#Book Babble Reviews

[bonefall]

I do feel bad for Owen. Clearly this is NOT his forte. #freeowen

I'm guessing Owen has some kind of contract to do all the covers for the "Erin Hunter" books, since he also seems to do the art for Bravelands and Survivors. Which baffles me.

When you look at his portfolio, it seems clear that animals are NOT his strong suit. He mostly designs them as monsters or setpieces, not as characters in their own right. His humans, objects, and backgrounds are excellent, while his animals are quite generic-- So why did they choose this artist to design for their xenofiction series?

The art he does for Percy Jackson and Artemis Fowl is not as jilted and uninspired as his work for any of the Erin Hunter series. He does have a thing for harsh lighting (too harsh for my taste) but the composition is fine and the characters are recognizable. Certainly not "someone tried to unlock your phone" tier. It's strange.

It strikes me like he's not "comfortable" enough with animals to experiment with them, heavily referencing zoomed-in photos and leaving it there. Note how his cats are almost never doing anything, just sitting or standing around looking confused.

Has he ever even drawn a battle cat... battling?

I don't really feel "bad" for him, OR "mad" at him, because we have no idea what's happening behind the scenes, but I WILL say that I feel he is an absolutely awful match for WC. I don't understand what about his portfolio made him look like a good replacement for Wayne McLoughlin, besides some executive recognizing his style from somewhere else.

I hope he is compensated well for his work, but I don't buy hardcovers because of his art and am holding out hope that someone else takes over someday.

[asexualbookbird]

on one hand i wish past me would have written SOMETHING about books they didn't like

on the other hand, its very funny to open up a review and see this

and i stand by it

[readingaway]

Danielle Babbles About Books (Quick Review) - A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark

What I remember at this point was that this book was great fun. An intriguing mystery, great characters, nice twists. And most of all is the worldbuilding. I read the novellas first, so it wasn't like I was thrown into this unsuspecting but because this is a full novel there was a lot more room for details.

[laurasimonsdaughter]

Gender Swapped Fairy Tales

by Karrie Fransman & Jonathan Plackett (2020)

My mother-in-law got this book and for obvious reasons she lent it to me. I have far more thoughts about it than I expected, so I thought I'd do a little ramble review for those of you that are interested in looking at fairy tales from a gender perspective:

Firstly: I think this is a very interesting, well introduced project

Fransman and Plackett, who are married, explain in the introduction that they didn't want to retell fairy tales but specifically chose to simply swap out all relevant gendered words (with a computer program created by Plackett) in an attempt to "illuminate and disrupt the gender stereotypes woven into the stories we've been told since childhood". This is also the reason, they explain, why they've stuck to a very binary approach to gender, not just changing "princess" to "prince" etc, but also changing "dress" to "suit" and so on. They used the text from the Langs' Fairy Books and tried to change as little as possible, to show how different it would be to have Cinderella's actions attributed to a man and Hansel's to a girl. It's a solid concept and I appreciate the effort they put into it.

Second: It's a beautiful book with gorgeous illustrations

Just look at these takes on Rapunzel and Beauty and the Beast, delightful!

So, if this looks like something that's your thing, I encourage you to check it out!

But of course I also have many nitpicky folklore feelings about this, so for anyone who is interested I will put those under the cut~

So, folklore feelings and ruffled fairy tale feathers:

This is a project with a very specific concept (complete binary gender swap, but edit as little as possible besides) and it's unfair to fault it for sticking to it, but I do think that not every fairy tale is equally well suited for such a treatment. I also think that the authors cheat a little here and there and if you start cheating then why not do it to make things a little more elegant?

Here are my thoughts on the gender swapped fairy tales this book contains:

Handsome and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast)

This one works very well, I think. Having a female merchant be the protagonist of the first half of the story and a male romatic hero the willing captive of a female beast changes the feel of the story completely while leaving all its main elements intact. It's interesting to see a female character lose her monstrous characteristics through the dutiful devotion of a man and it also highlights the uncomfortable parts of the story by recontextualizing them. I like it!

Cinder, or the Little Glass Slipper (Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper)

From a story perspective this one is as good as the previous one. It's fun to have an evil stepfather and stepbrothers obsessed with beauty, a fairy godfather, and a beautiful boy who longs for a ball. However, I really don't think "Cinder" has the same feel as "Cinderella" as a name. In the Langs' translation the protagonist is called both Cinderella and Cinderwench, which they swapped for Cinder and Cinderboy. This isn't quite right. "Wench" is a much nastier word than "boy" and "Cinder" is just the full noun not made into a name. If more editing was allowed, I would have taken inspiration from Norwegian fairy tales about Askeladden and called the protagonist "Ashlad".

How to Tell a True Prince (How to Tell a True Princess / The Princess on the Pea)

This one is silly, but so is the original. You can really tell that this is a literary fairy tale. But honestly the nonsense of it call is kind of the point and a princess looking for a dainty prince who bruises like a peach is a story worth telling.

Jacqueline and the Beanstalk (Jack and the Beanstalk)

There is nothing wrong with this one at all, but I don't like it much because there are plenty of trickster tales with women as the protagonists. Changing Jack into a girl doesn't really have much bearing on the story for me and it doesn't create a sort of story that's all that new. If I wanted to a girl defeating a giant I could also read Molly Whuppie. But I do see that Jack's characterisation of being silly and thoughtless, brave and brazen is unusual to see for a heroine, so there is that.

