Cristina's bookshelf: 2023 en-US Sat, 18 Jan 2025 23:21:00 -0800 60 Cristina's bookshelf: 2023 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Salt Grows Heavy 61884779 USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw comes The Salt Grows Heavy, a razor-sharp and bewitching fairytale of discovering the darkness in the world, and the darkness within oneself.

You may think you know how the fairytale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes.

On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three 'saints' who control them.

The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruelest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive.

Includes the bonus short story, "And In Our Daughters, We Find a Voice", set in the same universe.]]> 106 Cassandra Khaw 1250830915 Cristina 4 2023, lgbtqa, novellas 3.55 2023 The Salt Grows Heavy
author: Cassandra Khaw
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/31
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, novellas
review:
Did not expect to find such enjoyment in witnessing a mermaid eat a man alive in extremely vivid detail. Love it when girlbosses girlboss ☝️
]]> <![CDATA[The King's Men (All for the Game, #3)]]> 23594461
Befriending the Foxes was inadvisable. Kissing one is unthinkable. Neil should know better than to get involved with anyone this close to the end, but Andrew's never been the easiest person to walk away from. If they both say it doesn't mean anything, maybe Neil won't regret losing it, but the one person Neil can't lie to is himself.

He's got promises to keep and a team to get to championships if he can just outrun Riko a little longer, but Riko's not the only monster in Neil's life. The truth might get them all killed—or be Neil's one shot at getting out of this alive.]]> 556 Nora Sakavic Cristina 5 4.57 2014 The King's Men (All for the Game, #3)
author: Nora Sakavic
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/14
date added: 2024/05/29
shelves: 2019, 2020, 2021, lgbtqa, 2022, 2023, 2024
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Raven King (All for the Game, #2)]]> 18187013
Except Andrew doesn't give up anything for free and Neil is terrible at trusting anyone but himself. The two don't have much time to come to terms with their situation before outside forces start tearing them apart. Riko is intent on destroying Neil's fragile new life, and the Foxes have just become collateral damage.

Neil's days are numbered, but he's learning the hard way to go down fighting for what he believes in, and Neil believes in Andrew even if Andrew won't believe in himself.]]> 423 Nora Sakavic 1301824291 Cristina 5 4.37 2013 The Raven King (All for the Game, #2)
author: Nora Sakavic
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/11
date added: 2024/05/11
shelves: 2019, 2020, 2021, lgbtqa, 2022, 2023, 2024
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Foxhole Court (All for the Game, #1)]]> 17259690
Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.

But Neil's not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for.]]> 237 Nora Sakavic 1301529044 Cristina 5 4.03 2013 The Foxhole Court (All for the Game, #1)
author: Nora Sakavic
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/05
date added: 2024/05/05
shelves: 2019, 2020, 2021, favorites, lgbtqa, 2022, 2023, 2024
review:

]]> When We Lost Our Heads 58446244 A spellbinding story about two girls whose friendship is so intense it not only threatens to destroy them, it changes the trajectory of history.

Marie Antoine is the charismatic, spoiled daughter of a sugar baron. At 12 years old, with her blond curls and her unparalleled sense of whimsey, she's the leader of all the children in the Golden Mile, an affluent strip of 19th century Montreal. Until one day in 1873, when Sadie Arnett, dark-haired, sly, and brilliant, moves to the neighborhood.

Marie and Sadie are immediately united by their passion and intensity, and they attract and repel each other in ways that light each of them on fire. Marie with her bubbly charm sees the light and sweetness of the world, whereas Sadie's obsession with darkness is all consuming. Soon their childlike games take on a thrill of danger and then become deadly.

Forced to separate, they spend their teenage years engaged in acts of alternating innocence and depravity--until a singular event unites them once more, with dizzying effects. And after Marie inherits her father's sugar empire and Sadie disappears into the city's gritty underworld, a revolution of the working class begins to foment. Each of them will have unexpected roles to play in events that upend their city--the only question is whether they will find each other once more.

Traveling from a repressive finishing school to a vibrant brothel, taking readers firsthand into the brutality of factory life and the opulent lives of Montreal's wealthy, When We Lost Our Heads dazzlingly explores gender and power, sex and desire, class and status, and the terrifying power of the human heart when it can't let someone go.]]> 448 Heather O'Neill 0593422902 Cristina 5 3.94 2022 When We Lost Our Heads
author: Heather O'Neill
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/28
date added: 2024/01/02
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic, favorites
review:
Me when I act like a little egomaniac sexual deviant freak to get my megalomaniac child labor exploiter girlfriend to pay attention to me
]]> <![CDATA[The First Sister (The First Sister Trilogy, #1)]]> 52378525
Lito val Lucius climbed his way out of the slums to become an elite soldier of Venus, but was defeated in combat by none other than Saito Ren, resulting in the disappearance of his partner, Hiro. When Lito learns that Hiro is both alive and a traitor to the cause, he now has a shot at redemption: track down and kill his former partner. But when he discovers recordings that Hiro secretly made, Lito’s own allegiances are put to the test. Ultimately, he must decide between following orders and following his heart.]]> 352 Linden A. Lewis 198212699X Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic I gasped so many times 3.83 2020 The First Sister (The First Sister Trilogy, #1)
author: Linden A. Lewis
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/31
date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
I gasped so many times
]]> <![CDATA[Iris Kelly Doesn't Date (Bright Falls, #3)]]> 90590131 A fake relationship after a horrible one-night stand is anything but an act in this witty and heartfelt new romantic comedy by Ashley Herring Blake.

Everyone around Iris Kelly is in love. Her best friends are all coupled up, her siblings have partners that are perfect for them, and her parents are still blissfully married. And she's happy for all of them, truly. Iris doesn't want any of that--dating, love, romance. She'll stick to her commitment-free hookups, thanks very much, except no one in her life will just let her be. Everyone wants to see her settled down, but she holds firmly to her no dating rule. There's only one problem--Iris is a romance author facing an imminent deadline for her second book, and she's completely out of ideas.

Perfectly happy to ignore her problems as per usual, Iris goes to a bar in Portland and meets a sexy stranger, Stefania, and a night of dancing and making out turns into the worst one-night stand Iris has had in her life. To get her mind off everything, Iris tries out for the lead role in a local play, a queer retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, but comes face-to-face with Stefania, whose real name turns out to be Stevie. Desperate to save face in front of her friends, Stevie asks Iris to play along as her girlfriend. Iris is shocked, but when she realizes the arrangement might provide her with some much-needed romantic content for her book, she agrees. As the two women play the part of a happy couple, lines start to blur, and they're left wondering who will make the real first move....]]> 402 Ashley Herring Blake 0593550579 Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic 4.15 2023 Iris Kelly Doesn't Date (Bright Falls, #3)
author: Ashley Herring Blake
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/31
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
Definitely my favorite of the three
]]> Galatea 60105524 56 Madeline Miller 1526652064 Cristina 4 2023, novellas 3.96 2013 Galatea
author: Madeline Miller
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/31
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves: 2023, novellas
review:

]]> Twin Crowns (Twin Crowns, #1) 58733682
Princess Rose Valhart knows that with power comes responsibility. Marriage into a brutal kingdom awaits, and she will not let a small matter like waking up in the middle of the desert in the company of an extremely impertinent (and handsome) kidnapper get in the way of her royal duty. But life outside the palace walls is wilder and more beautiful than she ever imagined, and the witches she has long feared might turn out to be the family she never knew she was missing.

Two sisters separated at birth and raised into entirely different worlds are about to get to know each other's lives a whole lot better. But as coronation day looms closer and they each strive to claim their birthright, the sinister Kingsbreath, Willem Rathborne, becomes increasingly determined that neither will succeed. Who will ultimately rise to power and wear the crown?]]> 480 Catherine Doyle 0063116138 Cristina 5 2023 3.92 2022 Twin Crowns (Twin Crowns, #1)
author: Catherine Doyle
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/29
date added: 2023/12/29
shelves: 2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 12]]> 31423213
In addition to the new translation and color illustrations this volume also contains over 150 pages of bonus material, including a never before published interview with Natsuki Takaya-sensei, character profiles, a timeline of the series, and much, MUCH more!!!]]> 355 Natsuki Takaya 031650176X Cristina 5 2023, graphicnovels-manga 4.71 2017 Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 12
author: Natsuki Takaya
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.71
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/29
date added: 2023/12/29
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 11]]> 30842007 386 Natsuki Takaya 0316501689 Cristina 5 2023, graphicnovels-manga 4.79 2017 Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 11
author: Natsuki Takaya
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.79
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/26
date added: 2023/12/26
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 10]]> 30363799 379 Natsuki Takaya 0316501646 Cristina 5 2023, graphicnovels-manga 4.71 2017 Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 10
author: Natsuki Takaya
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.71
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/23
date added: 2023/12/23
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga
review:
I’m going to light myself on fire
]]> <![CDATA[Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 9]]> 30142026
Meanwhile, something is going on with Machi. When Yuki and Kakeru pay a visit to her house, will the secrets of her past be revealed? And trouble is on the horizon when Hatsuharu finally learns what Akito did to Rin. Will anything be able to stop his wrath, or will he do something he can't take back?!]]> 389 Natsuki Takaya 031650162X Cristina 5 2023, graphicnovels-manga 4.66 2012 Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 9
author: Natsuki Takaya
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.66
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/22
date added: 2023/12/22
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga
review:

]]> Nightcrawling 58537371
One night, what begins as a drunken misunderstanding with a stranger turns into the job Kiara never imagined wanting but now desperately needs: nightcrawling. Her world breaks open even further when her name surfaces in an investigation that exposes her as a key witness in a massive scandal within the Oakland Police Department.]]> 277 Leila Mottley 0593318935 Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic “I wonder if they’ll ever chant about the woman too, and not just the ones murdered, but the particular brutality of a gun barrel to a head. The women with no edges laid, with matted hair and drooping eyes and no one filming to say it happened, only a mouth and some scars�]]> 3.95 2022 Nightcrawling
author: Leila Mottley
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/20
date added: 2023/12/20
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
“I wonder if they’ll ever chant about the woman too, and not just the ones murdered, but the particular brutality of a gun barrel to a head. The women with no edges laid, with matted hair and drooping eyes and no one filming to say it happened, only a mouth and some scars�
]]> <![CDATA[Heartstopper: Volume Five (Heartstopper, #5)]]> 53344030
Nick and Charlie are very much in love. They've finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick's house ... But with Nick going off to university next year, is everything about to change?

By Alice Oseman, winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper encompasses all the small moments of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

Contains discussions around mental health and eating disorders, and sexual references.]]> 336 Alice Oseman 1444957651 Cristina 5 4.47 2023 Heartstopper: Volume Five (Heartstopper, #5)
author: Alice Oseman
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/17
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga, lgbtqa
review:

]]> You Exist Too Much 41720140
Told in vignettes that flash between the U.S. and the Middle East--from New York to Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine--Zaina Arafat's debut novel traces her protagonist's progress from blushing teen to sought-after DJ and aspiring writer. In Brooklyn, she moves into an apartment with her first serious girlfriend and tries to content herself with their comfortable relationship. But soon her longings, so closely hidden during her teenage years, explode out into reckless romantic encounters and obsessions with other people.

Her desire to thwart her own destructive impulses will eventually lead her to The Ledge, an unconventional treatment center that identifies her affliction as "love addiction." In this strange, enclosed society she will start to consider the unnerving similarities between her own internal traumas and divisions and those of the places that have formed her.

