#the last finestra

[thefaerielights]

BEST OF 2023 » Books

this vicious grace by emily thiede

“she wanted to rip down the sky and shred it with her fingernails, to pluck every star from the fabric of heavens until fathomless darkness matched the void inside her.”

[con-alas-de-angeles]

“A year ago he would have let the world burn. Now he had a month to save it. For her.”

“I’d slay a god to kiss you again.”

[wereadtoliveathousandlives]

“We’re strongest when we love more, forgive more, not less.”

- Finestra Alessa, This Vicious Grace, by Emily Thiede

[libraryofbaxobab]

December 30, 2023:

The bottom line is: not everything needs a sequel. I loved This Vicious Grace (the first of the two) much more than I could have expected. I'm not much into romance but once in a while I fall hard, usually for characters as resistant to romance as I am, and that one got me good. Here's the thing about romance sequels: if the characters have gotten together, you have removed what was interesting about the first one. I enjoyed seeing these two learn to like, and then love, each other while also being unbelievably horny but unable to be together for Plot Reasons. You can't remanufacture that for another book; it won't work anymore. So when this sequel tried to rekindle that by making them publicly together but horny & unable to touch for Different Plot Reasons... it isn't the same. Making them argue and fight as a couple isn't the same as when they were transitioning from enemies to lovers. It was tedious.

To look at this one on its own merits... I have some reservations. The whole problem in this book is solved way too easily? A character has lost something they can't get back except oh wait never mind, it's right over there in the Closet That Solves All Of Your Problems and here is the key. They did nothing to earn it, learn about it, or even seek it; this solution was just handed over apropos of nothing. Seems kinda pointless to make that part of the major plot, then. It was mostly just an inconvenience. The racism metaphor, which breaks down poorly in most fantasy novels, was pretty good until I realized that members of the dominant social group went to the land of the marginalized social group and could not stop complaining that nobody liked them. This book seems to have set up an attitude of "Sorry our people exiled and murdered your people for generations, but it's also racist for you to be mean to me!" as a valid point.

I did like one very minute but powerful idea from this, though. A character uses their magic powers in an unusual way and something goes wrong. They say, "It was an accident!" and the person they're talking to replies "No, it was a mistake. You did it on purpose, you just didn't intend these consequences." This is exceedingly interesting to me and it's been kicking around in my head all week. Accident vs mistake. I guess it was worth reading just to have that concept to chew on.

4/10 #WhatsKenyaReading

[crazy-pot-pourri]

[Books] Una virtù crudele (The Last Finestra #1) di Emily Thiede

Titolo originale: This Vicious Grace (The Last Finestra #1) Autore: Emily Thiede Prima edizione: Edizione italiana: traduzione di Irma Versari (Mondadori, 2023) Continue reading Untitled

[enlilwind]

Acest har necruțător este o carte despre  condiția umană și despre singurătate. Atunci când află că este o Finestra, viața Alessei se schimbă: devine ceva mai mult decât un om, dar amplasarea ei pe un piedestal o îndepărtează de tot ce îi era mai drag, fata simțindu-se exclusă, îndepărtată, chiar respinsă, deși, aparent, are parte de toată iubirea din jur. Singurătatea și disperarea pe care o simte fata sunt emoții pe care autoarea le amplasează iscusit și frumos în acțiune, fiind imposibil să nu fii empatic cu protagonista. Mulțumesc, Storia Books, pentru volum!

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb: From beloved author Emily Thiede comes the highly-anticipated final book in The Last Finestra duology, the sequel to This Vicious Grace, the epic romance hailed as one of the best fantasies of the year!

"I loved the book!! Fantastic ending to a fantastic series." - Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here When the gods make the rules, the players must choose: Sacrifice their love to save the world, or choose love and let it burn?

Six months after saving their island from destruction and almost losing Dante, Alessa is ready to live happily ever after with her former bodyguard. But Dante can't rest, haunted by a conviction that the gods aren't finished with them yet. And without his powers, the next kiss from Alessa could kill him.

Desperate for answers, Dante enlists Alessa and their friends to find the exiled ghiotte in hopes of restoring his powers and combining forces with them to create the only army powerful enough to save them all. But Alessa is hiding a deadly consequence of their last fight—a growing darkness that's consuming her mind—and their destination holds more dangers than anyone bargained for. In the mysterious city of the banished, Dante will uncover secrets, lies, and ghosts from his past that force him to ask himself: Which side is he on?