Gretel and Hansel (Hansel and Gretel)

Similar to the previous one I don't think this particularly benefits from a gender swap. Hansel and Gretel are both clever in their own way. There is a clear difference in Gretel being the one who cries more and has to do chores for the witch, but still. It does make me think though, because the male witch/wizard wanting to eat Gretel makes me more uncomfortable. One thing I find very funny in this one is that they didn't just change the duck they meet along the way into a drake (as in male duck, but now seems like a dragon), they also have the wizard call Hansel a "silly gander" instead of a "silly goose".

Mr Rapunzel (Rapunzel)

Now here I get very picky. I think "Mr Rapunzel" is a ridiculous way to solve for the fact that leaving it unchanged would make it seem like the same fairy tale. In fairy tales people are hardly ever addressed with titles like Mr or Mrs and it completely breaks the tone. I would have just kept it Rapunzel, as they do in the actual text of the story. What I do appreciate is the complete ambiguity in this version as to whether it is the husband or the wife who gives birth to the baby. But here is also the first moment of cheating: they have Rapunzel grow a long beard. That is a decided change. A boy could grow long hair just as well as a girl, it did not need to be altered. But it is an amazing image. I'm all for it. But if you make this change because it's cool, you can change more things. The dynamic between the Evil Wizard, Rapunzel and the Princess is very interesting with swapped genders though.

Snowdrop (Snow White)

I wanted to yell about unnecessarily changing the name again, but Andrew Lang was the one that changed the name from Snow White to Snowdrop, so my yelling is directed at him. In this story the gender language program comes up with some changes I just don't like the sound of. "My Lady Queen" turns into "My Gentleman King", while I think "My Lord King" would work a bit better, and "My noble King" a lot better. It also changes the Princess' bodice being laced up so tight it nearly kills her to the Prince's shirt. That's one hell of a shirt. The preoccupation with beauty is interesting with a king and prince though, and the female dwarves are fun.

Little Red Riding Hood (Little Red Riding Hood)

This certainly is interesting, because it's one of the versions where both Grandmama (so Grandpapa in this version) and Little Red Riding Hood get eaten and never rescued. I would have liked to see a brave female woodcutter, but having this story of straying off the path and getting preyed upon for it be centered around a boy is definitely impactful. The wolf is introduced as "Mistress Wolf", which I don't love but since the Langs' originally chose "Gaffer Wolf", I can't really argue with that. I do argue with the way the wolf is illustrated though. Because they gave her a head of blonde hair on top of her fur and a red lipstick mouth.

The Sleeping Handsome in the Wood (The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood)

This is very interesting with the genders swapped. (Again could be read as the King giving birth, fun.) I'm all for armoured princesses climbing towers and falling to their knees at the sight of slumbering princes. This is also the Perrault version with the second plot where the in-laws want to eat the new spouse and the royal children, which adds the dynamic of the young Queen going to war while the beautiful King stays home and is endangered. The title irks me though. While I fully supported the use of "Handsome" as a name in the Beauty and the Beast story, I do not like it here. I'm sure there is something patriarchal about the way "beauty" can be used as a noun describing a person, while "handsome" cannot, but "the handsome in the woods" just sounds very jumbled to me.

Frau Rumpelstiltzkin (Rumpelstiltzkin)

Again with the unnecessary name change. "Frau" is an interesting pick, perhaps they were inspired by Frau Holle, but it's really not needed and it looks very forced. I don't like this story as much as most of the others, but mostly because it's not a very nice fairy tale to begin with. The romance isn't romantic, the kindness isn't kind, and changing the genders doesn't change that. The young king fighting to save his baby daughter is very charming though.

Mistress Puss in Boots (Puss in Boots)

Listen. If you insist on having a different title for it, go all the way with the old-fashioned language for animals and make it Pussy in Boots. Or go with the "Madame Puss" that is used in the story since the Langs' decided to use "Monsieur Puss" (hilarious). But the gender changes are fun in this. The Prince falling head over heels for the freshly-fished-from-a-ditch miller's daughter is very good.

Thumbelin (Thumbelina)

Another one by H.C. Andersen and very clearly a literary fairy tale. I really like the name change to Thumbelin and having a single (?) man wishing for a child and finding one in a flower is very lovely. I've always liked Thumbelina's aesthetic but rather disliked the story, everyone is forever trying to marry her against her will. I don't like the story more with a boy in the same position, but the change does hit hard because it.

If I had to pick a favourite from this book, I think it's Handsome and the Beast, but Cinder is also very fun with the genders reversed. I like this book very much as an experiment, but while I agree with the choice not to make it actual retellings, I wish a few more tweaks were allowed to make some parts flow more smoothly.

[ghostsinthecellar]

book porchisd 👍

[handern]

thinking about this post going around talking about re-reading classics once you're older

I wonder if I can stomach Stephen King's absolute jackass way of talking now. I remember opening the Dark Tower and he was talking about himself for ten pages in the intro I wanted to throw the book by the window before even reaching the actual story

same with the Elric series, I really wanted to get into it but after ten pages I was seething with rage I wanted to jump in there and kill Elric with my two bare hands for being such a mirror of the author's jackass world view

[thechaoticbookwyrm]

Thoughts on Forced Proximity in Real Life & Novels.

