Anna's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 29 Apr 2025 14:25:42 -0700 60 Anna's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Semiosis (Semiosis, #1) 35018907 In this character driven novel of first contact by debut author Sue Burke, human survival hinges on an bizarre alliance.

Only mutual communication can forge an alliance with the planet's sentient species and prove that mammals are more than tools.

Forced to land on a planet they aren't prepared for, human colonists rely on their limited resources to survive. The planet provides a lush but inexplicable landscape--trees offer edible, addictive fruit one day and poison the next, while the ruins of an alien race are found entwined in the roots of a strange plant. Conflicts between generations arise as they struggle to understand one another and grapple with an unknowable alien intellect.]]> 333 Sue Burke 076539135X Anna 0 to-read 3.85 2018 Semiosis (Semiosis, #1)
author: Sue Burke
name: Anna
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mag 41007703 704 John Fowles 8377856743 Anna 0 to-read 3.72 1965 Mag
author: John Fowles
name: Anna
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1965
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bone Deep: A Psychological Dark Romance]]> 230108166
Then Patrick Dalton walked through the door.

Warm, charming, gentle, devastatingly perfect.
He made my chest ache, even when I tried to keep him at arm’s length. And he made me want more.

And for a while, I let myself believe I could have that.

But life has a way of shifting itself.
And the things we think we’ve buried don’t always stay gone.]]> 333 Rachael Chadwick 1068412011 Anna 0 to-read 4.70 2025 Bone Deep: A Psychological Dark Romance
author: Rachael Chadwick
name: Anna
average rating: 4.70
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Vessel of Starfire 55428225
Echo and Miyala Rodrigal have lived an adventurous life of crime in the fifteen years since the elite criminal family, the Vindicata, rescued them from a home for wayward children. Once close, lately, the adoptive sisters struggle to connect. Miyala has grown into the crew’s top strategist, content to scheme and plan, seemingly secure in her place within the family. By contrast, Echo feels she needs to earn her place in the crew. She’s carefully built her identity around being the deadliest assassin on the continent, l’Echo Morbida, the echo of death.

When the Warlord forces the Vindicata, to betray their oath to only commit crimes of justice, Echo must reconnect with her sister quickly to find a way save their family. But the Vindicata have been keeping secrets Echo can scarcely imagine. Amidst the threat of intercontinental war, meddling gods who won’t say exactly what they want, and a cult of true believers determined to strike “unnaturalness� from the continent forever, now those secrets are oozing out and Echo can’t keep running from the facts about herself she’d rather not face.

***

Vessel of Starfire is a YA fantasy adventure with a diverse cast of characters, a queer love triangle, and a hefty dose of familial drama. Appropriate for mature YA readers and adults.]]> Allison Carr Waechter Anna 0 to-read 4.56 2020 Vessel of Starfire
author: Allison Carr Waechter
name: Anna
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Beyond the Aching Door (The Fatebound Duology, #1)]]> 208468686 A mortal journalist. A mysterious series of drownings. An exiled Fey king. A forgotten Fatesong. A single, desperate chance to save magic from extinction.

All Raegan Maeve Overhill wants is to survive another October. It's the anniversary of the worst thing that ever happened to the unsolved disappearance of her father nearly two decades ago. But when mysterious drownings grip the city of Philadelphia, Raegan sets her mourning rituals aside for a career-making opportunity to lead her newspaper's investigation.

Her hunt for answers takes her to the city's shadowy places where magical beings appear in puddles, the Fair Folk offer bargains, and magic is very, very real. When Raegan uncovers a startling connection to her father’s disappearance, she knows she can’t just return to her normal life without finding the truth. To get it, though, she’ll need to make a deal with the dark, deadly and alluring Unseelie Fae King—and do her best to ignore their dangerous attraction to one another. Inspired by Welsh mythology, Slavic folklore and Arthurian legend, Beyond the Aching Door is an adult urban fantasy romance for fans of A Discovery of Witches and Dark Night, Golden Dawn. This spicy fae romantic fantasy is intended for readers 18+.]]> 541 Victoria Mier Anna 0 to-read 3.83 Beyond the Aching Door (The Fatebound Duology, #1)
author: Victoria Mier
name: Anna
average rating: 3.83
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #3)]]> 18480329 Two worlds threaten to crumble in the face of a common enemy in the epic conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy -- now with a gorgeous new package! What power can bruise the sky?Two worlds are poised on the brink of a vicious war. By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera's rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her.When the brutal angel emperor brings his army to the human world, Karou and Akiva are finally reunited -- not in love, but in tentative alliance against their common enemy. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people. And, perhaps, for themselves.But with even bigger threats on the horizon, are Karou and Akiva strong enough to stand among the gods and monsters?The New York Times bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy comes to a stunning conclusion as -- from the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond -- humans, chimaera, and seraphim strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.]]> 506 Laini Taylor 031628016X Anna 3
All in all, I can’t decide whether I regret reading the series.
Maybe? A bit? Mostly because I feel I’m not gonna remember much of it in a year’s time.
Some series stick with you, even if you read them just the once. But for me this one � although I know it’s important for many readers � will not be counted among them.
I will probably think about it whenever I’m in Prague, though.]]> 4.17 Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #3)
author: Laini Taylor
name: Anna
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/24
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves:
review:
[spoilers removed]

All in all, I can’t decide whether I regret reading the series.
Maybe? A bit? Mostly because I feel I’m not gonna remember much of it in a year’s time.
Some series stick with you, even if you read them just the once. But for me this one � although I know it’s important for many readers � will not be counted among them.
I will probably think about it whenever I’m in Prague, though.
]]> <![CDATA[Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc]]> 89303 To Arrive at a just estimate of a renowned man's character one must judge it by the standards of his time, not ours. Judged by the standards of one century, the noblest characters of an earlier one lose much of their luster; judged by the standards of to-day, there is probably no illustrious man of four or five centuries ago whose character could meet the test at all points. But the character of Joan of Arc is unique. It can be measured by the standards of all times without misgiving or apprehension as to the result. Judged by any of them, judged by all of them, it is still flawless, it is still ideally perfect; it still occupies the loftiest place possible to human attainment, a loftier one than has been reached by any other mere mortal.
When we reflect that her century was the brutalest, the wickedest, the rottenest in history since the darkest ages, we are lost in wonder at the miracle of such a product from such a soil. The contrast between her and her century is the contrast between day and night.

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.]]> 0 Mark Twain 1131595211 Anna 0 to-read 4.19 2013 Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc
author: Mark Twain
name: Anna
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Go Luck Yourself (Royals and Romance, #2)]]> 218063235 Featuring exquisite emerald sprayed edges!

It’s enemies to lovers in this sexy and delightful holiday mash up that pairs the spare prince of Christmas with the crown prince of St. Patrick’s Day!

Someone has been stealing Christmas’s joy, and there’s only one clue to the culprit—a single shamrock.

With Coal busy restructuring Christmas—and their dad now having a full midlife crisis in the Caribbean—Kris volunteers to investigate St. Patrick’s Day. His cover: an ambassador from Christmas to foster goodwill. What could go wrong?

Everything, it seems. Because Prince Lochlann Patrick, Crown Prince of St. Patrick’s Day, happens to be the mysterious student that Kris has been in a small war with at Cambridge. They attempt to play nice for the tabloids, but Kris can’t get through one conversation without wanting to smash Loch’s face in—he’s infuriating, stubborn, loud, obstinate, hot�

²�hot?

Kris might be in some trouble. Especially when it turns out that the mystery behind Christmas’s stolen magic isn’t as simple as an outright theft. But why would a Holiday that Christmas has never had contact with, one that’s always been the very basis of carefree, want to steal joy? Can a spare prince even hope to unravel all this, or will Kris lose something way more valuable than his Holiday’s resources—like his heart?

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 320 Sara Raasch 1250333210 Anna 0 to-read 4.37 2025 Go Luck Yourself (Royals and Romance, #2)
author: Sara Raasch
name: Anna
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection]]> 220341389 John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and a passionate advocate for global healthcare reform, tells a deeply human story illuminating the fight against the world’s deadliest disease.

Tuberculosis has been entwined with humanity for millennia. Once romanticized as a malady of poets, today tuberculosis is a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustice and inequity we blazed for it.

In 2019, John Green met Henry, a young tuberculosis patient at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone while traveling with Partners in Health. John became fast friends with Henry, a boy with spindly legs and a big, goofy smile. In the years since that first visit to Lakka, Green has become a vocal and dynamic advocate for increased access to treatment and wider awareness of the healthcare inequities that allow this curable, treatable infectious disease to also be the deadliest, killing 1.5 million people every year.

In Everything is Tuberculosis, John tells Henry’s story, woven through with the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world and how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.]]> 208 John Green 0525556575 Anna 0 to-read 4.52 2025 Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
author: John Green
name: Anna
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Cackle 61058915 The Return.

All her life, Annie has played it nice and safe. After being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Annie seeks a fresh start. She accepts a teaching position that moves her from Manhattan to a small village upstate. She’s stunned by how perfect and picturesque the town is. The people are all friendly and warm. Her new apartment is dreamy too, minus the oddly persistent spider infestation.

Then Annie meets Sophie. Beautiful, charming, magnetic Sophie, who takes a special interest in Annie, who wants to be her friend. More importantly, she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself. That’s how Sophie lives. Annie can’t help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie, wanting to spend more and more time with her, despite the fact that the rest of the townsfolk seem…a little afraid of her. And like, okay. There are some things. Sophie’s appearance is uncanny and ageless, her mansion in the middle of the woods feels a little unearthly, and she does seem to wield a certain power…but she couldn’t be…could she?]]> 319 Rachel Harrison 0593202031 Anna 0 to-read 3.71 2021 Cackle
author: Rachel Harrison
name: Anna
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Guillotine 202490408 The Menu meets Ready of Not in this dark tale of opulent luxury and shocking violence from the New York Times bestselling author of Bloom.

Thrift fashionista Dez Lane doesn't want to date Patrick Ruskin; she just wants to meet his mother, the editor-in-chief of Nouveau magazine. When he invites her to his family's big Easter reunion at their lake retreat, she's certain she can put up with his arrogance and fend off his advances long enough to ask Marie Caulfield-Ruskin for an internship someone with her pedigree could never nab through the regular submission route.

When they arrive at the enormous mansion on an island in the center of a Georgia lake, Dez is floored―she's never witnessed how the 1% lives before in all their ridiculous, unnecessary luxury. But once all the family members are on the island and the ferry has departed, shit gets real. For decades, the Ruskins have made their servants sign contracts that are basically indentured servitude, and with nothing to lose, the servants have decided their only route to freedom is to get rid of the Ruskins for good…]]> 208 Delilah S. Dawson 1803368349 Anna 0 to-read 3.95 2024 Guillotine
author: Delilah S. Dawson
name: Anna
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Witchcraft for Wayward Girls 207611566 There’s power in a book�

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There’s Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who knows she’s going to go home and marry her baby’s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid…and it’s usually paid in blood.

In Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, the author of How to Sell a Haunted House and The Final Girl Support Group delivers another searing, completely original novel and further cements his status as a “horror master� (NPR).]]> 482 Grady Hendrix 0593548981 Anna 0 to-read 4.00 2025 Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Anna
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> So Thirsty 203608552 A woman must learn to take life by the throat after a night out leads to irrevocable changes in this juicy, thrilling novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Such Sharp Teeth and Black Sheep.

Sloane Parker is dreading her birthday. She doesn’t need a reminder she’s getting older, or that she’s feeling indifferent about her own life.

Her husband surprises her with a birthday weekend getaway—not with him, but with Sloane’s longtime best friend, troublemaker extraordinaire Naomi.

Sloane anticipates a weekend of wine tastings and cozy robes and strategic avoidance of issues she’d rather not confront, like her husband’s repeated infidelity. But when they arrive at their rental cottage, it becomes clear Naomi has something else in mind. She wants Sloane to stop letting things happen to her, for Sloane to really live. So Naomi orchestrates a wild night out with a group of mysterious strangers, only for it to take a horrifying turn that changes Sloane’s and Naomi’s lives literally forever.

The friends are forced to come to terms with some pretty eternal consequences in this bloody, seductive novel about how it’s never too late to find satisfaction, even though it might taste different than expected.]]> 304 Rachel Harrison 0593642546 Anna 0 to-read 3.49 2024 So Thirsty
author: Rachel Harrison
name: Anna
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Godkiller (Fallen Gods, #1) 123165553
Elogast fought in the god war, and helped purge the city of a thousand shrines before laying down his sword. A mysterious request from the King sends him racing back to the city he destroyed.

On the way he meets a godkiller, a little girl and a littler god, who cannot find out about his quest.]]> 290 Hannah Kaner Anna 5
When opening a fantasy book and encountering a map with strange names, you never know if you're in for an amazing ride or a convoluted fever-dream. Hannah Kaner's "Godkiller" is, fortunately, the former.

I loved the switching POVs that let us get to know all the protagonists - who are immediately distinctive, wonderfully flawed and engaging. They are complex, believable and relatable in a truly delicious way. The alternating story threads also create really great pacing and make you itch to turn the page, to find out what happens next.

The book skillfully paints a world full of characters of every creed, gender, skin color, build, sexual orientation and level of (dis)ability. I love the offhand way in which singular they/them pronouns are incorporated for certain people/gods. I also really like the decision that all the deities are called "gods" (without distinguishing "goddesses"). It's wonderful, how the author incorporates disability and trauma as a natural part of life for the characters - one they experience, but that does not define them or limit them. As someone with an invisible disability I really appreciate that. Same goes for the nonchalantly mentioned bisexuality of one of the characters - we love to see it <3

However, my favorite thing is how the story is crafted - how the author sprinkles in little crumbs of information for an attentive reader to pick up on. It creates a very satisfying read, where we get to figure out certain mysteries and twists before the characters, or can follow along their reasoning, because we've been served all the necessary info along the way. Considering this is the first book, with new characters and a new world to familiarize ourselves with, I think the author is very skilled in "portioning" what we need to find out and when. It really is a rare pleasure to be able to see all the puzzle pieces slowly fall into place as your read along, to then see the finished "picture" in the finale and think: "Yes, I completely see how we got here and I'm so glad you let me follow along".

A truly impressive debut. I can't wait for the continuation and definitely plan on following Hannah Kaner's literary career.]]> 3.77 2023 Godkiller (Fallen Gods, #1)
author: Hannah Kaner
name: Anna
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/25
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: currently-reading, audiobook, currently-re-reading
review:
Incredibly well crafted and constructed, this book hooked me in from the very first pages!

When opening a fantasy book and encountering a map with strange names, you never know if you're in for an amazing ride or a convoluted fever-dream. Hannah Kaner's "Godkiller" is, fortunately, the former.

I loved the switching POVs that let us get to know all the protagonists - who are immediately distinctive, wonderfully flawed and engaging. They are complex, believable and relatable in a truly delicious way. The alternating story threads also create really great pacing and make you itch to turn the page, to find out what happens next.

The book skillfully paints a world full of characters of every creed, gender, skin color, build, sexual orientation and level of (dis)ability. I love the offhand way in which singular they/them pronouns are incorporated for certain people/gods. I also really like the decision that all the deities are called "gods" (without distinguishing "goddesses"). It's wonderful, how the author incorporates disability and trauma as a natural part of life for the characters - one they experience, but that does not define them or limit them. As someone with an invisible disability I really appreciate that. Same goes for the nonchalantly mentioned bisexuality of one of the characters - we love to see it <3

However, my favorite thing is how the story is crafted - how the author sprinkles in little crumbs of information for an attentive reader to pick up on. It creates a very satisfying read, where we get to figure out certain mysteries and twists before the characters, or can follow along their reasoning, because we've been served all the necessary info along the way. Considering this is the first book, with new characters and a new world to familiarize ourselves with, I think the author is very skilled in "portioning" what we need to find out and when. It really is a rare pleasure to be able to see all the puzzle pieces slowly fall into place as your read along, to then see the finished "picture" in the finale and think: "Yes, I completely see how we got here and I'm so glad you let me follow along".

A truly impressive debut. I can't wait for the continuation and definitely plan on following Hannah Kaner's literary career.
]]> Iron Hearted Violet 13455485 In most fairy tales, princesses are beautiful, dragons are terrifying, and stories are harmless. This isn’t most fairy tales.

