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 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. 

In an effort to get through the books I own before reading new books, I picked up The Girl From Everywhere, which I actually started reading back in October of 2025 and then DNF'd. But one of my personal intentions of the year (as opposed to my writerly intentions) was to actually allow the process to be a process. And since I didn't hate the book, I was just struggling with the pace of it, I picked it back up.

I'm sort of glad I did? It was good for my attention span, I think, and there were some rewards.

✦

What I enjoyed: 

• the premise - a time (& dimension) travelling sailing ship via maps! 
• the prose - there were some really gorgeous descriptions that set the scene
• Nix's name
• The thorough-seeming historical research

Well, I'm back! I helped run an event for Sakina Literary Society of the Arts (which I'm a co-founder of), I got married, went on a mini-moon (a precursor to our honeymoon - which has to happen later because of work), moved, and poked out a few words onto a few pages. Laying it all out like that...ok so maybe there's good reason I haven't written much. But that's not what this post is about! This post is about a book I read which was captivating if not strictly enjoyable. To find out what I mean, read below!

I thought I'd read Deerskin a long time ago, though now I think I actually read a different adaptation of the fairytale Donkeyskin. Still, when I chose to start Deerskin, I did so knowing I'd read and enjoyed other McKinley works, so I borrowed the e-book from Libby and got to reading.

I got through part one and put it down, fully intending to DNF it. It's such a dark story (which I was prepared for, given the horror of the fairytale it's based on, but not prepared enough, as it turns out). And its lyrical sort of prose makes it both engrossing and dizzying to get through if you don't focus. It's also written very much like a fairytale, with elaborate descriptions, poetic repetition, and in a narrative style with little traditionally structured dialogue, which can make it difficult to parse without dedication.

I picked this book up on a whim -- or rather, downloaded it from Libby on a whim. I was attracted first by the cover and then by the blurb: psychics, necromancy, magic and alchemy, an Empire on the brink of civil war, and a murder-mystery all in one! Colour me intrigued!

I was even more surprised to find that the book is set in a vaguely Victorian-esque? Regency-esque? era rather than a pseudo-medieval one, although definitely in its own world rather than ours! Spoilers ahead!

This is a dark book, and rather slow paced until we get closer to the end, when several things happen in quick succession. It deals with trauma, rape, pedophilia, murder, torture, oppression, mental health issues, enslavement, body horror, human experimentation, free will, imperialism, and more...but none of it felt grim for the sake of grimness.

After the Forest by Kell Woods showed up as a newly purchased item at my library, and after reading the summary, I downloaded it as an e-book on Libby. I love fairytale retellings, and this one about Hansel and Gretel (or Hans and Greta, as they're known in the book) looked promising.

This post will contain spoilers, so exit out if that sort of thing bothers you!

​Overall, I really enjoyed it! I was hooked from the first page by the very close and cinematic first person perspective. All my senses were engaged, and I was intrigued that this story would be grappling with Greta and Hans' trauma from being abandoned and then getting kidnapped by a cannibalistic witch, as well as the reputation they earned with their escape-by-murder.

While at work, I saw this book on display on our shelves. I love dragons and I'm a sucker for a pretty cover, so I picked it up on a whim and discovered--somewhat to my relief, because it's hefty at 553 pages--that it was an anthology of dragon stories by some of my favourite authors.

I finished it over the course of a week, and I loved it! Fair warning that this is not a spoiler free post, by the way.

​Just as a I did for Frederica by Georgette Heyer, I wanted to write a book review for it. There's nothing particularly in-depth about this review; I'm only commenting on the stories and poems I liked. There were a few I didn't enjoy, and I didn't feel like bothering with criticism or outlining why I didn't like them. So without further ado, let's dive in!