Alex ✴︎ > Recent Status Updates

i put this down for a whole year but I'm pushing through to finish for spooky season.
the gothic, dark academia vibes and the creepy horror elements of the medical mystery/parasite are SO good but the romance is SO bad :/

Low key this is... good? Dante feels like a real person with vulnerabilities and insecurities outside of the heroine??? He's not just a walking trope? There's SUBTLETY??? There's FINESSE??? I am pleasantly surprised!

So cozy! Fall vibes! Small town AU Marlyand! Peter Blackwell could punch me in the face and I'd thank him!

ohhhh this is some good food

I will never not love a rags to riches hero who's insecure by his rank. spectacular, give me 14 of 'em right now

Unfortunately, this girl is dumb as rocks.

Glokta and his merry band of misfits has me cracked out

I didn't expect this to be as funny as it is, being THE grimdark fantasy book and all that. I know bad things are going to happen (and have happened) but the tone prevents it from feeling too heavy and nothing is gratuitous, which is really hitting the mark for me.

I'm loving.

I am CRACKED out.

Yes, it really is that serious.

I can't tell if Emily Henry is ironically or unironically utilizing the post-food-bite moan. Ms. Henry you're on thin ice with all this food-moaning you're throwing in. me no likey.

sidebar: nipples being described as meerkats is crazy

hero inflicts corporal punishment on heroine (and NOT the spicy kind.) next thing you know the heroine's macking on him 5 seconds later (not an exaggeration.) egregious side eye. she needs to actually kick his ass and not just talk about kicking his ass.

but other than that I like the vibes.

The beginning was SO promising and now I have to wade through ridiculous smut involving 2 characters with no chemistry. heroine is kinda dumb and bland, I don't get why the hero is risking it all for this chick.

free me from the shackles of empty smut 🙏

the horror elements are great though; the Noctisoma plot has me looking at my shower drain differently let me tell u

okay so i'm loving this - the heroine is funny and so unserious vibes are great

Ooooh this is actually creepy as hell. Been a while since I've read a gothic horror and I am sat

i'm already engrossed in the vibe of it all

The levels of obsessed that I am

The tension, the visuals, the politics.

Raisa is THAT girl and the power squad is so elite

Han doesn't even have to lift a finger but his AURA. I'm sat.

OH MY god I love every single character. Everyone is SUCH a schemer and the love triangles + politicking are so *chef's kiss*

I'm having so much fun with this series. Love Micah + Fiona as antagonists but they have hidden depths and potential for redemption. Han is getting better and better and is just plain cool. Sometimes you forget he can be a savage and it's always fun when he reminds people he's not one to be trifled with. Raisa + Amon are also a great pair. Characters are character-ing

lol I just know this book is going to make me cry and i'm girding my loins

The prologue is giving the opening WWII scene of the Chronicles of Narnia, which I'm not mad at. Surprisingly enjoying the setting - it's got that early 20th century British feel to it that's working for me and although this is not dark academia, I'm enjoying the rivalry aspect with hints of magic. It's not Harry Potter but it reminds me of it.

nah this is quite mid. ya'll lied

I am NOT liking this one that much! Lily is a painful character. I still like the side characters but this book WILL put you in a slump no cap

hahahaha I went into this completely blind and WHAT is going on? Like is this some weird fake relationship? blurb insinuates it is but book is a bit nebulous?

Connor is absolutely manic but I'm low key here for it 👀

I'm enjoying the tropes and Rain seems to be actually a bit unhinged which I appreciate, but Ellysetta is one of those frustrating "innocent mother hen" fantasy heroines who are irritatingly naive and lack a backbone.

We'll see how her character develops but I'm side eyeing.

bruh people be dying or getting mutilated every 5 seconds in this book

it's not pulling any punches and I'm a fan

queue: "savages! savages! barely even human!"

Enjoying the hell out of this and liking where the story is going thus far

also unreasonably invested in the barest hints of any Darrow/Gold romance bc chaos is a ladder 🥴

ugh this is BAD. my expectations were low but it's still managing to disappoint

BITCH I choked on my tea HAHAHA

"Oh," her eyes darting around the room as if afraid to let her gaze land anywhere, but finally settling in the far corner–the place most distant from the sight of Darlington's cock, which was very erect and shining like a supercharged, oversized glowstick."

It's the horror movie vibe of this scene and then this came out of nowhere. Incredible. Brava. Quote of the year.

I keep trying to make Lisa Kleypas books work for me but there's always something significant in her books that I don't love :/

I'm really vibing with this- the setting and dragons are so fun and Xaden is ruthless. However the betraying body and clear Rhysand/Tamlin trope is overdone. Wish there was more nuance + complexity in the characterizations. There's also some tokenism. Still- very fun time and fast-paced! Xaden's hot.

This had a bit of a slow start but oooh baby now we're cooking with gas. Characters are all 10/10 I kind of hope a power squad develops at some point during this series? The dynamics are all quite interesting and I love a strategist + politiking heroine!

Trying to get back into my thriller/mystery era! I will say I'm less "thrilled" and more here for the tea with this book but we'll see how it turns out.

Auren is brainwashed as hell, and if Midas is endgame, he's going to have to go through one hell of a redemption arc. (But I kind of doubt he's endgame. Mans is a whole ass crate of red flags.)