titalindaslibrary's Reviews (687)

Sigh. This pains me to rate this one so low, but y’all…we have GOT to stop romanticizing our colonizers. Understanding my Filipino history and the ongoing effects of colonialism to this day IRL (from beauty standards to corrupt governments) had me cringing reading about another Filipina falling in love with a white man (how many times is the word “pale” used as a romanticized descriptor? I lost count). I believe there were ways Thea could have handled this and explored the issue in a meaningful way, but by the end of book 2 I am losing hope that she will. 🥲 

So outside of that icky aspect, I found this to be about 70% romance and dealing with our “it’s not love, it’s just attraction!” enemies-to-lovers duo. While I understand this IS a romantasy and that’s the whole point, I found the political machinations (a key thing when there’s a war going on???) to be left undeveloped and ultimately confusing due to how little refinement it received. Quite disappointing especially with the twist at the end that had me scratching my head and going “ummm…okay I guess?”

Also the supposed climactic moment that we were working towards throughout the whole book was over and done with in about two chapters. And everyone was so chill about it?? Bizarre. 

I loved spending more time in Ninevar and experiencing a Filipino-inspired fantasy world. The banter between Alaric and Talasyn was quite enjoyable. But outside of that, I had too many problems with the rest of the story. 🙃

Ugh this is fine it was just so abhorrently boring 🥲 I didn’t realize how character-driven this would be and how unattached I’d feel to all of them.

You know, for a romcom about privileged queers (they’re all familiar with and often do ski trips for their holidays, okay? lol), I did quite enjoy this for a December read! Charlotte’s character especially was a soft spot for me. 

Oh this was such a creative, delightfully magical spin on a story about books! I had the best time traveling through unknown realms, Valhalla, and hell’s library! 
Highly recommend if you want a diverse set of characters, a book about books, and the power of stories and the hope they contain. 

Hmmmm…I fear I was just not in the mood for this when I picked it up. But alas, I stuck with it, and now it’s everyone’s problem lol.

This story felt like a tropification of every romantasy book ever, and I was rolling my eyes through most of it. While it has lovely writing and an atmospheric setting, I found myself continually frustrated by Liyen’s indecisiveness and weak will while trying to maintain a brash, badass veneer. And while it was easy to guess the big twist that explains her and the God of War’s connection, it made so much of the first half feel incredibly insta-lovey. I just never felt these characters’ chemistry, and when the main theme of this book is the romance that makes it especially difficult to enjoy. 

I am once again feeling the heavy press of time and complicated, familial love of a multigenerational story 🥲

Definitely a book I'll be adding to my "necessary reading" pile. If you've also felt a bit overwhelmed by the potential impact of AI but weren't entirely certain what it all entailed, allow this to clarify that for you. Murgia does an excellent job covering the different aspects it impacts, and I am once again reminded that none of us are free until all of us are free. 

Is this...Twilight fanfic? 
I will admit it was an easy read, with fun, goofy moments. However it had some weird insta-love dynamics, a friendship that I'm not entirely sure I rooted for, and some annoying main character moments. Our main girl is just so self-loathing, it's no wonder I couldn't help thinking she was a grown up version of human Bella, unable to love herself until a hot vampire swoops in and declares her the love of his life.