A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers | Book Review

“Oh, that’s lovely,” Mosscap said.

“What Is?” said Dex.

Mosscap pointed. “Crown shyness is so striking, don’t you think?”

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

SERIES: Monk & Robot #2

LENGTH: 152 pages

GENRES: Science Fiction, LGBT+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tordotcom Publishing

RELEASE DATE: 12 July 2022

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is a story of kindness and love from one of the foremost practitioners of hopeful SF.

After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.

They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.

Becky Chambers’s new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter?

My Review

The thing about fucking off to the woods is that unless you are a very particular, very rare sort of person, it does not take long to understand why people left said woods in the first place.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, though not quite hitting the same spots for me as A Psalm for the Wild-Built that convinced me to give it a perfect star rating, was still a very fantastic novella to read. I really enjoyed my time with this book, as well as being heck in this world and seeing Dex and Mosscap again. I was a bit worried that it wouldn’t live up to the first one enough, which is why I put off reading it for a bit, but luckily my concerns were unfounded.

This little sequel builds a little bit on the world first introduced in Psalm. But gently – this is still a soft sci-fi series, after all. Not to mention that these little books are primarily character focused. But yeah, I enjoyed reading about Dex and Mosscap going around and interacting with people and places here, it felt like a very natural way to explore (and explain) the world.

It was also such a treat to meet new characters and have Dex have more than a couple lines of dialogue with them. Don’t get me wrong – I love how the first novella pretty much completely focused on Dex’s thought process and his evolving new friendship with Mosscap. But I really, really like character interaction, and a good chunk of book one is just walls of text.

The new characters we met were pretty decent too. At the very least their dialogue was good. It flowed naturally and felt like actual conversations. My favorite interactions were with Dex’s family (finally we get to meet them!) and one that almost entirely happens off-screen interactions with Ms. Amelia. (The one we see is also funny, but the implied interactions between Mosscap and the old lady seem golden.)

“Is this customary?” Mosscap whispered to Dex as Leroy fetched some herbs from the pots on his windowsill. “In some of the books I read last night, people made each other breakfast after having sex, but not universally.”

Dex threw Mosscap a look and lowered their voice as far as it would go. “What kind of books does Ms. Amelia collect?”

“Oh, entirely pornography,” Mosscap said. “It was very educational.”

Of course, the heart of this story is still the growing friendship between Dex and Mosscap, and how it changes them as a person and an object. Dex is also still struggling with the stuff from Psalm as well and, at the moment, Mosscap is currently the only one they feel comfortable sharing with. Mosscap is also going through it a little – as it’s realizing that it is getting older, and may start to break down sooner rather than later. Time keeps moving, after all.

And it wouldn’t be a Monk & Robot book without discussions of philosophy and self, so of course there’s a bunch of that here, once again. Not to the degree of the first book, ’cause of the slight differences in story structure, but A Prayer for the Crown-Shy definitely doesn’t… shy away from the topic either.

“Well, I didn’t know then,” Dex said, “and I still don’t. But what I do know is… you help. You’re helping me figure it out. Just by being here. You help.”

“Then we have the same answer,” Mosscap said. “I don’t know, either. But you are my best help, Sibling Dex.”

All in all, this is an absolutely solid follow-up to A Psalm for the Wild-Built. I love the soft sci-fi system, and how character focused it is. And I definitely recommend A Prayer for the Crown-Shy to those who enjoy these things as well, and who like quieter and more contemplative stories.

As always, thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

Goodreads

Instagram

Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan | Book Review

October. Best month ever.

The air was crisp. The leaves were changing colors in Central Park. And my favorite food cart on 86th Street was serving pumpkin-spice burritos.

Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

SERIES: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #7

LENGTH: 322 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, YA, Middle Grade, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Disney Hyperion

RELEASE DATE: 24 September 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In his continuing quest to earn college recommendation letters from the gods, Percy has to pet-sit the goddess Hecate’s polecat and giant mastiff during Halloween week. What could go wrong?

Rick Riordan’s newest Percy Jackson adventure is full of hilarious set pieces, a diverse cast of gods and monsters, and many other delightful tricks and treats.

Percy Jackson, now a high school senior, needs three recommendation letters from the Greek gods in order to get into New Rome University. He earned his first one by retrieving Ganymede’s chalice. Now the goddess Hecate has offered Percy another “opportunity”—all he has to do is pet sit her polecat, Gale, and mastiff, Hecuba, over Halloween week while she is away. Piece of cake, right?

