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
this is a thriller that is drawing a lot of inspiration from love island, because it stars a reality tv show being hosted inside a villa (aka a compouthis is a thriller that is drawing a lot of inspiration from love island, because it stars a reality tv show being hosted inside a villa (aka a compound) where ten women and ten men will do challenges, get prizes, and be forced to couple up to stay inside the safety of the villa. and i use the word “safety” because outside of the compound's walls, there is a dystopian mystery that has left the world as we know it in shambles. there are wars going on, climate change has accelerated past the point of any control, the healthcare system is even more in shambles, the housing crisis has reached new devastating levels, but capitalism is still thriving.
we follow lily, as she is waking up alongside the other nine women on day one, and we continue to watch her navigate this reality, while struggling with feeling embarrassment of her past. yet, we also see her willing to do almost anything to stay in the safety of this televised production, where you are able to win food, water, construction supplies, and a ton of luxury gifts. some of these prizes are from group tasks, but sometimes they are from individual challenges, and you cannot talk about them with your costars. you’re also not allowed to talk about other things from the outside, like your job, until there are only five people left in the compound. and that is also when the rules against violence towards your costars are lifted. but if you break the rules before that, there will be consequences after the initial warning.
okay, i think you probably get the idea and vibe of what is going on. it’s eerie and unsettling to read, but it also feels impossible to stop reading. i actually thought this was going to be a five star at the halfway mark, because of the themes of living in this consumerist world, where people just want more and more unapologetically, while the world is literally burning down around us. it really successfully executes the use of satire to show these broken systems, and how most people are just trying to live in this machine that just constantly takes and takes (>.< now i am going to be hearing hamilton while writing the rest of this review). unfortunately, the themes that started out so powerful, just started feeling a little redundant to me, and the story started to feel a little boring.
again, i really respected and enjoyed what was being said. it was very thought provoking and just so very unique as a story in general. i just think the mystery of what was going on outside the compound really had me too curious. and again, i know this is not the point of this story, but i was left disappointed when turning that last page, simply because i just wanted a little bit of answers. i didn’t need to know everything, but i just needed something more. my mind was creating monsters, executions, alien producers… like lol i am insane. But i still highly recommend this one, especially if you like love island.
oh, and lily is bi, and we also meet a few other queer cast members! (and i will admit to you here, that if this would have taken the sapphic route, whew, it would have at least been a four.) lastly, i just want to end this review by saying that, even through disappointment, i did enjoy the feeling at the very end of this, that we as humans do need connection, and community, and we can’t do all of this alone.
trigger + content warnings: talk of war, talk of colorism + racism, talk of body image + food, mention of student teacher relationship in past, drowning (forcing someone underwater for a min for a challenge), misogyny + sexism, starvation, dehydration, blood, death of animals for food (ducks), vomit, fire, physical abuse on page - involving a man being abusive to a women in the villa, talk of loss of family in past, sickness / illness, talk of stalking to past, talk of suicide, cheating, self harm (to attempt to get help), talk of shitty parents, abandonment, gore, violence
“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)
this is a really powerful and thought provoking classic that i have been meaning to read for a long while. the main character is from new york, but isthis is a really powerful and thought provoking classic that i have been meaning to read for a long while. the main character is from new york, but is currently living in paris during the 1950s, who soon meets a bartender from italy, named giovanni. We know something tragic happened, and he is no longer in paris, from the very start of the novel, but we quickly see how heartbreaking things do indeed turn.
this book has so many powerful elements, and it feels very claustrophobic to read, and i really think that is intended to keep remind the reader of this room and how boxed in one can feel within it. gender roles and stereotypes are talked about and reinforced at length within these pages. also, grief and loss and how those things can make feeling different even more isolating. this is for sure a story about shame and how life is simply too short to dislike who you are, and to attempt to hide parts from others and even yourself. and ultimately, how a lot of times it’s not going to be easy, but you deserve to choose love and to choose happiness. every single time you can.
james baldwin is just a very talented and beautiful writer. i really did close this book in awe of his craft, and i can’t wait to read more by him.
