Percy's bookshelf: all en-US Mon, 28 Apr 2025 09:54:49 -0700 60 Percy's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Between Two Fires 13543121
Is it delirium or is it faith? She believes she has seen the angels of God. She believes the righteous dead speak to her in dreams. And now she has convinced the faithless Thomas to shepherd her across a depraved landscape to Avignon. There, she tells Thomas, she will fulfill her mission to confront the evil that has devastated the earth, and to restore to this betrayed, murderous knight the nobility and hope of salvation he long abandoned.

As hell unleashes its wrath, and as the true nature of the girl is revealed, Thomas will find himself on a macabre battleground of angels and demons, saints, and the risen dead, and in the midst of a desperate struggle for nothing less than the soul of man.]]> 432 Christopher Buehlman 1937007863 Percy 0 owned, currently-reading 4.20 2012 Between Two Fires
author: Christopher Buehlman
name: Percy
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: owned, currently-reading
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 Percy 0 to-read 3.80 2019 The Ruin of Kings (A Chorus of Dragons, #1)
author: Jenn Lyons
name: Percy
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Other Side of the Sky (The Other Side of the Sky, #1)]]> 40599772 New York Times bestselling author duo Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner have crafted a gripping tale of magic and logic, fate and choice, and a deadly love. Perfect for fans of Laini Taylor and Brandon Sanderson.

Prince North’s home is in the sky, in a gleaming city held aloft by intricate engines, powered by technology. Nimh is the living goddess of her people on the Surface, responsible for providing answers, direction—hope.

North’s and Nimh’s lives are entwined—though their hearts can never be. Linked by a terrifying prophecy and caught between duty and fate, they must choose between saving their people or succumbing to the bond that is forbidden between them.]]> 432 Amie Kaufman 0062893351 Percy 0 to-read 3.88 2020 The Other Side of the Sky (The Other Side of the Sky, #1)
author: Amie Kaufman
name: Percy
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Star Eater 55077680 All martyrdoms are difficult.

Elfreda Raughn will avoid pregnancy if it kills her, and one way or another, it will kill her. Though she’s able to stomach her gruesome day-to-day duties, the reality of preserving the Sisterhood of Aytrium’s magical bloodline horrifies her. She wants out, whatever the cost.

So when a shadowy cabal approaches Elfreda with an offer of escape, she leaps at the opportunity. As their spy, she gains access to the highest reaches of the Sisterhood, and enters a glittering world of opulent parties, subtle deceptions, and unexpected bloodshed.

A phantasmagorical indictment of hereditary power, Star Eater takes readers deep into a perilous and uncanny world where even the most powerful women are forced to choose what sacrifices they will make, so that they might have any choice at all.]]> 448 Kerstin Hall 1250625319 Percy 0 to-read 3.51 2021 Star Eater
author: Kerstin Hall
name: Percy
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Don Quixote 3836
With its experimental form and literary playfulness, Don Quixote has been generally recognized as the first modern novel. The book has been enormously influential on a host of writers, from Fielding and Sterne to Flaubert, Dickens, Melville, and Faulkner, who reread it once a year, "just as some people read the Bible."]]> 1023 Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Percy 0 3.86 1615 Don Quixote
author: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
name: Percy
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1615
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/06
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: all-around-the-world, owned, spanish, blueberries
review:
Well, that was something, wasn't it?
]]> <![CDATA[The Foxhole Court (All for the Game, #1)]]> 17259690
Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.

But Neil's not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for.]]> 237 Nora Sakavic 1301529044 Percy 5 blueberries I feel like I'm a bit late to the party for this thing but damn am I glad I finally picked this up.

I was going through it while reading this. It felt like reading fanfic at times (affectionately, I loved it for that). I was feeling all sorts of emotions to the point when I didn't even care how ludicrous some of the plot beats were. Some of the elements are unbelievable but I honestly could not care less, I was in for the ride.

Most of the characters could take a chill pill once in a while/all the time (what happened to the art of talking guys?). The one review that says they all belong either to prison or a mental institution? Hard agree. Did I fall in love with them anyway? Also agree. I am a bit worried that they bewitched me enough to excuse the fucked up stuff they got up to (I'm sorry but there is a bone in my body that can't say no to gays doing sports). Their banter has to be laced with crack or something bc it's oh-so-good.
Can you tell that it was written over 10 years ago? For the most part no but the occasional use of the r-word we could definitely live without (the one grudge I hold against it).

I love Neil, let no more evil befall him 3]]> 4.03 2013 The Foxhole Court (All for the Game, #1)
author: Nora Sakavic
name: Percy
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: blueberries
review:
This was absolutely batshit insane.
I feel like I'm a bit late to the party for this thing but damn am I glad I finally picked this up.

I was going through it while reading this. It felt like reading fanfic at times (affectionately, I loved it for that). I was feeling all sorts of emotions to the point when I didn't even care how ludicrous some of the plot beats were. Some of the elements are unbelievable but I honestly could not care less, I was in for the ride.

Most of the characters could take a chill pill once in a while/all the time (what happened to the art of talking guys?). The one review that says they all belong either to prison or a mental institution? Hard agree. Did I fall in love with them anyway? Also agree. I am a bit worried that they bewitched me enough to excuse the fucked up stuff they got up to (I'm sorry but there is a bone in my body that can't say no to gays doing sports). Their banter has to be laced with crack or something bc it's oh-so-good.
Can you tell that it was written over 10 years ago? For the most part no but the occasional use of the r-word we could definitely live without (the one grudge I hold against it).

I love Neil, let no more evil befall him 3
]]> Strange Grace 41885688 Once, a witch made a pact with a devil. The legend says they loved each other, but can the story be trusted at all? Find out in this lush, atmospheric fantasy novel that entwines love, lies, and sacrifice.

Long ago, a village made a bargain with the devil: to ensure their prosperity, when the Slaughter Moon rises, the village must sacrifice a young man into the depths of the Devil’s Forest.

Only this year, the Slaughter Moon has risen early.

Bound by duty, secrets, and the love they share for one another, Mairwen, a spirited witch; Rhun, the expected saint; and Arthur, a restless outcast, will each have a role to play as the devil demands a body to fill the bargain. But the devil these friends find is not the one they expect, and the lies they uncover will turn their town—and their hearts—inside out.]]> 417 Tessa Gratton Percy 0 to-read 3.56 2018 Strange Grace
author: Tessa Gratton
name: Percy
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> In the Ravenous Dark 54017941 A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead.

In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception.

Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul.

Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart—if she doesn’t betray them first.]]> 390 A.M. Strickland 1250776600 Percy 0 to-read 3.76 2021 In the Ravenous Dark
author: A.M. Strickland
name: Percy
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wake Up and Open Your Eyes 204640265 From Vulture's "master of horror" Clay McLeod Chapman, a relentless and emotionally charged social horror novel about a family on the run from a demonic possession epidemic that spreads through media, for fans of The Last of Us and When Evil Lurks

Noah Fairchild has been losing his formerly polite Southern parents to far-right cable news for years, so when his mother leaves him a voicemail warning him that the “Great Reawakening� is here, he assumes it’s related to one of the many conspiracy theories she believes in. But when his own phone calls go unanswered, Noah makes the long drive from Brooklyn to Richmond, Virginia. There, he discovers his childhood home in shambles, a fridge full of spoiled food, and his parents locked in a terrifying trance-like state in front of the TV. Panicked, Noah attempts to snap them out of it and get medical help.

Then Noah’s mother brutally attacks him.

But Noah isn’t the only person to be attacked by a loved one. Families across the country are tearing each other apart-–literally-–as people succumb to a form of possession that gets worse the more time they spend watching particular channels, using certain apps, or visiting certain websites. In Noah’s Richmond-based family, only he and his young nephew Marcus are unaffected. Together, they must race back to the safe haven of Brooklyn�-but can they make it before they fall prey to the violent hordes?

This ambitious, searing novel from "one of horror's modern masters" holds a mirror to our divided nation, and will shake readers to the core.]]> 384 Clay McLeod Chapman Percy 0 to-read, owned 3.38 2025 Wake Up and Open Your Eyes
author: Clay McLeod Chapman
name: Percy
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> Ring Shout 49247242 In America, demons wear white hoods.

In 1915, The Birth of a Nation cast a spell across America, swelling the Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can die.

Standing in their way is Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with blade, bullet, and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan's demons straight to Hell. But something awful's brewing in Macon, and the war on Hell is about to heat up.

Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?]]> 185 P. Djèlí Clark 1250767024 Percy 0 owned, currently-reading 3.96 2020 Ring Shout
author: P. Djèlí Clark
name: Percy
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: owned, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Kiss the Villain (Villain, #1)]]> 224108311 From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a scorching standalone professor/student dark MM romance set in the world of Legacy of Gods.

My darkness meets a darker soul.

I’m a golden boy.
A genius law student, the heir to the Carson empire, and the dutiful son.
Or, at least, that's what it looks like from the outside.
Deep inside, I have the urge to set the world on fire.
I keep these impulses in check, rarely indulging in mayhem.
Until one night of debauchery backfires, and I'm caught by a villain.
I bury the entire ordeal with the rest of my skeletons.
That is, until that night walks into my classroom in the form of my new professor.
Kayden Lockwood.
A criminal who’s teaching criminal law.
I can't expose what he's done without unmasking my secret life.
What I can do, however, is force him to taste the poison he gave me.
In the clash of titans, Kayden and I break and crumble.
And I'm starting to realize this dangerous game may have no winners.

Kiss the Villain is a dark MM romance. Please check the author's note or visit the website for content warnings before diving in. While this book can be enjoyed as a standalone, diving into the Legacy of Gods series will give you a deeper connection to the characters.]]> 512 Rina Kent 1685451136 Percy 1
I made an entire presentation about my feelings on this book and I don't feel like spending another minute of my time thinking about it.
Just know this: yes, I did read the TWs, which didn't even include SA btw despite there being multiple such situations happening on-page while the TW says it's only gonna be mentioned with non-on-page depictions (it mentions CNC and dub-con, which is not what happens in chapter 2) and no, I don't believe this excuses the stuff appearing in the book (disgusting victim-blaming and just overall rancid and callous discussions on r*pe). And when the assaulted character says "I don’t believe I would’ve ever discovered that part of myself [being attracted to men] if it weren’t for those encounters [he means the SA], so a part of me is grateful [...]" like I'm sorry what?

So yeah fuck this book ]]> 3.81 2025 Kiss the Villain (Villain, #1)
author: Rina Kent
name: Percy
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2025
rating: 1
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:
TW mentions of SA

I made an entire presentation about my feelings on this book and I don't feel like spending another minute of my time thinking about it.
Just know this: yes, I did read the TWs, which didn't even include SA btw despite there being multiple such situations happening on-page while the TW says it's only gonna be mentioned with non-on-page depictions (it mentions CNC and dub-con, which is not what happens in chapter 2) and no, I don't believe this excuses the stuff appearing in the book (disgusting victim-blaming and just overall rancid and callous discussions on r*pe). And when the assaulted character says "I don’t believe I would’ve ever discovered that part of myself [being attracted to men] if it weren’t for those encounters [he means the SA], so a part of me is grateful [...]" like I'm sorry what?

So yeah fuck this book
]]> <![CDATA[The Children of Gods and Fighting Men (Gael Song, #1)]]> 60387416
They think they've killed the last of us...

981 AD. The Viking King of Dublin is dead. His young widow, Gormflaith, has ambitions for her son � and herself � but Ireland is a dangerous place and kings tend not to stay kings for long. Gormflaith also has a secret. She is one of the Fomorians, an immortal race who can do fire-magic. She has kept her powers hidden at all costs, for there are other immortals in this world � like the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of warriors who are sworn to kill Fomorians.

Fódla is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann with the gift of healing. Her kind dwell hidden in a fortress, forbidden to live amongst the mortals. Fódla agrees to help her kin by going to spy on Brian Boru, a powerful man who aims to be High King of Ireland. She finds a land on the brink of war � a war she is desperate to stop. However, preventing the loss of mortal lives is not easy with Ireland in turmoil and the Fomorians now on the rise...]]> 416 Shauna Lawless Percy 0 to-read 4.11 2022 The Children of Gods and Fighting Men (Gael Song, #1)
author: Shauna Lawless
name: Percy
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight]]> 62039227 At Camp Mirror Lake, terror is the name of the game . . . but can you survive the night?

This heart-pounding slasher by New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Fear Street.

Charity Curtis has the summer job of her dreams, playing the “final girl� at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.

But the last weekend of the season, Charity's co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity's role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they'll need figure out what this killer is after. Is there is more to the story of Mirror Lake and its dangerous past than Charity ever suspected?]]> 230 Kalynn Bayron 1547611545 Percy 2
I was more or less on board for the first half of it. Since I'm a horror junkie with a soft spot for slashers I was enthusiastic about this story. Slashers are the perfect mix of predictable and entertaining so they never fail to bring me comfort (is that weird?). It's not like I expect to walk away from it with my mind blown (although those kinds of slashers exist too) BUT it has to be entertaining for the predictability to work. If that part fails there's nothing else that the story can fall back on and the whole thing becomes mind-numbingly boring.

It wasn't that bad here. There were parts that I enjoyed. Like I already mentioned I thought the first hundred pages were great and exactly the kind of story you'd expect from a slasher. It had an interesting setup, with the horror simulation murder camp becoming an actual murder camp. So fun! The characters felt a bit flat for me but that might be because the book is so short that we didn't have enough time to get to know them.

