Sahi

Looks like I'm having a good time this year reading YA fantasies which are based on Asian mythology/folklore and I'm glad to add this book as well to that list. I've been eagerly waiting to read it since the announcement, and the gorgeous cover only cemented my belief that I would love it. I was ecstatic when I got an advance listening copy and it was truly worth all the wait.

The inside of the book perfectly matches the outside. The writing here is absolutely stunning - the author creates such a lush and vibrant world borne out of myths that even me who has zero imagination could picture the sea god's city in my head. The alleys, the pavilions, the gardens and lakes and food, the various spirits and beasts of myths and the gods and goddesses - it all adds up to a world which feels both real and dreamlike, somewhere I wished I could travel to as well. The pacing is also pretty fast, with the author throwing us in the middle of the action right from the first page and then keeping it up all throughout; but there are also many lovely and soft moments of wonder and love and hope and it all ends up being a perfect balance in storytelling. There are quite a few thrilling action sequences which were both exciting and very tense, and I really enjoyed them. I also loved the author's use of flashbacks as well as stories within stories to evoke various emotions among the reader and I felt magically transported every time I heard a new story. The beautiful story is well complemented by the narrator Rosa Escoda whose enchanting voice kept me hooked and I couldn't stop listening.

Mina is such a wonderful protagonist. Yes, she can feel like a typical YA heroine who has to sacrifice her life to save the world but she truly is special. Because she isn't the chosen one - she chooses to be the one, so that her brother can have his love. Her love for her family is her strength throughout and whenever she feels unsure or lost, she derives hope by reminiscing about them and finds herself renewed in purpose. She is also extremely compassionate, moved by the plight of the sea god and wanting to do her very best to help him break his curse and take away his loneliness and despair.

In her new found purpose, she is ably supported by a whole host of characters and I'm absolutely in love with every single one of them. Mask, Tai and Miki are the first trio she meets in the spirit realm and though she doesn't know them, she finds trusting them easy and all three of them help Mina in multiple dangerous situations. Mask is mysterious, Tai is a delightful but brave boy and Miki is the most adorable baby, and they are instantly lovable. Then we might next trio who become indispensable in her quest to save the sea god as well as her people. Namgi is ever cheerful and talkative, forming a deep friendship with Mina pretty quickly. Kirin is more reserved and grumpy but he is loyal as ever and his steadfastness is commendable. But it is Shin who steals our heart, maybe not right at the beginning but slowly, with his protective nature, his willingness to fiercely defend the sea god and the city, and trusting Mina to solve such an immense curse. His relationship with Mina is so well written and delicious that I could weep.

To conclude, this book was everything I wanted it to be and more. It has all the elements of a great YA fantasy - strong female character, both amazing blood and found families, a wondrous tale of curses and gods and fate and adventure, a vibrant world taken right out of Korean mythology, and ultimately a story of love, family, duty and hope. I'm absolutely delighted that I got to experience this tale and I can't wait to read the author's future works.

I've had this book on my shelf for a long time. I bought both the ebook and audiobook knowing I will like it but sometimes, I just don't feel like reading hyped books and it's been languishing since. But now that I've decided I want to get through atleast some of the series I own in 2022, this was one of the first ones I decided to pick up. It helps that I have nothing else to do and can just immerse myself in it while recovering from Covid. And what an experience this turned out to be.

Except for a couple breaks, I listened to this at a single stretch. I just didn't wanna stop. But that's understandable because the book is relentless in every way possible. I'm so used to reading more character focused books that even when there are amazing action sequences, the ones I read aren't always that gritty (a major exception being the Poppy War trilogy which is all kinds of bloody). However, this book is about conflict and war and revenge. The fighting starts in the prologue and it goes on and on in some form or the other throughout. We have elaborate battles, competitive melees, personal duels, rage filled skirmishes - you think of it, and this book has that kind of an action sequence.

That's not to say it's all the book is about. Because it's the underlying causes for these fights that make us care enough to keep reading. The world building is not very expansive but we get to know enough about the history, the reasons for the never ending war between the Omehi and Hedeni, and the oppressive caste system within the Omehi which leaves the non-gifted commoners to get slaughtered first while protecting the powerful nobles. This is a story about one person's vengeance yes, but it's also about what that path can lead to, and what happens when people who have always been told they are lesser finally see signs that they may have been lied to. The audiobook narration is also very good and the narrator keeps the tension up and our adrenaline pumping with his very expressive style.

We mostly get only our main character Tau's POV and while it's not easy to like him, it's very easy to root for him. From someone who just wanted to get married to his childhood sweetheart and have a peaceful life, he is forced to become a warrior hell bent on revenge, but that transformation comes at a cost. He is one of the most determined characters I've probably ever read - he knows who he needs to kill, knows he isn't strong enough to do so, and he will forego every other aspect of his life to home his body and mind into a trained and capable fighter. The alternate subplots of his training montages and the fighting competitions really drove that point home about how much he is working towards his goal and how he is improving. It also means that he can be impulsive and reckless, and make decisions in the heat of the moment that affect not just his life, but of his comrades too. He puts himself through all kinds of horrors to be able to withstand his enemies but he never gains respite, and it was heartbreaking to see him encounter only more pain in his path.

There are many side characters but everyone's presence is muted because of how Tau towers above all. I could never get a handle on Zuri initially about what she wanted - I knew there was love between them but I also felt she wasn't able to truly understand his anguish. However, she is the only somewhat significant female character in the story and I hope we have more in the sequel because it was weird to not meet a lot of women in a world where they rule and they are the ones who are gifted with powers. Tau's friends in Scale Jayyed were all awesome characters too and I admired them for trying to keep him grounded and offering friendship even when he wasn't ready for it. Jayyed was another character I was fascinated by but wanted more of. And finally we get only a little glimpse of the queen but I can see she is formidable and hopefully we'll get to know her better in the next.

Overall, this was thrilling, fast paced, full of tension African inspired epic fantasy that will wow you with its truly epic battle scenes, and then make you feel all the pain that the characters are feeling. It's such an impressive debut and very unputdownable and I can totally see now why everyone loved it so much. I have only heard even better things about the sequel, so I'm sure I will love that too. The only question is whether I'll pick it up right away or put it off for later like I always do.

CW: depression, homophobic comments (mostly challenged)

It took me exactly an hour after I was approved for this arc before I started reading it even though it was almost ten in the night. There was no way I was gonna sleep without knowing more of Ilya and Shane's story. So that's exactly what I did - stayed up late night to finish it in one go.

