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haveamagicalday · 17 days ago

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Books Read in 2024

Once again it is time for my yearly wrap up! You can find my top ten reads of 2024 here. I read quite a lot of books this year but honestly I read some real stinkers. I rarely give two star reviews but there's a few of them on this list

4 Stars

The Dollmaker of Krakow by R.M. Romero- Karolina is a living doll whose home has been overthrown by rats. She is spirited away from her home and to Poland to live with a lonely dollmaker. At first, Karolina and the dollmaker live happily together until the Nazis invade, putting their new Jewish friends at risk. Partly Nutcracker inspired, this sweet but sad book takes a look at the Holocaust through a fantasy and child-like gaze.

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid- I saw some reviews that were disappointed in this book for straying away from the source material. Personally, I really enjoyed it but was also thrown off a bit in the direction it went. I really don't think this needed to be a Macbeth retelling. You could have changed the names and I think more people would have been able to get behind it that way.

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager- I look forward to a new riley sager book every summer. While this was still entertaining, it's one of my least favorite of his. I predicted almost all of the twists ahead of time and there were some moments that required some suspension of disbelief. The big red herring in this one was kind of odd and would have been really interesting to explore more. Overall I still enjoyed reading this, it was just weaker than his other books.

Nightbird by Alice Hoffman- Twig lives in a town where a winged monster is rumored to live. Turns out the rumors are true but the winged creature isn't a monster, just Twig's older brother. Cursed by a witch, the first born son in Twig's family is always born with a pair of wings. James is kept hidden away but now as a teenager, James has been spreading his wings more and more. When a new family moves into town, Twig finds herself making a friend and James a possible love connection with the older sister. Twig decides it's finally time to break the curse. This was a sweet read and I loved how it ended.

Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu- A middle grade retelling of The Yellow Wallpaper about a girl whose life is changing in big ways. It seems like an odd premise but I was really surprised with this one. After her mom remarried and had a new baby, Violet's family is moving into a new house. On top of that, Violet feels her life long friends moving in different directions as they navigate middle school. Violet suddenly falls ill and despite seeming to recover, the illness always comes back and confines her to her attic room with the creepy yellow wallpaper. When I heard about this book I wasn't sure how it would work but I was intrigued. The story ended up being a blend of medical negligence and middle school drama with a twinge of horror that all worked together so incredibly well. My only complaint is that I wish there had been more spookiness from the yellow wallpaper throughout the whole book and not just towards the end.

The Ones Who Come Back Hungry by Amelinda Berube- Jo is left devastated after the tragic passing of her popular older sister Audrey. But days after the death, Jo finds Audrey out in the snow. At first she is thrilled to have her sister back, but it quickly becomes apparent that something isn't right with Audrey. She doesn't breathe and her body is starting to decay. Worst of all, she is hungry and only blood will sustain her. Creepy and thought provoking. Berube writes siblings and toxic relationships very well

Slewfoot, a tale of Bewitchery by Brom- An accident leaves Abitha a young widow in a puritan colony she is still new to. Her husband’s death and independent nature puts a target on her back as the villagers start calling her a witch. At the same time an ancient power named Slewfoot is awoken and takes a liking to Abitha. This book went in a direction that I wasn’t expecting by incorporating a lot of Native American mythology as opposed to more classic pagan witch stories. I don’t know how accurate the mythology was though so that may be a problem for some people. This book is a slow build but a satisfying finale of magic and revenge.

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison- Sloane and Naomi are two friends with little in common. Naomi is wild and fun while Sloane is reserved and cautious. The two meet for a weekend away for Sloane’s birthday when they meet a mysterious stranger who invites them to a party. Naomi drags Sloane along, a decision that will change both of their lives forever and leave them both so thirsty… This was not my favorite of Harrison's but still a fun read. It reminded me a lot of Such Sharp Teeth but I liked that this time, it was two friends that got turned together so the MC didn't feel as isolated.

The Summer She Went Missing by Chelsea Ichaso- Every summer Paige’s family stays with their rich friends the Covingtons. Paige and Audrey Covington have been best friends for years but one summer she starts to pull away while Paige grows closer to Audrey’s cute older brother. By the end of the summer Audrey is missing and Paige feels guilty for missing the warning signs. After a year with no updates, Paige returns to Clearwater Ridge for another Summer determined to find her friend. This is your typical YA thriller and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Some fun but not groundbreaking twists and teen logic you just have to go along with to really have fun with it

Under the Surface by Diana Urban- A group of teens find themselves lost in the Paris catacombs and they may not be alone down there. I will say this book did a really good job of making you feel the panic and darkness the characters are experiencing. I would have had a full blown panic attack. My only complaint is that there is someone (or something) else down with them in the catacombs that they have to evade on several occasions but this was fully fleshed out or expanded on as much as I would have liked it to be.

We Kept Her in the Cellar by W.R. Gorman- HP Lovecraft does Cinderella. Eunice is excited to be getting a stepsister but her new sister comes with a strange set of rules: Always refer to Cinderella as family, never give Cinderella access to mice, do not look at Cinderella between the hours of midnight and 3am. Eunice soon becomes Cinderella’s caretaker but on the night of the prince’s ball, Cinderella escapes and the terror begins. This was a lot of fun! If you go into it expecting a clean story where everything wraps up nicely then you'll be disappointed. We never learn why Cinderella is an Eldritch terror or why she has to follow certain rules which would be frustrating in another story but here it works well for the zany fiction that it is. My biggest issue is that I felt there was a lot that could be said for the parents that deprived Eunice of her own life when they made her be Cinderella's caretaker but that wasn't really ever addressed. Also it bothered me that her name was Cinderella in this story. It's a cruel nickname she's given in the fairy tale but it's just her name here for some reason and it doesn't fit lol

3.5 Stars

After Oz by Gordon McAlpine- After a tornado destroys the Gale farm, 11 year old Dorothy goes missing. After a few frantic days, Dorothy is found unharmed but full of stories about a magical land and talking scarecrows. Her claim to have melted a wicked witch is waved off until the town’s mean spinster is found murdered in her home, partially melted by lye. Dorothy is charged and sent to an insane asylum for the crime but Dr. Evelyn believes her to be innocent. Evelyn takes it upon herself to investigate Dorothy’s story and interview the few townsfolk that may know more than they are willing to admit. I was really intrigued by the first half but the second half lost steam and ultimately fizzled out. At first we read transcripts between Evelyn and Dorothy and once Evelyn goes to Dorothy’s hometown, her interviews are regulated through letters to her mentor. We also get backstory about Dorothy through the POV of “the townsfolk” as a whole which was interesting. I really loved the concept and wish there had been more of Oz incorporated into this. Without the connection to Oz it really just reads as a historical whodunit which was still enjoyable but I felt like it had the potential to be so much more.

The Champions by Kara Thomas- This is a sequel to The Cheerleaders. Five years have passed since the cheerleaders’ deaths were solved and the town of Sunnybrook has now focused their attention on their championship winning football team. Newcomer Hadley is only interested in the school newspaper but when she is assigned to cover the football team she becomes entangled in the football team’s dark web of secrets. When a football player is poisoned at a party, Hadley must go undercover to try and get the inside scoop. You don’t have to have read the first book to read this one but I do think it helps. They reference the events of the first book a lot with some appearances from some of the characters including the MC and even though I read the Cheerleaders it's been some time so I honestly forgot a lot and didn’t understand all the references. Another problem the book has is that there are SO many side characters and it’s hard to keep track of them all and you have to in order to understand half the story. A big twist reveals something terrible happened to this one girl and I honestly couldn’t even remember who she was

The Debutantes by Olivia Worley- Every year in New Orleans, the les masques ball crowns one debutante as their queen. Lily LeBlanc is the perfect candidate for the crown but a mysterious figure dressed as a jester hijacks the ball, throwing paint on the queen and displaying images of last year’s queen who wound up dead shortly after the ball. Lily texts three of the other debutantes to meet up with her later to discuss what happened but she never shows up. Now Vivian, Piper and April must work together to find out what Lily knew and where she went and just how it connects to last year’s wild child of a queen. This book was very similar to Jessica Goodman’s work and it offers you exactly what you came for. A fun YA thriller that requires some suspension of disbelief with its twists but is satisfying regardless.

Good Girls Don't Die by Christina Henry- Celia wakes up one morning in a life she doesn't remember, Allie is taking a trip with her friends to a remote cabin in the woods and Maggie is forced to make her way through a "maze" with 12 other women in order to free her kidnapped daughter. Three seemingly unrelated stories may actually be more connected than initially thought. The premise was so good but the ending was just not it. I personally don't think the book was worth it for the ending but it is a quick read and I did enjoy it up until the stories collided.

Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning- A sitcom star finds herself canceled after a thoughtless tweet that angered thousands. Now without a career, Willow escapes to an adult camp to detox from life for a bit. But when campers start disappearing Willow and the others must try and escape with their heads intact. This was a lot of fun! Sometimes the main character was a little annoying but other than that I enjoyed it. My biggest gripe with this novel is that what Willow said to get herself canceled was very mild (and misunderstood) and I don't think anyone would have batted an eye at it in real life. For those curious: Willow retweets an article about some anti Gay law being dismissed and quotes it with "better luck next time!" which is a catchphrase from her show. It was clearly a sarcastic tweet but in the book everyone took it seriously and "canceled" her

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow- Eden, Kentucky is a town known for only one thing: E. Starling, the author of an acclaimed children's classic The Underworld who disappeared mysteriously and left an even more mysterious house in her wake. Starling House still stands decades later, inhabited by Arthur Starling, the reclusive heir. Troubled young adult Opal unexpectedly finds herself with a job offer to help clean the house. But Starling House obviously has secrets and Opal and Arthur will have to work together to keep sinister forces at bay. I preferred the first half of the book over the latter which turns into a more fantasy/chosen ones story as opposed to the more gothic vibe at the start. I also think it could have been much shorter but overall it was a fun read.

Royal Scandal by Aimme Carter- A solid follow up to Royal Blood, a YA book that I ended up liking way more than I thought I would. The sequel continues to follow the American illegitimate daughter of the king of England as she adjusts to life as a royal. Evan thought things would be better after the murder of Jasper was solved but an assassination attempt throws things into a tizzy again. My only gripe is that this ends with a cliffhanger unlike the first one where the mystery was wrapped up by the end.

Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland- I read one of those cozy witchy romances and it was a cute read! Sage's family once offended the gods and now all the women are cursed with a magical gift at birth. Being able to communicate with plants or talk to animals doesn't really seem like a curse but whatever, that's not really important. They all have magic and it causes problems sometimes! Eldest sister Sage returns home for the first time in 8 years after her sister Sky's death. Using her ability of plant communication, she gets a job on a plant farm where she reconnects with her teenhood crush, Tennessee Reyes. A sweet read that reminded me of Encanto with some Practical Magic too.

