this book picks right up where dungeon crawler carl left off - with carl and donut being “welcomed” to the third floor, with a lot of new options and this book picks right up where dungeon crawler carl left off - with carl and donut being “welcomed” to the third floor, with a lot of new options and decisions to make, and a baby velociraptor! and even though ten-million entered at the start of all of this, only seven-hundred-thousand have now entered level three alongside them! and we quickly get to see how this level is different, and filled with a lot more than the previous two levels. yet, we also quickly learn that the major storyline of this level surrounds a carnival and a murder mystery happening as the crawlers explore the differences between night and day in this town.
i didn’t love the violence against women and sex workers in this story. it is always done in a negative light, for said murder mystery, but i am just never going to want to read about that, especially when it starts out with three filipino crawlers. i know there is a lot of commentary in these books, and maybe the author is challenging gamer culture to look at the harmful and hurtful things perpetuated by privilege and red pill gamergate rhetoric, very much including the violence to women and sex workers. and i also understand that this story is showing an ai mimicking the horrors of our planet’s history, and the history of treatment of those two groups are pretty horrific. but, with that all being said, it did take away from my enjoyment of this one. but i do appreciate that carl obviously cared enough to listen to a woman who was not being heard… eventually. (lastly, bautista, i love you, i’m cheering for you, you’d have my follow and favorite or i’d be in your party helping with the revenge mission!)
but i did love everything else. we get more achievements, loot boxes, hot fixes, xp grinding, and party grouping! but now we also get questing, storyline progressions, profession crafting / learning recipes, and even exploiting game mechanics and the punishment that follows lol. and we get to see what carl and donut pick for classes, sub classes, and race at the start of this and… omg, i would read an entire book of all the different options! and i really love how donut’s is going to be extra fun (and scary) each and every level they descend! also, wizards of the coast, please give me a necro bard, me and my cleric and wizard loving heart are begging. (also, just to nerd out a little tiny bit more, mordicai being a master alchemist is everything to me!)
i also loved learning more about how the rich are vacationing / partying it up on some of the deeper levels. i feel like its really popular to compare things to the hunger games right now, but this for sure was giving me those vibes. i also really loved seeing the desperado club, and i can’t wait to see more of it open up upon deeper leveling! and just in general, i can’t wait to see these towns, cities, and communities open up more and more, while also learning about some of the past crawlers and their deals more and more. and obviously, and hopefully, learning all the secrets, too!
trigger + content warnings: violence in particular against women and sex workers (in a very negative light, but >.< still is hard to read), slavery, colonization, mass killing and death, gore, violence, blood, battle, murder, loss of friend, drinking, inebriation, explosions, fires, vomit, gross insect imagery, drugging, kidnapping, self harm to get blood, animal abuse (lizard)
“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
everyone's mid year book tags did guarantee i will be reading this before the end of 2025 loleveryone's mid year book tags did guarantee i will be reading this before the end of 2025 lol...more
“There are no gods here. Just those who pay for the privilege.”
this was my first ever litrpg, so maybe that’s why i adored this extra, but my nerd
“There are no gods here. Just those who pay for the privilege.”
this was my first ever litrpg, so maybe that’s why i adored this extra, but my nerdy little heart really felt like it was falling down a tunnel of complete love alongside carl and princess donut fighting for their lives.
the very basic premise of this already very beloved story, is that on a very snowy january night, in seattle, carl finds himself barely dressed and chasing after this trophy winning cat outside, which inadvertently saves both of their lives, when aliens come and all structures are instantly flattened. tet, tunnels are opened up for the surviving humans, so they can enter the very first level of a universally televised broadcast where they will be forced to go deeper and deeper, becoming stronger and stronger, to maybe have a chance at survival after all.
carl and his kitty companion go, alongside ten million others, where they will learn about what has been forced upon them while learning new skills and abilities on this first level. and most importantly, they have a time limit of when they must find and enter the next level, because once the time is up, the level will be squished like all the infrastructure of earth when these tunnels opened up! and maybe, just maybe, with the help of a tutorial guide, a talk show host, a pr assistant, some healthcare workers (and their residents), and other crawlers they meet along the way, they will be able to find the limited entrances, enter the second level, and learn even more about what this ai and alien gauntlet!
