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sebrittainclark

sebrittainclark

Joined January 2017

book nerd | software developer | she/her
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sebrittainclark
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TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 15h
25 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
Daughter of Tides | Kit Rocha
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I took a break from social media this month (except litsy because I don't count litsy), and it turns out that was the only thing standing between me and reading 25 books 😅. My first time ever blacking out a bookspin bingo board.

#bookspin #doublebookspin #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Ruthiella Nice work! 👏👏👏 1d
Clare-Dragonfly Nice!!! 1d
TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Fabulous month!!! 1d
30 likes3 comments
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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

5/5

This was such an incredible book. While the original story is about revolution and the end of the Hunger Games, and Songbird and Snakes was about how the games became what they were, this book was really about the games as propaganda and gave a much better understand of how the games and the manipulations of the capital worked. Even knowing how the story ends, it's a great read.

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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

3/5

Ronan Reed is new to New Orleans, and his bad reputation has followed him, but that can't stop the attraction growing between himself and Celine Cruz, even if her over-protective family isn't a fan.

The external stakes in this book felt a lot lower than those in the books in the Stay a Spell series, but it was a still a fun paranormal romance, and it is fun to return to some favorite characters.

#netgalley

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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

4/5

I really enjoyed this collection of non-fiction vignettes about people and moments in history mostly between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. I found the stories to be beautifully written and very moving. I can't pick a standout because they were were all so unique and emotional. I wasn't familiar with The Memory Palace podcast before reading this book, but I didn't feel that I needed to be in order to enjoy it.

#netgalley

45 likes3 stack adds
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sebrittainclark
My Big Fat Fake Marriage | Charlotte Stein
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ebook: The Memory Palace by Nate DiMeo
audiobook: My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

BarbaraJean Yay, Memory Palace! I love the podcast and got the book for Christmas... but I haven't read it yet 😆 2w
saritaroth I‘m reading The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan. It‘s my Armenian novel for my Read Around the World Challenge!😀 1w
44 likes2 comments
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sebrittainclark
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter | Stephen Graham Jones
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Pickpick

4/5

This was an incredibly well written, incredibly disturbing historical horror novel. Told through journal Arthur Beaucarne wrote in 1912 that was found and transcribed by his great great granddaughter in 2012. Arthur records a series of interviews with Good Stab who describes his transformation into a vampire.

The old fashioned language made it a little difficult to get into the early chapters, but the story pulled me in.

#netgalley

60 likes3 stack adds
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sebrittainclark
Rule of Wolves | Leigh Bardugo
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audiobook: The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older
print: Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

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sebrittainclark
Sweet Obsession | Katee Robert
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4/5

Poseidon has an enemy fleet in his waters and Icarus as his captive. Icarus knows his best chance of survival is to make Poseidon feel something for him, but neither expect the true relationship that begins to form as the uncover each other's vulnerabilities.

I thought this dig a great job of balancing the main relationship with setting up for Zeus and Hera's book next.
#netgalley

RobES Cannot wait to read this! 3w
35 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

4/5

Dorothy gets abducted onto an alien planet after a nearly fatal lion attack along with the now talking lion. Now she's dealing with dinosaurs, ice age creatures, and the two Aliens who have fallen for her.

I loved the concept of an Alien world created by underfunded researchers who did less than the bare minimum to learn about humans. It's so funny, and I hope to read more in this series.

42 likes2 stack adds
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sebrittainclark
Deep End | Ali Hazelwood
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Pickpick

5/5

This is my favorite Ali Hazelwood read yet. I loved Scarlet and her struggle with her collegiate diving career after a devastating injury, her growing friendship with diving captain Pen, and her new relationship with Pen's ex, Lukas. I also loved the cameos from Olive Smith and Adam Carlson from The Love Hypothesis

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sebrittainclark
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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4/5

In a post-apocalyptic world after climate change destroys civilization, a woman keeps a secret journal in the mysterious and brutal Sacred Sisterhood.

The writing is brutally evocative of the end of the world. The horror and narrators rushed secrecy permeate every line. It was an unsettling read that will stick with me.