3 Stars

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson- On the same night Lennon discovers her fiance is cheating she receives a phone call that changes her life. Lennon is given admission to the mysterious Drayton College, a school for those that have the gift of persuasion. Lennon finally feels like she found somewhere she belongs but as the semester goes on and her powers grow, she starts to untangle a dark web of secrets and lies. Interesting concept but it lacked the creepiness of Henderson's previous two books and was much longer than it needed to be. There were some elements that really never came back into play like the MC's mental health issues or whatever had happened in Amsterdam. Overall I felt like it dragged with an abrupt climax and the romance (if you can call it that) was lackluster.

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed- In this novella, Veris must travel into the depths of a cursed forest to rescue the kidnapped children of her home's angry tyrant. The forest was really cool and I liked the lore of it all. I think this would have been a good book to lengthen and flesh out more.

The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister- For generations, the Haddesley family has tended to the cranberry bog and in return, the bog provides them with a wife. But when the current patriarch passes away, something goes wrong and the bog wife does not materialize as she should. The five remaining siblings of the family each grapple with the loss and confusion of the failed ritual in their own ways. The lore behind this was really cool but otherwise this was a let down. The novel switches POVs between the five siblings and I wish just one had been chosen to flesh out and focus on instead. It was slow read with an ending that was a bit abrupt and lackluster. Also the eldest brother had a tree fall on top of him leaving him unable to conceive and at one point his junk is described as his crumpled testicles.

Disclaimer by Renee Knight- I started this book that same day the miniseries I had no idea they were making of it came out. Just a weird coincidence. I haven’t watched the miniseries because I didn't really like this book. Okay, our MC, Catherine finds a book on her bedside table after moving and quickly realizes that the book is a thinly veiled retelling of what turned out to be the darkest day of her life. Now desperate to find out who wrote the book and how it ended up in her home, Catherine tries to track down anyone who may have known the man that ended up dead on that day to find a lead. We also get the POV of what seems to be just a random man but obviously we learn along the way just how he is connected. First off, Catherine’s POV is in third person while the man’s is in first person and that annoyed me. And in the version I read, pretty early one Catherine did slip into first person which was confusing. My biggest issue is that once we find out the truth, all of Catherine’s actions don’t make sense anymore and it’s just overall really frustrating. The miniseries got some golden globe nominations so maybe check that out instead.

Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews- This was a very popular read this year and I’ll admit I found it just okay. My biggest gripe is that I just don’t understand what this was trying to be. Was it a story of self discovery or a metaphor for grief? Was the love story meant to be sweet or toxic? Was the focus supposed to be on the fantasy scenes or our main character’s decline into madness. And at the end of the story, what exactly was it trying to say? We touch upon mental health, sexual identity and the dark thoughts within us but it doesn’t amount to anything profound. Plenty of people loved this but I found it too unfocused to really enjoy. Also there was a big plot twist in the end that was so obvious I’m mad I didn’t pick up on it sooner but to be honest I think that’s just because I wasn’t all that invested.

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay- Told from the point of view of Merry (I think she was nine) as she witnesses her older sister begin to display signs of schizophrenia. Is it mental illness or has a demon taken a hold of her? Merry's life is forever changed when the family invites a film crew into their home to make a documentary about possession and exorcism. This was very mid for me. If you want a book that gives you answers at the end, then this is probably not the book for you.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins- When North Carolina's richest and most notorious woman dies she surprises everyone by leaving her inheritance to her estranged adopted son Cam instead of the blood relatives who feel they deserve it more. Cam rejects the inheritance and moves far away. Now Cam and wife Jules must return to his mother's home after the death of his uncle where secrets about his mother's life start to come to light. This was a very middle of the road book. I'm not a fan where the entire twists and secrets are laid out in someone's journal and we are fed the entries in between chapters. Although the journal entries are far more entertaining than the present story.

Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose: After the death of their mother, three estranged siblings find an old home tape that contains footage of their parents disposing of a dead body. Rocked by this revelation the siblings must decide if they want to continue to dig at the skeletons in their family's past. I predicted the killer pretty early on and was disappointed with the reveal in general. It also really annoyed me that they didn't immediately check their mother's lockbox the second they found out she was involved in a murder because of course her confession was locked inside and would have saved them a lot of trouble. There was nothing keeping them from the lockbox, they just chose not to open it until the end.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave- Why are the most mediocre thrillers always the ones that blow up? Hannah seemingly has the perfect husband until he vanishes one day with nothing but a note saying "protect her". Clearly the "her" is Hannah's step daughter but what is it she's supposed to be protecting her from. Somehow Hannah happens to figure it out and it's really not as exciting or an interesting twist at all. Although I guess I wouldn't really call this a thriller, more of a family drama that also focuses heavily on Hannah and her stepdaughter's growing relationship. The choices made by the husband both in the past and present were stupid as hell and Hannah didn't really have much of a reaction to any of them. Clearly I don't recommend this lol

The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead- Bea's parents are divorced and now Bea's dad is set to marry his partner, Jesse. Along with Jesse comes a new stepsister. At first Bea is thrilled but things don't always go the way Bea expects. This was a cute middle grade novel about things that change and things that stay the same. It was sweet and wrapped up nicely at the end.

No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall- 14 years ago, three sisters left their home after their parents were murdered and never returned. Now Emma is pregnant and circumstances bring the sisters back together in the house they left long ago. Emma never told anyone what she saw that night but as she digs deeper she begins to suspect her sisters also have secrets from that night as well. I loved What Lies in the Woods and The Narrow so this was a disappointing follow up. I felt like not a lot happened in the book and the jumping timelines and character point of views got confusing. The mystery just wasn't that exciting either

Poor Things by Alasdair Gray- I loved the movie so I read the book. The book was alright. It was told mostly from Ramy Yosef's character's pov and through letters sent from Bella back to him. It mostly followed the plot of the movie except for the ending which was interesting. I can't decide if I liked the ending or not. For those curious, the book ends with another letter from Bella explaining that the book we just read was completely made up by her husband and found after his death. She was never brought back to life and was just a girl who ran away from her husband. She was actually in love with Willem Dafoe's character but he wasn't interested and suggested she get with Ramy instead, so she did and they had kids and lived a rather ordinary life after that. It's interesting commentary on how men view women but I honestly think the movie's ending was better and more fitting for the story

A Step Past Darkness by Vera Kurian- I'm not sure if this was meant to be a retelling of Stephen King's It or just heavily inspired by it but the plot follows the basic setup of the story. Six high school students witness a horrifying crime at a party in the mines one night. Not trusting the rest of the town, the teens investigate by themselves. What they discover causes the six to bury the evidence, take a vow of silence and agree to never contact each other again. Twenty years later, one of the six is murdered which forces the other five to return to town to finally put things to rest. No Pennywise here but there is a creepy seemingly un-aging priest that tries to fill his clown shoes. The synopsis might not sound like It but trust me, it is. While it was mostly engaging there were too many character point of views and the big bad that they were up against just wasn't very interesting or scary.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid- Architecture student Effy jumps at the chance to redesign her favorite author's home as part of her studies. Unfortunately for her, the house is a decrepit mess and another irritating student is also staying at the house while working on a research project. But despite her initial feelings, the two work together to uncover the truth about the author and his stories. I absolutely loved Juniper and Thorn but this was a disappointing follow up for me. The world building was cool but I didn't particularly care for our main characters and the mystery was so easily solved I found myself mad at them for not figuring it out sooner. Also, I just can't get over how insane Effy's reaction to finding out someone checked out a library book she wanted was. Overall it wasn't bad, just slow and nowhere near as good as her last book.

The Unmothers by Leslie J. Anderson- The lore behind this was so interesting. A town has horses that give birth to human babies. Unfortunately there wasn't a story to go along with the concept. There were way too many povs and the main character was not that compelling either.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire- I’ve been meaning to read this for years now. I love the musical and also really loved Maguire’s Hiddensee but Wicked was just kind of meh for me. I already knew about all the weird sex stuff so I wasn’t surprised or thrown off by that. And honestly, I feel like people on twitter are hyping it up to be way more “disturbing” or “traumatizing” than it actually is. Yes okay, there is a random scene where they go to a sex club and it is implied that a dude got fucked by a (sentient) tiger but it’s written so vaguely and honestly, compared to what’s out on bookshelves now a days is it really that shocking? But besides that there were times that were really compelling but other parts that dragged. I enjoyed the stuff about Elphaba as a baby and the time at Shiz but some sections towards the middle and end were mildly boring. What really surprised me the most was how much religion was discussed throughout. Obviously there’s a lot of emphasis on politics (which is part of the musical too) but I wasn’t expecting the religion. And it’s really interesting lore that he came up with between a pagan religion that worships the fairy Lurline (whose from the original books) and a Christian based religion of the Unnamed God who Elphaba’s dad is actually a preacher for. I’d be interested in a prequel series about Oz from Maguire because his Oz is very interesting but I’m not really interested in reading the rest of the series about Elphaba’s son and granddaughter.

2.5 Stars

Dead Girls Can’t Tell Secrets by Chelsea Ichaso- I’m glad I read The Summer She Went Missing First because this would have turned me off the author. Savannah’s sister Piper is in a coma after surviving an apparent suicide attempt from falling off, adeptly named, Suicide Point. Savannah feels responsible after texting her sister some nasty things right before the fall but when she discovers a note in Piper’s coat pocket mysterious note, Savannah realizes that Piper may not have been alone that day. Savannah decides to infiltrate the Wilderness Club and find out what exactly happened to her sister. Savannah spends the majority of the book which takes place over a two day wilderness trip, accusing everyone of murdering her sister. Every chapter of this book has a different suspect and each character is cleared of guilt and joins Savannah in her quest for the truth. Everyone in this book was unlikable and insufferable and the pay off at the end wasn’t really worth it.

There Should Have Been Eight by Malini Singh- Seven friends reunite years after the death of their beloved Bea and her sister's family estate. Some bad weather keeps the friends trapped in the huge mansion where the truth of what happened to Bea lies in hiding. I really wasn't a fan of this one. All of the friends (minus Bea's sister) were obsessed with her in an extremely annoying way and the twists will take a lot of suspension of disbelief to enjoy.

Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine- I really liked Delicate by this author and found this jarring in how juvenile it was in comparison. Olivia was born during the events that would later be known as the Camp Lost Lake murders and Reagan’s mom was the main suspect. Seventeen years later, Reagan returns to Camp Lost Lake to try and clear her mother’s name and runs into Olivia, who we quickly learn is nearly identical to Reagan. What follows is another night of murders but also answers. While this a quick read, it was also pretty predictable. The whole book takes place over less than 24 hours and we have two separate romances bloom while they're all running for their lives which is ridiculous. The twists are convoluted and the last chapter is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever read.

