#Demon cycle novellas

[housewarningparty]

top 5 horror book recommendations? it's spooky season and i need to get my read on...

Hell yeah! Gonna break this down a little. First an obligatory rehash of books I always recommend for this, these are like all-time faves for me

Wounds/North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud - can't choose between these two, so they're tied for my favorite single author short story collection. Nathan Ballingrud is one of my favorite writers of all time

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado - a very very close second for my favorite single-author short story collection. Machado is a beautiful writer and finding an author writing such powerful horror from a queer woman's perspective was world changing for me.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - COME ON!!!! You might have already read this but consider reading it again! Absolute classic.

The Cipher by Kathe Koja - dark, fucked up meditation on art and addiction and toxic relationships. I think about this book all the time. A guy finds a weird hole in his apartment basement and then everything goes wrong (first slowly and then very very quickly)

Red X by David Demchuk - talked about this a lot before too but I really do love it. Fictional story inspired by real life serial killings that took place in Toronto's gay village over decades. The author inserts essays throughout the book that makes it part memoir as well. A supernatural story about real queer trauma.

--

Okay with that out of the way, here's some recommendations for stuff I think would be fun for Halloween specifically

Echoes edited by Ellen Datlow - OKAY CHEATING I ALSO RECOMMEND THIS ALL THE TIME BUT IT'S A PERFECT OCTOBER BOOK!!! Fuck-off huge ghost story anthology. Huge range of tones, pretty diverse group of contributing authors, it's my all-time favorite anthology.

Slewfoot by BROM - this one's got major autumn vibes. It's a story of a woman in Puritan New England who's accused of witchcraft. It's also a story about the devil. Kind of. The print version has really amazing paintings by the author, but I've heard this is also good in audio.

Come Closer by Sara Gran - this is a great little novella. Possession story that really packs a punch. I can't really say much more than that, but it's not a huge time investment and I think it's really worthwhile.

Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan LeFanu - if you can, get the version edited by Carmen Maria Machado (she adds in some great footnotes and it has some neat art too). This is a classic and also quite a brisk read. The original lesbian vampire story.

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - here's a new release for you! I always watch a ton of horror movies in October, and if you're anything like me maybe you'll want to read a horror novel about horror movies. This story follows a female film editor in 90s Mexico and her washed up actor friend as they help a retired filmmaker complete his famously unfinished last film, which he had been making with a former Nazi occultist before strange misfortunes and the occultist's mysterious disappearance forced production to shut down.

Okay that was double the amount of recommendations requested so I'm stopping here. Haha don't look in the tags don't worry about it there's nothing there you're crazy

[the-smut-analyst]

Fantasy Rom-Coms

The genre I never knew I needed. Until I found it.

Short 'n' sweet book rec post today (because I know I've been doing a lot of deep-dive analyses of late). I deserve a break. You deserve a break. So let's do it.

Here's my top three fantasy rom-com series at the moment!

Pick them up if you enjoy a bit of smutty fantasy and are in the mood to laugh.

1. Anything by Kimberly Lemming

I do not know if my tits were built for murder. I don't even think they were built with my back in mind.

Lemming is an auto-buy author for me. This woman is bloody hilarious. The humour is farcical and somewhat absurdist, which is my absolute favourite style. I grew up with the likes of Monty Python, The Mighty Boosh, and The Confessions of Georgia Nicholson - so Lemming's work is right up my alley.

Her character Alexis, the dirty-talking sword (yes, you read that correctly) is, in my mind, nothing short of comedic genius.

"Oh my god, chip my steal, you're so annoying," Alexis snapped. "Maybe if you fixed your attitude and took a bath once in a while, women would talk to you. You smell like old cheese and a mother's regret."

I know some reviewers have been thrown off my the modern vernacular in Lemming's work, due to its medieval-like fantasy setting. However, I think that is exactly what makes these books so good (and refreshing).

The love interests speak a bit more "ye oldy", while the female protagonists speak like we do. The result is something akin to what might happen if a modern romance reader were dropped into a smutty fantasy world. It's brilliant. For example:

"Every scratch," he whispered, his tone gentle and comforting. "Every bruise, I will pay back in fire and blood." I blinked. "Um... that is so sweet but so unnecessary."

I'd recommend reading Lemming's work in publication order, which is as follows (links included):

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon

Mistlefoe (novella - available with KU)

That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf

Two Scoops of Hellfire (novella - standalone - available with KU)

A Bump in Boohail (novella - available with KU)

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human

2. Alphas of Nasila series by V.K. Ludwig

“If you ever see me running in heels, then you better run, too,” she says with a scoff. “What am I supposed to run away from, anyway?” “Me!” “Why? You got a chase kink or something?”

The best way I can think to describe this series is that it is Omegaverse satire. The pairings are alien males and human females, and the smut / romance includes all your fairly standard A/B/O tropes - with the exception of non-con. The consent is refreshingly solid here.

Book one of this series, Heat for Hire, was actually my entry into the Omegaverse. If you're unfamiliar with the genre, then this is a good place to start because the protagonist, Elli, is unfamiliar with how alpha/omega pairings work. So all the... ahem... knotting, heat cycles, etc. are explained via her first experience of them.

My skin prickles at the memory of Rhen’s growl. But only until I remember that I rubbed myself to orgasm on a civil servant.

However, book two, Knot for Nest is by far the best of the series, in my opinion. The chemistry between the two protagonists, Lucy and Tjor, is brilliant - and it's just a genuinely hilarious read. Lucy is a snarky, independent omega who absolutely knows how to play the big, bad alphas to her advantage.

Book three, Purr for Purchase, is a lot higher angst (and less comedic) than its predecessors. It wasn't really my cup of tea, but that's just because I'm not a huge fan of pregnancy in romance.

