Jill

I read a lot. I write reviews... sometimes. I also write. She/They; 23

[just-a-bookish-reader]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond

Well I'm finally back - I'm going to try to post more regularly soon - but this is the most recent book I just finished, and have so many others I need to blab about from the last book I posted about.

Anyway - at about 168 pages before acknowledgements, holy shit this was quite the book.

Gifted to me as a 23rd birthday gift by my brother's girlfriend, (who I talked to extremely vaguely while reading it since I want her to read it too) this book sat on a shelf for a handful of months. And now it sits at a rather comfortable 4 star rating (with potential in either direction depending on how the sequel is).

This novella was shockingly fun and quick read, though I'll admit, I like apparently many, wasn't exactly expecting any plot twists in an under 200 page book. Until I was in the car the other day (in the passenger seat, not driving) and had the book with the cover face down and started looking at all those little reviews from other authors.

Most of them mentioned something about a plot twist. In fact there was. One I could not have seen coming ever, one that had my jaw dropping at work.

I will also take this opportunity to warn fellow sapphics out there, yes there is some hints of an extreme slow burn but it looks like nothing super physical or even official is going to be happening until The Bloodless Princes in October.

For such a short book, I found the world more believable and enjoyable than many two or three times its size - really proving that a high epic fantasy does not need to be 800 pages. In fact I would love more novella series like these, I would eat them up.

The only difference I wish had been explored was to use different ways to portray the stories when switching out of our main character's point of view - I've seen footnotes be used, and having an image of a scroll on the page with the story typed up - and I really think this would have been even better utilizing one or both - as I just really wanted more of Maddileh and her potential love interest and their moments together.

While I know this is simply meant to be a duology, I can easily see Charlotte Bond writing more and more in this world, it has so much potential and can only grow from here.

[just-a-bookish-reader]

did I just finish The 100 in roughly a week? yes. am i ok? absolutely the fuck not.

and pinterest aint fucking helping. anyway return to book shitposting soon hopefully

[just-a-bookish-reader]

Novel In Verse, Sapphic Fantasies, & the Wonders of ADHD | Feb. Anticipated Reads

guess who has a youtube channel! This is actually my second vid - first vid was a reading vlog. Hope you enjoy!

[just-a-bookish-reader]

I SWEAR I'M ALIVE

I'll be back soon for real, maybe with a schedule, but at the very least with one post every couple weeks lol - I just graduated with my Bachelors of English (focused in Creative Writing) in December so now I have a weird amount of time on my hands and I am catching up on everything.

[just-a-bookish-reader]

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A quick, fast paced, under-300-pages novel about the harm of toxic cycles set against the backdrop of a creepy cult in a small, small town and the courage needed to break these cycles, Sklya Arndt finds a way to weave this perfectly themed story, just in time for Autumn - or in other words, "spooky season."

I really enjoyed that the cult was "right" in the existence of the literal seed and the demon, instead of it simply being a metaphor for mental illness. I also really liked the fact that this is a horror/thriller meant for an audience being about the characters ages (aka young adult), allowing for "dumb teenager horror movie vibe mistakes" (such as a phone going off when trying to hide from the murderous cult in the church at night - looking at you Wil) without, say, an audience of adult readers groaning and grumbling about the stupid teens.

Now, not that I've read all that many horror novels nor seen all that many tv shows or movies in that same genre, I do get the feeling that many end in one of two extremes - either horribly, with the "bad guys" winning, or overly happy, specifically unrealistically so. Instead, Skyla Arndt allows for a bittersweet ending. This book is definitely more of an unsettling, creepy, atmospheric, gothic horror than any sort of terrifying slasher horror, so if you're looking for a read along the lines of the latter, this one would not be for you.

The commentary on cycles of abuse and the courage needed to break them was fascinating in the genre (and I can't help but mention that I felt really… happy? when the Clarke patriarch died - without giving too much away.) I knocked this down one star due to my struggle to emotionally connect with the characters, otherwise this was a wonderful YA gothic, atmospheric horror.