I have to say, I didn't expect to cry so much while reading this but I did. I used to be a very frequent crier while reading romance novels but in the past couple of years, I've become way too cynical and nothing makes me cry anymore (except ofcourse wangxian fanfics on ao3 but they are an exception). But this book - wow did I just sob and sob at so many moments. Not to say this was a painful read. It was just such a beautiful love story of two people who were forced to be apart for long periods of time due to circumstances and them trying to handle that loneliness was heartbreaking. While Heated Rivalry was all about hot and sexy (and this one doesn't compromise on that), this was more about love and the emotions associated with it. I love this whole series but this probably has the best writing because the author handled so many sensitive things with care and I adore her for it.

I remember the author mentioning once that while Heated Rivalry was more Shane's book, this is more Ilya's book and I think that is a perfect description. While in the first one, we get to see Shane come to terms with his sexuality and the person he wants to be with, this book is mostly Ilya trying to find his path in life, navigating the joys and sorrows, trying to do things for himself and figuring out how to get his HEA.

I was so impressed by Ilya this time, and I didn't think that was possible because he is already my favorite character in this world. His personality is so out there that no one would think he is lonely, depressed and unhappy even with his hockey because he isn't on a winning team anymore. It really really broke my heart when he felt insecure that Shane might leave him for a more uncomplicated relationship. But he has always been a fighter and I was so glad to see him take the initiative to get help, figure out what he needed to do and believe in his love.

Shane on the other hand felt like he has become more uptight, being all about self control and discipline. His whole “performance diet” was a running gag throughout the story and I found it hilarious. I also wanted to shake him sometimes because he wouldn't try to understand Ilya's pov but then he was always a bit clueless, so I knew he would get there, even if he needed some nudges.

I was also pretty surprised by how the various side characters played out. It was nice to see all the familiar hockey players and their reactions to Ilya and Shane's relationship. There were ofcourse some assholes and some supporters and I was glad it was more on the positive side. I was actually sad to see what happened in the aftermath but I think the ultimate consequence was just perfect.

What more can I say about this book which was my most anticipated romance release of this year. I have loved Ilya and Shane's characters for years now and it was a joy reading more of their story and seeing them find happiness and togetherness in the best way possible. It was the perfect book and I'm ecstatic, but also sad at the prospect that we might not get to see them anymore. I don't know if there are more books in this series but I hope there are, and even if it's a new couple, I hope we'll get to see more of this amazing couple's snippets alongwith the many accomplishments that I can't wait for them to achieve. Even if I never get to know what happens next in their story, I'm just happy I got to meet them and I will always come back for more rereads whenever I need some joy.

CW: child sacrifice

This was definitely a vanity request first and foremost because I love covers with gold color palettes and this one with its intricately designed dagger was a beauty. I was also quite intrigued by this world of queendoms and immediately requested an arc. And this was such a ride.

The world building was a major draw for this book and I'm glad it didn't disappoint on that level. We never do get to know why the women in this world are so powerful except for it being their god's will but I loved the history of how the Great Peace came to be and the unique ways each queendom differs from each other. Their specific characteristics together make for a very coherent whole and I loved how the author managed to create them. The pacing is also pretty steady, never too fast or slow, but with its own reflective moments, covering more than a decade of the story. The writing is straightforward and easy to follow, with not too many flourishes, but I think it suited the slightly harsh circumstances of this world.

This is not a spoiler because it's mentioned in the blurb but the idea of what will happen to a matriarchal world when girls stop being born is a fascinating premise and I was really excited to see the issues arising with this play out. I probably did want to see more of the political machinations and how the common people were dealing with the issue, but we never get to explore the societal wide implications. The author mainly focused on what it meant to one of the queendoms and how they decided to deal with it - I wasn't completely disappointed but I just expected more.

There are a whole number of women POVs to follow along here and it was nice to get such a variety. Tamura and Mirriam are both conniving queens in their own ways - Tamura hiding all her insecurities by leaning on her warrior side, with a thirst for blood and conquest; Mirriam on the other hand who can't trust anyone around her, paranoid to the core, all powerful magic user but all alone. Jehenit is a healer who takes her duty to her village very seriously but all that changes when she needs to protect her only daughter. Vishala is bound by her loyalty to her queen, more than to her homeland, and will do anything to protect her heir. Gretti is a reluctant strategist who is loyal to her people more than the Queen and will try her best to protect them all, but is not fond of conquest or bloodshed. Eminel is an unexpected prodigy who doesn't realize what she is capable of. And finally Sessadon - the resentful one, who wasn't chosen to be queen but will destroy the world to make it kneel in front of her. All these women are dynamic, their personalities shining through the pages, and I loved getting to know each of their strengths and vulnerabilities and guessing what they might do next. There is so much tension in their relationships and life altering consequences to their actions, and it was fun exploring it all.

In conclusion, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book and I loved savoring the book a bit slowly than I usually do. The world is fascinating, the magic is cool, the ensemble of characters is brilliant (whether I actually like them or not is a different matter) and the plot is a convoluted in some ways, but thrilling in others. I liked how this first book is almost self contained with an interesting conclusion, while leaving lots of possibilities for the sequel. I'm definitely looking forward to it.

I have never read any Traci Chee book before but I do own one of them and they've been on my radar for a long time. So, when I got the opportunity to read this arc which had such a fun premise, I couldn't resist.

I'm always up for books with fairytale feels and folklore inspirations and this book, with a blend of both, was super entertaining and fun. The world building is very immersive and we feel transported to Awara, meeting all the supernatural creatures. There were footnotes with explanations for terms, meanings and any underlying stories associated, along with pronunciations and I thought it was a perfect way to get to know the history of this world better. The writing is wonderful and fast paced and the adventure is very engaging, making me wonder every chapter where it was going next. And the fairytale feel was so strong that I knew ultimately, good would prevail.

The main theme of the book is also something I really enjoy when explored in SFF. Awara is a very patriarchal and misogynistic society with very a confined and restricted role for women and anyone crossing them is made to suffer. The author explores the confines and possibilities that gaining power can provide to a woman from such an environment. I thought the discussion about what is more important - never being powerless again or retaining one's humanity even if it means going back to a powerless existence - was very thoughtful and fascinating. And the story also proved that just having power doesn't mean anything, it's what is done with the power that gives meaning to it.

Muiko is an ordinary girl living in a forgotten village but she has always felt that she doesn't fit the box that she is expected to limit herself to. When she is cursed and chased away from her village, but the curse also keeps giving her more power, she faces the dilemma of what she wants to be - a malevolent demon who is shunned by everyone and is destined to kill, or a human woman with all the restrictions that come with her regressive society. The rest of the story is about what this young, kind but loud woman wants to choose for herself but frankly, it's never in doubt what she will do to protect the people she cares about and maybe even the country which doesn't actually accept her the way she is.

