Fly me to Basgiath: Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing lives rent free in my head

Yeah, yeah, I'm late to the party, I know. But I am so glad I showed up, because y'all. This book is FIRE. No pun intended (okay, maybe a little bit intended). Never in my life have I immediately wanted to reread a book the second I finished. Never. And I don't know if that's because I finished it two weeks before the second book came out or what, but it's true nonetheless. I was immediately ready to read it again. I mean, I listened to the audiobook (shout out to Libro.fm) but that's not the point. I now fully understand why Fourth Wing was (is?) such a huge hit. It was RIVETING.

First of all, I was expecting this to be another sappy, love-triangle-drama YA book. It's not. The content is more mature than that, world building is on par with some of epic and high fantasy's more notable authors. Color me impressed. I really enjoyed all the many layers to this book. Some of the themes explored are identity, shame, strained family dynamics, betrayal, and so much more. There is depth to this book that can't be overlooked. Also, it's really fantastic how Yarros has written a book that includes people of different ability and gender expression. This book is inclusive in a way that doesn't shout "I'M TRYING TO BE POLITICALLY CORRECT! PRAISE ME!" It's effortless and mundane. In other words, it's just normal. I love that.

The character development in this story is fantastic as well. I HATED Dain more and more with every interaction with him. He just kept getting more and more cringe as the pages went on. And I was totally there for Violet's own realization of that fact. And then there's brooding older boy, Xaden, who is undeniably attractive and misunderstood. With those two very trope-infested characters I was certain there was going to be a love triangle involving main character, Violet. But that got shut down very early on, thank goodness.

There are a whole slew of supporting characters as well who each have a riveting story of their own going on in this book, and that includes the dragons. There is so much content to keep up with and it's all very engaging and relateable. Some of it is predictable, that's true, but what new book out there today doesn't have some predictable elements to it? In a way it's almost comforting to have an inkling of where a story is going before it gets there. Besides, there is just as much, if not more, about this book that I never saw coming. My jaw hit the floor so many times while listening to this.

The nit-picky reader in me will say that Yarros is one of those authors who is guilty of overusing certain words or expressions. In this book it was the word "macabre." So far in book two it's been "timbre." But like, can I really be mad about such a thing? All great writers have their quirks, and their books still sell like grandma's hot cakes at the county fair, so jokes on me, I guess. Gentle warning to parents, because this is definitely the kind of book I would have picked up as a teenager, there are a few moments of some pretty heated sexual content in this book. As I have said before on this blog, know your kids, and talk to them about what they're reading. I wouldn't keep my kid from reading this if he wanted to, but I would also make it clear that this is fiction and that the characters engaging in these exploits are adults who can make informed decisions and clear consent. But like, also, shout out to Yarros for emphasizing consent in this book.

All in all, I'm glad I waited to read this. Albeit unintentional, I don't know how I would have survived waiting for the next book to come out. As it is, the second one was just released this week and I am already cruising through it. At "mom-speed," ya know. Because even though my kiddo has started occasionally sleeping through the night, I value my own rest too much to stay awake all night reading. Plus, I kinda want to savor this as long as I can, because I know it'll be a devastating wait for book three.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

Tristan and Isolde get a spicy remake in Sierra Simone's Salt Kiss

Y'all, normally I won't pick up anything that has military or police content as a major plot point in a book, but my book family at Katy Budget Books started up a new book club for us smut readers, so I just had to join in. Overall, I'm pretty glad I did. This was a good book. And the military content is very much just character background information rather than anything else, so I was blissfully able to detach from my triggers there.

Salt Kiss is the beginning of a trilogy written by Sierra Simone, and it's a highly modernized BDSM retelling of the classic tale of Tristan and Isolde. Side note, I feel like I need to go back and watch the movie just so I can reacquaint myself with the basics of the storyline. Anywho. This story picks up from Mark's point of view. For reference, he's the uncle. Simone gets around any potential weirdness that might arise here by starting with the disctintion that this Mark has an older sister who ends up marrying a grown-up Tristan's father. So there's no real familial relation there. Although, I'm not going to dog anyone's kinks. You do you. But I was grateful for the distinction, otherwise thise would have been a huge no-go for me.

So you probably see where I'm going with this. Tristan, who has been honorably discharged from the military (with his fair share of PTSD, mind you), signs on to be Mark's body guard. Mark is the owner of a prolific and controversial kink club known as Lyonesse. There is some admittedly problematic handling of the dynamic involved in BDSM and Kink culture, but I guess I can sort of forgive that, as the characters involved own up to their mistakes and no one is perfect. People mess up, and it's important that they acknowledge where there is room to grow and improve. I was happy to see some of that in this book.

I really enjoyed the parallels made between submissive and soldier when it comes to the context of Tristan's character. The only thing separating the two identities for him is a simple technicality. And perhaps that's why it's such a short jump for him to eventually find comfort in submitting to Mark. Their relationship is messy and complicated but also delicate and beautiful, and even wholesome. This is the first time I've read any male-male erotica, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It's very well written, to the point that the sexual content isn't the focus of the story. It's definitely just a tool to move the plot along. And it's good. Really good. If you like reading erotic literature this is a good demonstration of balance between sex and plot.

And then Tristan is sent to retrieve Isolde and things get even hotter. There's a struggle with identity and honor and trust that is truly relatable. The characters are all so well fleshed out that the reader can relate to any number of qualities within each of them. There's more to this story than just BDSM. There's a heart-clenching, gut-wrenching story of human emotion. Honestly, this is another one of those books that could be picked apart in a literary paper, and I'm into it.

The cruelty of this book is that the ending leaves you on a massive cliffhanger. The book ends right when we feel like we're getting to the middle of the story. I know it's a trilogy, and authors have to do that so that people will buy the next book. But for me, honestly, why does this story need to be split up into three books? Seems superfluous and unnecessary, but I'll be waiting (im)patiently for the next one. Cue dramatic eye roll.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

Blown away by Veronica G. Henry's The Canopy Keepers

Veronica G. Henry's The Canopy Keepers takes the cake for environmentalist fantasy fiction. I finished this one well over a month ago, but you know, motherhood, and mama has been TIRED. Anyway, this book is absolutely PHENOMENAL! I will die on the hill that everyone should read this book. It was so good. I think the coolest thing about it was just that I had never read anything like it before. To all my millenial homies, this book is like Fern Gully for grown ups. I'm only sorry it doesn't come out till March 2024. So book people, put this one on your lists. It's going to be a slam dunk.

