Hey guys! I honestly can’t believe April is already over and we are on our 2nd day in May. I swear these months are just flying by. It’s crazy to me. Anyway, in April I ended up participating in OWLS Magical Readathon. I did end up switching some books because I didn’t like a couple I picked. Some of the books I read I loved and a couple I really didn’t like at all. I ended up reading 10 out of 12 of the categories. I feel if I ended up enjoying a couple of the books more I probably could have got in another book or 2. I am super excited to say that I did pass all the OWLS for my career which is Auror. I am excited to do the next readathon. So let’s dive in!
Ancient Runes – Retelling
The Princess Bride By William Goldman
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, Romance, Humor
Pages: 389 pages
Publication Date: July 15 2003
Publisher: Ballantine Books
My Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Plot: What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be…well…a lot less than the man of her dreams?
As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad’s recitation, and only the “good parts” reached his ears.
Now Goldman does Dad one better. He’s reconstructed the “Good Parts Version” to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.
What’s it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.
In short, it’s about everything.
My Thoughts: So I was really excited for this. I even put it on my 5 star prediction list. So I am sad to say I didn’t end up enjoying this. It just felt super all over the place. I ended up being very uninterested in the story. I thought I would enjoy this because I really like the movie. This is one of this times where I like the movie better than the book.
Astronomy – ‘Star’ in the title
The Sun is Also a Star By Nicola Yoon
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction
Pages: 384 pages
Publication Date: November 1 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press
My Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.
The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?
My Thoughts: I decided to read this because of the movie coming out. I really wanted to like it but man I just could care less about the romance of this book. I was a lot more interested in their individual lives. I don’t want to say too much because I want to write a review about this.
Care of Magical Creatures – Land animal on the cover
Last Girl Lied To By Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, Thriller
Pages: 352 pages
Publication Date: April 16 2019
Publisher: Imprint
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Something made him angry that night.
Something made her cry.
Something made Trixie disappear.
What if it was all the same thing?
Fiona claims she doesn’t remember anything about the night her best friend left a party early and walked into the ocean. But the truth is, she wishes she could forget.
Trixie’s disappearance is ruled a suicide, but Fiona starts to believe that Trixie isn’t really dead. Piecing together the trail of a girl who doesn’t want to be found leads her to Jasper, Trixie’s former friend with benefits, and Beau—the boy who turned Fiona down, who loved someone else, who might be happy Trixie is gone.
The closer Fiona gets to finding out what happened, and the closer she gets to Jasper and Beau, the more she realizes that the girl she knew better than anyone may have been a carefully constructed lie—and she might have been waiting to disappear the entire time.
Told in alternating chapters between the past and the present, Last Girl Lied To is a gripping emotional thriller.
My Thoughts: So I orginally wasn’t planning to count this towards the readathon. Then Jenna told me she’s counting a book with people on for this challenege so I thought why not. I honestly feel I probably would have dnfed this book if I didn’t end up reviewing it. Overall I thought it was alright. It wasn’t mindblowing. I do have to say I was surprised a couple times but nothing that made my jaw drop. I felt the writing was very basic. Thankfully chapters were pretty short so that helped a bit to move things along.
Charms – Read an adult work *
My Sister, the Serial Killer By Oyinkan Braithwaite
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Cultural, Contemporary,
Pages: 226 pages
Publication Date: November 20 2018
Publisher: Doubleday Books
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Plot: My Sister, the Serial Killer is a blackly comic novel about how blood is thicker – and more difficult to get out of the carpet – than water…
When Korede’s dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what’s expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This’ll be the third boyfriend Ayoola’s dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede’s long been in love with him, and isn’t prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other…
My Thoughts: I am so happy to have had a 5 star read during this readathon. I really was up and down with what I read so this made me extremely happy. This book was such a surprise. It starts you off right away with Korede, the main character, helping her sister, Ayoola, who just killed her boyfriend. So it starts you off in this crazy situation and just goes from there. I don’t want to say too much for this either because I’d like to review it but boy was this enjoyable.
Defence Against The Dark Arts – Title starts with an ‘R’*
Genre: Comic, Horror, Historical Fiction
Pages: 120 pages
Publication Date: October 3rd 2018
Publisher: AfterShock Comics
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Volume Three of the hit series!
It’s 1906 and Theodore Roosevelt is the sitting president when a familiar face from his past asks him to call upon his team, the ROUGH RIDERS, to save the world once again. But this time, the threat isn’t anarchists or aliens, no, it’s something from the great beyond, the next world after this one, from Death itself. Something so ancient and evil that the Rough Riders will need to add to their ranks in hope of defeating it.
Enter: A young HP Lovecraft! With Lovecraft riding at their side into danger, the Rough Riders must face a supernatural threat that could lead to the end of everything!
My Thoughts: I feel this is such an underrated comic series. I mean I never see people talk about it and I’m shocked. It’s ridiculous but you can’t help but enjoy every second of it. It’s people you would never think to put together working so well together. It’s just such a good time. I feel this would be such fun required reading at school.
Herbology – Plant on the cover*
The Devouring Gray By Christine Lynn Herman
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT, Paranormal
Pages: 368 pages
Publication Date: April 2 2019
Publisher: Titan Books
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: On the edge of town a beast haunts the woods, trapped in the Gray, its bonds loosening…
Uprooted from the city, Violet Saunders doesn’t have much hope of fitting in at her new school in Four Paths, a town almost buried in the woodlands of rural New York. The fact that she’s descended from one of the town’s founders doesn’t help much, either—her new neighbours treat her with distant respect, and something very like fear. When she meets Justin, May, Isaac, and Harper, all children of founder families, and sees the otherworldly destruction they can wreak, she starts to wonder if the townsfolk are right to be afraid.
