There is a bit of a spoiler in this thought - so Iām going to put a cut here. Read further at your own risk.
So, I started reading this book yesterday and itās good so far.
Iām now at the point where theyāve met the Bonecutter, and low-key, she reminds me of Edna Mode. I know thatās not what the Bonecutter looks like, but thatās who Iāve got in my mind.
Iāve read this book once before but wanted to reread it before reading the second book. And Iām glad I did because itās been a couple years and I remembered next to nothing about it.
Iāve been a fan of Arthurian legend for a while, and have recently gotten back into it via games and other sources. So it was cool being able to get a different type of retelling. The last 100 pages or less made me sad because some portrayals of Arthur have my heart and seeing Olwen and Cait struggling with the idea of letting Arthur go was sad.
Bracken definitely did a good job of setting up for the next book. Especially with the return of a character I wasnāt expecting to see.
Iāve got the second book lined up and ready to go to read next.
Review below the cut. Spoilers are included, so read at your own risk.
For a good part of this book, I felt like I was in a reading slump, or at least on the edge of one. But this book was still good, just not one of my absolute favorites from this universe.
This book starts off pretty much where Forging left off.
Tycho continues to have mixed feelings about Grey. And I can understand because Tychoās growing up and Greyās getting used to a new role. I still love Grey, but heās definitely changed since the Cursebreakers trilogy. And part of that makes me sad. Like, he was such a good character and nowā¦I donāt know what to feel. And I think Callynās in the same boat - not really knowing how to reconcile what sheās heard about Grey and the man he actually is.
And it makes me sad that Greyāsā¦changed so much since the original trilogy. Like, at one point in the book, he hasnāt spoken to Lia Mara in 2 days. And from the sounds of it, he doesnāt stay in the same quarters as her anymore. Their relationship was great in the original trilogy, but nowā¦š„ŗš„ŗš„ŗ.
It makes me sad that heās so different. Sure, I get that heās under so much stress, but the Grey we used to know is either gone or somewhere in there *really* deep.
Towards the end of the book though, it seems like something shifts. Itās in chapter 44 that I think this happens. A bit of the old Grey, the Grey from the original trilogy, seems to come back. Heās again willing to yield to Lia Mara and the love he has for her comes to the surface again. But it makes me sad that he felt the need to leave Lia Mara and Sinna behind in Syhl Shallow in order to protect them. But thatās also such a Grey move.
Iām hoping that in the next book, Lia Mara and Grey can, ya know, be happily married and show that publicly. But weāll see what happens.
Part of me feels like Iām in a bit of a reading slump (even though I am in the sequel series to Cursebreakers). Part of me is wondering if Iām trying too hard to analyze what Iām reading so I can talk about it on here instead of just enjoying it. Like I should be.
Anyways, I think itās supposed to be hot this weekend š„µ. I was getting pumped with it being cooler for a bit. But hopefully fall temperatures will return fairly soon.
This book definitely switches things up from where we left off at the end of the Cursebreakers trilogy. We have a lot of new characters, a couple of them providing a couple of POVs, and then we also get Tychoās POV. And I think thatās kind of cool that we have at least one familiar face in this somewhat new setting.
I think having the new perspectives helps move the story along - weāre now a few years past the end of A Vow So Bold and Deadly. And I think itās good that Kemmerer set this book when she did because it mightāve drawn the original storyline out too long if sheād picked up right where Vow left off.
One of the things this book does well is showcasing how muddled feelings can be. Like the feelings Callyn tries to work through concerning Alek. And the feelings she had after her argument with Jax.
Not only does Callyn have to deal with uncertainty, but Tycho does as well. Like Grey, heās spent so much time with his loyalty to another so ingrained in him that I think itās hard for Tycho when that loyalty and his motives are questioned. And even maybe him questioning that relationship.
When Grey tells Tycho that they lost the baby and he (Grey) doubts if his magic had anything to do with it even though he was trying to help - š„ŗš„ŗš„ŗ. Seeing Grey that vulnerable was hard.
Even though we donāt get Greyās POV in this book, I think itās understandable if heās under a lot of stress during this time - itās even shown that his personality is changed a bit. Especially when he gets frustrated with/angry at Tycho in the library or when he burns himself out with magic trying to get to Lia Mara and Sinna. Not to mention that people are plotting against him because of his magic. That people still donāt trust him.
Iām currently reading Forging Silver Into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer. Iāve read this book (and the Cursebreakers trilogy) before, but Iām glad that Iāve gone back to them. Theyāve helped me get out of a reading slump. Especially last week. But I can feel myself maybe getting back into a reading slump, so hopefully I can pull myself out of it.