In her adventures, she is aptly supported by her new found friend Geiki, who is a magpie spirit and can't resist stealing whatever shiny thing he comes across. But he is absolute hoot whenever he is on page and probably the main source of entertainment throughout. We also encounter many other different kinds of spirits, humans, demigods and gods who all end up helping Muiko in their own ways and it all made for such a thoroughly captivating journey.

Overall, this was the perfect kind of fairytale-esque Japanese folklore inspired story I could have asked for which is full of thrilling adventures, an enchanting world and a cast of characters who are very easy to love. I'm so glad I finally got to experience Traci's writing and can't wait to checkout their backlist.

CW: pandemic, child euthanasia, cancer

From the first time I read the premise of this book, I knew I had to read it. I went as far as preordering the audiobook which is something I rarely do. It took me a couple weeks after the release to get to it but I am happy all my anticipation wasn't in vain.

This is not a spoiler because it's mentioned in the blurb but this is a book about the aftermath of a pandemic - not something novel like Covid-19 but an ancient one that gets released into our world when the ice starts melting in Siberia. The symptoms of this disease were very different from the one we are experiencing, so I think that's why I was able to disassociate myself from our reality and enjoy this one purely as a near future sci-fi novel. And it was so fascinating. This is a collection of stories of different people - what each person is going through in the months and years after the pandemic, how their lives and surroundings have changed, what has become important and what has been relegated as trivial in this new world, how communities and philosophies have evolved, and how everyone is coping while trying to survive as well as while making very difficult decisions.

What was surprising was how the author connected each of these stories with some small reference or just a word and it was a marvelous feeling when I could connect the threads from the beginning to the end. And that revelation in the final chapter is a perfect capstone to this unique and fascinating world. Because of the pandemic as the major catalyst of this book, it's understandable that death is a major theme across the board. We see every single character as well as communities and countries dealing with death in different ways, developing new ways to honor the people who have gone and creating some new funerary rituals along the way. And as with any disaster, capitalism is always ready to commercialize even this somber point of humanity. But what really surprised as well as awed me was that despite there being so much death in the book, the author manages to infuse the stories with so much love, family and hope - so, even when you are feeling the immense grief the characters are experiencing, you are also rooting for them to survive and appreciating their efforts to move on and do better.

I had thought this book would take me a while to finish because of its subject matter but I finished it in day. I have to credit the excellent cast of narrators who brought each of the characters to life and let me experience their grief and loss and hope through their narrations. And I know the premise of this book can be a deterrent during our current times, but I would still recommend it because it's a sober and poignant look at the possibilities of humanity's survival in a climate/pandemic ravaged world and more importantly a call to all of us to preserve the only way of life we know.

Probably more of a 4.5 though.

My listening of this audiobook has been going on for a while but it wasn't because I didn't like it; mostly just that I needed to be in the right mood to appreciate it. And I'm glad I picked it right back up in the new year in earnest and finished it pretty quickly.

I'm someone who hates physical exercise and the most I can do is walk for a little while, but even that needs some motivation. And it was this audiobook which became my walking companion, biding me to walk some more when I didn't want to. And I have to agree, on some days, I didn't even realize how long I had walked because I was too engrossed in the story. Whatever minor quips I had with the translation in the first book, I didn't feel any of that this time and I just enjoyed this full on martial arts story. Ofcourse the descriptions of the martial art techniques or the Taoist philosophies aren't always easy to grasp but nonetheless they didn't take away from the wonder that some of the scenes evoked and I was thoroughly entertained. This was also a book of reunions, partings, revelations and betrayals and I loved how the author manages to incorporate so many elements while also ensuring there's a fight scene for every situation.

I couldn't help but be reminded of the most recent cdrama I watched, Sword Snow Stride when reading about the adventures of Guo Jing. The character of the drama, Xu Fengniang and Guo Jing are diametrically opposite in personalities but they are equally underestimated by everyone. In a similar vein, both seem to acquire new shifus as they travel and I just find it very funny. Guo Jing is such a sweet, open hearted but naive young man and I am always in disbelief that some of the top martial masters just end up teaching him their skills. And he never even realizes how strong and powerful his skills have become.

But Lotus or Huang Rong is the perfect companion for him. She is sharp, cunning, cheerful, and a skilled martial artist herself. She may not want anything to do with the wulin than having her father's approval and Guo Jing's love, but she still ends up playing a significant part in ensuring GJ survives as well learns more martial arts. They both are just so earnest and innocent in love and I can't help but root for them wholeheartedly.

There are villains too many in this series but I adore the many jianghu heroes who fight for pride but also respect each other and tell stories of their past exploits. So many of them become related to Guo Jing in some way or the other and I like how humble he remains and eager to learn from them all. I especially liked one of the five greats and the Beggar Sect's leader Count Seven Hong's interactions with Guo Jing and Lotus - they felt like a lovely little found family always grumbling and sniping at each other but only with affection.

In conclusion, I probably enjoyed this more than A Hero Born but that's probably because I felt more familiar with the world this time around. While a lot happened in this book, it also felt like nothing significant actually didn't happen but that doesn't matter - this is the coming of age story of Guo Jing and I love traveling along with him on his adventures. I'm very excited to get to the next one because that one promises to be more tense and angsty and dangerous. In the meantime, I'm also excited to watch the 2008 drama adaptation starring Hu Ge and just see how this story unfolds on screen.

This was too short. I just wanted more of Constance, Maggie and Alexi's story. I wanted to know what they've been upto. But it was lovely to see that their love will transcend centuries. Alexi made me emotional and I'm glad how the two women handled the situation. Such an interesting tale of love and family.

Wow. That is the overwhelming feeling upon finishing this short story. And also some tears because it is moving and beautiful but also utterly heartbreaking. The author covers everything in these few pages - a future earth which is rapidly declining; the last surviving forest in the world; a person's love for her wife and their beautiful trees which they nurture like children; the words anyone chooses to leave behind and the ones who are compassionate enough to listen - this is a poignant story about love and loss and legacy in a world where humanity can't stop itself from destroying the earth.

Firstly, I don't know even why I decided to request an arc of this book. I was just browsing the mysteries section of netgalley on a whim and was intrigued by the cover, and then the blurb. It felt like something unique and I just thought I'll give it a try. And now I can't believe I've read two locked room mysteries in consecutive days.

The writing in this one took me a while to get into. I don't know if it was the narrative voice or just the way the author described things, I couldn't focus much on it initially. But once I got introduced to the characters and a bit of the mystery, it was easy to get hooked. I don't know if this was supposed to be contemporary New York or near future because I couldn't get a hang of it. I also thought that the characters played fast and loose with the law and I guess it made for good convenience so that our characters could get to the root of the mystery. But don't think I'm being all negative - these are just things are observed but they didn't necessarily take away from my enjoyment of the story. The mystery itself is pretty intriguing and the author ensured that we couldn't guess the culprit or the motives till almost the end, and getting to see it all unfold was fun.