Opening up the fantasies and desires of one young woman caught between cultural, religious, and sexual identities, You Exist Too Much is a captivating story charting two of our most intense longings: for love, and a place to call home.]]> 263 Zaina Arafat 1948226502 Cristina 4 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic “Baggage. No one ever breaks free from it. Everyone has to figure out how to go on living, to be decent, in spite of it�

Oh the unshakable wretched grief between mothers and daughters ]]> 3.62 2020 You Exist Too Much
author: Zaina Arafat
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/17
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
“Baggage. No one ever breaks free from it. Everyone has to figure out how to go on living, to be decent, in spite of it�

Oh the unshakable wretched grief between mothers and daughters
]]> <![CDATA[Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 8]]> 29775378
Later, Kyo recalls meeting Tohru's mother as a child and talking to her about her experiences. Persevering through a rough adolescence, one that lacked any love from her parents, she one day encountered teacher-in-training Katsuya Honda... At long last, the moving story of Katsuya and Kyoko is revealed!! Then, it's business as usual for Tohru and the others, but something is eating at Kyo?!
]]> 380 Natsuki Takaya 0316360732 Cristina 5 2023, graphicnovels-manga 4.62 2016 Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 8
author: Natsuki Takaya
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/13
date added: 2023/12/13
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga
review:

]]> Redwood and Ponytail 38326884 424 K.A. Holt Cristina 4 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic 4.18 2019 Redwood and Ponytail
author: K.A. Holt
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/12
date added: 2023/12/12
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:

]]> Check & Mate 60683957 done with chess. Every move counts nowadays. After the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory's focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious "Kingkiller" Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning bad boy of chess.

Nolan's loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone—especially Mallory. What's even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory's victory opens the door to sorely needed cash prizes and, despite everything, she can't help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist....

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren't only on the board, the spotlight is hotter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce(-ly attractive. And intelligent...and infuriating...)]]> 347 Ali Hazelwood 0593619919 Cristina 5 3.93 2023 Check & Mate
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/11
date added: 2023/12/11
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, taylorswift-reference
review:
I would pay Ali Hazelwood my entire life’s savings to be in charge of my love life
]]> <![CDATA[Bro and the Beast (The Wolf's Mate, #1)]]> 123076033
Desperate to get back to a world where he's top dog, Brad finds himself in the crosshairs of Raul, the menacingly hot hero of The Wolf's Mate, who's intent on teaching Brad a whole new meaning to the word alpha.

Not only does Raul insist that Brad is an omega� his omega–but Brad is going to have to come to terms with the fact that he isn't just a part of this fictional world. He's a stand-in for the main character, and the only way out is to make sure he gets to his happily ever after.

-

Author's Note: This is the first installment of a new mpreg serial following Brad, a quintessential frat bro and Raul, the brooding werewolf love interest he never asked for--and, in typical '80s alpha male hero fashion, is never gonna give him up. Prepare for hot shifters, snark and banter, gay awakening, found family dynamics, sassy (and intrusive) siblings, a villainous heroine, cliffhangers galore, and meta mayhem.]]> 137 L.C. Davis Cristina 3 2023, lgbtqa, novellas 3.94 2023 Bro and the Beast (The Wolf's Mate, #1)
author: L.C. Davis
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/10
date added: 2023/12/10
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, novellas
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 7]]> 29467293
Love isn't in the air for Isuzu and Hatsuharu, however, as the two have broken up. Desperately in search of something, Isuzu visits Shigure's house as if driven there, but collapses upon arrival. A shocked Tohru happens to be on the scene, but all she can do is comfort Isuzu in her pain. But Isuzu seems to know all about Tohru fighting the Sohma curse on her own...!?]]> 380 Natsuki Takaya 0316360724 Cristina 5 2023, graphicnovels-manga 4.59 2016 Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 7
author: Natsuki Takaya
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/07
date added: 2023/12/07
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)]]> 17675462 “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,� Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.�

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.]]> 409 Maggie Stiefvater 0545424925 Cristina 5 2018, favorites, 2021, 2023 4.05 2012 The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/07
date added: 2023/12/07
shelves: 2018, favorites, 2021, 2023
review:

]]> Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2) 90202302 “The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.� —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders� capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]> 623 Rebecca Yarros 1649374178 Cristina 2 2023 4.33 2023 Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2023/12/03
date added: 2023/12/03
shelves: 2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Drowned Country (The Greenhollow Duology, #2)]]> 49928905
Even the Wild Man of Greenhollow can’t ignore a summons from his mother, when that mother is the indomitable Adela Silver, practical folklorist. Henry Silver does not relish what he’ll find in the grimy seaside town of Rothport, where once the ancient wood extended before it was drowned beneath the sea—a missing girl, a monster on the loose, or, worst of all, Tobias Finch, who loves him.]]> 176 Emily Tesh 125075660X Cristina 4 2023, novellas 3.94 2020 Drowned Country (The Greenhollow Duology, #2)
author: Emily Tesh
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/01
date added: 2023/12/01
shelves: 2023, novellas
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 6]]> 28962980 391 Natsuki Takaya 0316360716 Cristina 5 2023, graphicnovels-manga 4.66 2016 Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 6
author: Natsuki Takaya
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.66
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/30
date added: 2023/11/30
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 5]]> 28449232 375 Natsuki Takaya 031636066X Cristina 5 2023, graphicnovels-manga 4.60 2015 Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 5
author: Natsuki Takaya
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/29
date added: 2023/11/29
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga
review:

]]> Starling House 59426445
Starling House is odd and ugly and fully of secrets, just like its heir. Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but it might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden, and it feels dangerously like something she's never had: a home.

But she isn't the only one interested in the house, or the horrors and wonders that lie beneath it. If Opal wants a home, she'll have to fight for it. She'll have to dig up her family's dark past and let herself dream of a brighter future. She'll have to go down, down into Underland, and claw her way back to the light.

Starling House is the sweeping, romantic new novel from New York Times bestseller and Hugo Award-winner Alix E. Harrow.]]> 320 Alix E. Harrow Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa ”For a moment, or maybe a season, I am Starling House. I am an impossible architecture, a thing built from the dreams and nightmares of ten generations. There are wisteria roots wrapped around my bones and coffins buried beneath my skin.�


Oh what a gem. An absolute delight of a book bursting with beautiful prose full of gothic dreams and lonely girls, a boy with a burden and a home that aches with love. ]]> 3.98 2023 Starling House
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/28
date added: 2023/11/28
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa
review:
”For a moment, or maybe a season, I am Starling House. I am an impossible architecture, a thing built from the dreams and nightmares of ten generations. There are wisteria roots wrapped around my bones and coffins buried beneath my skin.�


Oh what a gem. An absolute delight of a book bursting with beautiful prose full of gothic dreams and lonely girls, a boy with a burden and a home that aches with love.
]]> <![CDATA[Dragon Pearl (Thousand Worlds, #1)]]> 34966859 THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD MIN comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you'd never know it by looking at her. To keep the family safe, Min’s mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times.

Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She’s counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds.

When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name.

Min’s quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams.]]> 312 Yoon Ha Lee 136801335X Cristina 3 2023 3.81 2019 Dragon Pearl (Thousand Worlds, #1)
author: Yoon Ha Lee
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/25
date added: 2023/11/21
shelves: 2023
review:

]]> The First Move 62016602
Ronan is the new kid: good looking, smart, a bad boy plagued by guilt over what happened to his brother Ciaran. Chesslife is his escape; there, he's not just 'the boy with the brother'.

Juliet thinks Ronan thinks someone like Ronan could never be interested in someone like her - and she wouldn't want him to be anyway because he always acts like he's cooler than everyone else. Whereas, Ronan thinks life is already too complicated for dating and just wants to keep his head down at school.

Little do they know they've already discovered each other online, and have more in common than they think . . .]]> 448 Jenny Ireland 0241591821 Cristina 2 2023, taylorswift-reference 3.78 2023 The First Move
author: Jenny Ireland
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2023/07/27
date added: 2023/11/21
shelves: 2023, taylorswift-reference
review:

]]> Business or Pleasure 62710608
Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. Her next project is ghostwriting a memoir for Finn Walsh, a C-list actor best known for playing a lovable nerd on a cult classic werewolf show who now makes a living appearing at fan conventions across the country. But Chandler knows him better from their one-night stand of hilarious mishaps.

Chandler’s determined to keep their partnership as professional as possible, but when she admits to Finn their night together wasn’t as mind-blowing as he thought it was, he’s distraught. He intrigues her enough that they strike a deal: when they’re not working on his book, Chandler will school Finn in the art of satisfaction. As they grow closer both in and out of the bedroom, they must figure out which is more important, business or pleasure—or if there's a way for them to have both.]]> 352 Rachel Lynn Solomon 0593548531 Cristina 4 2023 3.72 2023 Business or Pleasure
author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/13
date added: 2023/11/21
shelves: 2023
review:
I have a thing for absolute dorks apparently
]]> You, with a View 59737396 Two weeks on the road... stuck in a car with your high-school enemy.

Noelle Shepard is grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother when she discovers decades-old photos and letters that hint to a forbidden love in her gram's past. Needing to know the full story, she creates a TikTok video appealing for information - and it goes viral.

Through her video, she manages to track down her grandmother's secret love, Paul, who offers to take her on the honeymoon road-trip he and Gram planned but never got to go on.

Noelle jumps at the chance to make this one last connection with her grandmother. There's just one problem - Paul's grandson is Noelle's frustratingly handsome high-school rival Theo.

And Theo has to come, too.

It's only two weeks. Surely Noelle can survive that long? But with one car between them - and often only one bed - it doesn't take long for things to heat up...
]]> 352 Jessica Joyce 059354840X Cristina 4 2023 4.05 2023 You, with a View
author: Jessica Joyce
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/21
date added: 2023/11/21
shelves: 2023
review:

]]> Forget Me Not 61273082
What would you do if you forgot the love of your life ever even existed?

Stevie and Nora had a love. A secret, epic, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. They also had a plan: to leave their small, ultra-conservative town and families behind after graduation and move to California, where they could finally stop hiding that love.

But then Stevie has a terrible fall. And when she comes to, she can remember nothing of the last two years—not California, not coming to terms with her sexuality, not even Nora. Suddenly, Stevie finds herself in a life she doesn’t quite understand, one where she’s estranged from her parents, drifting away from her friends, lying about the hours she works, dating a boy she can’t remember crushing on, and headed towards a future that isn’t at all what her fifteen-year-old self would have envisioned.

And Nora finds herself…forgotten. Can the two beat the odds a second time and find their way back together when “together� itself is just a lost memory?]]> 320 Alyson Derrick 166590237X Cristina 4
Outside of their rekindled love, I also really appreciated the focus placed on portraying complex family dynamics. How difficult it is to reconcile the harm against the love. What it’s like to be raised in a deeply conservative environment. The strength it takes to seek out a better life, with or without your family. And yes I did start to get wildly emotional at the end of this book.

Overall, this was a solid solo debut and I’m excited to see what future projects Alyson has in store for us!]]> 4.24 2023 Forget Me Not
author: Alyson Derrick
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/31
date added: 2023/11/21
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic, taylorswift-reference
review:
I’m going to be honest, I was slightly hesitant going into this novel because of the premise. Girl gets amnesia and can’t remember the love of her life? Seen it a dozen times before. However, any concern I had quickly fell away the further I got into the story because I just absolutely adored Nora and Stevie’s relationship. For a YA novel, this book was so incredibly romantic. Watching Stevie fall in love with Nora again was really special and tender, at no point did I ever doubt their romance.

Outside of their rekindled love, I also really appreciated the focus placed on portraying complex family dynamics. How difficult it is to reconcile the harm against the love. What it’s like to be raised in a deeply conservative environment. The strength it takes to seek out a better life, with or without your family. And yes I did start to get wildly emotional at the end of this book.

Overall, this was a solid solo debut and I’m excited to see what future projects Alyson has in store for us!
]]> <![CDATA[The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)]]> 51901147
The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.]]> 541 Suzanne Collins Cristina 5 2023
For a man who is so obsessed with being the symbol of control, to be torn apart by a mob of the people he viewed as subhuman chaos, is so satisfying]]> 3.99 2020 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/21
date added: 2023/11/21
shelves: 2023
review:
I think this deep dive into Snow’s methodology makes his death at the end of Mockingjay even more poetic.

