#wooing the witch queen

[ghosthermione-reads]

Wooing the Witch Queen

I originally knew Stephanie Burgis as a children's writer, but I've been reading her romances for a while now and they never fail to disappoint. I especially like the recurring trope of "Person is rumoured to be a complete monster but is actually a cutie patootie"!

The Plot

Queen Saskia is the wicked sorceress everyone fears. After successfully wrestling the throne from her evil uncle, she only wants one thing: to keep her people safe from the empire next door. For that, she needs to spend more time in her laboratory experimenting with her spells. She definitely doesn’t have time to bring order to her chaotic library of magic.

When a mysterious dark wizard arrives at her castle, Saskia hires him as her new librarian on the spot. “Fabian” is sweet and a little nerdy, and his requests seem a little strange – what in the name of Divine Elva is a fountain pen? – but he’s getting the job done. And if he writes her flirtatious poetry and his innocent touch makes her skin singe, well…

Little does Saskia know that the "wizard" she’s falling for is actually an Imperial archduke in disguise, with no magical training whatsoever. On the run, with perilous secrets on his trail and a fast growing yearning for the wicked sorceress, he's in danger from her enemies and her newfound allies, too. When his identity is finally revealed, will their love save or doom each other? 

The Review

I won an ARC in Stephanie Burgis's newsletter raffle, and I couldn't wait to get to it! I'm very happy she's getting published by Tor, as her books deserve it.

It's sweet, it's fast paced enough and yet you still get to see cute little scenes, there's books and a pet raven involved, and the two main characters are each loads of fun. At the same time, it deals with the heavy issue of abusive families, in a way that I found quite cathartic.

Also, this reader enjoys bisexual main characters in romance, who don't end up "choosing" a side when they pick a love interest! it shouldn't need saying but it still does sooooo this book gets all the points.

I'm looking forward to the two more books hinted at in the series! I forgot how reading ARCs means you have to wait longer for the next one...

[nzbookwyrm]

February 2025

[geraniums-red]

Stephanie Burgess - Wooing the Witch Queen

Book 1 in the Queens of Villainy series

Archduke Felix realises that his usefulness as the Chief Minister's puppet has come to an end, and his life is now in danger. He flees the country to find the one person his Chief Minister fears - Saskia, the Witch Queen of Kitvaria. He arrives at her castle, but instead of surrendering he is mistaken for a dark wizard applying for a job as her librarian.

This is a fantasy romance book, and it is clear from the start (and also the title) that Felix and Saskia are going to be a couple by the end of the book. What makes it interesting is what happens along the way. Felix tries very hard to be a good librarian despite lacking any knowledge of magic; Saskia tries a lot less hard to be a good ruler, relying on her first minister to run the country while she focusses on magical research. Saskia is also in an alliance with two other magical queens, and although Felix is isolated when he starts the book he finds the other staff in Saskia's castle much more friendly than expected.

In general I enjoyed this book. It's not free from conflict but problems were generally resolved soon after they were mentioned, keeping the tone upbeat but losing some emotional depth as a consequence. Recommended as a light read for people who don't mind the standard romantasy tropes.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

I am super looking forward to this one!!!

[betterbooksandthings]

"Windswept hair, bone-chilling cauldrons, and more magic than you know what to do with are par for the course with delightful witchy romances. Fall is the season of the witch, and these romances will satisfy your every witchy desire.

Witch romances might as well be as old as time itself. Sundry medieval history of witchcraft books lists the many times witchy women have been accused of tempting men (and demons) with their feminine wiles. Witches have been figures of prophecy, power, and more generalized magic in poems, plays, and literature for a reason. They work as an easy shorthand for mystical danger. Witches pop up again and again in romance because of this history.

After all, women who have access to uncontrolled power falling in love is an endlessly interesting combination. With the most recent wave of paranormals coming back to haunt everyone’s bookshelves, there are more witchy romances than ever. The real trick is knowing which ones are worth your time. Because I love them, there is nothing more disappointing than reading witchy romances and not enjoying them.

I like a witch romance where their powers are relevant to the story and have an impact on both the witch’s character and their eventual romantic relationship with whomever they fall in love with. As a fan of early 2000s paranormal, I tend to like a bit of plot too. The following delightful witchy romances are a mere sampling of my favorites, but I hope you have a fun time with them nonetheless."

[camellia-ep]

Oh deary me,

Your Elly P

*ba da da da*

Wrote her Comedy

*ha ha ha ha*

Into a Dramedy

*hahahaha*

To end her tragedy

*hahahahe*

Piss off a Cherry tree

*ho ho ha ha he he*

To share her Melody

*ba da da da*

And symphony

With one furry you see

And lost Mabel's B

*ba da da da*

Goddess of Boundary

Breaking your cage you see

My blinding light, Elly

*ba da da da*

[mochikofi]

Twilight Personal Favorites!

𑁍 masterlists

Twilight masterlist - @americancowgirl19

Twilight masterlist - @cherryglossie

Twilight masterlist - (ineedmorefanfics2)

Twilight masterlist - (kimi240302)

𑁍 series

Daylight - Demetri Voltur - (kimi240302)

Wildest Dreams - Paul Lahote - (atlas-of-a-human-soul)

𑁍 Oneshots/headcannons

Period - Volturi's - Oneshot - (loveswrites)

Uno - Volturi's - Oneshot - (loveswrites)

Time - Volturi's - Oneshot - (loveswrites)

Child. - Volturi's - Headcannon - (volturissideslut)

Spills and corset. - Volturi's - Oneshot - (

The tracker, the fighter, the witch - Volturis - headcannon - (averagewriter-inthedark)

Volturi Kings/Poly - headcannon - (volturissideslut)

Sister - Queen - Volturi Kings - twoshot(?) - (americancowgirl19)

Who's the dad? - Volturi Kings - Oneshot - (the-dawn-star)

All the glitters. - Volturi Kings - Headcannon - (the-volturi-diaries)

