“This was a place stitched together by resistance, by acts of defiance by people who could not or would not go gently down the path the world had d
“This was a place stitched together by resistance, by acts of defiance by people who could not or would not go gently down the path the world had decided was inevitable…”
oh, friends, this one really unexpectedly hit me in my feels, and i loved it completely. this story follows, you guessed it, the residents of a magical inn, in england, that is run by a witch. but this inn is extra special, because you can only find it if you are in need of a safe place to spend some time. the book opens up with our main character, sera, losing most of her magic from casting a very powerful spell. and we follow her, with the help of the inn’s residents, both old and new, trying to get her full magical powers back! but the information she needs is being kept away by her old guild that would rather keep her powerless.
if you’re looking for a love letter to family, both blood and found, pick this book up. if you’re looking for a read that involves healing from your past, in all the different and complicated ways, pick this book up. if you’re looking for depictions of people showing up for the ones they love, in all the different ways, and trusting that magical trust you put in people who make you feel safe, pick this book up. if you’re looking for a story about attempting to dismantle systems that have always been in place to keep you feeling lesser, please pick this book up. (also… if you’re in need of a zombie chicken in your literature, also pick this book up lol!)
i will say, seeing other people only talking about this book and how “cute” it is does have me feeling rather insane. because even though that is very true, this is a cute and cozy feeling book, our main character is setting up a safe place for children who feel unwanted and unlovable to know they are very wanted and so worth loving, after she (and the other adults in this story) have been forced to feel that while growing up themselves. there are so many emotional discussions on depression and other mental health conditions throughout this entire story. and also, this book constantly depicts our south asian mc experiencing racism, colorism, and misogyny at the hands of white supremacy and british colonialism throughout the entire book. while the governing powers also are constantly attempting to keep or mc uninformed, uneducated, and without the knowledge she needs to take back her power. again, this is truly a cozy and heartwarming book of healing, and i do think so much of this story is cute, but i just feel like a lot of people are missing some very big, loud, and integral themes that were expressed throughout this one.
“...his history might be a legacy of power, but hers was a legacy of resistance.”
overall, i loved this and i think it was the perfect blend of warm and hard-hitting that i am yearning for in my cozy fantasy. and i would protect sera and jasmine (and everyone who has been made to believe they were at one time unlovable) with everything i am. i also really appreciated that upon closing this book, i was really left with the reminder that you’re never too old to discover new ways to love yourself, to allow yourself to love new people, to love old people harder, and to unapologetically love the life (and safe places) that you have magically created yourself.
trigger + content warnings: abandonment, depression, a lot of talk of shitty parents, grief, anxiety, racism, xenophobia, colonialism, misogyny, ableism, talk of loss of a loved one
“And, just like that, Guinevere had her answer to the question of whether his tusks would hurt her. They didn't. She knew now how their mouths woul
“And, just like that, Guinevere had her answer to the question of whether his tusks would hurt her. They didn't. She knew now how their mouths would fit together: Perfectly.”
i have to start this by saying that i am very much the target audience for this because i have loved critical role for a very long time. (sidenote: i feel like i summoned brennan lee mulligan dming campaign four because it was announced immediately upon me finishing this!) but basically all you really need to know is that this book is one of the character’s favorite books in campaign two, and it is refrenced a lot during that campaign. i think you can totally read, and love, this story without any previous knowledge of jester or critical role, there are just a few easter eggs (like talk of the world of exandria, and it’s two moons, and even a matron of ravens namedrop) that are mention, that just made me kick my feet a little extra. but again, no hindrance or bearing on the actual tale being told.
tusk love is the love story between oskar, a half orc blacksmith apprentice, and guinevere, a human daughter of merchants, whose paths very unexpectedly collide when guinevere’s caravan is attacked by bandits at the very start of this novel. from there, we follow these two traveling together, from town to town, with a mysterious trunk, and some secrets of their own. and so much adventure ensues!
i loved this completely. not only do i love a traveling story, and getting to watch characters interact with all the different townsfolk, but this story had so many inns - i was living my best reading life. and the tropes in this book? omg this book is so aware of itself, and so funny for it. we have grumpy and sunshine, forced proximity, arranged marriage, and only one bed so many times lol.
