#A Marvelous Light

[chaoticgaywitch]

rip alan ross you would’ve loved luigi mangioni

[daveyfvckingjacobs]

this is funnier to me that just posting the screenshots w the names you’re welcome

[oriato]

A great scene from A Marvelous Light ✨

[afurtivecake]

robin and jack don't interact much but their impressions of each other are hilarious.

robin meeting jack for the first time and being like, "Oh damn. he looks like a knight in shining armour... unfortunately, his personality." and jack ,seeing robin chat with manning, thinking to himself, "hm...maybe i should have tried to hit that...? no, what am i talking about that's crazy."

[brandoncarlo]

What I read In January is...

Okay so last year I made a resolution to read 100 pages a day and made it through to the midway point of February before I just stopped. Which is crazy because I love reading, but that goal just burnt me out to quick. With that in mind I went into 2025 with the resolution to just read at least once a day. So that's what I did. I found that I still read 100+ pages some days but if i was really tired from work and could only read 20, I didn't beat myself up about it. I'm hoping this helps me stay consistent because January was a very good month as far as books for me, and I'm excited to read everything else on my list.

To start I enjoyed every single one of these books and ended up giving 3 of them 5 stars, though 2 were absolute stand outs to me. The other 2 were still very highly rated though I will say the one in last place just did not match up with the others. Because I'm a book blogged now I gave a small review of each book under the cut.

5. A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske 3.5 ★'s

I didn't dislike this book by any means, but it's just also not the kind of book that I like anyway. It's cozy, and it's cute. There is some tension and there are some stakes but it's not the forefront of the book. It's also gay which just helps me connect way more to stories in general. I read this one because it is one of my boyfriends favorites, and while I found the characters really well crafted, the setting was just okay. The only thing this book really did wrong was not be my type.

4. The Institute by Stephen King 4 ★'s

This may be controversial but I really do like Stephen King. His books are just really accessible to me, he writes the way I read and so even when there are complex topics or even vocabulary I find myself flying through it. He's also just a master at creating tension and stakes. This book would be rated higher if it wasn't in direct comparison with the other three I read. When I finished it I gave it a 4.5 but after reading the next book, I dropped it down to 4 (sorry stephen). The concept of this book is really interesting, but also just the way he navigates the characters in this setting is incredible. I feel for all of the characters, even if I don't like them, they all have recognizable motivations that bring the story to life. I read over 200 pages of this book in one night because once the climax of the ending started to hit I knew I couldn't put it down.

3. Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo 5 ★'s

Spoiler alert these next three are all five stars and while this one is a bit below the other two, I think that's just due to the nature of the book. This is a southern gothic horror gay romance with a murder mystery okay. It's so riveting and pulls you in. This is one of the those books that has layers to it that you don't see right away but come back later to smack you in the face. It's heartbreaking and humorous at the same time. Plus it's creepy as hell. It's hard to explain the dynamics of two of the main character. One feels desperately human, not normal, but normal (if that makes sense), and the other is incredibly haunted (literally and figuratively). and the dance these two characters do is so enchanting. This book just ticked all of my boxes, I loved it.

2. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 5 ★'s

I am an immediate Andy Weir stan, I loved this book and I am NOT a scifi fan. This book isn't good because it's about distant planets and spaceships and intergalactic travel, it's good because the Author is good. I don't care what genre this man writes, he could probably be one of the best at it. This book is loaded with scientific terminology, and it never feels like I am not smart enough to understand it. I get the feeling that the main character is smarter than me, but you still feel connected to him. So while yes, this book is literally about a man who wakes up on a spaceship with the rest of the crew dead, it's actually about connection, friendship, and hope. I know I just said I like dark and messed up books, but this one just was what I think I needed at the time. It's a book about HOPE and KINDNESS, and it only took me about 40 pages for me to be like yes this book is a work of art. I'll be honest though, as the end was getting near I felt a little let down, like the whole book was so good but the end just wasn't hitting for me. Until. That. Last. Page. I started crying. I won't spoil it but there's a moment where the main character turns to go somewhere else, and once you figure out where he's going. Just ugh. It was perfect.

1. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke 5 ★'s

It's simultaneously hard to explain this book and very easy. It's about a house, filled with statues, and a guy. But there's literally no way to put into words what the experience of reading this book was like. I picked this book up because I had just finished Project Hail Mary and the next book on my list was HUGE and well Piranesi is small. I figured I'd have two or there days to get through it and have one more book on my list for January. And well. That did happen. But because I finished this book in one setting. Not even 20 pages in I knew I wasn't putting this book down until it was done. I am the type of person that's like, if you are entertained by something that makes it good. It doesn't have to be Art(tm) to be enjoyed. But this book is fucking Art. This immediately became one of my favorite books. I am absolutely in love with it. Again I think it just came at the right time because while this book is heartbreaking and sad in some places, the thesis of the book is Joy and Kindness. This is a book about Goodness and god, it is so needed right now. Please, read this book. It is a quick, short read and it is absolutely beautiful.

[snotsloth]

Planning a companion piece for A Marvelous Light to go with the A Restless Truth piece I'm working on, and it will definitely involve Robin kissing Edwin up against William Morris wallpaper and I keep chuckling to myself and muttering, "Don't worry about the arsenic. I'm sure there's a spell for that."

And here's the current state of Maude and Violet, since you're here:

[thepathlesstrekked]

I finished A Power Unbound a week ago and I can’t stop thinking about it. I haven’t fallen in love with a series like this in a long time.

Like I want to go reread all of three right now. I’m sad that there isn’t more. I turned to fanfiction the same day I finished it!

I NEED MORE FIC. I have lost the fic writing bug but I NEED MORE FIC DAMNIT

[maxjwritess]

max’s favorite books :D

i did the 2024 five star highlights but here are my favorite books in general / brief reasons why:

dracula - brahm stoker 🩸

been one of my fave books since high school. exactly the kind of prose i like to read, long, flowery, takes 7 pages to describe the way dust looks in the moonlight. yes yes yes. also classic vampire book of course, lots of wolves, lots of victorian sexy scenes and blood transfusions, a cowboy. what isn’t there to love?

a marvelous light - freya marske 🌟

literally the book that got me back into reading. i owe robin and edwin so much. a historical fantasy that checks all of my boxes and gave me a favorite character i will never forget… edwin courcey my beloved… just in general the characters in this book are so so strong. if you like romance with fantasy and mystery elements u neeed to read this book, and the second and the third books too.

(also the sex is good AND is plot relevant. one of the best books ive read that uses the sex scenes to actually elevate the stakes and answer questions. brilliant)

a swim in the pond in the rain - george saunders 💧

if you’re a writer, read this book. it quite literally changed the way i thought about story, character, stakes, and structure. i reference this book all the time. please read it if you’re a writer. or if your a reader. or if you’re just like alive. it’s so good

piranesi - susanna clarke 🐐

i already talked about this book in my other post but gaghh. it’s just so good. i think about it all the time. it really just throws you into the thick of things and then you’re buckled in for the ride. i have never fallen in love with a main character or a setting oh so fast. certainly read if you like academic fantasy. oh, and you better like footnotes

giovanni’s room - james baldwin 🚬

i also already talked about this book in my other post but again. graahahahahahfjfbf. one of the best books i’ve ever read. changed my life tbh. VERY IMPORTANT READ. gender and love, american puritanism and masculinity, european masculinity, a tragedy you know you can’t change by the third page… it’s brilliant (bcuz ofc it is. it’s baldwin)

i have more ofc i can keep going but i think this gives a good reading profile for me? from now on im gonna post about my currently reading and reviews for books that i finish, which will be much more indepth than these blurbs. i may go back and make individual review posts (containing spoilers) for the books listed above, but this is more like an intro to my bookshelf!

