#bc this ones for ya authors

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

A Tempest of Tea

first in a YA fantasy duology

follows a young immigrant woman in a fantasy Victorian city who runs a tearoom that doubles as an illegal bloodhouse for vampires at night

when their business is threatened, she gets a chance to save it by teaming up with her best friend, a rich girl with a talent for forgery, a vampire artist, and a mysterious city guard to do a heist to infiltrate high society and collect a logbook that may reveal the extent of the corruption in the city

fantasy city with a masked ruler, arthurian elements, themes of colonialism

#a tempest of tea #aroaessidhe 2024 reads #This has a really cool concept and worldbuilding and some fantastic characters! #I like the discussion of immigration and colonialism (I appreciate a story in this niche that’s not so white) #I like arthie and jin’s relationship and Arthie is a great character. #It definitely feels like the first half of a story - like is the arthurian stuff gonna come up more or is it just... #the mc is called arthie and has a gun she pulled out of a stone. Is there more to that lmao. it does end on a cliffhanger too. #The main thing I *didn't* like is that the middle kinda turns into…miscellaneous events purely to facilitate the characters being attracted #to each other. good for them I guess but i don’t care. #(I probably should have expected that based on the author’s other duology so that's on me I guess) #(the romances also feel on the older side of YA) #I also found that the audioboook narrator paused slightly too long between sentences. #I love having author interviews at the end of audiobooks! #which also directly called me out for guessing the obvious twist but not the multiple others directly after #(granted the obvious one I was like... genuinely confused whether it was supposed to be a twist bc I thought we already knew that) #also what's up with the coconut. lol. why that specifically

[xxswagcorexx]

one thing i've just been noticing abt ivory's videos is just. the idea of proving yourself, despite all of the odds against you. if its fighting a 100 wardens or killing god, there's always something to be proven. it's proving that you are capable of accomplishing anything, and you'll do so in a heartbeat.

and that, of course, builds a reputation, right? everyone knows ivory! and she's built a very intense reputation for herself, and she's pretty much feared on every single smp shes on

but with that reputation...you're pressured to keep it up. you're forced to go onto the next big thing. to prove that you can accomplish anything in a heartbeat.

so you do the same things over and over again, ramping up the stakes without taking a minute to calm down and breathe

but maybe, there's a small part of you that begs you to stop. to slow down, take a moment for yourself, and take a moment to look back at everything. just to rest

but.

you have a reputation to uphold. even as part of you screams at you and forces you to put in the breaks, the only thing on your mind is to keep on going. to prove you can do what you've set your mind to, and what you've worked so hard for.

(but in the end, it barely feels like anything before you turn away and look for the next accomplishment to complete, because you've killed off the part that forces you to step back and question what you're doing.)

#mcyt #ivorycello #having a normal one tonight . (lying) #btw i have 0 idea if this is the original intention of everything so don't take it as that #i support death of the author (when it comes to media analysis) anyways so. this is just what ivorys videos (so far) means To Me #i just find it So So So fascinating that ivory plays very strategically for everything she does #i havent found much fan content that explores that part of her which i think. is a shame bc its so interesting to me !!! #bc (at least to me) she always has a plan (in her videos) . everything she does is to lead up to a goal shes set for herself #and she Anyaylizes the best possible strategy that 1) plays to her strengths and 2) takes advantage or bypasses her weaknesses #and idk! thats just so Fascinating to me #also ive seen a few things abt ivorys latest video and burnout and. well its finals season rn so just been Thinking about that a lot #and i just think about it sometimes. anyways go watch ivorycello #and also if u wanna send me an ask abt this ^_^ feel free 2!!! im sure im forgetting a few things i can add 2 this but....ya #having a normal one tonight (lying)

[bylertruther]

imma keep it real with you guys and tell u the most basic common sense thing ever which i thought everyone knew but apparently not (not said in a mean or condescending way). ahem. it's ok to write a byler fic that only has byler in it. no one is going to stone you or bite you if you don't include the entire party or every other character. it's literally okay 🩷

#you don't know where to fit x character? or you don't feel confident writing them? brother you literally don't have to include them lol #ngl i love fics written by oldheads who give side characters the most random assignments ever #ESPECIALLY when they're only described physically and it makes you go ''hm.. red hair.. glasses.. WAIT IS IT BARB?! 😦'' #read this one fic where everything is different and it's totally 100% au in every way and there was a character that we never got their #name and it FUCKING KILLED ME!!!!!!!!!!!! bc i couldn't tell if it was joyce or karen omfg jus tht it was an older kind brunette #and then the author disappeared so now i'll never kno </3 #but ya. some of my favorite fics have had only mike and will and maybe the byerses #just because the source material is an ensemble show doesn't mean that all of the fan works have to also be an ensemble!

