**edit June 2020 – I no longer support the creator of this readathon due to her views on minorities and other creators, and she has since removed herself from all forms of social media. I will keep this post up, since at the time I enjoyed my participation, but am removing all links to her channel and adding this disclaimer on all videos about the Bookie Trials**

July is almost here, which means it’s almost time for The Book Junkie Trials. This is a month-long readathon created by ‘her royal majesty’ Rachael Marie on Booktube during which readers can join one of four teams (Scribes, Outlaws, Bards, and Magi) on the quest through the High Queendom to find the Bookie Grail. The quest consists of reading four books to correspond with the challenges on your team’s specific map, in addition to the group book Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Each team, while having their own individual challenges to follow their own unique path along the map, is awarded a corresponding ability and weakness, to aid you in your quest or perhaps hinder you along the way.

When I took the personality team quiz, I was assigned to team Magi, however when reading the descriptions of all four teams I ultimately decided to choose team Scribe, led by the dedicated Duchess Sophie (from Sophiesticated Books). Along with the rest of my teammates, my ability allows me to rewrite my tale, so I can pick up a book not on my established TBR, as long as it still fits the challenge, but my weakness, since scribes spend so much time documenting our findings, requires me to read a book over 500 pages. I thought I’d spend some time going through each of the locations and the books I’ve chosen to complete the challenges.

Path of the Scribes:
1.) Dwarf Mount – read a book with a hint of romance: Soft on Soft by Mina Waheed
2.) Apothecary Towers – choose a book at random from your shelf: A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti
3.) The Great Library – read a book that has been on your TBR forever: The Night My Sister Went Missing by Carol Plum-Ucci
4.) The Drowning Deep – read a book with rich world-building: American Gods by Neil Gaiman (which is also longer than 500 pages to satisfy my weakness)
5.) The Bookie Grail – read the group book: Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Remaining Challenges:
1.) Crimson Peaks – reread a favorite: Now a Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy
2.) Queendom Stone – read a book featuring royalty: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
3.) The Forgotten Forrest – read the next book in a series: Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot
4.) The Weeping Falls – read a tear-jerker: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
5.) Orc Grove – read a book that is gruesome, gory, or gritty: Have You Seen Her? by Karen Rose
6.) Ol’ Pirate Cove – read a book that takes place, at least some part, on the sea: Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
7.) Glimmer – read a beautiful or colorful book: This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
8.) Draconic Isle – read a book that features dragons: How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
9.) The Elven Guard – read a book with war, military, or political themes: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
10.) On the Hollow Isle – read an atmospheric or horror book: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
11.) Empty Barrel Inn – enjoy an indulgent read: How to Be a Movie Star by T.J. Klune
12.) Giant Squid – read a book that intimidates you: Of Mice and Men by John Steinback

As this will be my first time participating in a readathon in any capacity, I am extremely excited to assist my team in the quest to find the Bookie Grail. There is no way I could ever do it justice, so if you’d like a much better explanation of the rules of this readathon, I highly recommend watching the announcement video. I haven’t decided if I’ll do individual reviews with each book to track my progress, or if I’ll do one wrap up at the end of the month to see how I fared. Either way, my journey at Dwarf Mount begins on July 1st, and I hope to make her royal majesty proud.