Z's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 23 Mar 2025 00:04:06 -0700 60 Z's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Wrath of the Triple Goddess (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures, #2)]]> 199190261
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover settle into Hecate’s seemingly endless mansion and start getting acquainted with the fussy, terrifying animals. The trio has been warned not to touch anything, but while Percy and Annabeth are out at school, Grover can’t resist drinking a strawberry-flavored potion in the laboratory. It turns him into a giant frenzied goat, and after he rampages through the house, damaging everything in sight, and passes out, Hecuba and Gale escape. Now the friends have to find Hecate’s pets and somehow restore the house, all before Hecate gets back on Saturday. It’s going to take luck, demigod wiles, and some old and new friends to hunt down the animals and set things right again.]]> 322 Rick Riordan 1368112382 Z 5
[spoilers removed]]]> 4.14 2024 Wrath of the Triple Goddess (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures, #2)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Z
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves:
review:
Another wonderful nostalgic trip with our original trio! I've really enjoyed reading these two books so far despite how long it's been, I realized while finishing this that it's been 20 years since the first book came out! I think it's very interesting how so far each one has kind of made you pause and consider some very serious topics between all the fun and chaos of Percy's life.

[spoilers removed]
]]> <![CDATA[The Chalice of the Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures, #1)]]> 63035432
Unfortunately, the gods aren’t quite done with him yet. Poseidon breaks the bad news that if Percy expects to get into New Rome University, he will have to fulfill three quests in order to earn the necessary three letters of recommendation from Mount Olympus.

The first task is to help Ganymede, Zeus’s cupbearer, retrieve his golden goblet before it falls into the wrong hands. You see, one sip from it can turn a mortal into a god, and Zeus would not be pleased with that result. Can Percy and his friends Grover and Annabeth find the precious cup in time? And if they do, will they be able to resist its special power?

Readers new to Percy Jackson universe and fans who have been awaiting this reunion for more than a decade will delight equally in this latest hilarious take on Greek mythology by the "storyteller of the gods."]]> 288 Rick Riordan 1368098177 Z 4 4.27 2023 The Chalice of the Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures, #1)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Z
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/20
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves:
review:
It was very nostalgic getting to read an adventure with our original trio, as always Rick's writing pulls me in and I find myself unable to put the book down. There were a lot of moments that were thoughtful and emotional, especially the fight with Geras. Being scared of what comes with the future, with getting older was very real, but Percy reminded us that there are also so many good things, all the memories you are going to make with the people you love. It was interesting to see Percy thinking about the future for once in a life where he's never had that luxury before. He never seems to catch a break, but I'm excited to see the next quests he'll have to embark on to get those last two recommendation letters!
]]> <![CDATA[He Who Drowned the World (The Radiant Emperor, #2)]]> 63132362
Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, is riding high after her victory that tore southern China from its Mongol masters. Now she burns with a new desire: to seize the throne and crown herself emperor.

But Zhu isn’t the only one with imperial ambitions. Her neighbor in the south, the courtesan Madam Zhang, wants the throne for her husband―and she’s strong enough to wipe Zhu off the map. To stay in the game, Zhu will have to gamble everything on a risky alliance with an old enemy: the talented but unstable eunuch general Ouyang, who has already sacrificed everything for a chance at revenge on his father’s killer, the Great Khan.

Unbeknownst to the southerners, a new contender is even closer to the throne. The scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang has maneuvered his way into the capital, and his lethal court games threaten to bring the empire to its knees. For Baoxiang also desires revenge: to become the most degenerate Great Khan in history―and in so doing, make a mockery of every value his Mongol warrior family loved more than him.

All the contenders are determined to do whatever it takes to win. But when desire is the size of the world, the price could be too much for even the most ruthless heart to bear…]]> 486 Shelley Parker-Chan 1250621836 Z 0 to-read 4.22 2023 He Who Drowned the World (The Radiant Emperor, #2)
author: Shelley Parker-Chan
name: Z
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor, #1)]]> 48727813 Two-time British Fantasy Award Winner
Astounding Award Winner
Lambda Literary Award Finalist
Hugo Award Finalist
Locus Award Finalist
Otherwise Award Finalist

"Magnificent in every way."—Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree

"A dazzling new world of fate, war, love and betrayal."—Zen Cho, author of Black Water Sister

She Who Became the Sun reimagines the rise to power of the Ming Dynasty’s founding emperor.

To possess the Mandate of Heaven, the female monk Zhu will do anything

“I refuse to be nothing…�

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness�

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu takes the chance to claim another future her brother's abandoned greatness.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 416 Shelley Parker-Chan 1250621798 Z 0 to-read 3.87 2021 She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor, #1)
author: Shelley Parker-Chan
name: Z
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Last Song of Penelope (The Songs of Penelope, #3)]]> 195113207 Following the critically acclaimed Ithaca and House of Odysseus comes the final novel in Claire North's Songs of Penelope trilogy - an exquisite, gripping tale that breathes life into ancient myth. This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before.Many years ago, Odysseus sailed to war and never returned. For twenty years his wife Penelope and the women of Ithaca have guarded the isle against suitors and rival kings. But peace cannot be kept forever, and the balance of power is about to break . . .A beggar has arrived at the Palace. Salt-crusted and ocean-battered, he is scorned by the suitors - but Penelope recognises in him something her husband, Odysseus, returned at last. Yet this Odysseus is no hero. By returning to the island in disguise, he is not merely plotting his revenge against the suitors - vengeance that will spark a civil war - but he's testing the loyalty of his queen. Has she been faithful to him all these years? And how much blood is Odysseus willing to shed to be sure?The song of Penelope is ending, and the song of Odysseus must ring through Ithaca's halls. But first, Penelope must use all her cunning to win a war for the fate of the island and keep her family alive, whatever the cost . . .]]> 464 Claire North 035651613X Z 0 rome 4.30 2024 The Last Song of Penelope (The Songs of Penelope, #3)
author: Claire North
name: Z
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: rome
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]]> <![CDATA[House of Odysseus (The Songs of Penelope, #2)]]> 61346131
In the palace of Odysseus, a queen lies dreaming . . .

On the isle of Ithaca, queen Penelope maintains a delicate balance of power. Many years ago, her husband Odysseus sailed to war with Troy and never came home. In his absence, Penelope uses all her cunning to keep the peace—a peace that is shattered by the return of Orestes, King of Mycenae, and his sister Elektra.

Orestes' hands are stained with his mother's blood. Not so long ago, the son of Agamemnon took Queen Clytemnestra's life on Ithaca's sands. Now, wracked with guilt, he grows ever more unhinged. But a king cannot be seen to be weak, and Elektra has brought him to Ithaca to keep him safe from the ambitious men of Mycenae.

Penelope knows destruction will follow in his wake as surely as the furies circle him. His uncle Menelaus, the blood-soaked king of Sparta, hungers for Orestes' throne—and if he can seize it, no one will be safe from his violent whims.

Trapped between two mad kings, Penelope must find a way to keep her home from being crushed by the machinations of a battle that stretches from Mycenae and Sparta to the summit of Mount Olympus itself. Her only allies are Elektra, desperate to protect her brother, and Helen of Troy, Menelaus' wife. And watching over them all is the goddess Aphrodite, who has plans of her own.

Each woman has a secret, and their secrets will shape the world . . .]]> 432 Claire North 0356516075 Z 0 rome 4.14 2023 House of Odysseus (The Songs of Penelope, #2)
author: Claire North
name: Z
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: rome
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]]> <![CDATA[Ithaca (The Songs of Penelope, #1)]]> 59416521
Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odysseus. While he lived, her position was secure. But now, years on, speculation is mounting that her husband is dead, and suitors are beginning to knock at her door.

No one man is strong enough to claim Odysseus' empty throne—not yet. But everyone waits for the balance of power to tip, and Penelope knows that any choice she makes could plunge Ithaca into bloody civil war. Only through cunning, wit, and her trusted circle of maids, can she maintain the tenuous peace needed for the kingdom to survive.

This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before. Beyond Ithaca’s shores, the whims of gods dictate the wars of men. But on the isle, it is the choices of the abandoned women—and their goddesses� that will change the course of the world.]]> 391 Claire North Z 0 rome 3.69 2022 Ithaca (The Songs of Penelope, #1)
author: Claire North
name: Z
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: rome
review:

]]> The Box: Uncanny Stories 6376283
"Button, Button," Richard Matheson's chilling tale of greed and temptation, is now the basis of The Box, the new film from the director of Donnie Darko. In addition, this outstanding collection also contains many other unforgettable stories by Matheson, the award-winning author of I Am Legend and What Dreams May Come.

"The inventive plots and spare but convincing portraits of ordinary men and women caught up in forces beyond their control demonstrate why Stephen King has called Matheson his most significant influence."
--Publishers Weekly]]> 272 Richard Matheson 0765361434 Z 0 to-read 3.40 1970 The Box: Uncanny Stories
author: Richard Matheson
name: Z
average rating: 3.40
book published: 1970
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Boneless Mercies 36949995
When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies' one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the story arc of women everywhere.]]> 352 April Genevieve Tucholke 0374307067 Z 0 to-read 3.58 2018 The Boneless Mercies
author: April Genevieve Tucholke
name: Z
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
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]]> Seven Endless Forests 42635091 In this gorgeous standalone companion to the critically acclaimed fantasy, The Boneless Mercies, April Tucholke spins a bold and blood-hungry retelling of the King Arthur legend that is perfect for fans of Naomi Novik, Garth Nix, and Laini Taylor.

On the heels of a devastating plague, Torvi’s sister, Morgunn, is stolen from the family farm by Uther, a flame-loving Fremish wolf-priest who leads a pack of ragged, starving girls. Torvi leaves the only home she’s ever known, and joins a shaven-skulled druid and a band of roaming Elsh artists known as the Butcher Bards. They set out on a quest to rescue Torvi’s sister, and find a mythical sword.

On their travels, Torvi and her companions will encounter magical night wilds and mystical Drakes who trade in young men. They will sing rowdy Elshland ballads in a tree-town tavern, and find a mysterious black tower in an Endless Forest. They will fight alongside famous Vorseland archers and barter with Fremish wizards. They will feast with rogue Jade Fell children in a Skal Mountain cave, and seek the help of a Pig Witch. They will face wild, dangerous magic that leads to love, joy, tragedy, and death.

Torvi set out to rescue a sister, but she may find it’s merely the first step toward a life that is grander and more glorious than anything she could have imagined.]]> 330 April Genevieve Tucholke 0374307091 Z 0 rome 3.58 2020 Seven Endless Forests
author: April Genevieve Tucholke
name: Z
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: rome
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Anno Dracula (Anno Dracula, #1)]]> 8970727
Anno Dracula is a rich and panoramic tale, combining horror, politics, mystery and romance to create a unique and compelling alternate history. Acclaimed novelist Kim Newman explores the darkest depths of a reinvented Victorian London.

This brand-new edition of the bestselling novel contains unique bonus material, including a new afterword from Kim Newman, annotations, articles and alternate endings to the original novel.]]> 547 Kim Newman Z 0 queue 3.73 1992 Anno Dracula (Anno Dracula, #1)
author: Kim Newman
name: Z
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Book of Life (All Souls, #3)]]> 16054217 The #1 New York Times bestselling series finale and sequel to A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night

Bringing the magic and suspense of the All Souls Trilogy to a deeply satisfying conclusion, this highly anticipated finale went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. In The Book of Life, Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London to make a dramatic return to the present—facing new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, they reunite with the beloved cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency.]]> 561 Deborah Harkness 0670025593 Z 0 queue 4.15 2014 The Book of Life (All Souls, #3)
author: Deborah Harkness
name: Z
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Voyage Home (Women of Troy, #3)]]> 59427493
Continuing the story of the captured Trojan women as they set sail for Mycenae with the victorious Greeks, this new novel centres on the fate of Cassandra -- daughter of King Priam, priestess of Apollo, and a prophet condemned never to be heeded. (When she refuses to have sex with Apollo, after he has kissed her, granting her the gift of true prophecy, he spits in her mouth to make sure she will never be believed.)

Psychologically complex and dangerously driven, Cassandra's arrival in Mycenae will set in motion a bloody train of events, drawing in King Agamemnon, his wife Clytemnestra and daughter Electra. Agamemnon's triumphant return from Troy is far from the celebration he imagined, and the fate of the Trojan women as uncertain as they had feared.]]> 320 Pat Barker 0241568269 Z 0 rome 3.99 2024 The Voyage Home (Women of Troy, #3)
author: Pat Barker
name: Z
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: rome
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]]> <![CDATA[The Women of Troy (Women of Troy, #2)]]> 55440232 A daring and timely feminist retelling of The Iliad from the perspective of the women of Troy who endured it—an extraordinary follow up to The Silence of the Girls from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Regeneration Trilogy.

Troy has fallen and the victorious Greeks are eager to return home with the spoils of an endless war—including the women of Troy themselves. They await a fair wind for the Aegean.

It does not come, because the gods are offended. The body of King Priam lies unburied and desecrated, and so the victors remain in suspension, camped in the shadows of the city they destroyed as the coalition that held them together begins to unravel. Old feuds resurface and new suspicions and rivalries begin to fester.

Largely unnoticed by her captors, the one time Trojan queen Briseis, formerly Achilles's slave, now belonging to his companion Alcimus, quietly takes in these developments. She forges alliances when she can, with Priam's aged wife the defiant Hecuba and with the disgraced soothsayer Calchas, all the while shrewdly seeking her path to revenge.]]> 307 Pat Barker 0385546696 Z 0 rome 3.81 2021 The Women of Troy (Women of Troy, #2)
author: Pat Barker
name: Z
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: rome
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]]> The Silence of the Girls 41728452
No one knows it yet, but there are just ten weeks to go until the Fall of Troy, the end of this long and bitter war. This is the start of The Iliad: the most famous war story ever told. The next ten weeks will be a story of male power, male ego, male violence. But what of the women? The thousands of female slaves in the soldiers' camp - in the laundry, at the loom, laying out the dead? Briseis is one of their number - and she will be our witness to history.]]> 325 Pat Barker 0241983207 Z 0 rome 3.90 2018 The Silence of the Girls
author: Pat Barker
name: Z
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/11
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Threads: The Reincarnation of Anne Boleyn]]> 16003938 In 1536 a woman dies, and the story begins ...

