Buzzword-a-thon 2021 – January

Hi there! I’m here for the first post in my new series based on a year-long read-a-thon. **And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources. You can also visit the description of this video by booktuber Jess Owens, which has links to several additional resources about global events.**

Buzzword-a-thon is a read-a-thon originally created by Kayla at the YouTube channel booksandlala. It centers around readers choosing books that include specific words or ‘types’ of words. Previously, it was hosted for seven days a few times a year, but starting in 2021 a Goodreads group was created and themes were picked for every month so readers could participate in a variety of ways. (Click here to watch Kayla’s video explaining the Buzzword-a-thon reading challenge for 2021). What I’ve chosen to do for myself is read one book that centers around the month’s theme, and talk about it briefly in my blog post along with a recommendation (book I’ve already read and enjoyed) and a TBR pick (to read in the future) that also coincide with the theme. It’ll be a new style for me, so we’ll see how this goes. For January, the word was “dream,” so here is how my read-a-thon went for the month.

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Read in January – Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles
-This month I decided to pick up Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles. The book was featured in an OwlCrate box in 2020, with a gorgeous special edition, and it had been compared to Phantom of the Opera and Moulin Rouge. The story follows a magical competition – a Star yearning for her time in the spotlight, a Master striving to get back what he’s lost, and a Magician trying to escape his past. I listened to the audiobook and really wanted to take my time with it, because I have a tendency of rushing through audiobooks, which sometimes lessens my enjoyment of the story. It was so interesting to see Kallia’s relationship with each of the main characters grow throughout the novel – with Jack, Demarcos, and even her assistant Aaros (who might be my favorite character, and should be protected at all costs). I loved the atmosphere of Glorian and the people we encounter throughout the town, and let me tell you, I was stressed when we got to the last few chapters, because I knew something was going to go wrong, but I hadn’t quite figured out what. I’ll just say now that I will slowly be counting down the days until the sequel, When Night Breaks, is released, because I need to know if the characters I’ve grown attached to are ok.

Recommendation – The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
-Apparently, according to my reading tracker, I’ve only completed one other book with the word “dream” in the title, and that would be The Dream Thieves, the second book in the Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater. I was a few years later to The Raven Cycle hype, but one day at work I needed to find an audiobook to listen to and The Raven Boys was available through my library. I listened to the entire series through audio and really enjoyed my time with Gansey, Blue, and the rest of the crew. I also associate my time reading the series with me recounting everything to my coworker, who had little interest in reading, and him getting upset at some of the events – it was pretty entertaining to watch, especially after the events of The Raven King. I don’t think the series is without its faults, but it’s definitely a YA fantasy staple for a reason, and I would love to reread the series (physically, this time) to delve deeper into the story and pick up on some things I might have missed.

Want to read – Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater
-Again, according to my reading list, I don’t have many books with the word “dream” in the title on my TBR pile. The closest I could find was Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater, which is the first book in The Dreamer Trilogy. This series follows Ronan and his brothers, along with a newfound cast of characters, after the events of The Raven Cycle. I ordered an edition for this book from OwlCrate when it was first released, and have been waiting for news about the second book because I’ve heard this one ends on a cliffhanger. The second book in the series, Mister Impossible, will be released in May, so hopefully I can get to Call Down the Hawk sometime this year.

In conclusion, I think I should find more books with the word “dream” in the title. Where Dreams Descend was a great pick for this prompt, and I cannot wait for the release of its sequel later this year. I had so much fun participating so far, and it’s only month one, so I can’t wait to see what the other prompts have in store for Buzzword-a-thon.

Where to find all these books:
Bookshop: Where Dreams Descend The Dream Thieves Call Down the Hawk
Amazon: Where Dreams Descend The Dream Thieves Call Down the Hawk
Goodreads: Where Dreams Descend The Dream Thieves Call Down the Hawk
Author’s sites: Janella Angeles Maggie Stiefvater