Kelley > Recent Status Updates

I was so excited when this book first came out, but now I’m not sure it’s for me. I keep having to look past tropes I strongly dislike. “Man + Magic = Good; Woman + Magic = Evil” is one of my least favorite tropes in existence, and it is all over this thing.

The man is dashing, powerful, flamboyant, and unpredictable. The woman is plain, practical, and resolutely ordinary. He thinks about the world; she's concerned only with her corner of it. My love for cats and eagerness to read stories that feature them might not be enough to get me past my dislike of these gender dynamics.

I'm not fond of "Magical Guy, Mundane Girl" pairings, and this one isn't off to a great start. But there are cats. I will power through this trope I dislike for the sake of the cats.

I'm liking the addition of Chenlo to the cast, but I'm still itching to see an honest-to-God MALE VILLAIN. Team Evil is so overwhelmingly female that it bothers me.

Elvar just keeps getting worse. Every time I start to think there might be hope for her, she reminds me yet again how dedicated she is to the cause of slavery. Thankfully, Orka is around to be the kind of heroine I need in my life.

I’m enjoying this book, but I can’t read it for too long before it starts to bother me that while Eboran men may be heroes, Eboran women are, without exception, irredeemably evil bigots.

I wish my Kindle app would not count a book as "Currently Reading" when I only opened it to see the front page. The book I'm actually reading is its predecessor, The Bitter Twins.

I’m hoping hard that Inara turns out to be nonhuman. There aren’t enough sympathetic female nonhumans in fantasy.

I’m getting a few “Your Name” vibes from this one, but I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing.

This one is feeling a bit "meh" to me. Elspeth strikes me as disappointingly dull, and when you're reading a romantic fantasy and you find yourself skimming through the big love scene so you can get back to the plot, that's not a good sign.

First impressions: I like the strong style, and I'm interested in Fodla, but I'm not sure I can take Gormflaith. I know she's a type of character lots of readers appreciate, but I just don't find sociopaths all that interesting. I would find her more palatable if her role weren't so big, if we had some more sympathetic POV characters to counter-balance; Fodla alone may not be quite enough.

A beautifully written book with a fascinating setting, but so far the only character whose traits I admire is the sole male POV.

“Not all jinn are evil…. unless they’re female. Then they’re totally super evil.”

I like this book. I really do. But at this point: way, way too much damseling. Hopefully a last-minute twist will fix the problem.

I hate that this book sat so long on my shelf before I read it! It ticks all my boxes.

It took me time to grow used to this series’ style, but now I’m quite fond of it.

Why is Imi even in this book? Her plot thread dangles out there on its own while the rest are connected.

Will somebody please treat Giuna with the kindness she deserves?

I love Adukeh. I want a book with someone like her as the protagonist.

Love: Liath, Alain, Sanglant, Hanna
Like: Rosvita, Theophanu
Dislike: Lavastine, King Henry, Ivar
Hate, Loathe, Despise, Detest: Hugh, Judith, Sapientia, Tallia

Love: Liath, Alain, Sanglant, Hanna
Like: Rosvita, Theophanu
Dislike: Lavastine, King Henry, Ivar
Hate, Loathe, Despise, Detest: Hugh, Judith, Sapientia

Dear writers of romantic plots: please stop shoving “Huge Guy, Tiny Girl” down our throats. “One Head Taller” should be enough, darn it.

I love everything else about the book, though.

The lead characters are delightful. Love them.

But please, Ms. Kingfisher, don’t kill off Bishop Beartongue or have her turn out to be evil.

I could really do without the “Small Heroine, Tall Villainess” cliche, but I’m enjoying this fantasy of manners so far.

Valerie makes Hedda Gabler seem like Mother Teresa.

Things I’m sick of seeing linked to villainy in female characters: being tall and not wanting children.

Still, I’m enjoying this book. Gratton’s prose is lovely.

I’ve bounced off Gwynne’s work in the past, but I’m LOVING this one so far. More big, brawny warrior moms in fantasy fiction, please!

I can always rely on Elliott to give me female leads I can like and admire, and Liath is no exception. But boy, does Elliott ever put her through the wringer. My God, I hate Sapienta. And I really, really, REALLY hate Hugh.

Okay, I’m into it now. Yumeko has won me over.

The good: solid, strong prose, an intriguing world, and the Viking-type heroine I was looking for.

The less good: do we really have to deal with a rival culture whose distinctive feature is misogyny? Just once I’d love to see a badass heroine NOT get treated like crap chiefly because of her gender.

I’m intrigued, but when the prologue tells a tale of deadly enmity between two women, the heroine is raised in a monastery, and two more evil female characters have put in appearances since then, it may be safe to say that female friendship is off the menu in this one.