#(that and maggie stiefvater's writing style is unique and lovely)

[quotes-and-recs]

I think the reason plot of The Raven Cycle is so hard to remember & describe is because you have the overarching series plot (finding Glendower, Gansey's death), each book's individual plot (waking the ley line in The Raven Boys, Ronan learning to dream in The Dream Thieves, exploring the cave & the consequences of that in Blue Lily, Lily Blue), and then you have the character's individual & pair side quests and characters arcs. There's just so much going on that it's difficult to keep track of if you're not interacting with it directly

[soulgalaxywolf]

I'm re-reading The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. It's everything I hope my future books will have, because I love a lot about it.

I especially love how Gansey is written in The Raven Boys, so far. He wants to be careful with his words because he's so aware of his background, and knows his friends. He only cares about his obsession--or more accurately, sees it as a magical, beautiful thing--unless all his friends are OK.

It's such a contrast to Whelk, who will do anything to get to the King of Ravens. I love it.

Ganseys unique obsession is such a fun thing to read about. He's so passionate about it, and will tell anyone who's willing to listen. I love how people could find subjects, that are so particular, to be obsessed about.

This is beginning to feel like a post gushing about Gansey, but I do love the other characters as well, it's just that these things about Gansey has me thinking on how I can write my own characters.

I want to write found family novels, something that blue and the Raven Boys have. There are other novels with found family's, like Assistant to the Villain (kinda), but The Raven Boys has the writing style I most want to emulate.

[incohorace]

hi jem tbis is random but I'm reading a really bad book today (it's so fun) n now I'm like thinking ab books so. what r some books u love?:0 im goinf 2 steal recs from u

HI YES SORRY I TOOK A WHILE TO ANSWER BUT I DO HAVE RECS OF VARYING STYLES SO YOU CAN PICK WHATEVER APPEALS

all the crooked saints by maggie stiefvater (if you read anything from the list make it this book. oh my god. i dont think i can describe it but its incredible and funny and warm and utterly unique and stiefvaters writing style is wonderful. magical realism and weird christianity (?) stuff going on. like a fever dream except not really.)

melmoth by sarah perry (supernatural gothic novel published in 2022 and playing VERY heavily on gothic tropes; stunningly written but a heavy read so dont pick it unless youre in the right headspace to cry your eyes out over various horrifying atrocities)

the well of loneliness by radclyffe hall (a lesbian novel written in the 1920s in which the main character can very clearly be interpreted as transmasc!! the reason for this is that its based on the karl heinrich ulrich theory of sexology which suggests that gay love is natural because gay men are just female psyches in male bodies but its still a very interesting novel and radclyffe hall was herself wlw and gnc. the prose style reads like it was written 30 years before it actually was and often the characters are melodramatic and insufferable but its wonderful anyway)

rebecca by daphne du maurier (SO GOOD. modern gothic & ghostly but with a psychological spin)

the his dark materials series by philip pullman (i dont even know what to say about this one. shaped me as a person. themes of christianity and the church. objectively incredible series)

david copperfield by charles dickens (so so charming and wonderfully written. took me like a month to read. my fav dickens is still a tale of two cities but this one is more light-hearted.)

super-infinite by katherine rundell (JOHN DONNE BIOGRAPHY!!!! but its so enchanting and warm and honestly not at all difficult to read like its barely non-fiction. rundell is a childrens author who wrote some of my fav books when i was younger and you can really feel that lovely writing style in this biography)

a fatal thing happened on the way to the forum by emma southon (non-fiction book about ancient roman attitudes to murder!! SO funny and easy to read and genuinely gripping and while it deals with specific subject matter it still gives you a pretty good understanding of the entirety of roman history which is pretty good)

um yeah i think thats it <3

[clotpolesonly]

So, I started a cleaning job where I don't have to talk to anyone, which is lovely, but it also meant I started listening to audiobooks, and I've started listening to some book series I've been hearing about here and there, and the latest was The Raven Cycle. Why? Because you posted about it. You are literally the only person on my dashboard to post about it, but the few ones I have seen over the last months? years? have been enough for me to be assured in it having queer rep, being well written, and potentially worth my time. And yeah, it very much was, cause now I'm kinda hooked on it, like not just Adam/Ronan, tho very much them as well, but Maggie even got me caring about a straight couple with Gansey/Blue, cause she just writes such beautiful and unique characters!!! And anyway, besides asking you if you have some favourite AO3 recs (Don't even care much about the ship, as long as it's with these characters) I come having finished The Raven King a week ago, and now humbly but also very desperately asking, do you have any other book recommendations like TRC for me to listen to?? (Oh, and maybe also whether or not the dreamer triology will be just as good? Cause I'm curious about it having Ronan in focus, but more than the story, it's the characters that got me hooked on TRC, and like Maggie Stiefvater's writing style, but yeah I'm unsure how much of Adam there is in the trilogy, and the new characters, are they just as intriguing??)

YESSSSSS I LOVE SNAGGING PEOPLE AND DRAGGING THEM INTO MY FANDOMS XD WELCOME

the Dreamer Trilogy has its pros and its cons. if does significantly shift the focus of the narrative away from the established group, so if the Gangsey found family dynamic is a really big factor in your enjoyment and you don't want to be without it, you'll be disappointed by TDT because the rest of the gang simply isn't present 😭 it's very much Lynch-(and new characters)-focused.