For a man who is so obsessed with being the symbol of control, to be torn apart by a mob of the people he viewed as subhuman chaos, is so satisfying
]]> Juniper & Thorn 58966216 From highly acclaimed, bestselling author Ava Reid comes a gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree, set in another time and place within the world of The Wolf and the Woodsman, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her abusive wizard father, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Catherynne M. Valente.

A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.

Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. As Oblya’s last true witches, she and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But at night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city’s amenities and revel in its thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theater, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart.

As Marlinchen’s late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father’s rage and magic. And while Oblya flourishes with culture and bustles with enterprise, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power. Caught between history and progress and blood and desire, Marlinchen must draw upon her own magic to keep her city safe and find her place within it.]]> 368 Ava Reid 0062973169 Cristina 4 2023 3.63 2022 Juniper & Thorn
author: Ava Reid
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/16
date added: 2023/11/16
shelves: 2023
review:

]]> Vespertine 56980403 Artemisia se está preparando para unirse a las hermanas grises, encargadas de purificar a los fallecidos para que sus almas sigan adelante; de ​​lo contrario, sus espíritus despiertan con un hambre voraz por los vivos. Ella prefiere tratar con los muertos, que a diferencia de los vivos nunca hacen comentarios sobre su turbio pasado.
Cuando su convento sufre un ataque, Artemisia lo defiende despertando a un antiguo espíritu vinculado a una reliquia. Es un renacido, un ser malévolo que amenaza con poseerla en cuanto baje la guardia. La muerte ha llegado a Loraille, y solo una vespertina (una sacerdotisa entrenada para controlar una gran reliquia) puede aspirar a detenerla. Pero los conocimientos de las vespertinas hace mucho que se perdieron, por lo que a Artemisia no le queda más opción que recurrir al único que puede saber algo: el mismísimo renacido.
Mientras su vínculo con el renacido se fortalece entre secretos y magia, un mal oculto comienza a surgir. Y enfrentarse a él puede requerir que traicione todo en lo que cree... si es que el renacido no la traiciona primero.]]> 400 Margaret Rogerson 153447711X Cristina 5 2023, favorites “Perhaps the decisions that shaped the course of history weren’t made in scenes worthy of stories and tapestries, but in ordinary places like these, driven by desperation and doubt.�

I can’t explain it exactly, but this book was made for the girlies who are obsessed with Joan of Arc]]> 4.09 2021 Vespertine
author: Margaret Rogerson
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/13
date added: 2023/11/13
shelves: 2023, favorites
review:
“Perhaps the decisions that shaped the course of history weren’t made in scenes worthy of stories and tapestries, but in ordinary places like these, driven by desperation and doubt.�


I can’t explain it exactly, but this book was made for the girlies who are obsessed with Joan of Arc
]]> Wolfsong (Green Creek, #1) 29233804 here.

Ox was twelve when his daddy taught him a very valuable lesson. He said that Ox wasn’t worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left.

Ox was sixteen when he met the boy on the road, the boy who talked and talked and talked. Ox found out later the boy hadn’t spoken in almost two years before that day, and that the boy belonged to a family who had moved into the house at the end of the lane.

Ox was seventeen when he found out the boy’s secret, and it painted the world around him in colors of red and orange and violet, of Alpha and Beta and Omega.

Ox was twenty-three when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his bloodred eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces.

It’s been three years since that fateful day—and the boy is back. Except now he’s a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.]]> 494 T.J. Klune Cristina 0 2023, lgbtqa 4.25 2016 Wolfsong (Green Creek, #1)
author: T.J. Klune
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2023/11/09
date added: 2023/11/09
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)]]> 63910262 In the luscious, dark sequel to One Dark Window, Elspeth must face the consequences of what she's wrought - perfect for readers of Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf and Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching.

Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders.

If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, they will need to journey beyond the dangerous mist-cloaked forest that surrounds their kingdom.

And the only one who can lead them there is the monster that shares Elspeth's head. The Nightmare. And he's not eager to share any longer.]]> 437 Rachel Gillig 0356519503 Cristina 5 2023 4.39 2023 Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/07
date added: 2023/11/07
shelves: 2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Her Body and Other Parties: Stories]]> 33375622 Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. While her work has earned her comparisons to Karen Russell and Kelly Link, she has a voice that is all her own. In this electric and provocative debut, Machado bends genre to shape startling narratives that map the realities of women's lives and the violence visited upon their bodies.

A wife refuses her husband's entreaties to remove the green ribbon from around her neck. A woman recounts her sexual encounters as a plague slowly consumes humanity. A salesclerk in a mall makes a horrifying discovery within the seams of the store's prom dresses. One woman's surgery-induced weight loss results in an unwanted houseguest. And in the bravura novella Especially Heinous, Machado reimagines every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a show we naively assumed had shown it all, generating a phantasmagoric police procedural full of doppelgangers, ghosts, and girls with bells for eyes.

Earthy and otherworldly, antic and sexy, queer and caustic, comic and deadly serious, Her Body and Other Parties swings from horrific violence to the most exquisite sentiment. In their explosive originality, these stories enlarge the possibilities of contemporary fiction.

The husband stitch --
Inventory --
Mothers --
Especially heinous --
Real women have bodies --
Eight bites --
The resident --
Difficult at parties]]> 248 Carmen Maria Machado 155597788X Cristina 4 “I have heard all of the stories about girls like me, and I am I afraid to make more of them.� ]]> 3.85 2017 Her Body and Other Parties: Stories
author: Carmen Maria Machado
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/03
date added: 2023/11/03
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, novellas, sapphic
review:
“I have heard all of the stories about girls like me, and I am I afraid to make more of them.�

]]> Carmilla 49849088
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s compelling tale of a young woman’s seduction by a female vampire was a source of influence for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which it predates by over a quarter century. Carmilla was originally serialized from 1871 to 1872 and went on to inspire adaptations in film, opera, and beyond, including the cult classic web series by the same name.

Carmilla kicks Dracula’s ass. Alluring, macabre, oneiric—the novella unfolds in endlessly strange directions every time I revisit it. And at its core, a pair of indelible female characters, whose attraction to each other is so undeniable that the text itself seems unable to contain them. I can’t think of a better guide through this ethereal, infuriating book than Carmen Machado—whose Borgesian imagination unearths for us the possibilities buried in its pages.

—Jordan Hall, co-creator & writer of Carmilla: The Series]]> 141 J. Sheridan Le Fanu 1941360386 Cristina 4 3.95 1872 Carmilla
author: J. Sheridan Le Fanu
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1872
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/02
date added: 2023/11/03
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, novellas, sapphic
review:

]]> Silver Nitrate 63249718 New York Times bestselling author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic comes a fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about the curse that haunts a legendary lost film--and awakens one woman's hidden powers.

Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys� club running the film industry in �90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend, Tristán, a charming if faded soap opera star, though she’s been in love with him since childhood.

Then Tristán discovers his new neighbor is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he can change their lives—even if his tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock sounds like sheer fantasy. The magic film was never finished, which is why, Urueta swears, his career vanished overnight. He is cursed.

Now the director wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him shoot the missing scene and lift the curse . . . but Montserrat soon notices a dark presence following her, and Tristán begins seeing the ghost of his ex-girlfriend.

As they work together to unravel the mystery of the film and the obscure occultist who once roamed their city, Montserrat and Tristán may find that sorcerers and magic are not only the stuff of movies.]]> 323 Silvia Moreno-Garcia 0593355369 Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa 3.56 2023 Silver Nitrate
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/01
date added: 2023/11/02
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa
review:

]]> Slashed 199089365
However, Slashed is more challenging than Sadie expected. With its neon lights and horrifying twists, the night meant to be fun rapidly turns into a frightening search for an exit. But soon, Sadie finds herself being stalked by a masked scare actor who seems to put on a bloody performance just for her, and she begins to wonder� Is it all part of the experience, or is it all secretly real?

As the chase between them ensues, Sadie realizes she must do whatever it takes to escape the house, even if it includes seducing the mysterious silver mask hunting her.





Slashed is a short Halloween-themed horror novella intended for mature audiences. It contains triggers, adult themes, and explicit content, reader discretion is advised.]]> 156 Thalia Sanchez Cristina 0 2023, novellas 3.78 Slashed
author: Thalia Sanchez
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.78
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2023/10/30
date added: 2023/10/31
shelves: 2023, novellas
review:

]]> Camp Damascus 61884782 A searing and earnest horror debut about the demons the queer community faces in America, the price of keeping secrets, and finding the courage to burn it all down.

They’ll scare you straight to hell.

Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.

Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective� gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.]]> 246 Chuck Tingle 1250874629 Cristina 4 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic too gay.”]> 3.90 2023 Camp Damascus
author: Chuck Tingle
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/27
date added: 2023/10/27
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
“Don’t worry. It’s just a demon from the depths of hell here to keep you from being too gay.�
]]> Squire: A Graphic Novel 57992923
It's not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the "greater good" that Bayt-Sajji's military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.

Aiza will have to choose, once and for all: loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.]]> 305 Nadia Shammas 006294584X Cristina 5 2023, graphicnovels-manga
I really loved this graphic novel! One, because I am always a sucker for women with swords. But two, it tackled very pertinent issues that push readers to question and contemplate real world stances. As we follow Aiza’s story, we delve into how imperialist empires wield propaganda and dehumanization to maintain colonialism. Perpetuating the false notion that integration is possible for the conquered if they simply comply, but then encouraging racism and xenophobia amongst the populace to maintain an us vs them mentality so unity is never possible.

I like how Aiza signed up to be a squire because she wanted to be a hero, and by the end of the story she fully realizes that dream. Just not in the way she expected. This felt like only the beginning of Aiza’s story so I wouldn’t be surprised if we get some sequels in the future! ]]> 4.05 2022 Squire: A Graphic Novel
author: Nadia Shammas
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/20
date added: 2023/10/20
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga
review:
“[Squire] is a story about someone stuck between conflicting existences realizing that empire never holds place for the conquered�

I really loved this graphic novel! One, because I am always a sucker for women with swords. But two, it tackled very pertinent issues that push readers to question and contemplate real world stances. As we follow Aiza’s story, we delve into how imperialist empires wield propaganda and dehumanization to maintain colonialism. Perpetuating the false notion that integration is possible for the conquered if they simply comply, but then encouraging racism and xenophobia amongst the populace to maintain an us vs them mentality so unity is never possible.

I like how Aiza signed up to be a squire because she wanted to be a hero, and by the end of the story she fully realizes that dream. Just not in the way she expected. This felt like only the beginning of Aiza’s story so I wouldn’t be surprised if we get some sequels in the future!
]]> <![CDATA[What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier, #1)]]> 58724626
What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.]]> 165 T. Kingfisher 1250830753 Cristina 4 2023, lgbtqa, novellas 3.86 2022 What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier, #1)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/20
date added: 2023/10/20
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, novellas
review:

]]> All the Dead Lie Down 59746346 The Haunting of Bly Manor meets House of Salt and Sorrows in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley’s contemporary YA gothic romance about a dark family lineage, the ghosts of grief, and the lines we’ll cross for love.

The Sleeping House was very much awake . . .

Days after a tragedy leaves Marin Blythe alone in the world, she receives a surprising invitation from Alice Lovelace—an acclaimed horror writer and childhood friend of Marin’s mother. Alice offers her a nanny position at Lovelace House, the family’s coastal Maine estate.

Marin accepts and soon finds herself minding Alice’s peculiar girls. Thea buries her dolls one by one, hosting a series of funerals, while Wren does everything in her power to drive Marin away. Then Alice’s eldest daughter returns home unexpectedly. Evie Hallowell is every bit as strange as her younger sisters, and yet Marin is quickly drawn in by Evie’s compelling behavior and ethereal grace.