Princess Violet is plain, reckless, and quite possibly too clever for her own good. Particularly when it comes to telling stories. One day she and her best friend, Demetrius, stumble upon a hidden room and find a peculiar book. A forbidden book. It tells a story of an evil being—called the Nybbas—imprisoned in their world. The story cannot be true�not really. But then the whispers start. Violet and Demetrius, along with an ancient, scarred dragon, may hold the key to the Nybbas’s triumph . . . or its demise. It all depends on how they tell the story. After all, stories make their own rules.

Iron Hearted Violet is a story of a princess unlike any other. It is a story of the last dragon in existence, deathly afraid of its own reflection. Above all, it is a story about the power of stories, our belief in them, and how one enchanted tale changed the course of an entire kingdom.
]]> 424 Kelly Barnhill 0316056731 Anna 0 to-read 3.88 2012 Iron Hearted Violet
author: Kelly Barnhill
name: Anna
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Witch's Boy 20312461 “A lightning bolt erupted from the cloud and aimed directly at Ned’s heart. He couldn’t cry out. He couldn’t even move. He could just feel the magic sink into his skin and spread itself over every inch of him, bubbling and slithering and cutting deep, until he didn’t know where the magic stopped and he began.�

When Ned and his identical twin brother Tam tumble from their raft into a raging, bewitched river, only Ned survives. Villagers are convinced the wrong boy lived. Sure enough, Ned grows up weak and slow, and stays as much as possible within the safe boundaries of his family’s cottage and yard. But when a Bandit King comes to steal the magic that Ned’s mother, a witch, is meant to protect, it's Ned who safeguards the magic and summons the strength to protect his family and community.

In the meantime, in another kingdom across the forest that borders Ned’s village lives Áine, the resourceful and pragmatic daughter of the Bandit King. She is haunted by her mother’s last words to her: “The wrong boy will save your life and you will save his.� But when Áine and Ned’s paths cross, can they trust each other long enough to make their way through the treacherous woods and stop the war about to boil over?

With a deft hand, acclaimed author Kelly Barnhill takes classic fairy tale elements--speaking stones, a friendly wolf, and a spoiled young king--and weaves them into a richly detailed narrative that explores good and evil, love and hate, magic, and the power of friendship.]]> 400 Kelly Barnhill 161620351X Anna 0 to-read 4.02 2014 The Witch's Boy
author: Kelly Barnhill
name: Anna
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Fan Service 214537762 The truth is stranger than fan fiction in this sexy paranormal rom-com.

The only place small-town outcast Alex Lawson fits in is the online fan forum she built for The Arcane Files, a long-running werewolf detective show. Her dedication to archiving fictional supernatural lore made her Internet-famous, even if she harbors a secret disdain for the show’s star, Devin Ashwood. (Never meet your heroes—sometimes they turn out to be The Worst.)

Ever since his show went off the air, Devin and his career have spiraled, but waking up naked in the woods outside his LA home with no memory of the night before is a new low. It must have been a coincidence that the once-in-a-century Wolf Blood Moon crested last night. The claws, fangs, and howling are a little more difficult to explain away. Desperate for answers, Devin finds Alex—the closest thing to an expert that exists. If only he could convince her to stop hating his guts long enough to help....

Once he makes her an offer she can’t refuse, these reluctant allies lower their guards trying to wrangle his inner beast. Unfortunately, getting up close and personal quickly comes back to bite them.]]> 415 Rosie Danan 0593437160 Anna 0 to-read 3.83 2025 Fan Service
author: Rosie Danan
name: Anna
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Bane Witch 211004908 Practical Magic meets Gone Girl in Ava Morgyn's next dark, spellbinding novel about a woman who is more than a witch - she's a hunter. Piers Corbin has always had an affinity for poisonous things - plants and men. From the pokeweed berries she consumed at age five that led to the accidental death of a stranger, to the husband whose dark proclivities have become� concerning, poison has been at the heart of her story. But when she fakes her own death in an attempt to escape her volatile marriage and goes to stay with her estranged great aunt in the mountains, she realizes her predilection is more than a hunger - it’s a birthright. Piers comes from a long line of poison eaters - Bane Witches � women who ingest deadly plants and use their magic to rid the world of evil men. Piers sets out to earn her place in her family’s gritty but distinguished legacy, all while working at her Aunt Myrtle’s cafe and perpetuating a flirtation with the local, well-meaning sheriff to allay his suspicions on the body count she’s been leaving in her wake. But soon she catches the attention of someone else, a serial killer operating in the area. And that only means one thing - it’s time to feed. In Ava Morgyn’s dark, thrilling novel, The Bane Witch, a very little poison can do a world of good.]]> 384 Ava Morgyn 1250835453 Anna 0 to-read 4.04 2025 The Bane Witch
author: Ava Morgyn
name: Anna
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bluebeard's Curse (Dark Tales, #1)]]> 33840233 105 Regine Abel Anna 0 to-read 3.97 2017 Bluebeard's Curse (Dark Tales, #1)
author: Regine Abel
name: Anna
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Sociopath: A Memoir 176443093
Patric Gagne realized she made others uncomfortable before she started kindergarten. Something about her caused people to react in a way she didn’t understand. She suspected it was because she didn’t feel things the way other kids did. Emotions like fear, guilt, and empathy eluded her. For the most part, she felt nothing. And she didn’t like the way that “nothing� felt.

She did her best to pretend she was like everyone else, but the constant pressure to conform to a society she knew rejected anyone like her was unbearable. So Patric stole. She lied. She was occasionally violent. She became an expert lock-picker and home-invader. All with the goal of replacing the nothingness with...something.

In college, Patric finally confirmed what she’d long suspected. She was a sociopath. But even though it was the very first personality disorder identified—well over 200 years ago—sociopathy had been neglected by mental health professionals for decades. She was told there was no treatment, no hope for a normal life. She found herself haunted by sociopaths in pop culture, madmen and evil villains who are considered monsters. Her future looked grim.

But when Patric reconnects with an old flame, she gets a glimpse of a future beyond her diagnosis. If she’s capable of love, it must mean that she isn’t a monster. With the help of her sweetheart (and some curious characters she meets along the way) she embarks on a mission to prove that the millions of Americans who share her diagnosis aren’t all monsters either.

This is the inspiring story of her journey to change her fate and how she managed to build a life full of love and hope.]]> 368 Patric Gagne 166800318X Anna 0 to-read 3.74 2024 Sociopath: A Memoir
author: Patric Gagne
name: Anna
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 387 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 Anna 4
Insight into young Haymitch's mind before he became the wreck that we know (and still love), is definitely not something I ever expected to have, but I appreciate getting it nonetheless.

Writing a "midquel" is a difficult job - you have to connect the dots from two sides, marry stories that span decades. Collins does this seamlessly and in a very satisfying way.
However, this book did not move like the original Hunger Games trilogy nor The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Maybe because we already had snippets of info about the 2nd Quarter Quell and reading about was just filling in the blank spots. Maybe it's because I read THG as a teen and being close to the protagonists in age, I empathize more innately with them. As for TBOSAS, I read it as an adult, greatly appreciating the political, philosophical and historical nuance that Collins injected into that book. Writing a book where young Snow is the protagonist, without making him the "hero" - now that's an achievement! But writing a book about the horror's that Haymitch went through... yes, it's sad but it doesn't feel as fresh or intellectually stimulating as Snow's POV.

I greatly appreciated all the twists and turns of the plot; we love a chapter ending on a cliffhanger - it immediately makes you want to read on to see what happens (seeing that writer's trick in the wild always makes me smile, because it reminds me of why Dan Brown's books are so readable). I also can't help but admire how Collins build tension and executes plot pacing. Even if I do think the last bits of the book seem rushed. The horror still hits you hard but has less time to seep in and marinate (unlike the constant horror of the Games themselves). If I had to have one more nitpick, it's that linguistically young!Haymitch feels is very far from THG!Haymitch and one line near the end about how "Even in my head, my language becomes dull and flat, stripped of the color and music of yesterday" seems like a bit of a cop-out. But again - I blame that on the rushed ending.

Comparisons to both the prequel and the trilogy are unavoidable and so SOTR will always feel a bit like The Two Towers - the very good middle bit that still feels like the middle bit. But it's still full to the brim with bits that stole my heart: all the poetry and songs, the nods and winks to the other books, cameos and callbacks (or call-forwards)... It's truly a fan's dream to read a book like this.

I cannot wait to see what else Suzanne has in store for us. And how this story gets brought to screen.

PS. Am I the only one who had to actively tell my brain to NOT cast this book with the actors from that fantastic fanfilm, "Hunger Games: The Second Quarter Quell"? :D]]> 4.62 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Anna
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves:
review:
A stellar read from Collins, as usual.

Insight into young Haymitch's mind before he became the wreck that we know (and still love), is definitely not something I ever expected to have, but I appreciate getting it nonetheless.

Writing a "midquel" is a difficult job - you have to connect the dots from two sides, marry stories that span decades. Collins does this seamlessly and in a very satisfying way.
However, this book did not move like the original Hunger Games trilogy nor The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Maybe because we already had snippets of info about the 2nd Quarter Quell and reading about was just filling in the blank spots. Maybe it's because I read THG as a teen and being close to the protagonists in age, I empathize more innately with them. As for TBOSAS, I read it as an adult, greatly appreciating the political, philosophical and historical nuance that Collins injected into that book. Writing a book where young Snow is the protagonist, without making him the "hero" - now that's an achievement! But writing a book about the horror's that Haymitch went through... yes, it's sad but it doesn't feel as fresh or intellectually stimulating as Snow's POV.

I greatly appreciated all the twists and turns of the plot; we love a chapter ending on a cliffhanger - it immediately makes you want to read on to see what happens (seeing that writer's trick in the wild always makes me smile, because it reminds me of why Dan Brown's books are so readable). I also can't help but admire how Collins build tension and executes plot pacing. Even if I do think the last bits of the book seem rushed. The horror still hits you hard but has less time to seep in and marinate (unlike the constant horror of the Games themselves). If I had to have one more nitpick, it's that linguistically young!Haymitch feels is very far from THG!Haymitch and one line near the end about how "Even in my head, my language becomes dull and flat, stripped of the color and music of yesterday" seems like a bit of a cop-out. But again - I blame that on the rushed ending.

Comparisons to both the prequel and the trilogy are unavoidable and so SOTR will always feel a bit like The Two Towers - the very good middle bit that still feels like the middle bit. But it's still full to the brim with bits that stole my heart: all the poetry and songs, the nods and winks to the other books, cameos and callbacks (or call-forwards)... It's truly a fan's dream to read a book like this.

I cannot wait to see what else Suzanne has in store for us. And how this story gets brought to screen.

PS. Am I the only one who had to actively tell my brain to NOT cast this book with the actors from that fantastic fanfilm, "Hunger Games: The Second Quarter Quell"? :D
]]> <![CDATA[The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World]]> 208840291 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world.

As indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love.

Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution insures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.”]]> 112 Robin Wall Kimmerer 1668072246 Anna 0 to-read 4.38 2024 The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World
author: Robin Wall Kimmerer
name: Anna
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel, #1)]]> 50702014 Stephen's god died on the longest day of the year�

Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind�

From the Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of Swordheart and The Twisted Ones comes a saga of murder, magic, and love on the far side of despair.]]> 366 T. Kingfisher Anna 0 currently-reading 4.08 2020 Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel, #1)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Anna
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Husband Material (London Calling, #2)]]> 61718026
Now it seems like everyone around them is getting married, and Luc's feeling the social pressure to propose. But it'll take more than four weddings, a funeral, and a bowl full of special curry to get these two from "I don't know what I'm doing" to "I do".

Good thing Oliver is such perfect Husband Material.]]> 14 Alexis Hall Anna 0 currently-reading, audiobook 3.62 2022 Husband Material (London Calling, #2)
author: Alexis Hall
name: Anna
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: currently-reading, audiobook
review:

]]> Boyfriend Material 54364691
Luc O'Donnell is tangentially - and reluctantly - famous. His rock-star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next 20 years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.

To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice normal relationship...and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and someone who has never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words, he’s perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately, apart from being gay, single, and really really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust settles. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.

But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that's when you get used to someone...start falling for them...don't ever want to let them go.]]> 14 Alexis Hall Anna 5 audiobook Good balance of angst and fluff, a ton of humor and heaps of fun dialog that had me giggling in public.
Will be checking out more from both creators.]]> 4.17 2020 Boyfriend Material
author: Alexis Hall
name: Anna
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: audiobook
review:
A true joy to listen to, in equal parts thanks to the witty, engaging writing by Alexis Hall and the wonderful performance by Joe Jameson.
Good balance of angst and fluff, a ton of humor and heaps of fun dialog that had me giggling in public.
Will be checking out more from both creators.
]]> <![CDATA[The Wonder Engine (Clocktaur War, #2)]]> 38352077
What could possibly go wrong?

In the sequel to CLOCKWORK BOYS, Slate, Brenner, Caliban and Learned Edmund have arrived in Anuket City, the source of the mysterious Clockwork Boys. But the secrets they're keeping could well destroy them, before the city even gets the chance...]]> 370 T. Kingfisher Anna 5
Clever prose, engaging plot, flawed characters that grab you by the heart even when they're being difficult (often especially then), interesting fantasy worldbuilding, a deft hand, a witty mind and a boatload of heart. I couldn't ask for anything more perfectly tailored to my interests and sensibilities.

The pace is slightly less engaging than in book one and some aspects of the finale feel tropey but I still enjoyed this reading adventure more than most in recent years (barring other Kingfisher books, who has quickly become my new favorite author). Worth noting, though, that The Wonder Engine is tonally darker than Clockwork Boys. Some might find this amount of fatalism too depressing.

Also, the gnole culture/society might be presented in a... questionable way, but I'm not gonna lie - they way it plays with language and gender tickled me immensely. I love Grimehug and the other gnoles with my whole heart.

I wish I could express my feelings about the Clocktaur War in a more coherent way than just by pointing at it enthusiastically and nodding my approval in a neck-breaking way. But that's what you get :D]]> 4.21 2018 The Wonder Engine (Clocktaur War, #2)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Anna
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/21
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves:
review:
God, I wished I could reread these books for the first time again the moment I put them down!

Clever prose, engaging plot, flawed characters that grab you by the heart even when they're being difficult (often especially then), interesting fantasy worldbuilding, a deft hand, a witty mind and a boatload of heart. I couldn't ask for anything more perfectly tailored to my interests and sensibilities.

The pace is slightly less engaging than in book one and some aspects of the finale feel tropey but I still enjoyed this reading adventure more than most in recent years (barring other Kingfisher books, who has quickly become my new favorite author). Worth noting, though, that The Wonder Engine is tonally darker than Clockwork Boys. Some might find this amount of fatalism too depressing.

Also, the gnole culture/society might be presented in a... questionable way, but I'm not gonna lie - they way it plays with language and gender tickled me immensely. I love Grimehug and the other gnoles with my whole heart.

I wish I could express my feelings about the Clocktaur War in a more coherent way than just by pointing at it enthusiastically and nodding my approval in a neck-breaking way. But that's what you get :D
]]> The Familiar 133938808 Hipnotyzująca opowieść o ambicji, przetrwaniu i kobiecej sile w świecie, gdzie jedno błędne słowo może oznaczać śmierć.

Złoty Wiek. Hiszpania. W nędznym domu, na nędznej ulicy, w nowej stolicy � Madrycie � mieszka Luzia Cotado, która wykorzystuje swoje magiczne zdolności, by przetrwać ciężki los pomywaczki. Gdy inni odkrywają jej moc, dziewczyna zostaje wciągnięta w świat arystokratycznych intryg, gdzie może stać się pionkiem w grze o władzę� lub jego królową.

Jej pokazy początkowo są zwykłą rozrywką dla znudzonej elity. Wkrótce sprawy jednak przybierają niebezpieczny obrót, gdy Luzia przyciąga uwagę Antonio Péreza � obdarzonego złą sławą sekretarza hiszpańskiego króla. Król wciąż próbuje się podnieść po druzgocącej porażce swojej armii, ale nie ustaje w wysiłkach, by zdobyć przewagę nad Anglią. A Pérez, pragnący odzyskać zaufanie i przychylność króla, nie cofnie się przed niczym.

