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its-ashleyreads · 1 year

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Finished: 25/01/2023

Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco

For Remy, who was accustomed to making bad decisions, it was an easy choice to make.

Rating: ★★★★★

Summary:

Resident outcast among the Reapers, the kingdom of Aluria’s order of rouge vampire hunters, Remy Pendergast has always worked alone. But when reports of a new, more terrifying breed of beast come to light he is unexpectedly accompanied in his search for answers by Xiaodan Song, heir to the throne of the fourth vampire court, and her fiancée, lord Zidan Malekh. Although fraternizing with vampires can only further harm his already abysmal reputation, Remy can’t help but find himself drawn to, not only Xiaodan, but Zidan as well.

Review:

After putting it on hold for 2022, my friend and I have finally resumed our book club with this stellar first pick! My friend was the one who suggested Silver Under Nightfall, and after seeing that it was already on my Storygraph TBR I okayed it without even reading the synopsis. I went into it completely blind, not knowing what to expect, and I was wowed. The plot on its own was captivating enough, but Remy and his vampire lovers were what really sealed the deal to make this a five-star read.

Remy’s slow discovery of his own desire and sexuality after being, essentially forced, into prostituting himself to noble women as a teenager, was equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. Heartbreaking, because he never even questioned what he’d gone through until someone else pointed out the unsavoriness of adult women preying on a teenage boy who wasn’t in a position to say “no.” Heartwarming, because getting to see a victim of sexual abuse find people who truly love and accept him and want what is best for him is always a win. And Xiaodan and Zidan both loved Remy so much it hurt. The relationship between Xiaodan and Zidan was such a healthy building block for their relationship to further branch out and include Remy, and the way that they both trusted and respected each other was sexy as hell. They consistently prioritized their partners physical and emotional well-beings in everything they did and if they ever messed up or hurt them, their apologies were always swift and sincere. Remy’s addition to their dynamic was both awkward and refreshing as the three of them learned how to be three. Remy wasn’t the only one trying to find his place in their throuple, and I liked how Xiaodan brought up how Zidan was acting with Remy how he used to act with her when they first got together. It made it feel less like Remy was an add on to Xiaodan and Zidan’s relationship and more like their relationship as a throuple was a new beginning for all of them. Less like Remy had to adapt to the already established couple, and more like they were all adapting together in this new type of relationship dynamic.

My only “issue” would be that because so much time was spent on either the polycule or the plot, the imagery of the world itself suffered a bit. I never had too clear a picture in my head of most of the landscapes or characters and oftentimes, would have to stop reading so that I could try to get a better understanding of where things/characters were in a scene or what kind of environment they were in. It didn’t hamper my enjoyment of the book much, I’m definitely a bigger fan of interesting, complex characters than I am of overly descriptive writing, but I do wish that there had just been a bit more attention paid to the descriptions of the world itself.

I am so excited for the next book in this series that I almost wish I had waited to read it until the release date for #2 had been set so I had an actual date to look forward to! But, at least reading it as early as I did means that I get to have these characters in my life for just that little bit longer.

#Silver Under Nightfall #Rin Chupeco #ashley reviews #fantasy #vampires #queer #5/5 #library

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bellamyblakru · 1 year

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WE WENT SEVEN SPACES UP PLS LMFAOO once and future never ending fuckin fandom

#ashley rambles #the power we hold #merthur #merlin #bbc merlin #tumblr year in review

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filmbrainbmb · 10 days

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I edited this look at three Mary-Kate & Ashley shorts from my friends @allisonpregler and @phelous - which required watching more MK&A than medically advisable and took some rather dark turns...

#movie nights #film brain #mary kate olsen #ashley ols #mary-kate and ashley #phelous #review #so little time #mary-kate & ashley #Youtube

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acotars · 9 months

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Read in 2023:

Because ghost stories were just love stories about here and then and now and when, about pockets of happiness and moments that resonated in places long after their era. They were stories that taught you that love was never a matter of time, but a matter of timing.

THE DEAD ROMANTICS by Ashley Poston ★★★★★

#litedit #nalitedit #romanceedit #got choked up reviewing quotes for this desc. i looooved this book #the dead romantics #ashley poston #2023*#edits*#all

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thequietesthing · 14 days

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Bridgerton S3 Part 1 REVIEW!!!

