Tori's bookshelf: all

Tori's bookshelf: all en-US Mon, 05 May 2025 08:20:21 -0700 60 Tori's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Ministry of Utmost Happiness]]> 37506431
Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize��

One of the Best Books of the �� The Washington Post * The Boston Globe * Minneapolis Star Tribune * NPR * Newsday * The Guardian * Financial Times * The Christian Science Monitor ��

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness�� takes us on an intimate journey across the Indian subcontinent—from the cramped neighborhoods of Old Delhi and the roads of the new city to the mountains and valleys of Kashmir and beyond, where war is peace and peace is war. Braiding together the lives of a diverse cast of characters who have been broken by the world they live in and then rescued, patched together by acts of love—and by hope, here Arundhati Roy reinvents what a novel can do and can be.]]> 464 Arundhati Roy 052543481X Tori 0 to-read 3.60 2017 The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

author: Arundhati Roy
name: Tori
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)]]> 210868783
The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.]]> 541 Suzanne Collins Tori 3 4.13 2020 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)

author: Suzanne Collins
name: Tori
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: currently-checked-out, dystopias, ya-like
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask!]]> 177058491 Ditch the stigma, celebrate your identity, and put yourself first with these 100+ exercises that reinforce the idea that neurodiversity is a strength and teaches you how to relax, destress, find your community, practice self-love, and more.

When you’re autistic, it can be tough to prioritize wellness.

Self-Care for Autistic People can help you engage in some neurodivergent self-care—without pretending to be neurotypical. You’ll find more than 100 activities that help you accept yourself, destigmatize autism, find your community, and take care of your physical and mental health. You’ll find solutions for managing the challenging aspects of autism, as well as ideas to bring out the many positive aspects. With expert advice from therapist Megan A. Neff, this book will help you make the most of your life and your diagnosis.]]> 190 Megan Anna Neff Tori 0 4.46 Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask!

Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask!

author: Megan Anna Neff
name: Tori
average rating: 4.46
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: for-guidance, currently-checked-out, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1)]]> 123211147 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and set in the world of A Darker Shade of Magic, V. E. Schwab opens a new door into perilous adventure and tangled schemes with The Fragile Threads of Power.

Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power, and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast, and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory―Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.

But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years―and a new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland's absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own―but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown them instead.

And back in Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely.

Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds.

Her name is Tes, and she's the only one who can bring them together―or unravel it all.]]> 656 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387514 Tori 0 4.37 2023 The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1)

The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1)

author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Tori
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: fantasy, started-but-then-put-aside, to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde, #3)]]> 211809571 The third installment in the heartwarming and enchanting Emily Wilde series, about a curmudgeonly scholar of folklore and the fae prince she loves

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival—now fiancé—the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal How can an unassuming scholar such as herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in, for Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic—and Emily’s knowledge of stories—to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

Book Three of the Emily Wilde Series]]> 368 Heather Fawcett 0593500237 Tori 0 4.25 2025 Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde, #3)

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde, #3)

author: Heather Fawcett
name: Tori
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction, romance, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)]]> 214333691 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

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

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

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 400 Suzanne Collins 1546171479 Tori 4 dystopias, ya-like 4.67 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)

Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)

author: Suzanne Collins
name: Tori
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: dystopias, ya-like
review:

]]> The Bright Sword 201751543
They aren’t the heroes of legend, like Lancelot or Gawain. They’re the oddballs of the Round Tables, from the edges of the stories, like Sir Palomides, the Saracen Knight and Sir Dagonet, Arthur’s fool, who was knighted as a joke. They’re joined by Nimue, who was Merlin’s apprentice until she turned on him and buried him under a hill. Together this ragtag fellowship will set out to rebuild Camelot in a world that has lost its balance.

But Arthur’s death has revealed Britain’s fault lines. God has abandoned it, and the fairies and monsters and old gods are returning, led by Arthur’s half-sister Morgan le Fay. Kingdoms are turning on each other, warlords are laying siege to Camelot, and rival factions are forming around the disgraced Lancelot and the fallen Queen Guinevere. It is up to Collum and his companions to reclaim Excalibur, solve the mysteries of this ruined world and make it whole again. But before they can restore Camelot they’ll have to learn the truth of why the lonely, brilliant King Arthur fell and lay to rest the ghosts of his troubled family and of Britain’s dark past.]]> 688 Lev Grossman 0735224056 Tori 0 4.18 2024 The Bright Sword

author: Lev Grossman
name: Tori
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction, started-but-then-put-aside, to-read
review:

]]> The Seventh Bride 25935854
Lord Crevan demands that Rhea visit his remote manor before their wedding. Upon arrival, she discovers that not only was her betrothed married six times before, but his previous wives are all imprisoned in his enchanted castle. Determined not to share their same fate, Rhea asserts her desire for freedom. In answer, Lord Crevan gives Rhea a series of magical tasks to complete, with the threat “Come back before dawn, or else I’ll marry you.��

With time running out and each task more dangerous and bizarre than the last, Rhea must use her resourcefulness, compassion, and bravery to rally the other wives and defeat the sorcerer before he binds her to him forever.

Revised edition: This edition of The Seventh Bride includes editorial revisions.]]> 237 T. Kingfisher 150394767X Tori 4 fantasy, feministy, aging 3.94 2014

author: T. Kingfisher
name: Tori
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: fantasy, feministy, aging
review:

]]> Death of the Author 214329001 The future of storytelling is here.

Life has thrown Zelu some curveballs over the years, but when she's suddenly dropped from her university job and her latest novel is rejected, all in the middle of her sister's wedding, her life is upended. Disabled, unemployed and from a nosy, high-achieving, judgmental family, she's not sure what comes next.

In her hotel room that night, she takes the risk that will define her life - she decides to write a book VERY unlike her others. A science fiction drama about androids and AI after the extinction of humanity. And everything changes.

What follows is a tale of love and loss, fame and infamy, of extraordinary events in one world, and another. And as Zelu's life evolves, the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.

Because sometimes a story really does have the power to reshape the world.]]> 448 Nnedi Okorafor 0063391155 Tori 0 to-read 4.04 2025 Death of the Author

author: Nnedi Okorafor
name: Tori
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The River Has Roots 211004176 Follow the river Liss to the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, and meet two sisters who cannot be separated, even in death.

“Oh what is stronger than a death? Two sisters singing with one breath.��

In the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, dwells the mysterious Hawthorn family.

There, they tend and harvest the enchanted willows and honour an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. None more devotedly than the family’s latest daughters, Esther and Ysabel, who cherish each other as much as they cherish the ancient trees.

But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favor of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters�� bond but also their lives will be at risk…]]> 133 Amal El-Mohtar 1250341086 Tori 0 to-read 4.19 2025 The River Has Roots

author: Amal El-Mohtar
name: Tori
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Greenteeth 214229691 From an outstanding new voice in cozy fantasy comes��Greenteeth,��a ��tale of fae, folklore, and found family, narrated by a charismatic lake-dwelling monster with a voice unlike any other, perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher.

Beneath the still surface of a lake lurks a monster with needle sharp teeth. Hungry and ready to pounce.

Jenny Greenteeth has never spoken to a human before, but when a witch is thrown into her lake, something makes Jenny decide she's worth saving. Temperance doesn't know why her village has suddenly turned against her, only that it has something to do with the malevolent new pastor.

Though they have nothing in common, these two must band together on a magical quest to defeat the evil that threatens Jenny's lake and Temperance's family, as well as the very soul of Britain.]]> 304 Molly O'Neill Tori 4 fantasy 3.98 2025 Greenteeth

author: Molly O'Neill
name: Tori
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/15
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> The Unit 5730888
In the Unit they are expected to contribute themselves for drug and psychological testing, and ultimately donate their organs, little by little, until the final donation. Despite the ruthless nature of this practice, the ethos of this near-future society and the Unit is to take care of others, and Dorrit finds herself living under very pleasant conditions: well-housed, well-fed, and well-attended. She is resigned to her fate and discovers her days there to be rather consoling and peaceful.

But when she meets a man inside the Unit and falls in love, the extraordinary becomes a reality and life suddenly turns unbearable. Dorrit is faced with compliance or escape, and...well, then what?]]> 268 Ninni Holmqvist 1590513134 Tori 0 to-read, dystopias, romance 3.73 2006 The Unit

author: Ninni Holmqvist
name: Tori
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read, dystopias, romance
review:

]]> Mem 36211478
And then there is Dolores Extract #1, the first Mem capable of creating her own memories. An ageless beauty shrouded in mystery, she is allowed to live on her own, and create her own existence, until one day she is summoned back to the Vault.]]> 184 Bethany C. Morrow 1944700552 Tori 0 to-read, dystopias 3.59 2018 Mem

author: Bethany C. Morrow
name: Tori
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read, dystopias
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier, #1)]]> 58724626
What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.]]> 165 T. Kingfisher 1250830753 Tori 0 to-read 3.86 2022 What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier, #1)

author: T. Kingfisher
name: Tori
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #2)]]> 126918676 Investigator Mossa and Scholar Pleiti reunite to solve a brand-new mystery in the follow-up to the fan-favorite cozy space opera detective mystery The Mimicking of Known Successes that Hugo Award-winning author Charlie Jane Anders called “an utter triumph.��

Mossa has returned to Valdegeld on a missing person’s case, for which she’ll once again need Pleiti’s insight.

Seventeen students and staff members have disappeared from Valdegeld University—yet no one has noticed. The answers to this case could be found in the outer reaches of the Jovian system—Mossa’s home—and the history of Jupiter’s original settlements. But Pleiti’s faith in her life’s work as scholar of the past has grown precarious, and this new case threatens to further destabilize her dreams for humanity’s future, as well as her own.]]> 200 Malka Ann Older Tori 3 4.17 2024 The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #2)

The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #2)

author: Malka Ann Older
name: Tori
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Spear 58032826
And so, brimming with magic and eager to test her strength, she breaks her covenant with her mother and, with a broken hunting spear and mended armour, rides on a bony gelding to Caer Leon. On her adventures she will meet great knights and steal the hearts of beautiful women. She will fight warriors and sorcerers. And she will find her love, and the lake, and her fate.]]> 188 Nicola Griffith Tori 4 4.27 2022 Spear

author: Nicola Griffith
name: Tori
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: fantasy, queer, feministy, historical-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea]]> 216470365
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.

Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.

But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…]]> 352 Axie Oh 125086609X Tori 0 to-read 4.12 2022 The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

author: Axie Oh
name: Tori
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Atlas Complex (The Atlas, #3)]]> 92906597 The much-anticipated final installment in Olivie Blake's trilogy that began with the New York Times bestselling phenomenon, The Atlas Six.

Only the extraordinary are chosen. Only the cunning survive.

An explosive return to the library leaves the six Alexandrians lethally vulnerable to the terms of their recruitment, driving the fractured alliances to opposing strategies. While those who remain with the archives wrestle with the ethics of their astronomical abilities, an unlikely partnership seeks to influence politics on a global stage.

While each member of the erstwhile cohort does what it takes to secure their place on the board, the outside world mobilizes to destroy them, and 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.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 473 Olivie Blake 1250855152 Tori 2 3.01 2024 The Atlas Complex (The Atlas, #3)

author: Olivie Blake
name: Tori
average rating: 3.01
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: feministy, magic-school, multiple-perspectives, queer, aging
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mimicking of Known Successes (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #1)]]> 59054079 The Mimicking of Known Successes presents a cozy Holmesian murder mystery and sapphic romance, set on Jupiter, by Malka Older, author of the critically-acclaimed Centenal Cycle.

On a remote, gas-wreathed outpost of a human colony on Jupiter, a man goes missing. The enigmatic Investigator Mossa follows his trail to Valdegeld, home to the colony’s erudite university—and Mossa’s former girlfriend, a scholar of Earth’s pre-collapse ecosystems.

Pleiti has dedicated her research and her career to aiding the larger effort towards a possible return to Earth. When Mossa unexpectedly arrives and requests Pleiti’s assistance in her latest investigation, the two of them embark on a twisting path in which the future of life on Earth is at stake—and, perhaps, their futures, together.]]> 176 Malka Ann Older Tori 4 3.88 2023 The Mimicking of Known Successes (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #1)

The Mimicking of Known Successes (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #1)

author: Malka Ann Older
name: Tori
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: mystery-and-horror, queer, sci-fi-and-aliens, short-stories, romance
review:

]]> Heir (Heir Duology, #1) 206779505 Prepare for a ruthless and romantic new fantasy from #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award winning author Sabaa Tahir that introduces a new generation of characters set in the same world as the unforgettable An Ember in the Ashes series.

An orphan.
An outcast.
A prince.
And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.

Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hotheaded mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

Banished from her people for an unforgivable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who uses magic to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Martial Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected attraction, Sirsha learns her mission might cost her far more than she's willing to give up.

QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire and nephew of a venerated empress, but he’s loath to take the throne when his aunt steps down. As the son of a reviled emperor, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with power, treachery, love, and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed, on a journey that may cost them their lives―and their hearts. Literally. ]]> 503 Sabaa Tahir 0593616952 Tori 0 4.33 2024 Heir (Heir Duology, #1)

author: Sabaa Tahir
name: Tori
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: started-but-then-put-aside, to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bone Season (The Bone Season, #1)]]> 63132313 Welcome to Scion. No safer place.

The year is 2059. For two centuries, the Republic of Scion has led an oppressive campaign against unnaturalness in Europe.

In London, Paige Mahoney holds a high rank in the criminal underworld. The right hand of the ruthless White Binder, Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare and formidable kind of clairvoyant. Under Scion law, she commits treason simply by breathing.

When Paige is arrested for murder, she meets the mysterious founders of Scion, who have designs on her uncommon abilities. If she is to survive and escape, Paige must use every skill at her disposal �� and put her trust in someone who ought to be her enemy.]]> 560 Samantha Shannon 1639732233 Tori 0 to-read 4.24 2013 The Bone Season (The Bone Season, #1)

author: Samantha Shannon
name: Tori
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Familiar 133938808 From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position.

What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.

Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.]]> 387 Leigh Bardugo Tori 4 4.00 2024 The Familiar

author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Tori
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/12
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction, multiple-perspectives, queer, romance
review:

]]> The Spellshop 217206125 The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant—have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.

When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and to help fix up her new home.

In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries.

But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop.

Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.]]> 377 Sarah Beth Durst 1250333970 Tori 0 to-read, fantasy, romance 3.97 2024

author: Sarah Beth Durst
name: Tori
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read, fantasy, romance
review:

]]> The Atlas Six (The Atlas, #1) 59108922 The much-acclaimed BookTok sensation, Olivie Blake's The Atlas Six--now newly revised and edited with additional content.

�� The tag #theatlassix has millions of views on TikTok

�� A dark academic debut fantasy with an established cult following that reads like THE SECRET HISTORY meets THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY

�� The first in an explosive trilogy

The Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. Those who earn a place among the Alexandrians will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams, and each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation.

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.]]> 410 Olivie Blake 1250854555 Tori 3 3.67 2020 The Atlas Six (The Atlas, #1)

author: Olivie Blake
name: Tori
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: fantasy, magic-school, multiple-perspectives, mystery-and-horror, queer
review:
The Scholomance series was so much better... this series is like a counterpoint demonstrating how hard it is to do dark academia with surly antiheroes in a way that is socially relevant and engaging (and sufficiently dark) without being... insufferable?
]]> <![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 Tori 4 3.51 2022 The Atlas Paradox (The Atlas, #2)

author: Olivie Blake
name: Tori
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves:
review:
Still kind of tediously surly, but it got much gayer and for that I need to give it more stars than the first book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Chaos Wielder: A Dark Urban Fantasy (The Chaos Series Book 1)]]> 214921861
Xavia had been content with her life as a bounty hunter. She had control over her own contracts, got to sleep where and with whom she wanted, and could drown in the bloodlust that was cage fighting. Even when blackouts threatened to leave her dead in a ditch, she took life for what it was; chaotic. That is, until her life is upended when the Angel of Wrath crash lands into Euhaven and destroys her city. Xavia’s called upon by the Monarch to join a Special Forces team to find The Chaos Wielder; the only being in the world that can defeat the Angel of Wrath. When Xavia falls for two males on the team, will she be able to focus on the mission or will she get swept up in their fire and storm? Aurelio wasn’t quite sure how he could get through to Xavia. After knowing her for twelve years, he hoped that she would realize that her life was teetering on the edge of oblivion. He loved her, not just as a friend, but more. But how could he say that without risking his heart being broken again? When the Monarch adds Xavia to his Special Forces team, he isn’t sure what is worse; her being in danger, or his need to have her. Quade hated Xavia with a passion. He hated the way she led his Captain and best friend, Aurelio, on for years. He always had to clean up the mess she left Aurelio in. Having only seen her a few times over the last decade, it comes as a surprise when he finds he’s immediately attracted to her when they prepare for the Monarch’s mission. His fury met hers and their mutual disdain for each other was clear. The question was; when would they implode?

The Chaos Wielder is a dark urban fantasy about a bounty hunter's lifelong struggle with the scars of her past, her mental health conditions, and being torn between loving two men at once.

This novel is dark in nature and has many CWs. Please be sure to heed those before reading. You can learn more about the CWs included by]]> 467 A.E. Cosby Tori 0 4.33 2023 The Chaos Wielder: A Dark Urban Fantasy (The Chaos Series Book 1)

The Chaos Wielder: A Dark Urban Fantasy (The Chaos Series Book 1)

author: A.E. Cosby
name: Tori
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: to-read, fantasy, queer, romance
review:

]]> The Innkeeper's Song 214208249 This fantasy novel is the tale of three women of legendary skill on a quest to save the world’s most powerful wizard, and the innkeeper’s assistant whose heartbreak will bear witness, from the author of the bestselling The Last Unicorn.

On a night like any other, three mysterious women arrive to an inn separately, one with a fox that is more than it seems. Karsh, the innkeeper, has no choice but to let the tangled drama unfold beneath his roof. His stable boy, Rosseth, is so mesmerized by the three cloaked women, a warrior nun, a fabled adventurer, and a girl who was saved from drowning, that he soon uncovers a deep secret that was better off remaining hidden. And then there is Tikat, overwhelmed by tragedy, who continues his journey to the inn, refusing to let death bring an end his love.

Told in alternating points of view, fantasy master Peter S. Beagle has crafted an unforgettable novel of heartbreak and hope.]]> 381 Peter S. Beagle 1668025442 Tori 0 to-read 4.14 1993 The Innkeeper's Song

author: Peter S. Beagle
name: Tori
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1993
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Promises Stronger Than Darkness (Unstoppable #3)]]> 53446537 Promises Stronger Than Darkness marks the final installment of the international bestselling author Charlie Jane Anders's absolutely heart-stopping YA series, Unstoppable.

They're the galaxy's most wanted—and our only hope.

When Elza became a space princess, she thought she'd be spending her time at the palace, wearing gorgeous couture and soaking up everything there is to know—but instead, she's on the run, with everyone hunting for her and her friends.

Rachael followed her best friend Tina on the adventure of a lifetime—but now Tina's gone, and Rachael's the only one keeping her friends together, as they go on a desperate quest to save everyone from an ancient curse.

Rachael, Elza and their friends have found one clue, one shining mysterious chance to stop the end of the world. And that takes them back to the second-to-last place they'd want to be: enlisting the aid of Captain Thaoh Argentian, the woman who stole Tina's body (and who now seems to be relishing a second chance at teenage chaos and drama, instead of living up to her legacy of an intrepid heroic commander).

With only a ragtag band of misfits, crewmates, earthlings, friends, lovers (and one annoying frenemy), the Unstoppable Crew are up against the universe--and they soon find that in order to survive, they may have to cross a line they vowed never to cross.

Also by Charlie Jane Anders

Unstoppable
Victories Greater Than Death
Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak
Promises Stronger than Darkness

Other Books
The City in the Middle of the Night
Never Say You Can't Survive
All the Birds in the Sky]]> 368 Charlie Jane Anders 1250317495 Tori 3 4.23 2023

Promises Stronger Than Darkness (Unstoppable #3)

author: Charlie Jane Anders
name: Tori
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: heists, multiple-perspectives, queer, sci-fi-and-aliens, ya-like
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak (Unstoppable #2)]]> 57693337 All the Birds in the Sky) comes the sequel to Victories Greater Than Death in the thrilling adventure Unstoppable series, set against an intergalactic war.

They'll do anything to be the people they were meant to be �� even journey into the heart of evil.

Rachael Townsend is the first artist ever to leave Earth and journey out into the galaxy �� but after an encounter with an alien artifact, she can't make art at all.

Eliza Monteiro is determined to be the first human to venture inside the Palace of Scented Tears and compete for the chance to become a princess �� except that inside the palace, she finds the last person she ever wanted to see again.

Tina Mains is studying at the Royal Space Academy with her friends, but she's not the badass space hero everyone was expecting. Soon Rachael is journeying into a dark void, Elza is on a deadly spy mission, and Tina is facing an impossible choice that could change all her friends lives forever.]]> 320 Charlie Jane Anders 1250317398 Tori 2 4.00 2022 Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak (Unstoppable #2)

Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak (Unstoppable #2)

author: Charlie Jane Anders
name: Tori
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/06
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: sci-fi-and-aliens, ya-like, queer, multiple-perspectives
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Oath of Betrayal (The Broken Bonds, #1)]]> 214569192
Tormented by grief and powerless after the loss of the men who anchored her magic, Annika fakes her death, seeking refuge in a secluded town. For years, she hides her identity until a chance encounter with a dragon exposes her unique power to the Lord Commander of the Dragon Riders.

Even though she escapes, a yearning for a soul-deep connection with the magnificent beast haunts her dreams. When the commander tracks her down, his touch rekindles her crippled magic making her question all she knows.

He claims she is his ultimate weapon and plans to bond her to his dark fae necromancer—but Annika is done being controlled.

When vampiric ghosts attack, she takes fate into her own hands, choosing to bind herself to the dragon.

Hunted by the Lich King and torn between the commander, who ignites her magic, and the necromancer, who tames its roaring inferno, Annika forges herself into the weapon she was destined to be.

However, the dragon’s anchor is not enough when impending war and betrayal sets her world ablaze.

Even if she sacrifices her soul to take another, can one conduit mage save a failing kingdom?
------------------------------------------
A fantasy with adult characters for readers seeking a unique blend of Epic Fantasy and why choose romance. If you like an intricate plot with detailed world-building infused with Slavic mythology and dusted with the slow-burn spice of unconventional pairings, this is the book for you.

The series contains adult M/F content, and further in the series, you will find M/F/M and M/M pairings, as well as coarse language and injury detail. Suitable for readers 18+]]> 471 Olena Nikitin 1068674407 Tori 0 3.97 Oath of Betrayal (The Broken Bonds, #1)

author: Olena Nikitin
name: Tori
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, dragony-dragons, fantasy, romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Curse of Scales and Flame (Marvels and Magic #1)]]> 198667378 Damien Blackthorne

Dragons were dying. All over the world, a curse was taking us out one by one, and nobody knew how to stop it.I watched my mother burn, I watched my little brother fall sick. I didn’t want to see anyone else die, I was determined to figure out how to stop the dragon fall.

That’s when Robby practically falls into my lap, with his big brown eyes and charming smile and his penchant for being hunted by vampires. After saving him twice from certain death, we soon come to realize that there’s a reason he’s being hunted.

And that reason may be the answer to all our problems, and the start to a whole new set of them.

Robby Diaz

I liked to float through the world. I bounced off problems and tended to avoid any and all issues with a smile and a wave.

So imagine my surprise when I’m heading to a magic shop in Malibu and I’m suddenly attacked by vampires and then saved by one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen. I thought I could float away from whatever mess I stumbled into, but this problem stuck—following me all the way home.

The vampires were after me, but they didn’t want me dead�� they wanted me alive. Why? And what did I have to do with this dragon-killing curse? And why was I falling for the fiery hot dragon who insists on saving me over and over again?]]> 344 Max Walker Tori 0 3.79 2023 A Curse of Scales and Flame (Marvels and Magic #1)

A Curse of Scales and Flame (Marvels and Magic #1)

author: Max Walker
name: Tori
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, dragony-dragons, fantasy, queer, romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Firebird (The Fire That Binds, #1)]]> 211004924 DELUXE EDITION—featuring beautiful original illustrated stenciled edges with a foil case stamp, and designed endpapers!

An instant New York Times bestseller!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Firebird is a fantasy with some dark themes, including elements of master/slave relationship, attempted sexual assault (not between MCs), and dubious consent (not between MCs). Readers who may be sensitive to these elements, please take note.]]> 400 Juliette Cross 1250339944 Tori 0 3.55 2025 Firebird (The Fire That Binds, #1)

author: Juliette Cross
name: Tori
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, dragony-dragons, fantasy, historical-fiction, romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Prince Without Sorrow (Obsidian Throne, #1)]]> 217060000 Drawing on inspiration from the Mauryan Empire of Ancient India, debut author Maithree Wijesekara plunges readers into the first amazing book of the Obsidian Throne trilogy, a new fantasy series of hunted witches, romantic angst, and political intrigue. Perfect for fans of The Hurricane Wars and The Jasmine Throne.

A prince born into violence, seeking peace.

