In Which I Read Books

Hi! I love reading! Big sci-fi and fantasy girlie. Yearly partaker in the Dracula Daily newsletter. I have 2 cats, Fig and Ripley. They’re my associates and they’re featured frequently. Currently reading: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers Here’s my storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/tea0826

[tea-reads-books]

Hiii, I’m Tea 🍵

I started this blog to talk about books i’ve read, and how I feel about them…and to maybe reblog funny things about books I’ve read and enjoyed.

I love fantasy, and I always have. It holds such a special place in my heart. The first book I ever read independently was C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. Now I read whatever I find interesting.

I’m very open to receiving recommendations. Like I said, I really enjoy fantasy, but I would like to add science fiction to that list as well. I’m interested in historical non-fiction, art history, and am curious about contemporary literature.

For my reviews

For my cats

For dracula daily

I hope I get to hear about other people’s favorite books!

[spankerella]

Happy Lizard Fashion Day to those who celebrate.

[frostedmagnolias]

The Cat with Julie Manet (detail), 1877

by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841-1919)

[tea-reads-books]

“Never before had Corwin fully appreciated the magic of a library, and the magicians who wielded it's power – librarians.”

They call her the Wilder Queen. It's a title given to Kate Brighton for her role in the war between the wilder rebellion and the Rimish empire. It's a title that was hard earned: Kate may have saved her people, but many were lost in the conflict, immortalized in the tattoos of fire that grace her arms.

And it's a title that Kate never wanted. The rebellion may have made a home for themselves in a country that wants to cast them out, but the peace will never be safe while Edwin, the illegitimate king of Rime, sits upon its throne. And for that, the Wilder Queen must keep hers.

Now war is brewing once again. Kate and her allies receive word of a threat to their ambassador in the Rimish capital; meanwhile, across the channel in Seva, an army is being assembled to conquer Rime--and a prisoner slave named Clash may hold the key to ending the conflict once and for all.

As enemies close in on Kate and Clash from all sides, they must choose where their loyalties lie--with their people, with their loved ones, or with themselves.

The momentum from the first book carried over to this one, so a 3.75⭐️ From Traitor Kate to Wilder Queen. This book delivers on the promises of the first book. Distant threats suddenly become very real, and what is known about magic must be up-ended. The mental games played on Corwin were gut-wrenching to read about. I definitely felt like the arranged marriage, and weaponization of consummation was an attempted sexual assault. It made me really hate Corwin's captors. I also feel that this is one of the only books I've read that involves mind control, where the ability to do that sparks actual moral debate. I feel that a lot of times, it gets glossed over as a necessary evil for the protagonist, but I enjoyed seeing the discussion made even more meaningful coming from Kate's loved ones.

[tea-reads-books]

“The world is black and white and all the shades of grey in between.”

They call her Traitor Kate. It's a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king of Rime. 

Cast out of the nobility, Kate now works for the royal courier service. Only the most skilled ride for the Relay and only the fastest survive, for when night falls, the drakes—deadly flightless dragons—come out to hunt.  Fortunately, Kate has a secret edge: She is a wilder, born with forbidden magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals. 

And it's this magic that leads her to a caravan massacred by drakes in broad daylight—the only survivor Corwin Tormaine, the son of the king. Her first love, the boy she swore to forget after he condemned her father to death. 

With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin must put the past behind them to face this new threat and an even darker menace stirring in the kingdom. 

Another re-read! 3.75 ⭐️ I remembered a little more about this one, but not enough to recall the emotional turmoil this book caused. It has so many great elements. A cool magic system, a rich plot-relevant history, scheming advisors, and just enough adventure to make this not feel like a fantasy court drama. It really gets into the concept of "us vs. them," and how a people divided will always be easily used against each other.

[ph0enixart]

god i reread wayfarers whenever im in a reading slump. and so im doing that now and its been a minute since the last time, and everythings all warm and fuzzy and im focused on how this book feels like warm soup and im a little sad when rosemary is talking to dr chef but hes so wholesome and then were stuck in the wormhole and then its time to leave the wormhole and i suddenly remember whats happening with Ohan and im

[tea-reads-books]

It’s almost midnight, I just finished The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and I am distraught. Oh my goodness. It’s been a WHILE since a book affected me so much.

