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beautiful-songbird · 9 days ago

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Zee's 2024 Reads

Stats:

Books read ˋ°•*⁀➷ 51

Books DNFed ˋ°•*⁀➷ 8

Five-star reads ˋ°•*⁀➷ 35

Re-reads ˋ°•*⁀➷ 11

Most read author ˋ°•*⁀➷ Rick Riordan (14 novels)

Note: ☆ counts as a half star, since there isn’t a half star emoji

This was certainly a year of reading long book series and my DNFing any book that wasn't my speed immediately (sorry?)

Also if these reviews are short it's because I wrote 70% of them in one day, sorry.

↳ January (4)

Fourth Wing (reread) - Rebecca Yarros

January 11th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I anticipated this reread for a while before I finally got around to it, and it was soooo worth the wait. This book was so immersive and I absolutely love being in the world (as I'm sure you all know by now) and I even ended up giving the book 5 stars on this third read of it. Xaden was so intimidating when I removed myself from the anticipation of him being the love interest, and that was fun.

The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan

January 21st, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was so much fun. Percy’s inner monologue took a little bit of time to get used to since I’m used to reading books from the perspective of teenage girls and adult women, but he was a very fun character to follow. I’ve always loved Greek Mythology, so getting to read a modern book with the gods was very intriguing. I thought the world was very immersive and the characters were fun. I can’t wait to see how this story progresses over the next few books.

The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan

January 24th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you’d told me I was going to be eating up a middle grade book series this year, I’d have laughed in your face. This book was so good. Tyson has to be my favorite character in the whole series so far. He’s so adorable 😭

This book, like most middle grade books, was slightly predictable. It doesn’t help that I’ve gotten probably at least one spoiler for each book, but that didn’t make the reading of it any less fun. Percy and Annabeth’s relationship is progressing a bit, and I love to see it. They trust each other a bit more in each book.

Destroy the Day - Brigid Kenmerer

January 29th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was everything and more I wanted out of a final book in this series…I mean…COME ON! For one, I LOVE Harristan, and we got a whole lot more of him in this book. I was eating those chapters UP!

Corrick and Lochlan had a lovely bonding in this book after being at odds with each other for the entire series, so that was nice! I really appreciate that they were able to get over their hatred for each other eventually and become really close friends 😭 the last chapter with them at the end is so near and dear to my heart, you don’t understand.

I won’t get into the nitty gritty of this plot because that was on the back burner in this story. What I LOVED about this book was the romance Harristan got. He and the person he ended up with were two characters I had been hoping something would happen between for a while and then out of nowhere - it happened! I squealed when they kissed for the first time. I’m so glad they got their happily ever after because that is truly all I ever wanted for them <3

January technically has 6 reads because I read two of my mom's books, but she's not published, so they're not on this list.

↳ February (9)

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

February 1st, ⭐️⭐️⭐️, DNF

Ok so this book was like…SUPER disappointing? I read it expecting to love it because it just had that kind of vibe…and it was just so interesting. For one, the book had no actual chapters but instead section headings? There were no chapter numbers. Very odd. Also, the characters felt so distant. I think I read a good 60-70 pages of this book and I felt absolutely NOTHING for our two main characters. Very sad, as I had really expected to enjoy this book a lot.

The Cruel Prince (reread) - Holly Black

February 11th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is my second full read of this book, and I have to say, this book is a lot better read as a politically-based plot instead of a romance. Don’t get me wrong, I love the way the romance builds in this series, but it’s a lot easier to enjoy when you’re not anticipating anything happening in Jude’s love life. I read this book originally after hearing rave reviews about the romance in it, and while I’ll say those reviews were not wrong, it was frustrating to read almost the entire book with absolutely no romance whatsoever.

There is so much to love about this book. Jude is a very compelling main character, and, despite being a little insane, she’s a very lovable main character. She’s very bold and passionate, but she’s not just a one-dimensional character. It’s very easy to get into her head and understand how her brain works, and seeing the adventures she goes on is thrilling.

There’s not much in the way of major side characters for the first two thirds of this book, and I found that I actually don’t mind it. Jude is a very entertaining and interesting character on her own that she doesn’t really need supporting characters to help carry a scene.

Cardan is not a major character in this book, but I adore him at every turn anyways. Once he stops playing the antagonist, almost every line he delivers is incredible, and I absolutely love the way he speaks. The way that he and Jude banter closer to the end of the book leaves me with anticipation for what’s to come in their romance (even though I’ve already read it!) Their chemistry builds with each scene they share, and I have to say that their relationship is definitely my favorite part of the book.

The Wicked King (reread) - Holly Black

February 12th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was as fun as I remember it being. It begins five months after the events of the last book, and Jude hasn’t found a way to get along with Cardan just yet. Seeing the two of them dance around each other and pretend their chemistry is hatred is uproariously funny, and the way that they speak to each other throughout this book is absolutely lovely to read.

But don’t be fooled, this book is not mostly romance. Jude plays her role as the true ruler of Elfhame, and while doing so, she leaves Cardan out of the loop quite a bit. The two of them fight quite a bit because of this, and while this isn’t the main conflict of the book, it fed into it quite a bit.

The number of parties in this book had me absolutely feral, and I love to see Jude and Cardan dance together. Both times they danced were unlikely circumstances, and the dance they had near the end of the book…ooh. That scene is one of my absolute favorite scenes in this entire series. The way the two of them finally (sort of) let the other in after that scene too? UGH. It makes me go insane.

This book certainly did NOT suffer from middle book syndrome, and after recently reading a book that most definitely did, I am extremely grateful. Honestly, this book might be my favorite of the three, but I’m only about a quarter of the way through Queen of Nothing, so we’ll see how I feel in a few days when I finally get around to finishing it.

The Roommate Pact - Allison Ashley

February 15th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️☆

I’ll be honest, this book was kind of fun trash. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good book, but there was just something about it that gave me the vibe that I was reading book junk food. The characters were fun, the trauma was well-written and well dealt with, and the plot was good and probably realistic for two people in their mid-thirties.

One gripe I had with it was that half the time the characters felt like teenagers, though. If I wanted to read a book about teenagers, I’d read about teenagers. It was very odd to read about an NP and a firefighter and then have them act like 16-year-olds.

Overall, it was a pretty easy read and I had a good time, so I’d say it was worth it. It was the book I read on my Kindle while I was taking baths for this month, so…🤷🏻‍♀️ it was good bath reading or something.

The Titan’s Curse - Rick Riordan

February 17th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was just…fun! I find it interesting that despite this series following a linear and connected storyline, it doesn’t seem to have a distinct vibe. Each book I read in this series is extremely separate from the last in the terms of the feeling the world gives me, and it’s actually quite enjoyable!

This book brought a bunch of new characters into the mix and deepened our understanding of the world and the characters within it, and I really enjoyed that! It was also an extremely easy read after reading YA/NA fantasy for the past few months, so that was really nice. I was a bit horrified to look up the Heroes of Olympus after reading this and realize all of those books are between 500 and 600 pages, but we’ll leave that problem for when we get there.

Kissing Kosher - Jean Meltzer

February 18th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️, DNF

Honestly, this book was a huge disappointment. After how much I loved this author’s other book, The Matzah Ball, I expected to love this one too, but I just didn’t find myself as in love with the characters. It was just kinda…meh.

The Queen of Nothing (reread) - Holly Black

February 19th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was a masterpiece from start to finish. Watching Jude weasel her way back into the kingdom and spy on her enemies was so much fun!

Of course, it wouldn’t be the final book in a fantasy series without a bit more romance. Jude and Cardan finally confessed their feelings to each other, albeit in a bit of a roundabout way at first. The rising romantic tension between the two of them throughout this book was definitely the best part of it. I especially enjoyed watching Jude’s feelings for Cardan snowball as she realized how much she really loved him.

The entire main plot of this book was AMAZING. I really appreciated the way Cardan finally proved himself as king in the latter half of the book, and I loved watching him grow in his confidence over the throne. he and Jude both seemed to grow into their roles quite a bit more in this book as well as proving themselves as spies.

Overall, I don’t really think any review I could write could do this book justice. I think it is probably my favorite book in the entire series, though the second book is a CLOSE second.

The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan

February 21st, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SO much happened in this book, and despite the fact that not as much happened plot-wise as I expected, it was a great read. Some of my favorite characters from past books were brought back for this book’s quest, and so much happened between the characters in this book.One thing I was super excited about in this book is that Percy and Annabeth’s relationship is finally going somewhere. I love how slow this slow-burn is, but I can’t wait to see Percy finally realize how he feels about her.

The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan

February 22nd, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I definitely didn’t read this in one night. I swear. It totally didn’t happe-

This book was a completely different experience from the other four. It was essentially one big battle, and usually I don’t like reading battles, but this one was exciting to read. It brought back ALL the characters, liked or not, and it was so much fun.

We got to meet quite a few of the gods in this book, and that was fun. We also got a Hades cameo, which was awesome after not seeing him for…what…four books? Three? I don’t even remember anymore. We also got a lot more about little Nico, and I love him, so that was very enjoyable for me.

↳ March (7)

The Chalice of the Gods - Rick Riordan

March 5th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was super excited for this book's release, and I have to say, it kind of let me down. Coming off reading the action-packed original five books, this book felt very low-stakes, and I wasn't really into that. Other than that, this book was really good, though! I loved seeing our original gang again.

The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan

March 9th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was insane. First of all, I love Jason. People dislike him??? Insane. He was definitely my favorite of the three in this book, and I loved to watch them go on a totally new adventure. I especially liked that it took us farther than the original series took us when the characters went on quests. Iconic. Personally, I think this was a great opener to the second series, and I loved this book thoroughly.