I donāt have much of this book left. After I finish this one, I plan on starting Carving Shadows Into Gold, the next book in the series.
Immediately, I had a bad taste in my mouth about Rhen. Like I said in my last post, heās reminding me of Tamlin in the ACOTAR series. In Chapter 3 (Harperās first chapter of the book), we can see how their dynamic has changed. And at the beginning of this book, thereās anger on Harperās part.
Their relationship is definitely strained later in the book and I could tell that there were miscommunication issues between them.
When we got to Grey and Lia Mara, it hurt that the people of Syhl Shallow didnāt trust Grey. And I didnāt really like Nolla Verin there for a minute, either. And I could tell that Lia Maraās becoming Queen took its toll on her relationship with Grey and had changed it a bit. But I think there are moments when their relationship goes back to being what it was before.
Nolla Verin making decisions, especially when she was impatient with Lia Mara, really got under my skin.
When Harper shows up in Syhl Shallow, I can completely understand the jealousy Lia Mara feels. Grey and Harper have a type of relationship that could easily turn romantic if either of them wanted it to. But I think sheās mature in taking in Greyās words that Harper would help anyone who needed it.
And in some ways, itās sad that Grey and Harperās relationship has had to change. Grey isnāt the same person he was in the first book and even if there was a small part of Harper that was hoping to find Scary Grey, she needs to come to terms with the fact that things have changed. And that could be hard.
And Grey seemingly turning his back on Rhen seems a bit out of left field. But later on, I could see that he was still trying to figure out who he is outside of being Commander Grey.
Grey and Rhen seemed to have a good moment when Grey went to heal Rhenās face - there was sorrow on Rhenās part and forgiveness on Greyās. And Iām glad that they were able to end the book on good terms again.
Itās starting to feel like fall. The decorations, the smells, the music. The weather has started to cool down.
Between that, rediscovering my love and excitement for reading, and rediscovering/getting back into a podcast that I used to love - I think Iām rediscovering myself and it feels so nice.
Just like the first book in this series, this oneās now one of my favorites. And one of the things that I like about this book is that it focuses more on Grey.
It shows his struggle with the new dynamic he has with Rhen post-curse. His struggle with how to be and who he is post-curse. I think heās learning who he can be when heās not being treated like a weapon to be wielded.
Before getting back into this book, I didnāt remember a lot about Lia Mara (if anything past the fact that I know herā¦position with Grey by the end of the trilogy). But Iām liking her as a character and her relationship with Grey. Even though Grey and Harper seemed to have the possibility of a relationship, he and Lia Mara (in my opinion) are a better fit together.
The epilogue from Rhenā¦in some ways he kind of reminds me of Tamlin from the ACOTAR series. Fear has definitely taken a hold of this man. The way that he acts I think is different from how he was in the first book. Weāll see how he is in book 3.
I started (re)reading this book back on Wednesday. As of posting this, I havenāt read any today, but this book is good. And Iām glad that it focuses more on Grey because, like Iāve said in a previous post, heās my favorite character.
In some ways, it kind of sad to me that he had to leave being a guardsman, a Commander, because that helped form who he is as a character.
I can definitely see how a relationship between him and Harper couldāve happened. They had a great relationship in the first book. I canāt remember much about Lia Mara from previous readings, but Iām passing no judgement on her. She seems like a cool character.
The last time I read this book was back in October 2023. I just checked my Goodreads and I zoomed through it back then, just like I did this time, but even faster.
I picked it up this time with a possible idea that I wanted to get back into a comfort series / do a re-read. And a new book in the post-Cursebreakers series came out earlier this year that I haven't read yet. So, perfect time to read it!
And I'm glad that I decided to pick it back up again.
I was in a bit of a reading slump when I started reading this. I'd just finished the 5th Outlander book and that had taken me a bit to get through.
But picking this book up again was great. It reminded me what it's like to have a book that I actually enjoy (and love reading).
Grey is still my favorite character. And there were moments of his that I loved. Like the moment he told Rhen all he had to do was ask (Ch.12. pg. 103); or when he told Harper she was welcome to every weapon he carries (Ch 29, pg. 248); or when he told Harper that it was his obligation to die in her place (Ch. 29, pg 250). I just fell in love with him all over again.
And there were moments concerning him, especially at/near the end, that made me sad. When Harper learns that he hasnāt come back yet and when Grey tells his mom that Greyās dead - definitely sad moments.
Like I said, it was good to dive back into this series and fall in love with it all over again.
The Secret World of Red Wolves by T. Delene Beeland
Rating: āļøāļøāļø
Genre(s): Nonfiction
Dates Read: Jan. 1-8, 2025
Review below the cut. Spoilers included, so read at your own risk.
