers”) — Listen to an audiobook or read part of a story aloud.

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DNF'd @ p. 50

I was really looking forward to Dirty Magic (Prospero's War #1) by Jaye Wells \, but unfortunately it just wasn't working for me.  I liked the sound of this one, but for whatever reason the tone was really off putting for me.  It's too bad because I thought this was going to be right in my wheelhouse.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Camelot — Read a book set in a place you’ve never visited. 

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DNF'd @ p.106

I wasn't at all familiar with Gertrude Bell before starting in on this, but I was interested in learning more because it sounds like she lived quite a life. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into the author's writing style in Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally to Lawrence of Arabia by Janet Wallach. Subject matter that should have been at least a little exciting became dull, tedious, and boring. I couldn't handle another 300 pages of more of the same. Plus, Gertrude's voice is grating.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Did you take part in this readathon?  Have you read any of these books?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!