trigger + content warnings: mentions of loss of mother in past, grief, drinking and driving which lead to a car accident in the past, talk of drug use, drinking, cheating, talk of domestic abuse, misogyny + sexism, thoughts of suicide, talk of incarceration, talk of death penalty (to a loved one), talk of still birth in past
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)
okay, another long preface before i talk about this book, because i promise you that i went into this hoping i’d love it alongside so many readers! i okay, another long preface before i talk about this book, because i promise you that i went into this hoping i’d love it alongside so many readers! i love reading hyped books, especially ones that can evoke nostalgia for the books i grew up reading, and i extra love loving these stories alongside the book community. (example: fourth wing!) i also think that people are being extra weird with romantasy readers and reviewers in 2025, acting like it is somehow “lesser” reading, and i never want people to think that is something i believe - because i very much do not! and lastly, i truly went into this with the best expectations at heart, reading it alongside a few of my very best friends, hoping that we all would love it as much as so many other prereviewers had! But sadly, this really and truly is the worst book i’ve read all year.
also, one very quick side note: with all the white dystopian comparisons going around - the concept also reminded me of the gods below (the hollow covenant, #1) by andrea stewart! which i really loved last year and highly recommend if this story didn’t work for you, but you like the world and the set up!)
the very basic premise of silver elite is that this is a dystopian future of what i believe used to be earth, and many years ago a biotoxin killed most of the population, yet two different groups of people survived. the primes, who were just immune to the biotoxin. and then the modified, who were enhanced by the biotoxin and now have telepathic mind powers that very much differ in range and intensity. and our main character, wren, was given to a man to keep her safe when she was only five years old, because her parents could already tell that her powers were so strong, and because the primes want to control or kill all the modified people. also in this world, people who have these mind abilities normally show when they are using them by their veins appearing silver, but our main character is so powerful this doesn’t happen to her. therefore, after some very traumatic events, she is forced to leave her world of hiding and join a training center to maybe graduate and become a silver elite for the very empire who has ruined her life in every capacity.
the truth of my hating this book is that wren is too stupid to actually live. i understand she is twenty, i understand people are just attracted to other people sometimes without rhyme or reason, and i understand that humans are allowed to make mistakes. but the amount of mistakes she made… i mean, i am hard pressed to think of a good choice she made the entire book. from trusting the people you have known for your entire existence want you dead, and who constantly show you they want your people dead. to constantly flip flopping and ultimately betraying your own people because you have a romance with someone who isn’t “as bad” as the rest of the people who want your kind dead. to not communicating well with any side and having it hurt your “friends” constantly. wren is truly the most insufferable character i’ve read in years.
please use caution while reading this paragraph - i will be talking about a side character with spoilers for this book! also tw/cw for talk of sa in this paragraph! there are obviously a lot of things that i did not like about this book but the thing that just made me feel really disgusted was how the character tana was treated. to have your character who is described to have “dark skin” be raped and then sent to a labor camp with her father, while having us believe that this is the best outcome the mc can do for her best friend… is beyond words disgusting. and then to have it never really brought up again, and to have the mc still trusting people who are complacent in a system that allowed this to happen to her best friend? i just can’t. i’m not saying she won’t save her friend in later books (i think this is somehow going to be a six book series), i’m not saying this wasn’t described as horrific while happening (it for sure was), but it ultimately was the reason i hated wren and the reason this book received a one star from me.
more spoilers for wren being just the most insufferable! (but i am going to try to be a little vague!) her scar and doing what she did for no good reason other than insulting every person in her past that tried to keep her safe. her trusting that person at the academy with her, who we are constantly being told can’t keep a secret to themselves. her not telling anyone at the end who was with her and helping her - someone has to tell me what happens to them in book two lol.
who the author is is a big point of contention for people discussing this book, and i have nothing to add really. I don’t care who wrote this, and if i were them i would also stay anonymous. beyond my frustration with wren and being forced to read from her pov, this book is just not well written. The things that happen to progress what lack of plot we have are just outlandish. we get from point a to point b by just teleporting between the points lol. like, no build up whatsoever, just that this is what is happening now and we are forced to accept it. this book has potential in some aspects, like with the telepathy friend wren has had since she was five, but it is just so horribly and obviously done that my eyes were truly about to roll out of my head. and for the romance to have no chemistry? insanity.