So imagine a world where nature has gotten fed up with the abuse and neglect by humanity and has evolved to fight back. That's what you get with The Canopy Keepers. Set in the national parks systems of California, a society of humanoid creatures has emerged to protect the giant sequoias and the rest of the environment from forest fires and general destruction by humans. It's got strong character development, including a dynamic female lead whose story arc is mostly a battle with self, and minimal romantic conflict. We love a female lead who doesn't need a man! I mean, there is some of that in there, but it's definitely not primary or even secendary to the plot. All of the characters have such immense depth, even down to the background and supporting characters; including the trees themselves. A really cool artistic choice that Henry went with was to make the trees speak in poetry, which is really neat and helps to separate the narative plot points.

The book picks up in the beginning in a present day setting, but after introducing the story it quickly moves to a futuristic setting. But it's not too far in the future so as to be too detatched from reality. It's only about 20 or so years from now, which makes the story that much closer to believable in its content. We know about climate change and we know humans are the problem. This book acts as a cautionary tale of what could be our reality in a very short timeline; of course, with a little bit of whimsy thrown in. It's dark, but not so dark as to be bleak and hopeless. The description of setting is engaging and moving, and not only does it make me want to visit Sequoia National Park, but it also makes me want to be a better steward of the Earth on a personal level.

I had a hard time deciding if I wanted to call this book fantasy or sci-fi. The "magic" system in this story is so complex and intricate, and in some ways I think it could be explained by science. But as I said before, it's hard to classify because I've never read anything like it. The society of humanoid creatures are called Rhiza, and they live in the unmapped cave systems beneath Sequoia National Park. They're separated from the human eye by a "veil" that seems to lift and lower magically. But on the other hand, there's a fair bit of evolution theory at play, and these creatures can somehow tap into the network of nature because of a biological difference in anatomy. It's complicated, and intricate, and just so beautifully interesting to explore. It's also quite obvious that the author did her research because she's got historically accurate references in there that only add the the believability of the story.

Aside from the occasional typo, the writing is fantastic in this book. I'm a weirdo and I notice these things. Then again, I was reading an uncorrected proof, since, of course, this book doesn't come out until next year. Regardless, I'm telling you now. Run, don't walk, to your nearest indie bookstore and preorder this book ASAP. Make this book go viral. This is a message that needs to be heard. Period.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

Lana J Prince's The Ghost and the Fallen is comically bad and cringeworthy

You know that scene in Legally Blonde when Victor Garber's character says "it's like she woke up and said, 'I think I'll go to law school today?'" That's kind of how this book reads. I finished this one about a week ago, but it was so poorly written that I just had to let it stew for a little bit. This is a book that reads like it was written by an underacheiving highschooler with a fast approaching deadline and a minimum word count requirement, and before turning it in decided to run it through a thesaurus function without giving any thought to the context of the words replaced. I feel kind of bad saying that, because I googled the author, and upon reading her About Me section, all of the above statements totally check out. Now of course there is something to be said about this being an uncorrected proof copy before publication, but honey, there's unedited, and then there's uneducated. I really stuck it out to get through this book, at great mental turmoil.

There is so much wrong with this book that I don't even really know where to start. But, start, I must. Did this book even go through any editing before sending it to the publisher? If so, Prince desperately needs to hire a new editor. I'm inclined to believe it didn't, though, because it very much has first draft energy. There are loads of typos and incorrect (and sometimes made up) words. It's cringeworthy. "Habituated" instead of "habitated." "Origination" instead of "origin." "Dammed" when she definitely meant "damned." "Glinted" when she meant "glimpsed." "Churned" when I'm pretty sure she meant "charred." Girl. Where is your editor!? Those are just examples I took note of. I had to stop because it was driving me insane. Hubs noted that English may not be her first language, and that in her native language she probably sounds brilliant. I mean, that's a very real possibility, and I don't feel great about tearing her apart like this, but still. She flip-flops sporadically between past and present tense narration as well, which is one of the most confusing things a writer can burden their readers with.

Even without the horrendous use of the English language, this author is a bad storyteller. There are no juicy plot threads, the chapter structure is basically nonexistent, and everything just miraculously and conveniently works to move the story along. The author uses "just then" or "suddenly" way too much. It's like she couldn't come up with a smooth or relevent segue, so she just made it happen abruptly. And that's the big thing that gives this book first draft vibes. That's the kind of thing you do while speed writing just so that you can keep the narrative going, but then make sure to go back in and flesh out later, something Prince clearly has no intention of doing because this book officially hits shelves in less than two months.

It's also painfully bland in terms of character development. I once had a creative writing teacher tell me not to be afraid of the grotesque or the ugly. That little piece of advice came to mind so often while reading this book. Every single character is ethereally beautiful in one way or another. There are no physical or visible flaws to add depth. The depth that she has attempted to create with these characters falls flat because of her lack of research and understanding of them. For example, the "twins," Fey and Thatcher, do not read like twins at all. And I'm not just talking about the fact that they're so different. That's normal twin behavior. They're either carbon copies of each other or they're nothing alike, and there's no in between. No, what I'm talking about is the fact that Thatcher comes across as a young adult, while Fey reads as juvenile. Thatcher is a student at university, yet Fey has a governess? Come on. And for the record, if Fey really is a serious ballerina who dances three hours a day, EVERY DAY, she's going through more than one pair of pointe shoes a year. It's more likely that she's going through a pair every month, if not every week. But, I digress. And another thing. You're telling me that Jinx, the Ghost of Somnium, is only afraid of one thing in this world and that thing is spiders? No. Not buying it. Also, she throws goose eggs in about some of the characters that never really go anywhere and she never comes back to in any way. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt here, though. It's possible those plot points will come up in subsequent books.

And let's discuss this underdeveloped and inconsistent magical system, shall we? The Cursed are essentially a race of people who posess magical abilities. Prince describes the source of this magic as an organ in the abdomen in the first half of the book, then switches to calling it a muscle (which is honestly way more satisfying and significantly less uncomfortable than the use of the term "organ"), but then peters back and forth between both words towards the end, like she can't decide, then finally settles on telling us that it's not really either. As if that's not confusing enough. Some of the Cursed are born that way, so it makes sense that their biological make up could be different from normal humans. However, other Cursed characters in the book had their abilities thrust upon them later in life as the result of a bargain with a "demon," meaning they were human until all of the sudden they weren't. And Prince describes their use of their magical abilities as coming from this same organ. Why and how do they now posess a different anatomical structure.

I could keep going, but at this point I feel like it's just cruel to do so. I'm sure someone is going to like this book, and good for them. That someone is just not me. I will admit that the last two or three chapters got pretty engaging, but by then I had already decided that I just couldn't keep banging my head against a wall with this story. It cuts off in a really awkward place, and not in the good, cliffhanger-y way a first book in a series should. I guess, on the bright side, you could maybe turn the reading of this book into a drinking game. Depending on your rule list you'd be trashed or dead from alcohol poisoning by the end of it.

