Siavahda

Picky about prose, obsessed with worldbuilding. AuADHD + fibromyalgia. I hear writing rhythm like you hear music; it's a problem. I read + review queer SFF at everybookadoorway.com!

1946 points

0% overlap

My Taste

Reading...

Revenant Gun (The Machineries of Empire, #3)

53%

61%

50%

53%

28%

44%

A Dance of Burning Blades (Invoker Trilogy)

11%

The Cloak and Its Wizard: A modern fantasy full of monsters, magic, and snarky accessories

44%

The Persephone Effect (Gunmetal Olympus Book 3)

44%

Siavahda started reading...

Tea & Treachery at the Infinite Pantry

Jo Miles

A good cup of tea can fix any problem, she’s always said. For this one, she’s going to need more tea.To Glendevyn, the Infinite Pantry is far more than a magical museum of the world’s most treasured foods. It’s the home she’s always longed for. As the new head curator, she expected to wrestle with ornery funders and too-tight budgets… but when rare items in the collection suddenly start decaying, reduced to dust despite their protection spells, she’s out of her depth.The elven mage Irdruan would do anything for Glendevyn—even hide their feelings for her. She clearly doesn’t return those feelings, after all, and how can they risk their friendship when she’s relying on their support? But even with all Irdruan’s magic, they can’t find a way to do the one thing Glendevyn needs from to put a stop to the growing destruction.Caught between an unknown magic threatening everything they’ve built and a wealthy funder pushing to take control, Glendevyn and Irdruan will do whatever it takes to save the Infinite Pantry. They’ll have to learn to trust each other—and themselves—as they fight for their home with the power of love, friendship, and delicious food.The first book in a new series, this sweet cozy fantasy is steeped in magic and deliciousness, like curling up with a warm mug of tea.

Siavahda started reading...

Thoughts Be Bloody

Auden Patrick

A struggling student, a resident golden boy, and the curse that will bring them this queer, trans retelling is Hamlet as you’ve never read it before Exploring classism, identity, and the true meaning of revolution, this dark academia novel is perfect for fans of R. F. Kuang’s Babel and S. T. Gibson’s An Education in Malice The summer before his sophomore year, Horatio Bithersea walks into the university library to find Carson Hamlett, resident golden boy and master magician, cradling his father’s dead body. Life at Elsinore, one of the most prestigious universities in the secretive magical world, simply goes on when the professor’s death is ruled an accident—despite the mysterious circumstances and the bloody scene. A year later, Horatio is keeping his head down, attempting to graduate without his out-of-control magic harming his classmates. That changes when the ghost of Hamlett’s father appears and places a curse on Horatio and avenge his death by destroying Elsinore and its heart, lest the ghost robs them of their minds, memories, and their very souls.Elsinore has given Horatio everything—knowledge of his magical ability, an escape from his abusive family, and freedom to pursue his life as a transgender man—and now he’s to be its doom. As the two uncover more of Elsinore’s secrets Horatio finds himself becoming more and more ensnared in Hamlett’s dark but charismatic web. The question is not if Horatio will manage to destroy Elsinore. The question is if Hamlett will destroy him first.

Siavahda commented on superpuffin's update

superpuffin is interested in reading...

Her Subtle Investigations (The Warrior's Guild, #3)

Scarlett Gale

A Tired Blade The Knife has long been the Warrior Guild's invisible answer to complicated problems—silent, sharp, and gone before her enemies even notice. She loves the work, loves helping people no one else will, but the years of endless travel—of lonely assignments, empty beds, and temporary allies—have worn her thin. Every new mission feels heavier, and Southport's nostalgic foods and familiar heat stir a deeper ache: the yearning not just for a solid home, but for a shared life with someone to whom she's just Kia, not the Knife... A Collision Course Chasing down a string of kidnappings, the Knife crosses paths—and blades—with two surprising Southport natives, both hunting for missing family. Masako wields nature magic with steely fury, but knows almost nothing about Southport's criminal underbelly. Nukunya carries an encyclopedic knowledge of the city along with a dry wit that cuts as deep as any blade. After a violent first meeting the trio form an uneasy alliance, then a true team as their search leads them closer to their quarry… and each other… A Branching Path Pinned down and hiding out in a brothel's back room, the Knife finds the lines between partnership, friendship, and romance blurring. Southport—and the people in it—has started to feel dangerously like home, but the Knife's Guild assignments never let her stay anywhere for long. With duty pulling her to one path and the temptation of Masako and Nukunya pulling her to another, she'll have to decide: Is it time to walk away again, or finally lay down roots?

Siavahda made progress on...

Misery's Wife

Joan Tierney

53%

Siavahda made progress on...

Revenant Gun (The Machineries of Empire, #3)

Yoon Ha Lee

53%

Siavahda made progress on...