Gentle readers, the time is finally upon us…

SPOILERS AHEAD - books and tv show

Read at you your own risk

let’s go storyline by storyline

Polin: I LOVE THEM YOUR HONOR. they are great. the first episode you wanna smack CB up and down bc he behaves like an ass. Pen my darling i love you but some of your scenes give me second hand embarrassment and i had to watch them thru my fingers lol. I enjoyed the insertion of the character of Lord Debling; he was there, he did his part, which was basically making Colin more evidently jealous. In the books there is no need for that because we follow the thought process of the characters, but in a visual adaptation they have no way to do that so they used the old fashioned jealousy trope, that never disappoints. Confession time, I’m really not a big fan of friends to lovers because a lot of times there is the risk of falling into a series of banalities, BUT in the series, like in the books, it was really really well done. I like how they showed the progressive obsession that Colin has with Penelope, (and I feel like the best is yet to come), because of one thing you can be sure is that that man is OBSESSED with his (future) wife. Scene in the carriage: NAILED IT. Personally I’m also really fond of the scene in the book when he follows her and finds out that she’s LW, which from the promo for the second part I assume will happen (yey!). ALSO THE MIRROR SCENE. I’M WAITING.

Moving on

Francesca: my beloved. Not only do we share a name, but also a core deep awkwardness and the inability to be at the center of attention for more than two minutes straight; not to mention a deep appreciation for silence. I’M LOVING her storyline, I think it has great potential, and we’re finally discovering something more of the mysterious Bridgerton. The way I SCREAMED when John presented himself at Bridgerton House!!!! He is also a sweetheart and they are absolutely lovely together (this characterisation is needed as it will serve as a counterbalance for Michael later). Also Hannah Dodd is just the sweetest tootie-patootie and has such an angel face (which makes me really eager to see her in her season, IYKYK). Idk if you can tell that her book is my favourite lol.

Eloise: my girl, I cannot blame you. Like, let’s be honest, when a friend keeps something from you, especially of such magnitude, you can’t help of being a bit mad. I do think that she still has a great love for Penelope and it shows during these first four episodes. Also, only Eloise can make Cressida Cowper nice apparently. I think it’s going to be very interesting in the second part see her trying to protect her brother from Pen’s secret, but I do believe that in the promo that they showed us there are mostly scenes from episode 5 and 6. She has embraced the mentality if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em, which makes her less “contrary” to society but she still has her quirkiness and wit that distinguishes from the rest.

Kanthony: they are happy, they are in love and they are enjoying their marital bed, and honestly who can blame them?! I love that they are happy and that they are showing us them being happy. I feel that is something that lacked with Daphne and the Duke because of actors unavailability, but I’m happy that both Johnny and Simone decided to continue. Especially Johnny because I have to say I’m a sucker for Anthony as “father-figure” for the youngest siblings, so I’m hoping for a scene with Frannie/Eloise/Gregory/Hyacinth and Anthony, even in future seasons.

Benedict/Violet: I really think that the next season will be Benedict season, and I will elaborate later why, because my man here needs a change of scenery. 3 seasons, every single time the same freaking storyline for my beautiful Benny that is a precious soul and could do so much more than to shag the first person that comes across his path. Violet is really sweet. She worries for her children a lot, like it’s normal for any mother but she’s learning, with a trial-error approach, how to let a bit go. I’m not entirely convinced of this Marcus guy. I think that Lady Danbury needs to sit Violet down and come clean of why she and her brother are estranged because she (being me) needs to know.

Mondrich family: they are so cute, but I feel (and hope) that we will be able to close their story this season because it’s starting to feel a bit dragged on.

All in all, the first part of S3 gets 4,5/5⭐️

Now, my predictions: like I said before I do think that the next season will be Benedict turn, and not Francesca or Eloise, for the following reasons

1.They don’t know what to do with the poor guy anymore, every season a different person but his story arc feels a bit incomplete. They did something last season with the whole art school debacle but we are mostly back to square one.

2.Eloise has not given any indication that she has started writing to Mr.Philip. I think she will start at the end of this season or beginning of the next one.

3.Since we don’t have anymore debutantes for a while, I think next season will begin with Francesca and John’s wedding, and as a secondary storyline they will start to show more of their relationship + they will introduce Michael and all their dynamics.

4.If they continue, I believe Eloise will have the fifth season , with her running away after Benedict (her favourite brother) gets married.

