#clare sager

[readinthedarkpod]

We know it's already been our birthday, but we continue this week with another birthday adjacent episode! Doesn't that sound fun?

We talk about Clare Sager and how wickedly cool her writing is, female rage, how much head trauma we see in books, and the only guy on the planet who deserves to receive head.

Books Discussed: A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager The Alien Assassin's Convenient Wife by Ruby Dixon

Books Mentioned: Beneath Black Sails by Clare Sager The Cruel Prince by Holly Black Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon Bunny by Mona Awad All's Well by Mona Awad A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

Join our book club @wornpagelibrary!

And if you want, follow the hosts @adxmparriish @figonas @laequiem and @hazelsheartsworn

[euphoric-melancholyy]

A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager Review!!

Have you ever read a book and thought 1. How am I supposed to go on knowing this perfect specimen *insert character name here* of a being isn’t real? And 2. Why haven’t I been bullied to read this before now?? Well I’m almost done with A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager and that’s exactly how I feel about it.

Oh my god, y’all. THIS BOOK. it’s so good. The tension. The spice. The plot. The setting. The characters. I’m obsessed with this book.

⚔️ morally grey characters

👩‍❤️‍👨 Fake relationship

👩🏼‍🦰 Forced proximity

❤️ Traumatized characters helping each other heal

🔪 Betrayal

👀 Spying

🥵 Spice with emphasis on consent

🗣️ Dirty Talk

👥 Fae x human relationship!!

🔥 Slow burn

The spice is top tier. Bastian will make you forget about every book boyfriend because he is Perfect™️ and everything he does is like the hottest thing I’ve ever read. He’s also very mature and doubles down on consent! He has so many wonderful lines (dirty talk and just general wisdom). I’d die for him honestly. And I also love the FMC Kat! She’s been raised in a patriarchal society that doesn’t value women and she balances this line of playing the game and obeying the rules and learning to take what she wants. She’s traumatized and smart af and Bastian is her perfect counterpart. The Court intrigue!!! The smut!!! Everything about it is perfection. How everyone isn’t talking about it is beyond me. READ. IT. It’s top tier fantasy romance. And it’s also on KU!!! This book wrecked me, put me back together, and wrecked me again. And it’s connected to her previous book series, Beneath Black Sails, which I will be reading next. Here’s my favorite line from the book:

[shipatfirstsight]

Favorite books of 2023 4/?

[helloanastasiadarling]

I’m not ready for this series to be over😭

[badwolfoncomingstorm]

.... I don't often buy books based on the cover that I know nothing about, but I bought this one at my local used bookstore because look how pretty it is!!! 😍😍😍😍😍

Has anyone read "A Kiss of Iron" by Clare Sager? Is it as good as it is pretty?

[mauvefaeries]

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ currently reading

[staciass]

[bookstagramofmine]

Book Tour and Review: A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager

Book Tour and Review: A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager @PaperMyths #ClareSager #AKissOfIron #Fantasy #Book #BookBlog #BookCommunity #BookReview #BookTour #BookWorm #KindleUnlimited

Title: A Kiss of Iron Series: Shadows of the Tenebris Court Author: Clare Sager Pages: 572 Release Date: 20th Feb, 2023 Publisher: Wicked Lady Press Related Series: Beneath Black Sails A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager Thank you, Paper Myths, for the chance to read and review the arc for A Kiss of Iron! This is the first book in a brand new series by Clare Sager and is absolutely perfect for…

[emahriel]

I am an ignorant fool please tell me more about Bastian

AHHHH Bastian Marwood is the MMC in the book series "Shadows of the Tenebris Court" by Clare Sager! While ppl draw him as your average white faerie boy with a posh appearance, he's described as a fae with pointy ears who often looks bored, hair so black it doesn't reflect light, stubbled face with a scar on his chin/lip and on his chest + has nip piercings (bc why not) and a snake tattoo on his back going up to the front of his shoulder. He's a spymaster whose magic involves shadows, he's a lil gruff, uhh he's all about consent (likes to be in control tho iykyk) and uh yeah! I don't know what else to say!! lmk if you wanna know anything else abt this series or him

anyway the author included some art of him in the book but I refuse to accept this is how he's supposed to look, so... I drew how I imagined him 🫡

