“For it so falls out, that what we have we prize not to the worth whiles we enjoy it; but being lacked ✰ 4 stars ✰
“Here's the sentence she gave me:
“For it so falls out, that what we have we prize not to the worth whiles we enjoy it; but being lacked and lost, why, then we rack the value, then we find the virtue that possession would not show us while it was ours.
No native speaker of the English language could diagram this sentence.”
A few things came to mind as I read The Wednesday Wars over the weekend. This book was written in 2007 - times were different back then. This book takes place in 1967-1968 - things were very different back then. This is a middle grade book intended for younger audiences - it's something that you really have to note, because it is about a young boy - so a lot of his hilarious thoughts and misguided but well-intended comments will resonate a lot with young boys. And finally, this is my third read by Gary Schmidt, and it most certainly, won't be the last. ...more
“Everything I have ever read in books or seen in plays; everything I have seen in my life of ordinary love, I have known in inverted ✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Everything I have ever read in books or seen in plays; everything I have seen in my life of ordinary love, I have known in inverted form. It cannot ever seem unnatural or abnormal, because it has been natural and spontaneous in me.” Jack’s eyes were soft with tears.
“Thank you,” Henry said. “That is the end.”
The New Life by debut writer, Tom Crewe is the fictionalized adaptation of real people and events, loosely based on John Addington Symonds and Havelock Ellis, who created quite a stir in the literary world in the early 1890s, when they co-wrote a book called Sexual Inversion. The writing is crass, but simple and easy to read, using words like prevaricated that may have caused me to stumble at times, but so caught up was I, in the affairs of John Addington with a much younger Mr.Feaver, and Henry Ellis' feeble attempts of nurturing a more intimate marriage with his college sweetheart, who wishes to seek solace in the arms of another woman, that it did not rattle me so - it spurned me on.
And even once the book is published and released to the wild, as we are swept away into public trials of defamation and unsolicited narratives of personal pleasure that once held a special place in the narrator's heart and now to be reviled and dissected by discerning eyes - a deep sadness was palpable in its' wake. The solemn note that with the prospect of a new life that embraces all - where does one go from here, when the world is not ready to accept it.
“We have twenty-six now. All anonymous. They have astonished me. Some make me want to weep; I want to seek these men out and speak with them. Others”—he smiled—“make me jealous, make me see how much I have missed.”
Carpenter laughed. “I think it may be best,” he said, “to see both sides in life. To come through suffering to pleasure.”
From their first innocent meeting, to their eventual understanding of what they wished to convey, to the eventual release, and finally, the apparent result to it - with one swell of a move - John and Ellis' lives were intertwined, as each of their own personal lives unraveled around them. The plot weaves with deftness through the trials of their own makings - in the court and off. The characters that play an integral part in their lives also lend a helping hand in what will finally leave us with the notion that the hope for the New Life is not quite within our grasp.
The conflicting views that arose between the two authors was so very palpable - one wanting to still hide their thoughts on the matter in fear of rejection of society, and one - so very keen and adamant that he must speak up for the masses, despite the outcome. It is with a bold and firm touch that these emotions were evoked through the passages of their personal familial actions and eventually, when judgment was passed in the public eye. Both characters were well-nuanced with facets to their personalities and social situations that made me endear to their plights in their own distinctive way.
“When everything that had been dignified, rationalized, was made gross and tawdry, was torn down and trawled through the gutter.
When the days had the steepness, the terrifying altitude, of a nightmare. When every prejudice uncoiled and rose from its pit, showing the inside of its ugly throat. Leaders, letters, speeches. Handbills, placards, pictures. Chalkings on walls. Crowds on corners. Jeerers. Jurors.
When John felt himself exposed, sprawled on the slimed wreck of his privacy, at the world’s mercy.
Except it was not his privacy.”
John, married for a number of years, father to three, with a wife - who knows about his illicit affairs with men - who stays, despite the fear of public humiliation - simply for face in society. It was with strange candor at how John reverted to Jack in the story, when he spent time with his amour, Henry. It is a toss-up of whether I should sympathize with John - for being in a marriage he did not want - or feel upset with him - at how he shattered all his family's feelings about him - when they learnt the truth.