(TW: Mentions of Abuse, Strong Language, Possible Mentions of SA, Mentions of Alcohol, & Relationships.)           I’ll be the first one to call myself out and tell you that I haven’t done a whole lot of reading this year. I don’t know why but, I just keep finding myself in a slump, and I swear it all falls around one fucking trope that makes me want to eyeroll myself into the next dimension���

[weepinglavenders]

Livvy’s Reviews and Rants on… The Fever Code

Pretty sure there’s no spoilers just the basics on The Maze Runner

Finished Fever Code AND I WISH I COULD’VE READ THIS SERIES OVER ANDNIN ORDER!! The Fever Code gives so much explanation into WCKED Teresa’s actions and how Thomas is apart of them. It really tells how corrupt WCKED is and if I’d read this one first and then moved on to the main three I think it would’ve made more sense. Not saying I don’t love the series because of the way I read it, it’s amazing and I love how deranged the world and formatting is when it comes to affection the characters mentally and physically (if that didn’t make sense basically the way everything had a level of horror that would haunt them but also show the impact human kind had on their own race and make the Gladers have a need to keep going. Cranks are insane and bloodthirsty but their disease drives people into wanting a cure knowing their friends will face the same thing one day.)

[telafel]

okay I'm back home and my classes just started today so perfect time to procrastinate out the gate with rambling about ACOTAR

Spoilers ahead.

so I went into this book kind of doubtful that I'd like it, but with an open mind of like "hey, I like romance, so maybe this will be some sort of indulgent thing that i like. nothing wrong with that!" sort of vibe.

and I genuinely enjoyed how it started off. You have a protagonist that is working her ass off to defend and provide for her family in a tough time and puts herself in danger just so they can eat and have some money for basic comforts. The family dynamic is strained and messy, and all of them are very understandable, if frustrating. I was like 'yeah! this is interesting!'

Then it kind of goes downhill as soon as the faeries show up. It was cool when it was like big ass bear thing busts in the door and demands and life for a life, but then it immediately tapers off when it's like "oh there's a loophole, come live with me in the faerie lands forever" which could have been an interesting moment if it didn't kind of negate the whole "you killed my friend and I'm enraged over it" entrance. The reveal later about WHY he extends this offer doesn't make this scene any better because like. Why does he make this whole front of scaring her in the first place.

I thought it would be cool if like, the faerie lands were somehow very different and dangerous in certain ways and just inherently weird and off, but no. It's just a rich mansion and the MC gets to live in luxury and her only worry is how her family is surviving without her, which is very quickly brushed away because her Love Interest is just ungodly rich and takes care of them too. There are a few monsters and dangers that show up but they don't have much staying power.

From this point on it's kind of boring tepid "romance" stuff. I never get a strong sense of Feyre as a character. She is in survival mode at first and then isn't but most of her character boils down to like... "I think Tamlin's hot and I like to paint" which isn't very interesting. Tamlin also doesn't come across strongly either. He's just kind of a stoic, aloof guy that protects his realm and protects Feyre from being stupid. Oh and he's essentially stupid rich.

Which reminds me a lot of this section of the book is Feyre being told not to do something, without anything being explained to her- and then she does it anyway and her getting scolded for it.

The romance is bland, I never feel like they're actually interested in each other beyond basic physical attraction, and there is zero worldbuilding besides some basic holiday celebrations and throwing fantasy names of monsters in But They're Faeries Now(tm). All the background is just vague and lacking and the story dump later makes this more annoying.

Oh and also the magic system is incredibly vague and annoying to me. I don't mind a soft magic system but I want some consistency and sense to it. Having Tamlin be like "I can't heal big wounds" but he can shapeshift and still heal stuff regardless... and then have Rhys show up and be able to literally crush minds even when his power is limited like Tamlin's is like. Huh? (Also like. Why does Rhys go through Feyre's mind and not pull out a name? I guess you could argue it's because he wants to depose the evil woman faerie I guess but still. Also how does he get fooled/can't sense a simple glamour, but can easily dispel it????)

So when shit starts hitting the fan there's the expected "I'm sending you away tomorrow, let's fuck tonight" scene with a not very sexy sex scene.. and Feyre goes back to her family who are now also wildly rich and never have to struggle and of course it's not good enough for Feyre because they're normal and mundane humans and not the humans-with-pointy-ears faeries that can just forever live in excess for no reason.

And of course Feyre goes back to the faeries to try to save the day and get berated and info-dumped on about the stupid as fuck Curse. "Oh Tamlin was cursed to lose his power unless he fell in love with a human that killed a faerie and had hate in her heart (because Amarantha's sister fell in love with a human and the human betrayed her so Amarantha wants to mimic this exact same scenario with this curse. No we couldn't talk about her before this moment either, so here is her whole backstory too) and also he's forced to wear a mask covering half his face to make it even harder to fall in love with him because obviously all attraction is just physical and skin-deep, so he was intentionally sending scouts out to try to force the scenario to break his curse, so this whole thing was set up for you to be here and be made to fall in love with him and we were all cursed to not be able to talk about the curse but you, you stupid human, should've picked up on it despite us not really giving you any hints at all and should've told him you loved him, why didn't you, stupid selfish human."

Oh yeah and at no point does she ever question or consider the fact that her being there in the faerie lands was entirely manufactured and her falling in love was manipulated just so Tamlin could break the curse and get his power back. No thoughts, head empty. That's HER high lord and him telling her he loves her is unquestionably true!

