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just_one_more_paige's reviews
1457 reviews

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I mean, queer romance and soccer...what's not to love? (Also, conveniently timed with what I can only call the "summer of soccer," what with the Euro Cup, Copa America and Olympics all happening in like, a two month span!)

Goodreads' blurb for this one is pretty solid, so I'm making it easy on myself and borrowing: "Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years, even though she’s only 26. But when she’s sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. Phoebe is everything Grace isn’t—a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become friends with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival. Phoebe Matthews has always admired Grace’s skill and was star struck to be training alongside her idol. But she quickly finds herself looking at Grace as more than a mere teammate. After one daring kiss, she’s hooked. Grace is everything she has been waiting to find. As the World Cup approaches, and Grace works her way back from injury, the women decide to find a way they can play together instead of vying for the same position. Except, when they are off the field, Grace is worried she’s catching feelings while Phoebe thinks they are dating. As the tension between them grows, will both players realize they care more about their relationship than making the roster?"

In the end, I enjoyed, but didn't love, this romance. I *loved* the soccer and the setup for the plot/relationship to occur within. It's mostly spelled out, in detail, in the blurb, so I won't re-explain it all. But for me, that was all solid and natural. And it leant itself really well to character development separately, exploring the pressure of being a young phenom who has grown up (and been naturally pushed into leadership roles/captain for their skill, even though their actual capacity/interest for the job isn’t there) in contrast with all the wide-eyed excitement of a new-to-this-stage player who is talented but also got there at a more "normal" pace. Grace and Phoebe were great foils for each other in that respect. I also thought there was fantastic adult neurodiversity rep, with both Grace and Phoebe starting to "figure it out" late in life, with different levels of help from each other in doing so. I felt deeply for them, as they began to recognize all the coping mechanisms that got them to the point(s) they were at for what they actually are, and began to look for and accept the need for a diagnosis and how it could help. It was tender, both in how it was written and in the space/acceptance they held for each other on that front.

Now, I know part of this is on me, as it's clearly a major enough plot point to be included in the blurb, but miscommunication is my least favorite romance trope. Like, it grates. Just, stop assuming shit and talk about it. (Note: I am aware that the neurodiversity aspects here make that particularly difficult, and I respect that IRL, but for my personal reading taste, I cringe.) The thing is, the blurb made it seem like the miscommunication was going to be funnier than it was. I kept waiting for the funny...and it never really hit. It was just an extreme amount of internal monologuing as our two MCs worked to justify each others actions/interpretations. Like, so much internal monologuing. This particular novel was very internally focused, and while a number of side characters/teammates were introduced and present, they were mostly tangential and surface-level (as far as development is concerned). I will say, to be fair, that when the miscommunication is cleared up at the end, with maturity/equanimity/humor (and taking their potential diagnoses at that point in the plot into account as well) I couldn't help it, I did laugh and appreciate a little bit of the humor at that one point.

A final note: the sex scenes. This novel was spicy. And, moving past the fact that the first sex scene is in a locker room (gross!), it was hotttttt. In fact, for a little while in the middle, that spiciness was about all this had going for it (in regards to the sapphic central relationship storyline). I wasn't sold on the actual chemistry - these characters seemed to be existing near/around each other and, outside of sex, never really with each other - though that did eventually take a turn to the believable by the end.

"You can't win a championship without gays on your team. It's pretty much never been done before, ever. That's science right there." (LOVE that opening quote from Rapinoe!)

“Phoebe’s voice has gone deep and scratchy, and if it were possible to touch a sound, Grace would rub her entire body against it.”

“Grace is always in her head, thinking too much, about the past and the future and any number of little anxieties, but Phoebe kisses her and she is suddenly present.”

“The corollary to you can be whatever you want is you don't have to be anything you don’t want.”

“It feels simple now, even if it was complicated getting here.”

Content Warnings

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

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challenging mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

This was a "read out loud together at night (and sometimes listen during road trips)" read for me and my partner. This follows in an illustrious list that included revisiting old favs like His Dark Materials, trying out new things like The Tensorate Series, attempting to see what we may have missed (we tried The Lightning Thief and learned that Percy Jackson was *not* for us) and experiencing together (we'd read most of it separately) the Grishaverse (to complement the, heartbreakingly cancelled too soon, Netflix adaptation). In fact, the success of that joint journey inspired us to give The Three-Body Problem a try, since it too was recently adapted by Netflix.

Per Goodreads, this novel is "Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion."

Now, this blurb does, in fact, describe what happens in this novel. It does. And yet...it was absolutely not at all what I expected, based on that blurb. Having read the translator's note at the end, it seems that the structural pieces that made this not what I anticipated might be due to different cultural story-telling styles. Which is an adjustment, of course, but fine overall. To me, it felt that the story was told in a very segmented way, with one group/situation/timeline/event introduced and (for the most part) fully developed and told, before jumping to another aspect all together. And while technically in the end everything got explained to some extent, some of the explanations were for interactions/events that had happened so long ago I had forgotten about them or they never felt fully integrated with the rest of the story. Also, this meant that some of the sections that were less interesting to me were a bit of a slog, since I had to fullllllly immerse before being able to leave them behind and immerse in the next part. Anyways, all that to say, nothing wrong with that, just an unfamiliar style and (since there were parts I was less into) I would have preferred them to be a bit more interspersed, developmentally.

Other than that, the biggest thing that made me not love this reading experience was how heavy the science was, in the scifi balance. Like, I tend to prefer my scifi more space opera, with the science in the background, or taken on faith, or just altogether already settled and in a new/not-familiar (i.e. not Earth) setting. I think the thing that most threw me about this sci-fi was how much (for how long) it was based on Earth/IRL. Now, there's very classic scifi that fits this mold., and it's absolutely high quality/legit scifi...it's just not my fav. Similarly, I actually am not a hard sciences person. So, when an intimate understanding of complex (to me, at least) scientific concepts, like multi-dimensions and the way atoms split and radio waves travel, is central to the greater story and events development...I struggle. This felt like a very esoteric level of scifi that I can see why lots of people love, but it's not my vibe.

