Happy Sunday everyone! Today I'm sharing my wrap up and mini reviews for the Reindeer Readathon which ran all of December. It's hosted by Erik @ Breakeven Books with some help from Noelle, Christine & Mo, Kristin, Hannah, and Vanessa. I was on Team Nutcracker, hosted by Christine & Mo. Overall, I had a great reading month - I earned all the points available to me for a grand total of 295 points. You can check out my original tbr here. Keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read this month:
DASHER - 15 PTS - Read a book where the title contains one of the first 5 words you see in the word grid on page 4. Must be a word from the list.
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Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes #0) by Travis Baldree was just plain delightful. Viv is a bit different in this story, but it's great to get to see her journey to who she eventually becomes. I would definitely read all of those books within the story too. Plus, that epilogue just made me smile.
My review is also on Goodreads.
DANCER - 15 PTS - Read a book with a title that has at least 5 words in it + bonus points for Christmas Elf (15pts)
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The Circus of Stolen Dreams by Lorelei Savaryn was a fun dreamy take on the sandman. I've probably had this on my shelf for the last couple of years and I'm glad I finally decided to give it a try. If you're looking for a good MG fantasy, you'll have to try this.
My review is Goodreads.
PRANCER - 10 PTS - Read a book set in a place you have never been + bonus points for Christmas Tree (20pts)
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Almost Heaven: The Story of Women in Space by Bettyann Holtzmann Kevles doesn't quite hook you as well as other books on the topic that I've read, but it's still a fascinating read. I definitely appreciated that it features Soviet and American space programs. If you liked this piece of history, I also recommend The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush.
My review is also on Goodreads.
VIXEN - 20 PTS - Read a book you have been putting off + bonus points for Christmas Star (25pts)
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Bloodmarked (Legendborn #2) by Tracy Deonn was amazing! I couldn't have asked for a better sequel because it's absolutely perfect. I shouldn't have put it off for so long! Now it's just a waiting game until 2025 for book 3. If you haven't read this sequel yet, what are you waiting for?
My review is also on Goodreads.
COMET - 20 PTS - Read a book that starts with the same letter as your star sign (eg. L for Leo or V for Virgo). Determiner words are optional.
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Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor is a solid read, but unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping to. It's probably my least favorite from Okorafor. It just didn't hook me in the same way the other books I've read from her have. I did like reading about the city of Lagos though.
My review is also on Goodreads.
CUPID - 15 PTS - Read a book that has multiple points of view.
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The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power #1) by V.E. Schwab was one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2023. I was so nervous about it, but I shouldn't have been because it is easily one of my favorite reads of the year. It is a wonderful return to an all time favorite world. As much as I enjoyed meeting our new characters, I have to say that it was just nice to see some of my favorite characters again. So much has changed from when we first met them, as well as when we last saw them in A Conjuring of Light which is set seven years ago from when this new story begins. Kell has really had to adapt after we last saw him, that's for sure. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that of the returning cast I was probably the most invested in Alucard's role in the story. If you haven't started in on this new series, what are you waiting for?! I can't wait to see what's next in the series and I don't know how I'll stand the wait.
My review is also on Goodreads.
DONNER - 15 PTS - Read a book with multiple animals on the cover + bonus points for Christmas Lights (15pts)
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The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North and Erica Henderson is a comic I've been told to read forever and I finally decided to jump in. I'm so glad I did because it's just a lot of fun! Doreen Green is delightfully refreshing. I really want to see her team up with either Kamala Khan or Kate Bishop - maybe she already has and I just need to get caught up!
My review is also on Goodreads.
BLITZEN - 20 PTS - Roll a dice or use a random number generator (numbers 1-6). The number you get multiplied by 100 is the minimum amount of pages the book needs to have + bonus points for Christmas Carols (20pts)
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Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz is an engaging historical wartime thriller for MG or younger YA readers. I'm glad I decided to read more from this author after enjoying Grenade. The audiobook production is good, but I wish the narrator didn't speak with his American accent when he wasn't speaking directly in our Irish main character's voice or other character voices because that kind of took me out of the story until I got used to it. Regardless, the narrator still had a great voice for it either way. Also, if you read this, you can't miss the notes section at the back. I have to get caught up on Alan Gratz's work.
My review is also on Goodreads.
RUDOLPH - 20 PTS - Read a book that came out before you were born or a book that came out in 2023.
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I was really looking forward to Flight of Icarus (Stranger Things #6) by Caitlin Schneiderhan just because Eddie was easily the stand out character of Stranger Things season 4. This prequel novel is set around 2 years before season 4, approximately the time Will has disappeared. It mostly worked for me, but there are some things I could have done without particularly the romance side plot. That said I really appreciate Eddie's growth in the last few chapters. He starts to become the Eddie we know in the tv series. I really want to rewatch season 4 now, even though we all know how it ends.
My review is also on Goodreads.
SLEIGHING IT - 50 PTS - If you have completed all of your prompts and the Christmas bonus prompts, you can redo one prompt of your choice for extra points
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The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi was disappointing. The first 25-30% was good, but after that not so much. Also, I'd argue that the story didn't match up with its official description either.
My review is also on Goodreads.
Did you participate in this year's Reindeer Readathon? Have you read any of these books? As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!
So glad you loved Bookshops & Bonedust too!
ReplyDeleteIt was amazing!
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