A Curse so Dark and Lonely - Brigid Kemmerer

March 10th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My reading of this book was entirely a result of my enjoyment of Defy the Night, and it did not disappoint. I absolutely loved the worldbuilding here, and it captured the Beauty & the Beast retelling while also putting a completely new spin on it. That being said, I really felt like the characters were flat. The story didn't really make me care for them all that much. The situations they were put in were quite interesting, but they were very uncompelling. (Besides Grey, but he's not in this book enough to save my opinion on the flatness of the characters.)

We Hunt the Flame - Hafsah Faizal

March 12th, (N/A), DNF

This was one of like five books I rented before going to clean out my great-grandparents' house and it was just not very easy to get into. As I didn't understand a lot of the words on the first three pages, I think this book simply wasn't for me. It did seem like a very interesting read based entirely on those three pages alone, but I was too mentally exhausted at the time to put effort into reading.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken - Brigid Kemmerer

March 12th, (N/A), DNF

This is the sequel to A Curse so Dark and Lonely, and I've gotta be honest, she lost me about two chapters in. We follow two characters who weren't even in the last book, and it just felt like I was reading a different series entirely. It might've been a good book, but I really didn't like the fact that the entire book was two points of view we've never seen before.

The Stolen Heir (reread) - Holly Black

March 16th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oak is an icon, I love the romantic tension, and the book kept you on your toes at all times. Love.

The Prisoner's Throne - Holly Black

March 17th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ok...this book...I read it mostly for Cardan and Jude's cameos? Yeah, sorry. I love Oak, but Wren was kinda...too much in this book? Still got five stars because Jude and Cardan ate this book up, but yeah.

↳ April (2)

The Son of Neptune - Rick Riordan

April 8th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The excitement I felt when I opened the book and saw Percy's name at the top of the first chapter is palpable. My babyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼. Hazel and Frank were both awesome as the other main characters, and I loved following these characters up the west coast. This book was absolutely jam-packed with action, and the tension as we waited for Percy to get his memories back was also great. I've seen a lot of people complain about the fact that Percy lost his Achilles Heel Curse, and to that I say: ??? what fun is a character who's essentially indestructible??? I digress. I loved this book.

The Mark of Athena - Rick Riordan

April 29th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don't remember this book. Something about group bonding, and Annabeth judo flips Percy. Ending was absolutely devastating and insane. It was a very good read, don't get me wrong, it's just all blurring together in my head right now.

↳ May (4)

The House of Hades - Rick Riordan

May 1st, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*insert five hour clip of me screaming here* Best book in the series. I don't remember anything but Percabeth but that's enough for me.

The Blood of Olympus - Rick Riordan

May 2nd, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bro I don't remember this book either?? Like at all?? Jason gets glasses or something?? No clue. Good read, though.

The Sun and the Star - Rick Riordan

May 4th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️☆

Oh my God 🤩 don't get me started on this book. It had soooooooo much potential, but the random info-dumping about things that were not plot-relevant knocked this book down a whole star for me. Probably the weirdest thing about this book was the assumption that everyone was straight until proven otherwise?? Have we...met the Greek gods? (They're all bi/pan/ace?) I dunno, man. Nico and Will were really cute, so I finished the book for them.

The Tiger at Midnight - Teerdhala Swati

May 24th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆

This book was sooooo rich and lovely to read. Both of the main characters are extremely compelling, and they were very fun to follow. Their dynamic is insanely good, and the ending?? Whew. I picked up the sequel to this from the library and then never got around to reading it, so I'm hoping to finish this series in the new year. If you like fantasy based more in south Asia, I would DEFINITELY recommend this.

↳ June (2)

Ace of Shades - Amanda Foody

June 9th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was like if Six of Crows and The Night Circus had a love child, if that makes sense? The main character was both very girly and very smart, which I really appreciated. The world building was very good, and I think I read this whole book in like 3 days? I initially gave this book five stars, but I think considering the actual plot, that's a bit too generous, so I'm bumping it down to a four. I did feel like there were a few too many side characters, so there is that, and the pacing was kind of inconsistent if I recall correctly?

The Darkest Part of the Forest - Holly Black

June 24th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

To be honest, I don't remember why I gave this four stars. In retrospect, I think it was a five star read, but I do remember the end being a little all over the place, so I'll leave it at four. Ben and Hazel are absolutely so much fun in this book, and the romance somehow delivered twice over in a standalone? Holly performing magic tricks as always. The plot twist at the very end had me absolutely GAGGED. It was the craziest plot twist ever, and completely worth the read.

↳ July (5)

The Sword of Summer - Rick Riordan

July 2nd, ⭐️⭐️⭐️☆, DNF

This book was kind of boring, I'm sorry. I read like 150 pages at least and we were still in basically the same place we started in. I was actually pretty disappointed because it seemed like an intriguing read in the first twenty pages.

The Hurricane Wars - Thea Guanzon

July 2nd, (N/A), DNF

I think I read like two pages of this book and then DNFed it? It's only even on my list so I remember I did in fact try reading it. I'm pretty sure they lost me at the nine suns or whatever. I can't wrap my mind around universes that have more than one sun, so I can't commit.

The Thief - Megan Whalen Turner

July 3rd, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

aHHHHHHHHHHHHH GEN MY BABY. Um so. Personal call-out post for @joandragon (she will never stop getting called out for recommending this series to me. The worldbuilding. The religion. The characters. Gen's sneaky, bratty brain. I LOVE. I have never been so glad to live post-2022 (so I could read this series as a completed series). If you read nothing else in the new year, read this series.

The Queen of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner

July 8th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

aHHHHHHHHHHHHH pt. 2. Megan was crazy for this book. It's the best on in the entire series, I can say that. I can't really say much about this book without absolutely spoiling it, so I'll keep my mouth shut. This book is the definition of a book best read with no spoilers.

King of Fools - Amanda Foody

July 18th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️☆, DNF

The day I'm writing this review is December 16th, and I've had this book open to like page 250 since July. I can't bring myself to finish it. I don't know what happened between books one and two that this one is so much more unreadable, but I went from loving this series to being kinda indifferent to it simply because I couldn't make it through this book. Also, Levi, my guy, find someone to heal your ribs?? I'm sure someone in this world can heal people, and you've been pulling stunts too insane for a man with broken ribs.

↳ August (2)

The Grandest Game - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

August 2nd, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ok, I'll admit, this book isn't as good as the original trilogy, but it is still really good. I love how Jennifer weaves soo much backstory into her books about escape rooms?? The setting for this book was also absolutely immaculate. I wanted to visit so badly.

Apprentice to the Villain - Hannah Nicole Maehrer

August 26th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ok, I know this series is like if a cliche fairytale for children was a YA novel, but it delivers, ok? These two characters keep giving me all the pining that other books these days are lacking, and I am eating it up. (I am also eating up the fairytale nonsense, let that be heard.) I can't wait for book 3.

↳ September (5)

Iron Flame (reread) - Rebecca Yarros

September 15th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm not even gonna talk about this book because the review would be five pages long if I did. I've done so much yapping about this book on my FW sideblog already. I loved it. No notes.

The King of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner

September 21st, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ohoho. This book is on repeat in my car at this point. It somehow manages to look like it has no plot while having the most plot I've ever seen in a book. I love it. Gen is such a menace. He somehow was still extremely likable even in a narrative where the main character clearly dislikes him, and that is so funny to me. That way that everything mundane and seemingly meaningless comes together in this book is so awesome. You can tell how much work and time the author put into this book especially.

A Conspiracy of Kings - Megan Whalen Turner

September 23rd, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆

Sophos is my favorite child. He matured so much. He is so old now (he's like nineteen). This book was a disaster, but I loved it. The first half (?) of the book was really fun to read because you really get to see him turn into a man. He was so much of a whiny child before that, but it was lovely to see him grow up. This book got bumped down half a star because the second part of the book really did not hold as much excitement for me as the first half did, and I also hated the fact that the book switched from first to third person. I understand why it did, but I did not like it. I think about the scene with Gen and Helen all the time, though.

Thick as Thieves - Megan Whalen Turner

September 25th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

(Insert debate over whether or not this book was a romance.) This book was great, and it really expands the worldbuilding since we finally get a lot more background on the Mede Empire and such. I kinda expected to be bored out of my mind reading it because it doesn't really have a central political plot, but I really enjoyed the journey of following our two characters through the country.

Return of the Thief - Megan Whalen Turner

September 29th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ok remember how I said Queen of Attolia was the best book in this series?? I lied. It's this one. Pheris is literally my baby, okay?? Being serious for a second, I really appreciated the way this book portrayed disability. Because of the framing of Pheris's character, everyone really underestimates him. Being in his head was a lot of fun, especially with the way he thinks. Also...he and Gen are buddies. Trust that I do love this.

↳ October (5)

Moira's Pen - Megan Whalen Turner

October 1st, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Considering this is a compilation of stories that range over like 200 years or something, it's hard to give one review for all of them. The last one definitely made me cry or whatever though.

The Thief (reread) - Megan Whalen Turner

October 4th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yeah I immediately started re-reading the series, what about it?

The Queen of Attolia (reread) - Megan Whalen Turner

October 6th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ehehehehehehehehehehe

The King of Attolia (reread) - Megan Whalen Turner

October 13th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh yeah buddy

The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

October 17th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was absolutely tragic. As a retelling of the Iliad, you'd expect that, but I still cried at the ending nonetheless. The storytelling is immaculate, and the progression of the plot is so excessively tragic. The ending was both so so sad and so relieving. Patrochillies makes me so sad. I love the way the author uses the same sort of descriptions that were used in Ancient Greek literature. I know she's gotten into some internet arguments over it, but I personally loved it. Swift-footed Achilles, was, of course, swift-footed.