Character-wise, and this could again be related to story-telling styles coming through in translation, or just the style of translation, but I felt like these characters were all just there... Very few of them were fully dimensional (the exception being who I considered the female MC, Ye Wenjie) and many actually felt more like caricatures than anything else. And the aliens. We eventually got to them. But I don't know...they felt unreal. Which, ok, I get that they technically aren't. But even within the story, their space on the pages and their development felt too distant/unclear to be genuine. And all of it bordered on a weird that was too much for me.

While the details were astounding and impressive, and the greater situation that Cixin created felt legitimate and tangible, there was enough unevenness in the story-telling, and an extreme esoteric-ness to the science, that kept me too far removed, and a bit too bogged down, to become as invested as I would have liked. This is wildly intelligent, creative, and the scope is superb, but it wasn't for me. I respect it, but I personally won't be reading the rest of the trilogy, nor will I be watching the show (I'll let my partner report back on the adaptation and see what he thinks instead).

"Is it possible that the relationship between humanity and evil is similar to the relationship between the ocean and an iceberg floating on its surface? Both the ocean and the iceberg are made of the same material. That the iceberg seems separate is on;y because it is in a different form. In reality, it is but a part of the vast ocean..."

“Theory is the foundation of application. Isn't discovering fundamental laws the biggest contribution to our time? [...] It's easy to make ideological mistakes in theory.”

“In the face of madness, rationality was powerless.”

“We don’t know what extraterrestrial civilization is like, but we know humanity.”

Content Warnings

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A couple times, Khaw's books have floated across my radar. I always feel like I'd like them, based on cover vibes, but then I'd read the blurbs and they all feel too horror-y and I get scared off. (I'm a huge scaredy-cat. Ask me about how many nights I couldn’t sleep after watching The Descent in high school...) Apparently, I was finally feeling big and brave, and decided to give this one a go.

In an apocalyptic(ish) world, a siren-like creature leaves the land she'd been bound to for years, after her daughters devoured the kingdom. As she sets out on a journey, leaving that destroyed place behind her forever, she meets a mysterious plague doctor. Their travels bring them to a dark, wintry forest village populated by children controlled by three Frankenstein-like "surgeons" who have set themselves up as gods. Together, they must use the darker parts of themselves to survive the encounter(s) there.

This is like, take horror and make it poetry. Or take poetry and make it horror. It has all the hallmarks of body horror - gore and bones and medical content (Frankenstein-style, as I mentioned in the blurb) and viscera and blood and cannibalism (eating others flesh at the very least). But it's communicated with writing that is lulling, mesmerizing. It's the lyrical academic exactness in the word choices, precise sentences and descriptions, everything purposeful, with esoteric levels of vocabulary, that creates a language-style reminiscent of This Is How You Lose the Time War. Phenomenal.

Under that phenomenal writing, the story itself is so horrible you can’t relax. But you also cannot look away. I'm not always into the pieced-together-sinister-science/medicine type of horror, but I did enjoy the conglomeration of the darker sides of all mermaid/selkie/siren mythology. And the creativity of bringing that together with plague doctor imagery and ambiance ended up working for me. And there was a dark, but creepily endearing, love story woven in that I wasn't sure about to start, but ended up finding quite compelling, in an unearthly sort of way.

There was a plot, but I thought that was the weakest part. This was mostly writing and vibes. And what a vibe! It was similar to Pan's Labyrinth (which I was super into, in high school), and sort of like the Jack and Jill storyline of McGuire's Wayward Children series (though considerably less whimsical, more disturbing and ominous).

That bonus story at the end, a gruesome re-vision and reclaiming of The Little Mermaid, looking at the sorrow within the fairy tale that is well-known, examining what, as with all fairy tales, is always conveniently left out. I was here for that.

One of the blurbs for this novella says reading Khaw is like “watching a nightmare ballet.” And I honestly can’t think of a better description. It’s gorgeous and terrifying. It's grotesque. In the best way. If that's what you're looking for, then give this short read a go.

“Myths are full of lies. This is not one of them. […] Names have so much power.”

“It is always interesting to see how often women are described as ravenous when it is the men who, without exception, tale without thought of compensation.

“Meat may be mulch, when left for long enough.”

“No myth can remain terrifying when you;ve seen it broken and beaten, rendered as toothless as an old crone.”

“But palatability is prized over accuracy. It is easier to market a nymph than a viperfish.”

“Man mistakes his own experiences as the canvas on which all truths are drawn. He is rarely correct in this respect.”

“That I want to die here, mired in the goal. That I want to race them to Death's carriage, exceeding their pace but only just, never going so far as to be unable to turn and corset their fingers in mine. That eternity is a worthless bauble without their conversation. That I would follow them into the demise of the universe where every heaven and hell is shuttered, and there is nothing of us but motings of wan light, and there is no bodily apparatus with which to express affection, no recourse save to glow weakly in worship until at last, such things are swallowed too by the dark. That I would love them even then. As long as a moiety of conscious thought persists, I will love them. I will love them to the death of days.” (damn what a sentiment!)

“How men fear things that can’t be quieted.”

“We are made of stardust. Or maybe, of primordial elements such as the ocean and the dark and the killing flame and love. Perhaps, my kind are conduits, our shape defined not by parentage but the things to which we'd yoked our beliefs. Perhaps, we are as any myths are: protean, impossible, exactly what we need to be.”

“Wordless, they unfold their arms, stretching them out to me. There is no hesitation. I plunge into their arms. And it is enough, it is more than enough.”

Content Warnings

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Y'all, when I saw the short blurb for this included magic and academic rivals and a f/f enemies-to-lovers romance and a murder mystery situation...I requested it *so* fast. What a combination! Thanks to NetGalley and Del Ray for the early copy (it publishes September 2024). I was hype hype to be approved and I had the best time reading it.

