January ARC Readathon

 

I started my readathon at about 7:00 AM. My only goal for this readathon was to get through my ARCs. I had about 5 that I wanted to make sure I finished. After that, it was just reading whatever I wanted.

Not Pictured: Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore and Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei

Book One

Title: The Temperature of Me and You
Author: Brian Zepka
Release Date: January
Pages: 410 pages
Initial Rating: 4 or 4.25/5

Initial Thoughts: I have somewhat complicated feelings about this book. It was hard to put my finger on but, in all honesty, I think it was the relationship between the two. It wasn't a bad relationship, I just felt ambivalent to it. I had no real investment. I did like the characters and plot of the book though. It was interesting and well-paced. The relationship is the only thing I struggled with.

Book Two

Title: Tiger Honor
Author: Yoon Ha Lee
Release Date: January
Pages: 256 pages
Initial Rating: 5/5

Initial Thoughts: I absolutely loved this book! I thought Sebin was a great character. There was a nice situation where Sebin was trying to figure out who the real enemy was on the ship and I thought it was handled really well. It was also nice to see Min's Charm from another perspective. How it worked as well as the emotions it could leave a person with. I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was fast-paced and constantly interesting and I liked it more than Dragon Pearl. As a note though: hate Sebin's family.

Book Three

Title: Fire Becomes Her
Author: Rosiee Thor
Release Date: January
Pages: 410 pages
Initial Rating: 5/5

Initial Thoughts: This book! Everything about this book was absolutely stunning! There was so much about this book that was amazing, especially regarding the way they discussed Flare and the social issues around hoarding it at the top (social commentary in a book, shocking!). This was a really amazing book and I thought it handled the situation well especially considering the main character was someone born into poverty convinced that the only goal for her life should be marrying rich so that she can be safe. There was one specific line in this book that got me. "So no, I don't ever want to reach the top. I'm just looking for my scrap of middle."

Book Four

Title: Lakelore
Author: Anna-Marie McLemore
Release Date: January
Pages: 410 pages
Initial Rating: 5/5

Initial Thoughts: Definitely check the trigger and content warnings for this book. At the very least there is bullying and transphobia (possibly homophobia, but I can't recall for sure). This book was better than I had expected it to be. The writing style took me a bit to get used to at first, but once I did it was a great read. It was an interesting blend of contemporary and fantasy. The two main characters were both relateable with their struggles. It was a lot of fun and it was very interesting to watch these two characters work through their mental states and how they cope with it.

Book Five

Title: Icebreaker
Author: A. L. Graziadei
Release Date: January
Pages: 410 pages
Initial Rating: 4.5/5

Initial Thoughts: This was an...interesting book. I will admit that the two main characters seemed like assholes at the beginning of the book. It was nice to see the two grow and specifically to see Mickey figure himself out and figure out how to tell others. The two main characters had a really nice chemistry with one another and it made the relationship really enjoyable. I also really enjoyed the side characters in this book. I would love to read a book about any of Mickey's sisters.

Book Six

Title: Just Ash
Author: Sol Santana
Release Date: January
Pages: 410 pages
Initial Rating: 4.5/5

Initial Thoughts: Check the warnings on this book. There is definitely transphobia (I don't know if intersexphobia is a thing, but it's there too) and homophobia. There's also violence and deadnaming. This book was a rollercoaster. I struggled to read it for the first half. I think it could be because I was getting tired or because it was tough subject matter, but it made it hard to get into the story. The second half on the other hand had me stuck to the book. I was constantly trying to figure out what was going on and what was going to happen next. It was fascinating! I also really enjoyed the discussions this book had regarding what it means to be intersex and the situations that arise from doctors and parents deciding they know what's best for the children.

Book Seven

Title: Squad
Author: Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Release Date: January
Pages: 410 pages
Initial Rating:

Initial Thoughts: Definitely a violence warning for this book. I thought this book was actually really interesting. It was a lot of fun and the artwork for this book was absolutely stunning. I've been looking forward to reading this book since I first heard about it and it was definitely worth the wait. The plot was interesting and I was hooked on the story.