↳ November (0)

The Song of Achilles sent me into a massive reading slump and I did nothing in November except look at Patrochilles fanart and listen to Epic the Musical (send help).

↳ December (6)

Wrath of the Triple Goddess - Rick Riordan

December 1st, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was sooooooooooo much better than #6. The tension actually kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved Percy in this book, and as always, seeing Percabeth made me so happy.

The Queen of Attolia (reread) - Megan Whalen Turner

December 4th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-read part three, obviously. I skipped The Thief because...reasons (I was only going to reread QoA and then did not.)

The King of Attolia (reread) - Megan Whalen Turner

December 21st, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Obviously I got sucked into this book too. I will be continuing the audiobooks when school is back in session and I'm driving frequently again, stay tuned!

Conceal, Don't Feel - Jen Calonita

December 26th, (N/A), DNF

I picked this book up because I was drawing one day and needed an audiobook that was available immediately and that I knew I wouldn't care if I didn't finish, and that did the trick! It was good enough to keep me occupied but not good enough that I felt obligated to finish it. It was probably around a three star book, given that I'm not really a huge fan of books that take a popular piece of media and rewrite it using exact dialogue from the original media. It was a kids book, and it read so. No issue with that, just not for me.

The Assassin's Curse - Cassandra Rose Clarke

December 28th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beautiful, short, and to the point. Two characters to follow, three settings total, a compelling plot and some angsty backstories. That's about all you need to know. This book is apparently extremely niche because I could find absolutely nowhere I could read the two companion novellas, but I will be getting my hands on the second book probably about ten hours after I write this review. I absolutely loved the dynamic between the two main characters, and I felt like their characterization was a refreshing change of pace. The main character also has a totally unique voice in the writing, which I loved reading. It made the book feel so much more immersive.

Fawkes - Nadine Brandes

December 29th, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book...a masterpiece. For the sake of mystery, I'll just tell you this book is loosely based off of a true historical happening in London. The story was absolutely brilliant, and I was super excited to read a modern fantasy book that was written from the main guy's perspective. You don't get that very often, and Thomas is a lovely character to follow! I read this entire book in a day, if the dates between this book and the last one didn't make that clear. I cried reading the last chapter of this book. It was deeply touching and wholly sad, but the book had a good ending, don't worry! Absolutely love Emma. She's my baby.

Hi, main account! You guys get the reading wrap-up this year because this is finally a multi-fandom blog and you guys actually care about what I'm reading!

All right so I lied in last year's post when I said I wouldn't be doing another yearly wrap-up. The monthly wrap-ups were not something I had time for once the semester got into full swing, so here we are with another long long post.

Next year's looking to start with quite a few re-reads (Six of Crows and Once Upon a Broken Heart, among other things) and at the end of January I'll get my hands on Onyx Storm finally...and then I was told to read the Stormlight Archives? So I'll be writing a post screaming at Joan over that at some point I'm sure.

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suddencolds · 6 months ago

Note

sending u a star!! ⭐️ sorry i wanted to go thru and pick a specific fic but im too sleepy lol but any yvescent piece u had thoughts on :D

[from Fanfic Writers - Director's Cut]

hello!!! THANK YOU N, IT MADE ME REALLY HAPPY TO RECEIVE THIS 🥹🥹🥹

I also realize am responding to this like 2 months late :') I thought for a long time on which fic to comment on, and now that I've posted Atypical Occurrence pt. 2, I thought I might as well write out my thoughts on it while they're still fresh and bc it's close to my heart (I hope that's okay hehe)

—

⚠️❗️ Warning that I will be attaching snippets from my deleted drafts below!! Please read the published installment before you proceed to read this post. This is a little embarrassing... all I can say is that those drafts were deleted for a reason 🥴

—

There’s a grocery store that’s a ten minute drive from Vincent’s apartment.

I rewrote this scene... 3 or 4 times? It gave me sooo much trouble 😭 I think in the first draft Vincent actually tears up tasting Yves's cooking. (I know, Vincent, I want Yves to cook for me too 😭❗️)

Terrible (ugh 😭) first draft screenshot under the cut (screenshot = old draft, indented quote = current draft):

(Yves pulling up a chair at the end... you can tell he is totally at a loss on what to do 😭 and I, too, was at a loss on what to do)

I wrote this ^, and I was like... this moment just feels unearned? I personally despise outlining + I love going in (mostly) blind. Sometimes the first draft works out of the box, and in this case, the first draft (and the second draft, and the third draft) were all soooo bad that I literally had to take a month-long break to regain my confidence 😭

Anyways! I knew right away that Y was going to cook something for V (it's mentioned here and there throughout the series that he is a really good cook 😭 And in part 3 of Fool Me Twice, Yves promises to make Vincent something more ambitious than hot chocolate. He's finally kept his promise now, 12 installments later 🙇‍♀️ )

From draft 2, there was only one scene which I was sure I was going to include in the final draft, aka, spared from the recycling bin. (But I just checked the final draft and it's nowhere to be seen?? Interesting.)

I would have managed fine on my own.

On this (deleted) scene, and more broadly: I think it's important to me that Yves recognizes that Vincent is self-sufficient in many ways: when Vincent says he will be fine alone, he is telling the truth. Yves doesn't have to stay—he recognizes this too, when he heads for the door in the published draft.

Still, Yves stays, of course—initially, because he insists, and later, because Vincent asks :)

“…You won’t leave unless I eat, then,” Vincent says. He says it evenly enough that it barely registers as a question. Yves smiles at him. It’s not a wrong conclusion. “Exactly,” he says.

It was really, really fun writing the differences between caretaker!Vincent (in Fool Me Twice pt. 5) and caretaker!Yves 😊 I usually don't like to say too much on the end of character analysis, bc I like my work to be interpreted as it is: the text is canon, and everything I'm saying here is just me yapping on about my headcanons. (I have been roasted for saying this by a dear friend of mine, probably rightfully so:)

With that disclaimer: Vincent to me (I can only speculate, etc) is a very no-bullshit caretaker (he likes to enforce whatever will lead most directly to the person's recovery; he actually worries a lot, but his worry often manifests as frustration/snappishness), whereas Yves is a lot more permissive and, for the most part, manages his stress—he is the eldest sibling, after all! I think he does what he can to make it a more tolerable experience :)

“So this is just a Yves thing.” “What? Showing consideration for my friends?” “Showing consideration is one thing,” Vincent answers. “You could have left after dropping off the files. You would still have been showing your consideration.” “I guess that’s true. But at that point, I was already here,” Yves says, with a shrug. “It seemed logical to check up on you.” “Well, now you’ve checked up on me,” Vincent says. “So you can go.” Yves supposes this is true.

Vincent takes things very literally (and I think he's actually quite aware of the social niceties around these kinds of things, which is in part why he is so skeptical to assume that Yves means anything more.)

There’s a hand on his sleeve, tugging. Yves goes very still. When Vincent notices what he’s done, alarm flashes through his expression, and he pulls his hand away as if he’s burned. “Sorry,” he murmurs, again. And just like that, he’s back to how he always is—his expression perfectly, carefully neutral, in a way that can only be constructed. “I’m sorry.” But Yves doesn’t forget what he’s seen. “You can go.”

This scene means a lot to me!! It took a loooot of editing to hammer into place (the doc I wrote it on is titled "fixing this scene would FIX ME" haha). I think this is the first time Vincent has actively sought out Yves's comfort 😭 And he regrets it almost as soon as he's said it, because he does not do things without a good justification, and wanting something—even wanting it badly—does not feel like a sufficient justification to him. But give Yves an inch and he will take a mile!! He will take a hundred miles!! That is just the kind of person that Yves is.

I was talking with some friends previously about how I wanted to write Vincent reaching out for Yves. How I wanted Vincent to, through the haze of fever, cross a line that he'd previously not allowed himself to cross :') I think it is a time-old trope to have someone, in their feverish delirium, utter something embarrassing and utterly uncharacteristic of them, or divulge something that has been difficult for them to say.

This whole time drafting, I was thinking, how can I set up a moment like that and have it feel earned? How badly would he have to be feeling? What kind of setup would justify getting past his 590859 mental defenses? (I do not like to outline, but sometimes I do have an emotional beat that I have in mind, and then I have to work backwards to figure out the setup. This took SO much working back from, and I really thought about it for very long). I was almost sure that Vincent would regret it immediately after too 😭

Yves opens his arms out in offering, tries on a smile. “I’ve been told I give good hugs. Good enough to cure all ailments, obviously.”

Ahh, so Y offering V a hug is inspired by a fic I read 6 years ago, where a character offers another a hug as a joke and then the other character surprises them by taking it. Yves is really offering here, but I think he recognizes that joking about it will make it easier for Vincent to accept 😭

Yves has hugged a fair share of people in his life. He doesn’t think he’d be able to list them all if he were asked to. It’s different, though, being so close to Vincent—so close that Yves can reach out and let his hair fall through his fingertips. He can lift up his palm and feel the rigid line of his spine, the slope of his shoulders; he could reach out and trace the dip of his wrist, the form of his hand. Vincent’s chin digs slightly into his left shoulder. His nose is turned slightly into Yves’s neck—like this, he is almost perfectly still. Yves can feel the warm brush of air against his neck whenever Vincent exhales. He is so close that Yves is afraid, for a moment, that he might hear how badly his heart is racing.

