When you love a book so much you just HAVE to have the special edition of it. 😇
“The Book of Fallen Leaves” by A. S. Tamaki is a masterpiece in slow-build tension and character exploration. I knew while reading it that it was going to be a new favorite series to dive into!
When I saw that @fairyloot created a special edition of it for their Epic Fantasy Sub, I just ✨had✨ to track a copy down. (Forehead kisses to all resellers who don’t charge $$$$$ and my soul for a special edition 🥹)
I’m so glad I own this beautiful book! I gasped when I opened the package. The artwork is so stunning and all of the details tie perfectly into the story!!
Swipe through for more details on this edition. My full review of this book is posted a little further down on my profile! 🍂⚔️
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🗝️keywords: fairyloot, fairyloot edition, special edition books, sprayed edges, collectible books, the book of fallen leaves, new fantasy books, fantasy book series, debut fantasy books, new release book, fantasy books you should read, samurai fantasy book, Japanese mythology, fantasy readers, book reviews, add to tbr, bookish aesthetic, booksta, book community, epic fantasy, character driven books
𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢-𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲! 📚
Taking a week (or more 🤭) off from posting to enjoy my anniversary and my friend’s wedding weekend was perhaps not ~planned~ but very much beneficial for me. 😌
That being said, I’m a bit behind on review posts, so here’s a nice roundup of recent reads!!! All of these coincidentally were in the mid-rating range. Although they weren’t 5 stars, they were still enjoyable! Swipe through to see each review in detail! 👉🏼
📗The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore - 3⭐️
🎸Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston - 3.5⭐️
🐉The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan - 3⭐️
🌗The Last of the Moon Girls by Barbara Davis - 3⭐️
More posts to come later this week!!! Trying to find the right balance of life and socials when things are particularly busy. Everything in moderation. 😌
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🗝️keywords: mini reviews, reading updates, book reviews, mood reader, fantasy books, fantasy reader, romance books, romance reader, mystery books, books about dragons, books about books, ashley Poston books, Chinese mythology books, fantasy romantasy, tbr, add to tbr, aesthetic, bookish life, bookish vibe, booksta
𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓪𝔀𝓫𝓮𝓻𝓻𝔂 & 𝓢𝓪𝓰𝓮 𝓣𝓪𝓰 🍓🍃
Thank you @paigessbooks for tagging me in this! Your stack was so beautiful it inspired me to dig deep and find some pink and green covers. ✨
🩷 A character as sweet as candy:
- Evie Sage, Assistant to the Villain series
- Delilah Stewart, And Now Back to You
💚 A book that made you giggle & kick your feet:
- Assistant to the Villain series (literally giggling out loud at their antics)
🩷 A book with a pink cover you loved:
- First Time Caller by BK Borison
💚 A trope you love to read in romance:
- Fake dating. It’s always so messssyyyyy I love it. 👀
🩷 A book that made you cry happy tears:
- Project Hail Mary
- Remarkably Bright Creatures (maybe I have a thing for lovable non-human characters with multiple legs????)
💚 A book you would love to re-read:
- Jasad Heir & Jasad Crown. I feel like there was so much going on that a reread would hit deeper!!!
- Shadow of the Gods. I just always want more John Gwynne and I think I’m going through withdrawals??
🩷 A character you’d be besties with:
- I’m delusional enough to say all of them. No further questions, Your Honor.
🍰Tagging a few more friends, but no pressure! And if you see this and want to join, please do!!!
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Keywords: booksta, bookstagram, book challenge, booksta tag, book stack, colorful books, colorful book stacks, tbr, adds to tbr, books to read, romance reads, romantasy reads, fantasy reader, book series
If your book has a map in it, I’m going to be studying it like it’s my new 9-5. 🕵🏼♀️🗺️🧭
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀 - 𝗗𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿, 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗙𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝟰★
From the same world and characters behind “The Da Vinci Code”, I really enjoyed this next installation of Robert Langdon’s crime/conspiracy thrillers!!
𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙨: The mystery of what “Threshold” was had me on the edge of my seat. This book has a VAST cast of characters and the POVs switch constantly and rapidly, so it also leaves you on your toes trying to figure out who to trust, which is always fun in this genre. The noetic science and mental research that was spread throughout this novel was very fascinating to read as well!
𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙨: The pacing became…. exhausting. This is a “race against the clock” type of book, but for 700 pages, I felt like a lot of this was repetitive and going in circles for a bit. To me, we probably could’ve done the same thing in 500 pages. But what do I know!! 🤷♀️😅
🎤Are you a book map explorer or ignorer? Let me know!!
