#I think the last Dresden one spoiled me

[eolewyn1010]

"Incorrect Tatort quotes"

Karin: I've met a lot of pricks in my time, but you, Schnabel, are a fucking cactus.

[atlantic-riona]

I read a lot of books in the last ten days - a lot of them were very light, since I was on vacation - but since it's been so long since I read for fun, I thought I'd note down some things for each of them.

Completed

The Hollow Kingdom by Claire B. Dunkle: Still an absolute favorite of mine - I personally think it's one of the best books featuring a Goblin King, and Kate is such an interesting protagonist. I won't spoil anything, but I do like how the book actually doesn't follow a more traditional plot for these kinds of books.

In the Coils of the Snake by Claire B. Dunkle: Probably not my favorite, per se, of the trilogy, but I do find it fascinating. It brings back the elves, and I love the questions that get raised about the future and past of the goblins and elves. Can they ever escape their own tendencies?

Entwined by Heather Dixon: Best retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses ever, in my opinion. Really good characters and I loved the family relationships.

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt: I kept seeing this in various lists and it is very good! I enjoyed reading it a lot. Kind of Scheherazade-like, where Keturah keeps Death from claiming her by telling stories and then promising to finish the stories the next day.

The Vampire's Promise by Caroline B. Cooney: Genuinely unsettling descriptions of the vampire, but in a good way. There's something about this genre of supernatural fiction that I love (pre-2000s small town America encounters something supernatural) but it's hard to find nowadays imo, because so much of it is just romance now. I enjoyed it a lot, and there's two other books in the trilogy, but I have to put off reading those because of how unnerving the first was, lol.

Mixed Magics by Diana Wynne Jones: Very fun! I always love the Chrestomanci stories, they're funny and also just brilliant worlds to visit.

In Progress

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones: Going to be honest, I'm probably not going to finish this one. I started it after The Hollow Kingdom, because I was looking for more Goblin King-esque stories, but this one is not for me. I like some of the premise - the music aspect is interesting, and so too is the childhood friendship with the Erlkonig - but it's veering into "historically women were so repressed by society and religion and now I'm going to glory in being violent and hedonistic" and that's just not my cup of tea. I may try to push through it, but not if it's going to continue down the current path.

Fated by Benedict Jacka: This one's interesting. It's a bit like the Dresden Files, but Alex is definitely a bit more level-headed, which is interesting. I'm also interested in the world itself, but I will admit I got distracted partway through reading it and so I'm not very far in yet.

Captured by Maggie L. Wood: Didn't think I would like this one, but it reminds me a lot of the kinds of books I would devour in middle school. It's an interesting kind of portal fantasy, and I like Willow and her reactions to learning that she's not from Earth originally. The chess aspect is interesting, but I do wish they'd focus more on Willow's skills with chess, since it's so integral to the plot.

Nightwing, Vol. 1: Bludhaven by Dennis O'Neil: I have gotten maybe...five pages into this one, haha. I do like it, though! I'll have more to say later, though I do think it's funny that everybody's like "yeah, Gotham is bad, but Bludhaven is even worse." Like...you have seen Gotham, right? Maybe I just need to read more of the comic.

Stolen Songbird by Daniell E. Jensen: Another Goblin King-esque story, though here they're trolls in some kind of fantasy France? It was interesting, but I'm not going to lie, it's turning into a slog. I don't particularly find it interesting to read about characters that flip-flop their minds every five seconds, and I wasn't interested in the romance part, which is turning into the focus (I don't know what I expected, it's marketed as a romance, bahahaha). I probably will also not finish this one.

The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Science by Seb Falk: Only made it through the intro and first chapter so far, but it is FASCINATING. It will probably take me a long time to finish, but that's just because I find so much of what's being explained interesting that I have to track it down further or include it in my own stories.

Ladies of Liberty by Cokie Roberts: Didn't get through much more than the intro (it was buried in the car during the trip), but I love this period of time, and I love when historians dig into women of history without acting as if only women pursuing masculine activities are worth studying, and the intro makes it seem like this is one of those books where all kinds of women are being studied. So fingers crossed this one works out!

[pb-dot]

WIP Wednesday special: Olimar Trent

Since it came up in the last snippet I posted, I decided to have a look at the smallest, most insignificant part of the worldbuilding that still has some kind of a point behind it today. That's right, we're talking about the Olimar Trent series, the books that 13 likes to read and from which he finds inspiration for choosing his new name.

In short, the Olimar Trent books are a series of dimestore novels set in the pre-collapse Imelian empire following the eponymous private detective in his attempts at rooting out crime and corruption from the city, both as a detective and as his secret vigilante alter-ego The Pearlescent Mask. Along the way, Trent is hindered by many a foe and helped mostly by a rotating cast of supporting characters, among them Adrian Disimila, a filing clerk at city hall whose intensely cowardly predisposition doesn't stop him from doing all he can to aid the righteous detective.

These books are supposed to be a particularly pulpy blend of Sherlock Holmes-inspired detective fiction and early superhero stuff, think Golden Age, or even Pre-Action Comics #1. Another important piece of inspiration is the Dresden Files books that took me through some tough times in ways perhaps somewhat comparable to 13 and these books. I imagine that similarly to DF, the Olimar Trent books re-introduce important elements from earlier books when they come up in the story to be approachable for new readers. This is probably a blessing for 13, as the first book he read was the second one in the series, The Coal-Car Conspiracy.

These books are part of a wave of similarly pulpy stories set in a slightly mythologized version of imperial-era Imelia. As with any trend in literature, there are any number of variations on the themes and angles, but in general, they tend to portray life before the collapse of the empire as more exciting and vibrant, but also dangerous and made more so by corruption on multiple levels. The Trent books are notable mostly in featuring a gay protagonist, but also for being considerably less cynical than other entries, such as The Traitor Circle and In Sway of Blood-series.

I don't think it's possible to have books or similar entertainment in your writing without using it as a vehicle to talk about fiction in general and your writing in particular, so I have simply not tried to avoid it. The Trent series are disposable and at times somewhat silly stories, but that doesn't mean they don't have any merit. In fact, the books are, in their own small way, contributing to 13's development into a happier, more independent individual. Also, not to spoil the next book entirely, but let's just say the fact that he was recommended the books by his (maybe?) frenemy One may not be entirely irrelevant.

I could go on, but this covers the basics of this aspect of the world just fine. Tempted as I am to recount the entire narrative arc of the first seven or so of these books I have plotted out, that does sound a lot like consigning myself to sitting down and actually writing the damn thing, and I just plain don't have the time or energy for that even though it could, admittedly, be an interesting spinoff. Ah, the worries of a writer huh?

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[marislittleworld]

Hot Wheels: New races, new drivers

<<previous . next>>

Chapter 5: The fastest driver in the world A phone rang, someone went to answer it.

"hello?" a feminine voice answered

"Hi Samantha" Maria called

"OH hi Mari! It's about time you to call" Samantha replied happily, she is Mari's childhood friend and she is taking care of Logan

"how's Logan?"

"doing great, still dramatic with his leg" Samantha laughed

"and Harley?" Maria asks

"eating... like always" Samantha answered with an ironic tone

"I think I spoiled her so much"

Maria got interrupted by Dan Dresden who has been calling her to get into her car for another race, she nods and says goodbye to Samantha. She runs to her car and gets inside, after she turned on her Mercy Breaker 2.0, she looks beside her. She looked at the new member of the Street Breed that Dan Dresden invited to complete the team, the new guy is Toño and his car is a Pontiac Rageous, he is man hailing from Mexico and to her surprise, he is a very calm man.

All the teams got their cars ready for their last race.

"World Race drivers. Start your engines" Dr. Tezla commanded, his voice could be heard in the mics.

Vert Wheeler's car opened up to him get inside while he calls for his teammates.

"c'mon Alec, Markie. Let's catch this wave!" Vert called

"hey, now that Kurt is out of the race. Maybe he will get to help you win" Alec says to Markie

"hey I don't need to cheat to win" Markie replied angrily

"chill, Markie" Vert tries to calm Markie so they wouldn't have to fight

"hey it-- it was just a joke because Kurt and Markie are brothers" Alec says and he goes to his car

"yeah, but he is no brother to me" Markie finishes the conversation with an angry tone while Vert sighs

Engine sounds could be heard

"you know why they call us Roadbeasts? Because we EAT the road" said Banjee to his team

"feel the burn, Scorches" said Taro to his team

"this is Dan Dresden in Side Draft, I'm new as a team leader, but we could complete the team again. And Street Breed still rules the street" said Dan Dresden to his teammates

"that's right, Dan" Maria communicates

"Street Breed are born to lead" said Toño even tho he just entered to the team

"it doesn't matter where we start. Duneratz ride the wind" said Kadeem to his team

"we are with you, Kadeem" said Toni

Dr. Tezla got one last speach to the drivers before the race start "remember drivers, this may be the last leg of the race, if you reach the end of the Highway 35 and find the wheel of the power, you and each member of your team will win 5 million dollars. Good luck to you all"

Once again, the drivers are waiting for the green light to start the race, the anxienty to race already started on the red light, but when it turned into yellow light, 3 mysterious black cars appeared and started to race before the drivers.

"hey, who let them on the track?" Vert asked confused

"it's Kurt Wylde. He is going to the portal!" Kadeem warned

"nobody gets to jump on the Roadbeasts" Banjee said angrily and the Roadbeasts, Scorches and the Duneratz started to go after Kurt

"c'mon Wave Rippers!" Vert called and he ignited his car and started to drive along with his team with the Street Breed behind them

Now everybody was going after Kurt and more 2 unknown drivers, he uses the Nitrox 2 along with both of cars and a portal opens, they went through it first and before the World Race drivers. It didn't take too long the other drivers pushed the Nitrox 2 red button too.

A portal opened above the orange track in an ice place, Kurt entered first with his 2 partners, right after the 35 drivers landed on the track, they started to go after Kurt. Maria was astonished to see such a different place than the last race, she felt a little bit of cold, but she can handle it. She is driving besides Toni Berry and all of the drivers went inside of a cave, what they didn't expect is the 2 drivers who are Kurt's partners released spikes to slow down the other drivers from behind.

When Banjee saw the spikes, he yelled and pushed the brakes of his car and tried to advice his team, but it was too late when Esmeralda got caught on one of the spikes.

"Oh meu Deus... Esmeralda, are you okay?" Maria worriedly asked

"yeah I'm okay" she replies

The Scorches team with the other teams just came after

"Scorches, deploy your volcano tires and lava plows" Taro Kitano commanded and his team did

The whole team cleaned the way for the rest of the teams, Maria helped Esmeralda get back on the track. The drivers followed ahead, jumping from a track to another until they notice large pieces of ice blocking the way. Taro and Banjee turned on their car's settings and started get to work, trying to remove the ice out of the way.

"we are gonna loose Kurt if we get this behind" Toni mumbled

"I'm willing to put competition aside. For now" Dan says

The Wave Rippers reaches the rest and also notice the bunch of ice on the track

"move blocked, Wave Rippers" Vert warned to his team

"not for me" Markie smirks and he accelerates his car, dodging all the cars and used his jump booster ability to skip the ice, making the other drivers mad.

"hey, wait up!" Vert yelled "Markie!!"

Mari thought for a second, Lani noticed Maria's thinking face and got curious

"what's in your mind, Maria?" Lani asked

"hmm... wait a sec" Maria turned on her comms to her team "Dan, I want to know what are our car's abilities?"

"why do you want to know?" Dan asked

"one of the Wave Rippers got just in front of us, and I want to know if we could help"

"you're feeling useless, aren't you?"

"what-- No! I'm just..." there was a silence until Maria finally gave up "...feeling completely useless" she says in a defeat tone

The teammates started to laugh by her silly attitude, except Dresden, he didn't laugh and he wanted to help his teammate.

"the Street Breed cars have a camera drone and we can control it and see it by our panels" Dan told Maria

"so I can use it to follow Markie's car. Okay, got it!" Mari understood and informed the Wave Rippers without letting Markie know through the comms

So at this point, Mari turned on her drone and let it flew ahead of all the drivers, Maria could hear Vert trying to communicate with Markie through the comms.

"Markie! It's too dangerous to go by your own, Markie. We need to work together" he said

"I don't need help to win, I don't need help from anybody!" Markie replied pissed off

Maria opened the drone's camera view with her car's panel, the carefully controlled the robot as it flew after Markie and then she finally spotted him, but there is a problem.