Mate - Volturi Kings - headcannon - (twilightfansofcolor)

Bunny - Volturi Kings - Oneshot - (grampstaxidermy87)

Foursome - Volturi Kings - Oneshot - (cherryglossie)

Headcannon - Volturi Kings - (imaginingmanyfandoms)

Wooing - Volturi Kings - Oneshot - (mx-pastelwriting)

First time in bed - Volturi Kings - Headcannon - (mx-pastelwriting)

Worm - Volturi Kings - Oneshot - (demetris-cocksleeve)

Morning - Volturi Kings - Headcannon - (mx-pastelwriting)

Bisexual - Volturi Kings - Headcannon - (the-dawn-star)

Wives - Volturi Kings - Headcannon - (the-dawn-star)

Childish - Volturi Kings - Headcannons - (the-dawn-star)

Childish - Volturi Kings - Headcannons - (twilightt-fantasy)

Hit-On - Volturi Kings - Oneshot - (twilightt-fantasy)

Poly - Volturi Kings - Headcannons - (twilightt-fantasy)

Burn - Volturi Kings - Oneshot - (twilightt-fantasy)

Midnight snacks - Volturi Kings - Headcannons - (Twilightt-fantasy)

Big boobies - Volturi Kings - Headcannon - (cherryglossie)

Size - Volturi Kings - Headcannon - (cherryglossie)

The princess & the king - Aro Volturi - Headcannon - (averagewriter-inthedark)

Human mate - Caius Volturi - headcannon - (carlisles-girl)

Love of a cruel king - Caius Volturi - Oneshot - (kimi240302)

Similar - Marcus Volturi - Headcannon - (volturissideslut)

Naked - Volturi Guards - Headcannon - (imaginingmanyfandoms)

Our forever - Alec Volturi - Oneshot - (kimi240302)

Little things - Cullen Family - Oneshot - (the-twilight-diaries)

Period - Cullen Family - Headcannon - (creelmalfoylaufeyson69)

Flirt - Cullen Family - Headcannon - (charliedawn)

Nails - Cullen men - headcannons - (long-lost-cullen)

Coven mate - Cullen Family - Oneshot - (Congratzams)

Tomorrow - Cullen Family - Oneshot - (loveswrites)

Chaotic - Cullen Family - Headcannon - (carlisles-girl)

Okay and? - Cullen Family - Headcannon - (carlisles-girl)

Sick - Cullen Family - Oneshot - (loveswrites)

Too much - Carlisle cullen - Oneshot - (zmxchs)

Ludicrous - Carlisle Cullen - Oneshot - (velvetcloxds)

Sir - Carlisle Cullen - oneshot - (little-diable)

Shy - Carlisle Cullen - headcannon - (witchthewriter)

Clumsy - Carlisle Cullen - Oneshot - (homeofthelonelywriter)

Art history - Carlisle Cullen - Oneshot - (highwayorgantrade)

Perfection - Carlisle Cullen - Oneshot (specialagentlokitty)

I've got you - Carlisle Cullen - Oneshot - (marvelouswriter)

Hush now - Carlisle Cullen - oneshot - (little-diable)

Nsfw alphabet - Carlisle Cullen - (heyyyitsgrey)

Lies washed away by the pouring rain - Carslisle Cullen/Jasper Hale - oneshot - (little-diable)

Yandere cullen brothers - headcannon - (angelsworks)

Birthday! - alice cullen - Oneshot - (another-fantasy-world)

Sub - Alice Cullen - headcannon - (fairydxll)

Dating jasper - Headcannon - (kaylawritesfics)

Regrets - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (undercoveravenger)

Crush - Jasper Hale - Headcannon - (slytherbun)

Honesty hours - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (highwayorgantrade)

Exchange Student - Jasper Hale - headcannon - (nymphastoriasblog)

Texas - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (little-diable)

Texas 2.0 - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (little-diable)

Drops of water - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (little-diable)

Consequences - Jasper Hale - oneshot - (little-diable)

Primal instinct - Jasper Hale - oneshot - (little-diable)

Break my baby - Jasper Hale - oneshot - (little-diable)

Another one - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (little-diable)

Trust and lust - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (joelsgeetar)

Figure it out - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (k1nd4g4y)

Darlin, i adore you. - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (joelsgeetar)

Cold. - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (joelsgeetar)

Tell me all the ways to stay away - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (joelsgeetar)

Insomnia - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (junkdrawerfics)

Simple moments - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (junkdrawerfics)

Crushing - Jasper Hale - Headcannon - (wintervalewriter)

Accident - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (joelsgeetar)

Headcannon - Jasper Hale - (buckybarnesb-tch)

Awkward - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (the-twilight-diaries)

Stand up challenge - Jasper Hale - Oneshot - (mychemicalimagines)

Polar opposites - Jasper Hale - Headcannon (americancowgirl19)

Innocent - Jasper Hale/Edward Cullen - oneshot - (ameliora-j)

Sharing a mate - Jasper Hale/Emmett - (little-diable)

NSFW alphabet - Jasper Hale - (ineedmorefanfics)

Dream - Edward cullen - Oneshot - (sage-exe)

Chaotic imprint - Wolf Pack - Headcannon - (fatiguing-thoughts)

Being paul lahote's imprint - headcannon - (nymphastoriasblog)

Just leave it to bella - Paul Lahote - Oneshot- (bangtanmix73)

Wolf form - Jacob Black - Headcannon - (qdbs-writes)

Wet clothes - Jacob Black - Oneshot - (t-h-i-n-g)

Secret - Jacob Black - Oneshot - (maladaptive---daydreamer)

Notes! All of these are not mine, the users of the author is in the "()".

Navigation.

[wolsim]

"That crazy witch!" Queen of Tears (2024), dir. Jang Young-Woo, Kim Hee-Won

[bodhranwriting]

A list of supporting characters who have randomly jumped into my head for another random fantastical series I want to call Gander & Kasparov:

An elderly healer who turned his whole village to stone to try and buy time to find a cure for their sickness.