if u have similar tastes, maybe we can be mutuals? i’m still kinda new to this app (and in such new to making friends on this app) but i’d love to talk to anyone about books :,)

[gildedgaze]

“Exploits of a cabin boy,” “Heavy on the whippings” IM-

Laurent? Your Highness, Exalted Damianos is this song about you? HJJDFHF

fuck this book already has my whole ass omg 👋🏼😭😭😭

[fyrix]

If you know me, you know I don’t read mlm books, but I’ve made an exception for this series. I just got through “A Marvelous Light” by Freya Marske. I’m reaaally excited to read the second book in the series because it’s supposed to be a pretty good sapphic novel, but I’ll tell you what, it sure was hard to get through the spicy mlm scenes in this first book. If you’re into that sort of thing, “A Marvelous Light” is a very good book with interesting characters and an even better plot. It was worth the read even though I’d have rather not had the spice.

I won’t be rating this book because let’s be real? Someone who enjoys mlm will have a very different outlook on this book than me.

Anyway!! Super excited to get to the second book because THAT is right up my alley!

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Character, book, and author names under the cut

James St. Clair- Dark Rise Series by C.S. Pacat

Shuos Jedao- Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Jack Alston/Lord Hawthorn- The Last Binding Trilogy by Freya Marske

Alastair Carstairs- The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare

[daveyfvckingjacobs]

unstoppable force (robin, maud, alan) meets immovable object (edwin, violet, jack)

[oriato]

People liked the sketch (including miss marske) so i've decided i'm painting it

[victorian-cat-lady]

August Reading Wrap-up

I graduated from college in May and one of my goals during my gap year is to read more and I want to document that. This month I read three books- the most I've read in a month in years.

The first book was A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske

I really enjoyed this book! It had a bit of a slow start but I really enjoyed the magic system, the romance, and the setting. I'm just now getting more into urban fantasy and I feel like if you like Harry Potter and want to explore more books like it but don't want to support JKR this is a great place to start.

3.5 stars.

The second book I read was Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

This was a great read. Super thoughtful and deep. Great character development and very lovable characters all around. Despite this book being about death there was a lot of levity and humor to it that I really appreciated. The tension between the main character and the love interest was A+.

4.0 stars.

The last book I read was Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan.

This book surprised me. It was recommended to me by my mom and I had absolutely no expectations going in. This book was not predictable. I could not have guessed the outcome or the plot twist, but nothing was too out of the blue. It all flowed very well. It was very well written and dealt beautifully with trans issues. My only personal complaint was that the thirty-minute section (I listened to it on audiobook) where it explained Transness 101 was a bit boring for me, but that's because the book didn't have to convince me that trans people are people. I will say, however, that for the middle-aged women this novel is geared toward I think that could be a very educational experience and could hopefully open some people's minds and hearts towards trans folks.

4.0 stars

[thequeenofsastiel]

Just started "A Marvelous Light" and I think I read about a hundred similes in twenty pages. I'm genuinely not exaggerating. The story is interesting, but I don't know if I have it in me to read one more "like a-". I find myself waiting for the next simile so much so that I can't engage adequately with the story. I'm worried it's going to ruin similes for me, like how a hurricane that destroys your home can ruin your enjoyment of storms 🙄

Has anyone else read this? Do the similes get rarer? Or is that the only literary device this author knows?

[wholelotofweird]

Okay, gamers, the first quarter of the year is over and I want to share with you the books I've consumed thus far.

I've recently been using StoryGraph and damn, it's really fun if you like data and also logging the stuff you read. Would recommend. I say that, because a number of these books were consumed thanks to one of the challenges they've set for the year, to read a number of books in different categories. Let me say, this is the most diverse spread I've read in YEARS. So. Anyway.