The other thing I really enjoyed about the book was how relevant it felt to our times. The major backdrop of the story is online dating as a concept, finding love in these times when we are almost pathological about showing only our best self in public and social media, the high dependency on algorithms by big tech companies which mine huge amounts of data that we inadvertently provide them, and how this affects the choices we ultimately make. There are quite a few interesting discussions but no solutions (because it's not that black and white) about how the algorithms might be used to subtly nudge us towards what choices to make based on what the companies want us to do, without us ever realizing that the decision we made might not be what we wanted, just what the algorithm thought we should want. Where to draw the line between convenience and infringement of privacy is a fraught issue with no clear cut solutions and I think the author captured the dichotomy of how big tech founders might come up ideas with good intentions but ultimately they all have to bow down to what the venture capitalists want because that's the kind of capitalist society we live in where profits are king, the customer be damned.

Claudia is an interesting young woman to follow. The only sibling among three who actually grew up in America, she wants to be filial to her mother but can't reconcile the woman who chose to keep her close while sending her brother and sister to live with her grandparents, with the mother who keeps putting her down with every chance she gets. But otherwise, she seemed like a bit of a loner who didn't have many friends, hasn't come out to her mom, but doesn't mind being single for now and work at a place which is both fun and interesting, even if the pay isn't great. She is also a huge mystery novels fan and ends up at the almost perfect job for her. I absolutely loved all the times she talked about her favorite fictional detective Inspector Yuan and his exploits in various cases, and how she could apply his methods in specific situations she encountered. It felt like something I would do if I was an mystery lover too and I had such an urge to look up if her favorite detective books actually exist.

I can't say I liked both her siblings, Charles and Caroline. They were supportive when needed but I didn't think it was unconditional, and each of them had their own problems which they kept bottled up, never confronting their mother. They mostly indulged her even when she was being negative towards them and misunderstanding their intentions, but I think however much we grow up in America, Asian children will mostly choose the path of least resistance, be filial and obedient. But it did seem like the siblings would be okay towards the end and maybe communicate more, so who knows.

Becks definitely felt like a mean girl initially and it's not surprising because she was quite rude to everyone and sometimes, I can't tolerate when a person is being a prick but with good intentions. Komla was a very guarded person who spoke in platitudes and seemed like a very typical tech startup guy. But he had his moments and I didn't know how to feel about him by the end of the book. Sarah and Iris were interesting too but I didn't feel like we got to know them much directly, just through second hand information.

Overall though, I rushed through the book because it was so easy to read. While it is a cool locked room mystery with many possible culprits that we'll keep guessing till the end, the author also balanced this with great character arcs, and some fascinating but subtle commentary on our data driven world. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I can only hope that our wannabe amateur sleuth gets to solve more mysteries in the future books.

It's probably more of a 3.5 but I'm rounding up.

I'm not much of a mystery reader these days but I do end up picking up a couple every year just to keep in touch with the genre. When I saw the cover for this book, I was immediately tempted because I can't resist gorgeous red covers. And the title and the minimalist style also intrigued me. As soon as I got my hands on the audiobook, I picked it up immediately. And this was unexpectedly fun.

This was surprisingly easy to read and I breezed through the whole thing in just a few hours. I alternated between the ebook and audio and I loved the experience of that. The author makes the choice to narrate this whole story in a single first person POV and while it could have backfired if not done properly, I think it was executed pretty well. This is kind of a locked room mystery and while there is some focus on finding the culprit, I will say that it's not the main focus of the novel. The mystery aspects are pretty simplistic, we can easily latch onto a few characters as possible perpetrators, but the author also manages to surprise us with some last minute revelations. I also loved the unexpected found family trope which only enhances the kind of cozy vibes that this whole book is going for.

Molly is the one who's POV we are listening to exclusively. So your enjoyment of the book will depend on how much you like her. She is a maid, who loves her job, gets immense satisfaction when she sees the meticulous cleaning she has done, but also realizes that she is mostly invisible to others both due to her “lowly” job as well as her personality. It's never named but she is definitely neurodivergent, unsure how to navigate social situations or understand body language, is very meticulous and straightforward, is not good at judging people but is capable of some deception because that's how she is able to cope in her interactions with others. I was sad at her naïveté many times when I could see she was being lied to and would get into trouble later, but I was also amazed at how much she valued the people who acknowledged her and didn't treat her as if she was invisible. She really keeps her grief and her resentments close to her chest and does what she thinks is best. She may not respond to situations like what we would expect but I think the author does a good job reiterating that it doesn't make her any less or weird and that she deserves all the respect and dignity, just like any human.

There are many side characters here, some mysterious, some sweet and nice, some sly and sinister and others just going through life the best way they can. I don't want to say more about them because looking at them through Molly's eyes and understanding them in a way that she cannot is one of the best parts of the book.

In the end, this was pretty fun. For a murder mystery, it is more focused on the main character and the way she goes about in life and that may not be the cup of tea for more seasoned readers of the genre. But if you are looking for more of cozy vibes, interesting ensemble, a quirky main character and a breezy read, do go for it. I would also recommend the audiobook because the narrator succeeds very well in ensuring that we understand Molly as a person and not just a caricature, narrating her with care and earnestness.

Seems pretty simple and unnecessary by the time we end the story, but while reading it was quite interesting. It's slightly dated but that's not surprising considering it was published during the 1920s and the misogynistic descriptions of women are quite awful. If I'm to understand correctly, the author is using satire to criticize the government authorities who use absolutely nonsense metrics to decide who is a good citizen and who isn't, who deserves respect and dignity and who doesn't. Very fascinating premise about the importance of life and humanity.

When I finished reading A Thousand Ships, my first thought was that I want to read more by this author. And while there are a couple more retellings she has written, this nonfiction book about the women in Greek mythology was what immediately caught my interest and I knew I would read it as soon as I got my hands on it. And when I found the audiobook, I just couldn't stop reading.

I didn't grow up reading books or watching movies about Greek mythology and it's heroes like the author or many of the readers who grew up in the West. Which is why my knowledge about them is very recent and limited. So, initially, I thought I might not feel the same about the importance of the women the author is talking about in this book because I don't know most of their stories. Ultimately though, it's the very age old story of women getting neglected, sidelined, forgotten or demonized in narratives and it's nothing new or exclusive to Greek mythology - it's such a universal occurrence that I could very much relate to it and feel the indignation that the author clearly does too.