If you've tried the Omegaverse before but not enjoyed it because of the power imbalances or dub/non-con, then I'd still recommend this series. The Omega / Alpha dynamic is very much reserved for the bedroom and does not reflect how the couple interacts outside of it. This is particularly true of Lucy and Tjor. She might enjoy being "dominated" during sex, but she genuinely holds all the power in the relationship.

“Big, bad alpha, all calm and well-behaved between my thighs.”

The characters in each Alphas of Nasila book are interconnected and the events chronological. However, you do not necessarily have to read these books in order. If you're sceptical of the Omegaverse in general, start with book two. All these novels are available with KU.

3. Claws & Cubicles Series by Kate Prior

Some people really haven’t adjusted to life under the Dark Reign of Terror yet. Some things are different, but honestly it’s all cosmetic. Things aren’t that different from when we had a normal, living CEO.

This series is like The Office, but with monsters (and smut). The dry, relatable humour of a boring corporate job - but with non-human co-workers like orcs, the undead, etc - is genius.

The comedy definitely leans into that classic British deadpan / understatement style. Think IT Crowd, Faulty Towers, and After Life. I think anyone who's ever worked in an office will definitely be smirking and chuckling their way through this series.

“You could have just called me in. I’ve got skin.” I wonder if that last remark is rude or something. After all, he doesn’t really have skin, to my knowledge. I hope I don’t have to take an undead sensitivity training class now.

Book one, Live Laugh Lich, gets pretty kinky (the MMC has three... er... yes). The smut here isn't going to be for everyone. But I liked the humour so much that I didn't really mind if the intimate scenes weren't my cup of tea.

However book two, The Orc From the Office, holds a much broader appeal, I think. I adored this installment. I'd recommend pushing through and reading this, even if you had mixed feelings on book one. The orc MMC is a socially awkward cinnamon roll and I love him.

I wonder distantly if my health insurance covers being eviscerated by Orc cock.

Book three, The Gargoyle from General Management, left me a bit wanting in terms of the character development. However, the setting of everyone being away together on a company retreat was comedy gold.

All of the Claws & Cubicles books are available on KU.

That's all! I hope you enjoy the smutty rom-com fantasy recs!

This post includes affiliate links to help me create content. No pressure to use them! But if you do, I'll be very grateful :)

[isfjmel-phleg]

May 2024 Books

The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker (reread)

I always enjoy this one. It has a lot of Oz-like charm.

The Master Key by L. Frank Baum (reread)

I was going to try to say some clever things about the ending of this book, but I'm tired, so the short version is that the protagonist is given a series of eletrically powered gifts from the Demon of Electricity (more like a genie, don't let the name fool you), only to get into various misadventures of the type common to turn-of-the-century boys' stories (with a lot of era-typical attitudes toward non-American or -European peoples and cultures that did not age well) and finally give back the gifts and insist that mankind isn't ready for such power and "it's no fun being a century ahead." I wasn't the biggest fan of the protagonist (rather a jerk), and the story was less interesting to me than the historical context and what it demonstrated of perspectives toward technology at the beginning of the twentieth century. Baum has some interesting concepts in this one, but there's a reason that it hasn't really stood the test of time.

Heart of the Curiosity by H. L. Burke (reread)

I did not care for this one. I do not recommend it.

Archer's Goon by Diana Wynne Jones (reread)

I love this book so much, and I needed to revisit it. I love the characters. I love the twists and turns even though I know they're already coming. *SPOILERS* This time I was struck particularly by Torquil and Hathaway's reconciliation--Torquil has been avoiding his brother after a disagreement, expecting animosity, but then when they finally reunite, Hathaway is just so happy to see his brother and invites him to visit anytime and it's like the grievances never happened, and in a family as dysfunctional as theirs, this is a huge step in the right direction and a very beautiful moment.

Unexpected Magic by Diana Wynne Jones

Collection of short stories and a novella. Inventive in the Jones style, but I didn't get attached enough to any of the stories to have any likelihood of picking this one up again.

Pauline by Margaret Storey (reread)

I've been revisiting some books in light of the CEN discussion in the recent paper. This one doesn't really deal with CEN, but it does portray psychological/emotional abuse quite vividly (the antagonist at times reminded me painfully of the professor who tortured me in the Nightmare Class) and point out how damaging it is. There's a memorable scene in which a trusted adult whom Pauline turns to for help mentions to someone that Pauline has been mistreated by a family. "Is he beating her?" the other person asks. The reply: "Not physically." The acknowledgement that psychological/emotional abuse is just as hurtful and damaging in its own way as the physical kind is quite a statement for a book published in the 1960s.

Last month I reread a book also published in that decade that openly acknowledged the problems with CEN and how it's a cycle that runs in families, and I'm starting to think that that era was a point when some people were starting to more clearly see the negative effects that the likely prevalence of CEN in previous generations especially in particular classes (e.g. upper-class Victorian/Edwardian upbringings) had had. I don't know what to do with this theory, but I will continue to mull it over.

Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr (reread)

This book isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I do love it a lot and I'll probably be yelling about its adaptations at some point.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells (reread)

Listen, I love Murderbot but 90% of the time I have no idea what's going on in these books since sci-fi jargon is mostly beyond me. But I was given my own copy of this book a while back and reread it, more slowly so I could wrap my mind around it better, and definitely got more out of it.

System Collapse by Martha Wells

I had to take this one slowly, but it was worth it. I love the direction that it took, with Murderbot getting involved in producing a film designed to emotionally appeal to people who are in danger of choosing an option that will result in their being enslaved--Murderbot needs the chance to work on processing its trauma, as reluctant as it is to deal with emotion, and working on the film is a big step toward catharsis.

Mother Carey's Chickens by Kate Douglas Wiggin (reread)

This one does have its charm, although I've always found it short on plot and character development (Wiggin has a habit of telling things that should have been shown, beyond the typical style of that era), but this time I had some issues with authorial favoritism toward certain characters, which you've probably already heard the rant about.