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover settle into Hecate’s seemingly endless mansion and start getting acquainted with the fussy, terrifying animals. The trio has been warned not to touch anything, but while Percy and Annabeth are out at school, Grover can’t resist drinking a strawberry-flavored potion in the laboratory. It turns him into a giant frenzied goat, and after he rampages through the house, damaging everything in sight, and passes out, Gale and Hecuba escape. Now the friends have to find Hecate’s pets and somehow restore the house, all before Hecate gets back on Saturday. It’s going to take luck, demigod wiles, and some old and new friends to hunt down the animals and set things right again.

My Review

Her onyx eyes glittered. She sat forward and laced her fingers, looking more like a principal than my real principal ever did. “You may call me the Torch Bearer, the Star Walker, the Night Wanderer, the Disturber of the Dead, the daughter of Perses and Asteria, the Triple Goddess!”

“Uh-huh,” I said, still clueless.

You’re probably thinking, Percy, you’ve been dealing with the Greek gods for years. How could you not know her?

So Percy Jackson book seven came out… and I enjoyed reading it. And yes, I understand that nostalgia had some impact on my reading experience and overall rating, as it did with book six. Because of this I have altered my rating accordingly for Wrath of the Triple Goddess. (As even though when I read both books six and seven both felt like five star reads, I know in my soul that they weren’t as good as The Battle of the Labyrinth or The Last Olympian. So think of four and a half stars as the same rating for Chalice of the Gods now, I guess. I was a bit overzealous with that review.)

Out of the two new PJO novels, I’m honestly not sure whether I enjoyed The Chalice of the Gods or Wrath of the Triple Goddess more. On the one hand, TCOTG was the first actual-not-a-spinoff Percy Jackson book in years, and I loved the cameos and references, and seeing how Percy, Annabeth and Grover have grown up. But book seven was fun too, and it had Halloween vibes out the wazoo, which I always adore. I guess I enjoyed them equally?

Anyway, I never knew I needed a PJO book set around Halloween until now. It was great, and the book was released during the literal perfect time of the year for it. It’s still a little weird to me reading novels from this series that take place in the fall – nearly all of them, except for The Titan’s Curse which takes place over winter break – are set over the summer. But it’s a nice change.

Grover and I exchanged a look of relief. Whenever Annabeth joined the chat, the odds of us doing something idiotic went way down. The odds were never zero, mind you, because I was still in the mix.

Percy is still as sassy as ever, perhaps even more so than book six, and Annabeth and Grover still balance him perfectly. This really is one of the greatest trios I’ve ever had the pleasure of following. Grover also doesn’t feel like a third wheel here, which was a very minor problem in TCOTG, and his feelings on potential third wheel status and Percy and Annabeth moving on from him are addressed here and it’s great.

And I can’t forget about Percabeth, one of the greatest relationships ever written. Still here and still fantastic – Percy and Annabeth really are a great couple. They just work so unbelievably well together.

Annabeth and I were more than just two people. We were a pair, and when we stood at the crossroads, we did it together.

The plot, even though I really enjoyed it, might be a slightly weaker aspect of this novel, as it was with book six. But that probably feels that way because it doesn’t feel as big as the plots of my memories, nor is it a world ending prevention story like basically all other Percy Jackson novels and spinoffs. It was fine on its own, but is far more down to earth than the rest of the series (save TCOTG).

I can’t believe the final book in this additional trilogy to the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians is coming out next year. That’s twenty years after the original book, the one that started it all – The Lightning Thief – did. I can’t believe it’s been that long already. Just, the timing. I can’t wait to see how this ends. But at the same time, I’ll once again feel a little sad to see it go.

“Hey, Wise Girl,” I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice, “be wise. I don’t know much, but I do know we’re stronger together. Always.”

I definitely recommend Wrath of the Triple Goddess to fans of the Percy Jackson series. Alsoto fantasy fans who enjoy middle grade and YA stuff. But mostly to preexisting fans, ’cause you have to read the original five books (and book six) and have some knowledge of the sequel/spinoff series the Heroes of Olympus to really enjoy this novel. Also, read this book in October – the vibes are perfect.

Anyway, as always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

Goodreads

Instagram

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: How to Help a Hungry Werewolf

Surprise! Betcha didn’t expect me to participate in Can’t-Wait Wednesday a third week in a row.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

How to Help a Hungry Werewolf by Charlotte Stein!! 🐺🧹

I love cozy little supernatural, slice-of-life stuff and it’s been a bit since I read one. And this one is releasing in October, which is perfect.

How to Help a Hungry Werewolf by Charlotte Stein

SERIES: The Sanctuary for Supernatural Creatures #1

LENGTH: 368 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

PUBLISHER: St. Martin’s Griffin

RELEASE DATE: 1 October 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

What We Do in the Shadows with the small town feels of Gilmore Girls in this swoon-worthy romance that will leave readers delightfully cozy and hungry for more.