The second half is where the plot loses me because all of a sudden the protagonists are not running from some crazed killer but [spoilers removed] To say that that was a baffling turn of events would be an understatement. I can suspend my disbelief but there's a limit to it. It felt so out of left field that I could not take any of it seriously after that reveal.

And to have the story and the way it did also didn't make me look at it any more favorably. Maybe this is a case of 'it's not you, it's me' idk. I feel bad giving it the rating I did since I'm technically not the target audience but at the same time none of my criticisms are due to it being targeted at kids so I feel like it's only fair that I treat it as any other book.]]> 3.56 2023 You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight
author: Kalynn Bayron
name: Percy
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves:
review:
I wish I could say that I enjoyed it.

I was more or less on board for the first half of it. Since I'm a horror junkie with a soft spot for slashers I was enthusiastic about this story. Slashers are the perfect mix of predictable and entertaining so they never fail to bring me comfort (is that weird?). It's not like I expect to walk away from it with my mind blown (although those kinds of slashers exist too) BUT it has to be entertaining for the predictability to work. If that part fails there's nothing else that the story can fall back on and the whole thing becomes mind-numbingly boring.

It wasn't that bad here. There were parts that I enjoyed. Like I already mentioned I thought the first hundred pages were great and exactly the kind of story you'd expect from a slasher. It had an interesting setup, with the horror simulation murder camp becoming an actual murder camp. So fun! The characters felt a bit flat for me but that might be because the book is so short that we didn't have enough time to get to know them.

The second half is where the plot loses me because all of a sudden the protagonists are not running from some crazed killer but [spoilers removed] To say that that was a baffling turn of events would be an understatement. I can suspend my disbelief but there's a limit to it. It felt so out of left field that I could not take any of it seriously after that reveal.

And to have the story and the way it did also didn't make me look at it any more favorably. Maybe this is a case of 'it's not you, it's me' idk. I feel bad giving it the rating I did since I'm technically not the target audience but at the same time none of my criticisms are due to it being targeted at kids so I feel like it's only fair that I treat it as any other book.
]]> <![CDATA[An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence]]> 197055873
For too long, Africa's history has been neglected. Dominated by western narratives of slavery and colonialism, its past has been fragmented, overlooked and denied its rightful place in our global story.

Now, Zeinab Badawi guides us through Africa's spectacular history, from the origins of humanity, through ancient civilisations and medieval empires with powerful queens and kings, to the miseries of conquest and the elation of independence.

Seeking out occluded histories from across the continent, meeting with countless historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and local storytellers, and travelling through more than thirty countries, Badawi weaves together a fascinating new account of an epic, sweeping history of the oldest inhabited continent on the planet, told through the voices of Africans themselves.]]> 531 Zeinab Badawi 0753560151 Percy 0 to-read 4.01 2024 An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence
author: Zeinab Badawi
name: Percy
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Color of Magic (Discworld, #1; Rincewind, #1)]]> 34497 228 Terry Pratchett 0060855924 Percy 0 to-read 4.04 1983 The Color of Magic (Discworld, #1; Rincewind, #1)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Percy
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1983
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Seven Devils (Seven Devils, #1)]]> 38822981
Eris has been assigned a new mission: to infiltrate a spaceship ferrying deadly cargo and return the intelligence gathered to the Resistance. But her partner for the mission, mechanic and hotshot pilot Cloelia, bears an old grudge against Eris, making an already difficult infiltration even more complicated.

When they find the ship, they discover more than they bargained for: three fugitives with firsthand knowledge of the corrupt empire's inner workings.

Together, these women possess the knowledge and capabilities to bring the empire to its knees. But the clock is ticking: the new heir to the empire plans to disrupt a peace summit with the only remaining alien empire, ensuring the empire’s continued expansion. If they can find a way to stop him, they will save the galaxy. If they can't, millions may die.]]> 458 L.R. Lam 0756415802 Percy 0 to-read 3.91 2020 Seven Devils (Seven Devils, #1)
author: L.R. Lam
name: Percy
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars, #1)]]> 42815556 A gifted tailor in disguise.
Three legendary dresses.
The competition of a lifetime.

On the fringes of the Great Spice Road, Maia Tamarin works as a seamstress in the shop of her father, once a tailor of renown. She dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well.

When a royal messenger summons her ailing father to court, Maia poses as his son and travels to the Summer Palace in his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to save her family from ruin and achieve her dream of becoming the imperial tailor. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.

The competition is cutthroat, and Maia's job is further complicated by the unwelcome attention of the court enchanter, Edan, who seems to see straight through her disguise. But nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three gowns so dangerously beautiful, it will take a quest to the ends of the earth to complete them . . .

Book 1 in the Blood of Stars duology]]> 392 Elizabeth Lim Percy 0 to-read 3.97 2019 Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars, #1)
author: Elizabeth Lim
name: Percy
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heavenly Tyrant (Iron Widow, #2)]]> 52934483
With political unrest and perilous forces aiming to undermine Zetian at every turn, can she enact positive changes as a fair and just ruler? Or will she be forced to rely on fear and violence and succumb to her darker instincts in her quest for vengeance?]]> 540 Xiran Jay Zhao Percy 0 currently-reading, owned 3.88 2024 Heavenly Tyrant (Iron Widow, #2)
author: Xiran Jay Zhao
name: Percy
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: currently-reading, owned
review:

]]> Babel 57945316 From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?]]> 544 R.F. Kuang 0063021420 Percy 4 owned
As for the parts that I enjoyed: the magic system. It was such a treat to read about something so original and masterfully crafted. As a language learner/nerd, I had a blast. I could easily relate to the cohort and their excitement about the process of translation and finding new match pairs and all that. Babel is famous for it and rightly so.

The characters felt so alive that I had no problem sympathizing with them. It was vital to understand their struggles and I gotta say I never got annoyed at their decisions because there was sufficient exploration of their mental space to make each choice feel like the natural thing for them to do.

I saw some people say that everything is overexplained and that there is no place for interpretation but I don't think this was a flaw. I don't believe that it should have been more ambiguous with its messaging when the subject matter is colonialism which was disastrous for the communities subjected to it. There is no ambiguity about that (if you disagree then we don't have anything to say to each other) so I don't see the point of making it up just for the story to be less "on the nose".

The thing I didn't like was the flow of the story. It took me two tries to finish it because it was very slow at the start and I couldn't properly suck my teeth into it. The middle is where I was truly immersed but then it slowed again at the end. That third act is really what killed my enthusiasm because everything up to that point felt just perfectly paced.

I also have not come to terms with the final arc of one of the characters. I can't really say much else without spoiling it but just know that I'm mentally still there and I don't believe I'll be moving on any time soon.
]]> 4.17 2022 Babel
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Percy
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: owned
review:
I've been putting off writing this for weeks because I really struggle to collect my thoughts. I'm in two minds about this novel. On the one hand, there were a lot of things that I loved and had a ton of fun exploring (namely the magic system) but there were also some parts that felt underwhelming. This is in part due to the hype that I saw this book receiving and my expectations just bloated out of proportion ig.

As for the parts that I enjoyed: the magic system. It was such a treat to read about something so original and masterfully crafted. As a language learner/nerd, I had a blast. I could easily relate to the cohort and their excitement about the process of translation and finding new match pairs and all that. Babel is famous for it and rightly so.

The characters felt so alive that I had no problem sympathizing with them. It was vital to understand their struggles and I gotta say I never got annoyed at their decisions because there was sufficient exploration of their mental space to make each choice feel like the natural thing for them to do.

I saw some people say that everything is overexplained and that there is no place for interpretation but I don't think this was a flaw. I don't believe that it should have been more ambiguous with its messaging when the subject matter is colonialism which was disastrous for the communities subjected to it. There is no ambiguity about that (if you disagree then we don't have anything to say to each other) so I don't see the point of making it up just for the story to be less "on the nose".

The thing I didn't like was the flow of the story. It took me two tries to finish it because it was very slow at the start and I couldn't properly suck my teeth into it. The middle is where I was truly immersed but then it slowed again at the end. That third act is really what killed my enthusiasm because everything up to that point felt just perfectly paced.

I also have not come to terms with the final arc of one of the characters. I can't really say much else without spoiling it but just know that I'm mentally still there and I don't believe I'll be moving on any time soon.

]]> Dark Rise (Dark Rise, #1) 55424891
Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run, pursued by the men who killed his mother. When an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards, Will is ushered into a world of magic, where he must train to play a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark.

As London is threatened by the Dark King’s return, the reborn heroes and villains of a long-forgotten war begin to draw battle lines. But as the young descendants of Light and Dark step into their destined roles, old allegiances, old enmities and old flames are awakened. Will must stand with the last heroes of the Light to prevent the fate that destroyed their world from returning to destroy his own.]]> 464 C.S. Pacat 0062946161 Percy 0 to-read 4.15 2021 Dark Rise (Dark Rise, #1)
author: C.S. Pacat
name: Percy
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1)]]> 56791389 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B08BKGYQXW


The apocalypse will be televised!

A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible.

In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth—from Buckingham Palace to the tiniest of sheds—collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground.

The buildings and all the people inside have all been atomized and transformed into the dungeon: an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe.

Only a few dare venture inside. But once you're in, you can't get out. And what's worse, each level has a time limit. You have but days to find a staircase to the next level down, or it's game over. In this game, it's not about your strength or your dexterity. It's about your followers, your views. Your clout. It's about building an audience and killing those goblins with style.

You can't just survive here. You gotta survive big.

You gotta fight with vigor, with excitement. You gotta make them stand up and cheer. And if you do have that "it" factor, you may just find yourself with a following. That's the only way to truly survive in this game—with the help of the loot boxes dropped upon you by the generous benefactors watching from across the galaxy.

They call it Dungeon Crawler World. But for Carl, it's anything but a game.]]> 446 Matt Dinniman Percy 0 to-read 4.49 2020 Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1)
author: Matt Dinniman
name: Percy
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Balún Canán 1033955 291 Rosario Castellanos 9681607287 Percy 0
The author shows the power struggles in Mexico during Cardenas' rule. We spend time learning about the conflict between the indigenous people and the white settlers. It is a lot better at giving voice to the minority groups then the last text we had to read for class and it is generally more thorough with its depiction of the culture and beliefs of the native people.

We also examine the lives of women from this time period. A lot of care is put into showing the inner workings of their minds, the struggles they are facing, and how each of them manages the situation she finds herself in.
It drag on a bit in the middle part, but overall I'm glad I got to read it.]]> 4.23 1957 Balún Canán
author: Rosario Castellanos
name: Percy
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1957
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: owned, spanish, classics, all-around-the-world
review:
I'm happy to report that this was a breath of fresh air when it comes to the portrayals of women. One more of those classics that FEEL like they are from centuries past and I might have lost it.

The author shows the power struggles in Mexico during Cardenas' rule. We spend time learning about the conflict between the indigenous people and the white settlers. It is a lot better at giving voice to the minority groups then the last text we had to read for class and it is generally more thorough with its depiction of the culture and beliefs of the native people.

We also examine the lives of women from this time period. A lot of care is put into showing the inner workings of their minds, the struggles they are facing, and how each of them manages the situation she finds herself in.
It drag on a bit in the middle part, but overall I'm glad I got to read it.
]]> Iron Widow (Iron Widow, #1) 52459864
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.�

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia�. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.]]> 394 Xiran Jay Zhao 0735269939 Percy 5 owned, blueberries I would have never guessed this would be something I'm gonna love. I love evil women in my novels ofc, but I didn't think I liked stories about mechas. Turns out I do, and I genuinely could not get enough of the Chrysalises. Feels like the whole world opened up to me with this revelation lol

I love Zetian for she is an actual icon and I live to see her morally ambiguous deeds get carried out. She's impulsive and reckless but I love to see her like that, just blazing through the world that was built to crush her spirit. She fights dirty because it's the only way to make them listen. You could never make me hate her <3

The same applies to both Shimin and Yizhi. If I were to give some criticism it would probably be that I wish we saw more of the interactions between the main three. By virtue of being the POV character, we learn all about what makes Zetian tick, her goals and motivations but we lack that same depth with the two guys. I felt this especially in the case of Yizhi because we get to see him even less than Shimin (or at least it felt like it). I suppose that this will be something that changes in Heavenly Tyrant. But they are both hopeless boy failures and I live for it.

The resolution of the love triangle is one of the highlights of this story. I spent my formative years reading about love triangles in every ya book on the planet, but this is the first time I'm excited to see it. If you ask me, this is the only valid way to conclude it.

I'm starting HT as soon as it arrives so pray for me chat bc I'm terrified T-T]]> 4.03 2021 Iron Widow (Iron Widow, #1)
author: Xiran Jay Zhao
name: Percy
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: owned, blueberries
review:
I have now read it twice and I think I appreciated it even more the second time around.
I would have never guessed this would be something I'm gonna love. I love evil women in my novels ofc, but I didn't think I liked stories about mechas. Turns out I do, and I genuinely could not get enough of the Chrysalises. Feels like the whole world opened up to me with this revelation lol

I love Zetian for she is an actual icon and I live to see her morally ambiguous deeds get carried out. She's impulsive and reckless but I love to see her like that, just blazing through the world that was built to crush her spirit. She fights dirty because it's the only way to make them listen. You could never make me hate her <3

The same applies to both Shimin and Yizhi. If I were to give some criticism it would probably be that I wish we saw more of the interactions between the main three. By virtue of being the POV character, we learn all about what makes Zetian tick, her goals and motivations but we lack that same depth with the two guys. I felt this especially in the case of Yizhi because we get to see him even less than Shimin (or at least it felt like it). I suppose that this will be something that changes in Heavenly Tyrant. But they are both hopeless boy failures and I live for it.