And perhaps it was old age, perhaps it was frustration, perhaps it was an innate and keen desperation - a willful plea that John was so adamant in staying true to his own desires and determined to have his book's narratives be shared - to be universally acknowledged and appreciated. And it read like a quiet yet literal in a literal sense to be accepted in the eyes of man - and when you see him clash heads with Ellis - one who felt that he had done his fair share and let sleeping dogs lie, I was often left at a stalemate at whose feelings I should empathize with more.
“And I cannot regret forcing you on, Henry, otherwise you would have left me where I am. So do not think you are saving me. You are not. The trial may save me. But if you keep with your decision, you will force me into a prison far worse than any the law controls.”
“This is what frightens us,” Ellis said. “You are too absolute.”
Ellis was also a conundrum of a character; his point of a view often veered into a melancholic doldrum feeling, but I understood where it was coming from. His was a different approach - a man who didn't feel the romantic inclinations in bed - one that felt that he was satisfactory to his wife and it made him feel inadequate - ill-tempered and uncaring. And to see how, these two minds then clashed over whether it was fair to have other's experiences be shared - that it was necessary for these intimate details to be read - so others could find something in them to relate to.
“Perhaps it was how Wilde had felt, before he gave way utterly. (Was he, perhaps, feeling like this when Henry had seen him, absorbed in his book?) It was how Carpenter and Addington had felt; how many of the inverts who’d submitted their histories had felt: desire burning you up, too hot to touch.
He understood this: what it is to burn, and to dare not touch.”
Towards the ending, it does gravitate more towards Oscar Wilde's very much prominent hearing, but it did not deviate me from the actual continuation of what fate awaited Jack and Henry. I enjoyed reading it, because I also learned something new that I was not aware of. Historical fiction that stirs an interest in me, after reading, is always a special kind. And the conclusion may have been with a heavy heart and a judgmental eye for their actions, but how the concise and sharp writing evoked clearly the sentiments of everyone involved - with a very poignant point of showing the repercussions of their book's release - it made me glad that I didn't remove it from my tbr and gave it a chance, after all....more
“I need you to listen carefully, Jude,’ the voice continued calmly. ‘In approximately two and a half hours’ time, you are going to di✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“I need you to listen carefully, Jude,’ the voice continued calmly. ‘In approximately two and a half hours’ time, you are going to die.”
While the idea behind The Passengers isn't entirely new to me, I'm not above giving credit where credit is due and that is John Marrs did a great job grasping the reader's attention right from the start. It's not exactly a popcorn thriller, but a suspenseful drama-thriller that brings forth a selective cast of characters that all serve a purpose in fulfilling the ploys of the Hacker, the puppeteer behind the very situation they've caught themselves in. ...more
“Instead, I take a seat next to him like before, sitting on my hands so I don’t give in to the urge to touch him.
It’s like I’m a compass✰ 4 stars ✰
“Instead, I take a seat next to him like before, sitting on my hands so I don’t give in to the urge to touch him.
It’s like I’m a compass needle, and he’s true magnetic North.
No matter how hard I spin, I keep turning back to him.”
Sometimes you just need a relaxing read to temper the storm in your head and fortunately enough, Attractive Forces did just that. The story may not be anything original - a closeted gay jock falls for cute nerd through tutoring lessons, but sometimes even the stories that are simple and lighthearted can be enjoyable reads, too. ...more
“Enter Barry Gorman, eighteen years one month. Further details throughout what follows. This is he who becomes it. The Body. In his yell✰ 4 stars ✰
“Enter Barry Gorman, eighteen years one month. Further details throughout what follows. This is he who becomes it. The Body. In his yellow flasher, he was grinning, and holding up for my inspection one pair of dripping jeans.
Mine. Like me, lost overboard during the troubles.
8/That image is on instant replay in my head.
It was the beginning; and the beginning of his end.”
Aidan Chambers' 1982 novel Dance on My Grave is the story of Hal Robinson and Barry Gorman - two young boys who met under the strangest of circumstances, but shared seven weeks of blissful happiness, carefree motorcycle rides, bright joyous moments in Barry's father's record store, and memorable first times of experiencing their love through their actions and their words. One afternoon, while working at the store, the glimmer of love fades as they exchange heated words over what their relationship really means. Betrayed and hurt, Hal leaves in a huff of jealousy - an hour later, Barry dies in a motorcycle accident.
A few days later, Hal is facing criminal charges for the damage he's inflicted by dancing on Barry's grave.