When the gods reveal their final test, Dante and Alessa will be the world's last defense. But if they are the keys to saving the world, will their love be the price of victory?

In This Cursed Light, Dante and Alessa face their most daunting challenge yet when the Gods demand they prove their worth by choosing the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity, once and for all.

Review:

The final book in The Last Finestra duology, picking up where the first book left off with Dante coming back from the dead but losing his powers and Alessa suffering from visions, as they both prepare for a war against the gods while dealing with the fact that without his powers... a kiss from Alessa could kill him. To make matters more complicated, Dante and Alessa and their friends seek hekp from the exiled ghiotte in hopes of restoring Dante's powers and fighting against the gods.... yet the ghiotte have always hated the church and everything Alessa's position means, thus they have to hide their relationship. Dante is afraid that without his powers he can never be full again, he can't be good enough for Alessa... yet the more risks he takes the more Alessa is afraid that he'll end up dying in front of her again. With the ghiotte hating Alessa, and Dante reuniting with people from his past, their relationship is bound to take a bit of strain since they have to keep it hidden... yet when it comes time to face off against the gods.. will they be willing to sacrifice it all to save everyone... even if it means one of them wont make it out alive? This was definitely an interesting way to end the duology, I loved the first book and this one was a fun read. I loved just how deeply in love Aleesa and Dante are with each other, they care so much and are willing to do everything. This one wrapped everything up nicely and overall I really enjoyed the duology! I would definitely recommend this for fans of fantasy romance / bodyguard romance!

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[elrielsgarden]

Favorite ships...

Of all time

In ACOTAR

In ToG

In CC

Not Elriel (but in ACOTAR)

Secondary fav ship

What ship would you want to live in real life?

Crack ship

A toxic ship you love

Best fanfic for ship of your choice

Thank you @faeprincesswarrior for tagging me!

Of all time: this is so hard but I have to go with Alessa and Dante from The Last Finestra duology by Emily Thiede. I LOVE THEM!

ACOTAR: Elriel ofc

ToG: Elorcan and Roawelin

CC: Run & Lidia 100%

Not Elriel (but in ACOTAR): Feysand

Secondary fav ship: Feysand, but also Nessian

Ship I want to live IRL: Alessa and Dante always but also Elriel

Crack ship: hmmm idk if I have one, but @faeprincesswarrior said Jurassien and honestly I love that

A toxic ship I love: I don't have one

Best fanfic: I don't read fanfics (I just can't get myself to read anything that isn't canon) but I know there's so many amazing Elriel ones out there; I'm gonna shout out @violetasteracademic and her fit Golden Doe in a Valley of Shadow!

Tagging: @acourtofquietdreamers, @archerons-elain, @thecw-unicorn, @shadowedflowers, @wingedblooms!

[bookaddict24-7]

New Young Adult Releases! (December 5th, 2023)

___

Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

___

New Standalones/First in a Series:

Every Time You Go Away by Abigail Johnson

Make Me A Liar by Melissa Landers

Caught in a Bad Fauxmance by Elle Gonzalez Rose

New Sequels:

This Cursed Light (The Last Finestra #2) by Emily Thiede

Dark Heir (Dark Rise #2) by C.S. Pacat

The Ruined (The Beautiful #4) by Renée Ahdieh

___

Happy reading!

[sciatu]

undefined

Quanto vivea la felicità?

Come i bambini, quando si chiedono chi spegne il sole la sera, o dove finisce il mare, come loro quando chiedono dove si nascondono le foglie in inverno o dove corre l’acqua dei fiumi, come sognano i bambini, quando giocano le loro battaglie senza morti o inseguono felici un pallone di plastica, come loro chiediti anche tu: quanto vive la felicità? Se vive più di una stella cometa, più a lungo  di un natale o quanto il volo di un gabbiano che plana sull’acqua. Chiedi se è grande quanto un vassoio di dolci colorati, o piccolo quanto una coccinella, se è alta più di una giraffa, o bassa quanto un porcino.