this might be the most obvious thing i could possibly write in a review, but - if you like video games, you will most likely like this. this story is filled with getting achievements, opening loot boxes, setting up your ui, patch notes and hot fixes, grinding xp in so many different ways (with so many different mobs), forming raid groups to take down bigger bosses, cleaning up your inventory, learning and leveling up new skills, and so much more. but if you also like dnd? oh, i am even more certain you will like this book. because you add everything i just said, but also see where people’s skill points are going, and watching them learn spells and level them up, and trying to figure out while classes they are most likely going to be (maybe like barefoot fighter monk or a very charming bard), oh it is such a treat.
i also just want to say that if you enjoyed the concept of traveling through different levels, and finding different towns and communities, and being introduced to new side characters, i really recommend senlin ascends. it is a completely different type of book, but one that has always stuck with me because of the unique concept, and this is the closest thing i’ve ever found to the same feeling. again, wildly different stories, and main characters, and even settings, but that spark of unique concept is only shared between only those two in my mind! and i will also say that the overarching themes, and what the story is saying, (of capitalism and corrupt governing systems) are also similar, if you’re feeling like you want to read that extra in 2025! but yeah, i have read a lot of books, searching for that feeling of senlin ascends (and of the baths), and i have never found it… until now!
“Part of a collective mind intent upon destroying any semblance of scientific progress in the universe, the Krakaren is the only communal brain entity in the galaxy who actually gets stu. pider as time moves on. Consisting of multiple shrieking tenta-cles, members of the Krakaren cooperative spend their days birthing their disease-laden minions, creating and selling harmful products, attempting to debate scientific experts, and proselytizing to the weak minded, all in an attempt to ... Well, nobody knows what the hell their end goal is.”
overall, i just loved this completely and i am so happy i am going to have a new series to hopefully keep falling in love with. i also want to say that i liked some of the things matt dinniman was saying, from systems of oppression, to ai horrors, to the ignorance of anti vaxxers, to capitalism and entertaining the rich at the cost millions of literal lives. i also think he was addressing some of the hurtful and harmful stereotypes in the gaming community, and maybe even the ease in which white men can easily move towards red pill gamergate spaces, because of this stuff being proudly livestreamed without consequences. i don’t want to give too much credit, and let me read a few more books in this series, but i just really was not expecting that going in. but yeah, i for sure recommend this, alongside everyone else, but extra if you’ve put in the hours in wow, ff, divinity / baldur’s gate, and/or any dnd campaign.
trigger + content warnings: slavery, mass killing and death, colonization, gore, violence, blood, battle, murder, talk of death of goblin babies, explosions, fires, talk of ice (in a negative light), talk of cheating in past (on the mc), abandonment in past, child abuse in past / shitty parent in past, drug use, drinking, inebriation, an ed mentioned as a descriptor, drugging, dementia, loss of friends (some elderly), an incel talk show and host (in a negative light), talk of a deepfake / ai fake sex video (again, in a negative light, but i did really hate it)
every single time i finish one of these books, i come on here and say the ending was actually off the da
“I think I’ve always been waiting for you”
every single time i finish one of these books, i come on here and say the ending was actually off the damn rails insane, but omg the ending of this one taught me a new level of pain.
i went back and fourth on giving this a three or a four star, but you know what? i think this is my second favorite in the series (so far) and i just loved seeing the twins actually be happy, at least for a little while. basically this starts out in an underground safe house/community where romance is for sure romancing. i knew it was the calm before the storm, but after thousands of pages of pain and angst, omg i was kicking my feet and giggling in so much happiness. but after all that happiness, after all that found family love, there is still a war to be fought. and we know that darius is keeping a secret from everyone. oh, and there is also totally a murder mystery happening in the tunnels of this underground community, too!
okay, let me do my little brain dump paragraph of things i liked - i want to be with a fae queen who will buy me my own magical library! geraldine povs are everything to me, give me them all! i hate to admit that seth has in fact completely grown on me, and i was giggling so much at him and caleb. the peace signs literally made me laugh out loud while reading. i loved seeing rosalie again and loved going on a quest with a lion. again, the cowboy hat had me in tears. i loved all the happy celebrations (trying to not be spoilery here) so very much! but i am going to completely pretend i did not ever read the lionel glove birthing scene.
i just really enjoyed reading this, and the pages were so easy to turn. i do completely agree with so many of my friends that this was fully a filler book, but i feel like everyone has been through so much it just made me happy to read! and just seeing people allow themselves to heal, and unlearn, and realize they deserve happiness, over and over, for 800 pages, it just made for a really happy reading experience for me. even if the ending ripped my heart out. but i truly do love tory so much and she really is just such a queen in every way.