Prince Ashoka is the youngest son of the tyrannical Emperor Adil Maurya. Considered an outcast by his father for his rejection of the emperor’s brutal onslaught against the witches of the empire, Ashoka longs for change. When the sudden and unexpected death of his father leaves the monarchy in disarray, Ashoka is sent to govern a tumultuous region annexed by Emperor Adil that is terrorized by nature spirits—a task many see as doomed to fail. Suspected by a disdainful governor and evaded by distrustful witches, Ashoka must question his rigid ideals and fight against becoming the one person he despises the most—his father.

A witch shackled by pacifism, seeking revenge.

Shakti is a a witch bound by a pacifist code. After witnessing the murder of her aunt and village at the hands of the emperor, Shakti hurtles down a path of revenge, casting a curse with unexpected consequences. Posing as a maidservant in the famed palace of the Mauryas and armed with newfound powers beyond her imagination, Shakti attempts to dismantle the monarchy from within by having the royal progeny ruin themselves and turn their father’s legacy into nothing but ash.

In a world where nature spirits roam the land, and witches are hunted to extinction, Ashoka and Shakti will be forced to grapple with the consequences of to take it for themselves or risk losing it completely.]]> 384 Maithree Wijesekara 0063420554 Tori 0 3.42 2025 The Prince Without Sorrow (Obsidian Throne, #1)

The Prince Without Sorrow (Obsidian Throne, #1)

author: Maithree Wijesekara
name: Tori
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, dragony-dragons, fantasy, historical-fiction, queer
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern, #1)]]> 61975
To the nobles who live in Benden Weyr, Lessa is nothing but a ragged kitchen girl. For most of her life she has survived by serving those who betrayed her father and took over his lands. Now the time has come for Lessa to shed her disguise-and take back her stolen birthright.

But everything changes when she meets a Queen dragon. The bond they share will be deep and last forever. It will protect them when, for the first time in centuries, Lessa's world is threatened by Thread, an evil substance that falls like rain and destroys everything it touches. Dragons and their Riders once protected the planet from Thread and the blood-red star, but there are very few of them left these days. Only the gigantic, golden Queen can breed new dragons. And the Queen is fading... dying...

Now brave Lessa must risk her life, and the life of her beloved dragon, to save her beautiful world...]]> 299 Anne McCaffrey 0345484266 Tori 0 4.09 1968 Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern, #1)

author: Anne McCaffrey
name: Tori
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1968
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, classics, dragony-dragons
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Of Jade and Dragons (Fall of the Dragon, #1)]]> 199087657
Disguised as her brother, Ying manages to infiltrate the guild’s male-only apprenticeship trial with the help of an unlikely ally—Aogiya Ye-yang, the taciturn eighth prince of the High Command. With her father’s renown placing a target firmly on her back, Ying must stay one step ahead of her fellow competitors, the jealous guild masters, and the killer still hunting for her father’s journal. Complicating everything is her increasingly tangled relationship with the prince, who may have mysterious plans of his own.

The secrets concealed within the guild can be as deadly as the weapons they build—and with her life and the future of her homeland at stake, Ying doesn’t know who to trust. Can she avenge her father even if it means going against everything he stood for, or will she be next in the mastermind’s line of fire?]]> 470 Amber Chen 0593622758 Tori 0 3.70 2024 Of Jade and Dragons (Fall of the Dragon, #1)

Of Jade and Dragons (Fall of the Dragon, #1)

author: Amber Chen
name: Tori
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, dragony-dragons, fantasy, feministy, historical-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1)]]> 28876 356 Naomi Novik 0345481283 Tori 0 4.06 2006

author: Naomi Novik
name: Tori
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, fantasy, dragony-dragons, historical-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dragonfall (Dragon Scales, #1)]]> 61985453
Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the gods remember, and they do not forgive.

Thief Arcady scrapes a living on the streets of Vatra. Desperate, Arcady steals a powerful artifact from the bones of the Plaguebringer, the most hated person in Lumet history. Only Arcady knows the artifact's magic holds the key to a new life among the nobles at court and a chance for revenge.

The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfil his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely--body, mind, and soul--and then kill them.

Yet the closer the two become, the greater the risk both their worlds will shatter.]]> 336 L.R. Lam Tori 0 3.36 2023 Dragonfall (Dragon Scales, #1)

author: L.R. Lam
name: Tori
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: fantasy, dragony-dragons, multiple-perspectives, did-not-finish, heists
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Book of Azrael (Gods & Monsters, #1)]]> 59986018
Um ihre sterbende Schwester zu retten, schließt die verzweifelte Dianna einen lebenslang bindenden als erste Offizierin des gefürchteten und gefährlichen Unterweltboss Kaden befehligt sie seine Armee aus grausamen Monstern, Gestaltwandlern, Vampiren und Hexen. Als Kaden die Herrschaft des gesamten Reiches an sich reißen will, muss Dianna für ihn eine uralte Reliquie beschaffen. Diese soll sich ausgerechnet im Besitz des Gottes Samkiel befinden, Diannas Erzfeind, der das Reich seit tausenden Jahren besetzt hält. Doch als sie Samkiel begegnet, muss sie eine Wahl treffen, die alles verändern wird ...

Die fesselnd-düstere, spicy Dark Fantasy mit Slow-Burn-Liebesgeschichte sowie den Tropes Enemies-to-Lovers und Forced Proximity endlich auf Deutsch!]]> 572 Amber V. Nicole Tori 0 4.07 2022 The Book of Azrael (Gods & Monsters, #1)

The Book of Azrael (Gods & Monsters, #1)

author: Amber V. Nicole
name: Tori
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, dragony-dragons, fantasy, romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Rage of Dragons (The Burning, #1)]]> 41952489
Everyone else is fodder, destined to fight and die in the endless war. Young, gift-less Tau knows all this, but he has a plan of escape. He's going to get himself injured, get out early, and settle down to marriage, children, and land. Only, he doesn't get the chance. Those closest to him are brutally murdered, and his grief swiftly turns to anger. Fixated on revenge, Tau dedicates himself to an unthinkable path. He'll become the greatest swordsman to ever live, a man willing to die a hundred thousand times for the chance to kill the three who betrayed him.]]> 535 Evan Winter 031648976X Tori 0 4.29 2017 The Rage of Dragons (The Burning, #1)

author: Evan Winter
name: Tori
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, dragony-dragons, fantasy, historical-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood of the Old Kings (The Bleeding Empire, #1)]]> 203579293 Blood of the Old Kings begins an epic adventure in which three strangers journey through a vast Empire that uses the power of dead wizards to conquer and subdue, from award-winning author Sung-il Kim and translated by the highly-acclaimed Anton Hur.

Powered by the corpses of sorcerers, the Empire has conquered the world. It claims to have brought peace and stability to its conquered lands, but some see that peace for what it is—a lie—and will give everything in the fight against it.

Loran is desperate for revenge after the Empire killed her family, so much so that the swordswoman climbs the volcano where the legends say an ancient dragon slumbers and leaps in. She finds that the legends are true, and Loran leaves the mountain with a sword made of dragon’s fang and a great purpose before her.

Cain arrived in the Imperial Capital lost and orphaned, and it’s only thanks to the kindness of a stranger-turned-mentor that he survived on the city’s streets. When his friend is found murdered, he will leave no stone unturned to find those responsible, even if it means starting a war.

Arienne’s future has never been in question—born a sorcerer, she’ll be a Power Generator for the Empire upon her death. But when she starts to hear the voice of a powerful necromancer in her head, she realizes the only thing more terrifying than dying for the Empire is never getting to truly live in the first place.

When peace is a lie, there is power in truth—and as Loran, Cain, and Arienne hunt for answers in their own lives, any one of their small rebellions could be the stone that brings the Empire toppling down.]]> 368 Sung-Il Kim 1250895332 Tori 0 3.73 2016 Blood of the Old Kings (The Bleeding Empire, #1)

Blood of the Old Kings (The Bleeding Empire, #1)

author: Sung-Il Kim
name: Tori
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, dragony-dragons, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall, #1)]]> 202507554 moons.

They certainly did not expect them to fall.

As a valued Elding Blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath, Raeve’s job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught. When a renowned bounty hunter is employed by The Crown to capture a member of the Ath, Raeve’s world is turned upside down. Blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself at the mercy of the Guild of Nobles—a group of dual-beaded elementals who intend to turn her into a political statement. Only death will set her free.

Crushed beneath a mourning weight, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to assuage the never-ebbing ache in his chest, his hunt for a moonshard lures him into the belly of Gore’s notorious prison where he stumbles upon something that rips apart his perception of reality. A shackled miracle with eyes full of rage and blood on her hands.

The echo of the past sings louder than the Creators themselves, and even Raeve can’t ignore the truths blaring at her from a warmer, happier time.
However.
There’s more to this song than meets the eye, and some truths ��
They’re too poisonous to swallow.

When the Moon Hatched is a fast-paced fantasy romance for fans of witty banter and strong, sassy protagonists. Beneath the cover is an immersive, vibrant world with mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that blazes through the ages. ]]> 718 Sarah A. Parker Tori 0 3.98 2024 When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall, #1)

author: Sarah A. Parker
name: Tori
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, dragony-dragons, fantasy, romance
review:

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

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

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

Anequs and her dragon may be coming of age, but they’re also coming to power, and that brings an important realization: the world needs changing—and they might just be the ones to do it.]]> 511 Moniquill Blackgoose 0593498283 Tori 0 4.11 2023 To Shape a Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit, #1)

To Shape a Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit, #1)

author: Moniquill Blackgoose
name: Tori
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, dragony-dragons, fantasy, queer
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea]]> 56978100
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.

Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.

But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…]]> 325 Axie Oh 1250780861 Tori 0 4.10 2022 The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

author: Axie Oh
name: Tori
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, dragony-dragons, fantasy
review:

]]> A Fire in the Sky 205822553 New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan returns to the high-stakes, sweeping world of dragons, romance, and drama first evoked in her bestselling young adult Firelight series, in a brand-new epic adult romantasy series.

Dragons are extinct. Witches are outcast. Magic is dying.

But human lust for power is immortal.

Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous…especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it's her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard...though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.

When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn’s world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and marry the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she’s ever known, behind.

The wedding night begins with unexpected passion—and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride...but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors—secrets buried so deep even she doesn’t know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.

Magic is not dead...it is only sleeping. And it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.]]> 336 Sophie Jordan 0063399997 Tori 0 3.59 2024 A Fire in the Sky

author: Sophie Jordan
name: Tori
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, dragony-dragons, fantasy, romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bringer of Dust (Talents Trilogy, #2)]]> 62063468
Agrigento, Sicily, 1883. With the orsine destroyed, Cairndale lies in ruins, and Marlowe has vanished. His only hope of rescue lies in a fabled second orsine—long-hidden, thought lost—which might not even exist.

But when a body is discovered in the shadow of Cairndale, a body wreathed in the corrupted dust of the drughr, Charlie and the Talents realize there is even more at stake than they'd feared. For a new drughr has arisen, ferocious, horned, seemingly able to move in their world at will—and it is not alone. A malevolent figure, known only as the Abbess, desires the dust for her own ends. And deep in the world of the dead, a terrible evil stirs—an evil that the corrupted dust just might hold the secret to reviving or destroying forever.

So the dark journey begun in Ordinary Monsters surges forward, from the sinister underworld of the London exiles, to the mysteries of a sunlit villa in nineteenth-century Sicily, to the deep catacombs hidden under Paris. Against bone witches, mud glyphics, and a house of twilight that exists in a netherworld all its own, the Talents must work together—if they are to have any hope of staving off the world of the dead, and saving their long-lost friend.]]> 608 J.M. Miro Tori 0 4.23 2024 Bringer of Dust (Talents Trilogy, #2)

author: J.M. Miro
name: Tori
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: historical-fiction, magic-school, multiple-perspectives, started-but-then-put-aside, to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[We Have Always Lived in the Castle]]> 89724 Shirley Jackson’s beloved gothic tale of a peculiar girl named Merricat and her family’s dark secret

Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate. This edition features a new introduction by Jonathan Lethem.]]> 152 Shirley Jackson 0143039970 Tori 0 3.93 1962 We Have Always Lived in the Castle

author: Shirley Jackson
name: Tori
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1962
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: currently-checked-out, mystery-and-horror, started-but-then-put-aside, to-read
review:
Inexplicably, I love this title.
]]> <![CDATA[Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection]]> 220341389 John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and a passionate advocate for global healthcare reform, tells a deeply human story illuminating the fight against the world’s deadliest disease.

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

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

In Everything is Tuberculosis, John tells Henry’s story, woven through with the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world and how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.]]> 208 John Green 0525556575 Tori 0 to-read 4.51 2025 Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

author: John Green
name: Tori
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Lessons in Magic and Disaster 217387772 All the Birds in the Sky comes a novel full of love, disaster, and magic.

A young witch teaches her mother how to do magic--with very unexpected results--in this relatable, resonant novel about family, identity, and the power of love.