We also get info dumped about the antagonist which of course is an evil, spiteful woman that wants Tamlin for herself. And all the other courts have male leaders, so it's extra evil that this silly woman is manipulating them because the womanfolk should be tending to the house and caring for children (not really, but one of the only other female faeries we encounter is a maid at Tamlin's court who is caring for her nephews and the fact that pretty much any other figure in power is a man kind of paints this type of picture to me.)

So Feyre gets captured, of course, and doesn't listen to any of the advice she's given and enters a bargain with the Evil Queen, and this starts the more genuinely interesting sections of the book. I like all these trials she has to go through and how to get through them she has to make some other deals with morally questionable people that are just using her. She has to struggle!!! It's interesting!!!

Anyways, I do find it funny that she's just so motivated to save Tamlin and meanwhile Tamlin is kind of just a stone that does nothing this whole time. Like go girl, give us nothing! She's risking her life for you and you can't even try to sneak away to see her (except of course when he's horny and wants to bang her in a closet right before her final trial which is basically the 3rd month she's busting her ass to try to save him. We love mid men.)

What weird is that I feel like she has more interesting moments and more chemistry with Rhys in this section of the book than she does with Tamlin the rest of it. It's not a very healthy relationship, but it's certainly more interesting. Rhys actually risks his skin to help Feyre, even if it is a bargain that would benefit him.

I did find it funny that at the start of these trials Feyre is given a riddle to solve and if she solves it she and Tamlin will instantly be freed. It's an incredibly obvious riddle if you have any braincells but Feyre unfortunately does not, so she doesn't figure it out until the very last second.

But of course Feyre wins her trials and solves the riddle and the evil powerful woman is nothing compared to the men's power so gets murdered by the strong man folk, but oh no Feyre dies! But don't worry the incredibly vague magic system, and the high lord come to her aid and resurrect her as a high fae herself woohooo.

I was reading this last night in a hotel room with my boyfriend and I flopped my kindle down and went "this is so fucking stupid," and my boyfriend laughed.

The aftermath was kind of interesting. I mean she's getting used to a new body with heightened senses and it seems like it's overstimulating for her and she seems almost distant about the whole thing. But don't worry it doesn't last long. she's with her lover and everything is fine, it's okay now. Also Tamlin has his mask free and is just totally handsome wow who would have guessed.

The start and towards the end of the book are probably the best parts because Feyre actually has to have some struggle, the middle parts she is literally just living in luxury and like, I suppose it's supposed to be her coming out of her shell but it all feels very surface level and like boxes being ticked for Romance Development.

Once Feyre is able to paint that's like an entire cornerstone of her personality and of course she just gets handed a full private studio space to work in. A lot of her internal narration turns into how she wants to paint x and she'll never be able to paint y and like... as someone who is an artist I can kind of understand it. I'll go places and be so amazed by the scenery it will inspire me to want to render it, but in this book is feels so weird and all consuming for the pages she's able to paint.

And Feyre in general is difficult to connect with as I've said, she's shown at the start to have some street smarts, she learns to hunt, she knows how to bargain at the markets, she picks up on gossip and knows people around town. She does not keep these properties because it's like all her sense and braincells leave her. She doesn't think of the consequences of her actions until way after the fact. She straight up is responsible for an entire family + staff getting killed and their estate burned- the daughter tortured and killed in Feyre's place and she doesn't even feel bad until she sees the body of the girl. She doesn't hold that guilt for more than a chapter at most. Her resourcefulness comes into play with one of the trials but yeah.

And of course all the men just want to fuck her for some reason.

Also, there is this incredibly weird vibe through the whole story where people are always referred to as male or female. It's squicks me out A LOT in this whole biological essentialism sense, sprinkled with heteronormativity vibe. It feels like a very cold way to refer to people and has almost this animalistic feeling to things. Like the male will mate with the female, sort of thing. I don't know if I'm conveying the vibe at all. I remember seeing this exact point mentioned by other people and I didn't think much of it, but in context I very much understand it now. There is no reason I can understand why Feyre would have this sort of verbiage when she grew up in a wealthy family and around human beings that largely wouldn't use these terms exclusively for descriptions. (The only reason I could think is that she was hunting, but still, it's a weird choice.)

The core of this story comes down to feeling like the usual escapism romance trope of 'a mid woman gets swept away by a stupidly rich and handsome guy' but with Fantasy set dressings to make it different. It's just bland to me. All the wants and needs are taken care of and it's just boring. The faerie aspects aren't even that expanded on either.

I will give the fact that Tamlin is probably not as creepy as other male love interests, but he still tries to force himself (it's mostly that he pins her to a wall and grinds on her, it's not super egregious as far as male love interests SADLY) on her once and even hurts her by biting her neck. And of course she just finds that hot and goes on to try to rile him up after that. I think that's why I don't like this romance. A lot of it is just physical lust and being horny with only a little bit of emotional connection in spots that feel more forced than natural and organic. I dunno tho.

I am half tempted to read the second book because I did quite enjoy Rhys, I love me some morally dubious men, but I don't think I could put myself through another one of these stories. Maybe I will see if a library has it to borrow so I don't feel bad for spending money on it.

Well maybe the next book I will genuinely like. Hopefully. I'm tired of being disappointed by books.

[bunnyinatree]

"The most obvious feature inside the eyes of individuals with ocular albinism is underdevelopment of the fovea, the small area in the center of the retina that provides fine central vision (reading, recognizing faces)."

