After I finished O.W.L.s Magical Readathon in April I thought I could use a break and some slower book reading time.
Aaaaand then I found THIS video!
The video was a nice surprise and it gave me a big shot of reading energy for May. I actually jumped about glancing at my bookshelves looking for books that fit this challenge. I love the visual format of the prompts! Here they are:
This first picture shows the amount of books you need to read to get the status you want. The highest number of seven books is motivating and doable for me.
Just like you would customize your character in a game you get to pick out your wardrobe by using the prompts for the books. The wardrobe choices are simple and fit the medieval theme nicely. Seeing a prompt “A pristine book” made me intrigued. The approval of getting freaky when choosing the best looking copy of the book in a bookstore made me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.
To keep with the times there is a selection of prompts that provide you with weapons. As soon as I saw them I knew which ones I wanted even though the completionist in me wanted them all! Again the prompts are motivating and interesting. I wanted some more clarification on the “A heavy book” prompt though and decided to settle on 500+ pages book for that one.
The part of choosing one’s companions was very interesting to me and the most problematic. I am glad I’m not a dog person since I don’t really have a buddy to read books with anyway. Some of the prompts I needed clarification for. “A book high on my bookshelf” refers to a book that is on top of the TBR list or is stored on the highest shelf you have at home or in the library. “A tall hardcover” is simply a big format book in hardcover binding.
At first glance these are the books and prompts I picked out right away. First three books are wardrobe related prompts. The fourth book is weapon related prompt. And last three books are companion related!
Dragon on the cover
The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo, #2) by Rick Riordan
This book I just missed out on the April challenge and it is a great opportunity to get myself to read it! The dragon on the cover is mechanical but it is still a dragon! The outfit this prompt comes with is cool looking and I like it.
A book under 300 pages
Incubus Dreaming (The Incubus, #2) by A. H. Lee
This is the third and final book in the series and I was meaning to finish it soon anyway. I was looking for a prompt to pair it with and finding out it has 299 pages made it perfect for this prompt. The outfit for this prompt are okay for a working clothes when going undercover or something.
A shiny book
The Testament of Loki (Loki #2) by Joanne M. Harris
For this prompt I had a few options and then I decided to go with this one. The cover has some nice shiny decorations and I really like the design. I read the first book not that long ago and I liked it enough to push this book higher on my TBR list. I really love the outfit for this prompt it looks severe and cool and I kinda like that right now.
Start or finish a duology
The Fates Divide (Carve the Mark, #2) by Veronica Roth
It has been a really long time since I’ve read the first book of this duology! When I got the perfect prompt to include this book I could not stop grinning! I was apprehensive about reading this book because I feel unsure if I will be able to get into it since too much time has passed between now and the first book. This is my only weapon prompt and it is for the dual wielding swords! I knew I wanted them right away.
A book high on my bookshelf
Death of a Darklord (Ravenloft #13) by Laurell K. Hamilton
This book sits atop of my bookshelf and it is one of the rare unread books there. I am fascinated by Ravenloft setting and I love other book series by this author. I’m kinda scared what this book will be like. As a prompt for the companion a goat was not my first choice but I know how fierce those animals are!
A book that begins with a “C”
Carry On (Simon Snow, #1) by Rainbow Rowell
I had few options for this prompt and was pleasantly surprised when I realized just how many options I did have. I could use this book for other prompts as well – I have kinda high expectations from this book and there is a dragon on the cover, also the color on the cover is one of my favorites. I am a cat person so a cat companion prompt was a must!
A tall hardcover
Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan, John Rocco
“A tall hardcover” got me a bit confused. I had to look it up just to be sure but right away I choose one of the biggest hardcover books I had that were not encyclopedia type of a book. My boyfriend got this book for me on one of hist travels and I was super happy about it. The horse companion was a must so I was glad I could cover this one!
I loved the prompts and how easy it is to pick a doable number of books and prompts to achieve a result. After the books I read in April this challenge looks like a great way to keep my reading numbers up. I had to stop myself at picking only seven books for the title of Empress even though I wanted to add some more books that I could connect to the prompts. This speaks just how delighted with this reading challenge I really am! I am so thankful and happy to the Medieval-A-Thon creator Holly Hearts Books for making such a wonderful reading challenge! Give her YouTube channel some love HERE.
I’m going into this challenge almost a whole week late so wish me luck!
anastasiaadamov 