I have nothing to say about this paragraph except that I edited it for like 40 minutes straight.

Last thing!!

“We had a habit of keeping the heat off, in the winters, and closing the windows.”

The scene near the end (where Vincent tells Yves about his childhood) is actually the scene which came the most easily to me. I also did not write it last; I jumped around. It took me around 1.5 hours. (By comparison, simply editing the scene before it took 11 😵‍💫)

I did always intend for Vincent to disclose... well, /something/ about himself. (You can tell that when I plan, that's really as far as I plan LOL)

Anyways, when Vincent wakes Yves up (after Yves falls asleep at his desk), I initially wrote it so that Yves wakes Vincent from a nightmare.

But (as direct a link to vulnerability as that might have been,) Vincent would not talk about his nightmare 😭 So I switched gears.

I also specifically wanted to write about Vincent's experience being cared for growing up. I think something that's culturally resonant with me (as an Asian American, and the eldest daughter to immigrant parents) is like, the ways families can and cannot say I love you—the quiet things that are done in place of a more direct expression of it. The way that while unspoken consideration can speak volumes, it can just as easily be invisible. But even now, writing this post, I feel like it's difficult for me to untangle the feelings and experiences I've had into something that feels sufficiently multifaceted.

Vincent has a different childhood from I do (it is probably worth noting that I do not project onto any of my characters, nor do I use them as a vessel to get my own experiences across). I think I'm just drawn to writing tricky/non-straightforward expressions of love, in general :) Sometimes that is the kind of love that resonates with me most.

#ask #thank you!!!!! 🥹#tbh i'm not sure if my process will be interesting to anyone?#but i also do like the idea of like having this be a little journal entry that i can look back on someday #suddencolds yap post (thank you caffeine)#maybe this should be a new tag for me seeing how i cannot be concise ever 😵‍💫

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bookaddict24-7 · 4 months ago

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REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE. You can friend me on Goodreads here.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts?

___

281. Next to You by Hannah Bonam-Young--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I wanted to love this, BUT I'm sure I'll really enjoy book 1 and 3! I did like the love interest, he was a darn sweetheart.

I think what I didn't really care for in this book (and why my rating wasn't as high as I would have liked) was that I couldn't really connect with the MC and her decisions. But a three star isn't a bad rating, it is a "I enjoyed this but it could have gone better for me".

I really liked the mental health rep and how detrimental it can be when it has you in its grip. I think that was one of the things I loved most about this book. I liked that Bonam-Young didn't shy away from this aspect of the MC's life.

But the story itself, while having some very fun and cute moments, felt like it lacked something that would have fully grabbed me. I don't know if the pacing was off, or if the relationship felt a little too surface level--something about it held me back from fully loving it. I don't know if it was that the bus was fixed a little too much behind the scenes or too quickly, or that there was a third act break up.

The love interest was really sweet and I really liked him. I kind of wish we'd had a dual POV story, just to both make things feel more rounded and to get more bus-fixing scenes.

I am definitely going to pick up the other two books because I'm excited by their descriptions. I will say that I'm happy that I read this one first because it's only up from here!

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282. The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm not a novel-in-verse girly, but I loved the hell out of this audiobook. This book was beautiful. Such a wonderful exploration of a young person learning who he is and who he wants to be.

I highly recommend listening to this as an audiobook because it flowed so well and was just a great experience!

Dean Atta has created a great character with a strong personality and relatability for readers of all ages, especially teens trying to figure out who they are. I connected with the MC over his mixed-raced upbringing and how society might view that part of him. We get to see him experiencing these moments of racism and identity-confusion.

I loved that Atta touched on the confusing feelings teenagers might experience when they are discovering who they are and how even though you're certain of one thing, your mind will always ask you to consider other ideas (like him knowing he is gay, but still contemplating potential romantic feelings for his female best friend.)

Another surprising aspect of this book that I was really enjoying was how the book spans over several years of the MC's life. We get to see him be completely confused about who he is until the last page where he is fully sure and finding that confidence he had always wanted when he was younger.

Overall, I highly recommend this. And if you're not a novel in verse person like me, listen to the audiobook! It's worth it!

___

283. The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I didn't even know this existed until last month. LOVED. Such a great sequel/finale!

When I saw that THE GIRL IN QUESTION was a sequel to a book I loved last year (or the year before?), I KNEW I wanted to read it. And from the very beginning, I was hooked--even if it took me a second to remember who each character was.

One of the things I immediately liked about this one was the setting. I don't know how many times I've mentioned it in past reviews, but I LOVE survival stories and Sharpe's newest novel is set in the woods! Immediately got me. And then from there, it was twist after twist. The characters were badasses in their attempts to survive and it was constant action. There were no slow moments.

I also liked that the story jumped from perspective to perspective because it made the novel feel more cinematic and rounded. It felt like I could see the whole thing taking form in my head. It especially helped when we started to get more background information about the one MC's past.

The ending was great and was a nice way of ending the story. I will be surprised if there is another one in this series, but I won't be angry with it.

If you love a good YA queer suspense novel, then I really think you should add the first book, THE GIRLS I'VE BEEN, to your TBR!

___

284. Swift & Saddled by Lyla Sage--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lyla Sage's series is just such a sweet and pure fun time. I like that the series feels like a low-drama, low-stakes type of romance series and I'm 100% here for it.

SWIFT AND SADDLED was no exception to the cute romance factor that I'm really enjoying from this author. We get some fun chemistry between the two MCs and the build up of sexual tension. Loved the idea that she was the perfect fit for him, even though she just stopped by the town for her new job.

The MMC was a sweetheart who is used to putting everyone first, so it was nice seeing him get some character growth throughout the story.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this one too was that the characters had to work for their relationship. It might have been an insta-attraction story, but it took a bit before they both official fell for each other. We got to know them and the way they are together before anything truly sexual happened. Yes, the tension was there but I liked the boundaries set.

If you're looking for a romance that is just an easy and quick read, you might love this one. It's the kind of romance that will make you feel giddy and will keep you hoping that these two characters give in to their mutual attraction.

___

285. The Titan's Bride Vol. 4 by ITKZ--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh, loving the reveal of the major storyline that has been hinted since volume 1! I feel like the next volume is going to be more action filled!

There was some mystery in this and of course, some spicy times. But I like that we're getting more insight into the MC and his love interests' relationship and connection. I'm excited to see what comes next as the mystery unfolds because this volume left me on a cliffhanger.

___

286. Earthlings by Sayaka Murata--⭐️⭐️⭐️

What the hell did I just read?

I feel like this book was an interesting and deeply disturbing take on trauma and how it can cause some serious damage. While EARTHLINGS took things to an explosive conclusion, I think it's important to keep note on the traumatic experiences that acted as the base for the destruction of the MC's mental health.

This book is very much not for everyone. Hell, I kind of wish I hadn't read it. Massive trigger warning for readers who can't do books with SA, especially when the survivor is a child and the assault is descriptive. I remember having to pause the audiobook because it was so disturbing and horrific--more than the final acts of the book.

But it wasn't just the traumatic SA of the MC as a child, but it was the verbal and physical abuse from the family, the gaslighting from the sister, the trauma bonding with the cousin that led to an inappropriate relationship, and then the control that was put over the MC even as she gets older.

There is a moment in this book where the MC loses the taste of food in her mouth due to her abuse and the way she gains that sense of taste back was, admittedly, chef's kiss. It was in moments like that where I saw the author's genius. But the rest of the book was a study in "How much can be written to showcase how horrible this MC's childhood was?"

I want to read more by Murata and I probably will, but man, what a hell of a book to start with. EARTHLINGS is a study in trauma and holy hell is it traumatic. Please be incredibly wary before you start reading! Don't go in blind like I did, especially if you have triggers you try to avoid.

___

287. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This felt like PRINCESS DIARIES if there was an abundance of swearing and sex positivity.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but it wasn't a sassy teen girl who spoke her mind in such a refreshingly honest way. I wish I had read this as a teenager because I think I would have related a lot to this MC.

McCafferty touched on a lot of the things that teen girls might experience--like friends who might not really be friends, feeling left out even though you're still in the crowd, crushes, feeling the pressure from expectations from those around you (especially parental), having people assume they know who you are, and finally starting to accept yourself and who you are.

I was so surprised by the swearing and laughed my butt off at various points. I was so entertained by this book and how it didn't sugarcoat any of the realities of teenhood. This was a lot of fun and while I don't know if I'll be reading the rest of the series, I recommend SLOPPY FIRSTS (especially if you're a fan of the teenhood-ness of PRINCESS DIARIES)!

___

288. Business Casual by B.K. Borison--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

A story without miscommunication and the dreaded third act break up? YES. I was so happy by the time I finished this one! Best one in the series, 100%!

One of my issues that I've had with this series in the past was how the couples ALWAYS had a third act break up, usually led by the miscommunication trope. Every time I picked up one of the earlier books in this series, I did so warily because I knew there would be that break up trope waiting for me. So, of course, I went into BUSINESS CASUAL with that wariness but I was so surprised and I'm so happy that I actually gave this book a shot.

BUSINESS CASUAL was the kind of romance I've been wanting from this series. The couple have great communication, great character growth, a romance that builds up over time, and hilarious moments that had me giggling.

I liked that beyond the romance, there were also complex relationships that the FMC and the MMC had to navigate throughout the book. They each had their own internal battles and I liked that they tackled them alongside their growing romance. The expectations of being a younger sibling and the stresses of being the son of a man who is constantly belittling who you are as a person.

This was just such a breath of fresh air and I enjoyed the heck out of it. I wish I could live in a small town like this one!