Villain (Hench, #2)

Natalie Zina Walschots

59%

Siavahda TBR'd a book

Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind

Annalee Newitz

A sharp and timely book about the dark art of manipulation through weaponized storytelling Best-selling author Annalee Newitz traces the way disinformation, propaganda, and violent threats—the essential tool kit for psychological warfare—have evolved from military weapons used against foreign adversaries into tools used in domestic culture wars. Newitz delves into America’s deep-rooted history with psychological operations, beginning with Benjamin Franklin’s Revolutionary War–era fake newspaper and reaching its apotheosis with disinformation during twenty-first–century elections. The nation’s secret weapon has long been coercive storytelling, fashioned by operatives who drew on their experiences in the ad industry and as science-fiction writers. Now, through a weapons-transfer program long unacknowledged, it has found its way into the hands of culture warriors, in conflicts from school-board fights over LGBTQ+ students to campaigns against feminist viewpoints. Stories Are Weapons delivers a powerful counter-narrative, as Newitz highlights the process of psychological disarmament, speaking with Indigenous archivists preserving their histories in new ways, activist storytellers, and technology experts transforming social media.

Siavahda commented on Siavahda's update

Siavahda finished a book

Chai and Charmcraft: A magical Middle Eastern cozy fantasy (The Charmcraft Chronicles Book 1)

Lynn Strong

Even the powers of the gods can struggle when faced with both scandalized courtiers and gossiping aunties. His Imperial Highness Nur-ul-shuruq Faraj al-Nadhir has never thought himself a charming sort of prince. He’s shy, round, middle-aged, and always dutiful. But he has also secretly spent years dreaming of a man tending jasmine in a sun-lit window — prophetic visions that led him at last to one blissful night with someone who sees his heart, not his crown. He did not expect to wake up with a cat walking on his face. Cat-familiars are forbidden in the Imperial fortress. They might be spies. They might be soul-charmers. They might even sharpen their claws on thousand-year-old tapestries. But Faraj cannot regret that sweet little Sahar chose him — just as he cannot regret Asharan bir Chameli, the enchanting owner of the House of Jasmines. Asharan wants nothing to do with Faraj’s title and power, only his kindness. And Faraj hadn’t expected either the delights or the dilemmas of Asharan’s magical, soft-pawed little gift. The rules have always been different for the God-Emperor's brother. Faraj never before realized how much. Now he's breakfasting from community cauldrons in back alleys full of children and kittens. His foresight shows him a thousand paths toward disaster, but not the way through. His devoted chamberlain fears that Faraj has been bewitched by a purring agent of chaos, and Faraj can’t exactly say he’s wrong. When the choice comes down to betraying his lover's name, his cat-familiar’s life, or his own use of forbidden magic, Faraj does the only thing he can: He gets himself put on trial for heresy, trying to change the laws of the Empire itself. If his visions always lead him into trouble, he might as well make useful trouble. CHAI AND CHARMCRAFT is the first book in a cozy and queer Middle Eastern M/M fantasy trilogy brimming with charm, intrigue, later-in-life romance, body positivity, and so many kittens. Here, nobody needs a magical makeover to be loved exactly as they are — and their night of joy together isn't where the story ends. That's where it begins...

Siavahda commented on Lazarus's review of Sister Wake

Lazarus

Mar 13, 2026

4.5

Enjoyment: 5.0Quality: 5.0Characters: 4.0Plot: 4.0

This book is excellent. An Irish rage novel with Elden Ring monsters. A little dense in places but overall loved it

Siavahda commented on superpuffin's update

superpuffin started reading...

Slow Gods

Claire North

From one of the most original and dazzling voices in speculative fiction comes an intergalactic tale of conspiracy, war and the fall of empires. My name is Mawukana na-Vdnaze, and I am a very poor copy of myself. In telling my story, there are certain things I should perhaps lie about. I should make myself a hero. Pretend I was not used by strangers and gods, did not leave people behind. Here is one out there in deep-space, in the pilot's chair, I died. And then, I was reborn. I became something not quite human, something that could speak to the infinite dark. And I vowed to become the scourge of the world that wronged me. This is the story of the supernova event that burned planets and felled civilizations. This is also the story of the many lives I've lived since I died for the first time. Are you listening?Discover this thrilling and breathtakingly imaginative space opera from the multi-award-winning Claire North, perfect for fans of Ann Leckie, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Arkady Martine.

Siavahda left a rating...

Siavahda

Apr 19, 2026

4.5

Enjoyment: 5.0Quality: 4.5Characters: 4.5Plot: 3.5

Siavahda made progress on...

Ignore All Previous Instructions

Ada Hoffmann

47%

Siavahda made progress on...

The Red Sacrament

Sara Hinkley

28%

Siavahda made progress on...

The Will to Battle (Terra Ignota #3)

Ada Palmer

61%

Siavahda made progress on...

All Hail Chaos (Time of Iron, #2)

Sarah Rees Brennan

39%

Siavahda made progress on...