[cymorilcinnamonroll]

Asmodeus Cycle Masterlist (So Far)

Asmodeus commission by my all-time favorite portrait artist, the lovely Seri at @artofseri on Instagram!

Ashmedai; or, The Devil on Three Sticks, or "Ashmedai-Called-Tobias Loved Sarah the Daughter of Raguel" (Testament of Solomon/Book of Tobit literary horror retelling, found here)

Ashmedai and the Hairdresser, or informally, "Asmodeus gets a hairdresser from a very overworked German" (Found here)

The Tobias Problem (The Pushcart Committee had to read this, found here)

Belladonna (It's fucked is what it is. Found here)

FORTHCOMING:

The Ruby Shoes (1920s Speakeasy Phantom of the Opera inspired fantasy romance novella)

The Tale of the Jerusalemite (Feminist retelling of what be the world's first recorded fairytale, according to some scholars, where the worst man in the world wreaks havoc on Asmodeus' island, told from the women's and Asmodeus and the DEMON RABBI perspective)

The Cave of Salamenca (Multi-POV Novella Retelling of Asmodeus' favorite play by Miguel Cervantes, where seven scholars are allowed to learn the secrets of the world from Asmodeo, but one must stay as tithe)

And many more I have Asmo BRAINFROT LADIES AND GENTS AND ENBIES, ESPECIALLY IF HE COMES BACK ON HELLUVA BOSS.

[elliepassmore]

Someone You Can Build a Nest In review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, light horror, monster main characters, LGBTQ+ characters

Big thanks to Netgalley, DAW, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

TW: gore, animal cruelty, abuse

I definitely thought this was a novella going into this and didn't realize it wasn't until I got past all the acknowledgements, ARC stuff, and table of contents and the book was still on 1%. Most of the horror I read is in novella format, so I was a little worried I was going to end up with more than I'd bargained for, but luckily that wasn't the case!

This book definitely has gore in it, at times quite a bit, but I wouldn't really classify this as a gorey novel and, in that same vein, while Shesheshen is a monster and devours people, I wouldn't classify this book as 'horror' necessarily. I suppose it is somewhat in the same vein as The Salt Grows Heavy, though Shesheshen and the mermaid are very different. I actually thought some of the scenes of Shesheshen eating were funny at times, she has an interesting outlook to things that can be humorous.

Shesheshen herself is the only one of her kind that she knows. Her mother was killed when she was young and she devoured her siblings before they could devour her and has lived in monster solitude ever since. It's clear that her early life has a great impact on her since she wants to find someone to build a nest in who will be a better parent than her father was (and whom she views as just a setting, albeit a nice nest), how she wants to be able to be there for her offspring, and how she questions some things about her own existence since she had no one to teach her otherwise. I found Shesheshen to be interesting, particularly in the way that she can absorb items around her and utilize them to build her body's structure.

Despite being a 'monster,' Shesheshen clearly has empathy and feelings. Her best friend is a blue bear named Blueberry and the two are obviously close and Shesheshen definitely loves her. Likewise, she's able to recognize the hypocrisy of humans calling her a monster while killing what- and whoever they feel and being mean to one another. Shesheshen is also drawn to Homily's kindness and it quickly becomes clear that she has a strong protective streak when it comes to the people and things she cares about.

Homily is depicted as kindhearted and even expresses similar sentiments about hunting animals and monsters that Shesheshen does. These two are two of the things that most strongly draw Shesheshen to her. But Homily has also been through some shit and has a hard time around people as well as the tendency to let people hurt her, either in a "go along to get along" kind of way or because she thinks she deserves it. Despite this, Homily also has a strong protective streak and protects Shesheshen and others on multiple occasions.

While not a main character, I have to give a shoutout to Laurent, whom I find hilarious. May he be happily terrorized for the rest of his days.

I enjoyed reading about Shesheshen's attempts to stay close to Homily, and confess that she's the 'monster' who Homily thinks cursed her family (but definitely didn't), and how major hijinks ensue as a result of this decision. Shesheshen definitely has gotten herself into a situation here and it was funny to read her desperately attempting to outmaneuver the humans trying to hunt her down. She shows some remarkable cunning, and it's clear she has a good mind for strategy. But I did find her attempts to get out of the situation without devouring the whole hunting party to be quite hilarious.

While this is ostensibly a humorous story about a queer monster falling in love with a human, this book also tackles themes like abuse and the cycle of abuse. Shesheshen has suffered at the hands of humans who have come to kill her, which is one kind of abuse, but Homily has suffered through having a truly demonic set of family members who seem to delight in harming her, both physically and emotionally. A large part of this story is about healing from that and not falling into the same cycles, wittingly or unwittingly.

Overall I enjoyed this book and found it to be fairly light-hearted, despite its contents. There is some gore, but it's not too bad, and Shesheshen's 'monster' shenanigans are done very matter-of-factly and with a great deal of attention paid toward whether Homily would think it too weird.

[unforgivable-miracles]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ— ㅤTHE DEVIL'S OMEN

romania , where both monsters and humans co-exist peacefully? no. no, no no .

it's a kill-or-be-killed world. playground of death. horror. plague. hunters kill the monster , the monster kills the hunter. a cycle. angel , demon , siren , vampire , werewolf , all seem so small.

vague. weak. tiring. death comes to all, doesn't it? but if you survive , and you'd hope you'd survive, then kill as many monsters that you can find. whether those are human or not doesn't seem to matter anymore .

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSet in Romania in the 21st Century, the server is inspired by the CW'S SUPERNATURAL. The plotline is rather loose for many people to use and have their own character arcs and storylines. It's a LIITERATE-NOVELLA server that is open to all—but there may be mature topics such as death and violence. While you can play as a Hunter, you can also become a creature of your own. THE DEVIL'S OMEN gives a sense of dread, horror, and the unknown. Even creatures you'd think are good could turn out to only be bad, and those hunters you trust could leave you on the battlefield.