"uh oh" Maria says

The problem is that Markie is going too fast and the drone is getting out of the range, it'll turn off if Maria continues to control it more further. She started to sweat nervously, but thanks to the cold temperature around her, she didn't feel it at all.

The screen of her panel started to get blurry, meaning that it's almost reaching it's limit, until something exploded and her drone camera was offline, she tried to call back, but the drone couldn't respond. She didn't know what she saw, it was so fast.

"was that an explosion?... Oh no" Maria thought and she turned on her comms to the Wave Rippers, "Wave Rippers, have you tried to communicate with Mark Wylde?"

"he just hang up his comms, he ignored us. He doesn't respond now" Alec has informed

"well I--" Maria got interrupted by Taro

"All clear" Taro informs before all the drivers hear sudden explosion sound

"hey, what was that?" Banjee asks in confusion

"trouble" Taro answered

All the drivers started to follow ahead again, Vert tried to call Markie, but he didn't receive an answer.

"Vert, I don't know what I saw, but I think Markie must have caused the explosion by accident. I tried to follow him with my drone camera, but it got blurry a second before the explosion, I couldn't see a thing after that" Maria informed to the blonde boy

"if Markie is not running his mouth, something must be wrong" Vert finished the conversation with a worried tone of his voice

After driving all the way ahead, the drivers noticed another moutain of broken ice on the track blocking their way again. Toni just faceslapped herself, tired of Kurt's cheating schemes. Suddenly, Vert got an idea to get another way to reach Markie, he and the rest of the drivers took a shortcut trough a big maze.

"man, I love going off road, but this place is like a maze" Banjee stated

"Street Breed cars were designed for driving mazes, called 'cities'" Dan Dresden pressed a white button and his drone camera came out of his car, "the eye in the sky can find an alternative route around the traffic jam"

After some seconds, Dresden finally a way to get out of the ice maze, so he guides the other drivers out of the place. The problem about that is the ice track, it was very slippery, so Kadeem ordered the Duneratz to use their spikes so they couldn't fall of the track.

Kurt let his brother behind and went to get the wheel of the power on his own, not knowing that Dr. Tezla's drivers would reach him after they got blocked twice, much to Kurt's surprise. Vert and the rest of his team drove next to Markie and Dresden drove next to Kurt.

"you should have stayed with the Street Breed, Kurt. You could have 5 million dollars" Dresden argued to Kurt

"talk is cheap, Dresden" Kurt just bitterly replied

A black jet flew towards the drivers, especially Kurt, following his car. The jet's driver tried to throw a bomb towards Dan Dresden and Vert Wheeler, but they managed to dodge, but unfornately to the other drivers, the bomb exploded and their track got blocked AGAIN. This irritated Maria.

"AAHH!! MER-" Maria was about to curse in Brazilian

"Maria, y'know we can hear you, right?" Lani warned making Maria clumsly turn off her mic.

[TIMESKIP, Vert Wheeler won in a race against Kurt and he got the wheel of the power]

Suddenly, all the cars started to be transported by some light and then they landed on the desert where they use to start the race. Later, all the drivers were reunited into the Tezla's cube and Gig floated in front of all of them.

"because he was the first to reach the Wheel of Power. Vert Wheeler has been declared as the winner of the World Race, the fastest driver in the world" after Gig announced that, he gave to each member of the Wave Rippers a check of 5 million dollars.

Everyone started to congratulate Vert, clapping their hands while smiling, some of them thinking that he just got lucky, and some others thinking he is really talented. Maria was proud of him and started to clap her hands excitedly while she pulls Toni Berry from her corner to congratulate too, the Duneratz girl rolled her eyes while slowly claps her hands.

Also, Gig has said that Dr Tezla allowed that every driver now can keep their own car, making the other drivers more happier.

"Now that we have cars. How about another race?" Banjee challenges "To see if you are really best, or you just got lucky"

Vert smirks "I make my own luck. Anyone else wants to race?"

"The Street Breed are always ready for a new race. How about the Duneratz, Kadeem?" Dan Dresden asks Kadeem

Toni Berry just crosses her arms as she listens her team leader refuse because he got personal things to do. Maria approaches her and touches her shoulder.

"Hey, are you thinking about leaving too?" the teen asks

"Hmm... I don't know. I mean, racing here was fun, specially on the most difficult tracks, but it's all over" Toni answers with a disheartening tone

"Wait-- what do you mean?" Maria got confused

"You can race, but not on Highway 35" Taro appeared between the girls and spoke to everyone hear it. The news shocked the drivers.

After boasting his ego, Vert discovers there won't be any more race at the Highway 35 since he took the Wheel of Power, he got mad and went to talk to Tezla. Toni went to her car and put on her helmet, Maria ran to her window.

"Are you sure that you want to leave?" Maria asks again

"Maria, what do you want from me? It's over now, there is nothing we can do. Now, why don't you leave too and live your life and become a famous racer like your brother?" Toni angrily asks

"Because she liked to meet you and the rest of us" Esmeralda appeared from behind, Maria blushes and moved her hands fastly

"W-w-wait-- Esmeralda, whyy?" Maria covers her face "but that's true, you, her and Lani were the coolest people I've ever met." Toni tried to hold a smile, but she couldn't.

"girl, we just met yesterday. But you know, Maria, you really made a big impression. I may have been harsh, but that's because this race meant a lot to me."

Maria smiled shyly, still blushing "I just want to say that no matter what, you were all amazing. Each of you taught me something different, and I truly look up to you all."

Toni sighed, looking at Maria e Esmeralda with a softer look. "You both really are a nice. Maybe I'm being hasty right now. But I don't know, I feel like I need to find my own way now that the races on Highway 35 are over."

Esmeralda placed a hand on Toni's shoulder. "We all need to find our own path, but that doesn't mean we can't find ourselves again. Maybe we can even find a new way to run together, somewhere else."

Toni smiled, finally relaxing a little. "Maybe you're right."

Some time later, the lights went out, confusing the other drivers.

"Tezla must have forgotten to pay the light bill" Banjee joked making Maria giggle a little bit

"very funny, Banjee" Esmeralda says in a discouraging tone, "but where are Lani, Taro and Vert. Their conversation is taking too long"

After a short time, some lights came back and Kadeem and Toni were about to leave when they noticed a bunch of black cars and a big helicopter floating above them, all in front of the Tezla's HQ, the duo gulped and drove back to the cube.

"You have 3 minutes to hand over the Wheel of Power" a female voice echoed through the speakers inside of the cube, "if you do not surrender the wheel. This entire complex will be destroyed"

Almost all the drivers got scared when they heard this threat, Vert came back from Tezla's room with the Wheel of Power floating on his hands.

"Vert" Banjee called "what are you gonna do?"

"Give back the Wheel to it's place" Vert answered with confidence

TO BE CONTINUED...

[bookaddict24-7]

I said at the beginning of the year that I would share my reviews more on my blog instead of just on Instagram and Goodreads. I’ve been reading a lot so far this year, so my reviews will be delayed on here.

Friend me on Goodreads here to read my reviews in real-time!

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137. The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket--⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

It's interesting how this series is for kids but has moments that will definitely give a much younger reader a few uneasy nights of sleep. I do have to keep in mind that the original readers of this series grew up with this books, so they get darker and darker, but this is potentially one of my favourites when it comes to the darker themes (Although the one with the aunt being devoured was slightly creepier). These poor children seriously need to catch a break.

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138. Goal Lines & First Times by Eden Finley & Saxon James--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This series is seriously everything. I love the slow build up of romance and the way the conflicts are always handled. Plus that SPICE. Oh man, that spice. I'm glad we were able to learn more about Cohen and Seth in this one. We knew a lot about Seth already because of the first book in this series, but Cohen was always presented as this dopey best friend who was always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. I had a completely different mental image of him before this book and I'm so happy to know more about him now. It really shows how perspective can affect us when it comes to characters. I also loved him and Seth. I KNEW they would get together in their own book. There was too much tension in the last book for them not to get their own book. Also, I always love the exploration of identity and sexuality in these books. If you're a fan of HIM, I think you're going to not only devour this series, I think you're going to love them, too.

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139. The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

TW: Suicide, Cancer, Potentially uncomfortable allusion to a sex scene that is questionable consent-wise. Okay, this book was a HEARTBREAKER. I listened to the audiobook and I couldn’t stop listening. It had so much emotion and the level of angst I’d expect from a teenager with a parent who’s both over the top optimistic and protective. This book showed me that miracles can either be tangible things, or the way our mentality can grow and change. This was such a heartbreaking and beautiful book. That ending was everything I was expecting and more. I really wish I could hug this MC and go on this journey with her.

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140. Perfect World Vol. 5 by Rie Aruga--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I understand why the things that happen in this series are happening, and why these characters need to do the things they need to do, but I just want them to have their happy endings! (This was all me trying to not spoil anything.) I absolutely can't wait until the next volume!

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141. Mindy Kim & the Lunar New Year Parade by Lyla Lee & Dung Ho--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another cute addition to this series! I loved learning about Korean Lunar New Year, even if it wasn’t exactly the way the MC wanted it to be. I love thinking that someone will be reading this and learning about a different culture—that this little character who could be in their class or she could be a friend. I just think this is really cute and I would love to imagine my future kids reading this. Also, this MC is the sweetest little soul, especially when it comes to her dad!

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142. Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one is my favourite Dresden novel by far in the series, simply because of the mystery and the horror behind said mystery. ALSO because these two idiots are thiiiiiiiis close to finally getting together. I'm so glad others around them see it happening. Took a star off because of the weird way Dresden describes younger women--one particular situation comes to mind, though he handles it well, it was still weird and a reminder of the time it was written. I really hope this one aspect of the novels changes as I read more of the books in this series.

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143. Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This novel was an adventure of not just actual adventure, but of character growth. The MC we are first introduced to, Kat, was someone that was unlikable at first. I had this feeling that the way she was acting was going to eventually lead to the other MC, Stevie, losing her cool and finally saying a bunch of stuff that would later be regretted. But this isn't to say that Stevie is any better, since we find out early on that she's really bad at not only speaking her mind, but confiding in her best friend. But this book, I've found, isn't just a story about two girls and their friendship. I think this book is about two girls growing into the people they hope to be so that their friendship can also grow as a result. I think those first few chapters were difficult to read because of the amount of growth these two characters had yet to experience. The moment they started growing and learning more about their friendship, general relationships, and themselves, the story took on a different level of depth that I really enjoyed. I found this to be quite different from other Matson books. Whereas her past books have dealt with loss, summer romances, and character introspection, this book was a bit of a ride. In introducing a story set during one night, the reader should be ready for nearly anything. There's a cute dog, cute guys, surprising revelations and...a throwback to Adventures in Babysitting. Yeah, that was unexpected. But I think, to be honest, that the side story of the MCs' friend having her own dangerous adventure added a level of levity to the story. Especially with how it was handled at the end when stories are swapped and secrets are kept. It's almost to the point where you start to wonder if any of it actually happened, or if it was just a wild fabrication. It's the magic of one night, after all. One final thing I want to comment on is the changing perspectives. I loved it, but mainly because I'm a sucker for a story that gives me multiple insights into different situations. I love seeing what one character is feeling in response to another character's actions and vice versa. I think it adds more depth to a story--especially when you have two characters in desperate need of character growth. I've been a Matson fan ever since I read her first book and while this one was different, I think it's worth the try. Kat is someone who's hard to love, but her growth is incredibly worthwhile to read!

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144. Infinite Country by Patricia Engel--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW: For r@pe Okay, not only was this novel gorgeously written, the story was incredibly memorable. As a Latina living in Canada as a (legal) immigrant, I admit that I've had the privilege of not worrying about being deported or being found out. My dad was able to bring my mom, two of my sisters, and I to Canada by legal means. But I know that if we didn't have the privileges and help that we had, we could have easily had a different immigration story. Seeing the characters in this book suffer, live in fear, and constantly wonder if today is the day they'll be separated was heartbreaking and a reminder of how so many people in today's society live. Seeing how much the mother suffered and experienced while trying to raise her children was eye-opening and made me think of my own mom as she worked day and night to have enough money for food and rent. It made me think of the years my dad lived separated from his children and wife because he was trying to make a better life for us. But even with all of these reminders, I lived a life of privilege in comparison to these characters. I appreciate Engel writing this story and giving us an experience that wasn't just about the hardship of immigrating, but also what comes after you've crossed the border. Also, I appreciated the representation of children experiencing that disconnect of their parents' home country and the one they were born in. Also, the reminders of the racism experienced not just by the parents in the US, but also the racism that the children of immigrants faced was heartbreaking. This was such an important read! It's short, full of emotion, and a reminder of the privilege so many of us share in our societies.