[just-a-bookish-reader]

My Last Innocent Year: A Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Last Innocent Year expertly dives into the complex and much needed conversation about consent, adulthood, and power imbalances, all against the backdrop of a young Jewish woman's experiences throughout all three. From the inciting incident to the Monica Lewinsky scandal and Isabel Rosen's affair with her creative writing professor, Daisy Alpert Florin weaves in each topic tightly as if all of them are meant to be discussed together, and always were, published in a post #MeToo era of early 2023.

Already all of the three main themes being relatable to many women, young and old, and certainly nothing new to the world of dark academia literary fiction, Florin weaves in details loosely inspired by her own experiences, as a Jewish woman who grew up poor on the lower east side of New York, making her work stand out amongst the others. A point of view already rarely represented in any fiction genre in general, the Jewish point of view adds an even more realistic layer to the short novel.

Throughout the 288 pages, Daisy Alpert Florin asks the reader to think - to really think. Was Monica Lewinsky treated fairly? Is rape always physically violent? Can someone find themselves a victim of a power imbalanced relationship even if they consented during the relationship? Is there such a thing as a "perfect" victim of a sexual assault or coercion? Is linear growth really something that is possible after such instances, or even on the road from adolescent to adult?

My Last Innocent Year appears to be a book perfectly made for book club and class discussions, (in fact the author's website even has some info for book clubs to use) and every reader will find themselves discovering different questions to another reader - upon a reread they may find more or different questions from their first read through, and even then not all of the questions relate only to maturity and consent. Questions about being the perfect minority as a Jewish woman, why immigrant Jewish fathers want their children to become lawyers and doctors - is it because of the American Dream, or is it because they just want to know that when they eventually die, that their children will be able to take care of themselves? How do you have that conversation with your father? How do you safely and securely follow your artistic dreams, when do you draw the line at sacrificing your passions for your family, and sacrificing your family for your passions?

One of the most important questions I feel that was posed in this novel is - how do you know when you're an adult? Not age wise, not even technically physically or mentally developed into an adult, but how do you know when you're an adult, how do you know when you've reached a certain level of maturity that means you've "come of age"? Do you know in that moment, or only upon reflection?

With evocative and personal writing and details, I began to find that I was missing my own creative writing workshops from my earlier days in my undergrad, as well as other intensely personal parallels from people in my own life to the characters that surrounded Isabel, and parallels between myself and Isabel, even if I was a Jewish woman raised in a home that didn't have to worry about money nor in New York, there were still many parallels I could see and feel throughout my experience reading this book.

Don't let the short page count fool you into believing this is an easy or even a quick read. It's serious. It's dark, it's heavy. All of the topics and events of the late 1990s fitting into one book of under 300 pages - it feels thick and intense. A fast moving exploration of consent, Jewish identity, family, passion and sacrifice, Daisy Alpert Florin perfectly executes a rare, one of a kind addition to the literary fiction and dark academia genres, and I can't wait to see what she does next.

[just-a-bookish-reader]

Back to School Readathon 2023

Starting a few days after the fall semester starts for my university, Liv is helping to host another readathon, except that this one is not 24 hours, its almost a week long! With both reading prompts and photo prompts, each based on particularly school themed events and classes, there is about to be so much going on from August 25-August 31!

Unlike the graphic novels and manga readathon, I do not plan to try to read more than the books I'm selecting for each reading prompt this time, unless I read way faster than I'm expecting! As far as the photo prompts, based on the spirit week we all know and love, we don't actually have to dress up or even have our faces in any of the photos! As mentioned in Liv's announcement video, you can simply use props to do flat lays with books, and I'll be mentioning one that I'm already planning out (and will likely take the picture super ahead of time!).

Gwen has put out some awesome movie suggestions for the "study hall" prompt as well, specifying that the prompt is just that the movie needs to take place in a school, not necessarily a dark academia or anything like that (literally you can watch High School Musical even!) and if you are a patron of Gwen, she'll be hosting a live viewing of Heathers!

