#soulswift

[sapphicbookoftheday]

Favorite Non-Sapphic Books

Hey, everyone! Although this is a blog for sapphic books, I thought it might be nice to share some of my other favorite books. (By the way, this is a really long list.)

#the unpopular vote #every heart a doorway #piranesi #a psalm for the wild built #son of the storm #all systems red #murderbot #the extraordinaries #the descent of the drowned #and i darken #a complicated love story set in space #the merciful crow #the queens rising #sisters of sword and song #scythe #renegades #legendborn #darius the great is not okay #an ember in the ashes #soulswift #winter's orbit #vicious #the wolf and the woodsman #truly devious #a marvellous light #loveless

[lunchabee]

On that note, here are some books that I've read digitally recently (yes, these are recommendations. read them):

Shadowplay by Joseph O'Connor

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (half my heart)

Soulswift by Megan Bannen (the other half)

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

If you've read any of these, please hmu. I need people to discuss these with.

#shadowplay #klara and the sun #hotel magnifique #iron widow #xiran jay zhao #soulswift #a marvellous light #ebooks #libby #reading discussions

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Soulswift | Author: Megan Bannen | Publisher: Balzer + Bray (2020)

#books #Soulswift #Megan Bannen

[bubblesandpages]

Gelya and Tavik *sob*

#*wipes tears* it was beautiful while it lasted #sorry to the ten people I am spoiling #Megan Bannen #Soulswift #Fizzy talks #books

[bookcoverbeauty]

soulswift

#soulswift #book covers #book cover details #book cover art #book cover design #book cover #graphic design #sasha vinogradova

[belle-keys]

Have you read ever "The Song of Achilles"? I was wondering that if you know any other angst books that go deep like that. If yes then can you please share it with us?. Just askin because I need fictional pain in my life to deal with the real life ones :,D

Hi, yeah. I've read The Song of Achilles. I gave it 3/5 stars, because it was just okay for me. I didn't love it particularly, but I didn't dislike it either.

Some definitive angst and pain books:

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

They Both Die At the End by Adam Silvera

Soulswift by Megan Bannen

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

#sad books #books #book recs #tsoa #the song of achilles

[starrlikesbooks]

Hey Castor, i'm trying to find a book to buy for my roommate for his bday. He likes fantasy and sci fi, and i only ever read more grounded, english-lit type stories so i'm totally lost. But then i thought, "hey! My longtime mutual Castor will surely know what's up." Have you got any recs? Preferably something from the last year, so he's not likely to already own it. Sincerely, world's biggest Don't Touch That Dial fan.

Hello best friend anon! I'm not sure what kind of vibe you're going for/what type of SFF your roommate leans towards, so here's a variety of vibes

The list got long, so here's a read more!

Cozy/Domestic

Kaiju Preservation Society (Domestic Sci-Fi 100%! Kaiju like Godzilla are kinda real and their gigantic interdimensional creatures most of the characters study like secret zoologistis. Except the MC. They lift boxes.) 🌈friendly

Legends & Lattes* (I know little about this book beyond sapphic fantasy running a coffee shop. If he likes cozy fantasy and is in bookish spaces, h knows about this. If not, but he seems like he’d dig it, he’ll love that you go it for him!) 🌈

We Could Be Heroes (Slightly older, but not well known. Very down to earth superhero/supervillain friendship where tone of them saw their mind powers and was like oh geez um I guess I’m supposed to rob a bank? and the other saw their super speed and went sweet I’m gonna get all the delivery tips) 🌈ish

Even Though I Knew the End (Magical noir. I’m counting this as domestic because a lot of the plot revolves around the MC’s partner and their shared life, as well as her motivations towards keeping her brother save and thriving. This would also fit under “mystery” though) 🌈

Weird and/or Unhinged

The Atlas Six* (Underground government picks taps someone to join per each division, but 5 of them are 100% gonna die) 🌈

Anything by Jason Pargin (AKA JDATE or Zoey Ashe*. JDATE books can be read as standalones and the newest one is about a gamified kids toy that’s demanding human body parts so a cult can summon something to end the world)

City of Nightmares (Gotham atmosphere, if you fall asleep you might turn into your literal nightmare. MC’s sister turned into a giant spider and ate her father, MC is both afraid of everything and willing to threaten people with violence in order to get what she wants, which is, namely, not in terrifying positions like being kicked out onto the street) 🌈friendly

Hell Followed With Us (If he’s horror leaning, and/or into trans people embracing the monstrous and destroying evangelical cults! Though if he is and he spends time in bookish spaces, he may already know of/have read this one) 🌈

The Sky is Yours (Not a new book, but not one ever talked about so probably safe. Basically a Jetsons future, except they can’t use most of their cool technology or thrive because they’ve been being tormented by dragons for like 80 years that won’t stop burning their city down. This one is also kinda satire styled.)

Mystery

Self Portrait With Nothing (Magical portraits, lost mothers, off beat and kinda weirdly emotional while also having a bit of a mystery plot. Extra points if he’s into The Raven Cycle or The Dreamer Trilogy at all.) 🌈friendly

The Library of the Dead* (Edinburgh based urban fantasy with an amateur detective tapping into the occult. Also, ghosts!)

