 While the opening didn't immediately hook me, as I was worried that the protagonist would devolve into a whiny, woe-is-me character, I was soon swiftly entranced by this story (and, thankfully, I proved to be worrying for nothing). It's a dark fairytale retelling of an already dark fairytale, The Six Swans, with some changes. Rowenna is no princess, but she is the daughter of a woman, named Mairead, who has the craft (magic). Mairead refuses to teach Enna how to use her own craft because Enna has a short temper, an aggressive(ly protective) nature, and little patience for fools. This refusal turns out to be a fatal decision and to have terrible consequences...and yet, I wonder if Mairead could have even taught Enna what she needed to know about her Craft...and who knows what worse things might have happened if circumstances didn't play out as they did? Here be spoilers...
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 Well, I've been forced to eat my words. When I finished book one of this duology, I was extremely skeptical that there could be enough plot material for a second book; I was wrong. Two Twisted Crowns was a super engaging and fast-paced read, with less issues in terms of revelations to mysteries that seemed very obvious, and deeper character building (specifically, with the Nightmare, one of the more intriguing characters). Elspeth takes a back seat for most of this book, which is an interesting (but, I think, good) choice as she was the MC for book one.
We get multiple perspectives in book two, which is fun because I loved seeing the other characters', specifically Elm's, point of view. Ione's storyline made me forgive and understand her character arc in book one (yay!) and the history of Blunder and the cards was delicious.  i did it! i completed a writing challenge for the first time in years! (late but who cares tbh). our last kiss comes from Reaper, another wip of mine on the backburner...for now...  ↳ in which Reaper is a psychopomp with no name or history who breaks the terms of her duty. She refuses to send the boy-ghost Tamlin Onwards—and now something hungry has broken through the Veil and is hunting them both... A ghost is a displacement. It's alive because it thinks it is or wants to be, and it's dead because it's not, and so it's trapped in between—dead and not. Body and spirit. Hollow and full.
But this ghost is ready to go on. This ghost is full of sorrow and fear; it had gotten lost in its own wanting to be free, to be safe. Reaper kneels. Summons her scythe. Will it hurt? the ghost asks, tremulous.  today's kiss comes from Oracle, another wip i'm not actually working on but which lives rent free in my head.  ↳ in which Sage is an Oracle who isn't, Alyss is a Saviour turned Tyrant-Queen, Cat is an agent of Chaos, and the kingdom of Miraré stands on the edge of doom “Kneel.”
Your knees bend, crashing against the marble tile, runes flaring around you, beneath you. “Look at me.” Your head lifts of its own accord, no matter how you strain your muscles to fight. Your eyes lock on her face—her once beloved face, heart shaped and fair, her blond hair intricately curled and pinned beneath her new crown, her blue eyes flat as glass and just as cold and empty.  today's kiss comes from Rivener and is a rewrite of a scene from draft 1! i'm very fond of it.  ↳ in which Wren is a woman with a ruinous ability, Kai is an enslaved wolf shifter, and circumstances conspire to have them relying on each other for survival. She was burning.
Kai felt his stomach twist as he carefully pulled Wren free of her sodden clothes, manoeuvring her limbs out of the clinging cloth. Scrapes decorated her shins and back and large, blue-black bruises spanned her sides but, after pushing against them carefully and listening closely to her breathing, he didn’t think her ribs were broken—only bruised.  today's (not)kiss comes from my wip-that-i'm-not-currently-working-on Bo and Eve, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.  ↳ in which Eve has been cursed and does not care to break it, Bo is a man with very little patience for cruelty, and this is not the fairytale you think you know If this were like the fairytale you know, this story would end with a wedding, a kiss on the steps of the manor, the couple cheered on by their servants.