“It’s what they believe about themselves that matters, you see. We are what we pretend to be, Vonnegut says, so we had better be careful what we pretend to be.”
The irony of this statement is not lost in the way Hal, short for Henry, details the relationship he had with Barry. How to describe this book is like trying to understand what it feels like to be in love for the first time? How is that Hal, who all his life was searching for a bosom buddy - a mate like the Laurel and Hardy shows he used to watch - someone who would want to spend time with him and be at his best with him - can justify the course of his actions. For a brief time, he shared with Barry - someone who saved his life and still hurt his heart - the momentous and grand feeling of being in love. Someone who showed him love and happiness in the simple pleasures of life with no strife - like two 'boys with the can of magic beans didn’t have anything to say about this. ...more
“The real truth, Curt, is that I want whatever label makes it so that I get to be the guy he calls first for any and every thing. I want✰ 4 stars ✰
“The real truth, Curt, is that I want whatever label makes it so that I get to be the guy he calls first for any and every thing. I want to be someone to him. Does that make any sense at all?”
“You’re serious? Are you in love with him or something?”
“Why do you go straight to the L-word? It’s too soon to say shit like that. And I sure as fuck don’t want to scare him away. But man, Curt. I can’t breathe around him sometimes. I just want to stare at him. He’s so fucking beautiful. And he’s funny and sweet. I love his laugh and yeah, I love being with him. That’s all I got right now.”
“That’s a lot, man. More than most.”
My next attempt with Lane Hayes may not have been Better Than Good, but it was still most certainly good. ...more
“The family—that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to. —Dodie Smith✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“The family—that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to. —Dodie Smith”
Yvette Clark wrote one of my favorite reads from last year, so I was really hopeful that The House Swap would have the same magic. And while, there was plenty of heart of family with lovable laughs, it didn't have the same charm that won me over last time. And perhaps, because it hit so well the nail on the chalkboard on how sometimes kids can feel misunderstood and misheard from their parents and vice versa, it still was a lovely, if not frustratingly relatable read.
Allie and Sage may be from opposite sides of the world and may only have a few days before they get to know each other and swap each other's homes, but they do have one thing in common - they want their parents to listen to them - to pay attention to the things that they're trying to say, to not so easily dismiss or disregard their thoughts and feelings on matters that matter to them the most. Whether it's asking them to consider their choices for what family activities they're going to do next, or simply trying to get them to listen how much they want their family to stay together rather than drift apart. That feeling of being ignored and unfortunate misunderstanding was captured perfectly.
“I knew it! Middle child syndrome is officially a thing. I sent my parents an article about it that I found on the Good Parents Make Great Kids website.
They haven’t read it.”
As a middle child, myself, I connected so deeply with Allie - uff, the woes of middle child syndrome know no limits! Being stuck in the middle is no picnic, let me tell you, and Allie was just everything I felt at times when I was young - still, do at times, actually! ...more
“Look, ” I said, clearing my throat. “I’ll be honest. Whatever it is, I just—I can’t go back to before we knew each other.”
“Couldn’t you✰ 4 stars ✰
“Look, ” I said, clearing my throat. “I’ll be honest. Whatever it is, I just—I can’t go back to before we knew each other.”
“Couldn’t you?” He pinned me with an intense stare, but, at the same time, he looked so tired. “More accurately, wouldn’t you? If you could go back— to before we met on the train—”
“No.”
When I first read the title If We Could Go Back I was honestly under a different impression of what the story would be. But, when I read it - as I got to know these two married men - Bennett and Kieran - commute together on a train - steadily progress from lingering glances to casual touches - slowly open up about their families and personal lives - and then, suddenly get swept away in that overwhelming moment of 'friends to something more' - it was such an emotional setup to a heartbreaking story - one of which I was not expecting.
“How do you do this without involving feelings?” I whispered.
His gaze softened, and he leaned in for a languid kiss.
“Who says I am?”
How can something so wrong feel so right? Bennett and Keiran - who are fated into lives - not of their own well-wishing or desires - that they never got the chance to be who they are - simply because of the hand that life dealt them - but are so helplessly drawn to one another and knowing that there can be only inevitable heartbreak in the end, because they are two married men with families - just fall into perfect harmony with one another. ...more
“Perhaps, in our story, the villain did get a happy ending after all? Or, perhaps, I’d never been the villain of this story.
