Reindeer Readathon - Wrap Up & Mini Reviews

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Today I'm sharing my wrap up and mini reviews for the Reindeer Readathon which ran for the entire month of December.  It was hosted by Breakeven Books and I was on the Snowflake Team.  I managed to complete all of the books on my TBR and earned a grand total of 275 points.  You can see my original TBR here.  Read on to see my thoughts on the books I read:

DASHER - 10 PTS - A short story (or collection) or novella

❋ ❋

Overall, My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon edited by P.N. Elrod wasn't quite for me.  That said, I loved the Dresden Files story from Jim Butcher and Rachel Caine's story. Plus I think I'll have to start in on the Vampire Files by P.N. Elrod because that story was pretty cool.  The rest though just didn't make the entire collection worth it as a whole.

My review is also on Goodreads.

DANCER - 15 PTS - A book by one of your favorite authors (rereads count too)

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Battle Ground (The Dresden Files #17) by Jim Butcher is so close to a 5 star read that I wish we had half stars here. Basically, I'm taking away one star for Murphy's fate (still upset about that) and adding back a half a star for the Marcone reveal since he's always been a favorite. Now it's just another waiting game until the next novel is released and I can't wait to see what's next because there are so many changes here.

My review is also on Goodreads.

PRANCER - 20 PTS - A book with a travel element in it (vacation, quest etc.).

❋ ❋ ❋

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour is not at all a bad read.  It's pretty solid, in fact, but it still comes in as my least favorite book from this author.  The writing style was fine, but I wasn't invested in any of the characters in this story.  

My review is also on Goodreads.

VIXEN 20 PTS - A book that has recently caught your eye

❋ ❋

The Fossil by Greig Beck has a cool core idea.  It started off really well, but I wasn't as fond of where it went.  Luckily, it was a quick and short read though.  There were also some elements that I wish were developed further.

My review is also on Goodreads.

COMET - 15PTS - A 5 star prediction 

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Any Way the Wind Blows (Simon Snow #3) by Rainbow Rowell was a pretty great finale.  They were all sent off well, but I sure will miss Simon, Baz, and the whole gang.  Baz is easily my favorite character in this series and that's no different here, and I also really enjoyed reading more about his relationship with Simon.  I'm glad their communication skills have improved that's for sure.  Overall, it was a good journey.

My review is also on Goodreads.

CUPID - 25 PTS - Take a shot at reading a new author

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

The Patchwork Man by David Harper is a 1970s crime novel that I'd never heard of before I just happened to pick it up at a used bookstore.  As it turns out it's pretty good example of an American style giallo.  I'm going to have to be on the lookout for more from David Harper.

My review is also on Goodreads.

DONNER - 20 PTS - A book with green or red as the primary color on the cover

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Kinslayer (The Lotus Wars #2) by Jay Kristoff  was a great sequel.  I do appreciate this author's brand of Japanese inspired steampunk.  There are issues, but it's still quite imaginative and it pulls you in right away.  We meet quite a few new characters here and it's a dark read, but it's definitely worth sticking around for.  I don't know why I was putting this series (and this sequel) off for so long.  Now I'll have to get to the finale asap!

My review is also on Goodreads.

BLITZEN - 30 PTS - Choose at least 3 books and have one chosen randomly to read (for example, rolling a die, an online poll, your pets choosing etc.)

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely is an absolute must read.  In fact, it really ought to be required reading at the high school level.  I don't know why I've been sitting on this for so long, but it's still timely and very much ripped from the headlines.  It's tough, but the two authors handle the subject well.  It manages to be brutal, inspiring, and flat out powerful.  I have to get caught up on the works of Jason Reynolds and I'll have to read more from Brendan Kiely soon since this was my first experience with his work.  If you reading Tiffany D. Jackson, Angie Thomas, Kim Johnson, and Kwame Alexander, you'll have to give this a try.

My review is also on Goodreads.

RUDOLPH - 15 PTS - A standalone book

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

The Silver Blonde by Elizabeth Ross is easily one of my favorite 2021 releases.  I'm so glad I just happened to stumble across it via Libby because that was such a pleasant surprise.  It totally deserves so much more love.  If you're a fan of YA post-WWII set historical fiction, the behind the scenes of Classic Hollywood, and noir-tinged mysteries, this novel is an absolute must read.  I loved getting to know the characters and following the core mystery, but the real stand out here is the world-building.  When I talk about world-building, I usually reserve that for sci-fi or fantasy rather than historical fiction, but Elizabeth Ross really sets the bar for bringing Clara's 1946 Hollywood to life.  Overall, this novel is an absolute must-read and one of my favorites of the year.  I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.

My review is also on Goodreads.

For Bonus Points (which must be used in conjunction with an existing regular prompt):

Christmas Star (25 PTS) - A book over 500 pages: I will be applying this to the Comet prompt.

Christmas Lights (15 PTS) - A ebook: I will be applying this to the Rudolph prompt.

Christmas Carols (15 PTS) - An audiobook: I will be applying this to the Prancer Prompt

Sleighing It (50 PTS) - If you have completed all of your prompts and the Christmas Star, Christmas Lights and Christmas Carols bonus prompts, you can redo one prompt of your choice for extra points.

❋

Never Slow Dance With A Zombie by E. Van Lowe sounded like it could have been a fun parody, but honestly it just comes off as irritating. And for the most part that all goes back to Margot, our lead character, who is one of the most irritating leads I've had the chance to meet in quite a while. The real icing on the cake is that she treats her one friend, Sybil, like trash. Also all of the adult characters are either useless or incompetent. Then there's the zombie element which was really underwhelming, and half the time didn't follow the rules it set up for them either.

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!