But as we have long established, this is not like that fairytale. There is no wedding, and there is no kiss. Bo loves Eve, and she loves him back, but neither are interested in kissing (much less marrying) each other. That does not mean this story doesn’t have a happy ending. It does, even if Eve’s curse remains unbroken. Because Eve is happy, beastly appearance or not, and Bo is free but chose her anyway, and together? Together, they are no longer alone or lonesome. And that, dear reader, is the happiest ending either of them could wish for.  today’s kiss comes from The Storyteller, The Djinn, and The Prince, my main wip! i am...kinda sorta challenging myself to write kisses that aren’t kisses between people lololol  ↳ in which Hira joins a hopeless quest to rescue a child from the djinn who have taken him, Intisar refuses to give into despair, Raoul is tangled in a web of love and loss, and there are many stories Trembling, I lifted the lid of the trunk and immediately, the familiar scent of oud and sandalwood billowed over me.
Jeddo. Reverently, I pulled the mantle out and buried my face against the wool. If I tried hard enough, I could almost feel the scratch of Jeddo's beard when he kissed my forehead the day of my wedding, could hear his voice as he wished me joy. It had been the last time that I saw him, and neither of us had known it.  This was an interesting read. I picked it up on the recommendation of a Pride & Prejudice fanfic (specifically, the author's footnote). I found the structure interesting. The 'truthful fiction' of starting each chapter with an imagined perspective of Jane Austen herself, the chapters themselves being tied to each of Austen's books, the footnotes (I love a good footnote). I liked the historical context that Kelly provided for Austen's works, the unravelling of potential symbolism and metaphor. I especially enjoyed the Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park chapters. (Impressive because I did not enjoy Mansfield Park [the novel] at all.)
 I picked this up on a whim, wanting something light, fluffy, and Regency to read. I'm not sure it is Regency (I don't know my historical eras all that well) but it was definitely light and fluffy! Izzy is a delight, funny, quirky, and only prone to swooning from hunger rather than aggressive handsome lords. She's also kind-hearted and frank about her passions, which is a unique and enjoyable change of pace from the typically more sheltered heroines of harlequin romances.
This read to me like a loose Beauty and the Beast (Disney version) retelling without the magic elements, and I loved the subplot of the book series based on Izzy's life and that Ransom is a big grump who she roundly (and sweetly) puts in his place through sheer discombobulation. Also, I appreciated that he remained blind; there was no 'saving' or 'healing' of his disability. Rather, he learned to accept it and reshape his identity as a blind man. Overall, very sweet and fun and silly.  today's kiss is pulled from Rivener, a post-apocalyptic fantasy novella i'm rewriting and expanding!  ↳ in which Wren is a woman with a ruinous ability, Kai is an enslaved wolf shifter, and circumstances conspire to have them relying on each other for survival. Nowadays, Wren tends a garden—not just of herbs and vegetables, but of flowers too (though they’re mostly the edible ones). Nowadays, she spoons honey into every cup of tea she has. Nowadays, she spends hours and hours doing nothing more than lying in the sun. Nowadays, she lets her power exercise itself in whittling little figures out of wood or stone, and gifts them to everyone who wants them.
Nowadays, she is living, not just surviving. And sometimes, life fills her with so much joy that she can’t do anything but drop playful kisses all over Kai’s face: cheeks and nose and brow, wordless and happy and brimming over with it, and he shares in her joy, beaming wide, and returns her kisses. Because nowadays, Wren is at peace. |
First there was the pen...This blog features excerpts from my wips, posts about my writing process, book reviews, prompt fills, and more! Categories
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Book Review Rating System5 Stars: Loved it, new favourite, unforgettable, highly recommend, would change practically nothing about it
4 Stars: Enjoyed it, would recommend, but there were a few plot/characterization/story elements that I disliked/wished were different 3 Stars: Mostly enjoyable, interesting/engaging but not a standout, there were a lot of plot/characterization/story elements that I disliked/wished were different, or I struggled to get through it 2 Stars: Disliked many/major elements of the plot/characterization/story but something about it kept me reading anyway 1 Star: I read this but didn't enjoy it at all, it had unforgiveable issues in plot/characterization/story elements DNF: couldn't get through it because of plot/characterization/story elements OR it just wasn't for me, but I might try to read it again |
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