The resolution of the love triangle is one of the highlights of this story. I spent my formative years reading about love triangles in every ya book on the planet, but this is the first time I'm excited to see it. If you ask me, this is the only valid way to conclude it.

I'm starting HT as soon as it arrives so pray for me chat bc I'm terrified T-T
]]> Brainwyrms 65212043 From Alison Rumfitt, the author of Tell Me I’m Worthless � “a triumph of transgressive queer horror� (Publishers Weekly) � comes Brainwyrms, a searing body horror novel of obsession, violence and pleasure.

When a transphobic woman bombs Frankie’s workplace, she blows up Frankie’s life with it. As the media descends like vultures, Frankie tries to cope with the carnage: binge-drinking, fucking strangers, pushing away her friends. Then she meets Vanya. Mysterious, beautiful, terrifying Vanya.

The two hit it off immediately, but as their relationship intensifies, so too does Frankie’s feeling that Vanya is hiding something from her. When Vanya’s secrets threaten to tear them apart, Frankie starts digging, and unearths a sinister, depraved conspiracy, the roots of which go deeper than she ever imagined. Shocking, grotesque, and downright filthy, Brainwyrms confronts the creeping reality of political terrorism while exploring the depths of love, pain and identity.]]> 304 Alison Rumfitt 1250866251 Percy 0 to-read 3.66 2023 Brainwyrms
author: Alison Rumfitt
name: Percy
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Meddling Kids 32905343 1990. The teen detectives once known as the Blyton Summer Detective Club (of Blyton Hills, a small mining town in the Zoinx River Valley in Oregon) are all grown up and haven't seen each other since their fateful, final case in 1977. Andy, the tomboy, is twenty-five and on the run, wanted in at least two states. Kerri, one-time kid genius and budding biologist, is bartending in New York, working on a serious drinking problem. At least she's got Tim, an excitable Weimaraner descended from the original canine member of the team. Nate, the horror nerd, has spent the last thirteen years in and out of mental health institutions, and currently resides in an asylum in Arkham, Massachusetts. The only friend he still sees is Peter, the handsome jock turned movie star. The problem is, Peter's been dead for years.

The time has come to uncover the source of their nightmares and return to where it all began in 1977. This time, it better not be a man in a mask. The real monsters are waiting.]]> 322 Edgar Cantero 0385541996 Percy 0 to-read 3.51 2017 Meddling Kids
author: Edgar Cantero
name: Percy
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> This Delicious Death 61136873 Four best friends, one music festival, and a cooler filled with human organs: this summer is about to get gory. ​​�

Jennifer’s Body fans will clamor for this new sapphic horror standalone from New York Times bestselling author Kayla Cottingham.

Three years ago, the melting of arctic permafrost released a pathogen of unknown origin into the atmosphere, causing a small percentage of people to undergo a transformation that became known as the Hollowing. Those impacted slowly became intolerant to normal food and were only able to gain sustenance by consuming the flesh of other human beings. Those who went without flesh quickly became feral, turning on their friends and family. However, scientists were able to create a synthetic version of human meat that would satisfy the hunger of those impacted by the Hollowing. As a result, humanity slowly began to return to normal, albeit with lasting fear and distrust for the people they'd pejoratively dubbed ghouls.

Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine are all ghouls living in Southern California. As a last hurrah before their graduation they decided to attend a musical festival in the desert. They have a cooler filled with hard seltzers and SynFlesh and are ready to party.

But on the first night of the festival Val goes feral, and ends up killing and eating a boy. As other festival guests start disappearing around them the girls soon discover someone is drugging ghouls and making them feral. And if they can't figure out how to stop it, and soon, no one at the festival is safe.]]> 290 Kayla Cottingham 1728236444 Percy 0 to-read 3.57 2023 This Delicious Death
author: Kayla Cottingham
name: Percy
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mickey7 (Mickey7, #1) 57693457 After several deaths punctuating a series of all-too-brief life spans, a clone reassesses his purpose � and his humanity � in Edward Ashton’s Mickey7, “a unique blend of thought-provoking sci-fi concepts, farcical relationship drama, and exotic body horror� (New York Times bestselling author Jason Pargin).

EXPENDABLE \ik’spen-d�-b’l\ n. A human clone utilized for dangerous work on space exploration missions. An Expendable’s personality and memories may be transferred intact to a new body if and when the current host dies.

Mickey Barnes is an Expendable, now on his seventh iteration, living � and dying � among his fellow colonists on the near-uninhabitable ice world of Niflheim. Some consider him immortal. Others believe he’s a soulless monstrosity. For the past nine years, he has been deployed for hazardous assignments and subjected to experiments that test the limits of human endurance, his humanity sacrificed for the greater good.

While on reconnaissance, Mickey7 is injured and left for dead, only to be saved by Niflheim’s native species, thought to be insentient by the colonists. Returning to base, Mickey7 meets his next generation, Mickey8. Neither clone is willing to recycle himself, but if anyone discovers multiple Mickeys exist, they’ll both be executed � and there won’t ever be a Mickey9.

But Mickey7’s premature twin isn’t his only secret. He hasn’t uploaded his memories in a month, leaving his clone in the dark about his near death and close encounter with the planet’s inhabitants. Mickey7 also doesn’t know how all of his previous selves died, and those he remembers have left him traumatized and mistrustful of the colony’s mission. A mission that has Mickey Barnes questioning his moral and mortal existence...again...and again....]]> 296 Edward Ashton 1250275032 Percy 0 owned, on-hold 3.74 2022 Mickey7 (Mickey7, #1)
author: Edward Ashton
name: Percy
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: owned, on-hold
review:

]]> Ninetails: Nine Tales 198137978
A fox spirit avenges a teen girl by seducing her abuser. A shapeshifting woman finds herself chased through the woods by fox hunters; meanwhile, an assassination plot called Operation Fox Hunt unfolds against the last Queen of Korea. Chinese migrants hoping to make new lives as “paper children� in America find their pasts—and their hopes for the future—embodied in the foxes that haunt the harbor in 1900s Angel Island. In the nine tales of Ninetails, acclaimed poet Sally Wen Mao reimagines the fox spirit from Asian folklore—a shapeshifter, shaman, and seductress—as an icon of vengeance, solidarity and liberation. The characters of her stories are varied—from silicone sex dolls who come to life with new purpose, to women whose crushes manifest as stones—but they all reach for a common to find truth and belonging in a difficult world determined to consider them alien.

With the fabulist vibrancy of Carmen Maria Machado, the sinuous world-building of Helen Oyeyemi, and the sensuous feminist rage of Han Kang, Ninetails is both timeless—unearthing a cultural icon whose origins date back over a thousand years—and timely in its contemporary political urgency.]]> 288 Sally Wen Mao 0143137891 Percy 0 to-read 3.67 2024 Ninetails: Nine Tales
author: Sally Wen Mao
name: Percy
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Stag Dance 215362032 In this collection of one novel and three stories, bestselling author Torrey Peters’s keen eye for the rough edges of community and desire push the limits of trans writing.

In Stag Dance, the titular novel, a group of restless lumberjacks working in an illegal winter logging outfit plan a dance that some of them will volunteer to attend as women. When the broadest, strongest, plainest of the axmen announces his intention to dance as a woman, he finds himself caught in a strange rivalry with a pretty young jack, provoking a cascade of obsession, jealousy, and betrayal that will culminate on the big night in an astonishing vision of gender and transition.

Three startling stories surround Stag Dance: “Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones� imagines a gender apocalypse brought about by an unstable ex-girlfriend. In “The Chaser,� a secret romance between roommates at a Quaker boarding school brings out intrigue and cruelty. In the last story, “The Masker,� a party weekend on the Las Vegas strip turns dark when a young crossdresser must choose between two guides: a handsome mystery man who objectifies her in thrilling ways, or a cynical veteran trans woman offering unglamorous sisterhood.

Acidly funny and breathtaking in its scope, with the inventive audacity of George Saunders or Jennifer Egan, Stag Dance provokes, unsettles, and delights.]]> 304 Torrey Peters 0593595645 Percy 0 to-read 4.05 2025 Stag Dance
author: Torrey Peters
name: Percy
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Not Even Bones (Market of Monsters, #1)]]> 34324484 Dexter meets This Savage Song in this dark fantasy about a girl who sells magical body parts on the black market � until she’s betrayed.

Nita doesn’t murder supernatural beings and sell their body parts on the internet—her mother does that. Nita just dissects the bodies after they’ve been “acquired.� But when her mom brings home a live specimen, Nita decides she wants out � dissecting living people is a step too far.

But when she tries to save her mother’s victim, she ends up sold on the black market in his place � because Nita herself is a supernatural being. Now Nita is on the other side of the bars, and there is no line she won’t cross to escape and make sure no one can ever capture her again.

Nita did a good deed, and it cost her everything. Now she’s going to do a lot of bad deeds to get it all back.]]> 368 Rebecca Schaeffer 132886359X Percy 0 to-read 4.14 2018 Not Even Bones (Market of Monsters, #1)
author: Rebecca Schaeffer
name: Percy
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Book Lovers 58690308 One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming....

Nora Stephens� life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters� trip away—with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.]]> 377 Emily Henry 0593334833 Percy 0 dnf 4.09 2022 Book Lovers
author: Emily Henry
name: Percy
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Raven King (All for the Game, #2)]]> 18187013
Except Andrew doesn't give up anything for free and Neil is terrible at trusting anyone but himself. The two don't have much time to come to terms with their situation before outside forces start tearing them apart. Riko is intent on destroying Neil's fragile new life, and the Foxes have just become collateral damage.

Neil's days are numbered, but he's learning the hard way to go down fighting for what he believes in, and Neil believes in Andrew even if Andrew won't believe in himself.]]> 423 Nora Sakavic 1301824291 Percy 0 currently-reading 4.37 2013 The Raven King (All for the Game, #2)
author: Nora Sakavic
name: Percy
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Hazelthorn 220909040
Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

But when Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn’s immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. There’s just one caveat: He must choose a new guardian from amongst Laurie's scheming, backstabbing relatives to help manage the estate until he turns eighteen.

Except Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next. Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family’s dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he’s really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more.]]> 368 C.G. Drews 1250376297 Percy 0 to-read 4.73 2025 Hazelthorn
author: C.G. Drews
name: Percy
average rating: 4.73
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Transmuted 58561930
Crushed by gender dysphoria and the pressure of disappointing her fans who paid for a new face, she answers a sketchy ad seeking transgender women for a free, experimental feminization treatment. The grotesquely flawless Dr. Skurm has gruesome methods, but he gets unbelievable results, and Isa is finally feeling comfortable in her skin. She even gains the courage to ask out her crush: an alluring and disfigured alchemy-obsessed artist named Rayna.

But Isa’s body won’t stop changing, and she’s going from super model to super mutant. She has to discover the secret behind her metamorphosis—before the changes are irreversible, and she’s an unwanted freak forever.

Transmuted is an outrageous and unapologetically queer body horror tale that will leave you gasping, giggling, and gagging for more.

Book 30 in the Rewind-or-Die series: imagine your local movie rental store back in the �70s, �80s, and �90s, remember all those fantastic covers. Remember taking those movies home and watching in awe as the stories unfolded in nasty rainbows of gore, remember the atmosphere and textures. Remember the blood.]]> 113 Eve Harms 1989206778 Percy 0 to-read 3.33 2021 Transmuted
author: Eve Harms
name: Percy
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Natural Beauty 61420120 Sly, surprising, and razor-sharp, Natural Beauty follows a young musician into an elite, beauty-obsessed world where perfection comes at a staggering cost.

Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can. She employs a technique she learned from her parents—also talented musicians—who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City.

Holistik is known for its remarkable products and procedures—from remoras that suck out cheap Botox to eyelash extensions made of spider silk—and her new job affords her entry into a world of privilege and a long-awaited sense of belonging. She becomes transfixed by Helen, the niece of Holistik’s charismatic owner, and the two strike up a friendship that hazily veers into more. All the while, our narrator is plied with products that slim her thighs, smooth her skin, and lighten her hair. But beneath these creams and tinctures lies something sinister.