Ronan is the main character and gets the most screen time, but honestly, Declan steals the show in that series. people can go into TDT Declan haters and come out of it with rabid Declan brain rot afdkjgh, i for one am obsessed with him. Matthew gets a real arc too, which i love for him. Adam doesn't have a huge role but he is around and relevant. i am IN LOVE with some of the new characters, and Maggie got us again with the straights!!! she makes us fucking YEARN WITH THE STRAIGHTS, on par with Bluesey imo, the new canon ship destroys me ok??

i will say that TDT doesn't feel as cohesive and satisfying in the overall narrative structure sense, compared to TRC. there are some things about it that confuse/frustrate me or don't make sense if you look at it too closely 😅 but there's so much really interesting compelling character/relationship work that it makes up for it, for me. i enjoyed TDT a lot, have read it multiple times, and will definitely read it again. it expands upon the world and lore, and i'm a sluuuut for complicated dysfunctional family dynamics so the Lynches get me good.

.

as for other recs! in case my unrelenting TRC blogging isn't damning enough evidence, i'll admit openly that i tend to just read the same thing over and over again instead of reading anything new lfkdjgh, so i don't actually HAVE anything else to rec myself, i am useless to you 😅😅😅 so instead i reached out to some other fans on discord and got suggestions from them to share with you!

The Scorpio Races (also Maggie Stiefvater)

The Wicker King (K Ancrum)

Aristotle & Dante (Benjamin Alire Saenz)

A Darker Shade of Magic (VE Schwab)

Iron Widow (Xiran Jay Zhao)

In Other Lands (Sarah Rees Brennan)

Hell Followed With Us (Andrew Joseph White)

The Darkest Part of The Forest (Holly Black)

All Of Us Villains duology (Amanda Foody, CL Herman)

Self Made Boys (Anna Marie Mclemore)

Legendborn (Tracy Deonn)

Folk of the Air series (Holly Black)

Six of Crows duology (Leigh Bardugo)

Winternight trilogy (Katherine Arden)

Gideon the Ninth (Tamsyn Muir)

The Atlas Six (Olivie Blake)

so, again, i have not personally read any of these books to make the recs more specific or say what part of them invokes TRC vibes, but it sure is a place to start?? 😂

.

for fic recs, oh god, my brain is SWISS CHEESE, let's see if i can remember and dig up anything aldkfjg

(ok first i rec my own fics #shameless self promo)

Magnetic i've read SO MUCH and will again, it's everything to me

don't it beat a slow dance to death is a timeloop thing A+

I'm an Empathetic Drunk, Ok? is the first long TRC fic i read i think

All That I Know is Gone has dreamer!Declan, obsessed with this

King by the Roadside Gansey-didn't-die-the-first-time + polyam

A Sound Of Thunder Declan died instead of Niall 😭😭

aaaaaand these are the ones that are coming to my mind as of right now, the first 3 are all Pynch. i think the 4th has Pynch but it's mostly brother feels - that one introduces some elements from TDT but i don't thiiiiiink anything that would be a significant spoiler as long as you've read the short story Opal, which was included in my physical copy of TRK if it wasn't in yours, i have the epub). could hold off on that one until you (maybe) read TDT (if you wanna), but i've read it too many times not to rec it. 5th one hooks up the whole gang in one big polycule and i love it for that, and the last one hurts my HEART as a Declan stan but it's otherwise a great fic 😂

anybody else with TRC recs, add on/reply/hit @so-very-asleep up with 'em!!!

[therubyreader]

My Review of The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

See a full list of my book reviews here

*Disclaimer: there will be spoilers later on in the review*

Review Word Count, non-spoiler: 1,008 Review Word Count Total: 1,692

Am I writing a review for a book I just finished yesterday instead of waiting for weeks and by the time I get to writing I’m already done with the whole series??? Looks like it, but don’t get used to this because I know I’m going to be back to my horrible habits soon enough. In the first ever installment of “a book review written about a book a real person in my real life recommended to me” (or another much catchier title) I bring you a review of The Raven Boys.

The book brings us to the fictional town of Henrietta, Virginia (yes I did just Google if it was real, I am multiple shades of not the smartest) where we are introduced to Blue Sargent, the daughter of the town psychic, or well one of them, and she lives with her aforementioned mother, aunts, and cousin. The women of 300 Fox Way are all psychically gifted, except for Blue, who is only able to amplify their gifts but has none of her own. On the night of St. Mark’s Eve it is tradition that Blue and her mother go to an abandoned cemetery and watch the spirits of the townspeople who will die that year walk through, though Blue can’t see them this year is different, she sees the spirit of a boy named Gansey meaning he is either her true love or he dies by her hand (she’s fated to kill her true love with a kiss so, it could be both). Parallel to this, Gansey is looking for the mythical Welsh king Glendower who is prophesied to grant a wish to the person who wakes him and his search brings him, unknowingly, to Blue. Together they, as well as Gansey’s friends Ronan, Adam, and Noah, search for the ley line that runs through Henrietta in hopes it leads them to where Glendower’s body is hidden.