___

Happy reading!

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buggykitty · 6 months ago

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The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

Book Review - July 25, 2024

silence becomes a woman

What can I say? The Silence of the Girls does what so many other retellings of Greek Myth don’t do: Allow women to tell their own stories. Something about Briseis speaking in the first person throughout the book gives her narrative an extra kick; it’s more raw, less detached.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a book I love, but it doesn’t unveil the atrocities that the Greeks committed. In both stories, Achilles is a damaged child and a strong leader, but, in Pat Barker’s version, he is also vile and cruel and ruthless. He kills children like cattle and treats women like wine jugs, to be used and tossed aside.

The Silence of the Girls walks the line between Briseis’s desire to find safety and routine in her war torn reality and her persisting hatred of her captors. This story is NOT a romance. Achilles values her no more than a purebred stallion, and Briseis grieves him no more than the plagued rats she lived among.

My only criticism is the, at times, dueling perspectives. Most of the time, Briseis was narrating in the first person, but, sometimes, it was Achilles narrating in the third person. I felt as though the “POV” couldn’t been 100% consistent, but I do think the Achilles’ chapters provided useful insight into the plot.

I love this retelling of the last year(ish) of the Trojan War, and I’m excited to read the next books in the trilogy. Briseis did what she had to to survive, and, if you don’t understand, you’ve never been a slave.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

(4.5/5 stars)

Find me on goodreads!

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sophiesbookishthings · 7 months ago

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May Reads

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

I get it. I get the Sanderson hype. This is book 1 of the Stormlight Archive. It is such an incredibly unique and creative book. It's absolutely everything I want out of a fantasy book. The world building is mindblowing. I mean, he even thought about how the grass would work differently. The grass! I feel like no one ever thinks about the little differences like that that make the world they're writing so much more real and interesting. And the characters are enjoyable too. It's very rare that I read a book where I'm equally invested in every single pov. There's usually always one where I'm waiting for the next to start. Not this one. I was equally invested in all of them. And yes this book is HUGE but it is 100% worth it and I know this series is going to live in my brain forever. I am going to stop now cause I could seriously write an essay. I cannot recommend this book/series highly enough.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (⭐️ and a secret 6th star)

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

This is a novella in the Lunar Chronicles about Queen Levana's backstory. I was looking forward to this one cause I love a good villain backstory and it sure delivered. Meyer did a great job of showing that yeah some bad things happened to Levana but she handled pretty much all of them so badly and how that made her who she became in the main series. It reminded me a lot of Snow's arc in the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes where he A) had a less than ideal childhood/family life and B) just kept making worse and worse decisions as the book went on and falling deeper into the villain role.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman

The first thing I did when I opened this book and saw Dream was go "wait that's literally just Neil." I love that the artists did that. It made me laugh. So I watched the show before I read the comic and I'm impressed how accurate the show was. There are slight differences but I like both versions honestly. If you like comics or gothic horror, this is a good one to read

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

I found this book and was immediately intrigued. Octopuses are one of my favorite animals. I think they're fascinating and incredibly smart. My mom and I both ended up with a copy of this book, so we read it at the same time. It wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be, but I did still really enjoy it. I really enjoyed how the main characters grew throughout the story. I especially loved the octopus pov. And I figured out how one character fit into the story before my mom. Which she didn't appreciate lol.

4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️

Daindreth's Outlaw by Elisabeth Wheatley

I dont have a ton to say about this one. It felt very fast and like it was very much just a bridge from the first book to the third. That didn't make it a bad book, though, by any means. I did like the new sorceress character that was introduced and the magic/evil forest setting. I also enjoyed the fmc exploring and discovering her new powers.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

More Stormlight Archive! I genuinely don't know how I read 4 books between the first one and this one cause these books live permanently in my brain. I'm super excited about where this one left off. It was a really interesting place (literally lol). So much happened in this book and it was cool to see the characters grow in their power. And all the reveals! The backstory reveals, the whole deal with the parshendi (which was super sad), the deal with the spren and the shardblades, whatevers going on with szeth (who I love), and somebody not being dead (I knew it!). I particularly loved shallan in this book. I adore a manipulative protagonist. They just do something to my brain. And patterns a cutie. I was about to fight kaladin, though, and I love him too, but oh my god. I don't know. I could talk about this book forever, so I'm gonna just stop rambling and say that I loved it and leave it at that.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#the way of kings #stormlight archive #brandon sanderson #fairest #marissa meyer #the lunar chronicles #the sandman #the sandman comics #neil gaiman #remarkably bright creatures #daindreths outlaw #daindreths assassin #words of radiance #may reads #books

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luxury-nightmare · 3 months ago

Note

you have any cool oc stuff you’d like to share?

-⭐️

oh my god yes thank you star anon you are a lifesaver

I’m going to tell you a story. It is dramatic as fuck but it’s basically this worlds founding myth, lost to time

original post for context

Once upon a time, before there was light or breath or dream, there was the Void, a vast empty nothingness that stretched across eternity like the boundless sea. The Void was eternally powerful, infinite and strong in its darkness, able to create and destroy with simply a thought

And the Void’s first thought was that it was lonely.

And thus came light.

The First Light was beautiful and powerful and shone like the dawn. Her brilliance brought forth time and space, and through it, life and breath and dream.

And the Void looked upon the creation its daughter had dreamed of, and it wished to live.

But it could not.

And its second thought was it hated what it was.

Thus came a second light, burning like a dying ember and imbued with the hatred the Void felt for itself. And Hate looked upon creation with utter malice, and sent a burning fire across the worlds. She then turned to her sister, the first light, and shattered her into three pieces

One soared into the sky, creating a kingdom of cloud that would stand eternal. The second fell down, creating a burning wasteland of twisted rock and fire. The third fell into the abyss, never to be seen again. Hate then turned to her creator, and tried to burn it down as well, but the Void is not so easily destroyed, and it retreated into the night.

With no one left to burn, Hate simmered in loathing, only to rip herself in two to find that nothing she craved, without the pain of existence to mock her.

The first half was a light that shone will false radiance that soared into the silver city in the sky to claim it as her own, declaring herself queen of all that ever was in her pride.

The second half was an ever-changing liar aglow with the brimstone and molten rock. They fell into the fiery depths, only to worm their way back into creation, where life was once again emerging, and plagued creation’s minds with their disease.

The Void saw and was horrified at the state of creation, but was to wounded to try and step back into the light. And with their final thought before slipping back into the chaos from where they came, they sent out a call for something, anything, to help, to dethrone these false gods and let the worlds thrive once more.

And S̴̛̟͎͗̆̚o̶͍̲̫̐̉̅m̵̹͚͇͍̲̻̒̃́̆͛ę̶̟̖̻͈͐ť̸̮̋̀͠͠h̶̨̙̻͓̩͉̅͂̓͑͝i̶̭̭͙̳̟͑́̍̈̕n̶͉̗̑̋͂̚͜g̵͍̦̼̒ ̷͖̩́̅ answered.

#original character

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nerdishfeels · 9 days ago

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Best of 2024 😍

Hey guys! Usually, I do a “best reads” haul with my 5-star books and trusty heart-eyes emoji.

But because I didn’t hit my 20-book goal, I thought I’d summarise everything I enjoyed in 2024 instead, including any shows and anime I watched.

First off, these were the best (and only) books I read. Honestly, it’s all thanks to Libby that I was able to even read all these books. Here’s what I gave each book.

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue - 5⭐️ - Really loved the concept of immortality but with a cruel twist. Felt like watching a movie. The ending was bittersweet, not where I would have wanted it to go, but I get it.

The Witchwood Knot - 5⭐️ - Olivia Atwater did it again with another fantastic read! I appreciated how she tackled sexual assault and how to feel comfortable in one’s skin. The romance was slow paced but beautifully done.

The Box in the Woods - 5⭐️ - Another awesome murder mystery. I loved seeing Stevie with her mates again and learning new facts about preserving crime scenes. I felt like her character evolved more too (also hilarious reading her intimate thoughts about David).

Nettle and Bone - 5⭐️ - This was the best book I read simply because it took me by surprise. “Demonic chicken” was what made me pick up the book lol. I just loved Marra and grew to love the bizarre world she becomes a part of. Loved the characters and the romance was *chef’s kiss*. I also had only two hours left to finish the book and managed to speed read it (is that a thing?).

Starling House - 4.5⭐️ - Another great read! Beauty and the beast vibes. I loved the switch between first pov and third pov with the characters. This felt more gritty and realistic but with a fantasy twist. The only minor thing I would say is that I was left with some unanswered questions about the house.

TV Shows/ Anime

I was really glad to get back into anime and catch up on shows I love and watch new ones. These were all 5⭐️ watches too.

Solo Leveling - I started watching this because I saw a game was coming out for it, so I wanted to do my research. Those first two episodes… damn! Gripped me tight. I loved seeing Jinwoo’s character upgrade and how the anime nails video game logic. Highly recommend!

Spy x Family Season 2 + Code White - Spy x Family is always a fun time. Yor, Loid and Anya are hilarious, especially in the movie.

Yona of the Dawn - Excellent anime! I can’t believe they never continued it! But thankfully, they ended the only season on a rounded note.

A Sign of Affection - This coming of age anime was incredibly cute! It’s about a deaf girl who starts to develop a crush on a guy who always travels and learns new languages. The interactions between Yuki and Itsuomi was really sweet!

Heaven’s Official Blessings Season 2 - I watched the first season a while back and definitely needed to catch up. The chemistry between San Lang and Xie Lian is 🔥. I need another season.