But what I loved about this book is how the author structures the narrative. We get one chapter per woman but many others get mentioned due to the commonalities between their stories. The author starts with telling us the most popular version of the story and then goes back to the earliest available versions of these stories - in books, plays, art or sculptures - she analyses all the different kinds of media where these stories have been told and the changes the narrative has undergone as the decades and centuries went by. It's a fascinating look at how the stories change because that particular author or artist decided to do so, reflecting more of his personal viewpoint and the attitudes of society during his time, never feeling the need to be closer to the earliest source material.

Which is why we go from women who are portrayed with lots of nuance and as warriors or independent thinkers to devious, monstrous or demure. I could feel that the author really appreciates the plays of Euripides because he seems to have featured a lot of women characters as prominent and even titular roles and we get to see his interpretations which I really loved. But the author also ensures to give us many other's versions as well like Homer, Virgil, Ovid, Hesiod and the more modern books and movies written well into the twentieth century. I enjoyed all the stories but there was definitely something special about seeing the utter rage of Medea at being cheated and the way Clytemnestra channels her grief of losing her daughter into planning to take revenge for her death. But I also felt dismay at seeing how Medusa or Pandora and even Helen are made scapegoats for events they weren't directly responsible for, completely absolving the hand of the various gods who are the actual architects of the troubles. The men get valorized and the women get villainized or silenced and this misogyny gets perpetrated across centuries.

However, I'm glad that we now have authors like Natalie or Madeline Miller, Pat Barker and Jennifer Saint who are determined to bring the complete portraits of the numerous women from mythology to the forefront and I'm very excited to read more of their works. This book was illuminating and informative; despite being a nonfiction and having lots of info, it never felt dry because the author's writing is very witty and I loved her little comments or sarcastic asides from time to time. Natalie also narrates the audiobook herself and just like I felt during A Thousand Ships, she brings her writing to life with her voice and her broadcasting experience is full on display at the way she makes this narration thrilling and unputdownable.

I've never actually watched this author's Smarter in Seconds series of videos on YouTube, so I didn't know about her scholarship in various topics. I got to know about this book while browsing Twitter and immediately wanted to check it out. And I'm glad I did.

This book is definitely more of a primer if you wanna learn more about topics like race, class, gender, sexuality, disability and more which are highly relevant to our daily lives, both in a personal and political manner. And the author doesn't just restrict herself to these issues. We also get to read about personal identity in general, the different kinds of relationships we can have, the importance of boundaries and consent in relationships, the historical differences between capitalism and socialism, the inherent value assigned to labor based on the occupation, the ableism which is ingrained in society preventing disabled people from navigating this world without troubles and much more. I loved how the author gave the historical context to everything, letting us know how things came to be, why they were right or wrong, and why it is important for us to learn these various terms and move towards a more progressive society.

I may have known about many of these topics but I found it was still knowledgeable for me to learn about them in depth, get more comfortable with inclusive language, understand the ways we might have been causing harm till now and how to unlearn such things so that we can be better in the future.

I love that overall, the one thing this book is predicated on is the philosophy of “Ubuntu” which might be translated as “humanity towards others” or in more easier terms, mutual respect. Respecting the humanity of others in every relationship and interaction, and not centering our privileged selves in every situation, reduces the harm we might cause and respect for everyone might lead to more harmonious life. I hope everyone can pick up this book, educate themselves on issues which are important to us as human beings, and learn to respect everyone on their terms and not ours.

This is the sequel to the book which made me take a KU subscription again because I just had a great impulse to read it. And after the first one ended in a cliffhanger, I thought I would read this one immediately but my mood turned me towards other books. But I finally got to it and it was as fun as I expected.

The writing as I said before is very easy to breeze through and while it took me a few days to finish, I raced through the pages whenever I had it open. And it has so much of the common tropes found in wuxia dramas that I love the familiarity and it's easy to get lost in these pages. While there were many action sequences and quite a few subplots going on, there were also equal moments of contemplation and reflection, thinking of joy and sorrow and everything in between. I think the author did a good job balancing all the elements.

This book had a very interesting character arc for Li Ming - from someone who is only full of guilt and regret and unable to open up his heart for anyone, to someone who is ready to accept that there are things more important than keeping his master's word - he has come a long way. While I thought his interactions with Han Mama and others in Hebi'an were cool, this book was definitely about his relationship with Tao Jun - how much their lives are still intertwined even if they don't always get to be together and how their brotherhood is ultimately stronger than any vows they might have made to their master.

Shu Yan on the other hand is on a journey of her own - from being a captive to getting to be a part of a rebel army. She finds she still has the capacity to care and is also yearning for family, the place where she can finally belong and people whom she can call her own, but she is thrust in the middle of a decades long brewing rebellion as well as equally old personal grudge and before this whole story ends, she is gonna have to make some very tough choices. I could totally sympathize with her situation but also wanted her to be more smart and not get driven away by her emotions.

To sum it up, this was as fun as any entertaining wuxia as well as palace dramas with all its found family vibes, sworn brotherhoods and long held grudges, incompetent emperor being challenged by strong rebel forces as well as bandits, and poor people suffering in between. It's so easy to like these characters and feel their emotions and want them to be safe, and that's why I'm excited to see how it'll all end in the finale.

It's 4.5 but I'm definitely rounding up.

I think it's taken me more than 3 weeks after finishing Nophek Gloss to get to this sequel because while I loved it, it was also a very high concept hard sci-fi book which isn't my usual thing and I needed some time before I got back to this world. And I think that was the right decision on my part. (Also, this review might have some spoilers to Nophek Gloss, so please read at your risk).

Because this sequel is so much bigger and expansive and tense than it's predecessor and I was hanging on the edge of my seat while rushing through the pages of this book. Just like Nophek Gloss, we are thrown right in between the action in the first chapter itself and there are hardly any breaks from the high personal as well as multiverse level stakes. The author's imagination is really splendid and rich and I'm still in awe of this world she has created, and while I still won't say I understand everything because I'm not that good at physics, it's highly enjoyable; and even with the little I do get, I was marveling at all the possibilities of this world and wondering how much more we would be getting as the pages went by. While the pacing is mostly breakneck because there is no time to waste when the multiverse is in danger, there were some moments of joy and family bonding and nostalgia which I thought were perfectly lovely and gave me some respite in the whole tense atmosphere. I finished this mostly in one day because I just couldn't sleep for the night not knowing what was gonna happen next.

