#readtalk

[heartchivist]

not to make everything about orv again but gsgw is such mouthwatering orv fan bait……. kse’s ability to edit the wiki entries themselves + the cruelty of finding horror entertaining (unbeknownst to the reader) + darknesses/disasters essentially acting like scenarios + there’s probably more that i’m missing but wow. i’m excited to see where this story goes ..!!!

[heartchivist]

🔖 gsgw/gdcg: chapter 1

started gsgw today WAHOOO this has been on my radar for a while so i’m excited!! that awkward moment when you get isekaied into the scp foundation… kim soleum you are hilarious

[heartchivist]

assumes a false identity and hides the ugliest parts of himself to live a normal human life (something he’s never been granted before)

mere presence seems to only bring misfortune upon the people around him

specifically into one guy

this panel

welcome back neil josten!

[heartchivist]

📖 the raven cycle (series) — maggie stiefvater: 4★

the raven boys | the dream thieves | blue lily, lily blue | the raven king | opal (a raven cycle story)

first review on this account, and it's the raven cycle by maggie stiefvater! i read the first book about 2 months ago and got to catch up with the rest of the series over this past week.

plot: 3½★ starting with good things :') overall, i found the plot pretty solid and steady. i love love looooved the multiple povs across the cast and think it added to its characters + worldbuilding excellently. so many good subplots and unexpected dynamics (persephone and adam's mentorship was a definite fave). i wish i could rate it higher but gyahhhh it was kind of just... anticlimactic. as much as i enjoyed the buildup within the past four books, i felt that the raven king swept itself under the rug, and left me hanging. the moment of glendower's discovery and gansey's disappointment, while intentional (gansey was meant to wake himself up the entire time... actually really loved this), felt insignificant next to the whole oh-god-ronan-and-adam-are-dying-blue-you-have-to-kiss-me right after. like, he couldn't have moped for at least an extra day? in fact, things like adam's vision (blue's was true but his wasn't???), noah's impact on the cast post-canon (though i'm pretty sure they forgot about him), and the treatment of its own antagonists (whelk especially, greenmantle does nothing, neeve who is not an antagonist but returns after a long time also ends up doing about nothing) all felt swept under the rug, even if explained.

final unsatisfactions aside, plenty of things did satisfy me along the way — ronan's rivalry (and one-sided situationship... jk) with kavinsky was plenty entertaining and faintly bittersweet. pynch and bluesey unfold beautifully and aghhh the kisses in the barns were SOOO GOOD kicking my feet... ronan's dreamthings and dream people... and so much more. despite the fumbles i can still say i think of this story much positively. :)

characters: 4½★ sorta already touched upon but if i have any qualms about this series just know that its characters make up for it like crazy. stiefvater excels in making people, people — quirks, flaws, and all. we see how each character sets themselves apart intentionally and unintentionally, how they break in half only to glue themselves back together. adam's pride is frustrating to the reader, but comes from a place of hurt that heals when given time (the court scene + his final visit to the trailer before he leaves for college... i love you adam parrish!!!). gansey is wealthy in more ways than money, but can't seem to share that wealth with the people he loves the most. his arguments with adam, ronan, and blue tell so much and move the story forward, i actually have a lot of fun reading them! even when characters grow while the story progresses, they also remain consistent in ways that matter. and can we talk about the dynamics?: the women of 300 fox way bounce off of each other naturally, sisters of a home well inhabited. as for the raven boys + blue, see: blue lily, lily blue chapter 13 :). hesitant in giving 5 stars cause i'm picky but for me these characters come really, really close.

worldbuilding: 4★ psychics, dreams, cabeswater: mystical from start to finish, finish to start (cause time is circular, get it?). henrietta feels exactly as it's described: a close-knit town, a place with more than what meets the eye, a home, an escape. cabeswater still leaves us with questions even when explained (which hurts its rating a little), but questions are part of it's charm, too. i think there's potential to explore this world's magic system a little more and rely a little less on ronan lol. but for being such a focused story in this little town i can mostly shrug it off. well that's what the dreamer trilogy is for... i think...