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses, by Kristen O'Neal

I would 100% recommend reading this book, if you are able, in print format instead of audio. There are a number of sections where the main characters are talking over text chat and I'm not sure how well that would translate over audio.

This book had me saying, "They're just like me fr" non ironically multiple times. It's such a lovely look at friendship and building our own communities and struggling with chronic illness. There is at no point any gatekeeping of what a chronic illness should look like or what a person with a chronic illness needs to look like.

The one thing that I didn't love was the fact that a white author picked first person POV of a POC. It isn't the best choice. I feel better about it after looking through O'Neal's website where she has readily admitted that it was a choice she would not make again. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of not making the "monstrous" character a POC.

Overall! I really enjoyed this book. It's a pretty fast read, but it is heartwarming and hopeful and full of genuine joy.

A Magic Steeped In Poison, by Judy I. Lin

This book was SO fun! Magic, romance, court politics, betrayal. What more could you want? Other than the magic system being tea based. That's right babies, TEA BASED! Monch monch monch, what a beautiful system I am in love.

This is another fast read. I've always been a sucker for magical tournaments and historical fantasy. If any of that is your vibe I would absolutely recommend picking this up. I know there is a second book, but I haven't had the opportunity to read that one yet.

Found, by Margaret Peterson Haddox

Now... Like I said... I was picking books for a reading challenge I'm doing. This one was from "read a middle grade book you never read", so I am FULLY aware that I am not the audience for this book.

That being said, oh my god, this was a rough one. I think my biggest gripe is that the cast are all 13-15 year olds but you would never know it. They're out here acting like 20 year olds. Maybe when I was 13 I would have been able to buy it, but at 30-whatever I am not. This is the first of multiple books and I can't say I regret not reading more.

Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers, by Deborah Heiligman

So, I'll be honest, the reason I was drawn to this was because I got to see this amazing Van Gogh art instillation last year. Part of that instillation was a display of excerpts of the letters between Vincent and Theo, and let me tell you, that is what made me cry.

This book is certainly nothing ground-breaking. It's a biography of these two men. It tells their stories at the same time, side by side. I also cried reading this.

Am I emotional? Is it because I have younger siblings I'm very close to? Is it because I, too, am mentally ill and an artist?

Who knows, gamers.

Quackery - A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything, By Nate Pedersen & Lydia Kang, MD

Again, nothing groundbreaking. This book is a funny and informative look at medical process through history. I'm a sucker for medical history. I did listen to the audiobook for this and I think it really helped the humor shine. If you're also a fan of bizarre medical history (or the podcast Sawbones), this is the book for you.

The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson

I enjoyed this book! For a person who is bad at remembering names, though, it was difficult to follow at times. There were so many players in the conception and realization of the Chicago World's Fair that I would lose track of just who I was hearing about.

That said, it was a very cool look into the trials and tribulations that went into making the spectacle a reality. This book managed to touch on SO much, not even to it's detriment. Despite getting confused by names the main through-line was easy to follow. I was invested start to finish.

In the Vanishers' Palace, by Aliette de Bodard

Do you like beauty and the beast retellings, but instead the beast is a very cool dragon, and also it's hella gay??? Then do I have the book for you! It does one of my favorite sci-fi things where there is a world, there are facts of that world, but you aren't supposed to learn them. Those aren't what matter, they are simply table setting. It's a beautiful story. I do wish there was a bit more depth into the romance, but that's just me.

Beautiful, atmospheric, and emotional. Lovely book.

A Marvelous Light, by Freya Marske

Damn, the pining in this book??? Truly a wonder.

This book is such a lovely blend of interesting plot, intriguing magic system, and just lovely gay romance. I've been trying to consciously read more queer books this year and so far I am having a wonderful time. I'm going to be 32 this year and for the first time since I was a pre-teen I'm seeing myself really reflected in books. It's such a fuckin' cool experience. I'm an emotionally compromised teenaged girl.