ALSO, and this is more a personal curiosity, I wonder what they will do with LW. Technically, in the books Penelope is discovered and LW dies out; in fact in E/F/H/G we don’t have any LW at the beginning of the chapters but extrapolates of letters from the main character to other characters. It’s interesting I think because, if they do decide to cut her out completely, it will change the format of the series quite a bit as it has become such a core part of how the show is perceived by the audience. Which leads me to a reflection on how they decided to promote/present the show. If Benedict is actually next, I think it will be a bit of a transitional season. Let me explain myself; I don’t think that the queen (and the court in general) will have a big role like she’s been having for the past seasons because the next Bridgerton debutante will be Hyacinth, which is quite a few seasons away. We won’t have anymore LW (technically) and also the stages set in the books, especially for E, but also for F partially, takes place far way from London. If they actually manage to get to H/G seasons (which I hope because I want to see Garrett and Lucy), they will bring back the entire London setting. OBVIOUSLY ASSUMING THAT THEY FOLLOW WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE BOOKs AND DON'T DECIDE TO SWITCH IT UP AND MAKE EVERYTHING HAPPEN IN LONDON (honestly, I hope not)

All this to say that I think that they split this season for two reasons: one of purely economical nature; being the fact that they have been absent from the screens for very long and in order to keep the people talking about the series more (and for longer) and to regain all the money spent, is very strategic to split it in half, keeping engagement high for all the time before/in between/after. The second reason I think is of narrative choices, if we assume that I’m right and Benedict is next, for the reasons I told you before. They want to show a bit of a detachment between the Bridgerton we have known until know and the one that will come later.

Ok I’m done. Gosh, how I ramble.

I have a sixth sense that I need to add this, just to be sure: these are my opinions, feel free not to share them just please be nice if you want to manifest your disagreement.

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lovefrenchisbetter · 2 months

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(via The Row Fall 24)

#the row #fall winter #fw24 #review #lovefrenchisbetter #parisian style #parisian homme #mary kate olsen #ashley olsen #mkanda

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lgbgchipmunk · 24 days

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So my goal this year was to read books I wouldn’t normally read. I always struggle to pick my next read so I decided to create the #CriminalMindsReadingChallenge. It’s a list of every book, play, poem and graphic novel mentioned, referenced or shown through out the seasons (not including opening and closing quotes).

I have digitalised the list if anyone wants it.

Seasons 1-9 are on my instragram now. I just ask you reference me if you share or post on your bookstagram :)

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wlwbookshelf · 7 months

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IRIS KELLY DOESN'T DATE - ASHLEY HERRING BLAKE Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ashley Herring Blake has written another sapphic romance that I was barely able to out down until it was finished. Iris and Stevie are incredibly cute. The book is really successful take on fake dating that actually seems like a plausible reason two people could fake date!

I loved seeing Bright Falls one last time, although I do wish there was two epilogues one for the Iris/Stevie and one for the whole cast!

Based on this trilogy, any sapphic story Ashley Herring Blake writes will be an auto-buy for me.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Iris Kelly is released today (Oct 24th) in the US!

#books #iris kelly doesn’t date #ashley herring blake #bright falls #book review #sapphic lit #booklr #litedit #wlwbooks #wlwlit #wlw literature #bookedit #storyseekers #book creation #blog tour

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evansbby · 4 months

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yall I read this book when I was like 12-13 and it was a “sweet valley high senior year” book and yesterday I found it again and reread the whole thing in 3 hours and honestly??? THIS BOOK IS WILD LIKE IT SAYS FOR AGES 12+ BUT IT IS SOOOOOO WILD OMFG!!!

I kinda wanna do a review on it 😭😭😭 like I think I understand why I write fanfics the way I do… it’s bc I was reading these types of books when I was young lmfaooo

I would love to do a review on it here if anyone would be interested in reading? Like it would be a fun, full of pictures type review post where I summarise this wild af book YOU GUYS PLS WOULD U BE INTERESTED

#THIS SHIT WAS WILD WODJSKXKS #I MEAN FOR A KIDS BOOK LIKE WTF #THERE WAS SOOOO MUCH GOING ON #it was also….. well written??#I also used to read Mary Kate and Ashley books when I was young #like two of a kind and so little time and sweet 16 #but they are soooo tame compared to SWEET VALLEY HIGH SENIOR YEAR #like the boys are so toxic and the girls are bitches and OH MY GOD????#I wanna do a lil review on it would yall read????#please tell me you’d read it I’d love to do it! it would be with pics and really fun and interactive lil review post #sweet valley high

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filmmakerdreamst · 10 months

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“Life with Derek” is Back Again!

