Ash

Format read: paperbackReading time: A couple of months (it was on hiatus for way too long)Tags: wuxia, xianxia, fantasy, translation, trauma, found family, friendship, lgbt (m/m), enemies-to-lovers, politics, philosophyOwn a copy: yesReread likelihood: 10/10ReviewWe part at the ends of the sky, only to meet at the edges of the sea.Book 2 is rife with political schemes, plots, and betrayals, even more so than book 1. In this volume, Shen Qiao finds himself at the centre of quite a few clan feuds, and he somehow gets dragged into all of their fights despite his weakened physical state. Like in book 1, Yan Wushi leaves him to fend for himself, driving him to the very edge of exhaustion before sweeping in and helping (if at all). Shen Qiao is repeatedly forced to fight despite his injuries and damaged martial abilities, yet this push to the extreme ultimately pays off as he gains more stamina and strength throughout the book. Shen Qiao is the epitome of selflessness and peace. As a Daoist, he fully embraces the qualities of kindness, goodness, generosity, etc. and extends a helping hand to anyone who needs it, even if the person has mistreated or betrayed him (coughYan Wushicough). Whenever Shen Qiao fights, there are passages of the [b:Daodejing 2693939 Daodejing Lao Tzu https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609192624l/2693939.SY75.jpg 100074] that illustrate the various sword techniques as well as Shen Qiao's philosophy. These quotes are especially beautiful and inspiring, and it's a pleasure to read them in this context. Meng Xi Si's writing remains one of the most beautiful out of all the danmei authors. Her work only rivals with Cang Wu Bin Bi's [b:Golden Terrace, Vol. 1 62629580 Golden Terrace, Vol. 1 Cang Wu Bin Bai https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1663531919l/62629580.SY75.jpg 98392913] in terms of the vivid and literary descriptions. All of the sword techniques are inspired by nature, and their names and descriptions reveal a deep connection between the two. In terms of Shen Qiao's character, this makes perfect sense since for him the Dao is connected to everything else in the world, but we see this philosophy utilized by other non-Daoist characters, too. Thus, it is clear that the dominating philosophy in this universe is that of the Dao even though many of the characters are unaware.To know the world, one must know themselves. Then they must forget themselves. Once they forgot both the world and themselves, never again would they be moved by worldly gains and losses. (p.325)The political aspect of the book can be a bit dense at times, and I understand why many danmei fans have a hard time getting through QQ because of it. Unlike other stories, QQ moves very slowly with minimal movement, much like the Dao itself, and it reads like a journey of discovery alongside Shen Qiao who learns to overcome his own mortal shortcomings in favour of a more enlightened path.Overall, I greatly enjoy this series from the point of view of a xianxia/politically-focused story. Shen Qiao keeps surprising me in each new chapter, and I'm excited to see what he'll do next.

Format read: PaperbackReading time: 6-7h Tags: reread, wuxia, xianxia, translation, politics, historical fiction, Chinese history, friendship, fantasy, disability, lgbt (bi, m/m)Own a copy: yesReread likelihood: 10/10If you liked this book, then you'll probably like: [b:Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang, Vol. 1 62145799 Stars of Chaos Sha Po Lang, Vol. 1 (Stars of Chaos Sha Po Lang, #1) Priest https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1682111621l/62145799.SX50.jpg 97934661]SummaryAfter 10 years of seclusion, Yan Wushi reenters the cultivation world to find that his old enemies are dead and have been replaced by new talent. One such talent is Shen Qiao, the number one Daoist sect leader, but Yan Wushi doubts this man's abilities when he finds him at the foot of a cliff, near death and with his spiritual power all but destroyed. Yan Wushi decides that Shen Qiao is the perfect blank canvas for him to corrupt and bring onto the path of demonic cultivation. However, Shen Qiao proves to be a worthy opponent after all, and the two embark on a battle of wills, good versus bad, the corrupt and the incorruptible.ReviewFirst of all, the official translation is fantastic. Everything is explained clearly, and the extra information at the end of the book helps to situate the story in its historical context. Meng Xi Shi is very skillful at detailing the sociopolitical realities of ancient China, and much of the first volume is dedicated to explaining the complex relationships between the different clans, courts, and regions in and around sixth-century China.Thousand Autumns is set in an age of political unrest as the ruling Zhou dynasty vies for more territory to the north where the Göktürk live. This historical background is juxtaposed to the wuxia world inhabited by Yan Wushi, Shen Qiao, and a host of other equally colourful characters. Yan Wushi's purposes are nebulous. As a member of the imperial court, he has a political interest in what happens in the world, but he is equally interested in the development of the Jianghu. Yan Wushi's primary mission is to best all other cultivation masters and to collect techniques from sacred scrolls, the Zhuyang Strategy, that have been scattered around China. When he first meets Shen Qiao, his initial interest is fueled by his desire to understand why this weak and disabled man is the heir to one of the greatest martial artists of his generation. Furthermore, by regularly sparring with Shen Qiao, Yan Wushi can absorb parts of the secret technique from Shen Qiao's clan, making him stronger day by day.If he had died in defeat, all his troubles would have died with him. But now, when he wakes up and realizes that he is not only alive, but that he's also lost everything he once had–grievously injured, his strength destroyed, and his martial arts no more. How will he feel, then? The greater one's prestige and authority, the less they can withstand such a blow. His heart and mind will certainly break. And when they do, I will take him under my wing. –Thousand Autumns, p.25True to his strict Daoist training, Shen Qiao is an upright and righteous young man. Despite his horrible defeat at the hands of the Göktürk leader that left him blind and severely injured, as well as all the betrayals he experiences, Shen Qiao remains steadfast in his belief of fairness and forgiveness for all. This often causes Yan Wushi to question his sanity, and the more that Shen Qiao remains pure in thought, the more Yan Wushi seeks to break his convictions.Shen Qiao doles out justice on two notable occasions where villains truly deserved retribution, showing that Shen Qiao is not above punishing those who deserve it. However, when it comes to himself, he more easily lets things slide. When Yan Wushi pushes him to his physical limits by having him fight despite his injuries, Shen Qiao says nothing and endures it all. He has no desire to seek vengeance for what was done to him, and wishes instead to live peacefully, whereas Yan Wushi is ambitious and wants to take over the world or see it burn. In this way, Yan Wushi and Shen Qiao are diametrically opposed, which makes their relationship uneasy and tense from the get-go. Overall, this first volume is a good start to the series. The first half is heavy with background information, but it is necessary to understand the motivations of each character. If you enjoy a politically-focused narrative, then Priest's [b:Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang, Vol. 1 62145799 Stars of Chaos Sha Po Lang, Vol. 1 (Stars of Chaos Sha Po Lang, #1) Priest https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1682111621l/62145799.SX50.jpg 97934661] has a similar take on the traditional wuxia story. Thousand Autumns's grey-zone characters make for an interesting read in which the concepts of good and evil are muddled, and where everything is politically motivated.