I did not expect that this book would start a decade after the end of the first one but I think it gave some great character arcs. Especially Caiden, who is a changed man because he has the highest bounty on his head and can hardly take a break. We hear a lot about the little and big things he did in the past decade, helping the oppressed people and doing things to prevent disasters but I so wish we had gotten to read some of those while they were happening - it's not the same while reading about his and other people's feelings about his actions. He is also perpetually scared about giving into his Graven nature, always unsure if the care and affection others are showing towards him genuine or due to his undue manipulation. I really empathized with his need to not to lose his humanity and resort to violence all the time; but he is also helpless because he is kind and compassionate and can't help but take the world on his shoulders and try to protect everyone and everything he cares about.

Leta on the other hand was a character I took some time to warm upto. It wasn't her fault though - I truly sympathized with her situation and could see how she would make certain decisions even if I didn't like them and only kept feeling sad that even she didn't know if she had any agency - but then things happened (which I can't spoil) and she became the strength that Caiden needed. Their relationship is fraught with the memories of an abusive childhood and a decade long separation, but I loved how much they still cared for each other and were ready to get to know each other anew. Leta also has some very interesting powers which complement Caiden's own very well, but she is also much more thoughtful and wise whereas he is the reckless one ready to dive headlong into danger. I'm just so so glad they got to meet again.

Caiden's found family is a much lesser presence this time but whenever they appeared and gave an earful to Caiden for being distant, I was heartened. They really all love and care for each other and I was always wishing that nothing would harm or separate them. Leta also has her own kind of found family but they are much more intertwined due to their circumstances and I think it'll be interesting to see their relationship dynamics when they aren't being manipulated. I don't wanna talk much about Azura and C because I can't spoil the fun, but I can't stop myself from mentioning them because these two were a much source of delight in this otherwise tension filled book.

But the most important side characters this time were Abriss and Threi. Threi is not much changed from the first book and there is still his ruthlessness to contend with, but we get very little glimpses into his past and his true vision for the future, and I'm really excited to see more of him. Abriss on the other hand tries to project an image of benevolence and gentleness - and maybe she did have capacity for that before - but now she is full of hubris, convinced of her vision for the singularity, ready to obliterate any number of people and worlds to get the utopia she believes she deserves to rule over. The way the author has written Abriss's character, with her ever changing words and tactics and actions, is absolutely masterful.

In the end, I had high hopes for this sequel after loving the first book and it exceeded all of them. I fell in love more with the characters, I'm completely stunned at the world the author's mind has conjured, and I'm both excited and petrified about what more she has in store for us in the finale. If you are someone who loves mind blowing and ingenious sci-fi worlds; with characters you'll come to deeply care for; and the themes explored are very much human and personal in a multiverse full of aliens and advanced tech and luminiferity - this series is written for you and you can't miss it. It was much easier to handle the end of Nophek Gloss because I already had the sequel in my hands but Azura Ghost has an equally revelatory and explosive conclusion and I guess the next (probably) one year of wait for Ethera Grave will be full of anticipation.

I remember watching Wajahat Ali as a guest either on CNN or MSNBC a couple of times and liked what he had to say but didn't know anything else about him. Later on, I did follow his little daughter's fight with liver cancer on his social media and it was heartbreaking to see his family deal with it all while also raising awareness about cancer, the treatment process and the expensive healthcare system in the country. So, when I saw this audiobook available as an arc on netgalley, I knew I had to pick it up.

Right from the first page, you know the one constant in this book is going to be the humor. He starts the book listing off some of the vile hate mail he has received, but narrates in such a dramatic style that you are horrified but can't stop laughing either. And that kind of dichotomy persists throughout. He is adept at weaving the personal and political, connecting each aspect of his Pakistani-American life with the larger narrative about being from a brown Muslim immigrant family in America. He doesn't shy away from talking about many tricky topics, especially the colorism, anti Blackness, fatphobia and repression of mental health issues in the overall South Asian community and how all this has deep personal as well as political implications for the everyone who is part of the community. Even though I grew up in India and he is a Pakistani-American and both of us have very different backgrounds, I found his growing up experience very relatable, especially with regards to the skin color and weight - I may live in the states now but the fat shaming and talks about my bad dark skin tone never stop. I also absolutely loved how liberal he is with the use of Urdu words and even the way he tells his story is all very very inherently desi and I was very engrossed throughout.

I don't think I would have been able to finish this book without all his humor though. Because the author's life hasn't been easy. From being a relatively privileged and sheltered kid to multiple life threatening experiences, incarceration of his parents and being abandoned by many people he thought were family friends, multiple bankruptcies before turning 30 and coming of age as a young Muslim activist in the aftermath of 9/11, his life story is full of challenges and obstacles and this memoir is a tale of resilience in the face of adversities. It's also a story of the deeply loving family and how they overcome all their troubles together, never losing hope, trying to use their experiences for the betterment of others.

Overall, this was a spectacularly narrated memoir by the author Wajahat himself who uses his signature humor, very dramatic but excellent storytelling skills and his amazing writing talents to tell a story which is at once personal and political, which is true for every single brown immigrant and Muslim person living the reality of America. The book may start with hate mail and get cynical in between at times, but he ends it with hope - hope he feels we need to invest in because despite feeling masochistic sometimes, hope is what we need if we ever want to truly fulfill what encompasses as the Amreekan dream. I would highly highly recommend the audiobook because I don't think just reading it will give you the full experience of this book.

This is my first book by this author and it wasn't even on my radar until I saw it on netgalley. I just thought the premise looked interesting and wanted to give it a try.

I'm not sure I knew what was happening here for quite a while after I started reading. The writing style of the unnamed narrator talking to us was unique; the tone of the writing was quite humorous but it also felt like the author was trying too hard sometimes or being a bit condescending. There was also too much infordumping happening and I couldn't grasp a lot of the information because it's too short of a novella to understand everything.

What I did end up liking was the kind of friendship that had developed between the narrator and the demon over the years and how they both keep trying to help each other but put up a pretense that they are reluctant to do so. I also thought the whole discussion about “The Long Game” was fascinating - how is a war between good and evil, even if there are no true winners and losers, everyone is obligated to keep the fight going because that's how it's supposed to be. I feel like I'm not explaining it well but it was a cool discussion towards the end of the book and that's what made me close this novella with not too much of a disappointment.

In conclusion, I don't know what I was expecting from this book but it just wasn't my kind of story or narration. Maybe if you've read the author's previous works and liked the style, or just enjoy flippant and tongue-in-cheek kind of writing, this might be your cup of tea. So while I did end up feeling ok about it and it left me thinking a bit, there were also a couple of moments where I felt uncomfortable and I'm not sure how to articulate that. Overall, it just wasn't for me and I probably won't find it too memorable.

I had no clue about this book. And while I do love bl dramas and books, I don't actively look for them and just go by what everyone is talking about. So thank you to my friend Dany for recommending it to me and I didn't even realize that this was by the same author who wrote the amazing Golden Stage.