When bodies start to appear in the woods, the locals become downright hostile. Can the teenagers solve the mystery of Four Paths, and their own part in it, before another calamity strikes?
My Thoughts: So I had my eye on this book but I wasn’t sure if I was going to pick it up. I ended up hearing a lot of people saying how good it was. So I decided to join a buddy read for this. I ended up really enjoying it. It gave me some serious Stranger Things vibes which was fun. I liked that we got the different perspectives. Overall a great spooky vibe read. I am very excited to see what’s going to happen next.
History of Magic – Published at least 10 years ago
Chew, Vol. 1: Taster’s Choice By John Layman & Rob Guillory
Genre: Comic, Mystery, Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Humor
Pages: 128 pages
Publication Date: December 8 2009
Publisher: Image Comics
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is Cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he’s a hell of a detective, as long as he doesn’t mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit, and why. He’s been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest, and most bizarre cases.
Collects CHEW issues #1-5.
My Thoughts: So I ended up really enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would. It was weird and gritty. I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of it. I tried finding the second volume because I really wanted to continue on with the series but it wasn’t at my nearest barnes and noble or the comic store I went to. I do hope to continue soon because that ending was wild!
Muggle Studies – Contemporary
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, Fiction
Pages: 308 pages
Publication Date: September 4th 2018
Publisher: Wednesday Books
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial―like podcast following the clues she’s left behind. And an ending you won’t be able to stop talking about.
Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.
But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.
When West McCray―a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America―overhears Sadie’s story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it’s too late.
Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page.
My Thoughts: So this was a book that was nonstop talked about last year. I knew I had to give it a go because I am a big fan of mysteries. I have to say overall I really enjoyed it but I didn’t love it. It was just missing something for me. I do have to say the writing was really well done. I also feel the audiobook really added to it and made it a lot more enjoyable. I felt they did such a great job. This is another book I don’t wanna say too much because I’d like to write a review for it.
Potions – Read a sequel *
The Vanishing Stair By Maureen Johnson
Genre: Mystery, Young Adult, Mystey
Pages: 384 pages
Publication Date: January 22 2019
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: All Stevie Bell wanted was to find the key to the Ellingham mystery, but instead she found her classmate dead. And while she solved that murder, the crimes of the past are still waiting in the dark. Just as Stevie feels she’s on the cusp of putting it together, her parents pull her out of Ellingham academy.
For her own safety they say. She must move past this obsession with crime. Now that Stevie’s away from the school of topiaries and secret tunnels, and her strange and endearing friends, she begins to feel disconnected from the rest of the world. At least she won’t have to see David anymore. David, who she kissed. David, who lied to her about his identity—son of despised politician Edward King. Then King himself arrives at her house to offer a deal: He will bring Stevie back to Ellingham immediately. In return, she must play nice with David. King is in the midst of a campaign and can’t afford his son stirring up trouble. If Stevie’s at school, David will stay put.
The tantalizing riddles behind the Ellingham murders are still waiting to be unraveled, and Stevie knows she’s so close. But the path to the truth has more twists and turns than she can imagine—and moving forward involves hurting someone she cares for. In New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson’s second novel of the Truly Devious series, nothing is free, and someone will pay for the truth with their life.
My Thoughts: So I was so excited to continue on with the Truly Devious series. I read the first book last year and ended up really enjoying it. Plus the ending left on a bit of a cliffhanger so I was ready for book two. Overall I enjoyed it but not as much as the first one. I am still excited to see what happens in book 3.
Transfiguration – Sprayed edges or red cover*
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Adult, Mystery, Paranormal, Contemporary, Horror
Pages: 305 pages
Publication Date: September 24 2014
Publisher: Ecco
My Rating: 1 out of 5 Stars
Plot: A tale of family, ghosts, secrets, and mystery, in which the lives of the living and the dead intersect in shocking, surprising, and moving ways
Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family—bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna—have arrived for their inheritance.
But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself—in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb.
The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide—with cataclysmic results.
My Thoughts: This is a book I should have dnfed. It was such a struggle to get through this and I barley remember anything I listened to. I just really did not like it. I felt this book ended up being way too sexual for what the story was actually about. It just felt very unnecessary to the story. I felt the author thought adding all that stuff would make it an adult title. I mean at one point one of the characters is taking about seeing his mom’s breasts. I mean was that really needed? Such a shame because I was looking forward to this one.
* – I had to read it for my career
I feel overall this was an enjoyable readathon. It did make me read a lot of books I wasn’t planning to read anytime soon. I did end up changing some of the books for these categories because I couldn’t get into them. I should have changed a couple of more instead of forcing myself to read the ones I really didn’t like. I know for next time. I am happy that I ended up passing all the exams for my career.
Did you end up participating in the OWLS Magical Readathon? If so how did you end up doing? If you have a post about it feel free to leave it down below! I’d love to see how other people did and what choices they made!
Bookish In Bed
Bookish In Bed 
I’m so impressed you read as many as you did when some were that bad 😦 I honestly don’t know if I would have finished if I had to read a second bad book. https://jkimexploring.wordpress.com/2019/05/01/owl-readathon-wrap-up/
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Congratulations on reading 10 books! I was “hoping” to read 10, but only managed 7 😀 At least I completed the exams necessary for my Auror career.
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I’m glad you had 2 x 5 star ratings otherwise this would have felt like a sad reading month!!
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