This is a longer review post because I have a somewhat personal connection to red wolves and one of the locations mentioned in the book and that's a part of the conservation program. So, I have plenty of thoughts on this book.
TL;DR: even though this book's writing is more on the scientific side than I'd like, it has a special place in my heart because the red wolves have a special place in my heart.
It hurts to give this book such a middle of the road rating. I love the subject matter, but a good chunk of the book, I feel like, reads more on the scientific side. And I think that's the main reason I rated it with three stars.
If you want to know more about how I got invested in red wolves, I've included personal lore paragraphs at the bottom of this post.
Even though this book is a bit heavy on scientific writing for me, I still enjoyed things about it.
It helps show how timid and people wary red wolves can be (and I've seen them be people wary). And it shows that the relationship between red wolves and humans has been rough in the past, and maybe even still today. The book was published in 2013, so a good 11-12 years ago. So I don't know how wolf/people relationships have developed since then.
One of the things I learned was how expansive their historic range was. I didn't know they'd been in Texas. I knew that they used to be in Kentucky because I think an information plate at the Nature Station said that Western KY used be in their range. I knew that NC was in their range because I knew that a wild population was now there.
I definitely learned more about the reintroduction process, especially the NC/Albemarle Peninsula area. I might've known that the hybridization of red wolves was a think, but I don't think I realized how much of a problem it was, both for the reintroduction effort(s) and for classifying the species. And while it makes sense that people would be on the fence or against the reintroduction of wolves, I guess I hadn't taken it into consideration for red wolves. I guess I'd only applied the concept to wolves in the west.
When the author mentioned that the Land Between the Lakes (LBL) ended up not being a reintroduction site in the past due to opinions on the matter, I was surprised. LBL's Nature Station has been a part of the conservation project/program for at least a few years now because they're how I first got into learning about red wolves. But like I mentioned above, I guess it makes sense that locals might not have been too keen on reintroducing a new predator. And the areas around LBL have a good deal of agriculture, both crops and livestock. So I can see how the people of western KY and northwestern TN were on the fence. But I'm glad that LBL eventually became a part of the conservation project. I was about to say "even though it's just with the captive breeding program." But the captive breeding program, in my opinion, is such an important part of the survival of the species. Especially until a more permanent reintroduction site/area can be found.
And the last part of the book focused on the impact climate change is having on the Albemarle Peninsula and the wild red wolf population there. I guess I knew in the back of my head that climate change is a thing, especially in the years since this book's publication. But I didn't realize how much of an impact it would have on the habitat for the wild population. And that even applies to all wild animals and their populations, not just with red wolves.
Even though people and the American government may still be working out how they feel about red wolves as a species, I personally think they should still be protected. But having seen red wolves and heard them howl through the captive breeding program, I have a somewhat personal connection to the species and want them to be able to thrive.
This book helped me learn more about a species I've come to love. And even though the book's writing is more scientific leaning than I'd like, it has a special place in my heart because the red wolves have a special place in my heart.
Personal lore paragraphs:
Red wolves have a special place in my heart and that's why I wanted to read this book. I think the first place I learned about them was in LBL at the Nature Station. Below, I'm going to be using "we" because I'm a somewhat frequent visitor to LBL and the Nature Station. Here a few years ago, we got a breeding pair of red wolves since the Nature Station's now a part of the red wolf conservation program. And the wolves, Ember (f) and Jasper (m), had a litter at the Nature Station! And if I remember correctly, they weren't expecting Jasper to have a litter of pups because he was on the older side. Jasper passed away within the past couple of years and the litter has since grown up a bit and have been translocated to different facilities within the program. But Ember and her brother, Percival, are still at the Nature Station.
I think it's cool that LBL finally decided to get on board with the conservation program because I might not have gotten into learning about red wolves had they not. And I think Ember, Jasper, their pups, and now Percival are great ambassadors for the species.
Review below the cut. Spoilers below, so read at your own risk.
This ended up being the first book I finished in 2025 and I listened to the audiobook version.
This book isn't one of my favorites, but it still has things going for it, hence the middle of the road rating.
It shows the struggles of getting into the world of having books published, and one of the major plot points is using the outline/basis of another author's story as your own.
I think June's anxiety and justification *might've* been kind of understandable towards the beginning. But the further the story goes, the more unjustifiable it gets. At least in my opinion.
This book definitely shows how social media and public opinion can affect others, especially if they're public facing figures.
Even though it isn't my favorite story, I was hooked enough to get far enough in that I wanted to finish the story. And I was (obviously) able to listen to it all in the span of three days.
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