Ah, Rihito Takarai is such an amazing artist. I read his other series, [b:テンカウント 1 Ten Count 1 19508512 テンカウント 1 Ten Count 1 Rihito Takarai https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1472865999l/19508512.SX50.jpg 27625418], mostly for the art because it's just so pretty to look at. I also read [b:Seven Days: Monday → Thursday 8433044 Seven Days Monday → Thursday (Seven Days, #1) Rihito Takarai https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386985616l/8433044.SX50.jpg 13296490] ages ago, and it's still one of my favourite manga (it was also turned into a really good tv show, fyi). This new series seems promising. I like that it takes place in university and that the MC is a botanist/plant nerd (my kindred spirit!). Not much happens in vol 1, so it'll be interesting to see where vol 2 takes us.

Excuse me, but did the author actually admit to not reading the source material in its entirety?

Here's the actual quote from the author:

“I read a lot of the stories within The Odyssey, because they're in things like Percy Jackson, and those little books of mythology you get as a kid, but I actually started and finished writing without sitting down and reading the whole thing. I have various translations; there are parts that are very beautiful and readable, but it's so long, and written in a ‘prose-y' way that's kind of impenetrable” (read the whole interview here).

The Odyssey

Percy Jackson

I'm progressively becoming more and more annoyed by Aoki. He's very emotional, which is fine, but he tends to be overdramatic about everything, which makes him really mismatched with Ida. Ida is so level-headed and calm that I don't know how these two could actually ever get along, let alone date. I still think this series is very cute and funny, but I hope that Aoki matures more in the next volumes. Meanwhile, Hashimoto is the best since day 1. Honestly, she can do so much better than Akkun, but we'll see how that goes.

One gloomy prince, one stuffy royal advisor, one dependable bodyguard, and one goofy best friend go on a road trip... where have I seen this before?



Ah, yes! That's where! Honestly, I'm completely ok with pretending this novel is a m/m fanfiction of FFXV.

(This review will be finished later once I get through the book. I'm currently sitting at 30%).

UPDATE: I did not, in fact, “get through the book” and I am still “sitting at 30%.” It's safe to say that I won't be finishing this one. I liked the idea behind it, but in the end it lost my interest when it entered a weird slump a third of the way in. DNFed!

I, like everyone else, read the back cover and thought, “wow, this sounds right up my alley! What is there not to love about a queer historical fantasy with an arranged marriage trope.” However, two sentences in, and I knew right away that nope, this was not going to work. The author uses so many adjectives and adverbs in each sentence, it's dizzying. Not only that, but the attempt to sound ‘old timey' doesn't work here at all because 1) some of the words make no sense contextually, 2) the sentence structure is off putting for the most part, and 3) old literature doesn't even sound like this, not by any stretch of the imagination.

The offending opening lines in question:

“We'd scarcely entered Father's new lands when I realised how little I cared that I'd never inherit them. It was a genteel epiphany, as such things go...”

Let's dissect this a bit:
Epiphany: noun A moment of sudden revelation or insight.

