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thedrunkenreadersreviews · 4 months

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A Quick List of My Best Rereads of 2023

Ah, I remember when I was but a new reader, exploring all the worlds of books and telling myself, "I'm not going to reread books. That is a waste of time. Time I could spend exploring other realms."

Foolish was I.

(Sip, sip)

Happy winter solstice, my friends, a fitting holiday for this list as one book is what changed my whole opinion on the entire "rereading" thing. To celebrate, let's have some nice Apothic Red Wine and briefly talk about my favorite rereads of 2023. My favorite reads of 2023 will be posted on either NYE or NYD.

(Sip, sip)

Well, let's get to it!

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

(Sip, sip)

I picked this book up after the announcement for The Mysteries of Thorn Manor, wanting to refresh myself on this incredible world and the characters. I enjoyed everything about this book essentially: the magic system, the characters, the world-building, and---something unique for YA books in my case, especially standalones---I felt the stakes. The dynamics between the characters were fantastic, nothing felt rushed or forced.

It has become a comfort read of mine, as well as The Mysteries of Thorn Manor. There is also the incredible level of creepiness, especially with Nathaniel's nightmares and him projecting those nightmares; that I devoured and always wanted more. Even though The Mysteries of Thorn Manor is a novella, it still delivers heavily on the darkness of Nathaniel's nightmares, which grew more intense following the whole Silas affair. Both novel and novella are exceptional and I will recommend these books any chance I get.

(Sip, sip)

Between by L.L. Starling

I have an entire post dedicated to this book. It is adorable, cozy, funny, heartbreaking, fantastic! The magic is interesting, the characters are treasures, the humor is actually enjoyable, and the plot is engaging. I have scribbled all over the chonk of this book with thoughts, predictions, things I think will be of importance later. I have never done that with a book before.

This book also holds a very special place in my heart as it was the last book I read to my dearly departed cat (yes, he'd snuggle up close and listen to me read, purring in delight, and even hold my page open) before having to watch him cross the rainbow bridge.

Still, I reread it every year as not only does it bring back fond memories, but is also an enjoyable read. It is by an indie author but do not let that dissuade you. It is everything!

(Sip, sip. Pours one out for my baby. Refills. Sip, sip)

Dark Harvest by Norman Patridge

My goodness is the book small but it is written like poetry! Such a silly, creepy idea and yet, I don't know how Norman Patridge did it, but he made it all weave together so effortlessly. You feel embraced by the story, immersed in the culture, like you are a part of it. Lived. in it.

And the October Boy character, ole Saw Toothed Jack, damn is his story and POV one for the ages! What an amazing character! His thoughts, his actions, the mission he is on is such a harrowing journey that I so thoroughly enjoyed reading and it always gives me those sweet, spooky Halloween vibes.

The movie was good, but the book is outstanding! Read it, folks! As is usually the case, the book is a thousand times better!

(Sip, sip)

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Believe it or not my The Folk of the Air lovers, but Severin, that background character that Jude approaches for help in The Cruel Prince and later requests the sword from in The Queen of Nothing, well, he has his own novel. And he is pretty fucking awesome and he was my first faerie love before Cardan came into the picture.

Severin's story is what made me fall in love with Black's Faerieland. The Darkest Part of the Forest reads like a true fairytale and feels so incredibly cozy and whimsical. And the characters are all so precious, even one of the "villains."

Oh, and "scheming great schemes," yeah, that actually came from this book. So, if you love Cardan, Jude, and the rest of the High Court, you must read The Darkest Part of the Forest. In simple words, it is enchanting.

And it was the first time I teared up during a love confession (Severin, you softy 🥺).

Also, no character is sacrificed in power to favor another, which is what I see a lot of YA authors in fantasy do, specifically to favor the female character. What I mean is, that they will write the male character as faltering in some magical way and then have the female character pick things up and save the day. Holly Black doesn't do that. She doesn't take power away and redistribute it to her female characters. She makes them powerful in their own ways. For example, Cardan is more magically inclined than Jude because he is a full-blooded faerie, of Mab's bloodline, and the High King, while Jude is a far superior swordsman because she was trained vigorously at it by a redcap while Cardan was not. They complement each other, and neither is considered weaker than the other. They both have their strength.

It is the same in this book. Never is Severin's power as a faerie lessened for the sake of building Hazel up, and in the final confrontation, it makes sense for it to play out as it did given the circumstances.

Overall, The Darkest Part of the Forest is tremendous! Give it a read if you haven't. It certainly complements The Folk of the Air trilogy.