I wrote down a lot of my thoughts on this one, and I’m still spinning. I need the sequel immediately.

[tea-reads-books]

“I was taught to speak and write a dozen languages, but there isn't a word for what you mean to me.”

Wilhemina Heidle, the exiled princess of Northern Arrod, the girl thought dead by her family and friends, must return home. The only way to save Loom, the cursed prince of the Southern Isles, is to revisit the castle and discover the origins of her own curse.

But home is very different from how she left it—Wil’s unstable elder brother is now king, leading a war against the Southern Isles. And the rest of her family must reckon with the truth of what happened to lead to Wil’s exile. With time running out, Wil must navigate the dangerous secrets within her family if she’s going to find the truth and save the boy she loves.

When she’s finally able to reach Pahn, nothing goes as planned, and suddenly Wil and her allies are fighting for their lives, again and again, as the Southern King is out to punish his children for all they’ve done. Traveling across cursed seas and treacherous kingdoms, Wil, Loom—and his ruthless sister Espel—have to work to make peace with their own struggles if they hope to secure the future of their kingdoms.

But when their plans lead them right back to evil marveler Pahn, and to Baren—who is more dangerous than ever—can Wil and her friends outsmart their enemies, this time, for good?

I gave this book a slightly higher rating than it's predecessor, and I truly feel it's warranted 3.75⭐️ Rarely do I truly feel that sequels out-do the first book, but this one gave me everything I wanted but didn't get from the first book. The exploration of the Southern Kingdom was fantastic. The inclusion of the prince's sister was fantastic, because again, I love sibling dynamics in fiction. Seeing the damage done to the Northern kingdom by Baren was heartbreaking, more so knowing that most everything can be blamed on the actions of power-hungry kings. I truly felt for Wil's mom, and the trauma she endured. Seeing how it presented in her fears for her children's safety was heartbreaking. There was so much more to this book than to the first one, and I loved every bit of it.

[thekawaiifruitworld]

I've just finished reading "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" (Wayfarers Series, Becky Chambers) - which sat on my to-read list for far too long and which I loved! Its been a bit since I've last read through a book in one go, completely forgetting time - So here's a little sketch of Sissix & Ashby. :)

[aalesu]

Pei :)

I finished reading 'The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet' a few days ago and I couldn't find a drawing of Pei that looked how I imagined her so here it is! I didn't know the colors of lots of things about her so I had to get creative ':]

[tea-reads-books]

“Death itself is no match for you. The day you were born, it shrank away in fear.”

Wilhelmina Heidle, the fourth child and only daughter of the king of the world's wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father--whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war--Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom, if only her father would give her the chance.

Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone. At first Wil is horrified--but as she tests its limits, she's drawn more and more to the strange and volatile ability. When it leads to tragedy, though, Wil is forced to face the destructive power within her and finally leave her home to seek the truth and a cure.

But finding the key to her redemption puts her in the path of a cursed prince who has his own ideas for what to do with Wil's power.

With a world on the brink of war and a power of ultimate destruction, can Wil find a way to help the kingdom that's turned its back on her, or will she betray her past and her family forever?

This was a re-read for me! I remember enjoying it right around when it first came out in 2017, and it's been almost a decade, so I went back to it. I gave this book 3 ⭐️ It was an fun re-read! The blend of fantasy and what felt like cyber-/steam- punk elements was a lot of fun. The Wil is easy to root for, and her capacity for growth is clear. Even when she's infuriating, I want her to succeed. The complex relationships between the Heidle siblings, and how their parents influence it was essential to the story. I find sibling dynamics to be the most interesting kind of relationship to read about, and Wil and her brothers give a full spectrum to consider. The side characters Loom and Zay also added so much to the story, as well as commentary on how nations tend to view each other through stereotypes when they don't really know anything. Overall, I'm really glad I picked this up again.

[tea-reads-books]

“You are worth more than you think. You are still alive; make something of it. Of life, not death.”

Gods are forbidden in the kingdom of Middren. Formed by human desires and fed by their worship, there are countless gods in the world—but after a great war, the new king outlawed them and now pays “godkillers” to destroy any who try to rise from the shadows.

As a child, Kissen saw her family murdered by a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing them and enjoys it. But all this changes when Kissen is tasked with helping a young noble girl with a god problem. The child’s soul is bonded to a tiny god of white lies, and Kissen can’t kill it without ending the girl’s life too.