The word used to enhance the noun:
Genteel: adj. Polite, refined, or respectable, often in an affected or ostentatious way.

A much better word to use that was forgone to sound (incorrectly) ‘old timey':
Gentle: adj. Moderate in action, effect, or degree; not harsh or severe.

Now, everyone, please tell me, is it truly a refined moment of revelation, or is it not more a soft revelation? Which one do you think makes more sense? Case in point.


Naturally, I didn't stop at the first few lines. No, I flipped around the book at random to see if maybe the first page was just an unfortunate editing slip-up. Alas, it was not an accidental slip-up. The whole book is like this, and as a self-respecting reader, there's no way I can stomach 544 pages of this kind of writing.

Consider these few choice examples I picked up during my flip through:

“...her head was freshly shaven enough to gleam beneath its stubble.”
Excuse me, but this is an oxymoron.

“Cae manfully resisted the urge to squirm away from the question...”
Manfully? Really? How does one resist in a manly way, exactly? Is the author playing synonym roulette here or something, because some alternative word choices in the dictionary are ‘ordinary' words like ‘bravely' and ‘courageously' (which still doesn't make sense in the context, but at least they are infinitely less painful to read than ‘manfully.')

“Being fifteen is four parts bravery to six parts foolishness...”
15 = 4+6... yes
insert confused Jackie Chan meme
Who talks like this? Do you know anyone who naturally comes up with this kind of response in a conversation?

Cae felt an obscure pang.
..... a what not? What, pray tell, is an obscure pang, exactly?


I could keep going, but I need a Tylenol at this point. Wherefore art thou so headache-inducing, dear novel?

DNF @10%

Such a pretty cover... such little appeal on the page. I wanted to love this, but I couldn't get past the first 50-odd pages. The fact that this book is 500+ pages long is kind of worrying. I don't see how there can be that much material to cover. The MC was very unlikeable to me, and the whole thing read like a bad bodyguard trope fanfic. This one is not for me!

Format read: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)
Reading time: 3h
Tags: fantasy, lgbt (m/m, f/f), historical
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 7/10

This was a very cute and heartwarming novella! I always go into KU books with low expectations (I'm sorry, but experience tells me that there's lots of drivel to run through on KU before you find something good), so I was happy to find that this little book was well written and entertaining.

There were a few things that lowered the rating, namely the exaggerated 1930s language (one too many “old boy” and “old thing” to make it bearable, I'm afraid) and the odd way of ending direct speeches with “what” (which, in retrospect, seemed to be a strange mannerism afforded to Alphonse specifically). I also felt a bit jarred by the inclusion of magic seemingly out of nowhere at first (and never fully explained), but towards the end it made much more sense for the plot. I just wish there would have been a proper introduction to the subject before throwing us into what seems at first glance a non-magical historical fiction.

The romances were sweet, although the Aaliyah/Jasmine pairing didn't have much ‘screen time' compared to Alphonse/Jacobi. I liked all the characters well enough, but I wish Jasmine had been present for more than just two scenes. I get that the focus was on Alphonse and his discovery of himself/his feelings, but the girls also had an interesting story.

All in all, this was a fun, quick-paced read that made my train commute much more bearable than usual. Despite my nitpicking, I still enjoyed this very much, and I'd probably reread it at some point when I'm need of a sugary dose of heartwarming goodness.

Art: 3Plot: 2Characters: 2Total: 2I picked this volume up because I usually love the mangaka's art, but I was pretty disappointed with this one. The quality wasn't really there, and it was difficult to tell the characters apart, which is unusual for this artist.The chapters follow the lives of three different couples/would-be couples and their daily woes. It's very much slice-of-life and not much happens. The relationships aren't really strong, especially the first one (radio host/café owner combo). I liked that the couples' lives intersected one another (a set of brothers, a set of coworkers, and a set of neighbours). The idea behind the story is fine, but due to the length of the manga (and it not being a series), there was not enough space to fully develop the plot and characters.Overall, there are much better one-shots out there; or better yet, go read the mangaka's other (well developed) series, [b:ギヴン 1 25707426 ギヴン 1 (Given, #1) Natsuki Kizu https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1434009435l/25707426.SX50.jpg 45538975].

This series is so cute and funny! I'm glad it was turned into a LA otherwise I may have never discovered it. Aoki is an interesting character (in more ways than one), but I love Hashimoto best. She's so kind and supportive, and Aida is too (in his own cooky way). Ida is stoic (and dense), which makes him the perfect opposite of Aoki. The four friends make a great team for sure. I'm looking forward to volume 3!