So many content warnings on this one.

#netgalley

vivastory I saw this at B&N last weekend and was surprised it's being released in paperback! With how popular Tender etc is I figured that the publisher would go for hardback only for first run, but kudos for them. 3w
41 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
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#ebook: Sweet Obsession by Katee Robert
#audiobook: I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

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sebrittainclark
Daughter of Tides | Kit Rocha
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Pickpick

4.5/5

This is more of a sequel with other characters than a spin-off. I felt like there was a lot of setup in this book, but I felt like the payoff at the end of the book was good, and I'm excited to read more about all the unanswered questions. I wasn't sure how a spin-off series could raise the stakes from Consort of Fire and Queen of Dreams, but I thought the reveals at the end of the book did a good job of achieving that.

#netgalley

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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

4/5

I read A Wizard of Earthsea when I was a child and didn't remember much of the story, so this was a wonderful way to be reintroduced to the book. The art is really beautiful, and I thought both the art and the dialogue that was brought in did a wonderful job of bringing the story to life while maintaining the same mood of the original book.

#netgalley

54 likes1 stack add
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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

5/5

The Federation is ruled by The President, who thanks to technology will never die. The West is under the rule of AI MPs who haven't changed anything. On the brink of the world either being destroyed or changed, many lives are intertwined.

This is an incredible dystopian novel imaging a techno-authoritarian future that considers what is good and what is evil and what does it mean to act. It is a complicated story, and I could not put it down.

44 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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sebrittainclark
When We Left Cuba | Chanel Cleeton
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4/5

Beatriz Perez has two goals with the same solution: she wants to work with the CIA to assassinate Fidel Castro. The novel follows Beatriz in the 1960s as she becomes deeper enmeshed in American politics and espionage.

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sebrittainclark
The River Has Roots | Amal El-Mohtar
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5/5

The River Liss runs out of Faerie, full of magic, and two sisters grow up singing to the willows that soak up it's magic. This is such a beautiful and lyrical story about sisterhood, love, grief, and magic.

In the audiobook, the narrator sings all the songs, and I think that adds so much to an already incredible story. I really recommend listening to the audiobook.

#netgalley

CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian Ooh this sounds so good! Placing a hold at the library right now! 1mo
48 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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sebrittainclark
When We Left Cuba | Chanel Cleeton
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print: When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
audiobook: The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Pippa The Last Mrs. Parrish 1mo
39 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
Daughter of Tides | Kit Rocha
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#bookspin: Daughter of Tides by Kit Roch
#doublebookspin: A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel by Ursula K. Le Guin

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Looks fantastic!! 1mo
39 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
Queen of Dreams | Kit Rocha
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Queen of Dreams by Kit Rocha is my pick for February #readingbracket2025. It's one of those rare series where the first book is good, but somehow the second book is even better.

@cseydel

CSeydel Awesome! 1mo
35 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
Greenteeth | Molly O'Neill
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TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Fantastic month!! 1mo
41 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
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Posting my March #bookspin list before I check out the picks.

#bookspin #doublebookspin #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 1mo
40 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
Swordheart | T Kingfisher
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Book mail!

kspenmoll Love the cover! 1mo
Ahw06 Omgness!!! I can‘t wait for my pre-order to arrive! I saw it in B&N this weekend and almost bought it there too bc it‘s so gorgeous 1mo
52 likes2 comments
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sebrittainclark
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ebook: The Plan by Kendra Adachi
print: When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
audiobook: On Her Terms by Amy Spalding

Is this the same list as last week? Yes, but hopefully I'll finish all three this week.

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

rachelsbrittain Hey my list is frequently the same or at least has overlap 😅 1mo
39 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
When We Left Cuba | Chanel Cleeton
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e-book: The Plan by Kendra Adachi
print: When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
audiobook: On Her Terms by Amy Spalding

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

BooksandCoffee4Me I really liked When We Left Cuba. 1mo
LoverOfLearning I have 200 pages left of The Goldfinch! That's my plan! 1mo
43 likes1 stack add2 comments
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sebrittainclark
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4/5

This was an incredibly interesting look into the lives of four women who worked for the OSS creating propaganda to demoralize Axis soldiers during World War II. I thought the book did a wonderful job weaving together the paths that brought all four to the OSS, their experiences in the OSS, and the work they did on both fronts. It was a very quick and interesting look into an aspect of World War II that I know very little about.

