Welcome to Litsy!

I‘ve had this on my shelf a long time, and I wonder if it would have hit the same if I‘d read it back when I first bought it. A story about a person seeing a rotten system and actually tearing it down has a certain extra catharsis in 2024, I think.

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I really enjoyed this! This is a dark book, but unlike many dark magic universe books, this does not provide pornographic descriptions of the torture, which I appreciate.
The Turning has started and there are new magicians looking to establish houses and to destroy established houses. Two outsiders team up, both intent on remaking the hidden world, but who will make the ultimate sacrifice?
4/5 stars, read if you like complex hidden magic worlds

Books that revolve around magic always draw me in. This was an interesting take on the genre. I quite enjoyed the story and the strong female MC. And I‘m very much looking forward to the sequel! Here‘s hoping it‘s published soon. 4/5⭐️

I read 26 books in April. It didn't feel like it because a lot of comics and a lot of e-books. I felt slumpy the whole month. It didn't help.

Not pictured: Unlocked by John Scalzi (audio), Earth One Vol 1 & 2, Teen Titans: Raven, Invincible Vol 1, Silk Vol 1-3, Spider-Women, Animal Man Vol 1, Mitosis (audio), Mrs. Zant and the Ghost (audio), Horrorstor, and Break Your Glass Slippers.

I also finished the OWLS reading for all 12 categories!

#owlsreadathon2020 Charms: read a white book

This is the type of magic that I want to see more often: something that is not just a tool, that is not without consequence, magic that takes a toll on you.

🌟4

#owlsreadathon #magicalreadathon #magicalreadathon2020

This is one of the very few books that would have been better if they were longer. Magic Houses scheming for power in a world were Magic is boosted by the suffering of others? Sounds great! But the intrigue really fell short with the straightforward writing. And I would have preferred to skip one point of view for a plot twist along the book.

Next book club pick!

DNF‘d about halfway through because I think I just got the supposed “reveal“ that ostensibly helps explain this TOTALLY UNEXPLAINED world and I still don‘t fucking get it at all and am thus totally bored. I get that authors don‘t want to info dump, but FFS, we still need to know basic details! We don‘t live in your head, and if you can‘t figure out how to give necessary info w/o it being clunky, then maybe you‘re just not a good writer.

“You look like the sort of woman who gets noticed on a regular basis.”

“Noticed,” she said, “is very different from seen.”

This was mostly a cover buy (it‘s simple yet intriguing, and it‘s textured, which I love!) but also, while most people seem kind of meh about it, I have seen a few rave reviews from GR friends. Plus, Neil Gaiman blurbed it, so y‘know... #nowreading

#24in48 hour six challenge - here's one of my TBR shelves filled with primarily scifi and fantasy.

Today's #libraryhaul is small, but I have a bunch still stacked at home. Why must all the holds come in at the same time?! 📚📚📚😬📚📚📚📚📚

The thrift store chickens like to come out for library book hauls, but they are contractually obligated to appear when orange & orangish books are involved.🤣
🐔🍊🐔#chickenlove

There are definitely parts of this that I liked, but I don‘t feel like we are given enough stakes to really appreciate the world and the consequences of the events that take place. It‘s geared up to be a series but I don‘t really know where they go with this unless they do a prequel. This cover is all kinds of gorgeous though.

I don‘t usually like listening to fantasy, but I‘m going to give this a try today.

‪Charms (adult work) was my final read for #OWLsReadathon2019 and it ended on a high note! Loved this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‬

‪Overall 11/12 classes past and 3,635 pages read. Can‘t wait for NEWTs to start! ‬

I read this Apr 13-28 and gave it 3.5 ⭐️on Good Reads. I wanted to love this book but I felt it a tad too rush with too many characters to follow. That said I would love to see more set in this world.

This is kind of hard for me to rate since this would be between a pick and a so-so for me. The world was absolutely lovely and I was really intrigued by the way the magic system worked. Unfortunately, I think that some of the ideas could have been fleshed out a lot more since I still have questions. But I still recommend trying this book out and I‘ll definitely be reading the next one!

This is a five star masterpiece! With so many important themes and metaphors, all beautifully written by a remarkable writer indeed. I can't recommend it enough. Also #U for #AtoZLitsy

I have been dying to read this book for years and was not disappointed at all! I love the concepts in this book and the rich characters. My only complaint, which I have seen in other reviews of this book, is that it‘s too short. I feel like this book would be enhanced amazingly by being twice it‘s length. There is so much detail that could be flushed out. So much backstory and character building could have been added. That said, I loved it.

I‘d rate this book 2-3 out of 5 stars.
It had a lot going on. Like a lot.
But I was just left... dissatisfied.
Yup.
One word to sum it all up.
It would have been a solid 3 star for me if there hadn‘t been so much cussing. But that‘s that. 😑
I enjoyed the story to a point, but around the 320 mark I just wanted it to end. Never a good sign 😖.