[twistedpagesbookblog]

My July TBR

My July TBR

Hi, guys! Thank you for all the love on my first blog post! Today I am making a list of books that I want to read or finish in July. 

Shadow Of The Fox By Julie Kagawa (Status Unread)

This is a fantasy book that is written for Young Adults. It pulls from Japanese mythology, and has a heavy romance plot. It has magic and an epic adventure plot. I haven't read this book yet so I don’t really know what its about. But this is the blurb from goodreads. 

One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos.

Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.

Raised by monks in the isolated Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has trained all her life to hide her yokai nature. Half kitsune, half human, her skill with illusion is matched only by her penchant for mischief. Until the day her home is burned to the ground, her adoptive family is brutally slain and she is forced to flee for her life with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll.

There are many who would claim the dragon’s wish for their own. Kage Tatsumi, a mysterious samurai of the Shadow Clan, is one such hunter, under orders to retrieve the scroll…at any cost. Fate brings Kage and Yumeko together. With a promise to lead him to the scroll, an uneasy alliance is formed, offering Yumeko her best hope for survival. But he seeks what she has hidden away, and her deception could ultimately tear them both apart.

With an army of demons at her heels and the unlikeliest of allies at her side, Yumeko’s secrets are more than a matter of life or death. They are the key to the fate of the world itself.

Assassin's Blade By Sarah J. Maas (Status: Reread)

This is a Young Adult Romance with elements of high fantasy. This is a novella which has five different short stories from before the events of the first Throne Of Glass book. I wanted to reread it since it’s been two years since I first read the Throne Of Glass series. Here is the blurb: 

Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom’s most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin’s Guild, Celaena yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer for hire, Sam.

When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes—and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn’s orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn’s clutches—and if they fail, they’ll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives . . .

A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers readers a deeper look into the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling—and deadly—world.

Infinity Kings By Adam Slivera, Book number 3 (Status currently reading)

This is a fantasy book written for Young Adults. This book has LGBTQ+ characters and other Queer Representations. This book has an urban fantasy setting and has some elements of sci-fi. Another perk is that this book has really cool magic. 

This is the blurb for the first book, since the third blurb contains spoilers of the series. 

Growing up in New York, brothers Emil and Brighton always idolized the Spell Walkers—a vigilante group sworn to rid the world of specters. While the Spell Walkers and other celestials are born with powers, specters take them, violently stealing the essence of endangered magical creatures.

Brighton wishes he had a power so he could join the fray. Emil just wants the fighting to stop. The cycle of violence has taken a toll, making it harder for anyone with a power to live peacefully and openly. In this climate of fear, a gang of specters has been growing bolder by the day.

Then, in a brawl after a protest, Emil manifests a power of his own—one that puts him right at the heart of the conflict and sets him up to be the heroic Spell Walker Brighton always wanted to be.

Brotherhood, love, and loyalty will be put to the test, and no one will escape the fight unscathed.

Well that is it for today’s blog post. Don’t forget to show it some love! Bye!

[pharah-airways]

Tag people you want to get to know better game thing!

Ty @toads-treasures for the tag i will honor it with my life.

Tagging @surumarssi @creatureactivist @sodalover @pitl0ver si quieren

Last Song: Magnetic by Waterparks (i'm going to see them in a week!)

Currently Watching: Four different things lol 1) Neon Genesis Evangelion (rewatch) bc i'm gonna watch End of Evangelion w a friend over spring break. 2) Black Lagoon - kinda mid but pretty fun. I like how Revy has Gun Autism and belligerent sexual tension with every other woman in the show 3) Dungeon Meshi. very nice to chill eat dinner while watching the Monster Food Show. 4) Scavengers Reign - soooo good. What if you were marooned on the most beautiful scifi horror planet ever. Alien ecosystem that hates you is one of the most creatively designed things ive ever seen

Three Ships: hmmmm i feel like i think less abt ships now than i did a few years ago. That said,

Asa x Denji (Chainsaw Man manga) - ohhhhh my god its so good. this is mostly bc Asa is one of my favorite characters ever but their cringeboy x failgirl dynamic is peak. theres also the impending doom which totally wont happen if i look over here.

Anthy x Utena (Revolutionary Girl Utena) - the blueprint. i can't talk about them here this post would reach novella length. go watch Utena legitimately the best show ive ever seen.

Shinji x Kaworu (NGE) - whenever i get sad i post this to my instagram story

Favorite Color: her...

Currently consuming: Priory of the Orange Tree (book, good), The Magnus Protocol (podcast, good), Kill Six Billion Demons (webcomic, goated)

First Ship: The first thing i shipped in any way relating to internet fandom was Pharah x Mercy (overwatch). The first fictional relationship that i really liked and thought about tho is probably Percy and Annabeth. PJO numero uno campeao do mundo

Place of Birth: Northeast USA

Current Location: 39.644727°N, 76.745757°W

Last Movie: DUNE PART 2 ITS SO GOOD RAHHHH

Currently working on: I have several writing projects that are neat but are not getting finished, but primarily three things: 1) scifi project ive been working on since i was 15. I think ive managed to stay true to the original vision (star wars ripoff) while also making it somewhat good. 2) Newish high fantasy project born out of worldbuilding a four-gender system. I like how the magic system intertwines with gender i like the theme of cycles and how to break them, but ive still got a long way to go. 3) Long scifi short story about a clash of oppressive societies via toxic yuri. almost done!

Writing: I'm assuming this means completed. Several small things i don't care too much about, and one pretty good short story about a spaceship AI having a Transgender Moment (1 dead many injured)

Art: discord whiteboard akiangel. they're in love btw.

[robbiedaymonds]

I was tagged by @slowtides to talk about what I've been reading lately! Here's a couple things I've read this year so far. I was a little slow with reading the first 4 or 5 months since I was finishing grad school, but I've read all of the above in the last five or so months. I can talk a little about each of them!