Zdeterminowana, by wykorzystać swoją jedyną szansę na lepsze życie, Luzia rzuca się w świat proroków, alchemistów, świętych, handlarzy, w wir magii, nauki i oszustwa. Ale wraz z rozgłosem przychodzi niebezpieczeństwo, że jej istnienie przyciągnie gniew inkwizytorów. Luzia będzie musiała użyć całego swojego sprytu i siły, by przetrwać � nawet jeżeli oznacza to zasięgnięcie pomocy u Guilléna Santagnela, zgorzkniałego nieśmiertelnika, którego własne sekrety mogą doprowadzić do śmierci ich obojga.]]> 387 Leigh Bardugo Anna 4
A well-constructed but ultimately underwhelming foray into historical fantasy for an author who I’ve learned to expect more from. Both in terms of language/style and plot/characters, Bardugo can do � and has done! � better.
The characters are interesting but schematic, as is the romance (a brooding immortal and an uneasy relationship with his magical protege? Sounds all too familiar, especially for this author). The historical setting gives the story a patina of interest and gravitas. However, much of the social/class/religious/gender commentary is at best unsubtle and at worst clumsy.
I wanted to engage with the story emotionally but found myself neutral � the more so, the further I was in the story. Even with the higher stakes, even with threats looming over the characters.
The finale? ¯\_(�)_/¯ I guess.
I appreciate the glimpses of the author exploring her complex heritage and how Luzia’s magic is the magic of words.
But this was not enough to fully engage me. More luck next time.
]]> 4.00 2024 The Familiar
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Anna
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars

A well-constructed but ultimately underwhelming foray into historical fantasy for an author who I’ve learned to expect more from. Both in terms of language/style and plot/characters, Bardugo can do � and has done! � better.
The characters are interesting but schematic, as is the romance (a brooding immortal and an uneasy relationship with his magical protege? Sounds all too familiar, especially for this author). The historical setting gives the story a patina of interest and gravitas. However, much of the social/class/religious/gender commentary is at best unsubtle and at worst clumsy.
I wanted to engage with the story emotionally but found myself neutral � the more so, the further I was in the story. Even with the higher stakes, even with threats looming over the characters.
The finale? ¯\_(�)_/¯ I guess.
I appreciate the glimpses of the author exploring her complex heritage and how Luzia’s magic is the magic of words.
But this was not enough to fully engage me. More luck next time.

]]> <![CDATA[Throne in the Dark (Villains & Virtues, #1)]]> 62232755
Dark lord
Demon spawn
Prophesied realm destroyer

With a demon for a father, Damien Maleficus Bloodthorne’s destiny could be nothing but nefarious, and with the completion of his most vicious spell, Damien is on the cusp of fulfilling the evil inevitability all of his dark machinations have led to.

And then, her.

Bubbly
Obnoxious
Blonde

Harboring secrets of her own, a tiny yet troublesome thief calling herself Amma completely upsets Damien’s malevolent plans when she mistakenly gets chained to his side through magic, forcing him to drag her across the realm. Killing her would fix things, of course, but the nauseatingly sweet Amma proves herself useful on Damien's unholy crusade and then proves herself the source of something even more sinister: feelings.

Will Damien be forced to abandon his villainous birthright to help the tender thorn in his side? Or will he manage to overcome the virtue Amma insists on inspiring and instead cut it out at the heart?]]> 459 A.K. Caggiano Anna 0 to-read 4.10 2022 Throne in the Dark (Villains & Virtues, #1)
author: A.K. Caggiano
name: Anna
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bound and Tide (Villains & Virtues)]]> 216617971
Born to a demon, Xander’s purpose has been beaten into him his entire life: serve his maker and carry out her will, but when the time comes to summon his mother back into the material realm, he’s not exactly sure he wants to…er, is able to, not without mending his command over the noxscura first. As luck and plot would have it, though, he’s in possession of a decades old clue that just might teach him how.

But quests always have their interruptions, and when a haughty herbalist refuses to give him the attention he deserves, Xander becomes distracted, especially when her threats and demands awaken in him a new desire to serve. He can’t be blamed, not when she’s so beautiful and so talented and so mean, but the piling on of newly discovered kin and complications with his arcana jeopardize everything: his connection to his dark powers, his plan to bring his mother back, and, most horrifyingly, his feelings.

Blood mages aren’t really supposed to have those, but it may finally be Xander’s turn to learn what the rest of us have known all along.]]> 266 A.K. Caggiano Anna 0 to-read 4.07 Bound and Tide (Villains & Virtues)
author: A.K. Caggiano
name: Anna
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Clockwork Boys (Clocktaur War, #1)]]> 36618062
If they succeed, rewards and pardons await, but that requires a long journey through enemy territory, directly into the capital. It also requires them to refrain from killing each other along the way! At turns darkly comic and touching, Clockwork Boys puts together a broken group of people trying to make the most of the rest of their lives as they drive forward on their suicide mission.]]> 230 T. Kingfisher Anna 5
This is the best blend of fantasy and adventure, bringing to mind old school D&D and the wonder you felt watching Jim Henson movies, but from a witty, dry perspective of someone who's no longer that naive, but still believes in kindness and knowing what's right.
I love everything about this and everyone in it (but especially Grimehug). Kingfisher knows how to write flawed characters that change in satisfying ways, breeding a load of emotions in the reader along the way. And the worldbuilding... the relationships the characters have... the approach to religion and science... Kingfisher, you're a gem!

Does this feel like an into to book 2 rather than being satisfying on its own? Kinda. However, it's a REALLY GOOD into. And if you marathon the books like I did, it doesn't really matter. And honestly, I see no world in which you wouldn't want to immediately read "The Wonder Engine" after finishing "Clockwork Boys".

I wish I could express my feelings about the Clocktaur War in a more coherent way than just by pointing at it enthusiastically and nodding my approval in a neck-breaking way.]]> 4.15 2017 Clockwork Boys (Clocktaur War, #1)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Anna
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/12
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves:
review:
This book has my whole heart. To be honest, the steampunk cover had me worried for a bit (not a huge fan of the genre) but I trusted Kingfisher and I'm incredibly glad I did.

This is the best blend of fantasy and adventure, bringing to mind old school D&D and the wonder you felt watching Jim Henson movies, but from a witty, dry perspective of someone who's no longer that naive, but still believes in kindness and knowing what's right.
I love everything about this and everyone in it (but especially Grimehug). Kingfisher knows how to write flawed characters that change in satisfying ways, breeding a load of emotions in the reader along the way. And the worldbuilding... the relationships the characters have... the approach to religion and science... Kingfisher, you're a gem!

Does this feel like an into to book 2 rather than being satisfying on its own? Kinda. However, it's a REALLY GOOD into. And if you marathon the books like I did, it doesn't really matter. And honestly, I see no world in which you wouldn't want to immediately read "The Wonder Engine" after finishing "Clockwork Boys".

I wish I could express my feelings about the Clocktaur War in a more coherent way than just by pointing at it enthusiastically and nodding my approval in a neck-breaking way.
]]> <![CDATA[Balkony i demony (Do Jasnej Anielki, #1)]]> 223370036 Miłość, rock i pelargonie! Pierwsza część przygód wiedźmy balkonowej Anieli Jasnej i jej kota Grażyny. Zapnijcie pasy i ruszajcie na spotkanie z urban fantasy, jakiego jeszcze nie było!

Wiedźma balkonowa Aniela Jasna nie ma łatwego życia. Główne źródła jej problemów to:

� matka, bezpruderyjna lwica korporacji (sztuk jeden);

� sąsiad, postrzelony pisarz grozy Demonicjusz Wolff (sztuk jeden);

� koledzy i koleżanki z Wiedźmowej Rady Osiedla (sztuk o wiele za dużo).

W domu Anieli niepodzielnie rządzi kot Grażyna, mistrz ciętej riposty i wciągania kebaba na czas, a magia płynie w rytm muzyki Backstreet Boysów � co czasami (lub: prawie zawsze) oznacza afery, przypały i kłopoty.

Ale choć Aniela jest tą powszechnie wyszydzaną wiedźmą od „głupich pelargonii�, to ona będzie musiała zrobić porządek, gdy miastu zacznie zagrażać złowrogi Kościej Suchotnik, tajemniczy demon ściągający na świat suszę.

Tylko jak pokonać demona, gdy przypadkiem tracisz moce, a za jedyne wsparcie masz rąbniętego pisarza, gadającego kota i� złośliwego przybysza z innego świata?

Do Jasnej Anielki to brawurowo napisana historia, która łączy humor Terry’ego Pratchetta, szaloną wyobraźnię autorki i tematy ważne społecznie. Czegoś takiego w polskim urban fantasy jeszcze nie było!]]> 360 Sylwia Dec 8383910630 Anna 0 to-read 3.57 2025 Balkony i demony (Do Jasnej Anielki, #1)
author: Sylwia Dec
name: Anna
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> One Night in Hartswood 65646568
When his sister’s betrothed vanishes the night before her politically arranged marriage, Raff Barden must track and return the elusive groom to restore his family’s honour. William de Foucart � known to his friends as Penn � had no choice but to abandon his fiancé, and with it his own earldom, when he fled the night before his enforced marriage. But ill-equipped to survive on the run he must trust the kindness of a stranger, Raff, to help him escape. Unaware their fates are already entwined, their unexpected bond deepens into a far more precious relationship, one that will test all that they hold dear. And when secrets are finally revealed, both men must decide what they will risk for the one they love…]]> 352 Emma Denny 0008620075 Anna 0 to-read 3.74 2023 One Night in Hartswood
author: Emma Denny
name: Anna
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Babylonia 210204151
When kings fall, queens rise.

Nothing about Semiramis's upbringing could have foretold her legacy or the power she would come to wield. A female ruler, once an orphan raised on the outskirts of an empire - certainly no one in Ancient Assyria would bend to her command willingly. Semiramis was a woman who knew if she wanted power, she would have to claim it.

There are whispers of her fame in Mesopotamian myth- Semiramis was a queen, an ambitious warrior, a commander whose reputation reaches the majestic proportions of Alexander the Great. Historical record, on the other hand, falls eerily quiet.

In her second novel, Costanza Casati brilliantly weaves myth and ancient history together to give Semiramis a voice, charting her captivating ascent to a throne no one promised her. The world Casati expertly builds is rich with dazzling detail and will transport her readers to the heat of the Assyrian Empire and a world long gone.]]> 448 Costanza Casati 1464228213 Anna 0 to-read 4.07 2024 Babylonia
author: Costanza Casati
name: Anna
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Song of Legends Lost 202251782
In the Nine Lands, only those of noble blood can summon the spirits of their ancestors to fight in battle. But when Temi, a commoner from the slums, accidentally invokes a powerful spirit, she finds it could hold the key to ending a centuries-long war. But not everything that can be invoked is an ancestor. And some of the spirits that can be drawn from the ancestral realm are more dangerous than anyone can imagine.]]> 640 M.H. Ayinde 0356525309 Anna 0 to-read 4.16 2025 A Song of Legends Lost
author: M.H. Ayinde
name: Anna
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Holy Wrath 223636650
When she’s tasked with caring for an injured prisoner, Ophelia sees the perfect way to prove she’s ready for her Sainting. The prisoner is none other than the Umbra Knight—the most dangerous warrior of Lumendei’s sworn enemy, the Sepulchyre. If she can save the Umbra Knight’s soul by converting her to the Church of the Host, the Saints will surely fight amongst themselves to claim Ophelia.

But the disarmingly beautiful and undeniably deadly knight’s soul is in even worse shape than Ophelia feared. In fact, she insists Ophelia’s beloved God is a murderous liar and her adopted city is built on blackened bones. It’s easy to dismiss as blasphemy, at least at first. Until Lumendei’s gilded secrets begin to tumble from their hiding places and Ophelia herself uncovers a conspiracy ... then she’s forced to consider the idea that Nyatrix—otherwise known as the Umbra Knight—might be telling the truth, and that saving the alluring knight’s soul is the least of her concerns.

A sapphic high fantasy for fans of The Fall That Saved Us and The Foxglove King, Holy Wrath is a standalone novel about the fierceness of queer love and two women who no longer want equality once they’ve tasted revenge.]]> 478 Victoria Mier Anna 0 to-read 4.41 2025 Holy Wrath
author: Victoria Mier
name: Anna
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Swordheart 218624103 448 T. Kingfisher 1250400228 Anna 0 to-read 4.08 2018 Swordheart
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Anna
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/06
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]]> <![CDATA[Court of Ruins (The Fallen Fae, #1)]]> 228392886
The very same prince who killed hundreds of her kind during the war.

Because Reyna has a far greater scheme in mind. To save her kingdom from the vicious prince, she plans to marry him, make him king, and then murder him, so that she can take the throne herself. But as she grows closer to securing the crown, traitorous desire stirs.

Beyond the storm of passion, intrigue, and betrayal, a greater evil rises in a forgotten realm. In the end, Reyna can help stop it, but she must decide where her loyalties lie: with her duty to her kingdom, or with the vengeance in her heart.]]> 15 Jenna Wolfhart Anna 0 to-read 0.0 2020 Court of Ruins (The Fallen Fae, #1)
author: Jenna Wolfhart
name: Anna
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/06
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]]> Gothikana 57426932 The eternal romance of Beauty and the Beast meets the gothic suspense of Dracula in this erotic dark academia story of epic love from bestselling author RuNyx.

An unusual girl. An enigmatic man. An ancient castle. What could go wrong?

An outcast her entire life, Corvina Clemm is left adrift after losing her mother. When she receives the admission letter from the mysterious University of Verenmore, she accepts it as a sign from the universe. The last thing she expects though is an old, secluded castle on top of a mountain riddled with secrets, deceit, and death.

An enigma his entire life, Vad Deverell likes being a closed book but knowing exactly everything that happens in the university. A part-time professor working on his thesis, Vad has been around long enough to know the dangers the castle possesses. And he knows the moment his path crosses with Corvina, she's dangerous to everything that he is.

They shouldn't have caught each other's eye. They cannot be. But a chill-inducing century-old mystery forces them to collide. People have disappeared every five years over the past century, Corvina is getting clues to unraveling it all, and Vad needs to keep an eye on her.

And so begins a tale of the mysterious, the morbid, the macabre, and a deep love that blossoms in the unlikeliest of places.]]> 456 RuNyx Anna 0 to-read 3.78 2021 Gothikana
author: RuNyx
name: Anna
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Calamity (Uncharted Hearts, #1)]]> 127281916
She’s got a ramshackle spaceship, a misfit crew, and a big problem with its sexy newest member�

Temperance Reed, banished from the wealthy and dangerous Fifteen Families, just wants to keep her crew together after their feckless captain ran off with the intern. But she’s drowning in debt and revolutionary new engine technology is about to make her beloved ship obsolete.

Enter Arcadio Escajeda. Second child of the terrifying Escajeda Family, he’s the thorn in Temper’s side as they’re sent off on a scouting mission on the backwater desert planet of Herschel 2. They throw sparks every time they meet but Temper’s suspicions of his ulterior motives only serve to fuel the flames between them.

Despite volcanic eruptions, secret cultists, and deadly galactic fighters, the greatest threat on this mission may be to Temper’s heart.]]> 306 Constance Fay 1250330416 Anna 0 to-read 3.69 2023 Calamity (Uncharted Hearts, #1)
author: Constance Fay
name: Anna
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/05
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]]> Swordcrossed 204309713
What he can afford, unfortunately, is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere.

Luca, for his part, is trying to reinvent himself in a new city. All he wants to do is make some easy money and try to forget the crime he committed in his hometown. He didn’t plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible—and inconveniently handsome—wool merchant like Matti.

However, neither Matti’s business troubles nor Luca himself are quite what they seem. As the days count down to Matti’s wedding, the two of them become entangled in the intrigue and sabotage that have brought Matti’s house to the brink of ruin. And when Luca’s secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to answer the question: how many lies are you prepared to strip away, when the truth could mean losing everything you want?]]> 372 Freya Marske 1250341620 Anna 0 to-read 3.93 2024 Swordcrossed
author: Freya Marske
name: Anna
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Wooing the Witch Queen (Queens of Villainy, #1)]]> 211003749 In a Gaslamp-lit world where hags and ogres lurk in thick pine forests, three magical queens form an uneasy alliance to protect their lands from invasion…and love turns their world upside down.

Queen Saskia is the wicked sorceress everyone fears. After successfully wrestling the throne from her evil uncle, she only wants one thing: to keep her people safe from the empire next door. For that, she needs to spend more time in her laboratory experimenting with her spells. She definitely doesn’t have time to bring order to her chaotic library of magic.