Lorelai is a sharp-tongued, quick thinking, prickly folklorist, who is holding on to a lot of guilt from childhood and is (reasonably) quite jaded after facing years of discrimination/ridicule. Sylvia is a positive-thinking, find the joy in life, sort of person; a naturalist and a long-time academic rival of Lorelai's. When their mentor, Ziegler, invites them both on an expedition to search for a mythic spring whose waters can grant untold power to a worthy person, by direction of the King of Brunnestadd (who is trying to stabilize his kingdom). With competing goals and personal agendas, the group sets out...and is immediately thrown into further chaos when Ziegler is murdered. In order to keep things together for the good of the mission, finding the spring, and identifying the murderer, Lorelai and Sylvia grudgingly agree to work together. Facing opposition both from within (other members of the expedition) and without (myriad magical creatures and mystical landscapes), the two uncover the truth about a number of secrets, including their carefully guarded feelings for each other.

Ok, I loved almost everything about this book. And I am going to focus mostly on that for this review. But there is one sticky thing that just wasn't quite right for me, so I want to say it, to be clear and fair about my feelings while reading, and then move past it and into the good stuff. The thing is... I know that Lorelai's character is supposed to be proud and independent and prickly and impatient, as her end of the "opposites attract" and "grumpy-sunshine" spectrum that she represents. I get that all of that personality was developed as a defense/protective mechanism, and it became who she is in a way she couldn't stop. I respect the authenticity in this, as how she’d probably actually be, after her life/experiences. I also understand that this novel is from Lorelai's perspective, in her narrative voice and with her internal monologue, so all that came through extra strong, as compared to any other character's POV or voice. All that to say: it's very great, realistic character development. And yettttttttt. By about a third of the way into the book, it was all to an extreme that was frustrating and I was quite ready for walls to start coming down. I mean, I am here for the slow burn, romance-wise, but this lack of ability to soften to anyone, at all, for any reason, was starting to get tiring to read. Like, Lorelai couldn't get out of her own way to an extent that it was not only affecting relationships, but also her own work and goals. It tried both my patience to an extreme that was getting frustrating and a bit un-fun to read; hopefully that gets tightened a bit between now and publication.

But fear not! Just when I was getting bogged down to the point that I thought I might be disappointed in the book as a whole, there was a definite shift! We got just the slightest of softenings, when Lorelai and Sylvia take on a small side-quest together. That focused time on the two together gave the reader a bit more of their relationship development, and some particular insight into Sylvia's internal and background story, which helped balance things out. I still feel, overall, that Sylvia was too easy a counterpart character (like, she had some depth, but it seemed chosen to too easily complement Lorelai and fit the narrative needs, and I would have liked a bit more...fight? nuance? idk exactly), but it was enough to win my general buy-in. (Side note: I do wish I could have some of the pure wonder in the world around her that Sylvia has.)

And then...this slow burn really hit its stride and the straining towards each other finally broke free and, phew, it was worth the wait. When they finally decided to give in to the pull between them, it hit. And it delivered on this love-and-hate-are-two-sides-of-the-same-coin romance set-up. Like, OH that ending! It left me cheesing so hard. These polar opposites, truly incorrigible in their own ways, are finally able to just be soft for each other (and enjoy the parts of each other that they'd labeled as disagreement, but were more lowkey jealousy), exactly as they are. And I cannot.

As for the rest... The real highlight(s) of this reading experience came from the ambiance and tone. It was darkly mystical, with threads of lighter magicality woven throughout. All the creatures mentioned (the wildeleute) and the folktales told/referenced, they are all based in or echoes of IRL folklore and I always love when books do that. Giving the familiar a new spin is the perfect mix of nostalgia/familiar and new discovery that makes for such a comfortable reading experience. This was a fairly isolated narrative, in that it focused entirely on this expedition and the members of the group, so the greater world-building was limited a bit. On the other hand, the history and entwining of these characters, how it's all slowly revealed as they search for the spring (and Lorelai and Sylvia work in the background to solve Ziegler's murder as well) and their individual motivations are all revealed, was really well paced. I was mesmerized by the story and the development of the plot and characters, moving forward with compelling interest, though never what might be considered a fast pace (heads up, if you're looking for something with more intensity). It has all the elements of great fantasy - a very cool magic system (water-based), competing loyalties and secret scheming and betrayals, supernatural creatures, an otherworldly vibe, a few action scenes (both magical and not), political machinations/maneuvering, a bit of mystery - but with a steady sort of delivery (though it never felt like it dragged).

I was really enchanted by this darkly whimsical, sapphic romantasy. It very much gets my recommendation. (If you're looking for more guidance, read if you liked: An Education in Malice, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue).

“Every plant, every human, every wildeleute, every drop of water, is a thread. Together, they make up the great tapestry of life. If even one stitch is pulled loose, the whole thing will unravel.”

“How would you like to be extraordinary?”

“Nothing he said surprised her, but bracing for the blow had never once stopped it from hurting.”

“Home. It was written in the sparkle in her eyes and the gentle smile tugging at the corner of her lips.”

“It’s unwise to take your eyes off a dying thing, you know […] Everything becomes more vicious and more beautiful in its final moments.”

“Far better to be disliked for who she truly was rather than what she represented.”

“Stories taught them nothing of how they actually were. They were like molten steel, ready to be molded into a weapon by one clever enough to wield them.”

“Back in the days when wishes still held power…” (the “once upon a time…” of this world – loved it)

“Power, even when given freely to the worthy, still came at too high a price.”

“Death happens. There’s nothing you have done to invite it and nothing you can do to banish it.”

“Now she felt like a soldier come home from war. Confused and purposeless, with a weapon to turn nowhere but inward.” (PHEW)

“You’re like something out of a nightmare. / And you, Lorelai thought despairingly, are resplendent.”

“Listening to her was like being led by the hand through a dark, enchanted wood.”

“One day […] you will grow tired of this thing you’ve made yourself into. One day, all there will be to content you is ghosts.”

“Just then, sunlight lanced through the dense canopy. […] It painted her in soft pastels and danced in her wild hair. She was a work of art.”

“You are everything I am not and everything I admire.”