The Bruising of Qilwa (A novella about immigration/xenophobia and a also mysterious, fatal illness that may be murder.) 🌈friendly

Witness of the Dead* (Came out about a year and a half ago. This is a mystery set against politics in a steampunk fantasy world, and is sure to be a bit dense in spots. It's a companion novel to The Goblin Emperor) 🌈

Questy

Last Exit (Plays out like the end of an epic. Former friends from college have to reunite and cross world again as darkness slips out and they try to reach their long lost leader, left to the other side.)🌈

Soulswift (A little older, but not by much. Girl gets semi possessed by the god of another culture’s religion AKA the Lilith figure in her own religion that she’s a nun in. Forced allyship & forced proximity leading to a lot of cultural understanding and romance, on the way to make sure she doesn’t actually die.)

Lost in the Moment and Found (In a series of novellas, but works as a standalone. Girl finds a door to the place lost things go, and enjoys adventure- but things aren’t as they seem. Big content warning for grooming & attempted SA!)

The Stardust Thief* (A thief, a Djinn, and a prince have to go on a quest for a legendary magical lamp! Based on 1001 Nights.)

Gay!

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance (Treaty based marriage with an assassination plot ramping up the tension. Big big content warning for SA and PTSD!)

A Marvellous Light (Murder mystery with magic and forced allyship/coworkers to lovers between a magician and a regular Londoner who accidentally got the job.)

Light From Uncommon Stars (This could also passably go under the Weird category, but it’s just so inherently queer it needed to be here. Women takes souls of violin prodigies to win back hr own soul. The other main character a formerly homeless transwoman sex worker who suffered abuse, and the teacher’s love interest is an alien with kids including an AI daughter, who’s super into running her donut shop. It’s also very diaspora and Asian centric!)

*have not read yet

#🌈friendly simply means there are queer characters in secondary slots or the queerness of the character is entirely incidental #wooh sorry for the big list #anon #book list #bookish #bookblr #starrlikesbooks

[mydarlinginej]

read my full review of the undertaking of hart and mercy by megan bannen here.

“A uniquely charming mixture of whimsy and the macabre that completely won me over. If you ever wished for an adult romance that felt like Howl’s Moving Castle, THIS IS THAT BOOK.” —Helen Hoang, author of The Kiss Quotient

Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.  

Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest.

After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.  

If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most—Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares—each other?

Set in a world full of magic and demigods, donuts and small-town drama, this enchantingly quirky, utterly unique fantasy is perfect for readers of The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Invisible Library.

my review:

Megan Bannen’s Soulswift was one of my favorite reads last year, so naturally I was dying to read her next book! When I saw that it was a fantasy romance, I was even more excited to read it. Full of heart and charm, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy follows a marshal and an undertaker who strike an unlikely friendship as anonymous pen pals—even though they hate each other in real life.

Hart is a marshal who patrols a magical land called Tanria where the Old Gods used to exist and souls are free to roam. He’s tasked with training Pen Duckers, a new recruit. Mercy is an undertaker who’s struggling to hold her father’s business together, especially after her younger brother Zeddie, who was supposed to take over, reveals that he’s been lying for the past three years about his major at school. Hart hates having to take bodies to Mercy because the two of them have a hostile relationship. However, they’re both incredibly lonely. One day, Hart sends an anonymous letter to “A Friend” and it miraculously arrives at Mercy’s doorstep. From there, they strike up a friendship even while hating each other in real life.

The concept of this book was unique, in my opinion. Obviously, You’ve Got Mail has been done a lot, but it was interesting to read within a fantasy novel like this. I’m usually not too big a fan of You’ve Got Mail retellings (for lack of a better word), but I enjoyed this book.

read my full review here.

#the undertaking of hart and mercy #megan bannen #reviews #book reviews #booklr #mine #link #q

[redbelles]

tagged by: my loves @ninzied​ @carry-the-sky​ and @heidiamalia​ 💘

fav color: blues and purples

currently reading:  wolf hunt by gillian bradshaw, the silver wolf by alice borchardt, soulswift by megan bannen, and the lost apothecary by sarah penner

last series: stranger things (lmao)

last movie in the theater: star wars: the rise of skywalker 🙃

currently working on: a few eddie/chrissy fics, including but not limited to a post-series time travel au, two sequels to “like a heartbeat drives you mad,” and something nebulous and secret. once i finish those up, i want to tackle the rest of my literati series! and as always, i’m still in kastle fic purgatory, but we’re workin’ on it

tagging: @sluttyhenley @majicmarker @littlelindentree @rorygilmoregf @lovehimidont @rhiawriter @wndasmaximoffs + anyone else who wants a go ✨

#dash games

[livingforthewhump]

6 7 10 and 16? Sorry if it's too many

that is not too many!!

