alice-tmq's recent activity
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Comment on Do you use a puzzle mat for jigsaw puzzles? Is it necessary? in ~games.tabletop
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Comment on Looking for audiobook ideas that have TV/movies released in ~books
alice-tmq LinkThe Witcher audiobooks narrated by Peter Kenny are fantastic! The netflix series has its flaws, but if the show gets you hooked on the universe, there's a great time to be had with the books. (The...The Witcher audiobooks narrated by Peter Kenny are fantastic! The netflix series has its flaws, but if the show gets you hooked on the universe, there's a great time to be had with the books. (The games have their qualities as well, though the books are the best at telling the actual story)
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Comment on I love fantasy books with quality plot, character development and well written romantic content - These are my favorites in ~books
alice-tmq Link ParentNo I haven't read anything else of hers yet!No I haven't read anything else of hers yet!
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Comment on I love fantasy books with quality plot, character development and well written romantic content - These are my favorites in ~books
alice-tmq Link ParentI'm (on and off) reading The Expanse as well, and enjoying it quite a bit! No, I have not tried any Robin Hobb. I always got the vibe that it might be a bit too depressing for my taste, but I know...I'm (on and off) reading The Expanse as well, and enjoying it quite a bit!
No, I have not tried any Robin Hobb. I always got the vibe that it might be a bit too depressing for my taste, but I know she's highly regarded and popular.
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Comment on Where ya from? in ~talk
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Comment on I love fantasy books with quality plot, character development and well written romantic content - These are my favorites in ~books
alice-tmq Link ParentI'm glad you liked it! Totally get what you're saying re. the ending being rushed, that's a really common complaint for the book and I agree. I don't yet know if I'll read the prequel, though I...I'm glad you liked it! Totally get what you're saying re. the ending being rushed, that's a really common complaint for the book and I agree. I don't yet know if I'll read the prequel, though I have heard from some book friends that it's better in terms of pacing :)
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Comment on Worst books of the year in ~books
alice-tmq LinkMy picks this year have been really good actually, I haven't read anything yet this year that I was really disappointed by, amazingly. The last two books I was underwhelmed by (sometime last year)...My picks this year have been really good actually, I haven't read anything yet this year that I was really disappointed by, amazingly.
The last two books I was underwhelmed by (sometime last year) were these:
Uncharted by Alli Temple - I was completely sold on the idea of reading f/f pirate romance, but really underwhelmed by the execution. The very oppressive setting felt a bit shallow, and there was just too many little oddities that irritated me.
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint - a retelling of greek myth, featuring Cretan Princess Ariadne, and the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. I was very into the beginning of it (the fact that I bought and started it while in actual Crete helped), but thought the pacing and characterization fell apart pretty quickly. It didn't really do anything interesting with the myth it retold, and despite the text lamenting the roles and burdens of women in the original mythology, neither did it really manage to flesh out and give agency to the women it focused on.
I definitely didn't hate these books either though. They're the "worst" simply by merit of me reading stuff that I liked a lot more.
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Comment on I love fantasy books with quality plot, character development and well written romantic content - These are my favorites in ~books
alice-tmq Link ParentI read and liked the Broken Earth trilogy, but I definitely would not recommend them to anyone looking for romantic subplots. Yes, there is a relationship happening at some point, but it does not...I read and liked the Broken Earth trilogy, but I definitely would not recommend them to anyone looking for romantic subplots. Yes, there is a relationship happening at some point, but it does not reach any sort of romantically satisfying conclusion and it makes up a few chapters in book 1, while most of the trilogy is very low on romance.
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Comment on A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland in ~books
alice-tmq Link ParentThank you, I'm happy to hear it's interesting! :) If you're interested in my past reviews, you can find them all over here on reddit, though I am currently looking into good options to back them...Thank you, I'm happy to hear it's interesting! :)
If you're interested in my past reviews, you can find them all over here on reddit, though I am currently looking into good options to back them up elsewhere too.
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Comment on I love fantasy books with quality plot, character development and well written romantic content - These are my favorites in ~books
alice-tmq Link ParentIt just does what it does so well imo!! I absolutely loved it and was just sad it was over too quickly. I hadn't heard of these - do they have good/prominent romance as well, or is it "just" a...You're the first person I've come across who's read A Charm of Magpies! I was honestly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I won the first book in a giveaway and honestly wasn't expecting much, but it drew me in and I absolutely devoured it.
It just does what it does so well imo!! I absolutely loved it and was just sad it was over too quickly.
In a similar vein, have you read The Doctrine of Labyrinths series by Sarah Monette? It's a tetralogy of dark fantasy novels with what I think is some of the best worldbuilding I've ever read. They can be hard to find new, but I know for sure that Amazon has some copies used, and there are some ebooks floating around. I rank the series at the top of my list of favorite books of all time, so I highly recommend them.
