

I neither loved this as much as those of you that love this nor hated this as much as those of you that hated this. I do want to know what happens next, though.
I neither loved this as much as those of you that love this nor hated this as much as those of you that hated this. I do want to know what happens next, though.
Witches, vampires, demons, priests, priestesses, magic, superheroes, sorcerers, supernormal DNA, God and Goddess and Deities and Saints of every description — they all exist here. There is also an immortal Empress (ruthless, but not evil), an Inquisitor (license to kill anything and anyone), and a Serene Sisterhood of Compassion (Goddess-worshipping demon hunters). It‘s a fantastic carnival. Can't wait to read more. #urbanfantasy #fantasy #magic
#scarathlon #batbrigade
1. The tagged series. The movie was good, too. In my younger days when I liked horror, it‘d have to be The Stand
2. Grape-flavored nerds: the only time of the year I get any!
3. Listening—while driving and doing chores, reading—before going to bed
4. Dang, no doubt about it, cooler weather—& the way the sun is angled differently (but more noticeably in the northern states)
5. I still ❤️ 80s music 😊
This started very strong, it‘s sort of X-Men in the Victorian era. This first third was great, though there were a few moments some additional edits could help. Where the book lost me was when it jumped to a different timeline and set of characters and the pacing became a slog. I was so bored, so sadly I am DNFing this one at 50%. I think this could benefit from additional edits, there is no reason for this to be so long.
This is my least favorite Bujold so far. I usually love her romances—but that‘s because the character interactions largely serve the plot, whereas in this book it‘s the other way round. I was fascinated by the worldbuilding and the magic of the knives, but the second half of the book dragged with all the focus being on the couple. The ending is abrupt, but it was originally conceived as a single book—I may read the second to get more of the world!
I don‘t usually pick up fantasy books, but this was an absolute delight. The tale of a young woman with special powers is run off who is run off from town after town until she finds solace in an unlikely place, with trolls who hate humans. I enjoyed this so much. Book #59 in 2023
Scarlett & her sister, Tella, attend the magical competition Caraval, but they get separated. Later, Scarlett discovers that whoever finds Tella wins the game. She has to differentiate what‘s real & what‘s not.
3.5 ⭐️ This one was a little overhyped. I thought the magic and plot were good. All the characters were an annoying & I wanted a little more romance.
Don't mess with a French figurehead! 😄
Important messaging around making your own choices, living your own life, but despite the wholesome and inclusive vibe, the adorable magical digital assistants, the fun tidbits of magic and lovely colour palette, this felt too much like a flashback to the anxiety of my 20s to feel like a good time. Maybe those still in their 20s will find it more comforting.
#IdiomInsight Day 26: A lot of #StabInTheBack moments in this novel that I have abandoned for the meanwhile. I hope to get back to this soon enough.