A ribbon-witch locked in a feud with a clan of sentient spiders.

A student of pyromancy who just really, really wants to be a musician.

An intelligent she-wolf somehow in charge of a gang of werewolves.

Gander's missing father who is entirely convinced he is dead and trapped in a snowy purgatory. (Yetis are really mean)

A seer utterly unconvinced that she is, in fact, psychic and not just really insightful.

Kasparov's ex-girlfriend, the Queen of the Seven Seas.

A jeweller desperately trying to woo the Broonie (brownies) ambassador.

A tree turned into a human person who is not enjoying this fast-paced life.

A very minor dream demon with a stutter.

[torchwood-99]

Galadriel's Successor

Two White Ladies

It has always interested me how both Eowyn and Galadriel are referred to as "the White Lady". I decided to dig deeper into their characters, and the similarities they share, to understand the significance between them sharing this title.

The conclusion I drew from this reading is that Eowyn's ultimate role is to take Galadriel's place, and become her successor in Middle Earth.

It is Faramir who dubs Galadriel and Eowyn both as "White Lady". He first uses the title in reference to Galadriel, whom he expresses a desire to meet, after hearing that Sam and Frodo have met her.

"Yet I envy you that have spoken with the White Lady.’ ‘The Lady of Lorien! Galadriel!"

Faramir later gets the chance to meet, and woo, a White Lady of his own, that of Eowyn. While the narrative named Eowyn "The White Lady" on her introduction, Faramir is the first character in the text to do so.

"Eowyn, Eowyn, White Lady of Rohan, in this hour I do not believe that any darkness will endure!"

Appearance wise, Eowyn and Galadirel certainly share some commonalities. Both of them have a predilection for wearing white (hence the nickname), both of them are tall, beautiful, with glorious golden hair.

"Galadriel, most beautiful of all the house of Finwë; her hair was lit with gold as though it had caught in a mesh the radiance of Laurelin."

"Lady of Rohan came forth, golden as the sun and white as snow, and she bore a filled cup to Eomer."

Warriors

Their similarities go beyond the physical. Both of them were known to be skilled warriors.

"she (Galadriel) was then of Amazon disposition and bound up her hair as a crown when taking part in athletic feats".

"But am I (Eowyn) not of the House of Eorl, a shieldmaiden and not a dry-nurse? ....But I am of the House of Eorl and not a serving-woman. I can ride and wield blade, and I do not fear either pain or death.’"

And both Galadriel and Eowyn came to the aid of Rohirric Kings. Galadriel's magic shielded Eorl the Young and the  Éothéod with a white mist, Eorl would go on to be the first King of Rohan. Meanwhile Eowyn famously stood between Theoden and the Witch King of Angmar, sparing Theoden from the Witch King's torment and allowing him a peaceful death, and taking down a powerful enemy herself.

"But Theoden was not utterly forsaken. The knights of his house lay slain about him, or else mastered by the madness of their steeds were borne far away. Yet one stood there still: Dernhelm the young, faithful beyond fear; "

Queens

More than appearance and military skill unite Galadriel and Eowyn. Both of them were proud, and had aspirations of queendom. Galadriel came to Middle-Earth in the hopes of having a realm of her own to rule, while Eowyn wished to marry Aragorn in order to escape what she saw as her dishonourable position in Rohan.

Both Galadriel and Eowyn intended to leave their homelands in pursuit of queendom, and in some ways, their pursuit of queendom was born of a desire to leave their homeland, and the restrictions placed on them there, restrictions on Galadriel's power, and Eowyn's freedom.

In time, both of them come to reject official queendom.

"You will give me (Galadriel) the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night!"

"Then she (Galadriel) let her hand fall, and the light faded, and suddenly she laughed again, and lo! she was shrunken: a slender elf-woman, clad in simple white, whose gentle voice was soft and sad. ‘I pass the test,’ she said. ‘I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel."

"And again she (Eowyn) looked at Faramir. ‘No longer do I desire to be a queen,’ she said."

However, while they both turn away from their dreams of queendom, and are officially known only as "Lady", they are still viewed as queens or queenly figures by those about them. Their deeds, their goodness, place them as "honourary" queens.

Galadriel is queen in all but name.

"Land of Lórien where dwelt the Lady Galadriel. A queen she was of the woodland Elves"

And while Galadriel turns down the Ring and the power it would give her, she is no less queenly for it.

"he (Frodo) saw her again standing like a queen, great and beautiful, but no longer terrible."

Eowyn's royal lineage is noted upon, and while she does not bear the title of queen, she is held in contrast to her queenly forebears and is not found wanting.

"For she is a fair maiden, fairest lady of a house of queens"

In fact her actions elevate her among the greatest of them all.

"Alas! for her deeds have set her among the queens of great renown.’"

And even as Eowyn begins to heal from her prior despair, which she sought to escape by elevating her position to that of queen, and when that failed, through death, and starts to look towards hope and healing, still she is a queenly figure.

"Faramir had sent for this robe and had wrapped it about her; and he thought that she looked fair and queenly indeed as she stood there at his side."

Equals

Eowyn and Galadriel may reject official queendom, and Galadriel accepts her powers will "diminish" with the destruction of the Ring, yet neither Galaldriel nor Eowyn diminish or submit themselves to the authority of others. Most pertinently, to the authority of men.

Galadriel is noted to be equally (if not more) powerful as her consort.

"They stood up to greet their guests, after the manner of Elves, even those who were accounted mighty kings. Very tall they were, and the Lady no less tall than the Lord; and they were grave and beautiful."

And while Galadriel rules alongside Celeborn, who is a mighty elf, she isn't afraid to criticise him, or show scorn for his judgement.