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Have you read any of these books? Would you recommend them?

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Happy reading!

[natromanxoff]

Daily Express - July 28, 1986

Credits to Boris Arhangelski.

‘Mary wants my child before it’s too late. I’d rather have another cat.’

FREDDIE MERCURY, outrageous king of rock group Queen, dominates a stage with all the force of a hurricane. But off stage, an entirely different kind of man exists.

All the flamboyance is replaced by someone who is overtly shy, suspicious of people, guards his privacy almost as much as the late Howard Hughes, has a demonic sense of humour and explodes and screams when he doesn’t get his own way.

In fact, woe betide anyone on the receiving end of Freddie’s tongue if he is in a black mood. 

Friends

One of his closest friends, who is always near at hand to calm him or reassure him - not that he needs much of that - is Mary Austin, a quiet fair-haired 31-year-old who has remained loyal to him after the break-up of their seven-year love affair.

Mary, whose London flat was bought by Freddie, confided to me that she would still like to have a child by Freddie, “before it’s too late.”

“I would rather have another cat!” was how Freddie reacted.Like the late John Lennon, he has a weakness for cats and already has two of the biggest cats I’ve ever seen - Oscar and Tiffany.

He surrounds himself with a small, close-knit group of friends he feels he can trust and with whom he is extremely generous with his money. The arrogance that comes so easily and can(?) hurt(?) and scares so many people off, is often due to his obsession with being a perfectionist.

Defeat

“Some people can take second best, but I can’t,” says 3-year-old Freddie, “Especially now, I look upon it as a defeat. If you’ve got the taste of being No., then No.2 isn’t good enough. I am a spoiled child.”

Last night Queen broke new ground by playing the first ever open air stadium rock concert behind the Iron Curtain in Budapest (...) (...) sell-out audience of 80.000 people at the Nepstadion (The People’s Stadium). Ticket demands for the even were over-subscribed by a quarter of a million.

It took 15 40-foot long lorries to transport all the rigging, sound and lightning equipment into Budapest for the Queen stage show.

Queen are now one of the Top Five crowd pullers in the world, having played to 170.000 people at Wembley Stadium recently, and they will perform in front of a further 120.000 at Knebworth. Herts, on Saturday, August 9.

Spacious

Before Freddie packed his leotard for Budapest, he invited me to join him for dinner at his spacious Edwardian home in Kensington, full of fine Japanese and Chinese furniture and art and the Dresden china he collects.

Freddie’s master bedroom is hidden behind a mirrored hallway leading to two marbled bathroom suites - one a jacuzzi, the other a bath large enough for two people. The cream bedroom is Roman styled, with a balcony - and an illuminated ceiling can be switched to sunset, twilight or sunrise depending on your mood.

While a young American chef, Joe Fanelli, prepares a three-course dinner with a choice of two starters, Freddie shows me the rose filled three quarters of an acre walled garden which surrounds the house.

Clubbing

Because heavy concert tours have been affecting his voice to the point where some days he can’t even speak, Fressie has given up his regular right clubbing habit to enjoy his home more and more.

He says, “Everybody wants a loving relationship and to go out and have fun. For me, I’m quite happy to come home and tickle my peonies.

After 13 years as a top recording act, he is one of Britain’s richest rock stars and idolized by millions. “Come on Freddie,” they chant from (...) around the world. His private life has not worked out as satisfactory and often been in turmoil.

“I would have liked a one to one relationship, but I don’t think my life can actually cater for it. I’ve tried that and it’s always gone worng.

“It’s so much heartache and I don’t want anymore of that,” said Freddie, who has never made a secret of his bi-sexuality.

“I’m surrounding myself with special people who are loyal and loving - it’s a kind of happiness. For the first time in my life I’ve found a contentment within myself.

“I don’t want to come across lonely, because I’m not. As I’m not seen out in public, they think I’ve become a recluse. My friends are people - I don’t mix with labels. I like interesting people, people who have more to talk about than just music.”

While many fellow rock stars have burned out around him, he has somehow managed to avoid going over the edge.

Astute

“It needs a really strong-willed person to survive,” he says.

“You have to be one step ahead all the time. You have to be so astute, so strong. You have to be a hard faced bitch - and a lot of us can’t be.

“Love is the hardest thing to achieve and the one thing in this business that can let you down the most.”

[william-nylander]

having a very rough day, do you have anymore top willy moments to gift us?

i am so sorry u are having a rough day pebble. i decided to go a bit rogue with this, in that it is instead a Top Willy Interviews On the Leafs Youtube Page listicle. i hope it makes ur day a teeny bit better.

idk if you’ve ever been to toronto BUT this look is very like. like this willy lives in the junction and hates the “noise” of the downtown and has waited 2 hours in line for bangbang ice cream in august. he likes to smoke weed in trinity bellwoods. he goes to poetry readings on bar roof tops and says shit about how everything north of dupont is “north york”. hes been known to sit at the piano in the common room at university college (uoft) and play scales. he can and has fucked ur boyfriend.

this willyum is your coworker at canadas wonderland one summer. he does not know what hes doing. he is either like :| or like :D depending on the moment. his nose gets sunburnt at the beginning of the summer but only ever in a charming way!!! u never see it peel. he works the stuffed animal stands and cannot understand why his has a line and none of the others do (hint: its bc every1 has a crush on him!!!!). before the park opens he wanders around with one of those velcro monkeys around his neck. he likes the mindbuster the best bc thats MY favourite ride and this is my listicle. 

also i miss willys gigantic front teeth gap. he used to have little tombstone teeth. what has he done to them. 

hey i love kyle dubas with my whole heart and all but there was something to be said about how when lou made them all be clean shaven and hair short it meant that willys hair was always kinda like a dragon ball z character and also his skin was all fleshy and elastic like a babys arm 

speaking of kyle dubas i found this choice shot of willy blinking while kyles prattling on about nothing and like has anything ever been more My Aesthetic 

god. has any1 ever been more iconic. this willy lives just north of bloor on dufferin and will tell anyone that the ossington strip is the “most underrated part of the city” (& hes right!!!!). they know his name at sugo. he takes all his out of town friends there and he gets tattoos at ink + water (thats at lansdowne right? now ive confused myself). he goes to the value village there and owns 29 pairs of sunglasses. he has his bed on the floor. he listens to a lot of better oblivion community centre. he long boards. he goes to bulk stores for groceries. he wants to start brewing his own kombucha. actually u know the more i typed this willy might just be me whoops.

this man is my next door neighbour for the summer in cottage country. he has a fishing boat but he doesnt fish because fish suck. i invite him over for bbq and telling stories around the campfire. we drink shitty beer. he is not interesting but he is hot. maybe we make out on the dock. willy looks weirdly good in green.

whenever someone has bracelets on their wrist my mind goes str8 to SUMMER CAMP. willyum is a camp counsellor at a camp maybe on like idk lake erie or some shit. he is a cabin leader and he loves his little sprouts/campers. frederik gauthier is the HEAD LIFEGUARD and willy thinks hes so funny and weird and sweet and cute and he doesnt realize!!! until the end of camp!!! that he has a big crush on freddie goat!!!! its the last night of camp and theres a big campfire and a camp dance and willy asks goat to sneak away with him. they go down to the beach and sit on the picnic table under the lifeguard tent and willy kisses goat and its very romantic. 

okay 1) love a man in a puffy coat & 2) there is something about “my father will hear about this” draco malfoy looking like He Was a Diplomats Son mp3 willy that just really gets my goat. he went to a boarding school in the swiss alps and fucked ur girlfriend. he has a closet for his shoes. he dated a member of the swedish royal family for a summer but broke up with him bc he was too clingy.

speaking of that bitch…..here he is again. this is after his tour after high school. he rented out an apartment in lisbon and would smoke cigarettes with beautiful people on the balcony. he spends a month in the south of france turning golden on the rocky beaches and buying dinner every night from the market on his way back to the hotel. this willy takes molly at a gay club in dresden and wakes up in an architect students bed and then he goes to the park to sweat off a hangover and pretend to read nietzsche  

this willy is absolutely the rapscallion son of the president. whats that movie with mandy moore (maybe???? oh no wait i just googled it its katie holmes) - that movie with katie holmes where the first daughter like falls in love or whatever?? this is willy. OOH IVE GOT IT. okay so this willy is absolutely a zoey barlett type from the west wing who is very cute and everyone loves him even though he is a spoiled brat sometimes/all the time. ENTER the assistant to the president - zach hyman - in a charlie young role. they fall in love over a pot of chilli. its the most beautiful thing u have ever s33n. 

okay so like willy is the new Legal Assistant at the office. kyle is a Partner in Law or whatever tf they’re called. willy and he are Working Late One Night and u know what that means…..they go to rol san bc its open until like 6am and they eat the FUCK out of some dumplings and then kyle drives willy back to his apartment (maybe in this one he lives in a shitty place at yonge & college???? like classic “roommate in the living room” toronto living??) and they KISS in the CAR and its ROMANTIC.

this willyumm is your date for thanksgiving dinner. he comes extremely bundled. my parents live north of toronto so i imagine this willy driving us north for the weekend. his scarf is very evan from skam and its sexi. he does not like the folk playlist that you have put on but its FALL and the TREES and OCTOBER MEANS HOZIER and hes like UGH FINE WHATEVER and is a bit grumpy but then u pass thru the holland marsh and he’s like “hm smells like onions” and its all fine again. his laugh confuses your extended family and he sucks at scrabble and is a pouty bitch about it but its a GOOD TIME.

god THIS WILLYAM is ur older brothers BEST FRIEND and he comes over to play video games ?? i guess ?? i never had a brother but i YEARNED to crush on a brothers best friend. he is very handsome like a lion. maybe you write some weird diary shit about it. every time he comes over ur SO WEIRD and he KNOWS ABOUT UR CRUSH and hes VERY NICE ABOUT IT.

also would a willy listicle be complete without me marvelling over his long straight nose??????????? look how straight it is!!!!!!

this will ham is in ur intro to gender studies class on friday mornings in sid smith. hes in one of ur projects and hes got no fucking clue whats going on. hes on the varsity blues hockey team and he thought that he clicked on “intro to geography”. despite the fact that he has no idea whats happening ever hes enthusiastic about listening. one time u go for coffee at mallo across from where honest eds used to be and he asks u what the male gaze is. 

okay. i hope u enjoyed this. it took me awhile and i enjoyed every second of it. to conclude, here is several screen shots from my favourite willy interview:

u ever see a man more beautiful

lil elastic face weirdo 

[wildandwilder]

⌠ REIKY DE VALK, 22, CISMALE, HE/HIM ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, IKENO WILDER! according to their records, they’re a SECOND year, specializing in LINGUISTICS, CULTURE, & ASSIMILATION + RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT; and they DID NOT go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (the smell of freshly baked bánh bò, untied shoelaces, the echo of heavy contagious laughter). when it’s the pisces’s birthday on 2/19/1998, they always request their TIRAMISU from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation. ⌿ chels, 23, she/her, est ⍀

@gallagherintro​

y’all i done goofed take me as i am

General

Full Name: Ikeno Magan Wilder  Nickname(s): Typically goes by Wilder, sometimes Ike. Never really uses Ikeno. Age: 22 Date of Birth: February 19, 1998 Hometown: Dresden, Germany Romantic Orientation: lil gay boy Sexual Orientation: lil gay boy 2.0 Language(s) Spoken: Dutch, German, Vietnamese, a little French Room: Sutton Floor 107 - naz farhi, margot lusignan, mateo leon

Biography (this gonna be vague)

I said: NOW MAKE THE OPPOSITE OF REGINE!

Anyway!! Wilder is an only child as far as he knows and lives with his grandmother and mother who raised him as a single mom after his dad’s death when he was seven. He adores his mother and would do anything for her, which to his surprise was put to the test when he was told about spy school literally two years ago at most. 

