Currently enjoying: Horns by Joe Hill. This book. This has such a unique premise. I would never want anyone to tell me all their truths and innermost thoughts. That would be scary and uncomfortable as hell. But it’s useful when you’re looking for a murderer.
Is it just me or is 2018 going by quickly? I had 3 books I wanted to read for April’s challenge but only managed to finish one Did you like the book(s) you picked?
This month, our genres are:
Matron Lit I was so intrigued by this genre when I first heard of it and I just knew we had to try it for one of our challenges. Books in this genre typically focus on female protagonists between their late 30s to mid 60s. I don’t know about you, but I think these books could be pretty awesome. When was the last time you read a book with a protagonist in this age group?
Matron lit is a very underrated genre, so finding lists and recommendations for this was quite challenging. It’s also sometimes referred to as hen lit (as opposed to chick lit ) or hag lit (rude!) and I’m really looking forward to seeing the books that will be read for this.
Here’s a list I found if you’re looking for ideas: Popular Hen Lit Books on Goodreads. I know it’s not much, but hopefully some of us have read a book that falls under this genre and can recommend it to others!
Flintlock Fantasy I know what you’re thinking. From Matron Lit to this? Yes, my randomness amazes me too. This genre is one I’ve wanted to feature for a looooong time so this month is as good an excuse as any. The term ‘flintlock’ comes from the fact that it’s the typical level of firearms technology the setting has reached. Authors who are well known in this genre include Brian McClellan, Django Wexler, and Brent Weeks. Here’s a handy list of books from Goodreads.
I would love to hear what you’re planning to read for this challenge! I don’t have one for Matron Lit yet but I’m going to tackle the first book in Brian McClellan’s Powder Mage Trilogy for my Flintlock fantasy pick.
We all know those tired clichés. It’s time to kill them. Take one of them and turn them on their heads or at least these will hopefully keep the errors out of your writing. If you think of any other way to change them up go right ahead. Happy hunting!
I shook my head, trying to clear the image. It was my imagination. There were fairy tales. Humans were not real.
just looked through about 700 werewolf books, good grief.
most seem to fall into two categories:
werewolf serial killer mysteries
domineering alpha romances
neither is really what I’m interested in.
here is what I’d want from the werewolf novel of my wildest dreams:
good relationships, especially friendships between packmates (lone wolves are boring)
werewolves who like being werewolves. (angsty wolves are boring)
the practical details of werewolfery: who’s got the bail money for animal control, whether anyone’s microchipped, what you pack in a bag for a night out werewolfing
the uses of werewolfery: hiring yourselves out as trackers or canine rescue, getting certified as service dogs, spending your free time at the library letting little kids read to a friendly doggie
female werewolves, and no weird gross hypermasculine alpha stuff going on in werewolf culture
queer werewolves, and no weird gross heteronormative ‘laws of nature’ stuff going on in werewolf culture
dog jokes.
The standard urban fantasy female protagonist dating a werewolf who is not an alpha. Bonus points for it being a cute beta werewolfess who thinks her girlfriend’s perpetual posturing as the ‘baddest bitch on the block’™ is the most adorable thing ever. Extra bonus points for fuzzy baby werewolves and adopted babies. (Because actual wolf packs? Exist to raise children. They’re family units, focused around rearing cubs.)
okay this is one of the cutest reblogs I’ve gotten.
imagine it
werewolves just going YES FAMILY GOOD and adopting everyone and making sure they get attention and food and understand that it’s fine to be who you are and that you’re not alone, you’re pack now
and the kids that can’t turn into wolves get to ride on the dogsleds to make sure they’re not left out during the full moon family bonding time (… you have to be an adult to pull a dogsled. mistakes have been made.)