But as Marin settles in, she can’t escape the anxiety that follows her like a shadow. Dead birds appear in Marin’s room. The children’s pranks escalate. Something dangerous lurks in the woods, leaving mutilated animals in its wake. All is not well at Lovelace House, and Marin must unravel its secrets before they consume her.]]> 368 Kyrie McCauley 0063242982 Cristina 4 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic 3.77 2023 All the Dead Lie Down
author: Kyrie McCauley
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/17
date added: 2023/10/17
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:

]]> Burn Down, Rise Up 58523152 Stranger Things meets Get Out in this Sapphic Horror debut from nonbinary, Afro-Latine author Vincent Tirado.

Mysterious disappearances.
An urban legend rumored to be responsible.
And one group of teens determined to save their city at any cost.

For over a year, the Bronx has been plagued by sudden disappearances that no one can explain. Sixteen-year-old Raquel does her best to ignore it. After all, the police only look for the white kids. But when her crush Charlize's cousin goes missing, Raquel starts to pay attention—especially when her own mom comes down with a mysterious illness that seems linked to the disappearances.

Raquel and Charlize team up to investigate, but they soon discover that everything is tied to a terrifying urban legend called the Echo Game. The game is rumored to trap people in a sinister world underneath the city, and the rules are based on a particularly dark chapter in New York's past. And if the friends want to save their home and everyone they love, they will have to play the game and destroy the evil at its heart—or die trying.]]> 352 Vincent Tirado 1728246008 Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic 3.73 2022 Burn Down, Rise Up
author: Vincent Tirado
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/16
date added: 2023/10/16
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:

]]> The Weight of Blood 59816818
When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night, they all have the same explanation � Maddy did it.

An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she's dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage. Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial. She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father, Thomas Washington.

After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High's racist roots, student leaders come up with a plan to host the school's first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date, leaving Maddy wondering if it's possible to have a normal life.

But some of her classmates aren't done with her just yet. And what they don't know is that Maddy still has another secret � one that will cost them all their lives. "]]> 416 Tiffany D. Jackson 0063029146 Cristina 5 2023 4.18 2022 The Weight of Blood
author: Tiffany D. Jackson
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/10
date added: 2023/10/10
shelves: 2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Chalice of the Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures, #1)]]> 63035432
Unfortunately, the gods aren’t quite done with him yet. Poseidon breaks the bad news that if Percy expects to get into New Rome University, he will have to fulfill three quests in order to earn the necessary three letters of recommendation from Mount Olympus.

The first task is to help Ganymede, Zeus’s cupbearer, retrieve his golden goblet before it falls into the wrong hands. You see, one sip from it can turn a mortal into a god, and Zeus would not be pleased with that result. Can Percy and his friends Grover and Annabeth find the precious cup in time? And if they do, will they be able to resist its special power?

Readers new to Percy Jackson universe and fans who have been awaiting this reunion for more than a decade will delight equally in this latest hilarious take on Greek mythology by the "storyteller of the gods."]]> 288 Rick Riordan 1368098177 Cristina 5 2023
Brimming with nostalgia, Chalice of the Gods offers a more mature and hopeful side of Percy. Our boy is growing up� and his anticipation and dreams of the future are enough to get any long time fan’s waterworks started]]> 4.27 2023 The Chalice of the Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures, #1)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/10
date added: 2023/10/10
shelves: 2023
review:
Don’t mind me, just profusely vomiting blood over how utterly adorable, spectacular, and enviable Percabeth is

Brimming with nostalgia, Chalice of the Gods offers a more mature and hopeful side of Percy. Our boy is growing up� and his anticipation and dreams of the future are enough to get any long time fan’s waterworks started
]]> <![CDATA[The Sun and the Star (The Nico di Angelo Adventures #1)]]> 63028719 Demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace must endure the terrors of Tartarus to rescue an old friend in this thrilling adventure co-written by New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan and award-winning author Mark Oshiro.

As the son of Hades, Nico di Angelo has been through so much, from the premature deaths of his mother and sister, to being outed against his will, to losing his friend Jason during the trials of Apollo. But there is a ray of sunshine in his life–literally: his boyfriend, Will Solace, the son of Apollo. Together the two demigods can overcome any obstacle or foe. At least, that’s been the case so far...

Now Nico is being plagued by a voice calling out to him from Tartarus, the lowest part of the Underworld. He thinks he knows who it is: a reformed Titan named Bob whom Percy and Annabeth had to leave behind when they escaped Hades’s realm. Nico’s dreams and Rachel Dare’s latest prophecy leave little doubt in Nico’s mind that Bob is in some kind of trouble. Nico has to go on this quest, whether Mr. D and Chiron like it or not. And of course Will insists on coming with. But can a being made of light survive in the darkest part of the world? and what does the prophecy mean that Nico will have to “leave something of equal value behind?�

Nico will have to face demons both internal and external as his relationship with Will is tested to the core in this standalone adventure featuring two of the most popular characters in the Percy Jackson saga.]]> 480 Rick Riordan 1368081347 Cristina 3 2023, lgbtqa
This was very different from Rick’s other books, both in tone and outline. Right from the start we are immersed in a much darker narrative voice than usual. TSATS lacks Rick’s signature light humor, which took some time to adjust to. The formatting of the story utilizes flashbacks, dreams, and prologues in a way that Rick hasn’t done before, adding a nice touch to the storyline.

As someone who has been reading Rick’s books for well over a decade (and just finished a marathon reread of all his books) I cannot categorize this as a Rick Riordan book. I don’t know how Rick and Mark agreed to structure their co-writing, but it seems to me that this is more Mark’s book than Rick’s. Which isn’t inherently a bad thing, but unfortunately many of the characters came off as mere shadows of their true selves. It seemed to stem from a severe misunderstanding of their characterizations.

Another un-Rick aspect of this book is how you are repeatedly hit over the head with blatant explanations. There is little left up to interpretation. Even when a nice metaphor is left to simmer, a character whose sole purpose is to explain it shows up. Such as Persephone arriving to reveal the symbolism of her garden flourishing in the underworld. Hades popping in at the end to emphasis why this quest was so important. Bob being used solely as a vehicle for Nico and Will’s relationship uniting the light and dark. Do I even want to touch on how we literally get Nico’s trauma personified??? Rick has always done an amazing job of weaving parallels between his characters, infusing questions of morality into the storyline, and developing consistant themes without needing to explicitly point them out. It’s his teacher side shinning through revealing a level of trust with his young audience, and a belief in their intelligence. None of which was present in this book.

One of the major pillars of this book is Nico’s grief over Jason’s death. Jason played a very monumental role in Nico’s coming out story and path towards accepting himself. I believe the grieving portrayed is valid and also expected. However, at times it reached a point where Nico’s history with Jason was being painted as stronger than it actually was. We were being told to believe this deep relationship developed off page rather than actually being shown it. This led to other interactions feeling strange and stilted, like Nico and Piper’s conversation at the end of the book. Why did she expect Nico to reach out after Jason’s death when they had barely interacted before?

Another glaring issue was the timeline discrepancies. Hades allows Nico to speak to his mother and Bianca again, and it is said that Bianca visits from Elysium. However, we learned in Son of Neptune that Bianca chose rebirth so this is impossible. Also, in Nico’s flashback to his first visit to Tartarus, he states that he missed other demigods like Percy, Annabeth, and Jason. But he and Jason had no connection prior to Mark of Athena. It would have made more sense for him to think of Hazel. Which leads to another issue: WHERE IS HAZEL??? The lack of Hazel in this book was my BIGGEST grievance because that’s my girl. She was mentioned two times, tops. This book would have been a perfect opportunity to deepen their bond and further develop their complex relationship.

Something I did enjoy about this book (which I think was completely inadvertent) was how Will could be used as a measure for “normal� demigods. You know those jokes about how the Olympics should have regular people compete in the games so we better understand just how superhuman the Olympians are? That is what Will is to me. Seeing how much he struggled in his journey, and how horrified he was by the underworld and Tartarus made me appreciate how strong Percy, Annabeth, and Nico are. Percabeth visited the underworld at 12! And barely even batted an eye lmao

I also liked how this book continued to build upon the foundation Rick has laid regarding the morality of monsters. Rick has made it a point in the Percy Jackson universe that nothing is merely black and white. Monsters can be good and choose to change just as much as they can be bad. Tyson, Mrs O’Leary, and Bob are prime examples and I enjoyed the deeper contemplation of this idea with Nyx’s children.

I understand why Rick thought it prudent to bring Mark onto this project. I just wish they had spent more time getting familiar with each other’s writing styles so this book fit better into the established Percy Jackson universe. It physically pains me to give a Rick book such a lukewarm rating, I’ve never given his work less than 5 stars before.]]> 4.21 2023 The Sun and the Star (The Nico di Angelo Adventures #1)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/30
date added: 2023/10/10
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa
review:
I have� a lot of thoughts.

This was very different from Rick’s other books, both in tone and outline. Right from the start we are immersed in a much darker narrative voice than usual. TSATS lacks Rick’s signature light humor, which took some time to adjust to. The formatting of the story utilizes flashbacks, dreams, and prologues in a way that Rick hasn’t done before, adding a nice touch to the storyline.

As someone who has been reading Rick’s books for well over a decade (and just finished a marathon reread of all his books) I cannot categorize this as a Rick Riordan book. I don’t know how Rick and Mark agreed to structure their co-writing, but it seems to me that this is more Mark’s book than Rick’s. Which isn’t inherently a bad thing, but unfortunately many of the characters came off as mere shadows of their true selves. It seemed to stem from a severe misunderstanding of their characterizations.

Another un-Rick aspect of this book is how you are repeatedly hit over the head with blatant explanations. There is little left up to interpretation. Even when a nice metaphor is left to simmer, a character whose sole purpose is to explain it shows up. Such as Persephone arriving to reveal the symbolism of her garden flourishing in the underworld. Hades popping in at the end to emphasis why this quest was so important. Bob being used solely as a vehicle for Nico and Will’s relationship uniting the light and dark. Do I even want to touch on how we literally get Nico’s trauma personified??? Rick has always done an amazing job of weaving parallels between his characters, infusing questions of morality into the storyline, and developing consistant themes without needing to explicitly point them out. It’s his teacher side shinning through revealing a level of trust with his young audience, and a belief in their intelligence. None of which was present in this book.

One of the major pillars of this book is Nico’s grief over Jason’s death. Jason played a very monumental role in Nico’s coming out story and path towards accepting himself. I believe the grieving portrayed is valid and also expected. However, at times it reached a point where Nico’s history with Jason was being painted as stronger than it actually was. We were being told to believe this deep relationship developed off page rather than actually being shown it. This led to other interactions feeling strange and stilted, like Nico and Piper’s conversation at the end of the book. Why did she expect Nico to reach out after Jason’s death when they had barely interacted before?

Another glaring issue was the timeline discrepancies. Hades allows Nico to speak to his mother and Bianca again, and it is said that Bianca visits from Elysium. However, we learned in Son of Neptune that Bianca chose rebirth so this is impossible. Also, in Nico’s flashback to his first visit to Tartarus, he states that he missed other demigods like Percy, Annabeth, and Jason. But he and Jason had no connection prior to Mark of Athena. It would have made more sense for him to think of Hazel. Which leads to another issue: WHERE IS HAZEL??? The lack of Hazel in this book was my BIGGEST grievance because that’s my girl. She was mentioned two times, tops. This book would have been a perfect opportunity to deepen their bond and further develop their complex relationship.

Something I did enjoy about this book (which I think was completely inadvertent) was how Will could be used as a measure for “normal� demigods. You know those jokes about how the Olympics should have regular people compete in the games so we better understand just how superhuman the Olympians are? That is what Will is to me. Seeing how much he struggled in his journey, and how horrified he was by the underworld and Tartarus made me appreciate how strong Percy, Annabeth, and Nico are. Percabeth visited the underworld at 12! And barely even batted an eye lmao

I also liked how this book continued to build upon the foundation Rick has laid regarding the morality of monsters. Rick has made it a point in the Percy Jackson universe that nothing is merely black and white. Monsters can be good and choose to change just as much as they can be bad. Tyson, Mrs O’Leary, and Bob are prime examples and I enjoyed the deeper contemplation of this idea with Nyx’s children.

