Elli’s Comments (group member since Jan 08, 2022)

Elli’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Hello everybody, I'm from Singapore, an island-country situated right next to the Equator in South-east Asia.

My favorite genres are Sci-Fi & Fantasy so I've read afew Space Opera. Not that I would actively seek it out.

Like Melindam, I would highly recommend the Murderbot series but the first 3 books in the series are too short for this challenge. Project Hail Mary & To Sleep in a Sea of Stars are good too but they are not fast-reads.

I've looked through my TBR mountain & might finally start on Dune which has been there for too long. Or maybe a shorter book like Space Opera or Ninefox Gambit or Gideon the Ninth.

I'm trying to fight off a reading slump with Patricia Briggs' Alpha & Omega series these days so I'll have to play it by ear.

10th month in Novel Kingdom

11 Oct
★ The Academy - Geography
1 book found

20 Oct
★ Tournament of Alka
Alka obtained

22 Oct
★ Robbing Robin Hood
Completed~

23 Oct
★ Tournament of Alka
Tournament completed~

**********
My Stats | Tote | Inventory List | Quest List | Log | Monster List | Ledger

9th month in Novel Kingdom

07 Sep
★ Tavern Games
1 dice roll completed

10 Sep
★ Sir Audrey Jane Break-in
1 door found

14 Sep
★ Lady Kelly's Missing Quests
1 future quest found

19 Sep
★ Lady Kelly's Missing Quests
1 future quest found

★ Sir Audrey Jane Break-in
Break-in occurred

21 Sep
★ Gather Bones
Found 1 bone

30 Sep
★ The First Puppy of Novel Kingdom
1 task completed

**********
My Stats | Tote | Inventory List | Quest List | Log | Monster List | Ledger

Elli's Level 2 Challenge 2022 (250 books)
Never thought I would get to Level 2~ So exciting!
My Level 1 books

101. On the Edge - 17 Sep
102. Book Lovers - 19 Sep
103. Fated Blades - 19 Sep
104. Angels' Blood - 21 Sep
105. Rabbit Cake - 27 Sep
106. Cry Wolf - 29 Sep
107. Elijah of Buxton - 30 Sep
108. Smoke Bitten - 02 Oct
109. Soul Taken - 05 Oct
110. The Grief of Stones - 07 Oct
111. Archangel's Kiss - 08 Oct
112. Once Upon a River - 11 Oct
113. Young Jane Young - 13 Oct
114. The War of the Worlds - 13 Oct
115. The A.B.C. Murders - 15 Oct
116. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - 19 Oct
117. A House in the Sky - 20 Oct
118. Heaven - 21 Oct
119. Noughts & Crosses - 23 Oct
120. Day Zero - 26 Oct
121. Peril at End House - 26 Oct
122. Hunting Ground - 27 Oct
123. Fair Game - 31 Oct
124. Caraval - 01 Nov
125. A Court of Thorns and Roses - 02 Nov
126. Dead Heat - 07 Nov
127. 盗墓笔记: 蛇沼鬼城 - 10 Nov
128. Burn Bright - 11 Nov
129. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - 15 Nov
130. The Return of the King - 24 Nov
131. Life After Life - 24 Nov
132. The Winter of the Witch - 28 Nov
133. I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki - 29 Nov
134. Killers of a Certain Age - 10 Dec
135. The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling - 12 Dec
136. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - 15 Dec
137. The Lost Apothecary - 20 Dec
138. Upgrade - 21 Dec

8th month in Novel Kingdom

10 Aug
★ Completed Lady Rachel's Debut

12 Aug
★ Rare Gems
One rare gem found!

14 Aug
★ Sir Audrey Jane Break-in
1 door found

29 Aug
★ Tournament of Alka
Spear acquired!


**********
My Stats | Tote | Inventory List | Quest List | Log | Monster List | Ledger

Shield Quest One Shield to Rule Them All

These quests will get and enhance your shield. The shield is a powerful piece that is gained from acquiring gems from 5 different monsters.

One Shield to rule them all, One Shield to find them,
One Shield to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Broken Spines where the Shadows lie.