A haunting book, which examines how people will treat others in pursuit of power. It‘s not a book I‘ll forget, but deeply cathartic! I liked the focus on the people on the periphery of the magical world - which match those on ours!

I have high hopes for this one. I love Kat Howard's work.

Good morning dragonlings 🐉.
Today‘s #bellesbookishnewyear19 is all about White books.
This is a beautiful off white one.
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#adultfiction #anunkindnessofmagicians #adultthemes #magic #obviously #thriller #magicthriller #bookstagram #bookpics #whitebook

The writing style takes a while to get used to, but about 75 pages in you do, and the action picks up. Things are exciting as you learn more about the world and details begin to emerge. However, it seems like the author got tired of writing the story because the end feels super rushed. It was a good ending, just very rushed.

Oh happy day ❤️.
#amreading #thisisanadventure #magicalthriller

Book: Tagged
Author: Gabrielle Union (I only have 2 U authors and neither of them have multiple things or have I read multiple works of theirs)
TV Show: Unforgettable
Food: Utz chips

U is so hard! #manicmonday #letteru

I really enjoyed this book. The concept of the cost of magic and where it comes from was fascinating and I really love all the different characters. My one complaint would be that there are a lot of characters that get POVs and sometimes it was hard to keep track of who was who, especially early on when I was still learning their names. Still, very much recommended.

#kindledeals

Ebook sale alert! I haven't read this fantasy, but I've heard good things. I hit 1-Click.

This book helped me get out of a major reading/writing slump this summer—I picked it up on a whim because of its cover and found that I just needed to go back to my reading roots: beautiful prose, solid story, complex relationships... and magic 🤓 I think I‘m ready for my last year of grad school now. #phew

Breakfast time!

It‘s the final hours of the work day (for me) and I‘m reading “An Unkindness of Magicians.” I‘m sort of craving books about magicians and witches lately. Any other suggestions Littens? #AnUnkindnessofMagicians

This #audiobook took me a while to get into, but just over halfway, and I‘m hooked. This world is so deliciously twisted, and I‘m enjoying watching it fall apart at the seams. #hubchallenge #fantasy ✨

What an amazing and thoughtful #sockswap package from @Carolyn11215 !! Love all the local flavor - I burn incense quite a bit and can‘t wait to try these! The socks are beautiful and the book is right up my alley. Thank you so much, Carolyn, you definitely brightened my day ❤️❤️❤️ @JPeterson , thanks for hosting this fun swap!

Since stand alone fantasy seems so rare, at least in what I read, that in itself was pretty compelling for me with this book. Interesting concept, solid writing, I‘d read more from her for sure! #fantasy #anunkindessofmagicians

Intriguing cover & a blurb from Neil Gaiman? I‘m in!

I loved this book! The concept of magic having a cost, the “shadows” and Sydney the badass girl who can set things right!!! Wish there was a second book just want more!

Really loving this book so far!! The concept of magic having costs is such an awesome concept

AN UNKINDNESS OF MAGICIANS by Kat Howard is a dark & atmospheric contemporary fantasy that incorporates thriller elements. It had me glued to the page.

Check out my full review at
http://earlgreyediting.com.au/2018/05/14/an-unkindness-of-magicians-by-kat-howar...

This was an enthusiastic recommendation from a good friend, and she was right; I loved it. This would make a terrific miniseries. It‘s a standalone, which is a refreshing change, and a very different look at what magic might look like in our own world. Compelling and lovely and disturbing all at the same time.

Read like it was the movie-of-the-week. Quick pace, entertaining, and focused on the darker side of The Unseen World. Interesting, but it felt like a mashup of other things rather than original on its own. Even so, worth a try.

This was actually a really cool premise and I think it would've maybe been better as a duology but solid stand alone nonetheless. Characters were all interesting to follow and I loved the issues with the magic. I felt a little let down by how the duels were written and it seemed to be lacking an actual climax (I just kept waiting for it but it never came).

The cover is calling to me! I don't wanna wait until tomorrow morning to start it so I'm sneaking in a few chapters tonight.

This book took a while to grow on me. A lot of the story depended on world building, but that was not done well or completely. But in the end I got into the magical battles.

This book was so good! I love how magic functioned in the world!

The Magicians meets Gossip Girl meets Game of Thrones: a deadly tournament between prominent magical Houses in New York to gain power. Our heroine, Sydney, is a badass magician with a traumatic past out for revenge. I enjoyed the heck out of this book and would recommend as a modern fantasy with great worldbuilding. I could see this as a TV series for sure. I did have some issues with the writing style, which isn't perfect. 4⭐️