Threads, a reincarnation fantasy, opens with Anne's execution. Her fury at her husband's betrayal has enough momentum to survive centuries, but in Threads she learns that she has been assigned a hard task: she must review their history together through a number of past lives, and find it within herself to forgive him. This may prove difficult and take some time. The husband in question is Henry Tudor, the notorious Henry VIII. The narrator is the stubborn, volatile Anne Boleyn, who is not at all inclined to forgive.

It is a very unusual love story.]]> 350 Nell Gavin 1479108596 Z 0 currently-reading 3.70 2001 Threads: The Reincarnation of Anne Boleyn
author: Nell Gavin
name: Z
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2001
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/04
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Taste of Gold and Iron (Mahisti Dynasty, #1)]]> 58724599 The Goblin Emperor meets "Magnificent Century" in Alexandra Rowland's A Taste of Gold and Iron, where a queer central romance unfolds in a fantasy world reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire.

Kadou, the shy prince of Arasht, finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court—the body-father of the queen's new child—in an altercation which results in his humiliation.

To prove his loyalty to the queen, his sister, Kadou takes responsibility for the investigation of a break-in at one of their guilds, with the help of his newly appointed bodyguard, the coldly handsome Evemer, who seems to tolerate him at best. In Arasht, where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history, counterfeiting is heresy, and the conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing and bring about its ruin.]]> 512 Alexandra Rowland 1250800382 Z 2 4.03 2022 A Taste of Gold and Iron (Mahisti Dynasty, #1)
author: Alexandra Rowland
name: Z
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/16
date added: 2025/01/04
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]]> The Library Thief 200153487 A strikingly original and absorbing mystery about a white-passing bookbinder in Victorian England and the secrets lurking on the estate where we she works, for fans of Fingersmith and The Confessions of Frannie Langton

The library is under lock and key. But its secrets can't be contained.

1896. After he brought her home from Jamaica as a baby, Florence's father had her hair hot-combed to make her look like the other girls. But as a young woman, Florence is not so easy to tame—and when she brings scandal to his door, the bookbinder throws her onto the streets of Manchester.

Intercepting her father's latest commission, Florence talks her way into the remote, forbidding Rose Hall to restore its collection of rare books. Lord Francis Belfield's library is old and full of secrets—but none so intriguing as the whispers about his late wife.

Then one night, the library is broken into. Strangely, all the priceless tomes remain untouched. Florence is puzzled, until she discovers a half-burned book in the fireplace. She realizes with horror that someone has found and set fire to the secret diary of Lord Belfield's wife–which may hold the clue to her fate�

Evocative, arresting and tightly plotted, The Library Thief is at once a propulsive Gothic mystery and a striking exploration of race, gender and self-discovery in Victorian England.]]> 368 Kuchenga Shenjé 1335909699 Z 0 queue 3.26 2024 The Library Thief
author: Kuchenga Shenjé
name: Z
average rating: 3.26
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/01
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]]> <![CDATA[Death Is My BFF (The Death Chronicles, #1)]]> 123229391
Now it’s the eve of that special birthday, and Faith has no recollection of that fateful day. But echoes of Death appear in her art―his intense eyes, his intriguing demeanor―and she can’t get him out of her head. When he arrives in person, Faith is drawn into an epic supernatural battle where her very existence is questioned at every turn.

To add angst to agony, she meets the infamous David Star at a Halloween party, and he begins to show an interest in her. He’s handsome, rich, ambitious, and every girl’s dream, but Faith doesn’t know if she can trust him.

As Faith learns more about who David really is, and as Death pushes harder for her soul, an ancient prophecy emerges. When she discovers the secrets that bind all three together... all hell breaks loose.]]> 384 Katarina E. Tonks 1998854272 Z 0 to-read 4.00 2011 Death Is My BFF (The Death Chronicles, #1)
author: Katarina E. Tonks
name: Z
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/26
shelves: to-read
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]]> La Vie de Guinevere 215060542 With Camelot’s peace ebbing ever closer to shattering, the clock is ticking. But working with Merlin’s magic to retrieve her long-lost memories and save the kingdom brings more questions than answers: why is it that King Arthur, who treats his subjects with loving benevolence, can’t even stand to look at her? And why does that make Vera’s soul feel like it’s splitting in two? What robbed her of her memories in the first place...
And most importantly...
Why?
As Vera is about to discover; in a world of legend and power, the secrets of her memories are only the beginning.]]> 536 Paula Lafferty Z 0 queue 4.47 La Vie de Guinevere
author: Paula Lafferty
name: Z
average rating: 4.47
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/16
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]]> <![CDATA[The Art of Forgetting: Disgrace and Oblivion in Roman Political Culture (Studies in the History of Greece and Rome)]]> 12486 424 Harriet I. Flower 0807830631 Z 0 rome 4.45 2006 The Art of Forgetting: Disgrace and Oblivion in Roman Political Culture (Studies in the History of Greece and Rome)
author: Harriet I. Flower
name: Z
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/29
shelves: rome
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]]> <![CDATA[Staging Memory, Staging Strife: Empire and Civil War in the Octavia]]> 31146596
In order to rewrite the history of Rome's first imperial dynasty, the Octavia engages with the literature of Julio-Claudian Rome, using the words of Rome's most celebrated authors to stage a new reading of that era and its ruling family. In doing so, the play opens a dialogue about literary versions of history and about the legitimacy of those historical accounts. Through an innovative combination of intertextual analysis and cultural memory theory, Ginsberg contextualizes the roles that literature and the literary manipulation of memory play in negotiating the transition between the Julio-Claudian and Flavian regimes. Her book claims for the Octavia a central role in current debates over both the ways in which Nero and his family were remembered as well as the politics of literary and cultural memory in the early Roman empire.]]> 248 Lauren Donovan Ginsberg 0190275952 Z 0 rome 0.0 Staging Memory, Staging Strife: Empire and Civil War in the Octavia
author: Lauren Donovan Ginsberg
name: Z
average rating: 0.0
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]]> <![CDATA[Chariot Racing in the Roman Empire]]> 9061489
Following close on the heels of his successful book on gladiators, Fik Meijer reveals all there is to know about chariot racing in the Roman Empire. After recounting the Nika riot of 532 AD—where tens of thousands of people were killed after a politically heated tournament of races—Meijer reviews the historical background, organization, and popularity of these games. He profiles the sport’s famous teams, jockeys, and horses and discusses how the whole business fed into the strategy of Juvenal’s "bread and circuses" to keep the citizenry happy.

Expertly translated by Liz Waters, Chariot Racing in the Roman Empire also examines the political importance of these spectacles, where patricians and plebeians alike filled the stadiums. Meijer sees these contests not so much as an opiate for the people but as a political barometer: the Circus Maximus was the only place in the Empire where the supreme leader was confronted with the approval or disapproval of his people.

Meijer makes use of scarce and obscure sources in this lively narrative, describing an exciting race with such enthusiasm readers will feel they are in the stands themselves. From the length of the track and the need to ride small horses, to the risks, techniques, and training methods involved in racing, Meijer recreates ancient Rome’s favorite pastime in impressive detail.]]> 208 Fik Meijer 0801896975 Z 0 rome 3.82 2004 Chariot Racing in the Roman Empire
author: Fik Meijer
name: Z
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2004
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/29
shelves: rome
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]]> <![CDATA[The Oracle: Ancient Delphi and the Science Behind Its Lost Secrets]]> 231168 A gripping modern-day detective story about the scientific quest for the answer to a riddle of ancient Greece

Like Walking the Bible, this fascinating book turns a modern eye on an enduring legend. The Oracle of Delphi was one of the most influential figures in ancient Greece. Human mistress of the god Apollo, she had the power to enter into ecstatic communion with him and deliver his prophesies to men. Thousands of years later, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist William J. Broad follows a crew of enterprising researchers as they sift through the evidence of history, geology, and archaeology to reveal—as far as science is able—the source of her visions.]]> 320 William J. Broad 0143038591 Z 0 rome 3.98 2006 The Oracle: Ancient Delphi and the Science Behind Its Lost Secrets
author: William J. Broad
name: Z
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/29
shelves: rome
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]]> Ancient Greek Athletics 2057161 288 Stephen G. Miller 0300100833 Z 0 rome 3.87 2004 Ancient Greek Athletics
author: Stephen G. Miller
name: Z
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2004
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/29
shelves: rome
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]]> <![CDATA[Games and Sanctuaries in Ancient Greece: Olympia, Delphi, Isthmia, Nemea, Athens]]> 1195534 500 Panos Valavanes 0892367628 Z 0 rome 4.00 2004 Games and Sanctuaries in Ancient Greece: Olympia, Delphi, Isthmia, Nemea, Athens
author: Panos Valavanes
name: Z
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2004
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/29
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]]> <![CDATA[The Atlas of Ancient Rome: Biography and Portraits of the City - Two-volume slipcased set]]> 30009093
The Atlas of Ancient Rome provides a comprehensive archaeological survey of the city of Rome from prehistory to the early medieval period. Lavishly illustrated throughout with full-color maps, drawings, photos, and 3D reconstructions, this magnificent two-volume slipcased edition features the latest discoveries and scholarship, with new descriptions of more than 500 monuments, including the Sanctuary of Vesta, the domus Augusti , and the Mausoleum of Augustus. It is destined to become the standard reference for scholars, students, and anyone interested in the history of the city of Rome.

The Atlas of Ancient Rome is monumental in scope. It examines the city's topography and political-administrative divisions, trade and economic production, and social landscape and infrastructure―from residential neighborhoods and gardens to walls, roads, aqueducts, and sewers. It describes the fourteen regions of Rome and the urban history of each in unprecedented detail, and includes profiles and reconstructions of major monuments and works of art. This is the only atlas of the ancient city to incorporate the most current archaeological findings and use the latest mapping technologies.

Authoritative and easy to use, The Atlas of Ancient Rome is the definitive illustrated reference book on Rome from its origins to the sixth century AD.]]> 1280 Andrea Carandini 0691163472 Z 0 rome 4.67 2012 The Atlas of Ancient Rome: Biography and Portraits of the City - Two-volume slipcased set
author: Andrea Carandini
name: Z
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2012
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]]> <![CDATA[Life in the Roman World of Nero and St. Paul]]> 18889998 258 Thomas George Tucker Z 0 rome 3.50 Life in the Roman World of Nero and St. Paul
author: Thomas George Tucker
name: Z
average rating: 3.50
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]]> <![CDATA[Cruelty and Civilization: The Roman Games]]> 1078805 Cruelty and Civilization offers an in-depth look at the Roman games as a force vital to the functioning of an Empire. Gladiatorial combats, chariot races and other spectacles were a kind of public opiate for the citizens of Ancient Rome. These rites gave rhythm and excitement to daily life in the Empire. From one year to the next, the Roman citizen lived in anticipation of the next games; through them he was able to forget the mediocrity of his own condition as well as his political enslavement. The most minutely organized productions were staged at vast expense, and Rome developed cults for arena champions, who were simultaneously idols and outcasts, doomed to a bloody death. Roland Auguet not only reconstructs in detail the conduct of these spectacles (gladiatorial combats, the sacrifice of prisoners to wild beasts, the chariot races, the combats between man and beast or beast and beast), but also analyzes the feelings of the crowd and the calculations of its rulers. He explainswhy the games dominated the life of the city. Examining the games in the context of a broader study of Roman customs, this book provides a synthesized view of how Roman civilization was to a large degree based on the games.]]> Roland Auguet 041510453X Z 0 rome 3.76 1970 Cruelty and Civilization: The Roman Games
author: Roland Auguet
name: Z
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1970
rating: 0
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]]> Ancient Roman Gardens 422206 224 Linda Farrar 0750917253 Z 0 rome 4.15 1998 Ancient Roman Gardens
author: Linda Farrar
name: Z
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1998
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Around the Roman Table: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome]]> 878391 Around the Table of the Romans, Patrick Faas brings the Roman passion for eating to life. More than just a book of ancient recipes reconstructed for the modern cook (though there are more than 150 in the book), Around the Table of the Romans is a portrait of ancient Roman society as seen from the vantage point of the dining table. Faas explores ancient Roman manners, dining arrangements, spices, seasonings and cooking techniques. He shows how ancient Roman cuisine differs from its present incarnation. Most of all, he brings the ancient Roman world to life in a book that foodies and history buffs will salivate over.
(20030202)]]> 371 Patrick Faas 0312239580 Z 0 rome 4.18 2003 Around the Roman Table: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome
author: Patrick Faas
name: Z
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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]]> Dialogues and Essays 1933080
This edition combines a clear and modern translation by John Davies with Tobias Reinhardt's fascinating introduction to Seneca's career, literary style, and influence, including a superb summary of Stoic philosophy and Seneca's interpretation of it. The book's notes are the fullest of any comparable edition.

De Providentia, De Ira, Ad Helviam matrem De consolatione, De Vita Beata, De Tranquillitate Animi, De Brevitate Vitæ, Ad Marciam De consolatione, De Clemantia, Naturales quaestiones book 6 On Earthquakes.]]> 304 Seneca 0192807145 Z 0 rome 4.32 64 Dialogues and Essays
author: Seneca
name: Z
average rating: 4.32
book published: 64
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]]> <![CDATA[The Greatest Empire: A Life of Seneca]]> 21977717 The life and works of Seneca pose a number of fascinating challenges. How can we reconcile his bloody, passionate tragedies with his prose works advocating a life of Stoic tranquility? Furthermore, how are we to reconcile Seneca the Stoic philosopher, the man of principle, who advocated a life of calm and simplicity, with Seneca the man of the moment, who amassed a vast personal fortune in the service of an emperor seen by many, at the time and afterwards, as an insane tyrant? In this vivid biography, Emily Wilson presents Seneca as a man under enormous pressure, struggling for compromise in a world of absolutism. The Greatest Empire: A Life of Seneca thusoffers us, in fascinating ways, the portrait of a man with all the fissures and cracks formed by the clash of the ideal and the real: the gulf between political hopes and fears, and philosophical ideals; the gap between what we want to be, and what we are.]]> 272 Emily Wilson 0199926646 Z 0 rome 3.85 2014 The Greatest Empire: A Life of Seneca
author: Emily Wilson
name: Z
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2014
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]]> <![CDATA[Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero]]> 18077789
At the center, the tumultuous life of Seneca, ancient Rome’s preeminent writer and philosopher, beginning with banishment in his fifties and subsequent appointment as tutor to twelve-year-old Nero, future emperor of Rome. Controlling them both, Nero’s mother, Julia Agrippina the Younger, Roman empress, great-granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus, sister of the Emperor Caligula, niece and fourth wife of Emperor Claudius.

ĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚý
James Romm seamlessly weaves together the life and written words, the moral struggles, political intrigue, and bloody vengeance that enmeshed Seneca the Younger in the twisted imperial family and the perverse, paranoid regime of Emperor Nero, despot and madman.

Romm writes that Seneca watched over Nero as teacher, moral guide, and surrogate father, and, at seventeen, when Nero abruptly ascended to become emperor of Rome, Seneca, a man never avid for political power became, with Nero, the ruler of the Roman Empire. We see how Seneca was able to control his young student, how, under Seneca’s influence, Nero ruled with intelligence and moderation, banned capital punishment, reduced taxes, gave slaves the right to file complaints against their owners, pardoned prisoners arrested for sedition. But with time, as Nero grew vain and disillusioned, Seneca was unable to hold sway over the emperor, and between Nero’s mother, Agrippina—thought to have poisoned her second husband, and her third, who was her uncle (Claudius), and rumored to have entered into an incestuous relationship with her son—and Nero’s father, described by Suetonius as a murderer and cheat charged with treason, adultery, and incest, how long could the young Nero have been contained?
ĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚý
Dying Every Day is a portrait of Seneca’s moral struggle in the midst of madness and excess. In his treatises, Seneca preached a rigorous ethical creed, exalting heroes who defied danger to do what was right or embrace a noble death. As Nero’s adviser, Seneca was presented with a more complex set of choices, as the only man capable of summoning the better aspect of Nero’s nature, yet, remaining at Nero’s side and colluding in the evil regime he created.

Dying Every Day is the first book to tell the compelling and nightmarish story of the philosopher-poet who was almost a king, tied to a tyrant—as Seneca, the paragon of reason, watched his student spiral into madness and whose descent saw five family murders, the Fire of Rome, and a savage purge that destroyed the supreme minds of the Senate’s golden age.]]> 290 James Romm 0307596877 Z 0 rome 4.10 2014 Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero
author: James Romm
name: Z
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2014
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]]> <![CDATA[A Companion to the Neronian Age]]> 15002681 512 Emma Buckley 1444332724 Z 0 rome 0.0 2012 A Companion to the Neronian Age
author: Emma Buckley
name: Z
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2012
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]]> Nero: The Man Behind the Myth 1600139 Richard Holland 075092876X Z 0 rome 3.32 2000 Nero: The Man Behind the Myth
author: Richard Holland
name: Z
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2000
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Nero's Killing Machine: The True Story of Rome's Remarkable 14th Legion]]> 976419 Stephen Dando-Collins 0471675016 Z 0 rome 4.10 2004 Nero's Killing Machine: The True Story of Rome's Remarkable 14th Legion
author: Stephen Dando-Collins
name: Z
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2004
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Great Fire of Rome: The Fall of the Emperor Nero and His City]]> 8263751 The Great Fire of Rome, Dando-Collins takes readers thru the streets of ancient Rome, where unrest simmers, & into the imperial palace, where political intrigue seethes, relating a pot-boiler story filled with fascinating historical characters who'll determine the course of an empire. It's an unforgettable human drama that brings ancient Rome & the momentous events of 64 AD scorchingly to life.]]> 263 Stephen Dando-Collins 0306818906 Z 0 rome 3.71 2010 The Great Fire of Rome: The Fall of the Emperor Nero and His City
author: Stephen Dando-Collins
name: Z
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2010
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]]> Nero: The End of a Dynasty 2569033
Nero's personality and crimes have always intrigued historians, novelists and general readers. The first Princeps tol be declared a Public Enemy by the Roman Senate, Nero became one of the canonical tyrants along with Caligula and Domitian, and bears the dubious honor of having essentially brought about the end of the Augustan dynasty. Griffin observes the emperor in the world in which he lived, his intense relationship with the arts, and the factors leading to his final downfall.]]> 320 Miriam T. Griffin 0300032854 Z 0 rome 3.56 1985 Nero: The End of a Dynasty
author: Miriam T. Griffin
name: Z
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1985
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]]> Nero: Emperor in Revolt 399619 272 Michael Grant 0070240752 Z 0 rome 4.25 1970 Nero: Emperor in Revolt
author: Michael Grant
name: Z
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1970
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]]> <![CDATA[The Life And Principate Of The Emperor Nero]]> 60940233 582 Bernard William Henderson 0343512289 Z 0 rome 0.0 The Life And Principate Of The Emperor Nero
author: Bernard William Henderson
name: Z
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]]> <![CDATA[Dio Cassius: Roman History, Volume VIII, Books 61-70 (Loeb Classical Library No. 176)]]> 169341
Of the eighty books of Dio's great work "Roman History," covering the era from the legendary landing of Aeneas in Italy to the reign of Alexander Severus (222-235 CE), we possess Books 36-60 (36 and 55-60 have gaps), which cover the years 68 BCE-47 CE. The missing portions are partly supplied, for the earlier gaps by Zonaras, who relies closely on Dio, and for some later gaps (Book 35 onwards) by John Xiphilinus (of the eleventh century). There are also many excerpts. The facilities for research afforded by Dio's official duties and his own industry make him a very vital source for Roman history of the last years of the republic and the first four emperors.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of Dio Cassius is in nine volumes.]]> 496 Cassius Dio 0674991958 Z 0 rome 4.14 230 Dio Cassius: Roman History, Volume VIII, Books 61-70 (Loeb Classical Library No. 176)
author: Cassius Dio
name: Z
average rating: 4.14
book published: 230
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]]> The Twelve Caesars 29022 The Twelve Caesars chronicles the public careers and private lives of the men who wielded absolute power over Rome, from the foundation of the empire under Julius Caesar and Augustus, to the decline into depravity and civil war under Nero, and the recovery that came with his successors. A masterpiece of anecdote, wry observation and detailed physical description, The Twelve Caesars presents us with a gallery of vividly drawn � and all too human � individuals.

Robert Graves's celebrated translation, sensitively revised by Michael Grant, captures all the wit and immediacy of Suetonius' original.]]> 363 Suetonius 0140449213 Z 0 rome 4.03 121 The Twelve Caesars
author: Suetonius
name: Z
average rating: 4.03
book published: 121
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]]> The Annals of Imperial Rome 9265942 455 Tacitus Z 0 rome 3.84 116 The Annals of Imperial Rome
author: Tacitus
name: Z
average rating: 3.84
book published: 116
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]]> <![CDATA[A River of Golden Bones (Golden Court, #1)]]> 123239368 A sleeping curse. A fallen court. A secret twin.

Twins Calla and Briar have spent their entire lives hiding from the powerful sorceress who destroyed their kingdom…and from the humans who don’t know they are Wolves. Each twin has their own purpose in life: Briar’s is to marry the prince of an ally pack and save the Golden Court. Calla’s purpose is to remain a secret, her twin’s shadow . . . the backup plan.

No one knows who Calla truly is except for her childhood friend—and sister’s betrothed—the distractingly handsome Prince Grae. But when Calla and Briar journey out of hiding for Briar’s wedding, all of their well-made plans go awry. The evil sorceress is back with another sleeping curse for the last heir to the Golden Court.

Calla must step out of the shadows to save their sister, their kingdom, and their own legacy. Continuing to hide as a human and denying who she truly is, Calla embarks on a quest across the realm, discovering a whole world she never knew existed. Outside the confines of rigid Wolf society, Calla begins to wonder: who could she be if she dared to try?

Full of adventure, love, gender exploration, and self-discovery, A River of Golden Bones follows Calla’s journey through treacherous Wolf kingdoms, monster-filled realms, and the depths of their own heart in this thrilling romantic fantasy.]]> 392 A.K. Mulford Z 0 to-read 3.58 2023 A River of Golden Bones (Golden Court, #1)
author: A.K. Mulford
name: Z
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2023
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date added: 2024/11/19
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]]> <![CDATA[A Strange and Stubborn Endurance (The Tithenai Chronicles, #1)]]> 58724793
Velasin vin Aaro never planned to marry at all, let alone a girl from neighboring Tithena. When an ugly confrontation reveals his preference for men, Vel fears he’s ruined the diplomatic union before it can even begin. But while his family is ready to disown him, the Tithenai envoy has a different plans: for Vel to marry his former intended’s brother instead.

Caethari Aeduria always knew he might end up in a political marriage, but his sudden betrothal to a man from Ralia, where such relationships are forbidden, comes as a shock.

With an unknown faction willing to kill to end their new alliance, Vel and Cae have no choice but to trust each other. Survival is one thing, but love―as both will learn―is quite another.

Byzantine politics, lush sexual energy, and a queer love story that is by turns sweet and sultry, Foz Meadows' A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is an exploration of gender, identity, and self-worth. It is a book that will live in your heart long after you turn the last page.]]> 544 Foz Meadows 1250829135 Z 0 to-read 4.02 2022 A Strange and Stubborn Endurance (The Tithenai Chronicles, #1)
author: Foz Meadows
name: Z
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2022
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]]> Meditations 30659 Meditations of Marcus Aurelius offer a remarkable series of challenging spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the emperor struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. While the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation and encouragement, Marcus Aurelius also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a timeless collection that has been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and readers throughout the centuries.]]> 254 Marcus Aurelius 0140449337 Z 0 rome 4.29 180 Meditations
author: Marcus Aurelius
name: Z
average rating: 4.29
book published: 180
rating: 0
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]]> The Troop 17571466 358 Nick Cutter 1476717710 Z 0 to-read 3.83 2014 The Troop
author: Nick Cutter
name: Z
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/07
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]]> Tempest 220446160 Victoria Aveyard Z 0 queue 4.58 2026 Tempest
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: Z
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2026
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/06
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]]> <![CDATA[Tolstoy’s Diaries Volume II: 1895�1910]]> 11119945 366 Leo Tolstoy 0571269052 Z 0 queue 4.25 2010 Tolstoy’s Diaries Volume II: 1895–1910
author: Leo Tolstoy
name: Z
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2010
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]]> <![CDATA[Tolstoy’s Diaries Volume I: 1847�1894]]> 11119944 412 Leo Tolstoy 0571269044 Z 0 queue 4.22 1969 Tolstoy’s Diaries Volume I: 1847–1894
author: Leo Tolstoy
name: Z
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1969
rating: 0
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]]> Diaries, 1910-1923 17686 These diaries cover the years 1910 to 1923, the year before Kafka’s death at the age of forty. They provide a penetrating look into life in Prague and into Kafka’s accounts of his dreams, his feelings for the father he worshipped, and the woman he could not bring himself to marry, his sense of guilt, and his feelings of being an outcast. They offer an account of a life of almost unbearable intensity.




From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Diaries of Franz Kafka 1910-13 translated from the German by Joseph Kresh
The Diaries of Franz Kafka 1914-23 translated from the German by Martin Greenberg with the cooperation of Hannah Arendt]]> 521 Franz Kafka 0805209069 Z 0 queue 4.29 1949 Diaries, 1910-1923
author: Franz Kafka
name: Z
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1949
rating: 0
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]]> The Myth of Sisyphus 91950 The Myth of Sisyphus transformed twentieth-century philosophy with its impassioned argument for the value of life in a world without religious meaning.]]> 192 Albert Camus 0141182008 Z 0 queue 4.25 1942 The Myth of Sisyphus
author: Albert Camus
name: Z
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1942
rating: 0
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]]> Kafka on the Shore 4929 Kafka on the Shore, a tour de force of metaphysical reality, is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that, like the most basic activities of daily life, he cannot fathom. Their odyssey, as mysterious to them as it is to us, is enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerizing events. Cats and people carry on conversations, a ghostlike pimp employs a Hegel-quoting prostitute, a forest harbors soldiers apparently unaged since World War II, and rainstorms of fish (and worse) fall from the sky. There is a brutal murder, with the identity of both victim and perpetrator a riddle—yet this, along with everything else, is eventually answered, just as the entwined destinies of Kafka and Nakata are gradually revealed, with one escaping his fate entirely and the other given a fresh start on his own.]]> 467 Haruki Murakami 1400079276 Z 0 queue 4.14 2002 Kafka on the Shore
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Z
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2002
rating: 0
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]]> The Secret History 29044 559 Donna Tartt 1400031702 Z 0 queue 4.17 1992 The Secret History
author: Donna Tartt
name: Z
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1992
rating: 0
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]]> The Picture of Dorian Gray 5297
In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind.]]> 272 Oscar Wilde Z 0 queue 4.13 1890 The Picture of Dorian Gray
author: Oscar Wilde
name: Z
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1890
rating: 0
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]]> Crime and Punishment 7144 671 Fyodor Dostoevsky Z 0 queue 4.26 1866 Crime and Punishment
author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
name: Z
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1866
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Memoirs of Lady HyegyĹŹng: The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea]]> 1151821
JaHyun Kim Haboush's accurate, fluid translation captures the intimate and expressive voice of this consummate storyteller. The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong is a unique exploration of Korean selfhood and of how the genre of autobiography fared in premodern times.]]> 372 Lady Hyegyeong 0520200551 Z 0 queue 4.09 1985 The Memoirs of Lady HyegyĹŹng: The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea
author: Lady Hyegyeong
name: Z
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1985
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/01
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]]> <![CDATA[Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart, #1)]]> 55987278 How far would you go for happily ever after?

For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings... until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.

Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic but wicked Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.