werewolves on the PTA. werewolf den mothers. werewolf little league coaches. werewolves filling the bleachers and auditioriums and dance halls and galleries, cheering for their kids. werewolves helping kids with their homework, werewolves sewing costumes for the school play, werewolves showing kids how to change a tire
werewolves with battered kitchen tables with chewed legs. werewolves with huge family dinners. werewolves ferrying pies and casseroles and fresh baked bread back and forth between family members’ houses. werewolf extended families. massive werewolf packs that are technically only about 25% werewolf but still definitely packs
puppy teeth being left for the tooth fairy. fangs being left for the tooth fairy. cuttlebones being left for the tooth fairy. stolen teeth being left for the tooth fairy. werewolves with giant families full of kids with different needs and species.
werewolves adopting everyone. werewolves fostering everyone. werewolves who wind up with dozens of kids, all of whom are family and therefore pack.
WEREWOLVES BASED ON ACTUAL WOLF PACK BEHAVIOR INSTEAD OF BULLSHIT DOMINANCE THEORY! All the werewolf fiction I’ve read involves everything falling to shit due to infighting over who gets to be alpha like WAY TO ILLUSTRATE EXACTLY WHY THIS IDEA DOESN’T WORK. You really think wolves would be successful hunters if they were constantly getting injured and wasting energy fighting each other?!
The whole idea of “alpha” dynamics is based entirely on the behaviour of wolves in captivity! If you so much as google “wolves in captivity alpha”, you’ll get a bunch of results about why it’s not representative of actual wolf behaviour.
As it turns out, if you capture, restrain, and shove together wolves from unrelated packs, they will fight and form a hierarchy of power.
Kind of like prison. Because, functionally, the exact premise of that kind of captivity is kind of like prison.
Wolves are social animals, and they interact in the wild pretty much the same way other family-centric social animals do.
Hey, you know what another family-centric social animal we’re all familiar with is?People. Just, you know, take away the oppressive idea that one parent is the definitive and unchallengeable head of the household that most of us have lived under for so long first.
Wolves are apparently group problem-solvers, and presumably, in large packs, you’re going to get squabbling and older pack members mitigating it, just like that one patient aunt or uncle or grandparent or close family friend who is essentially a relative often does in big families.
There’s a very legitimate basis for writing werewolves as friendly, community-minded folks. If your werewolves view their human neighbours as other packs not in competition with themselves, they’re likely going to be those people that the entire neighbourhood views as very nice, but “a little overwhelming.” (And maybe a little too indulgent with their kids, according to the neighbourhood snobs.)
Your gigantic werewolf family is probably going to be a litle less threatening and overtly secretive and a little more “we’re having a barbeque, when can we expect you??? you didn’t come last week, were you sick??? we were all worried- do you not eat meat?? oh, okay, I’ll have Sophie and Thaddeus pick up some Halal burgers and we’ll scrub off the second barbeque for them and some vegetable skewers, too, does that sound good?? so when can we expect you????”
(Also: werewolves taking in queer kids and mentally ill kids and kids from broken homes even though they’re mundane because they can’t comprehend how someone could not want them. Werewolves taking in street kids.)
#…a pack of werewolves living in a huge house together like one of those huge families people sort of smile incredulously at#multiple generations#a pack occupying a trailer park because it’s near the woods and there’s a certain amount of security in having a mobile home#packs being viewed by mundanes as those eccentric families that fill the school gymnasium every time there’s an event with one of their kids#packs migrating to accomodate new packmates and encountering other packs#packs fusing to form entire communities#wolves taking in mundane street kids#werewolves#writing#urban fantasy
*SLAMS FIST ON TABLE* NOW THIS IS THE KIND OF CONTENT I WANT TO SEE
The darkness has no teeth or claws, it is a formless thing, much abused by stars and persecuted by fire, aided only by time, which has no eyes to despise it.
I was all set to do my obligatory October Lovecraft post for my second official book recommendation, when I saw this collection of short stories somewhat bashfully promoted by the author on /r/fantasy this morning. I liked the title and thought the cover was pretty cool and it was free, so I downloaded it expecting to read through like ten pages and then ignore it like practically everything else that I find promoted on reddit.
