Cillian

Set in a fantasy world with society and technology roughly comparable to 1700s England, but with sorcery and alchemy, and also the fae mythos.

While it does have aspects of Wells’ writing that I love, this is her first book and kind of shows. Exposition and world building wasn’t very elegant so it was difficult to keep track of some of the characters and factions. Kade’s personality was (I think) meant to reflect the “capricious nature” of her fae mother but it came across much more like that of a very immature woman, which made me not a fan of the relationship that developed between her and an older man.

Entertaining if a little cliché.

Like all good gothic stories, sometimes the mysteries are a little more exciting than the answers. Great book though.

“She’s deeply disinterested in men, not only on a sexual level, but also on an intellectual one.”

Jude is a great character.

Undoubtedly a good, classic work of science fiction. Would be great if the single female character wasn't a complete bitchy caricature treated with contempt. (I'm not exaggerating - on multiple occasions her husband threatens to cut out her tongue)

Brilliant and devastating, as only Banks can do. The relationship between Lededje and Demeisen is one of my favorites in the whole Culture series (and also, best take on a space battle I’ve ever read).

Veppers is a terrifyingly believable villain and I had to pause the book a couple times because of it.

Altogether a great read.

This book came for my neck. “When I viewed getting my life together as a way for trying to atone for the sin of falling apart, I stayed stuck in a shame-fueled cycle of performance, perfectionism, and failure.”

Unlike her last book, this isn't just a collection of funny anecdotes (although there are many). A fair amount of her stories and musings are centered on her struggles with depression, and her fight to learn to like herself and find some meaning in life when everything hits the fan. Depending on your own relationship with depression, this book might not hit you quite as hard.

i like gothic stories but i wish they, as a genre, would involve a little less gaslighting of women. also this was boring.