A shield has been recovered from the depths of the Great Novel Forrest. It is rusted and grimy but radiates a great power. The local blacksmith speaks of a legend of 5 Gems of Power that when inserted into a powerful shield will grand the user many boons.

He then offers his services (up to 25% off and more!) to polish up the shield you found in hopes that it may at least make a good pastry plate.

The blacksmith needs
1. some steel wool (a grey covered book) to polish the shield and
2. smooth oil (a smooth book) to make it shine.

Then you must find the 5 Gems of Power and insert them into your shield.

1. White
(view spoiler)[The Power of White
The white gem represents purity. When activated it helps you purify your hero when tainted.

Activate all the pure elements. Read a book with each of these words in the title or series.
• Pure
• Golden -
• Light
• White -
• Silver -
• Angel
• Heal
• Magic -

Activates the white gem in the shield - allows you to purify your hero once each calendar month. Purifying your hero will remove any lasting effects from monsters (e.g. disease). (hide spoiler)]

2. Purple
(view spoiler)[The Power of Purple
The purple gem represents royalty. When activated it restores your hero to former health.

Gather all the parts of history so time can be rewound.
Read one book from each of the following time periods: (At least half the book should take place in the time period.)
• Future (10+ years) -
• Present (within 3 years each direction) -
• Recent Past (4-10 years ago)
• Past (70s-90s) -
• Early Years (1700s to 1960s) -
• Distant Past (1000s to 1600s)
• Ancient Past (0 - 1000s)
• BC (Any time in BC)

Activates the purple gem in the shield - allows you to restore your HP to the HP you had before a fight once a month. (hide spoiler)]

3. Blue
(view spoiler)[The Power of Blue
The blue gem represents resilience. When activated it bestows you with a feeling that you can withstand anything!

Read a circle of 8 character links. Entire name must match. Character must at least have a speaking role (or a significant active non speaking role). Either first or last name can match. Book 1 matches a character with Book 2. Book 2 matches a different character with Book 3.... Book 8 matches a different character with Book 1.

Example: Book 1 has a character named Tom Jones. Book 2 has a character named Tom Brody and Alice Jane. Book 3 has a character named Allen Jane .... Book 8 has a character named Bob Amber. Book 1 has a character named Bob Jenkins.

Activates the blue gem in the shield - halves damage of one turn per week (Sun to Sat). (hide spoiler)]

4. Red
(view spoiler)[The Power of Red
The red gem represents power. When activated it helps to supercharge your hero for a short time.

Read 3 sets of uncharged and charged books. To charge a book take an uncharged books title and add one word to it.

Examples:
Darkest Night charged to The Darkest Night
Shift charged to Night Shift

Activates the red gem in the shield - allows you to double your attack power for one turn once a calendar month. (Includes weapon enhancements, does not include pets attack, only includes one strike during the turn so either slingshot or sword or staff may be doubled.) (hide spoiler)]

5. Green
(view spoiler)[The Power of Green
The green gem represents growth. When activated it helps you grow into a better healthier hero!

Activate all the natural elements. Find each item on the cover of a book.
• Sun
• Mountain
• Trees
• River
• Cloud
• Lake
• Grass
• Sky

Activates the green gem in the shield - adds 1 to max HP. (hide spoiler)]

Reward: One Shield - Negates one attack point from physical enemy attacks.

The Gems must be activated to achieve their full power.

**********
My Stats | Tote | Inventory List | Quest List | Log | Monster List

Quest 20 Schoolmarm ✔ Completed on 30 July 2024

You've been sitting in remedial hero class for a week now. You knew that goofing off at your yearly exam was a bad idea but you had no idea it was this bad of an idea. The lectures are actually starting to melt your brain, you feel it oozing out your ear.

*SNAP*

The Schoolmarm's ruler comes down on your desk. She demands that you run off and find 3 chalks of exactly the right length or you'll be sitting through another whole week of this.

✔ Read a book with a title of exactly 5 characters - Pines 14 Feb 23
✔ Read a book with a title of exactly 8 characters. - True Grit - 30 Jul 24
✔ Read a book with a title of exactly 13 characters - Murder of Crows - 13 Nov 23
(Spaces and punctuation do not count, letters and numbers count.)