The Eye of the World - I finally started on The Wheel of Time series this year. A friend of mine in college about ten years ago told me to read this and with the show, I decided to give it a try. I really thoroughly enjoyed this first book. I found Rand and Mat's storylines a little less exciting than Perrin and Egwyane but otherwise I really loved this and I'm already reading book two! I really want to read the whole series.

Elantris - my very first Sanderson novel. I'm so glad I started with this one as it was his first (written and published) novel so now I can see how his writing has evolved. This was such an interesting concept and really fueled my imagination and made me want to write again. It was surprisingly easy to read (for some reason I was expecting his writing to be denser and harder to get through but now I realize why he's so popular!) and I flew through it. I really want to get my own copy and annotate it while rereading it.

Bloom Into You - A manga series recommended to me by a person irl for reasons. I haven't read manga in a long time and I've never read a non-magical manga before. It was super cute!

Where the Nightmares Go - was throughly enjoyable. The first and last stories in particular were WOW. The second one (I think it was the second, maybe the third) was so terrifying that I literally could not allow myself to picture it in my head as I was reading or I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep for like a week. Highly recommend if you like horror and uncanny fiction.

The Ex-Girlfriend of my Girlfriend.... - It was good! Very lesbian centric (I was feeling a little bi-erasure) but as I'm trying to explore my queerness, I was happy to read through these situations. The latter parts of the book definitely felt a bit more bi-positive and openly queer (umbrella term) so I think it was worthwhile to read. The bright colors and illustrations were also very fun.

Nettle and Bone - After graduating I read a lot of novellas because it was easier than full novels. This was my first T. Kingfisher and will not be my last. The topic was women and breaking cycles and dealing with family and finding independence and also about hot-silver-fox-fighters and demonic chickens. Cannot go wrong.

High Times In the Low Parliament - Another novella. Totally bizarre and amazing. Fae/faeries, government, sapphics, lots of drugs. It was super enjoyable and I think maybe the first novella I read after graduating??? So it's gonna stick with me. I might even purchase a copy.

Off With Her Head - What promised to be a historical breakdown of misogyny unfortunately turned into a repeated argument for 75% of the book, with the only actually engaging chapters being the ones with historical research. It will definitely make you angry if you are a women or are anti-patriarchy, but after a while the anger will get tiring until you get to The One Juicy Historical chapter. I don't usually read nonfiction so this was maybe not the best thing for me to read.

White Cat, Black Dog - I can't say much about this except that Kelly Link is my favorite short story author and I got this practically brand new book for $10 at a used book store. One or two stories were a little meh for me, but nothing downright awful. I love the way this is retellings of other fairytales but feels sooooo different you'd never know it until you read the acknowledgements or notice that the original tales titles are written at the beginning under the titles. I particularly loved the retelling of Tam Lin.

This is for anyone who wants to write a bit about what they've been reading or what's been engaging for them lately! If you want to share, please do! Also tagging a few people: @twoheartsoneclara @antoine-triplett @actuallylorelaigilmore @spellmansabrina @thyla

[blue-15000]

Notes for Chapter 10 of To Be a Kunoichi

Formats were made to be broken, as I did with this chapter.

After this arc, things will look up, at least for a bit (about two and a half years of very relative happiness). We have one more chapter to go.

As I said, formats are made to be broken. No scene breaks, no present scenes set in this chapter. It's supposed to feel long, arduous, and afford the reader no tonal or time breaks.

The past scenes are largely Naruto remembering what happened, hence the unreliable narration. The absence of scenes in the present is meant to suggest that this isn't something she ever thinks on or recalls if she can help it.

I fucked up a bit, and wanted to end the last chapter on an action note (the explosions) and then went back to my outline and went "oh no, this solitary confinement chapter is going to necessitate a minor timeskip in order to achieve the vibe I want". I think it adds to the floaty, unconnected vibe I was going for - it doesn't matter how she got here, there's nothing happening beyond those four walls for her.

Naruto isn't ever going to have this confirmed in the fic, but the cell's previous occupant was Kushina. Something something something intergenerational cycles of violence.

I actually can't believe it took nearly 35k words for Kks to tell her his name. That's a novella. Soon this project I started on a whim while bored will be novel length.

Notice how Kakashi manages to do something emotionally genuine only when there's three inches of steel between them. He probably finds it easier to talk to her when he can't actually see her, the way the Supernatural brothers can only have emotionally honest conversations when Not Looking At Each Other while they're driving their car.

Without her own boosted healing (+ the kyuubi's boost) Nart really struggles to gauge how much she's hurting herself. She doesn't pay attention to pain because it normally doesn't matter - but in this cell, her chakra is suppressed and she's not healing as she normally does.

I'm fond of portrayals of jinchuriki that emphasize the body horror/supernatural elements of having a demon sealed in you: this won't ever come up in the story, because Nart has no reason to know it, but her eyes reflect light like a real fox's. It's very unnerving for all her teammates, but they are all too polite to say anything. Similarly, her hair grows insanely fast, also slightly unnerving for people who saw her with a bob a couple months ago and now her hair is like a foot longer. There's just a lot of little things that add up to make her a little uncanny.

Naruto relies on her chakra sensing A LOT. Without it, everyone around her seems like a lifeless puppet/corpse, it's very scary for her. In fanfiction, often any old shinobi can identify people (at least, people they know well) by chakra signature, or sense shinobi who are close by. In canon this isn't the case at all - people can sense when large amounts of chakra are used in jutsu, and can sense really powerful/malevolent beings like Orochimaru or Kurama, but identifying individual signatures/knowing when shinobi are nearby is a rare skill.

