Hello, everyone! It is time for another Trope-ical Readathon update. Let’s jump in and see what books and prompts I’ve managed to finish this week.

What I’ve Finished Reading

I made great progress on the readathon this week. I finished four of the common challenges:

The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara – 3.25⭐ – I used this book for the new kid in town prompt since one of the main characters moves to the capital to infiltrate the palace. This story had so much promise, but its execution fell flat. The writing had lots of problems that left me trying to figure out what happened in some scenes. The world-building was really interesting, but I wanted more explanation for some aspects of it. All in all, it wasn’t the strongest start to a new series, but I was intrigued just enough to maybe pick up the sequel. You can find all of my thoughts in my review.

Quicksilver by Callie Hart – 3.5⭐ – This book completed the food-themed prompt because it met the alternative challenge of being a “meaty” book of more than 500 pages. Interestingly, the length was probably my biggest complaint about this book. I got so bored in the middle and just wanted to get to the end. Some things about the plot made me roll my eyes. Like… of course, the main general is just going to bring a prisoner through the room with the interdimensional portal instead of ANY other path. I get that it had been inactive for a really long time, but COME ON. I was also annoyed that the main characters kept leaving the front lines of the war just to fuck. The book could have been so much shorter if they’d kept it in their pants a bit more. lol. The world-building was really cool, though, and the end of the story completely sucked me in. I also liked the characters and enjoyed their dynamic. I think most people who enjoy romantasy will like this one.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – 4.25⭐ – I used this one for the all takes place in one day trope because it met the alternate prompt of being read in less than 24 hours. That’s right. I finished this one in less than a day. The heartbreak, y’all. I just don’t even know what to say. I was tearing up from the very first chapter, and it didn’t get any better. 😭😭😭 This was a really great addition to the Hunger Games story and lore, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn – 4.25⭐ – This book fit the coming-of-age trope really well. I finally read this book!! It has been on my TBR for what feels like forever. I loved it so much! Bree was such a fantastic protagonist. I was so invested in her struggles with grief and the painful things that happened to her family in the past. The magic and world-building were also really great. I just wish everything was explained a little clearer and with less info dumps. The structure of the Legendborn society was super confusing, and I’m still not quite sure that it entirely makes sense. I had fun learning about it, though. The romance was a bit too instalove, but I could still buy it because of their age. Teenagers have big feelings. lol. I came to care about all of the characters, and there were some heart-wrenching moments. Overall, I really loved this take on Arthurian legend and will definitely be picking up the sequel soon.

I did not finish any of the Team Science Fiction challenges/books this week. So, I still need to finish one more book to complete a clean sweep of my team-specific prompts:

Currently Reading

I’m currently reading two books. One of them is another ARC, and the other is a romance audiobook I picked up from the library.

Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake – 10% – These characters are so damn messy. I’m loving this so far. The family dysfunction levels are off the chart, and all three main characters are kind of horrible, yet relatable, people. It is exactly what I’d expect from Blake.

Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley – 62% – This has been a wonderful palate cleanser read. I enjoy second chance romance stories, and this one has been good so far. I also can’t help but love the ‘only one tent’ trope. 🙂

Final Thoughts

This has been such a great week. Legendborn and Sunrise on the Reaping really sucked me in and kept me hooked. I’m actually still in a bit of a book hangover because of them. lol. I think I’m all set to finish each of the Trope-ical Readathon challenges before the end of the month, but we’ll see what happens.

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend and has a great week ahead. Happy reading!