Maybe the fo✰ 4 stars ✰
“Perhaps, in our story, the villain did get a happy ending after all? Or, perhaps, I’d never been the villain of this story.
Maybe the fool had always been the hero.”
As someone who grew up reading a lot of fantasy books (Tamora Pierce, Patricia C. Wrede and Susan Cooper were a few of my go-to girls), I feel that in my later years I've been slightly more hesitant to read them. But, Ariana Nash's covers for her duology Court of Pain were so gorgeously appealing, I was tempted to read them. And luckily, I wasn't fooled by their stunning covers, because while I adore the lovely shade of green for the cover of Fool Me Twice...more
I think, maybe, that’s a little bit of what pride is. Taking something like the ✰ 4 stars ✰
“Not Dad’s flag. Not the flag outside our house.
My flag.
I think, maybe, that’s a little bit of what pride is. Taking something like the pride flag and confidently saying: this is a part of who I am. The flag does mean something to me, I realize, and even if I’m still a little scared, I’m a little excited, too.”
The title for Small Town Pride sums up perfectly what this story has to offer us - a sweet Middle Grade book about thirteen year old Jake who just wants the town that he has grown up in - a town that he loves - a neighborhood he's proud to be a part of - to simply allow him and others to express themselves in the way that they want to. To take pride in who they are - no matter who they are. ...more
“Because you’re perfect. You’re extraordinary. I’m so ordinary.”
“But you aren’t ordina✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“But why would I not? Of course I love you.”
“Because you’re perfect. You’re extraordinary. I’m so ordinary.”
“But you aren’t ordinary. You’re Benedict Spenser. There’s only one of you in the world, and you love me. Nobody’s ever been less ordinary than you.”
A second chance at love and life, Jackdaw is the continuation of K.J Charles' charming magpie series, where we reunite with one of the key players of the third installment, Jonah Pastern - a wind-walker who walks through air and a thief, who steals more than just precious jewels and prized possessions. For at the forefront of this narrative is Ben - the man who fell in love with him and paid the price for that love cruelly and most unkindly. For when he walked away from Ben at the most critical and dire moment, he stole something even more precious - Ben's heart and his love for him. And in order for him to win back a piece of his heart, the story unfolds on their ill-fated romance and the lengths one takes to right the wrong that they had committed - in the affairs of the law and the affairs of the heart, as well. ❤️...more
“For too long, the silence between them had been damning, painful, and the distance had seemed larger than the physical space between✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“For too long, the silence between them had been damning, painful, and the distance had seemed larger than the physical space between them.”
It was only until after I finished reading Afterimage that I looked up it's definition and realized just how fitting the title was. Boyd and Sin are having to face the lingering effects of what their actions in the past have led them to where they are now.
“But Sin couldn't because of the dark shadow that followed him around constantly and wouldn't let him be.
So he just intertwined his fingers with Boyd's and closed his eyes, squeezing Boyd's hand in an unspoken 'thank you for trusting me, thank you for having faith in me' and hoped, for Boyd's safety, that he wouldn't fall asleep.”
It was hard not having Boyd and Sin see eye-to-eye on well, literally everything. It was tough not having them be together in this part. It was difficult knowing that the reason for what they were going through was initially something that they chose to do, so they could be of equal level with one another, was the very catalyst to which their relationship eventually fell apart. And yet, as frustrating as it was - throughout the struggles and the mishaps - I could see the slight glimmers of growth and understanding in their personalities - that the distance apart actually helped them become more clear-minded, in hindsight. My heart just felt so hollow at the helplessness of all the situations they found themselves in.
“Kassian's eyes rose and met Boyd's steadily. "I'm becoming really fond of having you around, Boyd.”
Will I ever warm up to Kassian? It's too soon to say - no one likes the third person who gets in your way of your otp - but, he's not a bad person, so maybe, there is some good to him being a part of this. It was so interesting to see how he was viewed so very differently from both Sin and Boyd - that he is both the good and the bad parts of their lives. He was much like Ann, for the better part of the book, till her character arc sorta fell off - little did I know, that it was setting up for an even more unexpected turn of events.
“But they were two self-destructive people who hurt each other and themselves unintentionally; they were the product of what happened when extreme desperation and loneliness met.
And until they were both stable enough on their own to be primarily a positive influence on the other and not largely a negative too, then they were worse off together than apart.”
