she/they Love and compassion are acts of resistance. Forever in recovery; learning to be a better human.
I read far more than I realized. I’m trying to find better words to describe the feelings manifested by the books I read, so my reviews may be more feeling oriented than objective.
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Success! screamsbeneath has read 59 of 52 books.
The lighthearted tag I saw on this was a lie. It’s almost 50% gut wrenching sadness. Really good emotional read, but not what I was wanting and I felt like I was taken hostage, needing to rush to the end since it was unrelenting. Not the books fault, it would have been a five star had I been emotionally primed for it.
During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the …
In my mind, ww1 is the nightmare that keeps your worst nightmares up at night. This was unflinching and unapologetic about the horrors of war and especially the systems that churn millions into the gears of war.
This is a story about a decorated combat nurse going through hell to find her brother as he endures hell and finds refuge in the darkest of places.
I was fascinated by the exploration of what the devil of the old world would do if they found themselves in this man made hell that was indiscriminate of sin and virtue. But I read the devil metaphorically, rather than the literal intention that casts this as historical fantasy - drawn from my own experiences of seeking oblivion from the unspeakable which can quickly lead to mental delusion, shared with those around you to personify, and exorcise, a bogeyman; to keep it at arms length, …
In my mind, ww1 is the nightmare that keeps your worst nightmares up at night. This was unflinching and unapologetic about the horrors of war and especially the systems that churn millions into the gears of war.
This is a story about a decorated combat nurse going through hell to find her brother as he endures hell and finds refuge in the darkest of places.
I was fascinated by the exploration of what the devil of the old world would do if they found themselves in this man made hell that was indiscriminate of sin and virtue. But I read the devil metaphorically, rather than the literal intention that casts this as historical fantasy - drawn from my own experiences of seeking oblivion from the unspeakable which can quickly lead to mental delusion, shared with those around you to personify, and exorcise, a bogeyman; to keep it at arms length, to shove it in a closet and continue to add locks even though it finds its way out of the smallest of cracks. The devil in this story is so human because it personifies something so many struggle to articulate, but is visible if you know how to look.
Arden doesn’t pull punches, there is no happily ever after - how does one survive a war, even if they walk away?
During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches despite eerie signs that …
@picklish@books.theunseen.city I was worried when I saw it a while back as a self published indie that it would be a low effort imitation. I was so wrong and learned my lesson about judging a book just because it didn’t go through the arcane process of the modern publishing industry.
@otterlove It’s absolutely worth it. I was fortunate to go to one of the author events and she is amazing. I’m so stoked for the next several books to come out, next one is already announced for this fall.
Amateur detective Mallory Viridian’s talent for solving murders ruined her life on Earth and drove her to live on an …
All Reyna and Kianthe want is to open a bookshop that serves tea. Worn wooden …
Big recommend to anyone that liked Legends and Lattes or similar stories. This book did really well with balancing the cozy vibes with external threats to the community and everything the characters built, which gave it more depth than L&L, more akin to Bookshops and Bonedust. The world building was interesting enough to me to not fall into generic fantasy.
I loved the emphasis on non-violent outcomes and diversion of fantasy bad character tropes to productive members of a community, which really added to the depth. I hate when a bandit or thief type is just one dimensionally “bad”. I also loved that the romance is healthy with good communication and positive modeling of working through issues.
During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches despite eerie signs that …
All Reyna and Kianthe want is to open a bookshop that serves tea. Worn wooden floors, plants on every table, …