trigger + content warnings: war, violence, battle, gore, blood, extreme torture in past, abusive parents, death, murder, talk of loss of loved ones in past, loss of loved ones in this book, self sacrifice, talk of rape in past (not mcs), sa (to lionel) and threat of sa, talk of magical mind control / enslavement, spider, a distasteful suicide joke
i really can’t with this novella’s title, but let’s just pretend we don't see and move on. so this is around 100 pages and stars max and geraldine, who are two beloved side characters in the zodiac academy world. we get to see them finally realize that they really do like each other, even if their wishes for the throne might go against one another, and we also get to see them throw darcy and tory a birthday party. (which very weirdly enough, is also the day i read this story!)
geraldine just always makes me laugh, for better or worse, and seeing max obsessed with her is just a really sweet dynamic. also seeing the twin’s love her, is just very heartwarming. i really did have fun with this, but you by no means have to read this to understand anything new about the series. But it was so worth it to read about some charm bracelets, i won’t lie.
this sixth installment starts out as wild as the rest of the books in this series, thanks to their insane cliffhanger endings. darcy is heartbroken, lance is in prison, tory is under mind control magic, and darius is having a birthday celebration, thrown by his father. i don’t really know what more i can say six books deep in this series, but i did think this one was a little too repetitive, which ultimately made it feel way too long and drawn out. yet, i can’t stop reading these books so am i really the best judge with my star ratings?
my favorite thing about this book was the heirs actually connecting, bonding, and showing up for the twins. seeing darcy in the hallow with them all, making weapons for the found family she loves, ahhh i was obsessed. and then the dynamic when tory very much needs everyone, too? Simply perfection. i truly could read an entire 800 page book about domestic them and their very fought for found family. and that really made the end of this book even more special, yet even more soul crushing.
other quick things i liked in this installment - i loved just seeing xavier and the other baby heirs try to find their place in zodiac academy. but all the pegasus and all the bedazzled situations had me frightened. again, goofy in the best and worst ways. But the scene with seth, rosalie, and caleb was ...more
“In her opinion, cults and capitalism made for an awful combination”
this has been on my tbr for a few years now, and oh my gosh i cannot believe i
“In her opinion, cults and capitalism made for an awful combination”
this has been on my tbr for a few years now, and oh my gosh i cannot believe i was just letting the story sit on my bookshelves. what a treat and what a joy to read. this felt like such a classic fantasy type story, but was completely reimagined in such a unique way. i really am a little obsessed.
where to start and how to be not too long winded? okay, this story follows three people and their very unique stories that just happen to all entwined with one another's journeys. this story follows three people:
jian - a young boy who was raised as the hero of prophecy, but maybe a prophecy is no longer something to be honored
taishi - who is a windwalker and the greatest war artist of her time, who is also elderly and disabled, and who might be able to teach once again.
sali - a viper strike warrior, who was very close with the late khan, and who only wants her people to be free, at any cost.
i feel like i really am not doing the story justice, but we also have a school setting with some really cool students who i can’t wait to see more of. we have uprisings, and the things people are willing to do in the name of oppression - both to oppress people and to free people. and we have some of the best fighting scenes i’ve ever had the honor of reading. if you haven’t picked this book up yet, please let this be the recommendation you needed for you to do so!
trigger + content warnings: abandonment, talk of war, talk of the horrors of war, vomit, blood, bullying, spider mentions, violence, fighting, battle, poisoning, needles (big warning for this one lol), drinking, talk of slavery, abuse, self harm for blood for magic, talk of loss, drug use, attempted robbing
“From the monsters with claws. And the monsters with crowns.”
i had a really good time with this start of a new fantasy romance series! i truly don
“From the monsters with claws. And the monsters with crowns.”
i had a really good time with this start of a new fantasy romance series! i truly don’t want to say too much, because i think me going into this one not really knowing anything made the experience even better for me. but the very basic premise is that very dangerous monsters attack the kingdoms of this world. and we follow a princess who very unexpectedly has to make a journey with a prince from another kingdom. there are a lot of people looking to benefit from this arrangement, but our princess is just trying to see the world that has been previously hidden from her, and slowly also finds out some of the secrets that could change so many lives.
this was just fun, and i will say that maybe it lulled in the middle a little bit, but the ending was truly a five star from me. i will for sure be picking up book two upon release. also, many of you know that i have a deep love for the witcher (especially wild hunt) in my heart, and this does have major geralt of rivia vibes, but also yennefer and ciri, too! the monsters were cool and actually were frightening. the twists and turns were truly unexpected. The atmosphere was lush and somehow even cozy. And the banter had me kicking my feet a little too, i won’t lie.