Because Tumblr suddenly has an image limit, I’ll mention the shows I watched here:

Arcane Season 1 & 2 - Excellent series!! If I could tattoo a show on my heart, it would be this one. And yes, I loved Jinx. She got me emotional many times lol.

The Double - Awesome Chinese drama about revenge and political intrigue. The main character is a badass woman.

Tell Me That You Love Me - A beautiful K-drama about a budding actress and a deaf artist falling in love and navigating the world in their own language.

That was a long list, but that covers it.

What did you guys enjoy in 2024? ❤️

#best reads #best of 2024 #2024 #the invisible life of addie larue #the witchwood knot #nettle and bone #starling house #the box in the woods #anime #arcane #booklr #bookworm #2024 wrap up

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thelordofgifs · 1 year ago

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For the fanfic director’s cut: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

(director’s cut ask game)

I'm in the mood for some tfs ramblings today, so have those two months late oops.

One small but important motif that crops up throughout the m&m scenes in the third arc of the fairest stars is the religious language thing! I'm quite proud of this one actually.

It actually makes a showing for the first time at the end of part 20:

"He's gone," Maglor gasps out. "I'm sorry."

"You're here," Maedhros says, his tone reverent. He drops to his knees beside Maglor, gathering him into his arms.

reverent: there's something here about how Maedhros is so so bad at seeing his brother as a whole entire person... he's Special and Pure and Someone Maedhros Wronged. This is not a worldview that gets healthier over the course of the third arc.

(Incidentally, both the second and third arcs end with Maedhros on his knees, but for very different reasons.)

The motif crops up again in part 22, which contains the first long conversation between Maedhros and Maglor in the third arc, and has a lot of work to do in setting the stage for their relationship.

Instead of answering Maedhros comes to sit at his feet, and then lays his head on his brother’s knee.

After a moment Maglor’s hand settles on his brow, a benediction he does not deserve and yet desperately needs.

There is something of the devotional to this image here, I think. Maedhros, who is much taller than Maglor, is deliberately placing himself physically lower than him by sitting at his feet, almost literally putting his brother on a pedestal. And then a benediction he does not deserve and yet desperately needs... he's not doing well with the whole guilt thing tbh.

The next longish m&m scene is in part 25, and it's a more intense and distressing one: Maedhros is Upset, and not thinking clearly, and seeking out comfort from Maglor and hating himself for doing so. So there's this:

“Thank you,” Maedhros breathes, and it sounds like a prayer and a penance and a plea for absolution.

I spent SO LONG on this line it's slightly insane. Workshopped it with my mother and everything. (When I can't think of a word, instead of looking it up in a thesaurus like a normal person I tend to either phone up my mother or go to find her and say, very seriously, "I need a Word.") So then: "a prayer and a penance and a plea for absolution", three (alliterating!) religious nouns, with which I was doing my best to sum up all Maedhros' tangled feelings regarding his brother, someone he loves and someone he has hurt terribly and someone who has the power to absolve him of his sins. Which is... a bit messed up, to say the least, because Maglor isn't a divinity and Maedhros can't see him objectively at all.

And then, finally, there's Maglor's unhappy awareness of this whole strange situation in part 29:

To his relief Maedhros comes to sit at his feet, looking up at him with wide reverent eyes. Maedhros has never loved anyone without making of them a god – it is all tangled together in his mind, worship with affection, ardour with idolatry.

This is probably my single favourite line from the whole fic. I had it saved up for so long. The phrase "making of them a god" I debated for a while: but I think the of is important there, the idea that Maedhros doesn't actually raise the people he loves to some holy status, he just uses them as raw material for the images of them he's constructed in his mind. It's why, in particular, he's so destabilised by the notion that Fingon could possibly be a bad person. Then there's the "worship with affection, ardour with idolatry" - I like the way this phrase sounds, the matching dental consonants in ardour with idolatry, the way the two religious nouns worship and idolatry are on the outside, bracketing the love nouns affection and ardour (this is a technique called chiasmus and it's fun); the way the second half of the phrase escalates from the first, using stronger nouns that basically mean the same thing. And then, of course, ardour is a very Maedhros-associated noun to me: Maidros tall/the eldest, whose ardour yet more eager burnt/than his father’s flame, than Fëanor’s wrath, a description of him from the Lays of Beleriand.

Note also the echo of part 22, Maedhros sitting at Maglor's feet again, and the "reverent eyes". Maedhros kneels to Fingon at the end of part 28, and then sits at Maglor's feet in part 29; in part 30, of course, he leaves them both behind, and goes to his knees before Sauron, an actual "god", instead. And a part of me imagines that this making-people-into-gods thing he does is rather influenced by the years he spent in Sauron's care.

#asks #thescrapwitch #ask game #the fairest stars #it feels redundant to end every tfs meta I write with the conclusion 'Maedhros is so fucked up'#but he's SO fucked up #anyway thank you for the ask!! and sorry this is so late was suddenly seized with the urge to procrastinate

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hunne-writes · 1 year ago

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Little Thieves / Painted Devils

Dates Read: 03/17/22 - 03/24/22

LITTLE THIEVES

“Little thieves steal gold, and great ones steal Kingdoms, but only one goes to the gallows.” • Shapeshifters, Gods, and Curses… need I say more? In case I do: I absolutely devoured this book and enjoyed every single moment. So much so, I even called out of work one day to finish it 🤫 The main character, Vanja, has razor sharp cunning and wit. But I suppose she’d have to with Death and Fortune as godmothers. However, the whole ensemble of characters is great. Each feeling fully realized and imperative to the plot. Everything from the world building to the banter was engaging. I even laughed out loud at points, which is a prerequisite for any of my five star reads. I ship Vanja and Emeric SO hard and can’t wait to read the rest of their journey. Is the sequel out yet? • E’s Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

______________________________________________________________

Dates Read: 03/31/23 - 04/13/23

PAINTED DEVILS

“There’s a saying in the north: ‘A child’s eye fears the painted devil, but an elder wields the brush.’” • Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, for granting my request for an advanced reader copy of Painted Devils. What an emotional and exciting sequel! I wanted to simultaneously devour and savor every second of this book. I was so happy to receive an ARC for this and grateful for the opportunity to read this without spoilers, so I will attempt to keep my review as spoiler free as I can. Vanja makes starting a cult look easy. After staggering drunkenly over a bridge where she spills her bag of rubies into the river, she only has help retrieving them because she invoked the local's legend. Her little white lie blooms into chaos and she once again needs the assistance of Prefect Emeric Conrad to worm her way out of trouble. This series contains some of my all time favorite characters, so I was elated when this sequel was announced. Vanja and Emeric's hilarious snark and unyielding loyalty to one another makes them feel like two halves of a perfect whole. Their budding romance encapsulates the tentative excitement of every first great love. And I was delighted to see other characters from the first book make appearances too. Vanja’s entire journey to finally accepting herself is hard fought but so tender and heartwarming. The answers she always wanted about herself are revealed in such a clever way that I didn't see coming. And the emotional payoff is magnificent. I will admit, I cried more than once. I’m a big fan of plot twists, especially when there are enough breadcrumbs to put it together right before the big reveal. I was kicking my feet throughout the last pages! That is, right up until I reached the very end. And all I have is... WHY?! I will anxiously be waiting for the third book because I NEED them to have a happy ending. • E’s Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

#booklover #books #bookish #bookobsessed #bookhaul #bookmail #bookaddict #YA #booksbooksbooks #book review #booklr #little thieves #painted devils #margaret owen

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symphonic-scream · 10 months ago

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⭐️ for persona 5 aus?

Gotcha!

Okay since you gave me a star and asked for P5 and I've gotten a feel for the kind of AU's you like based on when I see you in my notes (HI BESTIE!!), I'm bringing back my first ever arcana swap

And for the first time ever, I'm gonna talk about the Beta Version

It all started with Chariot Makoto and Lovers Haru. I'd just read an unfinished fic with Lovers Makoto and World Haru, and well, I wanted to try something like that

At first it was a Fool Futaba, so it was goober first year with their only friends being the gayass third years. Magician Akira, for the hilarity of sassy cat

Yusuke became the Fool when I got attached to the idea of Yusuke and Haru being friends, from another fic again. This one had them get legally married to give Yusuke groceries before staging a divorce. So. Foolsuke

Cap, my bestie, of course suggested the brilliance of Devil Akira, so. I needed a new Magician, someone to be the straight man to the chaos I'd created. So, Goro

Anyways that's the history of it lemme go off a bit

So it's Foolsuke, his Thief name is Jester. He's not as strong of a personality as Joker, but he makes up for it with his drama, his poses, his long speeches of Justice and Rebellion. He wears the Shujin uniform normally for the most part, but his blazer is always open

Magician Goro is a bird in the real world, but human in the Metaverse. His Thief name is Crow, though his bird form is a robin. He has the prince outfit Goro has in P5, and instead of the Monabus, there's a white limo, a bird emblem on the hood

Chariot Makoto is tired of being told how to feel, what to do, how to live. She's stepping out of her sister's shadow, since she's already been cast out after lies spread by a certain teacher. Top grades, low attendance, leather jacket and uniform pants. Her Thief name is Knight, and at the end of the day, she's perhaps a little too self-sacrificial

Lovers Haru feels alone for so long. When her dad calls, it feels like he's not really listening. Would he even believe her, if she told him about how a certain teacher treats her? She's tired of not standing up for herself, but to gather the courage, she just needs someone, anyone, to hear her call for help. Or, for her to witness an extreme... Her Thief name is Eros, and she hates seeing good people hurt