It's all starting to make sense...

[asexualbookbird]

The Bone Season / The Bone Season Tenth Anniversary Edition by Samantha Shannon - ⭐⭐

I bought the OG Bone Season shortly after release. I'd never heard of it, but the jacket copy intrigued me. It sat on my shelf for way too long and then someone said the main character was asexual so I bumped it up on my list. I finally read it in 2019 and did not have a good time. Heard she was releasing an updated version of not just the first one, but of all books that have so far been released, and told myself I would NOT be reading them. The problems I had ran far too deep to be fixed with a silly little Tenth Anniversary Edition. Then bookoutlet had the first one for ten dollars. I can do a side by side comparison for ten dollars. So, here I am. Seven days and 963 pages later.

Did this book need updating? Yes, actually! I'm glad she did it! The changes she made WERE mostly improvements. Some were just odd, like changing Paige's lunch order at the cafe from a salad to soup. Okay. Girlboss I guess. Others were great, like moving the scenes with Liss around. Most notable, when Liss reads Paige's cards. No, she shouldn't have done that when Paige was late for curfew and all the Rephaim were looking for her! That made no sense! Good job moving that to a more reasonable spot. I also loved Jaxon's entrance into the Guildhall in the updated version way more! He was more dramatic and it felt more in character than him showing up quietly and getting Paige out. She also removed that dumb computer scene that made no sense. No, I don't think they'd be able to have a functional computer hidden away somewhere in the city with no electricity or modern amenities or technology. I also think she should've cut so many words.

My issue with Priory was that it was too damn long (and not enough dragons). My issue with >Bone Season is. Well. Many reasons. But it's also too damn long! It's so much of Paige running around Oxford. Paige having dream memories, which I have qualms about as well, Paige hating Warden, Paige loving Warden, Warden being a dick, I know SShannon has said she doesn't enjoy writing action scenes because she feels she's not good at them, but they're always her best scenes because she puts more effort into them! Paige in Tom Tower, Paige during her Second Test, they're good action scenes! Put that effort into the rest of your damn books! And yeah, the memories, I think it's dumb when someone uses dreams to give us flashback information, but SShannon gave a Reason for that here. I'm not it makes it any less dumb or if I'm just annoyed with the book already. If it was another author, would I still hate it? I don't know!

I do appreciate she took out most info dumps, the updated version was a lot easier to read because of it, but the story about Adonis sticks out. I don't think an otherworldly creature that doesn't care much about humans and spends 99% of his time in this tiny city that hasn't been updated in 200 years, would know or care about the Adonis mythos. I get it, you're using that to make paralells between him and Paige and Nashira. It's still out of place.

I appreciate changing Paige's cousin and his friends from being instigators in the riots, bringing bombs to a protest, to them just showing up for a cause they believe in and then the government making things a problem. Good call in not making the Irish folk terrorists this time around. All the Irish in the book was left unchanged, though, and I've been told that it's uh. Inaccurate at best. It's also interesting in the updated version, she had Paige use her Irish accent later in life, instead of sticking with the London accent she taught herself so she wouldn't be bullied (it didn't work).

My biggest problem that I didn't expect to be fixed and it wasn't, is the plot as a whole. The Rephs. Nashira. This group of aliens coming to earth and taking over and SECRETLY CONTROLLING THE GOVERNMENT AND KILLING HUMANS. It just does NOT sit right with me. Certainly not in today's political climate. I don't think SShannon is a bad person, I haven't seen any evidence in her social media of her holding antisemitic views, but that runs deep. Lots of us hold beliefs and knowledge that's antisemitic without realising it. My issue is how did it get through this revision without anyone saying anything. Why was she allowed this revision at ALL, to be honest. Why, among all the authors out there, was she the one given the chance to change her books that were already out in the wild? And again, so far I'm mostly happy about the updates! There's nothing she changed that I think shouldn't have been changed! But it begs the question, if these books needed this much revising, why were they first published at ALL?

Now for my Hot Take, In Good Faith. I don't think she started the series where it should've started. I think The Pale Dreamer should've been fleshed out as an entire novel, and The Bone Season should've been a book later down the line. Paige choosing to leave Jaxon would've hit harder, the Rephs controlling everything would've been a bigger twist, the world of Scion could've been more fleshed out so we'd understand more why Carl chose the Rephs so quickly. Getting these insights in tiny flashbacks didn't flesh out the world enough for the beats to hit. It would've also been nice to see Paige IN that world. We're TOLD she's a mollisher, but we don't see much mollishing. Maybe even give more time to Paige's sexuality because boy that does not sit right with me this time around.

Maybe I misremembered, maybe Paige was demisexual, but she does NOT read as ace in the updated version. It was already iffy in the og, but here I had to put the book down in the bar scene because WHAT! It had way different vibes! I know everyone has different experiences with being ace, and I know I've put myself in situations I only thought I wanted because it's what You're Supposed To Want, but it felt icky. I don't want to say it's not very asexual of her, because who knows! Maybe that's the authors personal experience and I don't want to shit on that! I simply do not like it. It doesn't sit well with me.

If you liked the OG Bone Season, then yeah I guess. Read this. It's not too different, it is an improvement in flow, and Warden is less of a prick. If you didn't like the OG, then don't bother! Don't be like me! If I can find the others for not jacket price, I'll do this again. I did enjoy The Mime Order more (because of the lack of Rephs) so I'm curious if the updated one will be more readable. That's as far as I got in the OG series so after that who knows. I sure don't. I just like to suffer I guess.

