The Mask of Mirrors | 
pickIt's a soft Pick for me, because I highly appreciate the work and imagination behind this book. It takes a lot to build such a world and such a plot. Sadly, it just wasn't for me. There were too many details, so my attention wandered. Still, the book kept on getting me back in. Until it lost me again...
I'm not planning on reading the next one, but if it crosses my path - why not?
Yay, I have my Storygraph June book collage! Thanks to @sprainedbrain for getting me the directions! Apparently I had missed the existence of an actual mobile app 😅
An easy choice for my June favorite, and it beats May, too. I might be picking a surprising number of nonfiction books as my monthly favorites, but fantasy always wins in the end! #readingbracket2024
pickIncredibly rich worldbuilding, an underdog con artist main character with a seamstress sidekick, lots of sexy morally ambiguous characters, an autistic-coded astrologer-detective, nightmares come to life… what more could you ask for?! I was very grateful for the glossary in the back, but wished for a pronunciation guide. Definitely reading the next one!
Goals:
-Finish Milk Fed
-Finish Bombshell
-Make progress on a giant fantasy tome (Mask of Mirrors)
-Start a new audiobook
#awesomeapril #readathon @Andrew65
pickThis was a complex story that was built off of a young woman named Reneta with an idea for a scam that blossoms into a series of connections to nobility and a crime boss Loved the world but if your not paying attention you could easily get lost, this was a ebook,I recommend to go in the back glossary for definitions I learned the hard way.I did feel the magic part could have been better explained from the beginning It ended up being a lot of fun
I'm still 2 #BookSpin reads behind (January, May) but I have some grace in my reading schedule in June so maybe this is the month I spin like a top? Either way, the backlog won't stop me adding a June spin! It's Pride month, so all my BookSpin picks feature LGBTQIA characters - plus I'll definitely be reading sapphic fantasies The Jasmine Throne (Tasha Suri) and Black Water Sister (Zen Cho).
pickAn intense & complicated high fantasy requiring a slow read. Political intrigue, scheming, deception, & a LOT of twists & turns. Intricate world building & detail that requires focus. The protagonist is a strong & smart, intensely morally gray female. A cool magic system & excellent, diverse side characters. EVERYONE in this book has something up their sleeve & it is freaking awesome. Darkness & deception around every corner & from every angle.
Today's read
Went grocery shopping today. Came home to find that someone had jumped our fence and cut the flowers off our daffodils that were blooming 😳 Just...so weird and mildly unsettling. I‘m going to try to forget about it for a bit and immerse myself in this. Try being the keyword.
bailedIt is not a badly written book. My issue was that I didn't believe in the protag. She is running a long con but for me the premise of the con was fuzzy and I couldn't suspend my disbelief. Which gradually grew into a deep frustration with the character.
But I can see others enjoying it because the writing is good as is the world-building.
It has too many characters but that is endemic to fantasy at the moment *shakes fist at GRRM*
Hiiiiii Littens!! I‘m baaaccckkkk! My last Litsy post was 2 years ago! This is my current read and it‘s pretty good so far!
pickDo you like masked vigilantes? Morally ambiguous crime lords? Elaborate cons? Beautiful clothing? Well I've got good news. The Mask of Mirrors was a fun escapist fantasy. https://youtu.be/9UGRqgYLVH4
Biscuit says, "Yeah... I am kind of jealous of Tom Gauld's jetpack! But I have Marie Brennan/Alyc Helms' new book so you're all jealous of me."
Aka, I got books! I mean... Biscuit did. Obviously.
#BunniesofLitsy
It was super cold and snowy today, which made my lovely stew dinner especially yummy! Also had some cheese and a pretzel roll! 😋💕
Snow! ❄❄❄
Perfect weather to stay inside curled up with a new book, tea, and snacks! 💕📚
Simple. But effective. Surely I have read iterations of this idea before. But it struck me here as just a nice turn of phrase.
This book sounds really fun and I'm tickled the authors got the idea from a role-playing campaign apparently. I'm such a sucker for a cool map, too 😍
Only open to the US, unfortunately, but enter here if you want to: https://swee.ps/PpQQS_uFCARIw
#orbit #giveaway
so-soIf a book was able to woo on technical aspects alone then The Mask of Mirrors would be a no brainer BUT, for some reason, it just didn't wow me. Even though it ticked off all of the technical boxes, it just didn't compel me or demand my undivided attention. It might be a 5 star read for others but for this gal, it was more of a drip than the tidal wave I was hoping for after reading the synopsis.