Sorry I had to be so brutal, this is just my honest opinion.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

Swept away by Rose Sutherland's A Sweet Sting of Salt

Okay, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this book. I loved every bit of it from start to finish. This one is a historical fiction telling of the popular Gaelic myth of the selkie wife. Bonus points, its LGBTQIA+ friendly, which I love. I genuinely feel bad for everyone who has to wait until its publication date of 9 April 2024 to read it. I would read it again and again.

This is one of those books that folks who study literature would fawn over. I could seriously write a paper on all the symbolism and technique. The characters are all beautifully thought out and written, and each one is well developed within the story. There's Jean, the village midwife with a bit of a mixed reputation. They love her for what she does, but are quite skeptical of her on a personal level. There's Tobias, the picture perfect husband and fisherman. And then there's Muirin, the mysterious new wife of Tobias. I loved the heroine and I hated the villain. Even the secondary characters have so much depth to them. There's the Anneke, the elder, half-native midwife and mentor to our main character, and her son Laurie, who only comes around once in a while, but is a great friend to Jean. There's Mrs. Keddy, who's a right foul old bat of a woman, and more. I felt like I really got to know each of them.

This is the kind of book that really makes the reader feel something. I love that in a literary work. I wasn't just reading it for the entertainment, although it was entertaining. I genuinely felt a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the story. I couldn't detatch myself from the emotions of the characters. It's really so well written and engaging. I'd probably classify this as magical realism, as it takes place in 19th century Nova Scotia, and the story assumes that selkies, essentially merfolk, really exist. Everything about the story is so lifelike, including the animals. There's a pair of goats, a cunning fox, and, of course, seals. I'm honestly just so obsessed.

I absolutely could not put this down. I was reading it every moment I got while nursing or rocking my son to sleep. I probably even made excuses to hold him a little too long after he passed out just so that I could finish the chapter I was on. I looked forward to waking up to nurse at 2am because I could have more time to read. It was so engaging and suspensful. And the attention to detail was just beautiful. Sutherland's voice is fantastic. I will definitely be looking into more of her work.

Like I said, this one releases on 9 April 2024. Do yourself a favor and pre-order it now, preferable from your favorite local indie bookstore. If you're anything like me, you'll probably devour it in a handful of days. It's worth it.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

AK Mulford's latest A River of Golden Bones leaves unimpressed and wanting

Apparently this author is another TikTok sensation, though that's not how I came across this book. I found it while browsing titles on NetGalley to read while breastfeeding and/or trying to get my son to sleep. Honestly, NetGalley has been a huge lifesaver for this bookworm momma, but that's not the point here. The reason I picked up this book was because, a) the cover looked super cool, and b) the synopsis read like it was going to be a reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. Spoiler alert: it's not. And I'm almost upset about that. Don't get me wrong, the story was actually pretty good and I plowed through it in just a few days. I appreciated the complexity of the themes and the action and adventure of it all, but as much as I wanted to love it, I was sorely disappointed in the writing as a whole.

For a book that's listed as an adult fantasy the writing is rudimentary and, frankly, childish. It reads like a YA fantasy, or even a middle grade book. That's not a bad thing if you're writing specifically for that audience, but this book is definitely not for kids. There seemed, to me, a huge inconsistency between the first and second halves of the book. This is very much the kind of book I would have picked up in the 8th or 9th grade, and would have mortified my mother to know I was reading. The first half of the novel seems totally fine, but then all of a sudden there are multiple sex scenes seemingly out of nowhere, and rife adult language. Now, as a parent, I'd probably still let my kid read this if he wanted to, with the understanding that this is fiction, and he could come to me with any questions, but that's just the kind of parent I am choosing to be. I know many parents who would absolutely not want their teenager reading something like this. And that's fine too. This is just a content warning. Though, theoretically, one wouldn't find this book in a section at a bookstore or library where their teenager was browsing. Anyway, my point is, it's a really low reading level with really grown up content.

Speaking of the content, I will say I am grateful for the exploration of gender identity as depicted in this book. This is why I'm a bit disappointed in the book in general, because I absolutely love the idea that more writers are exploring LGBTQIA+ themes and identities. I wanted to love this book, because the story had great potential, but the characters are pretty one note and tropey. The best part of this book was Ora, and they're not even the main character. They're the most thought out and well developed part of the story, and their place in the narrative is pivotal. Calla, the actual main character is built on the insecurities of a teenager. I suppose one could argue that they're only 20, so of course they're coming to a point where they're just figuring out their place in the world, but again, that's why this book reads like a YA fantasy novel and not the epic it seems to be aiming for.

Another thing that irks me about a fantasy book is when an author comes up with new mythological beasts or creatures and doesn't provide some sort of glossary about them, or, at the very least, weave some of the lore into the beginning of the story. This author just dropped several different creatures (I can think of three off the top of my head) into the beginning of the book, made reference to them throughout, but didn't explain what any of them were until the last few chapters when the characters actually encountered them. Now, this isn't the first book Mulford has ever written, so I don't know if maybe these monsters exist in some of her other works, and are more fleshed out in lore there, but I came into this book blind, as many readers might. It just seems prudent to offer some sort of description well ahead of time if you're going to make quips about them, so that readers might be able to imagine or understand the relevance of an expression or fear, or what have you, better. I don't want to be distracted by wondering what an animal is when I'm trying to enjoy a good book.

It's a shame, really. I probably won't go on to read the rest of the series as it comes out. Not because it's bad, but because it's not mentally challenging. Honestly, it reads like fanfiction, and that's okay. Even fanfiction has its place in the literary world. It simply won't be high on my priority list.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

Sarah Penner's The Lost Apothecary finds solace for the scorned heart

Overall, definitely not a bad book. I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish, even though it did take me several months to finish. In my defense, I had a baby in between the first and second halves of the book. Anyway, it's good fun, with just a touch of mystery and adventure. My only complaint, really, is that there are just a few key points that I felt were a bit forced in the name of the narrative. Things that I found were just a little too hard to believe.

It's a pretty quick and easy read. Perfect book for a vacation or road trip. Probably finishable on a domestic to and from flight. The plot picks up immediately and the characters are well thought out and written. The story is told from the points of view of three different women- Nella and Eliza in the 18th century, and present day Caroline. All of whom have been wronged by the men in their respective lives in some way. It's really interesting the way their stories all line up to move the narrative along as a whole. I must admit, some of the plot points were relatively predictable, but I'm not necessarily mad about that. I didn't get the ending I suspected which was a welcome surprise.

Trigger warnings include stuff like child loss and infidelity. I imagine, though, that these themes and the way they are presented could be vindicating and cathartic, potentially even healing to anyone reading who might have gone through similar situations. The women and their stories are painfully relateable. You might even find yourself living vicariously through the scandal of it all.