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

HOT NEW RELEASE

We are excited to share with you DARKEST NEED by Rachel Van Dyken is live! Get your copy today! https://read.rachvd.com/darkest-need

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 #𝟏 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐒𝐀 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐕𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐲𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐎𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐚… I see everything. I feel everything. I watch people fall in love. I watch them burn with hate, anger, rage, and I see the cycle repeat over and over again. I take it on every night I work at Timber, aka Anubis’s bar in downtown Seattle, and then I help the rest of the immortals keep the very intense balance between Heaven and Earth. I see everyone's future but mine, and when I try to look, all I see is darkness, despair, need… Until she walks into my bar with bruises on her face, getting pulled by one of the lesser demons. I do what any good bartender would do… I beat him within an inch of his life and turn my eyes to her. By then, it’s too late. She already has me in her grasp. A succubus that has no other plan than to suck me clean of every inch of power that’s been bestowed on me by the Heavens. I never thought my future involved getting kidnapped and tied up or that I’d die by way of sex—then again, maybe that’s for the best. Dying at the hands of my enemy rather than being one more burden to my already mated friends. After all, giving into one last need before death, while selfish, may be exactly what my darkness means. My need is great. And she’s about to find out just how much. **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

[pvbrett]

Hey everyone! Last week, Barnes & Noble put out a list of The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of September 2018. This list was compiled by Jeff Somers and we were delighted to see a familiar cover on it.

Thanks so much to B&N and to Jeff for writing this piece! There are a bunch of great books on this list and we're so glad to see Barren among them. To see the full list, head over to Barnes & Noble's official site to check it out!

Posted by Karen

[pheita]

I just had a weird idea. Ok, so the first "book" from my Sojan stories is called "Guild Hunter Sojan" and is about meeting Sojan, and him getting closure on his past, finding love again in Lyran, and finally facing his father. Right? Right. So from all the things I wrote, we can go on like this: "Lyran the fightning bard" as a sequel because the next series of events is about Lyran and Sojan becoming a real couple, Lyran facing his little trust issues when it comes to trusting people to stay with him and him deciding to become a hunter of the guild because he wants to be more of a help for Sojan when they travel the continent(s). This will be surely a dual POV because it will include some time they are apart from each other because of Lyran's little trust issues. And yes, the word fighting can be seen with two meanings in this case. Next would be "Elven warrior Niatenya" because this would be where the guys meet Niat, her decision to change from being an elven warrior to become a hunter of the guild and becoming more herself and less what people expected her to be. So again, it is about finding yourself, right? Right. This would probably start with the little novella "Song of their life" but changed to fit into her POV. Or do a two POV thing where I switch between Lyran and Niat. Woould makesense so we continue Sojan's and Lyran's story as well. We will see. So we have all the set-up now. We have a lot of people already known to readers. And now the big thing of Lyran getting his titles back. This will bring us to "Ylva, Mercenary of the Free" which will include the Halloween special, the short story after this, and the sequel of the Halloween special, but I would need to sort some things out and change a couple of things etc. We will not only include Ylva in the greater storyline and add her to the poly relationship the guys didn't realize they are starting. (Yeah, my dorks are idiots) but it will be told through 3 POVs with Ylva being one of them. (That's where I need to change things) And the worst of it. All those four WIPs will cover only about 15 years of the 20 I already wrote for. So what comes after this? Well, the next big event would be 4 years after they met Ylva, when idiot Sojan managed to get into the demon version of Pon Farr (yeah, I am a nerd lol), which is actually 1. funny given the fact he is graysexual 2. even funnier because he got into it because he started to think about starting a family with Lyran. Did I say, they are dorks? They are completely dumb. So let's say the aforementioned four WIPs are one cycle. So we will need to start a new cycle. Since it is all about a family of all kinds, I will have at least three WIPs in this cycle, and all should have something with family in their title. I am still working on this part. I don't know if I hate myself doing all this or if the world of Sojan got me in its grip too much. Oh, and I still need to incorporate better the world of Deyani, since I decided both continents are on the same globe. Maybe I let Ylva go back to her birthplace and let her run into my other group of found family idiots. Oh gosh, she will be trouble if she meets Deyani and Rogel. It will be hilarious! Ok, so far so good, and enough of my Monday noon thoughts. Tagging the taglist folks because I guess you might want to know this. Yeah, I am crazy.

@ashen-crest @adie-dee @cometworks @kainablue @abalonetea @writingamongther0ses @vivian-is-writing @viskafrer @contes-de-rheio

[inusedai]

INDIE SELECTIVE INUYASHA

|| Heavily Divergent || NSFW || || Multi Ship / Verse || One Liner - Para / Novella || || Main Partners Prioritized || Low-Mid Activity ||

This is not my only blog, I cycle out with two others in the IY RPC. Anon hate, bullying & or negativity will not be tolerated. Stay in your own lane, and be NICE. If it is sent to me, it will be deleted without a single thought. Never once have I or will I post anon hate.

🦴 UPDATES / NEWS 🦴

SUPER LOW ACTIVITY - but I lurk...

🦴 MAINS 🦴

My main peeps. My disco fam. These people are some of my dearest friends, so of course I’m going to put them first. Please don’t let this discourage you, it just means they are my safe zone. ​

🦴 VERSES 🦴

MAIN - ‘ 偉大さの運命 ’ | 一 ( W.I.P ) ( the well link )

AU - B.W  ポータル騒乱 | 四 ( the well link )

AU - ‘ 500 Y.I.T 合計500回生き残ります | 三  ( the well link )

AU - DIVERGENT -  ‘ D.F.A 次は何？| 五 ( W.I.P ) ( the well link )

AU - ‘ 50 Y.I.Y 会う予定 |二  ( the well link )​

🦴 HEADCANONS 🦴

Will be added ( linked ) as I go.