“All of them were haunted women. Violence had broken and reforged them, and the sharp edges it left behind made them dangerous.”

Content Warnings

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Y'all this one was just everywhere and it was so popular and then Hulu decided to adapt it and honestly I was just curious and wanted to see what the fuss was about.

Behind on reviews and feeling lazy today...so here's the blurb from Goodreads: "In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves."

Alright, I can absolutely see why Hulu picked this up and turned around production so quickly - this book has all the elements of interest that keep viewers (and readers!) invested and on the edge of their seat. There was so much drama (family, community, historical, etc.) and secrets, and all of it was so intriguing (with lots of foreshadowing) and mysterious and communicated with well-paced and easy, compelling writing (helped in large part by the short chapters and lots of POVs sprinkled in).

Wilkerson also did a great job making everything feel...genuine. With this amount of drama, things could easily have gotten to a point where they were unbelievable and there was no emotional connection to the characters and their experiences/relationships. Somehow, Wilkerson avoided that, walking the tightrope of "this is too wild to be true" and "this could totally happen" very smoothly. And there was a lot to balance, as the complications, miscommunications, secrets and misinterpretations in this family ran deeeeeeep. As those got revealed and detailed and resolved (or not, as it were), the amount of character development was reallllly good. Like, I was expecting this to be more plot, because of the book club/Hulu show situation, but *damn* even all the tiny side characters got full stories here! Hats off.

Finally, Wilkerson managed to jam pack this book not just with plot and character development, but also with an impressive array of social commentary and contemporary cultural issues and "hot topics." Of these more intentional and deeper messages, earth conservation, racism (specifically the realities of life as a Black person in Europe/the US), and the diaspora/acculturation of food were at the forefront. There was also some really uplifting conversation about the traditions of a culture, and what a person/group is allowed or encouraged to pressure (be it jobs, sports, special interests, etc), and the leaders in pushing back against those norms. Similar to the number of secrets and storylines and characters Wilkerson balanced, I was impressed with how she was able to authentically include so many (seemingly) disparate issues. It all plays a part in the overall mastery in the writing of this novel: how well she portrayed complex lives/characters, in a way that mirrors how complex we are as real people, living real lives.

Black Cake weaves together history and present day and the breadth of the diaspora from movement both involuntary (slavery and the search for safety) and voluntary, and mixes it with the intimacies of family drama in a way that shows how we are all a product of that complex and interwoven story of humanity, in ways known/expected and unknown/unexpected. Just so well done, in all ways.

“What if knowing the truth were to hurt more than the longing?”

“Yeah, tradition has sometimes told us that only certain kinds of people should study certain subjects, or engage in certain sports, or play in an orchestra, or what have you, but tradition is about what people have or have not done; it's not about what they are capable of doing. And it's not about what they will be doing in the future.”

“Question yourself, yes, but don’t doubt yourself. There’s a difference.”

“…thinking of small but profound inheritances. Of how untold stories shape people’s lives, both when they are withheld and when they are revealed.”

“…nothing was more beautiful than a girl who was fearless.”

Content Warnings

Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This novel has made the long/short lists for a number of awards and has since won at least one of them that I know of (Women's Prize for Fiction). And in all cases, the recognition is *extremely* well-deserved. This was very much a masterpiece of literature and humanity.

Jaffna, Sri Lanka, 1981. Sashi wants to be a doctor, spending all her time and energy on working through school in pursuit of that goal. But over the decade that follows, as a civil war upends her world, this dream will take a circuitous route towards completion. Sashi watches (fighting all the while) as she loses each of her four brothers, in addition to her close friend K, to violence, the "movement," or in opposition to her own choices. She continues in her studies, with breaks for protests and other civil demonstrations, time watching over her friend K as he makes an impossible statement, working as a medic in a field hospital for the Tamil Tigers (the militant group that emerges as the leader in the fight against the state discrimination/violence against the Tamil minority), sheltering from bombs/fighting, and surviving a variety of other attacks, forced removal, "legal" impositions, and food/supply restrictions. Through it all, Sashi struggles to come to terms with the atrocities against herself, and her people, from all sides...when the Sri Lankan government allows you no rights, Tamil leaders murder/disappear any dissidents, and the peacekeepers do nothing but add to the level of violence against women/civilians, whose "side" can you justify taking? What options are there to protect/save your loved ones and everyone just trying to live their lives? When one of Sashi's professors invites her to join in a project documenting all the human rights violations, from all sources, Sashi makes the dangerous choice to join her.

This book was SO good. I *love* a book that shows how circumstances of consistent inequality create their own militant opposition ("terrorists"), but like human nature is to fight for yourself and who could truly say that desperation and tragedy wouldn’t push you to at least consider the same? (Answer: No one.) This is applicable, deeply unfortunately, across so many peoples and places historically to the present day. So it is always a lesson worth learning/re-visiting. (Read alike suggestion: Against the Loveless World.)

Ganeshananthan brings the Sri Lanka of the 1980s to life through Sashi's narration. This type of "present day narrator storytelling the past" style is not my favorite, but the way it's done here, with clear points/explanations being made about how ordinary people, when faced with impossible choices, do what they must to survive and make a space for themselves to do more than that (because don't we all deserve opportunity to prosper?), was well-used. Witnessing the endless loop of government detainments and rights-removal and dehumanization leading to the need for rebellion/Movement/nationalist parties, and the ease of recruitment as the government continues to discriminate and indiscriminately impose ‘rules,’ and opposition grows more desperate/stronger...it's a heartbreaking cycle. And it gets even worse, as the way spreading fear causes people to silence themselves…giving ever more power to the group causing that fear in the first place. And on top of all of those larger picture things, there's also the people themselves, the individuality of experiences under the universality of these circumstances. Seeing the way political opinion and loyalty is splitting families (in particular, in this case, Sashi's family), as they are all responding to the same horrors and violence and systemic discrimination around them - just in different ways because, as always, we are all different people - and that forced response is then causing further internal/familial fracturing and loss is all so tragic and unnecessary. Tangential to this aspect, I also really enjoyed the exploration of the confluence of feminism and revolution (the promises and false promises of it), in general and within the Tamil setting.