(Raises glass)

To you, Alderking Severin, my first and always faerie crush. 💕

(Sip, sip)

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

This book ... oh, this book ... I will never get over it. I had mentioned previously that I do not often cry when reading books, and that is true.

This one had me tearing up constantly and yes, even the waters flowed at a certain point. But why?

Some of those tears were sorrow.

Others were joy.

The story of Maia is the most inspiring one I have ever read in any book. Ever. Maia, a goblin in an elf-supremacy world, finds himself suddenly the emperor, as the title implies. And that's it. That is the story. Maia is attempting to navigate through this tremendous obstacle; meeting friends, making enemies (though through nothing that he did beyond just being a goblin), and trying to make as many people as possible happy while questioning and discovering his own emotions towards his family and himself.

Maia is a character blessed with unconditional kindness and empathy. He is a person just trying to make the best out of a most impossible situation. The world-building is exceptional, the writing is superb, and Maia is a character that will touch your heart no matter how stone it is.

There are spinoff novels to this book but, truthfully, this one alone is all you need. It has everything a fantasy book should have minus some grand quest. There is none. It is just about Maia finding the emperor buried beneath years of trauma and prejudice. But even with all the hate, Maia and his friends are a beacon of so much hope.

20/10, one of my favorite books of all time and quite possibly my favorite standalone novel ever written.

(Sip, sip)

Last but certainly not least as we bring in the winter solstice, I bow before my High King and High Queen, and raise a toast to the faerie I love most and my beloved mortal warrior.

The Folk of the Air by Holly Black.

I have come to understand the purpose of rereading books you love because of this series. Granted, when The Cruel Prince came out I originally thought I was not going to be interested in it. But Amazon was persistent, always having it appear as a suggestion whenever I opened up that damn website. And I caved one day, figured I could always return it or donate it.

(Sip, sip)

Now I have nine versions of the damn thing (mutters from rim of wineglass: no, I don't have a problem).

(Sip, sip)

Every time I reread this trilogy, I am reminded of why I fell in love with Cardan, why I aspired to be like Jude and related to her so much, why I adore fantasy, what incredible writing sounds like, and what a faerie book has the potential to be. Cardan is not some thousand-year-old, super intelligent, militaristically inclined, muscular faerie king.

He is a moody, noodly, seventeen-year-old teenager who is ticked that he has a crush on the weird girl and doesn't want any responsibilities whatsoever. It. Is. Genius!

There are always new secrets I'm discovering in the trilogy; the lies within the truth, the truth within the lies, character quirks, hidden jests, and foreshadowing small details.

I had heard that for mortals the feeling of falling in love is much like fear.

Jude, are you afraid of me?

Like, come on! Ugh!

Every year since I purchased The Cruel Prince I have reread this series. And I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

(Sip, sip)

So those are my favorite rereads of 2023. My favorite reads will be posted soon, as will be my most disappointing. But, cheers to you, dear readers!

May your Christmas (if you celebrate it) be merry and bright! May your New Year (if you celebrate it) be inspiring and magical, and may the coming days bring you bliss.

Thank you for sharing a drink with me and reading my silly opinions. It means the world to me.

Happy holidays, friends!

Cheers!

(Sip, sip)

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divumquevoluptas · 2 years

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Unpopular (?) opinion: Taryn Duarte is a really cool character, and the hate she gets is so disproportionate to what she actually did in the books.

I struggle to read her in The Cruel Prince as anything other than the victim in an abusive relationship with Locke, and as such deserving of sympathy even if you don't like her. Locke manipulates her into keeping quiet while he flirts with Jude, playing on her insecurities and desire to fit in at court (which is the exact same thing Jude wants. Also the extent of Locke's manipulation and abuse is detailed in Taryn's novella). When Jude finds out she goes after her sister rather than Locke which, I hasten to add, is fair enough. She challenges Taryn to a duel and nearly kills her. Again, in context, that doesn't automatically make Jude a bad person. As we know, she is morally grey and her actions are understandable. But so are Taryn's.

Further, I think the reason her "betrayal" of Jude in The Wicked King is seen as so unforgivable (despite the fact that Jude literally ends up forgiving her) is that there is a fundamental disconnect in how Jude and Taryn view the situation. Jude obviously sees it as a terrible political betrayal: Taryn ruined everything Jude has worked for and sided with her political enemy (Madoc). But from Taryn's point of view, Madoc is their father, not an enemy. Taryn didn't know Cardan could be trusted, and she believed that Madoc (probably with reason at that point) was acting in the best interest of the family and wouldn't actually hurt Jude. She has no idea of Jude's plans and strategies because Jude never tells her. From Taryn's pov, there is no reason Jude couldn't just join the rest of her family (and in fact, Madoc keeps trying to recruit her). In short, Taryn has no way of fully realising why Cardan remaining in power is as important to Jude as it is. Taryn isn't twirling a figurative moustache at the prospect of dealing a dastardly blow to her sister's political regime. She is following the advice of her father in a way which she believes won't actually be damaging to Jude.