trigger + content warnings from the author: Shield of Sparrows is a heart-stopping romantasy set in a world of deadly monsters and even deadlier mysteries. As such, the story includes elements that might not be suitable for all readers, including combat, violence, blood, gore, death of humans and animals, injury, dismemberment, illness, hospitalization, arson, alcohol use, sexual activity, and graphic language, with mentions of poisoning and trafficking in backstory. Readers who may be sensitive to these elements, please take note. We invite you to grab a blade and prepare for a new world…
additional trigger + content warnings i found while reading: thoughts of suicide, mention of suicide, talk of still births in past, loss of partner during childbirth in past, raids, talk of pregnancy (not mc), talk of infertility (not mcs), forced medical experimentation, fire, one sentence mention of death of a child, talk of human trafficking, domestic abuse in past (not mc)
“But I’m going to prove it to you. I’m going to do everything I can to make it up to you, for the rest of my life if that’s what it takes.”
these cliffhangers are truly getting more and more insane! but i fear something in the formula keeps me crawling back, even when i know i shouldn’t, yet here we are. this book starts out after the heart wrenching events of shadow princess - darcy is trying to heal a very hurt orion and tory is already seeing the consequences from the stars. both sisters are trying to make their life as normal as possible at zodiac academy, but darius’ dad always has other plans.
we get to see a lot more of xavier in this book, and i really did love all of tory’s help, with both him and even darius and xavier’s mom, a lot a lot. i did kind of hate (i am trying to be vague here) lance’s new location and every single thing that was involved in that. but i am just so curious what direction this book series is going to take now, that i fear i must continue on. especially with darius is his groveling era.
a few quick thoughts - the cheer routines had me literally cringing out of my skin, like lol not seven rings. the very unexpected threesome (?) which had me screaming, i will not even begin to try to lie to you. the tory and darcy’s gang backstory was so ridiculous, my lord. but we love some family being discovered. not the twilight fake kidnapping, but valid. again, these books have me ironically laughing so very much and it is equally the worst and best part of this series.
at the end of the day, i do not recommend this series, but I fully recognize that this series begs to be read… and with speed. and at this point? i don’t think i can stop until i finish it all. so do with that information what you will, and please just look away. (i blame tory and darius, because i fear i do unironically love them.)
trigger + content warnings: depression, grief, blood, battle, violence, parental abuse, parental infidelity, a lot of talk of loss of loved ones in past, weird teacher behavior (the tarot proff), student and professor romance (not the tarot proff), unhealthy power dynamics, sexual content, nightmares, torture, drugging, forced electroshock feeling therapy, eugenic language about superiority involving the different shifting types (in a negative light, but still could be triggering), incarceration, trial setting, unwanted + unknowing sex videos being recorded and shown, self harm to get magic, spider scenes, terrible foster parents in the past, mind control magic, and the death of a major side character (who is like the only poc character)
“You want my heart? I’d sooner cut it out than give it to you.”
this four star rating is because the end of this book was so good. like, i am talking six stars worthy and i am still a bit speechless. the girls who tell you that you have to “get through” the first three are so completely right. but also let the record state that i am a tory vega apologist, fully. and the actual banshee screams i was holding in while highlighting the entire end of this book should not be talked about.
this fourth book takes place after the insane events of book three, but now everyone is back at school, tory and darcy are hiding their bond forms from everyone they can, and they are trying to figure out what the shadows have done to them and their magic. we also get introduced to some new characters who are trying to help them, and who i think are people from these author’s other spin-off books, which i always think is kind of cool. and the heirs are still being menaces, some more than others… yes, i still very much dislike seth. oh, and lance is helping the twins with something very close to his heart that lurks in the shadows, too.
we really get to experience some holidays in this book, since it is kind of like a countdown to new years eve. but first, we get a halloween party that kind of switches up everyone’s dynamic a little bit. then we also get to celebrate christmas at the palace that darcy and tory’s parents left to them upon their death. and the palace was so cool and the girls learned so much about their parents, both as leaders and as people.
i truly can’t say anything without spoiling this midway very wild cliffhanger of a book, but i was truly eating it up. i have always been rooting for darius, but he really does always mess up and i just will always love when a woman sees the way she is being treated is not okay, and stands up for herself and her worth. and darcy has insanity, even more insanity actually, with her situation at the end of this book, but i just feel like it can’t be true, so i am just choosing to hyperfocus on my favorite masochistic gut punch instead. we will see how long i can resist the pull for book five.
