“I will not be your enemy.” “No, little gnat. You’re far, far worse.”
rating: 4.25★ i was totally drawn to this by the gorgeous cover art and i'm happy t“I will not be your enemy.” “No, little gnat. You’re far, far worse.”
rating: 4.25★ i was totally drawn to this by the gorgeous cover art and i'm happy to report that this YA urban fantasy was fantastical, exciting, bittersweet, and moving.
“Not all bravery is loud,” she tells him. “Not all defiance is violent."
in the vein of holly black's tithe, our protagonist sascia lives in present day-ish new york city where creatures have begun emerging from dark tears between our world and what is known as the Darkworld.
sascia has a specific affinity with darkmoths that emerge from these shadows and in part of a prestigious group of students studying them and creating tech to learn more. but some of these creatures are more dangerous, and she soon discovers a humanoid dark species lurking. elf princet nugau crosses sascia's path and sets off the chain of events resulting in their lives intertwining over time and space.
It feels both an injustice and an inevitability, to be thrown together and ripped apart.
i really enjoyed the fantasy and adventure aspect of the story, but even moreso the romance and the message of choosing kindness and love over violence. to care for nature and its creatures more than power and profit.
A cycle of violence between a world of darkness and a world of light, over and over again, with not a spare moment to pause, to think, to understand—to make the hard choice, the choice of kindness.
the queerness is also very normalized with sascia being bi/pan and nugau being genderfluid/queer - the entire dimension of darkworld creatures having the ability to choose and change as they please. it's not a main focus but definitely very present.
this was another time wimey story this year that won over my heart, with a touch of greek tragedy.
Her story is one of perseverance. She has failed, spectacularly, desperately, but each time, she has gotten back up and tried again. She will always try.
an absurd, silly parody of SJM fae fantasy and its impersonators, this novella doesn’t take itself seriously at all and is the perfect quick read.
thean absurd, silly parody of SJM fae fantasy and its impersonators, this novella doesn’t take itself seriously at all and is the perfect quick read.
the shrek x donkey (as a dragon) dynamic between rhema and benny was very entertaining, had to love it. never thought I’d meet a dragon obsessed w butter ...more
“Roan might be a self-absorbed prick, but he’s…he’s my self-absorbed prick.”
this was a fun little fae fantasy novella with some romance. i though3.75★
“Roan might be a self-absorbed prick, but he’s…he’s my self-absorbed prick.”
this was a fun little fae fantasy novella with some romance. i thought the sassy human x bratty fae dynamics were fun, the mystery intriguing, and the extra epilogue spice was hot.
downside is it is a bit short so you're thrown into the world, but i felt like the ending resolution came together nicely.
"If the devil wants us, he must fight Faerie for the privilege."
rating: 3.5★
though a beautifully tragic story, i didn't feel like the romance was quit"If the devil wants us, he must fight Faerie for the privilege."
rating: 3.5★
though a beautifully tragic story, i didn't feel like the romance was quite developed enough to really have me invested (and thus devastated).
slight spoiler (view spoiler)[i think the faerie world could have been more developed, it almost felt more like they just want to a slightly alternate world. (hide spoiler)]
overall ok read, not usually my typical mood so others may like it more....more
a cute low-stakes fae romantasy with regency-esque setting.
i loved the “meet cute” and the initial set up is fun. i also liked the familrating: 3.75★
a cute low-stakes fae romantasy with regency-esque setting.
i loved the “meet cute” and the initial set up is fun. i also liked the family issues worked thru for both and the development with her father and mother. it was a bit different than most parental dynamics in these mixed human-fae stories.
i do think it was a bit slow and not the most complex of plots, but it makes it a low stakes cozy read for when you want something more low key. the romance was very simple for me, but not bad.
this is similar to tessonja odette’s fae series, and i would read book 2 (esp if it’s her friend and a certain rival ...more
In the end, it was four words that changed the course of our lives and the history of the world. Perhaps it wasn’t really so surprising. They were4.5★
In the end, it was four words that changed the course of our lives and the history of the world. Perhaps it wasn’t really so surprising. They were, after all, the most important words in any language. “What are you reading?”
a slow but immersive read with influences of emily wilde and vicious set in post WW1 england.