A piercing, darkly funny debut, Natural Beauty explores questions of consumerism, self-worth, race, and identity—and leaves readers with a shocking and unsettling truth.]]> 272 Ling Ling Huang 0593472926 Percy 0 to-read 3.79 2023 Natural Beauty
author: Ling Ling Huang
name: Percy
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Los recuerdos del porvenir 2514766 292 Elena Garro 9682705673 Percy 0 spanish, all-around-the-world First of all, I cannot get behind the stylistic choices of the author. The way she chose to tell the story was really grinding on my nerves. Despite being around 300 pages, nothing really happens, at least not on-page because there are constant mentions about stuff that *happened* somewhere at some earlier point but we hardly ever see it. We instead spend most of the time reading about how people stand around and emote. Like I kid you not there *pages* of characters just going through an array of different emotions provoked by seemingly nothing since it is written from the perspective of the city(?) so we don't enter the characters' heads and so their motivations or feelings are never clear. This makes it so goddamn annoying to read.
The second thing is the one that makes me even more frustrated. The women have no impact on the plot despite being a central part of it, let me explain. We spend a lot of time with sex workers and village women, having them at the backdrop of a scene, but they never take any active role in it. They only ever passively comply with whatever the male characters are imposing on them, to the point that when one of them does technically make a decision for herself (bc again it is in reaction to what the male character proposed, but she has the last word ig) it makes little sense to the reader since we had no chance to measure her personality before that point and the thing she decides on is in opposition to common sense tbh.
I'm just pissed thinking about it so I'll end this rant here.]]> 4.33 1963 Los recuerdos del porvenir
author: Elena Garro
name: Percy
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1963
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: spanish, all-around-the-world
review:
I did not like it. I tried to be open-minded but I could not contain my frustration.
First of all, I cannot get behind the stylistic choices of the author. The way she chose to tell the story was really grinding on my nerves. Despite being around 300 pages, nothing really happens, at least not on-page because there are constant mentions about stuff that *happened* somewhere at some earlier point but we hardly ever see it. We instead spend most of the time reading about how people stand around and emote. Like I kid you not there *pages* of characters just going through an array of different emotions provoked by seemingly nothing since it is written from the perspective of the city(?) so we don't enter the characters' heads and so their motivations or feelings are never clear. This makes it so goddamn annoying to read.
The second thing is the one that makes me even more frustrated. The women have no impact on the plot despite being a central part of it, let me explain. We spend a lot of time with sex workers and village women, having them at the backdrop of a scene, but they never take any active role in it. They only ever passively comply with whatever the male characters are imposing on them, to the point that when one of them does technically make a decision for herself (bc again it is in reaction to what the male character proposed, but she has the last word ig) it makes little sense to the reader since we had no chance to measure her personality before that point and the thing she decides on is in opposition to common sense tbh.
I'm just pissed thinking about it so I'll end this rant here.
]]> The Unworthy 214151601 The long-awaited new novel from the author of global sensation Tender Is the Flesh: a thrilling work of literary horror about a woman cloistered in a secretive, violent religious order, while outside the world has fallen into chaos.

From her cell in a mysterious convent, a woman writes the story of her life in whatever she can find—discarded ink, dirt, and even her own blood. A lower member of the Sacred Sisterhood, deemed an unworthy, she dreams of ascending to the ranks of the Enlightened at the center of the convent and of pleasing the foreboding Superior Sister. Outside, the world is plagued by catastrophe—cities are submerged underwater, electricity and the internet are nonexistent, and bands of survivors fight and forage in a cruel, barren landscape. Inside, the narrator is controlled, punished, but safe.

But when a stranger makes her way past the convent walls, joining the ranks of the unworthy, she forces the narrator to consider her long-buried past—and what she may be overlooking about the Enlightened. As the two women grow closer, the narrator is increasingly haunted by questions about her own past, the environmental future, and her present life inside the convent. How did she get to the Sacred Sisterhood? Why can’t she remember her life before? And what really happens when a woman is chosen as one of the Enlightened?

A searing, dystopian tale about climate crisis, ideological extremism, and the tidal pull of our most violent, exploitative instincts, this is another unforgettable novel from a master of feminist horror.]]> 192 Agustina Bazterrica 1668051885 Percy 5 It feels weird calling this book a "treat", with its dark and deeply upsetting contents, but the way it was delivered leaves me with no other words to describe it.
It was a lyrical masterpiece, I couldn't get enough of the prose. It manages to use language that's flowery but not overly embellished, creating this stark contrast between the plot and its presentation. I was utterly immersed in the setting and the atmosphere that seemed to ooze out of the pages. The story is both beautiful and heartbreaking (I teared up more times than I'm willing to admit). The characters all felt like fully realized human beings with their own feelings and motivations.
The world crafted on the pages was awful, filled to the brim with violence that seemed to know no bounds. It felt hopeless. However, in this one, unlike in "Tender is the Flesh," there is a ray of hope.
(And my sanity depended on that tbh after reading one book about the atrocities humans are capable of after another).

I'm sure I will be revisiting this story in the future.]]> 3.64 2023 The Unworthy
author: Agustina Bazterrica
name: Percy
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves:
review:
Oh man, what a treat this was to read!
It feels weird calling this book a "treat", with its dark and deeply upsetting contents, but the way it was delivered leaves me with no other words to describe it.
It was a lyrical masterpiece, I couldn't get enough of the prose. It manages to use language that's flowery but not overly embellished, creating this stark contrast between the plot and its presentation. I was utterly immersed in the setting and the atmosphere that seemed to ooze out of the pages. The story is both beautiful and heartbreaking (I teared up more times than I'm willing to admit). The characters all felt like fully realized human beings with their own feelings and motivations.
The world crafted on the pages was awful, filled to the brim with violence that seemed to know no bounds. It felt hopeless. However, in this one, unlike in "Tender is the Flesh," there is a ray of hope.
(And my sanity depended on that tbh after reading one book about the atrocities humans are capable of after another).

I'm sure I will be revisiting this story in the future.
]]> <![CDATA[Scorched Grace (Sister Holiday Mystery #1)]]> 60610668 Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun, puts her amateur sleuthing skills to the test in this debut crime novel.

When Saint Sebastian's School becomes the target of a shocking arson spree, the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and their surrounding community are thrust into chaos. Unsatisfied with the officials' response, sardonic and headstrong Sister Holiday becomes determined to unveil the mysterious attacker herself and return her home and sanctuary to its former peace. Her investigation leads down a twisty path of suspicion and secrets in the sticky, oppressive New Orleans heat, turning her against colleagues, students, and even fellow Sisters along the way.

Sister Holiday is more faithful than most, but she's no saint. To piece together the clues of this high-stakes mystery, she must first reckon with the sins of her checkered past-and neither task will be easy.

An exciting start to Margot Douaihy's bold series for Gillian Flynn Books that breathes new life into the hard-boiled genre, Scorched Grace is a fast-paced and punchy whodunnit that will keep readers guessing until the very end.]]> 320 Margot Douaihy 1638930244 Percy 0 to-read 3.16 2023 Scorched Grace (Sister Holiday Mystery #1)
author: Margot Douaihy
name: Percy
average rating: 3.16
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Empire of Silence (The Sun Eater, #1)]]> 36454667 Hadrian Marlowe, a man revered as a hero and despised as a murderer, chronicles his tale in the galaxy-spanning debut of the Sun Eater series, merging the best of space opera and epic fantasy.

It was not his war.
On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe started down a path that could only end in fire. The galaxy remembers him as a the man who burned every last alien Cielcin from the sky. They remember him as a the devil who destroyed a sun, casually annihilating four billion human lives—even the Emperor himself—against Imperial orders.
But Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier.
Fleeing his father and a future as a torturer, Hadrian finds himself stranded on a strange, backwater world. Forced to fight as a gladiator and into the intrigues of a foreign planetary court, he will find himself fight a war he did not start, for an Empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand.]]> 753 Christopher Ruocchio 0756413028 Percy 0 to-read 4.01 2018 Empire of Silence (The Sun Eater, #1)
author: Christopher Ruocchio
name: Percy
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Tender Is the Flesh 49090884
His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.� Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.

Then one day he’s given a a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved.]]> 209 Agustina Bazterrica 1982150920 Percy 4 owned, spanish However, in some stories there is no light at the end of the tunnel and I'm trying to make my peace with that.
]]> 3.75 2017 Tender Is the Flesh
author: Agustina Bazterrica
name: Percy
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: owned, spanish
review:
I was sucked in from the first chapter. I loved the writing style, and the descriptions of this grotesque post-apocalyptic world, all delivered in this detached, matter-of-fact way forcing onto us the coping mechanism of the MC. The details of how the meat plant works were fascinating to read. Immediately after I finished I was somewhat frustrated with what happened at the halfway point of the story. I felt betrayed and disgusted by what happened in the entire second half of the book. I now realize that it was most likely what the author intended. To be able to show the callousness of the community that grew out of the legalization of cannibalism but also to be able to present the parallels with our society. The mistake I made was to look for hope in a place that was built to perpetuate violence and my initial reaction was to feel betrayed that there was no happy ending in store for me.
However, in some stories there is no light at the end of the tunnel and I'm trying to make my peace with that.

]]> Where the Axe Is Buried 211934965 All systems fail. All societies crumble. All worlds end.

In the authoritarian Federation, there is a plot to assassinate and replace the President, a man who has downloaded his mind to a succession of new bodies to maintain his grip on power. Meanwhile, on the fringes of a Western Europe that has renounced human governance in favor of ostensibly more efficient, objective, and peaceful AI Prime Ministers, an experimental artificial mind is malfunctioning, threatening to set off a chain of events that may spell the end of the Western world.

As the Federation and the West both start to crumble, Lilia, the brilliant scientist whose invention may be central to bringing down the seemingly immortal President, goes on the run, trying to break out from a near-impenetrable web of Federation surveillance. Her fate is bound up with a worldwide group of others fighting against the global status quo: Palmer, the man Lilia left behind in London, desperate to solve the mystery of her disappearance; Zoya, a veteran activist imprisoned in the taiga, whose book has inspired a revolutionary movement; Nikolai, the President’s personal physician, who has been forced into more and more harrowing decisions as he navigates the Federation’s palace politics; and Nurlan, the hapless parliamentary staffer whose attempt to save his Republic goes terribly awry. And then there is Krotov, head of the Federation’s security services, whose plots, agents, and assassins are everywhere.

Following the success of his debut novel, The Mountain in the Sea, Ray Nayler launches readers into a thrilling near-future world of geopolitical espionage. A cybernetic novel of political intrigue, Where the Axe is Buried combines the story of a near-impossible revolutionary operation with a blistering indictment of the many forms of authoritarianism that suffocate human freedom.]]> 336 Ray Nayler 0374615365 Percy 0 to-read 4.13 2025 Where the Axe Is Buried
author: Ray Nayler
name: Percy
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2025
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 Percy 0 to-read 4.62 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Percy
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Dead Girls Don't Talk 222438500 Revised This edition of Dead Girls Don't Talk includes editorial revisions.]]> 379 Sandra J. Paul 1662531893 Percy 0 to-read 2.67 Dead Girls Don't Talk
author: Sandra J. Paul
name: Percy
average rating: 2.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation]]> 403846 Caliban and the Witch is a history of the body in the transition to capitalism. Moving from the peasant revolts of the late Middle Ages to the witch-hunts and the rise of mechanical philosophy, Federici investigates the capitalist rationalization of social reproduction. She shows how the battle against the rebel body and the conflict between body and mind are essential conditions for the development of labor power and self-ownership, two central principles of modern social organization.

"It is both a passionate work of memory recovered and a hammer of humanity's agenda." Peter Linebaugh, author of The London Hanged"]]> 288 Silvia Federici 1570270597 Percy 0 to-read 4.55 2004 Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation
author: Silvia Federici
name: Percy
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Pedro Páramo 38787
As one enters Juan Rulfo's legendary novel, one follows a dusty road to a town of death. Time shifts from one consciousness to another in a hypnotic flow of dreams, desires, and memories, a world of ghosts dominated by the figure of Pedro Páramo - lover, overlord, murderer.

Rulfo's extraordinary mix of sensory images, violent passions, and unfathomable mysteries has been a profound influence on a whole generation of Latin American writers, including Carlos Fuentes, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Gabriel García Márquez. To read Pedro Páramo today is as overwhelming an experience as when it was first published in Mexico back in 1955.]]> 124 Juan Rulfo 0802133908 Percy 0 spanish, classics To add to it all we are constantly shifting perspectives and the majority of the info we are privy to we gather from dialogue (which sometimes we have to guess the participants of).
All of this serves to present the titular Pedro Páramo through the eyes of those whose lives he dominated.
It's riveting to see the archetypes from various myths from both Greek and evangelical canon used to maintain the feel of a space outside of time.]]> 4.06 1955 Pedro Páramo
author: Juan Rulfo
name: Percy
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1955
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: spanish, classics
review:
An interesting read but it takes some work to get through not only because of its fragmented structure but also because of its disregard for the timeline of the events. All to present the absence of time/cyclical nature of time in the city of Comala.
To add to it all we are constantly shifting perspectives and the majority of the info we are privy to we gather from dialogue (which sometimes we have to guess the participants of).
All of this serves to present the titular Pedro Páramo through the eyes of those whose lives he dominated.
It's riveting to see the archetypes from various myths from both Greek and evangelical canon used to maintain the feel of a space outside of time.
]]> The Dream Hotel 218695937 A novel about one woman’s fight for freedom, set in a near future where even dreams are under surveillance.

Sara has just landed at LAX, returning home from a conference abroad, when agents from the Risk Assessment Administration pull her aside and inform her that she will soon commit a crime. Using data from her dreams, the RAA’s algorithm has determined that she is at imminent risk of harming the person she loves most: her husband. For his safety, she must be kept under observation for twenty-one days.

The agents transfer Sara to a retention center, where she is held with other dreamers, all of them women trying to prove their innocence from different crimes. With every deviation from the strict and ever-shifting rules of the facility, their stay is extended. Months pass and Sara seems no closer to release. Then one day, a new resident arrives, disrupting the order of the facility and leading Sara on a collision course with the very companies that have deprived her of her freedom.