Instead, I was totally engulfed and blitzed through the entire thing in one four hour sitting. It’s hard to describe these stories. It basically feels like Hans Christian Anderson, H.P. Lovecraft, and the Elder Scrolls writing team got together to pen a bunch of dark fairytales. It’s definitely high fantasy in the sense that it’s one contiguous universe, but the stories leap around in time and location to provide a kaleidoscopic view of a gruesomely beautiful world. It’s not exactly horror, but most of the stories are pretty dark (I guess the subtitle calls them “grim tales”).
One of the most rewarding things about running this blog is promoting the work of new artists that I’m excited about. This little book is smart, intricate, beautifully written, and definitely worth a read. Highly recommended.
*As always, I receive no ad compensation or affiliate sales for anything posted on this blog. All works and citations are the property of their respective artists/publishers.
Here’s the promised second part of my book recommendations! This time we have mostly fantasy books! I’ve included a short summary for each book, along with what I liked most and who I think would enjoy a book the most, and of course which kind of representation there is, though I’ve probably forgotten some. And this time there are even covers, because they are gorgeous :) The books are in no particular order. Some of the authors have tumblrs, I’ve added those I know of as well in case you want to follow them. That said, have fun reading!
This is a cute fantasy heist/detective book about a thief, Claire, (who is also the baker Claude by day) and a detective, Adèle having to work together to find and save the city’s magical people who are used as a power source by a scrupulous company. Friendship and found family are important themes in this book, and it has a French-inspired setting which I found refreshing! Read this if you like baking puns and want to read a queerplatonic spin on the enemies-to-lovers trope!
Rep: Claire is allo aro and genderfluid, Adèle biromantic demisexual. Claire is also fat, and it’s treated respectfully and positively. Other rep includes non-English neopronouns, disabled characters and a queerplatonic relationship!
Not Your Sidekick (Sidekick Squad) by C.B. Lee ( @authorcblee) (YA fantasy)
This is the first book in a YA series about a group of teens living in a (somewhat dystopian) town where superheroes are a part of daily life. This one is mainly about Jess, the daughter of two superheroes, who accidentally starts an internship at her parents’ nemesis company- though she also gets to work with her crush, Abby, there. And she soon discovers that there is more to the superhero and supervillain system than she thought. The following books are also really good! Read this if you like teenage superheros having adventures!
Rep: Jess is bi, Vietnamese and Chinese, and her friends include a Black trans boy and a latina a-spec girl. They are the main characters of the following books.
This book takes place in the city of Parole, whose inhabitants have a wide variety of superpowers. It is cut off from the outside world, burning and falling apart, and also under constant surveillance. I don’t usually like books with dystopian/grim settings, so I put off reading this for a long time, even though I heard a lot of praise for it. But despite the setting it’s actually really hopeful and uplifting. The plot centers around how the characters are resisting, not giving up and most importantly sticking together. They are all super interesting, diverse and often very relatable. Read this if you want to read a really well written, character focused book!
There’s a second book set around a group of characters outside Parole (but with connections to the characters in book one) where we learn more about what’s going on in the rest of the world. There’s also a bunch of short stories!
Also: All books by RoAnna Sylver are currently (June 2021) free on their itch.io!
Rep: Lots! Polyamory and QPRs, ace, aro, sapphic, gay, bi, transfem, transmasc and nonbinary characters, and also several disabled characters. Notably, one of the MCs has anxiety and panic attacks and it’s incredibly realistically written.
Stake Sauce Arc 1: The Secret Ingredient Is Love. No, Really by RoAnna Sylver (Urban fantasy)
This is a paranormal fantasy- we follow a group of former firefighters who try to live their life five years after a traumatic work accident killed one of their friends/one character’s fiancé and nearly killed and left one of them, Jude, disabled. But Jude is convinced that it wasn’t just an unlucky accident, he knows he saw a vampire attack and kill their friend. And he is determined to never let anything like that happen again, and tries to be a vampire hunter. Tries, because he still hasn’t found any vampires. But things get complicated when he meets Pixie- a young, cute vampire who doesn’t want to bite anyone and is nothing like the monsters Jude is hunting. I love this book, and the second one a lot! The way the characters deal with grief and trauma, how they can strain relationships even with people who are very close is written very sensitive and realistic while still being optimistically written. Read this if you want friendship and found family as major themes!