Emperor Futaba has been lied to her whole life. She thinks her foster father Madarame is a good man, who just needs a hand with programming sometimes. She thinks her mom died naturally. She thinks she doesn't need anyone else in her life. Only when forced to witness the bloody truth, does the rage within burst free. Python, that's her thief name. She'll make sure those that cloud the horrible truth are paid what they're due

Priestess Hifumi plays Shogi, attends student council meetings to improve her reputation, and trusts her mother isn't up to anything. Then, weird things happen to the students around her, and the nicer items in her home disappear. Kaneshiro's strings control Shibuya like a puppeteer, and it takes her too long to see the strings lying across the Shogi board, pulling at her peers and mother. She goes by Rook. A great planner, she's more than eager to prove she earned her wins after all

Hermit Ryuji lies awake, remembering the smell of booze, the shouts of a bastard man, the pained scream of his mom. He feels the phantom pains where his right leg used to be, and is now a stump that ends at the knee. On good days, he streams video games, with a digital avatar. On bad days, he can't forget that he's the reason his mom isn't around. He asks for help from people he's never met, and opens up for the first time since Tae Takemi first took him in. Compass guides them from his floating ship, his prosthetic a cool ass pirate peg, and he feels helpful when he shoots canonball boosts at his friends

Empress Ann is the face of teenage beauty, both in Europe and Japan. She, hates the flashing cameras. Her parents are up to something behind the flashes, and she's ignored it for too long. Though, her deadline approaches fast. They want to scurry back to Europe, take Ann from school and have their doll of a daughter model for the highest bidder there, escaping their sins in Japan. Ann becomes Puma, a thief who wants to bring back the passionate parents she remembers

Justice Yuuki shoots two palace leaders. His podcast is toxic, and his audience grows by the day. Behind the scenes, he's an attack dog, a chain wrapped around his neck, held tight by Shido. He tricks the Thieves, has them call him Gamma. On November 20, he looks Yusuke Kitagawa in the eyes and pulls a trigger

Faith Kasumi Sumire is a dancer. She's a Shujin for ballet, moving with such grace and delicate passion that she's destined for greatness. Only, something's wrong... But that's not a big issue, Dr Maruki is helping her recover after she lost her sister.

Kasumi makes a decision. Puts away the glasses that don't help her, ties up her brown hair. When the Thieves ask her what she wants them to call her, she answers with Scarlet

Okay I'm sorry about the long paragraphs here's some little bits for the other arcana

Hierophant is Tae Takemi, with her experimental coffee shop, and her adopted son

Fortune Shinya. He stands in the shadows at the arcade, tossing a few coins. Says he knows a way to change your future. He never messes up the script given to him by his mom's strange boyfriend.

Strength Morgana. He starts human, and when he finds himself again, he becomes Monster Cat

Hanged Man Kawakami. She got into some bad stuff after believing she led to a kid's death

Death Lavenza is a recent med school grad, who's younger sisters call themselves drug dealers, when really they just help Lavenza with some basic pharmaceutical stuff

Temperance Sae. A teacher, who didn't believe her sister over her coworker. She feels like a failed teacher, and failed sister

Devil Akira! He runs the school newspaper, known as the Tea Party, it's. Unofficial. He hangs out at the gay bar, Crossroads

Tower Kaoru Iwai. He posts an ad looking for a high schooler to teach him how to be more sociable. He says it's to get girls, but he's building up the courage to try to reach out to his dad

Star Yoshida. He sits in the park, playing chess with anyone who will sit and talk with him. He has many regrets, and honestly just wants to meet someone who will talk with him

Sun Ohya. A reporter who feels like she's lost her voice, doing what she's been told, not reporting what she believes. Teaches Yusuke better ways to phrase his wording and shit

Moon Shiho! Local discord mod notices the weird kids in her class being extra weird, and decides to be their social media manager. She's the one that asks them to help save their Empress, her girlfriend

Judgement Sojiro. Still working as, an agent of sorts, he's highly trained in interrogation. He feels weird about using his skills on a high schooler...

I love this swap so much,, I miss you Chaos Arcana Swap

#chaos arcana swap #chaos swap #arcana swap

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jamiesshelves · 1 year ago

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a start to a series!

Cassandra Clare can pretty much do no wrong in my eyes. There are only 2 Shadowhunter books I've given less than 5 stars.

She can write such rich worlds, characters, relationships (of all kinds), and plots.

Read if you like

♤ political intrigue/court politics

♤ world/character development/background

♤ high fantasy

♤ great writing

♤ slowburn

♤ strong friendship

Be wary if

♤ you don't like slower books that are more about developing a story. (Aka if you're someone who thought the first third of Crescent City was boring...)

♤ if you can't handle long chapters (prologue itself was 40 pages lol! But there are natural stopping parts in each chapter)

♤ you're expecting it to be romance centered

#books #booklr #bookblr #sword catcher #cassie clare #cassandra clare #adult fantasy #fantasy books #my pic

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thebookishmum · 2 years ago

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Just finished reading ‘The Shadow of the Gods’ by John Gwynne with the @wellreadwyvern_bookclub with @wellreadwyvern

I absolutely loved this book. Dripping with Norse inspired mythology, dark, visceral and cinematic in it’s descriptions.

The book follow three point of views in a third person narrative, Orka, Elvar and Varg. The main characters are fleshed out and real, you can feel their emotions and all of their decisions make sense for the types of people they are. This is the first in the series and the three stories are separate for the most part but all help to show the world they are living in. Orka is my favourite point of view character to follow throughout, she is fierce, brave and more than she seems.

The world created in these pages is vivid and real, the characters feel alive. The magic and creatures are easy to imagine.

This book gets 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and I cannot wait to read ‘The Hunger of the Gods’

#bookworm #bookwyrm #booklr #book tumblr #fantasy reads #fantasy books #fantasybooklover #book review #fantasy book review #norse mythology #bookreader #dark fantasy

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jensjumbledmess · 6 months ago

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My thoughts/review on How to Fall in Love with a Demon by Lola Glass!

(Updated review: Changing my rating from 4 stars to 5 stars as of July 19th, 2024 because I can't stop thinking about this book and the characters.)

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Stars!

Is there spice? YEAH... Multiple open door, descriptive scenes. The demons literally feed on lust. There are a few casual mentions of sex in between. There’s use of vibrators, mutual masturbation, dirty talk, & moments of having sex in a "shifted demon form" (featuring horns, wings, tails, and well…a few physical enlargements.)

TWs: Kidnapping, blood, estranged family/family trouble

Judging a Book By Its Cover: This cover is beautiful (as are all the covers for the Deceit & Devotion series.) Honestly, it might be one of the prettiest paperbacks I own. I’ve discovered I like a lot of this author’s cover choices.

✨📖Review📖✨

This book was fast-paced, fun, and spicy. It was a great leisure/escape read. I would say about 70-80% of this book is smut/relationship stuff and the rest is plot, which helps set up the rest of the books in this series. (The author says these are standalones, which they can be, but in my opinion, if you read book 2 first it kinda spoils one of the little twists which happens in the last third of the first book.)

Speaking of the last third, I’ve seen a few reviews talking about a tone change during that time and they’re right. It gets a bit more serious for a few chapters and something happens that causes trust issues for Tatum, our FMC. She no longer knows if she can trust Rafael, MMC. This is resolved fairly quickly and the two DO end up with a HEA.

Tatum has boundaries, and is independent, choosing to follow her own career path despite what her (crappy) parents are trying to force her into. She lives with her two best friends Brynn and Miley, and they are great examples of friends sometimes being better than family. I enjoyed their friendship; the author did a nice job making it feel like the 3 of them were really comfortable with each other and have known each other for a long time.

NOW…let’s talk a little bit about Rafael, because let’s be honest, guys like this are a big part of why we read these sort of books in the first place, right? He’s a tall, dark haired, handsome and charismatic demon who has been in prison for the last year and has been starved for lust. (Lust is what keeps demons alive. His relationship with Tatum gets sexual quickly because of this.)

He’s good in bed, good with dirty talk and flirting, he's rich, and would give Tatum the world if she asked for it. (I think he’s actually quite sweet.) He’s all about her pleasure 1.) because he genuinely loves her (he fell first) and 2.) because her pleasure literally feeds him (and she tastes REALLY good to him.) He listens to her and is respectful of her, not pushing her to do anything she’s not comfortable with. Rafael can be a bit jealous at times if he thinks other men, including his own two hot demon brothers, are interested in Tatum. Rafe ended up going on my book boyfriend list by the end of the book, so…

If you’re looking for something quick, fun, and mostly spice with guys that are clearly made to be drooled over, I would give this a try! I’ll definitely be reading the other two books in this series as well as some of Lola’s other work. I think she might be one of my new guilty pleasure authors!

Thank you for reading! If you liked my review/thoughts, consider following me on [GoodReads], [Bookstagram], or [Threads]! (I tend to post on GoodReads & Threads first!)

#How to Fall in Love with a Demon #Lola Glass #Monster Romance #Demons #Shifters #Demon romance #paranormal #urban fantasy #deceit and devotion #fantasy #multi pov #book review #Jensjumbledmess #rafael villin #Tatum bennett #Tatum villin #genre: adult

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bookaddict24-7 · 1 year ago

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REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

EVERY WEEK I WILL POST VARIOUS REVIEWS I’VE WRITTEN SO FAR IN 2024. YOU CAN CHECK OUT MY GOODREADS FOR MORE UP-TO-DATE REVIEWS HERE.

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24. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-read January 2024

I've been wanting to re-read this series for a while because I never finished it. I remember really enjoying this first book in the series because of the competition aspect of it and I'd say I still enjoyed that!