When a mysterious dark wizard arrives at her castle, Saskia hires him as her new librarian on the spot. “Fabian� is sweet and a little nerdy, and his requests seem a little strange � what in the name of Divine Elva is a fountain pen? � but he’s getting the job done. And if he writes her flirtatious poetry and his innocent touch makes her skin singe, well�

Little does Saskia know that the "wizard" she’s falling for is actually an Imperial archduke in disguise, with no magical training whatsoever. On the run, with perilous secrets on his trail and a fast growing yearning for the wicked sorceress, he's in danger from her enemies and her newfound allies, too. When his identity is finally revealed, will their love save or doom each other?]]> 304 Stephanie Burgis 1250359597 Anna 0 to-read 3.79 2025 Wooing the Witch Queen (Queens of Villainy, #1)
author: Stephanie Burgis
name: Anna
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/05
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]]> The Invitation 56697920
The first time I met Hudson Rothschild was at a wedding. I’d received an unexpected invitation to one of the swankiest venues in the city.

Hudson was a groomsman and quite possibly the most gorgeous man I’d ever laid eyes on. He asked me to dance, and our chemistry was off the charts.

I knew it wasn’t a good idea to get involved with him, considering the wedding I was at. But our connection was intense, and I was having a great time.

Though the fun came to a screeching halt when Hudson figured out I wasn’t who I’d said I was. You see, that unexpected invitation I received? Well, it hadn’t actually been addressed to me—it was sent to my ex-roommate who’d bounced a check for two months� rent and moved out in the middle of the night. I figured she owed me an expensive night out, but I guess, technically, I was crashing the wedding.

Once caught, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. As I bolted for the door, I might’ve plucked a few bottles of expensive champagne off the tables I passed, all while the gorgeous, angry groomsman was hot on my tail.

Outside, I jumped into a taxi. My heart ricocheted against my ribs as we drove down the block—but at least I’d escaped unscathed.

Or so I thought.

Until I realized I’d left my cell phone behind at the table.

Take one guess who found it?

This is the crazy story of how Hudson Rothschild and I met. But trust me, it’s only the tip of the iceberg.]]> 9 Vi Keeland Anna 0 to-read 4.13 2021 The Invitation
author: Vi Keeland
name: Anna
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/05
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]]> Behooved 217387977 A charming slow-burn romantasy featuring a duty-bound noblewoman with a chronic illness, a prince who would rather be in a library than on a throne, and a magical ride through a world of cozy enchantment

*This beautiful paperback edition features sprayed edges.*

Bianca knows her duty comes before her heart. So when the threat of war looms, she agrees to marry the neighboring kingdom’s heir. But not all royal weddings are a fairytale, and Prince Aric, Bianca’s betrothed, is cold, aloof, and seems to hate her on sight.

To make matters worse, on their wedding night, an assassination attempt goes awry―leaving Aric magically transformed into a horse. Bianca does what any bride in this situation would do: she mounts her new husband and rides away to safety.

Sunset returns Aric to human form, but they soon discover the assassination attempt is part of a larger plot against the throne. Worse, Bianca has been framed for Aric’s murder, and she’s now saddled with a husband who is a horse by day and a frustratingly attractive man by night.

As an unexpected romance begins galloping away with their hearts, Bianca and Aric must rely on each other to unravel the curse and save the throne.]]> 352 M. Stevenson 1250375088 Anna 0 to-read 3.80 2025 Behooved
author: M. Stevenson
name: Anna
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/02
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]]> The Isle in the Silver Sea 219134676 From World Fantasy Award-winning author Tasha Suri comes The Isle in the Silver Sea, a heart-shattering romantasy of sapphic longing, medieval folklore and a love that spans the centuries.

In a Britain fuelled by stories, the knight and the witch are fated to fall in love and doom each other over and over, the same tale retold over hundreds of lifetimes.

Simran is a witch of the woods. Vina is a knight of the Queen's court. When the two women begin to fall for each other, how can they surrender to their desires, when to give in is to destroy each other?

As they seek a way to break the cycle, a mysterious assassin begins targeting tales like theirs. To survive, the two will need to write a story stronger than the one that fate has given to them.

But what tale is stronger than The Knight and the Witch?]]> 384 Tasha Suri 0356524418 Anna 0 to-read 4.75 2025 The Isle in the Silver Sea
author: Tasha Suri
name: Anna
average rating: 4.75
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/02
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]]> Saltswept 223615614 'Deep, sumptuous, and astonishingly beautiful' Hannah Kaner

A ragtag crew. A perilous quest. First, they need a boat. Next, they need to learn how to sail it.

A pirate faces the gallows drop. A farmer is given a terrible ultimatum to save her daughter. An acolyte ascends to priestesshood . . . only to find that a blessing really can be a curse. These unlikely bedfellows band together with an inscrutable pickpocket and a talking ottercat in pursuit of the most hopeless of to sail into the Maelstrom - a raging whirlpool from which no one has ever escaped - and the mysterious treasure hidden within it.

The quest will test their fragile allegiance to its limits, but there is more at stake here than getting the magic of the world is in peril, and the barrier between life and death has never been so thin. And in the Bastion, the seat of power in Paranish, the queen has an unquenchable thirst that threatens the world and everyone in it.

Can there be honour amongst thieves? Without it, they might never see another sunrise.

Lush and lyrical, Saltswept is a vibrant debut - the first book in an epic fantasy duology based on Southeast Asian mythology. Perfect for fans of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, The Bone Ships, and Godkiller.]]> Katalina Watt 1399735071 Anna 0 to-read 0.0 Saltswept
author: Katalina Watt
name: Anna
average rating: 0.0
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date added: 2025/02/26
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]]> The Maid and the Crocodile 207003686 The smallest spark can bind two hearts . . . or start a revolution.

In the magic-soaked capital city of Oluwan, country bumpkin Small Sade needs a job—preferably as a maid, with employers who don’t mind her unique appearance and unlucky foot. But before she can be hired, she accidentally binds herself to a powerful god known only as the Crocodile, who is rumored to devour pretty girls. Small Sade entrances the Crocodile with her secret: she is a Curse Eater, gifted with the ability to alter people’s fates by cleaning their houses.

The handsome god warns that their fates are bound, but Small Sade evades him, launching herself into a new career as the Curse Eater of a swanky inn. She is determined to impress the wealthy inhabitants and earn her place in Oluwan City . . . assuming her secret-filled past—and the revolutionary ambitions of the Crocodile God—don’t catch up with her.

But maybe there is more to Small Sade. And maybe everyone in Oluwan City deserves more, too, from the maids all the way to the Anointed Ones.

Fans of the Raybearer series, Howl's Moving Castle, and Beauty and the Beast will enjoy The Maid and the Crocodile–no prior knowledge of the Raybearer series necessary.]]> 304 Jordan Ifueko 1419764357 Anna 0 to-read 4.38 2024 The Maid and the Crocodile
author: Jordan Ifueko
name: Anna
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/24
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]]> <![CDATA[Bonded by Thorns (Beasts of the Briar, #1)]]> 75712384 Four beastly princes. One awkward bookworm. An enchanted world of fae, magic, and danger.

I’ve always loved fairytales. I never imagined I'd actually be in one.

When my father wanders into the enchanted realm of the fae, I know I have to go after him. And when he gets imprisoned, I'll do anything to save him... Even trade my freedom for his. I had no idea I'd end up imprisoned by four sexy fae who turn into beasts at night.

I have to win my freedom, and that means making a bargain with them. They must find their mates in order to break the curse. If I can help them do that, they'll set me free. Sounds simple, right?

It's not. Because against my better judgment, I'm starting to fall for these beastly princes. One is smart and sweet, the other mysterious and deadly, another flirty and confident, and the last prince... He's handsome, strong, has a wicked temper, and is dead-set against breaking the curse. Why does he want to keep me here forever?

But it's not just my freedom on the line. If I don't break the princes' curse soon, all the magic in the Enchanted Vale will be stolen by the evil—and stupidly hot—Prince of Thorns. And I'm not letting my princes stay cursed.

Not after I've fallen in love with them.

BONDED BY THORNS is a steamy adult Beauty and the Beast retelling set in a fantasy fae realm. In this version, our beautiful bookworm doesn't have to choose between the four sexy fae princes. It is a full-length novel that ends on a cliffhanger. It includes MF and MM content. It is intended for mature readers only.]]> 352 Elizabeth Helen 1738827909 Anna 0 to-read 3.94 2023 Bonded by Thorns (Beasts of the Briar, #1)
author: Elizabeth Helen
name: Anna
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/23
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]]> <![CDATA[Rise of the Wolf (Wereworld, #1)]]> 8626241 432 Curtis Jobling 0141333391 Anna 0 to-read 4.22 2011 Rise of the Wolf (Wereworld, #1)
author: Curtis Jobling
name: Anna
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/21
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]]> <![CDATA[The Secret Romantic's Book of Magic: Twelve Spellbinding Romantasy Stories]]> 219522021 A gorgeous collection of 12 original fantasy romance stories from bestselling & beloved authors.

Featuring Olivie Blake, Kelley Armstrong, Katherine Arden, Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Tasha Suri, Melissa Marr and more.

Enemies become lovers, rivalry turns to romance, and convenient marriages create true love in these twelve addictive tales. Expect chemistry, heat and dreams come true...

Olivie Blake

Kelley Armstrong

Katherine Arden

Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Tasha Suri

Melissa Marr

Megan Bannen

A. G. Slatter

A. C. Wise

Kelly Andrew

Kamilah Cole

Eliza Chan]]> 384 Marie O'Regan 183541091X Anna 0 to-read 3.33 2025 The Secret Romantic's Book of Magic: Twelve Spellbinding Romantasy Stories
author: Marie O'Regan
name: Anna
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/20
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]]> I Am Made of Death 212398691 From bestselling author Kelly Andrew comes the most electrifying dark romance of the decade...

Following the death of his father, Thomas Walsh had to grow up quickly, taking on odd-jobs to keep food on the table and help pay his gravely ill mother's medical bills. When he's offered a highly paid position as an interpreter for an heiress who exclusively signs, Thomas -- the hearing child of a Deaf adult -- jumps at the opportunity.

But the job is not without its challenges. Thomas is expected to accompany Vivienne wherever she goes, but from the start, she seems determined to shake him. To make matters worse, her parents keep her on an extremely short leash. She is not to go anywhere without express permission. She is not to deviate from her routine.

She is, most importantly, not to be out after dark.

A selective-mute, Vivienne Farrow hasn't said a word in years -- not since going missing in Red Rock Canyon when she was four years old. No one knows quite what happened to her out in the dark. They only know that the sound of her voice is now as deadly as a poison. Anyone who hears her speak suffers a horrible death.

Ever since that fatal family vacation, Vivienne has been desperately searching for a way to regain control of both her voice and her body. Because the face staring out of the mirror isn't hers. It's something with teeth.

Thankfully, Vivienne has a plan. She's finally found someone who claims to be able to perform a surgical exorcism. She just needs to find a way to get rid of Thomas first. But Thomas can't afford to walk away, nor is he willing to abandon the mysterious girl he's quickly falling for, no matter what dark powers threaten to swallow them both whole.]]> 368 Kelly Andrew 1546104488 Anna 0 to-read 4.00 2025 I Am Made of Death
author: Kelly Andrew
name: Anna
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, #1)]]> 55710822 In this rom-com about rom-coms, in the spirit of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, a hopeless romantic teen attempts to secure a happily-ever-after moment with her forever crush, but finds herself reluctantly drawn to the boy next door.

Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar - and maybe snag him as a prom date - even befriend Wes Bennet.

The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic-comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love - and rethink her own ideas of what happily ever after should look like.]]> 356 Lynn Painter 1534467629 Anna 0 to-read 4.28 2021 Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, #1)
author: Lynn Painter
name: Anna
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/18
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review:

]]> The Last Light of the Sun 104080
There is nothing soft or silken about the north. The lives of men and women are as challenging as the climate and lands in which they dwell. For generations, the Erlings of Vinmark have taken their dragon-prowed ships across the seas, raiding the lands of the Cyngael and Anglcyn peoples, leaving fire and death behind. But times change, even in the north, and in a tale woven with consummate artistry, people of all three cultures find the threads of their lives unexpectedly brought together...

Bern Thorkellson, punished for his father's sins, commits an act of vengeance and desperation that brings him face-to-face, across the sea, with a past he's been trying to leave behind.

In the Anglcyn lands of King Aeldred, the shrewd king, battling inner demons all the while, shores up his defenses with alliances and diplomacy-and with swords and arrows-while his exceptional, unpredictable sons and daughters pursue their own desires when battle comes and darkness falls in the woods.

And in the valleys and shrouded hills of the Cyngael, whose voices carry music even as they feud and raid amongst each other, violence and love become deeply interwoven when the dragon ships come and Alun ab Owyn, chasing an enemy in the night, glimpses strange lights gleaming above forest pools.

Making brilliant use of saga, song and chronicle, Kay brings to life an unforgettable world balanced on the knife-edge of change in The Last Light of the Sun.]]> 501 Guy Gavriel Kay 0743484231 Anna 0 to-read 3.95 2004 The Last Light of the Sun
author: Guy Gavriel Kay
name: Anna
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2004
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/16
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]]> <![CDATA[Tea with the Black Dragon (Black Dragon, #1)]]> 435415 140 R.A. MacAvoy 1585861979 Anna 0 to-read 3.97 1983 Tea with the Black Dragon (Black Dragon, #1)
author: R.A. MacAvoy
name: Anna
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1983
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/16
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]]> A Quick Bite (Argeneau #1) 38568 That hot guy tied to Lissianna Argeneau's bed? He's not dessert - he's the main course!

Lissianna has been spending her centuries pining for Mr. Right, not just a quick snack, and this sexy guy she finds in her bed looks like he might be a candidate. But there's another, more pressing issue: her tendency to faint at the sight of blood...an especially annoying quirk for a vampire. Of course it doesn't hurt that this man has a delicious-looking neck. What kind of cold-blooded vampire woman could resist a bite of that?

Dr. Gregory Hewitt recovers from the shock of waking up in a stranger's bedroom pretty quickly - once he sees a gorgeous woman about to treat him to a wild night of passion. But is it possible for the good doctor to find true love with a vampire vixen, or will he be just a good meal? That's a question Dr. Greg might be willing to sink his teeth into...if he can just get Lissianna to bite.

]]> 360 Lynsay Sands 0060773758 Anna 0 to-read 3.91 2005 A Quick Bite (Argeneau #1)
author: Lynsay Sands
name: Anna
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/16
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]]> <![CDATA[What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma]]> 58214328 A searing memoir of reckoning and healing by acclaimed journalist Stephanie Foo, investigating the little-understood science behind complex PTSD and how it has shaped her life.

"Every cell in my body is filled with the code of generations of trauma, of death, of birth, of migration, of history that I cannot understand. . . . I want to have words for what my bones know."

By age thirty, Stephanie Foo was successful on paper: She had her dream job as an award-winning radio producer at This American Life and a loving boyfriend. But behind her office door, she was having panic attacks and sobbing at her desk every morning. After years of questioning what was wrong with herself, she was diagnosed with complex PTSD—a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously, over the course of years.

Both of Foo's parents abandoned her when she was a teenager, after years of physical and verbal abuse and neglect. She thought she'd moved on, but her new diagnosis illuminated the way her past continued to threaten her health, relationships, and career. She found limited resources to help her, so Foo set out to heal herself, and to map her experiences onto the scarce literature about C-PTSD.

In this deeply personal and thoroughly researched account, Foo interviews scientists and psychologists and tries a variety of innovative therapies. She returns to her hometown of San Jose, California, to investigate the effects of immigrant trauma on the community, and she uncovers family secrets in the country of her birth, Malaysia, to learn how trauma can be inherited through generations. Ultimately, she discovers that you don't move on from trauma—but you can learn to move with it.

Powerful, enlightening, and hopeful, What My Bones Know is a brave narrative that reckons with the hold of the past over the present, the mind over the body—and examines one woman's ability to reclaim agency from her trauma.]]> 352 Stephanie Foo 0593238109 Anna 0 to-read 4.50 2022 What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma
author: Stephanie Foo
name: Anna
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/15
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]]> <![CDATA[Firebird (The Fire That Binds, #1)]]> 211004924 DELUXE EDITION—featuring beautiful original illustrated stenciled edges with a foil case stamp, and designed endpapers!

An instant New York Times bestseller!

House of the Dragon meets From Blood and Ash in this epic, scorching dark romantasy.