While there are enough prompts for a full school day, there is no particular order required or even recommended to my knowledge of how to follow each prompt. It certainly is not expected for you to knock out more than one prompt in one day unless your second prompt is the "study hall" aka movie prompt!

Here are some examples that I had to sift through of my own books to narrow down to my final selections!

English

Sirens & Muses by Antonia Angress

My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrews

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs

Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl by Brianna R. Shrum

Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Bunny by Mona Awad

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Ordinary Monsters by J. M. Miro

Math

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake

The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond by Amanda Glaze

The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson

Seven Faceless Saints by M. K. Lobb

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow

Master of One by Olivie Blake

One For My Enemy by Olivie Blake

The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk

Once a Queen by Sarah Arthur

Physical Education

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

We Are the Song by Catherine Bakewell

Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Lunch

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Science

Red Dust, White Snow by Pan Huiting

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan

Dragonfall by L. R. Lam

The Sun and The Void by Gabriela Romero-Lacruz

Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko

How High We go in The Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska

Book of Night by Holly Black

Study Hall

Grease

Love, Simon

Easy A

Edge of Seventeen

Legally Blonde

The Breakfast Club

High School Musical

Superbad

Booksmart

Dead Poet Society

Heathers

Social Studies

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Weyward by Emilia Hart

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

Furyborn by Claire Legrand

If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland

How High We Go in The Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Final Results:

English:

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

Math:

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

PE:

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross (activity is music)

Lunch:

Poison by Bridget Zinn

Science:

How High We Go in The Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

Social Studies:

Weyward by Emilia Hart

Art:

Nimona

Study Hall:

Easy A

[just-a-bookish-reader]

In These Hallowed Halls - Full Review

disclaimer: I did not post the full review on my instagram, only the ending overview

⭐⭐⭐

1000 Ships by Kate Weinberg ⭐⭐⭐

While finely and well told, I don't believe that this story was the right choice for the first story post the foreword by the editors. Early on I had certain expectations for the story to come full circle in a specific way, and when it didn't, I was left extremely disappointed. Mind you, I didn't need a specific ending, there were a couple different ways that the story could have been brought full circle but I won't list those here as there would be no way to avoid spoilers.

There's also the fact that this short story - as stated in the author's note at the end - acts as a prequel to The Truants by the same author. There are ways that one can write a short story that takes place within the same story or even with the same characters as a series - or as this one is, a prequel, without relying on the reader to know anything about the main story, but this short story does not do that well enough. I felt as though I was missing something so when I came across the author's note it made sense, but sadly didn't clear anything up about the story itself.

Pythia by Olivie Blake ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Out of all twelve of these stories, Blake's ranked among my absolute favorites. With a unique and honestly terrifying take on our future - whether near or far off - in regards to artificial intelligence and super computers, I enjoyed the easy back and forth snippets of unconventional dialogue and the main character's own recollection of events revolving around the sudden death of a girl, one suspiciously close to the disappearance of another.

So many wonderful yet unnerving ideas filled the 30+ pages - from cults around technology, a type of magic that links both technology and magic together, making technology mimic humans. A few lines of binary, a few softly muttered spells would then complete such tasks. But the most horrifying element of Olivie Blake's story is the idea of being able to - in a way - resurrect a person's soul, and insert it into AI, much less more than one someone's soul. Blake's writing style oddly reminds me of Veronica Roth's in the Chosen Ones, which only made this more enjoyable to read. To wrap it all up, there was an unsettling undertone throughout and I felt uneasy the rest of the work day.

Sabbatical by James Tate Hill ⭐

Sadly, this story was incredibly boring (I kept stating so to my coworkers while reading even), that I found myself trying to hurry through the story and honestly I don't think I retained much of anything from my reading of this story.