[beeapocalypse]

trying to craft a funger oc like aughhhh i can see him i can picture him in my head right now [image of the most off putting little man possible]

#he does not have a name yet but he DOES have a vague concept. author from the eastern union who got drafted into the military and-- #--met another guy during the 1 week he had b4 getting shipped out to basic training. they immediately develop a WAY intense relationship-- #--and constantly send letters to each other. author is a total chickenshit and comes to cope w the violence of war thru-- #--alcoholism and a complete retreat into his obsession w the other man. gets a couple wires crossed and has his lust morph into more + more #--violent fantasies that the other man plays along w bc its Fun+Wild (at its core its the authors desire for CONTROL. if hes the one-- #--bringing the pain then hes safe. even better if its with the single person in existence he feels like he can trust during that-- #--period of time). manages to live throughout the rest of the war and rushes back to his lover. spends a slowly degrading week w him where- #--the man comes to realize what he thought of as simple metaphor+exaggeration was TRUE desire from the author + the author flounders-- #--without the then expected+familiar terror day in and day out. culminates in the man demanding the author leave and never try to contact-- #--him again (saying their romance was wild and exciting and unlike anything hed ever experienced but the only good way it couldve ended-- #--was if the author died out on the front and forever left him Wanting without the actual reality of those desires realized) and the-- #--author either tries to shoot himself or the man (fails to do so. lol) b4 running off to the first train out of town. worlds messiest guy #ya it leans a bit into samarie territory but hes fun. his theoretical ending b would probably have smth to do w sylvian worship + marriages #even more vague idea for his moonscorched form is a sopping wet pathetic red wolf ('red wolf' being one of the mans terms of endearment-- #--thru their wartime love letters) w its legs tangled up in barbed wire so it has to drag itself around. red bc its incredibly-- #--thin skin (<-- do you get it .) splits and bleeds thru with every movement. a lot of whining and incoherent babbling as it hesitates to-- #--ACTUALLY attack anybody. should have some cock horror element but ive no ideas on that front LOL #skill ideas are persistence predator (more melee damage dealt the less mind hes got- a backstory choice where he focuses entirely on the-- #--love letters rather than splitting focus on his on-pause career with short stories) and an unnamed one playing into his terror/lust deal- #--where he gets a buff to either melee damage or speed when his phobia is active. want to come up with at least one more though #mmmaybe him being an author doesnt play that well into his concept as a whole but hes my strangeguy so whatever

[werewolf-transgenderism]

got the first book of a popular fantasy novel series that I somehow did not read in my adolescence and like two pages in it's like "oh my god this would have changed my brain chemistry if I read it as a kid"

#the library must not have had these when I was a kid because I read literally every single book in the YA section #I shan't say what series because it would impact my fantasy novel enjoyer cred bc I've never read a single one of this author's books #but literally like right at the start there's that good switcheroo stuff that smacks of beloved medieval romances #reminiscent of Yde and Silence etc etc etc

[denimshortsdean]

the world is a cruel and heartless place with no love for people with long memories

#feeling better now that i can at least confirm that i didn't imagine the works and they were real! #but also oof kick in the teeth that I can never read them again #i want to find the author of one of them bc that person is the reason i listen to bruce springsteen so much #so many songs i picked up from fanfic authors!! #if you are a fic author know i listen to every little song you reference and i cherish many of them #writing #fan fiction #fanfic #it's ya gal rach

[wizardnaturalist]

with lockwood & co getting a positive reception maybe soon it will be the bartimaeus trilogy's time to shine on screen

#I did not know jonathan stroud wrote l&c until 5 minutes ago #bcs I watched the show and could simply Feel that it was an adaptation of a ya book series #and so I looked it up. and lo and behold not only was I right but they were written by one of my favourite middle school authors?? #lockwood & co #the bartimaeus trilogy #jonathan stroud

[ellcrys]

when the fuck did publishers and marketers start using tropes to describe and promote books?????! i’ll fight a bitch!!!

#it's like a cult or something #one of my friends is trying to publish in the ya industry #and whenever i see her instagram stories #either her own or others she's shared #with these fucking trope descriptors #i want to strangle a bitch #anyways feeling irrationally angry about this today #saw a story 'egyptian inspired fantasy debut with enemies to lovers' and i was like i will never read your book #it's frustrating bc like #it's not the author's fault #but if i see a book being describes by tropes it's like an instant turn off

[bangcakes]

.