TSATLFD critiques not only academia but elitism and classism as well, with colonization playing a later part.
the first half was a bit slow but enjoyable, i just wish maybe we got some more specificity of the magical world in the every day.
i did really come to love this friend group and thus feel the emotional impact of it throughout its course. all four were complex and interesting, with their own unique quirks that prevented them from feeling like copy paste.
i especially liked the FMC clover’s later introspection and reckoning with her younger self’s shortcomings and flaws.
while there were some pacing and plot issues for me, i overall really enjoyed this and felt quite emotional at the end. i look forward to more reads from parry....more
“The more powerful you become, the more often others will find ways to master you. They'll do it through those you love and through those you hate; th“The more powerful you become, the more often others will find ways to master you. They'll do it through those you love and through those you hate; they will find the bit and the bridle that fits your mouth and makes you yield.”
this was my favorite of the trilogy.
“You are the only thing I have that is neither duty nor obligation, the only thing I chose for myself. The only thing I want.”
holly black does such a great job writing urban fantasy - all the goth and punk kids, the cutting humor, her way of bringing the fae into human spaces and fitting them in magically and awkwardly. the juxtaposition creates a unique blend of whimsical nostalgia that really taps into my childhood/adolescence. i love tfota and the elfhame universe, but i so badly want her to write more of this!
Kaye wondered if everyone felt like there was a monster underneath their skin.
this had some angst that i was really digging. kaye and corny are my favs, and it was cool to see characters from valiant!
“If you can really lie, tell me this will end really well tonight.”...more
i was impatient and skipped this to continue the series back when i read it earlier this year, and now i wish i hadn't!
elias learns about being a parei was impatient and skipped this to continue the series back when i read it earlier this year, and now i wish i hadn't!
elias learns about being a parent through reflection on his childhood with his fearsome and cruel faerie father, and we start to get to know abigail and longshadow before their story in book 3....more
“Hand you the right storybook, and you are capable of anything.”
this was exactly what i hoped for from book 3!
“It’s been a while since I had so much “Hand you the right storybook, and you are capable of anything.”
this was exactly what i hoped for from book 3!
“It’s been a while since I had so much fun.” “He nearly decapitated you,” I exclaimed. “Yes, but besides that, Em,” he said patiently.
we of course get the same banter and delightful dynamic between the ever practical, pragmatic emily and the flamboyant, waggish wendell as they return to wendell's faerie realm to reclaim his place on the throne.
however, it's not a smooth transition as a curse is setting in on the lands. emily must use all her scholarly knowledge to find the answer in the numerous and effervescent fables and tales of faerie to help wendell find a cure and restore balance to the kingdom.
the idea that stories are what hold the true shape of the fae realm, define it, makes me reflect on how stories are how we define our own humanity as people.
“For all you have read about and studied the Folk, you have never truly lived with them, dear. They are like—like nature. Can you understand the feeling of a winter night, or a spring wind, if you have only read about it?”
as usual, heather fawcett writes from emily's POV that immediately takes me back into her mind. in fact, i'd read the first two books with audio and i couldn't help but read book three with Ell Potter's voice in my head. she so perfectly encapsulates emily for me and does a great irish accent for wendell, so i highly recommend reading (or rereading) with the audiobooks!
while there's cozy light academia vibe to this series, fawcett never shies away from staying loyal to old school fae lore - that is to say, every now and then a faerie does or says something abruptly brutal that reminds me even the friendliest of them are not to be fully trusted. you must always stay on your feet and ten steps ahead with the tricky fae.
“Most of them have fled,” “Or they’ve been killed,” Lord Taran said. “Oops.”
something that i found especially pleasant in this installment was the romance felt a touch dialed up. not too much as we know emily is not the most emotionally driven of characters, but it was quite heartfelt at times and called for considering the circumstances. it was in a subtle fashion, but nonetheless enjoyable.