The Hare and The Hound by Kelly Andrews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was pleasantly surprised by the execution of this story, and how the writing kept my attention and hoping that the stories to come would be just as good if not even somehow better for the rest of the anthology. While most of my thoughts contain many spoilers and I try to not spoil ARCs, I will say that I was so happy that my own theories that I began to have quite quickly after Arlen was introduced weren't just revealed as correct, but merely implied, suggested that I had been right through my reading and analysis of the story.

I would love to see more to this story from Andrews in the future, maybe even in Arlen's point of view, and then picking up after the short story ended or even before. This story left me with so many questions and so many thoughts - and in the best way possible.

X House by JT Ellison ⭐⭐

This one was alright. I did find the idea of hazing so extreme that both a student and teacher ended up dead to be interesting though. I do wish that there had been more to this story than what almost felt like a "don't do drugs" PSA but for hazing.

The Ravages by Layne Fargo ⭐

So I genuinely remember nothing about this story.

Four Funerals by David Bell ⭐⭐

While the writing was fine, the topic didn't feel particularly dark academia. This is just something that can happen at any time, any school, for any reason, in any class. It happens frequently. If school shootings were more rare in the US then maybe I could consider the topic more dark academia. Otherwise it feels like it's just a dark real life topic. I also wasn't really a fan of the point of view it took, and there were too many things left unanswered and I really disliked our POV character.

The Unknowable Pleasures by Susie Yang ⭐⭐

The writing was actually really good here but the story felt pointless. It didn't even feel specifically dark academia - though I suppose a mystery and an academic setting is really all that's needed for something to be considered. I think the only thing that really made this an interesting story was the main character's mental health and I wish there was actually more discussion about that, instead of the story ending the way it did.

Weekend at Berties by ML Rio ⭐

This is so distantly related to academia - with the murdered person being related to the characters academically, this was boring and odd.

The Professor of Ontography by Helen Grant ⭐⭐⭐

Not really sure what to rate this one, as it did a particularly good job of scaring the living shit out of me and leaving me uneasy for the rest of the night - but in a different way than Pythia did. Though I'm not sure that is particularly a very strong compliment as I'm very easily scared and given nightmares, plus I still had Pythia's unease running through my veins at the time of reading. I will say the writing was excellent, but I also wish that the pacing had been different, not exactly faster or slower, just… different.

Phobos by Tori Bovalino ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of my other favorites in this anthology, I found Phobos to be excellently written and felt like a true dark academic story! I really liked the discussions of class and privilege had in this story as it related to the main character, and felt that they were only "quick" due to the nature of it being a short story and I would absolutely love to see a full length novel, or even just a novella diving into the whole story before and during and after.

I also really loved how she ended up committing her murder of a lower ranking student in the end, and god I could go on and on, and while I know most of these aren't linked to a bigger work I would just die for a full length novel or novella of this one, and I will repeat that until the day I die. (I also think this should have been swapped with Playing in order to close out the anthology)

Playing by Phoebe Wynne ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The plot twist of this one was great! And to be honest the plot twist is why I'm giving this story four stars. I really liked how the main character started to think about the funerals she played at, and even had moments that made it seem like she didn't know what she was doing (ha me trying super hard not to spoil), but in the end fully knew what she was doing, and someone else at the funerals seeming to catch on as well. A delightful story, though I feel like this should not have been the closer.

Overall

With an interesting premise, and many big name authors in the genre, In These Hallowed Halls promises much, but sadly doesn't deliver on about half of it. I found only about three stories that were five stars, with the majority of the stories being three or less, mostly less and less frequently three.

I really wish that they had been able to get the five star stories first, and then take them and go "we want the rest of the collection to match these vibes" even if it meant replacing some of the three and four star stories, because if I could get stories like Pythia, The Hare and The Hound, and Phobos for the entire anthology, I can sacrifice Playing and The Professor of Ontography. I will say that while this anthology was largely disappointing (I had extremely and possibly way too high of expectations for this collection) - I would love to see more anthologies in a similar vein.

