a duck with a book

24 // bi // sad and stressed grad student who reads instead of doing homework

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Bookblr intro~

Hello all! I'm new to bookblr so I thought I would introduce myself. I'm looking for blogs to follow so please let me know if you have any suggestions.

⚜️ Join Book of the Month! ⚜️

On my blog, you will find:

💜 A perpetually updating list of books with WLW romances

🔍 A list of authors and books that have been called out for problematic content (with links and responses)

🔮 Book recommendations (by genre and a "Hidden Gems" category)

🤍 A list of my best reviews

🎆 A far-from comprehensive list of authors on tumblr

📃 Monthly wrap-ups

About me:

I'm 23 and a grad student

I was born in Italy and that takes up about 50% of my personality

I'm bisexual, which is the other 50% of my personality

My rating system:

★★★★★ - Either an instant addition to my favorites or an incredibly well written book, with stellar prose, intricate world building, and well-developed characters.

★★★★☆ - A very enjoyable novel which lacked the extra spark or had a few issues regarding the content or execution.

★★★☆☆ - A book which I liked and disliked in equal measure, leaving me very much on the fence. While it had praiseworthy elements, some aspect of it was lackluster enough to cancel out my enjoyment.

★★☆☆☆ - The negative parts of this book completely overshadowed any enjoyable parts.

★☆☆☆☆ - I reserve one-star ratings for books with exceptionally poor writing or blatantly problematic content. These novels took away all of the enjoyment of reading and took all my will-power to get through.

Favorite books:

Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman

The Mirror Visitor Quartet by Christelle Dabos

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Socials:

Goodreads

Twitter

Youtube

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come watch me review all the books I read this summer (and inevitably devolve into ranting)

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I was handed this book on my college campus for free... somehow I didn't see the glaring red flag. This was truly one of the most unpleasant reads of my life, and might even take the prize for the worst book I have ever read.

Now share in my suffering with me!!

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cover art colors -> blue

covers -> I - II - III - IV - V

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cover art colors -> maroon

covers -> I - II - III - IV - V

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cover art colors -> yellow

covers -> I - II - III - IV - V

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cover art colors -> purple

covers -> I - II - III - IV - V

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cover art colors -> gold

covers -> I - II - III - IV - V

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cover art colors -> pink

covers -> I - II - III - IV - V

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cover art colors -> silver

covers -> I - II - III - IV - V

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REVIEW // Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

// Scythe //

★★★★★

"An arrogant head of state gives permission to all nature of hate as long as it feeds his ambition.  And the unfortunate truth is, people devour it. Society gorges itself, and rots. Permission is the bloated corpse of freedom."

Shusterman continues to deliver with this incredible series. Whenever a series starts off with such a strong entry as Scythe, I'm always wary about the sequels. Will they live up to their predecessor and continue building on the foundation it created, or will they pale in comparison? Shusterman definitely shows that he knows what he is doing.

// image: official cover art by Kevin Tong //

The Thunderhead's thoughts and musings replace the scythes' journal entries from the first book, and I really enjoyed seeing its reaction and thought process to the events of the story. I absolutely loved how Shusterman didn't just include those entries to merely add worldbuilding and lore, but rather made them a crucial part of the storytelling. The way that the traditional narrative and the Thunderhead's observations converge at the end of the novel was superbly done.

I'm so glad this sequel didn't let me down, and I am incredibly excited to read The Toll next!

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REVIEW // The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher, narrated by Hillary Huber

★★★☆☆

"I sang the songs I thought of; songs full of words that must not be spoken or written down. Then I made faces like the faces on the rocks, and I twisted myself about like the twisted ones..."

Honestly, I was not really that spooked by this novel. I picked this up specifically because I was in the mood for a spooky audiobook, and that is definitely not what I got. There were definitely a couple moments when I could feel my skin crawl, but overall I did not feel like I was gripped by the folk horror elements of the story. I know this is a sequel of sorts to the 1904 short story "The White People" by Arthur Machen, which I have never read. I am also unfamiliar with this stage of the horror genre so I cannot say that I got anything from the references to this earlier tale.

