Hey y’all!
Wow, September went by in a blur! I feel like the month just started and I didn’t get anything accomplished. I mean, I know that’s not really true, but I still can’t believe it’s officially fall again.
I had such a huge focus on mythothon during the month, and I’m happy to say that I completed 10/11 books, finishing the main set of prompts, and actually sticking to my TBR, so I’ll call this one a success (and honestly probably the first time I’ve actually been successful in a readathon aside from Pondathon back a couple of years ago).
Thorn by Intisar Khanani
I didn’t know anything about this one going into it, other than it was a Goose Girl retelling, but it took me longer to read than I hoped. I didn’t hate it, but it definitely wasn’t a favorite. As someone who did not know the original story material, it had decent plot twists, and for the most part, I liked Thorn as a character, but it was a bit too slow. Definitely one of those “it’s not you, it’s me” feelings. I think in reality it was just too long and I wanted to be done with the story much earlier.
Scales & Scoundrels Volume 1: Where Dragons Wander by Sebastian Girner
This is the story of a girl who liked to wander… And that’s honestly the entire plotline as it turns out. I loved the artwork, it was easy to follow the story, and Lu was a good character to journey with. Definitely a good fantasy adventure, and I’ll be looking forward to the next volume once my library has it available.
Animorphs: The Predator by K.A. Applegate
Book 5 is our first book told my Marco’s POV. The jokester of his friends, the one in the group who never wanted to be an Animorph, who wants nothing more than to protect his father – the only family he has left. But in this story, he finds his reason to fight. I actually enjoy Marco’s POV with his use of humor to hide his emotions.
Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen & Faith Erin Hicks
What happens when two unlikely friends get pitted against each other to secure the funds for their teams? A lot of shenanigans, some questionable school politics, and… running away on Thanksgiving? I enjoyed the art, the story was full of humor, and despite all they throw at each other, it’s easy to see it’ll take so much more to break our boys’ friendship.
Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food and Love
A collection of short stories interwoven together, all taking place on Hungry Row, where food is an important part of life. Some of the stories were so-so, some were great (Sandhya Menon never misses for me), and some made me really question the whole “love” part of it (“The Missing Ingredient”, yes I’m looking at you…) Regardless, each was unique with their own spin on the importance of food.
Festival of Shadows: A Japanese Ghost Story by Atelier Sentô
Each villager has a year to identity the ghost they must help and guide them to eternal peace. Naoko’s first year went horribly, but this year she has another chance and will do everything possible to succeed. I knew nothing about this one going into it, but it was both touching and heartbreaking. I loved how the story was divided into seasons, and the graphics grew on me by the end of the story. There definitely could have been more story, but overall, I enjoyed it.
Unnecessary Drama by Nina Kenwood
I saw way too much of myself in anxiety-ridden, rule abiding Brooke. However, I loved her as our MC, the presentation of anxiety and spiraling was so relatable, and both the friendships and sister relationship was so real and genuine and I really enjoyed this. As far as rom-coms and enemies to lovers I’ve read lately, this is probably closer to the top of my list of those I enjoyed.
Whatever After: Two Peas in a Pod by Sarah Mlynowski
In book 11, Abby and Jonah visit the world of The Princess and the Pea where Abby accidently gets crowned princess and has to set up a test to find the true princess to rule. As always, this was a quick and adorable read with plenty of life lessons learned!
Wings of Olympus by Kallie George
I read this (well, listened to the audiobook) for my “mythology” book prompt, and it did not disappoint. Fast paced and heartfelt, this book follows orphan Pippa as she’s chosen to race in the winged horse races on Mount Olympus. She’ll do anything to make sure to protect and stay with Zephyr. Also, the cover artwork is stunning.
The Hunter’s Curse by Jamie Lee Fry
This was an ARC I received through BookSiren and sequel to The Bloodline Curse I read last month. I think I enjoyed this one slightly more than the first book, but I’ll have a review up soon!
~ Currently Reading ~
One of Us is Back by Karen M. McManus
This is the only book I didn’t finish for Mythothon. I only made it a few chapters in. I’m not far enough to comment much story-wise, but I will admit that the only reason I didn’t force myself to finish by the end of the month is because it wasn’t drawing me in like the previous two books, and I didn’t want to worsen my experience with this one by forcing myself to read it by a deadline.
This was definitely a lot of reading in a month, so I’m sorta glad the month is over because now I get to work on other things, like Inktober, NaNoWriMo prep, and finally getting around to some Disney+ shows and anime I’ve been meaning to watch.
How was your September reading month? Have you read anything from my wrap-up? Let me know in the comments!
My Thing About Books 