Trope-ical Readathon - Team Fantasy - August 2023 Round Wrap Up & Mini Reviews

Hello everyone!  Today I'm sharing my Wrap Up & Mini Reviews August 2023 round of the Trope-ical Readathon which is hosted by @jenjenreviews and @bookrob13.  It ran the entire month of August and I'm joined Team Fantasy for this round.  

Like previous rounds, there were fifteen total challenges to complete - two team challenges and thirteen common challenges.  Each team also had two choices for your Team Book read as well.  I managed to complete 10 books in total for a grand total of 3,692 points earned for my team. You can also follow the official Trope-ical Readathon on Twitter and with the hashtag #TropeicalReadathon.  Without further ado, let's get to my tbr: 

Team Book:

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To Shape A Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit #1) by Moniquill Blackgoose was a novel that wasn't on my radar much before I decided to read it for the August 2023 Tropeical Readathon, but I absolutely loved it!  I had no particular expectations for it for it at all going into the story, but it reeled me in right off the bat.  Historical fantasy is one of my favorite genres and this is an excellent way to start off a brand new YA series.  I absolutely loved getting to know all of the characters, but the world-building was my favorite aspect.  I felt like I could practically walk right into that academy with  Anequs herself.  I can't wait to see where this series goes and I will have to read everything this author writes from here on out.  I can't recommend this book enough!

My review is also on Goodreads.

Team Challenges:

1. Read A Book With The "Portal Fantasy" Trope

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The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher quickly became one of my favorite reads of 2023.  I've read quite a few of this author's books and I loved all of them but I think this one now tops my list as a new favorite.  The world-building is outstanding and quite visual with such a creepy and unsettling atmosphere.  I also loved getting to know the characters and fell in love with both Kara (aka Carrot) and Simon, who is delightful and the real MVP of the story.  I don't want to spoil anything, but this is a must read for fans of this author, horror, and even Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.  

My review is also on Goodreads.

2. Read A Book With A Non-Human Main Character

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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: The Druid's Call by E.K. Johnston was a cool and heartbreaking look into Doric's past.  I really loved the movie and I've really lucked out with these prequel books because they've been pretty great so far.  I hope we'll get to see more of them in the future because that would be delightful.

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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Anglo-Saxon England by Jennifer Laing and Lloyd Laing is interesting history book, but the style of the writing wasn't quite for me.  There were certain things I was looking forward to reading when it came to those early kings and royalty, but it just wasn't there.

My review is also on Goodreads.

2. Hand-Picked Crew or A Cover Buy Book

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The Baby in the Icebox and Other Short Fiction by James M. Cain  is a book I totally picked up for it's title and that cover when I spotted it at a used book sale.  I didn't quite realize going in just how short some of the pieces of short fiction were going to be.  While this was decent, it was mostly just overwhelming considering how much I liked other novels from this author.

My review is also on Goodreads.

3. The New Kid In Town or A Genre You Don't Usually Read

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DNF'd @ p. 52

I've never read Love Story (I have seen the movie though), but Oliver's Story (Love Story #2) by Erich Segal  was just plain irritating.

My review is also on Goodreads.

6. Recent Loss or A Recent (2023) Release

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The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson is a fun and funny sci-fi fantasy standalone novel.  I don't want to give to much away, but I really enjoyed exploring the world that our main character has found himself in and comparing it to real life.  I liked how the chapters were broken up with bits from the handbook itself.  Sometimes the sense of humor didn't always land though for me.  Overall, though, this was pretty dang fun.

My review is also on Goodreads.

9. Found Family or A Book In A Series.

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Grounded! (Nicole Shea #2) by Chris Claremont didn't need to be quite so long but it was still a decent sequel to Firstflight.  Nicole Shea still reminds me of Captain Marvel.  I'll definitely be back for the final book in the trilogy to see how it all ends.

My review is also on Goodreads.

10. Food Themes or Devour A Book In 24 Hours

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I love  All Creatures Great and Small and it's just delightful to read anything at all from this author.  James Herriot's Yorkshire by James Herriot was just a nice read.  It's good to read a little more of the real life towns that inspired his stories.

My review is also on Goodreads.

13. Retelling or TV Or Movie Adaptation

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Mickey 7 (Mickey 7 #1) by Edward Ashton is pretty crazy, but really cool too.  The concept of it definitely pulled me right in, but I wouldn't say it's quite right to compare it to The Martian or Dark Matter though.  It does have a sense of humor that reminds me of Andy Weir at times, but I definitely had "The Rebel Flesh" and "The Almost People" episodes of Doctor Who in the back of my mind while I was reading this.  Overall, I can't wait to jump into the sequel and read other works from this author in the future.  Plus, I'm looking forward to how the upcoming movie adaption will go.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Are you taking part in this readathon?  Have you read any of these books?  What one should I read first?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!