[readingaway]

Danielle Babbles About Books - A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

What are a few words that might describe your experience with the book? - Tears, heartache, bittersweet, I need to hug

Main thoughts - This was definitely my favorite book in the Wayfarers books (so far?). It's the one I was most emotional about, and with this smaller cast that's more bound to one place, and with the alternating timelines, I think it has a stronger case/ argument/ theme of "found family" and discovering or developing personhood. And what does it mean to be sentient/ a person and etc. The first book is the most popular, and has larger number of narrators, more wacky scenarios, and more interaction with others than the following three books, but, as has been said by other people, a more focused and small cast often has a greater emotional impact on the audience.

What writing things did you pick up? - Something about, with alternating POV, it's important to make the different characters' stories play off each other/ play off each others' themes. There need to be differences that will make the voice of each character distinct, but for theme, most likely these different characters will have complementary needs or goals, whether they know it or not.

[duckguts]

If anyone is interested in watching me rate and review every shitty reverse harem romance novel i can get my gremlin hands on please feel free to follow me on good reads !

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

All In 9

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon/dubcon, age gap, power imbalance, low self esteem, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: you meet a mysterious man on a night out with your sister. (petite!reader)

based on the winning option for this poll

Characters: casino owner!Bucky Barnes

Note: Hellllllooooo 😁

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

You can’t help but admire the books balanced in your lap. You’re overly aware of another set of eyes on you as you once more trace the title with your fingertips, not wanting to touch too much but simply unable to resist. It can’t be real. All the books you ever had come from the Goodwill or your grandmother’s closet. 

Bucky leans into you, his proximity still sweltering to you. You glance over at him sheepishly as you grip the edges of the top book to hold them steady. 

“Thank you,” you babble again, probably for the ten dozenth time. 

“You like them, doll?” 

“Yes, very much,” you push your shoulders up bashfully. 

“See, doll, all I wanna see is you happy,” he intones, “you’re happy, aren’t you?” 

“Sure, yes,” you stammer, “thank you.” 

He chuckles, amused by your incessant thanks yous. He rubs your shoulder and grips it tight, pulling you closer. 

“So, I made you happy,” he shifts his body slightly against the seat belt, “how are you going to make me happy?” 

You blink and gulp, clutching the books tighter. You bite down as you stare at him. Oh. 

“Can I tell you how?” He brings his fingertips up to pet your chin, “promise, it’s not too much.” 

“Mm, okay,” you utter. 

He grins and presses his thumb against your chin, “a kiss? Just one.” 

You let out a wispy noise and barely keep the books from slipping away. What? You can't be entirely surprised, you have no illusions, well as little as you can have, about what he wants and yet it’s like you’ve been slammed into by a sixteen-wheeler. Your clamp your lips tight as your bat your eyes. 

He considers you and his lips straighten, his dimples pitting beneath his beard, “you don’t want to?” 

“Uh, no, it isn’t...” your bottom lip quivers and your voice quakes. “I just...” 

You shudder and look at his mouth then his neck. You can’t look him in the face. Your whole body is alight and your heart is throbbing. How do you tell him the one thing you’re terrified to ever admit to anyone, though you’re certain they can see it clear enough. 

“You just what?” His voice is grittier, deeper. It adds an extra beat to your heart. 

“I never...” your eyes wander away, “I never kissed anyone. I’m sorry. I’m just... nervous. So I... I don’t know if I would be good.” 

He hums and rubs your chin, turning your head to him. He moves his hand to cradle your entire jaw and your throat bobs once more. You can’t help but reach to his wrist, clasping around his silver watch as your other hand strains to keep hold of the books in your lap. 

“Why wouldn’t you be any good, doll? Those lips can’t be anything but delicious.” 

You squeak and squirm in the seat. A tingle flows up your spine and strangles you. Your lips open and close like a fish out of water, a fluttering breath escaping you. 

“Doll, close your eyes,” he says. 

You can’t argue. You can’t move. You can barely think. So you obey. 

You shut your eyes and feel the heat around you stir. You can sense him leaning in and you stiffen as his breath glosses over you. He tilts your head up as his lips brush yours, his beard tickling your skin, and he presses firmly against you. You squeeze your eyes tight as he hums again and you let out a surprised squeak as his tongue pokes against your mouth. 

He pulls back as the books fall out of your lap onto the floor. Your eyes flick open and you try to look down. He holds you in place and pushes you back against the seat. 

“Forget them,” he urges as his hand stretches across your neck, “and open your mouth, doll.” 

He leans in once more and you’re plastered against the seat by his weight and the seatbelt. His mouth covers yours again and you let your lips go slack as his tongue delves within. You let out a murmur around him and slap your hand against the suede as his hand moves under your ear, a perfect vee beneath your lobe. He groans as he keeps his tending firm but soft, drawing back with a nibble as he leaves your lips wet. 

You sit there, eyes closed, puffing and trembling. He caresses your chin and purrs, “how was it, doll? Everything you expected and more?” 

You force your eyes open and look at him, shrinking down as you reach for his arm and try to dislodge his hand, “wow... I...” 

He smirks, “been a while since I left a lady breathless.” 

“I’m... sorry.” 