But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game—and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after or the most exquisite tragedy...]]> 408 Stephanie Garber 1250268397 Z 0 to-read 4.06 2021 Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart, #1)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Z
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/22
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]]> Stone Blind 61102615 A fresh take on the story of Medusa, the original monstered woman.

They will fear you and flee you and call you a monster.

The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.

When the sea god Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athene's temple, the goddess is enraged. Furious by the violation of her sacred space, Athene takes revenge--on the young woman. Punished for Poseidon's actions, Medusa is forever transformed. Writhing snakes replace her hair and her gaze will turn any living creature to stone. Cursed with the power to destroy all she loves with one look, Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude.

Until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon...

In Stone Blind, classicist and comedian Natalie Haynes turns our understanding of this legendary myth on its head, bringing empathy and nuance to one of the earliest stories in which a woman--injured by a powerful man--is blamed, punished, and monstered for the assault. Delving into the origins of this mythic tale, Haynes revitalizes and reconstructs Medusa's story with her passion and fierce wit, offering a timely retelling of this classic myth that speaks to us today.]]> 373 Natalie Haynes 0063258390 Z 0 rome 3.79 2022 Stone Blind
author: Natalie Haynes
name: Z
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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]]> Curtain Call 23347053
Jimmy Erskine is the raffish doyen of theatre critics who fears that his star is fading: age and drink are catching up with him, and in his late-night escapades with young men he walks a tightrope that may snap at any moment. He has depended for years on his loyal and longsuffering secretary Tom, who has a secret of his own to protect. Tom’s chance encounter with Madeleine Farewell, a lost young woman haunted by premonitions of catastrophe, closes the circle: it was Madeleine who narrowly escaped the killer’s stranglehold that afternoon, and now walks the streets in terror of his finding her again.

Curtain Call is a comedy of manners, and a tragedy of mistaken intentions. From the glittering murk of Soho’s demi-monde to the grease paint and ghost-lights of theatreland, the story plunges on through smoky clubrooms, tawdry hotels and drag balls towards a denouement in which two women are stalked by the same killer. As bracing as a cold Martini and as bright as a new tie-pin, it is a poignant and gripping story about love and death and a society dancing towards the abyss.]]> 326 Anthony Quinn 0224099582 Z 0 to-read 3.66 2015 Curtain Call
author: Anthony Quinn
name: Z
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/17
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]]> The Heretic Queen 2897258
The winds of change are blowing through Thebes. A devastating palace fire has killed the Eighteenth Dynasty’s royal family—all with the exception of Nefertari, the niece of the reviled former queen, Nefertiti. The girl’s deceased family has been branded as heretical, and no one in Egypt will speak their names. A relic of a previous reign, Nefertari is pushed aside, an unimportant princess left to run wild in the palace. But this changes when she is taken under the wing of the Pharaoh’s aunt, then brought to the Temple of Hathor, where she is educated in a manner befitting a future queen.

Soon Nefertari catches the eye of the Crown Prince, and despite her family’s history, they fall in love and wish to marry. Yet all of Egypt opposes this union between the rising star of a new dynasty and the fading star of an old, heretical one. While political adversity sets the country on edge, Nefertari becomes the wife of Ramesses the Great. Destined to be the most powerful Pharaoh in Egypt, he is also the man who must confront the most famous exodus in history.

Sweeping in scope and meticulous in detail, The Heretic Queen is a novel of passion and power, heartbreak and redemption.


From the Hardcover edition.]]> 383 Michelle Moran 0307381757 Z 0 to-read 4.21 2008 The Heretic Queen
author: Michelle Moran
name: Z
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Winter's Orbit (Winter's Orbit, #1)]]> 53205912
But when it comes to light that Prince Taam's death may not have been an accident, and that Jainan himself may be a suspect, the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court, try to solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war... all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other.]]> 432 Everina Maxwell 1250758831 Z 2
I understand that a good chunk of Jainan's story arc is supposed to be first realizing then healing and overcoming the abuse he faced with Taam, but he really had no personality beyond his trauma. His dialogues were mostly single word responses half the time, I never thought I'd become so sick of the words yes and no, but especially no with how much that's all he said. There are times he answers with no when the word doesn't even answer the question asked or the dialogue said to him. I really could not bring myself to fully care about him because it just didn't feel like there was anything there once you took away the trauma? Overall he felt like a mixed trope of stockholm syndrome and the "model minority" which as a POC made me feel very uncomfortable.

Kiem on the other hand felt kind of gary sue in that he was always too perfect and nice and sweet in Jainan's words, he didn't feel super fleshed out or real as a result. There was some attempts to show him having negative traits sure but they didn't feel super balanced. Then there's a mention of how he's supposed to be really good at reading people, yet somehow it took until page 310 for him to notice that Jainan's behaviour this entire time is a trauma response. There were so many moments that if he paid attention properly it was obvious that this man was abused by Taam and that it wasn't just grief? There was a review I read later on that mentioned how Kiem was so impersonal with the Bel and her grandma situation- and I really agree, like other than showing real empathy and understanding he just keeps saying take as much time off as you need. Of course that situation was a lie in the end but still, you would think for someone who has worked with him for a year so closely he would feel less fake in his reaction to her situation.

Another point that really bothered me was the ten million and one times that Jainan compared Kiem to Taam. It's understandable at the start since they're related and he was so stockholmed by that relationship but there are multiple situations where Kiem proves he's different. Yet somehow Jainan still doesn't catch on until almost the end of the book and as a result causes most of the miscommunication in the plot. One example I noted specifically was the convo they have about the monastery, it really felt so one sided and that Jainan had selective hearing because Kiem was so obvious about what he was worried about. He makes it so clear that he thinks Jainan doesn't want to be near him but somehow Jainan only focuses on the very brief line he said about them having people on the side if Jainan didn't want to be in a relationship with him. It really felt like that one meme where Jainan is like I've connected the dots, I've solved what Kiem is saying to me, he wants a side hoe- when in reality this man has solved nothing and connected no dots at all! ]]> 4.00 2021 Winter's Orbit (Winter's Orbit, #1)
author: Everina Maxwell
name: Z
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/09
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves:
review:
I have heard about this book for so long that I was excited when I finally got around to reading it. That excitement died so fast because the main two characters were honestly so frustrating to read about. I ended up taking so many notes while reading this and half of them are just my annoyance at Jainan or Kiem. I ended up putting the book down around half way in and had to later force myself to complete it because I don't like to leave things unfinished. I had hoped that perhaps the characters would grow to become more likable later on but I still found myself uninterested in them by the end. The politics were far more interesting than the actual couple, so I also kept going to see what happened with the alliance and the mystery of Taam's death. I learned that this was initially a fic online and it really shows- I feel like constant miscommunication tropes work so much better for fics, but when it's 2/3 of the entire book it just drags on and doesn't give any real room for romance or sparks in my opinion.

I understand that a good chunk of Jainan's story arc is supposed to be first realizing then healing and overcoming the abuse he faced with Taam, but he really had no personality beyond his trauma. His dialogues were mostly single word responses half the time, I never thought I'd become so sick of the words yes and no, but especially no with how much that's all he said. There are times he answers with no when the word doesn't even answer the question asked or the dialogue said to him. I really could not bring myself to fully care about him because it just didn't feel like there was anything there once you took away the trauma? Overall he felt like a mixed trope of stockholm syndrome and the "model minority" which as a POC made me feel very uncomfortable.

Kiem on the other hand felt kind of gary sue in that he was always too perfect and nice and sweet in Jainan's words, he didn't feel super fleshed out or real as a result. There was some attempts to show him having negative traits sure but they didn't feel super balanced. Then there's a mention of how he's supposed to be really good at reading people, yet somehow it took until page 310 for him to notice that Jainan's behaviour this entire time is a trauma response. There were so many moments that if he paid attention properly it was obvious that this man was abused by Taam and that it wasn't just grief? There was a review I read later on that mentioned how Kiem was so impersonal with the Bel and her grandma situation- and I really agree, like other than showing real empathy and understanding he just keeps saying take as much time off as you need. Of course that situation was a lie in the end but still, you would think for someone who has worked with him for a year so closely he would feel less fake in his reaction to her situation.

Another point that really bothered me was the ten million and one times that Jainan compared Kiem to Taam. It's understandable at the start since they're related and he was so stockholmed by that relationship but there are multiple situations where Kiem proves he's different. Yet somehow Jainan still doesn't catch on until almost the end of the book and as a result causes most of the miscommunication in the plot. One example I noted specifically was the convo they have about the monastery, it really felt so one sided and that Jainan had selective hearing because Kiem was so obvious about what he was worried about. He makes it so clear that he thinks Jainan doesn't want to be near him but somehow Jainan only focuses on the very brief line he said about them having people on the side if Jainan didn't want to be in a relationship with him. It really felt like that one meme where Jainan is like I've connected the dots, I've solved what Kiem is saying to me, he wants a side hoe- when in reality this man has solved nothing and connected no dots at all!
]]> <![CDATA[Katharine Parr: The Sixth Wife (Six Tudor Queens, #6)]]> 34020934 The eye of an ageing and dangerous king falls upon her. She cannot refuse him. She must stifle her feelings and never betray that she wanted another.
And now she is the sixth wife. Her queenship is a holy mission yet, fearfully, she dreams of the tragic parade of women who went before her. She cherishes the secret beliefs that could send her to the fire. And still the King loves and trusts her.
Now her enemies are closing in. She must fight for her very life.
KATHARINE PARR � the last of Henry’s queens.
Alison Weir recounts the extraordinary story of a woman forced into a perilous situation and rising heroically to the challenge. Katharine is a delightful woman, a warm and kindly heroine � and yet she will be betrayed by those she loves and trusts most.
Too late, the truth will dawn on her.]]> 560 Alison Weir 1101966653 Z 3
There were of course some moments that felt slow, there was a lot of repetitiveness of Henry getting sick, sending Katharine away and then surviving. It makes me wonder if there were really that many health scares for Henry or this was also just to emphasize how sick he was at the end. I feel all of that could once again have been summarized down to one moment of it happening and then just a brief mention of there being several more scares rather than detailing each single one.

My final comments are in regards to more so Kate's behaviour with Thomas Seymour, less the writing of it as the story is well documented. She honestly deserved far better than this pompous man, I often wonder if rather than love it wasn't lust after her previous marriages that led her to marry him and in such haste after Henry's death. The fact that she had to marry in secret at the start and his insistence was a big red flag, which is proven right when he tosses her aside quickly after to pursue Elizabeth for his ambition. Not to mention his over the top level of jealousy and pompousness, literally getting mad at his brother over every tiny thing and expecting everything to be handed to him on a silver platter. Despite all her good qualities, I think one of Parr's biggest faults was her blindness to Seymour. She was so blinded by love that she ignored her husband trying to woo her stepdaughter, even when the truth was in her very face with the inappropriate morning dropins. ]]> 4.17 2021 Katharine Parr: The Sixth Wife (Six Tudor Queens, #6)
author: Alison Weir
name: Z
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/14
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves:
review:
I've read about Katharine's life during her marriage to Henry and briefly what came after when she was taking care of Elizabeth, but I've never read about details to her life before that. I enjoyed getting to see her youth and past marriages, the way she was shaped to become the devoted champion of her faith that we know of later on. There was one moment that felt a bit out of character for her though, when she was at risk of being caught by her enemies at court for her faith. While we know she did get distressed and later went to beg Henry's mercy, the way the author depicted her screeching and howling felt rather extra, but maybe that was to add emphasis to her terror.

There were of course some moments that felt slow, there was a lot of repetitiveness of Henry getting sick, sending Katharine away and then surviving. It makes me wonder if there were really that many health scares for Henry or this was also just to emphasize how sick he was at the end. I feel all of that could once again have been summarized down to one moment of it happening and then just a brief mention of there being several more scares rather than detailing each single one.

My final comments are in regards to more so Kate's behaviour with Thomas Seymour, less the writing of it as the story is well documented. She honestly deserved far better than this pompous man, I often wonder if rather than love it wasn't lust after her previous marriages that led her to marry him and in such haste after Henry's death. The fact that she had to marry in secret at the start and his insistence was a big red flag, which is proven right when he tosses her aside quickly after to pursue Elizabeth for his ambition. Not to mention his over the top level of jealousy and pompousness, literally getting mad at his brother over every tiny thing and expecting everything to be handed to him on a silver platter. Despite all her good qualities, I think one of Parr's biggest faults was her blindness to Seymour. She was so blinded by love that she ignored her husband trying to woo her stepdaughter, even when the truth was in her very face with the inappropriate morning dropins.
]]> <![CDATA[The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1)]]> 61294937 Shannon Chakraborty, the bestselling author of The City of Brass, spins a new trilogy of magic and mayhem on the high seas in this tale of pirates and sorcerers, forbidden artifacts and ancient mysteries, in one woman’s determined quest to seize a final chance at glory—and write her own legend.

Amina al-Sirafi should be content. After a storied and scandalous career as one of the Indian Ocean’s most notorious pirates, she’s survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands, and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety, motherhood, and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural.

But when she’s tracked down by the obscenely wealthy mother of a former crewman, she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse: retrieve her comrade’s kidnapped daughter for a kingly sum. The chance to have one last adventure with her crew, do right by an old friend, and win a fortune that will secure her family’s future forever? It seems like such an obvious choice that it must be God’s will.