Wilder grew up full of whimsy; he rolled in mud and played in ponds and despite living a modest and relatively poor lifestyle he was spoiled rotten with love from his mother. Because of that, he is constantly putting love out into the world without expectation, even in undeserving places. He tries to see the best in people, and often takes it upon himself to make someone’s day if they’re looking low. He was homeschooled until early high school when his family moved from a more rural, woodsy area to Dresden. 

His father, who he knows very little about, died when he was young and so Wilder has a few solid memories of him. He knows he had a prestigious job he never talked about, and whenever he answered the phone he seemed serious. But when they spent moments alone his father was kind, gentle, and loving (though tough). It was as if the times where Ikeno Sr. came home to his family it was his secret peace, and they knew very little about his work. His mother knew vague details about the spy world outside of the fact that Ikeno Sr. was a secret agent and Blackthorne alumnus. After his death occasional letters were sent to Pearl with money and emergency contact numbers. She never told Wilder about this and she never contacted any of the numbers until a few months before Wilder’s first year at Gallagher. 

After graduating high school and starting to work full time to help support his mom, not super interested in colleges or academics, his mother went behind his back and started looking into his father’s past. She pulled a few strings and after a few conversations encouraged Wilder to attend Gallagher as a means to pave the way for a successful future. In her eyes, this was all he could have wanted.

Truthfully, he’s not that into being a spy. As someone who loved superheroes growing up, he thinks it’s pretty awesome, but his head isn’t in it and he finds it hard to stay focused. He’s not a fighter, and is a terrible sparring partner dreading taking any combat courses. He chose his majors because one allowed him to learn about places, and also cook dishes from different countries (his favorite pastime), and the other was behind the scenes work and seemed simple (narrator voice: it was not simple). He’s here because he thinks it’s where he has to be, and with his father’s past he’s guaranteed a job so long as he doesn’t fuck it up.

Personality wise, he’s clumsy and loves to laugh. He’s in the baking club and baking is his absolute favorite thing to do. You can often find him in the back of the cafeteria, where he’s made best friends with some of the chefs and they let him watch them from time to time. 

Physical Appearance

Face Claim: Reiky De Valk Height: 5′ 9′’ Style/Aesthetic: messy hair, loose graphic t shirts, untied shoelaces, baking flour on jeans, he’s always laughing, bad at social cues and personal space, can eat all day long 

Family

Parents: Ikeno Wilder (father) & Pearl Nguyen (mother) Sibling(s): N/A Pet(s): Bearded Dragon named Azula Family’s Financial Status: Lower-Middle Class

Extra

Zodiac Sign: Pisces  MBTI: N/A Enneagram: Type 9  Peacemaker/Mediator Temperament: Sanguine Moral Alignment: Neutral Good  Primary Vice: Sloth Primary Virtue: Charity

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

A best friend/Friends - Wilder is an absolute joke so he needs some goofy jokester friends to be dumb with. He is also, even though he teases a lot, a soft boy and a little sensitive despite being blind to how people treat him sometimes. He has not great social cues and no real concept of personal space so...

A Guide: He knew absolutely nothing about spies until his first year at Gallagher (last year), so maybe your character took him under their wing and showed him around. Preferably someone who grew up with spy parents/went to a spy prep school. Wilder looks up to your char or is really close to them because of this.

A Tutor: Wilder fucked last year up majorly and his mom isn’t happy so he’s in dire need of smart people to help him with his courses. Pref similar majors.

Past Hook ups/Romances - He’s very romantic and very quick to show affection to people. I can see this ending badly for him in many ways, because he’s also the type to still be friendly with his exes and try to be cool with them even if they made him a little sad. 

Enemy/Frenemy - Wilder has no enemies. Wilder may be YOUR char’s enemy/frenemy, but he will assume they are friends and probably be a bother.

Roomies - If you’re his roomie hit me up he def bakes for the room but like, his feet probably smell bad 

ALL THE PLOTS!! GIVE ME THEM ALL!! FEED ME!! USE ME!! 

[ginnyzero]

5 Books that Got Me Interested in Werewolves

I like werewolves. Both of my current book series, Heaven's Heathens MC and the Dawn Series include werewolves. And if you've read any of my previous blog posts, you'll know that The Lone Prospect (Heaven's Heathens MC #1) was inspired after watching the Expendables  2 during a binge watching of Sons of Anarchy.

My interest in doing werewolves instead of say vampires came from reading a lot of books about werewolves, where in the series werewolves weren't the main focus. I wanted a series of books that wasn't expressly romance that focused on werewolves and werewolf dynamics and adventures and being a werewolf was more an accepted part of life than "woe is me, I am a monster."

Monsters more often than not have human faces. See Frankenstein.

These are not necessarily recommendations. But if you like werewolf books and aren't picky, you may like these.

1. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Elena Michaels is the only female werewolf that has ever survived the change. A journalist good at investigating, she used her skills to track down rogue werewolves and kill them. Until she got tired of the violence the life required no matter how much she loved the male members of her pack. She's been trying to live like a human, but an old enemy is about to resurface threatening the pack she loves. Now, she's being drawn back into that world.

This was Kelley Armstrong's first novel. I liked the original cover and that's why I bought it. It focused completely on werewolves and was an interesting start to a new series. Book 2 started introducing other races and after a while I gave up on it when it focused exclusively on the young witch that was also introduced in book 2, Stolen. Bitten doesn't really hold up to any sort of in depth critical thinking when it comes to werewolves. Why is Elena the only female werewolf? She's also an orphan who has been sexually abused and then her boyfriend changed her without permission. I can see why she left the guy. I don't care how hot he's supposed to be. My last gripe for this book was Elena really felt like a stand in for the author. They are both Canadian and the politics commentary was really heavy handed. Maybe it was supposed to make the book feel relevant in 2001. It just made me grimace a bit.

2. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

Business has been slow, no dead, for Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional Wizard. Until Karen Murphy comes with a case of brutal murder. Mutilated corpse, strange paw prints and a full moon. It's going to take all of Harry's knowledge and skill to get to the bottom of which werewolf group is performing the murders. And the answer may be closer than he thought.

Fool Moon was Jim Butcher's second Harry Dresden Case File. He hadn't quite hit his writing stride yet. (That didn't happen until book 3.) In the book, Jim Butcher went through and used about every single type of werewolf he could think of to blow the readers off the scent (see what I did there) of who the real murders were. He used a lot of "classic" Universal studios werewolf lore and lore from other werewolf, lycanthropy, berserker type werewolves as well. And then he pretty much dropped the whole werewolf thing like hot potatoes in the books after this in order to pursue his Black Council and Winter Court Fae big story lines. And the times he does end up using the werewolves, it can be rather offensive, such as werewolves going into heat and the general way he describes the female werewolves. (He also has this problem with most of his female characters. I digress.) It was a good starting point for me at least to look at the different werewolf types and go research more on my own.

3. A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison

Rachel Morgan's love life has never been that great. Now, Nick, a former boyfriend who cut and run needs Rachel's particular skills as a runner. A thief, he's stolen an artifact that could give the werewolves more power over the vampires and now he's been caught. It's up to Rachel to find the artifact and free him from the werewolves. The problem is, he's not in Cincinnati, but up in Michigan and on an island in the middle of one of the Great Lakes. And it's going to take more than a few magical spells and wishful thinking to get him out alive.

This was book 4 of Kim Harrison's Hollows Series. In one of the previous books, she'd made a one off character, an insurance adjuster, who was a werewolf. Kim Harrison is not someone who really outlines her books in advance, so this insurance adjuster suddenly became a lot more important and so did werewolves for this fourth book. Because Rachel Morgan is so caught up in vampire, demon and fae politics, other than some consequences of what happened because of this book and her joining the insurance adjuster's pack for ... insurance... purposes, after this, werewolves were dropped. So, this book was the best look at the way werewolf packs worked in her world. I liked it because there was one part of the book where it was clear that the lead female of the pack had as much power as the male leader. And in other books, there were female pack leaders as well. But the series became very much about Rachel Morgan, her love life and how she was so special. I read until the last book, but left feeling very unsatisfied as a reader. But this wasn't that bad of an adventure! I especially loved Jenks in this book. Jenks is one of my favorite characters in the entire series. This was "his" book so to speak.

4. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Mercedes Thompson is part Native American, part mechanic and all coyote shifter. When a scruffy werewolf teen ends up at her auto shop looking for a quick job and a place to sleep, she helps him because of the werewolves that raised her. When his dead body ends up on her doorstep. She goes looking for who killed him and ends up getting entangled again with the man she thought she loved and had to leave them to get away from it all.

Moon Called was a promising first book, some Native American anachronisms aside. (Becca did a better review of this than I ever could.) As far as the series went, since Mercy lived right next door to a werewolf and later ended up dating him (and I won't spoil whether that worked out or not) the books had plenty of werewolf story lines. And if you like your werewolves to be OCD barely controlled anger management monsters controlled by the patriarchy then sure, this is the series for you. Sure, there were times Mercy tried/tries to address the problem of male dominant packs but that doesn't and isn't the focus of the books. Most of the books are how Mercy somehow gets involved in another species like vampire or fae's trouble despite the fact she's a relatively low powered coyote shapeshifter. There's no real reason why Mercy is "special" and everyone wants her, she just is. These werewolves have absolutely no basis in any sort of wolf science. Being the series is so werewolf focused, it started to drive me bonkers after a while. I gave up when another "bad thing" happened to Mercy after 10 books. (The Rape happens in book 3 btw. Just a warning.)

5. Master of Wolves by Angela Knight

Officer Faith Weston, head of the Clarkston PD K-9 department is still reeling from losing her previous dog. She's hoping that an all business front and a new dog will help her move on and keep the attention of her lewd boss away from her. Her new dog Rambo was big and tough and didn't give her any crap. Too bad Rambo was more than he seemed. Jim London, bounty hunter and werewolf, is certain that the murder of his friend Tony has been covered up by the Clarkston police department. There's only one way to find out and that's to go undercover and his dog form is perfect for the job. Faith Weston though is bringing out the animal in him.

Okay, yes, spoiler alert, Master of Wolves is a romance novel. I don't read a lot of these and when I do they tend to be primarily fantasy focused. I've read Terry Spears (one book and no more, no, never again, bad wolf science, BAD,) Thea Harrison and a few others, but Angela Knight was the one I picked up back in 2006 when looking for werewolf novels to read. There are a few moments of "I don't know what Angela Knight was thinking" when it comes to the scenes about Jim being a dog and... thinking like a man hound dog about Faith and later Faith seems okay with it? Maybe it was supposed to be funny but, yeah. 4 of the 9 books in Angela Knight's series focus on werewolves and for the most part they are pretty much very formulaic romance novels and the werewolf pack dynamics were once again patriarchal and based on bad wolf science. Really, it was more the fact that this book was focused on werewolves and solving a mystery and using all the forms that the werewolf had to do it that stood out to me.

Five different books, five different treatments of werewolves, though most are the same "werewolves are monsters" based on no good modern science about wolves. But they each had different facets that got me thinking about how I would write a werewolf focused novel if I ever wrote one. Then I did and it's called The Lone Prospect, available in ebook (3.99) and paperback (7.99) on Amazon.

[thewebcomicsreview]

Tonight on Saffron and Sage, I’m linking the whole comic instead of a snip! And that's the end of chapter three! What did you think of it? Vote now on your phones!

Once you're done voting (and leaving comments with your thoughts!), it's time for that announcement I teased last time, and it's a bittersweet one. This is the final page drawn by Sofia "Sabu" Lopez, who is now leaving the project. Sofia is a great artist, and will always be a friend of the comic, but her day job was making it difficult for dedicate a full day to drawing Saffron. Drawing comics takes a long time! 

We already have a new artist lined up to start with Chapter 4: Carlos Ruiz! Carlos does a lot of experimental comics over at asequentialart.com, but long-time followers of my blog may better recognize him as the artist of my old comic, Legend of the Hare. And if you never saw that comic, trust me

He's really good.

I've worked with Carlos for a few years on LotH and other projects, and we have a good chemistry, I think. I write scripts differently for him than I did for Sabu, and to be honest, I enjoy the panel-by-panel scripting more, so I’m looking forward to working with him!