“i was falling in love with you”
trigger + content warnings: abusive parents, drinking, alcoholism, nightmares, war, fighting, violence, death, a lot of talk of loss of loved ones in past, weird teacher behavior (the tarot proff), student and professor romance (not the tarot proff), unhealthy power dynamics, extreme bullying, blood, anxiety, a suicide joke (negative light), blackmail, drugging, someone being weird about sushi and karaoke bars that felt racist / like microaggressions to me as a reader, magical compulsion, assault / unwanted touching, talk of sex addiction as a joke a lot, sexual content, and talk of institutionalization / extreme magical brain washing
okay, i think i get it. i read this in 24 hours while working lol. i just coul1.) The Awakening ★★ 2.) Ruthless Fae ★★
“Then we should burn it down”
okay, i think i get it. i read this in 24 hours while working lol. i just could not put it down. i know i said this in my review for reckless fae, but i just love this love triangle and all the angst and good miscommunication. like, i was actually giggling and kicking my feet while reading so much of this. if this was just a tory, caleb, darius book? five stars. (which is why i was so curious who everyone’s favorite gemini twin was! obv i love darcy too, and that car scene was actually insane ...more
ahhh, friends, this is for sure a 2.5 read for me, but i can feel myself starting to get obsessed. like, these are so easy and so 1.) The Awakening ★★
ahhh, friends, this is for sure a 2.5 read for me, but i can feel myself starting to get obsessed. like, these are so easy and so fun to read. and these sisters for sure are putting something in the sauce to make you want to read more.
ruthless fae starts out right after the harrowing events in book one, except darcy and tory are out for revenge. and those two very different types of revenge really start the paths for what is happening in this book, while they are also still trying to survive zodiac academy. we also learn more about another magical world called the shadow realm. we learn about all the different types of connections, bonds, mates, and even adversaries there are in this world. and we learn a whole lot more about nymphs and what they have been, and currently still are, willing to do to take over the fae realm.
and this second book starting out with caleb’s pov? oh, i was not expecting. it’s so funny to me that the earth sign is the vampire who is actually the nicest lol. one thing about me, no matter how my reading tastes ebb and flow, i will absolutely devour a good love triangle. and the angst that is starting in this book? oh, i feel a god tier love triangle coming.
i will say that i really love darius a lot, and getting to visit the dragon household in his pov was really impactful. i don’t really have an opinion on max, he's just kind of blah. and i just really hate seth lol. like, i don’t know what these authors can do to make him redeemable. and obv i do really like caleb. but me picking a leo over a taurus in real life? oh, never. and lance is obv everything all on his own, no love triangle needed (again, seth, ew pls no).
i actually am really excited for the next book, but oh my gosh there better be a virgo finally!
trigger + content warnings: death, violence, fighting, drinking, alcoholism, fire, self harm to get blood for magic, parental abuse, weird teacher behavior (the tarot proff), student and professor romance (not the tarot proff), unhealthy power dynamics, depression, naked pictures taken and uploaded without consent, weird conversations that might be/feel homophobic and/or eugenics like (in regards to shapeshifting), magical compulsion, extreme bullying, invasion of privacy, talk of loss of loved ones in past, vomit, grief, assault (unwanted touching), racism (seth to diego), paparazzi, media lies/manipulation, and sexual content
“It struck me as I looked over the injury, the print at the deepest part turned blurry and smudged with fluid, that it was a hopeful thing, tending to your wounds, assuming you would be around to enjoy a time after they healed.”
don’t sleep with the dead is a companion novel to the chosen and the beautiful , which is a reimagining of the great gatsby, yet in this story we follow nick carraway and his journey of coming to new york in 1922, where he is a columnist for a local paper. this book actually opens up with him in an alley, with a bunch of other queer people, while they are being held and harassed by police. but nick is able to escape thanks to a fire and maybe also thanks to jay gatsby, too. but that simply cannot be, can it?
this is a story about magic, both with paper and with life. this is a story about creating, and destroying, and how those things can sometimes feel just like one another. this is a story about choosing yourself, and the ones you love, for better or for worse, and continuing to choose over and over. i really adored this, the writing is beyond words beautiful, and i think i will always just be a sucker for a story with a deal with a devil.
trigger + content warnings: talk of war (wwii), talk of death, police brutality (targeted at queer folk), homophobia (negative light), fire, insomnia, blood, gore, vomit, hurting a wound more / self harm, one sentence mention of a pandemic, assault / physical abuse, abuse of power, talk of rape, talk of death of pregnant person, a lot of talk of suicide, and sexual content