A conqueror captivated�
A witch prophesied to save them all�
An unforgiving world where dragons rule Rome.

Julian Dakkia, Roman general and nephew to the emperor, has played his role as conqueror well. Yet, the moment he laid eyes on Malina, he was enthralled by the Dacian dancer. Years later, the fierce beauty stands before him, a captive on a scarred battlefield, her life in danger. He instinctively shifts into his fierce dragon form to save her, an action that may mean his head on the imperial gate.

The rules of their world dictate that he is the conqueror and she is the captured. But he and his dragon know one thing: their bond has nothing to do with the laws of mighty Rome. She belongs to them. And they belong to her.

Fierce and powerful, twenty-one-year old Malina has survived the loss of her family and she is determined to fight until her dying breath. Still, she can’t believe that the centurion who had once bestowed a secret talisman on her is the Roman general of legendary brutality…and now holds her life in his hands. Nor can she deny how her soul has always seemed to answer his. Slowly she learns that Julian is caught in his mad uncle’s machinations for domination, and helps him plot the downfall of the empire itself.

As they navigate a world where flying deathriders conquer and burn, their love will ignite a firestorm that can only end in heartbreak or death. Or both.

Firebird is a fantasy with some dark themes, including elements of master/slave relationship, attempted sexual assault (not between MCs), and dubious consent (not between MCs). Readers who may be sensitive to these elements, please take note.]]> 400 Juliette Cross 1250339944 Anna 0 to-read 3.53 2025 Firebird (The Fire That Binds, #1)
author: Juliette Cross
name: Anna
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/13
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]]> Hemlock & Silver 217388302 DELUXE EDITION—a gorgeous hardcover edition featuring bright green sprayed edges, a foil stamp on the casing, and custom endpapers illustrated by the author.

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock & Silver, a dark reimagining of “Snow White� steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind

Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.

Not to die, but to save—seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.

But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox methods can save her.

Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.

Or it might be the thing that kills them all.]]> 368 T. Kingfisher 1250342031 Anna 0 to-read 4.31 2025 Hemlock & Silver
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Anna
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/13
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]]> Girl Dinner 222376577 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six , Girl Dinner is a darkly-fun novel about power, lust, and eating your fill, as wealthy moms and sorority girls practice a sinister new wellness trend . . .

Good girls deserve a treat.

Every member of The House, the most exclusive sorority on campus, and all its alumni, are beautiful, high-achieving, and universally respected.

After a freshman year she would rather forget, sophomore Nina Kaur knows being one of the chosen few accepted into The House is the first step in her path to the brightest possible future. Once she's taken into their fold, the House will surely ease her fears of failure and protect her from those who see a young woman on her own as easy prey.

Meanwhile, adjunct professor Dr. Sloane Hartley is struggling to return to work after accepting a demotion to support her partner's new position at the cutthroat University. After 18 months at home with her newborn daughter, Sloane's clothes don’t fit right, her girl-dad husband isn’t as present as he thinks he is, and even the few hours a day she's apart from her child fill her psyche with paralyzing ennui. When invited to be The House’s academic liaison, Sloane enviously drinks in the way the alumnae seem to have it all, achieving a level of collective perfection that Sloane so desperately craves.

As Nina and Sloane each get drawn deeper into the arcane rituals of the sisterhood, they learn that living well comes with bloody costs. And when they are finally invited to the table, they will have to decide just how much they can stomach in the name of solidarity and power.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 368 Olivie Blake 1250883458 Anna 0 to-read 3.89 2025 Girl Dinner
author: Olivie Blake
name: Anna
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Paladin's Faith (The Saint of Steel, #4)]]> 201967303
Shane is a paladin with three problems. His god is dead, his client is much too attractive for his peace of mind, and a powerful organization is trying to have them both killed.

Add in a brilliant artificer with a device that may change the world, a glittering and dangerous court, and a demon-led cult, and Shane and Marguerite will be lucky to escape with their souls intact, never mind their hearts. . .]]> 446 T. Kingfisher Anna 0 to-read 4.16 2023 Paladin's Faith (The Saint of Steel, #4)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Anna
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Smoke and Scar (Shattered Crown, #1)]]> 221866459 Birthed in shadow. Forged in fire.

A Splintered Kingdom

An ancient grudge has kept humans and the magical races of Arcanis at odds for centuries. The Arcane Crucible, a legendary series of trials that occurs every 25 years, offers a chance for peace.

A Haunted Warrior

Elyria Lightbreaker, once a celebrated fae war hero, is a shadow of her former self. Drowning in grief after losing the man she loved to the previous Crucible, now she must rise to stop his sister from falling to the same fate.

A Vengeful Knight

Hardened by loss and fueled by hate, Cedric Thorne’s lifelong goal to conquer the Crucible on humanity’s behalf is finally within reach. The only problem? Getting through the trials alive means working with Elyria—the very fae he blames for his parents� deaths.

An Unwinnable Challenge

With alliances fragile as spun glass and betrayal lurking at every turn, Elyria and Cedric must navigate deadly trials that test their strength, spirit, and magic� as well as their increasingly complex feelings for each other.

This is the Arcane Crucible.]]> 466 Gretchen Powell Fox 0988468921 Anna 0 to-read 4.45 Smoke and Scar (Shattered Crown, #1)
author: Gretchen Powell Fox
name: Anna
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Fate's Bane 222376644 Ignyte Award-winning author C. L. Clark brings fantasy to the fens with Fate's Bane, a tragic sapphic adventure.

Warring clans. Burning hearts. Deadly fate.

The clans of the fens enjoy a tenuous peace, and it is all thanks to Agnir, ward and hostage. For as long as she can remember she has lived among the enemy, learning their ways, growing strong alongside their children. When a burgeoning love for the chieftain's daughter lures them both to a hidden spring, a magic awakens in them that could bind the clans under one banner at last--or destroy any hope of peace. By working their intentions into leather, they can weave misfortune for their enemies... just like the Fate's Bane that haunts the legends of the clans.

Ambitions grow in their fathers' hearts, grudges threaten a return to violence, and greedy enemies wait outside the borders, seeking a foothold to claim the fens for themselves. And though their Makings may save their families, the legend that gave them this power always exacts its price.]]> 176 C.L. Clark 1250293146 Anna 0 to-read 4.25 2025 Fate's Bane
author: C.L. Clark
name: Anna
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Elfy Londynu 127064825
Młoda elfka Arianrhod infiltruje organizację terrorystyczną, szukając osobistej zemsty. Tymczasem miasto staje się areną zakulisowych starć zwaśnionej elfickiej arystokracji. Arianrhod niechcący trafia w sam środek przygotowań wojennych.

Elfy Londynu to wielowątkowa opowieść o konfliktach rasowych, o ambicjach i życiu zdeterminowanym rodowymi powinnościami. Marta Dziok-Kaczyńska we współczesnej i ikonicznej przestrzeni stworzyła całkiem nowe uniwersum, które totalnie Was pochłonie!]]> 400 Marta Dziok-Kaczyńska 8328098067 Anna 4
Jeśli spodziewacie się po "Elfach Londynu" typowego fantasy z magią, przepowiedniami i wyjątkową bohaterką, która musi uratować świat - nie tędy droga. Książka Marty Dziok-Kaczyńskiej to przede wszystkim urban fantasy z naciskiem na "urban". Londyn i brytyjskie społeczeństwo - ukazane przez pryzmat długowiecznych elfów i ich złożonych koneksji, koligacji i konfliktów - jest tutaj clou historii. Próżno szukać tu czarów i przeznaczonych "wybrańców" - zamiast tego mamy polityczne podchody, elfią organizację terrorystyczną, dworskie manipulacje i osobiste animozje. Widać w tym zarówno wykształcenie autorki - skupione wokół kultury dworskiej - jak i jej osobiste zamiłowania związane z życiem w Wielkiej Brytanii oraz nostalgią wobec wyniosłych elfów Andrzej Sapkowskiego.

Na pewno warto podkreślić, że więcej tu współczesności niż stricte fantastyki. Niemniej mariaż wymienionych wyżej zamiłowań wychodzi autorce zręcznie. Choć rzeczywiście, tak jak przy innych dziełach fantasy, chwilę może zająć nam połapanie się w "who's who". Na szczęście książka zawiera pomocne (choć niekompletne) drzewa genealogiczne co ważniejszych postaci. Brakowało mi tylko mapki Anglii, z zaznaczonymi strefami wpływów poszczególnych elfich rodów--a także rozpiski ich rodowych kolorów i symboli. Nic nie poradzę, że jestem wzrokowcem :D

Nieco umysłowego wysiłku wymaga również śledzenie fabuły i kilku rozgrywających się jednocześnie wątków, w które nie zostajemy wprowadzeni linearnie. Osobiście takie podejście mi pasuje, bo nie prowadzi do "info-dumpingu" - czytelnik dostaje okruszki informacji, które na własną rękę musi złożyć w sensowną całość i z biegiem czasu (i akcji) szukać potwierdzenia dla swoich teorii. To naprawdę miłe, że autorka ufa w inteligencję swoich czytelników i wymaga od nich pewnego myślowego wysiłku. Ja wykonałam go z przyjemnością i odczułam niemałą satysfakcją, gdy niektóre moje podejrzenia okazały się prawdą.

Ogromną zaletą książki są potoczyście napisane dialogi, które czyta się z prawdziwą przyjemnością. Autorka ma smykałkę do pisania tak, jak "ludzie mówią", co wcale nie jest oczywistym talentem.
Kolejną zaletą są postaci - wyraziste i różnorodne, a przy tym obdarzone dość chyba powszechną wśród elfów uszczypliwością i wyniosłością. Na faworytów wybijają się Arianrhod, czyli główna bohaterka, dwóch związanych z nią (nie tylko służbowo) mężczyzn - Sheridan i Evenden, oraz nestorka rodu Arundel, Rhiannon. Przy czym moim osobistym ulubieńcem pozostaje Niall Belais, który jest cynamonową bułą i jedynym elfem w tej książce, który zasługuje na bezwarunkowe przytulenie. Warto też wspomnieć, że wątek romansowy powoli rozgrywający się w książce jest nienachalny i odpowiednio nasycony energią „will they/won’t they�. Sama na pewno bardzo tej parze kibicuję.

Udało się też autorce to, że antagoniści są równie ciekawi jak "pozytywni" bohaterowie. Ich knowania z pewnością są niecne, ale przy tym wielowymiarowe, często podszyte nie tylko ideologią, ale też osobistymi pobudkami. Nasi "bohaterowie" także nie działają dla czystej i chlubnej idei - w książce rozgrywa się wiele osobistych zaszłości, nierozwiązanych spraw czy skomplikowanych relacji osobistych. Zagłębiałam się w nie z naprawdę dużym zaangażowaniem.

Książka ma pewne - minimalne z mojego punktu widzenia - wady. Nie jest to historia pełna zwrotów akcji i szalonego tempa. Bliżej "Elfom Londynu" do szpiegowskich thrillerów w stylu Johna le Carré niż akcyjniaków z Jamesem Bondem. Co prawda ostatnie 100 stron zwiększa tempo i napięcie, ale jednak przez większość powieści jesteśmy po prostu świadkami prywatnych rozmów i zakulisowych przepychanek całego wachlarza postaci. Przy czym fakt, że rozdziały składają się z krótszych lub dłuższych winietek z różnych punktów widzenia - a także przeskoków w czasie - sprawia, że (moim zdaniem) czyta się to wszystko szybko i bez poczucia dłużyzn. Przy czym wspomniane skoki czasu w miarę łatwo śledzić, gdy dotyczą przeszłości, ale brakowało mi wyraźniej zaznaczonych informacji na temat upływu czasu w teraźniejszości. To prawda, że w trakcie fabuły padają pewne wskazówki co do upływu czasu - podana data ślubu, wzmianka o jakiejś porze roku lub mijaniu kilku tygodni czy miesięcy - ale bez wyraźnie wytłuszczonych "nagłówków" mam wrażenie, że takie informacje się gubią.

Na koniec moim małym osobistym czepialstwem jest fakt, że Evenden cierpi trochę na syndrom głównego bohatera. Innymi słowy, jest superkompetentny, sprytny, domyślny i przewidujący... do momentu, kiedy nie jest, bo imperatyw fabularny tak nakazuje. Było mnóstwo scen, w których bohater ten domyślał się czegoś przy minimum dostępnych informacji lub zauważał coś w kluczowym momencie. Jasne, jest wyszkolonym agentem wywiadu, byłym dworzaninem i bardzo inteligentnym elfem z kilkudziesięcioletnim doświadczeniem, ale... No nie wiem. Czasem roztaczał aurę "too good to be true". Ale i tak niezmiernie tę postać lubię :3

Podsumowując: „Elfy Londynu� to naprawdę fajna lektura dla miłośników urban fantasy z wartkimi dialogami i polityczną intrygą. Z przyjemnością będę czekać na kolejny tom!

Merged review:

Dobry debiut urban fantasy z ciekawą polityczno-dworską intrygą we współczesnym Londynie.

Jeśli spodziewacie się po "Elfach Londynu" typowego fantasy z magią, przepowiedniami i wyjątkową bohaterką, która musi uratować świat - nie tędy droga. Książka Marty Dziok-Kaczyńskiej to przede wszystkim urban fantasy z naciskiem na "urban". Londyn i brytyjskie społeczeństwo - ukazane przez pryzmat długowiecznych elfów i ich złożonych koneksji, koligacji i konfliktów - jest tutaj clou historii. Próżno szukać tu czarów i przeznaczonych "wybrańców" - zamiast tego mamy polityczne podchody, elfią organizację terrorystyczną, dworskie manipulacje i osobiste animozje. Widać w tym zarówno wykształcenie autorki - skupione wokół kultury dworskiej - jak i jej osobiste zamiłowania związane z życiem w Wielkiej Brytanii oraz nostalgią wobec wyniosłych elfów Andrzej Sapkowskiego.

Na pewno warto podkreślić, że więcej tu współczesności niż stricte fantastyki. Niemniej mariaż wymienionych wyżej zamiłowań wychodzi autorce zręcznie. Choć rzeczywiście, tak jak przy innych dziełach fantasy, chwilę może zająć nam połapanie się w "who's who". Na szczęście książka zawiera pomocne (choć niekompletne) drzewa genealogiczne co ważniejszych postaci. Brakowało mi tylko mapki Anglii, z zaznaczonymi strefami wpływów poszczególnych elfich rodów--a także rozpiski ich rodowych kolorów i symboli. Nic nie poradzę, że jestem wzrokowcem :D

Nieco umysłowego wysiłku wymaga również śledzenie fabuły i kilku rozgrywających się jednocześnie wątków, w które nie zostajemy wprowadzeni linearnie. Osobiście takie podejście mi pasuje, bo nie prowadzi do "info-dumpingu" - czytelnik dostaje okruszki informacji, które na własną rękę musi złożyć w sensowną całość i z biegiem czasu (i akcji) szukać potwierdzenia dla swoich teorii. To naprawdę miłe, że autorka ufa w inteligencję swoich czytelników i wymaga od nich pewnego myślowego wysiłku. Ja wykonałam go z przyjemnością i odczułam niemałą satysfakcją, gdy niektóre moje podejrzenia okazały się prawdą.

Ogromną zaletą książki są potoczyście napisane dialogi, które czyta się z prawdziwą przyjemnością. Autorka ma smykałkę do pisania tak, jak "ludzie mówią", co wcale nie jest oczywistym talentem.
Kolejną zaletą są postaci - wyraziste i różnorodne, a przy tym obdarzone dość chyba powszechną wśród elfów uszczypliwością i wyniosłością. Na faworytów wybijają się Arianrhod, czyli główna bohaterka, dwóch związanych z nią (nie tylko służbowo) mężczyzn - Sheridan i Evenden, oraz nestorka rodu Arundel, Rhiannon. Przy czym moim osobistym ulubieńcem pozostaje Niall Belais, który jest cynamonową bułą i jedynym elfem w tej książce, który zasługuje na bezwarunkowe przytulenie. Warto też wspomnieć, że wątek romansowy powoli rozgrywający się w książce jest nienachalny i odpowiednio nasycony energią „will they/won’t they�. Sama na pewno bardzo tej parze kibicuję.

Udało się też autorce to, że antagoniści są równie ciekawi jak "pozytywni" bohaterowie. Ich knowania z pewnością są niecne, ale przy tym wielowymiarowe, często podszyte nie tylko ideologią, ale też osobistymi pobudkami. Nasi "bohaterowie" także nie działają dla czystej i chlubnej idei - w książce rozgrywa się wiele osobistych zaszłości, nierozwiązanych spraw czy skomplikowanych relacji osobistych. Zagłębiałam się w nie z naprawdę dużym zaangażowaniem.