“Sorry?” He drags his touch along your jawline, “for what?” 

“I... was I bad?” You ask. 

He once more looms over you and you brace yourself. He kisses your forehead and slowly retracts his arm, “you are too good, doll. If I don’t stop myself...” 

You look around, fluttering lashes, shaky hands, and slowly bend forward. You gather up the books and slowly sit back. You stare forward, stunned stupid as the feel of his lips lingers. It wasn’t bad, just new, a little bit scary. Just like his words. 

What would happen if he didn’t stop himself? Could you stop him? 

🃏

The car rolls through a gate topped with golden points. You peer up at the urban mansion. You’ve never been to this part of town. The towering homes and curated lawns make you feel tiny. More so than usual. 

You fumble to undo your seatbelt as Merv opens the door. You slide out ahead of Bucky and he trails after, his hand on your back as he guides you up the stone walk to the front door. He punches in a code into the keypad and lets you in ahead of him. 

As you enter, you smell maple and bacon. He stays close to you, directing you with a point over your shoulder. You enter a dining room, the large table only set for two. He takes the books from you and sets them aside on the corner table. You swallow tightly. 

“My personal chef should be about done,” he pulls out a chair and looks back at you expectantly. 

You scurry up and sit with a thank you. He tucks the chair in under you and takes the chair on the other side of the corner, still close. Before you can settle in, a woman appears with two stemmed glasses. She sets one down before each of you as Bucky nods in fleeting acknowledgement, though his blue eyes only twinkle in your direction. 

“Smells good,” you chew your lip nervously and his gaze follows the gesture. 

“Nothing but the best, doll,” he winks and sips from his glass. 

You do the same, surprised by the bubbliness. There’s a slight tang to the orange juice you don’t expect. He’s still watching you, seemingly amused by the play of emotions on your face. 

“What?” You give a brittle giggle. 

“You,” he says, “it’s a mimosa...” he leans forward, “still tryna figure out what you like.” 

“It’s nice. Sweet,” you look at the glass and take another drink. 

“Mm, maybe something strawberry next time,” he suggests. 

“Ooo,” you smile but stop yourself as you feel goofy. 

You blow out between your lips, trying to expel the tension as his eyes stay stuck to you. His attention is flattering but no less intimidating. You were never one to be in the spot light. You peer around the room, admiring the modern but elegant decor. 

“Your house is so nice,” you rub your hands together nervously. “Must be nice living here...” 

“Eh, bit empty but not bad,” he says, “lonely.” 

“Oh,” you turn back to him. 

“Doll,” he pinches the stem of the glass, “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea here. I know I got a reputation, you probably read all about it online. But I’m a changed man... or trying to change.” 

You lower your brow in confusion. It’s strange to have anyone, let alone him, explain themselves to you. 

“You know, I was with a certain type for a long time but... nothing serious. No one like you.” 

Oh, you know. Why would he be with someone like you? You don’t dare to ask the question. 

“It’s... okay,” you stammer. 

“I don’t know any other way to do this,” he sits back and pushes his hair away from his face, “I’m taking it slow but...” his chest rises and he exhales heavily, “I hope you know how into you I am.” 

Your cheeks sting hotly and you can’t help but touch them. You avert your eyes, looking down, then cross your arms across your chest. You look at him and shrug. 

“Why?” 

He narrows his eyes and brushes his fingers along the trim of his beard. He puckers his lips thoughtfully. 

“I didn’t know until I saw you,” he drops his hand, resting it against the table. “I don’t know, you just looked... sweet. A bit lost. But I meant what I said, the skirt was cute. Kinda hoped you’d wear it today.” 

“Oh?” You let out apologetically. 

“That’s okay, doll, wishful thinking,” he says, “can’t have everything I want at once. I’m learning that.” He sits forward, “you’re teaching me how.” 

“I am?” 

“Sure you are,” he smirks, “waiting on you, aren’t I?” 

“Uh, yeah, I guess,” you twiddle your fingers nervously. 

Before it can grow awkward, the same woman returns. She has a tray in her hands, large and spread with serving dishes. She leans it on the table and lays it all out; bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, french toast, waffles, pancakes. Everything you could dream of for a perfect breakfast buffet. 

Your stomach grumbles loudly and Bucky tilts his head coyly. Did he hear that? You wait until the woman leaves to reach for your fork and knife, mirroring him as he does the same. He uses the tongs to put some bacon on his plate and offers you some. You take only one, it usually makes your stomach hurt. 

“You’ll be waiting on me tomorrow,” he says, as he continues to serve himself. Each time, he adds some to your plate as well.  

“I will?” 

“Probably a long day for me. You’re gonna have to get into the night shift, doll,” he explains. “Business and all that tripe. I’d rather have you by my side later anyhow. I’m not much of a morning person. Besides, I’ll need something pretty on my arm at the casino.” 

“Casino?” You echo. 

“Sure thing, doll. I gotta keep a watch over what’s mine,” he insists. 

“Right, er...” you look at your plate.  

The idea of stepping back into the casino makes your insides jelly. It’s so crowded and bright and busy. And with him, the one person everyone will be watching. At least there are no cameras permitted on the floor. 

“Just stick close,” he says, “shouldn’t be hard. I won’t let you get very far.” 

He chuckles and you poke at the scrambled eggs. What do you wear? What do you do? Just follow him around like a duckling? 

The woman returns, plaintive as she stands in the doorway. You glance over at her but Bucky keeps his attention on his food. 

