For my first Reading Challenge book, I tackled “A book you started but never finished” – and boy, am I glad that I did! I’ve had Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff on my shelf for years, after I bought it and read the first few chapters, but got busy and lost interest. Turns out, this unassuming little book is an amazingly unique steampunk-dystopian-epic fantasy! The steampunk dystopia is thorough and riveting – I mean, c’mon, the sky is RED! And in amongst all the civil unrest, plots to overthrow society, and men clanking around in insectoid mechanical suits, there’s a beautiful underlying plot about a young girl bonding with a mythic beast, confronting many different philosophies of life, and struggling to figure out her own. I’m definitely hooked for the next two!

Next up on the list: I tackled “a nonfiction book” and “a book of short stories.” Stay tuned!