Apparently this is kind of an AU spin-off of Golden Stage, but you won't realize that unless you've read GS and are more than midway through this one. But that doesn't matter. This book is ultimately a very cute and fluffy romance between a rich businessman with family problems and a genius professor. They seem like such an unlikely couple but fall in love pretty easily and I loved how seamless their relationship was. There was hardly any angst, probably just one chapter with some jealousy which ended up being hilarious, and some business intrigue which resulted in a couple of absolutely badass scenes. I still can't decided if I like Sun Zinan or Tang Kai but they definitely are perfect for each other.

Overall, this was just super fun. If you need a break from all the angsty bl novels and just want a short novel with some fluff, this one is perfect. It's a very quick read which will bring lots of smiles on your face.

I may have been a software engineer until a few years and a graduate in it, but I've never actually been much of a tech nerd. So, the subject matter of this book is not particularly something I would gravitate towards. But the author of The Ivory Key, Akshaya Raman mentioned that this was one of the books that she used for research for her debut and I was immediately interested because TIK was a fun YA fantasy with lots of puzzle solving. I knew I had to read this one.

This one took a while to finish because while it's very fascinating, it's also not the binge reading kind. One chapter a day to read and process all the information was the perfect way to get through this one. And I was amazed at how the author framed the whole narrative. This is not a technical book about cryptography but there are good enough explanations to understand the various ciphers he talks about. But I loved the history part of this book, from the earliest substitution ciphers that were developed to the recent RSA /PGP encryption that revolutionized the discussion about the importance of digital privacy. The chapters on the trail of Mary Queen of Scots, Vigenère Cipher, the creation and breaking of Enigma during WWII, the many people who especially worked under the guise of secrecy and never received credit for their many contributions to their countries, and the still unbroken Beale ciphers (and it's corresponding unfound treasure), were all super fun to read about and I thought the author explained them in a very engaging manner.

However, the little diversion the author took from cryptography and talked about the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphs as well as the Pre-Hellenic language Linear B were my favorites. I've always been very interested in reading about archeology and the art of finding clues about history through the artifacts found on digs. So the complete process of how the Egyptian language was first thought about and how long it took to be deciphered was very cool. But the story of Linear B and how many decades and people from different backgrounds it took for it be deciphered was engrossing and I loved it. Even though this part of the book wasn't related to codemaking or codebreaking, it was enthralling to see how ideas of cryptography were used to finally crack the mysteries of these ancient kingdoms.

To conclude, this was a very engrossing read. I think anyone interested in the topic of codes and ciphers would enjoy this book, especially the readers like me who are more fascinated by the history of this technology as well as the people who are responsible for the advances we have made in cryptography, rather than the highly technical aspects of it. The author does include a huge reading list and bibliography at the end, so I'm sure every kind of reader will find something they like in this well researched and excellently narrated book.

This was another audiobook I picked at random while browsing my library catalog but it instantly felt like it was something I'll like reading. And it was an interesting mix.

I absolutely loved reading the personal stories - both of the author and her mom back in Bangladesh and the conditions of healthcare, especially for women. I felt very sympathetic to the situation because until a few decades ago, it was pretty much the same in India as well. But it was the chapters about how racism and misogyny drastically affects the health outcomes for women of color in America that hit me hard. Just like the author, I never expected that this was the reality in the richest country in the world, and though I've personally not experienced anything of such sort, it's hard to digest that many women suffer so much just to get the right diagnosis or medication. I've read numerous horror stories from women on Twitter and this book reinforced the same. And I absolutely detested the chapter about the global gag rule and how US govt uses its monetary aid as a tool to impose its religious hegemony over the poor and destitute countries in the world, negatively impacting the thousands and millions of women who actually need that aid.

I didn't realize that this book would include issues that women of color have faced during this pandemic. I guess I just didn't see when it released. These were some heartbreaking stories. But many of the chapters then talk about the policy issues on a more broader level and it felt like a disconnect from the other half of the book which was about women's stories. While I appreciate everything the author talks about policy changes that need to be made at the federal and state level to better the health outcomes of women of color, I also felt that it missed the point which the personal experiences in the book were making - any amount of policy changes can't change the bias and prejudice and discrimination that exists in medicine and it's practitioners because racism and misogyny is so entrenched in the system. It needs both a change at the education level to remove bias from the teachings at medical school, as well as a personal reckoning for all the doctors and other medical staff with their own prejudices. And the women advocating for their own health can definitely use some pointers in how to do it in a way that they are heard by the doctors and treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Overall, this was an informative but difficult read and I learnt quite a bit which I didn't know. But I also thought it was a bit too broad for it's short length and couldn't cover everything it needed to in a succinct manner. However, I would still suggest you check it out if it's a topic that interests you.

CW: death of family members, cancer, divorce, suicide, mental illness/agoraphobia

I've been a huge fan of Ellery Adams' Secret, Book and Scone Society series for a few years now and I loved the idea of bibliotherapy in those books. So even though this one is a contemporary and I hardly read this genre these days, the theme of books attracted me immensely and I knew I will like it.

And I was totally right. This is probably the only kind of contemporary I could have read in these times. The writing is easy to read and I found myself immersed pretty quickly. But it's also very slow paced, so anyone who is more used to faster paced books might not enjoy it. This is also not very plot focused, so the story just meanders through the everyday lives of the characters and we never know where this is going or if there is a larger purpose to the story, but this type of storytelling didn't bother me. I actually liked that it was mostly low key and I could breeze through it slowly.

However, it's definitely the themes of the book that resonated with me the most. The idea of books and reading helping with healing during bad times in our life is something that I truly believe in, and it's always amazing to know that there are many others like me. This story is a love letter to the power of stories - the ones where we feel like we are seeing parts of our life being played out in the pages, the ones where we find comfort and solutions within, the ones where the characters feel like our friends and we start caring for them immensely, the ones which give us the much needed catharsis to feel lighter - stories are beautiful and we can find so much good in them and I loved seeing all that adoration for stories reflected in this book. The other aspect of the book which I found very relevant was the importance of libraries as a community institution that needs to be preserved and how much we should push back against government's efforts to cut off access to public libraries. I know this is mostly a western issue because many countries in the global south don't have free public libraries, but it just means we should try for them to opened everywhere and fight the closures wherever we can.

