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howifeltabouthim · 2 months

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So many years—her entire adulthood thus far!—wasted on this man.

Curtis Sittenfeld, from Eligible

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soracities · 2 years

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e.e. cummings, “in a vicious world to love virtue” (Poem #35 in Uncollected Poems), Complete Poems: 1904-1962

#q #lit #quotes #poetry #e.e. cummings #in a vicious world to love virtue #poems #and still i rise #archive #typography #reading #m #x

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magicalyaku · 3 months

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Happy new year! After the slump of the previous months and my last artist alley of the year, I finally had a lot to read in December! I bought so many books in November, I had to get at least through a few in order to include them in my yearly awards. xD Work was still shit but reading was fun again. :D

Dark Heir (Dark Rise 2) (C.S. Pacat): This was my last book of 2023 and easily my most anticipated. And did it deliver! Left me emotionally devastated for days! xD Seriously, I don't want to know what my neighbors thought what was going on, in case they heard me going "Aaah! No! No no no nooooo! Kya! NOOOO!!" during two certain scenes. /D The nice thing about this series is that I have absolute faith in Pacat's ability to write it well und give me an outcome I am satisfied with. I mean, go look at Captive Prince. The way the relationship between Damen and Laurent develops (even after MAJOR shit going on between them!), the political threads and all that, it's just done very well. And now, here's the Dark Rise series and I sit and watch the spiral of doom the characters are caught up in it and apart from maybe Sinclair not a single one of them is fully good or bad. And it's sooo interesting (and emotionally devastating)!! Hng!! I would actually like to write much more about what I loved and suffered through, like the whole thing with the Visander situation and how Sarcean made all of his worst enemies because he just couldn't keep it in his pants. And James. James. And Cyprian! And everything. But I can't because whenever I try I still feel the excited giggles in my brain and can't have a coherent thought. It's great, but also ... Hnggg!!

The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer (S.E. Harmon): This was fun! At some point early on I looked up what other books the author has written and it's more than ten and I thought "Yes! It feels like being written by someone with a lot of writing experience!" There's just something about the liveliness of the characters and the dialogues. Also so much adventure with a slightly different flavor than usual being set in the jungle and all, I loved it.

By any other Name (Erin Cotter): I wonder why all of my historical fiction books are set in England. This is another highly adventurous story. I was a bit surprised as one thing that's mentioned in the summary already only appears like after half the book. But other than that it was pretty good. It has spies and theatre and pretty nice characters. And I did not anticipate everything that happened which is good!

Wren Martin Ruins it all (Amanda deWitt): The author's previous book Aces Wild: A Heist was one of my top books in 2022, this one does not quite reach those heights but it was still very good and very enjoyable. Wren is such a messy and fun character. As reader I absolutely knew what was going on and who was writing with whom but it was nice to follow the characters' path to awareness. In a way Wren's aceness is not as heavy as in other books (see the next one for instance) but at the same time it deals with a few of the social issues a_spec people are faced with which was nice.

Just Lizzie (Karen Wilfrid): This is a middle grade book about a girl coming to terms with being ace. The heroine has a really nice character arc. And the other characters are sometimes what you expect them to be and sometimes they are not. And maybe … that's ok, right? And I loved it and I cried through half of the book. I guess, it hit home a little more heavily than I expected. :'D (Like that one time where Lizzie is wondering how she will spent Christmas when her parents aren't around anymore? Haaa. It had just been Christmas when I read this and I'm in my 30ies and my Dad is above 70 now so that is a concern I actually have, you know. It's not nice to be reminded. :'D) It's a really good book, I think, thoughtful and well put together and empowering, too.

A Hundred Vicious Turns (The Broken Tower 1) (Lee Page O'brien): Now this was difficult. The cover is gorgeous. Easily my favorite one this year. I only lament that there's no real gold printed. The wasted opportunity. yAy The content is … difficult. I like the story on a whole. The premise and the magic system are really interesting. The characters … were interesting as well? They're fine, their motivations are not easily seen which, in a plot full of mysteries, is actually quite okay. I just didn't build the emotional connection. There's also a lot of anxiety, especially on Rat's part. There was one bit in the writing style that irked me a little. The overuse of pronouns. Because Rat was the only one with 'they' and in most scenes it was only one other person with them, so there often really long stretches where only the pronouns would be used instead of the names. It wa snot confusing because you could easily tell the characters apart, but it felt weird. I'm very used to reading the names a lot. Oh well. It's not a fun read, but it is intruiging and I will read the next volume to see where it goes.