Jamie is basically your average New England academic in-training--she has a strong queer relationship, an esoteric dissertation proposal, and inherited generational trauma. But she has one extraordinary secret: she's also a powerful witch.

Serena, Jamie's mother, has been hiding from the world in an old one-room schoolhouse for several years, grieving the death of her wife and the simultaneous explosion in her professional life. All she has left are memories.

Jamie’s busy digging into a three-hundred-year-old magical book, but she still finds time to teach Serena to cast spells and help her come out of her shell. But Jamie doesn't know the whole story of what happened to her mom years ago, and those secrets are leading Serena down a destructive path.

Now it's up to this grad student and literature nerd to understand the secrets behind this mysterious novel from 1749, unearth a long-buried scandal hinted therein, and learn the true nature of magic, before her mother ruins both of their lives.]]> 320 Charlie Jane Anders 1250867320 Tori 0 to-read 4.42 2025 Lessons in Magic and Disaster

author: Charlie Jane Anders
name: Tori
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Gray Prophecy (The Elemental Realm Series Book 1)]]> 213733152 "If you kill a witch who delivers a prophecy, it won’t come to be."

As a child, Cori delivered a prophecy that foretold all witches practicing dark magic would lose their power on a future winter solstice. When she spoke the words aloud, it put a target on her back—and tied her fate to a ticking clock.

After a decade of hiding and pushing away her magic, Cori moves to the idyllic town of Farley, Maine. She has one goal—keep her head down while counting down the days until the prophecy comes to pass. But the town—and the people that live there—are not what she expected.

When Cori meets Adrian Huxley, a local Water Elemental witch, her secret is no longer safe. The closer she gets to him, the harder it is to suppress her magic. When a visitor from the past makes her question the real reason she was sent into hiding—and the loyalty of the family she swore to protect—she realizes her life is not the only one in danger.

For fans of Spells for Forgetting and A Discovery of Witches comes a cozy, ethereal story about a witch who must face the dark truths of her past—risking everything she loves and everything she has worked for.]]> 346 Maria A. Eden Tori 0 to-read 3.99 The Gray Prophecy (The Elemental Realm Series Book 1)

The Gray Prophecy (The Elemental Realm Series Book 1)

author: Maria A. Eden
name: Tori
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Some Desperate Glory 60784260
While we live, the enemy shall fear us.

Since she was born, Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the murder of planet Earth. Raised in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she readies herself to face the Wisdom, the powerful, reality-shaping weapon that gave the majoda their victory over humanity.

They are what’s left. They are what must survive. Kyr is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a dead planet. When Command assigns her brother to certain death and relegates her to Nursery to bear sons until she dies trying, she knows she must take humanity's revenge into her own hands.

Alongside her brother’s brilliant but seditious friend and a lonely, captive alien, Kyr escapes from everything she’s known into a universe far more complicated than she was taught and far more wondrous than she could have imagined.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 440 Emily Tesh 1250834996 Tori 4 4.29 2023 Some Desperate Glory

author: Emily Tesh
name: Tori
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/26
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: dystopias, sci-fi-and-aliens, queer
review:

]]> <![CDATA[King of Scars (King of Scars, #1)]]> 36307634 Face your demons... or feed them.

The dashing young king, Nikolai Lantsov, has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country's bloody civil war--and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, Nikolai must find a way to refill Ravka's coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha general, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren't meant to stay buried--and some wounds aren't meant to heal.]]> 511 Leigh Bardugo 125014227X Tori 3 4.16 2019 King of Scars (King of Scars, #1)

author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Tori
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: fantasy, ya-like, multiple-perspectives, started-but-then-put-aside, dragony-dragons, queer
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)]]> 55084279 The wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant #1 New York Times–bestselling King of Scars Duology.

The Demon King. As Fjerda’s massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king’s gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.]]> 598 Leigh Bardugo 1250809665 Tori 3 4.47 2021 Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)

author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Tori
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: dragony-dragons, fantasy, multiple-perspectives, queer
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Victories Greater Than Death (Unstoppable #1)]]> 53414461
Tina has always known her destiny is outside the norm—after all, she is the human clone of the most brilliant alien commander in all the galaxies (even if the rest of the world is still deciding whether aliens exist). But she is tired of waiting for her life to begin.

And then it does—and maybe Tina should have been more prepared. At least she has a crew around her that she can trust—and her best friend at her side. Now, they just have to save the world.

From internationally bestselling author Charlie Jane Anders (All the Birds in the Sky) comes a thrilling adventure set against an intergalactic war—Anders’s long-awaited YA debut.]]> 284 Charlie Jane Anders Tori 2 3.77 2021 Victories Greater Than Death (Unstoppable #1)

Victories Greater Than Death (Unstoppable #1)

author: Charlie Jane Anders
name: Tori
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: queer, sci-fi-and-aliens, multiple-perspectives, ya-like
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door]]> 207567816 From the author of The Magician's Daughter comes The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, a mythic, magical tale full of secret scholarship, faerie curses, and the deadliest spells of all—the ones that friends cast on each other.

All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it.

Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England's secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She tells herself she has fought her way there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI which left the doors to faerie country sealed, the study of its magic banned, and its victims cursed.

But when Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country's magical aristocrats. The summer she spends in Alden’s orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed.

Years later, when the faerie seals break, Clover knows it’s because of what they did. And she knows that she must seek the help of people she once called friends—and now doesn’t quite know what to call—if there’s any hope of saving the world as they know it.]]> 464 H.G. Parry 0316383902 Tori 0 to-read, magic-school 4.15 2024 The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door

author: H.G. Parry
name: Tori
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read, magic-school
review:

]]> A Sorceress Comes to Call 195790847 A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic

Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend—unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.

After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.

Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.]]> 327 T. Kingfisher 1250244072 Tori 5
More than the sum of its parts, but I like the equation cuz this book was excellent in ways that those comparisons (hopefully) suggest.]]> 4.06 2024 A Sorceress Comes to Call

author: T. Kingfisher
name: Tori
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: aging, fantasy, historical-fiction, multiple-perspectives
review:
Ella Enchanted obedience-as-abuse plus Goose Girl element-based-magic and heartwarming friendships (and underpinning ATU-Index fairytale-type) plus Persuasion-esque regency romance. And also a good amount of horse-based eldrich horror.

More than the sum of its parts, but I like the equation cuz this book was excellent in ways that those comparisons (hopefully) suggest.
]]> Running Close to the Wind 195791197
To find a buyer with deep enough pockets, Avra must ask for help from his on-again, off-again ex, the pirate Captain Teveri az-Ḥaffār. They are far from happy to see him, but together, they hatch a plan: take the information to the isolated pirate republic of the Isles of Lost Souls, fence it, profit. The only things in their way? A calculating new Araşti ambassador to the Isles of Lost Souls who’s got his eyes on Avra’s every move; Brother Julian, a beautiful, mysterious new member of the crew with secrets of his own and a frankly inconvenient vow of celibacy; the fact that they’re sailing straight into sea serpent breeding season and almost certain doom.

But if they can find a way to survive and sell the secret on the black market, they’ll all be as wealthy as kings―and, more important, they’ll be legends.]]> 448 Alexandra Rowland 1250802539 Tori 0 to-read 4.05 2024 Running Close to the Wind

author: Alexandra Rowland
name: Tori
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Speaking in Tongues 218569912 This is a book about languages, what languages can and what they cannot do.

Speaking in Tongues is a brilliant treatise from Nobel-Laureate novelist J. M. Coetzee in collaboration with leading international translator Mariana Dimópulous. Presented as a dialogue, Coetzee and Dimópulous’s provocative work digs into questions that have plagued writers for centuries. They invite readers to grapple with the idea that language is actually culture’s unique reflection into words. The difference between cultures, and in turn langauges, leads to the almost impossible task of the to liberate the language imprisoned in a text and instill it into her recreation of that work.

Along the journey, the authors also delve into topics such as which languages are gendered, the threat of monolingualism, and the possibility that mathematics could tell the truth about everything in the universe. In the tradition of Walter Benjamin’s seminal The Task of the Translator, Speaking in Tongues, with its wide range of observations and propositions, emerges as a work of philosophy on its own, shining a light on some of the most important linguistic and philological issues of our time.]]> 144 J.M. Coetzee 1324096454 Tori 0 to-read 4.56 Speaking in Tongues

author: J.M. Coetzee
name: Tori
average rating: 4.56
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: to-read
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 Tori 3 Twilight. Similarly centered around a romance where the vampire-man is creepily possessive of the protagonist-lady, but the romance is much more bearable because the lady seems to actually have a personality. And their world seems more realistic and interesting. Granted, this opinion is based on having read like two chapters of Twilight and not much of the preceding books in this series...]]> 4.15 2014 The Book of Life (All Souls, #3)

author: Deborah Harkness
name: Tori
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2015/09/29
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: fantasy, dragony-dragons, multiple-perspectives, romance
review:
A much more interesting re-imagining of vampires than Twilight. Similarly centered around a romance where the vampire-man is creepily possessive of the protagonist-lady, but the romance is much more bearable because the lady seems to actually have a personality. And their world seems more realistic and interesting. Granted, this opinion is based on having read like two chapters of Twilight and not much of the preceding books in this series...
]]> <![CDATA[Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children, #10)]]> 57185878 Giant turtles, impossible ships, and tidal rivers ridden by a Drowned girl in search of a family in the latest in the bestselling Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning Wayward Children series from Seanan McGuire.

Nadya had three mothers: the one who bore her, the country that poisoned her, and the one who adopted her.

Nadya never considered herself less than whole, not until her adoptive parents fitted her with a prosthetic arm against her will, seeking to replace the one she'd been missing from birth.

It was cumbersome; it was uncomfortable; it was wrong.

It wasn't her.

Frustrated and unable to express why, Nadya began to wander, until the day she fell through a door into Belyyreka, the Land Beneath the Lake--and found herself in a world of water, filled with child-eating amphibians, majestic giant turtles, and impossible ships that sailed as happily beneath the surface as on top. In Belyyreka, she found herself understood for who she was: a Drowned Girl, who had made her way to her real home, accepted by the river and its people.

But even in Belyyreka, there are dangers, and trials, and Nadya would soon find herself fighting to keep hold of everything she had come to treasure.]]> 160 Seanan McGuire Tori 0 to-read, fantasy 4.03 2025 Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children, #10)

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children, #10)

author: Seanan McGuire
name: Tori
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: to-read, fantasy
review:

]]> Parasol Against the Axe 186872432
In Helen Oyeyemi’s joyous new novel, the Czech capital is a living thing—one that can let you in or spit you out.

For reasons of her own, Hero Tojosoa accepts an invitation she was half expected to decline, and finds herself in Prague on a bachelorette weekend hosted by her estranged friend Sofie. Little does she know she’s arrived in a city with a penchant for playing tricks on the unsuspecting. A book Hero has brought with her seems to be warping her the text changes depending on when it’s being read and who’s doing the reading, revealing startling new stories of fictional Praguers past and present. Uninvited companions appear at bachelorette activities and at city landmarks, offering opinions, humor, and even a taste of treachery. When a third woman from Hero and Sofie’s past appears unexpectedly, the tensions between the friends�� different accounts of the past reach a new level.

An adventurous, kaleidoscopic novel, Parasol Against the Axe considers the lines between illusion and delusion, fact and interpretation, and weighs the risks of attaching too firmly to the stories of a place, or a person, or a shared history. How much is a tale influenced by its reader, or vice versa? And finally, in a battle between friends, is it better to be the parasol or the axe?]]> 272 Helen Oyeyemi 0593192362 Tori 0 3.06 2024 Parasol Against the Axe

author: Helen Oyeyemi
name: Tori
average rating: 3.06
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: started-but-then-put-aside, writing-on-writing, queer, did-not-finish
review:

]]> The Stars Too Fondly 200987229 In her breathtaking debut—part space odyssey, part sapphic rom-com—Emily Hamilton tells a tale of galaxy-spanning friendship, improbable love, and found family.

So, here’s the thing: Cleo and her friends really, truly didn’t mean to steal this spaceship. They just wanted to know why, twenty years ago, the entire Providence crew vanished without a trace, but then the stupid dark-matter engine started on its own. Now these four twenty-somethings are en route to Proxima Centauri and unable to turn around while being harangued by a hologram that has the face and snide attitude of the ship’s missing captain, Billie.

Cleo has dreamt of being an astronaut all her life, and Earth is a lost cause at this point, so this should be one of those blessings in disguise that people talk about. But as the ship travels deeper into space, the laws of physics start twisting; old mysteries come crawling back to life; and Cleo’s initially combative relationship with Billie turns into something deeper and more desperate than either woman was prepared for.]]> 336 Emily Hamilton 0063320819 Tori 0 3.70 2024 The Stars Too Fondly

author: Emily Hamilton
name: Tori
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: to-read, queer, sci-fi-and-aliens
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet]]> 55145261 A deeply moving and mind-expanding collection of personal essays in the first ever work of non-fiction from #1 internationally bestselling author John Green

The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his ground-breaking, critically acclaimed podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet - from the QWERTY keyboard and Halley's Comet to Penguins of Madagascar - on a five-star scale.