// image: official cover art //

I might have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been let down by the expectations I had, as I mentioned earlier. I think this was more of a supernatural folk story exploring the tenuous relationships between Mouse and her family history, accentuating this connection through the fantasy elements. Yet, it seemed to me like at the very end Kingfisher remembered it was meant to be a horror story and dramatically switched genres at the last minute. Mouse and Foxy are catapulted into a different book, and the shift was so sudden I picked up my phone to check if I had accidentally skipped over a bunch of chapters. I didn't feel like the turn the story took after Mouse and Foxy went through the tunnel had any logical connection to the rest of the novel. Plus, the last two chapters have such a drastic elevation in action after the narrator spent the majority of the book merely observing and reading.

Characters:

Melissa "Mouse" - the narrator, revisiting an unpleasant part of her family history Grandmother - an unabashedly mean-spirited hoarder, Mouse is tasked with sorting through her decrepit house Bongo - the best boy Frederick Cotgrave - protagonist's step-grandfather, left behind a cryptic journal Ambrose - Cockgrave’s mentor, often mentioned in his journal Foxy - an eccentric elderly woman who befriends Mouse Tomas - a friend of Foxy's, he helps Mouse with the task of emptying her grandmother's house

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July 2021 Book Wrap-Up!

Total books read in June: 16

Total books read in 2021 so far: 110

Average rating in June: 3.39

Average rating in 2021 so far: 3.77

Favorite book of the month:

Least favorite book of the month:

Biggest disappointment:

Biggest (pleasant) surprise:

Hidden gem:

Novels:

City of Iron and Dust by J. P. Oakes // My Review // ★★★★★

A Radical Act of Free Magic (The Shadow Histories #2) by H. G. Parry // My Review // ★★★★★

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians (The Shadow Histories #1) by H. G. Parry // My Review // ★★★★☆

The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies, #1) by K. J. Charles // My Review // ★★★★☆

Harrow the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #2) by Tamsyn Muir // My Review // ★★★☆☆

Across the Great Barrier (Frontier Magic, #2) by Patricia C. Wrede // My Review // ★★★☆☆

A Case of Possession (A Charm of Magpies, #2) by K. J. Charles // My Review // ★★★☆☆

Flight of Magpies (A Charm of Magpies, #3) by K. J. Charles // My Review // ★★★☆☆

Map's Edge (The Tethered Citadel, #1) by David Hair // My Review // ★★☆☆☆

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson // My Review // ★★☆☆☆

Shorts

Interlude with Tattoos (A Charm of Magpies, #1.5) by K. J. Charles // My Review // ★★★☆☆

A Case of Spirits (A Charm of Magpies, #2.5) by K. J. Charles // My Review // ★★★☆☆

Feast of Stephen (A Charm of Magpies, #3.5) by K. J. Charles // My Review // ★★★☆☆

Graphic Novels:

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Eternal edition (Vol #3) by Naoko Takeuchi // My Review // ★★★★☆

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Eternal edition (Vol #4) by Naoko Takeuchi // My Review // ★★★★☆

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Eternal edition (Vol #5) by Naoko Takeuchi // My Review // ★★★★☆

Caravaggio e la ragazza by Nadia Terranova, art by Lelio Bonaccorso // My Review // ★★★☆☆

Audiobooks:

The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher, narrated by Hilary Huber // My Review // ★★★☆☆

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REVIEW // The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies #1) by K. J. Charles

★★★★☆

// A Case of Possession // Flight of Magpies //

“He had always found hope harder to deal with than despair. Despair didn't get disappointed.”

TW: sexual assault (not shown, before the events of the book, implied), suicide (several before the events of the book, attempted during the book)

This is a really strong start to the series. I love the magic system and underground world of magicians that Charles introduces in this novel. The tension between Lucien and Stephen's family history, their actual personalities, and their attraction is really intriguing. I do wish we had seen a bit more of their respective thought processes regarding the events that had brought their families together. They come up a bit throughout the novel but I feel like Charles could have expanded on them more. I know that the point of the book is the romance between Stephen and Lucien, but there are so many interesting elements beyond that which feel somewhat underdeveloped since they get pushed to side in favor of the love story. Still, I think out of all the books in the series, this one definitely has the strongest plot.