In the first two books, her relative passivity and attempts to fit in at court through conventionally feminine means make her a morality tale about believing in classic fairy tales, hence her being represented as a victim of an abusive relationship (in a way paralleling her mother's murder at the hand of Madoc). But her character is more than that. The narrative does not merely condemn Taryn's femininity, pacifist tactics, diplomacy etc. in favour of Jude's more traditionally masculine aggression, military skill, and cynical politics. Not only does Taryn manage to ecape her abusive marriage, she proves her resourcefulness and intelligence in tricking Cardan and in dealing with the Ghost. Even Jude admires her for the skills she learned from Oriana.

There is a lot we don't know about Taryn. In many ways, we are seeing her at her lowest possible point for three books. But there is definitely plenty of evidence for a charitable and interesting interpretation of her character if only we afford her the same level of understanding we afford Jude.

#pro taryn duarte #in defence of taryn duarte #taryn is cool and good actually #taryn duarte

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cruelprincae · 2 months

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Cardan's novella hurts my very existence, thank you v much.

#( 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 ┊ character study )#( he is 9 years old here. NINE. SOMEONE CALL FAERIE PROTECTIVE SERVICES ON ASHA

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just2bubbly · 2 years

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Finally done reading all the three books from tfoa and gonna take a moment to gasp like this book- Damn, the betrayal that came one after the other- just can't

Me feeling all the emotions as I read the book:

Why the hell did she just get exile and Jude shoukd stop being mean to Oak like just no?! She took up a challenge against Grima Mog like grl you better not die in this one- AND SHE WINS IT LIKE YES GRL SLAYYY!! Heather showing up and me wanting Vee to get her mess together and try harder. And Taryn is there too- KILL HER KILL HER, OH LOCKE IS DEAD- THAT CALLS FOR A CELEBRATION AND TARYN KILLED HIM, BETTER. Jude convincing herself to swap places with Taryn to save her sister's ass but mostly cuz she wants to see Cardan but she just won't admit it. Cardan recognizes her, she should really kiss him to death. Why did Madoc have to walk on their moment? Jude fooling Madoc around pretending to be Taryn- like hail this Queen. And Cardan going to Vee for help and coming back for Jude like what a romance!!!

And the best 'you are not dying scene between Bomb and Roach and as soon as he understand the words he is like I should not have said that. Jude wearing Cardan's clothes and walking through hallways and sitting next to the serpent and being comfortable and regretful and all the hell of emotions. Cardan being Cardan and insanely hot and charming High King at the same time. Me not sure who is hotter Jude or Cardan (obviously it's Jude ;) ) Heather convincing Vee to take her memories and go through that quest thing like poetic but sad at the same time and just Jude being appalled by the fact that she could have pardoned herself, lmao

Thanks to @the-wee-woo-royal for encouraging me to read this- it was such a splendid ride to read all through it.

Abt to binge the novellas now. 👽

#tfoa #cardan greenbriar #jude duarte #the queen of nothing #the wicked king #the cruel prince #holly black #taryn duarte #spoilers

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eerna · 29 days

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after a tfota reread and the suren duology, im totally obsessed with taryn. i recently read the lost sisters tfota novella and there is suchhhhhh juicy stuff in there. locke targets taryn dead to rights, playing on every insecurity, and taryn’s insecurities are so interesting, especially her thinking about her vulnerabilities!! taryn thinks that jude has her place in faerie secured and so taryn is the weak link here and she’s trying to barter her way into a good position. (i also loved her analysis of vivi’s state of mind and that once vivi leaves, she and jude are even more vulnerable.) i love how her and locke’s bargain is a parallel to jude and dain’s. even after just fifty pages can i see how taryn was driven to straight up murder. the more page time locke gets the more sinister he is at how very competent he is at manipulating feelings and what seems like almost psychological torment. taryn makes a lot of mistakes but it really only makes her character so much interesting!!! another taryn novel/la for me please!!!!

