Welcome to Litsy!

Continuing my #booksreadin2025 since I fell behind 😂
This was such a great blend of fantasy and dystopia elementa working side by side with moments of slow burn, angst, court intrigue, betrayal, surprising friendships and toxicity that has a gradual build before the twists and surprises come around the last 20% of the book.

Wow! What a book! It was one of the most unique fantasy books I‘ve ever read.

It took me about 2 months to read this book, mainly because it‘s a story worth savoring. I didn‘t want to rush through it and I am glad I didn‘t. I enjoyed every page of this book!

The world was so different from anything I've read before.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/10/13/review-house-of-the-beast/

Such a gorgeous edition—particularly the illustrations that are scattered throughout the book. Unfortunately, the story is not as compelling as the artwork. The biggest problem, for me, is that the relationship at the center of everything is not believable & because it isn‘t, the story loses emotional depth. A lot of action takes place off the page which also doesn‘t work. It‘s the author‘s debut & there‘s potential but this was just ok.

Long weekends are made for reading…

I think this may be one of my favorite covers of the year.

Fantastic maps, illustrations throughout. This is a gorgeous edition. Hopefully it‘s an entertaining read too.

What an impressive debut fantasy novel! Alma‘s deepest connection is with her mother, largely shunned in their town for being born out of wedlock. When her mother falls ill, Alma reaches out for help everywhere even involving the father she never knew. When she is taken as his heir, she finds an even colder welcome. But in the dark magic swirling around them, Alma finds the friend she always dreamt of! Violent, heartbreaking & hopeful, I loved it!

A quiet, thoughtful book that slowly unfolded for me. I enjoyed the audio edition. 🎋

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just noticed this free short story from the Legends & Lattes series! Set before the first book, it‘s about a quest Viv is on to capture Bodkin and retrieve stolen documents.

https://www.travisbaldree.com/pages-to-fill

I've been a big fan of smaller books lately and this read was perfect. Despite its smaller size, it contains an intense amount of world building that left me shocked at how much the universe of the story had developed in my mind. The way this story dealt with the complexities of trauma, unhealthy relationships, and existential crises was incredibly nuanced and made for an interesting read.

I finished my GR goal yesterday by finishing 2 of my way too many currently reading books (at one point I was at 29 🙄). One of my goals this year is to be more focused in my reading.

Complex and exciting series about great ships plying trade among the stars. A conspiracy must be exposed and defeated.

Strong characterization, twisty plot, fascinating aliens and a magnificent AI.