There’s also a second book and a short story collection which is usually patreon-exclusive but is currently free on itch.io!
Rep: Jude is an autistic, grey aroace trans man, has PTSD and is an amputee. various flavours of queer (nonbinary, wlw, mlm, some polyamory, a-spec) and neurodivergent.
The Black Tides of Heaven (Tensorate) by J.Y. Yang (Fantasy)
This is a Asian-inspired Fantasy revolving around Akeha and Mokoya, the twin children of the Protector, the ruler of their country and their struggle to find and keep their agency while their mother wants to use them in her political schemes- especially Mokoya, who has prophetic powers. The worldbuilding here is fantastic, though most things are only hinted at and not described extensively (it’s a fairly short book). Gender identity is one important topic- children in this world don’t have a gender assigned at birth but get to choose their gender when they grow up, something Akeha struggles with a lot. Other important themes are familial relationships, especially between siblings and different ways of rebellion against an absolutist ruler. Read this if you like magical siblings!
Book one of the Tensorate series follows mostly Akeha, while book two follows Mokoya. Books three and four follow other characters and have an unusual writing style, being written as a journal and an extended monologue respectively.
Rep: All children are presumed nonbinary, and choosing a gender that doesn’t fit your birth sex and transitioning are treated as completely normal, so while there are characters that would be trans in our world, it’s qiite different in this world. There are all kinds of queer relationships, including some polyamory!
The Queen of Cups by Ren Basel ( @renniequeer) (Fantasy)
This is a short fantasy novellette about Theo, a young captain who goes to the mysterious Oracle, an ageless woman living on the beach, to have their fortune told and to get a blessing for their ship before their first voyage and the adventure of this first voyage. The story is short enough that writing more about the plot would spoil too much, so I’ll leave it at that. Even though it’s really short, this story has interesting worldbuilding and is beautifully written. Read this if you want a heartwarming and exciting little story!
Rep: Theo is nonbinary and autistic (with synesthesia!) and is in a QPR with a trans woman. There are lots of queer minor characters.
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie ( @annleckie) (Fantasy)
This book follows two storylines- the first one is about a troubled kingdom whose patron god is weakening as the throne has been taken by an usurper. Eolo, a young trans man is trying to help the true ruler reclaim his kingdom and discovers an important secret. This storyline has lots of political intrigue, drama and suspense. The second storyline begins in the far past, and recounts the life of an ancient rock deity who is also the narrator. This storyline deals more with concepts, like religion and mythology, language and imagination, with some very interesting ideas. I liked how the gods aren’t just superpowered humans, but powerful, truly inhuman beings (there’s a god who is a swarm of mosquitos!). Read this if you like nonhuman narrators and lots of flashbacks!
Rep: Eolo is a trans man, and I think most characters are POC.
The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg (Fantasy)
This fantasy novella is set in the Birdverse and centers around two trans elders- Uiziya, a trans woman who transitioned years ago and has always been accepted by her people, and a nameless trans man who only transitioned very recently and struggles a lot with the rigid gender roles of his people. Together they go on a journey to seek out Uiziya’s aunt, so she can teach Uiziya how to weave from death, something Uiziya has waited for for decades. The language here is very lyrical and evocative, and the story is mystical and deep. And while it is quite dark at times, overall it’s still a hopeful book. The desert setting is also really cool! I especially loved the perspective of the nameless man, who could finally transition and now struggles both with the people who still see him as a woman, and the people who accept him but expect him to now fit in with the other men- which he doesn’t. I think this perspective is something that’s sorely lacking in most other books with trans narratives. Read this if you want interesting magic with older trans people!