I understand why Rick thought it prudent to bring Mark onto this project. I just wish they had spent more time getting familiar with each other’s writing styles so this book fit better into the established Percy Jackson universe. It physically pains me to give a Rick book such a lukewarm rating, I’ve never given his work less than 5 stars before.
]]> Our Wives Under the Sea 58659343
Moving through something that only resembles normal life, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had before might be gone. Though Leah is still there, Miri can feel the woman she loves slipping from her grasp.

Our Wives Under The Sea is the debut novel from Julia Armfield, the critically acclaimed author of Salt Slow. It’s a story of falling in love, loss, grief, and what life there is in the deep deep sea.]]> 240 Julia Armfield 152901722X Cristina 4 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic 3.75 2022 Our Wives Under the Sea
author: Julia Armfield
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/30
date added: 2023/09/30
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:

]]> Siren Queen 58724597
Luli Wei is beautiful, talented, and desperate to be a star. Coming of age in pre-Code Hollywood, she knows how dangerous the movie business is and how limited the roles are for a Chinese American girl from Hungarian Hill—but she doesn’t care. She’d rather play a monster than a maid.

But in Luli’s world, the worst monsters in Hollywood are not the ones on screen. The studios want to own everything from her face to her name to the women she loves, and they run on a system of bargains made in blood and ancient magic, powered by the endless sacrifice of unlucky starlets like her. For those who do survive to earn their fame, success comes with a steep price. Luli is willing to do whatever it takes—even if that means becoming the monster herself.

Siren Queen offers up an enthralling exploration of an outsider achieving stardom on her own terms, in a fantastical Hollywood where the monsters are real and the magic of the silver screen illuminates every page.]]> 280 Nghi Vo 1250788838 Cristina 3 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic 3.68 2022 Siren Queen
author: Nghi Vo
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/29
date added: 2023/09/30
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 4]]> 28219405 394 Natsuki Takaya 0316360651 Cristina 5 2023, graphicnovels-manga 4.54 2016 Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 4
author: Natsuki Takaya
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/26
date added: 2023/09/26
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Camp Jupiter Classified: A Probatio's Journal (The Trials of Apollo)]]> 52889464 In this companion book to Rick Riordan's best-selling Trials of Apollo series, bizarre things are happening throughout Camp Jupiter.

To find out why, readers can consult the pages of this camper's journal, which reveals the secrets of the Roman demigods' training ground.

It's the February after Gaea's defeat, and mysterious incidents are wreaking havoc throughout Camp Jupiter. If the Romans don't figure out who--or what--is behind the episodes soon, the Twelfth Legion could implode.

Suspicion falls on Claudia, the Fourth Cohort's newest probatio. After all, the mischief started shortly after she stumbled into camp. Plus, she's a daughter of Mercury, the god of thieves and tricksters. To find out whether she's guilty or innocent, readers can delve into the pages of Claudia's personal journal. Through her eyewitness accounts, they will visit the crime scenes--a row of seats in the Coliseum, an underground aqueduct tunnel, the strange staircase at the back of the principia--and see the bizarre events unfold. They'll be right alongside Claudia when she discovers a secret so ancient that not even the lares know about it . . . a secret that holds the key to Camp Jupiter's safety.]]> 161 Rick Riordan 136802405X Cristina 5 2023, novellas 3.89 2020 Camp Jupiter Classified: A Probatio's Journal (The Trials of Apollo)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/25
date added: 2023/09/25
shelves: 2023, novellas
review:

]]> Briefly, A Delicious Life 59366260
In 1473, fourteen-year-old Blanca dies in a hilltop monastery in Mallorca. Nearly four hundred years later, when George Sand, her two children, and her lover Frederic Chopin arrive in the village, Blanca is still there: a spirited, funny, righteous ghost, she’s been hanging around the monastery since her accidental death, spying on the monks and the townspeople and keeping track of her descendants.

Blanca is enchanted the moment she sees George, and the magical novel unfolds as a story of deeply felt, unrequited longing—a teenage ghost pining for a woman who can’t see her and doesn’t know she exists. As George and Chopin, who wear their unconventionality, in George’s case, literally on their sleeves, find themselves in deepening trouble with the provincial, 19th-century villagers, Blanca watches helplessly and reflects on the circumstances of her own death (which involved an ill-advised love affair with a monk-in-training).

Charming, original, and emotionally moving -- gorgeous and surprising exploration of artistry, desire, and life after death.]]> 304 Nell Stevens 1982190949 Cristina 4 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic 3.75 2022 Briefly, A Delicious Life
author: Nell Stevens
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/24
date added: 2023/09/24
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
Oh to be a freaky little 14 yr old girl haunting a small Spanish town for 300 years who then develops an obsessive attachment to the hot French masc that moves in
]]> <![CDATA[Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 3]]> 28219404
But even a vacation can't prepare the group for the surprise that awaits them upon their return. When a face from Kyo's past makes an appearance, he lets a shocking secret about the cat out of the bag...]]> 391 Natsuki Takaya 0316360643 Cristina 5 2023, graphicnovels-manga
Going to kms]]> 4.65 2016 Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 3
author: Natsuki Takaya
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/21
date added: 2023/09/21
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga
review:
“Why would somebody like you be with me? Why would you cry for me? How could I even ask for that? I sure as hell don’t have the right. Even you being with me is a mistake. And yet� this time I find myself thinking I wanna take care of you, and I don’t wanna leave you. I’m wishing for it.�

Going to kms
]]> <![CDATA[She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor, #1)]]> 48727813 Two-time British Fantasy Award Winner
Astounding Award Winner
Lambda Literary Award Finalist
Hugo Award Finalist
Locus Award Finalist
Otherwise Award Finalist

"Magnificent in every way."—Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree

"A dazzling new world of fate, war, love and betrayal."—Zen Cho, author of Black Water Sister

She Who Became the Sun reimagines the rise to power of the Ming Dynasty’s founding emperor.

To possess the Mandate of Heaven, the female monk Zhu will do anything

“I refuse to be nothing…�

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness�

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu takes the chance to claim another future her brother's abandoned greatness.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 416 Shelley Parker-Chan 1250621798 Cristina 5
It’s refreshing to read about such naked fervent hunger. A character unashamed of reaching out towards fate and grasping it in both hands. ]]> 3.87 2021 She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor, #1)
author: Shelley Parker-Chan
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/19
date added: 2023/09/19
shelves: 2022, sapphic, lgbtqa, favorites, 2023
review:
Read: 2

It’s refreshing to read about such naked fervent hunger. A character unashamed of reaching out towards fate and grasping it in both hands.
]]> <![CDATA[Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 1]]> 28219400
A perennial favorite of fans and librarians alike, Natsuki Takaya's beloved bestselling Fruits Basket series returns to print in gorgeous deluxe English-language omnibus editions with beautiful full-color illustrations that are not to be missed!]]> 400 Natsuki Takaya 0316360163 Cristina 5 4.50 2016 Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 1
author: Natsuki Takaya
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/06
date added: 2023/09/15
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga, favorites
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 2]]> 28118570 381 Natsuki Takaya 031636018X Cristina 5 2023, graphicnovels-manga 4.58 2016 Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 2
author: Natsuki Takaya
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/15
date added: 2023/09/15
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1)]]> 58416952 At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this new fantasy series by internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington.

AUDI. VIDE. TACE.

The Catenan Republic � the Hierarchy � may rule the world now, but they do not know everything.

I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilised society in allowing my strength, my drive and my focus � what they call Will � to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.

I tell them that I belong, and they believe me.

But the truth is that I have been sent to the Academy to find answers. To solve a murder. To search for an ancient weapon. To uncover secrets that may tear the Republic apart.

And that I will never, ever cede my Will to the empire that executed my family.

To survive, though, I will still have to rise through the Academy’s ranks. I will have to smile, and make friends, and pretend to be one of them and win. Because if I cannot, then those who want to control me, who know my real name, will no longer have any use for me.

And if the Hierarchy finds out who I truly am, they will kill me.]]> 639 James Islington 1982141190 Cristina 5 2023
The Will of the Many is a Roman inspired fantasy following the orphaned prince of a conquered kingdom, forced to hide his identity while trying to survive in the empire that took everything from him. He soon finds himself thrust into the political intricacies of this empire when he is recruited to a prestigious academy by a senator in need of an inside informant.

This book is such an incredibly classic fantasy, I was skeptical of it offering anything substantial. However any possible boredom quickly dissipated as I fell head over heels in love with Vis. He become like a son to me. The biggest grin split my face with every new accomplishment, I felt like a proud father. I could read 12 more books in this world just because of him and his exploits.

The ending of this book opened up this series to some very interesting possibilities in the future, and I’m intrigued to see how it will evolve. A lot of mysteries yet to be uncovered!]]> 4.60 2023 The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1)
author: James Islington
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/07
date added: 2023/09/07
shelves: 2023
review:
I will say, I was hesitant about the high ratings at first. In the beginning, this seemed like it brought nothing new to the table.

The Will of the Many is a Roman inspired fantasy following the orphaned prince of a conquered kingdom, forced to hide his identity while trying to survive in the empire that took everything from him. He soon finds himself thrust into the political intricacies of this empire when he is recruited to a prestigious academy by a senator in need of an inside informant.

This book is such an incredibly classic fantasy, I was skeptical of it offering anything substantial. However any possible boredom quickly dissipated as I fell head over heels in love with Vis. He become like a son to me. The biggest grin split my face with every new accomplishment, I felt like a proud father. I could read 12 more books in this world just because of him and his exploits.

The ending of this book opened up this series to some very interesting possibilities in the future, and I’m intrigued to see how it will evolve. A lot of mysteries yet to be uncovered!
]]> <![CDATA[Nona the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #3)]]> 58662507
The zombies are coming back.

And all Nona wants is a birthday party.

In many ways, Nona is like other people. She lives with her family, has a job at her local school, and loves walks on the beach and meeting new dogs. But Nona's not like other people. Six months ago she woke up in a stranger's body, and she's afraid she might have to give it back.

The whole city is falling to pieces. A monstrous blue sphere hangs on the horizon, ready to tear the planet apart. Blood of Eden forces have surrounded the last Cohort facility and wait for the Emperor Undying to come calling. Their leaders want Nona to be the weapon that will save them from the Nine Houses. Nona would prefer to live an ordinary life with the people she loves, with Pyrrha and Camilla and Palamedes, but she also knows that nothing lasts forever.

And each night, Nona dreams of a woman with a skull-painted face...]]> 480 Tamsyn Muir 1250854113 Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
Biggest lesson: do NOT mess with cows ]]> 4.36 2022 Nona the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #3)
author: Tamsyn Muir
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/18
date added: 2023/08/25
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
John is very relatable in how he constantly seeks reassurance from the people around him that they don’t hate him, unrelatable however is how he does so after he has committed heinous atrocities

Biggest lesson: do NOT mess with cows
]]> <![CDATA[The Tower of Nero (The Trials of Apollo, #5)]]> 48717744 416 Rick Riordan 1484746457 Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa
Apollo is such a well written anti-hero and his development was wonderful. Meg also had so much depth to her storyline and personality. The way Rick tackled complex family dynamics and the trauma of abusive authority figures made this series more mature than his previous.

There were so many important issues touched on while showing friendship, kindness, and humanity prevailing.]]> 4.46 2020 The Tower of Nero (The Trials of Apollo, #5)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/23
date added: 2023/08/23
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa
review:
I absolutely adored this series. I think it might even be Rick’s best written series. I’m glad he was able to fix some of the issues he created in HOO, as well as set up for some new novels.

Apollo is such a well written anti-hero and his development was wonderful. Meg also had so much depth to her storyline and personality. The way Rick tackled complex family dynamics and the trauma of abusive authority figures made this series more mature than his previous.