Potential spoiler: The main thing I found really hard to believe was that this 200-year old apothecary shop was somehow perfectly preserved in the heart of London, after everything else around it had been torn down and redeveloped. It was just a huge stretch for me to believe that somehow no one had ever come across it in turning the area into a business complex. I can't imagine there are many, if any, places like that in present day London.

But like I said, it was a good, fun read. Definitely not something I'd consider intellectually challenging or thought provoking. I would say it's a feminist gold mine though. Definitely some powerful female figures, and a story of feminine identity at its core. Absolutely worth the read.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

It Just Keeps Getting Better: Piper CJ Slays AGAIN with The Gloom Between Stars

Ugh. Just. How very dare she?!? Okay, okay, let me back up. I reached out to author Piper CJ on social media and found out that I could potentially snag an e-ARC of the third installment in her bi-fantasy series, The Gloom Between Stars. So, naturally, I hopped on that opportunity faster than may have been strictly necessary, and lo, and behold, I scored. Mostly I was just excited to get to read it before the baby comes, but holy SHIIIIIIZ did I underestimate what I was getting myself into. Suffice it to say, The Gloom Between Stars is, hands down, my favorite one of the series so far. Not sure if I mentioned it in my previous review (and too lazy to go back and check), but I had originally thought this would be the last one for this storyline. Thank the Goddess, I was wrong. The only catch? The next book, The Dawn and its Light doesn't come out until six months after the official release of The Gloom Between Stars, and I'll definitely have a baby hanging off me by then.

Anyway, so let's get to it. This book starts off with a BANG. Seriously, it's like we hit the ground running with action and plot development just jam packed into the first few chapters. Points that are made in the previous book are expanded upon, we get a lot more character development, and even some new conflict starts getting introduced. Piper wastes exactly no time at all in building up our love and then breaking our hearts over and over again. I once learned in a writing class that Flannery O'Connor said something along the lines of, "a good ending should be both surprising and inevitable." That's definitely the vibe I got while reading some of these character arcs. Now, you might consider that a spoiler, but I'm not naming names or giving hints. You just have to read it to find out. Each character is so beautifully written and developed that the way this series flows is just so organic and riveting.

Don't ask me to choose a favorite part, because I refuse. There were so many amazingly written scenes. Not to mention the SMUT!! The sexual intimacy scenes really get going in this one, and they're so raw and real. Honestly, I feel kind of bad calling it smut, because that's not what it reads like. It's not like erotic fiction, where the plot is sort of secondary to the sex. In this series physical intimacy is very intentional and necessary. It's just another of the many tools Piper uses to bring us as readers deeper into the minds of the characters and the story as a whole. There is some seriously beautiful love in these books, and it comes in so many forms and shapes and sizes. I, personally, have fallen in love with a certain golden boy reever because of his devastating dedication to being wholly and completely good (all while acknowledging that he, like everyone else, isn't perfect). He should be teaching classes on nontoxic masculinity. Period.

So much happens in this book. I'd say (and I can't be sure) that this section of the overarching storyline takes place over a much longer period of time in the context of the book. I mean, we know the first one spanned multiple years, but we didn't get a play by play of every little occurance throughout those years. There were loads of necessary time jumps. I think one of the most grueling parts of this book was that we did get the play by play, for the most part. That's part of why I was almost unable to put it down. It's almost as if I was waiting with the characters for the next shoe to drop, and when you feel that kind of anticipation you just want to get through it. Joke's on me, though, because if I thought the cliffhanger in book two was steep, this one's a complete drop off. Sheer face, bottomless abyss kind of drop off. My head is still spinning with it all. I'll probably go through some serious withdrawals waiting for the last book.

I just... I need to know what happened to Cobb, okay?!

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

Piper CJ Nails it Again in The Sun and its Shade

Just finished the second book in Piper CJ's queer fantasy series last night and, y'all, I have so many feelings. I am infuriated, I am utterly broken, I am anxious, I am hopeful, and ugh, just so much more it's honestly hard to articulate. I'm so impressed with Piper's writing in this one. The tell of a truly great author is when they can effortlessly make you feel so many different emotions at once. When they can get you to simultaneously love and hate characters. When you're left swearing you know what you would have done in the situation, what the obvious, logical response would be, but it's all so damned relateably human that, no, you can't really say for sure. It's safe to say that, in my opinion, The Sun and its Shade is way better than the first book. I don't mean that in a negative way. Obviously I loved the first one, too, or I wouldn't have bothered reading this one. It's just that, like I said in my review for the first book, there was so much set up and world building and history and just all around important information that had to be disclosed in order to get us set up for the good stuff. And the good stuff definitely gets going in book two.

The Sun and its Shade picks up right where The Night and its Moon left off. Side note, these titles all start to make so much more sense the further you get into the series. Much like the first book, the narration jumps around from first person omniscient between characters, and it's really effortless to figure out whose perspective we're coming from. Some new characters are introduced, and some older characters are much more developed. Piper really gets you to see the good and bad in everyone. I absolutely love how she's made it clear that no one is ever strictly good or strictly evil, but that there is both light and dark in all of us. And again, with the narration style, we as readers get to know everything, while the characters remain unaware of the depths of all the twists and turns. I would find myself internally screaming at Amaris or Nox to be reasonable, but then I had to remember that they simply don't know what I know, and one can only react to the information given to them.

Speaking of twists and turns, this book is chock full of them. I'll admit, there are some plot points that I totally guessed in book one that were confirmed accurate in book two, but then there were others that I absolutely did not see coming. I found myself exclaiming "I KNEW IT!" just as often as my jaw would hit the floor in disbelief. Seriously, it's fantastic storytelling, with that push and pull of the realease of vital information, and the secrets hidden between the lines of text, that keep the reader turning page after page after page. I almost feel like I read this one too quickly, because now I have to wait until July, when the last one comes out, to read the conclusion. Besides, I'll have an infant by then and there's really no telling what kind of time I'll have to read. I'll make it work, though. I've GOT to know what happens next. The Sun and its Shade leaves you wanting on an even steeper cliffhanger than the first book.

So, like I said, the next book, The Gloom Between Stars comes out in July. Preorder the Barnes & Noble exclusive so you can get it while it's hot. For now I'll just have to entertain myself with Zaccai's novella, and then I suppose find something else to read in the meantime.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

Katee Robert's Latest Radiant Sin a Slow Burn, but Necessary World Building

Where do I start with this book? I wasn't totally in love with it as an erotica, but the book itself was pretty good as far as storytelling goes. Radiant Sin is the latest installment in Katee Robert's Dark Olympus series. It takes place just a few short weeks after the previous book (Wicked Beauty) and it's definitely necessary to the plot of the series. It reads like a murder mystery or a "who done it" dinner party. It's honestly a bit of a shame that it came out around the same time as part one of season four of Netflix's hit series YOU starring Penn Badgley, because they were actually very similar. I mean, that's not the worst thing ever, seeing as one's a book and one's a TV series, but I just feel like maybe Robert's publicist could have timed that better. It's a little harder to get non-readers to read if they can get the same thing out of a show. But I suppose, on the other hand, that no one's reading this book who hasn't already read the first three books in the series. Still, if I made the connection, I'm sure someone else did. YOU is based on books, after all, so some reader somewhere probably noticed.