There are also a bunch of short stories in the Birdverse, so check them out if you want to read something shorter by the same author!
Rep: Uiziya is also fat and dark skinned, there’s also some polyamory, sapphic characters and a nonbinary autistic child.
Lifelode by Jo Walton (Fantasy)
Lifelode is a pastoral fantasy, set in a small village where polyamory is the norm (families are usually two women and two men and all their children). The central story is mostly about the daily life of one family, while the larger plot is only in the background. This book also has really interesting worldbuilding- time passes differently in different places, and one character can see people’s past and future. The beginning of the book can be a bit difficult to understand because of this but it’s really worth it to stick with it! Read this if you like cottage core and polyamory!
Rep: Polyamory, and one minor f/f relationship.
The Trans Space Octopus Congregation by Bogi Takács (Fantasy/Sci-Fi)
This is a short story collection, and the title accurately shows how weird and queer these stories are. They have widely varying topics, both fantasy and science fiction- sentient octopuses, resistance against alien invasion, a failing memory archive… Frequent themes are nonsexual kink, Jewish faith, community, disability and, well, all forms of queerness. Read this if you want unconventional queer short stories!
If you enjoy weird queer poetry, Bogi has also published a collection of eir poems, called Algorithmic Shapshifting
Rep: too much to list, but nonbinary and Jewish people the most.
I received this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. thank you Publisher!
3 out of 5 stars
The moment I saw this cover and read the synopsis all I could think about was reading this book. Definitely one of my more anticipated reads of 2019.
Overall the book was cute and enjoyable but nothing special. I had some issues, particularly the use of the French language and other various cultural aspects taken from France without the book actually taking place in France, or really the real world at all. It was quite obviously a book about a fictional world but using everything non-fictional about our world instead.
One particular line in the book compared an event to “Moses parting the Red Sea”. Again, this comes back to the author taking aspects from our already existing world and including it in a fantasy book where you wouldn’t really expect Moses or his religious backstory to appear or exist at all. I felt like the author chose to use French and Catholicism because she wasn’t creative enough to come up with her own language and religion. I have reads books by authors who were able to do both flawlessly while using our existing world as a starting point and as inspiration.
It’s a shame that the book didn’t quite live up to my expectations but I can definitely see this story appealing to the young adult audience it is geared to. There is a somewhat steamy sex scene which you normally wouldn’t see in a young adult book and truthfully was the only time during the entire book that I felt that I wasn’t meant to be a 13 year old girl reading this book.
The romance was cute but rushed, and the characters weren’t as well fleshed out as I would have liked. I feel like this would have been a spectacular book had it truly been taken into the adult reader category and the dialogue was made to reflect that. Having modern day slang and curse words in a world closely related to 1700’s France just did not fit for me.
It’s 2xweek (at this time, normally 3xweek) and already 33 chapters in! It’s a fairy tale fantasy webcomic about Namesakes - people who can travel to other worlds thanks to a power that chooses it’s recipients by their name. There’s rules - Alices go to Wonderland, Wendies to Neverland, and so on, and so forth. Emma discovers she is a Namesake when she travels to Oz, which is a surprise to everyone since she is not a Dorothy. She eventually discovers she is a Skeleton Key, a namesake that can travel anywhere and forge vorpal, and is tied to the well-being of the universe. Along with her sister, a writer who can alter reality, and her friends, she goes on a quest to fight giant eldritch bugs and find the power of the muses who created the universe.