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Keywords: the da Vinci code, Robert Langdon, Dan brown, mystery thriller, mystery books, thriller books, historical fiction books, book to film adaptations, books to read, tbr, conspiracy mysteries, fast paced books, fast paced mysteries, booksta, book reviews, book recs, mood reader
Happy Monday!! @pagingally tagged me in the 3-3-3 challenge a while ago and I wanted to join in on the fun! 🪩🕺🏼
• 3 five star reads
• 3 books on my tbr
• 3 books I recommend
I hope you all had a great weekend!! Mine was BUSY and chaotic with a late night show, early flight, and 24 hour turnaround trip. I’m exhausted but it was a fun weekend. 💓
Tagging some friends, but no pressure. 🤝
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Keywords: booksta, book challenge, bookstagram challenge, 3 books challenge, bookish content, special edition books, five star reads, five star books, recommended books, books you should read, tbr, add to tbr, fantasy reader, fantasy books, historical fiction books, ya fantasy, best fantasy series, joe Abercrombie, John Gwynne, Sabaa Tahir, Ken Follett, Juliet Marillier, Ashley Poston
Happy Friday!! 💙
Some bookish memes for you all because I saw this photo of RM & Suga and knew immediately that I had to meme it. It just fits perfectly. 🫠🥲
What are your weekend plans and/or what’s your current read?!
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keywords: bts, bts memes, book memes, reader memes, min yoongi, kim namjoon, suga, rm, bookish memes, bookish humor, readers of ig, booksta, bookstagram, mood reader, fantasy reader, book reviews, book recs, red rising, throne of glass, Sarah j mass, Pierce brown, book quotes, project Hail Mary, Rocky and Grace
HISTORICAL FICTION GIRLIES WE ARE SO BACK🗣️
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 - 𝗞𝗲𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁
𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦, #0 (4𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯)
5★
THIS is the Ken Follett I remember fondly!!! After my disappointment with Column of Fire, I was very pleased to see Follett back to his usual antics in this installment. It was a great prequel/origin story for our beloved Kingsbridge!
The characters fell right in line for what I’ve come to expect. We quickly establish our heroes and our villains. The action with the Vikings was a fun additional installment for the historical/time period accuracy, but aside from adding a bit of terror in the initial scene with them, I felt like they became more of an afterthought and plot device to threaten when the main conflict was starting to become stagnant.
However!!
The never-ending struggle of good vs evil and the greed/ambitions of men in positions of power, countered by the common people rising up to that, will never fail to hook me. I was invested in seeing their downfall. I was praying on it. I was raging and fuming with righteous anger at every missed opportunity for justice. I was turning page after page until there was a resolution. (And boy, was there!!) The fun thing about Ken is that he never gives you the justice you ~want~, but in the end you see that it was the perfect outcome. He’s poetic in that way.
It was really fun to pick out little things from this book and wonder about the connections/consequences to the characters in the previous books (which take place in later centuries). It had me wanting to reread Pillars all over again!!
This book is considered #0, a prequel, although it did come 4th in publication. You could read it in any order though! First or fourth, there’s no wrong choice here!
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“𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙩𝙮𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩, 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙮𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩’𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚? 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙧: 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧.”
The Book of Fallen Leaves - A.S. Tamaki
The Autumn Empire, Book 1
4.5★
This is NOT your typical epic fantasy. It’s slow; choosing to build on the characters’ inner thoughts and the growing political tension in an intimate way. It isn’t showy, but it’s real. It sneaks up on you with an incredibly complex weaving of political scheming, history, and heartbreak from all sides of the conflict.
I loved this book. The multiple POVs added insight into the world and each character was uniquely layered with their own worldview and experiences that shaped the way they moved throughout the story. The tug-of-war each of them faced with the prospect of civil war, choosing duty over family, perceived rights versus wrongs… all so, so well done.
My expectations for this book were high, but I was a bit sideswiped when I started reading. The cover promises action, but this book is mostly calculated moves on a life-sized chess board. I think that the rest of the series will pick up in pace and action, but I’m very pleased we got all of the emotional set up in this installment. I can’t wait for book 2!!!!
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🗝️Epic fantasy•epic fantasy books•fantasy book series•fantasy reader•samurai fantasy book•new release books•tbr•fantasy series starter•booksta•book recs•book reviews•aesthetic bookstagram•fantasy books you should read•book community•
“𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣. 𝙎𝙤 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙨. 𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨. 𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝. 𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨.”
I ~finally~ read part 2 of the Red Rising Saga. NINE MONTHS of needing to reset after the ending of Morning Star, I was ready for more pain. The second half did not disappoint. It was different than the first trilogy, but still very enjoyable and I loved seeing the Howlers and gang dealing with the consequences of the war they started 10 years ago.
This series is not pretty. It’s not gentle or light or and easy read. It really makes you look hard at the cost of revolution. The trickle-effect of the big characters and their big lives and how it can hurt or heal the “little people” - the innocents, whose only goal in life is to live.
I was very unwell the entire time reading these books — swipe to see my Goodreads updates during each one. 😅😭🤪
I’m so ready (and so NOT ready) for Red God!!!! Raaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
✦Favorite quotes✦
“I know it may be impossible to believe now, when everything is dark and broken, but you will survive this pain, little one. Pain is a memory. You will live and you will struggle and you will find joy. You will remember your family from this breath to your dying days, because love does not fade. Love is the stars, and its light carries on long after death.”
“But fortune ain’t kind to those who conceive revolution. My only hope is you’ll build something from the rubble, son.”
