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Hello Hello! How are you?
I’m so glad that I decided to do monthly posts on my blog about the #hypeathonreadathon because I don’t really get a chance to talk about it over on my IG and I feel that it doesn’t get the reach it maybe deserves over on Twitter! So I’m hoping that some of you lovely people will join in with us over the coming months! April is going to be chill and we haven’t decided on themes or ideas for the next months yet, so feel free to go comment on the pinned tweet on our Twitter account.
As of yesterday, #MythMarch is officially underway, but I just want to do a little February wrap up first!
February Wrap Up!
On these wrap-ups, I’ll only be speaking about my personal reading for the month, as both Noly and I tweet on the Hype-A-Thon account when we finish a book! You should do the same, tweet about a book you have finished and add the hashtags #hypeathonreadathon and the month theme hashtag and we can see what you’ve been reading!
Out of the “3” (9 actual books with all the sequels) books, we decided to read in February following the theme #Faebruary, I managed to read 2 of them, which isn’t so bad when you say that there were 3 books to read, ahah! Let’s not talk about the other number!
We both wanted to get to The Modern Faerie Tales by Holly Black, but we were much too busy to even get to a second book in The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. In April, we are thinking of doing a catch-up month of books we wanted to read (starting with 2020 TBR) but didn’t get to, so we don’t bog ourselves down with more unread books by the end of the year, the point is to TACKLE the hyped books TBR, and not to make it BIGGER (I have to keep reminding myself that)!
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black – 4 stars
I was so happy to get to this one and I kept DMing Noly with OMGs because I started it a bit sooner than her! It was quite funny but this book just made me say OMG way too many times. Loads of things happened that I didn’t expect, I’ve read a lot of fae books, but this one is up there with the twisty, dark, betrayal ones, and it’s just delicious! I’m really looking forward to reading the next books in the series, and I need to see what it is between Jude and Cardan that has made this series so hyped over the last few years! You can find a full review of this book here.
The Field Guide by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi – 4 stars
I hadn’t read a children’s/middle-grade book in quite a while when we decided on this one, so I was quite intrigued, also, I had seen the film last year and really enjoyed it so I really wanted to read the books and learn more about the Grace children. There are 5 books in this series, each about 110 pages long so it makes it a really nice length for a child or younger reader if they are just starting out with some more complicated books, but it also makes it really nice for adult readers because even though it is short, it is packed with fun, and I like how “serie-esque” it feels if you get my gist! You can find my full review for this book here.
Overall, I really enjoyed the two books I was able to get to in February for the #hypeathonreadathon, and hopefully, we’ll be able to get tons more read this year! If this Readathon interests you, remember to come look at our Twitter account and use the hashtags if you are participating so we can all chat about hyped books!
March Announcement!
If you follow us on Twitter, you will know that a few weeks ago we announced that the theme for March was #MythMarch and that Noly and I were going to be concentrating on Circe by Madeline Miller and The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. You are all more than welcome to come join us over on Twitter, use the hashtags on both Twitter and IG, and just chat with us about your reads!
Here is some information about the books of March!
Circe by Madeline Miller
Goodreads synopsis
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.
But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.
I don’t know about you, but this book sounds right up my alley and we both thought that it was a perfect book to read during #MythMarch. The star ratings are really high and the reviews I’ve read were all gushing, so I’m really excited to pick this one up!
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Goodreads synopsis
At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.
After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.
And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.
As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.
Once again, this one sounds absolutely enchanting, I’ve never read a book set in Russia, apart from a part in the Firebird Series where the main character finds herself in the Romanovs’ castle. I’m really intrigued by what could happen and am looking forward to delving into this world because it seems both dark/spooky and beautiful/enchanting!
If you want to take part in the #hypeathonreadathon, you know what to do! I hope you all enjoy #MythMarch, head over to Twitter to tell us all about what you are going to be reading this month!
That’s all for now, see you soon,
Ellie xx
Circe is a magnificent book! I hope you both love it 😊 I’ve been wanting to read The Bear and the Nightingale for awhile! Perhaps this is the incentive I need.
Absolutely, you should join us! It would be lovely to have another member and we can have a lovely discussion about it! I can’t wait to read Circe! Thank you!