This one follows Apollo and Cassandra. Before reading this, I hadn't even really ever heard of Cassandra. According to mythology, she was a priestess dedicated to Apollo, who had been fated to utter prophecies that were believed by no one. I can see where that was supposed to go in the book. It totally makes sense. But the reality is, unless you're really into Greek mythology, this story sort of comes out of nowhere. With the previous books it was always well-known who the characters were, what their stories entailed, what they were like, and who they were getting naughty with. Robert could have chosen any other characters and come up with a more compelling erotica. But I guess, she's holding out for the next books to come. Like I mentioned, the plot development in this book seems quite necessary in the grand scheme of the series. We get a lot of information about other characters and are introduced to new players that have potential to make or break Olympus as a whole.

I was entertained while reading, I won't lie. There's definitely scandal, but not necessarily of the sexual kind. In fact, the first sex scene doesn't even happen until halfway through the book. I mean, it makes sense where it is, but for a book that labels itself as erotic fiction, it was actually pretty vanilla. There's some very light BDSM and some playing with power dynamics, but not really as much as I would have expected, and definitely not scorchingly steamy or kinky. The relationship that developes between Cassandra and Apollo is sweet and intimate, possesive in a way that feels sort of not enough. Honestly, I'm getting kind of tired of the "forbidden love" trope. For once I just wish the characters would be more relatable and shamelessly take what they want and stop being so noble and martyrous for love. Enough of this "they were never for me" drama. True love is a choice every single day, and they're making it whether they consciously see that or not. But, then again, I suppose that's the part that keeps you reading. Getting angry at the characters and wanting them to act a certain way, only to be more angry and more hopeful in the end. Knowing that's always how it will be, and reading on anyway.

At this point, I'm pretty sure I'm just reading for the storytelling, with the sex scenes as an added bonus. If you're reading the series, definitely don't skip this one. You'll probably be confused moving forward if you do. But also, don't dive into it expecting to be turned on every five minutes. The next one comes out in August and it seems much more promising on the diabolically kinky side of things. I'll be waiting ever so patiently for that.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

Selkies and Suspense Seals the Deal in The Hidden by Melanie Golding

WOW! Kudos to my good friend for recommending/lending me this book because holy smokes, was it good. I probably never would have picked it up on my own, just because I typically don't browse through the mystery/suspense section at my local bookstore, but this read definitely makes me think I should do that more often. I mean, the cover art is gorgeous and right up my alley, but I just wouldn't have been in the area to see it in the first place. So I'm really thankful to my friend because I could not put this one down.

I started reading The Hidden by Melanie Golding while I was on my trip to Hawaii, which seemed appropriate because it is definitely a beachy read, but the atmosphere of the book is completely different to the Pacific tropics. The Hidden takes place in the UK, and focuses on the Celtic myth of the Selkies. Now, if you're not a huge water mythology nerd like me, the Selkies are the Celts' version of mermaids or sea folk. In the water, they're full on seals, but once dried off and on land they can walk among humans on two legs, looking just like the rest of us. The catch is, they have to keep close to their seal skin. Preferably, they take it with them wherever they go on land. No seal skin, no returning to the water.

So that's sort of where our story here begins. It's never truly confirmed if the myth is real or not, but everyone in the small seaside towns up and down the English and Scottish coast believes the legends. In one of said small towns, Cleethorpes, a tiny toddler is found seemingly abandoned on the streets at the water's edge, but when her mother shows up claiming she'd simply run off, Social Services washes their hands of the incident and lets the family leave with little complaint. Hours away in Sheffield, a man is found bludgeoned and left for dead in his own bathtub, but it seems like it could have been a simple accident. The police are treating the circumstances as suspicious, and the lead detective can't shake the feeling that something seems off.

The way Golding unravels the story here is intricate and captivating. Narration bounces around between several of the characters and at different points in the timeline of the story. Normally I find that sort of back and forth between past and present to be incredibly confusing, but Golding does a great job of orienting the reader at the start of every chapter, and she reveals information in a way that keeps you turning the page regardless of how confused you might feel. Rest assured, it clears up quite quickly and becomes almost impossible to feel lost. Most of the chapters are relatively short (we're talking two to three pages, at times) so if you're one of those people who only has a few minutes a day to read this could be a great option for you.

It wasn't very long into the story that threads started to connect and things started to get really interesting. I was maybe a quarter of the way in before I had my first big AHA! moment. The suspense was so enthralling my eyes literally got wide at times. Since it is technically a mystery/suspense kind of novel, there are some relatively graphic and gory descriptions of things like head trauma and other heinous crimes. That's not usually my jam, but I found it easy enough to get through those scenes without putting the book down. I did have to take some mental breaks every now and again, though. I mean, it's really well written and totally believable. The fact that all the locations in the story are real just adds to the suspense. It's as if parts of this story could actually take place at any given moment, and to be honest, they probably have. People are crazy these days.

I really loved this book. I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish, and part of me wishes I could read it again with fresh eyes. It's that good. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for similar reads, and maybe even more from author Melanie Golding. Trigger warnings for this book include complicated family dynamics and domestic abuse, so if those things really bother you, maybe steer clear, but other than that I cannot recommend this book enough. It's worth it.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

I'll Take Three: Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert

GODS DAMN! I'm pretty sure I have nothing bad to say about this book. Wicked Beauty is the most recent installment in erotic romance author Katee Robert's Dark Olympus series. Now I say "latest," but the next one comes out literally next week so it's not super new or anything. It came out earlier in 2022, but I went through a reading rut and refused to start it until I finished my previous read. I'm trying this new thing where I give a book my full attention so that I can focus on details when writing about them afterwards. Wild, I know.

So this installment follows the story of Achilles, Patroclus, and Helen of Troy. Some of you may remember that I was less than satisfied with the previous book ( Electric Idol ). Definitely NOT the case with this one. Wicked Beauty is easily my favorite in the series so far. What I love so much about these books is that, while being a modernized retelling of Olympic lore, Robert really digs deep into the character development and sticks to their perceived identities pretty well. Achilles is still the presumptuous, cocky golden boy, who loves Patroclus above all else. Patroclus is still the humble brainiac who's more than content to live in Achilles' shadow, devoted to making him happy. And Helen is still the devastatingly beautiful princess with a wild streak and a taste for forbidden freedom.

