There were fifteen total challenges to complete plus the team book, I managed to complete 9 books for a grand total of 3,803 points. You can check out my original TBR here. Without further ado, let's get to my thoughts on the book I completed:
Team Book:
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If you're looking for a slow burn atmospheric gothic haunted house story, She Is A Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran is well worth your time. I will definitely be looking into whatever this author cares to write in the future because this is quite a promising debut. I just wish I knew a little more about how the Vietnamese language sounds as I was reading the novel.
My review is also on Goodreads.
Team Challenges:
1. Read a book featuring the "cosmic horror" trope.
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Wrath of N'Kai (Arkham Horror #10) by Joshua Reynolds is another great installment of this series. I've never played any of the games, but I have been enjoying the Arkham Horror tie-in novels that I've read so far. While I wouldn't say that this isn't the best one, it's still worth a read. I love how atmospheric it is. I really liked getting to know Countess Alessandra Zorzi in this story.
My review is also on Goodreads.
2. Read a book featuring the "cold case" trope.
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The It Girl by Ruth Ware was one of my most anticipated reads. I love this author's writing style. I also love that the author takes a stab at dark academia which is a favorite with her brand of psychological thriller. I particularly loved the the before sections set during the main character's days at Oxford. I wouldn't quite call this one her best but it's still a must read if you're a fan her work. As always, I'm looking forward to seeing what Ruth Ware does next.
My review is also on Goodreads.
Common Challenges:
1. Absent/ Dead Parent(s) or A Book With More Than One Author.
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Soaring to Glory: A Tuskegee Airman's Firsthand Account of World War II by Philip Handleman and Harry T. Stewart is a memoir that I'm so glad I just happened to stumble upon at a thrift store. If you're at all interested in lesser known parts of history, particularly World War II and African-American history, this is a must read. The author sounds like a fascinating man who lived quite a life.
My review is also on Goodreads.
2. Love Triangle or Followers/ Friends Choose Between Two Books.
Leech by Hiron Ennes is a unique gothic horror novel. It wasn't quite what I was expecting and at times it's tricky to follow, but it's still worth your time. I've also heard this described as Wuthering Heights with worms and that description totally fits now that I've finished it. Somehow all of those elements work together. While this wasn't quite a favorite, I'm still looking forward to what Ennes does next because this was so promising.
My review is also on Goodreads.
4. Dark Academia or A Borrowed Book.
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Hell Bent (Alex Stern #2) by Leigh Bardugo was easily one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and luckily I can say that it's currently one of my favorite reads of the year so far. It's a fantastic sequel. I loved getting to know the cast more, seeing the team come together, and especially seeing Alex finally start to open up a little bit more with her friends. Overall, it's quite a ride with lots of twists to keep you guessing and hanging on to the edge of your seat. I don't want to spoil anything, but I highly recommend this and dying to see what's coming up next for these characters.
My review is also on Goodreads.
5. Holiday or Takes Place In Another Country.
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I liked the idea of Long Live the Pumpkin Queen: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas by Shea Ernshaw and it was fun to read about the other holiday towns, but overall this just doesn't have what makes the original movie a classic. It's very repetitive and kind of dull. Plus, some of character elements I love about the movie are missing or changed. The novel's reading level could also be more accurately described as Middle Grade rather than Young Adult. One thing that really bugged me that stood out the most was that Jack tells another character that he doesn't know who William Shakespeare is although Sally knows he has plenty of Shakespeare books. Jack just doesn't want to tell that character that Shakespeare's been dead for a few hundred years and break her heart. That doesn't feel like movie Jack at all to me. Another thing that annoyed me is that most of the Halloween Town residents don't have actual names like Sally or Jack but are just called things like Corpse Kid, Winged Demon, Mummy Boy, Vampire Prince, and many more.
My review is also on Goodreads.
6. Blast From The Past or A Book Published Before 2000.
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Death of an Ad Man by Alfred Eichler gets bumped up from three stars to four stars just for the last two pages alone. That was one heck of an ending! Very abrupt but it really works for the story. Also that was the first time in a long time I've seen the word "chiseling" used in that way as to mean swindling or conning.
My review is also on Goodreads.
7. Mixed Media or An Audiobook Or An Ebook.
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The Hunted (The Living #2) by Matt de la Pena is one of those books that I didn't quite know what to expect from it given what all went down in the first installment. I don't want to give away any of the surprises here, but I'm surprised that I actually preferred this sequel to book one. I also actually ended up liking how this duology ended even though that seems to be an unpopular opinion. I also recommend the production of the audiobook. The narrator Henry Leyva did a great job.
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!
Wow, you really did great on this readathon.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Wendy!
DeleteCongrats, looks like you did well! I'm glad you loved She is a Haunting. I haven't heard anyone talk about that book yet and now I want to read it😁
ReplyDeleteThanks! It definitely deserves more attention!
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