When Cassandra Camberwell returns to her hometown of Hollow Brook to clear out her late
grandmother’s ramshackle old house, the last thing she expects is Seth Brubaker on her doorstep. Her
former best friend was responsible for the worst moment of her high school life, and she can’t
imagine he wants to do anything but torment her all over again.

Until she unearths the real reason this annoyingly gorgeous beast of a man keeps hanging around: he’s an actual werewolf, who’s certain she’s the witch that will ease his suffering. But Cassie just isn’t sure if she can trust him again. So Seth offers a pact: he’ll teach her all about her undiscovered magic, and she will brew the potions he needs. No feelings, no funny business, just a witch and a werewolf
striking a deal.

Totally doable. Until they get hit with a do-or-die mating bond. And now the heat is rising, in
between fights with formers bullies and encounters with talking raccoons. They just have to not give
in. Unless giving in just might be the very thing they never knew they always wanted.

Are you looking forward to the next volume of How to Help a Hungry Werewolf? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a great day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 9/20

Happy Friday everybody! It’s been a couple of weeks!

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

📚 Take a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open it to the first page
📝 Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
📙 Finally… reveal the book!

Here are the first lines:

It’s now or never.

Any ideas? Here’s another hint if you don’t know…

Still not sure? Here’s some nice pictures of books to look at while you consider…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde!!

(Did you guess correctly?)

The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde

SERIES: The Oak and Holly Cycle #1

LENGTH: 381 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Entangled Publishing, LLC

RELEASE DATE: 4 June 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Can you love the dark when you know what it hides?

Some things aren’t supposed to exist outside of our imagination.

Thirteen years ago, monsters emerged from the shadows and plunged Kierse’s world into a cataclysmic war of near-total destruction. The New York City she knew so well collapsed practically overnight.

In the wake of that carnage, the Monster Treaty was created. A truce…of sorts.

But tonight, Kierse—a gifted and fearless thief—will break that treaty. She’ll enter the Holly Library…not knowing it’s the home of a monster.

He’s charming. Quietly alluring. Terrifying. But he knows talent when he sees it; it’s just a matter of finding her price.

Now she’s locked into a dangerous bargain with a creature unlike any other. She’ll sacrifice her freedom. She’ll offer her skills. Together, they’ll put their own futures at risk.

But he’s been playing a game across centuries—and once she joins in, there will be no escape…

What books have you been reading lately? What’s on your TBR that you’re currently the most excited about?

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Wrath of the Triple Goddess

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve had upcoming books to talk about. But I’m finally back with more!

This week’s book is:

Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan! 🐾🔥

I’m a long time Percy Jackson fan and seeing the original series continued years after still feels surreal to me. I acknowledge that book six, The Chalice of the Gods, wasn’t the best and most amazing thing ever (and ended up not loving it quite as much a few weeks after I read it), but it was still good. I’m thinking – and hoping – that this one will be the same.

Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

SERIES: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #7

LENGTH: 288 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Middle Grade, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Disney Hyperion

RELEASE DATE: 24 September 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In his continuing quest to earn college recommendation letters from the gods, Percy has to pet sit the goddess Hecate’s polecat and giant mastiff during Halloween week. What could go wrong?

Rick Riordan’s newest Percy Jackson adventure is full of hilarious set pieces, a diverse cast of gods and monsters, and many other delightful tricks and treats.

Are you looking forward to Wrath of the Triple Goddess? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Monthly Wrap-Up: August Reading 2024

So I dropped the ball a little bit last month, regarding my reading in August 2024. I read a little bit less than I did in July.

But I’m hoping to at least match my reading (of books, specifically) from last month, this month. Especially since September has a couple books coming out that I’m looking forward to in particular.

Well anyway, without further ado, let’s get into my StoryGraph statistics from last month.

August Reading 2024

I read 4 books and 1,430 pages

😐 MOODS: The Moods for August definitely varied more than the last couple of months. Adventurous was of course the biggest slice of pie on this particular pie chart, because it always is. But the secondary most Mood was Mysterious, which isn’t always the case. The other Moods included were Reflective, Lighthearted, Funny, Emotional and Challenging.

👢 PACE: My books from last month were split between fast and medium paced.

🔢 PAGE NUMBER: Everything I read was between 160 and 477 pages.

📖 FICTION/NONFICTION: It was once again all fiction in August. As is my usual.