There's this thing I do that when I'm listening to a discussion and I want to weigh in my thoughts on a particular subject, somehow, as I'm about to speak - my mind instantly gives me a counter argument to my statement. So, I stop. It may not be quite the same parallel, but to read the inner wars that were raging inside Sin and Boyd's minds as they attempted to rationalize their own actions - because, it was not entirely their fault for how and what and why they were acting the way that they were. There is equal heartache and heartbreak on both sides and it was upsetting that they both have never understood the true meaning of what it means to love someone - that whenever they think they're doing something right, they say something wrong, instead.
Miscommunication, misinformation, and misunderstandings were their true enemies - not each other.
“It's selfish but thinking that you want to be terminated—I just..."
Boyd shook his head briefly as his fingers strengthened a little against Sin's cheek.
"All I can think is I want you to get better. Not for me, not for anyone; just for yourself. You deserve it like anyone else does. I want you to have a chance to feel happy. And I want us to try to be friends again, to figure this all out.”
And even though volume II is unedited and very wordy - I was never bored. Not once. Even as I agonized alongside the mental and physical torture, even as I participated in Boyd's traumatizing training, even as Sin fought against his ferocious nature - I wanted to know how it would all turn out. I had to read through it all, to better understand how they would end up where they were. The writers kept that pace going so earnestly well for me, that when the ending came - it left me blindsided and as speechless and stunned as everyone else in the conference room! Literally gob-smacked that just left me wondering, 'how could you do this - how could I have missed this?!'
It really is a credit to the authors - that it doesn't feel like they're just throwing ideas out there. For as long-winded and agonizing journey, we are on - there is a destination in mind. And how the ending came full-closure with just the two of them again - reaching out in comfort and support - I can only hope, as much as Sin is hopeful for - that these two will find a way back to each other.
And please, a request for more Ryan in the later books. For a character who is as much of a traumatic past as the company of the men he keeps, his light still shines the brightest in the shadows....more
“It's everything or nothing and it’s up to you to choose. Everything is a tidal wave towering over you as you stand on the beach, una✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“It's everything or nothing and it’s up to you to choose. Everything is a tidal wave towering over you as you stand on the beach, unable to run fast enough to get away.
Nothing It holds you in place Weighs your ass down No one can escape the gravity of nothing.”
Chase Connor's writing has a certain style to it that it can either be too lyrical or flowery that makes it difficult to get through, or it can be brutally raw and angst-filled that leaves a questionable ache in your heart. The Gravity of Nothing is a strong blend of both sentiments. A book that touches upon so many sensitive subjects, I question my mental capacity of why I am prone to hurt myself with these tough reads.
The writing is intentionally disjointed and unpredictable - but, it shows perfectly how much trauma is still lingering in Tom's - how much of everything is still weighing him down. So, to see how someone as pained as Tom is, who's struggling with his own mental health and trying to find a way to cope from his haunting past - to see him come out from all the lies that have plagued his memories - it's not a victory, but a heart-breaking journey to see him out from it - that gives me hope for the characters, themselves. ❤️...more
“All my life, I’ve studied hard and done well. I played hard on the field, and I’ve won. I thought I did it because my father made me. T✰ 4 stars ✰
“All my life, I’ve studied hard and done well. I played hard on the field, and I’ve won. I thought I did it because my father made me. Turns out, defeat is not my thing. I don’t like losing.
Not when the stakes are this high.”
Now is Everything is a brutally gripping YA novel about what may appear on the outside for one's life and persona, may actual shield a darker and painful truth that no one wants to face. For seventeen-year-old Hadley, this is the manifestation of her life - that under the guise of being a talented lacrosse player and honor student, she is under the cruel thumb of an abusive father, who because of his status of wealth, never gets called out on it. She endures all the hurt and the taunts and the grief in order to keep her younger sister, Lila away from it all. But, when it comes to the point that she no longer protect her from physical, mental, or emotional harm, Hadley faces the difficult decision of how much longer she can keep them safe, till it's the point of no return. ...more
"Yes." He leveled me with a mock-serious look and gripped my shoulders. I didn’t tense up much this time. “Mak✰ 4 stars ✰
“Anything else I can do?”
"Yes." He leveled me with a mock-serious look and gripped my shoulders. I didn’t tense up much this time. “Make yourself at home.”