Between Sabu's job causing her to not be able to make updates and my (now resolved!) losing my apartment and needing to replace it causing a hiatus, there hasn't been a lot of Saffron lately. We're still out-updating Dresden Codak, but that's not where the bar for a SpiderForest comic is, and I haven't been happy with it. Since we're ending the chapter and switching to a new artist, I want to take one last short hiatus for Carlos to build a buffer, and resume Saffron and Sage on May 7th, with a new storyline, "Hot Cross Buns", after which I'll be in a good financial situation, the script will be fully written, and Carlos will be able to dedicate more time to working on it, and you'll get two comic pages a week. That's right, two! One new page of Saffron, and one page of Legend of the Hare in syndication. 

Yep, I'm exploiting my back catalog of comics pages, and LotH will be back on a new site, re-uploading comics pages every Thursday with author commentary on what went wrong, what went right, and what I learned. Just wait until we get to page 11, it'll be great!

I think we're finally near the end of all the weird issues Saffron has had this year, and ready to get back to updating weekly like a real comic and not missing updates all the time. And they'll be good updates, too. I don't want to spoil to much, but I'm having a blast writing Chapter 4, and I'm the most excited for Saffron that I've been in months. See you soon!

[scuzmunkie]

Love is Blind: Chapter 1

A/N:  Ok my lovelies, here’s chapter 1. Again, this is my first time posting on tumblr so be gentle with me.... I bruise easily lol. This is a slightly AU, Seth, Dean, Roman and Renee still end up with the WWE. I’ve tried doing as much research as possible when it comes to the blind community. Also the ‘Amanda’ character is supposed to be Amanda Palmer. If you haven’t heard of her you should check her out!! I tell you this because it pertains to the story. I’ll try my hardest to do weekly updates!! Please let me know if there are any mistakes!! I tried tagging everyone who asked!! If I missed you please lmk asap!! Enjoy!!

Seth Rollins x Blind OC

Word Count: 3000+

Warnings: Swearing, a small altercation, talk of parents fighting, talk of a parent leaving. 

Summary: Seth was Lily’s world, she was foolish enough to think that she was his. That is until he leaves her behind in pursuit of his dreams. What happens when fate throws them together again years after the heartache and tears? How can Lily see past the pain of the past when she can’t see at all?

+++

“Are you sure you really wanna go to school here?!” Amanda asked as she helped Lily unpack the last of her boxes.

Lily couldn’t help but laugh at the whine in Amanda’s voice. “I’m very sure, not only does it have one of the best music programs but I also have a full ride scholarship so.... yeah Ms. Palmer, I’m staying.”

Amanda and Lily had been thick as thieves since the first grade when Amanda poured her chocolate milk on a second grader who had been picking on Lily.

“What about the area? It’s totally foreign to you! How will you learn it with out me?!”

“I’ll take daily walks, plus I have Siri.” She said holding up her iPhone.

“Ok... what about your classes?! Who will show you around?!”

“Nice try, the dean has already assigned someone to show me around. Next?”

Amanda was stumped, she wracked her brain for any and every excuse to keep her best friend from staying.

“Well.... what about me?! What the hell am I supposed to do without you?! Ya selfish piece of crap!!” She asked in desperation, hoping that good ol’ guilt would keep Lily by her side.

Giving Amanda a reassuring smile, she held out her hand. Amanda took the outstretched limb and was engulfed into a tight hug.

“I’ll miss you too, Mandy. Truth is, you’re going to do great things with your life!! I mean, you and Brian are gonna go far!! I can see it now, ‘The Dresden Dolls are the first music group to win 20 Grammies in one night!’ You’re gonna be famous!” Lily proclaimed as she held Amanda. Her smile faltered when she heard the unmistakable sound of sniffing.

“Oh Manda-Bear, please don’t cry! I’m only a call away!”

“I know but it’s not the same... I know that it seems like I take care of you a lot but in reality you’ve always had my back! How will I survive without my Lily-Pad?”

By now both girls were blubbering messes when Lily’s phone went off. She quickly cleared her throat and answered.

“Hello?” She asked, proud that her voice didn’t break.

“Hi, Lily Adams?”

“Speaking, may I ask who’s calling?”

“Of course! I’m Renee Young, I’ve been assigned to be your campus guide for the next few days.” Lily let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She was relieved that the voice on the other end sounded cheerful and sincere.

“Oh yes, hi! Thank you for taking the time to help me out. I promise I’m a fast learner so you won’t have to worry about spending too much time with me!”

Amanda reached over and gave Lily a firm pinch on her arm.

“Ouch!”

“Are you ok?!” Renee asked, slightly worried.

The red head scowled at her friend, well tried to at least. “I’m fine, just stubbed my toe.” She quickly answered while flipping Amanda the bird.  

“Stop thinking you’re a burden!” Amanda whisper yelled.

“Oh sorry about that. Ok, Dean Anderson already gave me your address so I’ll swing by your place tomorrow morning around 9am to pick you up and start the tour! I’ll take you to where all your classes will be, the best hangouts and show you all the sights- er, sorry I mean, um”

“That sounds great! I’m so excited, thank you so much!” Lily answered trying to reassure Renee that there was no harm done.

“Ok, I’ll call you tomorrow before I pick you up! See you, I mean, talk to you then! Bye!!”

“Bye!”

Lily laughed, she could’ve sworn she heard Renee cuss before hanging up.

“Let me guess, she said something she felt was totally insensitive and started freaking out?” Amanda piped in once Lily set her phone down. She could hear the sarcasm dripping from her friends mouth.

“Be nice, it’s not everyday people meet someone like me. She was just trying to be polite. Now, what are the chances of you helping me decorate?”

“Hmm... buy me pizza and a beer and I’ll be your very own Martha Stewart!”

About two pizzas and four and a half beers later Lily and Amanda had almost everything put in its place, there was just one last detail.

“Do you remember when you got that?” Amanda asked as she watched Lily open the last box and gently run her fingers over the old keyboard.

“Of course, it’s one of my favorite memories. I scraped and saved for months only to have you surprise me by buying it for my birthday.” She smiled at the memory as she pulled it out while Amanda assembled the stand and small bench that came with it.

“It’s gonna be weird not having you play for me on stage anymore.” Amanda said with a sigh. Lily hugged her for the hundredth time that night.

“I know but you’re just as good at playing the piano as I am if not better. Plus people totally dig an artist who can sing and play at the same time!! I mean, Elton John does it and the audience eats that shit up!”

“I do like Sir Elton.” Amanda said earning a giggle from Lily.

They settled on Lily’s bed and spent the remainder of the night talking until sleep inevitably took them both.

—-

“Well, I guess this is it.” Amanda said trying hard not to cry.

“Oh my gosh, I’m not dying, we’ll see each other again!!”

The two girls held each other for what felt like an eternity.

“Ugh, ok, I’ve got a flight to catch and you’ve got a campus tour in an hour!! Scoot that cute tush back to your room. I’ve already laid out an outfit for you, complete with your favorite pair of aviators and I placed your cane right next to your clothes!”

“You spoil me too much. Thank you so much tho! I love you so m-much. Damn it!! I almost made it through th-that with out crying.” Lily said as she felt the dam begin to break. She felt Amanda run her thumbs on her cheeks wiping the tears away.

“I love you too, baby cakes.” Amanda began to walk away but turned abruptly and cupped Lily’s cheeks and whispered “Remember, you’re not just a blind girl, you’re an amazing badass who doesn’t take shit from anyone! Say it!”

“I’m a badass.” Lily mumbled.

“What?”

“I’m a badass!”

“Come again?”

“I’M A BADASS!!!” She yelled out, praying that her neighbors didn’t hear her.

“Hell yeah you are!”

With that Amanda kissed her on the forehead and went on her way. Lily counted the steps as she heard her best friend walk out of her new home. Before she could become a sobbing mess she heard her phone ringing.

“Hello?”

“Hi Lily, it’s Renee, just calling to let you know that I’ll be there in about 45 minutes.”

“Perfect, thank you again!!”

“No problem!! Bye!”

“Bye”

Grateful for the distraction, Lily sprang into action, quickly throwing on her clothes and aviators. With one hand she ran her fingers through her hair while the other felt around for her cane. Just as she straightened it out she heard a knock at the door.

“Coming!” She shouted as she felt for her phone and purse. “Ok Lily, you can do this, twenty one steps from your room to the door.”

Opening the front door to her apartment she was greeted with a soft sent of a sweet floral perfume.

“Hi!! I’m Renee!” She said eagerly stretching her hand out, rolling her eyes when she realized that Lily couldn’t see her gesture and gently took her hand giving it a friendly shake.

“Nice to finally meet you!” Lily said with an excited smile.

“Same here, shall we?”

“Lets.”

—-

By the end of the tour Renee and Lily had talked a lot and formed a friendship in no time. Renee transferred here from Canada and was majoring in journalism. She was currently in a relationship with one of the students on the wrestling team named Dean Ambrose. They walked arm in arm towards the final stop of the day.

“And this is where you’ll most likely be spending a lot of your time.” Renee said as she led Lily to the music department. There she showed her all of the practice rooms, the majority of them equipped with pianos.

“I can’t thank you enough for showing me around! I’ve had so much fun!” Lily said giving Renee’s arm a gentle squeeze.

“Oh, it’s no problem at all! I had fun to-HEY!” Lily gasped as she felt Renee’s arm being pulled from her grasp.

“Well, well, well,” said a deep, raspy voice “what do we have here?” Lily began to panic, it was bad enough that she couldn’t see what was happening, but she hated feeling useless! She frantically reached into her purse and pulled out her cane. She had put it in there once Renee took her arm. Before she could start swinging aimlessly, she heard Renee giggling.

“Damn it Dean! You scared the hell outta me!”

“I’m sorry doll, but you know I can’t resist sweeping you off your feet.” He chuckled.

Calming her breathing and lowering her cane, Lily began to notice the details about Dean. He smelt like leather and cigarettes with a subtle hint of soap, telling her nose that he had just recently showered. She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of them kissing. She scrunched her nose and giggled before she could stifle it.

Renee quickly pulled away from Dean.

“Sorry, Lily, this is my boyfriend Dean, Dean meet Lily! She’s starting here this semester!”

Dean looked Lily over, taking notice of her sunglasses and cane. Putting two and two together he reached for her hand, giving it a quick shake. Lily smiled, shaking his hand back as she felt the calluses on his hand.

“Welcome darlin’. “

“Thanks, nice to meet you. Renee told me you’re a wrestler?”

“Yes ma’am, you a fan?” He asked while Renee gently elbowed him.

“Ouch, what was that for?” He asked totally, missing Renee’s hand signals trying to quiet him.

‘She can’t see, why would she be a fan of wrestling?’ She mouthed.

Lily, sensing the awkwardness, spoke up in hopes of easing the tension.

“I am actually.”

If she wasn’t blind, she’d see both their heads snap in her direction, mouths agape. After a few seconds, Dean finally broke the silence.

“I don’t mean to sound like a dick, but how exactly? I mean it’s kind of a watching sport.”

“Well, believe it or not, each move has a distinct sound. My mom and I used to watch wrestling on tv together. My best friend Amanda and I also frequented the local indie circuit back home. She’d give me a play by play but most of the time I knew what was happening.”

“Well, hell darlin’, you should come check us out sometime!!” Dean bellowed as he wrapped his arm around Lily’s shoulders.

“Oh my gosh, that would be so fun!” Renee said, her voice laced with excitement, “You’d have so much fun!”

Just as she was about to answer, Lily’s stomach let out a growl that could put King-Kong to shame. She felt a blush slowly creep up her neck and spread to her face.

“Damn Renee, I think someone’s hungry.”

It was only then that both girls realized they hadn’t stopped for lunch and it was as nearly 6pm.

“Ok, I think now would be the best time to show you the cafeteria.” Renee said with a laugh.

“That’d be awesome.” Lily said just as her stomach decided to make itself heard again. Assuming Renee would want to hold Dean’s hand, Lily opted to use her cane instead of relying on Renee’s arm.

—-

As the three of them made their way to the cafeteria, Lily heard a new set of footsteps accompanied with a scent of smooth cologne.

“Thanks for leaving without me, Uce.” said an unbelievably deep voice.

“Sorry Ro, I was helping the little lady escort Lily here to the cafeteria. Lily, this is Roman, he sounds like a bear but deep down he’s a gentle giant.”

Lily turned in the direction of Roman’s voice, hoping to shake his hand, but was stopped short when she felt her cane snag something... or rather someone.

“What the fu-“ this person said followed by a thud. Lily couldn’t help but flinch and cringe a bit knowing that she was the cause of someone getting hurt.