6. What are the traits of your ideal whumpee?

hmm I tend to like them quiet and scared beyond all belief. Defiant, too, but too frozen in constant terror to do anything about it

7. What are the traits of your ideal whumper?

terrifying. Creepy and possessive and sadistic and desiring control above everything else. The kind that delights in Whumpee’s fear, in their every move.

10. When did you first realize you were into whump?

This one could have many answers. Cause I’ve always liked it. Even when I was little some of my earliest memories are the whumpy games I would play and scenarios I would imagine. I would tie up my dolls and pretend they were captives for sale at an auction BUT the answer could also be when I was in like 6th grade? That’s when I got Pinterest, and there are a few old whump/superhero prompts floating around on there from some tumblr blogs, and when more got recommended to me I got familiar with whumper/whumpee content.

16. Do you have any whump media recommendations?

I have a few books to throw out since I feel like movies and tv shows are talked about a lot!

- The Lunar Chronicles and the Renegades Trilogy by Marissa Meyer

- These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan

- We Hunt the Flame duology by Hafsah Faizal

- Soulswift and The Bird & The Blade by Megan Bannen

- Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan

- The Ascendance Trilogy (yes trilogy I reject the continuations)

- The Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo

- BOOK OF NIGHT BY HOLLY BLACK

- Flame in the Mist and it’s sequel by Renée Ahdieh have some VERY nice whump

- So do The Wrath & The Dawn and The Rose & The Dagger by the same author

- Pellinor series by Alison Croggan

I’m getting to the point where I’m just recommending you my entire bookshelf instead of sticking to the prompt so I’m going to Stop

#ask game answered

[luckybiscuitpandaapricot]

Again because the world needs to know

Unedited, so you can see

How quick and easy

It is

To fall-

What?

To fall?

Yes.

Equal parts of glory ,

And Equal parts.

-grief.

Probe to soothe ,

scattered hopes,

Deny.

Graze to your once,

Glistening, pious pier.

Let that misery

-sink,

Deeper ,and

Deep.

Glorious days of ,

Pleasure-,

Remember and weep.

Scream an heart wrenching echo,

Cry,

Beg .

For help-

No God glances here,

In these fallen webs,

Sob.

Let it sink-

Let go-

Fall.

Close your eyes,

Shed no tears,

A fallen man now knows no fear

-soulswift.,)

[annelisreadingroom]

The cover of this book is stunning. What are some of your favorite covers?

#books #booklr #bookblogger #ya books #book photography #yalit #book photo #megan bannen #soulswift #ya fantasy

[astreiants-archive]

That I can promise. — Soulswift Megan Bannen

#mydarlinginej #soulswift #megan bannen #litedit #** #books

[bubblesandpages]

I’m only *checks notes* sixteen pages into Soulswift and the mc’s already making a mess of things. 

#excellent start #zero social skills #Megan Bannen #Soulswift #Fizzy talks #reading

[beccas-books]

September Recap

Books Read:

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Rating: 5/5

Blue Lilly, Lilly Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Rating: 4.5/5

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Rating: 5/5

Opal by Maggie Stiefvater

Rating: 2/5

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 

Rating: 4.5/5

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Rating: 3.5/5

Soulswift by Megan Bannen

Rating: 5/5

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Rating 4/5

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir 

Rating: 4.5/5

Favorite Book of the Month:

It’s a tie!

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Soulswift by Megan Bannen

Least Favorite Book of the Month:

Opal by Maggie Stiefvater

Preview of Next Months TBR:

The Bronzed Beasts by Roshani Choski 

As Good as Dead by Holly Jackson 

Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco 

The Bright & the Pale by Jessica Rubinkowski

Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin

#september recap #september reads #book recap #the dream thieves #blue lily lily blue #the raven king #the raven cycle #The Raven Boys #opal #maggie stiefvater #the song of achilles #madeline miller #cinderella is dead #Kalynn Bayron #soulswift #Megan Bannen #an ember in the ashes #a torch against the night #sabaa tahir #the bronzed beasts #roshani chokshi #as good as dead #holly jackson #kingdom of the cursed #kerri maniscalco #the bright & the pale #jessica rubinkowski #nameless queen #rebecca mclaughlin #october tbr

[oracleofmadness]

"The vessel is cracked.

The vessel is breaking.

The vessel is my body.

Me."

This book is stunningly beautiful and heartbreakingly tragic and yet the ending is uplifting.

Gelya lives in a convent. She is innocent, she is pure of heart, and she is a vessel of her god. But after meeting Tavik, a Kantari Two Swords, she becomes a vessel of another god, actually a goddess, that seems to be bent on not allowing Gelya to feel control over her own body.

This has an enemies to lovers, slow-burning romance, that will seriously melt your heart. It did mine. The main characters, Gelya and Tavik, are charming and play of each other humorously. This book could not be more perfect and I highly recommend it!

"Love trumps hate. Every time. Even in the face of world destruction, love is the better choice. "

#book #bookish #books #bookworm #book review #currently reading #read #bookblogger #fantasy #soulswift #megan bannen #ya books #ya fantasy #ya fiction #young adult books #bookblr #book blog post #book blogger #book blog #reader #reading #readtolive #readthisbook #readthisnow #on reading #on books