There were so many important issues touched on while showing friendship, kindness, and humanity prevailing.
]]> Summer's Edge 54273547 I Know What You Did Last Summer mٲ�The Haunting of Hill House  in this atmospheric, eerie teen thriller following an estranged group of friends being haunted by their friend who died last summer.

Emily Joiner was once part of an inseparable group—she was a sister, a best friend, a lover, and a rival. Summers without Emily were unthinkable. Until the fire burned the lake house to ashes with her inside.

A year later, it’s in Emily’s honor that Chelsea and her four friends decide to return. The house awaits them, meticulously rebuilt. Only, Chelsea is haunted by ghostly visions. Loner Ryan stirs up old hurts and forces golden boy Chase to play peacemaker. Which has perfect hostess Kennedy on edge as eerie events culminate in a stunning accusation: Emily’s death wasn’t an accident. And all the clues needed to find the person responsible are right here.

As old betrayals rise to the surface, Chelsea and her friends have one night to unravel a mystery spanning three summers before a killer among them exacts their revenge.]]> 352 Dana Mele Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic 3.55 2022 Summer's Edge
author: Dana Mele
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/21
date added: 2023/08/21
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
Goddamn. Horror that deals with distorted reality freaks me the fuck out
]]> <![CDATA[Camp Half-Blood Confidential: Your Real Guide to the Demigod Training Camp (The Trials of Apollo)]]> 32320908
For instance, campers do not always co-exist in peace and harmony. The camp is not run with superior efficiency. Prophecies do not flow forth with great regularity. Sprinkled throughout are stories from heroes who have called Camp Half-Blood home or just passed through on their way to places unknown. Chiron himself introduces the book with a brief history of training based on his millennia of experience. And, of course, there are divine words of wisdom from the god Apollo himself, because . . . well, because the demigod authors would prefer not to be struck down, thank you very much.]]> 192 Rick Riordan 148478555X Cristina 5 2017, 2023, novellas 4.08 2017 Camp Half-Blood Confidential: Your Real Guide to the Demigod Training Camp (The Trials of Apollo)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/09
date added: 2023/08/20
shelves: 2017, 2023, novellas
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Tyrant’s Tomb (The Trials of Apollo, #4)]]> 28006109 In his penultimate adventure, a devastated but determined Apollo travels to Camp Jupiter, where he must learn what it is to be a hero, or die trying.

It's not easy being Apollo, especially when you've been turned into a human and banished from Olympus. On his path to restoring five ancient oracles and reclaiming his godly powers, Apollo (aka Lester Papadopoulos) has faced both triumphs and tragedies. Now his journey takes him to Camp Jupiter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the Roman demigods are preparing for a desperate last stand against the evil Triumvirate of Roman emperors. Hazel, Reyna, Frank, Tyson, Ella, and many other old friends will need Apollo's aid to survive the onslaught. Unfortunately, the answer to their salvation lies in the forgotten tomb of a Roman ruler . . . someone even worse than the emperors Apollo has already faced.]]> 439 Rick Riordan 1368001440 Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa 4.29 2019 The Tyrant’s Tomb (The Trials of Apollo, #4)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/12
date added: 2023/08/12
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa
review:

]]> Princess in Practice 39643886 352 Connie Glynn 0141379863 Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic The gayest fucking book 4.16 2018 Princess in Practice
author: Connie Glynn
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/10
date added: 2023/08/10
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
The gayest fucking book
]]> <![CDATA[The Burning Maze (The Trials of Apollo, #3)]]> 28006096 Thanks a lot, Dad.

With the help of some demigod friends, Lester managed to survive his first two trials, one at Camp Half-Blood, and one in Indianapolis, where Meg received the Dark Prophecy. The words she uttered while seated on the Throne of Memory revealed that an evil triumvirate of Roman emperors plans to attack Camp Jupiter. While Leo flies ahead on Festus to warn the Roman camp, Lester and Meg must go through the Labyrinth to find the third emperor--and an Oracle who speaks in word puzzles--somewhere in the American Southwest. There is one glimmer of hope in the gloom-filled prophecy: The cloven guide alone the way does know. They will have a satyr companion, and Meg knows just who to call upon. . . .]]> 448 Rick Riordan 1368024122 Cristina 5 2018, 2023, lgbtqa 4.24 2018 The Burning Maze (The Trials of Apollo, #3)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/06
date added: 2023/08/06
shelves: 2018, 2023, lgbtqa
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo, #2)]]> 30145666
After experiencing a series of dangerous--and frankly, humiliating--trials at Camp Half-Blood, Lester must now leave the relative safety of the demigod training ground and embark on a hair-raising journey across North America. Fortunately, what he lacks in godly graces he's gaining in new friendships--with heroes who will be very familiar to fans of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus series. Come along for what promises to be a harrowing, hilarious, and haiku-filled ride. . . .]]> 432 Rick Riordan 1484746422 Cristina 5 2018, 2023, lgbtqa 4.09 2017 The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo, #2)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/03
date added: 2023/08/03
shelves: 2018, 2023, lgbtqa
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo, #1)]]> 26252859
By making him human.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour.

But Apollo has many enemies—gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go... an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.]]> 376 Rick Riordan 148473274X Cristina 5 2018, 2023, lgbtqa 4.13 2016 The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo, #1)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/25
date added: 2023/08/02
shelves: 2018, 2023, lgbtqa
review:
Apollo’s daddy issues are very relatable
]]> I'm Glad My Mom Died 59364173
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,� eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?� She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly , she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!�), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.]]> 320 Jennette McCurdy Cristina 5 2023, taylorswift-reference 4.45 2022 I'm Glad My Mom Died
author: Jennette McCurdy
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/02
date added: 2023/08/02
shelves: 2023, taylorswift-reference
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Something Spectacular (Something Fabulous #2)]]> 61027622 319 Alexis Hall 1542035287 Cristina 3 2023, lgbtqa 3.96 2023 Something Spectacular (Something Fabulous #2)
author: Alexis Hall
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/31
date added: 2023/08/01
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa
review:
Just as camp, melodramatic, and over the top as Something Fabulous, but lacking in a driving plot or conflict to keep your attention :( I needed more substance to truly root for the couple
]]> <![CDATA[Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales, #1)]]> 52654173 It's difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you're a young lady with only half a soul.

Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment - a condition which makes her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season - but when the strange, handsome and utterly uncouth Lord Sorcier discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into dangerous and peculiar faerie affairs.

If Dora's reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all of high society, then she may yet reclaim her normal place in the world. . . but the longer Dora spends with Elias Wilder, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love, even with only half a soul.

Bridgerton meets Howl's Moving Castle in this enchanting historical fantasy, where the only thing more meddlesome than faeries is a marriage-minded mother.

Pick up HALF A SOUL, and be stolen away into Olivia Atwater's charming, magical version of Regency England!]]> 260 Olivia Atwater 1777241723 Cristina 5 2023 4.21 2020 Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales, #1)
author: Olivia Atwater
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/29
date added: 2023/08/01
shelves: 2023
review:
Howl x Sophie variants will forever rule the world
]]> <![CDATA[The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches]]> 60018635 A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family--and a new love--changes the course of her life.

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don't mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she's used to being alone and she follows the rules...with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.

But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and...Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he's concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn't know she was looking for....
]]> 318 Sangu Mandanna 059343935X Cristina 5 2023 4.04 2022 The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
author: Sangu Mandanna
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/31
date added: 2023/08/01
shelves: 2023
review:
The warmest comfiest most magical hug
]]> Love, Theoretically 61326735
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.

Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?]]> 389 Ali Hazelwood 1408725797 Cristina 5 4.07 2023 Love, Theoretically
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/05
date added: 2023/07/28
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, taylorswift-reference, favorites
review:
I don’t know how she does it. I’m forever an Ali Hazelwood girlie, sorry not sorry
]]> <![CDATA[One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)]]> 58340706
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.]]> 399 Rachel Gillig 0316312487 Cristina 5 2023
I need book 2 NOW]]> 4.25 2022 One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/27
date added: 2023/07/27
shelves: 2023
review:
There’s nothing quite like finishing a book without realizing. Desperately flipping through the last pages, sitting in disbelief as you’re faced with the brick wall that is the acknowledgements page

I need book 2 NOW
]]> Spells for Lost Things 60320509
There, she meets Mason, a loner who’s always felt out of place and has been in and out of foster homes his entire life. He’s been classified as one of the runaways, constantly searching for ways to make it back to his mom; even if she can’t take care of him, it’s his job to try and take care of her. Isn’t it?

Naturally pulled to one another, Willow and Mason set out across Salem to discover the secret past of Willow’s mother, her aunt, and the ambiguous history of her family. During all of this, the two can’t help but act on their natural connection. But with the amount of baggage between them—and Willow’s growing conviction her family might be cursed—can they manage to hold onto each other?

From the New York Times bestselling author of Love & Gelato comes a poignant and romantic novel about two teens trying to find their place in the world after being unceremoniously dragged to Salem, Massachusetts, for the summer.]]> 368 Jenna Evans Welch 153444887X Cristina 4 2023 4.03 2022 Spells for Lost Things
author: Jenna Evans Welch
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/21
date added: 2023/07/21
shelves: 2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5)]]> 18705209 Nico had warned them. Going through the House of Hades would stir the demigods' worst memories. Their ghosts would become restless. Nico may actually become a ghost if he has to shadow-travel with Reyna and Coach Hedge one more time. But that might be better than the alternative: allowing someone else to die, as Hades foretold.

Jason's ghost is his mother, who abandoned him when he was little. He may not know how he is going to prove himself as a leader, but he does know that he will not break promises like she did. He will complete his line of the prophecy: To storm or fire the world must fall.

Reyna fears the ghosts of her ancestors, who radiate anger. But she can't allow them to distract her from getting the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood before war breaks out between the Romans and Greeks. Will she have enough strength to succeed, especially with a deadly hunter on her trail?

Leo fears that his plan won't work, that his friends might interfere. But there is no other way. All of them know that one of the Seven has to die in order to defeat Gaea, the Earth Mother.

Piper must learn to give herself over to fear. Only then will she be able to do her part at the end: utter a single word.

Heroes, gods, and monsters all have a role to play in the climactic fulfillment of the prophecy in The Blood of Olympus, the electrifying finale of the best-selling Heroes of Olympus series.]]> 516 Rick Riordan Cristina 5 2023 4.42 2014 The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/20
date added: 2023/07/20
shelves: 2023
review:

]]> Fake Dates and Mooncakes 62794544 Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians in this heartfelt, joyful paperback original rom-com that follows an aspiring chef who discovers the recipe for love is more complicated than it seems when he starts fake-dating a handsome new customer.

Dylan Tang wants to win a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teen chefs—in memory of his mom, and to bring much-needed publicity to his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn.

Enter Theo Somers: charming, wealthy, with a smile that makes Dylan’s stomach do backflips. AKA a distraction. Their worlds are sun-and-moon apart, but Theo keeps showing up. He even convinces Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons.

In Theo’s glittering world of pomp, privilege, and crazy rich drama, their romance is supposed to be just pretend . . . but Dylan finds himself falling for Theo. For real. Then Theo’s relatives reveal their true colors—but with the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can’t risk being sidetracked by rich-people problems.

Can Dylan save his family’s business and follow his heart—or will he fail to do both?]]> 272 Sher Lee 0593569954 Cristina 4 3.82 2023 Fake Dates and Mooncakes
author: Sher Lee
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/11
date added: 2023/07/11
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, taylorswift-reference
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling]]> 61057739 yeah, whatevers. She goes with the flow—which is how she ends up singing in her friends� punk band as a favor, even though she’d prefer to hide at the merch table.

Reggie is a D&D Dungeon Master and self-declared Blerd. He spends his free time leading quests and writing essays critiquing the game under a pseudonym, keeping it all under wraps from his disapproving family.

