“I'm going up to my room now, where I may die.”

(Had to skip May being it's own thing, bc all I did that month was read Jaime/Brienne fanfic. like it was 2020 all over again.)

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (5 STARS)

I already understood the hype around this series was well-deserved, but King of Attolia is definitely where I've reached the same level of unhinged. A truly gorgeous book. The commitment to the bit that is finding the most unreliable perspective possible to narrate a book continues - to devastating effect this time, as the reader arrives to the story with more knowledge than the POV character.

Kill the Beast by Serra Swift (3 STARS)

this was a very formulaic retelling of Beauty and the Beast that used the character work to make itself shine without feeling overly predictable. Unfortunately, I found the aesthetic change in the method of storytelling during the ending a little trite, and felt as thought it undermined it's own point. This book is not a romance, but it felt like the book really had to try and make it clear towards the end, with just a couple of slightly um... 'nail on the head' moments (i'm all for friendship being equal to romantic love, but i don't like a virtue signal).

The Wood Wife by Terri Windling (4 STARS)

the wood wife offers a very fun definition of urban fantasy. it is a lovely slowburn book, that builds a sense of place, and of persons in that place, before diving into the meat of the story. it took me a long time to read it, as I picked it up whilst in the wrong mindset, but this is a really clever story. the nuanced take it has on folklore, where it notes similarities across vastly different cultures whilst successfully retaining the specifics of indigenous contexts, would likely explode the average booktok user's brain.

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones (3.5 STARS)

I loved the story, but not really the method of its telling, if that makes sense?

The writing style of this book is third person present tense, but Jade's voice uses the passive a lot and is often quite convoluted. The passive tense in particular means that revelations get lost and become hard to distinguish in the reams of information the protagonist lists off. I had to open a synopsis on my phone halfway through, to make sure I was actually understanding the story and not just lost :')))

that being said, the story was fire! and Jade's understanding of her place within it captivated me. I'm definitely ready to read the sequels.

Untamed by Anna Cowan (3.5 STARS)

did you like that scene in the other bennett sister where Mary had visible armpit hair? then this is the romance book for you.

this is a regency piece with a bisexual crossdressing male lead and brickshithouse heroine, with some interestingly novel choices (like having the lead previously be her sister's lover). it wasn't perfect - far from it! it keeps character motivations secret for too long to the point where plotpoints don't make sense until you have hindsight. but still! fun and refreshing!

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase (2 STARS)

unfortunately, this simply was not for me. the race references and the specifics of their gendered dynamic, whilst firmly a part of their time (as in, the 90s, when this book was written) just weren't really the kind of things I find sexy. which I can't really hold against it, but it did really undermine my interest in either character or their romance.

I liked the bit where she shot him. but more in the sense that that should've been where the story ended :')))

The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee (5 STARS)

I loved this book so much that I finished it on a train on 5hrs sleep whilst hungover, fighting dizziness from the heat. I just had to know what happened next. This is a definite favourite for the year - full review here!

reading wrap ups: jan | feb | mar | april

heya anon :)

very happy you enjoyed the book, haunting to me that it reads more like historical-first than horror to you, but that's not me questioning it.

i still haven't really stopped thinking about how that book conceives of vampirism and the lore it builds around blood consumption, and the theme of how to ethically exist within a community whilst also having to prey on that community to sustain your identity. i guess i have the privilege to revel in its fictional elements, having never lived in the US.