Complex and rich with detail, the Anthropocene's reviews have been praised as 'observations that double as exercises in memoiristic empathy', with over 10 million lifetime downloads. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience; it includes beloved essays along with six all-new pieces exclusive to the book.]]> 304 John Green 0525555218 Tori 5 essays, giggles 4.37 2021 The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

author: John Green
name: Tori
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/19
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: essays, giggles
review:

]]> <![CDATA[This Is How You Lose the Time War]]> 53870787
So begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents in a war that stretches through the vast reaches of time and space.

Red belongs to the Agency, a post-singularity technotopia. Blue belongs to Garden, a single vast consciousness embedded in all organic matter. Their pasts are bloody and their futures mutually exclusive. They have nothing in common---save that they're the best, and they're alone.

Now what began as a battlefield boast grows into a dangerous game, one both Red and Blue are determined to win. Because winning's that you do in war. Isn't it?

A tour de force collaboration from two powerhouse writers that spans the whole of time and space.]]> 201 Amal El-Mohtar 1534430997 Tori 5 3.91 2019 This Is How You Lose the Time War

author: Amal El-Mohtar
name: Tori
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/01
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: dystopias, fantasy, multiple-perspectives, heists, queer, romance, sci-fi-and-aliens
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Day of Fallen Night (The Roots of Chaos #0)]]> 60856683 A Day of Fallen Night, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the universe of Priory of the Orange Tree and into the lives of four women, showing us a course of events that shaped their world for generations to come.

Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms �� but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose.

To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow �� exactly where she wants to be.

The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate.

When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.]]> 880 Samantha Shannon Tori 4 4.36 2023 A Day of Fallen Night (The Roots of Chaos #0)

A Day of Fallen Night (The Roots of Chaos #0)

author: Samantha Shannon
name: Tori
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: dragony-dragons, fantasy, multiple-perspectives, aging, multigenerational, queer, feministy, romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4)]]> 24612652
AUDIO - TRADE EDITIONNARRATOR: Will PattonFORMAT: 11 CDs, UnabridgedAll her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.]]> 1 Maggie Stiefvater 0545649080 Tori 3 4.21 2016 The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4)

author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Tori
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2017/02/23
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: fantasy, ya-like, multiple-perspectives, queer
review:
I don't feel like I missed much for skipping the entire middle of the series, which really speaks to how slow the pacing is. Stiefvater creates an interesting world, and spends a good amount of time with each character...but in doing so she makes it hard to feel any real sense of urgency. Also, I hated the audiobook narrator's somber, pretentious tone.
]]> I'll Give You the Sun 20820994
Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways... but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. The early years are Noah's to tell; the later years are Jude's. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they'll have a chance to remake their world.

This radiant, award-winning novel from the acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

Printz Award Winner Stonewall Honor Book.]]> 371 Jandy Nelson 0803734964 Tori 4 4.14 2014 I'll Give You the Sun

author: Jandy Nelson
name: Tori
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2021/07/29
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: ya-like, multiple-perspectives, romance, queer
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How They Met, and Other Stories]]> 954001 244 David Levithan 037584886X Tori 4
I wish I had a more succinct way of expressing my appreciation for the lovely empathy in Levithan's writing. And its accessibility, whether he's writing about gay boys or lesbians or straight people. He portrays relationships at every stage, it seems like (burgeoning/unrequited love, young love, fading love, enduring love, unromantic love, practical dismissals of love...). And he seems to cover every perspective on love, too. Pervasive, always, is an appreciation of love as a very real preoccupation. It's not always sappy, but I like it so much it kind of makes me sappy.]]> 3.77 2008 How They Met, and Other Stories

author: David Levithan
name: Tori
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2011/06/12
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: short-stories, ya-like, feministy, memoiry, poetry, writing-on-writing, romance, queer
review:
Levithan has such a comforting perspective. Something about the way his characters are imperfect and insecure and dynamic speaks specifically to the experience of young adults...but also to the more general experience of being a human and having flaws and learning about yourself (things that aren't really limited to a particular age, however much adults like to condescend to younger people).

I wish I had a more succinct way of expressing my appreciation for the lovely empathy in Levithan's writing. And its accessibility, whether he's writing about gay boys or lesbians or straight people. He portrays relationships at every stage, it seems like (burgeoning/unrequited love, young love, fading love, enduring love, unromantic love, practical dismissals of love...). And he seems to cover every perspective on love, too. Pervasive, always, is an appreciation of love as a very real preoccupation. It's not always sappy, but I like it so much it kind of makes me sappy.
]]> <![CDATA[Growing Pains Of Adrian Mole T]]> 1284066 208 Sue Townsend 0749701013 Tori 4 Amusing stuff. 3.86 1984

author: Sue Townsend
name: Tori
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1984
rating: 4
read at: 2011/01/11
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: schooly, ya-like, writing-on-writing, epistolary, giggles, queer
review:
Amusing stuff.
]]> Waifs and Strays 1707821 Waifs and Strays is a must-own for de Lint fans, and an ideal introduction to his work for newcomers.

Contents:
Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood
There's No Such Thing
Sisters
Fairy Dust
A Wish Named Arnold
Wooden Bones
The Graceless Child
A Tattoo on Her Heart
Stick
May This Be Your Last Sorrow
One Chance
Alone
But for the Grace Go I
Ghosts of Wind and Shadow
Waifs and Strays
Somewhere in My Mind There Is a Painting Box]]> 394 Charles de Lint 067003584X Tori 3 The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God right before this...I got used to reading two-page short stories) they were for the most part memorable and engaging. Sometimes the writing annoyed me by being overly simplistic and repetitive, and fantasy stories that rely too heavily on contemporary settings are not my cup of tea to begin with, so I can't say that I loved these stories. But I appreciate all the research and effort that he put into them, and the fact that he is so thorough in creating his worlds.]]> 4.02 2002 Waifs and Strays

author: Charles de Lint
name: Tori
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 2009/01/19
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: fantasy, for-children, ya-like, short-stories, queer
review:
Maybe it was because of all the praise on the book calling Charles de Lint the best modern fantasy writer, but I was kind of severely disappointed. Which is not to say that I didn't enjoy the stories. There were some great parts, and even though I occasionally felt like the stories were dragging on (probably a side effect of reading The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God right before this...I got used to reading two-page short stories) they were for the most part memorable and engaging. Sometimes the writing annoyed me by being overly simplistic and repetitive, and fantasy stories that rely too heavily on contemporary settings are not my cup of tea to begin with, so I can't say that I loved these stories. But I appreciate all the research and effort that he put into them, and the fact that he is so thorough in creating his worlds.
]]> <![CDATA[Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely, #1)]]> 305234 Don't stare at invisible faeries.
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty - especially if they learn of her Sight - and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.
Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.
But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost �� regardless of her plans or desires.

Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first-century faery tale.]]> 328 Melissa Marr 0061214655 Tori 3
Pros:
A central conflict where (almost) everyone is well-intentioned, but stakes are still high.
The backstory is told without huge chunks of exposition (the ol' "showing rather than telling" ideal)
Emphasis on consent. (Relatedly, [spoilers removed].)
An ending that kind of [spoilers removed].
Somewhat atypical male love interest (many piercings, snakey pet, unthreatened by potential romantic rival).
Emphasis on responsibility (getting tested before engaging in intercourse, prioritizing schoolwork, etc.).
Scary fairies.

Cons:
Evil ice queen is evil.
Perpetuates the prizing of female virginity (with male promiscuity being totally fine).
Holds up penetrative intercourse (penis in vagina) as the only thing that "counts" as sex. (See above parenthetical about consent.)
Language glorifying the beauty of waif-thin girls.
Love interest who has to feed aforementioned thin girl because she forgets to eat (sounds like Fifty Shades of Grey...not that I've read it).
Frequent allusions to the protagonist's "little hands" makes her sound like a child and is creepy, not cute.
At some points the narrative switched between one perspective and another too abruptly, with nothing to signal that "she" was switching from referring to one person to referring to another person (which could have been an issue with reading the e-book version, but seems like an overall issue with editing). Relatedly, [spoilers removed].
Cliche of best-friends-who-are-in-love-but-don't-want-to-ruin-their-friendship.
Straight white people problems. Pretty straight white people problems. Pretty, privileged straight white people problems.

In the end, I'd much rather have young people read this than Twilight (or its real-world-ified version, Fifty Shades of Grey). It has a much healthier attitude toward sexuality (particularly consent) and, while not perfect, it's much better-written.

I don't think I'll read the next book, but if a teen ever asks me for a Twilight-like recommendation for a series, it's good to know that this is out there.]]> 3.70 2007 Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely, #1)

author: Melissa Marr
name: Tori
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2016/03/12
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: fantasy, multiple-perspectives, ya-like, queer
review:
This YA fantasy romance left me a little confused. I appreciated the fact that I couldn't predict the ending (though it might have been due to the fact that sometimes I had difficulty following the plot), and that teenage sexuality was represented in a (mostly) healthy manner...but in the end I was a little ambivalent.

Pros:
A central conflict where (almost) everyone is well-intentioned, but stakes are still high.
The backstory is told without huge chunks of exposition (the ol' "showing rather than telling" ideal)
Emphasis on consent. (Relatedly, [spoilers removed].)
An ending that kind of [spoilers removed].
Somewhat atypical male love interest (many piercings, snakey pet, unthreatened by potential romantic rival).
Emphasis on responsibility (getting tested before engaging in intercourse, prioritizing schoolwork, etc.).
Scary fairies.

Cons:
Evil ice queen is evil.
Perpetuates the prizing of female virginity (with male promiscuity being totally fine).
Holds up penetrative intercourse (penis in vagina) as the only thing that "counts" as sex. (See above parenthetical about consent.)
Language glorifying the beauty of waif-thin girls.
Love interest who has to feed aforementioned thin girl because she forgets to eat (sounds like Fifty Shades of Grey...not that I've read it).
Frequent allusions to the protagonist's "little hands" makes her sound like a child and is creepy, not cute.
At some points the narrative switched between one perspective and another too abruptly, with nothing to signal that "she" was switching from referring to one person to referring to another person (which could have been an issue with reading the e-book version, but seems like an overall issue with editing). Relatedly, [spoilers removed].
Cliche of best-friends-who-are-in-love-but-don't-want-to-ruin-their-friendship.
Straight white people problems. Pretty straight white people problems. Pretty, privileged straight white people problems.

In the end, I'd much rather have young people read this than Twilight (or its real-world-ified version, Fifty Shades of Grey). It has a much healthier attitude toward sexuality (particularly consent) and, while not perfect, it's much better-written.

I don't think I'll read the next book, but if a teen ever asks me for a Twilight-like recommendation for a series, it's good to know that this is out there.
]]> <![CDATA[Ironside (Modern Faerie Tales, #3)]]> 283494
Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the truth -- that she is a changeling left in place of the human daughter stolen long ago. Her mother's shock and horror sends Kaye back to the world of Faerie to find her human counterpart and return her to Ironside. But once back in the faerie courts, Kaye finds herself a pawn in the games of Silarial, queen of the Seelie Court. Silarial wants Roiben's throne, and she will use Kaye, and any means necessary, to get it. In this game of wits and weapons, can a pixie outplay a queen?

Holly Black spins a seductive tale at once achingly real and chillingly enchanted, set in a dangerous world where pleasure mingles with pain and nothing is exactly as it appears.]]> 323 Holly Black 0689868200 Tori 3 fantasy, ya-like, queer
I really can't see the point of reading "book 2," since this book pretty much takes place right after Tithe and even has little refreshers as to what happened in that book. But hey, maybe I'll read book 2 one day for a good ol' dose of preteen fantasy.]]> 4.01 2007 Ironside (Modern Faerie Tales, #3)

author: Holly Black
name: Tori
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2009/08/08
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: fantasy, ya-like, queer
review:
Yay for guilty-pleasure sequels. Once again pretentiously edgy-gothic but nevertheless amusing and occasionally endearing. Pretty fairy-creatures and violence and foul-mouthed clever (and angsty) young people and lots of scheming and wry-joking and "unexpected" twists (which are strikingly similar to the "twists" in Tithe)...it's amusing even when it's not trying to be.

I really can't see the point of reading "book 2," since this book pretty much takes place right after Tithe and even has little refreshers as to what happened in that book. But hey, maybe I'll read book 2 one day for a good ol' dose of preteen fantasy.
]]> <![CDATA[Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales, #1)]]> 6488500 Newcomer Holly Black's enormously powerful voice weaves teen angst, riveting romance, and capriciously diabolical faerie folk into an enthralling, engaging, altogether original reading experience.

