Welcome to Litsy!

#12booksof2025

My favourite January read was this gothic fever dream of a novel (and I mean, it‘s also my pick for best cover 😍) this had me in a chokehold the entire time - from finding it at the library to reading the last page.

Loved the setting (queer Paris! art! indulgence!) but Cora‘s portrayal as a ruthless businesswoman didn‘t hold up—some of her choices didn‘t quite match that image. The romance leaned heavily on lust, and I wanted more emotional depth. Still, Herrera‘s celebration of queer history shines through. Glad this book exists. #SapphicRomance #HistoricalRomance ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Soft pick because I've struggled with the writing style and how the book skips around. But that does actually fit the author and her life. It's a rough memoir, an open one. It must have taken a lot of courage, energy and heart to write all this down. An eye-opener, for sure, and a important voice to listen to.

@TheAromaOfBooks #DoubleSpin

Really great debut 👍🏻
Mesmerizing prose ~ woman in the attic vibes ~ shapeshifter lore ~ dark romance ~ this covers a lot of ground, and that‘s before we even get to seeing all this through the eyes of a biracial orphan in Victorian England.
I‘ll be looking for more from Coles.

Interesting mix of Carmilla + Chinese folklore that left me wishing for a bit more detail on how the two connect. It seems weird to call it Carmilla when she apparently dies in the first book, so I wonder how final that was, but... I'm not sure I'll keep reading.

#ComicsBingo

This novel is a little difficult to follow with the large number of characters and jumps in time, which could be why it's less scary than it might have been. I appreciate the setting---California's Central Valley---and there's a lot of vivid imagery, but the story doesn't quite gel, at least for me. The ending is solid, though.

#CastTheDie #OneSnackToRuleThemAll #Chocolatiers

I‘m posting one book a day from my massive collection. No description, no reason for why I want to read it.

#ABookADay2025

This YA Snow White retelling was a bit odd. The premise intrigued me, but I found the execution a somewhat lacking.

The complicated family relationships and allusions to various myths were nice, but the romantic sub-plot felt awkward and forced, and I found the lack of explanation or backstory for the main antagonist a bit frustrating.

Overall, this book was just okay, not one I'm likely to recommend.