and i would for sure consider this cozy romantsy, but this story does center on healing, both from grief and from abuse and abandonment. seeing these two characters who have been made to feel unloveable, not only falling in love with one another, but also loving and accepting themselves, oh, it was just so wonderful. this book is filled with discussions on “healthy” healing, and “safe” disagreement, and learning to relearn and unlearn things. i truly kept tearing up while reading this, because it was so beautiful, on top of already being a story that i would love.
the writing was also phenomenal, and so so so sexy, and now i want to read everything from thea guanzon! (matilda merceria found quaking somewhere!) oh, also, guinever is pan or bi - and we always love to see that rep, too! but yeah, for sure a favorite of 2025 and i recommend this with my whole heart. truly, the only negative thing i have to say about this book is that i absolutely never want to read the word “pearl” again.
trigger + content warnings: death, battle, violence, a lot of talk of loss of mother in recent past, grief, fire, blood, drinking, and having not great parents / parental abuse + abandonment
“Familiarity could look very much like love from a certain angle, if one didn’t look too hard. Everyone
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
“Familiarity could look very much like love from a certain angle, if one didn’t look too hard. Everyone deserves a home… And what was a home but somewhere you wouldn’t have to feel quite so alone?”
every christmas, i end up having a book that i feel just makes the perfect book for a gift among my family and friends… and then i seem to tell everyone that while writing a review for said book. well, this was a phenomenal debut novel, that i purchased 10+ copies of and gave out for christmas this year! this really just had the perfect balance of comfort and high stakes, while also feeling so inspiring and thought provoking. and this just ultimately is a story about being the person you want to be, and going on the adventures you want to go on, with the people you want to surround yourself (and grow) with in life. hopefully all my loved ones are reading this after christmas, but i just really believe this is a top tier story for a gift, and truly a good reminder of how i want to live my life. (this is also a preamble to say that i think you, dear review reader, will also enjoy this one, because i think most people will enjoy this story and the messages within it! ...more
this second installment is set in 1910 and obviously still follows emily wilde, who this time is focusing her research on creating a map that will track the nexuses that connect all the fae realms (and their doors) to our world. and maybe, just maybe, there is a special emphasis on a fae prince we know and love. but anyways, she is also bringing along wendell bambleby again for this adventure, but also her young niece who also has a passion for the fae and the different research involving them. yet this time, the stakes feel much higher even if the fate of these stakes rely a lot on locating a magical cat behind these fae doors. (again, even if this is a cozy set up and setting, this does deal with some darker themes showing the dark faery side of things!)
for some reason, i just didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first. the format of journal entries is still perfect for me, i love these characters so much, and we even got winter fox faes in this! i mean… so so so much for me and my reading wheelhouse to love! but i guess (while trying to not being spoilery here) i really didn’t like not seeing as much wendell in this one (or maybe in the way… i would have preferred to see him… again, no spoilers is hard but hopefully you feel me if you’ve read this!) but overall, i still had a fun time with this one and loved being back with these characters and exploring some new worlds.
trigger + content warnings: missing person, talk of animals/pets aging, poison, illness/sick partner,, brief mention of loss of parents in past, talk of loss of friends in past, grief, abusive step parent, mention of infidelity (not mcs), blood, gore, violence, spiders
okay, i just love this world a whole lot. this book was even better for me, because we mostly got to stay in this little village that has completely stolen my heart. this second installment follows cin's best friend, brie, who is also a big lover of paranormal romance, get to live her best romantic main character life. but much like the first book, these also deal with some heavy themes. but there is also so much light, happiness, and laughter within these pages. oh and a lot of steam (view spoiler)[the way i was not expecting or prepared for the tentacles lol (hide spoiler)]!
i extra think this one would be perfect for the autumn season. and... i just cannot wait for more books in this series, but i truly never want to leave this world!