2 Stars

The Cabin and the End of the World by Paul Tremblay- After reading Horror Movie I thought I would try another Tremblay book and I hated it! It was an interesting concept but it was so repetitive which got frustrating. The way it jumped from different points of views was sort of confusing at times because all the characters' voices sounded the same.

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman- Another book I really did not like. This story is written from the pov of an 8 year old Bela who thinks and speaks like a four year old. Bela is haunted by a figure known as Other Mommy who wants to go inside Bela's heart. When her parents learn of this creature haunting their daughter, it sends the family on the move to find answers as to how to get rid of the demon. I didn't like how this was written and even though it was a short book it felt long and repetitive. None of what was happening was scary because of the way Bela talks and her parents were the most annoying characters.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield- I did not like this book at all. I honestly found it really boring. I don't mind a slow burn but nothing happened for the majority of the book and then it just fizzled out. So much of the book was dedicated to rehashing random memories of the past. About halfway through I knew I wasn't going to get any answers as to what the hell was happening to Leah so I wasn't really disappointed with that but I was very underwhelmed. I wouldn't really classify this as horror. It's more of an atmospheric character study I suppose.

That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally- How this has an average rating of 4.9 stars with over 55000 reviews is beyond me. There are two stories happening here: one is about a girl who wakes up on the side of the road with no memory of who she is or how she got there. A man finds her at the police station and claims to be her father and proves it with a school ID, photos and a birth certificate. The other story is about Drew, whose girlfriend has gone missing and he’s the prime suspect. Your first thought is probably: Is amnesia girl and the missing girlfriend the same person? Followed immediately by your second thought: No, that would be way too obvious. And you are right! But apparently we weren’t supposed to think that because the big twist in the end is what we already assumed from the description is true! The two girls AREN’T the same person. I’m shocked that this was treated as the big twist and I didn’t see any other reviews that thought it was as stupid as I do

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer- This started as a NoSleep story on Reddit. You can tell when you read it.

#book recommendations #books #literature #my post #reading

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haliespages · 8 months ago

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🗡️ ~hello! wanted to revive this account and what better way than to start with an arc review of lady macbeth by ava reid!

3.5✨

firstly i want to get out of the way, i have very high expectations for Ava Reid. she is one of my favorite authors, and they have always met and surpassed my expectations in the past, hence why i have them. A Study in Drowning was my #1 of 2023, Wolf and the Woodsman is currently in my top 10 of 2024, and Juniper and Thorn, while in need of a reread was almost a fav year's ago and im sure will be after aforementioned reread.

i will mark this as my least fav Ava Reid book. now, it is not a bad book by any means. i have little doubt if this was written by another author this would have been an easy 5 stars, but cause of my history with Reid, it is not.

many things soared in this, the witches, the dragon, the dismantling of magic and monstrosity but others fell flat. the writing was not Reids usual prose, it was repetitive (I could play a drinking game with how often Macbeth was described as large and barely make it 50 pages) and the same metaphors and terms where used numerous times in the same context.

the continuous hatred of Scots also rubbed me the wrong way, it's easy to dub Macbeth as cruel cause that's how he is but chalking it up to his nature and the other Scots men is very iffy, even if Roscille does not like them or is thrust into unfamiliar territory. It could have easily been shown in a different way with a bit more meat behind it and depth added to this observation without being anti-Scot.

also Lisander. i would have enjoyed this a lot more without him. granted, i have not read the original play so he may have more of a purpose there, but here he was there to be a dragon (which is cool) and love interest. his character, while causing some of Roscilles decisions, was only there for romance and if anything it would have been more powerful if she renounced romance and took back the freedom on her own, even if true love yadayada is great. yes some tinkering would need to be done to remove him plot wise, but the romance feels in competition with the messages and motifs instead of a compliment or even nesscary for the story like in Reids other works.

overall, this is hard to pin stars to due to my high expectations. i do think casual reid fans or readers will still love this, and by no means is it a bad book.

#booklr #books #bookblr #books and reading #bookstagram #reading #book review

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decaflondonfog · 1 year ago

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Okay, I loved The Wolf and The Woodsman. Ava Reid always does really good body horror (I loved Juniper & Thorn too), and now I need to read A Study in Drowning.

One of my favourite parts of the book had to be the exploding chicken. Also the crown of fingernails.

I really loved the inspiration you took for your fic. So glad I finally read this book. I didn’t put it down until I finished it

ahhhhh i'm so glad you enjoyed it <3 SO MANY INCREDIBLE MOMENTS IN THAT BOOK HONESTLY! i won't put spoilers here for everyone to see but there's a uhhh particular body part severing scene that had me screaming! you'll know what i mean. the faith/culture/religion/magic/lore blending was so beautifully done in the book, i was in awe!

it's actually the only Ava Reid i've read so i may have to look into reading the others now!! she has a lady macbeth inspired book coming out this year too which i'm SOOOO excited about!!

honestly i could have gone anywhere with that fic but the moment i thought "omg Wolf and the Woodsman AU" i couldn't let it go. the dynamic just fit them so well, i had to do it haha! i'm so pleased it led you to read the book!

#qs and as

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fawnforlali · 1 year ago

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Fairy Kings & Floods: A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

Cute. Wasn't for me—not entirely.

Meet Effy Sayre: a meek architecture student with an obsessive love for one author. Six months after the author’s death, she wins a competition to redesign his historical home, which is crumbling into the ocean. But there are secrets in this decaying place.

While uncovering them, we also uncover the secrets of Effy’s traumatic past.

Now, let’s go through some of the negatives first.

Effy is the sort of protagonist that is unsure, passive, whose actions tend to be self-destructive. She is seen as nothing more than a “pretty face”—a temptress to every man she meets in the book. Given her past, I understand why she is this way, but that didn’t make me any less irked than I am now. I’m not criticizing other characters written this way, or people who do act like this in real life. I know that—and I absolutely saw myself in her character too (you can’t tell me she wouldn’t be practicing her Starbucks order since she got in line). I just wish that Ava Reid wrote Effy in a way that was less monotonous and one dimensional, especially after going through all that trouble into making her a real person.

Mysteries are supposed to conduct the reader, give them enough information about the problem to catalogue and sort through as they read and trick them into thinking they solved it. That is, until the story drops the final piece and you’re left dumfounded. This book really didn’t have that classic mystery quality to it since I was able to pick just about everything up long before they concluded anything.

This one was such a bother. I noticed the pervasive use of similes only a chapter or two in this book, and once I did, it became so distracting.

And the positives...?

As a teenage girl often too deep in her own fantasies, the romance in this book kept me fed. Especially the end of chapter eleven (p.234) for those of you who have already read it. Had me giggling like a lunatic.

This book deals with the extreme misogyny that is the reality for women in this world, and I can see why reading it can be therapeutic for many of the girls out there. Ava Reid chose an important message to convey through her writing but unfortunately, I just wasn’t feeling it. I could go on about how a good part of the book was a shallow dissection of profoundly serious themes, but I don’t want my negativity to seep through onto what is supposed to be the ‘pro’s’ section of this book review.

Angharad, oh, Angharad. Let’s take a step back into Effy’s character and how she’s obsessed with this dead author—Angharad being the title of the book she holds more love for in her heart than for herself. I totally understand why that is. I loved the little snippets of Angharad we got at the beginning of most chapters and—quite honestly—I wish Ava Reid could publish it for reals. All I got were the tiniest of passages and paragraphs and I’m already infatuated with a book that doesn’t even exist.

One thing you must know about me as a reader, I fall in love with every book I read to some extent. I become a point-blank fanatic if the book is really that amazing, which is why I have to wait for my excitement to die down before I ever give a book a rating. First impression and second impression, as I call it. For my first impression, I gave this book a 4.5 (out of 5 stars), which is quite good. Though after truly giving it some thought, I diminished it down to a 3.25.

I believe it had everything a book should have, but it never quite exceeded the lines of bare minimum. A Study in Drowning was a palate cleanser to me—nothing ground-breaking, but left turning page after page anyway. Maybe I had just been expecting too much from this book, but overall, I found the story bloated with superfluous trends and tropes that detracted from what could’ve made it a very rich, needed story.

If you were planning on reading A Study in Drowning, please don’t let this discourage you in any way. I’m just some kid on the internet with no judging credentials whatsoever, so please don’t get too mad either.

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readerindistress · 1 month ago

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2024 Reading List

Yellowface by R.F Kuang- 5/5

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros- 5/5

I Want You More by Swan Huntley-3/5

The Only One Left by Riley Sager- 3/5

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid -4/5

We Love the Nightlife by Rachel Koller Croft -5/5

Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller- 4/5

She Who Knows by Need Okorafor - 4/5

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult- 5/5

The Road by Cormac McCarthy -5/5

The Vegetarian by Han Kang - 4/5

The Heaven and Earth's Grocery Store by James McBride- 4/5

~These books won't be published until 2025, but I was abled to get the Advanced Reader Copies~

Tilda is Visible by Jane Tara- 5/5

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman - 5/5

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix- 5/5

Looking at my list now, I realize it's not a lot, but it's better than before. Here's hoping that in 2025 I can double my reading list.

#books #reading list #2024 reads

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televinita · 3 months ago

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Update: it's been 9 days but there's enough change for this (mostly because I'm losing track of how damn many books I've started) so BOOM.

CURRENTLY READING / LISTENING

1. A Study in Drowning - Ava Reid: 40% in; there are aspects that annoy me and it's longer than my usual quick reads so I'm taking breaks in between bits, but overall enjoying myself.

2. A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking - T. Kingfisher: 40% in on ebook and I just got the audiobook, so woohoo!! Having a good time. I freaking love the sentient gingerbread man, he reminds me of the one in Shrek (the only good thing about Shrek) but silent

3. Graveyard Shift - M.L. Rio: 54% in via ebook -- I forgot I had a backdoor "cheat" and was able to get on the shorter Overdrive list in the county next door -- and god this is weird, why is it sci-fi horror, but there are some interesting turns of phrase and I am STUBBORN so I will finish. Not least because I only have 75 pages left.

4. Scrappy Little Nobody - Anna Kendrick: a random audiobook pick from my back-burner TBR, because I was DESPERATE last night (literally about 16 hours before Kingfisher's title popped up). 30% in; I'll progress further when my other audio(s) run(s) out.

AVAILABLE NOW

5. Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree: still a possibility

6. Passenger Princess - Morgan Elizabeth: still a possibility

7. In The Shadow of Lakecrest - Elizabeth Blackwell: still a possibility

8. Final Girls and/or The Last Time I Lied - Riley Sager: now at the bottom of my interest list but keeping just in case

9. The Book of Cold Cases and/or Murder Road - Simone St. James: same, though the odds of reading one of these are a bit better

10. What Does It Feel Like? - Sophie Kinsella: well look what got here surprisingly fast! Picked up today; I will be starting and maybe finishing it in the next 2 days; guys, even calling this a "novella" is a stretch; this is closer to a long short story. Exactly 120 pages + author note, visibly at least 1.25 line spacing, and a smaller-than-average-sized book.