I’m going to be totally transparent with you all and let you know that my friend has been trying to get me to read the Raven Cycle books for a solid amount of years, probably almost as long as I’ve known them (which has been almost seven years now) but I finally caved when they said they would read the Shadow and Bone trilogy in exchange, and I can’t pass up a good deal. I was hesitant to read the book because the summary doesn’t really do it justice, and also it just didn’t appeal to me even after my friend explained it. I think it just felt a lot like something I would’ve read in middle school, but not in a fun nostalgic way, and this was most likely because I did read another of Maggie Stiefvater’s books in middle school, Shiver, and my werewolf phase is a dark past I’m not trying to remember. And I honestly had this apprehensive feeling throughout the first half of the book where I couldn’t shake that vibe of middle school negativity but I forced myself to read it and to endure because I made a deal with my friend and they were nice enough to let me borrow their copy of the book complete with the author’s autograph and my mother didn’t raise a quitter. I think this feeling was made worse because I literally couldn’t stand any of the raven boys, save for my boy Adam, and eventually Noah, throughout the whole first half which in hindsight is good writing. Stiefvater did a great job writing entitled rich boys who are horrible in their own unique ways but I actually started to like (or well, be ok with) the other two boys by the end of the book.

I think once the action of the story really got going then I actually started to enjoy it, though it is a little annoying that I had to read about half the book before anything with consequence or excitement started happening. But, then again, I’m someone who really likes more action and conflict heavy books no matter how much they trigger my anxiety so this style of book where all of the world building and setting up the conflict take up the first half of the narrative without much consequential action isn’t super my thing. That being said, once I got over that (and myself) I actually enjoyed the book quite a bit, sorry for doubting you [insert friend’s name here for privacy reasons]. I enjoyed how each of the children’s (they’re teenagers but I’m an adult so they’re children to me) back stories and life circumstances are woven into the story, that it’s not just them looking for this mythical king but also them experiencing the hardships of life while on this quest. These characters are all very real with very real problems so you can relate to them all in one way or another which definitely adds to the story so it doesn’t feel like a run of the mill fantasy story that doesn’t have any depth or humanity. The question of “don’t these kids have school?” that a lot of stories with teenage protagonists makes you ask isn’t really necessary in this book because they do have school and their plans have to be put on hold until the end of their school day on top of the plot heavily revolving around Ronan’s horrible academic behavior.

Though this isn’t my favorite book ever it definitely exceeded my expectations (which, let’s be honest, were very low and that was entirely my own doing) and I’m very excited to continue reading the series, I already got my hands on the second book (public library beloved) and I only read the prologue as of right now which is already very intriguing. I will say if you’re interested in this book I do recommend giving it a chance but you will have to power through a solid chunk of it before it really gets good but overall a very Stranger Things but for a different breed of nerds vibes out of ten.

Spoilers Below!!

There are a lot of things I want to talk about in terms of the specifics of this book that I don’t know what I want to talk about first so I’ll just go in order of least complicated to most. First, Gansey calling Blue “Jane” because he thinks her name is stupid, rude. He’s right but like, that’s her name dude, she likes it, stop being mean. Another thing that doesn’t require many words is that it isn’t really explained how so many people are just presented with this idea of magic and are cool with it. I know Adam kind of touches on him being convinced by Gansey that magic is real and so is Glendower but I feel like in our day and age (which this is supposed to be set in, just ten years ago) not many people would be on board with it. I don’t know, it might just be me, but if you told me at seventeen that you were looking for a mythical king and a ley line I would think that you’re insane and probably not talk to you very often after that. But then again this could probably just be chalked up to their version of our reality being more accepting and open to magic and I could just be overthinking it, which wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for me. 

I also wanted to talk about the absolute plot twist of Noah being a ghost this whole time. I texted my friend about it as soon as I read that part and they told me it was stated right at the beginning of the book when Declan is introducing the raven boys to his newest girlfriend. I honestly didn’t remember it and so I went back and there it was, she made a comment about his hands being cold and he responded something along the lines of “I’ve been dead for seven years so that’s about as warm as they get” and then it isn’t acknowledged by literally anyone or the book itself. I think I just laughed it off as an angsty teenage boy joke but he was being serious. When Gansey and Blue found his body (which, why was it near the cemetery, did we ever address that?) I figured it would be the body of Czerny, just process of elimination, but when the ID said Noah, I was shocked. Then I thought it was like that thing where Ronan from the future wrote a note on the rock for Ronan from the past and this was going to be Noah’s future but nope, he was a ghost. I did think the ending where they dug up his bones and reburied them on the ley line was funny in a cute endearing way, especially with how Noah immediately started patting Blue’s hair. 

I am going to take this moment to pour one out for my homie Adam, that boy is too pure and kind for this world and he just receives the worst end of the stick possible. First, his dad is absolutely awful, he is a scholarship kid at a rich private school which probably feels horrible, and then he likes Blue and he doesn’t even know he’s going to get his heart broken in the future because Gansey is obviously Blue’s true love. I do hope Adam is able to have a happy ending at the end of the series because that’s what he deserves, life keeps beating him up for no reason. Justice for my man Adam. 

I think the thing I’m most excited to see is how the whole Blue and Gansey relationship is going to pan out, especially since she’s supposed to kill him, which sounds morbid but I know they’re going to find a loophole to keep him alive somehow and I just want to see what it is. Watch me be wrong and he just straight up dies, the end. Anyways, the moral of the story here is that you should trust your friend when they recommend a book because you’re going to like it.

[fwishbone]

what the Raven cycle 😮

This is gonna be so hard to condense bc this is one of my favorite series of all time, and there is so much going on in it, but I’ll try to explain it as simply and straightforwardly as I can:

The Raven Cycle is a four-book YA series written by Maggie Stiefvater and first published in 2012. It follows a group of teenagers (Blue, Gansey, Noah, Adam, and Ronan) exploring rural Henrietta, Virginia on a quest to wake a sleeping Welsh King named Glendower. But it’s also about the power of friendship and love across time, and that time is a circle, and that dreams are magic, and and and I could go on!

