#twelve bones

[funkyboxofinterests]

I’ve had the most specific reading experience with books lately

[shxpeshifterr]

[felt-squirrels]

SEQUEL TO SIXTEEN SOULS SEQUEL TO SIXTEEN SOULS SEQUEL TO SIXTEEN SOULS LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOOO

[drowninginabactatank]

Library reservation pick-up~📚

Chasm by Stacey McEwan (book 2 in the Glacian trilogy) and Twelve Bones by Rosie Talbot (book 2 after Sixteen Souls).

Also my preorder for Dark Heir by C S Pacat arrived at the p.o. box! I grabbed the paperback so I could claim the preorder campaign rewards from the author that will get sent out later! I will be painting the edges of this copy too!

Booksbooksbooksbooks🐛

[average-star-enjoyer]

that’s on having an obsessive fixation on a series for a week!!!! IM SO HAPPYYY

[magicalyaku]

Hello and welcome to another reading year! Following the devastation Dark Heir cause in my heart at the end of 2023, I didn't really feel like reading much for about two weeks. I did catch up on a few manga series, most notably 8 volumes of Yona of the Dawn by Mizuho Kusanagi. While it's still very good, I think binge reading helped quite a bit to keep me invested. :'D After that, I read one book that will definitely go into my worst books of 2024. Refer to the later half of the post if you want to know more. Let's focus on the good ones first!

Cursebreakers (Madeleine Nakamura): This one was really good! I was positively surprised. The world is magical, not medieval but futuristic! The story around the conspiracy is interesting and intense and the main characters are difficult people that might be hard to like in real life but they complement each other so well and it's so nice to see their relationship grow (no love story here!). I also really liked the way it is told. The protagonist has bipolar disorder which is a huge factor in the story but he recounts the story from a later perspective, so rather than being right in the moment with every dramatic and sometimes questionable decision we get a little bit of distance and insight into his actions and thoughts which works really well.

Twelve Bones (Sixteen Souls 2) (Rosie Talbot): The first volume was a already a little dark but all the bad stuff involved a limited circle of people (most of them ghosts), this one takes a full dive into the swooping dark threatening the entire city, living and dead! The stakes, my dear. Ugh! Based on that I wouldn't call it fun ... would I? I liked reading it, though! The cast of characters is really endearing. The story is good. The struggle felt warranted. The ending is kinda mangaesque but I like manga, so I don't mind. xD I wonder if there'll be a third volume. If not, I'll look forward to the author's next work. :)

The Necromancer's Light (Radiance 1) (Tavia Lark): I picked up the set of the trilogy which has a much better cover than the indivual books. :'D This one is very simple and straightforward, it's cute. The characters are likable. The hurt/comfort in here is indeed comforting. I think I like the first part with the pining best. This story's animal is a horse! (I read half of the auther's Perilous Courts series and there's friendly animals in every volume there as well. Nice touch.)

And now for the first book of 2024 I did not like. Heir to Thorn and Flame (Court of Broken Bonds 1) (Ben Alderson): I read the author's self-published Darkmourn series last summer and quite liked it despite its issues with the writing. Now this one has a tradtional publisher so I wanted to know if that made any difference. On a whole, the writing feels a little bit smoother than Darkmourn. But it's still long, repetetive, and tries to hard to sound fancy by exaggerating a lot. The premise of the story isn't even that bad. Boy finds out he has magic, accidentely kills the prince, has to take his place and political stuff occurs with two countries on the cusp of war over him and his magic. The first thing that annoyed me: The story feels unnecessarily cruel. It literally starts out with attempted rape which is already the second time protagonist Maxiumus is assaulted in his life. People are killed right in front of him, he is forced to shoot someone he cares for. People violently dig through his memories and still don't believe his story afterwards. And the villains are just caricatures. They have the balding hair, yellowed teeth, bony fingers, stinky breath, and leering eyes. They're ugly and evil! It was so over the top that I couldn't care at all. The other characters have nothing going on for them either. I don't like Maximus at all. He's whiny and indecisive and only worries about his parents. He does have that superstrong magic he uses to rip people apart when he's angry, wow. He also has two love interests and I don't see the chemistry with either of them (I suppose it tries to be Slow Burn but not very good). But they're so good-looking, the strong arms and nice smell, so tall! (eyeroll) The second one of these guys is named Simion. He's the only one remotely nice to him in the beginning, so Maximus likes him. Then he hates him. Then he likes him, then Simion reveals stuff and Maximus hates him again (even though he's just the messenger). But then he's suddenly attracted to him again to the point they even kiss … but oh no, Maximus can't kiss anyone, because he is married to the other guy by magic (against his will)!! And everyone treats it as this big thing "oh old magic you are bound to each other now for life" etc, but nobody explains what the handfastening (as they call it) even does for 80% of the book! Until Maximus kisses Simion and the magic causes him pain because he's cheating!!

