Welcome to Litsy!

Really thought I was going to love this but it was awful. There were times when the writing was so cringy I had to force myself to keep reading. I got 3/4 of the way through it because I was captive on an eight hour flight, but even then it just got to a point where I couldn't keep going. I have now put it on a community shelf at the apartment I'm staying at. Hopefully someone else might like it.

I knew I'd like this. It's somewhere in between Tithe by Holly Black, which was my favourite book as a teenager, and Neil Gaiman's American Gods.

I'm was reading Sleeping Beauties by Stephen and Owen King but it's dragging. For me, it's one of those books that I have to nudge myself to pick up rather than one I can't put down.
I was idly browsing in Waterstones with my hubby today and this jumped out at me. I picked it up and was instantly sold. I haven't felt so randomly drawn towards a book for years and I'm so excited to read it. Stephen King will have to wait a little while.

This dark fantasy blew my mind! Violent, engaging, a whole different world to escape into! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💜

A wonderful book about faeries and genies and storytale creatures brought down to a crushing realistic setting. Cargill's main strength is in toeing the line of dark/harsh and retaining some of the magical nature that enraptures us with these stories. While a very dark novel with quite a number of terrible events occurring it manages to never feel crass, for shock or gritty for the sake of it. Squidapus was excited to learn there's a sequel!

#bookmail blaming @ScorpioBookDreams

I've put this as a pick but I did have a couple of issue with this book. Some of the characters weren't as developed as they could have been and the ending felt a little rushed for me but I did enjoy reading it on the whole.

I hid it so well under my bed I almost forgot!!! Love everything, @Frenican Thank you so much!! This book sounds right up my alley. The candle smells great and I will use the lanyard when I'm subbing! No more misplaced room keys. Happy Halloween!! #halloweengoespostal @BookishMarginalia

Taking a break from Wolf Hall to read this book I found at the library. It sounds like its right up my alley, but 60 pages in and I'm not sold yet. We will see what happens, since I'm not ready to bail yet. #libraryfind #itcanstillgetbetter
River is mad at me because I won't let her up on her favourite chair. It's pouring out and she is soaked from her last foray out there. #grumpymutt #beaglesoflitsy

Listened to this one. Thought the story was really interesting but a little hard to listen to because the characters got confused.

Just another quote... #relevant #monstersarereal #gavemechills

I love rereading a fave and finding quotes that I like. This is one - I like how not only you do you get the story, but it's broken up in chapters that explain in 'excerpts' from research papers/books etc, the details regarding the myths and legends of the creatures that show up

"No one must know. No one. But the building was new. Its otherworldly inhabitants yet to properly stake their claim to the nooks and crannies of every dark corner. All the better."

Sometimes a new house isn't all it's cracked up to be...

Love the chapter title! This is a reread because I found out there is a sequel. It's not your typical fairytale and this relationship ends badly (happens in the first chapter or so, so not really a spoiler). I love this crazy book on mythological beings 😍🥀🦇🦄🕸🐲

Hour 32: Starting my 6th faerie book of the #36hourReadathon. Hard to believe it's almost over! But there's a new giveaway going on right now, and I'll have one more before the clock strikes midnight. Then I turn back into a pumpkin. 😊📚❤

I really wanted to like this urban fantasy about a fairy war. I've always enjoyed Cargill's movie reviews and was quite happy for him when his screenwriting career took off, but Chapter 33 was the first one in this book that I actually enjoyed. It got better from there, but it was too little too late. That being said, I will always give points for new ideas and an unpredictable plot.

(Picture is Austin, TX where the book is set)

Hopefully I will finish Dreams and Shadows tonight (it has recently inched above mediocre) or tomorrow, then an ebook, then these #marchtbr @RealLifeReading #marchintoreading

I've always enjoyed Cargill's movie reviews, but I feel like something is just... off about his writing style in this first attempt at fiction. Kind of like a college student writing to impress the teacher instead of for clarity.

Anybody else get annoyed when a writer overuses a word? It feels like everything in this book is "virginal" or "lithe".

I read the author's movie reviews online for years and was rooting for him when he stopped reviewing to focus on writing films (he co-wrote Doctor Strange!) and novels. So far though this is just okay. Points deducted for such a lousy title and for the fact that he's used the word "virginal" 3 times in 60 pages. #currentread