These two, who have practically nothing in common, meet for the first time on New Year’s Eve. And then again on Valentine’s Day. And then again on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s almost like the universe is pushing them together for a reason.

Delilah wishes she were more like Reggie—open about what she likes and who she is, even if it’s not cool. Except . . . it’s all a front. Reggie is just role-playing someone confident. The kind of guy who could be with a girl like Delilah.

As their holiday meetings continue, the two begin to fall for each other. But what happens once they realize they’ve each fallen for a version of the other that doesn’t really exist?]]> 400 Elise Bryant 0063212994 Cristina 3 2023, taylorswift-reference 3.98 2023 Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling
author: Elise Bryant
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/02/07
date added: 2023/07/11
shelves: 2023, taylorswift-reference
review:

]]> A Far Wilder Magic 48909025
Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist--yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he's landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.

Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it's like to be an outsider. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt - if they survive that long.]]> 384 Allison Saft 1250623650 Cristina 3 2023 3.84 2022 A Far Wilder Magic
author: Allison Saft
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/01
date added: 2023/07/11
shelves: 2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Like You’ve Nothing Left to Prove (Breakaway #2)]]> 123015161
At eighteen, figure skater Elijah Rodriguez has already had his Olympic dreams crushed by an accident that left him with a seizure disorder and an existential crisis. Now a popular vlogger and freshmen in college, Eli is trying to figure out what his new future will look like. Which is a little difficult because, oh yeah, he’s dating Alexander Price.

Eli and Alex are happy. It’s sort of a new state of being for both of them. But Eli is out, Alex isn’t, and their very visible “friendship� is already raising eyebrows. They have a plan: Alex will make their relationship public at the end of the season, hopefully with a Stanley Cup in tow. But what happens when that plan is derailed by an overzealous fan who outs them—right before the Hell Hounds� playoff run?]]> 317 E.L. Massey Cristina 3 2023, lgbtqa 4.49 2023 Like You’ve Nothing Left to Prove (Breakaway #2)
author: E.L. Massey
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/07
date added: 2023/07/07
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Like Real People Do (Breakaway, #1)]]> 59694324
Eighteen-year-old vlogger Elijah Rodriguez is a freshman in college recovering from an injury that derailed his Olympic figure-skating dreams. Mixed-race, disabled, and out of the closet since he was fourteen, Eli is unapologetically himself. He has no qualms about voicing his disapproval of celebrity jocks who make homophobic jokes on Twitter and park their flashy cars in the handicapped spaces outside of ice rinks.

After an antagonistic introduction, Alex and Eli’s inexplicable friendship both baffles and charms the internet. But navigating relationships is hard enough for normal teenagers. It’s a lot harder when the world—much of it disapproving—is watching you fall in love with your best friend.]]> 423 E.L. Massey 1648905242 Cristina 4 2023, lgbtqa 4.26 2022 Like Real People Do (Breakaway, #1)
author: E.L. Massey
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/03
date added: 2023/07/07
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa
review:

]]> Elatsoe (Elatsoe, #1) 49089632
There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day.

Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.]]> 362 Darcie Little Badger 1646140052 Cristina 4 2023, lgbtqa 3.98 2020 Elatsoe (Elatsoe, #1)
author: Darcie Little Badger
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/02
date added: 2023/07/02
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower]]> 54391767
But no prince has managed to conquer the first flight yet, let alone get to the fortieth.

In fact, the supply of fresh princes seems to have quite dried up.

And winter is closing in on Floralinda…]]> 146 Tamsyn Muir 1596069929 Cristina 4 2023, lgbtqa, novellas 4.17 2020 Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower
author: Tamsyn Muir
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/29
date added: 2023/06/29
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, novellas
review:
I would consider this a dark fairytale, not so much in a horror context but in a gleeful madness type of way
]]> Old Enough 62562896 A debut novel about a young bisexual woman who is pulled between a new sense of community and loyalty to a friendship she's outgrown

Savannah Sav Henry is almost the person she wants to be, or at least she's getting closer. It's the second semester of her sophomore year. She's finally come out as bisexual, is making friends with the other queers in her dorm, and has just about recovered from her disastrous first queer "situationship." She is cautiously optimistic that her life is about to begin.

But when she learns that Izzie, her best friend from childhood, has gotten engaged, Sav faces a crisis of confidence. Things with Izzie haven't been the same since what happened between Sav and Izzie's older brother when they were sixteen. Now, with the wedding around the corner, Sav is forced to reckon with trauma she thought she could put behind her.

On top of it all, Sav can't stop thinking about Wes from her Gender Studies class--sweet, funny Wes, with their long eyelashes and green backpack. There's something different here--with Wes and with her new friends (who delight in teasing her about this face-burning crush); it feels, terrifyingly, like they might truly see her in a way no one has before.

With a singularly funny, heartfelt voice, Old Enough explores queer love, community, and what it means to be a sexual assault survivor. Haley Jakobson has written a love letter to friendship and an honest depiction of what finding your people can feel like--for better or worse.]]> 336 Haley Jakobson 0593473000 Cristina 4
I feel like college set novels are only just beginning to gain traction, but when we do get them they typically present the characters as these put together individuals. Frankly, I had no idea what the fuck I was doing in college. I’m 24 now, and I only stopped feeling like a teenager two months ago.

I felt connected to Sav through all her awkward, embarrassing, and sometimes insufferable moments. Seeing her struggle with feeling like she didn’t fit in with her peers was super relatable. But then seeing her growth over the novel made me very proud and hopeful. The friends she cultivated, the boundaries she set, the healing she went through was so beautiful. The portrayal and discussion of sexual assault painted a very raw and complex picture as well.

So much queer joy and love in this novel!]]> 3.95 2023 Old Enough
author: Haley Jakobson
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/15
date added: 2023/06/26
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic, taylorswift-reference
review:
I dont read literary fiction very often, but when I do it typically takes me a while to get through. That was not the case for this book, I read it in almost one sitting because the writing was so immersive and intimate.

I feel like college set novels are only just beginning to gain traction, but when we do get them they typically present the characters as these put together individuals. Frankly, I had no idea what the fuck I was doing in college. I’m 24 now, and I only stopped feeling like a teenager two months ago.

I felt connected to Sav through all her awkward, embarrassing, and sometimes insufferable moments. Seeing her struggle with feeling like she didn’t fit in with her peers was super relatable. But then seeing her growth over the novel made me very proud and hopeful. The friends she cultivated, the boundaries she set, the healing she went through was so beautiful. The portrayal and discussion of sexual assault painted a very raw and complex picture as well.

So much queer joy and love in this novel!
]]> If Tomorrow Doesn't Come 62039307
Avery Byrne has secrets. She's queer; she's in love with her best friend, Cass; and she's suffering from undiagnosed clinical depression. But on the morning Avery plans to jump into the river near her college campus, the world discovers there are only nine days left to an asteroid is headed for Earth, and no one can stop it.

Trying to spare her family and Cass additional pain, Avery does her best to make it through just nine more days. As time runs out and secrets slowly come to light, Avery would do anything to save the ones she loves. But most importantly, she learns to save herself. Speak her truth. Seek the support she needs. Find hope again in the tomorrows she has left.

If Tomorrow Doesn't Come is a celebration of queer love, a gripping speculative narrative, and an urgent, conversation-starting book about depression, mental health, and shame.]]> 416 Jen St. Jude 1547611367 Cristina 5
“I did believe this for certain, finally: there is no one so broken they are completely unsalvageable. There is no life so hopeless tomorrow can’t be at least a little better.�



This book made me want to break every single of my teeth (complimentary)


Also I’m counting the thanking of Taylor + Folklore in the acknowledgments as a reference]]> 4.18 2023 If Tomorrow Doesn't Come
author: Jen St. Jude
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/26
date added: 2023/06/26
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic, taylorswift-reference
review:
“I did believe this for certain, finally: there is no one so broken they are completely unsalvageable. There is no life so hopeless tomorrow can’t be at least a little better.�



This book made me want to break every single of my teeth (complimentary)


Also I’m counting the thanking of Taylor + Folklore in the acknowledgments as a reference
]]> We Deserve Monuments 58484187 We Deserve Monuments, a YA debut from Jas Hammonds that explores how racial violence can ripple down through generations.

What’s more important: Knowing the truth or keeping the peace?

Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she's uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery’s mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she’s turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two.

While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town’s most prominent family—whose mother’s murder remains unsolved.

As the three girls grow closer—Avery and Simone’s friendship blossoming into romance—the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery’s family in ways she can’t even imagine. With Mama Letty's health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she's built in Bardell—or if some things are better left buried.]]> 384 Jas Hammonds 1250816556 Cristina 5 4.27 2022 We Deserve Monuments
author: Jas Hammonds
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/25
date added: 2023/06/25
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic, taylorswift-reference
review:
It’s the mark of a good writer when the reader feels every single emotion the characters do. When you’re joyful when they’re joyful, angry when they’re angry, sad when they’re sad.
]]> <![CDATA[Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1)]]> 42036538
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won't set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.]]> 448 Tamsyn Muir 1250313198 Cristina 5 Update:

Times read: 3
Times cried: 3


Honestly I would love to eat Tamsyn Muir’s brain, an absolutely brillant individual


Original review:

Gideon, oh Gideon, my himbo love. Your swoon-worthy biceps and fucking cool ass style has made me fall in love. Your snark and compassion, and did I mention your biceps? God I love lesbians

“I am undone without you� uh yeah, that makes two of us Harrow lmao you ain’t special

Anyways they better fucking fix what happened at the end of this book in the next one or else somebody is gonna have to deal with my fury. Until then I’m just going to pretend like it didn’t happen :) so I don’t cry :)]]> 4.19 2019 Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1)
author: Tamsyn Muir
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/25
date added: 2023/06/25
shelves: 2021, favorites, sapphic, lgbtqa, 2022, 2023
review:
Update:

Times read: 3
Times cried: 3


Honestly I would love to eat Tamsyn Muir’s brain, an absolutely brillant individual


Original review:

Gideon, oh Gideon, my himbo love. Your swoon-worthy biceps and fucking cool ass style has made me fall in love. Your snark and compassion, and did I mention your biceps? God I love lesbians

“I am undone without you� uh yeah, that makes two of us Harrow lmao you ain’t special

Anyways they better fucking fix what happened at the end of this book in the next one or else somebody is gonna have to deal with my fury. Until then I’m just going to pretend like it didn’t happen :) so I don’t cry :)
]]> That Summer Feeling 61984828 Turns out you're never too old for a summer camp romance. Or a change of heart. When a divorced woman attends a sleepaway camp for adults only, she reconnects with a man from her past--only to catch feelings for his sister instead.

Garland Moore used to believe in magic, the power of optimism, and signs from the universe. Then her husband surprised her with divorce papers over Valentine's Day dinner. Now Garland isn't sure what to believe anymore, except that she's clearly never meant to love again. When new friends invite her to spend a week at their reopened sleepaway camp, she and her sister decide it's an opportunity to enjoy the kind of summer getaway they never had as kids. If Garland still believed in signs, this would sure seem like one. Summer camp is a chance to let go of her past and start fresh.

Nestled into the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, Camp Carl Cove provides the exact escape Garland always dreamed of, until she runs into Mason--the man she had a premonition about after one brief meeting years ago. No matter how she tries to run, the universe appears determined to bring love back into Garland's life. She even ends up rooming with Mason's sister Stevie, a vibrant former park ranger who is as charming as she is competitive. The more time Garland spends with Stevie, the more the signs confuse her. The stars are aligning in a way Garland never could have predicted.

Amid camp tournaments and moonlit dances, Garland continues to be pulled toward the beautiful blonde outdoorswoman who makes her laugh and swoon. Summer camp doesn't last forever, but if Garland can learn to trust her heart, the love she finds there just might.]]> 336 Bridget Morrissey 0593549244 Cristina 4 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic If a book was a cinnamon roll 3.73 2023 That Summer Feeling
author: Bridget Morrissey
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/21
date added: 2023/06/21
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
If a book was a cinnamon roll
]]> <![CDATA[Harrow the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #2)]]> 39325105 Harrow the Ninth, the sequel to Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor's haunted space station.

