I really loved this poem, and thought that it was a great way to start off the The Faery Reel collection. It was a wonderfully lyrical poem which focused on the more traditional views of the fae. And not the kind, generous ones. The ones that make you know that you should never invite the fae into your home and lives.
One of my favourite things about reading poetry is the beautiful cadence and lilt that some poems have to them. De Lint manages to create a beautiful flow to this story that made me read this poem about three times before turning to the next piece of prose in this collection.
This was an incredibly fun and enjoyable read. One that I will most definitely read again in the future.
This short story was incredibly dark and uncomfortable. Which is honestly a bit of why I like Isobelle Carmody, and I’m finding that within the Green Monkey Dreams collection, the stories are particularly dark and uncomfortable. The reason that they strike this tone with me – because, they make me think about the current state of the world and just completely freak me out.
I love that this short story focuses on the darkness that seems to be inherent in humanity. And how our very actions are a form of cannibalisation. Or at least, that’s what I got out of this story. It might be the scary times that we currently find ourselves in, but there is something just… self-destructive about our actions, and this story of The Beast focuses on this.
At first, I thought that the beast within this story was going to be an external creature. One that is preying upon those left behind after the apocalypse. Instead, it’s the beast within the narrator. Which, somehow was all that much more terrifying. It made me incredibly uncomfortable as I realised just how… beastly the beast was. Which is sometimes, honestly, why I read short stories.
Throughout all of the darkness in this story, I like that there was the underlying thread of hope throughout. It might have been a dark story overall, but there is that sense of hope. Hope for the future and redemption, even when everything is dark.
Title: Any Way the Wind Blows Author: Seanan McGuire Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Science fiction Pace: Fast Format: eBook, Novella Year: 2019
This is a fun short story – it’s a bit of a departure from the ordinary world into something that’s a little extraordinary. And, as with all McGuire books on my shelves, I enjoyed this thoroughly. Particularly as it packs a whole lot of information into very few pages – I mean, there’s literally a whole world created in about 50 pages. That takes a lot of talent, and makes it very interesting.
I love the idea of an airbus transporting between layers of reality. Layers which are overlapping, mostly I just loved the idea of reality as a baklava. And now, everytime I think of this story, I think of food. And reality. And time travel…
It’s been a bit of a few months, new baby, the Terrible Twos and a sick father. But, it’s meant a fair bit of reading and some really enjoyable, light reads. There’s nothing like a good book at the end of a hard day to help you drift off. And the fact that even a lot of these ‘light reads’ talked about some serious issues… bloody brilliant!
I honestly just read this because I’m going through the alphabet when I’m picking books at the moment (I have no idea why). So, of the “U” books, this one looked like the most fun (and I’ve enjoyed my forays into Tape’s writingbefore). And wow, am I glad that I picked this story. It was a great read, and the premise of being a keeper at a paranormal zoo – I seriously need more! I honestly couldn’t put this down, not just for the joy of meeting the different characters, but I loved the day to day reality of being an apprentice zookeeper.
As I was reading this, I was really worried that this was going to be a series that follows a different couple each book – I hadn’t really read much about the series overall. And, I’m glad to say that that’s not the case. Rather, at the conclusion of this, Charlotte is poised to continue her awesome work and continuing to make the relationships that I really enjoyed throughout. Plus, there are more animals to discover and fall in love with.
Although I primarily fixated on the animals in this story, because I’m animal obsessed, I also loved the development of the characters. I love that when Charlotte’s love interest reveals that she is interested, she reminds Charlotte to not just make assumptions. We’re all guilty of it, and I loved that gentle way that Charlotte is reminded to stop and think about what she is assuming. And how both the women are able to build themselves up together, even if they have a bit of a rougher start to their relationship.
The Unicorn Herd was a beautiful story and one that left me feeling content and happy after I finished the final page. It was a fairly quick and easy read, but that’s sometimes all that you need. And I’m glad that I had the privilege of diving into this world. Being swept away in the fantastic world building of Tape and just finding yet another enjoyable series to leave on my TBR.
This was a very short and easy read, one that told the tale of how the Griffin Sanctuary came about. The founders, Ella and Starlise were introduced to my knowledge in The Unicorn Herd (because I read this first), so it was fun to see how they fell for each other and created the sanctuary. Plus, there is some massive fangirling about the couple and their dedication to animals in The Unicorn Herd, so I kind of liked reading about the very beginning of all of this.
The Griffin Mission also gave more context to the world building of the Griffin Sanctuary. I thought it was a world that was nestled just beneath our own and existed side by side – because most of the fantasy genred books I read tend to do this. Instead, it’s actually based in a parallel world. One that works much like ours, but with some differences. I actually quite enjoyed the way in which this worked. Plus, the idea of portals between worlds and the fact that there are those who just stumble onto them sometimes.
