Amanda > Recent Status Updates

This is a joke. I was told so many things about how spicy and good the authors books were, and all I can think is that I definitely wrote better sex in fanfic than this professional published novel. I'm very worried about Neon Gods waiting on my shelf...

This is dry as kindling yet there's no spark with our leads. Honestly, it's reading like bad fanfiction with the serial numbers filed off. Dialogue is wooden and the banter is flat. We keep getting told how they find each other hot but I don't feel anything like chemistry. It's contrived and tiresome. Not sure I'm going to get through this one.

So far this is pretty flat and wooden in our two leafs and the world is big standard fantasy fare. Nothing new, unique or engaging so far.

I decided on lighter, fun reading for the second read of 2025. Let's go pirate ships!

A slow beginning to the New Year reading, but a welcome one. Tight prose, so much said in carefully crafted bites of dialogue. Such a good start for the years reading.

Perfect reading for the Hannukah season and a great "definitely not cozy, sapphic, or secretly three YA novels in a trenchcoat" reading.

Ahh I've reached the part where the aging Griffin has his well telegraphed death, leaving his keeper to grieve and show she has some tender feelings and copes poorly with vulnerability.

I buried my fourteen year old doberman just over a month ago so an otherwise by the numbers "pet the cat" moment suddenly junk-punched my emotions. It's raining on my face in my bedroom.

I think I'm getting why this makes me very uncomfortable. Aila and I have too much in common where anxiety disorders lie. The second hand embarrassment isn't helping either. The 'it wasn't about you' speech could have been avoided if Luc had the wherewithal to communicate like the adult she supposedly was in college. It wasn't about Aila, but her mockery of Aila indicated a pre-existing disdain. Just not vibing.

They have made a fatal mistake:

mention the "inside man" theory for the phoenix theft (or rather confirmed it) AND had the male love interest in a sapphic romance move on the POV female lead.

Connor's going to turn out to be part of the group that steals animals and I'm going to go, "Really?"

There is going to have to be some major narrative magic for me to not want to eject our "rival" love interest into the sun. She's a petty miserable cunt so far and frankly, Tanya is right there being amazing instead. Even our dragon keeper! Luc? Aila can do so much better.

I see that we've gotten to the part where Julie fucks up everything. Good times good times... She was smart to not take that job from Marie, though. New that was deeply hinky. Thanks for not being stupid, Julie.

Ah a strong theme of the book: everyone would be better off without men in their lives. Good thesis.

This is beautiful and grotesque. Horrors on every page, references to The Hu, magic drugs, cosmic law firms. Excellent. Just the palate cleanser I needed after teen angst shlock.

I am the Gordon Ramsey meme: finally, some good fucking food.