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🗝️red rising•red rising saga•Pierce brown•light bringer•dark age•iron gold•Darrow of Lykos•the howlers•Sevro•sci-fi series•books you should read•sci-fi fantasy readers•sci-fi epic•epic novels•unhinged Goodreads updates•booksta•booksta reviews•booksta recs
“𝐁𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲…”
Weavingshaw - Heba Al-Wasity
4★
Gothic mystery-fantasy crossover with ghosts and demons and deadly secrets, oh my!!
This was an enjoyable and eerie adventure. The first in (I think?) a trilogy, there was a lot being set up in this installment, so it did take some time for me to really settle into the story.
The characters also took a lot of time for me to really enjoy them and their interactions. The first half of the book they felt like caricatures of the “broody MMC” versus “headstrong FMC” clashing trope. In the second half of the book when they both started opening up a bit more is when I was like… ah! Some life behind the eyes!!! From that point I was more invested, it was just a bummer it took that long to get there.
The slow burn in this book is genuine, and I was firmly planted in my seat for it. So often you’re promised a “slow burn” and by page 100 they’re already in love. Not here, darling. Not even close. St. Silas is a Mr. Darcy through and through. (And we all know how much I love Darcy)
The conflict throughout was tense and dark and haunting. I think this book was a great set up for what (I hope/expect) will be a thrilling series!
✨𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘺 @𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘍𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘠𝘈 𝘣𝘰𝘹
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🗝️Fairyloot•Fairyloot editions•ya books•ya fantasy•gothic fantasy•ya romance•clean romance books•ya book series•fantasy book lover•fantasy reads•Weavingshaw•new book release•tbr•fantasy book recs•fantasy book reviews•fantasy book recs•thrilling fantasy books•
If there was one sub genre I could read over and over and never tire of, it would be mythology-based fantasy. It combines two of my favorite things: learning about different cultures through their legends, and fantasy action/magic! 💚
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝘅 - 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗞𝘄𝗮𝗻
𝟰.𝟱★
This was an exciting, fast-paced fantasy quest based on Chinese mythology. The writing was descriptive but straightforward. This book is only 306 pages and things move QUICKLY, but I didn’t feel like that took away from the characters or their journeys.
The layout of this book was very interesting. We got dual POVs of our FMC/MMC, with interim chapters of the mythology explained like a story told at bedtime.
The romance was understated and tender. It developed almost without even noticing, and I enjoyed that it didn’t take away from the main plot. Speaking of which, the action throughout was tense!!!! As previously stated, this book moves FAST and the reveals and battle sequences had me on the edge of my seat.
Overall this was a really fun and quick fantasy read! I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys mythology, fantasy, and a teensy bit of romance. ✨
𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀:
“Now I know that we weren’t sword and shield, but the sharp edges of the same blade; stronger, fiercer, deadlier together than we were apart. Steel, after all, sharpens steel.”
“For my beloved monster of monsters, I would kill the stars.”
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🌈 On a personal note, I may be less active here for the next few weeks. I’ve been under the weather and have some upcoming trips planned so I will be trying to stay as present IRL as I can be. Just so you guys don’t think I’m ghosting all together!!! 🫶
~~~~~ keywords: fantasy books,mythology books,mythology inspired books,fairytale inspired,Chinese mythology,Chinese fantasy books,Katrina kwan,young adult fantasy books,fantasy standalone books,ya fantasy,clean fantasy books,clean fantasy romance,booksta,fantasy book recs,fantasy book reviews
In true “me” fashion I’m posting my recap today. Or, as my mother would say, “a day late and a dollar short.” But, here we are!!! 🤪🌸
March was a fun month for me. After the combination of a busy February and a weeks-long reading slump, I finally got some rest and felt really energized all throughout March. The weather has been so nice lately, and I think the sunshine has been helping a lot with my mood/energy! ☀️
Some highlights:
- Binged two separate book trilogies. Am I okay??? (The answer is no. Never.) Both were fantastic reads, for very different reasons.
- Saw Project Hail Mary in IMAX and it was everything to me. I cried. I laughed out loud. I cried some more.
- I spent a lot of time with friends and family this month which warmed my soul! I’m so excited for warmer weather to kick into full swing for more outdoor activities.
- BTS’ comeback happened and I haven’t been the same since. I gave a full PowerPoint presentation to my girlfriends before we watched their Netflix concert. 😭
I have some fun trips planned for April that I’m very much looking forward to, so I decided to keep the hopefuls list fairly short and simple. There are a couple of releases this month as well that I have my eye on, so we’ll see how far I make it into the list or if I wander off. 🤓
🐣🌸 I hope you’re all having a great start to this new month!
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🗝️ march wrap up•march books read•April tbr•spring tbr•reading wrapped•reading wrap up•monthly tbr•tbr hopefuls•fantasy reader•fantasy books•fantasy book recs•fantasy book reviews•booksta•book content•book community•bk Borison•first time caller•pierce brown•red rising saga•Juliet Marillier•adult fantasy books•sci-fi books