[image]
After my rather disappointing experience with Cara Dee's latest release, a couple of GR friends suggested some other names that I might have a better time with - Home (Homeless?) was among the top recommended picks. I had originally opted to read If We Could Go Back as my first re-attempt with Cara Dee's writing, but when I saw that this was the first book in the Camassia Cove Universe, I figured, fine, let's see what's all the love about? ...more
A light-hearted read with minimal angst, Play for Me was a soft palette cleanser that my read✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“I find it hard to breathe around you.”
A light-hearted read with minimal angst, Play for Me was a soft palette cleanser that my reading material needed. It was a gentle romance between Sophie Doyle and Jonas Voss, two unlikely people, who, despite their unpleasant first meeting and varying views on life, they had one thing in common - both of them had been dealt the heavy hand of life, knocking them down, hitting them where their hearts found happiness the most. And neither of them were expecting that while their time as roommates at Monadnock, they would come to share a lot more than just that.
Sophie was a fun, bubbly, narrator. Even when the chips were down, she never lost spirit - she never lost heart - she never lost her drive to help her new students hone their talents and skills at their respective sports - how she genuinely cared about their well-being, regardless of the outcome of the game. ...more
“No. Don’t erase our start. Just a new chapter, yeah?”
And despite the alarming leng✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“We’re good. I love you.”
“Love you. Fresh start?”
“No. Don’t erase our start. Just a new chapter, yeah?”
And despite the alarming length, the often times word repetition, the over-wrought brooding and contemplating thoughts, Lot 62 was exactly this. A new chapter of Devon and Maddox's lives, where they can't let go of their past, but they're still so very much in love with each other, despite the many questionable ways in which they prove it. But, hey, I guess - that's what makes them - them. ...more
“Your mind adapts to what worse is. Suddenly, that thing that seemed so terrifying at first is dwarfed by the next challenge that comes ✰ 4 stars ✰
“Your mind adapts to what worse is. Suddenly, that thing that seemed so terrifying at first is dwarfed by the next challenge that comes your way.
But you adapt again and again and again, until you find yourself fearless.”
Louise Gornall's debut YA novel, Under Rose-Tainted Skies is a raw, unflinchingly heart-felt and realistic depiction of how one girl, Norah Dean copes with her mental health struggles in her daily life and how she's able to overcome it in a time of great adversity, and with a little kindness and consideration from an unexpecting friend.
Have you ever had days where you didn't want to go out? Where you felt like your body wasn't a part of you - that you were existing, but really present? Have you ever felt distanced from the world and didn't feel comfortable interacting with others, feeling more safe and secure, in your own seclusion? The moment that a panic attack could creep up on you, or your level of anxiety spiked so much so that you felt helpless and alone? That feeling could arise as unexpectedly as the simple time of day - at any given moment. Norah felt that way - every day - for the past four years of her life - on the outside, looking in as her life slowly passes her by. ...more
“What? You thought I was going to tell you how to break them up and get him to go after you instead? Kid, that’s such a waste of time✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“What? You thought I was going to tell you how to break them up and get him to go after you instead? Kid, that’s such a waste of time. And if there’s one thing I know about time, you don’t get any of it back.
You’re young, you’re going off to school next year, why put all that time into trying to get someone who likes someone else to like you instead?”
I totally understand why the story of Lose You to Find Me may irritate many readers, myself included. But, I have to commend Erik J. Brown for the very craftily selected title, because in the end, that is precisely what this story was about. For in the process of Tommy having to face the facts that he had to lose that long-standing crush that he had held onto for so long, he was able to find a little something in himself and his future.
When I was in the fifth grade, there was this boy in my class I really liked - honestly, he was my first ever crush. But, then he moved away and I saw him again a few years later; my feelings for him did re-surface again; but, he wasn't the boy that I remembered - 'plans change and people change'. ...more
“Stephen can, of course, use my power, for two reasons. Firstly, because it’s his, just as all I am and all I have are his. Not that he ✰ 4 stars ✰
“Stephen can, of course, use my power, for two reasons. Firstly, because it’s his, just as all I am and all I have are his. Not that he ever asks, of course. I’m not sure that he quite believes it.
“But I do hope you are aware, my sweet, somewhere in that absurd heart, that I am ever, entirely, and quite pathetically yours.”
[image]
Darker, grittier, with more supernatural schemes, more gruesome than it seems for this magical magpies of a team, Flight of Magpies delivers a fantastical conclusion to a spell-binding series. ...more