Format read: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)Reading time: 7+ hoursTags: historical fiction, romance, lgbtq+, enemies-to-lovers, regencyOwn a copy: noReread likelihood: 0/10sigh this had such a good start. The premise was fun (kind of tropey, but that's ok in these types of novels), the first couple of chapters were fun and humorous, but then, the middle of the book happened, and it was so hard to keep reading till the end.SummaryValentine, Duke of Malvern, is set to marry his childhood friend, Arabella Tarleton, because of a long-standing promise between their (now deceased) fathers. However, Arabella has zero interest in marrying the duke, and the feeling is mutual. In between these two is Bonaventure “Bonny” Tarleton, Arabella's twin brother. Being the doting brother that he is, he tries to reconcile the two would-be lovers by embarking with Valentine on a cross-country chase to find his runaway sister. During their time together, however, Valentine and Bonny grow closer until their feelings are unavoidable, creating a hairy situation with regard to Valentine's reluctant bride.ReviewArabella's stunt of running away from her forced marriage made sense when it was first introduced, but was it really necessary to reuse the same trick over, and over again, for 300+ pages? How many times is she going to dramatically run away without giving Valentine a chance of explaining himself? He also really really doesn't want to marry this nut, so why so much unnecessary drama? The fact that she gaslit the hell out of him for the entirety of the novel was beyond disgusting. She brings her melodrama to such an extreme that she very nearly has Valentine killed, to which she expresses regret when he comes out of it alive. On top of being unjustly horrible towards Valentine, she is equally horrible to her brother and abusive towards her partner, Peggy. Peggy does nothing but support all of her whims without complaining once, and yet, Arabella still manages to be emotionally abusive towards her by essentially just using Peggy's love for her as a tool for her own gain. Her presence in the book soured the whole plot. She is one of the most despicable and vile character I've ever had the misfortune of meeting. By comparison, Bonny starts off as much of the same as his crazy sister, but he actually grows and matures during the story. By the time we get to the end (of the overly convoluted plot), Bonny is actually a decent character. The same can't be said for his selfish, bratty, and unlikeable sister.Then there's Valentine. Poor, poor Valentine. What did he ever do to be so demeaned and mistreated at every turn? Everything bad that can happen to him, happens. Valentine essentially just wants to live in peace. He's okay with marrying Arabella just to honor his father's wish, but he expresses from the very start that they can be joined in name only and that she would have complete freedom if she wishes it. Even after he finds her in a compromising situation with her partner, despite being technically engaged to him, he's really chill and open about it? Sure, he loses his temper at times, but who wouldn't when you're faced with a deranged drama queen who constantly makes up lies about you to anyone who will listen? Valentine just wants to go back home and forget about everything, but people around him just won't leave him be until he becomes as exuberant (and crazy) as them.The main romance between Valentine and Bonny is also pretty laughable. In two days' time, they go from hating one another, to shacking up. Valentine, who until this point in his life had no romantic inclinations of any sort, suddenly finds himself head-over-heels for the carbon copy of the lunatic he's desperately trying to avoid marrying?? Their relationship makes no sense, and it feels as though Valentine is forcing himself to be out of character for the sake of the plot.Speaking of which, the so-called ‘plot' was so boring and repetitive. The novel could have easily been 100-150 pages shorter, and it wouldn't have taken anything away from the story. The events were essentially the same: Valentine tries to reason with Arabella, Arabella runs away dramatically, Bonny convinces Valentine to go after her, and thus the cycle repeats itself for another 4-5 times until the end of the book. The whole middle section when Bonny and Valentine end up in a cottage occupied by two ladies, and Arabella makes them believe that Valentine is a maniac, so they tie him up to a chair for the whole night, threaten him with a gun, and lock him up in a cellar until the next morning could have been eliminated entirely. That whole bit was really uncomfortable to read and, though it was meant to be funny, it was anything but. Overall, this was a disappointing read from such a well-loved and famous author. I haven't read his other series, [b:Boyfriend Material 50225678 Boyfriend Material (London Calling, #1) Alexis Hall https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575987260l/50225678.SX50.jpg 73590298], and now I'm not sure I want to, especially if it's anything like this one.

Loved the TV show, didn't love the book, which is a shame.

Look, is this the best book ever written? No.
Are there editing mistakes all over the place? Yes.
Did I still enjoy reading it? Absolutely.

Sometimes, you just want to read something that's light and easy; something that can pass the time when you're sitting on a plane or in an airport lounge. This is that kind of book.

Lord of Eternal Night is a cross between Bram Stoker's Dracula and de Villeneuve's classic fairytale, Beauty and the Beast. Even though the themes between these works and LEN are similar, the quality of this book is no where near them, but it still reads as a fun romp around a dark, haunted castle. The comparison between this book and Armentrout's From Blood and Ash series is also unfair, in my opinion, because they are as similar to one another as day and night. However, despite this disclaimer, LEN is just fun.

It's a simple story; Jak, a magician, is sent to a mansion on the outskirts of town as a “Claim,” an offering for a bloodthirsty beast that dwells in the mansion. The beast, Marius, is a gracious host to his hostage despite Jak's resistance, and slowly, Jak realises that “the beast” is not as evil as what he was taught to believe.

If you're familiar with both Dracula and Beauty and the Beast, then there is very little mystery in how the plot in LEN will enfold. The Claim falling in love with the Beast is a given, but add to that the element of vampirism, ghosts, and elemental magic (and smut—a fair amount of it).