Reward: Not having to sit through another week of classes.... and 5 XP.

**********
My Stats | Tote | Inventory List | Quest List | Log | Monster List

✔ Quest 19 Spring Cleaning - Completed

The old armor smith found a stockpile of gold in a nearby mountain and up and left! The Queen has asked you to clean out all his old junk and get the smithy ready for the next master smith to live in.

Read a book on your to-read shelf that has been there for more than a year. 1 XP per book (Max 5 XP).

1. We Have Always Lived in the Castle - 01 Jun 23
2. The Stepford Wives - 04 Jul 23
3. Ready Player One - 06 Oct 23
4. Stepsister - 27 Oct 23
5. Water for Elephants 421pp - 30 Nov 23

**********
My Stats | Tote | Inventory List | Quest List | Log | Monster List

✔ Quest 18 Tavern Games - Completed!

The local tavern is looking to drum up some new business and has started a game night. The game is called Shipzee and was invented by local sailors to play while on long voyages. Try your hand at it. There is a prize for the winning knight!

Roll 5 Dice. Then choose series numbers or words in a title. If you choose series numbers read books whose series number matches each of the die. If you choose words in a title read books that have each of the numbers of the die in the title. (7 XP if series number is chosen, 9 XP if words in title is chosen.)

Dice Rolls:

1. #3 - Unlikely Heroes: 37 Inspiring Stories of Courage and Heart from the Animal Kingdom - 10 Mar 24
2. #6 - Daisy Jones & The Six - 05 Jan 23
3. #1 - One Fell Sweep - 31 Jan 23
4. #4 - Four Treasures of the Sky - 07 Sep 22
5. #2 - 2001: A Space Odyssey - 08 Feb 25

**********
My Stats | Tote | Inventory List | Quest List | Log | Monster List

House Quest 4 Clinomaniac ✔ Completed on 15 April 2025

Every morning, you wake up at the crack of dawn. You squint, blink your eyes several times, then yawn, close your eyes again, grumble, thrash around, pull your sheets up, push them down, itch, grumble, then finely pry yourself out of bed to face the day. Your pallet just isn't cutting it anymore. You have a severe case of clinomania and need a better bed to give in to your deeper issues. Luckily, the town woodworker is willing and able to help you on your quest.... for a price.

✔ Gather 4 large logs for the bed legs. Each log may be found in a book with a tree on the cover.
1. - 07 Feb 23
2. - 06 Nov 23
3. - 25 Nov 23
4. - 17 Nov 24

✔ Gather 4 rails for the sides. Each rail may be found in a book over 500 pages.
1. The City of Brass 532pp - 15 Jul 23
2. Written in Red 514pp - 12 Oct 23
3. Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record of BTS 544pp - 19 Oct 23
4. 嫡嫁千金(完结篇上下)The Rich Young Lady 513pp - 18 Jul 24

✔ Gather fabric for the mattress by reading a trilogy - Regency Faerie Tales
#1 Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales #1) - 11 Feb 25
#2 Ten Thousand Stitches (Regency Faerie Tales #2) - 09 Apr 25
#3 Longshadow (Regency Faerie Tales #3) - 15 Apr 25

✔ Gather feathers to stuff the mattress by reading a book with a chicken or duck in the story.
- 12 Jan 2025

Receive 10 XP and a Bed for gathering all the materials. Bed will heal you 1 HP every Sunday.

**********
My Stats | Tote | Inventory List | Quest List | Log | Monster List

House Quest 3 Kitchen ✔ completed!

Home is where the heart is and the kitchen is where the stomach is. You feel like you've gone months without a good solid meal in your tummy. Chocolate eggs just aren't cutting it anymore for you. A sensible solution seems to be to install a kitchen in your house. You're not quite sure how to actually cook anything but some of the people over in the Queens kitchen seem a little dim so it can't be too hard.