#netgalley

56 likes7 stack adds
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sebrittainclark
Greenteeth | Molly O'Neill
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Pickpick

4/5

Jenny Greenteeth is the monster in the village lake, but when a witch, Temperance, is thrown in and doesn't even bother to try to save herself, Jenny gets curious about what's going on outside her lake. Temperance and Jenny must work together, along with the goblin Backus, to root out the evil that's infected the village and could be coming for Jenny's lake and all of Britain next.

#netgalley

52 likes5 stack adds
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sebrittainclark
Greenteeth | Molly O'Neill
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The witch looked surprised to see me, her eyes blinking furiously at me through murky waters. I don‘t know why she was so astonished. It was my lake she‘d been thrown into; she should have expected I‘d come and see if there was anyone worth eating.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

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sebrittainclark
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Managed one bingo in January

#ISpyBingo @thearomaofbooks

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Fantastic month!! 2mo
39 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

3/5

The War is over and Jon is home from the French prison he's been in to find that he is now a duke, and his sister's governess, Tory, is the daughter of his dead mentor. Jon is committed to finding Tory a husband, even if he finds himself drawn to her.

I've never read a book about detenus. There was a lot going on with the history, as well as Tory's backstory, so sometimes the characters and their romance felt a little flat.
#netgalley

Butterfinger I have to Google detenus. 2mo
43 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
Greenteeth | Molly O'Neill
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#bookspin: Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill
#doublebookspin: Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Looks fantastic!! 2mo
rachelsbrittain I'm reading Greenteeth right now! 2mo
40 likes2 comments
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sebrittainclark
Murder by Memory | Olivia Waite
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Pickpick

4.5/5

On the interstellar ship, the Fairweather, death is temporary when a new body can be created and your memories restored from a copy in the library, But when detective Dorothy Gentleman wakes up in a body that isn't hers and to news that there's just been a murder, it's clear that someone's figured out how to make a murder stick, and this new body might have something to do with it.

#netgalley

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sebrittainclark
The Answer Is No | Fredrik Backman, Elizabeth DeNoma (Translator)
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TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Fantastic month!! 2mo
46 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
Murder by Memory | Olivia Waite
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audiobook: Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite
ebook: Hazardous to a Duke's Heart by Sabrina Jeffries

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

rachelsbrittain I just finished Murder by Memory! Planning to review it today. 2mo
37 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
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TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
42 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
Earl Crush: A Novel | Alexandra Vasti
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Pickpick

5/5

Lydia has decided that best way to save her long time pen pal, the Earl of Strathrannoch, from his financial woes is to offer him a marriage of convenience. However, when she shows up at his castle, she quickly realizes that her pen pal is Davis, the brother of Arthur, the actual Earl, and Davis is missing. Lydia and Arthur embark on a quest to find Davis and prevent him from committing a crime before it's too late.

#netgalley

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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

4.5/5

This was a fantastic book about different techniques parents (and anyone who works with kids) can pull into play time to create more connection with your kids as well as help them work on understanding their emotions and co-regulation. It's full of examples and illustrations on how to put the techniques into use. I was able to immediately use a couple of the ideas in playtime with my kids.

#netgalley

39 likes1 stack add
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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

4.5/5

When Clem is kidnapped by Captain Mariel and her crew of Merry Men, she assumes it's because reputation as a healer who is experimenting with more effective treatments, instead it's to make sure her guardian understands that consequences of healing anyone associated with the Sheriff of Nottingham.

I thought this was a fun re-imagining of Robin Hood focused on his granddaughter.

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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

4/5

Martin explores the way orphans are portrayed in popular media and the many ways that portrayal differs from what children actually experienced in orphanages all the way to foster care. I found it very interesting to learn how some of the issues that existed in the past continued to survive into the present and how pop culture can blind us to these facts.