Chiedi se dura come il primo fiocco di neve sulla strada gelata  o più di un arcobaleno dopo la pioggia e meno di quanto corre un onda sulla lunga spiaggia? Se è eterna quanto un bacio o come le margherite a primavera, se è lunga come la danza dei fenicotteri in un lago salmastro, o il volo delle rondini nell’azzurro primaverile. Chiedi se la felicità è come una colata di lava infinita o come un sogno prima dell’alba, se è veloce come un temporale ad agosto, o lenta come il suono di una fisarmonica, corta come un bicchiere di vino, o grande come un gelato al sole, inquieta come una nube nera che tuona o serena come l’ondeggiare delle spighe in un campo di grano. Chiedi se rimane nell’aria come il canto ossessivo e monotono delle cicale, o scappa via nella luce pallida delle lucciole di notte, se è viva come il battito di un cuore o è un sogno come un raggio di sole che entrando dalla finestra attraversa una stanza buia. Come si risponde ai bambini che fanno domande semplici ma incredibili, banali, ma rivoluzionarie così, a chi chiederai quanto dura la felicità, ti risponderà che nessuno lo sa, tutti però sanno che tutte le cose belle, durano quanto la felicità.

Like children, when they wonder who turns off the sun in the evening, or where the sea ends, like them when they ask where leaves are hidden in winter or where the water flows from rivers, like children dream, when they play their battles without deaths or happily chasing a plastic ball, like them ask yourself: how long does happiness live? If it lives longer than a comet, longer than a Christmas or as long as the flight of a seagull gliding over the water. Ask if it's as big as a tray of colorful sweets, or as small as a ladybug, if it's taller than a giraffe, or as short as a porcini mushroom. Ask if it lasts like the first snowflake on the frozen road or more than a rainbow after the rain and less than a wave runs on the long beach? If it's as eternal as a kiss or like daisies in spring, if it's long like the dance of flamingos in a brackish lake, or the flight of swallows in the spring blue. Ask if happiness is like an endless lava flow or like a dream before dawn, if it's fast like a storm in August, or slow like the sound of an accordion, short like a glass of wine, or big like an ice cream in the sun, restless like a black cloud that thunders or serene like the swaying of ears in a wheat field. Ask if it stays in the air like the obsessive and monotonous song of the cicadas, or runs away in the pale light of the fireflies at night, if it's alive like the beating of a heart or is it a dream like a ray of sunshine entering through the window and crossing a dark room. How do you respond to children who ask simple but incredible, trivial but revolutionary questions like this, whoever you ask how long happiness lasts will answer that no one knows, but everyone knows that all beautiful things last as long as happiness.

[jikimo-world]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you! Get to know your mutuals, followers and all the wonderful people on here!!! :D

((se non vuoi/puoi farlo don't worry, era così per rompere le scatoline~ *scappa via saltando dalla finestra*))

Thanks!! This is so cute!!!

List 5 things that make me happy

1) Drawing

2) Studying history

3) Chatting with friends

4) Waking up late and naps

5) Vanilla scent and gourmand perfumes

[elliepassmore]

This Cursed Light review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, magic, grumpy x sunshine, prophecies, found family

This Vicious Grace review

Big thanks to Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited to receive this and dive back into Alessa and Dante's world! This book picks up several months after the ending of TVG. The Duo Divina, Alessa and Kaleb, made their trip to the other sanctuary island once things had calmed down on Saverio and Dante had healed somewhat. But despite the seeming calmness that has returned post-Divorando, things are not all sunshine and lemon trees. Both Dante and Alessa have a sense of something being...off, and while Dante is convinced something bigger is coming, Alessa is hoping things will settle down and she can just be normal.

The people of Saverio seem to have totally forgotten they wanted to kill Alessa before the Divorando because everyone seems to be thrilled to be invited to the Finestra's celebrations and interested in at least knowing her on a surface level. The control and understanding of her abilities that Alessa found by the end of the last book means that she's really able to come out of her shell in this one, though the ingrained sense of obedience and 'everyone over me' mentality still peeks through at times. But! Alessa is able to hug her brother and her grandparents! Adrick and Alessa do have some bridges to mend in their relationship (and by 'they' I mean 'Adrick', lol). It was actually kind of surprising to see how OK Alessa was with Adrick throughout this book, even if Kaleb and Dante weren't quite there yet (and speaking of Adrick and Kaleb, a novella about their misadventures would be wonderful). I'm pleased to say we do meet Nonna in this book, which I was hoping for.