“The stoic barmaid and flirtatious orc. I'd read that romance novel any day.”
other cw/tw that i wrote down while reading: drinking, harassment, attempted drugging, mention of vomit, kidnapping, human trafficking, threat of heart attack/fear of heart attack, talk of abandonment in past, self harm to get blood for magic, cults, mention of plague + sickness, insufferable incels lol
“It’s a leap of faith to love people and let yourself be loved. It’s closing your eyes, stepping off a ledge into nothing, and trusting that you’ll
“It’s a leap of faith to love people and let yourself be loved. It’s closing your eyes, stepping off a ledge into nothing, and trusting that you’ll fly rather than fall.”
no one is more sad that i didn’t love this more than myself, i promise. the vibe i am feeling while sitting down and writing a little something about my reading experience is reminding me a lot of how i felt sitting down to talk about happy place - where i liked everything about this romance story, except the actual romance and love interest, and sadly that made me not love the book itself.
i loved our main character, i loved how she had a youtube channel where she pretended to be a witch in an enchanted tea shop (what a cute concept, my god). i loved the children in this book, their found family and the love they gave each other, and even the discussion of community and how that can heal a lot of things if we want to be seen. and i loved and appreciated the talks of trauma and abandonment and loneliness and how you can experience these things in your childhood and carry them through adulthood to shape the person you are. but the romance, the “accidental” dirty talk, the love interest himself…. i really disliked it all. (and i am truly so sad about it.)
trigger + content warnings: a lot of discussions about trauma in the past / childhood trauma + abuse in past, mentions of loss of loved ones, mention of online harassment, brief mentions of homophobia + racism + colorism, talk of illness, talk of abusive relationships in past, brief mention of cancer in past, spider mentions.
this is such a delightful cozy fantasy, but it also does have some higher stakes at play, while also talking about some, and having some, heavier themthis is such a delightful cozy fantasy, but it also does have some higher stakes at play, while also talking about some, and having some, heavier themes and topics. (please look at some content warnings down below!) but i really enjoyed this one, especially the first half and set up. this also is a four part quest storyline, and you all know how much i love watching characters travel to their adventures! i was so impressed with this, and i promise it is a very high three star, but i just didn't love how... intense.. the love interest was towards the last half of this book. but i very much do not think that will be an issue for many readers, especially romance readers! plus cinnamon is just the absolutely best main character, and she is so effortlessly funny! i am so excited to continue on in this world!
other cw/tw that i wrote down while reading: drinking, loss of a loved one in past, grief depiction, threat of sexual violence, violence, abuse, slavery, blood, torture, vomit, animal death (alligator haha), mention of kidnapping, fatphobic comments that are in a negative light + immediately challenged/shut down
oh friends, this is for sure one of the best books of 2023. this first prequel in this adored world won me over even more than legends & lattes itself. this book starts out with viv and rackam (and their mercenary group - the ravens) in battle against a necromancer’s skeleton army! viv has wanted to prove so much these last two months finally being a part of warband, but a leg injury leaves her alone in a small seaside town called murk where she must do a lot of waiting alongside a lot of healing. But she quickly gets to exploring this town, and meeting all the locals and their businesses, and soon enough viv finds many different kinds of adventures that will keep her busy while she waits for rackam to come back for her.
i feel very obliged to make this comparison dot in this review, and it truly means a lot to me and my heart: i started to read this when baldur’s gate 3 was dropping, and i couldn't help but really see the connection of how these characters we are kind of recruiting based on trust and friendship and how these explorations with them feels like discovering this seaside town’s map completely with each new quest. the levels of happiness and comfort and warmth both of these things have given me this year is truly unmatched and both are just something so rare and beautiful that it truly feels like finding the best treasure in all storytelling. but no one, and i mean no one one, is writing the level of imagery that travis baldree is writing. everything is so beautifully described and depicted, with the most exquisite details, that i can see everything so easily in my mind that it is as if larian studios and wizards of the coast is giving me my own personal decision based experience themselves. (nerdy niche bonus: gloomstalker ranger 5, assassin rogue 4, battlemaster fighter 3 is so strong + reminds me of the stealth archer build in skyrim. but maybe next playthrough, i’ll make viv herself because i am feeling very inspired!)