#netgalley

54 likes2 stack adds
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sebrittainclark
Consort of Fire | Kit Rocha
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4.5/5

Sachielle is the latest of the dragon god's consorts as part of a pact with the mortal king to protect the land. But the mortal king has a plan to rid himself of the pact and the dragon, even if it means sacrificing Sachi and her handmaid Zanya. But the dragon is nothing like Sachi or Zanya expected, and they are nothing like what he expected.

49 likes1 stack add
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sebrittainclark
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ebook: The Sun Won't Come Out Tomorrow by Kristen Martin
audiobook: Not For the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher
non-fiction: The Way of Play by Tina Payne Bryson and Georgie Wisen-Vincent

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

38 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
Consort of Fire | Kit Rocha
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ebook: The Sun Won't Come Out Tomorrow by Kristen Martin
audiobook: Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha
non-fiction: The Way of Play by Tina Payne Bryson and Georgie Wisen-Vincent

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

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sebrittainclark
The Answer Is No | Fredrik Backman, Elizabeth DeNoma (Translator)
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5/5

Lucas is pulled from his comforting isolation when his apartment board drags him into an investigation into who left a frying pan on the ground outside. It's a quick read with Backman's humor, emotion, and strong voice. I enjoyed it as much as the longer works of his I've read.

#netgalley

52 likes1 stack add
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sebrittainclark
The Answer Is No | Fredrik Backman, Elizabeth DeNoma (Translator)
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“It's a frying pan that ruins Lucas's life. We'll get to that“

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Leslie_Ak2Oh Now that‘s quite first line. Consider me interested 😂 2mo
ShyBookOwl Intriguing! 2mo
35 likes2 comments
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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

5/5

Tao is a traveling fortune teller who only tells small fortunes to avoid the mage guild's notice. She meets a thief, an ex-mercenary looking for his daughter, Leah, and a baker as they travel across Eshtera reading fortunes and looking for Leah.

This was a really wonderful book that did a great job including low stakes adventures, found family, and loneliness while feeling like a fresh cozy fantasy story.

#auldlangspine

julesG It's a wonderful story, isn't it? Glad you liked it. 2mo
BethM Wow that cover! 2mo
rachelsbrittain I'm about to start this one! 2mo
54 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

3.5

Scout is chasing down the archives left by a long dead alien civilization that may have found the answer to what kills every civilization that makes it to space in a race against time with Verity Co who turn every piece of information into an opportunity for profit.

It's a book about grief and the connection between the living. I thought the corporate greed message was a little heavy handed, but a good read overall.

galueth28 Sounds interesting! 3mo
45 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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sebrittainclark
Heavenly Tyrant | Xiran Jay Zhao
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5/5

An incredible second book in this series with so many twists that I did not see coming. I really enjoyed both the sci-fi and political elements of the book as Wu Zetian has to manage the politics of reviving Qin Zheng and overthrowing the old regime.

I was once again fooled by what I thought was a duology actually being a trilogy, but I'm very excited to see where the story goes next.

SincerelyWinona I‘m already impatient for the third! 3mo
sebrittainclark @SincerelyWinona Me too! Especially since I thought this was a duology until I was about 75% of the way through 😆 3mo
PuddleJumper I thought this was a duology? There's more? Amazing! I might wait for the third one 3mo
sebrittainclark @PuddleJumper I haven't seen an official announcement, but it's certainly not concluded at the end of Heavenly Tyrant 3mo
55 likes1 stack add4 comments
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sebrittainclark
Heavenly Tyrant | Xiran Jay Zhao
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e-book: Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao
audiobook: The Last Gifts of the Universe by Riley August

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

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sebrittainclark
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4/5

Vitrine is a demon with a city. Until that city is burned to ground by angels. Vitrine must grieve and eventually rebuild her city, while dealing with the presence of the angel she cursed.

It's a book about grieving and rebuilding. It's beautiful and strange, but I really enjoyed it.

I thought the narrator did a wonderful job bringing Vitrine's voice to life.

#netgalley

49 likes3 stack adds