Alessa does get a chance to be more of a normal girl in this one. She finally has friends in the form of her Fontes, and that group is just as tight-knit and humorous as in the first book. I absolutely love seeing the group together, or at least mostly together, and we get some good scenes with them interacting and having each other's backs. I'm also pleased to say that the Kaleb-Dante friendship is still alive and well, lol. Alessa still struggles with the whole 'not touching' thing, though that's largely in the past, and is clearly still scarred from her isolated adolescence. She's still the funny and clumsy girl we know and love from book 1, but her struggles have matured with her and there's a new sense of confidence in her.

Alessa and Dante are still going strong in this one, though they have moments where things are a little shaky. Both are dealing with issues of self-worth, Alessa's brought on by her past and Dante's by the side-effects of the ending of TVG.

Where the first book focused on the Finestra and Fontes, this book focuses more on the ghiotte, which means traveling away from Saverio. The first book was Alessa's story and journey, and while she is still a main character in this one and has her own things going on, this book is about Dante's journey and him coming into himself. It was definitely interesting to see how the ghiotte culture and customs were different from those on Saverio. Since the group was persecuted, they're very tight-knit and wary of outsiders, especially the 'blessed.' A lot of the ghiotte are fairly young and, since they're essentially invincible, they engage in a lot of the kind of behaviors you would expect of invincible teens and 20-somethings.

Dante, as mentioned, is struggling with the side-effects from the end of TVG. They've abated a little bit, but he's not back to where he was before, and it's kind of looking like he won't ever be there. When it's just him and Alessa it's hard enough, but when faced with the other ghiotte, Dante's feelings of inadequacy are multiplied. I enjoyed getting to see more of Dante in the role of a trainer, and was pleased to see him in more of a leadership role this time as well. He's definitely someone that people listen to and respect, even if he doesn't always see it, and he's good at uniting two sides.

Most of the new characters are ghiotte, including some people from Dante's past. It was interesting seeing him balance his love and loyalty of Alessa + friendship with the Fontes with his sense of loyalty toward the ghiotte, particularly when Dante not only has been the only one for so long but also when he needs their help to stop the coming Big Bad. I wasn't really a fan of one ghiotte character in particular, but she sorted herself out after the 60-65% mark and by the end I liked her.

There were a couple twists at the end relating to the event that Dante kept seeing. One of the twists was one I saw coming pretty much from the beginning, but it ended up being a pretty minor one, so it didn't take away from the rest of the reveals or my enjoyment of the book. The gods definitely played dirty this time around, and imo, I feel as if this book shows Dea and Crollo aren't actually quite as opposite as everyone seems to think. I do get their frustration with how Divorando had played out for the past couple centuries, but, like, their solution is just kind of mean, lol.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought the ending did service to the characters. Pretty much everything/everyone I wanted to see after the end of TVG happens/appears in this one, so that was pretty satisfying. The threat in this book is new without feeling contrived, and I loved where it took the characters. After reading this book, I 100% think Kaleb deserves his own novella, I think it would be hilarious.

[con-alas-de-angeles]

“She’d tried to be what she thought the gods wanted her to be, what she was told the people needed her to be, and it had gotten her three dead partners, and a shell around her heart. She’d been stunted until she threw off the rules, shut the holy books, and let herself be the emotional, stubborn, distracted mess she was.”

"She might be but one stitch in the tapestry, but every stitch had a purpose, and threads couldn't become art without them."

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You, The Funniest Tool 🔧 Man 👨 On Television,  The Space Ranger Of Disney's Pixar Animation Greatest Movie Series, & The Old St. Nick Of The North Pole In Disney's Favorite Holiday Movie Franchise 🎥

He is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement (1991–1999) for which he won a Golden Globe Award and Mike Baxter on the ABC/Fox sitcom Last Man Standing (2011–2021). He voices Buzz Lightyear for the Toy Story franchise for which he won an Annie Award and played Scott Calvin and Santa Claus in The Santa Clause franchise (1994–present) His other films include Tropical Snow (1988), Galaxy Quest (1999), Joe Somebody (2001), Zoom (2006), Wild Hogs (2007), The Six Wives of Henry Lefay (2009), Crazy on the Outside (2010), 3 Geezers! (2013), and El Camino Christmas (2017).