Książka ma pewne - minimalne z mojego punktu widzenia - wady. Nie jest to historia pełna zwrotów akcji i szalonego tempa. Bliżej "Elfom Londynu" do szpiegowskich thrillerów w stylu Johna le Carré niż akcyjniaków z Jamesem Bondem. Co prawda ostatnie 100 stron zwiększa tempo i napięcie, ale jednak przez większość powieści jesteśmy po prostu świadkami prywatnych rozmów i zakulisowych przepychanek całego wachlarza postaci. Przy czym fakt, że rozdziały składają się z krótszych lub dłuższych winietek z różnych punktów widzenia - a także przeskoków w czasie - sprawia, że (moim zdaniem) czyta się to wszystko szybko i bez poczucia dłużyzn. Przy czym wspomniane skoki czasu w miarę łatwo śledzić, gdy dotyczą przeszłości, ale brakowało mi wyraźniej zaznaczonych informacji na temat upływu czasu w teraźniejszości. To prawda, że w trakcie fabuły padają pewne wskazówki co do upływu czasu - podana data ślubu, wzmianka o jakiejś porze roku lub mijaniu kilku tygodni czy miesięcy - ale bez wyraźnie wytłuszczonych "nagłówków" mam wrażenie, że takie informacje się gubią.

Na koniec moim małym osobistym czepialstwem jest fakt, że Evenden cierpi trochę na syndrom głównego bohatera. Innymi słowy, jest superkompetentny, sprytny, domyślny i przewidujący... do momentu, kiedy nie jest, bo imperatyw fabularny tak nakazuje. Było mnóstwo scen, w których bohater ten domyślał się czegoś przy minimum dostępnych informacji lub zauważał coś w kluczowym momencie. Jasne, jest wyszkolonym agentem wywiadu, byłym dworzaninem i bardzo inteligentnym elfem z kilkudziesięcioletnim doświadczeniem, ale... No nie wiem. Czasem roztaczał aurę "too good to be true". Ale i tak niezmiernie tę postać lubię :3

Podsumowując: „Elfy Londynu� to naprawdę fajna lektura dla miłośników urban fantasy z wartkimi dialogami i polityczną intrygą. Z przyjemnością będę czekać na kolejny tom!]]> 2.94 2023 Elfy Londynu
author: Marta Dziok-Kaczyńska
name: Anna
average rating: 2.94
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/07
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves:
review:
Dobry debiut urban fantasy z ciekawą polityczno-dworską intrygą we współczesnym Londynie.

Jeśli spodziewacie się po "Elfach Londynu" typowego fantasy z magią, przepowiedniami i wyjątkową bohaterką, która musi uratować świat - nie tędy droga. Książka Marty Dziok-Kaczyńskiej to przede wszystkim urban fantasy z naciskiem na "urban". Londyn i brytyjskie społeczeństwo - ukazane przez pryzmat długowiecznych elfów i ich złożonych koneksji, koligacji i konfliktów - jest tutaj clou historii. Próżno szukać tu czarów i przeznaczonych "wybrańców" - zamiast tego mamy polityczne podchody, elfią organizację terrorystyczną, dworskie manipulacje i osobiste animozje. Widać w tym zarówno wykształcenie autorki - skupione wokół kultury dworskiej - jak i jej osobiste zamiłowania związane z życiem w Wielkiej Brytanii oraz nostalgią wobec wyniosłych elfów Andrzej Sapkowskiego.

Na pewno warto podkreślić, że więcej tu współczesności niż stricte fantastyki. Niemniej mariaż wymienionych wyżej zamiłowań wychodzi autorce zręcznie. Choć rzeczywiście, tak jak przy innych dziełach fantasy, chwilę może zająć nam połapanie się w "who's who". Na szczęście książka zawiera pomocne (choć niekompletne) drzewa genealogiczne co ważniejszych postaci. Brakowało mi tylko mapki Anglii, z zaznaczonymi strefami wpływów poszczególnych elfich rodów--a także rozpiski ich rodowych kolorów i symboli. Nic nie poradzę, że jestem wzrokowcem :D

Nieco umysłowego wysiłku wymaga również śledzenie fabuły i kilku rozgrywających się jednocześnie wątków, w które nie zostajemy wprowadzeni linearnie. Osobiście takie podejście mi pasuje, bo nie prowadzi do "info-dumpingu" - czytelnik dostaje okruszki informacji, które na własną rękę musi złożyć w sensowną całość i z biegiem czasu (i akcji) szukać potwierdzenia dla swoich teorii. To naprawdę miłe, że autorka ufa w inteligencję swoich czytelników i wymaga od nich pewnego myślowego wysiłku. Ja wykonałam go z przyjemnością i odczułam niemałą satysfakcją, gdy niektóre moje podejrzenia okazały się prawdą.

Ogromną zaletą książki są potoczyście napisane dialogi, które czyta się z prawdziwą przyjemnością. Autorka ma smykałkę do pisania tak, jak "ludzie mówią", co wcale nie jest oczywistym talentem.
Kolejną zaletą są postaci - wyraziste i różnorodne, a przy tym obdarzone dość chyba powszechną wśród elfów uszczypliwością i wyniosłością. Na faworytów wybijają się Arianrhod, czyli główna bohaterka, dwóch związanych z nią (nie tylko służbowo) mężczyzn - Sheridan i Evenden, oraz nestorka rodu Arundel, Rhiannon. Przy czym moim osobistym ulubieńcem pozostaje Niall Belais, który jest cynamonową bułą i jedynym elfem w tej książce, który zasługuje na bezwarunkowe przytulenie. Warto też wspomnieć, że wątek romansowy powoli rozgrywający się w książce jest nienachalny i odpowiednio nasycony energią „will they/won’t they�. Sama na pewno bardzo tej parze kibicuję.

Udało się też autorce to, że antagoniści są równie ciekawi jak "pozytywni" bohaterowie. Ich knowania z pewnością są niecne, ale przy tym wielowymiarowe, często podszyte nie tylko ideologią, ale też osobistymi pobudkami. Nasi "bohaterowie" także nie działają dla czystej i chlubnej idei - w książce rozgrywa się wiele osobistych zaszłości, nierozwiązanych spraw czy skomplikowanych relacji osobistych. Zagłębiałam się w nie z naprawdę dużym zaangażowaniem.

Książka ma pewne - minimalne z mojego punktu widzenia - wady. Nie jest to historia pełna zwrotów akcji i szalonego tempa. Bliżej "Elfom Londynu" do szpiegowskich thrillerów w stylu Johna le Carré niż akcyjniaków z Jamesem Bondem. Co prawda ostatnie 100 stron zwiększa tempo i napięcie, ale jednak przez większość powieści jesteśmy po prostu świadkami prywatnych rozmów i zakulisowych przepychanek całego wachlarza postaci. Przy czym fakt, że rozdziały składają się z krótszych lub dłuższych winietek z różnych punktów widzenia - a także przeskoków w czasie - sprawia, że (moim zdaniem) czyta się to wszystko szybko i bez poczucia dłużyzn. Przy czym wspomniane skoki czasu w miarę łatwo śledzić, gdy dotyczą przeszłości, ale brakowało mi wyraźniej zaznaczonych informacji na temat upływu czasu w teraźniejszości. To prawda, że w trakcie fabuły padają pewne wskazówki co do upływu czasu - podana data ślubu, wzmianka o jakiejś porze roku lub mijaniu kilku tygodni czy miesięcy - ale bez wyraźnie wytłuszczonych "nagłówków" mam wrażenie, że takie informacje się gubią.

Na koniec moim małym osobistym czepialstwem jest fakt, że Evenden cierpi trochę na syndrom głównego bohatera. Innymi słowy, jest superkompetentny, sprytny, domyślny i przewidujący... do momentu, kiedy nie jest, bo imperatyw fabularny tak nakazuje. Było mnóstwo scen, w których bohater ten domyślał się czegoś przy minimum dostępnych informacji lub zauważał coś w kluczowym momencie. Jasne, jest wyszkolonym agentem wywiadu, byłym dworzaninem i bardzo inteligentnym elfem z kilkudziesięcioletnim doświadczeniem, ale... No nie wiem. Czasem roztaczał aurę "too good to be true". Ale i tak niezmiernie tę postać lubię :3

Podsumowując: „Elfy Londynu� to naprawdę fajna lektura dla miłośników urban fantasy z wartkimi dialogami i polityczną intrygą. Z przyjemnością będę czekać na kolejny tom!

Merged review:

Dobry debiut urban fantasy z ciekawą polityczno-dworską intrygą we współczesnym Londynie.

Jeśli spodziewacie się po "Elfach Londynu" typowego fantasy z magią, przepowiedniami i wyjątkową bohaterką, która musi uratować świat - nie tędy droga. Książka Marty Dziok-Kaczyńskiej to przede wszystkim urban fantasy z naciskiem na "urban". Londyn i brytyjskie społeczeństwo - ukazane przez pryzmat długowiecznych elfów i ich złożonych koneksji, koligacji i konfliktów - jest tutaj clou historii. Próżno szukać tu czarów i przeznaczonych "wybrańców" - zamiast tego mamy polityczne podchody, elfią organizację terrorystyczną, dworskie manipulacje i osobiste animozje. Widać w tym zarówno wykształcenie autorki - skupione wokół kultury dworskiej - jak i jej osobiste zamiłowania związane z życiem w Wielkiej Brytanii oraz nostalgią wobec wyniosłych elfów Andrzej Sapkowskiego.

Na pewno warto podkreślić, że więcej tu współczesności niż stricte fantastyki. Niemniej mariaż wymienionych wyżej zamiłowań wychodzi autorce zręcznie. Choć rzeczywiście, tak jak przy innych dziełach fantasy, chwilę może zająć nam połapanie się w "who's who". Na szczęście książka zawiera pomocne (choć niekompletne) drzewa genealogiczne co ważniejszych postaci. Brakowało mi tylko mapki Anglii, z zaznaczonymi strefami wpływów poszczególnych elfich rodów--a także rozpiski ich rodowych kolorów i symboli. Nic nie poradzę, że jestem wzrokowcem :D

Nieco umysłowego wysiłku wymaga również śledzenie fabuły i kilku rozgrywających się jednocześnie wątków, w które nie zostajemy wprowadzeni linearnie. Osobiście takie podejście mi pasuje, bo nie prowadzi do "info-dumpingu" - czytelnik dostaje okruszki informacji, które na własną rękę musi złożyć w sensowną całość i z biegiem czasu (i akcji) szukać potwierdzenia dla swoich teorii. To naprawdę miłe, że autorka ufa w inteligencję swoich czytelników i wymaga od nich pewnego myślowego wysiłku. Ja wykonałam go z przyjemnością i odczułam niemałą satysfakcją, gdy niektóre moje podejrzenia okazały się prawdą.

Ogromną zaletą książki są potoczyście napisane dialogi, które czyta się z prawdziwą przyjemnością. Autorka ma smykałkę do pisania tak, jak "ludzie mówią", co wcale nie jest oczywistym talentem.
Kolejną zaletą są postaci - wyraziste i różnorodne, a przy tym obdarzone dość chyba powszechną wśród elfów uszczypliwością i wyniosłością. Na faworytów wybijają się Arianrhod, czyli główna bohaterka, dwóch związanych z nią (nie tylko służbowo) mężczyzn - Sheridan i Evenden, oraz nestorka rodu Arundel, Rhiannon. Przy czym moim osobistym ulubieńcem pozostaje Niall Belais, który jest cynamonową bułą i jedynym elfem w tej książce, który zasługuje na bezwarunkowe przytulenie. Warto też wspomnieć, że wątek romansowy powoli rozgrywający się w książce jest nienachalny i odpowiednio nasycony energią „will they/won’t they�. Sama na pewno bardzo tej parze kibicuję.

Udało się też autorce to, że antagoniści są równie ciekawi jak "pozytywni" bohaterowie. Ich knowania z pewnością są niecne, ale przy tym wielowymiarowe, często podszyte nie tylko ideologią, ale też osobistymi pobudkami. Nasi "bohaterowie" także nie działają dla czystej i chlubnej idei - w książce rozgrywa się wiele osobistych zaszłości, nierozwiązanych spraw czy skomplikowanych relacji osobistych. Zagłębiałam się w nie z naprawdę dużym zaangażowaniem.

Książka ma pewne - minimalne z mojego punktu widzenia - wady. Nie jest to historia pełna zwrotów akcji i szalonego tempa. Bliżej "Elfom Londynu" do szpiegowskich thrillerów w stylu Johna le Carré niż akcyjniaków z Jamesem Bondem. Co prawda ostatnie 100 stron zwiększa tempo i napięcie, ale jednak przez większość powieści jesteśmy po prostu świadkami prywatnych rozmów i zakulisowych przepychanek całego wachlarza postaci. Przy czym fakt, że rozdziały składają się z krótszych lub dłuższych winietek z różnych punktów widzenia - a także przeskoków w czasie - sprawia, że (moim zdaniem) czyta się to wszystko szybko i bez poczucia dłużyzn. Przy czym wspomniane skoki czasu w miarę łatwo śledzić, gdy dotyczą przeszłości, ale brakowało mi wyraźniej zaznaczonych informacji na temat upływu czasu w teraźniejszości. To prawda, że w trakcie fabuły padają pewne wskazówki co do upływu czasu - podana data ślubu, wzmianka o jakiejś porze roku lub mijaniu kilku tygodni czy miesięcy - ale bez wyraźnie wytłuszczonych "nagłówków" mam wrażenie, że takie informacje się gubią.

Na koniec moim małym osobistym czepialstwem jest fakt, że Evenden cierpi trochę na syndrom głównego bohatera. Innymi słowy, jest superkompetentny, sprytny, domyślny i przewidujący... do momentu, kiedy nie jest, bo imperatyw fabularny tak nakazuje. Było mnóstwo scen, w których bohater ten domyślał się czegoś przy minimum dostępnych informacji lub zauważał coś w kluczowym momencie. Jasne, jest wyszkolonym agentem wywiadu, byłym dworzaninem i bardzo inteligentnym elfem z kilkudziesięcioletnim doświadczeniem, ale... No nie wiem. Czasem roztaczał aurę "too good to be true". Ale i tak niezmiernie tę postać lubię :3

Podsumowując: „Elfy Londynu� to naprawdę fajna lektura dla miłośników urban fantasy z wartkimi dialogami i polityczną intrygą. Z przyjemnością będę czekać na kolejny tom!
]]> When Rabbit Howls 760941 400 Truddi Chase 0515103292 Anna 0 to-read 4.05 1987 When Rabbit Howls
author: Truddi Chase
name: Anna
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1987
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dreamweaver's Dilemma (Vorkosigan Saga, #9.1)]]> 990089
Contents:
Through darkest adolescence with Lois McMaster Bujold : or Thank you, but I already have a life / Lillian Stewart Carl �
The adventure of the lady on the embankment �
Barter �
Garage sale �
The hole truth �
Dreamweaver’s dilemma �
The mountains of mourning �
My first novel �
Beyond genre barriers �
The unsung collaborator �
Allegories of change �
Biolog �
Answers �
Miles Naismith Vorkosigan : his universe and times / Suford Lewis �
Towards a genealogy of Lord Miles Vorkosigan and other persons of interest / Suford Lewis �
A pronunciation guide to names and places / Suford Lewis]]> 252 Lois McMaster Bujold 0915368536 Anna 0 to-read 3.81 1996 Dreamweaver's Dilemma (Vorkosigan Saga, #9.1)
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Anna
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1996
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/04
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]]> <![CDATA[Ethan of Athos (Vorkosigan Saga, #3)]]> 990093 237 Lois McMaster Bujold 067165604X Anna 0 to-read 3.78 1986 Ethan of Athos (Vorkosigan Saga, #3)
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Anna
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1986
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Thief of Always 32638 225 Clive Barker 0060177241 Anna 0 to-read 4.22 1992 The Thief of Always
author: Clive Barker
name: Anna
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1992
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/04
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review:

]]> Cahokia Jazz 75584918 Golden Hill.

In a city that never was, in an America that never was, on a snowy night at the end of winter, two detectives find a body on the roof of a skyscraper.

