Start ??? (Choices are King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair, Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalo, Gallant by V.E. Schwab, and Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong — if y’all have any preferences on which to do first, please let me know!)
Inject myself with pumpkin cold brew and become god
i come back from a book and its like how the hell are you people just going on like this. didnt you read the book with me. how is the real world so disconnected from the whole book world i just experienced
I know I said I was gonna review Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen next, but I had to review the book I DNF first (which I did here!), The Gathering Dark anthology edited by Tori Bovalino. Violet review still coming soon, though!
The Gathering Dark - Multiple authors, edited by Tori Bovalino
Rating: 2/5 stars
A cemetery full of the restless dead. A town so wicked it has already burned twice, with the breath of the third fire looming. A rural, isolated bridge with a terrifying monster waiting for the completion of its summoning ritual. A lake that allows the drowned to return, though they have been changed by the claws of death. These are the shadowed, liminal spaces where the curses and monsters lurk, refusing to be forgotten.
Hauntings, and a variety of horrifying secrets, lurk in the places we once called home. Written by New York Times bestselling, and other critically acclaimed, authors these stories shed a harsh light on the scariest tales we grew up with.
Review below the cut. Read it here on Goodreads too.
Was really excited to read this to get in that Halloween mood, but I can't help feeling a bit let down. Based on the cover and blurb and the use of "folk horror," I expected a bit more...folk horror, like witches and eldritch monsters and the like. Most of these stories read more like teenagers trying to tell "scary stories" around a campfire. I also had to DNF at the fifth story because all the writing was just...the same. It felt like there was no distinction or variety, and after skimming through the rest of the stories, that idea was just reinforced. If you're trying to get into more scary stuff, this anthology would probably be a good place to start, but if you're someone looking for a bit more chills, thrills, and horror, maybe skip this one. (I did give another star just for the insanely gorgeous cover, though!)
The next book I’m reviewing is Gina Chen’s YA fantasy romance Violet Made of Thorns! (If it looks familiar, there was a Blaze post about it when it first came out!) The premise sounds delightful and I absolutely cannot wait to sink my teeth into this.
Have you read this book or author before? What were your thoughts? Feel free to share!
Review will be posted under the rot reviews tag and on Goodreads (you can find my profile here).
Once upon a time, the kingdoms of Wales were rife with magic and conflict - and eighteen-year-old Mererid, or Mer, is well acquainted with both. As the last living water diviner, she can manipulate water with magic, and it’s a skill many would kill to possess.Â
For years, Mer has been running from the prince who bound her into his service and forced her to kill hundreds with her magic. Now all Mer desires is a safe, quiet life far from power and politics. But that peace is disrupted when Mer’s old handler returns with a proposition: use her abilities to bring down the very prince who abused them both.
With a motley crew of allies–including a fae-cursed young man, the lady of thieves, and a corgi that may or may not be a spy–Mer must decide whether to run for the rest of her life or stand and fight for the true freedom she’s long desired.
Part heist novel, part dark fairy tale, this immersive and ethereal fantasy from acclaimed author Emily Lloyd-Jones will enchant readers until the very last page.
Once upon a time, the kingdoms of Wales were rife with magic and conflict - and eighteen-year-old Mererid, or Mer, is well acquainted with both. As the last living water diviner, she can manipulate water with magic, and it’s a skill many would kill to possess.Â
For years, Mer has been running from the prince who bound her into his service and forced her to kill hundreds with her magic. Now all Mer desires is a safe, quiet life far from power and politics. But that peace is disrupted when Mer’s old handler returns with a proposition: use her abilities to bring down the very prince who abused them both.
With a motley crew of allies–including a fae-cursed young man, the lady of thieves, and a corgi that may or may not be a spy–Mer must decide whether to run for the rest of her life or stand and fight for the true freedom she’s long desired.
Part heist novel, part dark fairy tale, this immersive and ethereal fantasy from acclaimed author Emily Lloyd-Jones will enchant readers until the very last page.
Despite the slow start (things don’t really begin moving until about Chapter 10), The Drowned Woods was still a nice casual read over a weekend. I believe it’s a stand-alone novel, and because of that, it left a lot to be desired in terms of world-building and the characters. In this sense, it could be compared to another heist novel, Six of Crows, which features a myriad cast of characters and an extensive world that feels full and fleshed-out even without its companion novel Crooked Kingdom. The Drowned Woods only features three POV characters (Mer, Fane, and Ifanna), but they don’t feel entirely whole or complete. This could obviously coincide with the constraints of a stand-alone novel, however, so I can’t fault Jones too hard for this. The flashbacks and information given are just enough to understand the characters, but not much deeper than surface-level (again, this could be due to constraints, though).Â
The twist was nice but not anything shocking or unexpected. Again, this could be attributed to story constraints and how little time we spent with the characters, especially Mer and Renfrew’s relationship, which was told a lot more than shown. I did love Mer’s choice at the end, though, and her relationship with Fane. I wish we had gotten a bit more Mer and Ifanna, especially since Ifanna came into the game later than everyone else, but their history was enjoyable as well, and I loved Ifanna as a character. The lady of thieves (and, of course, Trefor the corgi) owns my heart.Â
Overall, The Drowned Woods was an enjoyable casual read with many promising premises and characters that could have flourished with just a bit more room, but are still interesting enough to keep the reader engaged. Those who enjoy a good fairy tale will certainly find themselves captivated by the mythology Jones weaves through an ancient and fantastical Wales.Â
presented without comment: the covers of 6 books that released within 3 years of each other (!) by the same NYT bestselling author, and then two quotes by said author.
actually fuck it i will comment: this has less to do with the author and more with the industry. the tiktokification of fiction is actively harming not only publishing but also the audiences who seek this shit out. major publishers are prioritizing fic tags and shorthand tropes for the sake of sales, and it’s rotting the literary landscape from the inside. when you pick up a book from a major bookseller that has one of these stock-image-ass covers, you’re not so much reading a work of literature as you are a corporate-concocted combination of buzzwords. authors deserve better, and you as a reader deserve better. and if you say something like you prefer the pre-bottled story-by-committee stuff, then i really just don’t have all that much to say to you.
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