#the book im reading rn JDJDJDJJDJDJDJDMMFF #this teacher moves to a small town after breaking up with her bf #and she gets befriended by this lady that like everyone is weirdly scared of #and she keeps making one off comments like oh i havent done that in hundreds of years or oh! i could curse them for you! #but the main character thinks shes joking JDJJDJDJZJZJZJZMZMZ BUT SHES NOT TICRDJFNRJSM ITS SO #JDJDJJDNSNSNSNSNSND #but n e way spoiler maybe but the lady was just like oh ya i should tell u n im really scared to but ya im not normal and i think you know #what i am ;))))))) #JFJDD IDK IM SO AMUSED LMAO #but also like its in the horror genre and ive read another of this authors books b4 so i KNOW its gonna turn #but rn its like .... idk rom com vibes #tho a student did like. cough up a spider JFJFJFJFJFJF #like i said. the lady wasnt joking about cursing the students JJjdjdjddjd #personal #oh n the womans house is seemingly haunted but i have to say allegedley bc she denies the accusations

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Stuck In Her Head

short contemporary YA coming-of-age set in Hong Kong, following two teen girls who are friends

one is a musical prodigy but has lost her passion and wants to explore different possibilities for her future

the other is passionate about music but dealing with mental health & family issues

the latter develops a crush on the former, who is aroace, and they have to re-navigate their friendship, while working on a music/coding competition project together and dealing with their own issues

#aroaessidhe 2024 reads #stuck in her head #Hm this had a lot of aspects I found interesting but didn’t quite live up to what I wanted it to be #I definitely love reading YA set not in the west - this is set in Hong Kong - and I liked that a lot! #And of course we always need more YA about friendships rather than being romance focused (though this has an unrequited aspect of that) #This is written by 17yos which is cool! though it does show in the prose a bit. There’s a lot of ‘the girl’ ‘the teen’ instead of their nam #Or like informing the reader of info in slightly awkward ways - one visits the other’s house and says “is this the first time I’ve been to #- I feel like there are better ways to tell the reader this. Like that’s not something you wouldn’t be sure about right? #This made it feel like their friendship was quite tentative - school friends who’ve known each other for years but only really #started hanging out properly recently - but the text says they’ve been inseparable for years. #It definitely tackles a lot of things from burnout and perfectionism; losing passion for your talents; parents divorcing; depression #I just think some could have been handled with a bit more depth/nuance; with more space and introspection given to them #especially their main conflict about one having a crush on the aroace and then she pretends to reciprocate bc the other is suicidal and the #the other finds out and gets mad and it's......weirdly drawn out but also barely explored in depth also? idk #definitely anticipated it to be a bit like this because it's written by such young authors it's expected that they're still perfecting thei #I think teens who prefer shorter books & are looking for this sort of thing would still enjoy it for sure. I'll def look out for future boo #bisexual books #aroace books

[mrs-nubenueve]

so, @burning-the-trees is writing a sakuatsu anastasia!au, and, just contemplating the concept for one second, i knew i had to make atsumu and The Dress a reality…

#haikyuu!! #alternate universe #au #ao3 #sakuatsu #miya atsumu #i haven’t read this yet tho bc for some reason there’s too much going on in my mind when i try to read lately #but i plan to bc the last thing i read from this author had me bawling my eyes out #(and i’m still not done reading that one yet bc ye i had to take a break from being Sad lol) #ANYWAYS you already know i listened to the musical while doodling #but now i have one very important question #is osamu alive or???????? #mx. julieee i already know you’ll unalive em if you gotta I KNOW #so i think there’s a very real chance he’s not…and ya that made doing this all the more interesting #ok ok ok also let me just say seeing anastasia for the first time in this dress like—😳 i was crushing and i didn’t even know it #my art

[didyousaykfc]

fourth wing is like divergent but typical ya fantasy with dragons 🫤 (derogatory)

#writing was honestly mediocre #I think the storyline could have been handled wayyy better #like everything to do with the rebellion #also this one is a pet peeve but it’s pretty clear sometimes taht the mc is just a mouthpiece for the author? #and while I like certain parts that were added to the story there were times where it felt like the author was giving a speech #and the character povs are very uhhhh typical ya… basic tbh #it’s not terrible but it’s not amazing either really not worth the hype 🤨🤨🤨 #my favourite thing about the whole book was just the dragons bc tairn and amdarns were the only bright light #booktok I hate youuuuuuuu #who sucker punched people into thinking it’s a good book #kfc rambles

[exbeaut]