In this story, the three title characters along with several other familiar faces in Olympus are battling it out for the title of Ares, and a coveted place among the cities governing Thirteen. Robert really had me on edge for this entire book. I had no idea who was going to win. Will it be Achilles? Helen? Neither? Both? Will Patroclus somehow be the bridge to placate their budding love for each other over the title his loves have been dreaming of for so long? Don't get me wrong. There were definitely moments when I thought I knew for sure how it would turn out. But I can't lie and say I knew all along. This book had me going back and forth and around in circles for what the outcome would be. And I loved every second of it.

Not even to mention the SMUT! OH MY WORD this book was HOT. And I mean really HOT. It's not often a book gives me fanny flutters. This was intense. The best thing about it is that I don't feel like any of it was ever forced just for the sake of being an erotic fiction. The sex scenes fit where they were woven in and they read quite naturally. There's a healthy dose of threesomes- obviously- some delectable foreplay, some good old fashioned anger fucking, and some devastatingly sweet intimacy between all of the lovers. And the way their relationship evolves over time is gut wrenching and infuriating, and just so relateable.

Basically, if you're into Erotica, you should read this. I'm so ready for the next one to come out next week, and then we can expect another in August. My body is ready.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

TikTok Made Me Read It: The Night and its Moon by Piper CJ

This book is INFURIATING- but in the best way. The Night and its Moon by Piper CJ showed up on my TikTok FYP some time at the beginning of last year. I don't remember exactly when the author went viral, but if you're on TikTok and you like reading fantasy, then you probably know who and what I'm talking about. For those of you who don't know, this beautiful weirdo went and got her Masters in folklore, of all things, and she uses that knowledge to write beautiful worlds of fantasy literature that can honestly stand up with the best of them.

Piper describes this series as the book she wanted to read and see herself in when she was younger. It's queer representation, sex worker validation, and feminist motivation at its finest. The two main characters, Nox and Amaris, lead a life of massive trials and tribulations, with an onslaught of danger and challenges that would break just about anyone, yet somehow they always manage to pull through, all while being forcefully and violently separated from each other, and desperately plotting to make their way back.

Like any good first installment of a fantasy series, The Night and its Moon spends a good portion of the beginning of the book (probably the first 2/3 of it, honestly) infodumping about the lives of the characters and the setting. It can be a little hard to get through, which is why it took me so long to read the book in its entirety. But the thing is, its all very important information, as I myself came to realize while getting into the meat of the story towards the climax and resolution. At least Piper has a beautifully eloquent voice. It's almost posh in a sense. Her vocabulary is out of this world and so colorful. She writes like she was there.

Which brings me to my next point: narration style. This is a truly omniscient narrator and I love that. It's probably my favorite style of narration because you can trust the story as it unfolds. There's nothing diabolically hidden or left out. The story flows naturally and we get everyone's side of things. In hindsight, that's probably why this book was so long, but I'm not mad about it.

With that being said, however, this book does leave you with more questions than answers, hence why it was so infuriating. This is clearly just the barest of beginnings to the story. I mean, what a good way to ensure that readers are left wanting and craving the next installment. I myself am going to have issues waiting until February for the next book. The good news is that she already has the rest of the series written, and if I'm not mistaken, they're all slated to come out consecutively this year. Thank goodness for that.

I'd call this book (series) New Adult Fantasy if I had to assign it a genre. It's not as "epic" as authors like Terry Goodkind or Anne McCaffrey, but that's okay. I think the reality is just that it targets a newer generation of readers. That being said, parents be warned if you're letting your teenagers read this. It has some heavy, dark themes, and some truly brutal scenes/imagery. I won't say keep this from them, because I think if anyone wants to read something they should be able to, but your younger readers may come to you with some hard questions after finishing this book. It's heavy, but man, oh man, is it satisfying.

All in all, my verdict is, give this one a read. It's really well done and so unlike any fantasy books I've read in the past. Definitely a win.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

Katee Robert's Electric Idol Can't Find the Clit

You know that feeling when you didn't necessarily dislike a book, but you weren't exactly satisfied after reading it, either? That's kind of how I am feeling about Katee Robert's latest installment in her Dark Olympus series, Electric Idol. Maybe it's because I was anticipating it so much, maybe I made it out in my head to be something it could never live up to. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it just as much as the next smutty book, but let's face it, it's kind of forgettable.

This one follows the myths of characters Eros and Psyche. Except it doesn't really, which is probably the reason I was left wanting at the end of it. At least the first book in this series weaves the original stories into a modern high stakes lifestyle. This one attempts to, and it's a valiant attempt, but I just think it falls a bit short of being a truly compelling story like the previous one. I still devoured it in less than a week, though. Forced is probably a good word to describe the way this book reads, which is disappointing because Eros and Psyche is supposed to be a love story for the ages.

This was... petty.

Eros, for example, is meant to be Aphrodite's secret weapon in love. He's cupid, after all, right? But in this story, Eros is portrayed in this story in a completely different light than we were used to. He's still Aphrodite's weapon, but moreso as her personal assasin, and not the sweet little cherub who flies around shooting everyone with love arrows and engaging in wild sex acts.

Speaking of sex, I found this book to be rather Vanilla when it comes to erotic fiction, especially when you consider, again, that this is Eros! I mean his name is the root word for Erotic, for goodness sake. I wanted the dirty smuttiness amped way up. Not to mention the scarcity of sex scenes in general. I didn't count, but I want to say there were less than five sex scenes total. In the whole book! When I buy a smutty book I want to read some SMUT. Come on. Blow me away.

Hehe. Blow me away.

Anyway, focus. The other thing that irritated me about this book was the depiction of Psyche. She's supposed to be inhumanly beautiful, yet she's depicted in this story as less than that. She's almost self consious, and defintely doesn't find herself attractive to the standards of the rest of Olympus. And I found myself getting so irritated with both of the characters' inner monologue. It was just so predictable, self sabotaging, honestly childish first-love dribble, that was super irritating. These are grown adults who seriously can't communicate worth a damn, and I mean that on a base level. That's sort of what I mean when I say it was so forced. It didn't feel realistic for the way I know the characters from lore, and to be fair, at times it really just read like Robert had to get this one out in order to get the next one out. Which is such a shame, because this could have been a REALLY good story!