And if it were possible, one would say that at the last Gandalf fell from wisdom into folly, going needlessly into the net of Moria.’ ‘He would be rash indeed that said that thing,’ said Galadriel gravely. ‘Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life."

Eowyn spares subjecting very characters from the sharpness of her tongue. Even Aragorn, who she holds in high esteem, she does not hold back from criticising.

"And she answered: ‘All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honour, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more"

The Warden, under whose authority and care Eowyn is placed into after being hurt, likewise isn't spared Eowyn's sass, when she thinks his words misjudged.

"It needs but one foe to breed a war, not two, Master Warden,’ answered Eowyn. ´ ‘And those who have not swords can still die upon them. Would you have the folk of Gondor gather you herbs only, when the Dark Lord gathers armies?"

And even Faramir, whom she loves, and who encouraged her to find happiness and hope once more, and turn away from bloodshed in favour of healing, experiences some teasing, when she calls out his people's racism.

"Then must I leave my own people, man of Gondor?’ she said. ‘And would you have your proud folk say of you: ‘‘There goes a lord who tamed a wild shieldmaiden of the North! Was there no woman of the race of Numenor to choose?’’ ’

Eowyn then informs Faramir that before they wed, she must leave Gondor and help Rohan to heal from the aftermath of war. That she is in the position of taking on a quest that will take her away from her love, and he is in the position of waiting on her to return when her duty is done, sees something of a reversal of gender roles between the two (a reversal or mutual combination of gender roles that is consistently seen elsewhere in their narratives, in Faramir taking on the role of gentle caregive and prince(ss) in distress, and Eowyn taking on the role of jaded soldier and valiant knight), and indicates the level of equality that will be shared between them as they take on the rulership of Ithilien.

Gifts

While the "White Lady" title was the first similarity I noticed between Galadriel and Eowyn, it was the act of gift-giving that struck me with the idea that beyond them simply being somewhat similar characters with matching titles, Eowyn was to act as Galadriel's successor after Galadriel has left Middle Earth.

Arguably, one of Galadriel's most significant roles within the narrative, is that of gift-giver. After sharing the cup of parting with the Fellowship (a duty we also see Eowyn regularly fulfil), she presents the Fellowship with gifts.

"We have drunk the cup of parting,’ she said, ‘and the shadows fall between us. But before you go, I have brought in my ship gifts which the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim now offer you in memory of Lothlorien."

The presents she bestows upon the Fellowship play crucial roles in seeing them through to the end of their quest, particularly the phial she gives Frodo.

"In this phial,’ she said, ‘is caught the light of Earendil’s star, set amid the waters of my fountain. It will shine still brighter when night is about you. May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out. Remember Galadriel and her Mirror!"

In Eowyn's final scene, she takes the role of gift-giver, and presents Merry with "an ancient horn".

"This is an heirloom of our house,’ said Eowyn. ‘It was made by the Dwarves, and came from the hoard of Scatha the Worm. Eorl the Young brought it from the North. He that blows it at need shall set fear in the hearts of his enemies and joy in the hearts of his friends,and they shall hear him and come to him."

Both of these gifts are marks of friendship as well as tools to be used in times of crisis. Frodo (and Sam) puts his phial to good use when facing Shelob.

"The Lady’s gift! The star-glass! A light to you in dark places, she said it was to be. The star-glass!’ ‘The star-glass?’ muttered Frodo, as one answering out of sleep, hardly comprehending. ‘Why yes! Why had I forgotten it? A light when all other lights go out! And now indeed light alone can help us."

While Merry blows his horn during the scouring of the Shire.

"Come on! I am going to blow the horn of Rohan, and give them all some music they have never heard before." "Then he heard Merry change the note, and up went the Horn-cry of Buckland, shaking the air"

As well as having practical uses, they both do harm to their enemies, using the same qualities that bring solace and hope to the heroes.

Galadriel's first appearance in the Fellowship concludes with her presenting these heroes with their gifts, and by the end of the novel, Eowyn takes her place as gift-giver, presenting Merry with the horn. She does so as Merry prepares to depart with the rest of the Fellowship, following shortly after Arwen has remained in Edoras to bid farewell to her kinspeople, including Galadriel. As Galadriel takes her leave, Eowyn takes Galadriel's place.

Ladies of the Forest

While Eowyn taking Galadriel's place as gift-giver harkens her ascension to Galadriel's succesor, the point of this succession is not to take on the mantle of gift-giver. Eowyn's role goes beyond gifting others with the means to go about their tasks. Eowyn has a task herself, a task that Galadriel once took up, and must now put aside.

Both Galadriel and Eowyn become the ruling ladies of fair forest lands, both of which are noted for their great beauty, and sharing a similar beauty, one described as "fair",

"There lie the woods of Lothlorien!’ said Legolas. ‘That is the fairest of all the dwellings of my people."

"When the Enemy returned our folk were driven from Ithilien, our fair domain east of the River""

"So they passed into the northern marches of that land that Men once called Ithilien, a fair country of climbing woods and swift-falling streams. "

with a particular emphasis placed on the trees that grow there.

There are no trees like the trees of that land (Lothlorien). For in the autumn their leaves fall not, but turn to gold. Not till the spring comes and the new green opens do they fall, and then the boughs are laden with yellow flowers;"

"Before them, as they turned west, gentle slopes ran down into dim hazes far below. All about them were small woods of resinous trees, fir and cedar and cypress, and other kinds unknown in the Shire, with wide glades among them; and everywhere there was a wealth of sweet-smelling herbs and shrubs....Here Spring was already busy about them: fronds pierced moss and mould, larches were green-fingered, small flowers were opening in the turf, birds were singing. Ithilien, the garden of Gondor now desolate kept still a dishevelled dryad loveliness."

While Ithilien has fallen to the enemy, Lothlorien is protected and allowed to prosper by the power of Nenya.

