Evie

Daddy Issues by Kate Goldbeck: this does not spark joy.

Shadow by K. J. Parker: this sparks joy.

The Aeneid by Virgil (trans. Scott McGill & Susannah Wright): this sparks joy.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden: this sparks joy.

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin: this sparks joy.

Savage Blooms by S. T. Gibson: this did not spark joy.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare: this sparks joy.

Mate by Ali Hazelwood: this sparks joy.

Soul Searching by Lyla Sage: this sparks joy.

Fresh Dirt from the Grave by Giovanna Rivero (trans. Isabel Adey): this sparks joy.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna: this sparks joy.

Hot for Slayer by Ali Hazelwood: this does not spark joy.

American Indian Myths and Legends: this sparks joy.

Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza by Peter Beinart should be required reading.

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig: this does not spark joy.

The Redemption of Morgan Bright by Chris Panatier: this sparks joy.

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig: this does not spark joy.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig: this sparks joy.

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood: this sparks joy.

“Cruel Winter with You” by Ali Hazelwood: this sparks joy.

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood: this sparks joy.

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood: this does not spark joy.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood: this does not spark joy.

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood: this sparks joy.

Beach Read by Emily Henry: this sparks joy.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen: this sparks joy.

There are additional (and new!) depths to the themes explored, including the parallels of life and circumstance between Lives and Days. All of it beautifully told. Tchaikovsky is reinforcing Tyrant Philosophers as an all-time favorite series with each book he writes.

“…come to pass should add a certain depth to the actions she takes in Usmai.” Seeing the breadth of depth of Gil’s character, following her through key events throughout her life—from her becoming an orphan in the Palleseen Sway to her becoming who you see in Days—is somehow even more compelling...

“…Days of Shattered Faith. Read before, the start of Faith should hit differently, given the additional context. Rather than coming to Alkhalend as clueless as Loret, the reader is as wise as Angilly herself to the ways of Usmai, and of Palleseen skulduggery. Read after, the knowledge of what will…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A prequel novella following Angilly “Gil” from her childhood to the events leading up to where we meet her in Days of Shattered Faith. As Tchaikovsky puts himself in his author’s note at the end of the novella, “Lives of Bitter Rain can be read on its own, before or after…