I didn't hate it, and overall I'd probably recommend it to someone who likes mythology or fantasy, and I'll still probably read the next one when it comes out in June. I'm looking forward to it because it's Achillles, Patroclus, and Helen, and that is one of my FAVORITE stories ever. I hope it's good. In the mean time I have plenty of other smut to read.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

Historical Fiction? Fantasy? Who cares, there's mermaids in Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

I am absolutely one of those readers who judges a book by its cover. To be fair, I think the whole saying "don't judge a book by its cover" is a load of shite, and has not a thing to do with books anyway. We all know that saying is about people, so can we please stop giving cover art a bad rap? Wow I guess I wen't on a little tangent there. Anyway, my point is, sometimes we as readers do absolutely "judge a book by its cover," that is to say, often times it is the cover art that draws us to pick up a specific book in the first place. Now, of course, once you actually read the book, your opinion may or may not change, but that's not important. There are people whose entire job it is to come up with the most aesthetically pleasing and eye-catching cover art. Literally, their job is to make all of us judge every book we come across by its cover. Honestly, though! How else are we supposed to pick new books to read?! Especially since publishing companies these days seem to have made it their mission to erase the practice of putting synopses on the back cover.

All this to say, I 100% did pick up Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen because of the cover art. I was at my local indie (shout out to Katy Budget Books) doing some stocking up before the holidays when I saw this from across the store. It was face-out, so the light caught the gold lettering and shone directly into my eye. Then I saw fins, and I was honestly sold from there, but I was even more certain when I went to pick it up and saw that it was a story about West African mermaid lore. I was so excited to learn all about Yemoja and Mami Wata, common water spirits/goddesses in Africa. I'd seen vague references to the stories before in various mermaid research I've done, but never really gotten a chance/had a reason to dive deep (no pun intended) into the specifics. As you can probably gather from my recent lack of activity on here in general, I haven't really had the spoons to do much of anything in a while, let alone read a whole book AND write a review about it. Well, I finally got the chance to read Skin of the Sea while hubs and I were on our big road trip throughout February.

The story takes place during the slave trade era, and there is a trigger warning at the beginning of the book that prepares readers for some potentionally graphich and disturbing content, so right off the bat we're taking this story pretty seriously. As it begins, a mermaid named Simi, who is Mami Wata, a creation of Yemoja, is tasked with the simple duty of helping shepherd the souls of those who die in the sea back to the creator, Olodumare. If these names don't make sense to you, google them, but Bowen actually does a beautiful job of using storytelling within the story to explain a lot of the lore. So, Simi is just going about her business, doing what she's supposed to do, when someone falls from a ship into the water who isn't dead. GASP! No that's not a spoiler, it's in like the first or second chapter or something. Anyway, Simi, not knowing what else to do, decides to save the boy's life and take him to Yemoja's island, then go from there. Well, turns out that was a HUGE mistake, and her having saved a mortal is apparently a big no-no, what with gods not being allowed to interfere and all that. So Yemoja explains that Simi must go on this quest to find and make contact with Olodumare to beg for fogiveness. The ensuing adventure is filled with danger, excitement, trickery, betrayal, twists and turns and so much more.

Overall, I am pretty impressed. This is author Natasha Bowen's debut novel, and it's good. Released in July of last year, Skin of the Sea weaves a colorful story of adventure, and danger, and history. It is a YA novel, so it absolutely has those cringey tropes like the first love and the identity crisis, but Bowen handles the writing of these scenes in a respectful and readable way. At 30, sometimes that kind of stuff can be hard to read. We're past that point in our lives, you know? We look for meaning in so much more than just some cute boy. But I digress. The themes that are weaved together throughout this book are really quite powerful for young and impressionable readers. We talk about how/why it is so important that representation and diversity exist in literature, and that seeing yourself on the page (or even on the screen) is crucial to feeling seen and validated. I am so thrilled that young readers today have books like Skin of the Sea to explore their identity and their culture, or for some of us, the identity and culture of someone who is different; someone who doesn't look like them. It is so important in developing skills like empathy and acceptance, which the world is in desperate need of now days.

The next book is called Soul of the Deep, and it's coming in September of this year. I probably won't rush out to get it right away, but that doesn't mean I won't pick it up if I see it. Especially if that cover art is any good.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

Where was Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo when I needed it?!?

* SPOILERS *

Okay, so I'll be honest. Leigh Bardugo has been on my TBR list for a long, long time. Her books were always a top selling point in YA back when I was working at the bookstore, but I never actually craved picking up one of her books. I tribute that to being almost 30 and almost married, but I can't deny the fact that my younger self probably would have gobbled up the Grishaverse without batting a single eyelash. But as it is, the only reason I FINALLY picked up Shadow & Bone was because I saw that Netflix was doing a series out of it, and I refused to watch it with the Fiance until after I had read the book. Yes, I am that b*. Anyway, so I devoured the first book in something like four or five days, and it was pretty good.

As the story begins we follow Alina Starkov and Mal Oretsev as their respective military units prepare for a dangerous and potentially fatal excursion through what is known as the Fold; a terrible rift in reality that splits their country of Ravka in two, swathing the space it occupies in complete darkness and terror, and filling it with ravenous beasts with a taste for flesh. As they make their way through the darkness, hoping to pass quietly and unnoticed, the skiff they are on is attacked and a sudden burst of peircing white light at just the right moment is the only thing that saves any of the people aboard. But where did the light come from? DUH! ALINA! Okay, maybe that's obvious and not a spoiler. So now Alina, the first of her kind, has to leave her only friend Mal and go to the Little Palace in a place called Os Alta to learn to use her power.

So this first book is very much the typical YA storyline. There's the naive, plain, seemingly unnoticed and unimportant girl, torn between the attentions of two men (Oh no! Who will she choose?!), who finds out that it's her destiny to save the world. I know. Ugh. But, no, hear me out. This book is actually a really intense page turner. One of the things that really bothers me about YA most of the time is that it is so gutwrenchingly predictable. Don't get me wrong, this book has some of that (I mean it's kind of hard not to), but more often than not I found myself being pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns. I was sure that whole first book was going to be her at the Little Palace, learning to use her powers and going through some crazy trials and tribulations, Hogwarts style. But I was wrong. And I really like the turn it did take.

The originality of the magic system is definitely one of the high points for the series. It's not so much magic as it is the physical maniplulation of matter. It's a continuation of their sciences in the Grishaverse; an artform that only those who are gifted with special capabilities can study and master. I thoroughly enjoy the limitations placed on the system that make it more realistic, or believable; for example, no Grisha can manipulate what isn't already there. The Grisha are also separated into categories based on their talents- such as Heartrender, maniplulator of the heart muscle and blood, or Tidemaker, manipulator of water, or Squaller, manipulator of wind and air, or Tailor, manipulator of physical aesthetics, or Fabrikator, manipulator of materials for craft. Each one can only practice what the powers they were born with grant them access to. It's great, because it gives them a reason to come together. No one is more powerful alone than they are together. Well- that is, except for the Darklking. And Alina.