Eerie, urgent, and ceaselessly clear-eyed, The Dream Hotel artfully explores the seductive nature of technology, which puts us in shackles even as it makes our lives easier. Lalami asks how much of ourselves must remain private if we are to remain free, and whether even the most invasive forms of surveillance can ever capture who we really are.]]> 336 Laila Lalami 0593317602 Percy 0 to-read 3.65 2025 The Dream Hotel
author: Laila Lalami
name: Percy
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Manicurist's Daughter 127305940 An emotionally raw memoir about the crumbling of the American Dream and a daughter of refugees who searches for answers after her mother dies during plastic surgery

Susan Lieu has long been searching for answers about her family’s past and about her own future. Refugees from the Vietnam War, Susan’s family escaped to California in the 1980s after five failed attempts. Upon arrival, Susan’s mother was their savvy, charismatic North Star, setting up two successful nail salons and orchestrating every success―until Susan was eleven. That year, her mother died from a botched tummy tuck. After the funeral, no one was ever allowed to talk about her or what had happened.

For the next twenty years, Susan navigated a series of cascading questions alone―why did the most perfect person in her life want to change her body? Why would no one tell her about her mother’s life in Vietnam? And how did this surgeon, who preyed on Vietnamese immigrants, go on operating after her mother’s death? Sifting through depositions, tracking down the surgeon’s family, and enlisting the help of spirit channelers, Susan uncovers the painful truth of her mother, herself, and the impossible ideal of beauty.]]> 320 Susan Lieu Percy 0 to-read 3.92 2024 The Manicurist's Daughter
author: Susan Lieu
name: Percy
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Piercing 58861506 czy byłbym zdolny pchnąć? Odpowiedź wcale nie jest dla niego oczywista. Aby powstrzymać to obezwładniające go uczucie, Masayuki postanawia przeprowadzić niezwykły plan...

Chiaki Sanada nocami pracuje jako call girl, a dni spędza otumaniona tabletkami nasennymi. Jedno i drugie to dla niej zasłona dymna, mechanizm obronny, aby stać się kimś innym, nie myśleć i nie śnić najgorszych koszmarów. Gdy wyrwana z błogiej drzemki zostaje wezwana do biznesowego hotelu, nie wie jeszcze, w co właśnie zostaje wplątana.

Piercing wciąga jak thriller i przeraża jak opowieść true crime. To historia o demonach przeszłości i spustoszeniu, jakie w psychice dorosłych ludzi sieje przemoc, której doświadczyli w dzieciństwie.]]> 136 Ryū Murakami 8395921624 Percy 3 3.77 1994 Piercing
author: Ryū Murakami
name: Percy
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/02
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves:
review:

]]> Compound Fracture 203166772 Bestselling and award-winning author Andrew Joseph White returns with a queer Appalachian thriller, that pulls no punches, for teens who see the failures in our world and are pushing for radical change.

A gut-wrenching story following a trans autistic teen who survives an attempted murder, only to be drawn into the generational struggle between the rural poor and those who exploit them.

On the night Miles Abernathy—sixteen-year-old socialist and proud West Virginian—comes out as trans to his parents, he sneaks off to a party, carrying evidence that may finally turn the tide of the blood feud plaguing Twist Creek: Photos that prove the county’s Sheriff Davies was responsible for the so-called “accident� that injured his dad, killed others, and crushed their grassroots efforts to unseat him.

The feud began a hundred years ago when Miles’s great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, incited a miners� rebellion that ended with a public execution at the hands of law enforcement. Now, Miles becomes the feud’s latest victim as the sheriff’s son and his friends sniff out the evidence, follow him through the woods, and beat him nearly to death.

In the hospital, the ghost of a soot-covered man hovers over Miles’s bedside while Sheriff Davies threatens Miles into silence. But when Miles accidentally kills one of the boys who hurt him, he learns of other folks in Twist Creek who want out from under the sheriff’s heel. To free their families from this cycle of cruelty, they’re willing to put everything on the line—is Miles?

A visceral, unabashedly political page-turner that won’t let you go until you’ve reached the end, Compound Fracture is not for the faint of heart, but it is for every reader who is ready to fight for a better world.]]> 370 Andrew Joseph White 1682636127 Percy 4 I picked this up on a whim hoping that I'd like it and I did. It wasn't exactly what I imagined it would be tho. It was both more down to earth than I expected and reached the levels of crazy I didn't think it would. The context of the story was sooo out of my area of expertise that sometimes I'd just nod and go along with whatever it told me to believe (gullible written on the ceiling ig).

I was pleasantly surprised that the author didn't pull his punches only because it's YA, I don't think I would like it as much if he did. It's not written in a condescending tone like some YA tends to be, which slay.

The rep is incredible per usual, we love to see it <33 All the characters feel fully three-dimensional, which makes this story all the more raw and impactful (gets its message across for sure).

It is genuinely a banger and at this point, Andrew is an insta-buy author for me, I'm 100% confident I will like anything he publishes.]]> 4.44 2024 Compound Fracture
author: Andrew Joseph White
name: Percy
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves:
review:
4.5/5 â­ď¸Ź
I picked this up on a whim hoping that I'd like it and I did. It wasn't exactly what I imagined it would be tho. It was both more down to earth than I expected and reached the levels of crazy I didn't think it would. The context of the story was sooo out of my area of expertise that sometimes I'd just nod and go along with whatever it told me to believe (gullible written on the ceiling ig).

I was pleasantly surprised that the author didn't pull his punches only because it's YA, I don't think I would like it as much if he did. It's not written in a condescending tone like some YA tends to be, which slay.

The rep is incredible per usual, we love to see it <33 All the characters feel fully three-dimensional, which makes this story all the more raw and impactful (gets its message across for sure).

It is genuinely a banger and at this point, Andrew is an insta-buy author for me, I'm 100% confident I will like anything he publishes.
]]> <![CDATA[A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe, #1)]]> 52504334 Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark returns to his popular alternate Cairo universe for his fantasy novel debut, A Master of Djinn

Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city -or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…]]> 438 P. Djèlí Clark 1250267676 Percy 0 to-read 4.01 2021 A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe, #1)
author: P. Djèlí Clark
name: Percy
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil]]> 215020997 ALL first edition copies will be signed by the author! Signed copies available while supplies last.

From V. E. Schwab, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: a new genre-defying novel about immortality and hunger.

This is a story about hunger.
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets.

This is a story about love.
1827. London.
A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.

This is a story about rage.
2019. Boston.
College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge.

This is a story about life�
how it ends, and how it starts.

USA Today, 15 Most Anticipated of 2025
BookBub, Most Anticipated of 2025 (and Reader’s Pick)
Readers Digest, 20 Most Anticipated Books This Year
Paste Magazine, Most Anticipated Fantasy Books of 2025
BookRiot, Most Anticipated Books of 2025
Men's Health, 25 Best & Most Anticipated Books of 2025
The Nerd Daily, SFF to Devour in 2025
Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ, Readers' Most Anticipated Books of 2025]]> 560 Victoria E. Schwab 1035064642 Percy 0 to-read 4.38 2025 Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Percy
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame]]> 217388174 A new Queer, Asian-inspired fantasy novella about a renowned dragon slayer who never takes her armor off in public, Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame reads like She Who Became the Sun meets The Mandalorian, with dragons!

The fiercely independent nation of Quanbao is isolated, reclusive, and something of a mystery to the rest of the world. It is rumored that there, dragons are not feared as is right and proper but instead loved and worshiped.

Yeva is perhaps a strange emissary to these people. Not only because their face has never been seen in public, but because they are a hero born to a birthright that makes them suited for their task—hunting dragons.

And so the dragon hunter must woo Quanbao's queen—the Lady Sookhee—to understand what secrets she is hiding. A woman reasonably suspicious of Yeva's intentions, and the imperial might of the throne she represents, Sookhee bears the burden of the safety of her entire people. How can she trust this stranger newly arrived to her court, a weapon forged in blood and fire, to understand what her people need and how best to safeguard their future?

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 176 Neon Yang 1250357349 Percy 0 to-read 3.96 2025 Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame
author: Neon Yang
name: Percy
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood Like Magic (Blood Like Magic, #1)]]> 52305778 An urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.

After years of waiting for her Calling—a trial every witch must pass in order to come into their powers—the one thing Voya Thomas didn’t expect was to fail. When Voya’s ancestor gives her an unprecedented second chance to complete her Calling, she agrees—and then is horrified when her task is to kill her first love. And this time, failure means every Thomas witch will be stripped of their magic.

Voya is determined to save her family’s magic no matter the cost. The problem is, Voya has never been in love, so for her to succeed, she’ll first have to find the perfect guy—and fast. Fortunately, a genetic matchmaking program has just hit the market. Her plan is to join the program, fall in love, and complete her task before the deadline. What she doesn’t count on is being paired with the infuriating Luc—how can she fall in love with a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her?

With mounting pressure from her family, Voya is caught between her morality and her duty to her bloodline. If she wants to save their heritage and Luc, she’ll have to find something her ancestor wants more than blood. And in witchcraft, blood is everything.]]> 496 Liselle Sambury 1534465286 Percy 0 to-read 3.95 2021 Blood Like Magic (Blood Like Magic, #1)
author: Liselle Sambury
name: Percy
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mistress of Lies (The Age of Blood, #1)]]> 63106097
The daughter of a powerful but disgraced Blood Worker, Shan LeClaire has spent her entire life perfecting her blood magic, building her network of spies, and gathering every scrap of power she could. Now, to protect her brother, she assassinates their father and takes her place at the head of the family. And that is only the start of her revenge.

Samuel Hutchinson is a bastard with a terrible gift. When he stumbles upon the first victim of a magical serial killer, he's drawn into the world of magic and intrigue he's worked so hard to avoid - and is pulled deeply into the ravenous and bloodthirsty court of the vampire king.

Tasked by the Eternal King to discover the identity of the killer cutting a bloody swath through the city, Samuel, Shan and mysterious Royal Bloodworker Isaac find themselves growing ever closer to each other. But Shan's plans are treacherous, and as she lures Samuel into her complicated web of desire, treason and vengeance, he must decide if the good of their nation is worth the cost of his soul.]]> 432 K.M. Enright 0356521133 Percy 0 to-read 3.28 2024 Mistress of Lies (The Age of Blood, #1)
author: K.M. Enright
name: Percy
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Hammajang Luck 204325152 HAMMAJANG | adjective. Definition: In a disorderly or chaotic state; messed up. Chiefly in predicative use, esp. in all hammajang. Etymology: A borrowing from Hawaiian Pidgin. Source: Oxford English Dictionary.

Edie is done with crime. Eight years behind bars changes a person - costs them too much time with too many of the people who need them most.

And it's all Angel's fault. She sold Edie out in what should have been the greatest moment of their lives. Instead, Edie was shipped off to the icy prison planet spinning far below the soaring skybridges and neon catacombs of Kepler space station - of home - to spend the best part of a decade alone.

But then a chance for early parole appears out of nowhere and Edie steps into the pallid sunlight to find none other than Angel waiting - and she has an offer.

One last job. One last deal. One last target. The trillionaire tech god they failed to bring down last time. There's just one thing Edie needs to do - trust Angel again - which also happens to be the last thing Edie wants to do. What could possibly go all hammajang about this plan?

Ocean's 8 meets Blade Runner in this trail-blazing debut science fiction novel and swashbuckling love letter to Hawai'i about being forced to find a new home and striving to build a better one - unmissable for fans of Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.]]> 372 Makana Yamamoto 139961679X Percy 0 to-read 3.56 2024 Hammajang Luck
author: Makana Yamamoto
name: Percy
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[These Burning Stars (The Kindom Trilogy, #1)]]> 75593500
Jun Ironway—hacker, con artist, and occasional thief—has gotten her hands on a piece of contraband that could set her up for proof that implicates the powerful Nightfoot family in a planet-wide genocide seventy-five years ago. The Nightfoots control the precious sevite that fuels interplanetary travel through three star systems. And someone is sure to pay handsomely for anything that could break their hold.

Of course, anything valuable is also dangerous. The Kindom, the ruling power of the star systems, is inextricably tied up in the Nightfoots� monopoly—and they can’t afford to let Jun expose the truth. They task two of their most brutal clerics with hunting her preternaturally stoic Chono, and brilliant hothead Esek, who also happens to be the heir to the Nightfoot empire.

But Chono and Esek are haunted in turn by a figure from their shared past, known only as Six. What Six truly wants is anyone’s guess. And the closer they get to finding Jun, the surer Chono is that Six is manipulating them all.

​It's a game that could destroy their lives and devastate the stars. And they have no choice but to see it through to the end.]]> 464 Bethany Jacobs 0316463329 Percy 0 to-read 4.05 2023 These Burning Stars (The Kindom Trilogy, #1)
author: Bethany Jacobs
name: Percy
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Blighted Stars (The Devoured Worlds, #1)]]> 58340705
She’s a revolutionary. Humanity is running out of options. Habitable planets are being destroyed as quickly as they’re found and Naira Sharp knows the reason why. The all-powerful Mercator family has been controlling the exploration of the universe for decades, and exploiting any materials they find along the way under the guise of helping humanity’s expansion. But Naira knows the truth, and she plans to bring the whole family down from the inside.

He’s the heir to the dynasty. Tarquin Mercator never wanted to run a galaxy-spanning business empire. He just wanted to study rocks and read books. But Tarquin’s father has tasked him with monitoring the mining of a new planet, and he doesn’t really have a choice in the matter.