[poetlcs]

2023 reading tracker

total: 75/52

sff

a sky beyond the storm - sabaa tahir

enclave - claire g. coleman

a criminal magic - lee kelly (dnf)

the shattered city - lisa maxwell

a feast for crows - george r.r martin

the ballad of songbirds and snakes - suzanne collins

chain of iron - cassandra clare

hell bent - leigh bardugo

chain of thorns - cassandra clare

the bronzed beasts - roshani chokshi

the drowning faith - r.f kuang

how high we go in the dark - sequoia nagamatsu

the jasmine throne - tasha suri

the hunger games - suzanne collins

catching fire - suzanne collins

mockingjay - suzanne collins

a far wilder magic - allison saft

translated

the transmigration of bodies - yuri herrera

portrait of an unknown lady - maria gainza

love in the big city - sang young park

my brilliant friend - elena ferrante

frankenstein in baghdad - ahmed saadawi

la bastarda - trifonia melibea obono

bolla - pajtim statovci

contemporary

you are eating an orange. you are naked - sheung-king

seeing other people - diana reid

the henna wars - adiba jaigirdar

you and me on vacation - emily henry

now that i see you - emma batchelor 

delilah green doesn’t care - ashley herring blake

becoming kirrali lewis - jane harrison

style - chelsea m. cameron

yellowface - rf kuang

the summer i turned pretty - jenny han

it’s not summer without you - jenny han

the charm offensive - alison cochrun

love & virtue - diana reid

the divines - ellie eaton

sincerely, carter - whitney g

crushing - genevieve novak

icebreaker - hannah grace

cleopatra & frankenstein - coco mellors

duck a l’orange for breakfast - karina may

happy place - emily henry

wildfire - hannah grace

i am not your perfect mexican daughter - erika l. sanchez

you don’t have a shot - racquel marie

mystery/thriller

final girls - riley sager

nine liars - maureen johnson

the box in the woods - maureen johnson

a good girls guide to murder - holly jackson

good girl, bad blood - holly jackson

queen of the tiles - hanna alkaf

as good as dead - holly jackson

kill joy - holly jackson

five survive - holly jackson

the dry - jane harper

non-fiction

mirror sydney - vanessa berry

in byrons wake: the turbulent lives of lord byron’s wife and daughter, annabella milbanke and ada lovelace - miranda seymour

the lavender scare: the cold war persecution of gays and lesbians in the federal government - david k. johnson

odd girl out: the hidden culture of aggression in girls - rachel simmons

dinosaurs rediscovered - michael j. benton

queer others in victorian gothic - ardel haefele-thomas

alone time: four cities, four seasons and the pleasures of solitude - stephanie rosenbloom

how to break up with fast fashion - lauren bravo

the white album - joan didion

the gene - siddhartha mukherjee

the new hite report: the revolutionary report on female sexuality - shere hite

my body - emily ratajkowski

historical fiction

the mountains sing - nguyen phan que mai

one for the master - dorothy johnson

tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow - gabrielle zevin

the christie affair (dnf) - nina de gramont

classics

things fall apart - chinua achebe

northanger abbey - jane austen

jamaica inn - daphne du maurier 

[readinthedarkpod]

We've talked about some pretty whacky smutty books, but what if we told you that in this episode, we go into the details of pirate sex magic? It's about as cool as you're imagining. Stick around, we also do a deep dive into Latin studies and more! Oh and also... we have a secret regarding Kaitlyn's identity. You don't want to miss it.

Follow the hosts at @figonas @hazelsheartsworn @laequiem @adxmparriish

Books Discussed: Slayer of the Pirate Lord by Rebecca F. Kenney The Latinist by Mark Prins

Books Mentioned: Beneath Black Sails by Clare Sager The Odyssey by Homer The Metamorphoses by Ovid Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir The Darkest Part of The Forest by Holly Black The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater Prince of the Sorrows by Kellen Graves Lightlark by Alex Aster

[cassiesbookishcorner]

•June 15, 2023•

Hello bookworms!!!