As I said before, I only FINALLY made myself pick this up because wanted to watch the show on Netflix. I'm going to be real, it's not perfect. The directors definitely took some creative liberties that, in my honest opinion, make Alina look like a lovesick fool. The romance drama was defintely amped up for television. So, I mean, keep that in mind if you watched it before you read it. The Darkling isn't really that creepy and forward, and Alina isn't really that gullible. Just saying.

Whatever. I already started the second one.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

That's no Little Mermaid in Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Y'all, I read a lot of books. And often, I finish a book thinking, "man, that was a great book." Not this one. This one was different. This one was so much more than just a great book. This was an experience, from start to finish. When I tell you, I felt SO MANY EMOTIONS while reading this book. Booksellers, take note, this book needs to be on all your inclusivity reads lists. This book touches on ableism, sexism, feminism, tourism, most of the -ism's, as well as environmental conservation, culture shock, and just so much more. You'll have to forgive me, as it's been a month or two since I've read it, so I won't be able to remember everything here, but I really loved this book so I will do my best to give it the review it deserves.

First of all, I would like to point out that writing a believable mermaid story is incredibly difficult. For some people, the mere idea of mermaids existing is just too magical, and since (supposedly) magic doesn't exist, neither can mermaids. I've always been partial to the idea that, since we human beings have yet to discover 100% of the oceans' depths, it is quite possible that mermaids, or at least something like what we know to be the mermaid, could exist. However, I also believe that, if they did, they'd have to have evolved into some sort of serious apex predator of the ocean in order to have remained alive and unnoticed for millenia. Well, cue Mira Grant. This book hits you with some actually believable science.

The short and sweet of it is, Jurrassic Park- but make it mermaids. The story mostly follows main character, Tory, along with several other scientists, specialists, businessmen, a camera crew, hunters, divers, zoologists, etc., as they journey to the middle of the ocean to investigate an "accident" that happened years before- an "accident" that yielded no survivors. Tory's sister had been on that voyage. It's as much her own interest in the science as it is her desire to find out what happened to her sister that drives her throughout the book. Tory is convinced that it was mermaids who killed her sister, or at least whatever creature had inspired the centuries-old myths. So they set out on a state of the art ship that's supposed to be able to withstand a ridiculous amount of damage before putting any of the passengers in any danger, but by the end of the first day we know that something is wrong.

One of the great things about the way this book is written is that it's a truly third-person omniscient narration style. That really works well for this book because it allows the reader to see everything that's happening from the eyes of each individual character, but also from a kind of bird's eye view of the situation. There were even some moments when the narration shifted into what was happening under water and what the creatures were thinking and how they communicated with each other. It was really interesting. Each "chapter" is basically written like a log of information in a record. It's a kind of stating of the facts that allows the reader to make conclusions on their own.

Coming back to the diversity and inclusivity I mentioned earlier, this book is so full of a wide array of characters who are stonger and more capable because of their differences and disabilities. There is a group of three sisters, two of which are deaf, and communicate through ASL (which actually becomes hugely important), there is an Autistic Television host, there are queer folk, out and proud and living their normal lives, and there are people from varrying cultural backgrounds. It's just a wonderfully diverse book that respects and empowers those things that make each of us unique.

Overall this book was freaking awesome and I can honestly say it will take up a spot in my Top 5 All Time Favorite books. So, like... Read it.

TTFN

Anxious Housewife

Two Thumbs WAY, way up for Neon Gods by Katee Robert

Somebody call the fire department, because this book was HOT. Y'all, when I say "I love me a good smutty book," I mean I LOVE me some really good, really juicy, raw, smutty reading. It's like porn, but make it Literature. Neon Gods was recommended to me by a good friend and former coworker (@3boys3billionbooks on Instagram, go check her out) while I was visiting the US last month. Honestly, her recommendations never disappoint, so I shouldn't have been at all surprised when I devoured this one in four days, and came out the other side wanting more. So much more. This book was SO GOOD.

If it wasn't clear by the title (and, I suppose, it may not have been), this is a tale of greek mythology, specifically the original thirteen gods and goddesses of Olympus. It's a modern take, taking the city of Olympus and turning it into a sort of metropolis, vaguely reminiscent of NYC or Chicago or Seattle. Olympus is a well-oiled machine ruled by the gods, with Zeus taking his position at point. Every character has his/her/their respective place, and each deity falls in line and submits to the status quo. As the story begins, we meet up with Persephone, middle daughter of Demeter, as she attends a lavish party in the upper city, thrown by none other than the infamous (and notoriously muderous) Zeus. Zeus and Demeter place Persephone in a difficult position, which forces her to make a rash decision that eventually lands her on the other side of the River Styx and stumbling into the powerful and mysterious arms of none other than the mythical Hades. But she learns quickly that this is not the Hades from the scary stories of her youth, nor is he the man of total darkness that all of Olympus cares to portray him as. He has darkness, yes, but that is not what defines him.

Throughout the book the POV switches between Persephone and Hades, which I can really appreciate. That approach really helps create the full storyline, and allows readers into the minds of the two most important characters in the story. It's also really nice during the sex scenes, because you're not bogged down with monotony throughout the whole book. And speaking of sex scenes, these were really well written. I read a decent amount of erotica and I sometimes find myself laughing at the writing during those scenes. This was different. It wasn't like the sex was in there just to be a sexy book. It really meant something for the character development on both sides. It had a purpose, it wasn't just a tool. Not only that, but it was just realistic. The approach the author chose to take allows for some of the subtle quirks that happen during sex. Some of the things that just aren't so sexy, like bonking each other's heads or getting a phone call. I just really appreciate all the mundanity applied to these mythological characters. It all just seems so real and I couldn't get enough.

As far as erotic fiction goes, it's definitely not the dirtiest thing I've ever read, but the sex is detailed. I was a little worried after the first allusion to intercourse that the rest of the book wasn't going to be as elicit as I had hoped, but I was not disappointed. As far as using BDSM in fiction, this was, in my opinion, a pretty respectable application. Consent is everything in real life, and it is to Hades in the story as well. And the author does a really good job of illustrating the power exchange that happens between Dom and Sub. Ultimately, it was really nice, and I can't wait to read more from Katee Robert. The teaser at the end of my copy suggests this might just be the first of a series of sexy books taking place in this scandalous version of Olympus, and I. CAN'T. WAIT.

It was just released on June 1st, so give your local bookstores some grace if they don't have it yet. You can always special order it and get it in just a few days. Of course, if you simply can't wait, the Libro.fm audiobook is an option, as well as the Kobo ebook option, both of which can be set to support the indipendent bookstore of your choice. If you're local to the Katy, Texas area I recommend stopping by Katy Budget Books, because I can almost bet you they have a copy, and if they don't they've probably got one coming.

I don't know what you're waiting for, get to reading!

TTFN

Anxious Housewife