Anthologies about other trends in literature right now, maybe light academia, cottagecore, fairycore, etc. Basically I would love lighter stories but I could also accept a second volume of dark academia inspired stories, if we got more authors.

While I loved that not a lot of these authors were well known, I would also love a second volume with other authors such as Leigh Bardugo (Ninth House), Mona Awad (Bunny), Dona Tartt (The Secret History, The Goldfinch), Antonia Angress (Sirens & Muses), even Daisy Alpert Florin (yes I did just write a review for her book My Last Innocent Year).

Generally, the concept and premise was spectacular, the execution - not as much, but also not as badly as it could have gone.

[just-a-bookish-reader]

Graphic Novel & Manga 24h Readathon

Hosted by Liv's Library on Patreon and Youtube, I will be taking part in the Graphic Novel and Manga readathon taking place in about one and a half weeks, which also just happens to be the saturday before I have the first day of in person school for the last time ever. I have a huge list of graphic novels I'm interested in looking into getting or finally reading for this as well as the theme prompts that are not required to stick to!

My biggest goal for this readathon though, is to finish the Monstress series, and start something I've never read before but that I've been told I'll love - and of course, having only read some of Monstress and probably about half of Sandman, there's a lot to chose from.

Am I probably gonna make an insane list that is not feasible at all to read within 24 hours? probably! So literally for me the bare minimum is going to be reading volumes 1-8 (well rereading 1 & 2) of Monstress. What I haven't decided on yet is if I'm going to literally post eight separate reviews on instagram plus an extra as a review of the whole series, and if I'm going to do the same here. I'm definitely going to do that on Instagram (not all in one day) but I'll likely just post the a wrap up on Sunday afternoon that includes the reviews!

despite having four picked out for the optional reading prompts, I still have more I would love to get through on that day!

I can't wait for this and maybe I'll drag my brother in too!

[just-a-bookish-reader]

Upcoming Posts

Review of In These Hallowed Halls (ARC) (⭐⭐⭐)

Review of Murder Your Employer (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Readathons (each will get their own dedicated post)

Up next tbr

Books I'm excited for (coming out 2023-2024)

Academia related novels/series I plan to read around August-end of September

Spooky/Gothic/Horror/Dark Fantasy/Other Halloween Vibes books I plan to read around September-end of October

Cozy books I plan to read after December 16 (I graduate my undergrad then so I probably won't have any list for November)

These posts won't necessarily come out in this order nor soon (ie: spooky gothic list will probably come out closer to september) and I will try to remember to update this post as needed with others!

[just-a-bookish-reader]

Mysteries of Thorn Manor

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A charming edition to Margaret Rogerson's Sorcery of Thorns, in which a particular demon ( cough cough Silas cough cough ) with exquisite manners, tricks the unsuspecting Nathaniel Thorn and Elisabeth Scrivener into a proper courtship.

Full of the vivid and creative imagery that fans of Margaret Rogerson's work, such as myself, have come to know and love, this quick novella features adorable and heartwarming, makes-you-want-to-believe-in-true-love dates between Nathaniel and Elisabeth, a suit of haunted armor, and stunning (as per usual) details of Elisabeth working with long forgotten grimoires.

Oh, and there's a bit of a battle between the pair and…a wardrobe of haunted clothing unleashed on the manor. As expected, this new installment into Margaret Rogerson's worlds only leaves me scouring the internet for any sliver of news on any potential future novels (or novellas), whether in this world or a completely new story.

[just-a-bookish-reader]

Spin: a review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"But the bards and poets | often get it wrong, especially | when they speak of | girls and women. | So I will tell you | my version of the story | and let you decide."

Before opening this gorgeous book, I had never read a "novel-in-verse." As my first step into the world of such lyrical prose this book did not disappoint for even a moment. Instead, it caught my attention, and kept it throughout, which is a tough feat for a regular novel to do, much less one in a different style than I was expecting. (when it was described as a novel-in-verse I thought it was describing the writing style, not that it was a literal type of novel.)

