lit and roses;

- about 

Welcome to my blog! Hope you find your next favorite read here. I'm Rina. 22 years old, she/her, INFJ, a reader and reviewer. Member of Liam’s Vigil Publishing Co ARC Team.

My favorite genres are historical fiction, science fiction, and fantasy. I have too many favorite reads to mention.

If you want recs, a review, or you want me to make a list, feel free to send an ask or a message! Send a dm if you want my discord or email.

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Rating: 4 ★ of 5 Release date: March 4, 2024

I enjoyed this immensely! I went into this blindly, all I knew was that this was Amal El-Mohtar’s solo debut. Having loved Time War, there really wasn’t much that needed to be said. Every phrase and word choice made reading this feel like a classic fairytale and a love song, though it is also a murder ballad in a way. The magic system in this book is grounded on grammar, which I found very fitting considering the lyrical prose and the hold this author has over language. Those familiar with Time War or Amal El-Mohtar’s other short stories would anticipate the way she creates worlds and introduces magic systems, in my opinion she leaves a lot for the reader to interpret themselves; this book isn’t different in that regard. The riddles and wordplay used throughout the novella to move the story along or make a point were also so satisfying and fun to read.

I've shared one of my favorite passages on my goodreads review of this: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7029139323

Very late post but here are my favorite reads of 2024 🫶

(* = reread)

Rating: 3.5 ★ of 5

Release date: October 15, 2024

A subtle, wholesome read that packed a punch despite its length. The characters are simply called Mother and Daughter, and their tender relationship made me want to cry. I think many readers would find this relatable.

I enjoyed the prose and atmosphere of this book. I loved the way the author presented the character’s loneliness and yearning. Everything felt written with care, and based on what I’ve read about this author, this book may have been drawn largely from experience.

At the end of the novel, I still wished to know more about these characters; how they were like before Daughter moved to Vermont. Either way, this was an enjoyable read. I’d say I’ve barely touched the tip of the iceberg.

Rating: Unrated

Release date: June 27, 2023

Couldn’t give a proper rating for this, it took me so long to get through it for some reason; I didn’t even think it was a bad read.

To start, style and tone of this book was enjoyable for me. I liked how the focus was heavy on Rachel and James as bffs and their shenanigans as twenty - somethings, told from the perspective of an older Rachel. There was something really grounding when she recounts an event and admits how embarrassed she was. I mean, I don’t think we get a lot of narrators (or I may not be reading enough) that admit when they’ve been wrong and/or what they’ve done wrong. In this case, I liked Rachel’s honesty. In a way, telling it all without filters (not hiding that they were all really messy).

This is also one of those books wherein I genuinely wanted every character to be OK. They’re not perfect and it’s one of the aspects that made things feel more real in this book. When they mess up, I was just like “well, that really does happen” and I say that as a twenty - something myself. And as a twenty - something, Rachel and James looking for opportunities, trying to build connections for their career, not knowing where to start, seemingly having no direction was so on point for me actually. Giving a plus for all that.

Aside from all those babble, the ending was not what I expected but I was very glad it went the way it did.