I hadn't heard of these - do they have good/prominent romance as well, or is it "just" a good fantasy series in general?
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Comment on At 31, I'm looking to read my first romance novel. Suggestions? in ~books
alice-tmq Link ParentI quite enjoyed The Night Circus, but I would personally not consider the romance front and center enough to put it into the capital R Romance genre. There's also no "Happyily Ever After" or...I quite enjoyed The Night Circus, but I would personally not consider the romance front and center enough to put it into the capital R Romance genre. There's also no "Happyily Ever After" or generally optimistic ending, which is a requirement to really sell something as Romance.
I did enjoy the relationship in the book though, just giving some extra context for OP to know what they're getting into.
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A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
Preface: I usually post my book reviews on /r/Fantasy. With reddit's future being uncertain right now I figured I'd experiment with posting on here, let me know if you're interested in future...
Preface: I usually post my book reviews on /r/Fantasy. With reddit's future being uncertain right now I figured I'd experiment with posting on here, let me know if you're interested in future reviews. I should add that this probably isn't my most interesting book review ever, it just happens to be my latest read.
Please feel free to let me know if you'd like to see more fantasy book reviews in the future, I am new to Tildes.Recommended if you like: ottoman empire inspired setting, royalty/bodyguard romance, MC with anxiety, queernorm setting, low-magic setting, m/m romance, homoerotically washing each others' hair, royal palace slice of life, fake-dating (sort of), gay yearning
Blurb
Kadou, the shy prince of Arasht, finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court—the body-father of the queen's new child—in an altercation which results in his humiliation.
To prove his loyalty to the queen, his sister, Kadou takes responsibility for the investigation of a break-in at one of their guilds, with the help of his newly appointed bodyguard, the coldly handsome Evemer, who seems to tolerate him at best. In Arasht, where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history, counterfeiting is heresy, and the conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing and bring about its ruin.
Review
- This book starts out by throwing you in the middle of a handful of political machinations already underway - the inciting incidents have basically already happened off-screen beforehand. That is fine, but don't expect massive developments on these plots or new plot points to really matter. The book basically goes "this is the political background for this story" and then takes its time for the rest of the book to focus on the romance.
- I should find this book too fluffy and romancey for my taste but I couldn't help but loving it. Some of it is really dumb, it's transparently obvious that the narrative only exists to facilitate a lot of gay yearning, but I also found myself very much enjoying all that gay yearning.
- I feel like I logically shouldn't have enjoyed this so much, because the worldbuilding is negligible, the magic (touch-tasting, i.e. sensing the origins or compositions of metals) is an afterthought for most of the time, and the plot constantly takes breaks for everyone to talk about their feelings a lot. But somehow, I was totally here for all that and was sad when it was over.
- There were various aspects I found a bit grating, from some very obviously contrived setups to make the two leads have to get closer (or make drastic choices that bind them together) to some of the side characters sounding rather anachronistically sassy, to just how often the plot takes a break for people to talk about their feelings. I can list a ton of things this book does "wrong", but none of them actually managed to tip the scale away from me being into it, don't ask me why. Maybe I was just in the right mood for it.
- The setting is very queernormative and progressive in other ways, while maintaining a historical veneer in terms of technology and (for the most part) style. The use of neopronouns for some side characters caught me a bit off guard in the audio narration, but it's done with such a complete nonchalance that I assume many queer readers will find refreshing.
- The main character has anxiety and panic attacks (without quite having the language to articulate what he suffers from, and equating it with cowardice), and I thought that topic was treated pretty well. Then again, everyone that matters is super supportive and understanding the whole time, so it doesn't really serve as a source of conflict for longer.
- I've said that action often takes a backseat to the romance, but I found the action that was there pretty good.
Discussion
This contains significant spoilers, read at your own risk
- I went from writing "No COME ON you are not seriously getting fake married now right 😂" to "ok that they now can’t fuck because it‘d consummate the marriage and take the option of annulment from them is delicious and hilarious" into my review notes within minutes. That development and the ensuing conflicted tention was fun.
- For the longest time, I thought Lt. Armidan (sp?) who had the counterfeit coins in their (jer?) office was the same character as Melek (sp?) the guard/Kahia (sorry if I am butchering the spelling of everything, I listened to the audiobook), and was confused why they'd trust that person again.
- I wrote down a dozen things that I found annoying or dumb but just as many things that I found adorable, hilarious, wonderfully fitting or hot.
In conclusion: I really liked this, but I completely understand anyone who didn't. The only previous Rowland book I'd read is A Conspiracy of Truths (link to my review), where I had the opposite experience: I found it well crafted but didn't enjoy it all that much. This one just happened to vibe more with me.