The first book, The Raven Boys, immediately explains that Blue has been told by every psychic she meets that if she kisses her true love, he will die—and so Blue makes it a rule to never kiss boys, just in case she meets the one! And then enter our four Raven Boys, who attend a nearby all-boys private school called Aglionby, and things start to get complicated and strange.  

I would describe this series as feeling very atmospheric; it has a lot of supernatural elements woven into it, and Stiefvater’s writing style is one that suits this story really well. The characters are its strongest aspect—you’ll hear that TRC’s plot is confusing and/or nonexistent, which I use to agree with, but I wouldn’t describe it that way now. It’s a uniquely structured story that emphasizes and re-emphasizes the cyclical nature of time within itself, and so the plot follows this same weave of things coming and going and overlapping and disappearing. And it’s all stitched together by these characters! There’s ley lines and dreams and magical forest entities and psychic women and street racing and spelunking and nightmares and dreamers. It’s also a very rewarding series to re-read over and over again.

There is also a second series that takes place after TRC called The Dreamer Trilogy, which focuses on Ronan, one of our protagonists from TRC. The last book in this trilogy just released this week!

AND it was also just announced that TRC is getting a graphic novel adaptation in 2025!

art is by Sas Milledge, artist for the gn!

I love this little universe a lot; I've been following it since I was a sophomore in high school and I can't recommend it enough. It's definitely worth giving it a try!

[blueberryshelves]

Back with another book review! (Finally...) This will be a 3-in-1 review given it's been well over a year since I read these books, and trying to remember enough to make three separate reviews is just not going to happen. So the layout is a little different, but we're trying new things today.

Enjoy!

__________________________________________

Book Review

Title: Shiver Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls, book #1

No. of Pages: 392 

ISBN: 9780545682787 

Synopsis:

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf -- her wolf -- is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human -- or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

__________________________________________

Title: Linger Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls, book #2

No. of Pages: 384 

ISBN: 9780545682794 

Synopsis:

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past... and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves... and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

__________________________________________

Title: Forever Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls, book #3

No. of Pages: 416

ISBN: 9780545682800 

Synopsis:

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in. The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater.

__________________________________________

What did I think of the series?

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 of 5 stars

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 of 5 stars

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3 of 5 stars This was one of those books where I kept hearing about it, had it in the back of my mind, but then I got obsessed with a totally different werewolf series, and it was sort of forgotten about. Despite the mixed opinions that also contributed to avoiding reading the series for as long as I did, I personally really enjoyed it. The core concept of winter being a trigger for the wolves' transformation, along with the symbolism of the warmer seasons returning the wolves to their human forms was absolutely beautiful. I love symbolism and details like this, and the author nailed it for me in Shiver. Sadly, this is one of the things that becomes a bit lost in books 2 and 3, which really dropped my liking of the series because the concept was just such a unique idea. But I'd say other areas of the later books make up for it with the addition of Cole and his chaotic personality, as well as the exploration into the science behind the wolves transformation, and diving deeper into what it's like from their perspective as wolves. The writing style and prose makes my little poet heart melt, and I'm tempted to read the books again after seeing a quote in the amazon reviews, (and hunt down the German poetry book mentioned in this story because *heart eyes*!). The descriptions and language choices for each scene added a lot of richness to the story for me, especially with how emotional this story can get at times. I have maybe only a few minor issues with the series as a whole, namely pacing and themes. Both at the start and end of the books some chapters felt clipped and short where more detail would have made them shine (in my own opinion), and there are certain themes that are touched on in the story that can be a bit much if you're sensitive. (I personally enjoyed all the psychological aspects of it). But overall, the books strike a pretty good balance between their darker themes and the lighter ones, and the pacing stayed consistent enough that I was neither bored nor felt too rushed as I read them. Favorite character/s: Sam - his personality is so sweet, and I enjoyed his side of the story most, especially the details of how his guardian and pack mates impacted his development. Cole (in the later books) - because who doesn't love a crazy, chaotic singer-turned werewolf mad scientist? It made me really happy when the boys had a bonding moment and sang together. It's not a significant scene story-wise, but it was a very memorable one for me. What drew me to this book? I don't really remember since I got this book series so long ago, (probably the tree pattern on the cover, and of course, werewolves), but I finally decided to read it after finishing Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes for the hundredth time, and see what it was about. Stars: 4/5 love the concept and the prose, and all the heartbreak that comes with it. View all my reviews

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC Review: A Curse of Blood and Wolves by Melissa McTernan

2.5/5. Releases 10/1/2023.

Vibes: light werewolves, paranormal with a new adult sensibility, very very very faint Little Red Riding Hood

I really love Little Red Riding Hood, which is why I requested this book. While there is obviously a LRRH inspo, it's super cursory. At the end of the day, this book reminded of one of my YA obsessions of yesteryear, Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series. Of course, it's much more explicit, and the writing style definitely leads more New Adult. This isn't YA, to be super clear.

Unfortunately, I don't think it quite worked as a mature romance. While I was entertained at points, my attention wasn't held, and I think there were some easily avoided mistakes made.

Quick Takes:

--One issue I had with this book was Rafe's general self-loathing. Now, I like a self-loathing hero; but there's that, and there's mopey. Often, Rafe seemed dejected and sorrowful, and just plain dull.