Overall, if you have a penchant for retellings, vampires, and low-effort reading, this is for you. I think it would be even better to read this during spooky season to fully enjoy the atmospheric setting of the story.

Summary
Amelia is a newly discovered movie star, playing the title role in the remake of the beloved movie Roman Holiday. Amelia has everything that a girl could ever want: a gorgeous, rich fiancé who lives in San Francisco, a burgeoning acting career and more money than she can use. One evening, while Amelia is on location in Italy filming Roman Holiday, she decides to escape the media and slips out the back door of her fancy hotel, only to end up strolling the beautiful streets of Rome. There she meets Philip, a struggling journalist from New York who refuses to work for his father's stock brokerage company. When things start to go sour for Amelia, she finds herself more and more drawn to the outdoors of Rome where Philip takes her out for dates across the city.

Review
I was attracted to this book due to its premise and backdrop; however, I was disappointed to discover that it lacked good writing. The book was boring to me, with all of its tedious descriptions of food and clothing. Page upon page, the descriptions took over the majority of the book. As a consequence, the plot was seriously lacking. Amelia's late night escapades, interspersed with sessions of lounging in her lavish hotel room left little room for character development. The characters weren't interesting in the slightest, and I felt nothing towards their struggles and misadventures.

I thought the book was pretentious and self-important with all of its designer names thrown in for good measure. The grammar in the book was appalling, full of run-on sentences, lack of punctuation, and general mistakes. The only French sentence there was in the book had a spelling mistake in it and to me, that is absolutely unacceptable. If the author wanted to include a few sentences in a foreign language, she should have researched it properly before publishing it.

In the end, Rome In Love was boring, pretentious and riddled with bad grammar. If these things don't bother you too much, then by all means, try it out. For me, I couldn't look past them and soon found myself hoping to reach the end.

Format read: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)
Reading time: 4-ish hours
Tags: historical fiction, romance, lgbtq+, enemies-to-lovers
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 0/10

This book's only saving grace is its writing. Honestly, the Regency-esque language and setting is on point, but that's about all the credit I can give to this book. The thing that really ruined it is, strangely enough, the main character.

William Hartwell is an insufferable, unlikeable, grade-A jerk. You cannot for a second convince me that his affection for Warry is genuine. No, I refuse. The amount of gaslighting this man does is just off the charts. First, we're told that Hartwell, Becca, and Warry (Becca's younger brother) grew up together and have spent most of their lives in each other's company. Then, we're told that Hartwell and Becca were incredibly cruel to Warry during this time: they threw him in the pond on numerous occasions, gave him the run around, mocked him, etc. In brief, they were both horrible bullies, but Hartwell took the cake. We're told that now that they're grown, Hartwell is somehow even worse than when he was a brat. Instead of being a mature adult, he decides to shame Warry publicly for his friendship/mild infatuation with Lord Balfour. Why does he do this you ask? Well, because clearly Hartwell is the tragic embodiment of the most detested trope of “he's mean to you because he likes you.” Hartwell continuously mistreats Warry through an epic display of gaslighting. Here are a few fantastic examples for your reading pleasure:

With a sickening jolt, Warry recalled Hartwell's laughter as he'd mocked Warry at the Gilmore rout. If Warry were a better friend, then perhaps he would have forgiven Hartwell—but if Hartwell were a better friend, then he should have apologised.

Hartwell's

“I...I have been cruel, I know. You are right to despise me. I teased you all these years for two reasons. First, because I feared to examine my own flaws, and so it was easier to pick apart yours. And second, because I knew I would never change you. No taunt of mine could have stood up to a spirit such as yours. It is not an excuse for the way I treated you. But I would like you to know right now, I cannot imagine ever having meant a single unkind word I spoke about you.”

another

People were broken in all sorts of ways. They sometimes use disagreeable methods to achieve their ends, but didn't they all want essentially the same thing? To be loved? Could that brief flash of pity he'd felt for Balfour grow into forgiveness, and might they have a marriage that was at least civil?

forced

Format read: paperback
Reading time: ? (a lot)
Tags: theatre, tragedy, comedy, ancient Greece, classical literature, mythology
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 10/10

Aeschylus' The Oresteia (Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, & Eumenides)
I read this version of the trilogy with the idea of teaching it in university, which went surprisingly well. The plays have several important themes at their core such as family feuds, generational curses, women's place in society, violence against women, madness, justice and the birth of the judicial system, and religious zealotry, to name a few.

My favourite play of the three is the last one, Eumenides, as the ancient gods are brought to life and made to participate in the very first instance of a murder trial by jury. It's fascinating to have Apollo and Athena's ‘voices' (though I don't necessarily agree with their arguments!) as the primary speakers in the play. Even though the trilogy is very much concerned with the human, the last play reveals that, ultimately, the gods are still the ones who pull the strings behind the scenes (at least, within the context of ancient Greece).

This translation was very clear and easy to follow, but the musicality/poetry was lost most of the time. Also, there were some instances where the translator made use of much too modern language or phrases to convey an idea, which broke the immersion of the text.

Aeschylus gets 5 stars, the translation gets 4.