It's 1922, and Americans are drinking in speakeasies, dancing to jazz, stepping quickly to the tempo of modern times. Beside the Mississippi, the ancient city of Cahokia lives on—a teeming industrial metropolis, containing every race and creed. Among them, peace holds. Just about. But that body on the roof is about to spark off a week that will spill the city's secrets, and bring it, against a soundtrack of wailing clarinets and gunfire, either to destruction or rebirth.

The multiple-award-winning Francis Spufford returns, with a lovingly created, richly pleasure-giving, epically scaled tale set in the golden age of wicked entertainments.]]> 496 Francis Spufford 0571336876 Anna 0 to-read 3.91 2023 Cahokia Jazz
author: Francis Spufford
name: Anna
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Tusk Love (Critical Role Book 1)]]> 221301948 A merchant’s daughter who yearns for adventure gets more than she bargained for when she falls for a broodingly handsome stranger in this saucy romantasy.

As the daughter of an ambitious merchant, Guinevere’s path has been marry into a noble house, raise her family’s station, and live quietly as a lordling’s obedient wife. But Guinevere longs for a life unbounded by expectations, for freedom and passion and adventure.

Those distant dreams become a sudden reality when her caravan is beset by bandits, leaving her guards slain and Guinevere stranded alone on the dangerous Amber Road. Her only chance of survival is to travel alongside Oskar, the aloof half-orc who saved her during the attack.

Oskar may be terse, but beneath his cold exterior is a man who is brave and thoughtful � and unlike anyone Guinevere has ever met. And while Guinevere may be sheltered, she brings out a softness in Oskar that he has never dared to feel before. As the flames of their passion grow, they realize that soon they’ll need to choose between their expected destinations and their blossoming romance.

Written by Sunday Times bestselling author Thea Guanzon, Tusk Love brings the most romantic story in Critical Role to life.]]> Thea Guanzon 180495523X Anna 0 to-read 4.17 2025 Tusk Love (Critical Role Book 1)
author: Thea Guanzon
name: Anna
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/03
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]]> <![CDATA[The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed, #1)]]> 209753199 The first in a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy duology featuring a scholarly healer and a gentleman assassin, set in an exquisite fantasy world, perfect for fans of The Love Hypothesis and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, is in dire need of healing. Naturally � such is the grim comedy of fate � the only healer who can help is Aurienne Fairhrim, preeminent scientist, bastion of moral good, and member of an enemy Order.

Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick - so desperate that, when Osric bribes her to help him, she accepts, even if she detests him and everything he stands for.

A forced collaboration ensues: the brilliant Woman in STEM is coerced into working with the PhD in Murders, much to Aurienne's disgust. As Osric and Aurienne work together to heal his illness and investigate the mysterious reoccurrence of a deadly pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction, which only fuels the heat between them.

Romance tropes
Enemies to lovers
High interaction slow burn
Hypercompetent idiots
He falls first and harder
Evisceration as a love language]]> 416 Brigitte Knightley 0356524736 Anna 0 to-read 4.18 2025 The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed, #1)
author: Brigitte Knightley
name: Anna
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/03
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]]> The Haunting of William Thorn 222420066 The Notebook meets The Haunting of Hill House in this split timeline queer twisted love story, set against the backdrop of a haunted English manor.

William Thorn had his life all planned out� until he discovered his long-term boyfriend Archie in bed with another man. Distraught, William kicks him out of their home, where tragedy strikes when Archie is killed instantly in a car accident.

Riddled with guilt, William is shocked to learn that he’s inherited a manor in the quaint village of Stonewall, left to him in Archie’s will. He leaves the city with plans to make a new start for himself, but is surprised by the rundown state of the manor, and the unwelcoming villagers who want him gone. His only ally is Edward, a seemingly friendly local with secrets of his own.

However, it’s not only the villagers who are adverse to his presence. A malevolent spirit roams the manor, one that seeks to drive William out for good. But when he uncovers the heartbreaking tale of two men in love in the 1920’s, William strives to find peace for the spirit, ending the haunting once and for all.

But what dark secrets lie hidden in the manor walls? And will William be able to put aside his own grief to save his new home...and his life?

An evocative tale from #1 bestselling author Ben Alderson, exploring grief, trauma and the bones of the past, The Haunting of William Thorn is the perfect read for fans of the gothic.]]> 400 Ben Alderson 1915998832 Anna 0 to-read 5.00 The Haunting of William Thorn
author: Ben Alderson
name: Anna
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
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]]> Les Normaux: A Graphic Novel 213051961
Boy moves to new city. Boy meets vampire. They kiss, then become friends. But both would like something more�

A global Webtoon phenomenon and LGBTQ+ graphic novel about friendship, love and magic.

Sébastien recently moved to supernatural Paris hoping to get away from his troubles at home and live a peaceful life learning magic. But what are you going to do when the really hot vampire you made out with last night to forget your troubles turns out to be your new neighbor?

Sébastien (a demisexual boy with “main character hair� and a bunny named Pierre), meet Elia (a hot, supermodel, vampire neighbor and crush).

Join Elia, Sébastien and their assorted crew of wonderful friends, as they navigate the ins and outs of dating in a modern and paranormal love story.]]> 336 Janine Janssen 0063414678 Anna 0 to-read 4.49 2025 Les Normaux: A Graphic Novel
author: Janine Janssen
name: Anna
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/01
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]]> <![CDATA[Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula]]> 29075452 Powers of Darkness is an incredible literary discovery: In 1900, Icelandic publisher and writer Valdimar Ásmundsson set out to translate Bram Stoker’s world-famous 1897 novel Dracula. Called Makt Myrkranna (literally, “Powers of Darkness�), this Icelandic edition included an original preface written by Stoker himself. Makt Myrkranna was published in Iceland in 1901 but remained undiscovered outside of the country until 1986, when Dracula scholarship was astonished by the discovery of Stoker’s preface to the book. However, no one looked beyond the preface and deeper into Ásmundsson’s story.

In 2014, literary researcher Hans de Roos dove into the full text of Makt Myrkranna, only to discover that Ásmundsson hadn’t merely translated Dracula but had penned an entirely new version of the story, with all new characters and a totally re-worked plot. The resulting narrative is one that is shorter, punchier, more erotic, and perhaps even more suspenseful than Stoker’s Dracula. Incredibly, Makt Myrkranna has never been translated or even read outside of Iceland until now.

Powers of Darkness presents the first ever translation into English of Stoker and Ásmundsson’s Makt Myrkranna. With marginal annotations by de Roos providing readers with fascinating historical, cultural, and literary context; a foreword by Dacre Stoker, Bram Stoker’s great-grandnephew and bestselling author; and an afterword by Dracula scholar John Edgar Browning, Powers of Darkness will amaze and entertain legions of fans of Gothic literature, horror, and vampire fiction.]]> 309 Valdimar Ásmundsson 1468313363 Anna 0 to-read 3.60 1901 Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula
author: Valdimar Ásmundsson
name: Anna
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1901
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/31
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]]> Carol 10117779 The Price of Salt is story of Therese Belivet, a stage designer trapped in a department-store day job, whose salvation arrives one day in the form of Carol Aird, an alluring suburban housewife in the throes of a divorce. They fall in love and set out across the United States, pursued by a private investigator who eventually blackmails Carol into a choice between her daughter and her lover. With this reissue, The Price of Salt may finally be recognized as a major twentieth-century American novel.]]> 320 Claire Morgan 1408808978 Anna 0 to-read 4.00 1952 Carol
author: Claire Morgan
name: Anna
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1952
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/29
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]]> Przeminęło z Wiedźmą 214992922
Czarownica Sara i latawiec Boreasz przemierzają razem świat: on w poszukiwaniu rodziny, ona dla samej radości podróży. Gdy trafiają do Krakowa, zostają wciągnięci w sprawę morderstw alchemików i przyciągają uwagę Kaliny Sapiehy: najpotężniejszej czarodziejki w Polanii. Kraków to miasto pełne magii i legend, ale nie każda magia jest dobra, a w niemal wszystkich legendach roi się od potworów. Czy wplątani w magiczną intrygę zdołają zachować życie, wolność oraz duszę?]]> 304 Magdalena Kubasiewicz 8383302991 Anna 0 to-read 3.83 2024 Przeminęło z Wiedźmą
author: Magdalena Kubasiewicz
name: Anna
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/27
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]]> <![CDATA[Wiedźma Jego Królewskiej Mości (Sanika, #2)]]> 36099496
Tymczasem Sara pozostaje sobą, czyli "Piekielnicą". Upartą czarodziejką o ciętym języku, której maniery pozostawiają wiele do życzenia. Większość problemów rozwiązuje nie siłą argumentów, a argumentem siły. Za nic ma prośby i błagania króla Juliana, pragnącego mieć w niej oparcie.

A Polanii jak zawsze grozi wielkie niebezpieczeństwo i sama magia nie wystarczy, aby je pokonać!]]> 360 Magdalena Kubasiewicz 837995114X Anna 0 to-read 3.62 2017 Wiedźma Jego Królewskiej Mości (Sanika, #2)
author: Magdalena Kubasiewicz
name: Anna
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/27
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]]> <![CDATA[Czarodziejka z ulicy Grodzkiej]]> 204994513 Zapraszamy do Collegium Magicae UJ � najlepszej magicznej uczelni w Polanii!

Tutaj dowiesz się, co mogą zrobić ci demony, dlaczego magia luster bywa zdradliwa, nauczysz się rzucać iluzje i kule ognia, a także poznasz przyjaciół na całe życie. Tylko zachowaj ostrożność � bo to życie może okazać się bardzo krótkie�
Czarodziejka Natasza, przez znajomych zwana „Lady�, właśnie zaczyna trzeci rok magii praktycznej i ma wielką nadzieję, że będzie lepszy niż poprzedni. Niestety, impreza inaugurująca początek semestru kończy się dla niej rozczarowaniem, a na domiar złego � jej współlokatorka nie wraca po przyjęciu do akademika. Co spotkało młodą czarownicę? Dlaczego jeden z najbardziej niepozornych czarodziejów na uczelni nie wrócił na studia po wakacjach? I jak wiele szaleńczych pomysłów swoich koleżanek z roku zniesie czarownik Dobromir Czartoryski?

Odpowiedzi na te i inne pytania poznacie w powieści ze świata Polanii � w którym na Wawelu rządzi król, spokoju stolicy pilnuje smok, a czarodzieje studiują w budynku przy ulicy Grodzkiej.]]> 304 Magdalena Kubasiewicz 8383302967 Anna 0 to-read 3.83 2024 Czarodziejka z ulicy Grodzkiej
author: Magdalena Kubasiewicz
name: Anna
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/27
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]]> Ucieczka Apsary. Część 1 217091942 Zanurz się w kolorowym świecie inspirowanym desi fantastyką, pełnym intryg i humoru!

Elaman to młoda elfia arystokratka, która niedługo rozpocznie studia. Wychowywana pod kloszem, niewiele wie o prawdziwym życiu. Ma się to zmienić pod wpływem wizyty w tawernie, zainicjowanej przez jej troskliwego, acz nieodpowiedzialnego wuja. Traf, przeznaczenie, a może sami bogowie krzyżują jej losy z pielgrzymem Czadaramą, kapłanem pochodzącym z dalekiego Paharamu � kraju, który kojarzy się Elaman jedynie z zapachem kardamonu, kolorowymi strojami i okrutnymi bóstwami. Podczas wspólnej, zakrapianej alkoholem zabawy życie dwójki młodych elfów zostaje wywrócone do góry nogami. Gdy budzą się w szczerym polu, przerażeni wizją kary, jaka może spaść na Elaman za próbę ucieczki, postanawiają upozorować jej porwanie. A to dopiero początek przygody�

Ucieczka Apsary to nie tylko porywająca opowieść o fantastycznej przygodzie, ale także refleksja nad dorastaniem, pokonywaniem uprzedzeń i poszukiwaniem własnej tożsamości, to również swoistego rodzaju mrugnięcie okiem w kierunku fanów romantasy. Autorki zabiorą Cię w podróż do barwnego świata, inspirowanego indyjskimi legendami i kinem Bollywood.]]> 464 Katarzyna Podstawek 8383304412 Anna 0 to-read 3.49 2024 Ucieczka Apsary. Część 1
author: Katarzyna Podstawek
name: Anna
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/27
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]]> Kraj kobiet 217288219 Pewnego dnia mężczyźni zmienią się w słowiki.
Będziemy jeszcze miały nasz kraj kobiet.

Tetka, Kazia i Lubosza. Trzy dziewczynki, które widziały, jak świat urządzony przez mężczyzn obchodzi się z kruchymi, niepokornymi, odmiennymi � i poprzysięgły sobie, że nie będą takie jak ich matki. Gdy dorastają, biorą więc los we własne ręce. Tymi rękami � kapłanki, zielarki i wieszczki � budują nowy kraj w odosobnionej, zielonej dolinie, z dala od wojen i spraw wielkiego świata. Wkrótce okaże się jednak, że aby budować, trzeba czasem coś poświęcić. Że trzeba iść na ustępstwa. Że można stracić coś, czego nigdy nie chciało się tracić.

Prawdziwy raj zawsze ma w sobie coś gorzkiego, okupionego wysiłkiem, przemijającego. Oto opowieść, która zapewnia wytchnienie i schronienie, lecz nie udaje, że możliwe jest na dobre odgrodzić się od świata. Daje za to nadzieję, że świat ten można zmieniać, budując w nim wymarzony dom.

Wbrew wszystkiemu.]]> 480 Grzegorz Gajek 8383305796 Anna 0 to-read 4.30 2024 Kraj kobiet
author: Grzegorz Gajek
name: Anna
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/27
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]]> <![CDATA[Cienie z Donlonu (Cienie Avy Carey, #1)]]> 220506882 Zagadka magicznego Scotland Yardu.

Donlon jest pełen magii, mgły i cieni, a Ava Carey włada tymi ostatnimi.

Nawet magia cieni może jednak nie wystarczyć, gdy w magicznym mieście coraz częściej pojawiają się anomalie. W Avallen, donlońskiej szkole, ginie jeden z uczniów, a nauczycielka i zarazem przyjaciółka Avy przepada bez śladu. Donlon skrywa wiele tajemnic i największą z nich są źródła tutejszej magii, związane z ośmioma donlońskimi budynkami.
Jeden z tych sekretów skrywa się w Avallen, a zaginięcie Malory, koszmary uczniów i ich dziwne zachowania mogą być z nim związane. Carey, zatrudniona w donlońskim Scotland Yardzie, ma za zadanie odkryć, co dzieje się w szkole � czego nie ułatwiają ani zła reputacja dyrektora, ani młody geniusz, William Doe, zdecydowany dotrzeć do prawdy na własną rękę.]]> 368 Magdalena Kubasiewicz 8383305753 Anna 0 to-read 4.00 2024 Cienie z Donlonu (Cienie Avy Carey, #1)
author: Magdalena Kubasiewicz
name: Anna
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/27
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]]> <![CDATA[Necrovet. Pielęgnacja zwierząt (nie)ożywionych (Necrovet, #4)]]> 222676789 Co jest większym wyzwaniem � życie rodzinne czy kontakty z zaświatami?

Do Zrębek wraz z pierwszym śniegiem i uciążliwym mrozem wkrada się świąteczna atmosfera. Jednak zamiast reniferów pojawiają się majestatyczne szadhawary, zamiast świętego Mikołaja � Ada, nieco trudna kuzynka Bastiana, a na strychu gniazdko wije sobie nietypowa zębata współlokatorka.

Tymczasem w lecznicy weterynaryjnej nieumarłej doktor Izabeli Pokot kolejni pacjenci dostarczają wyzwań i wrażeń: pojawia się uroczy miraj Bêbal, śmiertelnie niebezpieczny tarask Travel, płochliwy lagopus Partyzant i wiele innych magicznych i całkiem zwyczajnych istot, którym weterynarka i technicy starają się udzielić pomocy. Życie pisze jednak różne scenariusze i nie każda historia ma szczęśliwe zakończenie.

Po godzinach zaś Florka nie próżnuje, lecz zagłębia się w nową pasję � postanowiła bowiem zostać techniczką nekromancji� Dokąd ją to doprowadzi?]]> 352 Joanna W. Gajzler 8383307608 Anna 0 to-read 3.51 2025 Necrovet. Pielęgnacja zwierząt (nie)ożywionych (Necrovet, #4)
author: Joanna W. Gajzler
name: Anna
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Brass Wyvern (The Blessed Imperium, #1)]]> 217875279 How, exactly, do you steal a dragon?