Disguised as Tarquin’s new bodyguard, Naira plans to destroy his ship before it lands. But neither of them expects to end up stranded on a dead planet. To survive and keep her secret, Naira will have to join forces with the man she’s sworn to hate. And together they will uncover a plot that’s bigger than both of them.]]> 491 Megan E. O'Keefe 0316290793 Percy 0 to-read 4.08 2023 The Blighted Stars (The Devoured Worlds, #1)
author: Megan E. O'Keefe
name: Percy
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Final Strife (The Ending Fire Trilogy, #1)]]> 63428316 The Priory of the Orange Tree), three women band together against a cruel empire that divides people by blood.

Red is the blood of the elite, of magic, of control.
Blue is the blood of the poor, of workers, of the resistance.
Clear is the blood of the slaves, of the crushed, of the invisible.

Sylah dreams of days growing up in the resistance, being told she would spark a revolution that would free the empire from the red-blooded ruling classes' tyranny. That spark was extinguished the day she watched her family murdered before her eyes.

Anoor has been told she's nothing, no one, a disappointment, by the only person who matters: her mother, the most powerful ruler in the empire. But when Sylah and Anoor meet, a fire burns between them that could consume the kingdom--and their hearts.

Hassa moves through the world unseen by upper classes, so she knows what it means to be invisible. But invisibility has its uses: It can hide the most dangerous of secrets, secrets that can reignite a revolution. And when she joins forces with Sylah and Anoor, together these grains of sand will become a storm.

As the empire begins a set of trials of combat and skill designed to find its new leaders, the stage is set for blood to flow, power to shift, and cities to burn.

Book One of The Ending Fire Trilogy]]> 624 Saara El-Arifi 0593356969 Percy 0 to-read 4.06 2022 The Final Strife (The Ending Fire Trilogy, #1)
author: Saara El-Arifi
name: Percy
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Leech 59807968 In an isolated chateau, as far north as north goes, the baron’s doctor has died. The doctor’s replacement has a mystery to solve: discovering how the Institute lost track of one of its many bodies.

For hundreds of years the Interprovincial Medical Institute has grown by taking root in young minds and shaping them into doctors, replacing every human practitioner of medicine. The Institute is here to help humanity, to cure and to cut, to cradle and protect the species from the apocalyptic horrors their ancestors unleashed.

In the frozen north, the Institute's body will discover a competitor for its rung at the top of the evolutionary ladder. A parasite is spreading through the baron's castle, already a dark pit of secrets, lies, violence, and fear. The two will make war on the battlefield of the body. Whichever wins, humanity will lose again.]]> 323 Hiron Ennes 125081118X Percy 0 to-read 3.57 2022 Leech
author: Hiron Ennes
name: Percy
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> He Who Bleeds 214189617
Religious devotion was a learned skill, and even the most pious of men have felt the tug of The Devil’s influence. Lord Aurélien Saint-Orlant found he was no exception, always toeing the line between being a true god-fearing man and a barbaric sinner who reveled in hedonism.

This monotonous life of his changes when his world crashes down around him and wolves in sheep's clothing are revealed, leading Aurélien to discover his true origins. As one of many devilspawns, he is locked in a contract with a greedy human who uses him to commit unorthodox killings among the upper echelon. When his contract is partially broken, Aurélien finds himself whole again, and his desire to create his macabre art only grows.

The spawn seeks retribution and craves the freedom to create his art in utter peace. With the help of his incubus lover, Lord Aurélien Saint-Orlant will paint the streets red with that human’s gore.]]> 200 Dorian Valentine Percy 0 to-read 3.95 2024 He Who Bleeds
author: Dorian Valentine
name: Percy
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Orlando 18839 Orlando 'The longest and most charming love letter in literature', playfully constructs the figure of Orlando as the fictional embodiment of Woolf's close friend and lover, Vita Sackville-West. Spanning three centuries, the novel opens as Orlando, a young nobleman in Elizabeth's England, awaits a visit from the Queen and traces his experience with first love as England under James I lies locked in the embrace of the Great Frost. At the midpoint of the novel, Orlando, now an ambassador in Constantinople, awakes to find that he is now a woman, and the novel indulges in farce and irony to consider the roles of women in the 18th and 19th centuries. As the novel ends in 1928, a year consonant with full suffrage for women. Orlando, now a wife and mother, stands poised at the brink of a future that holds new hope and promise for women.]]> 336 Virginia Woolf 0141184272 Percy 0 to-read 3.88 1928 Orlando
author: Virginia Woolf
name: Percy
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1928
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Out There Screaming 142392376 Get Out, Us, and Nope, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions, curates this groundbreaking anthology of all-new stories of Black horror, exploring not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling reality of injustice that haunts our nation.

A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them. A young girl dives into the depths of the Earth in search of the demon that killed her parents. These are just a few of the worlds of Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele’s anthology of all-new horror stories by Black writers. Featuring an introduction by Peele and an all-star roster of beloved writers and new voices, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and—like his spine-chilling films—its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world . . . and redefine what it means to be afraid.

Featuring stories by: Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N. K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L. D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull.]]> 387 Jordan Peele 059324379X Percy 4 owned
It was a cool anthology with a lot of hits. The inclusion of culture and mythology into the stories gave this collection a distinct identity which I appreciate.

Some of the standouts: Eye&Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse, The Aesthete by Justin C. Key, The Norwood Trouble by Maurice Broaddus, An American Fable by Chesya Burke, and Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor.

My favorite out of the entire anthology was Hide&Seek by P. Djèlí Clark. It left me in total awe and I cannot shut up about it since I read it. This was a masterclass in short story writing and made me super hyped for his other stuff.]]> 3.77 2023 Out There Screaming
author: Jordan Peele
name: Percy
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: owned
review:
3.75/5 â­ď¸Ź

It was a cool anthology with a lot of hits. The inclusion of culture and mythology into the stories gave this collection a distinct identity which I appreciate.

Some of the standouts: Eye&Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse, The Aesthete by Justin C. Key, The Norwood Trouble by Maurice Broaddus, An American Fable by Chesya Burke, and Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor.

My favorite out of the entire anthology was Hide&Seek by P. Djèlí Clark. It left me in total awe and I cannot shut up about it since I read it. This was a masterclass in short story writing and made me super hyped for his other stuff.
]]> Labirynt samotności 17981252 228 Octavio Paz 8308022812 Percy 0
Since I didn't finish it and it was an assigned reading I'm not rating it but I hated every second of it and I feel like the parts I mentioned are enough of a reason to give it one star.]]> 3.29 1950 Labirynt samotności
author: Octavio Paz
name: Percy
average rating: 3.29
book published: 1950
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: all-around-the-world, spanish, classics, dnf
review:
I'm sorry but this was such gibberish that I felt like I understood less the more I read. Writing like this is why I used to say I hate philosophy because I understand each and every word but they just make no sense put together. The only cohesive thought, of the 70 pages I managed to make through, was that women are lesser than men and that gay sex is acceptable as long as you're the one putting it in or as the author put it "r*ping the passive partner" (and the thing is this entire tirade is like 3/4 of a page, leads nowhere and is so out of a left field that I had to read through it twice just to make sure I understood it correctly).

Since I didn't finish it and it was an assigned reading I'm not rating it but I hated every second of it and I feel like the parts I mentioned are enough of a reason to give it one star.
]]> Red, White & Royal Blue 41150487
As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?]]> 448 Casey McQuiston 1250316774 Percy 0 owned, on-hold 4.06 2019 Red, White & Royal Blue
author: Casey McQuiston
name: Percy
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: owned, on-hold
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves, #1)]]> 39863498 From New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi comes a novel set in Paris during a time of extraordinary change--one that is full of mystery, decadence, and dangerous desires...

It's 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier SĂ©verin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, SĂ©verin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, SĂ©verin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood.

Together, they will join SĂ©verin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history--but only if they can stay alive.]]> 388 Roshani Chokshi 125014454X Percy 0 owned, on-hold 3.71 2019 The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves, #1)
author: Roshani Chokshi
name: Percy
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: owned, on-hold
review:

]]> Fragile Animals 201036078
Struggling to deal with the familial trauma of her Catholic upbringing, hotel cleaner, Noelle, travels to the Isle of Bute. There, she meets a man who claims to be a vampire, and a relationship blooms between them based solely on confession. But as talk turns sacrilegious, and the weather outside grows colder, Noelle struggles to come to terms with her blasphemous sexuality. She becomes hounded by memories of her past: her mother’s affair with the local priest, and the part she played in ending it.]]> 336 Genevieve Jagger 1912489961 Percy 0 to-read 3.50 2024 Fragile Animals
author: Genevieve Jagger
name: Percy
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Angels Before Man 62877213
In an eternal paradise, the most beautiful angel, Lucifer, struggles with shame, identity, and timidity, with little more than the desire to worship his creator.

It isn't until the strongest angel, Michael, comes into his life that Lucifer learns to love himself. Along the way, their friendship begins to bloom into something else. Maybe the first romance in the history of everything.

But this God is a jealous one, and maybe paradise is not paradise.]]> 398 Rafael Nicolás Percy 0 to-read 4.13 2022 Angels Before Man
author: Rafael Nicolás
name: Percy
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Wild Huntress 207567925
BRANWEN possesses a gift no other human has: the ability to see and slay monsters. She’s desperate to cure her mother’s sickness, and the Wild Hunt is her only option.

GWYDION is the least impressive of his magically talented family, but with his ability to control plants and his sleight of hand, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his cruel older brother from becoming a tyrant.

PRYDERI is prince-born and monster-raised. Deep down, the royal crown doesn’t interest him—all he wants is to know is where he belongs.

A trickster, a prince, and a wild huntress—if they band together against the monstrous creatures within the woods, they have a chance to win. But nothing is guaranteed, for all are fair game in love and the Hunt.]]> 421 Emily Lloyd-Jones 0316568147 Percy 0 to-read 4.00 2024 The Wild Huntress
author: Emily Lloyd-Jones
name: Percy
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Kingdom of This World 669450 The Kingdom of This World records the destruction of the black regime--built on the same corruption and contempt for human life that brought down the French--in an orgy of voodoo, racial hatred, erotomania, and fantastic grandeurs of false elegance.
]]> 186 Alejo Carpentier 0374521972 Percy 0 spanish, all-around-the-world My main gripe was with the fragmented structure of the novel, which paired with the polyperspectivity, resulted in a very confusing and frustrating reading experience.
I doubt I would have finished it if it wasn't assigned.]]> 3.83 1949 The Kingdom of This World
author: Alejo Carpentier
name: Percy
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1949
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: spanish, all-around-the-world
review:
After going through it again with our literature professor I guess I can see some merits and wittiness of this story, but I'm still not convinced I liked the execution of it.
My main gripe was with the fragmented structure of the novel, which paired with the polyperspectivity, resulted in a very confusing and frustrating reading experience.
I doubt I would have finished it if it wasn't assigned.
]]> The Black God's Drums 38118138 Rising SFF star P. Djèlí Clark brings an alternate New Orleans of orisha, airships, and adventure to life in his immersive debut novella The Black God's Drums

In an alternate New Orleans caught in the tangle of the American Civil War, the wall-scaling girl named Creeper yearns to escape the streets for the air � in particular, by earning a spot on-board the airship Midnight Robber. Creeper plans to earn Captain Ann-Marie’s trust with information she discovers about a Haitian scientist and a mysterious weapon he calls The Black God’s Drums.

But Creeper also has a secret Oya, the African orisha of the wind and storms, speaks inside her head, and may have her own ulterior motivations.

Soon, Creeper, Oya, and the crew of the Midnight Robber are pulled into a perilous mission aimed to stop the Black God’s Drums from being unleashed and wiping out the entirety of New Orleans.

“Asinewy mosaic of Haitian sky pirates, wily street urchins, and orisha magic.Beguiling and bombastic!� —Scott Westerfeld, New York Times bestselling author

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 112 P. Djèlí Clark 1250294703 Percy 0 to-read 4.02 2018 The Black God's Drums
author: P. Djèlí Clark
name: Percy
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Six Deaths of the Saint (Into Shadow, #3)]]> 62991463
Always mindful of the debt she owes, the girl finds her worth as a weapon in the hand of the Prince. Her victories make him a king, then an emperor. The bards sing her name and her enemies fear it. But the war never ends and the cost keeps rising—how many times will she repeat her own story?]]> 31 Alix E. Harrow 166250957X Percy 0 to-read 4.32 2022 The Six Deaths of the Saint (Into Shadow, #3)
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: Percy
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The God and the Gumiho (Fate's Thread, #1)]]> 198563688 416 Sophie Kim 0593599667 Percy 0 to-read 4.05 2024 The God and the Gumiho (Fate's Thread, #1)
author: Sophie Kim
name: Percy
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Unhinged (Necessary Evils, #1)]]> 58415294
Noah Holt has spent years dreaming of vengeance for the death of his father, but when faced with his killer, he learns a daunting truth he can’t escape. His father was a monster.

Unable to ignore his own surfacing memories, Noah embarks on a quest to find the truth about his childhood with the help of an unlikely ally: the very person who murdered his father. Since their confrontation, Adam is obsessed with Noah, and he wants to help him uncover the answers he seeks, however dark they may be.

The two share a mutual attraction, but deep down, Noah knows Adam’s not like other boys. Adam can’t love. He wasn’t born that way. But he refuses to let Noah go, and Noah’s not sure he wants him to.

Can Adam prove to Noah that passion, power, and protection are just as good as love?]]> 304 Onley James 168489154X Percy 0 to-read, owned 3.98 2021 Unhinged (Necessary Evils, #1)
author: Onley James
name: Percy
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1)]]> 58416952 At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this new fantasy series by internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington.