HANYO HEADCANON’S ( 🦴 )

HUMAN HEADCANON’S ( 🦴 )

DEMON HEADCANON’S ( 🦴 )

NS/FW HEADCANON’S ( 🦴 )

🦴 WARNINGS 🦴

Tags to block ( will be added in the actual TAGS )

NS/FW - ‘ I wasn’t looking! ’ | 見ないで

rarity don’t look ( purge )

long post for ts

[aion-rsa]

Chinese-Inspired Fantasy Books That Reframe Familiar Fairy Tales

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Reframing fairy tales has long been a common subgenre of fantasy fiction and, at the end of 2020, three authors put their own spins on stories (or fairy tale structures) familiar to most Western audiences by incorporating Asian mythology and settings. S. L. Huang combined European fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood with the Chinese tale of Hou Yi the Archer to form a story of redemption, love, and family in Burning Roses. Chloe Gong cast tragic English characters Romeo and Juliette as gangsters in 1920s Shanghai—pitting them against a Lovecraftian monster rising from the depths of the Huangpu River in These Violent Delights. And Nghi Vo continued her Singing Hills cycle, set in a world inspired by Imperial China, with an original story reminiscent of Middle Eastern folktale The Thousand Nights and One Night in the novella When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain. While none of these books are intended to be read together, all three make an excellent combination of courses for your literary meal, especially if you’re looking to dive into more fantastical tales written by Asian American authors.

Burning Roses by S.L. Huang

Fairy tales frequently feature young protagonists, especially young women, in peril. Some are able to evade dire fates through their own wits, while others must be rescued. Readers seldom see what becomes of them in their middle age, but that’s exactly what Huang takes on in her novella, Burning Roses.

Red Riding Hood, here called Rosa, survived the wolf attack that killed her grandmother. The event convinces her of the evil of the grundwirgen, speaking animals whom her grandmother had tried to teach here were just as much people as humans, but whom her mother had raised her to hate. Her mother’s point proven right, she sets off on a quest to rid the world of grundwirgen, teaming up with Goldie (whom she rescued from bears, and whom she later realizes is a thief and a con artist). But by the time readers meet Rosa, she’s left that life long behind, and now accompanies Hou Yi, the famous archer of Chinese lore, on a quest to keep people safe from unthinking monsters. (Hou Yi is traditionally described as male; here she is female, and she complains that Westerners from Rosa’s lands “insist on calling me a man.”)

Hou Yi, like Rosa, has her own demons to slay, and not just the literal ones. As Hou Yi and Rosa fight off a group of sunbirds, nearly dying from the smoke and fire, Hou Yi is confronted by her own past—the apprentice who turned against her. That apprentice is now a sorcerer, and has raised the sunbirds against Hou Yi in a twisted act of revenge.

But of course, it’s not that simple, either. Hou Yi and Rosa both acknowledge their own troubled pasts, and the wrongs they’ve both done, especially to those they love, weigh them down so heavily they almost cannot bear to move. The relationship between these two women, who truly see each other because they recognize a kinship of regret and repentance, is powerful. Without revealing too much in the way of spoilers, the feeling of the novella is that even in the midst of despair, it is possible to hope—especially when someone else can help carry the burden of your past.

Along with nods to Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood, there are additional mentions of Western fairy tales like Puss in Boots and Sleeping Beauty. Hou Yi’s story also closely mirrors the traditional tales, but familiarity with them isn’t required; those who already know the story may catch hints in the story earlier about where the tale will end, but Huang’s use of folklore from both Europe and China is complete within the story, and no additional outside sources are needed to get full enjoyment from the tale.

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

What happens when you mix 1920s Shanghai with The Sopranos, Lovecraftian horror, and Romeo and Juliet? With Gong at the helm, the result is a chillingly violent romance that readers may hope, despite the source material, will come to a happy ending.

In These Violent Delights, Juliette and Roma are the heirs to the two gangs of Shanghai, crime families who once controlled the city but are both losing ground as more foreign interests—and communists—rise to power. Juliette Cai is the future leader of the Scarlet Gang, the only remaining Chinese power in the city. Roma Montagov is a White Flower, son of generations of Russians who fled the Bolsheviks, and now in a dangerous predicament as his father has begun to favor another Montagov over his own son as the possible heir. Years ago, Juliette and Roma met in secret, determined to defy their parents, pledging that together they could bring peace and prosperity to Shanghai.

But those years are long past, and now nothing exists between them but hatred—or so each of them claim. They would continue to be solely enemies if not for a contagion sweeping through the city, hitting Scarlets and White Flowers with equal severity, that causes the victims to rip out their own throats. The contagion seems to follow sightings of a monster—a creature that witnesses claim drives people mad. Investigating on their own, they are chasing their own tails. Together, they could be unstoppable…

Before you say that the story isn’t really a fairy tale—it long predated Shakespeare’s play—and while it includes no fairies, the element of the poison that emulates death borders on the supernatural. Gong’s addition of a monster that rises from the river and compels people to suicide brings in enough additional supernatural elements (mixed with a healthy dose of 1920s science) to include it within the genre. At the same time, the novel is just as much a crime drama; the feuding criminal families are vibrantly, violently drawn, and their ruthlessness makes it difficult to consider heroes (even while readers root for Roma and Juliette’s romance).

One of the delights of the story, for those familiar with Shakespeare’s telling of the tale, is watching Gong’s naming conventions give clues to the role the characters play. Lourens, a scientist working with the White Flowers, is an analog to Father Laurence; Benedikt and Marshall are Romeo’s friends Benvolio and Mercutio, while Juliette’s hotheaded cousin Tyler is Tybalt. But though they don’t always play into type (and they have their own motives far beyond the traditional tale), readers will still be waiting for that moment when Tyler and Marshall face off, and Marshall lays a plague on both their houses. That the story, while self contained, leads directly into a subsequent volume will have readers waiting to find out if fair Shanghai will one day see a glooming peace, and whether Roma and Juliette must both be sacrificed to achieve it.