“Don’t tarry here too long,” he murmured against my lips. “I shall miss you too much, and come to regret this.”
A world that I wanted, even after all I had seen, and amidst such a thicket of danger. I wanted it very much. And I especially wanted to share it with Wendell.
“I have learned there is one thing a person never tires of, no matter how long they live. And that is being in love. All else is ash and ember.”
i thought this was a final book of the series, and while it ends wrapped up, there is definitely room for more - i'm certainly hoping there is!
just in case you wanted to know dog or cat-wise: don't worry, nothing happens to them :)
“Why is everyone in your family always so excited to see things that want to kill us?”
rating: 4.25★ this was an excellent sequel to the first book!
holl“Why is everyone in your family always so excited to see things that want to kill us?”
rating: 4.25★ this was an excellent sequel to the first book!
hollowthorn takes place during hanukkah and dives way more into anna's jewish heritage, with them casually partaking in some hanukkah traditions as well as jewish mythology taking center place in this story! anna also learns how to find stability in her own identity as someone half jewish who can't help but feel not jewish "enough", as well as her somewhat distant relationship with her father.
“But there’s a lot to be learned by a contradiction. It forces you to really think and try to understand something.”
it also deal's with colin's conflicted feelings of trying to step up as a raven while battling with his own newfound heritage. he learns about the fine line of good and evil intentions.
“We can both be a little right, and we can both be a little wrong,” he says. “Sometimes that’s just the way things are.”
this was a fun adventure as they go on a quest in the otherworld, with some fun (and ominously mysterious) POVs from the ravenfall house while they're away. it also featured lots of jewish magic and mythology and of course many delectable food descriptions.
“He’s not quite what I imagined. Oddly polite for an evil fellow. Strangely enough, many stories present him as a wise or benevolent figure, which I suspect is related to the complex nature of demons in Jewish texts. Demons weren’t always thought of as bad.”
i thought this was even more enjoyable than the first book and i can't wait to read book 3!
“The inn needs all of us, and we all need each other.”...more
There’s no way—not a single chance—that I’ll ever fall in love with my husband.
this was a super cute end for amelie after everything she went throughThere’s no way—not a single chance—that I’ll ever fall in love with my husband.
this was a super cute end for amelie after everything she went through in the fair isles trilogy.
i loooooove me an arranged marriage trope, but this also had some fun takes on it (i shan't say anymore cause spoilers!). albert was so endearing as the prince who puts on a faux rake persona (and charming). i enjoyed how it made amelie loosen up and lift her out of her fear.
“You try leaning across a table in a corset and dinner gown.” He waggles his brows. “If that’s what gets you going, I will, although you’ll find I look better naked.”
“Did no one tell you I’m only a quarter fae?” “A quarter fae and one hundred percent beautiful? Nope. No one said a damn thing to warn me about you.”
“The only acting I’ve done is pretending you don’t completely disarm me.”
short and sweet, as a novella it was more than enough. this also goes into odette's more recent series tone of a regency romantasy-first, which is so fun to read. it just makes me all the more excited for her next fae flings and corset strings book!
“I would give anything to be burned by you.”...more
"We will fight to the death if we must, but first we shall fight to live."
rating: 3.75
the most action packed of the trilogy, i do think it could have "We will fight to the death if we must, but first we shall fight to live."
rating: 3.75
the most action packed of the trilogy, i do think it could have used some trimming down as there was a lot of monologuing. it's moved away from the romance focus of book 1 to many political machinations between the fae courts and their tumultuous relations to the human regions.
overall, this series is probably my least fav of odette's so far mostly bc while she does a good job at creating a more typical politics-first fantasy in this series, i just personally enjoy the romance-focused series she's written after these.
it was fun to see the many characters who appear in entangled with fae as well as fae flings and corset strings and get a bit more into the origin story of faerwyvae.
“Always and forever, Evie. No matter how many days that is.”...more
nikki | ཐི༏ཋྀ݁ ₊ ݁ .
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