11. The Woman in Black - Susan Hill: I completely forgot to mention that after rewatching the movie, I wanted to try reading this, and the weather now is frankly perfect. Picked this up today. It's 2nd highest priority in this category, though will be kicked down when books from the next one start showing up.

COMING SOON

12. Before We Were Us - Denise Hunter: in cataloging!

13. Beyond Ivy Walls - Rachel Fordham: estimated wait for audio (only option because it's far too long to tolerate an ebook) now ~4 weeks hmmm

14. Games Untold - Jennifer Lynn Barnes: releasing on November 12th! It's long too so I'm kind of nervous about whether I should freeze my hold and wait for 2nd round of checkouts (pushes me out 3-4 weeks), so I can get through all the new releases above first, or if I can realistically get to it in the next 4 weeks -- max. wait time before I pick it up + 3 weeks + if I need to be a dick and keep it a couple days late I will, since I'm sick of being well behaved about that while everyone else takes advatage.

COMING EVENTUALLY!

15. The Wren in the Holly Library - K.A. Linde*: the sprayed-edge version is beautiful and I have not learned any hesitancy yet about trying fantasy (romantasy?) if the cover is pretty and bookish enough. Although one glance at the reviews has me lowering my expectations to "3-star time with a 40% chance of DNF."

[*edit: I looked at it in the library and was immediately turned off by how long it is (this is a book for fantasy readers who like Bricks; it's 400 pages of small print, or a 15 hour audiobook). I skimmed the first chapter and was further turned off. I skimmed ahead and saw explicit content. This is why we investigate books before buying them no matter how pretty they are.]

16. 26 Ways To Come Home For the Holidays - Jennifer Joy: I refuse to pick this up for at least another week but I still can't wait!

Reading Triage

I'm in a bit of a reading slump at the moment (a word which here means: I have only finished 4 books in 2 weeks), so what better way to fix it than by chucking back all my library books, picking out a brand-new set and/or placing holds, and then talking out the options!

CURRENTLY READING / LISTENING

1. A Study in Drowning - Ava Reid: this was all the rage last fall and I shrugged it off as "fantasy, not my thing," but fantasy IS kind of turning out to be my thing this year. So when I saw the new special edition w/ stenciled edges (featuring shelves of old books) in a Goodreads giveaway, I immediately investigated it further and oh, we're starting in dark academia, in an architectural college?? There's a house design contest?? Well that sounds great! So I'm giving it a go; got about 40 pages in last night.

2. The Spellshop - Sarah Beth Durst: this is my 2nd time around with it, because I wanted to hear the audiobook version. About 90 minutes left, and I better hop-to because it's due in 2 days.

3. One Of Our Own - Lucinda Berry: this is a just-under-4-hours audio exclusive thriller (is thriller the right word, it seems like a pretty domestic mystery), and I am literally only here because it's dual narration and the main narrator is A.J. Cook. The plot looks bland and unpleasant and after only 8% in I can all but guarantee it would be a 2-star in print, but I might give it 3 because listening to her voice is a treat.

AVAILABLE NOW

4. Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree: attempt #2 to salvage the cozy coffee shop vibes out of an otherwise uninteresting story, now that the temps are finally about to drop down into at least the 50s, and if it doesn't work this time I quit forever because I have better fantasy places to be (but I really do wanna savor the romanticizing of coffee + baked goods).

5. Strongheart, Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen - Candace Fleming: I didn't buy it, but I am now more motivated than ever to read this. It's actually much shorter than I thought, being about 50% illustration, and I want to dive right in. Might even do so as soon as I post this, tbh.

6. Passenger Princess - Morgan Elizabeth: I feel honor-bound by winning it to read enough to offer a review. Honestly, the first chapter was quite fun, so if I just go in with determination to skip straight over the porn and judge the rest of the story on its own merit, I might enjoy it. (I will of course be judging more harshly for its Goodreads rating)

7. In The Shadow of Lakecrest - Elizabeth Blackwell: a 1920s Rebecca-esque novel that I own and have been meaning to read for 2 years now. I got so close to cracking it open this time...and I still might, but more likely the other books on this list will take priority.

8. Final Girls and/or The Last Time I Lied - Riley Sager: the references in Middle of the Night finally got me interested in these 2 I skipped the first time around, but it's still just...so hard to convince myself to try them, even when I crave a guaranteed good thriller. There's a reason I skipped over them the first time around, and that reason is they just look and sound generic as hell.

9. The Book of Cold Cases and/or Murder Road - Simone St. James: I spent literally the entire month of October a) not reading any ghost stories for lack of good options and being sad about it, and b) forgetting about this author literally every time I went to the library until the 28th. But now they're here! So...maybe! (more than likely pushed off til next year though. I don't feel particularly excited when I look at them, even though the first book at least has been on my TBR since its release)

10. The Widow of Rose House - Diana Biller: almost forgot one of the few remaining from my last round! A random checkout because it looks like an unusual sort of historical romance with like seven different appealing elements; lemme just copy the summary:

It's 1875, and Alva Webster has perfected her stiff upper lip after three years of being pilloried in the presses of two continents over fleeing her abusive husband. Now his sudden death allows her to return to New York to make a fresh start, restoring Liefdehuis, a dilapidated Hyde Park mansion, and hopefully her reputation at the same time. However, fresh starts aren't as easy as they seem, as Alva discovers when stories of a haunting at Liefdehuis begin to reach her. But Alva doesn't believe in ghosts. So when the eccentric and brilliant professor Samuel Moore appears and informs her that he can get to the bottom of the mystery that surrounds Liefdehuis, she turns him down flat. She doesn't need any more complications in her life--especially not a handsome, convention-flouting, scandal-raising one like Sam. Unfortunately, though Alva is loath to admit it, Sam, a pioneer in electric lighting and a member of the nationally-adored Moore family of scientists, is the only one who can help. Together, the two delve into the tragic secrets wreathing Alva's new home while Sam attempts to unlock Alva's history--and her heart

COMING SOON

11. Tracker's Canyon - Pam Withers: a YA novel about a teen using his outdoor/trailing skills to find his dad and evade people who may want to harm his dad (or him). It's been on my Goodreads TBR for 5+ years, picked when I was scrolling through looking for I.L.L. options. Looks fun and also relatively short, under 200 pages. Should be here in a week or two at the most.

12. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking - T. Kingfisher: library doesn't have a physical copy so waiting on the e-book, estimated 3 weeks. I haven't read her before but I kept seeing this on BookTube and its title and cover looked so fun and cute. Probably a 3-star time but I still want in.

13. Piranesi - Susanna Clarke: this was on my original fall TBR at the beginning of September, and I've been slowly making my way towards it. No promises I'll read it this year, but if I don't get too distracted by the new shinies, the fact that this is much shorter than I thought has made me more willing to listen to its many rave reviews. Currently on a waitlist; "my" copy is due back on Halloween but I of course have zero faith in the people of this county at this point, so I'm going to bet more realistically on the second week of November (next copy is due back 11/9).

14. Before We Were Us - Denise Hunter: romance about an engaged woman who develops amnesia, not only forgetting her (relatively new) relationship but still viewing her middle-of-nowhere job at his family resort as a pit stop and ready to get the hell outta dodge; he must convince her to fall in love with him again. I WILL be going full Chuck/Sarah with this. Currently on-order at the library and I am first in line.

15. Beyond Ivy Walls - Rachel Fordham: This whole summary just sounds Immediately Great and like the kind of historical (1903) romance I love; wish I had access to a physical copy but waiting on the audiobook instead, estimated time 3 weeks. Love 2 have everything come crashing in at once!

All of Monticello believes Otis Taylor has been away fostering his musical genius. But the truth is that his father exiled him long ago, rejecting Otis's appearance and the scars that came with it. . . . At twenty-three years old, Sadie West left her family farm and found employment at the Hoag feather duster factory. Desperate to save money and help her family make ends meet, she trespasses and finds shelter in an abandoned building--and is thrown in the path of the town's mysterious bachelor. Otis's wounds are deep, but as Sadie's friendship with him grows, she begins to fall for the man beneath the mask

COMING EVENTUALLY!

16. Graveyard Shift - M.L. Rio: the reviews are so middling and I am also sure it will be a 3-star at best, but damn it, I got excited about this one months ago and now I HAVE TO KNOW (this is why knowing about new releases sucks! don't do it!). Waiting on an ebook copy because the library doesn't have a physical one. It is an absurdly long wait for such a short book (14 weeks?! i am PRAYING for a physical copy to be ordered soon).

17. Games Untold - Jennifer Lynn Barnes: on the other hand I am first in line when this releases in a couple weeks. Beyond excited for a collection of short stories and novellas aka BONUS SCENES for The Inheritance Games. (sometimes knowing about new releases doesn't suck)

18. 26 Ways To Come Home For the Holidays - Jennifer Joy: a "Thanksgiving to Christmas" novella romance about a department store in the 1940s. I have been excitedly waiting for it to be seasonally appropriate (for maximal impact) since spring. I still gotta give it 3 or 4 weeks though.

19. What Does It Feel Like? - Sophie Kinsella: 12th in line for 8 copies, at the library that doesn't show due dates so I'm guessing this may not arrive until December, at which point I might roll it over to the new year. Still, if it comes sooner, interested in this novella mirroring her real-life health crisis.

#progress! the tally has dropped from 19 to 16 #also hi i am only here for my own blog this evening and not even going to the dash except to post this #reading triage

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aliteraryprincess · 3 years ago

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June Wrap Up

I’ve been waiting for June 2022 for over a year now, and it’s weird now that it’s ended. I got married on the 25th (pics to come!), and while it was perfect and beautiful, I am so freaking glad it’s over. 😆 The whole process and lead up was just exhausting. But now I can chill a little before I need to start freaking out about my exams.

Books Read: 10

This has been my best reading month of the year! My favorite was probably Juniper & Thorn even though it’s not actually the highest rated. And my least favorite was Rank and Beauty, which I only read one volume of. I couldn’t do the other two. I was so bored! Luckily Goodreads has the first volume as it’s own book, so I still got to count it.

In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens by Alice Walker - 4 stars

Daniel Deronda by George Eliot - 4 stars

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman - 4 stars

Blood Orange Night: My Journey to the Edge of Madness by Melissa Bond - 5 stars

A Literature of Their Own: British Women Novelists from Brontë to Lessing by Elaine Showalter - 4 stars

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid - 4.5 stars

Rank and Beauty; or the Young Baroness Vol. 1 by Anonymous - 2 stars

Sexual/Textual Politics by Toril Moi - 2.5 stars

Misrule by Heather Walter - 3.5 stars

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot - 4.5 stars ®

On Tumblr:

There’s actually some stuff here! I participated in the Summer Readathon, though I only posted a few times, and there are some other odds and ends.