Alongside the cute little romance and world building, I mostly just loved the idea of griffins. I love how Tape has taken a paranormal creature that pops up into a lot of stories and just kind of expanded on them. Like all animals, she’s given them different species and subspecies. Each with their own unique challenges and needs. Something that was ridiculously cute and adorable, plus, it made the whole idea of a paranormal sanctuary even more appealing. And now I can’t wait to read more of this series again.
Grumpy-sunshine romances are always a well-loved trope in my bookshelves. And I love that this is a Scrooge-Christmas lover romance. I’m absolutely obsessed with the idea of someone who is Christmas obsessed ending up with someone who is completely against it. It might be the final book in this series (currently), but it was a great introduction to the Harbor Highlands for me. One that has made me dive into the rest of the series with gusto.
On top of the wonderful tropes in this story that I seriously appreciated, is the fact that the male lead is a hidden rockstar. It’s an intriguing plot device, although at first, it does make him act like a bit of a douche canoe. I mean, he is an absolute tosser to Tatum when they first meet. But, luckily, reading this from his point of view, lets you understand just why he is such a fool.
Tatum’s relationship with her sister is absolutely brilliant. I love that her and Olivia are obviously best friends, and they constantly have each others’ back. Plus, both the sisters have a whole lot of attitude and spunk. It’s always nice to read a book that has well-written female relationships. Ones that aren’t competitive and negative, but rather, the ones that are supportive and loving.
I always like to spend my December reading Christmas stories – it is helpful to get into the spirit. But, this was definitely the most Christmassy story that I’ve read in a while. It was fun and light. Filled with characters I couldn’t help but feel connected with. And now I want to know more about the other characters that make up the Harbor Highlands series, and their romances.
I was wondering how Liana would finally commit to her best friend, particularly since the hints of their infatuation with each other are there from the very beginning. The driver that made Liana finally take the plunge really wasn’t a good thing, and there is a bit of a trigger warning attached. However, it was nice how that moment was built up to. So, although it was not a great situation, it was a really good story.
I really enjoyed reading the falling of this couple from both points of view. Particularly that, throughout this novella, they both slowly realise their feelings. Instead of having one part of the couple pining after the other the whole time – they both slowly realise that their friendship is worth something slightly different. It also introduces Liana’s brother, the hero of Flirting with the Playboy, who I can’t wait to read more about.
This was a really cutesy little college romance with all of the fun vibes. There are so many aspects of this story that left me smiling, and it was a really lovely way to spend the evening.
I read Riley and Ian’s story a little while ago, and although time has made some of the details fuzzy, I really enjoyed visiting them a few years after the fact. This short story does give away a few parts of the series that I haven’t yet read, but not enough that I’d call spoilers. And, honestly, it was just really nice to read about the Dare clan and their happily ever afters. Particularly since it is set at Christmas.
With two young children of my own, and reading this at Christmas, I can completely sympathise with Riley’s level of exhaustion. Particularly around the holidays when you are trying to juggle extra familial obligations and making that time of year magical and beautiful. Honestly, the moment when Ian just decides that they should have an extra set of hired helping hands around the house… man, I wish we had that kind of money.
This was a cute, fun, short look back into the lives of all of those in the Dare to Love series. I also love that it was a reminder of what Christmas can look like for those with a big, chaotic family. Mine might not be quite that big, but that chaotic, joyful feeling is still captured perfectly within the pages of this story.
Reading this, it’s really obvious that Wyatt should’ve told Andie his feelings years ago when he first had them. Because, bleugh, so much angst and silliness. Plus, you know, the fact that he made decisions that weren’t actually great for his mental health because of the whole not telling her thing. However, then I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of reading this absolutely amazing story. One that was really, really cute and sweet. And that I enjoyed ridiculously. There’s a reason I’ve been loving Susannah Nix books.
Andie and Wyatt are that perfect friends to lovers, best friend’s brother trope. I love that they grew up together and had feelings for each other pretty much forever. Plus, there’s the whole keeping things secret drama that works perfectly. I mean, it leads to some bone headed moments from Wyatt, but that’s exactly what I love about reading romances – there are some doubtful moments that make you smile and appreciate the battles we all have to face over our own stupidity. Plus, the bone headed moments often remind me that I don’t actually make the dumbest decisions in the whole, wide world. Even if sometimes I don’t make the smartest decisions…
Even though there is a lot of external conflict (hiding the relationship, Andie’s brother, etc.) most of the conflict that threatens the relationship throughout this novel is actually Wyatt’s own issues. His self-confidence, which has been beaten down by his horrible father top the list. That, and the fact that others’ accidentally reinforce this idea. It made it a little bit sad to read in moments when he obviously doesn’t feel that he deserves to be loved and cared for. That, and the fact that his own self-confidence is what’s constantly holding him back in life in general. I love that Andie is quickly able to recognise this and help him find his own way in life and work towards some goals that he actually wants to accomplish.
My Cone and Only is the beginning of the King Family series, and I can’t wait to find out more about the King brothers. Particularly as the King patriarch is an absolute douche. And I look forward to finding out more about how his self-centred nature has negatively impacted his children. And how they all find their own happily ever afters to completely ignore his influence…