Life with Luca is a hour and a half spin-off movie based on the 2000’s Canadian Sitcom Life with Derek, set eighteen years after its predecessor. The story follows two step-siblings, Casey McDonald (Ashley Leggat), now a court lawyer and mother of three. And Derek Venturi (Michael Seater), now a successful musician in Paris and a single dad. As history repeats itself, they both have rebellious fourteen year old teenagers, pushing their buttons. So in order to get a break, they both have the idea of dropping them off with their grandparents for their anniversary, and to their surprise, they end up meeting each other instead. With help, they figure out how to co-parent their kids together for a weekend, and hijinks naturally ensue.

The original show Life with Derek was all about a blended family. In which two teenage step-siblings, Casey and Derek (the eldest children in the household and equally self absorbed), clash; fighting each other to take control of the house, their younger siblings, their school and their world.

The episodes consisted of simple, domestic family antics, containing smart jokes that would make adults and children alike laugh. The storylines were mature enough for teenagers to be interested but not so mature that it would put children off from watching.

Life with Derek was a show that prided itself in being character driven and more realistic than some of the family shows that was airing around that time, especially on networks such as Disney Channel.

However, it became well known and successful to this day for the slow burning subtextual “love affair” between the two step-siblings, Casey and Derek which undoubtedly acted as the backbone of the series. And the reason why it got picked up for a reboot fifteen years after the final episode aired.

When I first read the premise of Life with Luca (when the announcement came out that they were going to make a Life with Derek reboot in 2020), I was immediately judgemental as often reboots can erase character growth. It just seemed like another manufactured money making remake (a copy for the next generation) rather than an actual continuation of the original show.

And while the movie does have alot of tropes repeated from the original i.e. Casey and Derek’s kids Skyler and Luca clash from the beginning, two families not really knowing each other previously merging for the first time etc. The writers had the ability to make these tropes most importantly character driven and natural so the audience didn’t notice the similarities so much. And when they did, it’s treated as a familiar nod rather than a direct copy.

Luca and Skyler

Part of the fun of the original was the ongoing romantic tension between Casey and Derek, and I was worried we were going to have a repeat of that with their kids, Luca and Skyler but thankfully the casting and writing department was alot more thorough. And while they do clash at the beginning, its presented more of a culture clash because of how they were raised, and it evolved into a familial relationship quite quickly. I loved watching their bonding moments.

They managed to keep the core message from the original ‘of family and building a family even when you hate your situation at the beginning’. I felt they did a good job of mirroring that message with Luca and Skyler.

Out of the two, I felt like Skyler was the more fleshed out. The casting for her was amazing, she looks just like Derek’s daughter. I loved how, even though she was clearly meant to be the ‘Casey character’ — organised and dramatic — she still had her own vibe. She had the carefree attitude and style from Derek’s parenting, but still was able to be responsible as she essentially raised herself.

Luca, (the ‘Derek’ character) the more rebellious counterpart, is suggested to be acting out due to his chaotic home life, rather than that’s just “how he is” unlike Derek who was labelled as the bad guy from the start. He’s still very much Casey’s son as he doesn’t have some of the toxic masculinity that Derek possessed in the original show. And he has a few neurotic tendencies from her style of parenting as well. But I almost feel we didn’t get enough of him.

If and when Life with Luca does get picked up as a TV Series later on, it would be nice to flesh out his character alot more (and hers), because there was clearly alot of conflict that the two of them both had, his dad working overseas and her mum having a bran new family, that can’t really be fleshed out thoroughly in a hour and a half film.

George and Nora

George and Nora’s plot was by far the most ridiculous (hint, jewel thief car chase), but I loved seeing them on screen again. It was nice to see how their relationship was still going strong after all this time. Along with their cameo, there were some other great ones such as Sam and Mr Lassiter. It was a shame we didn’t get to see the rest of the blended family such as Edwin and Lizzie and Marti, even for a second at the anniversary party at the end. But I understand the screenwriters wanted to save that for a TV Series later on, so they could be fully explored more.

Simon

Simon, the youngest of the McDonald-Venturi’s (that was a storyline for the last two episodes of the original) was by far my favourite addition to the film. This was surprising, since that storyline in Life with Derek wasn’t exactly my favourite around the time of watching because I don’t necessarily agree that the step-family gaining a shared child made them “a proper family”. Thankfully, Life with Luca proved me wrong as he was so lovable. I loved how he was a perfect mix of both of the McDonalds and the Venturi’s, but mostly the Venturi’s as he was so clumsy.