You know those books that are so good, you actually have to stop yourself from reading them bc then it’d be over too quickly? That’s how I felt about Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons, so naturally I had to draw some (somewhat worse for the wear) Kihrin…
About three years ago, I made this drawing of Lenare from Michael J Sullivan’s Riyria Revelations, and something in me just had to update it! I haven’t read those books about since I made that drawing so maybe its time for a reread soon… but this remains one of my favorite scenes.
convincing you to read kingdom of the wicked because the sequel comes out in 10 days!
this post won’ t contain any major spoilers, but a few slips might happen-
Let’s start out with the premise :)
It’s basically a historical fiction- a murder mystery, based in the 1800s in Italy. BUT IT’S NOT JUST ANY OTHER MURDER MYSTERY, it has witches and super hot demons and not so hot hunters and- and chefs<3 AND POSSIBLY THE BEST FANTASY ENEMIES TO LOVERS I’VE SEEN IN A WHILE.
I cannot begin to explain how beautiful the entire ambience of this book is,,, the town in Italy is a very warm, cozy, and welcoming place. So that makes the whole murder situation even eerier and more intriguing. This isn’t one of those mysteries where you can guess from the start who it’s gonna be, and the murder part isn’t that IN YOUR FACE. It’s delicately woven throughout the rest of the plot. There’s a lot of chilling stuff going on, everyone has secrets and everyone is super sexy and scary- all in all this makes for the perfect autumnal read :)
PLOT!!
We start out with two twin witches who’s family owns a restaurant (i mean those lucky bitches get to COOK AND BAKE AND DO WITCHCRAFT ALL DAY LIKE- *dream life*)
Emilia and Vittoria dicarlo- one of them is super outgoing and loud and EDGY- she isn’t like other girls!! she has secret affairs and gets in trouble all the time,,, the other is kind of chill and reserved and loving.
BUT THEN SOMETHING LIFE CHANGING HAPPENS- one of them makes a mistake and ends up six feet under.
Now, witchcraft is like super illegal because women with gifts and knowledge are a threat to society!! Witches have been ending up dead in many towns across Italy and since witchcraft is super hush hush, our protagonist can’t exactly ask the police for help. So she does one better- SHE ASKS THE FUCKING PRINCE OF HELL- wrath. Go big or go home honey :)))
The magic system in this book is really interesting because it’s quite realistic- they use herbs and blessed candles and chalk and really aesthetically pleasing things. Some witches practice dark magic and go nuts because they have these visions which is so cool. The twins come from an ancient family of witches and their nonna is super badass and grumpy i love her.
The villains(seggsy antiheroes?) are the malvachi aka the princes of hell. Each prince has domain over one deadly sin(pride, envy, wrath etc). And they can like control those emotions which IS SO SICKK aaahhhh. Throughout the story, the main characters meets these princes and gets influenced by them but also learns new things to uncover the bigger mystery going on and they’re all very intriguing and sexy.(I’ve used the word sexy so many times like is that not reason enough to read it?)
The restaurant- I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS ARC. It just enhances the reading experience by adding these touches of how invested the characters are in their recipes and flavours which makes it so comforting and also hilarious because one moment someone is like “OMG NO LOOK A CORPSE aaahhh” and the next they’re like “hmmm i want your recipe for cannoli *puppy eyes*”
vibes you can expect- mysterious, spells, herbs, candles, witches, church, family love, demons, betrayal, forced alliance, grumpy + sunshine trope, revenge lotsss of revenge, angsty, comforting yet also somehow on the edge of your seat feeling, secrets and darkness, hidden agendas, AND LOTS OF ITALIAN CUISINE.
The romance<333
aka the reason I picked up this book. At this point the romantic interest could be like “aahh you’re ugly i hope you die” and then two seconds later be like “you’re the most beautiful thing in this world you are the sky and the sun and you could walk over me do you want something to eat? do you want a kitten or a blanket or a cup of tea??maybe we could bang and get married????” and you have the AUDACITY to call that enemies to lovers????
BUT THIS BOOK PORTRAYS that hate to forced alliance to secrets to betrayal to mistrust to slight understanding to maybe some hints of romance. The slowburn is just *chef’s kiss*
I ADORE how you can never tell what the love interest is gonna do and you’re like daddy??sorry-daddy?? sorry. NO DON"T MAKE ME HATE YOU…..da-
ALSO there’s a slight corruption arc because the main character is so driven by her rage and that for me is the cherry on top.