A Magic Steeped in Poison (The Book of Tea 1) (Judy I. Lin): I managed to squeeze in a YA heroine inbetween all the gay boys! And I liked it better than most other female-led YA fantasies I read recently. Doesn't mean I loved it, but Ning was pretty okay as a heroine. The thing is, the circumstances under which I started this book weren't the best and that probabbly reflected on the whole experience. I picked up the German audiobook for a very long bus trip, but listened to it only later while doing some hours of very boring tedious work. The audiobook itself was okay, except that the reader could not decide how to pronounce some names. For instance, Kang was Kong first, then Kuang before she settled on Kang. And that kind of thing drives me mad. How am I to connect with a character when I am left this uncertain how their name is?! The German translation also decided to leave some of the names in English (especially the teas) which in my opinion doesn't make sense because why would the teas in Fantasy-China have English names when everything else is either translated into German or left Chinese? D: I couldn't stand it and finally switched to my printed edition (in English). /D It got better from there, but it's hard to forget the echo. As for the story, I don't really like court intrigues. Cruelty and injustice are just things I really struggle with to read about. (They make me angry and I don't want to be angry at my books.) But it never tipped over the edge into annoying area. I have the sequel at home as well, so I'll it. The covers are beautiful after all.

That was 2023! Next up is my big Best and Worst award ceremony! uAu~

#yaku reads #books #queer books #lgbtq books #queer lit #bookblr #the first and last adventure of kit sawyer #dark heir #a hundred vicious turns #just lizzie #wren martin ruins it all #a magic steeped in poison #by any other name #look at all these pretty covers

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dolores-hazy · 9 months

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I just dislike guys at a visceral level. The whole might makes right thing violent subtext in every interaction they make my skin crawl.

My secret

Binding bending

Until breaking

And entering impatient

To stake a claim

Heavy breathing bleeding

Breeding the order of things

Breaking fresh-baked bread

Over bloated bruised body

Sweeping crumbs out to pasture

One hand clutching

A broom, the other his

Cock crowing a new day

Bills to feed and mouths to pay

Be a dear and clear the table

Dessert is on you tonight

Home sweet home sweet

Cherry pie cyanide

One hell of a life

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haveyoureadthistransbook · 27 days

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A Hundred Vicious Turns by Lee Paige O'Brien

goodreads

Rat Evans, nonbinary heir to one of the oldest magical bloodlines in New York, doesn’t cast spells anymore. For as long as Rat can remember, they’ve been surrounded by doorways no one else sees and corridors that aren’t on any map. Then one day, they opened a passage and found a broken tower in a field of weeds—and something followed them back. When Rat is accepted into Bellamy Arts, all they want is a place to hide and to make sure they never open another passageway again. But when the only other person who knows what really happened last year—Harker Blakely, the dangerously gifted trans boy who used to be Rat’s closest friend—turns up on campus, Rat begins to realize that Bellamy Arts might not be as safe as they’d thought. And the tower might not be through with them yet. Soon, Rat finds themself caught in a web of secrets and long-buried magic, with their friend-turned-enemy at their throat. But the closer they come to uncovering the truth about the tower, the further they’re drawn toward the unsettling powers that threaten to swallow them whole.

Mod opinion: I haven't read this book and I probably won't, but I always enjoy finding more ya fantasy with rep because it would have meant a lot to me when I was a teen to know literature like this exists.

#a hundred vicious turns #lee page o'brien #polls #trans books #trans lit #trans literature #lgbt books #lgbt lit #lgbt literature #fantasy #ya #urban fantasy #nonbinary #trans man #t4t #own voices

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paigeypaige19 · 3 months

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Women fascinate me. They are almost always underestimated, which makes them potentially some of the most lethal opponents. Like walking up to a jungle cat thinking you’re going to give its head a gentle little pat and instead it bites off your whole goddamn arm. - Their Vicious Darling, Nikki St. Crowe

#their vicious darling #nikki st crowe #book quotes #lit quotes #quotes #life quotes #romance books #romance #fantasy romance #women #feminism #underestimated #strength

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excerptum · 1 year

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Hate was too simple a word. He and Eli were bonded, by blood and death and science. They were alike, more so now than ever.