Format read: Paperback
Reading time: 5-7h
Tags: philosophical, science fiction, speculative, robotics, artificial intelligence
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 10/10

Summary & Review
Told from the perspective of Dr. Susan Calvin, I, Robot is a collection of short stories that covers several decades of robotic research and implementation. Here's a short breakdown of each story:

1. Robbie (5★)
The first story in the book is that of Robbie, a first gen robot model that cannot speak and whose primary task is taking care of children. Robbie and his charge, Gloria, make a great pair as they play games together and spend all their time in each other's company. One day, Gloria's mother decides that the robot has to go because Gloria is not socializing with other children, preferring instead to spend her days with Robbie. Robbie is sent back to U.S. Robotics to be decommissioned and turned into a line worker at the factory. Gloria goes through great pains to be reunited with her friend and shows that robots are more than just mindless machines.

2. Runaround (4★)
In this story, we are introduced to recurring characters, Mike Donavan and Greg Powell, two field engineers. In Runaround, Mike and Greg are sent on a mission to Mercury to collect selenium samples with the help of a single robot, Speedy. Left to fend for themselves, Mike and Greg soon realize that Speedy is acting strange and, if he isn't fixed soon, the two humans will die on a planet far from home. This story introduces the Three Laws of Robotics by showing how Speedy is stuck in a feedback loop between the Second Law (obedience) and the Third Law (self-preservation).

3. Reason (5★)
Mike and Greg are sent to work on a space station to work on a sun beam director that sends heat and light to the Earth. While at the station, the pair assemble a new model robot, QT-1 (“Cutie”) to take over the manual duties of controlling the beam. However, Cutie is a model with a much higher form of intellect, and it soon decides for itself that the two human engineers couldn't have possibly built it. Cutie begins to worship the Beam Director itself, thinking it a god-like being, and ignores the humans entirely, thereby breaking the Three Laws. When Cutie locks up the humans and takes over the commands at the station, Mike and Greg hope against all odds that the First Law at least will hold and that Cutie will protect Earth against a dangerous solar storm.

4. Catch That Rabbit (3★)
Mike and Greg work on yet another impossible mission, this time with DV-5 (“Dave”), a robot built to mine asteroids. Dave begins to malfunction while out on the asteroid, and all the other robots who follow it begin to display the same errors. Soon, Dave and its minions start a military-like march and fail to obey Mike and Greg until the two put themselves into mortal danger and Dave has no choice but to save them.

5. Liar! (4★)
Dr Susan Calvin stars in this story as a young robopsychologist working with a team of mathematicians on a robot, RB-34 (“Herbie”), who can read minds. Herbie somehow developed an anomaly that allows it to know exactly what the humans are thinking and to answer their questions before they're asked. Dr Calvin questions Herbie about its ability, but Herbie instead plays matchmaker between Calvin and one of the mathematicians, Milton Ashe. Things turn sour when Calvin realises that Herbie has been lying to everyone to protect their feelings as per the First Law (cause no harm to humans). Angry, Calvin sets about destroying the robot with all the cruelty that only humans can muster.

6. Little Lost Robot (5★)
This story is the inspiration behind the I, Robot movie. In this tale, Dr Calvin is sent to a Hyper Base in space where the military is testing hyperspace travel with the help of sophisticated robots. Calvin finds out that these robots, model NS-2, have been modified so that the imperative of the First Law is lessened. One of the modified robots has gone ‘missing' by hiding itself in a crowd of unmodified robots, and Calvin is tasked with finding out which of the 63 robots is the dangerous, disobedient one.

7. Escape! (5★)
Dr Calvin works with the mathematicians from Liar! to develop a super-brain, bodiless robot that can calculate impossible mathematics and discover how to travel in hyperspace. The Brain builds a spaceship capable of doing this and, when Mike and Greg are sent onboard to verify the equipment, they find themselves locked in the vessel and sent into outer space by The Brain. Even though The Brain cannot break the First Law, it can bend it a little bit to allow for hyperspace travel, which translates into Mike and Greg dying briefly during ‘the jump' to and back from deep space.

The Evitable Conflict (5★)
The world has come the point where highly sophisticated and efficient robots, now known as The Machines, run all forms of production worldwide. Humans have become all but redundant in this automated society, and many nations and individual groups of people oppose the widespread use of The Machines around the world. However, as Dr Calvin uncovers, The Machines are now in complete control of humanity and, for the sake of its well-being, the Third Law (self-preservation) comes to precede over the First Law (human safety) for the sake of the First Law. The Machines are therefore declared as masters who “stand between mankind and destruction” (224), and humanity has to accept the fact that it is no longer in charge of the world.


I, Robot is a fantastic early entry in the world of robotics, and its Three Laws are used to this day, perhaps surprisingly, in real science. The novel's individual stories show the progression of robotics, from mute nursemaids to all-powerful Machines that can no longer be dismantled. Sadly, humanity has placed itself in a box with no exit. By trying to progress technologically, it has caused its own loss of independence to the machines it has created. The short stories of Robbie and Liar! are just plain heartbreaking, while Reason and The Evitable Conflict are terrifying looks at when things go wrong and robots take over the world. Asimov created an interesting-if-worrying scenario that seems all-too eerie in the 21st century as we push to develop more and more intelligent systems that can automize our lives and take work away from humans.