This contrasted to Ruby, a heroine who was introduced in a very Jughead-ian "I'm weirdo. I'm a weirdo" manner, but brightened in a way I found... if not super unique, nice. I wasn't enamored with Ruby, but I honestly didn't really get what she saw in Rafe, aside from him being generally hot and good at sex.

--And about that connection... or lack there of. This is a mating bond book, and I'm not against that. In fact, I think all the werewolf books I've loved have been fated mates books. It's part of the werewolf appeal. But when I think about my favorite mating bond books... When I think about, for example, Kresley Cole's Lykae novels which handle it so well... The issue is that while the hero immediately wants to protect, have sex with, conquer his heroine--he doesn't actually love her. He adores her, maybe, because of his instinct. But he does notknow or love her. Additionally, this is met by friction from the heroine, and in the end he must realize that she cannot be conquered because he's fallen in love with her as a fully realized person.

Here, once Ruby finds out about the werewolfitude, she takes it in remarkable stride (like, I don't need ten chapters of agonizing, but girl goes from "there is nothing paranormal" to "there is a naked werewolf and we're vibin'" so easily). That tension? Is gone. They just like each other, and he's so devoted, and that's all nice. But it's not very interesting, at least not to me.

--Ruby really doesn't ever seem concerned enough about anything with respect to its importance. Rafe angsts about everything, and with Ruby it's like... Girl, wake up. There's some seriously intense shit going on, maybe be a little more active?

--I actually didn't mind the fact that a lot of the werewolf stuff was more mood and vibes, versus much unique societal structuring. I don't think that's inherently a bad thing, and like I said, it reminded me of the sort of vaguely magical "small town YA romance with monsters" thing I used to gobble up. But here, it just didn't feel very real. I think the writing style just didn't linger enough. It told the story in the plainest way possible, and the characters and dialogue weren't compelling enough to make up for that.

The Sex:

The sex scenes are solid. I liked them--and I especially liked the whole "we cannot have sexual intercourse because werewolf stuff but we CAN do everything else" thing. I liked that Ruby saw that as sex, and I liked that they did get creative with it. Interestingly, this is like, at least the third werewolf book I've read where he couldn't put it in Because Reasons. The focus on pleasure versus anatomy was good.

While I didn't hate this book by any means, I really didn't get into it either. There was potential, but I think this was just the most straightforward route possible. That said, I can see New Adult lovers getting into it.

Thanks to One More Chapter and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[a-library-ghost]

any book recommendations for someone who’s trying to rekindle their love of reading? i mainly like fiction, drama, and fantasy as genres

ofc!!

I am mostly a fantasy reader myself! A lot of these recs are young adult or new adult because I personally find that’s what helps me out of a reading slump the best. I hope you find one you haven’t read that interests you!!

It would be a betrayal of self if I didn’t recommend the grishaverse books by Leigh Bardugo. I would start with the shadow and bone trilogy and then the six of crows duology— although soc is better imo, the context of sab is great and keeps you spoiler free! You could always read six of crows and then the sab trilogy before the second soc book like I did haha truly wonderful, nuanced, and captivating tales of power and identity in a detailed yet approachable fantasy setting. If the grishaverse books seem unapproachable rn, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi has a similar kind of vibe, albeit with a heavier focus on themes of race.

Along similar lines, Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo is absolutely wonderful. Exploring a fantastical magic system within the real secret societies of Yale, Ninth House is a new adult fantasy/mystery that tackles themes of class, international feminism, and more. I LOVE this book so much. I will warn that others decry this book for having a slow start so it might not be the best to overcome a slump, however, I think it is very well paced, full of twists, and an amazing read. Plus the follow up book just came out! HIGHLY recommend!!

For a very unique fantasy story with a vastly different world and standout prose/writing— I highly recommend Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. This story details whimsical magic, long lost gods and societies, and a young librarian who commits to a life of adventure, heroism, and romance. Taylor’s inventive world building and beautiful writing style really make this book!

Finally, I recommend the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater starting with the Raven Boys. Set in rural 2010s Virginia, the Raven Cycle tells the story of an unlikely group of friends embarking on a quest to uncover an ancient tomb. The characters are extremely compelling and the writing is at once humorous and stunning. This skews younger with the characters being in high school but I frequently come back to it. The spin off trilogy is a little more matured.

These recs definitely skew in the fantasy direction so please let me know if you are looking for something else 😅 these were just what came to mind at 1:46am haha

I hope your love of reading returns!! :)

[starrlikesbooks]

Welcome to May!

May's my favorite month because it's my birth month 🎉 but now I can also celebrate having so many good books come out!

As always, you can check under the cut for more on each~

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller is a quest-y fantasy with an amazing concept behind it: a teen blacksmith who's sought out for her power to make magical weapons accidentally creates an indestructible sword that steals secrets from any it cuts, and it just told her its soon to be owner has plans for world domination. I already had the fortune to read this one, and if you like misfits traveling together and the idea of a hunky yet obnoxious mercenary somehow also fitting the farm boy romance trope, you'll have a lot of fun with this book.

Counting Down With You by Tashie Bhuiyan is a cute fake dating/secret dating story of a Bangladeshi girl with anxiety trying to live up to her parent's standards while also falling for the notorious bad boy she's meant to be tutoring. I've never read a fake dating story with so little miscommunication and it's honestly such a wholesome book!