V. E. Schwab, Vicious

#vicious #v. e. schwab #vengeful #villains duology #villains #villains trilogy #journal #quotes #txt #musings #lit #literature #excerpts

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the-vicious-heart · 1 year

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Why do I always have to be the one apologizing for the actions they have done?...

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hollymbryan · 11 months

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Blog Tour: Top 5 Reasons to Read CITY OF VICIOUS NIGHT by Claire Winn! #tbrbeyondtours

Hello and welcome to Book-Keeping! I’m happy today to be hosting a spot on the TBR and Beyond Tours blog + bookstagram tour for the conclusion to the Requiem Dark duology by Claire Winn, City of Vicious Night! I’ve got all the details below, plus my top 5 reasons to read the book/series.

About the Book

title: City of Vicious Night (Requiem Dark #2) author: Claire Winn publisher: Flux release date: 23 May 2023

For the most hated crew on Requiem, the only way out is up. It’s been four months since runaway heiress Asa crash-landed on the matriarchal outlaw colony Requiem, bringing a nasty AI and a host of deadly secrets with her. Now, she runs with her almost-girlfriend Riven’s smuggler crew, stealing kisses between gunfights and heists. But when a mysterious hacker sabotages their latest job, other gangs turn against them, blaming them for the destruction the rogue AI caused. Nowhere in the city is safe. The only way to protect their crew is a series of trials for control of an underworld faction–and vying for a matriarch’s throne is a dream Riven can’t let go. But as the trials intensify, the saboteur hounds Asa and Riven’s every step, determined to kill Asa and right her father’s wrongs. When the saboteur reveals a horrific conspiracy threatening all of Requiem–one involving the crew member they thought they’d lost–the girls must decide whether to risk their own skins for a city that loathes them.

Content Warning: death, violence, body horror, references of sexual assault

Add to Goodreads: City of Vicious Night (Requiem Dark #2) Purchase the Book: Amazon | B&N | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Claire Winn spends her time immersed in other worlds—through LARP, video games, books, nerd conventions, and her own stories. Since graduating from Northwestern University, she’s worked as a legal writer and freelance editor. Aside from writing, she builds cosplay props and armor, tears up dance floors, and battles with boffer swords.

Connect with Claire: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Facebook

Top 5 Reasons to Read

I had wanted to read the first book in this duology, City of Shattered Light, since it came out but hadn’t done so yet, so I loved getting to binge this series for this tour! What amazing fun this set is! Below are my top 5 reasons to read City of Vicious Night, which really goes for the whole series, just FYI.

1. These books are such a great example of both sisterhood and the power of female friendships. Asa would do absolutely anything to save her sister Kaya, and book 2 really digs deeper into their sisterhood.

2. We have an incredible group of misfits and outlaws that are an amazing example of why I love the found family trope so much! Riven, Asa, Ty, Samir, Diego, Kaya...I love them all separately but together they’re unstoppable!

3. I love the LGBTQ+ rep in this series; kind of like in the best TV show ever, Schitt’s Creek, it’s just a version of the world in which people are what they are and love who they love and there’s not really any need for explanation or justification.

4. We’ve got heists and deadly competitions -- in space! Enough said.

5. AI, cybernetics, and spaceships, oh my! Seriously, everything we love about cyberpunk sci-fi is here and I just love the world Claire Winn has created with this series.

Really there are more reasons to read this (both kick-butt and ridiculously smart women, budding romance, the sweetest pup) but these are my top 5. I hope you’ll check out the Requiem Dark duology today! Both books were 5-star reads for me.

**Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of this tour.

Make sure you check out the Bookstagram tour too! You can find my post here, and the full schedule is here.

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howifeltabouthim · 4 months

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Once again I'd trusted a man. Once again I'd felt sympathy for a man who was not good.

