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The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
โIt seemed to me that in this confluence of cultures, we had acquired one anotherโs superstitions without necessarily any of their comforts.โ A few years back I read and was positutely grossed out by Yangsze Chooโs 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 -
The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri
well, my expectations were destroyed so i guess i got what i wanted ๐คก The second book syndrome was strong in this one. If youโve read my review for The Jasmine Throne you know how much I loved that book (i think i described it as one of the best fantasy novels out there)โฆsadly I…
2 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, ANGST, battles, british indian author, court intrigue, DEATH, f/f, FANTASY, female authors, high fantasy, indian inspired setting, LESBIAN, lgbtq+, myths, political intrigue, published in 2022, queer, read in 2022, revenge, ROMANCE, royals, sapphic, siblings, TASHA SURI, temples, The Oleander Sword, war -
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is an engaging start to an action-driven fantasy series that is written in a winsome prose that is guaranteed to appeal to fans of Rick Riordan. Like Riordanโs books, Zhao combines an action-driven quest with a coming of age tale exploring the highs and lows of being a 12yr…
3.5 STARS, 3rd pov, action, adventure, asian american, battles, belonging, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, bullying, China, chinese canadian author, coming of age, Contemporary, FANTASY, gaming, history, HUMOR, identity, KIDS WITH POWERS, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, middle grade, middle school, Muslim rep, myths, near future/alternate reality, playful style, published in 2022, queer, quests, read in 2022, reading, social issues, technology, travel, URBAN FANTASY, Xiran Jay Zhao, Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor -
The Dragon’s Promise by Elizabeth Lim
why are all my most anticipated 2022 releases so disappointing ๐ญ Please, let there be no love triangle If youโve read my review for Six Crimson Cranes you know just how much I loved that book. While I was concerned that the sequel would include a wholly unnecessary love triangle angle, I wasnโt at all…
1st pov, 3 STARS, adventure, AMERICAN AUTHOR, bad guy is bad, BOOK REVIEWS, curses, DRAGONS, drama, Elizabeth Lim, FAIRY TALES, female authors, high fantasy, japanese inspired setting, love triangle, MAGIC, My reviews, myths, Not Like Other Girls, palace, published in 2022, read in 2022, reading, ROMANCE, royals, sea, Six Crimson Cranes, The Dragon's Promise, YOUNG ADULT -
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
The YA genre seems saturated by heroines who are (allegedly) neither beautiful nor intelligent but they are spunky and clumsy and bursting with goodness. Well, I have had my fill of these girls. Wholesome, vanilla, inoffensive, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a relatively enjoyable YA read that tone-wise will definitely appeal to…
1st pov, 3 STARS, adventure, Axie Oh, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, curses, FANTASY, female authors, ghosts/spirits, gods, HISTORICAL FICTION, korean american author, korean inspired setting, MAGIC, My reviews, myths, Not Like Other Girls, published in 2022, read in 2022, reading, RETELLINGS, ROMANCE, sea, spirit realm, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, weak worldbuilding, YOUNG ADULT -
The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #1 by Ram V.
A Neil Gaimanesque sort of comic (think Good Omens & Sandman) set in contemporary India and featuring Hindu gods. Death is fired from her job and takes up residence in the recently deceased body of Laila Starr. There is a prophecy of sorts involving a child who apparently is destined to make humans immortal. Once…
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Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
โMy stepmother had broken me. She’d cast me away from my brothers, my family, my home. Even from myself.โ First things first: that cover. I meanโฆ.words cannot describe how beautiful it is.Ever since watching early 2000s Barbie movies reading Juliet Marillier’s spellbinding books I’ve had a soft spot for retellings and I’m happy to say…
1st pov, 4 STARS, adventure, AMERICAN AUTHOR, arc, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, brothers, chinese inspired setting, curses, Elizabeth Lim, evil stepmother, FAIRY TALES, FANTASY, female authors, great storytelling, high fantasy, japanese inspired setting, MAGIC, My reviews, myths, netgalley, palace, published in 2021, read in 2021, reading, RETELLINGS, ROMANCE, royals, siblings, Six Crimson Cranes, the brothers who were turned into birds, YOUNG ADULT -
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
โDesire is the cause of all suffering. All Zhu had ever desired was to live. Now she felt the pure strength of that desire inside her, as inseparable as her breath or qi, and knew she would suffer from it. She couldnโt even begin to imagine the awful magnitude of the suffering that would be…
14th century, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, Adult, ALIENATION, anti-hero, Asian Australian author, battles, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, China, court intrigue, f/f, FANTASY, friendships, gender identity, ghosts/spirits, HISTORICAL FICTION, identity, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, loneliness, MAGIC, monasteries, mongolia, myths, netgalley, political intrigue, published in 2021, queer, read in 2021, RETELLINGS, revenge, sapphic, She Who Became the Sun, Shelley Parker-Chan, terrific prose, war -
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
โTrust me, her face said.That was the problem with making allies. At some point, inevitably, there came a moment when a decision had to be made: Could this one be trusted? Had their loyalty been won? Was their generosity a faรงade for a hidden knife?โ I more or less inhaled this 500+ page novel in…
3rd pov, 4.5 STARS, Adult, big books, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, british indian author, court intrigue, DEATH, f/f, fantastic worldbuilding, FANTASY, female authors, high fantasy, indian inspired setting, LESBIAN, lgbtq+, MAGIC, morality, myths, netgalley, political intrigue, published in 2021, queer, re-reads, read in 2021, read in 2022, revenge, royals, sapphic, siblings, TASHA SURI, temples, THE JASMINE THRONE, violence -
Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse
Usually, I don’t go back on DNFs (there’s plenty more books in the sea and all that) but I also get that sometimes my enjoyment of a book depends on me getting to read it at the ‘right time’. The reason why I’d DNFed Storm of Locusts after reading just a chapter or so was…
1st pov, 4.25 stars, action, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, apocalyptic, bi side characters, Black & Black heritage authors, FANTASY, female authors, FOLKLORE, found family, friendships, gods, indigenous, indigenous author, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, monsters, myths, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, PARANORMAL, post-apocalyptic, published in 2019, read in 2021, Rebecca Roanhorse, Religion, road trip, SPECULATIVE FICTION, Storm of Locusts, the sixth world, the sixth world series, URBAN FANTASY
luce [is reading] 