🎭 GENRES: There were about as many Genres in August as there were in July. The Genre king for last month was once again Fantasy as is basically always the case – I don’t think I’ve ever had a month where it wasn’t. The other five genres were Young Adult, Shirt Stories, Science Fiction, Manga and Literary. (Once again – and I’ll probably keep saying this – it really bothers me that StoryGraph lumps in reading demographics with genres though – they’re not the same thing!!)

📄 FORMAT: This particular pie graph is once again wrong. (As usual.) Nearly all the books I read were digital – only one was a hard copy.

⭐ RATING: My median star rating for last month was 3.94. The ratings I gave were between 2.0 stars and 5.0 stars, so yeah.

📉 PAGES READ DAILY: I read a lot during the end of the first week and then first half of the second week of August. It was my biggest reading spike of the month, as well. Then I dropped off for a bit. I then read between the 20th and the 24th, paused again, and then read from the 26th all the way to the end of the month on the 31st.

The Books I Read in August

The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow

★★☆☆☆ • my review

★★★★★ • my review

☆ • did not finish • ☆

★★★★★

Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction by Ann Leckie

★★★✫☆ • my review

Wrapping Up the Wrap-Up

So yeah, once again – even though I read several books in August – it wasn’t as many as I might’ve liked. I mostly enjoyed the novels I did read and did end up finishing, however, so I count that as a huge win for me.

I think I have a better chance of reading more books in September than I did this past month. For one thing, my husband and I are gonna start up with another arc of One Piece again (which means at least two super volumes). But also, there’s a couple of books coming out this month that I’ve been anticipating all year. Not to mention what I’m currently reading and all that.

Another thing in my favor, is that I tend to really get into novels in the fall, for whatever reason. It might be kinda weird, and I don’t know why it happens, but I pretty consistently seem to do the majority of my novel reading in autumn. Maybe it’s the atmosphere? The vibes? I just don’t know.

Anyway, thanks for joining me in checking out my StoryGraph stats for my August reading in 2024. Thank you also for reading, and I hope you have an wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Involving Food (That Aren’t Cookbooks)

Hey everyone! Happy Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It celebrates lovely lists, wonderful books and the bookish community. This week’s topic is Books Involving Food (That Aren’t Cookbooks). It was submitted by Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext and Hopewell’s Public Library of Life.

This one was interesting! Here I go!

Legends & Lattes: I feel this one is obvious.

Mooncakes: I feel this one is also obvious.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter: Painted and Yumi spend a significant amount of time at Design’s ramen place.

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking: Again, I feel this is another obvious choice.

Dreadful: Garlic Festival! 🧄🎉

Kingdom of the Wicked: Emilia’s family owns and manages their own restaurant. The food descriptions made me hungry, and were one of the few things I liked about this book.

Otherworldly: Ellery works at a diner. It’s also where they and Knox meet. Knox also has a goldfish cracker addiction.

The Lost Story: There’s so much discussion about Golden Apple Christmas Cake in this book. And there’s a recipe for it at the end of the novel.

The Ghostkeeper: Much like The Lost Story, there’s a bakery item featured here. Also like The Lost Story, there is a recipe for a bakery item – Fife’s Fantastical (Ghostly) Scones – featured here.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built: Dex is a tea monk.

First Line Friday: 8/30

Happy Friday everybody! Managed another two weeks in a row!

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

Here are the first lines:

The boy stands alone on the roof of the tallest skyscraper in the city, a thin slice of darkness against the glowing lights. He could be eighteen, twenty-eight, or anywhere in between.

Know it? If you don’t, here’s a couple hints if you need them…

Still no ideas? Look at these pretty photos of books while you try to think about it…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 Darker by Four by June C.L. Tan!!

(Did you guess it?)

Darker by Four by June C.L. Tan

SERIES: Darker by Four Duology #1

LENGTH: 425 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, YA, LGBT+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: HarperTeen

RELEASE DATE: 2 April 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The Shadowhunter Chronicles meets Chinese diaspora folklore in Darker by Four, the first in an epic contemporary fantasy duology from Jade Fire Gold author June Tan.

A vengeful girl. A hollow boy. A missing god.

Rui has one goal in mind—honing her magic to avenge her mother’s death.

Yiran is the black sheep of an illustrious family. The world would be at his feet—had he been born with magic.

Nikai is a Reaper, serving the Fourth King of Hell. When his master disappears, the underworld begins to crumble…and the human world will be next if the King is not found.

When an accident causes Rui’s power to transfer to Yiran, everything turns upside down. Without her magic, Rui has no tool for vengeance. With it, Yiran finally feels like he belongs. That is, until Rui discovers she might hold the key to the missing death god and strikes a dangerous bargain with another King.

As darkness takes over, three paths intersect in the shadows. And three lives bound by fate must rise against destiny before the barrier between worlds falls and all Hell breaks loose—literally.