“I am so sorry!” She said quickly trying to feel for whoever she almost took out. Her hands landed on a well toned bicep as well as an intoxicating scent of aftershave and sweat. Before she could help whoever it was up she felt them shake off her hands and heard an irritated growl.

“Get the hell off me!” He said angrily.

Lily felt her eyes water. ‘Way to go Lily, making a great first impression...’ she mentally scolded herself.

“Easy Seth, it was an accident man.” Roman said as he reached down to help his friend up, trying his best to keep his temper in check when Seth slapped his hand away.

“Right.”  He said as he dusted himself off, turning towards Lily as he spoke.

“Why don’t you watch where you’re going next time?” He seethed. Dean, Roman and Renee all tensed at his poor choice of words. It wasn’t his fault tho, he hadn’t known that Lily was blind.

“Believe me, I wish I could.” She said with a sad smile.

Sensing that Seth was about to say something hurtful, Dean quickly got his attention, unceremoniously placed his hands over his eyes while shaking his head ‘no’ trying his hardest to signal to his friend that Lily couldn’t see. Of course Seth, being the hot head that he was, just shook his head muttering a ‘whatever’ and walked away.

Lily bit her bottom lip, in a desperate attempt to stop it from quivering, when she felt a large hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about him baby girl,” Roman said gently “he’s just pissed off because coach gave him a hard time today.”

Renee rolled her eyes saying “Please, he’s always in a bad mood. Are you ok Lily?” She asked, coming to Lily’s side and hugging her.

Not trusting her voice, she simply nodded and allowed Roman to lead her into the cafeteria.

Having lost her appetite she just moved her food around with her fork.

As she sat with her new three friends, they took the opportunity to study her, she wasn’t that tall, maybe 5’3”, deep red hair and ivory skin. She was a petite little thing. Roman, having enough of this awkward silence, spoke up. “So Lily, tell us about yourself.”

“Oh, well, I graduated from high school about two years ago and took time off to play for my friend Amanda. She’s a singer trying to get her music career started. Have you ever heard of the Dresden Dolls?” She asked. It was a long shot but you never know.

“No.” Both Dean and Roman answered in almost perfect unison.

“I have!” Renee almost yelled “Do they sing Coin Operated Boy?!”

Lily almost choked on her soda. She couldn’t believe that someone knew of them!

“Yes!! I played the piano on that track! What a small world!”

“That’s awesome!” Renee exclaimed, “where did you learn to play?”

“I started when I was about 6, my mom said I needed a distraction after my- I mean...” Lily cleared her throat and started chugging her drink.

Dean, having no tact at all, took it upon himself to ask what no one else would.

“After What darlin’?”

Lily sighed, it was going to come out any way, might as well be now.

“After my dad left us. He didn’t like the fact that he was trapped with a ‘defective’ daughter so he took off with his 21 year old secretary, but not before having a huge screaming match with my mom. That’s one of the downsides of being blind, your other senses are heightened so I heard every word.”

A bastard tear fell down her cheek as she recalled the painful memory. She reached up to wipe it away but was beaten by Roman’s thumb.

“It’s his loss baby girl. He’s a fool for leaving you and your mom.”

“Thanks, um so. What about you guys?” She asked, changing the subject, “what do you guys look like?”

She learned that Dean was 6’4”, Caucasian, blue eyes, well built, with dirty blonde hair, Renee was just a few inches taller than Lily, hazel eyes, fair skinned as well with light blonde hair and Roman was 6’3”, Samoan, tan skin, brown eyes, long dark brown hair, and (according to Dean) was built like an Adonis.

“Wow, you all sound like you could be models!”

“Well, darlin’, when you’re rockin’ next to nothin’ when wrestling, you gotta look good.” Dean said as Roman laughed in agreement.

“You should come to one of our shows! It’d be fun!” Dean said, scooping the last of his chowder into his mouth.

“Maybe one day!” Lily said yawning. “Renee, I’m so sorry but would you mind taking me back to my place? I’m still a little jet lagged.”

“Of course!”

Roman helped Lily outta her seat and the four of them left. They said their goodbyes and Lily made her way up to her apartment.

“Alexa, play messages.” Lily called out as she threw her keys and purse on the table.

“You have one new message from Manda-Bear:

‘Hey Lily-Pad, just wanted to let you know that I made it back safely and I miss you already. You had better call me when you wake up and tell me all about your day or so help me I’ll jump back on a plane and come kick your adorable ass!! I love you... call me!!’

Lily smiled and made a mental note to call Amanda in the morning. She couldn’t help but feel completely alone at the moment. Not to mention she couldn’t believe that she hadn’t even been on campus for a full 24 hours and already she made a fool of herself. One thing was for sure, she was going to do her best to steer clear of this Seth guy.

“Alexa, what time is it?”

“It is 11:42pm”

Groaning she did the only thing that calmed her down when she was antsy. Sitting at the her keyboard she began playing the Moonlight Sanata. After 15 minutes of playing she was interrupted by someone pounding on her front door. She quickly ran to her door, not before grabbing her pocket knife, and swung open the door, stiffening when she was met with the same scent she smelt when she tripped Seth.

“Oh shit...” Seth mumbled under his breath.

“Can I help you?” Lily asked with a sigh.

“Yeah, I’m trying to sleep so could you keep the damn noise down?!” He said annoyed realizing that they were neighbors.

“I’m so sorry, I’ll do....” before she could finish she couldn’t help but hear Amanda’s words from earlier ‘you’re an amazing badass who doesn’t take shit from anyone’.

“Hello?!” He said, snapping his fingers in front of her face, a mistake on his part. With lightning speed, Lily grabbed his wrist and threw it back at him.

“Look,” She said pointing a finger at him, “I’m sorry about earlier and I’m sorry about the noise but you have no right to act like a prick! Now,” she took a deep breath, calming down “come in for a drink and we can start over.” Giving him her friendliest smile she moved out of the way to let him in.

A very stunned Seth stood there looking at her.  No one, let alone a woman, had ever spoken to him like that. It didn’t sit well with him. Not one bit.

“No thanks, I’ve got an early class.” And with that he retreated back to his apartment.

Embarrassed, she shut her door and went beck to her room. She wanted to be mad, she really did but being blind had its advantages. She depended greatly on her hearing when having conversations to pick up on social cues. She sensed something deeper in Seth’s voice, something he tried desperately to hide: insecurity. To everyone else he portrayed himself as a cocky athlete who was God’s gift to women, but Lily could hear past that. As she laid down she couldn’t help but feel an infatuation with him. She knew what it was like to pretend to be strong on the outside while vulnerable on the inside. Smiling to herself she decided that instead of avoiding him, she’d make it her goal to befriend him and lift him up. She closed her eyes and welcomed a dreamless sleep, excited for the new day.

@haven-raven012591 @wrestlingfae @calwitch @neversatisfiedgirl @lost-in-the-stories

[dresden-sandiego]

The Dresden Files Books, Part 3

Over the week, I’ve gone over the first two-thirds of the books in The Dresden Files series. This post will cover the remaining books as of May 2018 and conclude this brief review.

Changes

As you might have noticed, every book in the series prior to this one has a two word title; additionally, each word in the titles has the same number of letters. Changes is the exception; the only book to date in the series to break with the pattern. This is considered to be the midpoint in the total story, and the title is absolutely correct: this book changes everything.

My review: Great; I have some problems with the ending of the book, but not so many that I rate this book lower than great.

Side Jobs

This is the first book that isn’t a “case file,” or part of the main story. It’s an anthology collection of short stories in the Dresden universe. While all of the case files are told from Harry’s point of view, the perspectives in many of these stories are different. The stories within take place at different points in the series, but each one has a note to tell you when it takes place. As long as you read this after Changes, you won’t have anything spoiled.

My review: Good; the quality of the stories varies, as they were written over a span of a decade. You won’t miss a ton if you skip this, but if you’ve read this far, you probably won’t want to.

Ghost Story

Much like Turn Coat was a step down from the superb Small Favor, Ghost Story is a step down from Changes. The book is well-written and covers a lot of ground, but I found it hard to read. Part of that might be due to the nature of the story told by the author, but I think this is one of the weaker books in the series (though still enjoyable.)

My review: Okay; the book is important to the narrative and I didn’t dislike it, I just didn’t read it as voraciously as its predecessors.

Cold Days

If you were in doubt that the story was in the second half in a post-Changes world, Cold Days will dispel them. This is a gripping story with big stakes that deepens the lore and advances the story more than almost any other book in the series. It’s not without its flaws, but it’s a worthy entry.

My review: Great; the fast pace and far-reaching consequences of the story outweigh the weak points.

Skin Game

Skin Game, the 15th book in the series, is the most recent case file to be released. It’s a big, fun, story that works well in spite of its flaws. Mr. Butcher uses this book to find ways to vary the formula of the series while remaining true to its roots. 

My review: Great; a cool story with a lot of jaw dropping moments.

Skin Game was the last book to be released, in March 2015. Mr. Butcher has been quite busy writing other books, and has been dealing with life issues that have slowed things down. While we don’t know when the next case file will be released, we’re getting another anthology in June.

Brief Cases

Brief Cases will be the second anthology collection, much like Skin Game above. It features eleven (11) short stories that had been previously published as well as one new novella. Brief Cases will be released on June 5th, 2018.

Okay, that’s all of the books in the Dresden Files series that are out. Hopefully, you’ve been intrigued enough to pick up at least Storm Front. I mentioned this in the first part of this series, but these books are all available as audiobooks as well. The audiobooks are narrated by James Masters (Spike of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and he does an outstanding job.

I’ll be posting about the FATE system and the Dresden Files RPG when you see me next. Once that’s done, I’ll start sharing the setting for our adventures and then the start of the story.

[jumpydr4gon]

Bored. Here's another book questionnaire.

Have you ever bought a book solely because you liked its title Eh, I don’t think so. I might have. I honestly don’t remember.

How often are you recommending a book to other people? All the time. Whenever I can. I love sharing my favorite stories or what I’m currently reading.

How often do you read the books others recommend to you? I would say at least 80% of the books I’ve read in the last 2 years have been from the recommendations of others. I’ve a pretty cool reading circle of friends.

What is your favorite book series and what is your favorite book of that series? Oooof!!! That’s a difficult one. Hmmm...I’ll give you my top favs. Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb; Fool’s Errand. Dresden Files by Jim Butcher; tie between Cold Days and Skin Game Foreigner by CJ Cherryh; Deceiver, Intruder, or Peacemaker The First Law by Joe Abercrombie; The Trouble with Peace

When reading a book, how often are you thinking of ways in which it could have been written better? Not often. I typically do that type of thinking while I’m stewing over a finished book.

Is there any character from a book you wish was written off? None that I can think at the moment. Most of the time, characters i want written off die.

Have you ever disliked a book so much that you never finished reading it? I recently DNF She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan. I tried to finish, I really did. Buuuuuut the middle was slogging so bad after an excellent beginning. Really disappointing with all of the hype surrounding it.

Name one book you’ve read cover-to-cover but completely hated. Child of Fire by Henry Connolly. Don’t get me started on that...

Has any book ever made you ugly cry? Assassin’s Fate by Robin Hobb. The final book of the series, and I was a slobbering mess for the entire last 30% of the novel. (FYI, That’s almost 300 pages of exhausting ugly crying).

Do you pay attention to the Amazon or New York Times bestseller lists? Nope! Usually, those books are not what I’m looking for. I also just don’t care.

Do you ever read book reviews before buying a book? About 90% of the time I do, yes. I like to get the general feel of the public, why they rated it x stars out of 5, what triggers there are, etc. I don’t want to be spoiled, but I’d like to be prepared.

Have you ever used a library card or a bookstore receipt as a bookmark? Hehe! Yup! Many many times.

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark? I’ve used my Kindle as a bookmark. Smart reader here folks!

How often do you read a PDF version of a book on a computer or mobile device? PDF’s? Not really. Never.

How often do you listen to an audiobook? Not as often and I would like, but often enough to have a nice Audible library.

Do you own an Amazon Kindle? If not, do you want one? YES!!! I have an Amazon Oasis with the warm lighting setting. Best ebook reader purchase EVER!

Have you ever forgotten where in a book you left off, so you started from the beginning again? That happens?