overall: 4★ beautiful world and characters, enticing story with some bumps plot wise. also GORGEOUS prose with so much feeling poured into each and every word!! didn't know where to include it here but i can't fawn over stiefvater's use of language enough. will be checking out her other works when i have the time.

other ramblings:

remind me to talk about ronan favoritism though. big one

speaking of ronan keep in mind i have yet to read the dreamer trilogy!!

speaking of ronan i'm glad we have opal but where are the bluesey spinoffs!!

they seriously replaced noah with henry man. what the hell

i have more to say about adam trust me. that's my goat

[heartchivist]

🔖 haikyū!!: volume 33 chapter 293

volleyblog 3! :) haven’t quite reached 300 yet but next chapter is the long awaited dumpster battle which might take a while so i figured this would be a good place to rest. but wow the absolute momentum this story has been building is soooo so good. do you know how hard it was to only pick 6 panels to highlight!! i have screenshots of basically the entire manga in my phone now!!

we meet the miya twins! they’re kind of literally genius “freak twins” of their own huh… i love osamu with the constant anime sweat drop painted on his face + atsumu with the insane vibe he brings to the function. his declaration to set for hinata ?!?!… excited to see how this dynamic is explored in the distant future…

kageyama is the type of character where when he’s on screen you think there’s no way it gets better than this. then he exceeds your expectations every time !!… reclaiming that assertiveness and not just being better for it, but for everyone else around you to also be better for it. so much development only in his first year of high school are you kidding me :’’’) volume 25 i think of you often

hehehe more focus chapters on our karasuno characters. tanaka! shimizu! kinoshita! narita i pray you are next

i really need to get on that non-karasuno fave list because kita shinsuke is seriously in second place after bokuto right now. the whole team probably adores this guy like. you can’t help but love someone who puts their utmost care into everything they do and everyone they meet.

while we’re at it let’s please talk about that karasuno versus inarizaki game especially in that final set like my godddd why was that stretch of chapters the best in the entire manga by far????? like it’s Good around the 220s then it gets GOOD in the 270s. we’re reaching levels of It’s Never Over we haven’t seen before. the callback to the dead tired quote ohhhh my goddddd… ITS THAT ABILITY TO TAKE ONE MORE STEP FOWARD !!!! <////////////33333333. btw inarizaki has my favorite slogan rn too. who needs good or bad memories. what makes you great is you, yourself in this moment…

hinata your growth is dazzling. i’m surprised at how often he is underestimated when his talents and eagerness for more are right there…

“yes, you’re already playing your hardest, so what? play harder!” + “let’s take it easy” (hyakuzawa/hinata) + “the world is about to discover kageyama tobio” (takeda) (YES THEY ARE) + “well what do you do if it’s still super scary?” “well, that’s easy enough. i’ll save you!” (noya’s grandpa -> noya)

only a little over 100 chapters left. it’s exciting but bitersweet :( hq is such a comforting story that i don’t want to stop reading… see you in volleyblog 4!

[heartchivist]

happy yjh day + 2 years since i finished orv! i can’t wait to buy the first official english volume and reread it so i can write a proper review someday hehehe :). “dokja kim” will take some time getting used to but it’s alright.

it’s embarrassing to say but it truly makes me happy seeing people pick this book up for the first time. there isn’t a single moment written without meaningful intent. you will learn to live and you will learn through love. by you, i mean kim dokja, and by kim dokja, i mean you! what a kind message to convey…

[heartchivist]

Do not trust people like me. They will take you to museums, and parks, and monuments, and kiss you in every beautiful place, so that you can never go back to them without tasting them like blood in your mouth. They will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible. And when they leave you will finally understand, why storms are named after people.

[heartchivist]

the new scum villain extras… i have my nitpicks ofc (i’m conflicted with how binghe knew from the start sorry. #makeshenjiurelevantagain) but can i really stay mad when we’re given so much of shen yuan like this is all i’ve ever wanted… his family!! also sqh name reveal!! anything is possible even after an entire decade