“Thea?” He calls to her. 

“Sir, a package,” she declares. 

“Ah, yes, bring it in,” he demands and bites into a sausage. 

He chews and you opt to turn your focus to the growling in your stomach. You may as well enjoy what you can and you’ve never been shy of a good meal. You pour syrup onto the waffle and dust some icing sugar over it. He’s watching you, you peek up briefly to confirm it. You make your bites small and tidy. You wilt beneath his constant surveillance. 

The woman, Thea, returns. Bucky waves her over as she carries a white box. He drops his fork and stands. You hover your cutlery over the plate and watch as he dismisses her with a curt nod. 

“Please, enjoy,” he insists as he sets the box on the other side of the array of food. 

You stick to your conservative progress, curiously watching him as he pops open the lid of the box. He looks inside and smiles. He goes back to his seat to retrieve his napkin and wipes his hands. 

“How do you like them?” He pulls out a shirt, the edges scalloped around the bottom and neck, little purple hearts speckled all over. 

“Pajamas?” You wonder aloud. 

“Thought they’d be cute,” he smiles and drapes the shirt over the back of the chair in front of them, revealing the matching shorts. “You can take some pictures for me tonight.” 

You nearly choke. You tried to forget that picture. Both of them. His and yours. Right then, you can only think of him in the towel. 

“I’ll have it packed up with the books for you to take,” he puts the pajamas back in the box and closes the lid. “Let’s finish our food.” 

“Uh, okay, thank you,” you stammer. 

“Doll, it’s all just beginning,” he sits and reaches for his mimosa, holding it out. You take yours and he clinks your glass. “Here’s to us.”

[paimonial-rage]

procedural - alhaitham

[random writing event] | requested by @crane1000

Being known as one of those more free-spirited sort, you were never one for schedules. It wasn’t that you had anything against them. You just found it difficult to devote yourself to doing things at a set time on a set day was rather constricting. So when you were hired to work as the Akademiya’s scribe’s assistant, you were in for a whirlwind of change. Alhaitham was scheduled. Procedural, even. And he made sure you were too.

With Alhaitham, work started at 9am sharp. After half an hour of reviewing his intray, he would start on drafting proposals, copying documents, and creating lists. It was your job to maintain and organize the many papers that passed through his hands. Lunch was taken at noon on the dot. After, you would be out and about passing correspondence, picking up new books from the House of Daena, and communicating with the other departments. Once 5pm hit, you were finally released.

Through everything, Alhaitham prized efficiency and efficacy above all else. And though it took time to get used to his spartan ways, you could see the value in following his work style. Everything made sense. That is, mostly everything. When you sat down and really thought about everything, though, you couldn’t help but feel that there was something… odd about the way he did a few things.

Ever since you started, Alhaitham began eating out for lunch almost everyday, always inviting you along. Which was weird because you heard he usually brought lunch made by his roommate. You didn’t think it was too strange at first. You were friends with Alhaitham during your student years, after all. He probably wanted to catch up. But to continue on for a few months…?

It didn’t help that you did much of the talking at lunch. Sure, you were extremely talkative, but you thought he’d surely get tired of listening to you ramble on by now. But no, no matter how much you babbled about, he’d always respond with some intelligent response showing he was listening to you all along. That wasn’t even considering the way he opted to sit next to instead of across from you. Were you that interesting to listen to?

Then there was the way he’d actually listen to and take the random advice you’d give. The new fountain pens upon his desk were suggested by you, as were the coffee beans he now used at home. He let you drag him to new restaurants at lunch and borrowed the books you raved about in the House of Daena. You never heard of him doing this for anyone else.

And lastly…

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yep! Just finished packing up,” you replied, standing up from your desk. “Let’s go.”

As that classes were finally finished for the day, the Akademiya was abuzz with students. In the back of your mind, you had no doubt that the streets of Sumeru City would only be busier seeing that most people were finally leaving work.

“You don’t need to walk me home,” you began with an apologetic laugh. “It’s probably going to take a while.”

“It’s fine,” he replied. “Besides, weren’t you the one that insisted on finishing your story earlier?”

“Oh, you’re right!” You exclaimed. “So what happened next was…”

As you chatted about the happenings and various gossip that managed to find their way into your nosy ears, at some point your hand found its way into his. It often happened seeing that the busy roads often pushed and shoved you about. And as kind as he was to help you, you couldn’t help but feel that it was, like all the other things, unnecessary.

“Why are you so nice to me?” You found yourself asking when you finally reached your home.

Though his eyes widened for a moment, they soon narrowed as he crossed his arms as if observing you.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

You paused in thought.

“Because you see me as a friend?” You asked curiously.

You were met with a long exasperated sigh.

“Sure, let’s say that,” he finally said as he turned to leave. “Rest well.”

As you waved him goodbye, you couldn’t help but let out a sigh to yourself. Oh well. You’ll figure out his secrets some other time.

[thechaoticbookwyrm]

Thoughts on Forced Proximity in Real Life & Novels.

(TW: Mentions of Abuse, Strong Language, Possible Mentions of SA, Mentions of Alcohol, & Relationships.)           I’ll be the first one to call myself out and tell you that I haven’t done a whole lot of reading this year. I don’t know why but, I just keep finding myself in a slump, and I swear it all falls around one fucking trope that makes me want to eyeroll myself into the next dimension…