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee I got to read months ago and I have been waiting for it to come out so I can push it! On the surface it's a fake dating story (with one of my favorite versions of that trope), but more uniquely it's the story of a tri-racial trans guy spending his first summer out, and really poorly attempting a love story to prove his own worth. It also has one of my favorite characters I've read this year in it (Devin!) who also happens to be openly asexual and throughout the book explores eir identity and while trying out pronouns.

The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He is a speculative sci-fi fiction story starring a girl stranded on a trash island whose only motivation is getting back to her sister, and a girl whose sister's disappearance pushes her onto a path of investigation and discovery. This book is weird but lovely. As I did get a chance to read it already, I can vouch for really fantastic writing and a consistently compelling story.

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho was blurbed as "American Gods meets Crazy Rich Asians" and while I have no idea what I'm supposed to take away from that, I am very intrigued. Just imagine- a girl moving back to a country she hasn't been to since she was a toddler, psychic grandma's ghost, a powerful and mysterious deity, and gang warfare. Something for everyone!

Blackheart Knights by Laure Eve has one of my favorite aesthetics- modern knights. And these knights? They're on motorcycles. I'm sold. There's also prohibition style illegal magic and apparently fantastic writing. This is an Arthurian retelling I'm willing to joust someone for.

May the Best Man Win by ZR Ellor is another trans-led romance, but this one is *deep breath* friends-to-lovers-to-exes-to-enemies-to-lovers, and yes I jumped on it the second I saw it so have already read it! After Jeremy comes out as trans, he's determined to prove himself by running for prom king- but it sets him up against his best friend from childhood, and recent ex, who's hoping prom king will get him a chance to go to a better college. These characters are so flawed and so fun to watch together, and I can't wait for people to meet them.

Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater is the second book in The Dreamers Trilogy, AKA the sequel to Call Down the Hawk. If you somehow missed out on The Raven Cycle (the series this one's a spin-off of), you should still pick up CDTH and prepare for this one if you like angsty gay teenage boys who can pluck things out of their dreams, fantastic and sketchy magical underbellies, chaotic prophecies, and incredibly sus agencies hell bent on killing magical people.

Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar may seem like de ja vu because it's another Bangladeshi fake dating/secret dating story! But this one stars two bi girls and takes place in Ireland. Though Hani and Ishu have never interacted more than they had to due to a bad reputation, and a refusal to get pushed together just because of their cultures, when Hani comes out to her friends as bi and gets told she's just "confused" she lies and tells them she has a girlfriend... Ishu. This is the author of The Henna Wars and this book is somehow even cuter than that one.

Happy reading!

[featherymalignancy]

Q & R? <33

Q: How do you feel about collaborations?

Though I’ve done fairy little collaborating in the past, I would love for that to change! I would love to work with someone else and either write something set in their AU-verse, have them write something within mine, or tag team write a story together! If you’d like to collaborate with me, send me a DM and let’s chat and see if it’s a good fit!

And I know people are probably wondering (and not to put her on the spot) but the incomparably talented @mightymorphingayagenda is still going to be writing a Nesta x Cash oneshot set between In Vino and Navy Suits, we will let you know more details when we have them!

R: Are there any writers (fanfic or otherwise) you consider an influence?

But of course! For professional writers, I adore Lev Grossman and Maggie Stiefvater! I think what’s so interesting about both of them is that because they write urban fantasy (fantastical story set at least partially in the real world) they have found a way to make their stories epic and so profoundly relatable at the same time, which is exquisite. I also love Lev’s metaphors, they are so unique but also effortless.

The interesting part of novels is that the author needn’t be a perfect writer to be a great storyteller (I’m sorry, but still cringe that SJM actually wrote the line ‘dropping words more precious than rubies and emeralds and sapphires into her heart, her soul’) but man, when the person is both a greater storyteller and a greater wordsmith, it’s a true delight.

And speaking of great wordsmiths, my absolute fanfic idols are @mightymorphingayagenda and @lady-therion.

@mightymorphingayagenda prose is seriously so effortless and smooth and she also is a master of metaphors that are as profound as they are simple. So many writers (including me) making the mistake of trying to force overwrought metaphors, thinking that complex = clever. In truth, I think the profundity of a metaphor lies in its universality, and no one knows this better than @mightymorphingayagenda.

@lady-therion is the kind of writer who you can study and learn from but never truly copy, because her style and voice are uniquely her own. Her work is powerful without being forceful, and it’s really hard to make it looks and feel as easy as she does.

Thanks for the ask, and if you haven’t checked these two out yet, please do!

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

What are some books that influenced your writing style/prose? Also now that you're writing Urban Fantasy I recommend The Raven Cycle quartet by Maggie Stiefvater. She has wonderful, undefinable prose. The series has a plot, but the novels are really abt her characters. Great series, changed my writing, and overall outstanding!!!(pps Adam's my fav character)(pps has psychics, ghosts, queer characters, ravens, and trees) (ppps writing style is hazy, dreamy, and makes one yearn/ache 10/10)

There have been many! Major ones: The Girls by Emma Cline (opened my eyes to how language could be used in almost a painterly way - haven’t looked back since), Demi-Gods by Eliza Robertson (taught me how to really hone language to a near crystalline finish of image), History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund (how to write clear prose, how to play with tone and suspense in a scene), Ghost Wall by Sara Moss (how to tell an efficient story, how to control pacing), and most recently, Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson (how to play with structure and form to amplify tension and character). I also think it’s critical to remember books from my very early writing career, so definitely a few more from my early teens: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (I love this book?? The prose is incredibly helpful for learning to return to YA, also Alex is a legend, reading her new book now and it is 🙏🏽🙏🏽 TDM taught me how to develop character relationships and layer psychology beyond character archetypes), The Host by Stephenie Meyer (SM is... trash but this was my favourite book as a child, taught me how to increase intimacy in a cast and how that can lead to conflict), Slated by Teri Terry (how to inform tension through concept, how to layer plot through complex character psychology), and of course The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (worldbuilding, atmosphere, voice driven, yet refined prose). Also thank you for the rec! For reasons that are personal, I probably can’t read TRC but I’ve been recommended it a few times now so thanks to those of you who have thought of me!