]]> 331 Holly Black 0606300740 Tori 4 3.53 2002 Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales, #1)

author: Holly Black
name: Tori
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2004/06/01
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: fantasy, ya-like, romance, queer
review:
OMG SO AWESOME OMG. The writing is annoying, but...I don't know where I was going with that. The writing is annoying. She's trying way too hard to be "hip" and "cool," which means that there's a lot of smoking and drinking and cussing. Ooo, edgy. Despite all this, I liked this book. Mostly because of the kelpie. Oh and also I liked the little emo poem excerpts at the beginning of each chapter.
]]> White Is for Witching 18330843 One of�� Granta ’s Best Young British Novelists
From the acclaimed author of�� What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, �� Gingerbread, and Peaces
��
There’s something strange about the Silver family house in the closed-off town of Dover, England. Grand and cavernous with hidden passages and buried secrets, it’s been home to four generations of Silver women—Anna, Jennifer, Lily, and now Miranda, who has lived in the house with her twin brother, Eliot, ever since their father converted it to a bed-and-breakfast. The Silver women have always had a strong connection, a pull over one another that reaches across time and space, and when Lily, Miranda’s mother, passes away suddenly while on a trip abroad, Miranda begins suffering strange ailments. An eating disorder starves her. She begins hearing voices. When she brings a friend home, Dover’s hostility toward outsiders physically manifests within the four walls of the Silver house, and the lives of everyone inside are irrevocably changed. At once an unforgettable mystery and a meditation on race, nationality, and family legacies, White is for Witching is a boldly original, terrifying, and elegant novel by a prodigious talent.]]> 283 Helen Oyeyemi 159463307X Tori 4 3.70 2009

author: Helen Oyeyemi
name: Tori
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/21
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: fantasy, multiple-perspectives, multigenerational, queer
review:
Sad and confusing, but in a way that makes me want to reread it.
]]> The Lacuna 6433752 The Lacuna is a poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as they invent their modern identities.

Born in the United States, reared in a series of provisional households in Mexico—from a coastal island jungle to 1930s Mexico City—Harrison Shepherd finds precarious shelter but no sense of home on his thrilling odyssey. Life is whatever he learns from housekeepers who put him to work in the kitchen, errands he runs in the streets, and one fateful day, by mixing plaster for famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. He discovers a passion for Aztec history and meets the exotic, imperious artist Frida Kahlo, who will become his lifelong friend. When he goes to work for Lev Trotsky, an exiled political leader fighting for his life, Shepherd inadvertently casts his lot with art and revolution, newspaper headlines and howling gossip, and a risk of terrible violence.

Meanwhile, to the north, the United States will soon be caught up in the internationalist goodwill of World War II. There in the land of his birth, Shepherd believes he might remake himself in America's hopeful image and claim a voice of his own. He finds support from an unlikely kindred soul, his stenographer, Mrs. Brown, who will be far more valuable to her employer than he could ever know. Through darkening years, political winds continue to toss him between north and south in a plot that turns many times on the unspeakable breach—the lacuna—between truth and public presumption.

With deeply compelling characters, a vivid sense of place, and a clear grasp of how history and public opinion can shape a life, Barbara Kingsolver has created an unforgettable portrait of the artist—and of art itself. The Lacuna is a rich and daring work of literature, establishing its author as one of the most provocative and important of her time.]]> 508 Barbara Kingsolver 0060852577 Tori 2 3.80 2009

author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: Tori
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at: 2012/05/21
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: epistolary, historical-fiction, memoiry, writing-on-writing, multigenerational, queer
review:
Slow, vaguely interesting, but ultimately too hard to connect to the characters to make it worth plodding through the oh-look-at-me narrative with its epistolary/newspaper-clipping/interfering-unreliable-compiler-cum-narrator tendencies and its ultimately predictable (and childish) conclusion.
]]> The Hakawati 1991086
An astonishingly inventive, wonderfully exuberant novel that takes us from the shimmering dunes of ancient Egypt to the war-torn streets of twenty-first-century Lebanon.

In 2003, Osama al-Kharrat returns to Beirut after many years in America to stand vigil at his father’s deathbed. The city is a shell of the Beirut Osama remembers, but he and his friends and family take solace in the things that have always sustained gossip, laughter, and, above all, stories.

Osama’s grandfather was a hakawati, or storyteller, and his bewitching stories—of his arrival in Lebanon, an orphan of the Turkish wars, and of how he earned the name al-Kharrat , the fibster—are interwoven with classic tales of the Middle East, stunningly reimagined. Here are Abraham and Isaac; Ishmael, father of the Arab tribes; the ancient, fabled Fatima; and Baybars, the slave prince who vanquished the Crusaders. Here, too, are contemporary Lebanese whose stories tell a larger, heartbreaking tale of seemingly endless war—and of survival.

Like a true hakawati, Rabih Alameddine has given us an Arabian Nights for this century—a funny, captivating novel that enchants and dazzles from its very first “Listen. Let me take you on a journey beyond imagining. Let me tell you a story.”]]> 513 Rabih Alameddine 0307266796 Tori 4
But it lost me at times with its (un)parallel stories. The fabulous one comes first, before the actual family history. So that was kind of disconcerting. And I didn't really care about Baybar's story. (A fact that meant too much skimming and not enough actual digesting of the book...) And I got confused by the (overlapping) names. And I don't really know enough (okay, anything) about Beirut, so the context was a bit overwhelming.

But it was immensely enjoyable. Like a modern Arabian Nights. (Although not nearly so long...it has the potential to ramble on forever, though. I certainly wouldn't mind.) Worthy of re-visiting.]]> 3.90 2008 The Hakawati

author: Rabih Alameddine
name: Tori
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2011/03/22
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: fantasy, schooly, historical-fiction, short-stories, writing-on-writing, multigenerational, queer
review:
I love postmodern-y stories centered on storytelling. And this is definitely one of those.

But it lost me at times with its (un)parallel stories. The fabulous one comes first, before the actual family history. So that was kind of disconcerting. And I didn't really care about Baybar's story. (A fact that meant too much skimming and not enough actual digesting of the book...) And I got confused by the (overlapping) names. And I don't really know enough (okay, anything) about Beirut, so the context was a bit overwhelming.

But it was immensely enjoyable. Like a modern Arabian Nights. (Although not nearly so long...it has the potential to ramble on forever, though. I certainly wouldn't mind.) Worthy of re-visiting.
]]> Midnight’s Children 14836 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Saleem Sinai is born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the very moment of India’s independence. Greeted by fireworks displays, cheering crowds, and Prime Minister Nehru himself, Saleem grows up to learn the ominous consequences of this coincidence. His every act is mirrored and magnified in events that sway the course of national affairs; his health and well-being are inextricably bound to those of his nation; his life is inseparable, at times indistinguishable, from the history of his country. Perhaps most remarkable are the telepathic powers linking him with India’s 1,000 other “midnight’s children,�� all born in that initial hour and endowed with magical gifts.

This novel is at once a fascinating family saga and an astonishing evocation of a vast land and its people–a brilliant incarnation of the universal human comedy. Twenty-five years after its publication, Midnight�� s Children stands apart as both an epochal work of fiction and a brilliant performance by one of the great literary voices of our time.]]> 647 Salman Rushdie 0099578514 Tori 3 3.98 1981 Midnight’s Children

author: Salman Rushdie
name: Tori
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1981
rating: 3
read at: 2010/12/09
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: schooly, historical-fiction, started-but-then-put-aside, fantasy, writing-on-writing, multigenerational, queer
review:
I have a problem with reading about war and political history. For some reason I can't not skim it. And I think that made me miss a lot. And gloss over a lot of the resonance of the Midnight Children and...basically the point of the novel. But I still enjoyed it for its engaging storytelling and interesting characters and postmoderny magic realism.
]]> Raybearer (Raybearer, #1) 55759265 Nothing is more important than loyalty.
But what if you’ve sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?

Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn—but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself?]]> 14 Jordan Ifueko 1094149225 Tori 4 4.32 2020 Raybearer (Raybearer, #1)

author: Jordan Ifueko
name: Tori
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/23
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: fantasy, started-but-then-put-aside, feministy, ya-like, magic-school, queer
review:
Plots with a lot of palace/empire politics always kind of confuse me, but the magic system and character development were excellent, and it's not the book's fault that I can be dense.
]]> <![CDATA[Heartwood: Non-binary Tales of Sylvan Fantasy]]> 43200209
Across time and cultures, humanity has spun tales about the forest: tales of caution, adventure, rites of passage, and discovery. Some of those stories persist as the folklore and fairy tales that delight our imaginations today, and the forest remains a symbol for facing the unknown and emerging transformed.

This anthology is for everyone who’s walked through the undergrowth, in the silence of nature, and longed for an adventure of their own to unfold. These stories of modern-day sylvan fantasy showcase some of the best non-binary cartoonists of our day, guiding characters like us into the woods and back again.]]> 282 Joamette Gil 0998490423 Tori 0 4.06 2019 Heartwood: Non-binary Tales of Sylvan Fantasy

Heartwood: Non-binary Tales of Sylvan Fantasy

author: Joamette Gil
name: Tori
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: to-read, fantasy, feministy, queer
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How Long 'til Black Future Month?]]> 40855636 400 N.K. Jemisin 0316491349 Tori 4 *"The Ones Who Stay and Fight" was interesting in its use of second person and very inquisitive/confrontational tone, but not having read Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" I probably missed some of the nuance/depth of the philosophical argument/satire.
*"The City Born Great" didn't really grab me, but maybe The City We Became fleshes it out in a way that's more nuanced? I don't really see how it could hold my attention for a whole novel, since it seemed like a kind-of-interesting-conceit that was already stretched a bit thin just to make a short story.
*"Red Dirt Witch" left zero impression on me, but the wikipedia synopsis makes it sound like my cup of tea so maybe that's just because the Jemisin bar is already so high?
*"L'Alchemista" was lovely. It's about [spoilers removed] aging [spoilers removed]
*"The Effluent Engine" was [spoilers removed], thankyouverymuch.
*"Cloud Dragon Skies" seemed to be putting forth an argument that tech/science/advancement is not inherently positive, via a kind of melancholic fantasy/scifi parable? Kind of similar in tone/genre to "The Ones Who Stay and Fight."
*"The Trojan Girl" reminded me of another short story I'd read about people/wolves literally living in cyberspace (not Cinder, but kind of like Cinder and also kind of like Hex? it's bugging me that I can't remember what it was...).
*"Valedictorian" seemed to be a bit of satire/parable that was the inverse of "Cloud Dragon Skies" (in which scientific advancement is still dangerous/predatory, but with more of an argument for going along with it).
*"The Storyteller's Replacement" seemed to portray dragon-heart-eating as a metaphor for power hungry destruction, continuing the trend of kind of confusing me (but in a more fairytale vibe rather than scifi/dystopia).
*"The Evaluators" was an even more ominous version of Valedictorian frame of parasitic/predatory species smarter than humans, in fragmented/perspective-shifting captain-log-style epistles... kind of reminiscent of lizardy species in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet... but less optimistic.
*"Walking Awake" has yet more parasitic advanced technology, in a frame of child-sacrifice, eugenics, and servitude.
*"The Elevator Dancer" was very dystopia. Much repression.
*"Cuisine des Mémoires" was sad.
*"On the Banks of the River Lex" was kind of not-my-jam in the same way as "The City Born Great," but a little easier for me to get into because the personifications made a bit more sense to me.
*"The Necromancer" didn't stick in my memory at all.
*"Henosis" also didn't stick with me, and metafiction usually does so that's maybe a sign my attention was just waning near the end...
*"Too Many Yesterdays, Not Enough Tomorrows" created a really interesting meta/fanfiction-framed dystopia. Kind of a meditation on aging/loss, but a very subtle one.
*"The You Train" seemed to continue the personification-of-cities motif Jemisin was dipping into.
*"Non-Zero Probabilities" also didn't stick with me, but had an interesting premise that might be worth giving another try.
*"Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints, in the City Beneath the Still Waters" was kind of just... sad?]]> 4.27 2018 How Long 'til Black Future Month?

