Miranda Sapphire > Recent Status Updates

What is it about queers and lighthouses? Why are we constantly putting them in our books? If I see it (or feel compelled to do it) again I'm gonna have to start conducting some research because this is fascinating

This is probably the 4th or 5th time I've read this book. But this time it's a buddy read with husbando, who hasn't read it yet. After a string of stinkers I wanted to buddy read something I KNEW was good lol

So far this is absolutely delightful 💜 I love it when a rich and powerful person is tasked with a normal human task and it baffled and bested by it; 20/10 trope, though I don't know what it's called.

I recently attempted to read a fantasy book by someone who styled themself as "Lord Grimdark", only to find it annoying and gross, without actually touching on grim. But THIS BOOK, THIS is Grimdark. It is unrelenting in its rawness, in its bleakness. Hope is tenuous, goodness is risky, pain is certain. And THESE CHARACTERS are truly morally gray, so take notes Lord Grimdark.

This is a really interesting and compelling book so far, but I have to set it aside because it is WAY too sad for the headspace I'm in right now.

Holy cow this is so good. It hits especially hard for me personally because I'm still pretty freshly postpartum, and there was a fair amount of concern about the pregnancy, so Cedar's particular anxieties feel all the more real and intense.

Alright, I really liked Sciona's little plan there.

I don't hate this book by any means (I'm gobbling it up pretty rapidly) but it's so close to being amazing that when it falls short for silly reasons that should have been caught it just frustrates me to no end.

If you told me the first half and the second half of this book were written by different people I'd believe it. I loved the first half but the choices being made in this second half are baffling and often unpleasant (either because of their content or because of their predictability).

Is it me? Am I the problem? Why are all these highly rated books leaving such a sour taste in my mouth???

I had a sneaking suspicion that the twist would be this but GOTDANG it still hit so hard

Finally, some good fucking food 🤌 Richer world building in the first 30 pages than the last three books I tried reading had managed in 200. Hopefully this buddy read with my husband will be one we can actually finish!

This book (and the last) remind me of why I tend to not read books written by cishet white men. Less lore and trying to show off and more ACTUAL plot and world building PLEASE. If I finish this it will be out of spite and I am too sleep deprived to care how petty that is.

This one was next in line for a buddy read with my husband, and so far this one is a lot more engaging. Huzzah!

This is getting to be a SLOG. I'm more than a quarter of the in and we're still in the setup. I don't care how epic the fantasy is, you can't sacrifice pacing to this degree. LOTR is slow as hell but even Tolkien had the plot chugging along by the quarter mark of Fellowship.

Two problems so far: #1 I'm almost 1/4 of the way in and there's barely any fantasy elements. And what's there could be swapped for a mundane thing and it wouldn't really change anything. And #2, there's endless descriptions of viking culture and everyone's gear. I know what rings Elvar has earned but I could not tell you what she looks like, and it's really frustrating me. I'm a visual reader!

Omg I am going to indulge in the unholy urge to be That Guy ™️ and point out an error on this page. They use the phrase "the wagon rolled passed" but UM ACKTUALLY it should be "the wagon rolled PAST" 😎 (I don't really think this is a big deal, this is just how I get my kicks lol).

... I'll see myself out.

Buddy reading this with husbando :3 The last few books I've tried reading off my tbr were duds that I could sense weren't for me within the first 10 pages, so the fact that at only 6 pages in and I'm excited for this one bodes well! Been crazy some dummy thicc fantasy lately too.

45 pages in and I'm already flipping tables over this one 🙌🏻

I just want to say that the reason it's taking me so long to read this is because I procrastinated on my own book and am having to abandon reading in favor or edits and marketing lol. It's amazing so far!

I'm very pumped starting to read this, having heard many good and exciting things about lesbians and necromancy. I've also just realized the person on the cover (presumably the titular Gideon) is wearing sick shades and it's not just dramatic lighting and that is definitely feeding into my excitement.