Yet the deeper Amina dives, the more it becomes alarmingly clear there’s more to this job, and the girl’s disappearance, than she was led to believe. For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance at glory, to savor just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul.]]> 483 Shannon Chakraborty Z 0 desi 4.25 2023 The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1)
author: Shannon Chakraborty
name: Z
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves: desi
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Boy King (The Seymour Saga, #3)]]> 55097644 One of Open Letters Review's Ten Best Historical Novels of 2020; First Place Winner, 2021 Chaucer Award for pre-1750s historical fiction"Highly recommend both as a standalone and series read. Wertman's work is among the best Tudor fiction on the market" - Historical Fiction ReaderHis mother, Jane Seymour, died at his birth. Now his father, King Henry VIII, has died as well. Nine-year old Edward Tudor ascends to the throne of England and quickly learns that he cannot trust anyone, even himself.Struggling to understand the political and religious turmoil that threatens the realm, Edward is at first relieved that his uncle, the new Duke of Somerset, will act on his behalf as Lord Protector, but this consolation evaporates as jealousy spreads through the court. Challengers arise on all sides to wrest control of the child king, and through him, England.While Edward can bring frustratingly little direction to the Council's policies, he refuses to abandon his one firm that Catholicism has no place in England. When Edward falls ill, this steadfast belief threatens England's best hope for a smooth the transfer of the throne to Edward's very Catholic half-sister, Mary Tudor, whose heart's desire is to return the realm to the way it worshipped in her mother's day.]]> 372 Janet Ambrosi Wertman 0997133864 Z 0 queue 4.43 2020 The Boy King (The Seymour Saga, #3)
author: Janet Ambrosi Wertman
name: Z
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/14
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Jane the Quene (The Seymour Saga #1)]]> 29750889 All Jane Seymour wants is a husband; but when she catches the eye of a volatile king, she is pulled deep into the Tudor court's realm of plot and intrigue....

England. 1535. Jane Seymour is 27 years old and increasingly desperate to marry and secure her place in the world. When the court visits Wolf Hall, the Seymour ancestral manor, Jane has the perfect opportunity to shine: her diligence, efficiency, and newfound poise are sure to finally attract a suitor.

Meanwhile, King Henry VIII is 45 and increasingly desperate for an heir. He changed his country's religion to leave his first wife, a princess of Spain, for Anne Boleyn -- but she too has failed to provide a son. As Henry begins to fear he is cursed, Jane Seymour's honesty and innocence conjure in him the hope of redemption.

Thomas Cromwell, an ambitious clerk whose political prowess keeps the King's changing desires satisfied, sees in Jane the perfect answer to the unrest threatening England: he engineers the plot that ends with Jane becoming the King's third wife. For Jane, who believes herself virtuous and her actions justified, miscarriages early in her marriage shake her confidence. How can a woman who has committed no wrong bear the guilt of how she unseated her predecessor?]]> 328 Janet Ambrosi Wertman 0997133805 Z 0 queue 4.14 2016 Jane the Quene (The Seymour Saga #1)
author: Janet Ambrosi Wertman
name: Z
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/14
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Path to Somerset (The Seymour Saga #2)]]> 40491888
Edward Seymour’s future is uncertain. Although his sister Jane bore Henry the son he’d sought for twenty years, when she died in childbirth, Henry’s good nature died with her. Now the fiercely ambitious Edward must carve a difficult path through Henry’s shifting principles and wives. Challenged at every turn by his nemesis, Bishop Stephen Gardiner, Edward must embrace ruthlessness in order to safeguard not only his own future but England’s as well.

This is the account of Henry’s tumultuous reign, as seen through the eyes of two opponents whose fierce disputes over religion and common decency fuel epic struggles for the soul of the nation. And for power.
]]> 356 Janet Ambrosi Wertman 099713383X Z 0 queue 4.40 2018 The Path to Somerset (The Seymour Saga #2)
author: Janet Ambrosi Wertman
name: Z
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/14
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Splendor Before the Dark (Nero, #2)]]> 38599383
With the beautiful and cunning Poppaea at his side, Nero Augustus commands the Roman empire, ushering in an unprecedented era of artistic and cultural splendor. Although he has yet to produce an heir, his power is unquestioned.

But in the tenth year of his reign, a terrifying prophecy comes to pass and a fire engulfs Rome, reducing entire swaths of the city to rubble. Rumors of Nero's complicity in the blaze start to sow unrest among the populace--and the politicians...

For better or worse, Nero knows that his fate is now tied to Rome's--and he vows to rebuild it as a city that will stun the world. But there are those who find his rampant quest for glory dangerous. Throughout the empire, false friends and spies conspire against him, not understanding what drives him to undertake the impossible.

Nero will either survive and be the first in his family to escape the web of betrayals that is the Roman court, or be ensnared and remembered as the last radiance of the greatest dynasty the world had ever known.]]> 528 Margaret George 0399584617 Z 4 3.87 2018 The Splendor Before the Dark (Nero, #2)
author: Margaret George
name: Z
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/14
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves:
review:
I liked the second part a little more than the first, partly because in this half Nero had developed as a character and come into his own as emperor. There were a lot of events that happened during his later reign, including the great fire of Rome that started off the book. It was interesting to see what went on from his side in that event, the fact that he had even gone to look at the extent of the damage himself really showed how much he cared for his city versus the myth of his fiddling during the fire. George's depiction of Nero is far from the depraved madmen most biographies claimed him to be, yet I feel she did a great job showing us the different moments and interpretations of them which led to that reputation. It was also nice to see the politics of the failed assassination attempts and the aftermath, as well as the shift in his power and favor with the noble class. I feel like my favorite moments where Nero truly felt the most real to me was his trip to Greece for the games and his passion for them, as well as his grief when he lost his wife and the tragedy of how it unfolded. Acte's povs through the book added more than the first one I think, and it was nice to know that she was there to make sure he was buried properly. Though there were some bits that I felt were slow, overall I've greatly enjoyed the duology and hope to delve into the author's other works soon!
]]> <![CDATA[Katheryn Howard: The Scandalous Queen (Six Tudor Queens, #5)]]> 34020933 Alison Weir, historian and author of the Sunday Times-bestselling Six Tudor Queens series, relates one of the most tragic stories in English history: Katheryn Howard, Henry VIII's fifth queen.

A naive girl, thrust forward by her ambitious family. A pretty girl, who has captured the heart of the King. Katheryn sings, she dances, she delights in the pleasures of being queen. The King tells the world she is his rose without a thorn.

But this young woman has a past of which Henry knows nothing. It comes back increasingly to haunt her, even as she courts danger yet again. For those who gather roses must beware of the thorns.]]> 496 Alison Weir 1101966629 Z 2 3.94 2020 Katheryn Howard: The Scandalous Queen (Six Tudor Queens, #5)
author: Alison Weir
name: Z
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/11
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves:
review:
I feel like the book overall wasn't as interesting to read for me. Considering Kathryn was very young through it all, her narration was obviously more simple in comparison and perhaps that's why. Despite that it was curious to see her childhood in more depth, though I feel her character overall did not really mature much. Even to the end she was very naive and childlike, which only adds to the tragedy of her end. I feel that the pages got very repetitive both in the first half with her trysts and then at the last bit during the progress, though it did showcase just how many places they went and how massive an undertaking it was. I think generally though that the author's note was far more interesting than the last chunk, as the author mentioned she could not share everything in regards to the legal proceedings against Kathryn since she herself did not know much. It was wild to learn that they didn't tell her the [spoilers removed] which could have potentially saved her life sadly.
]]> <![CDATA[The Atlas Complex (The Atlas, #3)]]> 63104676 Only the extraordinary are chosen. Only the cunning survive.

An explosive return to the library leaves the six Alexandrians vulnerable to the lethal terms of their recruitment.

Old alliances quickly fracture as the initiates take opposing strategies as to how to deal with the deadly bargain they have so far failed to uphold. Those who remain with the archives wrestle with the ethics of their astronomical abilities, while elsewhere, an unlikely pair from the Society cohort partner to influence politics on a global stage.

And still the outside world mobilizes to destroy them, while the Caretaker himself, Atlas Blakely, may yet succeed with a plan foreseen to have world-ending stakes. It’s a race to survive as the six Society recruits are faced with the question of what they're willing to betray for limitless power―and who will be destroyed along the way.]]> 672 Olivie Blake 1529095352 Z 0 queue 2.82 2024 The Atlas Complex (The Atlas, #3)
author: Olivie Blake
name: Z
average rating: 2.82
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Atlas Paradox (The Atlas, #2)]]> 57912066 Five are now members of the Society.
Two paths lie before them.

All must pick a side.

Alliances will be tested, hearts will be broken, and The Society of Alexandrians will be revealed for what it is: a secret society with raw, world-changing power, headed by a man whose plans to change life as we know it are already under way.]]> 560 Olivie Blake 1250855128 Z 0 queue 3.51 2022 The Atlas Paradox (The Atlas, #2)
author: Olivie Blake
name: Z
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: queue
review:

]]> The Atlas Six (The Atlas, #1) 50520939
Enter the latest round of six: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depths of the subconscious, navigating worlds inside the human mind. Callum Nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person’s inner self. Finally, there is Tristan Caine, who can see through illusions to a new structure of reality—an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can fully grasp its implications.

When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they will have one year to qualify for initiation, during which time they will be permitted preliminary access to the Society’s archives and judged based on their contributions to various subjects of impossibility: time and space, luck and thought, life and death. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. The six potential initiates will fight to survive the next year of their lives, and if they can prove themselves to be the best among their rivals, most of them will.

Most of them.]]> 376 Olivie Blake Z 0 queue 3.56 2020 The Atlas Six (The Atlas, #1)
author: Olivie Blake
name: Z
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: queue
review:

]]> Floating Hotel 195177497 This cozy debut science fiction novel tells a story of misfits, rebels, found family—and a mystery that spans the stars.

Welcome to the Grand Abeona Hotel: home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. All year round it moves from planet to planet, system to system, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the milky way. The last word in sub-orbital luxury—and an absolute magnet for intrigue. Intrigues such as: Why are there love poems in the lobby inbox? How many Imperial spies are currently on board? What is the true purpose of the Problem Solver's conference? And perhaps most pertinently�who is driving the ship?

Each guest has a secret, every member of staff a universe unto themselves. At the center of these interweaving lives and interlocking mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It's the love of his life and the only place he's ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl's comprehension converge on the Abeona, he has to face one final question: when is it time to let go?]]> 324 Grace Curtis 075641931X Z 0 queue 3.67 2024 Floating Hotel
author: Grace Curtis
name: Z
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: queue
review:

]]> Heavenbreaker 133938782
Bravery isn't what you do. It's what you endure.

The duke of the powerful House Hauteclare is the first to die. With my dagger in his back.

He didn’t see it coming. Didn’t anticipate the bastard daughter who was supposed to die with her mother—on his order. He should have left us with the rest of the Station’s starving, commoner rubbish.

Now there’s nothing left. Just icy-white rage and a need to make House Hauteclare pay. Every damn one of them.

Even if it means riding Heavenbreaker—one of the few enormous machines left over from the War—and jousting against the fiercest nobles in the system.

Each win means another one of my enemies dies. And here, in the cold terror of space, the machine and I move as one, intent on destroying each adversary—even if it’s someone I care about. Even if it’s someone I’m falling for.

Only I’m not alone. Not anymore.

Because there’s something in the machine with me. Something horrifying. Something�more.

And it won’t be stopped.]]> 448 Sara Wolf 1649375700 Z 0 queue 3.66 2024 Heavenbreaker
author: Sara Wolf
name: Z
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: queue
review:

]]> The Stardust Grail 195791479 Save one world. Doom her own.

From the acclaimed author of The Deep Sky comes a thrilling anti-colonial space heist to save an alien civilization.

Maya Hoshimoto was once the best art thief in the galaxy. For ten years, she returned stolen artifacts to alien civilizations—until a disastrous job forced her into hiding. Now she just wants to enjoy a quiet life as a graduate student of anthropology, but she’s haunted by persistent and disturbing visions of the future.

Then an old friend comes to her with a job she can’t refuse: find a powerful object that could save an alien species from extinction. Except no one has seen it in living memory, and they aren’t the only ones hunting for it.

Maya sets out on a breakneck quest through a universe teeming with strange life and ancient ruins. But the farther she goes, the more her visions cast a dark shadow over her team of friends new and old. Someone will betray her along the way. Worse yet, in choosing to save one species, she may condemn humanity and Earth itself.

--

Content warnings are available at the author's website (see author bio).]]> 312 Yume Kitasei 1250875374 Z 0 to-read 3.64 2024 The Stardust Grail
author: Yume Kitasei
name: Z
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fathomfolk (Drowned World, #1)]]> 173404001 Ěý
But in the semi-flooded city, humans are, quite literally, on peering down from skyscrapers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolkĚý—Ěýsirens, seawitches, kelpies and kappas—who live in the polluted waters below.
Ěý
For half-siren Mira, promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to reform. At last, she has the ear of the city council and a chance to lift the repressive laws that restrict fathomfolk at every turn.ĚýBut if earning the trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn't hard enough, everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy whenĚýa water dragon is exiled to the city.
Ěý
New arrival Nami is an aristocratic water dragon with an opinion on everything.ĚýFrustrated by the lack of progress from Mira's softly-softly approach in gaining equality, Nami throws her lot in with an anti-human extremistĚýgroup,ĚýleavingĚýMira to find the headstrong youth before sheĚýmakes everythingĚýworse.
Ěý
And pulling strings behind everything is Cordelia, a second-generation sea-witch determined to do what she must to survive and see her family flourish, even if it means climbing over the bodies of her competitors. Her political game-playing and underground connections could disrupt everything Nami and Mira are fighting for.
Ěý
When the extremists sabotage the annual boat race, violence erupts, as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights. Even Nami realises her new friends are not what they seem.ĚýBoth she and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth it, or if Tiankawi should be left to drown.]]> 448 Eliza Chan 0316564923 Z 0 queue 3.14 2024 Fathomfolk (Drowned World, #1)
author: Eliza Chan
name: Z
average rating: 3.14
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: queue
review:

]]> The Warm Hands of Ghosts 154462576 New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale

January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?

November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.

As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.]]> 325 Katherine Arden 0593128257 Z 0 queue 3.97 2024 The Warm Hands of Ghosts
author: Katherine Arden
name: Z
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[In the Shadow of Queens: Tales from the Tudor Court]]> 58145492
Over the years of his reign, six different women took their place beside King Henry VIII of England as his wife and queen.

But the real stories of the six Tudor queens belong to those who lived among them. Played out in glittering palaces and whispering courts, these are tales of the people who loved and served these women, and those who lied and betrayed them.

