We are officially coming to the middle mark of the #NEWTsReadathon! I cannot believe it is already halfway through this fun adventure of a readathon. I have been having so much fun with my exams, I have been liking my reads more than I had anticipated. Now, I don’t want to make this introduction to long, but I am going to review the NEWTs I have passed, my current scores, and give some mini reviews of the books I have read. I hope you enjoy!
OWLs Passed: Potions, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies, Charms, Transfiguration, Arithmancy
-Mandatory-
Herbology
A: Audiobook: Supermarket by Bobby HallE: Between 350-390 pages: Bringing Down the Colonial by Patricia MillerO: Flowers on the Cover: Everything Under by Daisy Johnson
Potions
A: Friends Fav: Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman *cough* Jenna, Reg *cough*- E: Yellow on the Cover, Yay Hufflepuff!: Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
Care of Magical Creatures
A: Book that stars with A: The Alienist by Caleb Carr- E: Under 300 Pages:
-Bonus-
Arithmancy
A: Ends in an even number: Needful Things by Stephen King- E: Standalone: Endless Night by Agatha Christie
Charms
A: Beautiful Cover: Smashed by Junji Ito- E: Read a Comic:
-Current NEWT Scores-
Herbology: O
Potion: A
Care of Magical Creatures: A
Charms: A
Arithmancy: A
-Reviews-
Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I didn’t think I could say this about a series, but I liked this book better than the first. I am not a big romance in books lover unless I specifically pick up a book looking for that. I was happy to say that this book had a lot of action and a lot of stuff going on and love took a back seat. I don’t want to say too much, but the writing was good and I really enjoyed where the story went. I am looking forward to the next one coming out.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was not disappointed by this 1800s historical classic mystery. The length was perfect, I didn’t feel like there were parts that could have been cut. On top of that the pacing was also wonderful. The array of characters of our main group are great great chemistry, but also realistic.
There are some strong characters in here and some you don’t always feel like you can trust. I love when I find characters I adore, but there is just something a little unsettling. I find that leads me to question a lot more and read more intently to see if I can catch anything. I also loved the use of real historical figures and characters in this book, it really made this historical fiction feel like it was real. I have to say it is one of my favorite things when a historical fiction surrounds people who actually lived.
Overall, this was a great adventure and I am very, very happy that this is a series.I recommend it to anyone looking for a good on your toes mystery. I will warn there is some graphic treatment of children in this story. So if that bothers you this might not be for you.
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
I hate to say this, but I did not enjoy this book really at all. The writing was almost childish and gave me Catcher in the Rye vibes, but not in the good way. At first I was enjoying this, but as I read more and more I became bored and kinda just stopped caring pretty early on. I only finished this because the blurb sounded interesting and I was hoping it would turn around and this would just be a lull in the writing.
It is jumbled at times and idk, I feel like it needed to be more flushed out before being published. It also needed a better editor.
I feel like Hall with some practice, studies writing, and has a good editor could write something good in the future, so I am not writing him off.
Bringing Down the Colonel: A Sex Scandal of the Gilded Age, and the “Powerless” Woman Who Took on Washington by Patricia Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this nonfiction account of the trial of Madeline Pollard vs Colonel W.C.P. Breckinridge, which took on the inequality in morality between men and women within US society. The author made this case accessible and I was interested throughout reading. I liked how the author described the history of moral judging through US history how it shifted from equal blame during colonial times, to mainly being a woman’s problem. The coverage of the court case was detailed and I also really liked how the author covered the holes and inconsistencies in both arguments. On top of that, I enjoyed how the author described the effects of the court case on women, Madeline, Breckinridge and the futures they lived.
Everything Under by Daisy Johnson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This is going to be a really weird review. I liked the story, but the way it was portrayed irritated me. There are no ” marks, “You” is used so much, the POV was personally aggravating to read. Now all of these are personal preference and does not in any way mean that the book is bad, but it was very much not for me. Also, why do chapters have the same names? I didn’t know these things mattered go much to me until now.
If you read the first chapter of this book or a sample I feel like you will know right away if this book is for you or not.
Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I wish I had found this sooner. It is just the right mixture of good imagery and scary plots to fly through. Each story stands out on its own, even the few that are related. I can say that I really enjoyed each of the short stories in this collection, which never happens for me. I normally hate or dislike at least one. Some of these are gory so if you don’t like seeing blood, I would not recommend. I will be picking up more of his work in the near future. I am so happy I found some horror manga.
TW: suicide
Needful Things by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another wonderful novel by Stephen King. I really liked the slow build of this novel that intertwines the entire small town. It is very dark at times and can be quite gory from time to time, but physical horror is not all that is present in this novel. There is a psychological aspect to this that really makes you think about human nature and how easily some people can loose their values and morals especially when their hearts desires are on the line.
TW: suicide
What is your favorite book so far this month?
How are your NEWTs going? Which exam are you taking now?
Bookish Luna 