OH i should also add (just in general, not to the asker): I’ve had a handle on my own writing style for about 3 years now, so I no longer really need inspiration for my style, more I can read a book and see ways to apply techniques I enjoy to my own unique style to further develop it, rather than “create it”! Totally fine if you’re not there yet, but just wanted to note!

[bluejayblueskies]

Writer asks: 4, 6, and 34?

35 questions for fanfic writers!

4 - Are there any writers that inspire you?

In terms of published writers--I take a lot of inspiration (both writing-wise and motivation-wise) from Madeline Miller, Maggie Stiefvater, and Nora Sakavic. I really like the way they set up their worlds and environments, and they do such a good job of creating characters that I get instantly attached to from page one.

In terms of other fanfic writers, I have a lot! To name just a few:

- CirrusGrey: I love the ideas they have for fics, esp. for their most recent long fics, and the fact that they update their Ao3 weekly never fails to astound me

- arthureameslove: there's something about their style of writing that's just so easy to read, and the new/unique takes they have on certain tropes is really cool

- theOestofOCs: the way they handle darker themes and hurt/comfort is really enjoyable, and I think about their fic 'The Kindness of Strangers' almost constantly when writing jontim

There are others too but this post will get too long if I list them all haha

6 - What element of writing do you find comes easily?

Sort of related to the previous ask, I find internal dialogues and character ruminations really easy to write (and thus will end up accidentally rambling for a few thousand words sometimes haha). It's easier imo to inform dialogue and actions when I've taken the time to explore how a character is feeling and what they're thinking, and then when they do something or say something I've already justified why they did or said that thing.

34 - Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

I'm going to use an excerpt from the WIP of the last chapter of iwbta so I can share at least a little bit of what I've done! Here's the beginning of the chapter:

Their new flat smells like cedarwood and fresh paint. It’s infinitely nicer than any of Martin’s past flats, with a distinct living room and kitchen and a short corridor that leads to a bedroom and a modest-sized bathroom. There’s no mildew lingering in the corners, nor do the windows have cracks in them. The couch doesn’t sag in the middle, and there are no chips in the countertops.

When Martin sees it filled with the small collection of items they’ve accumulated over the past few months, he almost cries. It’s a… strange feeling.

There’s the small wooden picture frame with the bent, slightly crumped picture of him and Jon standing next to one of the many Highland cows they would see on their walks at the safehouse. (One of the only items that had remained with them from their old universe, tucked away safe and secure in Martin’s pocket.) A scattering of mismatched mugs fills their cabinets, found at charity shops and the cheap local department store near them. Books sit on the squat coffee table they’d decided at the last minute to purchase, various bits of scrap paper shoved between their pages.

It’s a place that looks lived in. It’s a place that looks like a home.

[the-power-of-stuff]

Could I ask you #18 and/or #23 for the Ask Meme, please?

Yes, I love these questions!

18) were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? what were they?

Definitely! One (or, really, four) is Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle quadrilogy. I don’t think there’s a single thing about Stiefvater’s writing style in those books that I wouldn’t want to be able to emulate. Character and relationship development, dialogue and pacing, imagery, oh lord the imagery. There’s an intensity to her writing, but also a subtleness, and it’s a poetic balance I really admire and strive (in my small, amateurish way) to recreate.  

Another is Amor Towles’s A Gentleman in Moscow. There’s a section towards the beginning where a character is introduced almost exclusively with descriptions of how he moves his hands, and it’s just such an interesting bit of character development. And the whole novel is like that. These snippets of physical attributes or behavior, zooming in to these details that give you an impression of the broader person or setting or feeling, and I love that kind of thing so much. I definitely try to incorporate that into my own writing. 

23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

This is such an interesting question, and also a tricky one because I’m not sure what counts as an “obscure” life experience. 

Something that came to mind, though, is the summers that I spent working at an outdoor concert venue. I can’t say exactly what my role was without giving away the precise venue, but it involved a lot of downtime, being at the venue late at night when it was mostly empty, and occasionally dealing with emergencies that required calling 911 (don’t worry, I’m not going to go into detail about those). 

I don’t consciously think about my time working there when I write, but the variety of experiences I had there had such an impact on my life, it’s impossible that it hasn’t influenced my writing. Everything from standing at the back of the venue, watching the audience as they watched the performance and just absorbing the feeling of connectedness; to hanging out in an empty parking lot with my coworkers at midnight, after our shifts were over, cringing every time one of them hocked a loogie (which was a lot because most of them smoked 👀). 

