Inky

That’s what I meannnn. The magic is an afterthought

Other rare magic abilities in this book include AND ARE LIMITED TO: absorbing magic if you touch a magic card, seeing the future, and knowing if someone has magic by looking at their blood. Like imagine reading Ninth House before this book

His magic is that he’s immune to magic 😑

What do you mean our main guy’s special rare magic that he’s not even supposed to have is that he……is a regular guy

I hate when the magic in a book with magic is BORING.

In Romantasy bingo, “I shivered, but it had nothing to do with the cold.” is the free space.

I want my fmc competent but I want a little bit of damsel in distress.

The love interest needs to be dark and mysterious but also must 🤌🏻 yearn.

Enemies AND lovers, not enemies to lovers.

Banter should be as titillating as the smut.

Magic has to be cool as hell.

IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR, TRULY?

😔😔😔😔 our fmc is grossly incompetent in this book and I don’t understand why I can’t have my cake and ice cream and eat it, too

I want Elspeth and Nightmare to be besties but I know that’s too good to be true 😭😭

Today I discovered I could have saved myself $19.00 on the paperback if I’d only looked in my bookcase before going to the bookstore. A receipt in the $30.00 SPECIAL EDITION HARDCOVER says I bought this 14 months ago 🥲🥲🥲

It’s so visceral and for no reason

She’s mentioned this no less than 6 times and we’re only 150 pages in. Someone with the ebook, please search “callus” and tell me I’m right

Every author has this signature oddball phrase they repeat over and over in their writing—for SJM, it’s “watery bowels”, in Quicksilver, it was “makes my mouth sweat”.

For this books, the author likes to point on the MMC’s dry-ass rough calloused hands that catch on everything he touches.

We need to get you on StoryGraph

Dammit E!!!!!!! Where were you when I was vulnerable in the bookstore last night

Oh my god I’ve been drooling over those!!

Unfortunately I like to scroll through my tbr like some people look at their Pokémon collection

StoryGraph is so funny because sometimes it makes these like, almost passive-aggressive comments about your TBR or DNF lists, and I know I’m really close to getting, “Bitch, did you just buy MORE books instead of reading the 40-something TBRs on your physical shelves??”

The smut in this one better be good because our protagonist just attended a a big royal feast at the king’s court and we didn’t get a SINGLE SENTENCE of the dress description.

I promise to pick it back up! It’ll be a weekend read when I have more time to linger in a soft and contemplative story. On weekdays between work and bed, I need something that redirects all that leftover energy from work, so med-pace, plot-driven, fantasy-heavy holds my attention better

I’m about 50-70 pages to the midpoint, and I’m restless. I know something is coming, but godddd are we dragging

VE, love you big—gorgeous poetic writing with a yearning quality that is so moving, but the pace of this kiiiillllling me, or I’m just not quite out of my dark fantasy mood yet. So I’m pausing The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (I made it about halfway), and going to eenie meenie miney mo these.

They are right up there with The Civil Wars

ALWAYS

I will say….if you like a medium to fast-paced book, this is not for you, mama

She’s an artist 🥹 no wonder you love her

Idk how to say this without sounding like an asshole, but after the last three and a half books I’ve read, I am so relieved to be back in the world of a good writer

And for me, there is no better endorsement!!!!!

wasn’t sure what to read next, so I literally closed my eyes and pulled whatever I touched on my tbr shelves

I used to pray for nights like this when it was 78 degrees at midnight