I hope all is well!

It's time for....

✨️Mid Month Check-in✨️

I've completed 8 books this month!!

My average rating for these 8 books is 3.44 stars

3,441 pages read

Top two moods have been emotional and lighthearted

Top genre is romance

▪︎

Since my last post, I've read 2 more books, Triple Duty Body Guard by Lily Gold and The Fiancee Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur.

▪︎

The Fiancee Farce was my 50th book of the year!!!

Only 10 books to go and I will reach my reading goal of 60!!

I'm very curious to see what my 60th book will be.

▪︎

My current read is A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager.

An enemies to lovers fantasy. I'm so excited to get into this!

▪︎

I hope you all are doing fantastic with your reading!

▪︎

•

▪︎

[shipatfirstsight]

Favorite books of 2023 5/?

[justmybookthots]

My Top 30 Books of 2023

30. An Ember in the Ashes (#1) by Sabaa Tahir

Such a terrific debut!!!! I loved it. From the moment Laia signed on to spy on the military academy, I was hooked. Premise was intriguing as heck, and Elias' mother was fascinating to me. Some small things I didn't love, however—I wished Laia had been more involved in the trials. Elias, the MMC, felt a bit weak of a character to me, and I wasn't a fan of Helene (I like her so much more in the sequel, though). The ending left the story at such an exciting place, and I was hankering for the next book. 

29. Red Winter (#1) by Annette Marie

We're at the midway point of my ranking, and from here on out it's books I mostly really enjoyed. Red Winter!! The first book!! When I read it, my mind was kinda blown because it felt like I was reading a very well-written novel spinoff of Kamisama Kiss/Inuyasha, and I loved both series as a child. Also, the illustrations in the novel are soooo good, and Shiro the MMC/fox is cute. ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡) It was a solid book, and I had a blast, BUT— this is not the best Annette Marie has to offer. Nope. I will get to her magnum opus (for me)... eventually. 

28. Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

I shouldn't have spoken so soon about the midway point. This book… was very hard to rank. The beginning had me deliciously invested (and is what establishes such a high rank) but my interest languished the more the book progressed. I actually think people who like SJM may like this one because it's pretty much a power fantasy, but make it contemporary. Regardless, I did have a good time if I ignored the power fantasy elements. Sawyer was a great hero, and Mallory was nicely tortured, which is just how I like my heroines. :)

27. The Housemaid's Secret (The Housemaid #2) by Freida McFadden

Ah, the sequel to the Housemaid! Not as good as the prequel, but still pretty good!!! I think the themes it covered didn't hit me as hard as the Housemaid did, but the story stayed with me longer than some of Freida's other works. Overall a solid sequel, but I don't think it could have really lived up to what the Housemaid did for me.

26. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

I'm not a huge fan of Jackson's writing style or the characterisation of Ravi and his brother, but the mystery was so good! I loved the themes it covered and the psyche of the victim. 

This mystery is quite fleshed out and goes in depth about abuse, sexism, etc. I disliked the main leads, but enjoyed the case and the reveal. I was much more invested in the victim than I was in the person who was wrongly accused of murdering her, even though I think we were supposed to care for both? 

Anyway, it's definitely a much more memorable thriller than the ones below the ranking of this list so far. 

25. A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager

Another book that's kind of hard to rank for me. The romance was reaaaally good at the start, and then somewhere it kind of lost me?? But the story was interesting and I LOVED the plot twist (!!!!!) at the end, and the smut was one of my favourites. Also, the hero did something so sweet in the second half of the book. ♡ That aside, while this may be a fae book, I just don't think this is anything like how fae should be in my head. It doesn't feel like I'm reading fae at all.

24. If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang

AH, Henry, my beloved!!!!!! My first book of Ann Liang's, and it was so cute and Henry was just!!! Almost!!! Everything!! The Chinese rep also made me so happy!!! It depresses me that I couldn't love it as much as I wanted to because the story was riddled with issues towards the end but I loved the rest of it. This book walked so that the other book of Ann's could run! (We will see that other book along the list soon.)

23. Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo

If my friend saw this list, she'd go: "SoC, in 23rd place? DISOWNED". To that, I say…

Sowwieee.  

I LOVE the Crows, but it's not this book that definitively sealed the deal about them to me. This is 100% my personal gripe because my brain hates setting-centric books and it was so hard for me to figure out the logistics behind the heist. But I loved the banter in this book, Kaz's brains, Inej’s badassery, and the revelation about Jesper being Grisha. Also Wylan, my baby. My love. 

Ahhhhh, can't talk about the Crows or I'll start to melt. Make a TV show that ADAPTS THE ICE HEIST ALREADY.

22. City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare

OMG, it just occurred to me that if the same friend saw this being ranked above SoC, she's really going to have an aneurysm. 🤣 

I'm not going to elaborate other than the fact that I had a fun and easy time with this book, even if it was far from perfect. It actually exceeded my (admittedly) very low expectations, lol. In any case, I've already written a more in-depth review of it. 

21. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

A really, really solid book. I loved the concept of magical cards in the worldbuilding. While it doesn't do anything groundbreaking, nor was I extremely invested in the leads, I consider this very well-done. I loved Elm, lol. However, I've yet to read the second book and I hope to get on it soon.

20. The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden

I loved this thriller!!! But this is mostly because I am VERY partial to psychopathic boys written in the way Liam was—and at the same time, you realise: are real psychopaths that easy to spot? Is he really a psychopath, or is it someone else? This is probably one of my favourites from Freida, and the ending… made me so nervous, lol. 

19. How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black 

A short novella written by Holly Black, with vignettes set in Cardan's POV as he grew up over the years. I fucking loved it to pieces, but that's just because I love Cardan 😛 I loved how the stories the hag told Cardan kept changing to fit his narrative, I loved seeing his perspective when Nicasa cheated on him with Locke, I loved hearing about how he felt towards Jude. Also: the last chapter, set after Queen of Nothing!! Him and Jude!!!!!! My heart!!!!!!! I will not elaborate except that it was fucking amazing. The only downside was that it was too short, and I could have done with MORE scenes. 

18. Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim

It's a novel that does very little wrong. Its only sin is that it's predictable and formulaic, but it was such a wholesome and at times swoony story because Rui (the goblin emperor) was lovely. While I didn't love Lina, the heroine, I thought the book was still fun, and THAT scene by the river was ( ◡‿◡ *). I'll be reading the sequel once it's out.

17. The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

I have so many conflicting feelings about this book. See, this is the book that got me into reading fantasy this year. For so long, I'd avoided fantasy, but after I finished this, I decided I'd give the rest of the genre a try. It literally rearranged my entire brain and opened something in me—it was sooooo good. The slow burn, the trials, the eventual consummation, the ending… I can't fault it. Almost every other fantasy book I've read has this one to thank (and Kingdom of the Wicked to blame because it almost made me boycott the genre, lol). However—the problem is that I've read it so long ago (at the start of the year) that I can't remember much, and also that the sequel bored me to tears and I still haven't finished that. If I ranked this earlier in the year, it might be much higher in the ranks.

16. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

This book!!!!!! It was so unexpected how much I enjoyed it. A lot of reviews were complaining about the verbiage and how nothing was really happening and I… went into it thinking I wouldn't like it, if I'm being honest. But I did!!!!!!!!!!! It portrayed fae similarly to the Folk of the Air series (The Cruel Prince), and instead of boring me like the Enchantment of Ravens did, I was HOOKED. I loved how it kept me on my toes, I loved how creepy some things were… and I thought Wendell was insane and so much fun (insane he might be, but you cannot deny his untouchable EQ). Also, Emily is such a dear. I must add that Reverse grumpy/sunshine is my FAVOURITE.  I could go on and on about this book. It's marvellous and I'm so desperate for the sequel. In fact, I think I'm going to do a reread of this book before the sequel comes out. 🙂

15. Delivering Evil for Experts (Guild Codex: Demonized #4) by Annette Marie

OMG, OMG… We have finally reached the Guild Codex: Demonized series. 

