IDK what to do w/ my life after this book. It‘s been 5 months since I‘ve read it & I‘m still convinced I‘ll never recover. I couldn‘t form words 2 write a review after what Smith made me experience. Azrael & Lan r my Hades & Persephone, they have my heart & full permission to do w/ it as they please. I can‘t think too deeply about TLOTLD or I‘ll be lost 2 the world until an emotional overload brings me back to the land of the living (pun intended)

“He looked at you the same way you look at roads.” Jasimir‘s voice cracked. “Like where they go frightens you, and you love them for it.”

She‘d no call to fear wolves in summer, not with fresh kill in their belly. The wolves of winter, though … Pa‘d taught her to watch the starving wolf. When beasts go hungry too long, he‘d said, they forget what they ought to fear.

It wasn‘t that she wanted to burn the world down, no. She just wanted the world to know that she could.

I‘d often wished we had a cool story about when our relationship transitioned from that of tolerating each other to discovering we were two halves of one soul. But the truth is Thea and I evolved much like the seasons: slow, steady, and unstoppable.

“I overthink and overcomplicate, it‘s how I adult. It‘s a must. Otherwise, chaos would take over, and I‘d wake up one day in Peru raising alpacas and selling their wool for beer money or some shit.”

I love humility—it's the equivalent of a neon sign advertising My heart isn't an inconsiderate bastard, I'm nice. For real.

Think about others. Understand others, and if you can‘t understand, then learn more about them. It‘s so very important. Once you have the key to understanding why someone else hurts or dreams or survives, then you have ultimate knowledge. You have empathy.

READ THIS BOOK. I have very little to say to you bc I don't want to spoil a single thing but know this: you will smile (a ton), you will laugh (a ton), you will cry, you may scream (if you're anything like me anyway) but just read it. Bright Side was a gift, it was a privilege to read this book, Kate changed my life. This heartbreaker gutted & demolished me, but I wouldn't give it up for the world. Do yourself a favor, please read it. Please.

"I just need to hear your voice, because you're my friend, and my family, and my past...and me."

If I'd ever taken the time to wonder about my soul being as black as this town seemed to believe, I knew the moment Ashton stepped out of her little white Jetta looking like an angel from Heaven that my soul was damned to Hell.

"Sometimes family hurts you more than they could ever love you"

"If I have children someday," said Lovisa, "I won't expect them to blame my parents for the wrongs I do to them. They get to blame me."

Bitterblue isn't the most literarily dense book, it's a clear ya fantasy, but the political ecosystem is so finely articulate while still being wholly simple & straightforward & I loved it. She created a kingdom of deception that includes so many moving parts while steering clear of the dreaded info-dumping that plagues books that extend too far. Bitterblue walks u through mysteries of her kingdom & I loved uncovering the secrets kept from her.

Ideas were growing in all directions and dimensions; they were becoming a sculpture, or a castle. And then everyone left her, to return to their own affairs; and she was alone, and empty and unbelieving again. How acutely sometimes the presence or absence of people mattered

Pain might escalate upwards, and, just when you'd thought you'd reached your limit, begin to spread sideways, and spill out, and touch other people, and mix with their pain. And grow larger, but somehow less oppressive. She had thought herself trapped in a place outside the ordinary feeling lives of other people; she had not noticed how many other people were trapped in that place with her.

There is nothing unnatural in this world," he said. "An unnatural thing is a thing that could never happen in nature. I happened. I am natural, and the things I want are natural. The power of your mind, and your beauty, even when you've been drugged in the bottom of a boat for two weeks, covered in grime and your face purple and green - your unnatural beauty is natural. Nature is horrifying.

I love this series (almost) as much as my dear Brigan loves horses. Fire is a completely different story to Graceling, just with the same incredible writing. The characters between the two books were worlds apart, (my love for Katsa does outweigh my love for Fire) but Brigan, Small (the horse), and the incredible world of the Dells makes Fire my favourite book of the two. Truly, this world of colorful, beautiful monsters refuses to leave my mind.

It was a hurting tune, resigned, a cry of heartache for all in the world that fell apart. As ash rose black against the brilliant sky, Fire's fiddle cried out for the dead, and for the living who stay behind to say goodbye.

I loved this book. The writing was incredible, the characters were unforgettable. Katsa is a true force of nature, I love her dearly. I liked this book from the start, but I wasn't truly enthralled until about halfway through- at which point I was lost to the world, wanting nothing but answers. I usually get very irritated at the heroine in a book (as many do) but not Katsa. I was in slack-jawed awe of her more than a few times, an incredible book

How absurd it was that in all seven kingdoms, the weakest and most vulnerable of people - girls, women - went unarmed and were taught nothing of fighting, while the strong were trained to the highest reaches of their skill.

When you're a monster, she thought, you are thanked and praised for not behaving like a monster. She would like to restrain from cruelty and receive no admiration for it.

To die from being forgotten, wow. I cried as much as I did in book 3 & smiled twice as much. This book above the others was incredibly heartfelt & meaningful. This series took an amazing turn in book 3 & TIN just cemented my love for these characters. Grim, Puck, The Big Bad Wolf, & Ash, trust me to never forget you, I love you guys dearly.

Riddle me this, how did this book destroy me when I barely had feelings for books 1&2? This had me sobbing out of nowhere & here I thought I barely had a surface level attachment to the series. I did like the series (I wouldn't have continued it if I didn't) but TIQ I adored. I do think I would have enjoyed the rest of the series more if I read it at a younger age, that being said it's still adorable & I love Grim the cat more than I care to admit

Blink and you‘re twenty-eight, and everyone else is now a mile down the road, and you‘re still trying to find it, and the irony is hardly lost on you that in wanting to live, to learn, to find yourself, you‘ve gotten lost.