author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Tori
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/29
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: feministy, sci-fi-and-aliens, short-stories, dystopias, dragony-dragons, fantasy, multiple-perspectives, queer
review:
My mini-reviews/impressions for each story:
*"The Ones Who Stay and Fight" was interesting in its use of second person and very inquisitive/confrontational tone, but not having read Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" I probably missed some of the nuance/depth of the philosophical argument/satire.
*"The City Born Great" didn't really grab me, but maybe The City We Became fleshes it out in a way that's more nuanced? I don't really see how it could hold my attention for a whole novel, since it seemed like a kind-of-interesting-conceit that was already stretched a bit thin just to make a short story.
*"Red Dirt Witch" left zero impression on me, but the wikipedia synopsis makes it sound like my cup of tea so maybe that's just because the Jemisin bar is already so high?
*"L'Alchemista" was lovely. It's about [spoilers removed] aging [spoilers removed]
*"The Effluent Engine" was [spoilers removed], thankyouverymuch.
*"Cloud Dragon Skies" seemed to be putting forth an argument that tech/science/advancement is not inherently positive, via a kind of melancholic fantasy/scifi parable? Kind of similar in tone/genre to "The Ones Who Stay and Fight."
*"The Trojan Girl" reminded me of another short story I'd read about people/wolves literally living in cyberspace (not Cinder, but kind of like Cinder and also kind of like Hex? it's bugging me that I can't remember what it was...).
*"Valedictorian" seemed to be a bit of satire/parable that was the inverse of "Cloud Dragon Skies" (in which scientific advancement is still dangerous/predatory, but with more of an argument for going along with it).
*"The Storyteller's Replacement" seemed to portray dragon-heart-eating as a metaphor for power hungry destruction, continuing the trend of kind of confusing me (but in a more fairytale vibe rather than scifi/dystopia).
*"The Evaluators" was an even more ominous version of Valedictorian frame of parasitic/predatory species smarter than humans, in fragmented/perspective-shifting captain-log-style epistles... kind of reminiscent of lizardy species in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet... but less optimistic.
*"Walking Awake" has yet more parasitic advanced technology, in a frame of child-sacrifice, eugenics, and servitude.
*"The Elevator Dancer" was very dystopia. Much repression.
*"Cuisine des Mémoires" was sad.
*"On the Banks of the River Lex" was kind of not-my-jam in the same way as "The City Born Great," but a little easier for me to get into because the personifications made a bit more sense to me.
*"The Necromancer" didn't stick in my memory at all.
*"Henosis" also didn't stick with me, and metafiction usually does so that's maybe a sign my attention was just waning near the end...
*"Too Many Yesterdays, Not Enough Tomorrows" created a really interesting meta/fanfiction-framed dystopia. Kind of a meditation on aging/loss, but a very subtle one.
*"The You Train" seemed to continue the personification-of-cities motif Jemisin was dipping into.
*"Non-Zero Probabilities" also didn't stick with me, but had an interesting premise that might be worth giving another try.
*"Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints, in the City Beneath the Still Waters" was kind of just... sad?
]]> The Female Persuasion 39711214 New York Times-bestselling author of The Interestings, an electric, multilayered novel about ambition, power, friendship, and mentorship, and the romantic ideals we all follow deep into adulthood, not just about who we want to be with, but who we want to be.

To be admired by someone we admire - we all yearn for this: the private, electrifying pleasure of being singled out by someone of esteem. But sometimes it can also mean entry to a new kind of life, a bigger world.

Greer Kadetsky is a shy college freshman when she meets the woman she hopes will change her life. Faith Frank, dazzlingly persuasive and elegant at sixty-three, has been a central pillar of the women's movement for decades, a figure who inspires others to influence the world. Upon hearing Faith speak for the first time, Greer- madly in love with her boyfriend, Cory, but still full of longing for an ambition that she can't quite place- feels her inner world light up. And then, astonishingly, Faith invites Greer to make something out of that sense of purpose, leading Greer down the most exciting path of her life as it winds toward and away from her meant-to-be love story with Cory and the future she'd always imagined.

Charming and wise, knowing and witty, Meg Wolitzer delivers a novel about power and influence, ego and loyalty, womanhood and ambition. At its heart, The Female Persuasion is about the flame we all believe is flickering inside of us, waiting to be seen and fanned by the right person at the right time. It's a story about the people who guide and the people who follow (and how those roles evolve over time), and the desire within all of us to be pulled into the light.]]> Meg Wolitzer 0525528199 Tori 4
But I think it does pass judgment. I've seen it described as "satire," which might be too strong of a word but is somewhere in the realm of the kind of thoughtful reflection-via-fiction being done on feminism and activism in our modern world.]]> 3.39 2018 The Female Persuasion

author: Meg Wolitzer
name: Tori
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/12/12
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: feministy, multiple-perspectives, aging, writing-on-writing, romance, queer
review:
Not quite sure how to sum up the winding feministy eloquence of this... Optimistic yet bracingly sad? Empathetic while not pulling any punches? A kind of pointless paradox, reflecting modern tragedy and hypocrisy and love without seeming to pass judgment?

But I think it does pass judgment. I've seen it described as "satire," which might be too strong of a word but is somewhere in the realm of the kind of thoughtful reflection-via-fiction being done on feminism and activism in our modern world.
]]> The Girl in Red 52099883
From the national bestselling author of Alice comes a postapocalyptic take on the perennial classic "Little Red Riding Hood"...about a woman who isn't as defenseless as she seems.

It's not safe for anyone alone in the woods. There are predators that come out at night: critters and coyotes, snakes and wolves. But the woman in the red jacket has no choice. Not since the Crisis came, decimated the population, and sent those who survived fleeing into quarantine camps that serve as breeding grounds for death, destruction, and disease. She is just a woman trying not to get killed in a world that doesn't look anything like the one she grew up in, the one that was perfectly sane and normal and boring until three months ago.

There are worse threats in the woods than the things that stalk their prey at night. Sometimes, there are men. Men with dark desires, weak wills, and evil intents. Men in uniform with classified information, deadly secrets, and unforgiving orders. And sometimes, just sometimes, there's something worse than all of the horrible people and vicious beasts combined.

Red doesn't like to think of herself as a killer, but she isn't about to let herself get eaten up just because she is a woman alone in the woods....]]> 9 Christina Henry Tori 3 3.56 2019 The Girl in Red

author: Christina Henry
name: Tori
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/12/05
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: fantasy, mystery-and-horror, dystopias, writing-on-writing, feministy, multiple-perspectives, sci-fi-and-aliens, queer
review:
Very self-aware (and kinda cinematic) postapocalyptic adventure. Not bad, but not amaaazing.
]]> <![CDATA[The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance, #1)]]> 6437061 427 N.K. Jemisin 0316043915 Tori 5 3.88 2010

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance, #1)

author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Tori
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/28
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: fantasy, feministy, multiple-perspectives, romance, queer
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Prophecy Con (Rogues of the Republic, #2)]]> 22670892 Book Two in the Rogues of the Republic series.

Who would have thought a book of naughty poems by elves could mean the difference between war and peace? But if stealing the precious volume will keep the Republic and the Empire from tearing out each other’s throats, rogue soldier Isafesira de Lochenville—“Loch�� to friends and foes alike—is willing to do the dishonest honors. With her motley crew of magic-makers, law-breakers, and a talking warhammer, she’ll match wits and weapons with dutiful dwarves, mercenary knights, golems, daemons, an arrogant elf, and a sorcerous princess.

But getting their hands on the prize—while keeping their heads attached to their necks—means Loch and company must battle their way from a booby-trapped museum to a monster-infested library, and from a temple full of furious monks to a speeding train besieged by assassins. And for what? Are a few pages of bawdy verse worth waging war over? Or does something far more sinister lurk between the lines?

]]> 512 Patrick Weekes 1477874704 Tori 0 4.16 2014 The Prophecy Con (Rogues of the Republic, #2)

author: Patrick Weekes
name: Tori
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: fantasy, feministy, giggles, started-but-then-put-aside, to-read, heists, queer
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Palace Job (Rogues of the Republic, #1)]]> 18318648
With the help of a crack team that includes an illusionist, a unicorn, a death priestess, a talking warhammer, and a lad with a prophetic birthmark, Loch must find a way into the floating fortress of Heaven's Spire–and get past the magic-hunting golems and infernal sorcerers standing between her and the vault that holds her family's treasure.

It'd be tricky enough without the military coup and unfolding of an ancient evil prophecy–but now the determined and honourable Justicar Pyvic has been assigned to take her in.

But hey, every plan has a few hitches.]]> 438 Patrick Weekes 1477848207 Tori 3
The Rogues of the Republic strikes me as more idealistic: fewer deaths (though many more fake-outs, and correspondingly more plot twists in general), more women and people of color, sillier banter (and plot points...like the talking hammer and virgin-lusting unicorn, which are both explored in more depth than their jokey premises but still exist within a universe where news is delivered by puppet shows, so it's not like they're exactly free of an element of look-how-absurd-this-all-is jokiness).

I liked it, particularly for the strong female protagonist...but I think I prefer the tone of The Gentlemen Bastards.]]> 3.76 2012 The Palace Job (Rogues of the Republic, #1)

The Palace Job (Rogues of the Republic, #1)

author: Patrick Weekes
name: Tori
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2017/12/31
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: feministy, dragony-dragons, fantasy, multiple-perspectives, heists, queer
review:
I couldn't help comparing this to The Gentlemen Bastards, what with the matching protagonists' names (and magical heist plots).

The Rogues of the Republic strikes me as more idealistic: fewer deaths (though many more fake-outs, and correspondingly more plot twists in general), more women and people of color, sillier banter (and plot points...like the talking hammer and virgin-lusting unicorn, which are both explored in more depth than their jokey premises but still exist within a universe where news is delivered by puppet shows, so it's not like they're exactly free of an element of look-how-absurd-this-all-is jokiness).

I liked it, particularly for the strong female protagonist...but I think I prefer the tone of The Gentlemen Bastards.
]]> The Golden Notebook 24100 640 Doris Lessing 006093140X Tori 3 This Is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn, but not so romantic or sweet or tragic. Way more communism. And bitterness. And self-pity. So I guess it's like a grown-up version of that book. I can't tell if I found it hard to enjoy because it was plodding and depressing, or because it had deckled pages. Probably a bit of both.]]> 3.79 1962 The Golden Notebook

author: Doris Lessing
name: Tori
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1962
rating: 3
read at: 2015/05/03
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: feministy, schooly, aging, queer
review:
Kind of like This Is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn, but not so romantic or sweet or tragic. Way more communism. And bitterness. And self-pity. So I guess it's like a grown-up version of that book. I can't tell if I found it hard to enjoy because it was plodding and depressing, or because it had deckled pages. Probably a bit of both.
]]> Every Day (Every Day, #1) 15926760
Immediately, I have to figure out who I am. It's not just the body—opening my eyes and discovering whether the skin on my arm is light or dark, whether I'm boy or girl, scarred or smooth. The body is the easiest thing to adjust to, if you're used to waking up in a new one each morning. It's the life, the context of the body, that can be hard to grasp.

Every day I am someone else. I am myself—I know I am myself—but I am also someone else.

It has always been like this.]]> 324 David Levithan 0307931897 Tori 4
And this book is a perfect Levithan romance. Its characters feel and express love in a nuanced and realistic way. There's a spectrum of sexuality, and there are characters who struggle with love and life and happiness in a way that reminds you how much shared humanity there is in our everyday struggles (a point not so subtly made in the narration, but a point that I found comforting enough not to mind its somewhat didactic presence...).

David Levithan always writes with such optimism, and such clarity, and such empathy. And his books fill me with something like love. Or hope.

But the ending was kind of abrupt. I wanted to spend more time with A--not just in the form of the six additional days from the past, which kind of read as scrapped prologues--and less time with Rhiannon (who seemed, as Levithan's characters often do, a little too perfect).

I don't think my only complaints were that I wanted more of it and that its characters were too perfect, but any other qualms I had while reading seem insignificant compared to the overall impression. Which was positive.]]> 3.87 2012 Every Day (Every Day, #1)

author: David Levithan
name: Tori
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2014/09/29
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: fantasy, ya-like, feministy, romance, queer
review:
I read a synopsis of one of David Levithan's books and I think "blegh, romance"...but then I remember how uplifting and funny and insightful I found the last thing I read by him, and how it made me remember why I love reading, and how I'd so throughly inhabited his world and his characters in the short time it took me to plow through the book.

And this book is a perfect Levithan romance. Its characters feel and express love in a nuanced and realistic way. There's a spectrum of sexuality, and there are characters who struggle with love and life and happiness in a way that reminds you how much shared humanity there is in our everyday struggles (a point not so subtly made in the narration, but a point that I found comforting enough not to mind its somewhat didactic presence...).

David Levithan always writes with such optimism, and such clarity, and such empathy. And his books fill me with something like love. Or hope.

But the ending was kind of abrupt. I wanted to spend more time with A--not just in the form of the six additional days from the past, which kind of read as scrapped prologues--and less time with Rhiannon (who seemed, as Levithan's characters often do, a little too perfect).

I don't think my only complaints were that I wanted more of it and that its characters were too perfect, but any other qualms I had while reading seem insignificant compared to the overall impression. Which was positive.
]]> Seraphina (Seraphina, #1) 12394100 Librarian's note: There is an Alternate Cover Edition for this edition of this book here.