(*ﾉдﾉ)

Now THIS series is, as far as I'm concerned, Annette's magnum opus. Not Red Winter. THIS. Don't mock the goofy-ass cover—it's a GEM UNDERNEATH! IT'S AMONG MY FAVOURITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME. It's one of the holy trinity series (yes, that's what I'm dubbing those three series) that broke my brain this year. This action series is about a girl (Robin) who makes a contract with a demon, Zylas, where he has to protect her in exchange for... her baking cookies for him. 🤣 It sounds ridiculous, but I promise it all makes sense when you read it. Unfortunately, this is the last book, which was my least favourite of the series because the tension had started to ebb for me. BUT. It's still so, so good. The ending was initially gearing up to be a tragedy but ahhh!! I am content with how it ended. 

14. City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare

Never would I have thought this book would be higher than one of the books from Guild Codex: Demonized but I really, unexpectedly enjoyed City of Ashes. It was better than the first; I thought it was a solid and frankly speaking great book. I did hear, however, that the first 3 books in this series are actually decent before the rest nose-dives in quality, which explains why I enjoyed the first 2 so much. (I've already written a full review on this book.) 

13. The Queen of Nothing (Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black

We have finally reached the Cruel Prince series. *hyperventilates* 

Okay. Okay. 

So. 

The last book is my least favourite of the trilogy, but… it is also the culmination of Jude and Cardan's relationship. We have "By you, I am forever undone" here. (There's even more quotes, technically, but I'm trying to keep this succinct.) It is legendary. It is magnificent. It is immaculate. Overall, the plot in this book may be my least favourite, but the payoff after two books of scheming and constant push and pull? Fucking chef's kiss. 

12. The Only One Left by Riley Sager

One of the best thrillers of 2023 for me. It is so, so, so good. I don't think I can stress how brilliant this book is. Story revolves around a mute, sick old lady wheelchair-bound inside a gothic manor on a cliff. The main character is sent to be her caretaker. And the old lady has a story to tell—she was accused of murdering her entire family in her youth. Very atmospheric and chilling read.

See, I expected the first plot twist but the SECOND? Wowza. Magnifique. Also such a sad, tragic tale. It felt me reeling for a good bit after I was done. It deserved to win the 2023 GR awards and NOT Housemaid's Secret. It's not even close to me. 

11. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

This book. This fucking book. 

It broke me out of a reading slump at the start of the year but that's not why it's left such an indelible mark on my brain. The way this story covers infidelity and abuse… Wow. Exquisite. And the way the tables turn at the end is so good it's ILLEGAL. 

In fact, I think the theme here just hit closer to home for me than The Only One Left, even though the writing of the latter is definitely superior. This is my first book of Freida's and is, to me, her best work. 

10. The Maid's Diary by Loreth Anne White

[Takes deep breath] This story was so unexpected for me. I wasn't expecting to like it. At all. It was supposed to be a palate cleanser.

A palate cleanser, I thought! HA! 

This wasn't perfect. There were plot holes. Some things weren't wrapped up. BUT. BUT. BUT. It is the best thriller I read this year and I stand by that. I have never, ever felt more vindicated by a book than I did this one. It is a work of art. 

One line to sum this story up? I SUPPORT WOMEN'S WRONGS. That’s it. That's all you need to know. (That said: Full review has been written)

9. Hunting Fiends for the Ill-Equipped (Guild Codex: Demonized #3) by Annette Marie

We are in the top ten now. Gird your loins! 

This book!!!!!! Ahhhh. I can't even write this coherently, and I'm only at the ninth. But this was the book where the relationship between Zylas and Robin finally began to change!!!!!!! It was so divine, it was near perfect, it made me scream and want to tear my hair out—I can't. This was a slow-burn done right. It was just a little hint of what was to come, and yet… yet it short-circuited my brain. Also, I do not APPRECIATE the emotional turmoil Annette put me through with this one.