Collected together for the first time, In the Shadow of Queens reveals thirteen startling stories from the Tudor court, told by those at the very heart of that world.]]> 432 Alison Weir 1472286286 Z 0 queue 4.01 2021 In the Shadow of Queens: Tales from the Tudor Court
author: Alison Weir
name: Z
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
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review:

]]> Ocean's Godori 196262577
When her best friend, Teo, second son of the Anand Tech empire, is framed for murdering his family, Ocean and her misfit crewmates are pushed to the forefront of a high-stakes ideological conflict. But dodging bullets and winning space chases may be the easiest part of what comes next.

A thrilling adventure across the solar that delivers hyperkinetic action sequences and irresistible will-they-won't-they romance alongside its nuanced exploration of colonialism and capitalism, Ocean's Godori ultimately asks: What do we owe our past? How do we navigate our present while honoring the complicated facets of our identity? What can our future hold?]]> 341 Elaine U. Cho 1638930597 Z 0 queue 3.61 2024 Ocean's Godori
author: Elaine U. Cho
name: Z
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/02
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Night Ends with Fire (The Night Ends with Fire, #1)]]> 201129898 Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventureĚýinspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young womanĚýdetermined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.

The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.

The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.

In the army, Meilin's relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another?ĚýAs her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.

With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.]]> 432 K.X. Song 0593815726 Z 0 queue 3.80 2024 The Night Ends with Fire (The Night Ends with Fire, #1)
author: K.X. Song
name: Z
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/02
shelves: queue
review:

]]> Lady Tan’s Circle of Women 62919732
According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,� but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient.

From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus , they tell from adversity beauty can bloom.

But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.

How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? A captivating story of women helping each other, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a triumphant reimagining of the life of one person who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.]]> 352 Lisa See 1982117087 Z 0 queue 4.31 2023 Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
author: Lisa See
name: Z
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/02
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Am Henry: A Compelling Novel of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII]]> 134097582 An innovative retelling of the story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

Trapped in Limbo after his death, an obstinate Henry VIII is forced to relive key events from his life. To redeem his soul, he must accept the truth of his cruelty as a king and a husband, and face the ex-wives he betrayed.

Anne Boleyn, his second wife, is tormented by grief and the great injustice of her death and separation from her daughter, Elizabeth. She must confront Henry, the cause of her suffering, to find her way into the light.

List of Film Awards & NominationsOfficial LA Cinema of Hollywood Festival ( Winter 2016). Best Narrative Short (JH Verstraten) - Best Director (JH Verstraten) - Best Actor (Sebastian Street) - Best Actress (Fleur Keith) - Best Cinematography (Simon Rowling) - Best Original Score (Louis Sebastian Mander)

Official 49th Worldfest-Houston IFF ( April 2016). Gold REMI Award

Official International Filmmakers Festival, London ( February 2016). Best Costume Design (Kristen Ernst-Brown) - Best Hair & Make-Up (Chanel Murray). Best Director (JH Verstraten) - Best Editor (JH Verstraten)

Praise for "I am Henry"â€Mesmeric and dreamlike in the richness of its setting, I am Henry offers a new perspective on the story of Henry VIII from the vantage point of Limbo. It is an intensely satisfying â€� if at times unsettling - read, providing the meetings and encounters that you always wished had happened. Just what would Catherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour or Catherine Howard say to their mutual husband years after his contribution to their deaths? What of Anne Boleyn, imprisoned by the unfinished business of her life cut so abruptly short. I am Henry both re-evaluates a notorious life from a novel perspective, as well as taking his story forwards, beyond his death. A compelling read.â€�
Elizabeth Norton, Historian and Author

â€I am Henry is a highly imaginative and emotionally engaging story of repentance and redemption. It masterfully personifies the various characters and helps readers see them as fully realised people rather than mere faces in a painting, as we so often experience them. The story also offers some great insights into human nature, why we resist change, and the emotional journey that often leads to it. I see this finding a ready audience amongst the fans of the short film that inspired this novel. Not to mention those who are fascinated by Henry VIII and his wives.â€�
Kevin Miller, Author

â€What if Henry VIII had to confront those he’d hurt during his life? What if he was confronted by his sins? What if he had to explain himself to the woman he’d moved heaven and earth to marry but then executed?
We all want to know what would happen, and “I am Henry� has Henry VIII’s spirit being confronted by Anne Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon and Henry, Duke of Cornwall, his short-lived son by Catherine, among others, and they’re all keen to share their thoughts on him.
The setting is atmospheric, and we have some wonderfully poignant and emotionally charged scenes as Henry has to re-evaluate his life and answer to others. Will he submit and repent and thereby gain eternal peace and salvation?
I loved the “I am Henry� film, and the book is true to that—a wonderful read.]]> 228 Jan Hendrik Verstraten Z 0 queue 4.01 I Am Henry: A Compelling Novel of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII
author: Jan Hendrik Verstraten
name: Z
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/06
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Passionate Tudor: A Novel of Queen Mary I (Tudor Rose #3)]]> 195888499
Born from young King Henry’s first marriage, his elder daughter, Princess Mary, is raised to be queen once it becomes clear that her mother, Katherine of Aragon, will bear no more surviving children. However, Henry’s restless eye has a devastating influence on the young princess’s future when he declares her a bastard and his marriage to her mother unlawful. In hopes of a male heir, he marries Anne Boleyn and banishes Katherine and Mary from the royal court. But when Anne too fails to produce a son, she is beheaded and Mary is allowed to return to court as the default heir. At age twenty, she hopes in vain for her own marriage and children, but who will marry her, bastard that she is?

Yet Mary eventually triumphs and becomes queen, after first putting down a seventeen-year-old usurper, Lady Jane Grey, and ordering her beheading. Any hopes that as the first female queen to rule Britain Mary will show more compassion are dashed when she embarks on a ruthless campaign to force Catholicism on the English by burning hundreds of Protestants at the stake. But while her brutality will forever earn her the name Bloody Mary, at heart she is an insecure and vulnerable woman, her character forged by the unhappiness of her early years.

In Alison Weir’s masterful novel, the drama of Mary I’s life and five-year reign—from her abusive childhood, marriage, and mysterious pregnancies to the cruelty that marks her legacy—comes to vivid life.]]> 528 Alison Weir 0593355105 Z 0 queue 3.85 2024 The Passionate Tudor: A Novel of Queen Mary I (Tudor Rose #3)
author: Alison Weir
name: Z
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/06
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Last White Rose (Tudor Rose #1)]]> 58735042 New York Times bestselling author Alison Weir explores the life of Henry VIII's mother, Elizabeth, the first queen of the Tudor dynasty, in this stunning historical novel.

Elizabeth of York is the oldest daughter of King Edward IV. Flame-haired, beautiful, and sweet-natured, she is adored by her family; yet her life is suddenly disrupted when her beloved father dies in the prime of life. Her uncle, the notorious Richard III, takes advantage of King Edward's death to grab the throne and imprison Elizabeth's two younger brothers, the rightful royal heirs. Forever afterwards known as the princes in the tower, the boys are never seen again. On the heels of this tragedy, Elizabeth is subjected to Richard's overtures to make her his wife, further legitimizing his claim to the throne. King Richard has murdered her brothers, yet she is obliged to accept his proposal.

As if in a fairy tale, Elizabeth is saved by Henry Tudor, who challenges Richard and kills him in the legendary Battle of Bosworth Field. In recognition of his victory, Henry becomes king and asks Elizabeth to be his wife, the first queen of the Tudor line. The marriage is happy and fruitful, not only uniting the warring houses of Lancaster and York--the red and white roses--but resulting in four surviving children, one of whom, Henry VIII, will rule the country for the next thirty-six years.

As in her popular Six Tudor Queens series, Alison Weir captures the personality of one of Britain's most important monarchs, conveying Elizabeth of York's dramatic life in a novel that is all the richer because of its firm basis in history.]]> 544 Alison Weir 0593355032 Z 0 queue 3.97 2022 The Last White Rose (Tudor Rose #1)
author: Alison Weir
name: Z
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/06
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The King's Pleasure (Tudor Rose, #2)]]> 58456963
Having completed her Six Tudor Queens series of novels on the wives of Henry VIII, extensively researched and written from each queen’s point of view, Alison Weir now gives Henry himself a voice, telling the story of his remarkable thirty-six-year reign and his six marriages.

Young Henry began his rule as a magnificent and chivalrous Renaissance prince who embodied every virtue. He had all the qualities to make a triumph of his rule, yet we remember only the violence. Henry famously broke with the Pope, founding the Church of England and launching a religious revolution that divided his kingdom. He beheaded two of his wives and cast aside two others. He died a suspicious, obese, disease-riddled tyrant, old before his time. His reign is remembered as one of dangerous intrigue and bloodshed—and yet the truth is far more complex.

The King’s Pleasure brings to life the idealistic monarch who expanded Parliament, founded the Royal Navy, modernized medical training, composed music and poetry, and patronized the arts. A passionate man in search of true love, he was stymied by the imperative to produce a male heir, as much a victim of circumstance as his unhappy wives. Had fate been kinder to him, the history of England would have been very different.

Here is the story of the private man. To his contemporaries, he was a great king, a legend in his own lifetime. And he left an extraordinary legacy—a modern Britain.]]> 593 Alison Weir 0593355067 Z 0 queue 3.80 2023 The King's Pleasure (Tudor Rose, #2)
author: Alison Weir
name: Z
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/06
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rosemary and Rue (October Daye, #1)]]> 6294549
The murder of Countess Evening Winterrose pulls Toby back into the fae world. Unable to resist Evening's dying curse, which binds her to investigate, Toby must resume her former position as knight errant and renew old alliances. As she steps back into fae society, dealing with a cast of characters not entirely good or evil, she realizes that more than her own life will be forfeited if she cannot find Evening's killer.]]> 346 Seanan McGuire 0756405718 Z 0 queue 3.76 2009 Rosemary and Rue (October Daye, #1)
author: Seanan McGuire
name: Z
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Redeemed (House of Night, #12)]]> 16136599 as well as the ability to wield Old Magick. Only Zoey Redbird is heir to such power…but because of the consequences of using Old Magick, she is unable to help.ĚýFind out who will win and who will lose in this epic battle of Light versus Darkness.

Ěý

The House of Night series is an international phenomenon, reaching #1 on U.S., German, and UK bestseller lists, and remaining a fixture on The New York Times Children’s Series bestseller list for nearly 160 weeks and counting. With more than 12 million copies in print, rights sold in thirty–eight countries to date, and relatable, addictive characters, this series is unstoppable. Now, in the final installment of the series, Zoey and her friends face the ultimate battle with evil which will determine the fate of the world, both human and vampyre.


]]> 310 P.C. Cast 0312594445 Z 1
going back to the start of it, I admit that it was somewhat satisfying seeing Zoey calling herself self-absorbed and finally realizing how much of an idiot she is- but of course it was just as annoying because she really was out here pushing everyone away after the entire series' lesson of "always love", like girl are you really that dumb? and then there was all the violations of legal rights that somehow a seasoned police officer allowed?

when she does finally get out she's out here acting way too defensive at the neferet comparisons, which are all valid concerns since she was literally just influenced by the seer stone to attack people and in jail and all- we really had that five second Sgiach cameo just to call Zoey out, because the whole island under attack never came back.

while Neferet's chapters were less painful to read as always writing wise, I felt like they weren't really necessary for the majority of the book because nothing important happened. they kinda reminded me of a bad parody of herself, she wasn't as scary either just violent and bloodthirsty. it also felt like Neferet suddenly lost all the smarts she had pre-goddess because why would she make the dumb move to claim the deaths of the guys in the park when it was keeping her enemy locked in jail and useless? that decision was clearly just to get Zoey out because the Casts didn't know how else they could after putting her there for barely a few days in the first place. I think the chapters in her pov in general were just to have something happening while Zoey and her group got their shit together, those plus the Lynette and Marx povs honestly were just used to fill in the space to make this book long enough. also it's funny to me how Lynette really didn't somehow see Neferet murdering them all coming, after everything she saw the vampyre do and all her erratic behaviour, it was pretty obvious she was going to do that?

I will say that Kalona and Thanatos' deaths made me a little sad since they had grown on me, and were probably the most interesting characters by this point in the books. while Kalona got a 'valiant' death scene, though I feel like it was dumb since no one was even tossed out, Thanatos' death was barely two lines and felt like an afterthought which sucked- the reunion scene with Nyx for Kalona was cute I guess but it honestly felt more cringey to me? though I do want to add while I enjoyed Kalona's arc back to the light, I still wish he had a more corporeal punishment for all his crimes like Rephaim, because it felt like he was forgiven way too easy which he also says himself that he's done so much wrong, the little good he managed at the end couldn't begin to make up for it? but see my Kalona's Fall review for why that doesn't happen of course, Nyx being a thirsty goddess smh

jumping towards the end of it all, why was it that the entire nerd herd and Zoey who is our main protagonist and heroine couldn't think of any ideas to stop Neferet, but somehow Aurox a character who was only introduced a few books back is the one who comes up with the idea that inspires the plan? he didn't even know the whole situation about Kalona being imprisoned in earth until five minutes ago, but everyone else did and somehow they didn't consider using that ploy themselves?

the big fight itself was so quick and underwhelming and full of ridiculous dialogue, why is Zoey saying her name as if we and Neferet don't know who she is? the whole "I've had enough of your bullshit, your killing time is over" bit was also so ridiculous and wow now she chooses to curse? and then the cringe of Neferet saying bullpoopie that we did not need but that she was right to call Zoey out on considering she says that way too much, suddenly trying to act like a real adult and use the proper word isn't gonna change your weird childishness girl?

not to mention there is no way realistically that Neferet would have just stood there and let Zoey say that giant line of text of the spell to seal her away, and no final words from Neferet either? that feels so out of character, this woman always has to have the last say and became such a narcissist by this point? Zoey still doesn't even understand her own emotions because that true love thing ended up being about Aurox/Heath and not Stark.

but yeah the end was so underwhelming and felt like it left so much unresolved, the clean up of the Mayo, the human vamp tensions that were rising (that I know now is bc they made yet another series of HoN), Heath being her true love that she never seems to mention to Stark? and then there's the random sudden romance with Shaunee and Erik because Shaunee was unlucky enough to still be single and Erik is still here for some reason so let's just toss these two characters with no chemistry together because Erik got rejected by his first choice!