Here my mind went on a tangent. The magic seems to have a conscious in this story, alright, but I want to know it's moral values then. Does it only detect kisses and sex? Physical acts? Can it differentiate between consensual und non-consensual? Who is doing the touching? Does is only clock sexual attraction or romantic attraction as well? What if he has a crush and never acts on it? Would it still cause him permament pain? What's with platonical kisses? Now you ask, do we have to explain all of this in a book like this? No, we don't (there's also two sequels), but I sure hope the author thought about it when he introduced a complex thing like this. Oh, also Simion forces his way into Maximus's mind via telepathy several times. Such a nice way to get to know each other. And speaking of the morality of the magic, it counts how many people are killed with it. On the wand. As tally marks. How does it know? Why does it only count humans, not animals? Why does it care?

Two more things I found annoying (there's more, but this is long enough already): First, the parents. Everything happening in the story hinges on their whereabouts, it's back and forth and very tiring. The Red King has them so Maximus has to stay with him, then the Blue Prince has them, then they get kidnapped so Maximus follows, then it turns out they've never been kidnapped and the Blue Prince kept them all along! In between he freaks out over his father not being his father and when they're reunited, but before they can talk, the father dies. Yay. Tragic. Not. The same thing happened before already. The one lady Maximus was forced to kill? She survived! She was saved and he goes to meet her, they talk for 30 seconds and then she's eaten by a dragon. :D I was pissed for wasting my time.

Which is a sentiment I kind of share about the whole book, but also not. It made me angry but sometimes it's good to have an outlet for the rage. :'D

[helloiamaustin]

⚠️⚠️Did you know?!?!⚠️⚠️

You have more than TWELVE BONES in your ENTIRE BODY!!!!!!???!?

That’s almost more than how much is in your BANK ACCOUNT!!!!!!?!!!!?!?!!!!

[slaughter-books]

Day 5: JOMPBPC: Latest Purchase

My most recent books I've bought! 💚

[annebrontefanclub]

Look.

This is the MOST important thing.

[wickedcriminal]

My own childhood has passed into history, and the ghosts I find there are the ghosts of heroes and dragons and berserks and witches, and it has become fashionable not to believe in these things anymore.

But I believe, for I was there.

Happy Eighth Day of Doomsday~ ☠️

[sapphic-bats]

“Would you stop it?”

Will freezes, confused and shocked now, his yelling ceasing at once.

Mike shouts again. “Would you stop yelling at me? It happens so often now!”

The other boy’s anger returns in a moment. “Then maybe you should stop giving me a reason to!”

The hurt in Mike’s eyes, returning to Will’s glare, shows his knowingness enough.

“You’ve changed, Mike! You stopped caring. You stopped asking. And you never, never, used to do that! What happened?” Will’s voice quavers. “What did I do wrong?”

Mike’s eyes go wide with horror, reaching out his hands to comfort him in a touchless surrender. “Will, no, you didn’t do anything-”

“You can’t even touch me, Mike. Don’t pretend like you haven’t noticed it.” Will’s voice is much less furious, now. It’s upset. “Can’t hug me properly, can’t put a hand on my shoulder unless I’m scared. And it fucking sucks!”

Mike’s taken aback by the profanity. Will never swears.

He continues. “It sucks, because I’ve been looking for a little fucking comfort. You used to care. I care, so why can’t you? What have I done wrong?”

A sob is let out, one that makes Mike’s heart rip itself in half. “Will, please, come on, I’m sorry. I- I…”

He stands there numbly for a moment, a short one, because suddenly he’s wrapping himself around Will, holding him close. He fears what could happen, Will pushing him away and snarling disgusted words at him, a repugnant glint in his eyes.

But it doesn’t happen. So he stands there, holding him.

“All I ever wanted to do was spend my life, whatever’s left of it, with you.” He bites his bottom lip hard. “But that’s so stupid. It’s so dumb.”

Mike shakes his head. “No, no it’s not.”

“It is.” Will snivels. “It’s so idiotic that I’m crying to you like I’m fucking five again. That… that I…”

When he trails off, Mike speaks again. “I’ve spent my whole life saying that.”

Will pauses, puzzled. “What?”

“All the time, I used to- I still do act adult, like I know what’s gonna happen. What I’m doing. But there’s only a handful of things I really know.”

He continues. “I know the sky’s blue. I know my name is Mike. I know that you’ve always been my best friend.” Mike lets out a small, sad laugh. “But even those don’t stay true. The sky can go gray, my real, full name is Michael…”

He smiles, shakily and unsure. “And sometimes… sometimes I’m in love with you.”

He feels Will tense in his arms, only pulling away far enough to look him in the eyes. “Which I’m lying about right now, because I’m in love with you all of the time. Every day.” His smile’s slowly crumbling, scared and terrified and falling all at once. “But I’m so shit at showing it. I’m so bad at communicating, at showing I care.”

And that’s when he says it. “But you’re not.”

Will’s eyes widen. “I understand. I know what you’ve been saying, and I see how dumb it was that I couldn’t say it, in the quietest way, back. So, if you’re gonna be loud, and honest to me, then I’ll be loud and honest to you.”

Will’s heart skips about two beats; one for each of them. He’s breathing, and it’s so loud. It’s loud, and he knows, then. He feels. Lets himself guide without much thought at all.

He kisses Mike. And immediately, almost too quickly, Mike’s kissing back, holding him and swearing things silently that are too noisy to hear through their passionate embrace. It’s messy, but not rough, and they’re honest. They’re telling the truth, now.

They stand there like that for what feels like hours, holding and caring and showing it. Being too loud in that quiet. The first time, the first kiss, that first song that hums out in the nonexistent space between them. They can’t get close enough.

When they break for air, loud and obnoxious air that they require to live, Will says it. “I love you, too.”

And Mike laughs. “Can I get a redo?”

Will’s brows furrow at the ridiculous request. “A redo? On what?” He laughs. “You were doing so well already!”

And the other boy shakes his head, beaming. “I didn’t say it first. Like, the real thing.”

“Well, now I get the credit.”

“Fine. Sure.” But Will relents, so Mike speaks on. “I love you.”

Will grins wider. “I love you, too.” Then, after pressing a kiss to Mike’s enthused lips, he says, “Even though I said it first.”

[itsguysnightitsironic]

Fur coats and pumpkin labyrinths.

What would be Crete if Theseus, dagger in hand, enter the maze and the Minotaur exited, using the front door, wearing the hero's head and wearing it better? What would be Theseus then? A scapegoat? A body for something divine to use and scream, as an oracle trapped between the hands of her gods?No mind or self, just, skin and fur.

I would like to say that this started as just a pumpkin labyrinth idea and I lost my mind, and I blame all the hot johns and I'm glad they are dea--

More ramblings under the cut:

----- ready for some nerd things? (in broken English, sorry)

1- The yarn it's a reference to the three Moirai, who control faith and human lives. (spinning the yarn, forming the thread and cutting the thread. Birth, life and death.)

Frost carries his life around his back, keeping control. (He carries his own faith. / Also, also, also references the threat that Ariadna gifts Theseus to not get lost in the labyrinth, he's able to control his life and mind.)

2- The cup and the laurel leaves are references to the religious practice of the Oracles of Delfos.

Where the oracle drank water from the fountain of Castalian and chewed laurel to purify herself to be able to be the voice of the gods, in Frost's case to think clearly. (Clear thought.)

3- The red yarn getting cut represents Frost getting lost in his own mind, overthinking, and losing control over his life. (Also his tail, which might link to the "having the tiger by the tail" saying.)

The labyrinth, who seems logical at first it's intended to have no exit (it's mirrored), it's Frost's emotions that keep him trapped behind his own logic.

4- Torbek being covered in blood and bones represents the goat sacrifices made to the oracles for enlightenment. Scapegoat, get it?

(You would also make a case linking him with Hercules "losing his mind by a divine power" wearing a lion skin with the whole "being punished by his crimes and gaining his identity back by getting a new identity by becoming a god", but it wasn't intentional.)

All the smoke that moves and represented the party that dances around Torbek, are references to the belief of some historians that oracles sat in a tripod on top of a rock that emanated gases causing them to get high and get hallucinations. Though it's not proven.

Also, it is a very poor reference to "Vuelo de Brujas" 1797 by Goya, which lives in my head rent-free. (You would say Frost is blinded by them since he's "witched", look at me making connections.)

5- The sad cat in the pumpkin it's a reference to EP. 4 Lose your illusion from the whole scarecrow situation where Frost falls in deep sadness while carving a sad kitty face.

Scarecrow's usually symbology shadows, a version of oneself that it's usually more linked with "darkness".

By being a scarecrow, Frost considers himself a shadow of what he used to be and now Torbek is. (Well, Torbek only has the skin.)

7- The pumpkin falling it's a very "losing your head" situation.

8/9- Frost by throwing away the laurel and the cup, which would give him the ability to see the future (to be able to see the situation logically and analyze it) he's refusing to believe there are other options than his friends abandoning him. He's jumping to conclusions.

And by it, it makes him distressed. (his fur falls and grows leaves, doubt.)

This makes the phrase "leaves no room for doubt" pretty ironic.

-----

thank you for reading all that, have a cupcake. 🧁

[shxpeshifterr]

[b4kuch1n]

took a mock ielts test today

[drowninginabactatank]

More booktography of Twelve Bones by Rosie Talbot 💀

[charmedbuffy]

temperance brennan is actually the funniest person ever because considering andy lister is in fact, despite her initial denials, based on booth that means that she didn’t start writing her novels until after she met him. so she met booth, kissed him, slapped him and said she never wanted to see him again, and then proceeded to create a book series surrounding him all while denying for five seasons that she was in any way in love with him.