I also didn't know much about Arachne's story other than Arachne links to Arachnids. I was so pleasantly surprised by so much of the way this story was told. I adored the artistically arranged lines, in shapes or in specifically set up staggering lines, adding to the rhythm and flow of the novel. The themes explored were difficult ones but were handled so delicately, with full respect towards each of them.

Rebecca Caprara truly just pulls it off. Not just the retelling or the themes, but everything about it. When she choses to make a verse rhyme, the way she splits up the verses, the pacing, the buildup, emotions, all while maintaining a unbelievable beauty strewn throughout.

Honestly if I was braver this book would likely encourage me to try my own hand at this type of writing. The haunting, lyrical prose all lend to the feeling that remains well after the last page ties up each element into the completed masterpiece that it is - quite possibly one of, if not the best greek myth retelling yet .

[just-a-bookish-reader]

The Power

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.25 stars

This was a buddy read with me and my mom (well my mom read the whole book roughly a week before I finished it but whatever) and it's the first one we've had since I was in eighth grade and had to read the Book Thief. Anyway, this standalone dystopian novel is honestly remarkable. The pacing is genius, with a general idea and level of violence throughout but only a select few scenes that are explicitly, disgustingly detailed, and the last fifty pages or so I could feel my heart rate increasing with the anticipation of how it would all end.

All the different points of view were incredibly told, each with their own voice separate from any of the others, and the discussions that are brought up throughout - especially about religion and its impacts - are discussions that are needed today, six years after it came out. I also still cannot believe this book wasn't over 400 pages, much less under - at 381 pages, and I think it takes a specific type of writer to pull off not just a standalone but a relatively shorter one at that, considering the themes and events explored.

I hope more people read this book - even if it is because of the tv show (which I'll be starting soon). Thank you for this intensely written book!

[just-a-bookish-reader]

Bring Me Your Midnight

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Magic comes alive in every part of me, as if it's dancing through my veins, as if it's been waiting its whole life for this."

Rachel Griffin once again reaches into the natural world, a world of politics and alliances, of romance and secrets, of the brilliant blue of the ocean that ties the Witchery and the mainland together. In what appears to be a world where the humans are fully aware of the witches from across the magically turbulent currents, the relationship between human and witch is far different than the books that came before, with an ever widening scope of a world.

Weaving magic into everyday items such as perfumes and tea blends, Rachel paints a picture of an incredibly realistic world that is the Witchery, its vibrant yet common elements creating a very familiar world, with the extra layer of magic.

With tea blends for courage and bravery or perfumes for any and all occasions, infused with feelings that don't have names and can only be described, infused with memories as a gift, infused with a simple calmness to wash over the wearer, each remarkably human product able to be infused with different forms of magic.

Lending to the feeling of a low stakes story and near cottagecore-esque descriptions, the close knit community and their magical products are so unique, yet so familiar alongside Rachel's writing, that it is surprisingly easy to suspend disbelief while reading.

Even then, it is reminiscent of real world magic as practiced in some faiths and cultures, where crystals and flowers have metaphysical properties, only in this case the memories are literal, not just items symbolic of those memories. With this, Rachel seem to pull on all that she's learned from writing her previous two books, lending to even stronger writing, voice, and storytelling.

While hopefully most readers are nowhere near a situation of arranged marriage - forbidden romances, hidden dalliances, and secret trysts are still things many can and will still be able to relate to.

With Landon as the loveless yet "correct" choice, and Wolfe as the passion filled "wrong" or "sin," readers faced with the struggle of existing as queer or even simply being in love with someone their family doesn't approve of (class, race, etc.) may recognize the internal war Mortana wages on herself.

With a character arc written so beautifully, Mortana (Tana) Fairchild's story of making the ultimate choice to go after what she wants will find a home in the hearts and souls of readers struggling to follow their own dreams, for any reader who feels the need for permission to fight for their love depite the odds.