8. This Time It's Real by Ann Liang

🥺 At this point, my writing is going to be incoherent. Because these are my absolute favourites. I'm crying. I'm seriously crying. This book was everything to me (even though a friend read it and she said the guy was too perfect for her liking and I get it. I really do. I agree. But... I loved it). 

(;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)

I have nothing coherent to say except I loved it. And that, much as I didn't want to admit it, this stupid book put me in a reading slump for 2 months. I found myself constantly trying to find books with similar tropes as this: celebrity/non-celebrity, Asian rep, cute swoony contemporary romance. I couldn't find anything that hit the same way.

7. The Cruel Prince (Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black

Do I need to say more? DO I????????? 

I took a gamble buying the whole boxset before reading it and I thought I was fucked because usually that means I'm going to hate it. Fate isn't normally this kind to me. But my gamble paid off. It fucking paid off!

The prose, the political intrigue, my first venture into fae… Also, Jude's spite is low-key TOO relatable: “If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.”

Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it—

6. Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

This, above Cruel Prince? Yes, it feels illegal, but here's why: Cruel Prince is only the first book. We don't get the payoff yet. In Love Theoretically, you get everything from start to finish. It's like a whole ass trilogy in one book. 

And the slow-burn in the first half of this book is LEGENDARY. I was actually kicking my feet like a teenager. That in itself is monumental, because I'd stopped enjoying/reading contemporary romance for at least a year before this book came. I'd actually given up on the genre/demographic at some point… until this.

Jack is one of my favourite male leads to ever exist. And the themes the book covers with Elsie hits so close to home for me. It's not perfect, but belong to my top ten it does. 

5. Slaying Monsters for the Feeble (Guild Codex: Demonized #2) by Annette Marie

The top five books are really, really cutting it close, because this book is, in my opinion, near perfection. It's INSANE how Annette could carry the momentum from a perfect first book and make it just as exciting as the predecessor. The action scenes were phenomenal, and I loved the makeshift family between the three leads and the cat. Also Zylas' characterisation and the exploration of his psychopathy was so INCREDIBLE. I can go and on about this book forever. I still remember reading this on the toilet and going: "HOW IS THIS SO GOOD?"

IT'S A WORK OF ART. 

4. The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black

The best book in the Cruel Prince series to me. The mind games, the scheming, Jude's machinations, the twists, the ENDING, I could scream. Jude is a force to be reckoned with. And the tension between her and Cardan? Sublime. Throughout the whole book, Jude has him under her control, but she knows time is ticking and he'll break free of the magic soon. The suspense and the push and pull is… 

ლಠ益ಠლ)

Another work of fucking art. I only have so many adjectives to praise this bona fide masterpiece. But wait! I still have three more books. 

3. The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

So many people would stare me down for this. The Stolen Heir (the spin-off sequel) above Cruel Prince? YES. OKAY? YES. 

I prefer Jude to Wren (who is arguably a bigger force to be reckoned with in her own right), but. OAK. Almost nobody liked him, but I did. I DID. It's fine; I will be his only fan. No biggie.

Oak was everything that I felt Cardan—whom I already loved—lacked in. Oak… Ah, Oak. I just have a soft spot for sweet sunshine characters who are also secret badasses. It's like Holly plucked out the archetype I like in men and created Oak (okay, I don't love the hooves but that's beside the point). I adored this book with my beating heart and I just don't think the sequel can live up to it.

 (I just read the first chapter of the sequel and I'm already shaking. Please don't let me down. I've been burned by too many sequels at this point.)

2. Taming Demons for Beginners (Guild Codex: Demonized #1) by Annette Marie

A masterpiece. That's what this first book is. Even the Stolen Heir and Wicked King had parts I didn't love, but this? It's *chef's kiss* from start to finish.

Every scene and exchange built towards a fantastic crescendo near the end when THAT contract was made. Gah. The delicate balance of comedy, tension and suspense was immaculate. And the magic in those scenes when Robin first stumbles upon Zylas inside the summoning circle is…

( ˘ ³˘)♥

I'm not going to pretend this book is a literary tour de force that's going to be analysed like Hunger Games is, or anywhere close to that. All I will say is that this was the first book that blew my socks off after my Cruel Prince-induced slump, and that says enough about it. 

1. Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo 

Remember when I said the last book was easy to place? The first book was also easy to place. This took almost NO contemplation at all. 

Here we have the final one of my holy trinity series, alongside Folk of the Air and Demonized.

Since it wasn't so setting-centric like the first book, this sequel shone for me. I don't… I can't… There are no words. Kaz is a male Jude, but even smarter and more traumatised. Every Crow is majorly fleshed out, and they all get some kind of closure at the end. (One also… ends, but never mind that one.) It's so cathartic I could fucking cry; I nearly did. Kaz and Inej are forever etched in a special corner of my heart. This is not a book that I can give justice to by writing one or two paragraphs about, so I won't. I've already written all my thoughts in my review. All I will say is that it deserves all the hype it gets. 

In fact, it deserves more.

SoC #3? 👉👈

[authorlaurawinter]

Bite leave and stalk @sweetwatertales

Bite: Hottest Oc

Elias. Y’all might argue Farrah, but Elias is the “looks and acts like a himbo” but is totally smart. He just chooses to ignore his brain and do what is fun instead.

Leave: would you trust your Mc

Absolutely. Brela might get into trouble but she’s damn clever at getting out of it. Also, she’s got Cason on her side so like… a dragon.

Stalk: who is your favorite published author

This is so hard because I love so so many authors. Clare Sager, Sarah J Maas, and Casey McQuiston are auto buy authors. As is the lovely @ashen-crest

[televinita]

tagged by @empress-of-snark to post my recent, current, and future reads! (Which: hahahahaha! an excuse to GET LONG)

recent: Like in the last week? Love Interest by Clare Gilmore (still tap dancing between 4 stars for overall joy and 3 due to demerits); The Seat Filler by Sariah Williams (perfect hand-claspy fluff of fantasies! once I washed the author's notes out of my brain); Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart (a quick but delightful read! brought to you by: "when I left this morning I thought I was just dropping my parents off at the hospital but actually I'm staying with Mom the whole time and will end up staying at the house overnight"); Penhale Wood by Julia Thomas (disappointing meh after I loved her debut).

and on audio, Texts From Jane Eyre (which is a STELLAR listening experience; it's just two narrators but they are full on voice actors bringing the literal equivalent of a script -- with no stage or other directions -- to life. While I only vaguely remember the original...blog? Twitter account? website?, this had me cackling)

God, we haven't even made it to Current Reads yet, huh.

--------

current: Meanwhile Farm by Margaret Cheney (70s back-to-the-land memoir by a widowed and middle-aged feminist -- bought it at a book sale ages ago and when I was at the house, it ended up being the one that spoke to me most as a Next Read. it's interesting but overwritten, so probably not a keeper but still worth the read); When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord (underwhelming; I really thought LiveJournal was going to play a far bigger role than it has so far, 2/3rds in); Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands (💖) (so much so I haven't gotten past chapter 3 as I keep putting it down to squee)

and on audio I'm working through Goosebumps #10 (The Ghost Next Door) to fall asleep to -- childhood favorite! -- and just started The Only One Left by Riley Sager.

-------

future: it's incredibly dangerous to even think about next books given the state of the above section, but since there's still a bit of a queue for it and it's checked out right now, will probably try Starter Villain. Beyond that, it could be anything from this list (copied from my temp. pinned post, since it's liable to change):

the first two books in the Maxie & Stretch cozy mystery series by Sue Henry

A Barn in New England: Making a Home on Three Acres

The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home

The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus

Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country

and an outside shot at A Bird in the Hand and a Bear in the Bush, which I almost picked over Meanwhile Farm and which definitely looks more fun, a 70s memoir of a family who moved to the country and started rescuing/rehabbing orphan/injured wild animals. Also bought ages ago at a book sale.

Please consider yourself tagged if you wanna talk books! Credit me even! (let me look at your words about books) (even if you simply list titles. which is probably what everyone else does. i simply cannot be contained or even modestly restrained is all) (see also: these extra-unnecessary parenthetical asides)