this book also feels like is is being written for “both sides” like one side isn’t killing, enslaving, and doing human experimentation on the other. in the year 2025? yuck. also, weird discussion around mental health in this? in my opinion, the vilification of mental health in this? and actually using schizophrenia as cover up word? i don’t know who dani francis is, but apparently they weren’t given sensitivity readers.
okay okay, i have already given this book 500+ pages of my time, and now i have written way more than i intended to write here, but i just hated this. the only thing i liked about this story was the character kaine. ultimately, i believe if you are attempting to write a dystopian novel (at least one that i will enjoy) you need to take some responsibility and actively be discussing the oppression at hand and also the corrupt systems of violence who are perpetually enacting the injustice you are writing about. especially in 2025.
trigger + content warnings: loss of loved ones/family, grief, war, genocide, battle, violence, medical experimentation, slavery, labor camps, death, murder, torture, gun violence, forced invasion of ones mind with mind power, the use of the word cancer as a metaphor, one sentence mention of cancer in past, anxiety, predatory advances, forced suicide (mind powers), talk of insomnia, bombings, drugs, alcohol, vomit, sa / rape (not mc, not on page, but the right after the crime), weird conversations about mental health / schizophrenia and punishment (in a negative light, always, but is is still weird to read, imo)
“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
“I was trying t to get back to you with every breath, and all the while, you were falling in love with Draco Malfoy”
i don't rate or "review" fanfi
“I was trying t to get back to you with every breath, and all the while, you were falling in love with Draco Malfoy”
i don't rate or "review" fanfic, but i really liked reading this. and because i know you all want to know - it for sure is darker with content, yet lighter with enemies to lovers, than manacled. this does feel very similar in plot, but the thing i can't really wrap my mind around is why i liked hermione so much less in this, yet draco a little more, perhaps. maybe i just really do just like a good guy who is down so extremely bad! yet the end of this fic? eh, it just... it was all too much of everything but the romance. but yeah... i read this in anticipation for rose in chains and i can't wait to see how this is adapted without my cursed internet roots nostalgia ip that i carry very deeply in my heart, apparently. (that i am apparently also carrying alongside all the publishing houses in 2025!)
tldr - if you really liked the scene in acomaf with rhysand and feyre pretending at the court of nightmares? you will probably eat this up.
lastly - something i wasn't expecting was that this fic was being written/updated when the pandemic hit here in the states, so it did feel a little extra wild to read, just because i was not expecting that!
“Like all true stories, it was a mix of legends and facts, of myths imagined and deeds done, of the heart of darkness and the crown of light, of experiences borne and gaps filled, of things seen and visions that could only be authenticated by the mind's eye.”
this is the closest to a five star four star that you could ever imagine. this is literally so many of my friends’ favorite book of all time! so please do not let this four star rating make you think this isn’t a masterpiece in its own right, because it is, but i fear i did put a little too much hype into starting this and it did impact my reading. but that’s completely my own fault, and here is a little prequel to let you know that!
okay okay okay, this second book does feel a lot like a first book. we had some amazing building blocks of the history for this world and these families with the grace of kings , but in the wall of storms we really get to see the tale in the present day begin. we get to see the emperor, and the women he loved, but this time we get to see what they all have built and done over the years. he has four children, who are all so very different, and has yet to pick a ruler in waiting. but his children very quickly meet another young girl, zomi kidosu, who has truly stolen my heart in every way imaginable. so we follow all of these people, both old and new, and see how the gods are tangled up in their lives, much more than anyone realizes in the story.
this book is beautiful, this book is heartbreaking, and this book is very impressive. this story is so empowering in so many ways, yet also shows all the ways that humans are so very flawed, and can commit atrocities that feel unspeakable. i truly think ken liu is one of the greatest writers of our generation, and his writing is something that feels like magic, even when he’s not writing about gods. this series is a hard read, but a very powerful one, and i am honored that i get to read it.
trigger + content warnings: violence, gore, blood, war, colonization, dead animal (whale), self harm mention, self inflicted wound, sickness, missing parent, loss of parents, fire, slavery, sa / rape, drugging, mention of suicide in past, torture, murder, mass murder, death, grief, battle, talk of extreme torture / also involving children, vomit, talk of plague, cannibalism mention (this book gets pretty dark at times, please use caution)