This is a must read for all hard SFF lovers!

Format read: HardcoverTags: fantasy, lgbt (m/m, bi), found family, adventure, magic, LondonOwn a copy: yesReread likelihood: 8/10Summary:Will Kempen is an ordinary dockyard boy who fills his days with hard manual labour. However, he holds a secret close to his heart: he is on the run from shadowy figures who wish him dead by all means. Will is used to hiding his identity by changing jobs and cities regularly, until one night the men who murdered his mother find him, and the hunt begins anew. Will finds himself captured, then saved by a strange girl with inhuman strength and a knightly young man straight out of a storybook. With their help, Will will learn about his destiny and finally find out why these other men are so bent on capturing him, dead or alive.Review:Look, I read this immediately after devouring Pacat's [b:Captive Prince 9305362 Captive Prince (Captive Prince, #1) C.S. Pacat https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356028113l/9305362.SY75.jpg 14188292] trilogy and boy, did I ever devour this story too. Immediately, I could see parallels between the characters of Captive Prince and Dark Rise, but that didn't belay my enjoyment. In fact, I felt already familiar with Pacat's style, which made this book very easy to get into.I can't say that I was remotely surprised by the twist. To me, the conclusion of this first book was as clear as day from the first few chapters but, again, this somehow did not damage my enjoyment of the story. I grew attached to some of the characters more than others, especially Justice, but they all had very distinct voices and personalities that successfully made them stand out and be different from one another. I loved the magic system in this story, and the legends/myths were well presented and made sense. Worldbuilding is never an easy task, but Pacat did a good job here of creating an alternate 1800s London filled with magic and populated by an ancient sacred order.I'm looking forward to book 2 (whenever that might be) and, in the meantime, I'll hold onto my predictions for the next installment.

Format read: paperback (borrowed from a friend)
Reading time: 7+ hours
Tags: fantasy, magical realism, psychological, mystery, magic realism
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 0/10 (not because I didn't like it, but because I don't think I'd ever need to reread it to ‘get it')

Summary
In a maze-like house filled with statues and the ebb and flow of tides lives Piranesi, a self-declared scientist who takes great pains in exploring the infinite labyrinth and writing about his discoveries. Piranesi shares his peaceful existence with another human, the Other, with whom he has weekly philosophical and scientific discussions. When Piranesi starts to read his old journals, he realizes that not all is at it seems in the house of many wonders.


Roman Ruins by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778)

Review
[The review will contain spoilers as it is entirely impossible to avoid them with this type of narrative. Proceed at your own risk.]

Where to start with this book? There are so many categories for this book that it can be difficult to classify it. At first, it was very scifi to me, but then the low fantasy and soft magic elements kicked in, and then a psychological/murder mystery topped it all off. Our MC Piranesi spends the entire book clueless about the fact that he is a prisoner of this universe and that, ironically, the exit to the real world is most of the time only a few meters away from him. There were quite a lot of plot holes and loose ends in this tale. For example, why does Piranesi know what crips are, or what type of suits and patterns the Other is wearing, but he doesn't know what "police" means. These choices and gaps in his knowledge seem arbitrary as there's no definite pattern to his way of thinking or seeing the world.The system for dates and for different sections of the maze that he creates for himself makes sense and is structured, but many details about his knowledge make no sense. Why does he recognize the different types of birds that live in the house, but he doesn't know what the constellations are called? Why does he know the conventional days of the week such as Monday and Tuesday, but he doesn't know the names of months and has to rely instead on a system ("the 24th day of the second month of the year when the albatross came," for example)? Piranesi's selective amnesia seems to have no rhyme or reason to it, which makes the story hard to follow and breaks the immersion. The Other is also weirdly constructed. His search for the Knowledge with Piranesi seems to make sense at first, but then he abandons this cause entirely and becomes hyper-focused on the new visitor, 16. If his purpose in kidnapping and imprisoning Piranesi was for them to work out the secrets of the maze, then he has failed spectacularly at his one job. Also, what is the point in keeping Piranesi in this place other than to be comically evil? This whole plot point seems pointless since Piranesi doesn't contribute to this pursuit at all. Instead, Piranesi focuses on measuring the tides, cataloguing statues, and writing in his journal. All of these things, although important within the world of the House, are irrelevant to the Other's mission, so why keep Piranesi around, then? Why even kidnap Piranesi to begin with? He didn't need to stick someone into the House since he is able to visit it any time he wants. Granted, he can't stay too long in the House or else he'll start to forget things, but he still could have done his research without Piranesi (especially since Piranesi is pretty useless to his cause).Laurence, the arch-villain, appears in the novel for a couple of pages, and then is never seen again. What happened to him out in the real world? Was he not arrested for his part in the various crimes and Piranesi's kidnapping? Does he continue to exert his influence on unsuspecting university students? We don't know because there's never any follow up to his arc as a character and villain mastermind."My first great insight happened when I realised how much humankind had lost. Once, men and women were able to turn themselves into eagles and fly immense distances. They communed with rivers and mountains and received wisdom from them. They felt the turning of the stars inside their own minds. My contemporaries did not understand this. They were enamoured with the idea of progress and believed that whatever was new must be superior to what was old."-Laurence, in PiranesiThe House functions as a character itself, but its existence is never explained in a satisfactory way. The magic that sustains this place isn't explained beyond the vague "find a place from before reason appeared," and its rules are also not explained. For example, when someone visits this place, what happens to their physical body? It seems as though the person is transported completely, but there's one exception: Jimmy Ritter. He is found living behind a wall in Laurence's home, covered in his own urine and faeces, yet he was also 'living' in the House (as evidenced by the crisp packets left behind in the House and found by Piranesi). Why is he the only one who is not bodily transported (unless he is, and it's just not mentioned for some reason)?Then, if there is a passageway between this (our) world and the House, how come people don't just randomly stumble upon it? Who are all the dead in the House; random visitors, or Laurence's victims? How do people such as 16, who has never been to the House, navigate the maze and somehow always manage to find Piranesi? The same is true for Laurence who very easily finds Piranesi despite the fact that there are hundreds of halls and vestibules, staircases, floors, etc.Finally, the best question to describe the ending is 'why?' Why did we go through this journey alongside Piranesi only to have him become this strange 3rd version of himself; neither Matthew nor Piranesi, yet still connected to the House despite it all? It seems as though the novel, and the House in particular, is just one long, extended metaphor about mental illness and/or the inability to live in reality. The House offers an escape for all these characters who seek to better humanity by finding some kind of obscure, long-lost form of knowledge. However, the 'lesson' here is that eventually you have to go back and live in the real world. If the message of this novel was to promote the whimsy of the House (and therefore the unconscious mind), then it did not do its job very well. The reality is that the House is a horrific place filled with solitude, death, and constant danger. The real world is a much better place to be in.

