Welcome to Litsy!

Read it for the book club and wasn‘t overly impressed. But I‘m ready to forgive a lot for a story about books or literary characters #bookclub

Falling into Alice E Harrow‘s world reminds me of the way I felt as a child reading books. My heart hums.
( photo from IG- my Kindle just doesn‘t give her beautiful covers justice)

My package is on its way and should be to @Aconight by December 15th! Happy Yule to all and thank you, @BookwormAHN , for hosting this awesome #winterwitchswap ❄️❄️❄️

This had a slow start, and the first third definitely could use a little more editing. However, at the 40% mark the action and story really picked up. It became far more focused on the fantasy world building and far more engaging. It also had quite the tense and heartrending ending. Now the long wait for book 3. 4⭐️

“The world is always new…however old its roots…They look like men and talk like men, are they not men?” “I don‘t know. Do men kill men, except in madness? Does any beast kill its own kind? Only the insects. These yumens kill us as lightly as we kill snakes…they kill one another, in quarrels, and also in groups, like ants fighting. They don‘t spare one who asks life.”

“When the Senoi child reports a falling dream, the adult answers with enthusiasm, “ That is a wonderful dream, one of the best dreams a man can have. Where did you fall to, and what did you discover?””

Indiscriminate killing and junior-high boy humor can not be offset by the presence of a cat. The frantic pace and lack of character made this the only book I will be reading by this author. It is the first in a series so don‘t expect a resolution.

I really enjoyed this, even though it was predictable. It‘s very formulaic if you‘ve ever read a dystopian or romantasy novel, complete with a school/academy (think basgiath, dauntless training, the academy in red rising, the little palace in os Alta, etc). I was a little mollified that the characters are out of their teenage years at least.

Finished the second part of the graphic novel. I have yo be honest, it was hard to stay focused on this one. I felt the things that kept happening to Violet were repetitive. However, the twist at the end makes me eager to continue the series.

This book is brutal, but compelling. A retelling of the Blue Beard fairytale becomes the vehicle for a woman to tell her own story of violence to her son. The oft-asked question of “why didn‘t you leave?” takes on a new meaning. Another strong pick from the #TOB2026 longlist.