// image: official cover art for the Thai edition //

Characters:

Stephen Day - English practitioner, by-the-books justiciar with a strong sense of moral duty Lucien Vaudrey, Early Crane, - newly returned to England after two decades in Shanghai after the deaths of his father and brother, Hector Frank Merrick - Crane's right hand man, followed him to Shanghai and was his primary ally throughout their time there Rackham - an acquaintance of Crane's from Shanghai, connects him to the practitioners of London Lady Thwaite - Crane's neighbor, an obstinate woman bent on pushing her single daughter onto Crane

a duck's review of The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies, #1)

4/5: “He had always found hope harder to deal with than despair. Despair didn't get disappointed.” TW: sexual assault (not shown, before th

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REVIEW // A Case of Possession (A Charm of Magpies #2) by K. J. Charles

★★★☆☆

// The Magpie Lord // Flight of Magpies //

“Everyone can do evil. Some people can be forced to it, and some fight against it, and some don't even need an invitation.”

One of my biggest issues with this novel is that I feel like Charles completely left behind the conflict between Lucien and Stephen introduced in the first novel in favor of the very formulaic issues that always pop up in romance stories. Firstly, the plot definitely takes a back seat to the romance, which, granted, isn't so strange in a romance novel, but still. Secondly, we learned in the first novel that Stephen's family was heavily affected by Lucien's brother and father, and while this does come up quite a bit in The Magpie Lord, it barely appears here. Keeping in mind that this takes place a very short time after the prequel, it doesn't really make much sense that the pair would have moved past this entirely. Especially paired with the dynamic between them, their shared family history should have played a much more crucial role in their conflict rather than the basic "honeymoon stage is over" subplot.

// image: official cover art of the Thai edition //

see my review of The Magpie Lord for a list of characters

Additional characters:

Esther Gold - a practitioner, senior member of Stephen's team Dr. Dan Gold - Esther's husband, a doctor Jenny Saint - a junior practitioner in Stephen and Esther's team, windwalker, raised as a foundling Peter Janossi - a junior practitioner in Stephen and Esther's team, Leonora Heart - widow of Tom Hart, close friend of Crane, also moved from Shanghai to London, engaged to Tom Hart - late husband of Leo, helped Crane and Merrick stay alive when they first arrived in Shanghai Eadward Blaydon - politician in parliament, engaged to Leo Hart Town Cryer - one of the traders Crane met during his time in Shanghai Humphris - one of the traders Crane met during his time in Shanghai Peyton - one of the traders Crane met during his time in Shanghai Monk - one of the traders Crane met during his time in Shanghai

a duck's review of A Case of Possession (A Charm of Magpies, #2)

3/5: “Everyone can do evil. Some people can be forced to it, and some fight against it, and some don't even need an invitation.” One of my

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REVIEW // Flight of Magpies (A Charm of Magpies #3) by K. J. Charles

★★★☆☆

// The Magpie Lord // A Case of Possession //

"I do hope you are aware, my sweet, somewhere in that absurd heart, that I am ever, entirely, and quite pathetically yours.”

I'm really torn on this series. The Magpie Lord is a really strong start, which introduces an interesting setting and magic system, but after that the series really drops off for me. All of the main conflicts from the first book are cast aside and the ones presented afterwards are pretty run of the mill and very neatly wrapped up in time for a final love scene at the end of the novel. The more I read these books, the less I see the chemistry between the pair, apart from the time when they are literally declaring their love for each other. I'm not one to play the woke police, and I won't make any accusations here, but a lot of this series really feels like it's trying to toe the line between acceptable and, dare I say it, problematic. The fact that (SPOILER) Stephen's mother is heavily implied to have been raped by Lucien's brother (SPOILER END), something that comes up during the first of their romantic encounters, paired with their sub/dom dynamic and the slightly too frequent "I'll have you when and how I choose" comments is a bit uncomfortable, sure, but that's all consensual play. It's a bit more strange, however, that an 18-year-old and a man two and half times her age (which by my count means Merrick is 45), although technically their both adults, so I suppose its fine. But see what I mean? Jenny is just shy of legality, so technically the romance is fine! I'm not a huge fan of the word "technically" in these situations, but oh well.

// image: official cover art of the Thai edition //

see my review of A Case of Possession for a list of characters

Additional characters:

Rickaby - police officer who works alongside the justiciars John Slee - magician on the Council, not a fan of Stephen George Fairley - magician on the Council Jonah Pastern - rogue magician, windwalker Newhouse - a painter Baron Shaw - magician on the Council Macready - senior practicioner

a duck's review of Flight of Magpies (A Charm of Magpies, #3)

3/5: "I do hope you are aware, my sweet, somewhere in that absurd heart, that I am ever, entirely, and quite pathetically yours.” I'm reall

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cover art colors -> jade

covers -> I - II - III - IV - V