emily > Recent Status Updates

I'm sure not all the humans are as benevolent they seem, but right now this just feels like a locked haunted house mystery, and I'm really into it.

But a stranger in a strange land, he is no one; men know him not—and to know not is to care not for.

barefoot in space?? my anemic ass could never.

the anachronisms are so oddly placed, like they'll go 20 pages without anything out of place and then one of the characters will accuse the other one of "flipping out" lmfao.

there's still not enough time spent explaining who some of these people are to each other. it's one thing for a character to gloss over their feelings when a person they have beef with gets brought up, it's something else entirely for two characters to be having a conversation filled with animosity and not to know why the hell they hate each other.

why take out the fucking gun if you're not going to shoot him?? ughhhhhh

this is sweet but anachronistic in places and the first third is way too full of exposition about worldbuilding (i get that they're both recovering from a battle but this is too much). just got to the part where they're approaching the city and adares's identity is acknowledged, hoping it settles into something more character-driven now.

reading along with the mailing list Dracula Daily, which sends out each installment of Dracula on the date it's written in the book. i'll have no idea how far i am along so i'll just be counting each installment as 2% until i'm done, lmao.

i don't mind the obliqueness when our three mains talk about the temple fire they were all present for, but i DO mind not knowing exactly what dev's hold over zain is. those are important stakes and it's hard to understand why she treats him the way she does without knowing them.

words fail to express how much i loathe that you can't comment on the goodreads "most anticipated books" posts. there are at least 3 things wrong with the way they describe the books they're recommending every time, and there's no way to point it out, they just get to be wrong and give people wrong info! yes i am both neurotypical and fun at parties, in case you were wondering.

i like how there's just enough exposition to explain the world, but the POV characters aren't like, doing large asides to give backstory. i feel like i understand anastasia and charvi much less than zain and iravan but hopefully that'll come.

shit, and here i was thinking they were saving hazard's parents as a NICE reveal for later in the series!

tbh i might remove these from my romance shelf entirely except for the fourth one-- i feel like the romance category does imply a certain focus on the love-and-sex aspect and ultimately this is more of a mystery series with a queer love story that makes up a big part of the plot. it's too bad bc goddamn can ashe write yearning and ust SO well, lol. good thing i love mysteries to begin with XD

okay i do feel like ashe is trolling with the titles of emery's documentaries lmao, no one's actually this boring who's not an academic 🤣

christ this is like captive prince levels of slow burn longing i'm going to dissolve

jesus christ these two are neck and neck in the biggest hot mess idiot in town race, literally the second one of them stands up from tripping over his own feet the other one goes down like a ton of bricks. could they both pretend to have their shit together simultaneously for like five minutes at a stretch? UGH!

not sure i love how the trans woman is being described, it doesn't feel prejudiced exactly, but it's weird. but oh jesus the ust between these two is, indeed, going to kill me, lol.

calling it now, upchurch is up to something. the red dust has been suspicious since the first time we met him.

the professor is more of a caricature than a real-feeling person, as a contrast to the maga psycho sister-in-law who is unfortunately way too similar to the real thing. it's not enough to take me out of the story though.

hard to keep track of with audible but i think we're about halfway through. slower pace since we've been busy but god so much happens in this book, it's crazy. the assassination job is up next!

i know from catching a review of book 3 that this is going to be a slow burn that redefines "slow" and i am predicting it might kill me before we get there lmao.

uh oh, hooked!

this is as fascinating as its blurb promised so far-- really like all 3 of the mains, and the allegory to our world's reliance on oil is well done; you'd have to be willfully obtuse not to see it, but it's also not like, dumbed-down-spelled-out. also the more i look at this cover the more i like it.

DNF at 11%. it's all telling not showing, and i forgot i hate most books with straight white guy protagonists, especially ones with marriage problems.

ahaha i WAS right about both of them

right about one thing, wrong about the other, i'll take it XD

ugh van helsing why are you such a bootlicker, i mean i know it's daddy issues, but ughghghgh

i have a strong guess as to the identity of sam's ghost and the real identity of the woman she met on the island in the park (recording for posterity in case i'm right lol)

van helsing is so fucking obnoxious, truly the pinnacle of why lawful good is (can be) the most boring alignment. which isn't to say this is bad work on morris's part, he's incredibly well written, just, god i hate him, lmao.