Wild and Wicked Things, Francesca May

#wild and wicked things #francesca may #I’m on a sapphic book kick #like I literally bought bones and all as soon as the movie news came out #and it was delivered today #but instead I’m reading a random book bc it’s sapphic #also I just say random bc I hadn’t heard of it before it was just in the readers also enjoyed section on goodreads lol #which I found after reading the lesbianas catholic school guide? if that’s the full title Idk but I read that last night in like two hours #it was a love hate read for me bc like I knew going into it that it was very much a YA but Idk #I just can’t stand the over the top social media descriptions/mentions #like so much about tiktok?? and why like that wasn’t necessary #but anyway I did love it also tho bc was cute and nice and easy fast read #but this book rn the wild and wicked one #I’m really liking it ahhhhhhhhhh #the one character reminds me of Syd from the midnight lie so like??? #I’m in love #anyway this was a whole fucking book rant in tags sorry prob will delete later lol #OH BUT ALSO WHAT STARTED THIS KICK WAS MY WIFE UNDER THE SEA #THAT ONE WAS FIVE MILLION STARS OMG AMAZKNG #and the author Julia Armfield has another book that’s like anthology like short stories called salt slow #and that was also fucking amazing #so she got me on this manic reading kick which I’m thankful for bc my last two months were big slumps

[instantarmageddon]

It's hard thinking about books I enjoyed as a kid because there's always the lingering question of "was this book actually good, or was it just kind of gay?"

#i read so many shit tier ya books just bc one of the authors was gay and all of his books had at least one gay background character #and in 2011 that was as good as it got baybee 🤷 #just spent like 20 minutes tracking down the name of Define 'normal' (bad title) #a book i picked up at the library STRICTLY bc the cover had two girls on it one of whom had ~purple hair~ #and the plot summary made it sound like they would maybe kiss (they dont) #i stg im gonna start writing the moody lesbian vampire stories of my childhood dreams bc god knows no one else is >:(

[dashiellqvverty]

it feels so lame and cringe that the thing that got me back into reading is the avatar book series but theyre literally SO fucking good. like other YA i’ve tried to read recently i’d felt Talked Down To as a reader (like, obviously im an Adult so its not For Me but as proven by books like these you can write for younger audiences without treating them like idiots) and just couldnt get into things i was even nominally interested in but when i finally finished the first kyoshi book i was like... oh yeah.. books are GOOD. and listened to the audiobook of the second one and like i stalled a bit in between bc i read the first one before my senior year of college and didn’t listen to the next until after and then was so exhausted by work i wasn’t reading/listening much BUT it made me WANT to read again and im finally starting to again now

#like i want to read more books like it!!!! #like i truly didnt feel like i was just drawn in by the fact that it was avatar it was like #fantasy adventure and political intrigue and yangchen is like spy shit and its exciting and its BRUTAL #in a way that the cartoons cant be like theyre able to just get into the details and realities and i just. its good. #and it doesnt feel like im Reading YA Fantasy #like its targeted at ya audiences but i dont read it and think 'god im too old for this' #im thinking about reading the author's other series BUT its YA fantasy set at a high school which makes me wary #im much more interested in reading about a 16 year old if it's a character like the avatar in that kind of world #i also just listened to the nevermoor series (middle grade) which my friends have been reccomending for years #and its sooo good and again. no one is being talked down to. #i tried reading nina varela's middle grade debut bc i love her #well i only read criers war and not the sequel. i loved it at the time but i want to revisit it bc i have a shit memory #mostly i love her for tell me about the big bang lmao #anyway the book sucked #like number one im too old for this number too you do not have to write like this to write for children!! #as evidenced by this other children's book im reading at the same time!!! #r.txt

[spiritofjustice]

i don't hold it against any customer who chooses to buy a book off of Amazon rather than B&N because of pricing or availability but you don't need to tell us that. cause we'll say it's fine 'cause of course it is, it's your money and what works best for you, but most of us are internally like (go fuck yourself) about it BHSDH

Amazon is a fucking monster in the bookselling world. they're destroying the publishing industry. most bookstores hate them ya know, so we don't really wanna hear about it is all

#psy's no punctuation posts #i think especially cause some customers have this utter smugness about choosing amazon bcs they have better prices #ya no shit they're cheaper. they don't sell books for what they're worth and they screw over authors in doing so #like obviously it's fine if you buy from Amazon!! lower prices in this economy are huge but they're a terrible company insofar as the impac #they have on book publishing n bookstores #and it's funny because BARNES AND NOBLE used to be that! but now they're like the underdog #don't get me wrong they're a shitty corporate company like any other but it's so funny how B&N is now the one #fighting for its life against a company that's consuming its competition #B&N has the benefit of being inherently local to any area #because it's run by people who live there. the book choices are often dictated by us. we love those books and we believe in them #vs. an unfeeling algorithm online ya know #anyways i'll get off my soapbox i really don't care i just get annoyed hearing 'i'll use amazon :)' sometimes