Thursday 10 August 2017

BookTube-A-Thon 2017 Wrap Up

Hey everyone, today I'm sharing my Booktube-A-Thon 2017 wrap up. I managed to complete all seven challenges, with a day to spare! And I know this is late, but is anyone really surprised?


The first challenge was to read a book with a person on the cover and for that I chose Sailor Moon Vol.4 featuring Sailor Jupiter on the cover. I bought both boxsets back in 2015 and only got around to reading the first three before the usual distractions came into play (college assignments, exams, summer internships etc). I've loved the anime since I was a child and I love the manga just as much. I gave this 5 stars on Goodreads.


Challenge number two was to read a hyped book and for this I chose Caraval by Stephanie Garber. This book is about a show/game, Caraval, that's supposed to be really magical and exciting. Our main character, Scarlett, has always wanted to go and then one year she gets tickets. Her sister, Tella, basically kidnaps her so they can go. Scarlett decides to stay for just one day but then her sister gets kidnapped and it turns out this years Caraval mystery is finding Tella.
I had heard so many good things about this book over the last couple of months, which made it perfect for this challenge. Unfortunately, I didn't think this book was worth the hype. I'm not saying it was bad, it just wasn't amazing. It was so good in the middle but the beginning was kind of slow and I found the end really disappointing. I also wasn't a huge fan of Tella, I thought she was super annoying and, to be honest, I didn't really care if Scarlett found her or not.


The third challenge was to read a book in one day, and for this I picked up Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. Now, I love the Disney film and I did like this book, but I found it slightly weird. From children happily killing pirates to mentions of fairy orgies, this book was very odd. For the most part, it was an enjoyable book, if slightly slow at times.


The next challenge was to read a book with a character different from you. For this I chose the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them screenplay, more because I wanted to read it and it fit into the challenge (there weren't really any rules here, the character could be different in any way). It was a quick read because of the format. There's not much else to say other than I really enjoyed it.


Challenge number five was to read a book completely outdoors. For this, I picked up The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling because it was rather short and I wanted something I could get through fairly quickly. Don't get me wrong, I love being outdoors, but I prefer to go for a walk rather than sit and read. 


The sixth challenge was to read a book you bought because of the cover and for that I chose Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green. I HATED this book so much. None of the characters were all that interesting and the plot was so dry. I also felt like it was just the same thing over and over again: 
1. Robin Hood meets someone
2. They duel 
3. They either draw or the other person gets a blow in
4. Robin compliments them and reveals himself 
5. They join his merry men or become his ally
The first time was grand, but repeat it five or six times and it gets frustrating. If not for the pretty cover, I would have thrown this book across the room multiple times.


The final challenge was to read seven books and for my final book I chose Winter by Marissa Meyer. This is the final book in the Lunar Chronicles series, which I also started reading back in July. I loved the rest of the books in this series so much and this book was no exception. I only wish there were more Cress and Thorne chapters because they are hands-down my favourite characters! Either way, I loved this book so much that I ordered the graphic novel, which will hopefully arrive very soon (Winter put me in such a reading slump, which I think only Wires and Nerve will get me out of!).

I'm so glad I decided to take part in the Booktube-A-Thon because the challenges made me finally get around to some of the books that I've had on my shelf for a while!