He was born in Denver, Colorado, on June 13, 1953. He is the third oldest of six children of Martha Katherine (née Fox), a community-service worker, and Gerald M. Dick, a real estate agent. He has two older brothers, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. His father died in a car accident in November 1964, colliding with a drunk driver when he was 11. Two years later, his mother married her high school sweetheart, a business executive, and moved with her six children to Birmingham, Michigan, to be with her new husband and his three children. He has said the move meant going from "being in a cool group at one school to being at the bottom [of the social hierarchy at another]."

He started his career as a comedian in 1975. On a dare from one of his friends, he participated in a comedy night at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle in Royal Oak, a suburb of Detroit. While in Detroit he began to get recognition appearing in local television commercials and appearing on cable comedy shows such as Gary Thison's Some Semblance of Sanity. Following his release from prison in 1981, he returned to comedy. He moved to Los Angeles and became a regular performer at The Comedy Store. 

Despite his admitted limited acting range, He rose to fame in acting with the sitcom Home Improvement (1991–1999) produced for ABC by Wind Dancer Productions, a company he cofounded with producer Carmen Finestra. He played the main character Tim "The Tool-Man" Taylor. In November 1994, he simultaneously starred in the highest-grossing film (Walt Disney Pictures's The Santa Clause),

Then 1995, His Biggest Role In Disney Came To Be

In

Walt Disney Pictures & Pixar Animation Studios 1st Film To Debut

TOY STORY

Please Wish This Iconic & Humorous Actor Of Both TV 📺 & Movies Alike A Very Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

You Know Him

& You Will Always Love Him

Ho Ho Ho

The 1

& The Only

MR. TIM ALLEN AKA TIM THE TOOL 🔧 MAN 👨 TAYLOR / BUZZ LIGHTYEAR 🚀 👩‍🚀/ THE SANTA 🎅 CLAUSE

HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 MR. ALLEN & HERE'S TO MANY MORE TO COME.

TO INFINITY ♾ & BEYOND 🚀👨‍🚀🌌

[libraryofbaxobab]

July 13, 2022:

Interesting use of magic, top notch use of romance subplot. She's Rogue from X-Men, he's Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho, and I'm screaming because I NEED them to kiss. This had my pulse racing, and not just for the epic battles if you know what I mean ;) 9/10 #WhatsKenyaReading

[lunamagicablu]

„Mi abbandonai a quell'incantesimo fino a quando la brezza dell'alba lambì i vetri della finestra e i miei occhi affaticati si posarono sull'ultima pagina. Solo allora mi sdraiai sul letto, il libro appoggiato sul petto, e ascoltai i suoni della città addormentata posarsi sui tetti screziati di porpora. Il sonno e la stanchezza bussavano alla porta, ma io resistetti. Non volevo abbandonare la magia di quella storia né, per il momento, dire addio ai suoi protagonisti. Un giorno sentii dire a un cliente della libreria che poche cose impressionano un lettore quanto il primo libro capace di toccargli il cuore. L'eco di parole che crediamo dimenticate ci accompagna per tutta la vita ed erige nella nostra memoria un palazzo al quale – non importa quanti altri libri leggeremo, quante cose apprenderemo o dimenticheremo – prima o poi faremo ritorno.“ —

Carlos Ruiz Zafón, libro L'ombra del vento

***************************

“I surrendered to that spell until the breeze of dawn licked the window panes and my weary eyes rested on the last page. Only then did I lay down on the bed, the book resting on my chest, and listened to the sounds of the sleeping city alight on the purple-flecked roofs. Sleep and fatigue knocked on the door, but I resisted. I did not want to abandon the magic of that story or, for the moment, say goodbye to its protagonists. One day I heard a bookstore customer say that few things impress a reader as much as the first book that touches his heart. The echo of words we believe forgotten accompanies us throughout our lives and erects in our memory a palace to which - no matter how many other books we read, how many things we will learn or forget - sooner or later we will return. "-

Carlos Ruiz Zafón, book The shadow of the wind