And even more than that, Sashi's own complex struggles stand out. Because those closest to her have made it clear that they are capable of doing terrible things in “support” of a belief or movement, while still doing the small, thoughtful things for family...what contradictory realities to have to compromise internally (and how doing that can tear a person apart and how it’s so much easier to not ask/pretend not to know). And because she wants to help people of course, she's studying to be a doctor, even if not all of those people have made "good" decisions...and how can you assign a loyalty to saving a life? It all builds, gorgeously across the development of the story and her character, to her choice to become a collector of stories, those of civilians, the regular people, the what is really happening and not the officially sanctioned version of any particular side, the stories that it hurts to listen to/witness (but that's what makes the work so important). It is a higher calling, a destiny, an effort that is precious and impossible. Which is why I said that this narrative voice, Sashi herself telling the reader how things got to where they ended up, is the perfect style, implemented exactly right. Sashi bears witness all throughout on her own, in her own life/actions, and later as a collector/writer for others to be able to do the same through her words.

I want to revisit the way Ganeshananthan explores the concept and label of terrorist. She leans into the complexities of what makes a "terrorist," who defines that and what conditions lead to a situation in which terrorism is created and flourishes, the way that the fight for beliefs/freedoms/rights can turn people into criminals and murderers just as horrible as those they claim to be fighting free of (while their original cause remains a legitimate one). She interrogates the concept that there is a level of "acceptable" human collateral damage for a cause or to justify an ends or a decision or a lack of intervention. She asks how often must this cycle of human loss repeat itself? She juxtaposes the choices of giving up family/study in order to fight for a future where you could be with them/do that work (though they may not be there or you may not have the knowledge then) versus staying the course with family/study (but how, if someone doesn’t fight for a future, will you ever be able to be or do that freely?). And she gives myriad examples of the potential interpretations and judgements and responses and disagreements people might have to these situations.

Throughout reading, I found it impossible to not think of how many other times this same story has played out. How often we pithily say 'never again,' yet do nothing when "again" keeps happening (especially in speaking to a top-down ‘power to actually do something’ hierarchy here - looking at the UN and major leading countries). How these exact, EXACT (like, I did more research after finshing the novel: it’s literally the same playbook of unanimously agreed upon genocide, but easier to look back and sigh and sorrow, than to fight in real time to change things apparently) things are playing out in front of the worlds' eyes as we speak with no evidence that we’ve learned from these past unimaginable tragedies at all. All that to say: free Palestine (and the Congo, and Sudan, and every other group experiencing these types of oppression).

I'd like to recognize, here at the end, a non-conflict highlight of this novel as well. Ganeshananthan not only brings to life the tragedy of the Sri Lankan civil war, but also the traditions and food religion(s) and peoples and educational system and uniquities of culture in Sri Lanka at large, and the Tamil minority specifically. Really, that part was lovely.

So yea, I had so many reactions while reading this, so many thoughts, and made so many notes. If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me through them all. This novel brought it, in exploring the impossibility and heartbreak of decisions that “regular” civilians must make in order to survive, their own opinions/beliefs notwithstanding. And it's an ode to bearing witness, the importance of that, even (especially?) when one has to choose to risk everything else to accomplish it. I literally could not recommend this book more highly.

“You have to see the world yourself - don't let others tell you what it looks like.”

“At least that is how I imagine it, as I have imagined so much violence in the years since I have inside it. Am I imagining or am I remembering? I no longer know.”

“Imagine the places you grew up, the places you studied, places that belonged to your people, burned. But I should stop pretending that I know you. Perhaps you do not have to imagine. Perhaps your library, too, went up in smoke.”

"You must understand: there is no single day on which a war begins. The conflict will collect around you gradually, the way carrion birds assemble around the vulnerable, until there are so many predators that the object of their hunger is not even visible. You will not even be able to see yourself in the gathering crowd of those who would kill you."

“How seamlessly we had moved into the space of censoring ourselves around those we loved the most.”

“The idea was that Sri Lankan Tamils were a nation with a homeland, and had a right to self-determination, and that every Tamil had the right to citizenship, along with other basic rights. But the government agreed with only the final part of that formulation.” (I mean no wonder everyone felt that fighting was the only solution left.)

“It won’t unhappen just because you don’t say it...” (damn)

“Evil is not limited by what you personally can imagine.”

“The thread of the past connecting us. Not the history of countries, but the history of home.”

“Before there was a movement, there were six children on a lane…”

“Have you ever been haunted by propaganda? It can be a kind of ghost.”

“Doctors resolve to relieve pain, but pain is information, and to lose it can mean losing something valuable. Pain draws a map. And if your body hurts, then your mind is occupied and cannot think too deeply about what has happened to you.”

“I want you to understand: this is not an excuse, or an explanation. It is a fact.” - what a description for how people act when forced or when there’s no other way or when desperation is all that’s left

“…I had such long practice in being the figure at the edge of the picture.”

“It’s good you are leaving [...] We should all leave. But oh, God, we belong to this place. How can we live anywhere else?”

“How many of us had felt that we had suffered alone at the hands of the militants or the state or the Indians? But we were not alone; as I had placed one story next to another [...] I could see how each small piece fit, until the whole war stretched out around us, its costs forrific and fathomable.”

“When the wrong person asks you to do the right thing, do you do it?”

Content Warnings

Ghost Season by Fatin Abbas

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emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

An early copy of this was sent to the library I work at and ended up in a "free to a good home" pile. To my good home it went. Haha. But in all seriousness, I am grateful, because I don't think I would ever have seen or heard of it otherwise.