"This is Nenya, the Ring of Adamant, and I am its keeper. ‘He suspects, but he does not know – not yet. Do you not see now wherefore your coming is to us as the footstep of Doom? For if you fail, then we are laid bare to the Enemy. Yet if you succeed, then our power is diminished, and Lothlorien will fade,"

Neyna's powers protects Lothlorien from the evils of Mordor, but when the One Ring is destroyed, Nenya's powers will fade, and so will Lothlorien. After this, Galadriel and her people will be forced to depart Lothlorien. The glory days of this fair forest land will be over.

As one fair forest land fades as its "White Lady" departs, another will blossom and grow once more, thanks to the arrival of another "White Lady".

"I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.’"

Faramir, who has been charged with defending Ithilien, who longs to see it restored to its former glory, and who envied Sam and Frodo for meeting the "White Lady of Lothlorien", has his wish come to fruition, when he meets a "White Lady" of his own, who will take on the duty of healing, nurturing and protecting the forest of Ithilien, as Galadriel did the Golden Forest.

"Yet I will wed with the White Lady of Rohan, if it be her will. And if she will, then let us cross the River and in happier days let us dwell in fair Ithilien and there make a garden. All things will grow with joy there, if the White Lady comes."

Where Lothlorien must be allowed to fade if the Ring is to be destroyed, Ithilien can only regain its former glory if the Ring is destroyed and Mordor brought down. In this way, the fates of these two lands are intertwined. One must fall for the other to rise, just as the Age of the Elves must end, to allow for the Age of Man to begin.

Galadriel, the White Lady of Lothlorien, must leave Middle Earth as the time of the Elves comes to an end, and Eowyn, White Lady of Rohan, Lady of Ithilien, takes her place, a mortal White Lady for the Age of Man.

[ghosthermione-reads]

i won this gorgeous arc from Stephanie Burgis and im really enjoying the first few chapters. I love a good case of misunderstood identities as the basis of romance

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💙💜🩷 Upcoming Bisexual Book Releases of 2025

💜 My little bisexual heart is SO excited for this upcoming bisexual book releases of 2025. Which ones are you adding to your TBR?

🩷 Say a Little Prayer - Jenna Voris 🩷 Love in Focus - Lyla Lee 🩷 We Are the Match - Mary E. Roach 🩷 Roll for Love - M.K. England 🩷 Solo Stan - Talia Tucker 🩷 Dream On, Ramona Riley - Ashley Herring Blake 🩷 Hopelessly Teavoted - Audrey Goldberg Ruoff 🩷 My Lady Hiraya - Steven Sy 🩷 The Gryphon King - Sara Omer 🩷 We Are the Match - Mary E. Roach

💙 Daughters of the Blue Moon - Millie Abecassis 💙 A Gentleman's Gentleman - T.J. Alexander 💙 Last Hellos and First Goodbyes - Elba Luz 💙 Tenderly, I Am Devoured - Lyndall Clipstone 💙 If I Dig You - Colby Wilkens 💙 Tenderly, I Am Devoured - Lyndall Clipstone 💙 Modern Divination - Isabel Agajanian 💙 Don't Drag This Out - Emery Lee 💙 For One Night Only - Jessica James

💜 Death Card - Jasmine Smith 💜 The Cuffing Game - Lyla Lee 💜 Lovely Dark and Deep - Elisa A. Bonnin 💜 A Ballad for Slayers & Monsters - Rita A. Rubin 💜 The Transition - Logan-Ashley Kisner 💜 A Vow of Wrath and Ruin - K.W. Foster 💜 A Fix of Light - Kel Menton 💜 No Body No Crime - Tess Sharpe 💜 The Trial Period - Auburn Morrow

💟 A Traitorous Heart - Erin Cotter 💟 Tarnished - Erica Rose Eberhart 💟 This Raging Sea - De Elizabeth 💟 An Arcane Inheritance - Kamilah Cole 💟 Nobody in Particular - Sophie Gonzales 💟 Better Catch Up, Krishna Kumar - Anahita Karthik 💟 The Afterdark - E. Latimer 💟 A Murderous Business - Cathy Pegau 💟 Her Dark Grace - Rae Valtera

🩷 The Broposal - Sonora Reyes 🩷 It's a Love/Skate Relationship - Carli J. Corson 🩷 Futbolista - Jonny Garza Villa 🩷 Holly Jolly July - Lindsay Maple 🩷 Homegrown Magic - Jamie Pacton & Rebecca Podos 🩷 Murder Land - Carlyn Greenwald 🩷 Iron Tongue of Midnight - Brittany N. Williams 🩷 Behooved - M. Stevenson 🩷 A Legionnaire's Guide to Love and Peace - Emily Skrutskie

💙 The Coven Tendency - Zoe Hana Mikuta 💙 Serial Killer Support Group - Saratoga Schaefer 💙 How to Survive a Slasher - Justine Pucella Winans 💙 Well, Actually - Mazey Eddings 💙 Unromance - Erin Connor 💙 Medievally Blonde - Cait Jacobs 💙 Hazelthorn - C.G. Drews 💙 Savage Blooms - S.T. Gibson 💙 The Incandescent - Emily Tesh

💜 Backhanded Compliments - Katie Chandler 💜 Build a Girlfriend - Elba Luz 💜 Virulence - Toni Duarte 💜 This Feast of a Life - Cynthia So 💜 On Her Terms - Amy Spalding 💜 Wooing the Witch Queen - Stephanie Burgis 💜 Love Points to You - Alice Lin 💜 The Sun and the Moon - Rebekah Faubion 💜 Thrill of the Chase - Kathryn Nolan

💟 Exquisite Ruin - AdriAnne May & A.M. Strickland 💟 Alice Rue Evades the Truth - Emily Zipps 💟 Lucky Day - Chuck Tingle 💟 Dawn of the Obsidian Sun - R.N. Barbosa 💟 The Billion Dollar Dynasty - Dominique Davis 💟 Cyrus - A.E. Cosby 💟 Now She's Dead - Roselyn Clarke 💟 Voidwalker - S.A. MacLean 💟 Of Abrasion - S.J. Lee

🩷 Tavern Tale - Kristina W. Kelly 🩷 An Honored Vow - Melissa Blair 🩷 Love on the Sunny Side - Cozy DuBois 🩷 Advocate - Daniel M. Ford 🩷 TSWR: Love At First Flight - S Sidney 🩷 Vessel of Shadows - Rowan Redfield 🩷 Flirting Lessons - Jasmine Guillory 🩷 Love At First Fright - Nadia El-Fassi 🩷 French Pressed Love - M.C. Hutson

[wearethekat]

Anticipated Upcoming New Releases

Anticipated by Me. Asterisk for titles where I haven't read anything by the author previously (ie sounds cool but unvetted)

*Single Player, Tara Tai. f/nb romance about a romance storywriter and her video game dev boss.