YAASSS TARYN FANCLUB!!!!! I love the novella for the exact reasons you mentioned. It is a short retelling of the first part of TCP, but from Taryn's POV, and it gives us SO many interesting parallels. I especially like how while Jude's TCP arc is realizing she is cold-blooded and violent and wondering if that makes her a monster, throughout the novella Taryn is like "oh I am not violent, oh I am so prim and proper" but the more people test her, the more she finds it may not be so true. My personal fave is when Locke shows up beneath her window after ghosting her for weeks and she's like "Hehe what if this time Madoc caught him sneaking around the property and killed him, that would be sooooo cool he totally deserves it- WAIT NO WHAT AM I THINKING THAT IS HORRIBLE???". People always forget that she was always just like the rest of her family. She IS vicious and vengeful, as evident in how she treated Jude for putting a target on both their backs and "stealing" Locke, but like Cardan said, she doesn't want it to be true. She refuses to accept that part of herself, even though she is aware, she chooses to pretend she is all softness and kindness so that's the thing everyone sees her as. She wants to be better than the Folk, and be rewarded for it. It shames her that Jude abandoned that idea and decided to be worse, because now she is the only one cowed and scared. ANOTHER cool narrative is Taryn's relationship with food, how she is a comfort eater and keeps consuming more and more the worse her mental state gets, but is still always hungry. Then there's the metaphorical role of food that Locke presents, where a life she might want is a banquet, all the various experiences of love spices, and she is "refusing to eat" because she is scared of Faerie. But by the end of the book she is "gagging food down" through the Jude trial to prove that Faerie food or no she can take it, even though she hates the taste. She is trying to drown her sadness and guilt in the belief that staying true to Locke will finally make her feel full and satisfied. Where ELSE did I see that greedy streak huh I wonder!

Anyway. The Lost Sisters ily what a 10/10 addition I need a sequel except HB gave up on Taryn years ago

#eernask #eernanon #eernask talk tfota

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clockworkbee · 1 year

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Have you read TSH? If so, what do you think about it. I'm a little mixed on it lol, but there were certain aspects I enjoyed

Hello,

I haven't yet read it. I kinda wanted to visit Elfhame with Jude and Cardan first because I missed it and them so much, which is also why I'm currently re-reading the whole series minus Taryn's novella. I'm going to start The Stolen Heir right after I'm done with my reread tho <3

thanks for the ask!

—bee 💗

#the stolen heir #tfota asks #bookish asks

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adxmparriish · 2 years

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Book recs?

hi! I can absolutely give you some 🖤

if we were villains by m.l.rio — favorite book of all time, it’s dark academia with some mystery and thriller elements. seven students who study shakespeare find themselves trapped up in a murder and it’s fantastic. the prose is to die for. I can’t properly explain how much this book means to me, it literally rewired my brain chemistry.

stalking jack the ripper series by kerri maniscalco — this is a 4 book series following a couple who perform autopsies and try to solve murders. the main couple is FANTASTIC and has one of my favorite fictional men of all time. the banter and love declarations are to die for. there is also plenty of angst and gothic atmosphere, too! all around amazing series, and do NOT forget to read the novella!

the folk of the air trilogy by holly black — I will never shut the fuck up about this series. wicked boy meets monster girl in a battle for the crown of elfhame and it’s fucking phenomenal. jude and cardan are one of my favorite fictional couples but don’t go into this series expecting a full blown romance. there’s a lot of political conflict with a romance splashed in, but when you do get those moments, boy… they’re juicy. enemies to lovers done right.

the raven cycle series by maggie stiefvater — codependent teenagers love each other so much it makes me sick. that’s basically it. oh, and one of them is doomed to kill her true love when she kisses him. oh, and there’s tarot and a dead welsh king and boys who bring things back from their dreams and a magic forest and a girl with hooves and just. read this? please?

these violent delights by micah nemerever — it’s hard to explain this book accurately but two boys find themselves so deeply obsessed with each other and wrapped up in their own game and it leads to absolute insanity. this book is dark though, so be warned. definitely check trigger warnings.

six of crows duology — fantastic books set in the world of “shadow and bone” about six teenagers on a heist. you don’t HAVE to read shadow and bone first but i’d recommend it. there are slight spoilers for that trilogy and elements you may not understand if you don’t. but I love these characters so much more and this story is amazing. there’s diversity and romance and tragedy and just!!!! so much!!!

the locked tomb series — these books are IMPOSSIBLE to explain but trust me when I say they are AMAZING. it’s got necromancy and love in its purest form and complex story arcs and impossible scenarios and HUMOR, SO MUCH HUMOR, and just. I can’t recommend this series enough. I will say though, prepare to be confused a lot until the writer finally lets it all come together, because that’s just how the books are. I promise it’ll all make sense.

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