#i gave this book like 3 stars

[valewritessss]

My wottg annotations

WRATH OF THE TRIPLE GODDESS SPOILERS BELOW

[ryan-sometimes]

Say what you want about Red White and Royal Blue, but that movie had Uma Thurman as the president of the United States and Stephen Fry as the king of England which is pretty sick

[rinzi]

[Image Text: The supreme fear of the Imperial Fists, if they could admit to a fear at all, is to be outplayed by unpredictable variables. Not to know.] - The Horus Heresy: The Siege of Terra, The End and the Death: Volume I by Dan Abnett, chapter 2:xi

ultramarines: know no fear

imperial fists: no know = fear

[bloody-wonder]

assuming you've read tsc, what are ur thoughts?

mixed feelings, anon!

on the one hand, tsc is just another confirmation that nora is a talented writer - i think the dialogue especially is where she really excels. the reading experience was overall very fun, i did enjoy seeing my faves again. neil is an icon, obviously. the culture clash between jean and the trojans was Comedy Gold. and it was interesting to see an exploration of a different trauma response than we've seen in aftg in jean.

on the other hand, i feel like jean's story in tsc mirrors neil's story in aftg - a troubled youth joins an exy team where he will make new friends and get better mentally - but is like. a simplified and less compelling version of that. it's good that jean is his own character, i don't need him to be a copy of neil, but i gotta say - neil's cameo appearances totally stole the show and made me wonder why i wasn't reading a book about him instead. however, it's all the other characters who were the real problem - it felt like i'm reading a version of aftg where a less fun iteration of neil joins an exy team consisting just of the upperclassmen and nicky hemmick which uhhh,, if you've read some of my old posts you know how i feel about him so there was no chance in hell i'd like cat alvarez and her whole shtick. the foxes felt good for the soul bc there was a balance between the upperclassmen's and the monsters' type of care for neil - and crucially neil chose the latter group to be his close circle, among other things, bc he felt they could understand him better. by constrast, jean is alone with the trojans who don't give any credibility to his claims that they just can't understand what he went through, don't respect his right to keep his trauma private and just keep trying to force his "recovery". aftg felt like a bunch of freaks with various but equally fascinating issues put in close quarters and you watch them sometimes butt heads, sometimes uplift each other in the most unexpected ways. tsc however felt like a bunch of normies bullying a traumatized kid - so basically one of those obnoxious fics where the upperclassmen are all in neil and andrew's business.

jean's bisexuality was a double-edged sword too: on the one hand, i felt very smug reading about how his attraction works bc 1) it's so obviously different from neil and 2) wow turns out years of psychological, physical and sexual abuse do not in fact take away your sexuality! le gasp! surprised fucking pikachu!! crazy how through all of this jean is still bi. the human spirit is unbreakable. (unless your mom hits you for kissing a girl, then it's breakable). so i did feel vindicated but at the same time this was not relatable to the point that i can't see myself getting invested in jean and jeremy's developing relationship. nothing is more of a turn off for me in fictional romances than when both of them are immediately attracted to each other and let the reader know in no uncertain terms. where are the mind games? where are the intricate rituals? it feels like a lazy shortcut. but good for them, i guess?

sooo idk. i didn't hate tsc by any means but i'm sad i didn't enjoy it as much as my mutuals😭

[nedlittle]

3, 14, 17!! for the end of year book ask <3

3. What were your top five books of the year?

in no particular order: forever amber (karleen winsor), make room for love (darcy liao), the golden compass (philip pullman), the ministry of time (kaliene bradley) and mongrels (stephen graham jones)

14. What books do you want to finish before the year is over?

a rome of one's own by emma southan, the disenchantment by celia bell & the books of jacob by olga tokarczuk (i don't actually think i'm going to get to this one at all but i am Manifesting)

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

yes! moonshine by jasmine gower has a relatively low storygraph rating (3.49, up from a 3.45 when i read it) and i normally wouldn't read something rated that low, especially considering it's urban historical fantasy with fairies etc, which i just cannot take seriously in the same vein as like. angels/demons. fundamentally silly *TO ME* but i thought the worldbuilding was fun! what if america was a former volcanic wasteland that only recently became habitable and it's also the 1920s. there are also ogres n shit iirc. also skye falling by mia mckenzie. i don't love contemporaries, especially those with such....forceful narrative voices but i think mckenzie managed to strike a balance between a very casual, jargon-based narrator and serious narrative beats.

[outofmymindbebacklater]

the audacity of the witcher Netflix creators to take iconic scenes from the book and then surround them with things that make no fucking sense

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads // twitter thread  

Lucha of the Night Forest

YA fantasy about a girl struggling to survive with her sister in a land overtaken by a forgetting drug, who makes a deal with a forest god to escape

spooky fungi magic, forest, sisters, lesbian MC

[starlightparks]

i finished the queen of nothing ✨✨

im not doing a full review or anything but i will say i did enjoy the series. it's a solidly enjoyable series and i really don't have any huge complaints (other than the tail im SORRY but no)

im currently not planning on reading either of the novellas or the stolen heir but it is definitely a world i would return to one day :)

[vlindervin7]

mixed thoughts on piranesi… loved the setting and the atmosphere, that was definitely the most interesting part of the book. one of the rare cases where i think a movie adaptation would be a great idea while reading. the descriptions were just lovely. however, i thought the pacing was a bit weird and the plot execution clumsy and tbh a little unsatisfying. i raced through the second half of the book bc i wanted answers and at the end was kinda left with a feeling of oh that’s it? idk interesting premise, lovely world-building, nice themes, but overall not as spectacular as it could have been imo

but considering it was the one who got the most votes on my poll im assuming it’s some fans so would love to hear anyone’s thoughts on it!!