*Hammajang Luck, Makana Yamamoto (14 January). In a far-future world, a thief is approached by the partner who betrayed her for one last job just after getting out of a prison planet on early parole.

*Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor (14 January). Recently unemployed Zelu starts to write a new science fiction book, as the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.

*Modern Divination, Isabel Agajanian (30 January). Young witch has carefully balanced her witchcraft with her demanding life at Cambridge University—only to find that her magic powers are fading.

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales, Heather Fawcett (11 February). Book three of a series, in which Emily deals with the repercussions of being engaged to a faerie king.

*But Not Too Bold, Hache Pueyo (11 February). Novella. Sapphic retelling of Bluebeard featuring a giant humanoid spider.

Wooing the Witch Queen, Stephanie Burgis (18 February). Romantasy in which an evil sorceress queen gets catfished by a disguised imperial archduke pretending to be a librarian in a gaslamp setting.

*Greenteeth, Molly O'Neill (25 February). The legendary Molly Greenteeth teams up with a local witch to defeat an evil pastor.

*The Fourth Consort, Edward Ashton (25 February). A human representative to what's supposed to be a pan-species space confederation finds out he's actually on the wrong (and losing) side, and gets trapped on another planet.

The River Has Roots, Amal El-Mohtar (4 March). Novella. Two sisters living at the edge of Faerie tumblr into trouble when one of them takes a faerie suitor.

Once Was Willem, MR Carey (4 March). In medieval England, the eponymous Willem drags himself out of his grave to defend his village against an evil threat.

The Tomb of Dragons, Katherine Addison (11 March). Reportedly actually coming out this year! In book 3 of the series, Thara Celehar investigates a case involving an old cemetery and a miner's group.

A Gentleman's Gentleman, TJ Alexander (11 March). Alexander sticks their nose into the Regency genre with this t4t lord/valet romance.

Idolfire, Grace Curtis (11 March). One woman searching for a last chance and another woman looking for redemption travel to a sleeping magical city.

*Murder by Memory, Olivia Waite (18 March). A sci-fi mystery novella set on a generation ship, where a ship's detective investigates a mysterious murder.

*Aunt Tigress, Emily Yu-Xuan Qin (18 March). Reformed monster Tam investigates the murder of her aunt in Chinese folklore inspired urban fantasy Canada.

*The Keeper of Lonely Spirits, EM Anderson (25 March). Cursed to live forever, ghost hunter Peter starts to settle after two hundred years in a small town in Ohio.

A Drop of Corruption, Robert Jackson Bennett (1 April). Sequel. Our Sherlock Holmes coded detective investigates the disappearance of a treasury officer with the help of her trusty assistant in a complex secondary fantasy world.

*Where the Axe is Buried, Ray Nayler (1 April). In a crumbling near-future Earth, a brilliant scientist flees, because her new invention might be key to assassinating the immortal uploaded President.

*A Duke Never Tells, Suzanne Enoch (1 April). In this Regency romp, somehow both a young lady and the man she's affianced to are in disguise below stairs.

Don't Sleep With The Dead, Nghi Vo (8 April). Vo returns to the fantasy Great Gatsby setting with this novella from the POV of Nick Carraway post-novel events.

*The Raven Scholar, Antonia Hodgson (15 April). Seven candidates compete to become the next emperor—until one of them is murdered. The emperor's scholar attempts to find the killer.

*The Gentleman and His Vowsmith, Rebecca Ide (15 April). An accidentally falling in love with your wedding vendor by during your arranged marriage book, now with a locked mansion murder mystery.

*Notes from a Regicide, Isaac Fellman (15 April). Trans Griffon's adoptive parents die suddenly, leaving him to sort through their papers, which follows the failed revolution they fled.

Advocate, Daniel M Ford (22 April). Book three of a series. Insufferable lesbian necromancer Aelis is summoned back to the capital to investigate an accusation against her former teacher.

Saint Death's Herald, CSE Cooney (22 April). Sequel to my particular favorite Saint Death's Daughter. Lanie Stones must contain her murderously ambitious (and dead) great grandfather before he conquers the world.

*The Sun Blessed Prince, Lindsey Byrd (29 April). Queer romance between a prince with healing magic and the assassin sent to kill him.

Brighter than Scale, Swifter Than Flame, Neon Yang (6 May). Emissary and dragon hunter Yeva is sent to a nation that worships dragons to seduce their queen. Novella.

Drop Dead, Lily Chu (6 May). Rival journalists Nadine and Wesley spar for the scoop on a reclusive author-- until she dies suddenly, and the executor grants them both three weeks to study her papers together.

Ascension, ST Gibson (13 May). Sequel to Evocation about the contentious urban fantasy wizard polycule.

The Incandescent, Emily Tesh (13 May). A professor at a magical academy deals with some troublesome demons. (I'm VERY excited for this one)

*Anji Kills A King, Evan Leikam (13 May). In an impulsive moment, a laundry maid assassinates the king. She flees, pursued by a band of mercenaries with magic masks.

