Happy Sunday everyone! Today I'm sharing my wrap up and mini reviews for both my August 2025 Bingo Round of the Trope-ical Readathon (which is hosted by Jenjenreviews) and Nevermore-athon (hosted by Chaos in Bookland with co-hosts amy from @AmyMcCaw, Barbora from @bookworm.wander, judith from @judithcakelover, and Elena from @they_read_and_spin). They both ran all of August. I read all of the books on my original tbrs which you can check out here for Trope-ical Readathon and here for Nevermore-athon. Keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read for these challenges:
Trope-ical Readathon
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The Briar King (Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone #1) by Greg Keyes has a lot of potential to be great, but it didn't make the cut. The dialogue style grated on me after a little while. It's like the author is trying to show off. Some authors can really do that with no issue and you're even happier for it, but here it comes off as more pretentious and like he's trying too hard more than anything else.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
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His Face is the Sun (Throne of Khetara #1) by Michelle Jabes Corpora was pretty cool. I can't resist Ancient Egyptian mythology, so this YA fantasy inspired by that made my day. It takes a bit to get going but once it picks up it gets good. As much as I liked getting to know the characters and their world, I'm not entirely sure though if I'm particularly interested in reading the sequel. I knew this was a series opener going in, but as I was reading it comes across as a standalone at least to me.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
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His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1) by Naomi Novik is a favorite read of 2025. This author has been kind of hit or miss for me in the past, but I'm glad I decided to try more from her because I absolutely loved this series opener. I can't wait to read the rest of the series! I wish I hadn't let this sit on my tbr for so long now.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
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The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford is a solid YA fantasy romance, but I honestly think I would have preferred it as a horror story if that makes sense. As it is though, it doesn't stand out all that much and feels very familiar.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
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Omega Days (Omega Days #1) by John L. Campbell is a pretty great post apocalyptic zombie horror story. I wasn't at all familiar with this author before I picked this (and its sequel) up from a thrift store, but it sounded intriguing. Luckily for me, it really reeled me in. The action and horror elements were great and it kept my attention. I'm looking forward to reading book two, Ship of the Dead.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
Nevermore-athon
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My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen hooked me right away. It's so creepy and I feel like I could cut the sense of dread with a knife it was so thick. I knew that it was set in the 1950s, but while listening to the audiobook I was sill surprised it wasn't set further back in the past. I'll absolutely have to read more from this author in the future.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
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Mina and the Undead (Mina and the Undead #1) by Amy McCaw is a solid and fun vampire read. The 1990s vibe really worked for me and I got a kick out of the horror references especially the Anne Rice stuff. As much as I liked it, I wished there was a bit more to it.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
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I really liked book one and I'm pleased to learn I loved book two, Vienna Blood (Liebermann Papers #2) by Frank Tallis even more. I love the characters and the setting in 1902 Vienna is very atmospheric. Plus, the social and political commentary that runs through this historical mystery all the more fascinating. I need to catch up on this series and start in on the tv adaptation soon.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
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Babylonia by Constanza Casati is one of those books where I think I liked the atmosphere of this story more than anything else, but I would have still liked more detail with some elements of the story. That said, if you're at all interested in retellings or just like historical fantasy, you can't miss this one.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
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I mean I like horror too, but what the heck! Anyway, The Midnight Game by Cynthia Murphy is a quick and addicting read but I wouldn't call it a favorite. Weirdly, I think I liked the mixed media elements the most.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
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The central mystery of The God of the Woods by Liz Moore is certainly compelling, but overall the book didn't live up to the hype for me. A good part of that is due to the group of pov characters we follow. I wasn't interested in any of them and now that I've finished the book feel like I can't really tell you anything in particular about them. This book also didn't need to be nearly 500 pages. The more it went on, the more it felt to me that it was dragging things out.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
Did you take part in either of these challenges? Have you read any of these books? As always, thanks very much for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!
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