I remember seeing someone else mention this in their review but the group going to the stereotypical locations that match the stereotypes they are was weird and yikes, couldn't even end the series without falling back to those stereotypes- my final note.....Nyx should not be giggling, she's an ancient goddess not a teenage girl supposedly, though again referring to KF clearly she's just Zoey 2.0!]]> 3.99 2014 Redeemed (House of Night, #12)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Z
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2014
rating: 1
read at: 2024/05/09
date added: 2024/05/20
shelves:
review:
it took me so long to get through this final book because it was just so painfully slow, I kept putting it down because it dragged so much and there were so many big chunks of random filler that was not needed- I feel like they really waited to have all the action and resolution to the whole series in the last 30 pages of the book?

going back to the start of it, I admit that it was somewhat satisfying seeing Zoey calling herself self-absorbed and finally realizing how much of an idiot she is- but of course it was just as annoying because she really was out here pushing everyone away after the entire series' lesson of "always love", like girl are you really that dumb? and then there was all the violations of legal rights that somehow a seasoned police officer allowed?

when she does finally get out she's out here acting way too defensive at the neferet comparisons, which are all valid concerns since she was literally just influenced by the seer stone to attack people and in jail and all- we really had that five second Sgiach cameo just to call Zoey out, because the whole island under attack never came back.

while Neferet's chapters were less painful to read as always writing wise, I felt like they weren't really necessary for the majority of the book because nothing important happened. they kinda reminded me of a bad parody of herself, she wasn't as scary either just violent and bloodthirsty. it also felt like Neferet suddenly lost all the smarts she had pre-goddess because why would she make the dumb move to claim the deaths of the guys in the park when it was keeping her enemy locked in jail and useless? that decision was clearly just to get Zoey out because the Casts didn't know how else they could after putting her there for barely a few days in the first place. I think the chapters in her pov in general were just to have something happening while Zoey and her group got their shit together, those plus the Lynette and Marx povs honestly were just used to fill in the space to make this book long enough. also it's funny to me how Lynette really didn't somehow see Neferet murdering them all coming, after everything she saw the vampyre do and all her erratic behaviour, it was pretty obvious she was going to do that?

I will say that Kalona and Thanatos' deaths made me a little sad since they had grown on me, and were probably the most interesting characters by this point in the books. while Kalona got a 'valiant' death scene, though I feel like it was dumb since no one was even tossed out, Thanatos' death was barely two lines and felt like an afterthought which sucked- the reunion scene with Nyx for Kalona was cute I guess but it honestly felt more cringey to me? though I do want to add while I enjoyed Kalona's arc back to the light, I still wish he had a more corporeal punishment for all his crimes like Rephaim, because it felt like he was forgiven way too easy which he also says himself that he's done so much wrong, the little good he managed at the end couldn't begin to make up for it? but see my Kalona's Fall review for why that doesn't happen of course, Nyx being a thirsty goddess smh

jumping towards the end of it all, why was it that the entire nerd herd and Zoey who is our main protagonist and heroine couldn't think of any ideas to stop Neferet, but somehow Aurox a character who was only introduced a few books back is the one who comes up with the idea that inspires the plan? he didn't even know the whole situation about Kalona being imprisoned in earth until five minutes ago, but everyone else did and somehow they didn't consider using that ploy themselves?

the big fight itself was so quick and underwhelming and full of ridiculous dialogue, why is Zoey saying her name as if we and Neferet don't know who she is? the whole "I've had enough of your bullshit, your killing time is over" bit was also so ridiculous and wow now she chooses to curse? and then the cringe of Neferet saying bullpoopie that we did not need but that she was right to call Zoey out on considering she says that way too much, suddenly trying to act like a real adult and use the proper word isn't gonna change your weird childishness girl?

not to mention there is no way realistically that Neferet would have just stood there and let Zoey say that giant line of text of the spell to seal her away, and no final words from Neferet either? that feels so out of character, this woman always has to have the last say and became such a narcissist by this point? Zoey still doesn't even understand her own emotions because that true love thing ended up being about Aurox/Heath and not Stark.

but yeah the end was so underwhelming and felt like it left so much unresolved, the clean up of the Mayo, the human vamp tensions that were rising (that I know now is bc they made yet another series of HoN), Heath being her true love that she never seems to mention to Stark? and then there's the random sudden romance with Shaunee and Erik because Shaunee was unlucky enough to still be single and Erik is still here for some reason so let's just toss these two characters with no chemistry together because Erik got rejected by his first choice!

I remember seeing someone else mention this in their review but the group going to the stereotypical locations that match the stereotypes they are was weird and yikes, couldn't even end the series without falling back to those stereotypes- my final note.....Nyx should not be giggling, she's an ancient goddess not a teenage girl supposedly, though again referring to KF clearly she's just Zoey 2.0!
]]> <![CDATA[Kalona's Fall (House of Night Novellas, #4)]]> 16136628 150 P.C. Cast Z 1
from the starting pages there's already some inconsistency and just general weirdness, divine energy is initially listed as being beyond gender just energy but then suddenly becomes a he so that he can procreate with Mother Earth essentially- there's a whole lot of that weird innuendo of vague bodiless entities having sex and the like, this is only the start of it

then we go on to the fact that Mother Earth is weirdly described as being young, fertile and sultry for some reason, and for whatever reason we get a detailed description of her being curvy and her bosom? and of course to continue that trend we have Nyx who is the great powerful goddess in the books being described as "childlike, young, a maiden, sweet and girlish" among other words that emphasize her being young- as if this weird obsession of the Casts' with these immortal characters looking like minors isn't enough, Nyx initially shares being known by multiple names, both being poc goddesses yet she still chooses her default form to of course be a young white underage girl-

then we have some of the other lore that doesn't really make sense, darkness apparently exists because Nyx was feeling lonely, as she tells Mother Earth, which feels a bit strange considering darkness is described as a force that has been around forever? Nyx's personality overall is not at all the benevolent powerful goddess we have been told she is, instead she sounds like a hormonal teenager who is only interested in her own problems and life...sound familiar, Zoey 2.0 much?

let's talk about page 10 btw because as I mentioned earlier, there are more weird allusions about the sun and moon "quickening" just from Mother Earth smiling at them......I think that innuendo speaks for itself there- but if that wasn't enough we then get Mother Earth summoning wind to lift her clothes, show off her naked body and touching herself to seduce the sun and moon into granting her wish to make a companion for Nyx...

speaking of companions, Nyx really said the fey are cute and all, but I want an immortal I can touch, aka have sex with- it's pretty clear she's putting an emphasis on wanting the lover part of warrior, lover, playmate and friend- a line which is repeated an annoying amount of times

of course we can never have enough of the Cast's weird fetishization of native americans with a scene of Nyx in her native goddess form doing a dance around a hole to summon a new tree! followed by a ridiculous sneezing scene where she can't stop, followed by jumping up and down like a child over skipping a rock, it really does feel like I'm just reading about Zoey and her bf drama again-

to wrap the whole novella up, the majority of this whole situation is caused by Mother Earth's micro-managing things and weird bias against Kalona literally 5 minutes into him being born before he even did anything, serious miscommunication, Kalona having major anger and possession issues, and Nyx acting like a dumb giggling girl rather than the goddess she's supposed to be, paying attention only to wanting Kalona as her lover but being terrible at communicating this to him-

she doesn't notice the fact that her fey companion she has been with for so long is acting weird, she doesn't listen when Kalona tells her multiple times his feelings of not bearing to be apart from her and missing her, she forbids them from talking about the night that vampyres were made which of course is also the night Kalona walks in on her sitting half naked in Erebus' lap-

this misunderstanding is the breaking point of things and if she and Erebus had just bothered to speak about it and explain they were literally talking about Kalona, then he probably wouldn't have spiraled to taking up darkness's help and letting the bull into the otherworld- instead she chooses to never bring it up again and to go spend time with Erebus every single time she feels them growing distant rather than communicating about it, and then turns around and gaslights Kalona that no she isn't choosing Erebus over him, despite being found half naked in his lap and despite spending so much time with him while her and Kalona only spend time together when they make love if at all

considering they were literally made to serve Nyx and be her companions from day 1, I am inclined to believe the predestined thing with neither having a choice of loving Nyx no matter what she says about free will- I've been complaining about Nyx but I have criticism for Kalona too- while I believe they had no choice to love Nyx, I do think the way he chose to go about dealing with his anger and jealousy is all on him- from the start he gets pissed off way too fast about everything Erebus does, he doesn't regulate his anger in healthy ways, he keeps choosing strange destructive ways to showcase his tests, he ignores the fey L'ota literally being a stalker as well as weird at the cave and doesn't bother telling Nyx, he rudely insults Mother Earth in his mind the first moment they are born, and every time Nyx so much as looks at Erebus he's being a dumb jealous idiot- this whole situation was ridiculous and for immortal beings everyone really was stupid, if I could I would give this 0 stars smh]]> 4.06 2014 Kalona's Fall (House of Night Novellas, #4)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Z
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2014
rating: 1
read at: 2024/05/13
date added: 2024/05/14
shelves:
review:
after painstakingly powering through the last few books of the main series, Kalona was one of the few characters I was genuinely interested in. I was actually interested in getting to this novella because I was curious about how he fell and seeing more of what Nyx was like as well, as she only popped in briefly and I've always been interested in mythology. unfortunately and disappointingly this was really bad-

from the starting pages there's already some inconsistency and just general weirdness, divine energy is initially listed as being beyond gender just energy but then suddenly becomes a he so that he can procreate with Mother Earth essentially- there's a whole lot of that weird innuendo of vague bodiless entities having sex and the like, this is only the start of it

then we go on to the fact that Mother Earth is weirdly described as being young, fertile and sultry for some reason, and for whatever reason we get a detailed description of her being curvy and her bosom? and of course to continue that trend we have Nyx who is the great powerful goddess in the books being described as "childlike, young, a maiden, sweet and girlish" among other words that emphasize her being young- as if this weird obsession of the Casts' with these immortal characters looking like minors isn't enough, Nyx initially shares being known by multiple names, both being poc goddesses yet she still chooses her default form to of course be a young white underage girl-

then we have some of the other lore that doesn't really make sense, darkness apparently exists because Nyx was feeling lonely, as she tells Mother Earth, which feels a bit strange considering darkness is described as a force that has been around forever? Nyx's personality overall is not at all the benevolent powerful goddess we have been told she is, instead she sounds like a hormonal teenager who is only interested in her own problems and life...sound familiar, Zoey 2.0 much?

let's talk about page 10 btw because as I mentioned earlier, there are more weird allusions about the sun and moon "quickening" just from Mother Earth smiling at them......I think that innuendo speaks for itself there- but if that wasn't enough we then get Mother Earth summoning wind to lift her clothes, show off her naked body and touching herself to seduce the sun and moon into granting her wish to make a companion for Nyx...

speaking of companions, Nyx really said the fey are cute and all, but I want an immortal I can touch, aka have sex with- it's pretty clear she's putting an emphasis on wanting the lover part of warrior, lover, playmate and friend- a line which is repeated an annoying amount of times

of course we can never have enough of the Cast's weird fetishization of native americans with a scene of Nyx in her native goddess form doing a dance around a hole to summon a new tree! followed by a ridiculous sneezing scene where she can't stop, followed by jumping up and down like a child over skipping a rock, it really does feel like I'm just reading about Zoey and her bf drama again-

to wrap the whole novella up, the majority of this whole situation is caused by Mother Earth's micro-managing things and weird bias against Kalona literally 5 minutes into him being born before he even did anything, serious miscommunication, Kalona having major anger and possession issues, and Nyx acting like a dumb giggling girl rather than the goddess she's supposed to be, paying attention only to wanting Kalona as her lover but being terrible at communicating this to him-

she doesn't notice the fact that her fey companion she has been with for so long is acting weird, she doesn't listen when Kalona tells her multiple times his feelings of not bearing to be apart from her and missing her, she forbids them from talking about the night that vampyres were made which of course is also the night Kalona walks in on her sitting half naked in Erebus' lap-

this misunderstanding is the breaking point of things and if she and Erebus had just bothered to speak about it and explain they were literally talking about Kalona, then he probably wouldn't have spiraled to taking up darkness's help and letting the bull into the otherworld- instead she chooses to never bring it up again and to go spend time with Erebus every single time she feels them growing distant rather than communicating about it, and then turns around and gaslights Kalona that no she isn't choosing Erebus over him, despite being found half naked in his lap and despite spending so much time with him while her and Kalona only spend time together when they make love if at all

considering they were literally made to serve Nyx and be her companions from day 1, I am inclined to believe the predestined thing with neither having a choice of loving Nyx no matter what she says about free will- I've been complaining about Nyx but I have criticism for Kalona too- while I believe they had no choice to love Nyx, I do think the way he chose to go about dealing with his anger and jealousy is all on him- from the start he gets pissed off way too fast about everything Erebus does, he doesn't regulate his anger in healthy ways, he keeps choosing strange destructive ways to showcase his tests, he ignores the fey L'ota literally being a stalker as well as weird at the cave and doesn't bother telling Nyx, he rudely insults Mother Earth in his mind the first moment they are born, and every time Nyx so much as looks at Erebus he's being a dumb jealous idiot- this whole situation was ridiculous and for immortal beings everyone really was stupid, if I could I would give this 0 stars smh
]]> Between Two Fires 54408033 436 Christopher Buehlman Z 0 queue 4.24 2012 Between Two Fires
author: Christopher Buehlman
name: Z
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/28
shelves: queue
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Neferet's Curse (House of Night Novellas, #3)]]> 12059592 The White City, 1893: In turn-of-the-century Chicago, with the World's Fair bringing bustle and excitement to her home city, sixteen-year-old Emily Wheiler should be reveling in her youthful beauty and the excitement around her. But her whole life changed when her mother died, leaving her to be the Lady of Wheiler House. Her father, a powerful bank president, is at the center of an important social hub for the booming young city, and he needs Emily to do everything her mother would have � to be a good hostess and make sure the mansion runs smoothly.