In Ghost Season, according to the Goodreads blurb: "A mysterious burnt corpse appears one morning in Saraaya, a remote border town between northern and southern Sudan. For five strangers on an NGO compound, the discovery foreshadows trouble to come. South Sudanese translator William connects the corpse to the sudden disappearance of cook Layla, a northern nomad with whom he’s fallen in love. Meanwhile, Sudanese American filmmaker Dena struggles to connect to her unfamiliar homeland, and white midwestern aid worker Alex finds his plans thwarted by a changing climate and looming civil war. Dancing between the adults is Mustafa, a clever, endearing twelve-year-old, whose schemes to rise out of poverty set off cataclysmic events on the compound. Amid the paradoxes of identity, art, humanitarian aid, and a territory riven by conflict, William, Layla, Dena, Alex, and Mustafa must forge bonds stronger than blood or identity. Weaving a sweeping history of the breakup of Sudan into the lives of these captivating characters, Fatin Abbas explores the porous and perilous nature of borders—whether they be national, ethnic, or religious—and the profound consequences for those who cross them."

This was really interesting to pick up after reading River Spirit a few months ago, as a sort of continuation of Sudan's story, the progression of it as a country/countries from the very end of the 19th century to its more recent past, in the late 20th century. The setting, the border between North and South Sudan, and more specifically an NGO complex located there, allows Abbas to bring together this diverse cast of characters in ways that they'd never be able to overlap, under other circumstances. This variety of perspectives on the ways that expanding boundaries (going new places and meeting new people) can provide new opportunities and expanding ideas of what is possible, is a fantastic thematic message, particularly against the backdrop of devastating conflict based on insular/exclusive views. It was compelling, to watch the ways each of our characters provided that opportunity for growth for each other, and experienced it themselves, in turn.

Sort of along those lines, this look at the complications of traditions and landscape and language through the lens of mapmaking (when seasons cause the rivers to dry or move, when multiple groups - nomads, settlements/farms, authorities, religious sects, and more - squabble over boundaries, when locations have names in more than one language, when wars/climate/lifestyles cause impermanence to villages/markets) was unique and fascinating. It was the perfect vehicle with which to demonstrate the challenges and distinctiveness of the region, both for native peoples and outsiders. Abbas used it as a literary and educational tool in a way that was a completely new perspective for me, and spellbinding as such.

There was just enough of a plot to keep things moving, narratively. It was real and I was invested. And yet, it was simple enough that the characters themselves, their relationships and experiences and change, were allowed to hold down center stage. The plot never distracted me from the focus that was their development, but, as I said, it was very much enough to keep me turning pages. Abbas did a wonderful job with the setting as well. This area of Sudan, its people and traditions and contradictions and difficulties, really came to life through her words. And even against the reality of the terror that civil war and regional conflict bring, there are still moments of love and connection and joy that highlight the way regular life continues even under the most dire and horrifying of circumstances. It really felt authentic and well-rounded in its representation of real daily life.

The only thing I was not totally sold on was the way the burnt corpse from the beginning, mentioned in the blurb. It feels, to me, that the description makes it a much larger part of the plot than it actually was. Even as Abbas references it throughout the novel, as a symbolic "start" and a sort of "mental" connection amongst the characters, it never really blended with the rest of the narrative for me. It did allow for another stylistic choice of literarily bookending the story with dead bodies, which was heartbreaking and impactful. But I'm not sure it was necessary? It was fine, just not my favorite aspect/motif, out of everything else Abbas managed in these pages.

There's a small quote from the end of the Goodreads blurb that I want to revisit here: "...Abbas explores the porous and perilous nature of borders—whether they be national, ethnic, or religious—and the profound consequences for those who cross them." That really sums up, for me, the heart of this book. It really did that. The finale brings those consequences with a heartbreaking finality that was tragic as all hell, but gorgeous in the way it delivers its message with no softening of the blow. The way Abbas builds up the reader with joy and celebration and hope, and then with no holding back, reminds them that the specter and chance of violence can never be forgotten/left behind, and the unnecessary-ness and senselessness of it all, is tragedy in its purest (worst) form. But even then, she demonstrates spirit and hope and still live on, quietly, under the weight of that tragedy. It's *almost* too much to sit with all at one time. Just, fantastic writing.

Content Warnings

The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I have had this book on my TBR list, and my own personal bookshelf, for years. It's chonky, which does mean I need to be ready for it (mood-reading and motivation vibes all in a row).Then, I put it off until the series was fully published, because you know I'm not a fan of a cliffhanger with no end in sight. So, just in case, I waited. And then, as per usual, time got away from me and now, finally, is the moment. A long moment - because this was not a particularly fast reading experience - but a great one!

Ren is a con artist, come (back) to Nadežra with her sister, Tess, with the goal of tricking one of the city's oldest, but currently in decline, noble families. They're spent years setting up for this, in the hopes of securing their futures and leaving behind the tragedy and struggles of their pasts. But as she's drawn into the elite world of House Traementis, she realizes her masquerade is just one of many, and the "game," as it were, is much bigger and more dangerous than she'd thought. With other rising stars manipulating for influence, the aristocrats that rule the city in delicate power balances with the native population (Ren's own people...sort of), a mysterious vigilante, friends and nightmares from Ren's past that (for good and bad) will not stay on the past, the lyrid dangers of the underbelly of the city that Ren knows too well, magic weaving through the City of Dreams blurring the lines between awake/reality and nightmare/other worlds, and Ren's own efforts to keep the con going while protecting herself and Tess and the city itself, things get intense.

OMG YES to this novel. This was complex AF, with layered histories and cultures and power structures and storylines and even Ren's own narrative, as she is herself and "plays" at the high-born Renata and the local soothsayer Arenza. Like, from the very start, this had the feel of an epic tale. The many threads, separate and already overlapping, began and then built in a way the promised - and delivered - big things. There was a fantastic mix of world-building and exposition and side stories (that set up smaller characters that then come back to have larger or pivotal roles as the plot plays out) and character development were all there. And so well written and paced! I mean, it's a long read, don't get me wrong. But it was more in line, for me, with Shannon's big books, like Priory and Fallen Night, as opposed to the more traditional (and IMO slower-to-read) classic epic fantasy like Carey's Kushiel's Dart. I love that kind of immersive reading experience, with fantasy, so it all really worked for me. The one thing I am sort of iffy on was the magic system. Similar to the way the jade magic in the Green Bone Saga didn't feel fully understandable/clear to me until later books, the magic system in this series feels similar. I am hoping for more clarity on the magic (numinata) in the next books. On the other hand, magically, there was a creative variation of tarot and look, I am a sucker for that in fantasy (and contemporary lit, if we're being honest). The take on it here was familiar enough, but with alterations that fit the world and aura of this story perfectly. I was into it. And I would love a short appendix to explain it in a bit more detail (I'm manifesting that I find something like that in one of the next books).

