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I can see how this book would really appeal to someone who didn’t have a fanfiction phase

I love the thrall super power troupe. It reminds me of the sister’s power from IA’s hidden legacy series

This is probably the most non sensical execution of marriage of convince I’ve ever read

There are like 15 reasons why this conclusion makes no sense

Also how does he know her name if she’s a masked assassin coming to get him

Also the pov is a little messy… if we’re in her POV, why are we getting commentary on how much pain he’s in physically, she wouldn’t know that

I am also growing tired of knife to throat fighty-fighty stab stab romantasy books (though I have not read many this year)
And the mask elements feel very motorcycle club/stalker romance book vibes and I refuse to read those kinds of books because they are not for me lol

And I cannot read 10 pages without falling asleep lmao

This book is working with a level of melodrama underlining everything that feels unearned for the amount of time we’ve spent in this world lmao

And I wonder how some of this will change when it’s traditionally published because it’s littered with weird sentences trying to be poetic but don’t really make sense at all

“The warehouse chilled to the bone after sunset, sucking warmth from exposure skin until nerves went numb.” HUH

Okay so this is written for the intended audience.

I love how the author explains the symbolism of the masks straight up and the main guy is like this is all propaganda from page 1 (we don’t see how he came to said conclusion??)

My gosh. Wow

“Forward?”

“Time only moves in one direction, mom.”

Okay the twist is insane

OH we’re in deep psychosis rn!!

I forget how fun it is sometimes to read contemporary/speculative fiction that plays with structure

I do think about 2/3rds of the way through the scenes from the 1800s start to drag in comparison to her backstory chapters

I know the whole point is they are naive and cosplaying, but it’s a little unrealistic that people this rich would buy a 5 million property without seeing it first, or someone whose dad is that well connected wouldn’t make them link up with a buddy he knows who does agriculture work to look through the place before they purchase.

If he’s a statewide politician in California why could she imagine him talking to coal miners lol

That is not a major industry in that part of the country

“America hates women. What a comfort to remember.”

I do love how she saw the year on the door frame and the thought that she traveled in time has not yet crossed her mind

Pregnant reading about this lady’s postpartum depression and likely psychosis …I’m in danger

Eek! This just came in on Libby and I know I need to finish the devils… but I’m about to travel on a pretty intense trip and I just want to read something fun and poppy with a 1000 think pieces instead of another fantasy book written by a man with gore and guts and rats etc

This was not perfect, but I really enjoyed it and would love to continue on

This is what I wanted that Tower of Babel series to give

This whole marriage ceremony ritual feels so info dumpy

Reading fantasy is just hearing 100 different ways human beings can come up with disgusting fictional use cases for rats

This book is playing with religion, choice, empire and subjection in interesting ways

Spoiler, spoiler spoiler

But his wife is the centipede!?! Oh, I did not see that coming.

The pacing of this academic corridor standoff scene is reheating Babel’s nachos a wee bit

“A better tomorrow brought with it a series of compromised todays”

When I say high urban fantasy, this is what I’m talking about man!!!
I’m surprised how much I’m enjoying this because everyone always says his sci-fis hit harder — the prose, story and pacing are all so genuinely good

And some parts are actually spooky— I think this is an example of one of the ones I would have to do audiobook of to enjoy