Joined by a disillusioned knight on a secret quest, the unlikely group must travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favor. Pursued by assassins and demons, and in the midst of burgeoning civil war, they will all face a reckoning. Something is rotting at the heart of their world, and they are the only ones who can stop it.

This book got 4 ⭐️ from me! In my experience the concept of religion as something to be eradicated is really uncommon in fantasy! It was refreshing to read about gods and beliefs as something to be vanquished, instead of revered. The religious beliefs established by Hannah Kaner are interwoven perfectly with the series of events that lead to the story! I loved the core main characters, even if they were frustrating at times. I would happily pick up the sequel.

[tea-reads-books]

“You’ve never been a coward before. Don’t start on my behalf."

Célie's life is over. She took her final breath trying to save the people she loves-including the powerful and enigmatic vampire king, Michal, who refused to let her go. 

When Celie wakes, she cannot walk in the sun; she can hear her friends' heartbeats and she craves their blood. 

Michal has cursed her to the eternal existence of a vampire. 

But Celie isn't the only dead roaming the earth. Her sister, Filippa, has returned as a shadow of her former self, and other revenants are rising from their graves intent on revenge. The fragile balance between life and death has broken, awakening an even darker force-and he is coming for Célie, ready to claim her as his Bride. With the fate of their world at stake, Celie and Michal must set aside their searing attraction to mend the veil and right the balance, once and for all.

I rated this one 4 ⭐️ Shelby Mahurin's style is perfect for her chosen genre. This book (and the series as a whole,) is lush, and mysterious. She created this stunning world, and filled it with unique and intriguing characters. Although I hate Celie's fiancè (I truly could not find anything about him I liked,) I found most everyone else enjoyable.

[tea-reads-books]

“I couldn't have a lifetime, but I could have this moment.”

Hazel Trépas has always known she wasn’t like the rest of her siblings. A thirteenth child, promised away to one of the gods, she spends her childhood waiting for her godfather—Merrick, the Dreaded End—to arrive.

When he does, he lays out exactly how he’s planned Hazel’s future. She will become a great healer, known throughout the kingdom for her precision and skill. To aid her endeavors, Merrick blesses Hazel with a gift, the ability to instantly deduce the exact cure needed to treat the sick.

But all gifts come with a price. Hazel can see when Death has claimed a patient—when all hope is gone—and is tasked to end their suffering, permanently. Haunted by the ghosts of those she’s killed, Hazel longs to run. But destiny brings her to the royal court, where she meets Leo, a rakish prince with a disdain for everything and everyone. And it’s where Hazel faces her biggest dilemma yet—to save the life of a king marked to die. Hazel knows what she is meant to do and knows what her heart is urging her toward, but what will happen if she goes against the will of Death?

I loved this book! Easily a 5⭐️ read. I love Erin A. Craig. She's been one of my favorites for years. Her heroines are brave, and unique. They are beautiful representations of what it means to grow as a woman. Hazel Trèpas is no exception. She's driven by love, and a desire to heal. I loved the world, with it's gods and goddesses who's palpable interference in the story

[tea-reads-books]

“Because I’m headed down the hill, and you’re headed up it. I’m just glad we chanced to meet on the way.”

Adventuring orc Viv is essentially forced into medical leave (take care of your bodies, folks.) She finds herself in what seems to be a peaceful seaside tow, and ingratiates herself with a local bookseller. But it's not long until strange occurrences around town spark her sense of adventure.

This was a great prequel! I gave it 3.5/5! Travis Baldree has such a talent for this unique blend of slice-of-life and fantasy. It's so good. It's like the most perfect cinnamon bun for my heart. I'll admit I found it odd that Baldree set up a romance we knew was doomed to fail, but maybe the knowing made it bittersweet. We know that Viv ends up happy, just not with Maylee. That being said, I hope Maylee gets everything she ever wanted in life and more because she's incredible and I love her.

[thekawaiifruitworld]

Okay, so that one little sketch was so much fun that I had to expand it a bit... :D

[tea-reads-books]

Catching up on reviews for the summer! I should have one coming out every day from now until the 13th. Ideally, I'll be able to finish them all up tomorrow.