As Emily uneasily tries to replace her mother, she also longs for more� for love and a life of her own. When a handsome young man notices her at one of her father's parties, it seems that her hopes may finally be coming true. Until her father forbids her to see him � or any other man � and starts revealing a darkly violent side that even he can't understand.

At last, afraid for her life and with nowhere to turn, Emily is Marked by a vampyre and brought to the Chicago House of Night, where she begins a magickal new life that should allow the wounds from her past to heal. But as she gains strength, and a powerful new name, she carries a dark need to wreak vengeance on the man she trusted most.

From victim to High Priestess, beautiful young woman to powerful seductress, Neferet's journey begins in NEFERET'S CURSE...from authors P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.]]> 147 P.C. Cast 1250000254 Z 1
The way they write female characters' bodies makes me so uncomfortable, it really feels like it's through a male gaze which is ironic but genuinely the way they describe things is weird. For example how the seer stone hung between Zoey's breasts instead of just leaving it at saying it's around her neck and tucked into her shirt, not to mention the way they describe Emily's body through this whole novella. It's even weirder when you remember that both characters are young and underage and this feels so unnecessary.

Putting that weirdness aside, it was interesting to see Neferet's starting point in full, to learn what sent her down the path to darkness, the fact that she was classist doesn't surprise me. With the authors' r*pe fetish finally culminating with Emily it's no wonder she went evil honestly. Her father's treatment of her, the fact the man she liked was too weak to accept her becoming a vampire, the way none of her friends understood the situation or wanted to listen, their petty jealousies and so on. As she wrote herself in the journal entries she already began to feel mad and her father's abuse really just pushed her over the edge.

My final note, that while it was an interesting read, the use of above abuse is overdone, misogynistic and just overall lazy writing. And it really felt way too tongue in cheek to have the whole white bull fountain, her strange obsession with it so early on and her being called a goddess way back in her past.]]> 4.06 2013 Neferet's Curse (House of Night Novellas, #3)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Z
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2013
rating: 1
read at: 2024/04/22
date added: 2024/04/25
shelves:
review:
I want to start this with questioning what is with the Casts and their weird obsession with using r*pe as a plot device? It's never a good idea and they really overdo it, even if it doesn't always go through but gestures to Neferet, Lenobia's novella with the priest, Anastasia with Biddle, Kalona overall. It really feels like some misogynistic behaviour, adding onto that as I read this novella I realized something that had bothered me through the main series as well but that I couldn't quite word till this one.

The way they write female characters' bodies makes me so uncomfortable, it really feels like it's through a male gaze which is ironic but genuinely the way they describe things is weird. For example how the seer stone hung between Zoey's breasts instead of just leaving it at saying it's around her neck and tucked into her shirt, not to mention the way they describe Emily's body through this whole novella. It's even weirder when you remember that both characters are young and underage and this feels so unnecessary.

Putting that weirdness aside, it was interesting to see Neferet's starting point in full, to learn what sent her down the path to darkness, the fact that she was classist doesn't surprise me. With the authors' r*pe fetish finally culminating with Emily it's no wonder she went evil honestly. Her father's treatment of her, the fact the man she liked was too weak to accept her becoming a vampire, the way none of her friends understood the situation or wanted to listen, their petty jealousies and so on. As she wrote herself in the journal entries she already began to feel mad and her father's abuse really just pushed her over the edge.

My final note, that while it was an interesting read, the use of above abuse is overdone, misogynistic and just overall lazy writing. And it really felt way too tongue in cheek to have the whole white bull fountain, her strange obsession with it so early on and her being called a goddess way back in her past.
]]> <![CDATA[Dragon's Oath (House of Night Novellas, #1)]]> 10324808

The first in an enthralling new mini-series of novellas from the #1 bestselling authors of the House of Night,ĚýDragon’s OathĚýtells the story behind the House of Night’s formidable fencing instructor â€� the love that will transform him, and the promise that will haunt him

In early 19th century England, long before he’s a professor at the Tulsa House of Night, Bryan Lankford is a troublesome yet talented human teen who thinks he can get away with anythingâ€� until his father, a wealthy nobleman, has finally had enough, and banishes him toĚýAmerica. WhenĚýBryanĚýis Marked on the docks and given the choice between the London House of Night and the dragon-prowed ship to America, he chooses the Dragon â€� and a brand new fate.

Becoming a Fledgling may be exciting, but it opens a door to a dangerous world...In 1830’sĚýSt. Louis, the Gateway to the West, Dragon Lankford becomes a Sword Master, and soon realizes there are both frightening challenges and beautiful perks. Like Anastasia, the captivating young Professor of Spells and Rituals at the Tower Grove House of Night, who really should have nothing to do with a fledglingâ€�

But when a dark power threatens, Dragon is caught in its focus. Though his uncanny fighting skills make him a powerful fledgling, is he strong enough to ward off evil, while protecting Anastasia as well? Will his choices save her—or destroy them all?Ěý

Ěý

]]> 145 P.C. Cast 1250000238 Z 1 4.08 2011 Dragon's Oath (House of Night Novellas, #1)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Z
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2011
rating: 1
read at: 2024/04/18
date added: 2024/04/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lenobia's Vow (House of Night Novellas, #2)]]> 11551045 House of Night, Lenobia’s Vow tells the gripping story behind the House of Night’s enigmatic riding instructor—and one of Zoey’s closest allies against evil.

The second of the House of Night novellas brings us Lenobia, the strong, beautiful horseback riding instructor who guides Zoey through some of her darkest hours and has a dark secret buried in her own past...

In a small southern town at the turn of the century, young Lenobia is developing into a beautiful young woman with ideas of her own. But when she is Marked as a fledgling vampyre, her world turns upside down, and she is drawn to the musical streets of New Orleans. There, she learns of the city’s dark underbelly, ruled by powerful black magic. As Lenobia experiences her first love—and loss—and discovers a passion for horses to sustain her, she must come face-to-face with Darkness itself.

And she may not escape without scars.]]> 160 P.C. Cast 1250000246 Z 1 4.19 2012 Lenobia's Vow (House of Night Novellas, #2)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Z
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2012
rating: 1
read at: 2024/04/17
date added: 2024/04/17
shelves:
review:
while I was very appreciative of the more legible writing style and lack of unnatural teenager speech, the story itself was kind of lackluster after all the hints of Lenobia's tragic love. I expected the romance to have been something that was longer than a few weeks, it didn't feel like it was deep enough for her to mourn for 200 some years. despite that I'm glad she found Martin again in the main series and all since he was the love of her life and all, and since I did like Lenobia's character. though the more I think back on it, it was a little weird that he came back as a white guy, especially since one of the reasons Martin gave for their love not being possible was their race. evil priests aside, if that was the other big issue then why not have him come back as a black man once more in the present day where race wouldn't hold them back anymore? I understand maybe wanting to showcase soulmates recognizing and falling in love with each other again even in a new body/different appearance but they could literally have made him look like a different person even being black again. maybe that's just me though, but weird accents, historical inaccuracies and poor french aside, this was still a bit disappointing due to the aforementioned things above.
]]> <![CDATA[Revealed (House of Night, #11)]]> 17286663
Drastically altered after her fall at the end of Hidden, Neferet is now more dangerous than ever―and her quest for vengeance will wreak havoc on humans, as well as Zoey and her friends. Chaos is loosed in Tulsa and the House of Night is blamed. Can Zoey stop Neferet in time to keep her anger from escalating to full-on war? Or will someone else have to step in to take the fall?

The House of Night series is an international phenomenon, reaching #1 on U.S., German, and UK bestseller lists, and remaining a fixture on The New York Times Children's Series bestseller list for nearly 150 weeks and counting. With more than 12 million copies in print, rights sold in thirty–eight countries to date, and relatable, addictive characters, this series is unstoppable. Now, in the eleventh and penultimate installment of the series, the action is more intense and the stakes even higher as Zoey and her friends battle to protect their school and home from devastating evil―all while balancing romances, precarious friendships and the daily drama of the House of Night's halls.]]> 306 P.C. Cast 0312594437 Z 1
Stark continued to be a weird possessive meathead, Aurox and the weird Heath not Heath stuff once more was not needed, let the guy stay dead- and I will never understand the weird idea of 'teenage' conversation in these books. I literally closed my eyes at the spaghetti and cheese sandwich moments with Aurox, no one calls it that, you guys aren't toddlers?? I am not surprised at Erin's death but at the same time it felt so cliche because she switched sides and then everyone still forgives her at the end for some reason even though we are shown how little personality and empathy she had on her own. I was glad that we finally got rid of Dallas though, he felt like a really useless background character after his initial introduction and his attempt to suddenly come back as a villain with killing Stevie Rae really felt like they were just trying to give some sort of conflict in this very filler empty book. I'm glad Thanatos wasn't taking any bs and got rid of him permanently rather than having him lingering around. Honestly wish Thanatos had been in this series from day one because I imagine it would have been ten times shorter lmao.

And now for Zoey...honestly the whole book of her pov was very frustrating to read because she was acting different and weird and somehow we are to believe she doesn't realize her own strange behaviour? If we give benefit of the doubt to her being oblivious because of other events, which honestly with Neferet in hibernation the whole book wasn't much, you would think when her friend finally mentions this behaviour she might actually stop and listen? Aphrodite honestly wasted her breath on Zoey, I was ready to throw my book when she ran away from that conversation and acted like an idiot. Not to mention her going all dead fish at the end and shutting down, which was the most annoying part of it all. After all these books and all the cheesy repeated mantras of "always love", she still thinks she should cut everyone out and ignore them and their attempts to help her? It's like her character has somehow not grown or developed at all in the course of eleven whole books.


On to the last one with hopes it might end decently at least.]]> 3.91 2013 Revealed (House of Night, #11)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Z
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2013
rating: 1
read at: 2024/04/10
date added: 2024/04/15
shelves:
review:
I'll say one thing, this one was easier to read than the rest if only because of all the Neferet and Kalona povs. It was interesting to finally see all of Neferet's backstory and what shaped her to become the high priestess we first met. I also genuinely enjoyed seeing Kalona change and grow as a person and realize his mistakes slowly. The scenes where Nyx spoke to him again and when he finally was able to enter her temple again were very satisfying. That final chapter with Neferet and the church massacre was unhinged in a good way, I dubbed it Neferet's bloody baptism because it really felt like she was reborn anew fully in darkness now.

Stark continued to be a weird possessive meathead, Aurox and the weird Heath not Heath stuff once more was not needed, let the guy stay dead- and I will never understand the weird idea of 'teenage' conversation in these books. I literally closed my eyes at the spaghetti and cheese sandwich moments with Aurox, no one calls it that, you guys aren't toddlers?? I am not surprised at Erin's death but at the same time it felt so cliche because she switched sides and then everyone still forgives her at the end for some reason even though we are shown how little personality and empathy she had on her own. I was glad that we finally got rid of Dallas though, he felt like a really useless background character after his initial introduction and his attempt to suddenly come back as a villain with killing Stevie Rae really felt like they were just trying to give some sort of conflict in this very filler empty book. I'm glad Thanatos wasn't taking any bs and got rid of him permanently rather than having him lingering around. Honestly wish Thanatos had been in this series from day one because I imagine it would have been ten times shorter lmao.

And now for Zoey...honestly the whole book of her pov was very frustrating to read because she was acting different and weird and somehow we are to believe she doesn't realize her own strange behaviour? If we give benefit of the doubt to her being oblivious because of other events, which honestly with Neferet in hibernation the whole book wasn't much, you would think when her friend finally mentions this behaviour she might actually stop and listen? Aphrodite honestly wasted her breath on Zoey, I was ready to throw my book when she ran away from that conversation and acted like an idiot. Not to mention her going all dead fish at the end and shutting down, which was the most annoying part of it all. After all these books and all the cheesy repeated mantras of "always love", she still thinks she should cut everyone out and ignore them and their attempts to help her? It's like her character has somehow not grown or developed at all in the course of eleven whole books.


On to the last one with hopes it might end decently at least.
]]> Burned (House of Night, #7) 6917952 323 P.C. Cast 1905654944 Z 1 3.98 2010 Burned (House of Night, #7)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Z
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2010
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2024/04/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Untamed (House of Night, #4) 2866718 338 P.C. Cast 0312379838 Z 1 3.95 2008 Untamed (House of Night, #4)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Z
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2008
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2024/04/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Chosen (House of Night, #3) 1326258 307 P.C. Cast 0312360304 Z 1 3.92 2008 Chosen (House of Night, #3)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Z
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2008
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2024/04/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Tempted (House of Night, #6) 6262365
Zoey Redbird, now High Priestess of the shattered House of Night, is doing her best to hold everything together while dealing with her beloved, injured grandmother, her moody boyfriend, her secretive best friend, and the aftermath of the victory over her former mentor and a terrible, beautiful dark angel.

But Neferet and Kalona have only been banished, not defeated, and everyone knows they're heading straight for the Vampyre High Council, where Zoey must follow.

Zoey might be a High Priestess, but she's still just a teenager. And she's the only hope the world has.]]> 319 P.C. Cast 1905654588 Z 1 3.96 2009 Tempted (House of Night, #6)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Z
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2009
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2024/04/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Hunted (House of Night, #5) 4134071 336 P.C. Cast 031237982X Z 1 3.93 2009 Hunted (House of Night, #5)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Z
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2009
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2024/04/15
shelves:
review:

]]> The Legendary Inge 54379141 An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.
Plagued by misfortune, Ingrid Norling treks into the woods to clear her head. She emerges a monster-slayer, the shaken executioner of a creature so ferocious that even the king’s strongest warriors could not destroy it. In a land that reveres swords and worships strength, this accidental heroism earns Inge an audience at court and a most ill-fated prize: King Halvard impulsively adopts her and names her as his heir.

Under constant guard to prevent her escape, Inge confronts the ignoble underbelly of the royal court: a despotic king, a clueless princess, a proud warrior, and a dangerous intrigue. As secrets unravel around her and the castle threatens to become an elaborate deathtrap, Inge must keep her wits close and her weapons closer. The monster in the woods was only the beginning.]]> 334 Kate Stradling Z 0 queue 4.53 2015 The Legendary Inge
author: Kate Stradling
name: Z
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/12
shelves: queue
review:

]]>