Summer Readathon 2022

May Wrap Up

Tagged: Spring Scavenger Hunt

Tagged: 9 People I Want to Know Better

Tagged: Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag

Reblogged: Fae Book Recommendations

On the Blog:

There’s stuff here too! A miracle! Not nearly as much as there should be considering all the books that came out in May I never reviewed...but hey, I’m trying!

Review: Blood Orange Night by Melissa Bond

Review: Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

On YouTube:

And a good assortment here.

May Wrap Up - 7 books!

Six Tudor Queens Book Tag

Currently Reading 6/13/22

Top 5 (Non-Victorian) English Novels Tag

New England Summer Reading Recommendations

Last Book Haul?

Reorganize My Bookshelf With Me!

July TBR - Jane Austen July, Exam Reading, and ARCs!

#june wrap up #wrap up #monthly wrap up #book photography #booklr #books #a literature of their own #elaine showalter #the five love languages #gary chapman #the mill on the floss #daniel deronda #george eliot #sexual/textual politics #toril moi

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wave0fg00dvibes · 5 years ago

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You’re my Home - Spencer Reid x Reader

Murders, betrayal, violence, and corpses. Or, in other words, a typical day at work for Dr. Spencer Reid.

He felt the overwhelming exhaustion of the day start to catch up to him as he climbed the concrete steps to the house. His messenger bag somehow seemed heavier than usual as his limbs began to give in to the stress the day had brought. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, making sure to lock it behind him and reset the alarm system.

The little house was silent. Not eerily so, but peacefully. Spencer closed his eyes, took a deep comforting breath, and smiled. He was home.

Home was the place where he didn’t have to worry about bodies dropping left and right. There was no one to pressure him to work harder or move faster. No profiling, combat, negotiation, or death. His only worries in this house involved toddler meltdowns and diaper changes, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Spencer walked past the living room to the hallway, noticing the many toys and books scattered about. Dirty dishes sat in the sink, and daily crafts were scattered across the kitchen table, long forgotten. He smiled to himself. He could only imagine what destruction your smart, chaotic, beautiful children had caused today.

He slowly made his way down the hall, arriving at the first door and quietly pushing it open. The princess night light cast a pink glow around the room, illuminating the face of his daughter, sleeping soundly.

She was turning 5 soon. Where had the time gone?

He seemingly blinked and Ava had transformed from a fussy baby into a tiny, wildly intelligent human that understood his racing thoughts. Though so very little, she was already discovering the wonders of books and knowledge, and striving to learn all she could get her hands on. He knew from the moment she was born they had a special bond. She is one of the only people who truly understands his mind, because she shares it.

He slowly crept into her room, sitting on her bed gently, as not to wake her. He attempted to subtly kiss her forehead, but she stirred and sleepily opened her eyes, taking a moment to process what was happening.

“Daddy?” She whispered. He couldn’t help but smile.

“Hi baby. I’m here.”

The excitement in her face was quickly replaced by her small body’s urge to fall asleep again.

“I missed you today.” She drowsily muttered.

“I missed you too.” He whispered back.

“Mommy read me Chaucer, but it wasn’t the same without you. It’s okay though. We can read some different subjects together! I want to learn more math, but she doesn’t like reading those to me as much as you do.”

Spencer felt his eyes slightly water. One of his greatest fears was missing these little moments with his children. He wanted nothing more than to read books and learn with Ava all day.

He also knew that you were an incredible mother who would read the entire phone book to Ava if she asked. You weren’t offended at all by Ava’s requests to read with her Dad. You knew their bond was special, and couldn’t be matched.

“I would love to learn some math with you. We can do that tomorrow though, okay?”

She nodded, smiling brightly as her eyes drifted closed again. His heart could hardly take the amount of love he harbored for that smile.

“Goodnight, Ava.” Spencer whispered, attempting to get up. She grabbed his hand before he could stand.

“Daddy, will you please stay just a little bit longer?”

She had him wrapped around her tiny finger.

“Of course I will.”

He held her hand and smoothed her hair back as she slowly but surely fell back into a deep sleep. Spencer pressed a kiss to her forehead, slowly put her hand back, and tip toed out of her room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Next, he made his way to the nursery.

He crept down the hall and into the baby’s room with ease. Ever so quietly, he leaned over the crib to observe the little boy, sound asleep.

Grayson had just turned 6 months old. It seemed like every time he got home from work his son had grown another inch.

Spencer didn’t want to wake him. Lord knows you had enough on your plate with the little sleep you got. He didn’t want to add to that stress. So, he simply watched Grayson’s tiny, adorable body squirm in his sleep.

It seemed like just yesterday he heard Ava’s first cry. How could time be flying by this quickly?

“Goodnight, Grayson.” He whispered, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead.

As he turned to leave the nursery, an intense feeling of guilt overwhelmed him. Lately, he was so caught up at the bureau that he barely saw his children in the daylight. He wasn’t able to read with Ava, hold Grayson, or spend any time with you, his wife, his life partner.

Spencer would rather die than abandon his family the way his father abandoned him. He couldn’t bear the thought of his babies not knowing him, not trusting him, never knowing how much he would give up for them. He felt his mind begin to spiral. So, as with many other intrusive thoughts, he pushed it away. He could deal with those feelings another time. Right now, he needed to sleep.

He stepped quietly into your bedroom, noticing that you left his lamp on for him. He smiled softly, heavy heart lifting a bit at the thought of you waiting up for him. He quickly put on his night clothes and padded to the bed.

Your shoulders rose and fell with every relaxed breath. Though you were facing away from him, he could tell you were wearing his favorite t-shirt. He smiled again and gently pulled back the covers.

You were pulled from your sleep as you felt your husband slide into the bed beside you. You sleepily, yet excitedly turned your body to face him, smiling and reaching your arms out to hold him.

Spencer surprised you. He gently cupped your face in his hands and kissed you deeply, longingly, passionately.

It must’ve been a really tough day at the BAU.

When he pulled back, his hands didn’t leave your face and you pressed your forehead to his.

“Do you want to talk about it?” You gently asked.

“No.” He stated. Kind, but firm.

You nodded. He would tell you later, when he was ready. He always did.

“Did you say goodnight to the babies?”

“Of course. Always.” You could hear the drowsiness in his voice as you felt the tension in his muscles begin to relax, but there was still something bothering him.

“Hey, what’s up?” You gently prodded, running a hand through his hair. He let out a deep sigh.

“It’s really nothing. I promise.”

You looked him straight in the eye. Your glance saying more to him than your words ever could.

Don’t shut me out, Spencer. I’m here.

He averted his gaze, but you brought your hand to his face, turning it to meet your eyes again. He could see the concern blooming, and was reminded how little he could hide from you. His partner. His person.

He couldn’t help the flurry of loving thoughts running through his mind as his eyes responded.

You are so beautiful.

You smiled. You knew he meant it, but there was something more. However, the bags under his eyes suggested it could be a conversation for another time.

You leaned in and pressed a light, lingering kiss to his lips.

He smiled back at you, thankful for your understanding. He turned his bedside lamp off and promptly pulled you as close to him as possible, limbs intertwining, hearts finally whole again.

You laid like that for a solid couple of minutes before his racing mind couldn’t take it anymore.

“Do you think they will resent me for not being around?”

You slowly opened your eyes and pulled back to look him in the eye, not having the faintest idea where he was going with this.

“What?”

Spencer sat up in bed and turned the light on again. He took a deep breath, and all at once you knew what was coming.

“Did you know that children who grow up without a father figure in the house are two times more likely to drop out of high school?”

“Spencer…” You attempted to reach for him, but he was too focused now.

“Or… or what about the fact that they are more likely to have behavioral problems? Or that they are 279% more likely to carry guns and deal drugs than their peers? That’s a HUGE margin!”

“But Spence…” You sat up to face him, knowing this needed to run its course before you could help him. You softly rubbed his back as he continued.

“Children who have father involvement are far less likely to cause trouble. They get better grades in school, have better social skills, have a far greater emotional wellbeing, are less likely to succumb to obesity… the list is endless! And… and boys with absent fathers are more likely to become absent fathers themselves. What if Ava isn’t succeeding as much as she could because I’m not around? And what if I’m scarring Grayson’s idea of a father? And now the pressure of raising our children is all on you and I’m so afraid you’re going to start resenting me and I just…”

“Spencer. Hey.” You turned his head to face you, finally seeing the tears threatening to spill over.

Your heart fractured. How could he not know how much his family loved him? How could he doubt the utter adoration the three of you shared for him?

Your eyes welled up as you realized that this is what his job does to him. He sees violence, destruction, and betrayal every single day. He sees families turn on each other and split apart because of tragedies. He works relentlessly because if he doesn’t, people die.

Of course he questions every aspect of his life.

Words could never convey the magnitude of the love you shared. They couldn’t pull him out of this hole in his mind he had been painstakingly digging. So, you listened to your heart when it told you to kiss him so hard that he forgets why he was ever worried.

You grabbed his face and pressed your lips to his, slowly, but firmly. He responded immediately, but with reservation. A few tears tracked down his face as his arms tensed, holding onto you ever so tightly. You kissed him harder, hands trailing from his neck to the back of his head to get lost in his hair. He followed your lead, reserves fading, walls coming down. Slowly, his hands snaked under your shirt to trace shapes on your back. You smiled into the kiss and felt him do the same.

Before you knew it, his hands were begging you to come closer to him. You swung a leg over his so you were straddling him, holding his face again as his arms enveloped you with full force. He kissed you with the fiery passion you knew he held. He held you as if the universe were going to take you away any second. He showed you just how much he loved you with every frenzied movement, every soft touch, and every crash of your lips.

Impossibly close could never be close enough. Not for two souls intertwined, like yours.

You pulled away and pressed your forehead to his, breathing heavily. His breath matched yours as you both sat there, holding each other, waiting for the world around you to reappear.

When it finally did, you met his eyes again. Hoping to see the unique spark that only your husband possessed.

“I love you, Spencer Reid.”

“I love you too.” He smiled lovingly up at you, and there it was. His spark. Your heart leapt for joy.

“Forever and ever, ‘til death do us part. Right?”

He nodded, breaking your gaze to wipe away stray tears with the back of his hand. You wiped away the rest with your thumbs, softly stroking his face.

“You are a fantastic husband and father. You hear me?” You meant it with your whole heart, but his eyes questioned you.

Yeah?

Yeah. I promise.

