Lauren

“It began with her thoughts on pregnancy, how the very same process in any other context would be the stuff of gothic novels: a woman of sound mind had to watch her belly swell to grotesque proportions, knowing that if all went well, it would merely end in pain. Meanwhile, everyone told the beleaguered woman to be overjoyed. There was a wrongness to this, and a passivity which confirmed for all the world to see that at their most uniquely female activity, women truly were just vessels, to be filled and stretched out by the needs of others.”
― Evie Dunmore, The Gentleman's Gambit

“Gods feed on the terror of mortals,” said Melantho. “Where there is no fear, there are no prayers.”
― Sarah Underwood, Lies We Sing to the Sea

“Our shadows are tied to us, like it or not.” Camille brushed back a strand of hair from his face. “All we can do is run faster.”
― Gita Trelease, All That Glitters

“I have a boyfriend, and you don’t, so suck it, loser … Okay, I would never say that to someone, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the word. I need to practice in my head before I do something stupid in public like call him my friendboy or, worse, say something cringey like “I’ve taken a lover.”
― Eden Finley, Atlas