Because time is cruel to all, and crueler still to artists. Because visions weaken, and voices wither, and talent fades.... Because happiness is brief, and history is lasting, and in the end... everyone wants to be remembered

Beautiful.
I want to shout ADDIE LARUE from the rooftops even though her name will never escape me. TILOAL is a work of art, I've been transported across the world & time itself & yet...I want more. I want to go to France, to Italy, I want to explore the secrets of a city that belongs to everyone & no one at the same time. What a beautiful freedom it is to yearn to see the world. This introvert thanks you, Addie Larue, from the bottom of my heart.

The old gods may be great, but they are neither kind nor merciful. They are fickle, unsteady as moonlight on water, or shadows in a storm. If you insist on calling them, take heed: be careful what you ask for, be willing to pay the price. And no matter how desperate or dire, never pray to the gods that answer after dark.

Don't you remember, she told him then, when you were nothing but shadow and smoke?

Darling, he'd said in his soft, rich way, I was the night itself.

Her amber eyes burned into mine with all the hate and loathing she could muster. Underneath, though, she was terrified. Hate and loathing didn't bother me, but fear was a powerful emotion. Fear causes the dog to bite, and Roze was one bitch.

"What have I earned from you, Valek? Loyalty? Respect? Trust?"

"You have my attention. But give me what I want, and you can have everything."

I'm shocked how much I absolutely loved this. I shouldn't b since I've heard such great things about it, but medieval-ish fantasies usually aren't for me, this on the other hand... I was awake reading until 5 in the morning & I have zero regrets. I love the characters, the writing style was absolutely beautiful & the balance of romance/action/magic/political scandal was done INCREDIBLY. This was such a good book, I will b heading into book 2 ASAP!

The memory of how grateful and naive I had been sickened me. It was three years ago. I had been a puppy. A puppy still wagging her tail as the bag's opening was tied shut.

Feeling dead was better than when my heart hurt. Sometimes I thought it might burn through my ribs while I was asleep, and smolder in the sheets until the whole house caught fire.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An easy single-sitting read for me, once I started there was no stopping me from getting my answers. As soon as I read the opening scene I knew exactly how my day was going to be spent, I was hooked. Although Verity didn't exactly scare me, I definitely found a few scenes incredibly disturbing and they won't be forgotten by me anytime soon. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone in the mood for suspense (best read at night;))

This is a beautiful book. The writing, the characters, the emotion, all absolutely stunning. This story refuses to leave my thoughts and I know Wavy will never leave me. I love her character so much it brings tears to my eyes. I just wanted her happy, and her happiness was always Kellan. I understand the hate this book brings, but please listen to the awards and endless 5 star reviews it has. It deserves so much love, just like Wavy and Kellan.

It can b argued that in Arvil & Biranas story gender equality is shown through cruelty, that men & women are both vile & evil creatures in their own right, but it's not easy to compare their cruelties. What's worse: death or a life of torture? (Can you guess what the female & male counterpart of that statement is?)
I loved TSOW, it was a bit wordy at times but how harshly beautiful this "love" story was & the debates this book could bring on WOW

Every choice has a price. We all owe a debt to this world for the things we take from it, right or wrong, cruel or kind. But these laws are soft, these laws are alive, and sometimes a debt is forgiven.

Since the day I met Julie, I‘ve been trying to keep her safe. But what I‘ve come to realize is that Julie will never be safe, because she doesn‘t want to be. She wants to fight hard and love hard and eat life raw and bleeding. So I won‘t try to keep her out of danger. If it‘s time for war, I won‘t hold her back. I‘ll charge in beside her and make sure we win.

My mind is a small room lined with bookcases, but when I reach into the shelves, I find no wall behind them. My thoughts push through my skull into some deeper space beyond.

"I don't have to be a monster to hurt people. I can do it gently, with a single careless breath."

"Perhaps I died years ago, and Hell is a flooded planet of starving children and walking corpses and endless, senseless war."

He didn't come to make friends. He's got fire in his eyes and a sword in his mouth and he came to cut the world in half.

WOWx5 I'm stunned. The writing THE WRITING- INCREDIBLE! So gritty, hilarious and devastatingly real, this book captured my soul from the start. It toed the line between a satirical comedy & a gracefully woeful tragedy. R was so sincere w/ his pain because he couldn't feel the emotion he described, it made the longing & desperation so real even though it was understated by his indifference towards the tragedy his life was. So unique & so beautiful!

I'm watching her talk. Watching her jaw move and collecting her words one by one as they spill from her lips. I don't deserve them. Her warm memories. I'd like to paint them over the bare plaster walls of my soul, but everything I paint seems to peel.

But it does make me sad that we've forgotten our names. Out of everything, this seems to me the most tragic. I miss my own and I mourn for everyone else's, because I'd like to love them, but I don't know who they are.

Winter Plague was not the guilty pleasure romance I expected. It was brutal, so emotionally raw and I adored it. I couldn't stop reading, during the single break I took from it (which says a lot considering how long it was) I was plagued (pun intended) w/ anxiety over getting back to it. I was so invested in the mission, the characters, the romance, all of it. So beautifully written, I had an instant connection w/ this story, an easy pick for me.

His lips parted, but no words came out. Whatever he tried to say died in his throat before it could be voiced. I wondered for a moment what it was like to be so afraid of your own thoughts that you must constantly find the right words to conceal them. Castle needed to grow up in that sense. Words were just words. He was too afraid of them.

"Killing a man should be harder than waving a length of pipe in their direction. It should take long enough for one‘s conscience to get in the way."

The moment caught and held, and again, I saw the depths of Thea Hughes. Miles instead of minutes.