He smiled and let out a sigh of complete relief, pulling your body even closer and nuzzling into the crook of your neck. You held him, so unbelievably content to give your husband the security he craved. You pressed kisses into his hair as you rubbed his back, feeling him start to relax. He pulled away to look at you, with all the love in the world in his eyes. You smiled back, feeling your heart flip the same way it did the first time you met.

You reached over to turn the lamp off once more, and then settled comfortably into Spencer’s arms. His whole body relaxed as soon as you laid your hand on his chest.

There was so much more to say. So many things he needed to know, to absorb, to be sure of. So much love he needed to take with him to the job that tore him apart. But he was exhausted, and that could all wait until the morning. You snuggled into his chest and felt his arms grow tighter around you.

Just before you were about to fall asleep, you remembered something you knew would ease his troubled mind.

“You know what Ava told me today?”

“Hmm?” He answered, clearly also close to sleep.

“She said she wanted to wait to put the quadratic formula into practice until you got home.”

He let out a joyful laugh, and you joined, holding him tighter.

“Really? She did?”

“Yeah, she did. She loves you. More than anything.”

Nothing could match his smile at that moment. He leaned down to press a gentle kiss to your lips before letting his head fall back to the pillow.

“I love you.” You heard him whisper.

“We love you too, Spencer. So much.”

You snuggled impossibly closer, and with that you both slipped into a deep, relaxing sleep.

----

A/N: Here we go again, friends. How have I not seen Criminal Mind’s until this quarantine?!? My disguised blessing of Coronavirus. Anyway, thank you for reading, as always. Feel free to comment/critique/roast here or on my AO3 – wave0fg00dvibes. I love feedback! I have some more Reid stuff in the works… let me know if there’s anything specific y’all want to read! Love always. <3

#criminal minds #spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #criminal minds x reader #fluff #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds fluff #criminal minds imagine #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds x y/n

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just-antithings · 2 years ago

Note

I'm not saying adults insisting they only need to read YA books and watch children's cartoons is leading to this culture wide phobia of sex which in turn is becoming a useful vector for the increasing spread of fascism except that is exactly what I'm saying.

Im not that anon but want to expand on their thought, if they're saying what I think they are.

I thought of this more when seeing an old post of someone saying their English teacher should have let them write a report on Divergent instead making them read 1984. Someone commented supporting the OP, saying that they never read Divergent, but 1984 is problematic. Iirc, the commenter referred to Winston (I think that's the protag in 1984; sorry I haven't reread it in years) as a creep. I can't remember is this specific commenter called Winston a misogynist, but that's a common complaint I hear when people say they don't like 1984.

The screenshot of that post also had other screenshots, including the twt posts of YA authors saying that the classics were problematic. It's a sentiment I keep seeing around book twt before I deactivated my account but still on booktube as well, and it's always booktubers who also read and rant about Colleen Hoover, because they know her name gets clicks. Or booktubers that do those videos titled "I read [old/popular/controversial] series so you don't have to".

Sorry, sliding off topic a bit. Going back to what anon said, YA books tend to be more sanitized. They're supposed to be written for a 15-19 audience, so sex and gore aren't supposed to be explicit. There are YA books with sex scenes. 2 I read recently have sex scenes, but they aren't explicit. One uses mostly poetic language and infers to what's happening, and the other essentially fades to black after they get into bed, as they're touching and then picks up the next morning. (One of these YA books had a big controversy on booktube a few years ago for being problematic, though. Gee, wonder why /s)

But for the most part, often for people who enjoy urban fantasy or romances but not steamy scenes, they may go for YA, since it's usually more "PG". Unfortunately, some people get it in their head that this makes YA inherently "better", that adult books that are being more explicit are only doing it to get more sales, when YA tbh has a tighter hold on it marketing-wise.

Okay, I'm not published (yet), but I've been studying it when I need to take a break from writing to see what course is best for me and what I want to write. YA is becoming oversaturated in the market, so it's not as big a "money making genre" for debut authors as it might have been once (and I'd argue that even in the past when YA was smaller, you still had to be lucky, known, or connected to get that 6-figure check for a debut YA novel). YA is more likely to get scrutinized, considering its supposed to he for a younger audience, so a YA author wanting to push boundaries is going to receive more push-back than an adult lit author.

Now pushback happens in adult lit, too, like Ava Reid saying her editor or publisher (I forget who) told her that Juniper&Thorn might be too dark. (I've read it. Yes, it's dark, but bad reviews I saw for the book blew it way out of proportion. If you (gen) like lyrical/poetic narration and gothic horror, I highly suggest it).

But it feels like there's more of a push to keep YA books "clean". You can find some outliers, but like the YA I mentioned above, those outliers in YA that push boundaries can get wrapped in controversy and called problematic.

And for whatever reason, some people on booktube say this is a good thing and say "think of the children!"

They will say censorship is bad but then advocate for sanitized YA to be read instead of classics, because the classics are "bad" and "teach bad things" and "should be left in the past". They advocate for censorship without realizing they are advocating for censorship. It's exhausting, and as someone who wants to be published and does enjoy a lot of YA, it makes me feel discouraged. I don't think I'm "pushing boundaries" at all in my writing or saying anything new, but I'm very sure it's not sanitized enough for most publishers, especially if I wanted to try for one of the beg houses in the US.

Tl;dr One of the major problems in this anti-intellectualism is capitalism.

#mod erin #ask #posted without comment #fascism mention

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volturialice · 1 year ago

Text

best book I've read in 2023 - I mean, 2023 was the year I finally got around to reading both We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Golden Compass, so. kinda no contest. but more recently-published books I enjoyed include Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower, Hörrorstör, and Juniper and Thorn.

best sequel I've read in 2023 - I mean after I finished Golden Compass I tore right through Subtle Knife and Amber Spyglass, of course. But also Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones! I love his character writing™ so much I would read a book about Jade and Letha watching paint dry. Gal was also a breakout star I love that smug little nerd I hope she's all up in book 3

new release I want to read - idk what's even come out recently. The Salt Grows Heavy, maybe?

most anticipated release - definitely System Collapse by Martha Wells. spare murderbot, ma'am?

biggest disappointment - I feel like I had a lot of disappointments this year but I also read a lot of books, so I'm bound to strike out sometimes. the #1 spot goes to The Three-Body Problem (I am...not the audience for this book.) I was also disappointed due to "love the premise so much on paper but the execution was...Not It for me" by Lone Women and Leech and regular-disappointed by the Alex Stern series. I wanted to like those first two especially soooo baaaddd ;;;-;;;

biggest surprise - I would tell you what it was but I'm gonna make @bellasbookclub read it this winter so NO PEEKING. suffice to say it is a girly classic™ (too obscure to be an actual classic) and I am not alone in reading it and being like wait what the fuck this is so delightful

new (to me) favorite author - not new at all even to me but until this year I had only read her short form stuff: Shirley Jackson. new (to me): Ava Reid, Mariana Enríquez

newest fictional crush - [redacted] from [redacted] but also Marak from The Hollow Kingdom was such an eminently fuckable little Ugly Guy. 10/10

newest favorite character - Merricat Blackwood! also kind of every single character in His Dark Materials tbh. I was reading that ~children's~ book like wow I hope lyra's parents fuck nasty and kill each other and I was so fed

book that made me cry - books almost NEVER make me cry but a) I did feel a lump in my throat a few times during Braiding Sweetgrass, and b) did I lie on the floor at 3 AM listening to Saturn and trying not to weep at the end of The Amber Spyglass? maybe a little

book that made you happy - [redacted,] Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Princess Floralinda all sparked joy. also Orphan Black: Classified Clone Files or whatever it’s called because of all its 3D elements—why yes I have always wanted fliers for Alison’s school board campaign and a physical copy of Delphine’s fucking. boarding pass to Frankfurt I’m laughing so hard

most beautiful book you bought this year - these finds from my local used bookstore! I fucking love "[X] Poem a Day" books. I also got a gorgeous copy of my beloved Perfume: the Story of a Murderer as part of my quest to acquire all the pretty editions

books I really need to read by the end of the year - seriously like half the Bella's Book Club summer reclist because y'all fucking DELIVERED with those. but also The Wolf and the Woodsman, The City We Became, maybe The Secret History (I know I know. I've been dragging my feet about tumblr's beloved Donna Tartt for literal years but like I'll get to her eventually I promised @bettsfic I would)

tagging: everyone who sees this post, has An Opinion on it, and is NOT already participating in Bella's Book Club (now's your chance to make me read your opinions anyway)

Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag

(Note that this tag game is not ours. Origin: booktube like 5 years ago) (Also pretend it's still mid-year)

Rules: tag anyone whose Book Opinions you wanna hear. if you're following this blog you are automatically tagged!

Best book you've read so far in 2023

Best sequel you've read so far in 2023

New release you haven't read yet, but want to

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Biggest disappointment

Biggest surprise

New favorite author

Newest fictional crush

Newest favorite character

Book that made you cry

Book that made you happy

Most beautiful book you bought this year

Books you really need to read by the end of the year

#tagged #bella's book club #book stuff

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eunoiaflow3r · 5 years ago

Text

Slow Dance

A/N: based on the song Slow Dance by AJ Mitchell and Ava Max.

Warnings: fluff haha, there will be mistakes. fem!reader.