The characters in this book were some I didn't like on first glance but they won me over slowly. Mukesh is a widower who is still not over his beloved wife and feels like he has nothing much to live for anymore. But he slowly realizes that he wants to keep in touch with everything that his wife loved, one of which is reading, and finally takes the momentous step of getting out of the house and into the library. Aleisha is a young girl who is reluctantly working the summer at the library because she needs the financial support as well as needs to get out of her house. She is also dealing with her parent's divorce and her mom's debilitating mental health issues and even though she hates her job initially, the library slowly becomes a much needed escape. Both of them bond over the common books they read, discuss them and find comfort in the lessons they learn in those pages, find new friends in the fictional characters, as well as form a genuine friendship between themselves.

We also meet many characters who don't appear for more than a couple chapters who also find some some sort of healing for their issues by discovering books and sharing that joy with others. I also liked Mukesh's family, especially his bookworm granddaughter Priya who felt like a mini version of me. Nilakshi is another of Mukesh's friends whom I adored because she was a widow too who had also lost her son, and she and Mukesh formed this beautiful friendship to confront their loneliness and it was lovely. Aleisha's brother Aidan is also has some presence but he is almost mysterious, that we don't know about him enough. But the most important side character I thought was Naina, Mukesh's dead wife, whose presence felt palpable and everywhere even if she wasn't living. The love she had for her family, husband, community and books all permeated every word in this story.

Overall, this was a nice read. If you obsessively love reading like some of us and totally believe in the power of healing in books and storytelling, I think you'll love this book. Just know that it's very slice of life without ever feeling like there's an endgame. I also happened to listen to the audiobook and I absolutely adored the three narrators. I particularly loved Sagar Arya who brought Mukesh to life with his narration. This was a nice respite in between my recent nonfiction binge.

I have been wanting to read more books about the queer spectrum in general and asexuality in particular for a long while now but I usually don't know where to start. So when I saw this book on a couple of best of 2021 reads lists, I knew I had to pick it up.

My first thought while reading this book was that how I wish I could have had something like this when I was a teenager. Because there is something so profound in finding a book where every word calls to you personally and you feel utterly seen and relating to many things being talked about. I don't know want to talk more about myself because it'll probably become a personal essay and I'm not sure if I'm ready to bare my heart out here. However, I have to say that the author does a wonderful job highlighting what asexuality is, the variation and spectrum of experiences, discussions about identity, consent, relationships, and interspersed between it all are personal stories of many ace people who discovered their asexuality at different stages of their life.

I also highly appreciated the second half of the book which talks much more about compulsory sexuality in our society; how sex is ingrained as one of the most aspects of a relationship and how this pervades our culture, leaving hardly any room for other deep and meaningful relationships like friendships or queerplatonic ones; and how our society is built around marriage (and sex within it) as an institution worth preserving but anything outside of it as not equally important. As someone who really deeply values my friendships and have found so much joy in them, it was nice to see my frustration about these non sexual but very full of love relationships not given enough weight in real life being reflected on the page.

To roundup, If you are someone who wants to know more about the asexuality spectrum (but in a more western middle class context), you should really checkout this book. It's both full of personal stories and discussions about how asexuality interacts with various other aspects of society and I found it very informative. And if you are someone who are still trying to figure out if you fall somewhere on the ace spectrum, I hope a book like this will help bring some clarity to you and answer some questions you've never found answers to.

I know this story inside out. I may have read the fan translation of the book only once but I've seen The Untamed numerous times, the donghua a couple times, have been reading MDZS fanfics for around 18 months now with no signs of stopping. But when this book released, there was no question that I would buy and read it again.

I don't think I can give an objective or articulate review, so I'll just mention things that stood out. Firstly, the artwork is gorgeous. Any fan should buy this book just for those. The first thing I did after I got the book was look at all the art and admire it for a while. The references and character lists at the end of the book are also pretty good and useful for anyone coming into these books without much prior knowledge of wuxia or cultivation stories. I especially loved the humor in describing the characters in these lists - it's quite cheeky and felt like a nod to all the existing fans. The translation itself is pretty good. I like that the Chinese words for titles and some other common terms were used instead of their English counterparts. I did have some minor quips when I felt that the language used was slang but I can't comment on why that choice was made. But overall it was a good read and I'm just delighted we have an official version.

I'd rather not comment on the story or characters because even though I read this version of the book for the first time, this whole world is all muddled in my head with information across all adaptations and I can't separate out my feelings about each one of them. All I know is that this story can make me sob at the drop of a hat, wangxian are one of my all time favorite couples, and MDZS is what helped me survive some of the worst days of the pandemic in 2020 and it still continues to do so.

In the end, I don't know what to say to convince anyone to pick this up. If you haven't already but want something intense but with very flawed and human characters who are very powerful, give this a try. You can start with any version of this story, I promise you that you won't be able to resist watching and reading all of them one after the other. Even the little chibi version is an absolute delight. I'm thankful for the day I decided to watch Untamed and fell in love with this world. And I should probably thank my favorite authors Tasha Suri and Tara Sim for gushing about this epic love story on my Twitter timeline relentlessly so that I couldn't resist watching it myself. And I've never looked back since.

Another 4.5 but I'm rounding up.

This book released almost a year ago and I've know about it for a while too, but I thought it was a horror novel by looking at that cover and never thought of picking it up. It's really not the sort of cover I gravitate towards and the vibes felt totally off. But I kept seeing it on so many favorites list, so I thought I have to give it a try. And wow was I immensely wrong in my initial assessment.

I got a shock when the story started off in second person because it's been a while since I've read a full book written that way. But I was immediately enraptured by the gorgeous prose and then I couldn't put the book down. The author is also a poet and it just reflects in every word, which is enchanting and makes you feel every beat and emotion that the narrator is feeling herself. And underneath these enthralling words is a world of abuse couched as love, where love and violence go hand in hand, where sacrificing your everything in the name of love feels empowering until it doesn't. This is a story about power and agency and love, in all its bloody and gory detail and you will not be able to escape its clutches.

Constanta is used to her life, living as her sire/husband wants her to, believing that his wants and desires are hers as well, making herself small and letting him feel powerful. But her life changes when they are joined first by Magdalene and then Alexi. She has an innate protective nature and when starts feeling helpless in her own life, she makes it her duty to ensure the safety of the other two. She may be the quieter and reserved of all of them and the one who defends and bends to their sire the most, but she has a quiet strength about her which finally compels her to take action. While we encounter Maggie's effervescence and Alexi's innumerable charms, as well the unnamed sire's ever changing moods - what really remains with us at the end is how steady Constanta is throughout and how she is the thread keeping them all together.

In conclusion, I went into this one with hardly any expectations and probably more skepticism, but the author surprised me with beautiful prose, characters who shine through the pages, and themes of abusive and obsessive love which just hit you in the feels. The audiobook is also very well narrated, capturing Constanta's emotions perfectly and it definitely enhanced my love for the book.