AT ONE POINT, THE DARK ANTIHERO kisses the protagonist to save her life(?) AND SAYS “LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO HATE ME FOR THIS” LIKE SIRRRR??
Quotes you might like-
“I feel your gaze on me when you think I’m not paying attention. You track the dagger every time I move. You need to know where it is.“ No ma'am he’s looking at you-
"Young women died. Life resumed. Such was the way of the world, at least according to men.” I didn’t come here to cry but okay-
“I couldn’t begin to understand why Wrath had said “my Emilia’s.” Honestly, I wasn’t sure if the demon even remembered my name since he only ever tossed around “witch.” EEEEEHHH THE POSSESSIVENESS TROPE
“You have something I want.” “If it’s my still-beating heart, I’m afraid I must decline.” “No, but I imagine you’ll end up giving that to my brother one day.” excuse me WHILE I GO SCREAM.
"My sister was the adventurous one—I was satisfied with safe, clean fun. Give me a steamy romance novel with forbidden love and impossible odds. That was the kind of adventure I could get behind.” same, literally same.
This book as Taytay songs because why not?
•Look what you made me do
•No body, no crime
•Treacherous
•Dancing with our hands tied
•Mad woman
•I did something bad
•Wildest dreams tv THISSS SO MUCH
•Delicate
•Haunted
•So it goes >>>>
Just before you go,, THE SEQUEL HAS THE “I DON’T WANNA KISS YOU UGHHH”// “LIAR” trope and also the “YOU SAID YOU DIDN’T GIVE AF ABOUT ME”// “I LIED.” trope
No but the shades of magic series is just Holland being “this is my boyfriend Kell and Kell’s girlfriend Delilah and her bestie Alucard who’s also Rhy’s boyfriend”
V.E Schwab writes such dynamic and complex characters that are so unforgettable. Like they have so much range and spice to them,, they’re just *chef’s kiss*
I often find myself thinking about the gay little family in Vicious and the nerdy little romantics in Addie Larue and the bisexual Slytherpuffs in Shades of Magic. I wish I could give Kell, Lila, Addie, Henry, Victor, Syd, Mitch, Eli and Rhy a little forehead kiss and protect them.
“Did your wish come true?” //“I am not entirely certain yet.”//“You shall have to let me know,” Celia says. “I hope it does. I suppose in a way, I made the Wishing Tree for you.”
“I made a wish on this tree years ago,” Marco says // “What did you wish for?” Bailey asks, hoping it is not too forward a question // “I wished for her,” he says.
The trope where a character has lots of scars and is given the opportunity to heal them but while the healer is doing their thing the character looks at a particular scar and goes “No, not this one.” because it reminds them of something they survived will ALWAYS, ALWAYS SERVE
Ayyo how are we all forgetting the women’s rights movement of 2021 when our feminist icon rhysand chose not to tell his very pregnant wife that the birth would 100% kill her
He pretty much went around battling misogyny with his mountain shaking roars y'all could never-
If I had a penny for every time a complex female character stabbed her own hand just to prove a point, I’d have two pennies which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.
Beta reading of the first Selah book is going well. I feel like the Goonies kid lifting up his shirt and getting rapid-fire pelted with bullets (bullets aren’t part of the gif, but I always thought they were by how the kid was moving).
It’s a good pain. My writing desperately needed this. And I’m getting to beta lots of cool stuff in exchange.
Now I’m gonna start looking for a social media coach because THIS is the part that really sucks.
I live in the UK, and it’s been raining every day this week. If you’re anything like me, you’ll enjoy these atmospheric books to read while you’re curled up in your warm bed, it’s dark outside, and the rain and wind are tapping against your window. (ig: @allie.writes)
Her sister has been taken, and the only boy she’s ever loved has disappeared. To get them back, she’ll have to use the magic she’s always feared.