To construct your kitchen complete the following tasks:
✔ Build the oven - Read a book that takes place in a hot climate.
The Kingdom of Copper - 27 Feb 24
✔ Build a fire place - Read a book with a red cover or one about firefighters.
The Violin Conspiracy - 07 Nov 23
✔ Hang a pot - Read a book about a witch or a chef.
The Witch's Heart - 22 Jun 22
✔ Build a sink - Read a book with a body of water on the cover or one that takes place mainly near or on the water
When We Found Home - 23 Jun 23
✔ Buy bowls - Read a book with the word bowl (exactly) in a quote from the book text.
Funny Money - 22 Nov 24
ch2: ..."no better than a dust bowl."
✔ Buy spoons - Read a book with a reflective object on the cover.
- 27 Nov 24
✔ Buy knives - Read a book where someone gets stabbed.
Upgrade - 21 Dec 22
✔ Add meat hooks - Read a book where someone dies.
The Lost Apothecary - 20 Dec 22
✔ Build a pantry - Read a book with someone who likes to shop a lot.
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk - 16 Nov 24
✔ Build a spice rack - Read something spicy (romance)! or something with peppers on the cover.
The Duke and I - 30 Sep 23

**********
My Stats | Tote | Inventory List | Quest List | Log | Monster List

7th Month in Novel Kingdom

09 Jul
★ House Quest 1
Created Frame+ 2XP

10 Jul
★ House Quest 1
Spot cleared

11 Jul
★ House Quest 1
Garden built~

12 Jul
• Time to get some Goblins!
- Elli strikes hard at Goblin with Cheng Ying. Goblin HP: 3
- Goblin hits at Elli with bludgeon. Elli HP: 16
- Elli hits back. K.O.ed Goblin! Receives 1 XP & 1 Goblin Bone~
• More!
- Elli strikes hard at Goblin with Cheng Ying. Goblin HP: 3
- Goblin hits at Elli with bludgeon. Elli HP: 10
- Elli hits back. K.O.ed Goblin! Receives 1 XP & 1 Goblin Bone~
• 1 more!
- Elli strikes hard at Goblin with Cheng Ying. Goblin HP: 3
- Goblin hits at Elli with bludgeon. Elli HP: 4
- Elli hits back. K.O.ed Goblin! Receives 1 XP & 1 Goblin Bone~

13 Jul
★ House Quest 1
House built!!

26 Jul
• Elli's training with Nibelheim has paid off!
Staff Nibelheim has levelled up to 4!

**********
My Stats | Tote | Inventory List | Quest List | Log | Monster List | Ledger

Sophie wrote: "If the exact words bull-headed (or bullhead) are in the text we can use it."

Oh I see.. Then the book do not fit.

I've just finished Book of Night with a couple of bull-heads especially the MC. Lol

Would this be considered as open plains on cover?

DQs Day Three - 18 Jun
"There came a day in late summer..."
"Angrboda agreed." 62%

11. I love how the myths surrounding Loki are casually mixed into this book. I'm a fan of Norse mythology, though I don't know a ton about it. Do you know or enjoy Norse mythology? Do you like how the author is incorporating it into her book?
Yes definitely! I've only come across some Norse gods from adaptations so I don't know much either. I was actually quite surprised to find that Loki is blood brother to Odin. Not Thor. Lol. Thank you Marvel.

12. "Was I wrong to not tell them the world may not accept the the way they are?"

This is Angrboda's question after not only Loki's other wife, but Loki himself, refers to their children as monsters. How would you answer her question? Was she right to try and protect and hide them from the Nine Worlds? Should she have gone about it in a different manner?
Angrboda had naively thought that Ironwood would be enough for her children but that is probably true only for Hel but not Fenrir and Jormungand. But then again, they had so little time together. If they had more time...

13. What an ending to Part One! Did you see what was to come? Did you already know the myths before or were you completely surprised? If you already knew the myth, did you like the author's interpretation of events? Were you as angry at the world as I was reading all that happened to Angrboda and her children, cause I was ready to fight!
My heart bled for them all. & I was quite angry at Loki for his part in trying to dupe Angrboda. How did things come to this... ~(>_<。)＼ I was rooting for a happy ending for them all.

14. It seems that Angrboda's dreams can now transport her into other's thoughts. Do you think this is a one-off event because of how much stress she was under? If not, how do you think she'll use this skill from now on?
Woah, I have no idea what is the full extent of her prowess. It would be really interesting to find out how she comes back from this & take vengeance on them all. If that is what she wants.

