книжку не могла закрити - прочитала за один день. це просто скарб! сердце радується, що тепер такі історії пишуться українською про українських[image]
книжку не могла закрити - прочитала за один день. це просто скарб! сердце радується, що тепер такі історії пишуться українською про українських персонажів. оформлення і ілюстрації просто шикарні. бачити у офіційно виданій книжці український сленг, мат, живу мову підлітків це якийсь сюр для мене. не знала, що так можна...more
kj charles set out to write a murder mystery but ended up writing one of the best romance stories i've read from her and also my favorite character inkj charles set out to write a murder mystery but ended up writing one of the best romance stories i've read from her and also my favorite character in her entire oeuvre...more
i'm reporting sarah monette to the authorities for building the angst machine. oh what's that? she has already been put on the wanted list and had to i'm reporting sarah monette to the authorities for building the angst machine. oh what's that? she has already been put on the wanted list and had to assume an alias? well......more
for the most part i really enjoyed this book. in fact, i could've even gone as far as to say it's my favorite in the series. yes, theron and basil arefor the most part i really enjoyed this book. in fact, i could've even gone as far as to say it's my favorite in the series. yes, theron and basil aren't as iconic as The Swordsman Whose Name Was Not Death and his lover, The Mad Duke, but they're more relatable to me personally and it was fun watching their drama-filled relationship develop from beginning to end. basil, in particular, spoke to me as an academic. i'm not sure i have ever seen a fictional depiction of scholarship and of what it means to be a scholar that aligned so perfectly with my own feelings and experiences.
adding the magic back to the low fantasy world of riverside was a bold choice but i loved it for the lush atmosphere and folklore symbolism it brought. the gorgeous cover conveys the vibe pretty well in that regard. set several decades after the privilege of the sword, the fall of the kings isn't really a swashbuckling story anymore, but it still remains a brilliant fantasy of manners, with an academic novel and a quasi-arthurian legend added to the mix, and then of course it's queer as all fuck. i'm serious, the fujoshi of ye olden day did not fuck around. and lo and behold: in the afterword they thank dorothy dunnett for inspiration. because all fujoshi roads lead to dunnett...more
considerably longer than the lady trent books and written in an entirely different format and genre but still very good. i would even say the interplaconsiderably longer than the lady trent books and written in an entirely different format and genre but still very good. i would even say the interplay between the lore, the plot and the characters was much more balanced in this spin-off novel than in most of the main series. i think i prefer young audrey over young isabella and the supporting cast includes more interesting individuals: the villains were very hateable, cora is some uncomfortably relatable and therefore stellar neurodiversity rep and aaron mornett... got what he deserved. listen, this book has a lot to offer in terms of political philosophy, true and fabricated history, discussions around cultural heritage etc etc, however, last but not least, especially right now when everyone is creaming their pants for the academic rivals trope, is the apparently necessary message that if a guy who happens to be hot is a dishonest and fraudulent scholar you don't romance him - you LEAVE HIM IN THE DUST!!...more
this series is like. if jane austen wrote indiana jones except it's also a nature documentary about dragons. i had some complaints about the first boothis series is like. if jane austen wrote indiana jones except it's also a nature documentary about dragons. i had some complaints about the first book but this second one was just Peak Historical Fantasy Adventure. can't wait to find out what insane shenanigans lady trent will get up to next...more
a fun and sexy romp but too short for my liking and relies too much on the reader's assumed prior knowledge of the og pulp adventure novel it's queeria fun and sexy romp but too short for my liking and relies too much on the reader's assumed prior knowledge of the og pulp adventure novel it's queering. had this been a smidge longer and taken more time to show why i should be creaming my pants for rupert of hentzau instead of just calling him "debonair" over and over again, i could've counted it among my favorite kjc books - because i love queer swashbuckling above all else and because i really liked the ending. i think we need more romance books that don't end on the couple monogamously and heteronormatively settling down together....more
a scoundrel with a heart of gold meets a respectable man of hidden passions - a classic kj charles dynamic i will never get tired of, especially consia scoundrel with a heart of gold meets a respectable man of hidden passions - a classic kj charles dynamic i will never get tired of, especially considering that she finds a way to put it in new creative plots every time...more
this story opens with the main character giving a presentantion on the group project he ended up doing all by himself because everyone in the group bathis story opens with the main character giving a presentantion on the group project he ended up doing all by himself because everyone in the group bailed on him and putting his name in all the credits which leads to all of his groupmates failing the class. this inciting incident alone gave me a satisfaction so profound i thought nothing that follows could possibly top it. i was wrong: semantic error turned out to be one of the most fun and immersive bl stories i've ever read. i related to sangwoo's idiosyncrasies big time and i was especially amazed by how true to my experience his face blindness was depicted. fucked up bl is out, autistic bl is in....more