It was such a unique work environment. We dealt with the public in a very indirect way, and we spent a lot of time just...keeping ourselves occupied until something interesting happened. And when something interesting happened, it tended to be a nerve-wracking kind of interesting. I imagine it would be similar to working at a public pool or something like that. It was a good setting for studying people both close-up and from afar - spending so much time with the same people that you got to know all these weird little nuances (like how one of our supervisors always got two Chipotle burritos at a time whenever we ordered in for lunch, or how when one of the guys said he was “looking for batteries” it meant he was going to one of the more secluded bathrooms to poop lol); but also getting to see the ways people act in a crowd. 

Anyway THAT GOT REALLY LONG I’m sorry! 🙈 And thank you so much for the ask! These ones really made me think!

[whatthehorsedoicallthisblog]

For the fanfic ask meme: L, R, U?

ooooo yay! Thank you so much for asking!!!!! 

L: What’s the weirdest AU you’ve ever come up with? 

Aha..okay, um. So, this isn’t necessarily a weird AU - but this is what I thought of for this question. I haven’t written too many crazy AU’s, not really! 

 Basically, I saw a post that talked about matching tattoos being soulmate marks, right? And that night I had a dream about it, so I wrote a little mini thing about everyone having some kind of circlet around their various body parts. But I didn’t make up characters...i used myself and a real boy who I knew from my art class whomst I had a crush on. Yes, this is bad - but no no, it gets worse! The next day, I then bumped into him, and was so unaware of who exactly I had run into that I asked “can i see your tattoo?” - thinking of the not real world I was living in for the past 24 hours. Needless to say, I snapped out of it real quick when he responded with; “I don’t have a tattoo?” and then never spoke to me again. It was not my best creator moment lol. 

R: Are there any writers (fanfic or otherwise) you consider an influence?

Oh heck yes! Anything that I read is inspiring in some way or another - fanfics esp! Throwback to reading that one old Stucky fic that had the singular line “The instant Steve hears Mikey saying “Holy shit, that’s Iron Man!” he’s flinging himself bodily at Stark and carrying him out of the room...”, and me getting so inspired to actually finish the recent chapter of Above and Below. All so I could steal the phrase “Tackling bodily out of the room” hahaha. But seriously, creators like Adiduck, jilliancares, midnightlie, Okadiah - literally SO MANY! I’m just listing a few I’m currently obsessed with! 

We also have our outside the internet influences - Casey McQuiston shattered me emotionally last August with Red, White, and Royal Blue and ever since I’ve been like - I want that. Maggie Stiefvator is literally my all time favorite author, and while I don’t aim to copy her very unique storytelling style, I do try to find magic in the worlds she makes. RIck Riordan used to be, not so much anymore since I’ve grown - oh, but Samantha Shannon stole me away recently! I read her book, Priory of the Orange Tree, and literally still can’t breathe. 

Again, I get inspiration from every little thing I experience - good and bad, reading and living, etc,. etc., How it influences me is just like...up to me? Hahaha, sorry long answer. 

U: A pairing you might like to write for, but haven’t tried yet.

Hmmm. The only ship I’ve never written anything for that I can think of off the top of my head is Buck and Eddie from 911. Most if not all of my ships have some form of drabble sitting in my Google Doc - I really wanna get the guts to just post the unfinished drafts - because I will literally read myself to sleep with them and would like validation to FINISH THEM. There are hundreds of ideas and ships that I wanted to write for but could never bring myself to finish for this or that reason. 

Thank you so much for playing the ask game!!!! I love getting this questions because it means I can chatter my mouth away!!!!!! <3

[aritany]

1, 4, 19, and 30!

1. What themes would you like to write about that you feel don’t get explored very often?

i’m really eager to keep writing about complicated friendship dynamics! i feel like toxic friendships are explored a bit, but i’d LOVE to keep contributing to that conversation because i really think especially the messy friendships between teenage girls can manifest in so many different ways! 

4. In your works, is blood thicker than water or is the blood of the covenant thicker than the water of the womb? (Are familial ties or friendship ties more important?)

FOUND FAMILY! the blood of the covenant is definitely thicker than the water of the womb, especially in I Wish You Wouldn’t! found family is a theme in almost all of my books, though! 

19. “For fans of ______!” What works would you say are similar to yours?

i’m going to say authors rather than works, since my books are so far all over the map. i’ve been told my narrative style is similar in some aspects to maggie stiefvater and e. lockhart! 

30. What is some of the best writing advice you’ve read or received? Why does it work for you?

this whole answer is just me doxxing myself as a big maggie fan, but this quote on writing stuck with me right in my bones.

“Here’s the thing about being a writer, or a musician, or an artist, or any sort of creative person. The ones who make it are the ones who make themselves do it. They’re the ones who practice even when it seems like they aren’t getting any better. They’re the ones who open up their work-in-progress when their friends are going out hey-are-you-coming-with-us — even if they know that this novel is not the one that will be good enough to get published, because they know that practice is the only way to get to the one that will be good enough to be published. They’re the ones who send out query letters and hear no and they send out more query letters and they hear no again and they send out query letters and they hear no again. They’re the ones that hear no as not yet and nothing is ever a failure, it’s only a complicating plot point in the arc of their life. They’re the ones who realize that there’s no point tricking your way into publication, because the point is to write something other people fall in love with; that’s what being a successful storyteller is. They’re the ones who are hungry for it. No, they’re the ones who are starving for it.”

- Maggie Stiefvater

when i get feeling discouraged i just read that again and again, and i keep trying.

thanks for the ask! :) 

unique writing asks