This was my first time ever participating in polarthon, and I am so glad I finally was able to participate! I never really read books with a cold setting, let alone polar fantasies, so this was a bit of a challenge for me. But I had a great time this past week learning more about my reading tastes. Polarthon is hosted by Jade from @jadeyraereads on Twitter and YouTube.

Before we get into the books I read, let’s go over some statistics. Because what is a wrap up without statistics, right? I was on Team Walrus, which was hosted by Gavin Hetherington or How To Train Your Gavin on YouTube. I was able to read four books, and I dnf’d (did not finish) one book. I completed all four prompts, including the fifth polar fantasy prompt since all the books I read were polar fantasies. I read 1,266 pages this week, which is pretty great for me. My favorite book that I read was A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos.

I learnt a lot about my reading tastes from this week. I never read a ton of cod weather setting books before, but now I know this is a setting I really enjoy. I love the extra stakes the cold adds. Snow is also insanely different from the climate where I live (it’s always sunny here) and reading such different setting from what I know makes me really happy. It kind of feels like I am traveling, which is great especially now since no one can really travel anywhere. I also realized that middle grade books are not necessarily for me. Don’t get me wrong, when life sucks and I need a quick, fun read- I am going to pick up a middle grade. But when I’m not in that mood, I find myself not as invested in the story as I am with young adult and adult books. I gave the middle grade books this week lower ratings than I think they maybe deserve because they just didn't hit the spot for me. So, I am really happy that I now know this about myself so that when I see middle grade, I know maybe not to pick it up if I’m not in the mood.

Okay, now that let’s see what I read this week.

1. The Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos

   1. 4 stars

   2. YA Fantasy

   3. Fulfills “Dive In” prompt and “Arctic Fantasy” prompt

   4. I am excited to continue with this series because this book really shocked me. There is so much to love about this book, mainly the characters and the setting.

   5. Read my full review here.

2. Frostheart by Jamie Littler

   1. 3 stars

   2. Middle Grade Fantasy

   3. Fulfills “Cold Waters” prompt and “Arctic Fantasy” prompt

   4. This was cute and fun and had a great message. Just overall felt juvenile, which makes sense because it is written for kids. I, however, did not get the full extent out of this book.

   5. Read my full review here.

3. The Golden Compass Graphic Novel by Stéphane Melchoir Durand & Philip Pullman

   1. 3 stars

   2. YA Fantasy

   3. Fulfills “Arctic Fantasy” prompt

   4. I picked this up because I was having trouble getting into the actual novel, so I thought if I really enjoyed this graphic novel I would continue with the novel. Sadly, I still did not enjoy this book enough to continue with the novel. The story does not do anything wrong, it just did not sit right with me. This rating is purely off my own enjoyment and not the actual writing of the book.

4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (DNF)

   1. DNF

   2. YA Fantasy

   3. Fulfills “Dark Cover” prompt and “Arctic Fantasy” prompt

   4. Again, I just wasn’t feeling this book.

5. The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club by Alex Bell

   1. 3 stars

   2. Middle Grade Fantasy

   3. Fulfills “Arctic Setting” prompt and “Arctic Fantasy” prompt

   4. This was a cute read. The characters were witty, the mythical creatures were adorable, and overall it was a fun time. Again, the age gap between me and the characters took me out of the story. The three stars is a me issue, not a book issue.

Overall, this was an amazing week. I hope to participate again next year. Jade really did a fantastic job with this readathon. This was a fun start to February.