AUDI. VIDE. TACE.

The Catenan Republic � the Hierarchy � may rule the world now, but they do not know everything.

I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilised society in allowing my strength, my drive and my focus � what they call Will � to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.

I tell them that I belong, and they believe me.

But the truth is that I have been sent to the Academy to find answers. To solve a murder. To search for an ancient weapon. To uncover secrets that may tear the Republic apart.

And that I will never, ever cede my Will to the empire that executed my family.

To survive, though, I will still have to rise through the Academy’s ranks. I will have to smile, and make friends, and pretend to be one of them and win. Because if I cannot, then those who want to control me, who know my real name, will no longer have any use for me.

And if the Hierarchy finds out who I truly am, they will kill me.]]> 639 James Islington 1982141190 Percy 0 to-read 4.60 2023 The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1)
author: James Islington
name: Percy
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Death's Country 195830876 Hadestown meets “Orpheus and Eurydice� when two Miami teens travel to the underworld to retrieve their girlfriend’s soul.

Andres Santos of São Paulo was all swinging fists and firecracker fury, a foot soldier in the war between his parents. Until he drowned in the Tietê River� and made a bargain with Death for a new life. A year later, his parents have relocated the family to Miami, but their promises of a fresh start quickly dissolve in the summer heat.

Instead of fists, Andres now uses music to escape his parents� battles. While wandering Miami Beach, he meets two girls: photographer Renee, a blaze of fire, and dancer Liora, a ray of sunshine. The three become a polyamorous triad, happy, despite how no one understands their relationship. But when a car accident leaves Liora in a coma, Andres and Renee are shattered.

Then Renee proposes a radical solution: She and Andres must go into the underworld to retrieve their girlfriend’s spirit and reunite it with her body—before it’s too late. Their search takes them to the City of the dead, where painters bleed color, songs grow flowers, and regretful souls will do anything to forget their lives on earth. But finding Liora’s spirit is only the first step in returning to the living world. Because when Andres drowned, he left a part of himself in the underworld—a part he’s in no hurry to meet again. But it is eager to be reunited with him...

In verse as vibrant as the Miami skyline, critically acclaimed author R.M. Romero has crafted a masterpiece of magical realism and an openhearted ode to the nature of healing.]]> 400 R.M. Romero 1682636917 Percy 0 to-read 3.74 2024 Death's Country
author: R.M. Romero
name: Percy
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Model Home 205363963
The three Maxwell siblings keep their distance from the lily-white gated enclave outside Dallas where they grew up. When their family moved there, they were the only Black family in the neighborhood. The neighbors acted nice enough, but right away bad things, scary things—the strange and the unexplainable—began to happen in their house. Maybe it was some cosmic trial, a demonic rite of passage into the upper-middle class. Whatever it was, the Maxwells, steered by their formidable mother, stayed put, unwilling to abandon their home, terrors and trauma be damned.

As adults, the siblings could finally get away from the horrors of home, leaving their parents all alone in the house. But when news of their parents' death arrives, Ezri is forced to return to Texas with their sisters, Eve and Emanuelle, to reckon with their family’s past and present, and to find out what happened while they were away. It was not a “natural� death for their parents . . . but was it supernatural?

Rivers Solomon turns the haunted-house story on its head, unearthing the dark legacies of segregation and racism in the suburban American South. Unbridled, raw, and daring, Model Home is the story of secret histories uncovered, and of a queer family battling for their right to live, grieve, and heal amid the terrors of contemporary American life.]]> 304 Rivers Solomon 0374607133 Percy 0 to-read 3.72 2024 Model Home
author: Rivers Solomon
name: Percy
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Lockjaw 195245056 "Cerilli delivers a stunning debut in this gripping paranormal horror novel about queer teens growing up in a community that doesn’t accept them and the insidious danger of apathy."—STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly



"A horrifyingly honest tale, Lockjaw will keep you guessing with its creative storytelling, while its full-bodied characters will keep you reading as they band together to kill the monster haunting their town." —STARRED REVIEW, BookPage



"Experimental, metaphorical, and poetic, this quiet novel is for thoughtful readers not averse to horror themes." �Booklist



"Cerilli does a masterful job of creating a memorable setting. . . . It is hard to believe that Lockjaw is Matteo L. Cerilli’s debut novel. Readers will look forward to many more to come! Highly recommended." �CM: Canadian Review of Materials



Death is neither the beginning nor the end for the children of Bridlington in this debut trans YA horror book for fans of Rory Power and Danielle Vega.



Chuck Warren died tragically at the old abandoned mill, but Paz Espino knows it was no accident � there's a monster under the town, and she's determined to kill it before anyone else gets hurt. She'll need the help of her crew � inseparable friends, bound by a childhood pact stronger than diamonds, distance or death � to hunt it down. But she's up against a greater force of evil than she ever could have imagined.



With shifting timeframes and multiple perspectives, Lockjaw is a small-town ghost story, where monsters living and dead haunt the streets, the homes and the minds of the inhabitants. For readers of Wilder Girls and The Haunted, this trans YA horror book by an incredible debut author will grab you and never let you go.

]]> 352 Matteo L. Cerilli 1774882302 Percy 0 to-read 3.89 2024 Lockjaw
author: Matteo L. Cerilli
name: Percy
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> This Fatal Kiss 203613906 Spirit away with a whimsical fantasy filled with dark magic and flirty, polyamorous romance.

Cursed to haunt the river running through the magical spa town where she drowned, Gisela is a water nymph who dreams of returning to the living world and the family she left behind. All it takes to regain her humanity is a kiss from a mortal...but everyone sees her as a monster.

And then there’s Kazik, the brooding, interfering, spirit-hunting grandson of a local witch. He's determined to rid the world of unholy creatures like Gisela. After Kazik botches Gisela’s exorcism, she strikes up a deal. She won’t tell the other spirits that he’s losing his magic, if he agrees to play matchmaker and helps her get a kiss. But Gisela’s plan goes awry when Kazik also falls for the devilishly handsome young man that she sets her heart on—someone who could be linked to Gisela’s troubled past.

Finely crafted with a magical setting, this delectable quest through the spirit world is an enchanting read for fans of queer romantasy.]]> 416 Alicia Jasinska 1682637360 Percy 0 to-read 4.00 2024 This Fatal Kiss
author: Alicia Jasinska
name: Percy
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Bánh Mì for Two 200982333 In this sweet sapphic romance about two foodies in love, Vivi meets Lan while studying abroad in Vietnam and they spend the semester unraveling their families' histories—and eating all the street food in Sài Gòn.

In Sài Gòn, Lan is always trying to be the perfect daughter, dependable and willing to care for her widowed mother and their bánh mì stall. Her secret passion, however, is A Bánh Mì for Two, the food blog she started with her father but has stopped updating since his passing.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese American Vivi Huynh, has never been to Việt Nam. Her parents rarely talk about the homeland that clearly haunts them. So Vivi secretly goes to Vietnam for a study abroad program her freshman year of college. She’s determined to figure out why her parents left, and to try everything she’s seen on her favorite food blog, A Bánh Mì for Two.

When Vivi and Lan meet in Sài Gòn, they strike a deal. Lan will show Vivi around the city, helping her piece together her mother’s story through crumbling photographs and old memories. Vivi will help Lan start writing again so she can enter a food blogging contest. And slowly, as they explore the city and their pasts, Vivi and Lan fall in love.]]> 224 Trinity Nguyen 1250910838 Percy 0 to-read 3.85 2024 A Bánh Mì for Two
author: Trinity Nguyen
name: Percy
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Threads That Bind (Threads That Bind, #1)]]> 62695377 In a world where the children of the gods inherit their powers, a descendant of the Greek Fates must solve a series of impossible murders to save her sisters, her soulmate, and her city.

Descendants of the Fates are always born in threes: one to weave, one to draw, and one to cut the threads that connect people to the things they love and to life itself. The Ora sisters are no exception. Io, the youngest, uses her Fate-born abilities as a private investigator in the half-sunken city of Alante.

But her latest job leads her to a horrific discovery: somebody is abducting women, maiming their life-threads, and setting the resulting wraiths loose in the city to kill. To find the culprit, she must work alongside Edei Rhuna, the right hand of the infamous Mob Queen—and the boy with whom she shares a rare fate-thread linking them as soul mates before they’ve even met.

But the investigation turns personal when Io's estranged oldest sister turns up on the arm of her best suspect. Amid unveiled secrets from her past and her growing feelings for Edei, Io must follow clues through the city’s darkest corners and unearth a conspiracy that involves some of the city’s most powerful players—before destruction comes to her own doorstep.]]> 352 Kika Hatzopoulou 0593528719 Percy 0 to-read 3.91 2023 Threads That Bind (Threads That Bind, #1)
author: Kika Hatzopoulou
name: Percy
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To Shape a Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit, #1)]]> 61937038
The remote island of Masquapaug has not seen a dragon in many generations—until fifteen-year-old Anequs finds a dragon’s egg and bonds with its hatchling. Her people are delighted, for all remember the tales of the days when dragons lived among them and danced away the storms of autumn, enabling the people to thrive. To them, Anequs is revered as Nampeshiweisit—a person in a unique relationship with a dragon.

Unfortunately for Anequs, the Anglish conquerors of her land have different opinions. They have a very specific idea of how a dragon should be raised, and who should be doing the raising—and Anequs does not meet any of their requirements. Only with great reluctance do they allow Anequs to enroll in a proper Anglish dragon school on the mainland. If she cannot succeed there, her dragon will be killed.

For a girl with no formal schooling, a non-Anglish upbringing, and a very different understanding of the history of her land, challenges abound—both socially and academically. But Anequs is smart, determined, and resolved to learn what she needs to help her dragon, even if it means teaching herself. The one thing she refuses to do, however, is become the meek Anglish miss that everyone expects.

Anequs and her dragon may be coming of age, but they’re also coming to power, and that brings an important realization: the world needs changing—and they might just be the ones to do it.]]> 511 Moniquill Blackgoose 0593498283 Percy 0 to-read 4.11 2023 To Shape a Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit, #1)
author: Moniquill Blackgoose
name: Percy
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #2)]]> 51335759
With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

The police won't do anything about it. And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way... and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it's too late?]]> 413 Holly Jackson 1405297751 Percy 4 owned Another banger in this series. It's missing half a star because it was a bit slow in the beginning. The pace picked up in the last 100 pages, however, and the changes in prose were oh-so-good. I'm still shocked by the ending (it left me kind of speechless, as I did not see that coming).]]> 4.26 2020 Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #2)
author: Holly Jackson
name: Percy
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: owned
review:
4.5/5 â­ď¸Ź
Another banger in this series. It's missing half a star because it was a bit slow in the beginning. The pace picked up in the last 100 pages, however, and the changes in prose were oh-so-good. I'm still shocked by the ending (it left me kind of speechless, as I did not see that coming).
]]> <![CDATA[Gearbreakers (Gearbreakers, #1)]]> 54017833 Two girls on opposite sides of a war discover they're fighting for a common purpose--and falling for each other--in Zoe Hana Mikuta's high-octane debut Gearbreakers, perfect for fans of Pacific Rim, Pierce Brown's Red Rising Saga, and Marie Lu's Legend series.

We went past praying to deities and started to build them instead...

The shadow of Godolia's tyrannical rule is spreading, aided by their giant mechanized weapons known as Windups. War and oppression are everyday constants for the people of the Badlands, who live under the thumb of their cruel Godolia overlords.

Eris Shindanai is a Gearbreaker, a brash young rebel who specializes in taking down Windups from the inside. When one of her missions goes awry and she finds herself in a Godolia prison, Eris meets Sona Steelcrest, a cybernetically enhanced Windup pilot. At first Eris sees Sona as her mortal enemy, but Sona has a secret: She has intentionally infiltrated the Windup program to destroy Godolia from within.

As the clock ticks down to their deadliest mission yet, a direct attack to end Godolia's reign once and for all, Eris and Sona grow closer--as comrades, friends, and perhaps something more...]]> 405 Zoe Hana Mikuta 1250269504 Percy 0 to-read 3.87 2021 Gearbreakers (Gearbreakers, #1)
author: Zoe Hana Mikuta
name: Percy
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Chain-Gang All-Stars 61190770
Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker are the stars of Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly-popular, highly-controversial, profit-raising program in America's increasingly dominant private prison industry. It's the return of the gladiators and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom.

In CAPE, prisoners travel as Links in Chain-Gangs, competing in death-matches for packed arenas with righteous protestors at the gates. Thurwar and Staxxx, both teammates and lovers, are the fan favorites. And if all goes well, Thurwar will be free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. As she prepares to leave her fellow Links, she considers how she might help preserve their humanity, in defiance of these so-called games, but CAPE's corporate owners will stop at nothing to protect their status quo and the obstacles they lay in Thurwar's path have devastating consequences.

Moving from the Links in the field to the protestors to the CAPE employees and beyond, Chain-Gang All-Stars is a kaleidoscopic, excoriating look at the American prison system's unholy alliance of systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration, and a clear-eyed reckoning with what freedom in this country really means.]]> 367 Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 0593317335 Percy 0 to-read 4.13 2023 Chain-Gang All-Stars
author: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
name: Percy
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Court of the Dead (The Nico di Angelo Adventures #2)]]> 228221108 New York Times #1 bestselling authors Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro collaborate again on a new adventure in which demigod Nico di Angelo teams up with his half-sister Hazel Levesque to protect . . . monsters?