Bodies of Magic

Freya Marske

50%

Siavahda commented on Siavahda's review of A Viper Among Kings

DNF

Siavahda

Apr 17, 2026

DNF

2.0

Enjoyment: 0.5Quality: 2.0Characters: 2.0Plot:

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thanks, I hate it.

This reads like bad YA: the language and sentence structure etc are really simple, it’s real big on tell-don’t-show, and the main character (who is centuries old) talks like an annoying modern teenager, complete with her rolling her eyes every other paragraph.

Quotes taken from my review copy, so they may or may not be the same in the published edition come release day.

“Was that so hard?”

Nathan shook his head.

“Exactly. Truth is easier than deceit, Nathan. You’ll be good to remember that.”

He nodded.

“Now, truthfully, I’m going to kill you.”

I absolutely despise this kind of humor, and even moreso I hate the kind of people/ characters who think it’s funny. This was the moment I knew I was going to DNF, because I have no interest in following a protagonist like this.

The writing is full of modernisms – ‘sex dungeon’, ‘you wish’, ‘tits’, etc – which I always hate in not-modern settings. There are wonky lines like

pulling a playing card from the pocket of his colorfully patched jacket that depicted a monarch with the head of a raven.

where the subject of the sentence isn’t clear (is the raven-headed monarch on the card or the jacket?) and idiocies like

two people having a lovely night on top of a display table. And on that display table, groaning under their combined weight, was the shop’s only mirror.

‘caus sure, people would have sex on a mirror, no one would worry about it breaking under them and stabbing them with shards – never mind how expensive mirrors were in pre-modern settings, and that no one would risk breaking something that expensive.

And don’t get me started about how boring the sentient magic is – there’s nothing strange or eldritch about it, it’s just a vicious little goblin, completely uninteresting.

Thanks but no thanks, hard pass.

Siavahda made progress on...

Pasha the Storm

Linda H. Codega

44%

Siavahda wrote a review...

DNF

Siavahda

Apr 17, 2026

DNF

3.0

Enjoyment: 2.0Quality: 3.5Characters: 3.0Plot: 3.0

I made it to 51% and just do not want to read any more.

The blurb is hugely misleading: the Star Eaters are enslaved, though no one calls it slavery and Ro doesn’t realise that’s what it is until he gets there. (And even then, does not realise that immediately.) The whole purpose of his species’ linguists program is not, in fact, to understand the Star Eaters better; it’s so that they can secretly steal/divert the precious material only Star Eaters can harvest. Ro is very much a starry-eyed linguist/anthropologist, but the set-up is not what the back of the book makes it sound like.

It is indeed big on the linguistic angle, which I appreciated even when it went over my head; it feels genuine, and I am a total geek for worldbuilding, which alien linguistics obviously is. And none of the rest of the book feels badly written to me; the prose is good, the characters are convincing, and I am incredibly impressed by how wonderfully alien the Star Eaters are! (So few authors can pull off really alien-feeling aliens.) The growing sense of Something Wrong is building very convincingly; Ro’s growing unease about the situation is marvellous, and marvellously conveyed.

On the other hand…I have no idea what any of the species in this book look like, which was maddening. The linguistics went over my head a lot, and nothing else about the plot was all that interesting to me. I’m a hugely sensory (is that the term?) reader, and without a lot of description I get lost and bored. I loved the moments when we got to experience the alien senses, senses humans don’t have, but other than that there wasn’t a lot here for me. The slavery set-up is naturally very bleak, but it’s also very dull, with a lot of repetition and nothing interesting to picture. Even the conversations Ro has with the Star Eaters tend to repeat a lot, the same mottos/mantras just echoing back and forth.

This isn’t the story I thought I was getting; I thought we’d be seeing the Star Eaters in their natural environment/culture, and what we got instead just isn’t holding my attention. I think a lot of it’s objectively well-written, but I wish it had been a full novel instead, with more room to describe and explain things. As-is this just isn’t for me.

Siavahda DNF'd a book

The Language of Liars

S.L. Huang

"Pitch-perfect science fiction about linguistics and consequences. This book destroyed me."—Yoon Ha Lee, New York Times bestselling author of Ninefox GambitSpeak another people's language. Know them. Become them.And discover you've destroyed them.In his training as a spy, Ro was you will always be living a lie.Jumping into a Star Eater's mind in the first place requires a moment of perfect psychic connection, and he has studied all his life to comprehend their species. Admires them, respects them, is reverent at the idea of being one of them—the only species physiologically capable of mining the element needed for lightyear-spanning space travel. The species all others crave to know more of, but who have notoriously shared so very little. The species Ro's own small civilization, with its dwindling resources and withering reach, needs to know more about.It will feel real, his elders impressed upon him. It will never be real.But Ro's certainty runs he will be different. Ro will not be an imposter hiding the truth of his past, because his heart will be one of them. He will be one of them.To understand is to become. It never occurs to him that the mere act of understanding can destroy.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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