Requests:

Hi! Could I request Spencer Reid fluff? Spencer and the reader have hidden feelings for each other and his team manages to get him to tell the reader? Thank you :) @hahaboop

I have a request for Spencer Reid! One where the reader is the youngest member of the BAU (maybe she could be like 22, just graduated from college) and everyone is really protective of her. So, Spencer has a crush on her but doesn’t know how to tell her because all the members in the BAU are too overprotective and the rest of the building flirts with her or something like this. @always394patronus

Word Count: 2.3k

~~~~

If you stay for this minute, girl I'll never let you down...

The team had just gotten back to the BAU after a long case a few states away, and everyone except you and Spencer was out of the door. You were stressing out because yet again you were being paired with either Morgan or Hotch on every single case you’ve been given the past few months. At first you had hardly noticed, but with every passing case and every, “young one,” comment, you have grown more and more furious.

Spencer understood completely. Having been a twelve year old highschool graduate, he’s gotten his fair share of the “being young,” comments and teases. He could only imagine it was probably considerably worse for you since you were a woman, and women are commonly misconstrued, as the, “weaker gender.”

You were everything but weak though. Over the past few months, after you had joined the team, he and pretty much everyone noticed that you are incredibly smart, head-strong, honest, and ambitious. Perhaps this is why the team felt the need to protect you.

Sure, there have been plenty of new members, and new people and faces and scents, but you were different. In this case, different wasn’t terrible, it was just - unexpected. You were the youngest there, and with you being another woman added to the team, everyone kind of looked at you a little differently. It wasn’t that they doubted your profiling skills, oh no, you were, “damn good,” at your job as Morgan likes to say, and it wasn’t the fact that they thought you couldn’t handle yourself because of your age, but they were trying to make it so that the cases wouldn’t get to you.

Because of your age, they felt that after a while maybe the cases would get to be too much for you, and they wanted to prevent you from a world of confusion and hurt.

That is what hurt you the most though. Why couldn’t you just be treated like everyone else here?

And Spencer listened to anything and everything you had to say. He had become the closest thing to a best friend you could have, but sometimes it just didn’t feel like you were meant to be just friends.

Sometimes he’d catch himself staring at you a bit too long, or wanting to come up with anything he could to talk to you, or maybe even go as far as staring at your lips when you were talking, but he digressed, and tried to suppress anything he might have felt for you.

And you did as well.

All the time you had caught yourself wanting to just pull him into a hug that lasted forever, or hold his hand, and maybe even kiss him, but he was your coworker. Not only that, but on top of all the field limitations, those same limits seemed to be in office as well.

We ain't off the limit, I could hold you after now. No more talking, I don't know what you wanna do with that?

A few bold interns from a couple of floors down had tried to ask you out on a date, and maybe even a few more, but as soon as they had or even had the thought to, Morgan, Hotch, and sometimes even Garcia would give you a disapproving look, glare the guy down, or maybe even go as far as shut the guy down verbally for you.

Afterwards you’d always apologize to the guy, and you always felt bad for having to do it. Well, not really. Of course it made you upset that they never seemed to want you to live your life and actually find love, but the only one you wanted to go on dates with anyway was Spencer.

You knew your jobs, and the fact that you worked together could be a problem, but you couldn’t help but wonder if you could actually be something. Or maybe you misinterpreted the looks he gave you, and he actually doesn’t like you that way at all.

That night, Spencer had gotten home and went straight to sleep. Usually he’d dream of his mom, the cases, or maybe even some of the plain rides, but tonight's dreams seemed to have been filled with you. You were on his couch, in one of his cardigans, reading a book, eating some kind of fruit. He came in, sat next to you and handed you a cup of coffee after placing a quick kiss to your lips.

In the dream after that he had woken up, and you were snuggled in beside him. He had his arm wrapped around him, and your legs were tangled with his. The sun had barely risen, and the comforter was twisted in a weird way between the two of you, but when he actually woke up the next morning, he couldn’t help but noticed it felt so normal, and he wished it had been real.

He ran his fingers through his tangled curls, and scolded himself for those dreams. How was he going to look at you the same in a couple of hours when he almost-knew what it felt like to kiss you, and he almost-knew what it felt like to be so close to you?

“What’s wrong, kiddo?” You cringed at the nickname Rossi used towards you, but you answered him anyway.

“Nothing, just tired.”

He shook his head and laughed to himself. You gave him a ‘what?’ look.

“You’re not tired Y/N. You’re distressed.” He nods towards where Reid is sitting. “You haven’t stopped staring at him, care to talk about it?”

“Not really.” You sighed, spinning your chair around so now you were no longer even facing Reid - that way you wouldn’t be caught staring again.

“I say go for it.” You give him that ‘what?’ look again waiting for him to elaborate. “It’s obvious you two like eachother. Take it from me, don’t wait before it’s too late.”

“But the team -” You argue.

“At the end of the day, the team doesn’t matter. Just you and Spencer.”

And with that, Rossi walked away leaving you to think about what he said, and if it was even really possible for you two to be something more than friends.

It feels good, why you even wanna hold it back? We just work and I know there's no coming back.

“Awe, would you look at them!” Garcia gushed, watching you laugh at something Spencer said across the bullpen.

“Look at who?” Morgan asked clearly oblivious to the two of you.

“Spencer and Y/N.” Garcia answered pointing slightly in your direction so that Morgan could see too.

Morgan looked over and saw that you were sitting on your desk, and Spencer was standing in front of you with a cup of coffee in his hands. You were giggling like crazy, and Spencer smiled too although he wasn’t quite sure what the joke was.

“Y/N! Tell me what’s so funny! All I said was cassava!”

This only caused you to laugh even harder. There was this trick in elementary where you would ask someone a series of easy math questions very quickly, and then on the last question you’d ask them to name a vegetable. The trick was that usually the participant would say the basic vegetable, “carrots,” but no, Spencer Reid answered, “cassava.”

Once you stopped laughing, you explained it to him, and he didn’t find it as funny as you did, but nevertheless he started laughing too because your laugh seemed to be infectious. _

“I didn’t know which you liked better, so I brought both.” Spencer said, smiling behind bags of chinese food and two boxes of pizza.

“Oh my God Spencer!” you gushed, grabbing some of the bags and one of the boxes.

He closes the door behind him and puts all the food on the table.

“What are you even doing here?” You ask giving him a quick hug.

“Well, I know you’ve been a little down lately, and I just thought I’d help in any way that I could.”

You almost cried. He was so sweet to you, and you had no idea how to react. You wanted to wrap your arms around him and show him how much you appreciate him with a passionate kiss, but you knew that you probably shouldn’t.

Spencer invited you over for a movie marathon, and you’d be there any minute. He had made sure his apartment was flawless, and everything was perfect. Sure, you’ve been to his place before, but lately, things have begun to feel...different.

There was this one time at work where you two had gotten so close that he had just almost kissed you, but he had chickened out, and he had regretted that decision ever since.

When you got there, you both ended up staying up until three in the morning watching your favorite movies.

“Do you wanna go catch some lunch?” Terry from downstairs asks you.

“She likes someone else, sorry my man.” Morgan answers for you resting his arm across your shoulders.

Once the guy was gone, you turned to him with a frown.

“Someone as in who?” You ask.

“Uh uh,” he steps away. “Don’t play dumb with me Miss Lady. You know exactly who I’m talking about.” You rolled your eyes and walked over to the elevator.

Once you had entered the bullpen, you noticed Penelope and Spencer in a corner - except she looked to be giving him a pep-talk of some kind. _

“Spencer I’m telling you, you NEED to make a move.” Penelope practically whines. “I am tired of seeing you two pine after one another.”

Spencer shakes his head and sighs. “We don’t know if she even - and the team. The team practically throws the guys who even look at her out of the window.”

“You’re different, you know it’s different with you.”

Spencer wasn’t so sure. He’d hate it if he were to kindle something with you, and the team was unsupportive. _

A couple of days later, Spencer had walked by your desk and noticed a bouqet of roses in your wastebasket.

“Who were those from?” He asks half curiously, half jealousy (although he’s not willing to admit that.)

“Some guy named uh- Dylan, but I uhh, I’m interested in someone else.” You looked everywhere but Spencer’s eyes, trying not to laugh.

“Oh, you do?” he asks wearily, not quite sure where you were going with this. “Do I know him?”

“Oh yeah.” You smile. “You guys are practically like this.” You twisted your middle and pointer finger together to show the closeness.

He smiled down at you catching on. “Don’t tell me it’s Morgan, Y/N.”

“Nah. This guy likes to read. I don’t think Derek’s ever picked up a book in the last five years.”

It was late one night and you and Spencer were the only ones left in the office. You walked over to his desk where he was reading the newspaper, but when he noticed you his head immediately picked up. “Remember when I told you that you know the guy that I’m interested in?”

“Mhmm yeah, I think I remember.”

“He’s you. The guy is you.”

“Could have fooled -”

And you leaned in capturing his lips in yours. He tasted of coffee and bubblegum, which isn’t as bad as it might seem. He kissed you back and you forgot everything for a moment - forgot you were at the bullpen, forgot he was your coworker, and forgot the team's reaction actually might have meant something to you.

They meant nothing now when he’s pulling you down to straddle his lap and deepening the kiss. When you felt his tongue along your lips you opened your mouth a little wider so that he could kiss you just a little bit harder.

You both pulled away at the same time but stayed close, as he was running his hands along your sides.

“Me. You could have fooled me.” he finishes. You laughed and pressed a quick kiss to his lips which he returned before climbing out of his lap and steadying yourself on the ground.

You were going to walk away, until he grabbed your hand and pulled you back.

“Hey,” he practically whispered. “Go to dinner with me tomorrow night.”

I wanna slow dance if you’re feeling me now If we don't hold hands you'll be killing me now

Spencer had arrived at your apartment with a bouquet of wildflowers.

He had knocked, and when you opened the door, he was absolutely shocked.

“Wow, you look stunning.” He lets out.

“As do you.”

You grab the flowers from him and place it in a vase before grabbing your jacket, his hand, and heading out of the door.

The night went smoothly, and the dinner was great, and it couldn’t have been more perfect.

“Spence?” You asked, rubbing your thumb across his knuckles. You were holding the hand he wasn’t using to drive.

“Hm?”

“Have you ever seen The Notebook?”

“Actually...no.”

“Okay.”

“Why?” he asks looking over at you. You couldn’t have been more beautiful in his eyes.

“You’ll see.”

When he pulled out in front of your apartment, and you were out of his car, you took his hand and led him to the middle of the street - the only source of light being the street lamp hovering above the two of you.

“Y/N, what are you doing?”

“Slow dance with me.”

“I can’t dance.”

“That’s alright.” You stepped close to him and guided his hands so that they were resting on your backside, and you brought your arms up to wrap around his neck. From there, you led him to step with you to a nonexistent rhythm.

You two weren’t really worried about any cars, this wasn’t a busy street.

“Tell me about The Notebook.” he says, pulling your body closer to his.

“Well Noah actually laid down in the street, not danced and -”

I need a romance, one chance I just wanna know, will you slow dance?

#criminal minds #spencer reid #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid angst #spencer reid imagines #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid criminal minds #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid blurb #spencer reid headcanoon #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds imagines

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anightflower · 4 years ago

Text

Come and Find Me

Chapter Two: Paint It Black