As a third beautiful romantic magical realism book that leaps over expectations, Bring Me Your Midnight will dazzle readers, break hearts, and ultimately put them back together, only to do it all over again.

[just-a-bookish-reader]

This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson

a book review

"That name had meant something once; Mikira would see that it did again."

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The combination of a high fantasy world (albeit, replete with guns), dark fantasy detailing, vibes, and themes, as well as the past and present of Jewish people and our experiences, makes for a novel that entrances the reader - all while keeping the story somewhat grounded in reality- all the way through to the last page. When challah bread is mentioned for the first time, it's nearly startling, despite knowing that the book was going to have Jewish mythology, which I - a Jewish woman - should be used to, the mention of simple bread nearly took me out from whatever spell Kalyn Josephson's writing was putting on me.

Kalyn Josephson doesn't just toss around Hebrew words or Jewish terms throughout the story, she saves them. She sprinkles them about - acting more like the binding gems in the very story, than anything else. She doesn't call the Jewish people "Jewish," but instead "Kinnish," yet still preferring to call challah bread by it's official name, as well as golems. While this could simply be something that the author preferred while writing, it is also possible that it was done so that the spare moments these words were used felt more powerful, acting as a quick reminder of the real world connections, as well as making the text a bit more accessible to non-Jewish (or goyim or gentile) readers who might be intimidated by a main character being Jewish instead of Kinnish.

While potentially lessening the harshness of the topics and conversations brought up by the events for those outside of them, for Jewish readers - or at least myself - it's a gentle reminder that we have a character in young adult fantasy that we can point to and go "hey look, its me!" all the while we remember the history that Josephson's novel is built upon.

While I of course wish more time had been spent on discussing sexuality and gender, I completely understand that there wasn't much time to do so with the complex world and story and character arcs that Kalyn Josephson was developing, and I look forward to seeing more of these topics in the next book.

In this stunningly epic and creative world, the political intrigue remains at the heart of the story. Even as Mikira races for her life, even as Arielle uncovers lost bits of magic from her culture, a larger game is being played. One hinted at in the beginning, only to reach a fever pitch much later on. As though a game of chess, each noble family, each noble house sits as the pawns to make expert moves for their power, and anyone else simply is trod underfoot as the races go on, Mikira none the wiser except for her side of the story. Each move, every step, is carefully calculated and detailed by the author, leading up to a grand finale to tie up the first book in a new duology from Kalyn Josephson - complete with queer representation, Jewish representation, and helps to build excitement for the follow through in the next book.

Coming out September 26, 2023!

[just-a-bookish-reader]

A Fragile Enchantment Review

Thank you to Netgalley for the digital advanced reader copy!

A whimsical and cozy standalone fantasy, Allison Saft's newest book (01.30.2024) just about perfectly balances elements of fantasy, romance, magic, political intrigue, and oppression and family - both in pacing and emphasis. Complete with representation not dissimilar to her 2022 release (A Far Wilder Magic): a briefly implied Jewish Spanish woman, and a handful of queer characters, all shimmer like the divine-blooded under the spotlight in this novel, diving into the relationship between what appears to be a magical version of Ireland and Great Britain.

A Fragile Enchantment heavily explores themes of what it means to live, to truly experience life

"Her heart beat. Her lungs swelled with air. Life was here, right in front of her."

as well as a romance that, at first, appears to be quite unexpected, despite the cover art. With a dazzling thread of strongly structured plot, threaded through the needle that is Allison Saft's enchanting writing style used to sew together the fabric of every detail, every romantic scene, every gesture, Saft guides the reader through the resulting story full of life, love, longing, and yearning, that is just as magical, just as heartbreaking and just as powerful as any single garment that Niamh Ó Conchobhair could sew by hand, imbuing the novel with all the emotions and care that were so meticulously described as the result of Niamh's own magical craft.

[just-a-bookish-reader]

IM BACK

While I highly doubt anyone massively missed my reviews are pretty moodboards, I'm back and will be scheduling content and catching up on reviews!