Lisa Taddeo, from Animal

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the-happy-fujoshi · 2 years

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My spirit animal is Tabaqui and Qi Rong

#I AM PROUD OF IT #YES #Tabaqui #qi rong #yes #I'd be a fucking cannibal if I could #BITE EVERYTHING IN MY SIGHT #THAT IS FUCKING LIT #whole ass mood #and #just a whole lot of stupidity #THE COMBINATION IS VICIOUS AND I LOVE IT #mood post

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critical-quoter · 5 months

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Holt is just one year younger than Giselle, but he thinks he's the one in charge because he's a man. Clearly Holt knows nothing about the might of women.

Their Vicious Darling - Nikki St. Crowe

#books #book #booklr #book lover #book quotes #reading #quote #lit #literature #novel #their vicious darling #nikki st crowe

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bookishlyvintage · 7 months

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A Hundred Vicious Turns, Lee Paige O'Brien [x]

#book review #a hundred vicious turns #lee paige obrien #queer lit #nonbinary #trans #lgbtq #lgbtq reads #new book #mini review #bookstagram #flat lay #bookblr #booklr #bookish #ya fantasy #fantasy duology #reading

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the-vicious-heart · 1 year

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Maybe they were right..

Maybe I was a fool to fall inlove with you

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pridepages · 1 year

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eARC Review: City of Vicious Night

A HUGE thank you to Netgalley and North Star Editions for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

RELEASE DATE: 5/23/2023

See my full review under the cut!

This book is a sequel to City of Shattered Light, which I previously wrote about here.

I don’t want to repeat myself too much, so here’s what you need to know about my expectations coming in to follow-up City of Vicious Night.

1. Slow Down the Pacing I described the pacing of Shattered Light as a video game or an action movie. The plot lurched from side quest to side quest. Each one unlocked lore like an achievement. But with that much lore flying at you that fast, you don’t have time as a reader to process it all. After a while, I found the best way to enjoy was to stop trying to it make sense, accept that we’re doing Stuff because of Reasons, and just enjoy the banter and the girls falling in love. Yay!

2. Character Development Unlike Winn’s world, which is highly developed to the point of overload, every one of Winn’s characters is a walking talking trope. To be fair, all writers start their characters that way to some extent. But the expectation is that those characters will be fleshed out through the drafting and editing process to make their inner journeys unique and realistic. We want characters to feel like people instead of constructs. But if characters never break the mold, and they just go around Doing Things in response to Plot Twists, then the whole thing starts to read like a fanfic where writers don’t have an obligation to do any of that pesky character development because readers already got it in the source material. So--weirdly--this original novel reads like a fic even though, to my knowledge, it didn’t start as one.

Still, I saw SO much potential, particularly for the inner journeys of Asa and Ty. Asa is still nominally heiress to a Big Bad Corporation that is violating bioethics! Questions of morality, of being forced to choose who to save between equally victimized people, were never addressed in the first book but could have been explored in the sequel! Similarly, readers were set up for a Fall-From-Innocence journey for Ty, who was abandoned in a dangerous place at the end of Shattered Light.

Unfortunately, my hopes on all fronts were disappointed.

To be clear, Vicious Night isn’t worse than the first book. It’s just...more of the same. The plot rocketed around between Events. Backstory and lore got even more convoluted. To be honest, I found myself skimming the last pages. It just felt like when I want to check out of a Marvel movie in the last 45 minutes because I know they’re gonna win the Big Battle and I just want to tune back in for the Happily Ever After.

And those character arcs? Pretty much non-existent. Asa never gets any less self-involved. For her, it’s always about setting HERSELF free, trying to save the people SHE loves...ironically making her just as selfish as the father she claims to revile, just in a different way. Ty? He’s able to rationalize any disappointments in love, any conflicts of his moral compass, and any trauma he underwent as a lab rat. Nothing to see here, folks!

So would I recommend City of Vicious Night? Sure. I would have wanted to read it because I like to know how things end and I’m glad to have left the Boomslang crew in more of a satisfying place. I would also recommend it to people who just want something that reads with lots of action but doesn’t ever slow down for things like character arcs. If you like video game or film novelizations, this one’s for you.

But if you’re looking for thought-provoking, beautiful queer science fiction? Give this one a miss. There’s more out there for you.

#city of vicious night #earc review #wlw #sapphic #lgbt reads #queer lit #bisexual

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