Mindy > Recent Status Updates

I don’t quite remember my reactions to the original trilogy (given I read them back in middle school), but I’m so sad reading this book ;;

I forget what happens to Haymitch based on hints in previous books, but I do know this is a tragedy and will leave me in shambles 😩

Omg emo bi monster boyfriend fated to succumb to darkness
Or
Charming, sweet, caring boyfriend who rejects his fate to become king
Both of whom you’ve known for maybe a few weeks? Decisions decisions 🙂‍↔️

Also, I fully expect her mother’s accident to be magic related. I think that file they found is wrong or is missing something big.

“Who are these all-powerful figures who keep the Order’s records, control its bloodlines, and send Merlins out in the world like demonic assassins and hypnotists?”

First guess: they’re the most non-impressive group people who just end up in these powerful roles based on lineage. My second guess is that they are shadowborn or some final-boss levels of magic wielders.

I really like the magic systems so far! I find the root magic so much more compelling and interesting. Connections with ancestors and calling upon their power as blessings vs. seemingly unending levels of power taken from dark places…
I’m intrigued and want to learn more about both magic systems and how Bree handles them.

Goal with this book is to have fun and get out of my reading slump 🙏🏼 magic trials at a university, rich families, and an underdog??? Sign me up please and thank u

Finally picking up a book lol

Spoilers ahead:




I cannot believe (tho I should have predicted it way before now) that Sydney would try to bring back her sister 😭 obviously she kept some of her bones + practiced bringing back small birds from bones. I just didn’t put it together smh. After all the awful things Serena did ?? TO YOUUU GIRL

Sympathy for Eli is building 😭

This book has more complex chronology than the first book, but I’m still enjoying it! Also wlw 🙂‍↕️🙌🏼 and another powerful, angry woman (who I like so much more than Serena from book 1). I am 100% rooting for Marcella, she better get her revenge smh

It’s a duology so I have to finish the series right? 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

An evil, manipulative, self serving young woman 🙂‍↕️🙌🏼 we love to see it

So interesting to see Eli’s POV and how he uses the language of religion and Christianity to rationalize all his murders 😭 he’s a certified serial killer. Victor really didn’t mean to kill Angie, but Eli is undeniably a murderer 🧍🏻‍♀️
I wonder if/which serial killers the author used to model Eli after…

Log of Victor’s love-hate of Eli:

“But he had Eli's attention. He liked having his attention.” Page 50

“They were alike, more so now than ever. And he had missed Eli. He wanted to see him. And he wanted to see him suffer. He wanted to see the look in Eli's eyes when he lit them up with pain.
He wanted his attention.” Page 90

“He was listening. Victor had his attention, and he liked that.” Page 119

I wish there was more about Angie, she’s really just a tiny side character. It more so seems like a Gojo/Geto love story LOLOL friends to enemies … but deep underlying adoration, at least for Victor.

”And he had missed Eli. He wanted to see him. And he wanted to see him suffer. He wanted to see the look in Eli's eyes when he lit them up with pain. He wanted his attention.”

LIKE??

My guess from the first few vague chapters/not knowing anything about the book beforehand is:
It’s a monster hunting book where two best friends in college turn rivals when Victor becomes an ExtraOrdinary being via his adrenaline experiments. The girl they both loved in college died and Victor was to blame, when it was really Eli’s fault. Now they’re out to kill each other now that Victor is out of prison.

YAYYY I’m excited for this book

I’m completely lost and can’t seem to get interested in this book, sadly. I switched to the audiobook which makes it worse since it’s easier to tune in and out of what’s happening. I think I just get confused on who’s narrating/whose mind we’re in. I do think it’s interesting to see how the MC navigates this alien world with no gender binary. I wonder what the book club will bring up!

I’m not flipping through pages rapidly, to say the least… but I also think it’s good for my attention span to read a book that takes its time world building. It was published in the 1969 after all ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Book club for GWISE! (Graduate Women in Science and Engineering)

I don’t read sci-fy-fiction on my own, so I’m excited to expand my horizons with this book. It’s supposed to be a classic sci-fy.

Omg two months later and I’m reading it again!
A very entertaining read, and I want to see how they pull off this big plan.

I think Vin’s romance is written so poorly tho. Sanderson describing how a young girl feels about a boy… you can tell it was written by a man idk. He writes Elend’s side just fine, but it’s just how he writes Vin’s POV that seems very generic and flat.

Definitely my favorite of the three so far, there are so many different things happening! History/lore building, seeing the different isles, getting Violet’s dad’s backstory, Andarna’s history, it’s all so interesting and I can’t put the book down 🙌🏼 My fav character is Ridoc rn, I love a comedic relief character.

“Our lives are short. We should read what we love and spend time with those we love.” - Celine Nguyen in no one told me about proust (2025)

I fear, after all the build up of the first 65% of this book, and now that I’ve finally reached the actual battle/action scenes, I have decided to DNF Mistborn 😩 I have books I passionately want to read right now and I will not force this one to work 💔

Ham is definitely my favorite character. In my mind, I imagine he looks like Marcus from ARCANE. I have no idea what his canon physical description is and I don’t care atp, my headcanon will not be changed 🤚🏼

Now WHY did Vin tell that boy all the business about the underground movement network :| you shared too much girl and giving that info to a noble could/will kill people 😭

Also, when will Vin’s brother show up???? I know he will eventually in some plot twist, but I can’t guess what context it’ll be.

Why is she sitting at balls and parties with the noble people 😭 GET HER OUT AND FIGHTING maybe I’m being a hater but having this strong female MC only sit around having crushes + growing to love dresses + balls is so “written by a man” coded

ATP Vin seems to be the naturally gifted MC who doesn’t trust anyone, rough around the edges, and tries her best to make herself as small and unnoticeable as possible.

I wonder who her parents are and which side gave her powers. WHO IS THE FATHER!!

It’s interesting that she’s learning to act like a noble woman + emotion manipulation near the same time. I wonder how her first ball/society event will go…

Back to this book!

Absolutely sick to my stomach, full of dread and sadness on the bus this morning 😭 then I remembered that the author ALSO wrote the Poppy Wars and was filled with more dread. Kuang you better keep my favs safe I SWEAR 😭🫵🏼