What fictional character from a book do you think you relate to the most? Why that character? Oh dear. FitzChivalry Farseer, Jo March (never read the books, but the films paint enough of a picture), Orso dan Luthar are the main ones that pop in my head. Stuck in roles they were born in, depressive, are loved, but refuse to see or believe it, not eager for change that would affect them personally, introverted, would rather do their own thing, big hearts, not one that fits in with society, has friends that others would look down upon, introspective.

Name one (yes, only one) fictional character from a book you wish you could be best friends with in real life. Why that character? Fool from Realm of the Elderlings. They are such a quirky character with a deep heart. Fool would push me to go past my boundaries in a way that’s aggressive, but not harsh or cruel. A loving, generous heart. Defender of their loved ones. Knows to laugh and have fun. I would also be able to sit in silence reading a book or something, no talking, and there would be no awkward feelings. Just warm companionship. Yea, they would be a great best friend. AND… there would be no hard feelings if we didn’t see each other for long periods of time while picking up our friendship as if we saw each other the previous day.

Are there any lines from a book that have helped you out in real life? I’m not a big line collector. More of a character and overall feelings collector. For example, Alanna (from Tamora Pierce’s Tortal world) has been my role model in following your dreams no matter what society expects of you. A lady who loves to wear breeches and tunic, but every now and then dresses up because she wants to feel pretty. She is fiercely loyal to her loved ones while being stubborn in maintaining her independent identity.

How often do you take and post photos of the current book you are reading? Depends on the mood.

Have you ever taken a selfie of yourself reading? No...because I’m reading!

Do you own any first edition copies of a book? I have a fair few. Doesn’t mean they’re all valuable.

How many of your books are autographed by the author? Currently 7. Battle Ground by Jim Butcher, The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie, The Broken Empire Omnibus and The Red Queen’s War Omnibus by Mark Lawrence, and the most recent Farseer Illustrated Editions by Robin Hobb.

What is your favorite movie based off a book? Dune by Frank Herbert. The most recent 2021 film. Not that 1984 abomination. (I'm sorry, but it is).

Has a movie ever made you go and read the book that it’s based off? Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts and P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Name one book you wish had a movie version. Who would you choose to act in it? Don’t ask me this!!! Too many books and I’m terrible at casting. Top of my head, I wouldn't mind a series of Abercrombie's First Law world, Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings, Butcher's Dresden Files, or Jacka's Alex Verus . At the same time, I don't want them touched out of fear of fucking them up on the big screen.

Name one book you believe is superior to its movie version and explain why you think so. Eragon by Christopher Paolini. What a clusterfuck of a film. It’s so bad that the author and the fandom have this running gag of saying “What film?” whenever it’s mentioned. Just horrible. I would be perfectly fine with Jeremy Irons and Robert Carlyle redoing their roles.

[c-kern]

Corey’s 6 Star Review: Fevre Dream (Minor Spoilers)

Like many aspiring authors, I do a lot of reading. Periodically, I thought I would put a book review on this blog in case anyone is interested. My only rule for myself when doing these reviews, though, is that I only review books that I enjoy. It’s important to me to post uplifting things into the writing community. I think every book has a fandom, and even if that book doesn’t strike me, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad book. Instead, I want my reviews to be a PSA that the particular book in question is one that has struck me as meaningful and to celebrate that.

This week’s book did exactly that. Fevre Dream was written in the early 80′s by George R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame. I was excited when a friend lent me this book for two reasons. The first is that I’m a huge fan of Ann Rice, and this book was described as Ann Rice meets Tom Sawyer (a comparison with which I agree). The second is that I love George R.R. Martin’s less celebrated series Wild Cards and wanted to see his writing in a new setting. He didn’t disappoint.

Fevre Dream is a vampire novel that takes place during the mid-nineteenth century. Before we go on, I need to talk about my philosophy on vampires. For the most part, I’m a traditionalist. I believe vampires should meet, at minimum three rules: First, the have to be harmed by the sun. Second, they must feed on humans (blood, specifically, is not always necessary. Psychic vampires are vampires), and third, they must be scary monsters. Too often, I feel like we try to make vampires beautiful, troubled souls with which the reader can relate. That’s fine for some, but for me, I like monsters to be monsters. The only real exception I’ve enjoyed is the Dresden Files, but we can talk about that in another post. For the most part, this book meets all three rules, and keeps vampires as vampires.

The basic plot is as follows. A down-and-out steamboat captain is offered the chance of a lifetime when a mysterious rich fellow offers him the money to rejuvenate his company with the steamboat of his dreams. Of course, there’s a catch. The rich sponsor and his friends are allowed to be on the boat and do as they please, no questions asked. Ignoring his own intuition, the idea of building the fastest boat on the Mississippi leads the old captain to agree to the stipulations.  This decision seems to extremely fruitful for the captain early on, but eventually it sticks the captain in the middle of a vampire power struggle over the future of vampires and humans along the Mississippi River.

I’ll let you read the book for yourself to get the rest of the plot, but to me, what really stands out in this novel is the setting. Steamboat culture on the lower Mississippi River during this time period really takes center stage. It’s clear that Martin really did his research on the inner workings of this once thriving industry. There are long stretches in the novel that let the surroundings of its characters come alive and almost become a character all on their own. I felt myself really feeling the love the captain felt toward his boat, his crew, and the culture he had spent his entire career immersed in. Toward the end, I also felt the sadness that the industry was dying. Railroad would eventually destroy steamboats, and the novel takes place in the twilight of that transition. I never cared about steam-boating, or even knew anything about it, but this book has definitely made me curious.

The book’s ending, again without spoiling it, was extremely satisfactory, and the last page or so was incredible. While Martin is known for fantasy, due to his most famous work, this book shows that he’s more than just dragons. This book deserves to be considered along with Ann Rice’s classic vampire work.

6 stars.

[minaminokyoko]

The Last Jedi (A Spoilertastic Review)

So I stayed off Twitter for almost ten straight days and I reduced my Facebook usage by about 80% in the last 48-hours in order to avoid spoilers for The Last Jedi, as I was spoiled for Han Solo's death in The Force Awakens literal days before attending its premiere years ago. Was it worth staying off social media to stay unspoiled and unbiased?

Eh. I dunno.

So I'm now hearing, as I return to social media, that some fans hate the movie. Color me shocked. (That's sarcasm, if you can't tell--we really do need a font for that.) There is a large chunk of the Star Wars fandom that contains some of the nastiest, pettiest, most immature hypocrites on the planet earth, and I can see those same fans hating this movie. Well, maybe I can help balance the scales.

To be frank, I'm not a Star Wars fan. I saw the originals as a kid and liked them okay, I hated the prequels and I still think they have zero justification and do not stand up to even the slightest film criticism or storytelling criticism at all, and I liked The Force Awakens quite a lot. For me, The Force Awakens finally gave me a reason to personally invest in the Star Wars franchise. Don't get me wrong--as a kid and a teen, I liked Han and Leia. I liked the setting of the original trilogy and the memorable stories and performances and dialogue. However, Luke was, well, this is an unavoidable pun, a lukewarm character for me. I didn't really care about him and I didn't understand him from a personal standpoint, so while I enjoyed the story, I just didn't take anything away from it. Force Awakens introduced me to an ostracized girl who had a miserable existence who always felt like she was waiting for something to happen to give her life meaning, and a terrified slave/survivor who defected in order to run away from something he feared but he instead found a reason to stay and fight. Plus, adding in the fact that Finn is awkward and likable and now I am emotionally invested in the new main leads of the franchise.

Sadly, though, The Last Jedi falls short in most of the aspects that made me like Force Awakens. Keep in mind, it's still an enjoyable film, but it most definitely suffers from Middle Movie Syndrome, where there's a lot of wheel-spinning because they need action set pieces, but in the end, what happens doesn't really change much about the characters or their motivations. Allow me to explain below. Naturally, spoiler alert.

Overall Grade: B-/C+

Pros:

-Creative scenarios. I like the film's creativity in terms of the scenery. The Force Awakens lived in the shadow of the original films. It was a very strict sort of format in order to make the older fans feel at home and to bring the new fans into the franchise at the same stepping off point. However, this film was able to stretch out a bit and not feel as bound by the same look and feel of the original trilogy. I know a lot of fans bitched about that with Force Awakens, and I think it was a semi-legit complaint, but I felt it was mostly the studio being cautious and trying not to piss off such a massive number of fans. Here, the scenery feels new and fresh, from the casino to the large part of the plot taking place on unfamiliar planets or with the rebels in space.

-I'm not going to sit here and lie--Oscar Isaac finally got to me a little bit in this one. Don't get me wrong, I liked Poe but I noticed Isaac amassing a legion of fangirls and was mystified as to why. Poe was a good character and Isaac's a good actor. Then when I saw Poe getting passionate about the rebellion, I admit I started to swoon a bit. There's just something about the way that he cares, how he makes the war feel that much more personal, and his relationship with Leia that floats my skirt up quite a bit. I like that he is hardheaded and impulsive, but he still feels like his own man. At first, I was worried he'd be our Han Solo replacement, but they drifted away from that idea. He's a very enjoyable character and I give a damn about him. I like that he grew this time, that he was able to recognize that he can't make every mission a suicide mission because the rebels have limited numbers and every man is precious. That's cool. I can dig it. Nice work, Mr. Isaac.

-I enjoyed seeing Finn take another step towards becoming a more stable rebel. He was still naive and brash, but he gave it his all and he was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to do what he felt was right. I appreciate the hell out of that and I'm glad they didn't kill him. I threw my hands up in the theater because I like him a lot and I thought they were going to do the dumb thing and waste him. Phew. Bullet dodged, for now at least.

-I enjoyed seeing Yoda pop back up. Granted, he took his sweet ass time, but that was a nice surprise for me. I thought it was very touching to see him again, and well timed since Frank Oz is on the older side and we don't know how much longer we'll get to enjoy him.

-The Luke and Leia forehead kiss almost made me cry. Fuck. God. It was eerily appropriate as our goodbye to the amazing Carrie Fisher. I miss her terribly and seeing them reunite for the last time genuinely tugged at my heart strings.

-I liked the idea of Luke wavering when he found out Darth Temper Tantrum--excuse me, Kylo Ren slash Ben Solo--and being faced with a terrible choice. I like that Kylo's interpretation of danger is what screwed everything up and made him run away. It's a simple misunderstanding on a grand scale that is important to both of them and it's about the only thing that I think works about Kylo Ren's character. We'll discuss more about him in the Cons section, though. I like it because it's reminiscent of something I love from The Dresden Files series, where Karrin Murphy and Harry Dresden are talking about the fact that some people become monsters because you treat them like monsters. The possibility that maybe he wouldn't have turned if Luke hadn't gone there to stop him is great motivation to cut yourself off forever and feel that you deserve to die alone with the last of the Jedi kind.

-Luke's projecting power at the end was a nice aversion to being slain by the whiny git Kylo Ren. I'm still angry he dies anyway, because what the fuck was the point if you still killed him off, but that was a cool power that I don't recall seeing before and it made Luke seem even more badass than I ever thought possible. Nice work, Luke.

-We'll discuss my problem with Ren's fake redemption arc momentarily, but I did like the scene where he kills Snoke. That was a nifty idea and I like that Snoke's smug ass didn't see it coming. He was so convinced he knew everything and that manipulating Ren and Rey would give him what he wanted, but it didn't and that's a satisfying story element in a movie that kind of botches most of its pay off.

-I liked the Purple Haired Lady (sorry, I didn't catch her name, I have a bad memory) light-speeding right through the fucking Empire ship. That was a badass way to go. Now, granted, I still think it's pretty ridiculous that all the main characters managed to survive a catastrophic event like that no problem, but it was still cool as hell.

-Rey's a nobody. Called it. I love that she didn't have super special plot relevant parents. They were just scumbag assholes, much like Yondu's parents in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2. Thanks for disproving all the nonsensical fan theories. I knew she wouldn't be Luke or Leia's bloodline, but I like it even better than her parents don't even get names or anything. That's baller storytelling.

-Leia surviving the cruiser explosion. What. A. Badass. Motherfucker.