[iheartbookbran]

like, I still think it’s sort of weird that Shonda Rhimes bought the rights to the Bridgerton novels, did a mediocre job at adapting the material and also kinda ruined one of the most popular pairings from the books in the process, and then proceeded to hyperfixate on her own OC to the point of creating a spin-off in which the central romance is about two members of a very white, slave-owning, racist and imperialist institution that could only maintain power through the exploitation of people of color all over the world, but now the protagonist is a black woman who’s about to end racism in 1700s Great Britain through the power of Love

[sporkjoints]

I finished One Last Stop!

review to come, but here’s one of my favorite sections. McQuiston gets it.

[tragedykery]

you ever got those fandoms where you’re like. you’re not actively part of it but you’re not not part of it. like I don’t make any lotr posts myself but sure I’ll rb one or two when they come across my dash

[haml3t]

Can’t believe I haven’t mentioned how Dune has been taking over my life. My boyfriend is learning Chakobsa and speaks it around our apartment all the time. I couldn’t wait to go back into the office after being sick bc I need to ask my coworker what edition of the book she has bc I need that genealogy table, map, & glossary in mine too. My fave journalist is also geekin and finding a way to mention it in his podcast every chance he gets 😁🩵🩵🩵

[jackleopard]

book you were anticipating since it was announced was dissapointing. 15 injured 4 dead

[givemeasword-callmequeen]

Somebody else just through that Andie Bell faked her dead & killed Sal. Or is it just me

[skyrigel]

Tell me again [ AB ]

Pairing ~ Anthony Bridgerton x fem!reader

Plot ~ after a long day at work, Anthony tells you how much he missed his wife <3

Warning: pregnant!reader, little teasing, shy!reader

Words : 0.8k

My other fic

Anthony bridgerton angst

" I thought you would be asleep..." Anthony murmured, words soft as melody spelled in the dark, hands crossed around his chest, his cuffs rolled up like usual after every tired night in his office, he smiled at you, a glint in his eyes.

" Why would I ? " I would wait for you at the worlds end, You turned to look at your husband, after a hard day, his eyes looked so tired and yet, they were sparkling, always when it was you.

" Oh my dearest wife." He moaned as he crossed the distance in two long strides, wrapping his hands around your waist all the while dropping to his knees,

"I missed you so much baby." He said, kissing your baby bump gently as he looked up with stars in his eyes.

" You didn't miss me Anthony ?! " You fake gasped, watching the slow chuckle make its way through the rings of his cartilage as he plucked the book you were holding.

" Oh you have no idea ! " He growled, taking both your hands in his and guiding them to his face, his eyes shutting as your fingers traced the face you adored so much, he hummed in response, kissing the soft skin of your wrist as watched you, one knuckle at a time, eyes never leaving yours.

" you think I haven't missed you ? " His asked, almost blazing, " you? " He said again, " There wasn't a moment when my soul didn't want to crawl and come to you, not a moment when i wanted to be anywhere but in your arms love." He squeezed your hand gently as you smiled, because you knew, knew how much he loved you.

" Have i told you how much I love your hands ? " He traced the lightening like green nerves that made it ways across your skin, he loved every bit of you, body, soul, mind and heart.

" You haven't," you replied, feeling your breath knocked out, heart punching against your ribs.

Anthony's lip quirked at your dazed eyes, he loved every and each version of you but he so much adored when you made your needs known, how much Anthony loved giving you what you wanted, you just have to say it for me, my sweet love, he had told you.

" This," Anthony said, his lips grazing at the slight raise of vein of your wrist, following it upto the crook of your arm, smiling in triumph as a strangled noise made it's way out of your throat.

" You like it ? " He tilted his head, brows raised in question, " mmm" you hummed softly but being the Viscount and smug bastard lord bridgerton was, he smirked.

" Say it in words my lady." He gazed up, you gave him one eye roll but opened your mouth anyway, " I do." You said ans Anthony resumed his venturing.

" And I have told you how much I love your collarbones ? " He hummed, planting open mouthed kisses all way to to dip of your neck, his breath lingered like a tattooed kiss, you dropped your head back on the couch as Anthony nipped at the raw skin of your neck.

You felt his smile the way his teeth tore into your flesh, his hand soothing your belly in circular patterns, the other cupping your breast and kneading it with all the time in the world, " You aren't telling me." He complaint, mouth fixed several inches away from yours as he looked deeply into yours eyes, your breath were uneven as you whined at the lack of lips on you, he understood and caressed your cheeks, leaning until a thread of wind was between you, you waited for touch to burn you, waited for his lips to crash into yours but alas!

" An..thony " you whimpered and he shaked his head, mouthing a small, No.

" You haven't " you whispered, closing the inches as his mouth pressed against yours in warm fuzzy music, like everything the poets talked about, Anthony smiled as pulled for a second away, his eyes peicring yours, mischief dangling through the corners and oh, how much you loved this man.

" I think I have..." He trailed, nose nuzzling at the dark reds and blues of your neck, he loved his little vicious games, loved to tease you, loved to drive you crazy.

" You have." You told him, " Tell me again."

That was all Anthony needed to you tell you again, and again and again, how much he loved you.

Rigel's note🪩: This has been in my drafts for so long<3