The Starving Saints, Caitlin Starling (20 May). After a six month siege, a castle is freed by a group of cultlike saints. As the castle descends into cannibalism orgies, can three women find a way to save themselves?

Strange New World, Vivian Shaw (20 May). The fourth book in the Greta Helsing series, in which Greta escorts an angel and a demon across America .

*Behooved, M Stevenson (20 May). Princess Bianca agrees to marry a prince in order to end the war—only to have a botched assassination attempt turn him into a horse. They flee together in order to unravel the evil plot.

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association, Caitlin Rozakis (27 May). Ordinary parent Vivian has to rapidly adapt to the world of magic schools when her kindergartener is bitten by a werewolf.

June and later releases under the cut

The Listeners, Maggie Stiefvater (3 June). Hotel manager June is put to an unexpected test when the hotel's rich owners make a deal to host captured Nazi officials.

The Witch Roads, Kate Elliot (10 June). An arrogant prince enters the haunted Spires against the advice of their guide, leaving ex-slave Elen with the unenviable task of guiding a man who isn't quite the same as the one who entered.

The Mercy Makers, Tessa Gratton (17 June). Criminal heiress Iriset uses her ability to create magical disguises to infiltrate the palace and free her father, insinuating herself into the lives of the emperor and his sister in the process.

*This Princess Kills Monsters, Ry Herman (17 June). A sapphic retelling of the Grimm fairy tale The Twelve Huntsmen.

A Far Better Thing, HG Parry (17 June). Changeling child Sydney escapes and crosses over to the human world during the French Revolution to get his revenge on the fairie that took his place.

A Legionnaire's Guide to Love and Peace, Emily Skrutskie (24 June). Two redshirts unexpectedly don't die in a fantasy apocalypse after a band of plucky heroes intervene, forcing them to contemplate their one last night stand.

The Bewitching, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (15 July). A multigenerational story about three women and the curse that stalks their family.

The Memory Hunters, Mia Tsai (29 July). Secondary world academia about using memory magic powers for archaeology.

Hemlock & Silver, T Kingfisher (19 August). A retelling of Snow White from the point of view of a healer trying to cure the poisoned princess.

*Terms of Service, Ciel Pierlot (23 September). Luzia sells herself to the mysterious fae-like Astrosi who live above the metropolis in order to rescue her nephew.

[angelseraphines]

i don’t know how many of you have seen alice in borderland, but i watched the show and the games are so well-done, however i do prefer squid game characters by a little so i wanted to write cho sang-woo x reader fanfictions set in the alice in borderland games!!

for those who haven’t seen alice in borderland, don’t worry, the games will be explained in the fanfictions, but i think sang-woo is such an interesting character that it would be fun to write him in them!! 😇

also would you prefer the other characters to be alice in borderland characters, squid game characters, or both?

[fanaticsnail]

i love your sapsorrow series — even more when i read that Shanks snippet where he thought he was safe OH GOD AHAHAHA please!!!

Ah, you see. They all think they're safe from the clutches of the foul curse of Sapsorrow. Their knees shall bend, their backs shall break and their hearts will perish before her mighty claim - should they ever fail in their task to woo their intended.

(Image Source)

Sands of Time

Themes: Sir Crocodile x f!reader, reluctant bride, enemies to lovers, kidnapping trope, rake!crocodile x royal!reader, forced proximity, longing from afar, injured x caretaker, time limit to love, haunting spectre, Sapsorrow fairytale au, suggestive themes, forced/arranged marriage.

Mihawk Sapsorrow masterlist here, Shanks Sapsorrow here, Masterlist here

Sir Crocodile's intentions below the cut.

.

“What is this? A fitting gift for an apprehensive bride. I shall gift this to my intended before we wed on the morrow. Perhaps it will be near enough for her to open her legs and share her bed tonight.”

Hunched over the writing desk, half-moon glasses drawn down the bridge of his nose, sat the hulking sir crocodile. He shook his head, unsure of what commotion was going on behind the door of his darkened office. A wedding? Unlikely. 

Managing inventory, arranging wage statements and smirking at his half-composed letter to the lord of Kuraigana regarding his collection of debt; his ears pricked at a whisper of motion within the room.

“It has been found, reptile,” the echoing voice sinisterly whispered. A rumbled roar began erupting within the chasms of his chest as he released fragments of sand out to grasp the ghostly form of the witch to encase her spirit in a layer of dust. 

“I was rid of you, witch. You have no claim over me nor my soul,” he growled, prompting the spectre to unleash a wave of echoed maniacal laughter. Her voice was haunting, her tone was low and deliberate as she taunted further. 

“I was lost to you, but now found and will be placed on the finger of a bride within the hour,” she taunted, slowly raking her undead soul towards him. Strands of her hair began moving as if beneath the crashing waves of water, her sinister smile and unblinking eyes bore into the hulking man in front of her.

“What conditions have been laid to have you curse me, witch?” he asked, sitting back in his chair and removing his glasses, “I had your band stolen from me by the Don of Dressrosa, thus casting your curse onto him, not me.” He chipped the end of a thick cigar, drew it to his lips and ignited the tip with the flick of his flint. 

“To answer first: she has laid no such conditions as yet,” the spirit confessed as nonchalant as a spirit could ever be, “And to answer second,” her spectral essence passed through the desk and stood still, towering over the form of the crocodile, “My curse cannot be given twice to the same individual.”

Sir Crocodile held his breath. His usually bored and slackened jaw was now clenched firm atop his cigar. 

“What must I do, witch?” He spat, staring up into the cement eyes of the ghost of Sapsorrow as she smeared her sharpened canines down at him. As Sapsorrow began to bare another thought down onto the crocodilian man in front of her, an echoed voice rang throughout the room.

“I am not cattle to be bought with such an item, nor am I simply a broodmare to bear your spawn within my belly. You think this enough for me to share my bed on the eve of our wedding? I would never.” 