Cons:

-The biggest problem I have with the Last Jedi is Kylo Ren's fake redemption arc. Look, I get what they were going for. It's reminiscent of what happened to Zuko in the amazing Avatar: The Last Airbender series, and that to date is still the best redemption arc I have ever seen with my own two eyes. That's possibly why this one fell so flat for me. The set up for Kylo Ren is relatively solid. He was raised by heroes of the rebellion and so it was expected of him to become something great, and Luke training him sounds like a great bit of backstory as well. However, by not showing us details, Ren's redemption arc rings hollow as hell. Let me explain. They never showed us the details of the darkness that was apparently building in Ren. What is it driven by? Is it just a feeling? Was he just dangerous and unwilling to listen to Luke while he was in training? You can't just give such a blanket statement without reasoning or showing the actual backstory itself where we see what made him someone Luke thought would kill or massacre the innocent. I think the movie should have had a flashback segment of Luke and Ren's training days where we see that, yes, the kid was powerful but he had no restraint and he was arrogant and cruel or at the very least, unfeeling. Most of the time when you have that type of character, it's one of those traits that leads to evil. He thinks he's above the law or above reproach because of his power, or in Ren's case, it could have been because of his parentage. That was a huge missed opportunity. Maybe he was just a spoiled brat from being the son of two war heroes and the nephew of one of the greatest Jedi of all time. But we get none of that. We just get that he was a bad apple and Luke panicked and his panic made Ren run away. But that brings me to the next part that doesn't work in this film. Okay, so you think your uncle tried to kill you. Why did you immediately decide to join up with the fucking Space Nazis? How does that work for your desires? We don't know why Ren joined up. It's one thing to abandon your family out of anger and shame, but the Empire literally slaughters billions of innocent lives on a daily basis. We don't know why Ren said yes to them because we haven't been told personal details about him. Why did he blame Han and Leia? It's totally backwards. He should have gone to them and told them what Luke did, and there should have been repercussions. Maybe they didn't believe him and that's why he ran off, but the film doesn't tell us any of these things that would help us understand him more. Then, the final nail is the idea that Kylo murdered the other young Jedi, murdered Han, tried to murder Leia, and has been in the company of genocidal maniacs for years, and yet the film wants me to believe he can be saved. Nah, bruh. You gone. You been gone. You're not gonna flash your puppy dog eyes at me and think I want you to come to the light side. You stood by and watched billions of people die and yet Rey's big blues make you change your mind, but only for your own ambition? Fuck off. That entire thing fell to shambles for me. I like the idea of Rey and Ren having a connection because they are both alone and unsure of themselves, but this was not the way to do it. Ren's actions are beyond irredeemable. They were irredeemable the second he killed Han. Han didn't do shit to that snot-nosed punk bitch. He was his father and he wasn't the one who turned on him, it was Luke, so frankly, Ren can fuck off the edge of my non-existent dick, and I don't like that the movie swept all his indiscretions under the table to say maybe there was still good in him. He's a selfish bastard and that's that.

-Implying that Rey would turn to the Dark side fell flat on its face as well. She had no reason to turn. The movie played with the fact that she was alone, but that still doesn't work. She's not alone. She has Finn and the rebels. Sure, none of them would be able to understand the Jedi aspect of her personality, but it's still stupid for them to act like she would just be magically okay with the genocidal maniacs who slaughtered everything in the galaxy. It was weird, too, because Ren says something to the effect of "I saw you turn" and that doesn't happen, so was he lying to manipulate her or did the movie drop the subplot altogether? There was never a moment that I doubted her. I knew she had a pure heart because of what we've seen from her before. All we knew is that she was simply scared and alone. None of that translated to her joining the fucking Space Nazis, so why did they even pursue it? I think this could have been done better if instead of Ren killing Han (but to be fair, it's all Harrison Ford's goddamn fault, if he didn't hate Han, then this idea could have worked) we saw Ren and Rey starting to understand each other BEFORE he killed Han. Love is a strong motivator for if you want to have this idea of Rey possibly wavering from the light. I sure as fuck don't ship Reylo and I think it's gross, but if you rewrote the movie so that she and Ren bonded in the first film rather than him simply terrorizing her, then sure, the second film where she feels a connection with him and wants to rule at his side because she loves him now makes sense. The idea is similar to something from my urban fantasy series that I wrote, where the villain has no plans of ever turning good, but he has a soft spot for the leading lady and he doesn't want so much to turn her as make her his so he can be with her, and she doesn't so much want to turn him good as she recognizes that there is something inside him that calls to her. This is one of the only cases where I think a canon romance would have made more sense than whatever we got in the film itself. I could see Rey doubting herself if she fell in love with Ren. The starcrossed lovers angle is much stronger and much more believable than just "Rey doesn't know who she is and she thinks maybe she can bring Ren back to the light."

-I didn't like Finn and Rey being apart for the entire film. I think their friendship was easily the best and strongest thing about the Force Awakens. Both of them had strong motivations to do what they did and it made sense for them to both care so deeply for each other because they crashed into each other's lives and saved each other. They work better side by side, not in separate storylines. Their friendship was charming and adorable and this film really should have used it.

-If you add everything up, Finn's entire mission was pointless. The stand-in commander already had a plan and so everything Poe, Rose, and Finn did was pointless in the end. That sucks. You wasted their time and the audience's time, and that's what I meant when I said this movie has Middle Movie Syndrome. It feels like they just needed to find something for Finn, Rose, and Poe to do and so they just threw them this B Plot that is entirely useless and that's a huge disservice to them as characters.

-Rose is pretty forgettable. That's not knocking the actress playing her. It's just she's sort of a tool to the story and they really should have given her a better role with better stakes. I also don't like the shoehorned "love" line. It was a good line for the rebellion, but not for those two characters. I don't buy Rose falling for Finn. Finn's awesome, but they didn't go through nearly enough and didn't bond at all during their journey, so that "love" line is awkward and unwanted to me.

-Luke's death. Look, the fucking movie is called The Last Jedi, but did you really have to fake us out only to kill him anyway? That was fucking lame. What would have made it go down easier is if Luke had known when we first see him again that he was on his last legs. Build up his final days. Have him be old and tired and coughing constantly or knowing by the Force that he's reached the last moments of his lifetime, and that's why finally spurs him on to help the rebels once again after he meets Rey. Don't spring it on us. It didn't have a good impact because it just felt obligatory because it's the future franchise and we have to have our original three protagonists all bow out for the new kids on the block. I wanted a more touching death scene for him, even though I liked Han and Leia more from the original films. It just felt like a waste of a great legend for him to die out of nowhere. I actually thought from that shot that he saw an Empire ship firing at the island to kill him and I sort of like that more, as it would have been a good sucker punch (and we did hear Snoke mention that before he died) so I think this was yet another missed opportunity.

-Though the entire movie focuses on Rey, I feel like it told me less about her than the first film did. I like that she's a nobody. That's good. That's strong. That's interesting. But I don't like that she didn't really bond with Luke and I don't feel as if she learned a single damn thing on that island aside from maybe Ren was starting to falter, but in the end all he did was kill Snoke and assume command. He didn't turn back to the light, so why was there all this focus on him that took away from her? I was excited for the film because I thought Luke would come around and train her the way Yoda trained him. That would reveal more of her abilities and her strengths and weaknesses, but we didn't get much of that at all and it's not fair to her. She has so much potential, but it felt squandered to me.

-The goddamn Porgs. Look, Disney, I know you gotta sell toys, but I haven't seen such a transparent fucking commercial for toys since Olaf from Frozen. Jesus H. Christ. They literally just keep popping up on screen like a goddamn commercial. It's so obnoxious. They are not that cute. They're just gerbils with duck feet. I think Star Wars fans overreacted about the Ewoks, but if they all hate the Porgs, sure, I'll light a torch to march in that parade. Stop that. I'm watching a movie, for God's sake, not a toy commercial.

-I'm not really sure where things are heading with where it ends here. It just seems sort of vague and undefined, and as if we didn't get much accomplished in the long run. Very wheelspin-y.

-There’s a million plotholes and plot contrivances. I can’t be bothered to count them all, so a year from now when CinemaSins does a video, then I’ll post a link, Just know there are a lot of plotholes this time around.

Bottom line: if the neckbeards are out here hating the movie, cry me a fucking river. It is in no way that bad. The prequels are still by far the worst movies in the franchise. I think The Last Jedi is simply misguided. It brings up great questions, but then doesn't answer or address most of them. It introduces too many ideas without flushing them out and making you connect on a personal level the way The Force Awakens did. It's mainly just that the goals are unclear and so are the characters. I think it's still possible to get the franchise back on track with the final film. I certainly don't think this movie is bad by any stretch. I just feel that it missed its target. Maybe they'll hit it next time.

[chimken-stonk]

yeet yeet my literary cowboys

you guessed it, folks!!! it’s time for another Barley Book Review!!! We’ve got a nice solid lineup for you today!! two books in a series, a stand-alone novel, and a whole six-book series are all on the chopping block!! settle in, my friends.

Codex Alera, Jim Butcher. 9/10 summary: that good fantasy shit. that’s literally it. this 6-book series is AMAZING. characters? fleshed out and fabulous. worldbuilding? cool asf. plot? BUILDS ON ITSELF. this series follows Tavi, a boy from a small homestead, through a whole bunch of Events. Important Events. fun fact 4 u: this series was actually written on a bet from another writers, who bet he couldn’t write a good story that combined the two prompts of “lost Roman legion” and “Pokemon.” can i compliment the plot for a while?? it builds on itself so well!!!! each book has a clear individual-book opponent, but also serves to accelerate the multiple-book plot. the actions in one book directly affect the next. and the final enemy is ever-present, although hidden. there are a lot of characters, but we spend a lot of time with each one, and they’re clearly characterized, so it’s not a problem at all. if you like epic fantasy?? large-scale battles? pick this up IMMEDIATELY. read if u like: Roman legions! large-scale warfare! fantasy races! diplomacy! smart people impressing u with smart things! farmboy turned hero! battles!! family secrets! political intrigue! seriously, if you like fantasy, at all, and you’re up to reading a longer series, go for it!!! *note: it is written by Jim Butcher. yes, Dresden Files Jim Butcher. i haven’t read the Dresden Files, but from what i’ve heard, they are VERY DIFFERENT from this series. if u are expecting Dresden Files here you are in the wrong place <3

Zeroboxer, Fonda Lee. 8/10 buckle up, folks!! we’re going on a SPACE ADVENTURE!! off to a small offworld colony, we follow our protagonist, Carr, a zeroboxer. “what’s that?” oh you poor ignorant child. it is only the coolest sport in the history of sports!! imagine mma. cool as shit, right? but. this is space. so zeroboxing takes place in a clear zero-gravity cube. which is. um. very very cool. if i speak much about the plot i will spoil it. but the characters are well-fleshed out and interesting, the plot is great, and the fight scenes are *chefs kiss* immaculate. the only downside is that this is very much a sports book. if you don’t like sports books this is not gonna be ur cup of tea. but i don’t usually read sports books and i absolutely loved it, so give it a try! read if u like: sports books! mma!! zero-gravity mma!! fight scenes! secret government agencies! mma in space!!

The Bone Season, Samantha Shannon. 6/10 these two books are grouped together because they’re the first and second books of a series!! the second is much better (at least for me; i have an online friend who raves about the first all the time). it takes place in alternate-timeline London, where some people have psychic??? powers (they interact with ghosts idk what 2 call it). it’s somewhat fun... but it’s stuck with a 6 because it’s confusing and a little jumbled. the plot isn’t quite balanced??? and you only really understand the magic system about 2/3rds of the way through. the romance in it seems kind of forced towards the end, too, though i’ve read far far worse. however, the magic system is cool asf and it sets the scene for the far-superior second book. read if u like: ghost magic! penal colonies!! London! body swapping!! enemies to lovers!! Oxford!

please note that the following review for the second book will contain spoilers for the first. i don’t think they’ll ruin your enjoyment of it too too much, but if you want to read the first with a blank slate in terms of expectations, skip this last one.

The Mime Order, Samantha Shannon. 7/10 this is, imho, FAR better than the first book. idk if the first isn’t just my taste or not, but this one hit the spot wayyy better. our protagonist, having returned alive from the first book’s adventures, struggles to integrate back into London. for some context, using the funky ghost magic is illegal, so all people who do it (called voyants) usually join gangs, led by a mime-lord or mime-queen. there’s a power struggle between her and her mime-lord, several other gangs are feuding, and there’s an assassination that throws a mountain-sized wrench into everyone’s plans. i think i liked this one more because of all the intrigue and fun worldbuilding tbh; that stuff is definitely more my jam. i’m definitely looking forward to the next one. read if u like: intrigue!! criminal syndicates!! funky worldbuilding! personal drama! defending ur enemies-to-lovers ship! intrigue!!