This book does not exist in the cannon. I refuse to accept it >__<

My first Verne novel! I can't believe it took me this long to read one of Verne's amazing adventure novels. I'm happy I started with this one, as I think it was a good introduction to this author.

The story was light-hearted and fun throughout, with a cast of characters all quirky and endearing in their own ways. Mr. Fogg, the hero of this tale, was an interesting character with peculiar ways, but his cold, calculated way of thinking was nicely contrasted by his servant, Passepartout. The Frenchman was warm and friendly to compensate for his master, which made them a great fit for one another. The two made a wonderful pair as they worked together to traverse the whole world on a wager.

The narrative itself was interesting too, and the adventures (and misadventures) Fogg and his friends encountered were exciting and at times nerve-wracking. Though you expect Fogg to win his wager, the numerous obstacles he had along the way served to create moments of doubt as to his success.

All in all, I'm very pleased with this story, and I look forward to reading more Verne in the future. The rich descriptions of the places Fogg visited were a pleasure to read, and really gave off the feeling of travelling alongside him to all these wonderful places. Furthermore, I was pleasantly surprised to see how Verne treated foreign lands and peoples with great respect and admiration. Each culture was shown to be fascinating and worthy of discovering (this is a feat rarely accomplished in novels of the 19th century).

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to travel and dreams of going on an adventure of their own.

This review contains spoilers.

Book 2 deals with Xie Lian's past as the Crown Prince of Xianle, as well as his first ascension (and subsequent fall) from heaven. We get to see a young and brave Xie Lian who has strong convictions and is determined to do what's right. However, even though he tries his best to take care of difficult situations, the people revolt against him and blame him for everything that goes wrong. Young Feng Xin and Mu Qing were also interesting to see, and the relationship between the three was well-developed and intriguing. However, the star of the show for me was Hong Hong'er (young Hua Cheng) and his unshakable devotion to Xie Lian. The moment Xie Lian saved his life, Hong'er was eternally grateful and devoted to him. I loved seeing Hong'er's development, but I was sad that Xie Lian didn't recognize him one time from another. Even so, their early relationship was a treat to read, and I look forward to the rest in the next book(s)!

Format read: ebook (Libby)
Reading time: 50 minutes
Tags: romance, lgbtq+, high school, slice of life
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 2/10

Mmm... As much as I liked the first 3 volumes, this one wasn't for me. I found it much too melodramatic and lacking in realism. The fact that Charlie and Nick are 15 and 16 years old, respectively, makes their relationship a bit too ‘extra' at times. Plus, things took a sharp turn from the lightheartedness of the previous books with Charlie's mental deterioration and Nick's desperate attempts to ‘save' him.

Others might find this topic interesting, but it's not to my taste.

DNF 20%

I was rather enjoying this, but then I lost interest for one reason or another. I don't think it has anything to do with the book; I just moved on to other reads and put this one aside. I may try to read this again at some point.