A few months after returning from the depths of Tartarus, demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace agree to join Nico's half-sister Hazel Levesque at Camp Jupiter on the West Coast. She needs their help in managing a situation that the boys inadvertently brought about: the demigods showed the monsters of the Underworld that they have options; they don’t have to be evil.

Now some of those monsters have taken up residence at Camp Jupiter to seek refuge. Nico and Will are on site, assisting Hazel when one by one monsters start disappearing from camp. A mysterious dark force is at work, and its plan is to punish all monsters for their past crimes.

Things only get worse when Nico, Will, and Hazel learn that they’re all connected to it . . .]]> 448 Rick Riordan 136810911X Percy 0 to-read 4.15 2025 The Court of the Dead (The Nico di Angelo Adventures #2)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Percy
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Books of Blood: Volume One (Books of Blood, #1)]]> 761023
Never one to shy away from the unimaginable or the unspeakable, Clive Barker breathes life into our deepest, darkest nightmares, creating visions that are at once terrifying, tender, and witty.

The Books of Blood confirm what horror fans everywhere have known for a long time: We will be hearing from Clive Barker for many years to come. This first volume contains the short stories : "The Book of Blood," "The Midnight Meat Train," "The Yattering and Jack," "Sex, Death, and Starshine," and "In the Hills, the Cities."]]> 210 Clive Barker 0425083896 Percy 0 to-read, owned 4.06 1984 Books of Blood: Volume One (Books of Blood, #1)
author: Clive Barker
name: Percy
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1984
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> The Reformatory 62919847 A gripping, page-turning novel set in Jim Crow Florida that follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he’s sent to a segregated reform school that is a chamber of terrors where he sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living, and the dead.

Gracetown, Florida
June 1950

Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.

Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late.

The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.]]> 576 Tananarive Due 1982188340 Percy 0 to-read, owned 4.44 2023 The Reformatory
author: Tananarive Due
name: Percy
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dungeons and Drama (Dungeons and Drama, #1)]]> 160047094
Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway. Crucial to this plan is to bring back her high school’s spring musical, but when Riley takes her mom’s car without permission, she's grounded and stuck with the worst punishment: spending her after-school hours working at her dad’s game shop.

Riley can't waste her time working when she has a musical to save, so she convinces Nathan—a nerdy teen employee—to cover her shifts and, in exchange, she’ll flirt with him to make his gamer-girl crush jealous.

But Riley didn’t realize that meant joining Nathan's Dungeons & Dragons game…or that role playing would be so fun. Soon, Riley starts to think that flirting with Nathan doesn't require as much acting as she would've thought...]]> 304 Kristy Boyce 0593647017 Percy 0 to-read, owned 4.14 2024 Dungeons and Drama (Dungeons and Drama, #1)
author: Kristy Boyce
name: Percy
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> Don't Let the Forest In 200982373 Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him. Protect him. Lie for him.

Kill for him.

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality―Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won't say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork―whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew's wicked stories.

Desperate to figure out what's wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster―Thomas's drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator...]]> 336 C.G. Drews 1250895669 Percy 0 to-read, owned 4.11 2024 Don't Let the Forest In
author: C.G. Drews
name: Percy
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> A Gentleman's Gentleman 214537773 From the acclaimed author of Chef's Kiss, a groundbreaking trans Regency romance that's both delightfully witty and refreshingly iconoclastic.

The notoriously eccentric Lord Christopher Eden is a “man of unusual make� and even more unusual habits: he prefers to live as far from the prying eyes and ears of the ton as possible, and would rather have the comfortable company of his childhood cook and his aged butler, Plinkton, than the swarm of servants and hangers-on befitting a man of his station.

But Christopher's pleasant, if occasionally lonely life is upended when he receives word from his lawyers that, according to his late father’s will, he must find a wife by the end of the Season if he intends to keep his family's fortune and the Eden's End estate. Christopher cannot imagine a worse fate: as he isn't attracted to women, his chances of making a wife happy are slim. Furthermore, if his quest to marry has any hope of succeeding, he must move to London posthaste and acquire some more suitable staff.

Enter James Harding, Christopher's new, distractingly handsome—if rigidly traditional—valet. After a rocky start, the two strike up a fragile friendship amid the throes of the London Season . . . a friendship that threatens to shatter under the looming shadow of Christopher’s impending nuptials—and the secrets both men are keeping.

With its heady combination of dry wit, slow-burn romance, and a nuanced, complex portrait of trans identity and relationships that’s as relevant now as it was during the Regency era, A Gentleman's Gentleman stands to transform the historical romance genre as we know it.]]> 336 T.J. Alexander 0593686209 Percy 0 to-read, owned 4.11 2025 A Gentleman's Gentleman
author: T.J. Alexander
name: Percy
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> Triple Sec 199797973
As a bartender at Terror & Virtue, a swanky New York City cocktail lounge known for its romantic atmosphere and Insta-worthy drinks, Mel has witnessed plenty of disastrous dates. That, coupled with her own romantic life being in shambles, has Mel convinced love doesn’t exist.

Everything changes when Bebe walks into the bar. She’s beautiful, funny, knows her whiskeys—and is happily married to her partner, Kade. Mel’s resigned to forget the whole thing, but Bebe makes her a unique since she and Kade have an open marriage, she’s interested in taking Mel on a date.

What starts as a fun romp turns into a burgeoning relationship, and soon Mel is trying all sorts of things she’d been avoiding, from grand romantic gestures to steamy exploits. Mel even gets the self-confidence to enter a cocktail competition that would make her dream of opening her own bar a reality. In the chaotic whirl of all these new experiences, Mel realizes there might be a spark between her and Kade, too. As Bebe, Kade, and Mel explore their connections, Mel begins to think that real love might be more expansive than she ever thought possible.]]> 320 T.J. Alexander 1668021986 Percy 0 to-read, owned 3.85 2024 Triple Sec
author: T.J. Alexander
name: Percy
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> At the Mountains of Madness 32767 At the Mountains of Madness. The deliberately told and increasingly chilling recollection of an Antarctic expedition's uncanny discoveries --and their encounter with an untold menace in the ruins of a lost civilization--is a milestone of macabre literature.

This Definitive Edition of At the Mountains of Madness (The Modern Library) also includes Lovecraft's long essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature."]]> 194 H.P. Lovecraft 0812974417 Percy 2 owned, classics 3.86 1931 At the Mountains of Madness
author: H.P. Lovecraft
name: Percy
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1931
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: owned, classics
review:
Well, any semblance of unease or dread that this could've evoked in me got buried under the endless string of numbers, measures, and excruciating detail provided by the author. By the 100th page, it all turned to mush and I mostly finished it to be done with it. And yes, I realize that the protagonist is a scientist so this is an accurate representation of his thought patterns. I'm not however, and so it felt more like reading an encyclopedia than a horror story.
]]> <![CDATA[We Love You, Bunny (Bunny, #2)]]> 223478303
When We Love You, Bunny opens, Sam has just published her first novel to critical acclaim. But at a New England stop on her book tour, her one-time frenemies, furious at the way they’ve been portrayed, kidnap her. Now a captive audience, it’s her (and our) turn to hear the Bunnies� side of the story. One by one, they take turns holding the axe, and recount the birth throes of their unholy alliance, their discovery of their unusual creative powers—and the phantasmagoric adventure of conjuring their first creation. With a bound and gagged Sam, we embark on a wickedly intoxicating journey into the heart of dark academia: a fairy tale slasher that explores the wonder and horror of creation itself. Not to mention the transformative powers of love and friendship, Bunny.

Frankenstein by way of Heathers, We Love You, Bunny is both a prequel and a sequel, and an unabashedly wild and totally complete stand-alone novel. Open your hearts, Bunny, to another dazzlingly original and darkly hilarious romp in the Bunny-verse from the queen of the fever-dream, Mona Awad.]]> Mona Awad Percy 0 to-read 4.59 2025 We Love You, Bunny (Bunny, #2)
author: Mona Awad
name: Percy
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0)]]> 52822210 International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood.

If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.

Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.

Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.

Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.

When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.]]> 368 Angie Thomas 006284671X Percy 0 to-read 4.38 2021 Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0)
author: Angie Thomas
name: Percy
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism]]> 55338982
What makes “cults� so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we’re looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join—and more importantly, stay in—extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell’s argument is that, on some level, it already has . . .

Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, mostly having to do with vague talk of “brainwashing.� But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear—and are influenced by—every single day.

Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities “cultish,� revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven’s Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of “cultish� everywhere.]]> 309 Amanda Montell 0062993151 Percy 0 to-read, owned 3.82 2021 Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
author: Amanda Montell
name: Percy
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Captive Prince (Captive Prince, #1)]]> 9305362 From global phenomenon C. S. Pacat comes the first in her critically acclaimed trilogy—with a bonus story.

Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos. But when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.

Beautiful, manipulative, and deadly, his new master, Prince Laurent, epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.

For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else�

Includes an exclusive extra story!]]> 240 C.S. Pacat Percy 0 to-read, owned 3.83 2013 Captive Prince (Captive Prince, #1)
author: C.S. Pacat
name: Percy
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> The Risk (Mindf*ck, #1) 33131867 Left too little.
I had nothing to lose...until him.

**

~Lana~

I didn't expect him.
I didn't want to fall in love.
But I can't let him go.

Logan Bennett makes the world a safer place.
He's brilliant.
He's a hero.
He locks away the sick and depraved.
But while he's saving lives, I'm taking them. Collecting the debts that are owed to me.

Ten years ago, they took from me. They left me for dead.
They should have made sure I stayed dead.

Now I'm taking from them.
One name at a time.

I've trained for too long.
I've been patient.
I can't stop now.

Revenge is best served cold...

They never see me coming, until I paint their walls red.

Logan doesn't know how they hurt me. He doesn't know about the screams they ignored. He doesn't know how twisted that town really is.

He just knows people are dying.
He doesn't know he's in love with their killer.

No one suspects a dead girl.
And Logan doesn't suspect the girl in his bed.

They're looking for a monster.
Not a girl who loves red.
Not a girl in love.

I'm a faceless nightmare.

At least until I tell them the story they've pretended never happened.

But in the end, will Logan choose them? Or will we watch them burn together?

**Graphic
**Adult language
**Some triggers could be too much for the easily disturbed reader
**Sexual content
**Fucked up moral compass; read at your own risk.]]> 132 S.T. Abby Percy 0 dnf, owned 4.21 2016 The Risk (Mindf*ck, #1)
author: S.T. Abby
name: Percy
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: dnf, owned
review:

]]> Head Cases (PAR Unit, #1) 211004897 Head Cases follows an enigmatic group of FBI agents as they hunt down a murderer seeking his own justice in this electrifying—and commercial—series debut.

FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He also has a blind spot on the human side of investigations, a blindness that sometimes even includes people in his own life, like his beloved seven-year-old daughter Camila. Gardner and his squad of brilliant yet quirky agents make up the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, the FBI’s hidden edge, brought in for cases that no one else can solve.

When DNA links a murder victim to a serial killer long presumed dead, the team springs into action. A second victim establishes a pattern, and the murderer begins leaving a trail of clues and riddles especially for Gardner. And while the PAR team is usually relegated to working cold cases from behind a desk, the investigation puts them on the road and into the public eye, following in the footsteps of a killer.

Along with Gardner, PAR consists of a mathematician, a weapons expert, a computer analyst, and their leader, a career agent. Each of them must use every skill they have to solve the riddle of the killer’s identity. But with the perpetrator somehow learning more and more about the team at PAR, can they protect themselves and their families…before it’s too late?

With an enigmatic case that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and a thoroughly engaging ensemble cast, John McMahon’s Head Cases is a triumph.]]> 341 John McMahon 1250348293 Percy 0 to-read, owned 3.99 2025 Head Cases (PAR Unit, #1)
author: John McMahon
name: Percy
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> Sisters of the Lost Nation 61686006 A young Native girl's hunt for answers about the women mysteriously disappearing from her tribe's reservation lead her to delve into the myths and stories of her people, all while being haunted herself, in this atmospheric and stunningly poignant debut.

Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation's casino...and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step--an ancient tribal myth come-to-life, one that's intent on devouring her whole.

With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old. As girls begin to go missing and the tribe scrambles to find answers, Anna struggles with her place on the rez, desperately searching for the key she's sure lies in the legends of her tribe's past.

When Anna's own little sister also disappears, she'll do anything to bring Grace home. But the demons plaguing the reservation--both ancient and new--are strong, and sometimes, it's the stories that never get told that are the most important.

Part gripping thriller and part mythological horror, author Nick Medina spins an incisive and timely novel of life as an outcast, the cost of forgetting tradition, and the courage it takes to become who you were always meant to be.]]> 338 Nick Medina 0593546857 Percy 0 to-read, owned 3.85 2023 Sisters of the Lost Nation
author: Nick Medina
name: Percy
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sword Catcher (The Chronicles of Castellane, #1)]]> 36679274
Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword Catcher—the body double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are as close as brothers, but Kel knows that his destiny is to die for Conor. No other future is possible.

Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a small community whose members still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls within the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. Despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend without access to forbidden knowledge.

After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the criminal ruler of Castellane’s underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces.

As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will their discoveries plunge their nation into war—and the world into chaos?]]> 624 Cassandra Clare 0525619992 Percy 0 to-read, owned 3.79 2023 Sword Catcher (The Chronicles of Castellane, #1)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Percy
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]>