Casey and Derek

As always, the strongest parts of the movie, were when they were focusing on Casey and Derek, individually and together. I loved how they went with careers that naturally meshed with their personalities. Casey being a married lawyer in Toronto and Derek being a travelling musician in Paris with his daughter as a best friend. Watching Derek be a parent was amazing, especially since he was shown to be really good with kids in the original.

When the two finally meet up again, the audience can see that their friendship has definitely progressed; they have finally learnt to respect one another even though they haven’t spoken one on one for a long time. But they still maintained their comedic banter. It was refreshing to see that character growth. It was nice that it hadn’t backtracked in typical reboot fashion for the sake of drama/entertainment since that relationship was the core of why the original worked.

Now in the original show, Life with Derek, it was never confirmed that Casey and Derek had romantic feelings for each other, but there was alot of speculation by the fans, because of all the subtext going on throughout the series.

The actors, Michael Seater and Ashley Leggat, put a rest to some of the speculation in 2016 and confirmed in a article by MTV that because ‘the fans were so into Casey and Derek being a couple, [they] would find subtext in their lines to give the fans what they desire’

Life with Derek was primarily about the first four years that they [Casey and Derek] lived together. Their relationship mostly consisted of an antagonistic push and pull/tug of war even though at the end of the day, they were always there for each other when it really counted. Even though Casey and Derek claimed to dislike each other, it was very clear that the two had developed a deep bond over the course of the series.

However, Casey and Derek’s relationship in Life with Luca is interesting in a way that they’re no longer in a “sibling dynamic” in which they were previously forced into. Mostly because they’re no longer teenagers and the fact that they’ve barely interacted or lived together in eighteen years since life both took them in very different directions. Which creates a paradox in itself.

It’s this incredibly grey area throughout the movie where they’re adjusting to each other again, slipping into their old bickering, confiding in each other about parenthood, all while transitioning into a mum and dad dynamic while they’re co-parenting the children they had with other people.

Before the movie came out, I was positive, because of the criticisms and hype surrounding the show and the pairing, that the writers were going to diminish the potential of a romance between the characters in fear of backlash. For example, have Casey in a happy marriage, Derek dating around and eventually gain a love interest at the end of the film. Also, trying to make their relationship as “Sibling- Esque” as possible.

Even though I knew from the premise of the reboot, that they were going to move in together, and there would be a few romantic undertones scattered in for the fans, I’d thought they’d play it off more as an “aunt and uncle babysitting the kids”.

But the opposite ended up happening. Casey has an absent husband who continuously leaves her and her kids alone while he plays hockey over seas — breaking his promises that he was going to retire before their kids were teenagers. Derek supposedly hasn’t dated anyone in fourteen years nor mentions flirting with other women. He even has a distant relationship with his daughters mum.

The moment Derek comes, he almost takes ‘the role of her husband’ as he sees Casey isn’t doing so well. He does the cooking for their kids — Casey even mentions that her husband does all the cooking while Derek is preparing dinner — babysits her little ones, attempts to calm Casey down when she’s getting too stressed, helps arrange an anniversary party for their parents so she’s able to get on with her work. And even though, they are referred as “Aunt” and “Uncle” in the movie, it’s also made apparent that they’re essentially “Mum and Dad” to their children as well.

One of Casey’s little ones, Molly even makes a “catch it or you’ll miss it” comment to Derek’s kid in one scene “I wish we were cousins AND sisters.”

Their last scene together at the end of the movie, Casey comes up to Derek saying ‘You’re gonna come home again soon, before the kids go to university?’ in which Derek heavily implies that he wants to move into her guest house to potentially raise their kids together, making a direct parallel to her husband not retiring from hockey and coming home from Europe, even after their kids grew up.

That moment is possibly why I came out from watching the movie thinking ‘If Casey and Derek don’t get together after this; then it’s bad writing’ because their scenes in the reboot didn’t feel like random “fanservice moments” like in the original; it felt like a genuine setup for a romance. Even if it can’t be written explicitly, due to the network, it is the most logical ending for their characters and the movie just made that ending seem even more inevitable.

Despite my enjoyment of Life with Luca, and overall it being a Great Comeback of a 2000’s Classic — it’s not a movie that can really work on its own. Finishing it left me feeling unsatisfied and wanting more. It felt very much like an introduction than a complete product. Its very apparent they made this movie so it could be picked up as a TV series later on, since there is alot of plot threads that are unexplored, unfinished or left open.

Life with Luca is not a reunion movie. It’s only page one.

“Life with Derek” is Back Again! by Ellie Hersey

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