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo

Vo’s novella is the second story featuring scholar-cleric Chih, who collects stories from far off places in order for them to be recorded for the archives at Singing Hills. In Chih’s first story (The Empress of Salt and Fortune), they and their recorder bird, Almost Brilliant, had an adventure; now Almost Brilliant is tending a clutch of eggs, leaving Chich to journey on their own. Luckily, Chich has guide Si-yu, a mammoth corps scout, to lead them through the mountains.

Unluckily, there are three tigers hunting in the mountains, and a lone mammoth and a few humans seem like a tasty meal. Si-yu and her mammoth, Piluk, reach safety, and Chih calls an uneasy truce with the tigers: Chih knows the tale of Ho Thi Thao’s marriage, and they ask the tigers to correct it for Singing Hills. The tigers refuse to tell their version—the true version—but they’re willing to let Chih tell the version they know, and correct the cleric when they get things wrong.

And so Chih tells the story of Ho Thi Thao and her human wife, Scholar Dieu—all the while, during the tale, keeping the hungry tigers from eating the humans. Chih weaves elements of ghosts—and the tigers add fox spirits, correcting the story; Chih gives a version in which human Dieu has most of the agency, and the tigers correct the tale to make Ho Thi Thao the hero. The story always feels very tightly organic to the Singing Hills cycle: the mammoths are a particularly delightful element of the setting, and the talking tigers, who can take the form of humans, feel a true part of the setting once readers (and Si-yu) become accustomed to the idea of conversing with them. In fact, Si-yu often takes the side of the tigers, preferring the details they give the story to Chih’s version.

But while the world is very much its own, the story is very reminiscent of the traditional tale of Scheherezade, who staved off death with her stories night after night. While When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain feels very much a new story, it also feels familiar, the way that being tucked in with a familiar bedtime story might, especially for readers accustomed to bedtime stories with the threat of being eaten by tigers.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

For the two stories with already familiar characters, the Chinese (or Chinese-inspired) settings offer a new perspective for readers less familiar with East Asian mythology, and help readers to see those tales in a new and different light, enhancing the old tales with a new point of view. For the original story, embracing the feel of older tales lends it the feeling of being at once both new and comforting. In all ways, these three tales offer the sense of meeting old friends for the first time—and coming out the other side enriched by the experience.

The post Chinese-Inspired Fantasy Books That Reframe Familiar Fairy Tales appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2OPnTxF

[betareaderwanted]

New betas (p1)

theskymahtin Fandom: The Raven Cycle, The Song of Achilles, She-ra (reboot), The Magnus Archives, The Bright Sessions, Carry On, Captive Prince, Sense8 Rating: any No: incest, child abuse, rape/non-con, Graphic or heavy self harm/suicide Additional info: available for original stories. “I'm okay with gore as long as it's not in a sexual context. There are certain ships I'd rather not read, but just DM me and I'll let you know! “ How to contact: @theskymahtin blahdedahdah Fandom: Good Omens, Hadestown (I am open to other musicals as well, weather or not I am familiar with them), Marvel (Cinematic Universe and Comics), The Last Airbender, The Umbrella Academy, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, others open for discussion Rating: any No: incest, rape/non-con, Self Harm; Suicide Additional info: available for original stories. “Strengths in grammar, imagery, metaphor and dialogue. Will American-pick. Would love long-term work with an author on multiple stories (fanfic or original work). Happy to sensitivity-read works regarding LGBT themes (especially involving nonbinary characters), disability, and mental health (not involving graphic discriptions of self harm or suicide/suicidal ideation).” How to contact: @blahdedahdah m00nylin Fandom: Attack On Titan, My Hero Academia, Haikyuu!!, Danganronpa (all games), Fairy Tail, Hunter x Hunter, Demon Slayer, Kakegurui, Your Turn To Die, Catherine: Full Body Rating: any No: incest Additional info: available for original stories How to contact: Email: whitebloodcell@gmail.com samati Fandom: Teen Wolf, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Check Please, RPF Hockey Rating: any No: incest, gore, child abuse, rape/non-con, self insert/OC, underage How to contact: Email: samati75@gmail.com Twitter: samati minigiratina Fandom: The Adventure Zone, A Hat in Time, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Gravity Falls, The Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Venom (2018) Rating: up to T No: smut, incest, A/B/O dynamics, rape/non-con creativecreed Fandom: The 100, Jupiter Ascending, Ready or Not, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Netflix Marvel Universe, Fruits Basket, Angel/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Underworld, Resident Evil (Movies), Vampire Diaries, Firefly, Chronicles of Riddick, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Leverage, West Wing, 1/2 Prince, Avalon High, Empress Ki, The Story of Ming Lan, Avatar: the Last Airbender Rating: any No: incest, rape/non-con Additional info: available for original stories. “I am using this to learn more and exercise my own storytelling skills. Would love to work with authors who want an actual convo about the story, not just to have commas moved and given a thumbs up.” How to contact: candycanes849@yahoo.com ToolMusicLover Fandom: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones Rating: any Additional info: available for original stories How to contact: @toolmusiclover theravenprince Fandom: Assassins Creed, Critical Role, Thief, [Prototype],Avatar The Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, Dungeons and Dragons, World of Warcraft, Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines 1,Divinity Original Sin 2,Neverwinter (the mmo), Stardew Valley, Arrow, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, How to Train Your Dragon Rating: up to T No: smut, child abuse, rape/non-com Additional info: available for original stories. “I can work outside the fandoms I have listed, just thought I might not be able to help contribute advice towards story things without the knowledge of the source - though I would be willing to do some research on it. I also probably haven't listed everything I have knowledge on as I have watched/played quite a few different things. WRT: Original works - I would be willing to work on anything from short stories, novellas, novels and even screenplays if so desired! (though screenplays I might need to see what sort of formatting you prefer as I've seen quite a few different ways to format them!)” How to contact: tumblr or email: desswalkerwriter@gmail.com