and this town and these characters? oh where do i even begin? a bakery with the most swoon-worthy dwarf, a high elf doctor who will win you over much quicker than he won viv over, an orc carpenter who i personally want to give all the books of poetry to, a gnome rogue who has already stole my heart in legends & lattes, a rattkin bookseller who loves swearing and who is now a forever favorite character for me, and their gryphet who is the cutest owldog i’ve ever read about!
fern (the rattkin bookseller) really felt like a once in a lifetime character for me, because she really embodies the feeling and the power of seeing someone fall in love with books and reading and how special it feels when maybe you played a little part in that. giving book recommendations and discussing books is one of my favorite love languages. i am sure you guys know this about me, but seeing how travis created fern to describe these things in this book really hit me so unexpectedly hard and right in my very heart and soul. and this book perfectly depicts the joy of so many bookish things! like blind date with a book, book signings, even book clubs! we even get to see little parts of the books that viv is reading because of fern’s recommendations and i was obsessed every time! like i said, my new favorite bookseller.
but this book also talks about how there will never be an age limit on figuring out things you want to do in life. there will never be an age limit on things you want to change in life. and how sometimes, we really aren’t at the right place in our lives for something, but that never means that door is shut forever. and if we do decide to close that door and lock it, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the moment of living inside that room for a tiny bit of your life - and that doesn’t make anything lesser, or greater, but it can create happiness and memories that you really can take with you during every adventure in life. and sometimes, if we are lucky enough, a door of friendship that seemed to be behind a locked door, can open once again, along with new joy and new adventures.
i just loved this book completely, and, the epilogue of this book is a six star read all on its own. It made me cry, it made me swoon, it made me kick my feet and giggle uncontrollably. i dont want to give too much away, but if the author is setting up things the way i think he is, i am going to be begging tor every time for an arc because truly this series will probably become my favorite setting of all time. i know this whole review is a big gush, filled with big praise with big words, but i truly do mean them all. this story, these characters, these settings, they deserve all the praise because they truly come together to make something magical that i’ve never read before. me and fern highly recommend this book and all the unapologetic joy that comes along too!
trigger + content warnings: battle, blood, medical care descriptions, pain depiction, stalking, hurt animal, animal death (sheep), captivity, anxiety, nightmares, death, murder (off page), slavery, abandonment in past
okay i am so not the target audience for this, and i still really loved it. and i was constantly surprised, which is something i didnt expect going inokay i am so not the target audience for this, and i still really loved it. and i was constantly surprised, which is something i didnt expect going in! but it did touch on some dark things, so i will post some tw/cw down below, but highly recommend this to anyone, even if you think it's not for you! (maybe especially if you think it's not for you!)
trigger + content warnings: mention of cheating in past, blood, abusive relationships, drugging attempt, mention of stalking, mention of sexual assault + rape, mention of taking photos without consent, mention of blackmail, very brief mention of trafficking, maybe a very brief mention of cancer ("the big c"), hurt/abandoned dog.
“If anyone were to claim greater happiness in their careers than I do in poking about sunlit wildwoods for faerie footprints, I should not believe
“If anyone were to claim greater happiness in their careers than I do in poking about sunlit wildwoods for faerie footprints, I should not believe it.”
A woman who has been in love with the fae all her life and is taking us along on her academic research with the encyclopedia she is currently writing about them and her experiences with them? Oh, what more could I possibly ask for friends? Actually the life i wish i could have if i was around in 1909. This is also told epistolary style, with a lot of field notes, but a lot of stories, and some unexpected entries as well. But this was just a book that really worked for me and my reading wheelhouse (and heart). There is a little romance too that is also very sweet and again… the field notes are just so good. We also get to travel to some fae realms to solve a mystery that did get a little dark - so please use caution. Like, there are a lot of cozy vibes and moments and settings (omg did i love the market too) in this, but, again, there are a lot of darker themes and the story takes showing the dark faery side of things!