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Comment on I love fantasy books with quality plot, character development and well written romantic content - These are my favorites in ~books
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Comment on I love fantasy books with quality plot, character development and well written romantic content - These are my favorites in ~books
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Comment on At 31, I'm looking to read my first romance novel. Suggestions? in ~books
alice-tmq LinkOne of the first Fantasy Romance novels I read in recent years is Master of Crows by Grace Draven, and I really enjoyed that one. It's not perfect, but it does an excellent job of building up...One of the first Fantasy Romance novels I read in recent years is Master of Crows by Grace Draven, and I really enjoyed that one. It's not perfect, but it does an excellent job of building up sexual tension between the MCs, and it's also a magic master/apprentice fantasy story about killing an evil God.
The Sharing Knife series by Lois McMaster Bujold is another solid pick imo, if you don't mind a significant age gap between the leads. It's icky in principle, but well executed. Content warning for a rather clichéd attempted sexual assault and rescue scene early on.
I think Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher is also a good choice for someone's first fantasy romance book.
I also really enjoyed Burning Bright by Melissa McShane, it's alt history with a fire wielder main character. It's a bit fantasy-of-manners, but most of it takes place on a Navy ship.
These books vary drastically in their "spice level". Let me know if you want details, or look them up on romance.io :)
I left a bunch more recs for fantasy with good romantic subplots over in this thread the other day, check that out too: https://tildes.net/~books/16aq/i_love_fantasy_books_with_quality_plot_character_development_and_well_written_romantic_content
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Comment on I love fantasy books with quality plot, character development and well written romantic content - These are my favorites in ~books
alice-tmq Link ParentWhat's your favorite among her dark fantasy stuff then? 👀What's your favorite among her dark fantasy stuff then? 👀
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Comment on I love fantasy books with quality plot, character development and well written romantic content - These are my favorites in ~books
alice-tmq Link ParentYes, I read Paladin's Grace and liked much about it, but didn't feel like continuing right away because the constant "oh no she/he can't possibly be interested in me" was getting a bit grating....Yes, I read Paladin's Grace and liked much about it, but didn't feel like continuing right away because the constant "oh no she/he can't possibly be interested in me" was getting a bit grating. I'll return to Kingfisher sooner or later though I assume, because there's definitely stuff I really enjoy about her writing.
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Comment on I love fantasy books with quality plot, character development and well written romantic content - These are my favorites in ~books
alice-tmq Link ParentI've been wanting to read ACOTAR for a while, not really because I think I'll enjoy it but because I feel like I need to have an opinion on it in order to properly participate in genre discussion...It’s so nice to see some unfamiliar titles on this list! I feel like whenever people talk about fantasy romance it’s always ACOTAR and other titles (I’m drawing a blank) repeated over and over.
I've been wanting to read ACOTAR for a while, not really because I think I'll enjoy it but because I feel like I need to have an opinion on it in order to properly participate in genre discussion and use it as a comparison for what I am or am not looking for 😅
Totally understandable about avoiding reddit. Yes, I have read some Kingfisher, namely Paladin's Grace and A House with Good Bones. I quite enjoyed both and might pick up more by her in the future - I enjoy her humor, and that she's not afraid to have mature (30+) main characters.
Re. Anthony Ryan, I heard good things about Blood Song but heard many people say the quality drops off drastically after that - did you enjoy the whole trilogy?
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Comment on I love fantasy books with quality plot, character development and well written romantic content - These are my favorites in ~books
alice-tmq Link ParentIt's not billed as primarily romance, but the central relationship is definitely a significant part of the story and of the characters' motivations. It soon becomes a bit "us vs the world", where...It's not billed as primarily romance, but the central relationship is definitely a significant part of the story and of the characters' motivations. It soon becomes a bit "us vs the world", where there's not a ton of intrinsic tension between the two leads, but trials they endure together - from family interference to political issues, to faerie magic.
There's always more going on than "just" romance.
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Comment on I love fantasy books with quality plot, character development and well written romantic content - These are my favorites in ~books
alice-tmq Link ParentThe standard recommendations for that would be The Unbroken by CL Clark, She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker Chan, and The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. All three are planned trilogies with...- Exemplary
I am bookmarking this thread but would definitely love recommendations for books similar to this one - especially ones that have lesbian relationships!
The standard recommendations for that would be The Unbroken by CL Clark, She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker Chan, and The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. All three are planned trilogies with 2/3 books out, afaik. The Tiger's Daughter by K Arsenault Rivera might be up your alley too.
All of those had their cool things and their issues for me, but if you're looking for more in the general vein of Priory, go for it. Also in case you missed it, Priory got a prequel recently: A Day of Fallen Night.
I use a felt puzzle mat for my jigsaw puzzles, mainly because I have cats who play with the pieces if I leave any lying around. The felt mat I can roll up and store my progress, which is necessary since I'm not doing any 1500-2000 piece puzzles in one sitting.
Rearranging parts on the felt is a little bit more finicky than on e.g. a wood table, but I haven't run into major issues with it, I manage to just lightly pull them sideways into place.