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

In her exquisitely written fantasy debut, Rachel Hartman creates a rich, complex, and utterly original world. Seraphina's tortuous journey to self-acceptance is one readers will remember long after they've turned the final page.]]> 467 Rachel Hartman 0375866566 Tori 4 4.02 2012 Seraphina (Seraphina, #1)

author: Rachel Hartman
name: Tori
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2014/01/29
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: fantasy, dragony-dragons, ya-like, feministy, queer
review:
The timeline near the beginning confused me a bit--either due to shoddy editing, intentionally disorienting writing, or just to my skimming and/or falling asleep on the bus while trying to read. And I was a tiny bit disappointed with the inclusion of a romantic aspect (though it was admittedly well-handled) in a story otherwise full of strong, independent female adventuring. But it was otherwise an absorbing fantasy, with a carefully-constructed world (whose world-construction didn't encumber the actual telling of a story, unlike some storytellers *cough, Tolkien, cough*) that was fun to get lost in. The glossaries and whatnot in the back were even good. (I half-chortled to myself at the way they retained Seraphina's voice...)
]]> The Night Counter 6067314
Just as Scheherazade spun magical stories for 1,001 nights to save her own life, Fatima has spent each night telling Scheherazade her life stories, all the while knowing that on the 1,001st night, her storytelling will end forever. But between tonight and night 1,001, Fatima has a few loose ends to tie up. She must find a wife for her openly gay grandson, teach Arabic (and birth control) to her 17-year-old great-granddaughter, make amends with her estranged husband, and decide which of her troublesome children should inherit her family's home in Lebanon--a house she herself has not seen in nearly 70 years. All this while under the surveillance of two bumbling FBI agents eager to uncover Al Qaeda in Los Angeles.

But Fatima’s children are wrapped up in their own chaotic lives and disinterested in their mother or their inheritances. As Fatima weaves the stories of her husband, children, and grandchildren, we meet a visionless psychic, a conflicted U.S. soldier, a gynecologist who has a daughter with a love of shoplifting and a tendency to get unexpectedly pregnant, a Harvard-educated alcoholic cab driver edging towards his fifth marriage, a lovelorn matchmaker, and a Texas homecoming queen. Taken in parts, Fatima’s relations are capricious and steadfast, affectionate and smothering, connected yet terribly alone. Taken all together, they present a striking and surprising tapestry of modern Arab American life.

Shifting between the U.S. and Lebanon over the last hundred years, Alia Yunis crafts a bewitching novel imbued with great humanity, imagination, and a touch of magic realism. Be prepared to be utterly charmed.]]> 384 Alia Yunis 0307453626 Tori 4 3.72 2009 The Night Counter

author: Alia Yunis
name: Tori
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2011/04/07
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: fantasy, schooly, writing-on-writing, feministy, multigenerational, historical-fiction, aging, queer
review:

]]> The Children's Book 6280379
When Olive Wellwood’s oldest son discovers a runaway named Philip sketching in the basement of the new Victoria and Albert Museum—a talented working-class boy who could be a character out of one of Olive’s magical tales—she takes him into the storybook world of her family and friends.

But the joyful bacchanals Olive hosts at her rambling country house—and the separate, private books she writes for each of her seven children—conceal more treachery and darkness than Philip has ever imagined. As these lives—of adults and children alike—unfold, lies are revealed, hearts are broken, and the damaging truth about the Wellwoods slowly emerges. But their personal struggles, their hidden desires, will soon be eclipsed by far greater forces, as the tides turn across Europe and a golden era comes to an end.

Taking us from the cliff-lined shores of England to Paris, Munich, and the trenches of the Somme, The Children’s Book is a deeply affecting story of a singular family, played out against the great, rippling tides of the day. It is a masterly literary achievement by one of our most essential writers.]]> 675 A.S. Byatt 0307272095 Tori 4
I think I'll have to re-read this at a more leisurely pace sometime. I got the gist of the story and the development of the characters following a historical trend culminating in the horribly tragic and alienating and destructive WWI. Byatt is a wonderful writer, and the mixture of history and drama and children's stories and elegant imagery is...worth re-reading. Makes me glad I have an excuse to do so.]]> 3.67 2009 The Children's Book

author: A.S. Byatt
name: Tori
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2010/10/01
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: historical-fiction, fantasy, feministy, dragony-dragons, writing-on-writing, aging, multigenerational, queer
review:
I found myself skimming at times. Not because the writing or subject matter was uninteresting (although it was at times hard to handle). But rather, because it was so long and I wanted to feel like I was making progress. Sadly, I think this bad habit (of skimming) led to me missing some beautiful writing and not getting the full effect of some of the character development.

I think I'll have to re-read this at a more leisurely pace sometime. I got the gist of the story and the development of the characters following a historical trend culminating in the horribly tragic and alienating and destructive WWI. Byatt is a wonderful writer, and the mixture of history and drama and children's stories and elegant imagery is...worth re-reading. Makes me glad I have an excuse to do so.
]]> <![CDATA[Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend (Belle, #1)]]> 641544 Winner of the 2008 Maine Literary Award! Dylan is Belle's true love-maybe even her soulmate. Until one day when Dylan drops the ultimate bomb; he's gay. Where, Belle wonders, does that leave her? And how will the rest of their small town deal with an openly gay Homecoming King? This beautifully written debut explores what happens when you are suddenly forced to see someone in a new light, and what that can teach you about yourself.

"Provocative . . . The author's poetic prose ably captures her heroine's emotional upheavals." -Publishers Weekly "It's good to have [Carrie Jones'] talent in the field." -KLIATT "Jones offers an atypical perspective of the coming-out story by legitimizing the love that is not lost, but changed, when young people grow up and apart." -School Library Journal "From the first sentence of Carrie Jones' novel I could tell that here was a bright new writer who was going to set the world of young adult letters aflame." -Kathi Appelt, award-winning poet and author]]> 288 Carrie Jones 0738710504 Tori 3 ya-like, feministy, queer
In the end, it reminded me a lot of This is All, because of the lists and the characters who are incredibly mature and able to recognize when they're succumbing to teenagey melodrama/angst. Also, I kept wavering between despising and enjoying the book. But whereas I ultimately liked This is All, Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend fell on the didn't-quite-like side of the love-hate spectrum.]]> 3.72 2007

Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend (Belle, #1)

author: Carrie Jones
name: Tori
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2009/01/09
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: ya-like, feministy, queer
review:
Ultimately kind of a happy-go-lucky YA romance which escapes the typical shallowness of that genre by actually saying some interesting things about sexuality and identity and maturity. Which is not to say that it doesn't sometimes take itself too seriously. But it has lists, and I'm a sucker for lists.

In the end, it reminded me a lot of This is All, because of the lists and the characters who are incredibly mature and able to recognize when they're succumbing to teenagey melodrama/angst. Also, I kept wavering between despising and enjoying the book. But whereas I ultimately liked This is All, Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend fell on the didn't-quite-like side of the love-hate spectrum.
]]> Spindle's End 77368 354 Robin McKinley 0441008658 Tori 5 3.82 2000

author: Robin McKinley
name: Tori
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2005/01/01
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: fantasy, ya-like, feministy, romance, queer
review:
THIS AUTHOR IS AWESOME. OMG LIKE EVERY SINGLE BOOK IS AN AWESOME FAIRY TALE RETELLING OF AWESOMENESS.
]]> <![CDATA[The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye: Five Fairy Stories]]> 86895
The companion stories in this collection each display different facets of Byatt's remarkable gift for enchantment. They range from fables of sexual obsession to allegories of political tragedy; they draw us into narratives that are as mesmerizing as dreams and as bracing as philosophical meditations; and they all us to inhabit an imaginative universe astonishing in the precision of its detail, its intellectual consistency, and its splendor.
]]> 274 A.S. Byatt 0679762221 Tori 5 3.85 1994 The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye: Five Fairy Stories

The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye: Five Fairy Stories

author: A.S. Byatt
name: Tori
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1994
rating: 5
read at: 2009/08/19
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: fantasy, dragony-dragons, feministy, short-stories, aging, queer
review:
Beautifully pays respect to fairy tales while reworking and undermining expectations. Modern in tone and message, but satisfyingly situated in the realms of the fantastical. And it's kind of feministy.
]]> Shark Heart 219207892
At first, Wren internally resists her husband’s fate. Is there a way for them to be together after Lewis changes? Then, a glimpse of Lewis’s developing carnivorous nature activates long-repressed memories for Wren, whose story vacillates between her childhood living on a houseboat in Oklahoma, her time with her college ex-girlfriend, and her unusual friendship with a woman pregnant with twin birds.]]> 415 Emily Habeck Tori 4 4.08 2023 Shark Heart

author: Emily Habeck
name: Tori
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/30
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: romance, aging, writing-on-writing, multiple-perspectives, multigenerational
review:

]]> Bride (Bride, #1) 181344829 A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was��.

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.]]> 410 Ali Hazelwood Tori 3 3.98 2024 Bride (Bride, #1)

author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Tori
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/06
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: fantasy, mystery-and-horror, romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)]]> 28937572
Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets—a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.
--us.macmillan.com]]> 560 Leigh Bardugo Tori 2 4.48 2016 Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)

author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Tori
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: ya-like, heists, fantasy, multiple-perspectives, romance, queer
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ordinary Monsters (The Talents Trilogy #1)]]> 58409723
What follows is a story of wonder and betrayal, from the gaslit streets of London, and the wooden theaters of Meiji-era Tokyo, to an eerie estate outside Edinburgh where other children with gifts--like Komako, a witch-child and twister of dust, and Ribs, a girl who cloaks herself in invisibility--are forced to combat the forces that threaten their safety. There, the world of the dead and the world of the living threaten to collide. With this new found family, Komako, Marlowe, Charlie, Ribs, and the rest of the Talents discover the truth about their abilities. And as secrets within the Institute unfurl, a new question arises: What truly defines a monster?

Riveting in its scope, exquisitely written, Ordinary Monsters presents a catastrophic vision of the Victorian world--and of the gifted, broken children who must save it.]]> 672 J.M. Miro Tori 3 3.96 2022 Ordinary Monsters (The Talents Trilogy #1)

Ordinary Monsters (The Talents Trilogy #1)

author: J.M. Miro
name: Tori
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/26
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: fantasy, magic-school, historical-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ancillary Mercy (Imperial Radch, #3)]]> 24966740
Anaander is heavily armed and extremely unhappy with Breq. She could take her ship and crew and flee, but that would leave everyone at Athoek in terrible danger.

Breq has a desperate plan. The odds aren't good, but that's never stopped her before.]]> 363 Ann Leckie Tori 3 sci-fi-and-aliens, queer 4.36 2015 Ancillary Mercy (Imperial Radch, #3)

author: Ann Leckie
name: Tori
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/03
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: sci-fi-and-aliens, queer
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ancillary Sword (Imperial Radch, #2)]]> 63027710
Breq is a soldier who used to be a warship. Once a weapon of conquest controlling thousands of minds, now she has only a single body and serves the emperor.

With a new ship and a troublesome crew, Breq is ordered to go to the only place in the galaxy she would agree to to Athoek Station to protect the family of a lieutenant she once knew—a lieutenant she murdered in cold blood.

Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy has become one of the new classics of science fiction. Beautifully written and forward thinking, it does what good science fiction does best, taking readers to bold new worlds with plenty explosions along the way.]]> 400 Ann Leckie 0316565199 Tori 3 sci-fi-and-aliens, queer 4.15 2014 Ancillary Sword (Imperial Radch, #2)

author: Ann Leckie
name: Tori
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/03
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: sci-fi-and-aliens, queer
review:

]]> The Bird King 40642333 Alif the Unseen and writer of the Ms. Marvel series, G. Willow Wilson

Set in 1491 during the reign of the last sultanate in the Iberian peninsula, The Bird King is the story of Fatima, the only remaining Circassian concubine to the sultan, and her dearest friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker.

Hassan has a secret--he can draw maps of places he's never seen and bend the shape of reality. When representatives of the newly formed Spanish monarchy arrive to negotiate the sultan's surrender, Fatima befriends one of the women, not realizing that she will see Hassan's gift as sorcery and a threat to Christian Spanish rule. With their freedoms at stake, what will Fatima risk to save Hassan and escape the palace walls?

As Fatima and Hassan traverse Spain with the help of a clever jinn to find safety, The Bird King asks us to consider what love is and the price of freedom at a time when the West and the Muslim world were not yet separate.]]> 403 G. Willow Wilson 080212903X Tori 3 3.68 2019

author: G. Willow Wilson
name: Tori
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/16
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction, queer
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children, #2)]]> 39963720
This is the story of what happened first��

Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline.

Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got.

They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted.

They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices.]]> 190 Seanan McGuire Tori 4 fantasy, queer, romance 4.22 2017 Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children, #2)

Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children, #2)

author: Seanan McGuire
name: Tori
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/26
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: fantasy, queer, romance
review:
I kept waiting for it to stop being a prequel and start being a sequel, but[spoilers removed]
]]>