But i am really and truly begging for a book two.
trigger + content warnings: mention of loss of a loved one in past, mention of suicide very briefly twice, talk of kidnapping + actual kidnapping, violence, blood, gore, vomit, animal violence + death, child abandonment, spider mentions
“When she opened it, she discovered a handwritten dedication on the patterned endpapers: To my beloved—may you always believe in fairy tales. Smiling, she traced her fingers over the letters, feeling the indentations they had left on the paper. This was one of the things she loved best about books. She might never know who had written the dedication, or how long ago, or to whom, but she could briefly clasp hands with them across eternity, a chance meeting of souls made possible by their shared love of a story.”
this was a super cozy and fun novella that i really recommend if you're missing the amazing characters from sorcery of thorns. and you all know that i adore a magical house setting and exploring all the magical rooms, with some very alive grimoires! but to see it with my favorite sorcerer, apprentice librarian, demon (and a new character)... who are stuck inside this labyrinth during the snowy season? i really was living my best reader life. but sadly, i just didn't love the last half nearly as much as the set up and first half.
this is a very quick, cozy, happy read. and the food descriptions were perfection as well. Elisabeth is just a really good character and i really hope we continue to see more adventures with her and this crew (and demonslayer)! but also, this (in my praying opinion) is a very nice set up for my favorite morally grey demon companion.
i still highly recommend this one, especially on a cozy wintery night!
cw/tw: blood depiction, harm to get blood for magic, grief + trauma depictions, extreme nightmares, loss of a loved on in the past, talk of murders/death. (this is a very light book, and all of these things are very briefly mentioned or shown)
Oh my gosh, this world is so cozy and the art and coloring is just extra autumnal and perfect feeling right now. We love a witch with little magical vOh my gosh, this world is so cozy and the art and coloring is just extra autumnal and perfect feeling right now. We love a witch with little magical vegetables, growing gardens but also growing within themselves too! We follow Garlic as she braves the woods, away from her family, to see if a vampire is truly living in the castle on the hill! And even with her anxieties, she knows she wants to protect her loved ones! This was really cute and sweet - and perfect for all ages!
tw/cw: anxiety depiction
thank you so much, destiny, for the recommendation ♡
i still really enjoyed this, and i still love the main characters with every ounce of my being, but it just didn➽ 1.) A Psalm for the Wild-Built ★★★★★
i still really enjoyed this, and i still love the main characters with every ounce of my being, but it just didn't hit the same as book one did for me, sadly! but i loved the discussions on community and building a community and showing for your communities - and it was all extra powerful. and i also loved the constant theme of boundaries and respecting others boundaries as well. truly a beautiful story, that feels like a warm and healing hug, and i hope becky chambers gives us more! but i also feel like they really ended this one with a beautiful sense of hope and wonder. there really can be so much beauty and power in allowing yourself to be vulnerable (and feeling safe enough with another to do so).
tw/cw: talk of bugs and insects and spiders, and talk and themes of death (and a... fish death!)
“...it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.”
this was just t“...it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.”
this was just the perfect book for the exact right time that i needed to read it in my life. we all know books and words and stories have healing powers that are immeasurable, but this book truly feels like you're putting on a band-aid immediately. i am so eternally thankful for becky chambers writing it, and i know it is going to help and comfort so many readers forever.
this felt like a love letter to communication, to finding comfort, and ultimately to just not feeling alone. it touches on how healing nature can be, and how we are all truly connected through it. yet, we have so much we still can learn from one another. but also how there is so much in this world none of us will ever understand, but knowing we are so linked and experiencing so many things together... it makes it not so scary, not so daunting, not so... alone. especially when we are allowing ourselves to feel experiences fully and wholeheartedly. because we were truly put on this earth to do so much more than produce. especially when we are creatures with the ability to feel so very deeply.
and this story really helps emphasize how powerful a cup of tea can be. :]
tw/cw: talk of spiders + insects, mention of animal death, blood + wound depiction.
i truly loved this. it felt like i was stepping foot and having a long rest inside the very walls of the waystone inn, the journey's end, and even harth stonebrew's tavern. these are some of my favorite places, some of my safest escapism, and some very large sums of my heart. this story was just perfect for me, and i am very thankful for this book.
building something you want, the way you want it, with the people you want it with... there is a lot of power in that, especially when it creates a found family and/or community. and healing and living and loving the way you want to too? so powerful and so beautiful, and my favorite magic in all the galaxies.
i hope you're able to build and find communities filled with unconditional love, because you deserve that always. <3 (bonus points if a succubus + warm cup of coffee are involved)