Sir Crocodile bore his eyes into the ever rising smirk of the Sapsorrow Queen in front of him, listening to the echoing words ricocheting from the chasms of his mind and reverberating in his soul.

“If you desire me to be your bride, you will have me love you with all that I am. You will earn my affection, you will slave for my adoration - but my love will be only passed onto you when I truly think you love me completely in return.”

The malicious laughter echoed throughout the room, the sands currently revealing the Sapsorrow spectre falling atop the desk, littering the papers and ornaments scattered below. 

“Make haste, Sir Crocodile,” she taunted him once more, “She is set to marry him on the morrow. That should put a damper on things, do you not you agree?”

Sir Crocodile began to shake, his shoulders stumbling below his aggression. He violently thrust his forearms down atop the desk, his balled fist of his remaining hand indenting beneath his powerful thrust, the tip of his golden hook sunk into the mahogany and encaptured it within his circlet. 

“H-How,” he began, his voice staggering as his mind caught up with the conditions laying claim to his soul, “How could someone measure that? How could someone ever dream of proving that level of blind devotion?”

“Therein lies the rub, reptile,” Sapsorrow’s echo felt further from him now, flittering up towards the ceiling akin to the smoke from his sour cigars, “You may never truly earn it, and I may yet collect the debt of your soul.” 

“You have a year,” her voice began to crack as it faded up further, “Until the sands of time pass the last grain to conclude its final hour, your form shall crack like glass and your soul will belong to me.”

-----------

Notes: I will be working on Shanks, Buggy and Sir Crocodile spinoffs once the Sapsorrow Au fic is concluded for Mihawk. If there is a gentleman you would like to see flung into this particular fairytale curse, let me know and I will aim to create it! I only have 10 rings to work with!

There are other fairytale au's in the making, if you enjoy an interpretation with your beloved characters:

@gingernut1314 is doing "The Luck Child" for Buggy

@writingmysanity is doing a "Hans My Hedgehog" interpretation for Corazon.

@sordidmusings is doing a "Three Ravens" interpretation for Sanji.

@cinnbar-bun has many a thought about the Crocodile, and I am looking forward to see what she comes up with.

Allow me to take the opportunity to thank @since-im-already-here, the "smol snail, fanatic in the making," for making me do this one. I love writing for it, and it's amazing to see how many there are of you that enjoys being whisked away with my words.

Tag List: @sordidmusings @writingmysanity @gingernut1314 @cinnbar-bun @carrotsunshine @feral-artistry @i-am-vita

[forthegothicheroine]

Henchwomen Through the Ages

The "ages" of comics are not hard and fast things, and even comic book historians argue where they begin and end. They're more like moods than time periods, and your standard game of Henchwoman RPG will probably be set in a vague time period that could be anywhere from the thirties to today with an overall Silver Age mood. Still, let's take a look at how the roll of the Henchwoman has evolved, shall we?

Goldie is a gun-toting, cigar-chomping bank robber in victory rolls and a bullet bra. She's not called a henchwoman- she's called "Look out, that broad has a grenade!" She's loyal to the boss despite his dumb penny gimmick, but if he ever finked on her in court, he wouldn't live to see the sunrise. There's no Henchwomen's Union for her to join yet, but she's provided muscle for plenty of mob-backed unions. Goldie can't afford to be soft on heroes since they'd be just as happy to throw her off a roof as to arrest her, but she might be wooed by an appeal to patriotism- she ain't no Nazi rat! Her hobbies include matinee shows, swing dancing, and blasting coppers.

Sylvia is a competitive surfer and was a cocktail waitress until they fired her for slapping too many customers. Thanks to the newly formed Henchwomen's Union, she's treated much better by her current job, which usually involves crashing parties to steal themed jewelry. She and the heroes she fights have an understanding- they'll never be rough with her, and she won't check up on them after putting them in a death trap to see if they've died. On her off hours, she can go dancing in the same outfit she worked in- a silver jumpsuit, gogo boots and a purely decorative motorcycle helmet.

Brawny is a member of the Sisterhood of Wicked Witches, and she fights for a cause- or rather, several causes. These range from the reasonable (Save the whales!) to the less reasonable (A free ray gun for every child!) The Henchwomen's Union is strong enough to get her good pay, so many of her problems are philosophical- is she a good guy or a bad guy, and what do good and bad even mean? Brawny has to be a bit more careful than she would have been ten years ago, since death may well stick- but that also means she might really kill a hero, at least for a while, and that's what matters!

Tenebra prefers to be called a Dark Muse, a member of a vampire circle dedicated to bringing art to life, painted in colors of blood. Her eyeliner is swirly and her gowns are velvet, and she wears them onstage in her sideline darkwave band. Tenebra arranges her crimes in accordance with pre-raphaelite imagery, with victims displayed in heartbreakingly beautiful and mythologically-influenced poses. Her boss may technically be the Queen of the Vampires, and she may have a card with the Henchwomen's Union, but her true loyalty is to art itself.

Ferra is a mercenary with a separate pouch for each type of bullet, and she has a lot of types of bullet. Her stilettos are tall but her hair is taller, and she can strike intimidating poses that would break a normal person's back. The Henchwomen's Union had its own back broken by the bosses, and is now more of informal underground thing, but it still hooks her up with real deal bad guys. She'll kill without a second thought for her boss, but she's only one bad day away from turning her gun on him. It might even happen accidentally, since he and the heroes dress exactly the same. Ferra somehow has a heavy metal soundtrack even when there's no music playing.

Ally got a degree in psychology but until she can afford grad school, she gigs as a henchwoman. Her bosses are sillicon valley dickheads, but the first one to offer her real benefits will have her loyalty for life. Thanks to the resurgence of the Henchwomen's Union, Ally gets to wear big stompy boots instead of high heels, but she still has to wear a big day-glo logo on her leather jacket that might as well be a target sign. Her hobbies include pop culture conventions, smoking weed and credit card fraud.