Hello Loves! Just to let everyone know, my chapters go from flashbacks to present day! Thank you all for sticking with me and I am sorry this chapter is posted a bit late!

Spencer Reid x Reader

Warnings: Mentions of Gore, violence, swearing

Read Chapter One Here

He had spent several hours outside your window, trying to figure out the next phase of his plan. But once the Doctor had arrived and swept you into his arms, he had decided to go home. Not back to his apartment, that was the place he resided. His home was a place nobody could know about.

It was a place for only him and his mentor Drew.

He walked into the kitchen to find Drew cleaning up his knives. “Hey little brother, out with your girl again?” Drew asked with a mischievous smile.

Little brother was Drew’s nickname for the boy, they weren’t blood-related, but being 7 years younger than Drew, he had taken the boy under his wing.

“Yeah, until her stupid fucking doctor came.” the boy replied.

“Don’t worry about the Doctor, your time will come.” Drew reassured. “Come, sit, I just finished up making dinner.”

The boy sat down, pushing aside Drew’s papers so he had space to eat.

“Ah, ah,ah, you’re going to want to look at those. Those papers contain all the fun things you need to know. I’m not teaching you all of this for nothing huh?” Drew smiles, placing the papers back in front of the boy, alongside a bowl of stew.

“Do you really think this will work?” The boy asked, glancing over Drew’s explicitly written notes.

“Don’t worry little brother, this whole thing is trial and error.” Drew reassured. “Don’t be intimidated I’ve had this whole thing planned for a while and she won’t be the first, she can be our finale-” Drew was interrupted by a scream. He rolled his eyes. “Goddamnit, this bitch just never shuts up. I wanted to surprise you with her, but now she spoiled it.”

The boy gave Drew a curious look. Drew chuckled. “Come on little brother I will show you.” Drew led the boy down to their basement. “After she’s gone, I’ll soundproof the basement better. I just needed an idea of how loud these whores will scream.”

The color drained from the boy’s face as his gaze fell on the woman. She was tied to Drew’s metal table, she looked like one of the frogs that the Boy had to set up for dissection for Professor Irving’s class, except she was very much alive, and slightly bloodied.

“Meet trial number one little brother, she looks quite like your girl huh? I think all of em’ should just so you can be prepared for your finale with her.” Drew turned to the Boy. “Surprise.”

“How long has she been missing?” the Boy asked, panicked. How could Drew not warn him? “Relax, like I said she’s trial one. Just a corner whore, no one will even notice she is gone. The next one will be the real challenge, I want to find one exactly like your girl and I already found her, this one we will just pump and dump. Did you get those chemicals from your professor like I asked?”

The Boy nodded “It all in my backpack.” The Boy couldn’t drag his eyes away from the girl on the table. Yes she had your hair and eye color, but she was a hideous thing compared to you. A mere whore could never compare to you. “If she’s a whore I don’t want to touch her. I’ll try the next one.”

Drew huffed. “Fine, you only have to watch this time virgin boy. But next time, I expect you to be hands on. I’m not doing all this work for nothing.”

The Boy’s face was emotionless the whole time he watched Drew, even when the blood spurted, even when the girl looked at him, pleading for help. Even when she stopped breathing and the chemicals he brought were used to melt her flesh.

The Boy felt nothing.

________________________________________________________________

There was an extra flounce to your step as you made your way to your favorite cafe. Maybe it was because you had successfully hired a few new employees to help your company flourish, maybe it was because one of them had already settled a new deal in Ohio, or maybe it was because you knew Spencer was coming back from a case today.

Hell, you had just had a fantastic day and you needed to update Ava and grab your favorite mocha latte to top it off. And maybe it was your 4th coffee of the day, but so what?

Your face lit up even more when you saw Ava. “Hello my darling best friend.” You said causing Ava to grin.

“Hey there babe, what’s got you so preppy today?” Ava asked.

“Well, let’s see; I hired 3 new employees who already are fantastic, one of which already booked us a design job in Ohio. Oh and my superhero hot boyfriend is coming home from a case tonight.” You grinned.

Ava rolled her eyes. “I still can’t believe you told him I call him that. I wanted to dissolve into the floor and simultaneously kick your ass.” She laughed. “As for the new employees, are any of them hot? Single? Oh and Ohio is good I guess.”

You giggled. “Well Thomas is incredibly handsome, but I am afraid his soon to be husband might want to have a word with you if you try anything. As for the other two, Aiyla and May, I think you’ll find them stunning and single.”

Ava wiggled her eyebrows. “Don’t tempt me girl, you know I swing both ways. Anyway, grab a seat, I’ll grab your coffee and bring it out to you. I get off early today so we can actually talk to each other rather than me hopping back and forth between the counter. James gets to hold down the fort with Emma and the newbie Jane today.”

“Well, maybe Jane will help him get out of his shell.” You hoped. Ava shrugged.

“Maybe, anyway, Ohio?” Ava questioned.

“Oh! Yes. My new minions are sketching our designs as we speak. The company is called Ohio technological, a very original name yes-” You said as Ava snorted. “But they’re trying to create an office space like Google, however I am going to one up that and add my own spin to it. Also your girl has a fantastic budget from this company and I am being paid bank!” You squealed.

Ava squealed with you, grabbing your hands and squeezing them tight. “(Y/N) that’s fantastic! I am so proud of you girl, you’ve been working so hard on this and I am so glad it’s all working out.”

“There is one downside though.” You said with a sigh. “I have to get my plans to them by next week and once they approve of them, I have to head to Ohio for three weeks. After that I will just have Thomas overlook the project and tie up any loose ends. Either him or I will have to fly down and check in on the progress every couple weeks until then.”

“Could be worse though.” Ava shrugged.

“That’s true, but Spencer and I have been dating for almost 3 months and half the time we can’t see each other. I’m worried that the distance will ruin us.” You confessed.

Ava's face went completely serious and she grabbed your arm gently. “(Y/N, I have never seen a boy more in love with you. You have never seemed happier in your life. You two will make it work I promise. You’re both so in love it makes me sick.” You snorted out a laugh and Ava smirked.

“Like I said, if he has a brother-”

“AVA.” You groaned.

_______________________________________________________________

The boy burst through the door, startling Drew.

“Yo, what the fuck man?” Drew hissed.

“She’s leaving. Fuck, fuck, fuck Drew. She’s leaving.” The Boy slammed the door shut, he leaned against it and slid down, hiding his face in his hands.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey little bro, take a breath, what happened?” Drew came over and pushed the boy’s hands away from his face.

“She’s leaving me Drew. For three weeks! She’s going to Ohio for THREE WEEKS. 21 days, almost a month! I won’t see her and when I do she will probably be with that goddamn doctor! What do I do?” The boy cried.

“That fucking whore, it’s like she knows she’s making you suffer. She’s probably reveling in it. Don’t worry. While she’s gone, we will perfect our craft and get you ready. Then when she comes back you’ll strike.”

Drew reassured the Boy, pulling him in for a hug.The Boy pulled away, dragging an arm across his tearful eyes.

“You promise?”

“I swear it.” Drew growled.

________________________________________________________________

Present Day

“Garcia what did you find?” Reid asked, pleading that it would be a reliable lead.

“Something that you won’t really like Reid.” Garcia said seriously, her usually bouncy personality was flat. “Something about your gift irked me, I couldn’t put my finger on it at first, but then I remembered; the Curtis case.”

Spencer’s heart fell into his stomach. The Curtis case had happened a few months after Spencer had started dating you. It had happened right here in Quantico, which terrified Spencer, especially since you fell perfectly under the unsubs victimology; 20-30 year old females with (Y/C/H) and (Y/E/C), successful middle class women who lived alone for one reason or another. You had luckily been out of town for a business trip at the time, working on an office design for a company in Ohio.

Spencer remembered a phone call he had with you one night during the case. He had called you after finding yet another dead victim, raped and torn to pieces, whore scribbled all over their wall in their blood. It had made him sick, because all he could picture was you in their place.

It was late when he called you, but he had just needed to hear your voice and know you were okay. “Hi baby, are you alright?” Your voice was sleepy, but concerned, you had kept up with the news and had heard about the horrible murders going on while you were gone.

“Not really, but I just needed to hear your voice. There’s a sick selfish part of me that is so glad that you aren’t here (Y/N). All of these girls look so much like you-” Spencer paused, you could hear the tears in his voice. “I just am so glad you are safe, I don’t think I could focus as well on this case if I knew you could possibly be in danger.”

“Aw Spencer, I am so sorry baby. You aren’t sick or selfish for wanting me to be safe, everyone focuses on the safety of those they love, it’s only human. I know you are going to catch this guy, you are the most brilliant man and agent I have ever met. Just don’t tell your team I said that, I don’t want a bad reputation before they even meet me.” You teased, trying to lighten his dark mood.

It had worked slightly as you heard him let out a small laugh followed by a sniffle. “Listen Spence, I can stay here a bit longer if it will help you focus, but when I come home I am taking self-defense classes and such. I want you to have a sane mind knowing that your girlfriend actually can handle herself. I honestly think it will help me keep sane too, after hearing everything about this case.”

Spencer paused and thought for a second, part of him wanted you as far away as possible, while the other part just wanted you in his arms. “I appreciate you considering me, but I want the ultimate decision to be made by you Princess, I trust your judgement and I don’t want you living your life based on my fear.”

You breath caught in your throat at the sentiment. “I love you Spencer Reid.”

“I love you more (Y/N) (Y/L/N).” A true smile beamed across his face, you guys had never said that to one another before and it meant just as much over the phone as it would in person.

Spencer flashed back to the present. “Andrew Curtis is in jail right now with three life sentences, how could this have anything to do with his case?”

Garcia cringed a bit, “His calling card.” The words hit Spencer like a ton of bricks, how could he have not seen it before?

The gift box, the red bow, the eyes scratched out of the picture, that was exactly what Curtis had sent to his victims before they were attacked by him. Most of the women had thought it was a prank, a way to scare them into submission, they were incredibly wrong.

“So what could it be, a copycat?” Emily asked.

“That is a possibility, they are using the exact same delivery company Andrew Curtis used, I found this on the security footage.” Garcia pulled up an image of a man wearing a uniform; it was a hideous orange color with the words “Swiftly Delivered” on it, khaki shorts, and white tennis shoes.

“You think the company would have shut down or at least redesigned their hideous uniform after all the association with Curtis.” Emily mumbled.

“Well, I think in this case it’s lucky they didn’t, that way we could easily find the connection.” JJ said.

“How could something like that have gotten cleared by security?” Rossi wondered aloud. “You think someone would have possibly recognized it, the case is still pretty fresh.”

“Well, the box had no threat, no weapons, they must have just scanned it and sent it through. Alyssa was the one who brought it up with the rest of the mail. She said nothing seemed off about it when she brought it up, she just thought it was someone who was sweet on our pretty boy.” Morgan explained.

“Everyone is just so invested in my love life that we miss obvious clues.” Spencer growled frustrated.

“Well, at least we have a lead.” Hotch interrupted. “JJ, Morgan, I need you guys to head over to Swiftly Delivered. Ask them about their past customers and see if they can remember our unsub. Emily, you and Reid head over to (Y/N)’s apartment and see if you can find anything. Rossi and I are going over to talk to Curtis.”

“Hotch, I need to talk to Curtis.” Reid protested. “If he knows anything about (Y/N)-”

“No Reid. You know (Y/N)’s apartment better than anyone. You will notice if anything is wrong.” Hotch explained sternly.

“Hotch-” Reid argued.

“No. I don’t trust Curtis, he seemed too interested during his original case. If he knows something, I can’t have him getting under your skin. Reid’s head fell in defeat. “But-” Reid’s head shot back up. “If you guys finish before us. Meet us at the prison.” Hotch ordered.

Hope filled Reid’s eyes.

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