She answered the Emperor's call.

She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.

In victory, her world has turned to ash.

After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman's shoulders.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath � but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.

Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor's Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?]]> 512 Tamsyn Muir 1250313228 Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic 4.30 2020 Harrow the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #2)
author: Tamsyn Muir
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/03
date added: 2023/06/19
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
Truly made me violently throw up blood
]]> Bitterthorn 61688564
Mina, daughter of the duke, is grieving and lonely. She has lost all hope of any future for herself in Blumwald. So when the Witch demands her next companion, Mina offers herself up � though she has no idea what fate awaits her. Stranded with her darkly alluring captor, the mystery of what happened to the previous companions draws Mina into the heart of a terrifying secret that could save her life, or end it.]]> 368 Kat Dunn 1839132957 Cristina 3 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
How are you going to give this grand declaration of love after the Witch communicated her fear that she was too much of a monster to love, and then turn around and RUN AWAY when you learn the truth. Like oh my god grow a fucking spine. It was truly difficult to get on board with the romance ]]> 3.89 2023 Bitterthorn
author: Kat Dunn
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
Majority of this book was a 4 star, but the last third dropped it down to 3 star because Mina pissed me the fuck off

How are you going to give this grand declaration of love after the Witch communicated her fear that she was too much of a monster to love, and then turn around and RUN AWAY when you learn the truth. Like oh my god grow a fucking spine. It was truly difficult to get on board with the romance
]]> <![CDATA[The Demigod Files (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)]]> 3992598 151 Rick Riordan 142312166X Cristina 5 2023, novellas 4.03 2009 The Demigod Files (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/05
date added: 2023/06/14
shelves: 2023, novellas
review:
Yes I did complete the crossword puzzle and word search
]]> <![CDATA[The Demigod Diaries (The Heroes of Olympus)]]> 12959086 244 Rick Riordan 1423163001 Cristina 5 2023, novellas 4.11 2012 The Demigod Diaries (The Heroes of Olympus)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/31
date added: 2023/06/14
shelves: 2023, novellas
review:

]]> Even Though I Knew the End 59807975
An exiled auspex who sold her soul to save her brother's life is offered one last job before serving an eternity in hell. When she turns it down, her client sweetens the pot by offering up the one payment she can't resist―the chance to have a future where she grows old with the woman she loves.

To succeed, she is given three days to track down the White City Vampire, Chicago's most notorious serial killer. If she fails, only hell and heartbreak await.]]> 136 C.L. Polk 1250849454 Cristina 4 3.80 2022 Even Though I Knew the End
author: C.L. Polk
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/14
date added: 2023/06/14
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, novellas, sapphic
review:

]]> Our Hideous Progeny 61067597 It is not the monster you must fear, but the monster it makes of men. . .

For readers of Circe or Ariadne, a brilliant literary revisiting of Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein with a fresh, queer, provocative twist.

Mary is the great-niece of Victor Frankenstein. She knows her great uncle disappeared in mysterious circumstances in the Arctic, but she doesn't know why or how...

The 1850s is a time of discovery, and London is ablaze with the latest scientific theories and debates, especially when a spectacular new exhibition of dinosaur sculptures opens at the Crystal Palace. Mary, with a sharp mind and a sharper tongue, is keen to make her name in this world of science alongside her geologist husband Henry, but without wealth and connections, their options are limited.

But when Mary discovers some old family papers that allude to the shocking truth behind her great-uncle's past, she thinks she may have found the key to securing their future... Their quest takes them to the wilds of Scotland, to Henry's intriguing but reclusive sister Maisie, and to a deadly chase with a rival who is out to steal their secret.

Our Hideous Progeny is a sumptuous tale of ambition and obsession, of forbidden love and sabotage; an adventure story that blends classic, immersive storytelling with contemporary themes.]]> 400 C.E. McGill 0857529048 Cristina 3 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic It is a ravenous thing, ambition; even more so than curiosity

The pacing of this novel did the story a huge disservice. While I enjoy a well done atmospheric ‘vibes over plot� storyline, I still require thematic contemplation to occupy my mind. Almost 60% of this book was dedicated to simple day-to-day recounting. Various scientific presentations, diner parties, conversations occur to hound in the fact that the 19th century was deeply misogynistic and racist. I did not need that many chapters to explain to me why exactly Mary was so angry.

When we finally get to the construction of the creature, it feels like its existence is barely a blip in the story. While the original Frankenstein focused so deeply on questioning in the face of advancement, contemplating the responsibility of creators for their creations, the influence of family on character, and the downfalls of ambition over morality� we get barely any concrete exploration of similar themes in Our Hideous Progeny. It failed to offer anything unique or distinct from the original Frankenstein, and it could even be argued that it offers far less. There are scattered thoughts that prompt the beginning of interesting conversations, but they occur in the last few chapters of the book and are quickly abandoned before any true contemplation occurs.

I think the main problem is that I went into this story expecting something that it was not. Frankenstein as a character is deeply unlikable, morally ambiguous and his descent into madness is fascinating to read about. Mary, however, is meant to be likable. She has a strong head on her shoulders and the reader is supposed to sympathize with the hardships she faces. And unfortunately that does not make her very interesting to me considering this is a gothic novel. I wanted to root for an unhinged female character who was difficult to defend. I wanted so much more gritty darkness than what we got.

Despite all of this, McGill has shown that they hold great potential and I will eagerly pick up any future novels they put out. I am interested in seeing their writing growth as they have a lot of talent, and hopefully a future story will mesh better with my tastes.]]> 3.92 2023 Our Hideous Progeny
author: C.E. McGill
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/12
date added: 2023/06/12
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
It is a ravenous thing, ambition; even more so than curiosity


The pacing of this novel did the story a huge disservice. While I enjoy a well done atmospheric ‘vibes over plot� storyline, I still require thematic contemplation to occupy my mind. Almost 60% of this book was dedicated to simple day-to-day recounting. Various scientific presentations, diner parties, conversations occur to hound in the fact that the 19th century was deeply misogynistic and racist. I did not need that many chapters to explain to me why exactly Mary was so angry.

When we finally get to the construction of the creature, it feels like its existence is barely a blip in the story. While the original Frankenstein focused so deeply on questioning in the face of advancement, contemplating the responsibility of creators for their creations, the influence of family on character, and the downfalls of ambition over morality� we get barely any concrete exploration of similar themes in Our Hideous Progeny. It failed to offer anything unique or distinct from the original Frankenstein, and it could even be argued that it offers far less. There are scattered thoughts that prompt the beginning of interesting conversations, but they occur in the last few chapters of the book and are quickly abandoned before any true contemplation occurs.

I think the main problem is that I went into this story expecting something that it was not. Frankenstein as a character is deeply unlikable, morally ambiguous and his descent into madness is fascinating to read about. Mary, however, is meant to be likable. She has a strong head on her shoulders and the reader is supposed to sympathize with the hardships she faces. And unfortunately that does not make her very interesting to me considering this is a gothic novel. I wanted to root for an unhinged female character who was difficult to defend. I wanted so much more gritty darkness than what we got.

Despite all of this, McGill has shown that they hold great potential and I will eagerly pick up any future novels they put out. I am interested in seeing their writing growth as they have a lot of talent, and hopefully a future story will mesh better with my tastes.
]]> Undercover Princess 34042261
Lottie is thrust into the real world of royalty - a world filled with secrets, intrigue and betrayal. She must do everything she can to help Ellie keep her secret, but with school, the looming Maradovian ball and the mysterious new boy Jamie, she'll soon discover that reality doesn't always have the happily ever after you'd expect...

A thrilling world of parties, politics and bad ass princesses, this is the first book in the brand new series THE ROSEWOOD CHRONICLES.]]> 441 Connie Glynn Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic 4.07 2017 Undercover Princess
author: Connie Glynn
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/10
date added: 2023/06/10
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:
If you loved Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper as a child but always secretly wanted them to be gay, then this is the book for you
]]> Coven: A Graphic Novel 59883558 288 Jennifer Dugan 0593112180 Cristina 4 3.74 2022 Coven: A Graphic Novel
author: Jennifer Dugan
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/09
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: 2023, graphicnovels-manga, lgbtqa, sapphic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 5]]> 60044932 LAST GHOST STANDING, FIRST LOVE BLOSSOMS

Ghosts are converging on the cursed Mount Tonglu for a massive battle royale, the sole survivor of which may become a Ghost King, a being of unimaginable power. Xie Lian is sent to secretly infiltrate and try to prevent this–by destroying any ghosts strong enough to stand a chance.

His heavenly powers are weakened near the cursed mountain, but he has one trump card on his side–Hua Cheng, who has survived Mount Tonglu before. As they struggle against murderous ghosts and the mountain’s strange defenses, Hua Cheng’s knowledge of the area may prove invaluable. But can they even begin to unravel the cursed peak’s secrets?]]> 465 Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù 1638585504 Cristina 5 2023, lgbtqa 4.63 2017 Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 5
author: Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/07
date added: 2023/06/07
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa
review:

]]> Upright Women Wanted 45320365
Esther is a stowaway. She’s hidden herself away in the Librarian’s book wagon in an attempt to escape the marriage her father has arranged for her—a marriage to the man who was previously engaged to her best friend. Her best friend who she was in love with. Her best friend who was just executed for possession of resistance propaganda.

The future American Southwest is full of bandits, fascists, and queer librarian spies on horseback trying to do the right thing. They'll bring the fight to you.

In Upright Women Wanted, award-winning author Sarah Gailey reinvents the pulp Western with an explicitly antifascist, near-future story of queer identity.]]> 176 Sarah Gailey 1250213584 Cristina 4 3.59 2020 Upright Women Wanted
author: Sarah Gailey
name: Cristina
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/06
date added: 2023/06/06
shelves: 2023, lgbtqa, novellas, sapphic
review:
The audiobook was the correct route to take. The vibes were immaculate
]]> <![CDATA[The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia, #1)]]> 60714999 Human or vampire, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always � always � guard your heart.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.

But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.

Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown� and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.

But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone � but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night is the first book in a new series of heart-wrenching romance, dark magic, and bloodthirsty intrigue, perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.]]> 504 Carissa Broadbent Cristina 3 2023 4.30 2022 The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia, #1)
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/30
date added: 2023/06/01
shelves: 2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4)]]> 12127810 Hazel stands at a crossroads. She and the remaining crew of the Argo II could return home with the Athena Parthenos statue and try to stop Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter from going to war. Or they could continue their quest to find the House of Hades, where they might be able to open the Doors of Death, rescue their friends Percy and Annabeth from Tartarus, and prevent monsters from being reincarnated in the mortal world. Whichever road they decide to take, they have to hurry, because time is running out. Gaea, the bloodthirsty Earth Mother, has set the date of August 1 for her rise to power.

Annabeth and Percy are overwhelmed. How will the two of them make it through Tartarus? Starving, thirsty, and in pain, they are barely able to stumble on in the dark and poisonous landscape that holds new horrors at every turn. They have no way of locating the Doors of Death. Even if they did, a legion of Gaea's strongest monsters guards the Doors on the Tartarus side. Annabeth and Percy can't exactly launch a frontal assault.

Despite the terrible odds, Hazel, Annabeth, Percy, and the other demigods of the prophecy know that there is only one choice: to attempt the impossible. Not just for themselves, but for everyone they love. Even though love can be the riskiest choice of all.

Join the demigods as they face their biggest challenges yet in The House of Hades, the hair-raising penultimate book in the best-selling Heroes of Olympus series.]]> 597 Rick Riordan 1423146727 Cristina 5 2023 4.56 2013 The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Cristina
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/25
date added: 2023/05/26
shelves: 2023
review:
Hazel Levesque world domination
]]>