Alright, let me just say, again: the details and development! The build in mystery and intrigue that come with good story-telling/plotting, and the relationships that start to feel real the longer a con goes on, were woven together in spectacular fashion, to make this such a compelling read. Ren is tough and independent and prickly and (a bit) outside the law, which is my fav kind of female lead. But we also get to watch her grow and be vulnerable some, as her motivations and traumas come out, and that makes her so real. When she started to have conflicting feelings, as she meets people and puts actual humans behind the figures/marks she built up in her mind, I was like "yessssssss, I love how this is complicating everything!" But she still doesn't necessarily "come clean" ever unless forced, and even then, only partly - I am so here for that narrative choice. The drama continues to build; no easy happy endings. And then the slower roll, plot-wise, into something so much bigger than her original con, but now she’s super invested (mostly against her will) because now she cares; it all happened so naturally and I was bought IN. Oh, and the Rook. It's a trope for a reason. How is a masked Robin Hood style character always so sexy? And (small spoiler) is Ren maybe on the path to something similar? There'll be two? Be still my bisexual heart. I mean, come on.

What else? Let' see... the moving through dreams and dream worlds brought to life by ingesting magically infused mind altering drugs is trippy and meta and paranormal. It not only fits the vibe of the book, but is also used well in the plot. Ok, PHEW what a conclusion! It was satisfyingly tense and cathartic on its own, while also allowing myriad intrigues to remain for the next book (THAT’s how you do a series people! Make me invested enough to want more and I'll pick up the next one without a ridiculous and fabricated and heartrending cliffhanger!)

I just love a good con story and this hit all the highlights, plus more. There was so much going on all the time; it was one of the most technically complex and intricately detailed stories, plot and world-building, and character depth/breadth, that I have read in a while. Slow clap for real. I am going to take a small-ish break for a couple other books that piled up while I was working through this chonker, but I am excited and ready for more of Ren and Co's story soon!

“A mask - that was what she needed. […] …something to hide the fear and the fallible human beneath.”

Content Warnings

Gothikana by RuNyx

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I've been tracking the Bramble Romance (from Macmillan and Tor) imprint since it was announced, because that magical romance combo is basically my whole personality as a reader (if we're talking about my reading roots and the books of my heart). This was one of the first books they started marketing and hyping up. And I do love a good gothic romance (I was one of very few students who enjoyed Wuthering Heights in high school), so this dark hero, gothic academia, set in a creepy castle, mystery plot situation called out to me. Plus, like, the purple sprayed edges were hard to ignore, aesthetically.

A blurb as provided by Goodreads, as I cannot bring myself to take the time to write my own (if you stick with me and read the full review, you'll find out more about why): "An outcast her entire life, Corvina Clemm is left adrift after losing her mother. When she receives the admission letter from the mysterious University of Verenmore, she accepts it as a sign from the universe. The last thing she expects though is an old, secluded castle on top of a mountain riddled with secrets, deceit, and death. An enigma his entire life, Vad Deverell likes being a closed book but knowing exactly everything that happens in the university. A part-time professor working on his thesis, Vad has been around long enough to know the dangers the castle possesses. And he knows the moment his path crosses with Corvina, she's dangerous to everything that he is. They shouldn't have caught each other's eye. They cannot be. But a chill-inducing century-old mystery forces them to collide. People have disappeared every five years over the past century, Corvina is getting clues to unraveling it all, and Vad needs to keep an eye on her."

Ok look, this book has everything I could have wanted it to (and I did want it, I went into this book wanting all that), but it just....tried too hard. It's like it took every single dark gothic academica romance trope and tried to smoosh it into this story without quite spending enough time on editing to make sure the story itself didn't have holes/didn't read awkwardly. Like, there were no reasons for some of the descriptions/explanations/connections except *vibes.* And while I do love when the vibes are right, and even sometimes when that's all a book is (The Chosen and the Beautiful and Rouge and a bit An Education in Malice - though that did also have some plot - are recent examples), they are not enough to carry what attempts to be a greater plot. And vibes, even when they include gorgeous illustrations/photographs as chapter art, epic quotes leading into each chapter that really fit the energy of the novel, sprayed edges, and a cover that looks like this one (I mean damn it's gorg), are definitely not enough to make up for sub-par writing.

And y'all, the writing really left something to be desired. It was basic. So much telling, very little showing, and omg the repetition was...inane. Like, we got it: Corvina was homeschooled and didn't get out much and has never felt lust for a *real* person before and despite being on a remote campus together is constantly surprised by how often she runs into Vad (who, did you know, is dark and secretive and hot/cold and definitely not a good guy but also like, where's the real evidence of that?!), and the pull between them is impossible to resist (though there’s no why for that either…). And Corvina and Vad are drawn to each other but it would be bad if they got together, but like, why? Who knows? For the vibez. There's insta-lust too. Which honestly, I personally don't mind as a trope when executed well/with solid writing, which, of course, was lacking here. Also, plot-wise, everything was just too...I don't know how to describe it. But things happened that didn't really make sense or had no explanation or just weren't realistic (yes, I know, I'm using it loosely, within the confines of this "world"), just to make a next step or trope work, and then minds would changes or issues wouldn’t matter without reasons, just to make the next step/trope work. There was just no robustness to the development of anything. Finally, the dialogue. Interestingly, this was some of the best writing, when the characters involved were not the central two. All the side character conversations were just like how people talk (it's almost like, when the author wasn't trying so hard to do something, it was more successful) . But then, there was this: the way Vad and Corvina spoke to each other "in the moment," as it were. It was...fine? Maybe. But it felt totally anachronistic in the setting. I feel like dirty talk more appropriate to the novel could have been found/included. Like I support explicit talk, but specifically the way it was done here sort of took me out of the story/setting.