[ID: The book Luminous sits on a white sheet with a lit candle in a candle holder and a fanned out book blurred in the background].
Title:Luminous
Author:Mara Rutherford
Published by: Harlequin Australia
Publication Date: 05/01/22
Australian RRP: $19.99
Genre:fantasy, young adult,
Pages:384
Format:Paperback
Rating:4/5
Synopsis:
Her sister has been taken, and the only boy she’s ever loved has disappeared. To get them back, she’ll have to use the magic she’s always feared.
Liora has shone from within ever since a star collided with her house when she was a child. Since that day, she has spent her life indoors, only venturing out on the brightest days when her magic can’t be detected. For discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power.
But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, and Darius discovers her, she’s not the one taken. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him to work under his watchful eye. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving Liora with no one to turn to.
To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.
Trigger Warnings: grief, death, animal death,
Review:
Luminous is a young adult fantasy story filled with magic, stars, shadows, love and family. From the first chapter, I found Liora’s story intriguing. Mara Rutherford’s writing was enchanting; the twists and turns of the story kept me reading until the end.
Luminous follows Liora a young witch who is in hiding and yet to learn the full extent of her powers. I loved finding out more about her magic and seeing it develop as the story progressed. The balance between light and dark magic in Luminous was interesting. At first, I wasn’t sure about the romance but as the story went on and I got to know the characters more, the love story felt more believable. I think what I liked the most about Luminous was seeing Liora’s self-confidence grow throughout the story.
Overall, Luminous was an enjoyable read. I recommend picking up a copy if you love fantasy stories about magic, love and family.
Thank you to Harlequin Australia for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Steel Dragon is owned by two women, an elf and a human, who run it perfectly. The tavern is visited by all kinds of adventurers, and is the main hub of interest and adventure in the whole area.
And Melkor made also a fortress and armoury not far from the north-western shores of the sea, to resist any assault that might come from Aman. That stronghold was commanded by Sauron, lieutenant of Melkor; and it was named Angband.
In seven hours the glory of each tree waxed to full and waned again to naught; and each awoke once more to life an hour before the other ceased to shine. Thus in Valinor twice every day there came a gentle hour of softer light.
“The weaver, the shaper of wood, and the worker in metals; and the tiller and husbandman also, though these last and all that deal with things that grow and bear fruit must look also to the spouse of Aulë, Yavanna Kementári.”
Christopher Tolkien, third son of J.R.R. Tolkien and editor of much of his posthumous work, including The Silmarillion, has died at age 95. Thank you for bringing your father’s vision to life through your work. Rest in peace.
“By the command of Morgoth the Orcs with great labour gathered all the bodies of those who had fallen in the great battle, and all their harness and weapons, and piled them in a great mound in the midst of Anfauglith; and it was like a hill that could be seen from afar. Haudh-en-Ndengin the Elves named it, the Hill of Slain, and Haudh-en-Nirnaeth, the Hill of Tears. But grass came there and grew again long and green upon that hill, alone in all the desert that Morgoth made; and no creature of Morgoth trod thereafter upon the earth beneath which the swords of the Eldar and the Edain crumbled into rust.”
“Therefore Húrin was brought before Morgoth, for Morgoth knew that he had the friendship of the King of Gondolin; but Húrin defied him, and mocked him. Then Morgoth cursed Húrin and Morwen and their offspring, and set a doom upon them of darkness and sorrow; and taking Húrin from prison he set him in a chair of stone upon a high place of Thangorodrim. There he was bound by the power of Morgoth, and Morgoth standing beside him cursed him again; and he said: ‘Sit now there; and look out upon the lands where evil and despair shall come upon those whom thou lovest. Thou hast dared to mock me, and to question the power of Melkor, Master of the fates of Arda. Therefore with my eyes thou shalt see, and with my ears thou shalt hear; and never shalt thou move from this place until all is fulfilled unto its bitter end.’”
