The OWLS are complete! I am both very happy and very bummed out. I truly had a wonderful time reading for this readathon, G did a wonderful job creating it. I am happy because I am very happy with the OWLs that I have passed. In total I passed 7, which I did not expect to happen in the slightest because the last few months I have not been reading like I normally do. It seems like this readathon was the kick in the butt I needed.
-My Results-
OWLs Passed: 7
Required OWLs:
- Potions: Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
- Herbology: The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
- Care of Magical Creatures: Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill
Bonus OWLs:
- Muggle Studies: Elevation by Stephen King
- Charms: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
- Transfiguration: The Things I Would Tell You edited by Sabrina Mahfouz
- Arithmancy: Classic Penguin
Final Score: Exceeded Expectations
Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This being the third book in a series I adore, I was expecting to finally hit a point where the story was going a little blah. I finally found that point in the series. I am not saying that this is a bad book, I still enjoyed it quite a lot. I just found it very different from the others and not in a good way. I would rather explore a single world specifically not see a glimpse of a few without really seeing anything.
The timeline used was interesting and I was happy about what happened to a particular character. Thew writing like the others was very poetic and the story was fast paced as the others. I just kinda found myself not as invested because we were jumping around so much.
Like I said, still a good reads, but so far is a “low” point in the series.
Classic Penguin: Cover to Cover by Paul Buckley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a very lovely look at all of the editions penguins has come out with for the classics. Not only did I enjoy looking at all of the artwork, but I also really enjoyed hearing the backstory behind design elements and the creators thoughts in some cases.
I think my favorite section was a look behind Penguin Threads. I loved seeing what the other side of the cover was in the original needle point/embroidery.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
While I did enjoy reading this book, I was very neutral about it. I am having a hard time pinpointing why I am so neutral about it. The plot was fun, I enjoyed the characters, and while it is large it is not slow paced.
Maybe it is just because I am not in a fantasy mood like I thought I was?
If you want to see my reviews in full, please see the post, Middle Mark | #OWLsReadathon2019 Update. On that post I detailed the books I read in the first half of the month.
- The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write by Sabrina Mahfouz, Rating: 4 stars
- Fierce Fairytales: Poems and Stories to Stir Your Soul by. Nikita Gill, Rating 5 stars
- The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, Rating 5 stars
- My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, Rating 4 stars
- Elevation by Stephen King, Rating 5 stars
- The Englishman who Posted Himself and Other Curious Objects by John Tingey, Rating: 5 stars
Current TBR: 30 books
Current Backlist TBR: 11 books