The holy city of Muqdah is falling. For days, the priests of the First Temple have argued amongst themselves � despite the cracks growing in the city’s magical shields. But fighting the Imperial army could mean the sacrifice of Muqdah’s dragons. Only one among their number believes it worth the risk � and the lone voice of a pregnant woman falls on deaf ears.

In the great Imperium, a slave named Zuri escapes into the night. Arriving on the doorstep of the Brass Wyvern, she discovers kinship, safety � and an unexpected purpose. When the bedworkers there hear of her captors� caged dragon, a plan is hatched: free the beast, right history’s wrongs.

As Imperial magic and ancient bloodlines collide, an oppressed people start to make their voices heard. But not everyone sees eye-to-eye on justice, and a royal heist is easier said than done.

The Brass Wyvern is a witty fantasy epic with anti-colonialist vibes, queer love, feminine rage, found family, and of course � sweet, sweet revenge.]]> 476 Bronte-Marie Wesson 1763682129 Anna 0 to-read 4.29 The Brass Wyvern (The Blessed Imperium, #1)
author: Bronte-Marie Wesson
name: Anna
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ever King (The Ever Seas, #1)]]> 75384035 They stole his crown, so he stole their daughter�

For years Erik, the scarred king of the Ever Kingdom, has thought of nothing but vengeance against the man who killed his father and trapped him beneath the waves, making him a prisoner in his own realm.

Until his enemy’s daughter unintentionally breaks the chains on the Ever, and Erik makes her the unwitting pawn in his vicious game of revenge.

She’s innocent. He’s vicious. But he will take back what he lost, no matter the price.

Unless she steals his heart first.

Welcome to the passionate world of the Ever Kingdom where pirates, sirens, and fae collide with Vikings in a dark fantasy romance between a villain and the innocent princess who holds his heart.

*Please note: This series is set in the same world as the bestselling Broken Kingdoms series, but can be read independently, and readers are encouraged to read the list of triggers inside*]]> 408 L.J. Andrews Anna 0 to-read 4.14 2023 The Ever King (The Ever Seas, #1)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: Anna
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Bitten 221179271 Crescent City meets Fourth Wing in this fast-paced and romantic debut, in which a teenage girl must survive ruthless werewolves, a glittering court, and deadly politics to exact revenge on the monsters who destroyed her.

After a vicious werewolf attack on the night of her seventeenth birthday party, Vanessa Hart loses everything she loves in a split second. Her best friend, her father, and even her home.

Bitten and imprisoned without explanation, Vanessa endures an agonizing transformation into the very beast that maimed her, and her captors make it clear she cannot escape: she will either swear her life to the Wolf Queen’s Court, or she will die.

With no other choice, Vanessa joins their enchanted Castle Severi—where flowering vines grow through the walls, gifts are bestowed by the stars, and a claw can break through skin as easily as silk—but she hasn’t forgotten what they stole from her.

Vanessa still seeks vengeance, scheming in the shadows even as she finds herself mesmerized by the golden prince Sinclair Severi, who threatens to steal her heart though he is promised to her nemesis. And by his brooding, disgraced cousin, Calix, whose smoldering gaze hides even darker secrets. Immersed in the magic of their whimsical yet cruel society, Vanessa soon learns not all is as it seems.

The Court is at war, and she may simply be a pawn in its lethal game.

For Fans of:
Forbidden Romance
Enemies to Lovers
Werewolves
Paranormal Romance]]> 384 Jordan Stephanie Gray 0316584541 Anna 0 to-read 4.45 2025 Bitten
author: Jordan Stephanie Gray
name: Anna
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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]]> The Surface Breaks 38828977 257 Louise O'Neill 1407186272 Anna 3 Had a few neat ideas but ended up being lackluster.]]> 3.69 2018 The Surface Breaks
author: Louise O'Neill
name: Anna
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves:
review:
Very uneven. Linguistically evocative (though some metaphors didn't quite land) and conceptually interesting (a feminist retelling of The Little Mermaid) but failing to say anything meaningful. At times patronizing or downright infantile in its messaging - hard to tell the age of the intended reader. Simplistic in world-building and characterization.
Had a few neat ideas but ended up being lackluster.
]]> <![CDATA[Ironside (Modern Faerie Tales, #3)]]> 5624799 343 Holly Black Anna 3 I really enjoyed both Tithe and Valiant (a tasty mix of faerie cruelty, gritty-grimy humanity and teenage angst), but Ironside completely failed to hook me in-- either my emotions or my interest. The characters (even the ones I knew and liked) felt flat, the plot convoluted, and the conflict's solution... essentially a bad joke.
I expected more from the finale. But am still glad of having experienced this series.]]> 3.99 2007 Ironside (Modern Faerie Tales, #3)
author: Holly Black
name: Anna
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves:
review:
Even though this is the third (and last) book in the Modern Faerie Tales, it doesn't really tie up the plot/characters in a satisfying way. It feels rushed, simultaneously overwrought and too simplistic.
I really enjoyed both Tithe and Valiant (a tasty mix of faerie cruelty, gritty-grimy humanity and teenage angst), but Ironside completely failed to hook me in-- either my emotions or my interest. The characters (even the ones I knew and liked) felt flat, the plot convoluted, and the conflict's solution... essentially a bad joke.
I expected more from the finale. But am still glad of having experienced this series.
]]> <![CDATA[Yaya Han's World of Cosplay: A Guide to Fandom Costume Culture]]> 52730353 The authoritative guide to cosplay written by a legend in the community, and packed with step-by-step advice and fascinating investigations into every aspect of the art.

Cosplay—a portmanteau combining "costume" and "play"—has become one of the hottest trends in fandom . . . and Yaya Han is its shining superstar. In this guide to cosplaying, Han narrates her 20-year journey from newbie fan to entrepreneur with a household name in geekdom, revealing her self-taught methods for embodying a character and her experiences in the community. Each chapter is information-packed as she covers everything from the history of cosplay, to using nontraditional materials for costumes, to transforming your hobby into a career—all enhanced with expert advice. Illustrated throughout and easy to use, this practical manual also delights with fascinating stories from the past decades' global cosplay boom. It's the perfect gift for anyone interested in learning (or improving their skills in) the art of cosplay.
]]> 256 Yaya Han 1454932651 Anna 0 to-read 4.53 Yaya Han's World of Cosplay: A Guide to Fandom Costume Culture
author: Yaya Han
name: Anna
average rating: 4.53
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/23
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Not All Dead White Men: Classics and Misogyny in the Digital Age]]> 38240525 A disturbing exposé of how today's alt-right men's groups use ancient sources to promote a new brand of toxic masculinity online.

A virulent strain of antifeminism is thriving online that treats women's empowerment as a mortal threat to men and to the integrity of Western civilization. Its proponents cite ancient Greek and Latin texts to support their claims--arguing that they articulate a model of masculinity that sustained generations but is now under siege.

Donna Zuckerberg dives deep into the virtual communities of the far right, where men lament their loss of power and privilege, and strategize about how to reclaim them. She finds, mixed in with weightlifting tips and misogynistic vitriol, the words of the Stoics deployed to support an ideal vision of masculine life. On other sites, pickup artists quote Ovid's Ars Amatoria to justify ignoring women's boundaries. By appropriating the Classics, these men lend a veneer of intellectual authority and ancient wisdom to their project of patriarchal white supremacy. In defense or retaliation, feminists have also taken up the Classics online, to counter the sanctioning of violence against women.

Not All Dead White Men reveals that some of the most controversial and consequential debates about the legacy of the ancients are raging not in universities but online.]]> 288 Donna Zuckerberg 0674975553 Anna 0 to-read 3.86 2018 Not All Dead White Men: Classics and Misogyny in the Digital Age
author: Donna Zuckerberg
name: Anna
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/23
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Goblin Emperor (The Chronicles of Osreth, #1)]]> 17910048 A lush tale of deadly court intrigue and a modern classic of fantasy by Locus award winner and Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award finalist Katherine Addison

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three half brothers in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.

Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend . . . and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne–or his life.]]> 446 Katherine Addison 076532699X Anna 0 to-read 4.04 2014 The Goblin Emperor (The Chronicles of Osreth, #1)
author: Katherine Addison
name: Anna
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/22
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]]> <![CDATA[The Wizard Hunters (The Fall of Ile-Rien, #1)]]> 367333
And now the last hope of a magical realm under siege rests within a child's plaything.]]> 464 Martha Wells 038080798X Anna 0 to-read 3.90 2003 The Wizard Hunters (The Fall of Ile-Rien, #1)
author: Martha Wells
name: Anna
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/22
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unwanted Guest (The Locked Tomb, #3.5)]]> 219360665 32 Tamsyn Muir Anna 0 to-read 4.62 2023 The Unwanted Guest (The Locked Tomb, #3.5)
author: Tamsyn Muir
name: Anna
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ruin of Kings (A Chorus of Dragons, #1)]]> 39863237
Far from living the dream, Kihrin finds himself practically a prisoner, at the mercy of his new family's power plays and ambitions. He also discovers that the storybooks have lied about a lot of other things too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, true love, and how the hero always wins.

Then again, maybe he's not the hero, for Kihrin is not destined to save the empire.

He's destined to destroy it.]]> 560 Jenn Lyons 1250175488 Anna 0 to-read 3.80 2019 The Ruin of Kings (A Chorus of Dragons, #1)
author: Jenn Lyons
name: Anna
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Serpents of Arakesh (Karazan Quartet, #1)]]> 1219373 288 V.M. Jones 0141319429 Anna 0 to-read 4.23 2003 The Serpents of Arakesh (Karazan Quartet, #1)
author: V.M. Jones
name: Anna
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[She: a History of Adventure - a Book That Inspired Tolkien: With Original Illustrations (Professor's Bookshelf)]]> 62083050
She is a novel by English author H. Rider Haggard, first published in 1887. A classic Victorian adventure story, and a seminal work of fantasy, it recounts the story of three English gentlemen who set sail for Zanzibar, in search of the titular “She�.

Braving shipwreck, sickness and cannibals, Leo and his companions set out on a quest to find Ayesha, a legendary white sorceress who rules a remote African tribe. This story of romance, mystery and exploration into the unknown still has the power to thrill readers today.]]> 336 H. Rider Haggard 1925110133 Anna 0 to-read 5.00 1887 She: a History of Adventure - a Book That Inspired Tolkien: With Original Illustrations (Professor's Bookshelf)
author: H. Rider Haggard
name: Anna
average rating: 5.00
book published: 1887
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ill-Made Mute (The Bitterbynde, #1)]]> 232102
The Stormriders land their splendid winged stallions on the battlements of Isse Tower, while the scullions who dwell in the fortress's lower depths rarely even see the sun. Yet it is the least of the lowly--a mute, scarred foundling youth--who dares to climb the Tower, stow away aboard a Windship, and dive from the sky into a wilderness of endless danger. For goblins, peskies, knocks, and all the eldrich wights of the Unseelie haunt every tree, every pool, every turn in the road, tormenting or killing unwary travelers. And unknown to the nameless one, somewhere a dark force is summoning the malignant hordes, determined to destroy the young mute's identity, history...and destiny.]]> 560 Cecilia Dart-Thornton 0446610801 Anna 0 to-read 3.77 2001 The Ill-Made Mute (The Bitterbynde, #1)
author: Cecilia Dart-Thornton
name: Anna
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2001
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Odalisque (Percheron, #1) 437289
Though Joreb's well-intentioned fifteen-year-old heir, Boaz, will take the title of Zar, the balance of power lies in the hands of his beautiful and cruelly ambitious mother, a former harem slave who rose to power by the Zar's favor. Aside from Lazar, whom Boaz trusts and respects, the young Zar's only friend is Pez, the court jester, a misshapen dwarf whose tricks and diversions are accepted only because he is known to be mad.

When a stunning young girl is brought to the palace to fill a space in Boaz's harem, both Boaz and Lazar are surprised by their unexpectedly strong reactions to her. But Ana, the odalisque, finds the closeted world of the harem stifling and unbearable. And unbeknownst to all, the gods themselves are beginning to rise in a cyclical battle that is just beginning, and will enmesh everyone in the palace in a struggle for the very soul of Percheron.]]> 480 Fiona McIntosh 0060899050 Anna 0 to-read 3.71 2005 Odalisque (Percheron, #1)
author: Fiona McIntosh
name: Anna
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Iron Tree (The Crowthistle Chronicles, #1)]]> 434880
When Jarred comes to manhood, he decides to journey into the world to seek his fortune and perhaps along the way find news of his father. In his travels he will come to a place so unlike his own as to boggle his mind--a place of immense tracts of waterways and marshes, where the very air seems to teem with magic and a people surrounded by creatures fey and not, with enough strange customs and superstitions to make his head swirl.

And to the beautiful Lilith, a woman who will haunt his dreams and ultimately steal his heart...who perhaps can provide a key to his heritage.]]> 448 Cecilia Dart-Thornton 0765350548 Anna 0 to-read 3.47 2004 The Iron Tree (The Crowthistle Chronicles, #1)
author: Cecilia Dart-Thornton
name: Anna
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Immortal Prince (Tide Lords, #1)]]> 2038926 He's insisting he's a Tide Lord and he's begging us to try again...to kill him, that is.

When a routine hanging goes wrong, the survivor announces he is Cayal the immortal Prince, a Tide Lord. However, the only known record of the immortal beings of Amyrantha is the Tide Lord Tarot...and everyone knows it is only a parlour-game, an amusement.

Arkady Desean, an expert on the legends of the Crasii - a part-animal, part-human race - is sent to interrogate Cayal. But in exposing this would-be immortal, Arkady's own web of deceit threatens to unravel.

Nothing is as it seems around the Immortal Prince. The lies seem plausible, his stories improbable...and the the truth is more than any of them bargined for.]]> 658 Jennifer Fallon 0732283353 Anna 0 to-read 3.98 2007 The Immortal Prince (Tide Lords, #1)
author: Jennifer Fallon
name: Anna
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2007
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> For Whom the Belle Tolls 222946916 They told her to go to Hell.
She’ll go on her own terms.

Lily is less than thrilled about her arrival to the Afterlife, but what awaits her is more fantastical than she ever could have imagined. Deities wait in line at the coffee shop. Fae flit between realms. Souls find ways to make death a beginning.
As Lily explores everything the Afterlife has to offer, she finds herself drawn to a place most people would rather avoid at all Hell.
What she discovers there subverts everything she’s ever learned, and Lily realizes the demons working at the gate to guide souls need help—badly. Armed with years of customer service experience and pent-up sarcasm, Lily carves out a place for herself among the demons, confronting, sassing, and aiding the spectrum of humanity to redefine justice and redemption.
A chance meeting with Bel, a demon general with a distractingly sexy voice, sparks an immediate and deeply healing friendship. However, the undeniable heat between them simmers, and it’s only a matter of time before it combusts.
Meanwhile, something stirs beyond the boundaries of their world, threatening to destroy everything they’ve ever known and everything that could be� unless they fight like Hell to stop it.]]> 695 Jaysea Lynn Anna 4
Irreverent, witty, sexy, charming, emotive and wholesome (as much as a series with explicit sex scenes can be wholesome ]]> 4.84 2025 For Whom the Belle Tolls
author: Jaysea Lynn
name: Anna
average rating: 4.84
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves:
review:
A wonderful supplement to the "Hell's Belles" TikTok series - a story about setting up a Hellp Desk in Hell, finding love (in more ways than one), deconstructing religion, navigating the Afterlife, the Universe and everything.

Irreverent, witty, sexy, charming, emotive and wholesome (as much as a series with explicit sex scenes can be wholesome
]]> <![CDATA[Fallible Justice (Wilde Investigations, #1)]]> 39978315
Yannia has escaped a restrictive life in the Wild Folk conclave where she was raised, but her origins mark her as an outsider in the city. These origins lend her the sensory abilities of all of nature. Yet Yannia is lonely, and struggling to adapt to life in the city. The case could be the break she needs. She enlists the help of her only friend, a Bird Shaman named Karrion, and together they accept the challenge of proving a guilty man innocent.

So begins a breathless race against time and against all conceivable odds. Can Yannia and Karrion save a man who has been judged infallibly guilty?]]> 369 Laura Laakso 1999780930 Anna 0 to-read 4.12 2018 Fallible Justice (Wilde Investigations, #1)
author: Laura Laakso
name: Anna
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>