emily > Recent Status Updates

Every moment mortals died, by shipwreck and sword, by wild beasts and wild men, by illness, neglect, and age. It was their fate, as Prometheus had told me, the story that they all shared. No matter how vivid they were in life, no matter how brilliant, no matter the wonders they made, they came to dust and smoke. Meanwhile every petty and useless god would go on sucking down the bright air until the stars went dark.

It was always easier when she was hateful. “I am not weak. And I will never be sorry not to be like you. Do you hear?”

There was no answer, of course. Only the air, eating my words.

Each spell was a mountain to be climbed anew. All I could carry with me from last time was the knowledge that it could be done.

I did not call dragons, or summon serpents. My earliest charms were silly things, whatever came into my head… If Aeëtes had been there, he would have choked on his beard to see such kitchen-tricks. Yet because I knew nothing, nothing was beneath me.

this is so psychically agonizing to read

Kant realizes it sounds like he’s fishing for compliments, and that in doing so he might find the lake empty.

“with a smile that seems opinionated” - i love this description, i think it conveys so much with so little. which is pretty characteristic of the book overall

plot twist of the century

(2) "I can feel it. There isn't anything about those crazy voices and those fast… colors and the eyes of that terrible audience that frightens me any more." He took his hands away from his face and reflexively reached over to take Raymond’s can of beer… Marco fell asleep, sitting up. Raymond stretched him out on the sofa, brought him a blanket, put out the lights, and went into his office…

THEYRE SO??!@?&!@?

(1) Marco ran his fingers through his thick hair on both sides of his head. He put his elbows on his knees and covered his face with his hands. Raymond stared down at him, almost tenderly. "Don't be embarrassed if you feel like you're going to cry, Ben," Raymond said gently.

Marco shook his head. Raymond opened another can of beer.

"I swear to sweet, sweet God I think I am going to be able to sleep," Marco said.

oh no :(

chapter 4 went on way too long and my relief at leaving it is palpable. please let’s get to thriller pacing from here on out. this was technically the second longest chapter in the book after chapter 2, but at least chapter 2 is more consistently engaging

“Raymond stood as though someone might have just opened a beach umbrella in his bowels.”

i’m getting slammed in the face every paragraph with these frankly insane similes but this might be the funniest one yet

omg every time i read a crime/procedural novel about cops/soldiers/detectives i will, without fail, get attached to a pair (partnership?) of guys that i know is doomed by the freaking narrative. mick kennedy & richie from broken harbor. mcgrady & ball from five decembers. and now this. raymond & marco, i love u already. and i’ll mourn u when ur gone.

maybe i should just bite the bullet and read sherlock holmes.

til the term “getting laid” dates back to 1950s

the writing style is so… dense. but in a quirky, sardonic way? i’m having to stop and look words up often. it’s not bad, the first chapter is crazy effective at setting up this guy’s character, a masterclass really. but every time i think i’m getting used to the writing i’ll get hit with yet another totally baffling turn of phrase and wind up three links deep in search of a definition that makes sense

it’s usually hard for me to pay attention at all when listening to audiobooks, but this time it really took an audiobook for me to properly appreciate the writing. having the prose read aloud to me i’m genuinely spellbound by so many images and turns of phrase that i might’ve skimmed over when reading. so so so gorgeous, this is truly my prose poetry

i’m giving this book until the end of the chapter to capture my interest

oh noooooo. girl why would you lie like that! i was rooting for you! we were all rooting for you!

if only they had come up with a fake how-we-met backstory, isn’t this the first order of business in any fake dating setup?

this is the cutest shit i’ve ever read my brain is melting WTF is going on

also THIS WAS ORIGINALLY A REYLO FANFIC???

the beginning of this is already extremely cute, i’m excited

if i never read a line like "confusion furrows his brow" or "fear squeezes my heart" or "betrayal cuts my throat like glass" again it'll be too soon

“He pauses, like he’s going to say more, but turns away instead. As he heads back to Sgaeyl, I can’t help but note both of the important men are walking away from me right now, in opposite directions, and given the one I’ve chosen to follow, my life is about to change forever.”

ya don’t say, rebecca

I’ve always known deep down that Dain valued rule and order more than relationships, more than me, but to have it so cruelly displayed cuts deeper than Tynan’s sword.

the way there’s been literally no indication of this until now and dain even called in favors at the start to get her and rhi whoever on his squad… all we’ve been shown is his overprotectiveness over her. im banging my head against the wall

genuinely delighted about violet bonding two dragons, she’s the specialest special

There’s someone dying every chapter but I have no idea who they are when it happens, only that it’s no one important. They all blend together. Admittedly it doesn’t help that I decided to read this by shutting my brain off and aggressively skimming to catch the interesting bits only. It’s the only way I can tolerate this writing style and also kinda a pleasant fugue state that requires very little effort :)