Perfect for fans of This Savage Song and Only a Monster, Darker by Four will pull readers into a world of love and desperation and revenge—a world where every deal has a catch, no secret stays buried, and no one is exactly who they say they are.

What books have you been reading lately? What’s on your TBR that you’re currently the most excited about?

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke | Book Review

The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

LENGTH: 245 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Literary, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury Publishing

RELEASE DATE: 15 September 2020

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house–a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

For readers of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane and fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty, haunted by the tides and the clouds.

My Review

‘I said that this is a perfect world. But it’s not. There are crimes here, just like everywhere else.’

Oh. My. Stars. What an amazing little read this book was. Piranesi has been on my radar for years, but I’ve always put it off for various reasons. But I finally got around to reading it, and I’m very glad I did. Because this was a very good book.

I’m not gonna talk a lot about the stuff I usually talk about in my book reviews – and as a result this might be a shorter review – because I don’t want to ruin the experience of reading this novel for anyone who might read this post. Because the thing I absolutely loved the most about this book was how you could slowly piece together the plot and the backstory and the way all the characters (alive and dead) related to each other. It was a bit of a slow burn in a way, but a fantastic one.

I enjoyed following Piranesi’s journal entries and observing how he viewed his world. I think I said it in my first Emily Wilde review and I’ll say it here: We need more epistolary novels! The other characters were interesting as well – I especially found Piranesi’s evolving perception of The Other and 16 to be fascinating.

Perhaps that is what it is like being with other people. Perhaps even people you like and admire immensely can make you see the World in ways you would rather not. Perhaps that is what Raphael means.

The way Clarke describes here world is beautiful and otherworldly. The Labyrinth is serene and whimsical and mysterious and terrifying all at once. I especially enjoyed the Coral Halls – they sounded absolutely breathtaking. Her writing is also very, very good.

This novel was an even bigger breath of fresh air for me because it was a much better reading experience than the last book that I read and reviewed. I’m always nervous about starting a new book after reading a book that I didn’t care for or outright hated. So it was wonderful to read a book that I really, really loved.

I’m also looking forward to the Laika adaptation (probably) coming out a few years from now. I think they’re perfect for adapting this particular book, and hope that they do it justice.

So yeah, I know this is a shorter book review – especially compared to my last one – but like I said, I don’t want to taint any one’s experience reading Piranesi for the first time. Because it truly is an actual reading experience. So just read it – I think most people will really enjoy it.

As always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

The sight of the One- Hundred- and- Ninety- Second Western Hall in the Moonlight made me see how ridiculous that is. The House is valuable because it is the House. It is enough in and of Itself. It is not the means to an end.

MY LINKS:

Goodreads

Instagram

First Line Friday: 8/9

Two weeks in a row! Of First Line Fridays!

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

Here’s the first line:

The sky was strewn with pepper-pot stars, re- flected in the pond below. On the water’s surface, the mirror image of Ying Yue’s face floated, pale and moonlike, distorted by ripples.

No idea? Here’s another hint or so if you need it…

Still need time to think about it? Here are some lovely photos of books to look at while you do so…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow!!

(Did you get it right?)

The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow

LENGTH: 496 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

RELEASE DATE: 6 August 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A young woman chosen as the crown prince’s bride must travel to the royal palace to meet her new husband—but her world is shaken when she discovers the dark truth the royal family has been hiding for centuries—in this lush fantasy debut perfect for fans of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night and Violet Made of Thorns.

Princess Ying Yue believed in love… once upon a time.

Yet when she’s chosen to wed the crown prince, Ying’s dreams of a fairy tale marriage quickly fall apart. Her husband-to-be is cold and indifferent, confining Ying to her room for reasons he won’t explain. Worse still are the rumors that swirl around the imperial palace: whispers of seven other royal brides who, after their own weddings, mysteriously disappeared.

Left alone with only her own reflection for company, Ying begins to see things. Strange things. Movements in the corners of her mirror. Colorful lights upon its surface. And when, on the eve of her wedding, she unwittingly tears open a gateway, she is pulled into a mirror world.

This realm is full of sentient reflections, including the enigmatic Mirror Prince. Unlike his real-world counterpart, the Mirror Prince is kind and compassionate, and before long Ying falls in love—the kind of love she always dreamed of.

But there is darkness in this new world, too.

It turns out the two worlds have a long and blood-soaked history, and Ying has a part to play in the future of them both. And the brides who came before Ying? By the time they discovered what their role was, it was already too late.

What books have you been reading lately? What’s on your TBR that you’re currently the most excited about?

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar