thebestoftimes

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I feel like im going to die from lust and iron deficiency

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Possibly the greatest NPR exchange ever recorded

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well the eagle eats my liver every day around 3pm, but otherwise i can meet when it best suits your schedule!

[thebestoftimes]

hate how so much of adult friendship relies on updates, experiencing your life through pictures and tidbits. we had it good with childhood friends, could spend years and years basking in the same circumstance. now i just float through clouds of strangers, hungry for something solid and warm. yes i carry your heart within mine, yes i see the world through your eyes. but in that very moment i still feel alone, still know it's poor substitute for same room, twin smiles.

[thebestoftimes]

K-POP DEMON HUNTERS | 까치와 호랑이

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has anyone else noticed that it becomes harder to hide that you’re weird about intimacy once you’re over 25

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Can’t wait for, like, 2025 when we look back on the 2018/2019 era and say “hey, remember when we were all really freaking depressed? That was a crazy time! Glad we aren’t like that anymore”

[thebestoftimes]

Nightstrider by Sophia Slade

4.5 / 5

This. Was. So. Delicious. As the great Gordon Ramsey once said, "Finally. Some good fucking food."

Nightstrider is a multi-pov dark fantasy where nightmares and dreams come to life. Nightstrider follows Wren, a living nightmare tied to an evil demon whose reign she'd love to end. It also follows Alaric, the leader of a rebellion, and Ila, a young queen tasked with protecting a deadly weapon (that happens to be a preteen girl that is terrible at following instructions). Ila is set to marry our final pov, Prince Caine, the son of that demon I mentioned earlier. Wren, Alaric, Ila, and Caine are all on opposing sides working toward a common goal, and are eventually forced to work together (albeit reluctantly) to defeat a common enemy.

Whenever I read a multi-pov, I always have a favorite and a least-favorite. There is always SOMEONE whose pov I just want to skip. Nightstrider did not have this. Every character had an interesting story, an interesting plot, and interesting motivation. I was disappointed when each chapter ended and pleased when a new one began.

A little bit about our titular character, Nightstrider, or as she prefers: Wren. Wren reminded me of Throne of Glass!Celaena Sardothian. Badass, quick-witted assassin with poor social tact and an even worse temper. It was refreshing to have such a strong character that just… existed? Rather than having a narrative that constantly shoved the idea that Wren is not like other girllsssss, Wren just was. She punches first, tries diplomacy later, and gags at her own moments of decency. She's ultimately selfless in her own quest to be self-serving and I found it to be very compelling.

I enjoyed the romantic subplots. I thought Wren and Alaric were a smidge rushed but they had decent chemistry and they didn't make me gag. I did prefer, however, Ila and Caine. Oooooh Ila and Caine. Diet enemies to lovers at its best (he thinks she's gorgeous and awesome and she thinks he's evil based on preconceived notions and believes them to be enemies. Classic.) When I tell you my ass was GAGGED at their first kiss I literally thought Caine was dreaming and GASPED when he wasn't. Then I was GAGGED AGAIN at Caine's sneaky little trick on his father at the end. They're just a lot of fun. I love a strong queen and an annoyed prince who wants nothing more than to be her Wife Guy if she'd only let him.

Speaking of being gagged, I have to give Sophia Slade her kudos. I audibly gasped with a hand slapped over my mouth, like, four times during this book. In a genre plagued with predictability, Slade deserves all the flowers for making me reread passages to make sure they were real sentences in the book.

I do knock off .5 stars because I don't love the method of world building that is just "Here is a bunch of vocab words. Figure it out." and for the lackluster romance between Wren and Alaric, I think it could have been drawn out more.

Other than that, this was a scrumptious read. I think the recent tend in writing books around tropes rather than actual plot and characters (thanks booktok) has made me very weary of the fantasy genre but this has brought me back and given me hope again.

-Jess

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Just got a new knight! I sure hope his unwavering loyalty, mindless devotion, and tendency to kneel before me to kiss the palm of my hand before he commits atrocities in my name doesn't awaken anything in me.

[thebestoftimes]

happy birthday, adam parrish, army of one (close ups below)

[thebestoftimes]

Four of Swords. Art by Jesse Lonergan, from The Unveiled Tarot.

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Having parents who aren't as bad as they used to be is crazy cause they'll be sitting there doing some normal shit and you're like kubrick staring at them

[thebestoftimes]

Calvin and Hobbes - It’s July Already

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[thebestoftimes]

AYO EDEBIRI

Photographed by Emman Montalvan for Backstage (2023)