The Retellings Challenge Read-a-Thon Begins!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today is the first day of the Retellings Challenge Read-a-Thon! Grab your closest retelling and settle in for a week of fairy tales, myths, and historical characters! While the retellings you choose to read this week are totally up to you, it's recommended that you choose books that are already on your shelves, e-readers, or in your audiobook libraries since access to books is fairly limited at the moment. In case you've forgotten, here are the details:

• This read-a-thon will take place from Wednesday, May 13th at 12am (your time zone) through May 20th at 11:59pm.
• The goal of this read-a-thon is to read as many retellings as you can during the weeklong challenge.
• You can gain points for the giveaway by signing up, reading books, and participating in challenges! 
• You're encouraged to create a discussion topic for the books you're reading in the Goodreads group so discussion can take place!
• Challenges will be posted throughout the read-a-thon. Each challenge will gain you points.
• The final giveaway will be for any kindle ebook or physical book retelling of your choice up to $10.

GET THOSE POINTS!

• The first way to get a point is to sign up, which you can do by filling out this form if you haven't already! 
• Next, you can gain points for every book you complete! For fairness, longer books get you more points. Snag your points by filling out this form every time you complete a book! 
• Challenges will be posted here and in the Goodreads group throughout the challenge to gain additional points! 

Good luck and happy reading! 

Top Ten Tuesday #278: Books I DNFd

Today's Topic: 

The Last Ten Books I Abandoned

Happy Tuesday! It's no secret that I have no issues whatsoever with dropping a book I'm not enjoying. Whether it's because I'm bored out of my mind, the story isn't going anywhere, or the characters are just too stupid, I have a tendency to give up and move on when I just can't keep reading. Here are the ten most recent books I've DNFd! 

The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford

Universal Harvester by John Darnielle

After by Anna Todd

The Last by Hanna Jameson

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

East by Edith Pattou

The Haunted Forest Tour by James A. Moore and Jeff Strand

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Weekly (Monthly) Recap: 4/1 - 5/9

HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG

Hi everyone! It's been quite awhile since I've been around to do one of these. As you may know if you follow me on Twitter, things went absolutely off the rails after my last recap post. On April 6th my dog had surgery to repair a liver shunt, which took me away during his recover. Then, twelve days later, he began to have a new, scarier issue that landed him in the hospital for most of the next two weeks. Two specialists and way too much money later, we've found out that he has a GI disease but that it can be managed with diet, antibiotics, and probiotics. Things were really scary for awhile, but he's doing much better now! Hopefully I'll be back to blogging as normal now.

In other news, the world is still falling apart around us! This wonderful state I live in has decided to begin opening and even Disney Springs will begin phased opening on May 20th. Hurray! Everyone stay home.

You might have noticed a slight change around the blog! As sometimes happens, my header and color scheme have changed. I don't know exactly why a fox became my blog's mascot, but he's been with me for years now so he's here to stay. During all the madness, my blog actually hit six years! No giveaway just yet, but hurray for me, I guess! Here's hoping this year will be much better than the last.

NEW BOOKS THIS MONTH

   

THIS MONTH I READ

  

  

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The topic was books I love but don't talk about for Top Ten Tuesday
Audiobook review of Ember Queen
Yesterday I announced a Retellings Read-a-Thon


UPCOMING REVIEWS

We'll see what happens!

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I'm linking up to Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post!

Retellings Challenge Read-a-Thon

Happy Saturday, bookworms! Yes, I'm still alive. Things have been all over the place, but more on that in tomorrow's recap. Today I want to share that this month I will be hosting a retellings read-a-thon as part of the 2020 Retellings Reading Challenge! If you haven't already signed up for the challenge, you can do that HERE! And don't forget to join the Goodreads group to take part in the discussions that are sure to take place.

DETAILS

• This read-a-thon will take place from Wednesday, May 13th at 12am (your time zone) through May 20th at 11:59pm.
• The goal of this read-a-thon is to read as many retellings as you can during the weeklong challenge.
• You can gain points for the giveaway by signing up, reading books, and participating in challenges! 
• You're encouraged to create a discussion topic for the books you're reading in the Goodreads group so discussion can take place!
• Challenges will be posted throughout the read-a-thon. Each challenge will gain you points.
• The final giveaway will be for any kindle ebook or physical book retelling of your choice up to $10.

SIGN UP 

Signing up is simple! Just fill out the form HERE and get your first point for the giveaway! Check back starting May 13th for challenges and more!

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Will you be joining us?

What retelling are you dying to read?

Let me know in the comments!

Audiobook Review: Ember Queen by Laura Sebastian

Title: Ember Queen (Ash Princess #3) 
Author: Laura Sebastian
Publication Date: February 4, 2020
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 512
Add to Goodreads
Reviews for book 1 & book 2

The thrilling conclusion to the series that began with the instant New York Times bestseller "made for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sabaa Tahir" (Bustle), Ember Queen is an epic fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people.

Princess Theodosia was a prisoner in her own country for a decade. Renamed the Ash Princess, she endured relentless abuse and ridicule from the Kaiser and his court. But though she wore a crown of ashes, there is fire in Theo's blood. As the rightful heir to the Astrean crown, it runs in her veins. And if she learned nothing else from her mother, she learned that a Queen never cowers.

Now free, with a misfit army of rebels to back her, Theo must liberate her enslaved people and face a terrifying new enemy: the new Kaiserin. Imbued with a magic no one understands, the Kaiserin is determined to burn down anyone and everything in her way.

The Kaiserin's strange power is growing stronger, and with Prinz Søren as her hostage, there is more at stake than ever. Theo must learn to embrace her own power if she has any hope of standing against the girl she once called her heart's sister.

The Ash Princess series caught me by surprise with how absolutely incredible it was. Theo, Soren, and the rest of the crew captured my heart and I loved following their journey throughout these three books. I was so excited to start the final installment so I picked up the audiobook as soon as it was available!

Ember Queen picks up directly after the ending of Lady Smoke. It took me a few minutes to figure out what was going on, having gone a year between books, but I quickly settled back into Theo's world. The relationship between Theo and Soren continues to develop throughout the final book and I really loved the layers of their friendship and romance. The rivalry between Theo and the Kaiserin was fantastic as well. I loved the back and forth between them and found Cress to be a fantastic villain.

Of course, the action of battle and the fate of Astrea was really what I couldn't wait to see in this book and I wasn't disappointed. There was a ton of political intrigue and strategy full of twists and, although there were some parts that dragged a bit for me (this book is over 500 pages, after all), I didn't find myself growing especially bored. The audiobook probably helped get me through some of the slower bits, honestly.

The world of Ash Princess, although not terribly unique, did bring some new and fun elements I hadn't seen before. The magic system was interesting and I always love to see the underdog come out on top.

Ember Queen was a great conclusion to a great series. It wasn't my favorite in the series, just because I thought it was a bit longer than it needed to be. That said, if you enjoyed the rest of Theo's journey, you don't want to miss this ending!

Top Ten Tuesday #277: Books I loved but rarely talk about

Today's Topic: 

Incredible Reads I 
Rarely Talk About

Happy Tuesday! It's been awhile since I've done one of these (or any post, actually), but this topic called to me! There are so many great books, but I do find myself yelling about some more than others. Today I wanted to share ten books I LOVED but don't flail about nearly as much. 

The Architect of Song by A.G. Howard

The Cold is In Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale

The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.