I also see the foreshadowing for the MC's ability to attract all of the men in her life LOL. While I might not have enjoyed it as much as the first time, I still enjoyed it for the most part. There were a lot of things I forgot about and was delighted to be reminded of. The MC is a badass, but her constant "I could kill him with two moves" comments at the beginning had me rolling my eyes a few times.

Even though I know book two will break my heart again, I can't wait to pick it up. Also, SO MANY clues in this one about her identity that I missed the first time around. Definitely one of those books that is worth reading more than once just to catch all of the little pieces of the overall puzzle.

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25. Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have a bit of a gripe with this author. While I like a good chunk of the books she writes, the third act breakups are so infuriating. They take away all of those happy feelings that were building up throughout the book because the drama and miscommunication for the third acts are freaking ridiculous.

I was listening to this book last night when it happened--the inevitable "I'm afraid and a coward and let me let you stew in this miscommunication so that it somehow makes sense for me to break up with you because I'm so scared." Listen, as someone who has anxiety and has relegated herself to singledom because I don't want to deal with the messy emotions, I UNDERSTAND. It's freaking scary. BUT. But for the love of god, there are better ways around this. This manufactured and forced drama is so frustrating. I literally wanted to throw the book out the window.

These characters deserve better.

Three stars because I loved them when they were actually functioning like human beings and not drama puppets. Three stars for the small town side characters, who I have loved the whole way through this series (I'd give THEM a higher rating). And three stars for the diversity of a Latine character (even if the Spanish was sometimes questionable.)

Will I read the last book? Of course. I want to read about the other couple, but I KNOW that I'm going to be frustrated as well. Listen, I didn't think I was going to get as annoyed as with the climax of book one (because book two was actually kind of okay with the climax), but oh man. The FRUSTRATION.

Sigh. Moving on. Read this series if you want cute moments and sexy characters, but be prepared for the moments of frustration. This FMC has a lot of things to work through and I think one of the things that frustrates me the most about these third act breakups is that they feel like they come out of nowhere. They're fine in the moment and then boom, "I'm a coward."

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26. Breathless by Amy McCulloch--⭐️⭐️⭐️

One of the issues I have with adult thrillers is that I sometimes build them up a lot more in my head than the story itself. While BREATHLESS kind of suffers from this, it had its interesting and captivating moments.

I thought the mountain climbing aspect of the book was really cool and I wanted the MC to prove everyone wrong, including her awful ex-boyfriend. Granted I know nothing about mountain climbing, but that aspect of the book is probably one of the main reasons why I kept listening to this audiobook.

The mystery was not predictable but also it kind of was? LOL. It's hard to explain--I didn't actively think it was one person, but when it was all revealed, I thought it made a lot of sense. Like I said, I thought the mountain climbing was the true thrilling aspect of this book.

Overall, this was fun and I loved that ending, but it wasn't something I think I'll be thinking about a month from now. It was good, but *shrug*.

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27. Slewfoot by Brom--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I didn't know what to expect from this beautiful book. I purchased it a couple of years ago because all of my friends were talking about it, so of course I fell to the peer pressure. Just like the beautiful and eerie artwork, the story itself is unsettling and straddles that morally grey line of justified vengeance and anger versus a society's portrayal of evil (ie. a woman refusing to be cowed by a male's authority.)

Reading this gave me this odd sense of satisfaction when everything came to a head--especially thinking about all of the women who were accused of witchcraft and murdered. I especially felt this anger when I think about how many people the MC helped and how those people let their fear and hatred guide their actions against her. I think, beyond the cowardice of a man not accepting defeat, that angered me the most--women turning on each other because of a male dominated society's idealism and "godliness".

Needless to say, I loved this and couldn't put it down. I wanted to know what came next, even though I KNEW it wouldn't be something good. I'm just grateful that Brom knew that I would be looking for those satisfying moments of vengeance.

Also, I'd call this terror in the sense of that overhanging fear of what comes next. But even with the gory bits and the blood lust, I'd say the real terror in this book is humanity and how easily they are swayed. It all leads to me wanting to ask: who is the true devil here?

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28. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can't believe I've made it this far! Although, I have this feeling I have because the deja vu is hitting me HARD.

FROM DEAD TO WORSE had so much going on, but unlike some of the other books before this one, this one actually took place closer to home. I kind of missed reading about Sookie's misadventures near her home. We got to revisit a lot of her relationships with the men in her life in this one--like the cleanser book for any ends that weren't fully cut clean.

I may have been spoiled for who's endgame, so I am totally seeing how Harris starting laying down the little hints here and there. But even so, knowing this doesn't stop certain moments from feeling bittersweet for me.

More things were revealed and Sookie grew even more as a character. I understood why she made the choices she made because she's finally putting her self-worth above those of the men in her life, but I still DID feel a little bad for her beau in this one. But again, I am on her side because she's been dealt some shitty men cards in the last eight books.

Onto the next one!

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29. The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After trying and failing to read Ferguson's THE NANNY, I really wasn't sure what to expect with this vastly different genre of a book. I'm honestly so glad I decided to give this a shot anyway because THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN.

I was hooked onto the story and I loved the different tropes that were used. The whole grumpy/sunshine thing will always be a winner with me, and I am a puddle for this kind of tension. And don't even get me started on the smut. Omg, this man. The dirty talk in this was *chef's kiss*. This man is hot HOT.

I also really liked how the climax of the story was handled, even if one of my least favourite tropes was temporarily employed. I admire a self-sufficient FMC who can slap some sense into the MMC.

I do recommend this book to romance lovers, but I know that the topics explored in this book may be new to some. Research beforehand might be an awkward time LOL.

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30. Just Happy to Be Here by Naomi Kanakia--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I want to preface my review by stating that I am not a member of the Trans community, so my opinions on this book are from an outsider's perspective.

JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE was an intense read, both because of the clear transphobia and because of the MC's youth/naive nature about the people around her. The number of times she was cut off by those around her, or had such clear transphobic comments and actions done against her and she brushed them off was rage-inducing. I think I know why she does this--especially at the end, when it all ties up really nicely together, but in the moment, I felt immense rage towards the people around her.

Kanakia's novel touches on so much happening right now in society and how people twist narratives to fit their agendas and their means. How some people can see one person as an "object" to further their ideologies.

This book just made me feel a lot and made me so angry, but I know I am privileged in my cis-life. My heart broke for the kids who are in these situations and/or are surrounded by people who just refuse to see beyond their own biases and hatred.

I also appreciate the representation of the complex familial relationship between the MC and her parents--it may have been imperfect, but as an adult, I can see the love there for their daughter.

Between the beautiful cover, the emotionally stimulating and thought-provoking story, and the raw reality of a young character trying to figure herself out, I do recommend JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE. I do also recommend that the TWs be heeded: transphobic language, transphobia, internalized racism, transmisogyny. Read with care--but know that this is a pretty important story. Also, Kanakia has a pretty great author's note at the end!

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31. The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE PROBABILITY OF EVERYTHING was so much more than what I was expecting and although my heart feels wounded and my eyes are still feeling that aching pressure after a good cry, I'm so grateful I was able to experience it.

Twelve year old me wishes she had this book to read when my world changed so irrevocably, much like the MC of this book.

This heartbreaking novel follows a young scientist-to-be who likes to deal with probabilities in exchange for the anxiety surrounding her world ending. We are faced with a family grieving the end and how everyone handles it differently.

I don't even know what else to say about this book for fear of spoiling it--but know that it is powerful, important, and heart-rending.

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32. Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-read: January 2024

I've been wanting to re-read LONG SHOT for a while, even though it is a very heavy and dark book. I had forgotten just how dark this book gets and while I highly recommend it, I do still super recommend you check out the trigger warnings.

Despite the dark and the abuse, the shining light was the blossoming romance between the two MCs and how, if something is truly destined for you, it'll happen.

LONG SHOT is a book full of emotion, heart, heartbreak, and a bit of magic in the sense that Karma is a bitch and it comes for all. Also, the FMC is one strong woman who did everything she could to protect those she loves. Kennedy touches on the misconceptions that haunt survivors of DA, which I thought was a very important aspect of the book.

Now I want to read the rest of the trilogy, which I never read after the first time I read this one.

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33. Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am always wary of sequels--especially when it's for fantasy books I initially really enjoyed. Somehow, Rachel Gillig delivers a sequel that was even better than the first book. TWO TWISTED CROWNS was a delight of a read full of dark moments, high intensity, anger, and a love story I felt more deeply than in book one.

The angst alone between two of the characters I wasn't expecting to see together was better than I could have ever hoped for. This was what made this book even more fun--just me casually waiting for these characters to just cross that line with each other.

Also, I found that TWO TWISTED CROWNS had me reacting more viscerally towards the hateful villains. The way I wanted to smack a bitch in this book because how dare they hurt these precious beings?

And, hi, I wasn't expecting to cry? Imagine that I'm enjoying this darker fantasy novel when all of a sudden, my eyes start to water during an emotional scene.

Let's applaud Gillig for making this a duology (hopefully) and not dragging this in a ten series saga. This whole series was such an incredible piece of fiction. I'm glad I fell into the hype and read these two books.

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34. Holes by Louis Sachar--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-read January 2024

I don't even know how many times I read this when I was a kid. Reading it as an adult now was such an interesting experience. For one, the story felt a lot shorter and quicker than I remember it being. I also remembered everything because I'm not kidding when I say that I read this A LOT as a kid.

Being an adult, I can also see how truly sad this story could get--especially one of the historical stories told throughout the book.

Such an amazing classic and truly a gem.

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Have you read any of these books? Would you recommend them?

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Happy reading!

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