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Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
That was what Lethe and the societies demanded. Secrecy. Loyalty. Well, fuck them. In Hell Bent, the long-awaited sequel to the high-octane Ninth House, we are reunited with the danger-prone and dangerous Alex Stern. Still recovering from her several near-death experiences, and attempting to keep up with her coursework and maintain the facade of being…
3rd pov, 4 STARS, academia, Adult, adventure, alex stern, alex stern #2, ambiguous protagonist, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, autumn, California, campus, Contemporary, curses, dark academia, dark fantasy, DEATH, DEMONS, FANTASY, female authors, friendships, gay side characters, ghosts/spirits, gritty aesthetics, hell, Hell Bent, HORROR, it’s about the *aesthetics*, it’s about the *yearning*, Leigh Bardugo, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, morality, MURDER, MYSTERY, NEW ADULT, New Haven, Ninth House, occult, PARANORMAL, place as character, PRIVILEGE, published in 2023, quests, read in 2023, rich people, secret societies, secretiveness, she is dangerous, strong sense of place, SUSPENSE, terrific prose, trauma, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, URBAN FANTASY, VAMPIRES, violence, Yale -
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
“It seemed to me that in this confluence of cultures, we had acquired one another’s superstitions without necessarily any of their comforts.” A few years back I read and was positutely grossed out by Yangsze Choo’s The Night Tiger as I found its male love interest to be both a perv & bully. Thankfully, Yangsze…
1890s, 19TH CENTURY, 1st pov, Adult, adventure, afterlife, chinese myths, class, colonialism, dead boys, DEMONS, DRAGONS, drama, FANTASY, female authors, FOLKLORE, ghosts/spirits, girls hating girls, HISTORICAL FICTION, love triangle, Malaysia, Malaysian author, myths, PARANORMAL, published in 2013, read in 2022, ROMANCE, spirit realm, SUPERNATURAL, The Ghost Bride, Yangsze Choo -
Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse
In this novella Rebecca Roanhorse once again shows off her world-building skills. I was intrigued from the very start by the genre-defying world Roanhorse envisions in Tread of Angels. The story unfolds in Goetia, a town ruled by the mighty Order of the Archangels that is ‘segregated’ between the Elects and the Fallen. Celeste, our…
3.5 STARS, Adult, alternate history, amateur detective, AMERICAN AUTHOR, angels, casinos & gambling, dark fantasy, DEMONS, fantastic worldbuilding, FANTASY, female authors, gods, gritty aesthetics, indigenous author, it’s about the *aesthetics*, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+ side, MURDER, murder investigation, MYSTERY, Native American & First Nation authors, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, PARANORMAL, published in 2022, queer side characters, read in 2022, Rebecca Roanhorse, ROMANCE, SISTERS, STEAMPUNK, Tread of Angels, URBAN FANTASY, western -
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
And so my latest TRC re-read has come to an end. What an outstanding series. Truly. I cannot even begin to articulate how much this series means to me and how much I love it. In this finale, the stakes are higher than ever and a lot of things Stiefvater has hinted at in the…
3rd pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, academia, adventure, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, boarding/private school, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, class, cliques, coming of age, Contemporary, curses, dark academia, DEATH, DEMONS, dreamers, Dreams, fairytalesque prose, FANTASY, favourite authors, female authors, friendships, gay, ghosts/spirits, growing up, henrietta, it’s about the *yearning*, lgbtq+, loneliness, Longing, m/m, Maggie Stiefvater, MAGIC, MAGICAL REALISM, My reviews, nature, occult, PRIVILEGE, queer, reading, rich people, SMALL TOWN, tarots, terrific prose, the raven cycle, the raven king, virginia, YOUNG ADULT -
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
Although I am no longer an avid YA reader, I do like to now and again pick up a YA title, especially if, like in the case of Girl, Serpent, Thorn, it promises to be sapphic. While Melissa Bashardoust’s prose is readable enough, even if it does occasionally veer into purple territories, her story and…
1st pov, 2.5 STARS, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, curses, DEMONS, drama, f/f, FAIRY TALES, FANTASY, female authors, Girl Serpent Thorn, high fantasy, LGBTQ+ Author, love triangle, MAGIC, MELISSA BASHARDOUST, palace, persian inspired setting, published in 2020, read in 2021, RETELLINGS, ROMANCE, royals, sapphic, weak worldbuilding, YOUNG ADULT -
Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare
“So many secrets between them. So many lies.” That’s it. That’s the book. (i am only half joking) Actual review: Although Chain of Iron is one of Cassandra Clare’s least action/mystery driven books the drama between the various characters is sure to keep you turning pages. Chain of Iron picks up 4 months after its…
3rd pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, adventure, Alastair Carstairs, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ANGST, bi side characters, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, Cassandra Clare, Chain of Iron, Cordelia Carstairs, curses, DEMONS, drama, Edwardian era, england, f/f side, fake dating, FANTASY, favourite authors, female authors, friendships, gay side characters, ghosts/spirits, great storytelling, HISTORICAL FICTION, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+, LONDON, m/m side, MAGIC, monsters, PARANORMAL, published in 2021, queer, read in 2021, ROMANCE, serial killers, shadowhunters, siblings, The Last Hours, TLH, wedding drama, YOUNG ADULT -
The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction by Neil Gaiman
The Neil Gaiman Reader showcases Gaiman’s range as an author. Gaiman moves between genres and tones like no other. From funny fairy-talesque stories to more ambiguous narratives with dystopian or horror elements. While I have read most of his novels and a few of his novellas I hadn’t really ‘sunk’ my teeth in his short…
1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Adult, adventure, America, American Gods, angels, books about writers, British author, curses, DEMONS, DETECTIVE, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), dystopia, england, FAIRY TALES, FAIRYLAND, FANTASY, favourite authors, film industry, FOLKLORE, gods, great storytelling, HISTORICAL FICTION, HORROR, HUMOR, lgbtq+ side, m/m side, male authors, morality, myths, Neil Gaiman, PARANORMAL, published in 2020, RETELLINGS, SCI-FI, short stories, SPECULATIVE FICTION, story within a story, Storytelling, The Neil Gaiman Reader, The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction, URBAN FANTASY, what ifs -
The Dark Days Deceit by Alison Goodman
To say that I am incredibly disappointed by this final instalment would be pretty accurate.I enjoyed The Dark Days Club and I thought The Dark Days Pact was the perfect sequel. Goodman’s writing painstakingly depicted the Georgian era, its customs and language. Lady Helen, our main character, was both sensible and diplomatic, and…
1810s, 19TH CENTURY, 2.5 STARS, 3rd pov, ALISON GOODMAN, AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR, bath, DEMONS, england, FANTASY, FANTASY OF MANNERS, female authors, gay side characters, HISTORICAL FICTION, LADY HELEN, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, PARANORMAL, published in 2018, read in 2018, Regency era, ROMANCE, series that went downhill, STEAMPUNK, The Dark Days Deceit, YOUNG ADULT -
The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare & Wesley Chu — book review
“Romance was a lot of work.” The Red Scrolls of Magic is a fun throwback to Cassandra Clare’s TMI in which Magnus and Alec finally get the stage for themselves. After the Mortal War the couple takes a well-earned romantic getaway in Europe. Once in Paris however an ‘old friend’ of Magnus breaks some bad…
3rd pov, 4.25 stars, adventure, AMERICAN AUTHOR, balls, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, Cassandra Clare, co-authored, curses, DEMONS, FANTASY, female authors, FRANCE, gay, Italy, lgbtq+, light reads, m/m, MAGIC, male authors, PARANORMAL, Paris, queer, read in 2020, Rome, shadowhunters, Taiwanese American Author, The Eldest Curses, The Eldest Curses #1, The Red Scrolls of Magic, uplifting reads, URBAN FANTASY, Venice, WARLOCKS/WIZARDS, Wesley Chu, YOUNG ADULT -
Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare — book review
“We don’t always love people who deserve it.” To be honest, I thought I was over Cassandra Clare….and it turns out I was very wrong. There is something about the Shadowhunter world that I find interesting. And over the past ten years or so I have grown fond of it and the characters that inhabit…
1900s, 20th century, 3rd pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, action, adventure, Alastair Carstairs, AMERICAN AUTHOR, balls, bi side characters, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, Cassandra Clare, Chain of Gold, Cordelia Carstairs, curses, DEMONS, drama, Dreams, Edwardian era, england, female authors, gay side characters, ghosts/spirits, great storytelling, HISTORICAL FICTION, lgbtq+, LONDON, m/m side, MAGIC, monsters, PARANORMAL, published in 2020, queer, queer side characters, read in 2020, REVIEWS, ROMANCE, shadowhunters, siblings, The Last Hours, TLH, URBAN FANTASY, YOUNG ADULT
luce [is reading] 