so-so3/5⭐ The worldbuilding and magic were good, and I enjoyed the action at the end and Felix's (sort of) character growth, at least in regard to his fears and his magic. The middle of the book lagged a bit. I don't understand why characters stay with Felix after all the frankly abusive ways he treats them. The one-sided incestuous feelings could be removed without changing anything about the book's characterizations or plot. #bookspin
Book: you‘re not gonna make me choose between The Virtu by Sarah Monette (MY HEART ATTACK BOOK. THE TENSION. MY GOD) and The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice (the book I love so much that it‘s an all-time fave even though I always skip a big chunk of it [OMG Marius, stop droning on already])
Author: Katherena Vermette
Show: The Vampire Diaries or Veronica Mars? It‘s a toughie.
Singer: Voltaire
Song: Viking Death March - Billy Talent
#ManicMonday
I‘m still racing along through THE VIRTU, thinking lots of thoughts about how much I love it and how my relationship with it has changed over the years. I keep coming back to how Felix and I are a lot alike, and how that made me hypercritical of him the first few times I read the series, and how my response to his character arc has shifted. And I sort of want to write a tl:dr thing, but I also sort of want to keep that contemplation private. Hmm.
I started Celebratory Reread #3 last night, alongside a beer I got for my birthday. I was a bit bummed it entered my house too late for me to pair it with HARROW THE NINTH by Tamsyn Muir (because religious skeletons), but it worked well with THE VIRTU, too. And hey, both books have characters called Gideon (SO MANY GIDEONS), so there‘s still a tenuous connection despite the skeletal imbalance.
Thanks for the tag, @Ast_Arslan ! Here‘re five of my favourite fantasies.
I hung the first of my new floating shelves! After lots of debate and a couple of weight tests, I decided to use it for just a few faves, my stereo, and one of my wee succulents, with the Dragon of Wales on top.
I‘ve gotta get to IKEA soon so I can buy two more. Then, since I‘m sacrificing some space for aesthetics, I‘ve got CHOICES to make re: which books I really want out on display and which ones don‘t mean enough to me.
These are the things I read in December, with my favourites highlighted 😊
pick❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ So good! What absolutely wonderful characters. Felix is so frustrating, holy cow! And Mildmay is just ❤️❤️❤️ such a sweetheart. I would honestly read a book about the two of them watching paint dry, if they could chat (or argue lol) while doing it. I also love how completely distinct the two different first person voices are. Gotta get my hands on book 3 ASAP!
Uuuuuugh these characters! So full and real and delightfully frustrating. ❤️❤️❤️
The Virtu | 