15. So Angrboda has a new voice in her head. Who do you think the voice belongs to? Do you think it's connected to Angrboda's seeming inability to die? Do you think it's a friend or a foe?
Definitely a friend. Might be someone from her past.

DQs Day 2 — "He stayed with her as the days ..." to "... given her daughter a new obsession" - 40%

6. After Angrboda performs seid for the first time again, she starts having dreams where she hears someone calling to and beckoning her. Angrboda doesn't believe it to be Odin at first, but her suspicion changes over time. Who do you think it could be? Definitely Odin. Or at least someone from her past.

7. Skadi reappears in this section, having left her husband behind. Do you think he'll come back into the story later? Why do you think she chose a husband as recompense in the first place?
Probably not. It feels like Skadi didn't need a husband unless she had something else planned in her grand scheme of things.

8. Hel was born with "dead" legs (or dead flesh on fully functioning legs? I'm honestly a little confused by it) and when she over exerts herself she starts turning blue. Angrboda attributes this to when she tried to save her daughter — but I'm not so sure. Do you have any theories on what the cause could be? Is it as simple as Angrboda believes, or do you think it's something bigger to be revealed later on?
Maybe the "dead" legs are meant to signify that Hel has stepped into the grave and isn't meant to be in the land of the living as a whole being. Something like an undead.

9. There have been several mentions of a witch who birthed a race of wolves who chase the sun and moon so far in the story — and now Angrboda has given birth to a wolf. Do you think she is the Old one the stories reference? Or, if not, do you think we will meet that character later on?
I would bet that she is. Or at least a descendent.

10. Angrboda decides not to tell Loki about his and his family's involvement in her vision of the beginning of the end. What do you think of her decision? Do you think she made the right choice in not telling him?
She probably didn't trust him fully, or at least his ability to keep a secret from Odin. He doesn't have much control over his mouth after all.

DQs Day 1
Beginning to "... a promise she knew that she couldn't keep."

1.) What attracted you to this book? BOM points? That COVER? Because of the Norse Retelling angle to the story? Any expectations you'd like to share?
A couple of reasons. Mainly because I needed a book with a snake on the cover for my Jumanji challenge. I haven't read come across many stories about Norse mythologies but I've heard about Norse gods from the Marvelverse & Final Fantasy RPG games so that's interesting.

2.) What did you think of Angrboda's first meeting with Loki?
I didn't expect the first meeting to go well because of Loki's reputation as a trickster. I had thought he would attempt to pull a fast one on Angrboda & get beaten at his own game or something along that line. Heh.

3.) Thoughts on Skadi? Why do you think she helped Angrboda in the first place? And to such an extent? If Skadi was male, how different do you think that interaction would of been?
I think Skadi helped at first from a lucrative business POV but grew to respect and love her in time.

4.) The quote from Skadi, "Time doesn't matter unless you are keeping track of it." Resonated with me. What do you think of this? Do you agree with the statement?
I loved that. Time don't matter much when you are enjoying it.

5.) Loki's reaction to the pregnancy was, let's go with interesting. What type of father are you expecting him to be? Do you think he will be a functioning part of the child's life?
Loki can be full of surprises. I totally didn't expect him to be a father figure at all.

I'm stuck!
Task: Read a book where MCs are neighbors

S -- The Sun Down Motel - 04 Jun
K -- Kat Boleyn (character name) - What Angels Fear - 10 Jun
I -- Ivanovich (character name) - The Girl in the Tower - 13 Jun
P -- Pol (character name) - The Thief - 19 Jun

6th Month in Novel Kingdom

04 Jun
★ Gather Bones
1 bone gathered + 1XP

08 Jun
★ The Academy - Geography
1 book found

10 Jun
★ The First Puppy of Novel Kingdom
1 task completed!

13 Jun
★ Tournament of Alka
Horse borrowed!

19 Jun
★ The First Puppy of Novel Kingdom
1 task completed!

**********
My Stats | Tote | Inventory List | Quest List | Log | Monster List | Ledger