One major theme/topic control to the story, and to Corvina herself, is mental illness (including suicide). It was ever present. And I wasn't really a fan of all the ways it was included, as it felt, at times, like a romanticization of mental illness and suicide. However, I have to also be fair and say that I did really appreciate the message that everyone wants to be loved and accepted and protected for who they are, even the difficult/challenging parts. So, seeing that a person with a history or diagnosis of mental illness can get that love and support and do amazing things (Corvina and her mother both) is important representation (if not quite accurate to the reality of the diagnosis in question). Even though there is some sort of unexplained "foretelling" drawing Vad and Corvina together that is impossible to resist, so maybe it's not entirely the challenge it might be IRL, I still loved that for Corvina.

A couple final notes. There was a solid amount of heat and spice, which I did like (though these scenes were only marginally less cring-ily written than the rest of the novel). There were some really random inclusions (like a everyone-having-sex-in-the-open ball?) that were there only to allow certain types of scenes that are apparently canon for romantasy now and have to be forced in even if they wouldn't otherwise fit. I didn't see the twist coming, as far as the culprit (though I wasn't trying very hard to figure anything out - I was skimming pretty hardcore by the end), so that was a nice surprise. I actually liked how unexplained some things were. We never get closure on a few points of the mystery in the plot. And there is an open-ended-ness to Corvina and the voices she hears; is it mental illness or magic or a combination. I know that kind of unresolved situation is a big "no" for some readers, but when it fits, I respect it. And I personally thought it fit here.

In the end, I have to be honest and say I was disappointed. It delivers everything it promises, all the tropes I wanted to see/read, but in a pretty incompetent package. The writing was too elementary, the plot was too inconsistent as it tried to find the most convenient way to get the best tropes in, and the effort put into trying to fit a mold was too distracting for it to really be good.

“Beautiful in the way pain was beautiful, because it tugged at the chest and made something visceral come alive in the stomach and caused blood to simmer in the veins. Enchanting in the way she imagined dark magic was, because it twisted the air around it and warped the mind and overpowered the senses. Haunting in the way only very few living things could be, because it sent a shiver down the spine and cloaked itself in the darkness and fed on the energy around them.”

“He smelled of dangerous adventurer and coming home, of heartache and nostalgia.”

“This will last until the day the roses on my grave stop sharing roots with the roses on yours…”

Content Warnings

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I got this book early from everywhere (Libro.fm and NetGalley). I was so hype for this book and so appreciative of all the formats I had access to. I used them all while reading and loved every second of the novel and the overall experience.

A reincarnation love story that spans lifetimes, this ambitious tale of connection and destiny and a true feeling follows three iterations of two men who are reborn over and over with a pull between them that cannot be denied. In the year 4 BCE, a young courtier is directed to seduce an emperor, and the two find that, despite the machinations that brought them together, they share something greater. In 1740, an innkeeper in a rural province helps a mysterious visitor, inadvertently releasing a supernatural power. In present day Los Angeles, a college student discovers his identity meets a beautiful stranger that he is inexplicably drawn to. Spanning centuries and settings (palaces, the wilderness, underground raves), these lovers find and refind each other, always looking for a different ending and to finally be fully together.

What a refreshing romantasy! This new subgenre has really been pigeonholed into a certain type of story by the publishing/marketing industry, and I loved this breath of something new/different from that higher industry level. As for me, I just loved it. It totally lived up to the hype I had built for it. The writing was great, in general. More specifically, the three individual stories were interwoven in a way that allowed them to swell and drop in unison, creating a grand scale show of the lasting-ness of this romance, while remaining completely unique and separate in their own character developments and plots. I'm very impressed with the way Huang was able to do both, simultaneously, without sacrificing one aspect in favor of the other.

I have to mention the sex. :-) It's a correctly-marketed romantasy, so...there was, predictably, a lot of it. It was great. Such a variety and jumping right in from the start! It was transactional, with deep emotional connection, casual, under the influence (a variety of them, across the stories), with a goal/aim, brash, manipulated, shy/hesitant, transcendent, and the kind that is deeply satisfying because it comes after longing for it through almost the whole book. Oh, and lest I forget, there was some terrifying sex - I have read a lot, but I have never before read a razor blade blow job! Eeek! Anyhoo, hats off to Huang for this piece as well.

And finally, I *must* highlight the overall vibes. This is like, take angst and bittersweet torment and make it romantic and iterary with a splash of the divine. The anguish was just....so good. And ever present in the best way. And the ending!! I don't know what I was anticipating, necessarily, but this was not it...it was so much more! It subverted *all* tropes and exceeded my expectations; drawing out that sweet agony (for eternity, maybe?!), but still somehow so satisfying! Perfect for the vibes of this story (these stories).

This was just such a mystical reading experience. The reincarnations were so different from each other, which made for a compelling and fast set of narratives. And they were all otherworldly and sublime in their own ways. I kinda loved them all and was left both fulfilled and yearning for more. So, basically, I can't speak enough about how much I loved Huang's debut and I recommend it so hard!

"As my mother once told me, there are few knots that strategic wine cannot unravel."

"Memories are already so immaterial that it only takes a nudge for them to dissipate away, like waking dreams."

"What if I told you, he begins, that the feeling we call love...is actually the feeling of metaphysical recognition, when your soul remembers someone from a previous life?"

"I had fallen asleep upon his prized heritage robe. And so he could leave without stirring me awake, the Emperor had cut off his sleeve." (Idk what it is about this line, but it gave me *feelings.* I cannot get over it. This is *romance.*)

"To Remember is a dubious gift, and a staggering burden."

"An ambitious courtier in an ancient palace. A humble innkeeper in the woods. An artist obsessed with a singular muse. A beautiful mystery to the very end."

Content Warnings

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just_one_more_paige's reviews 1457 reviews

just_one_more_paige's reviews
1457 reviews