acidicchaos

30s. Polygenre-ous Reader. The curtain WAS blue for a reason AND it is always that deep. 2026 Secondary Reading Goal: ≥10% nonfiction (March 1st: 9%)

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Can't Spell Treason Without Tea (Tomes & Tea, #1)

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Half City

Kate Golden

Welcome to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. Keep your daggers sharp, and your wits even sharper.Viv Abbot is an average twenty-one-year-old girl. She lives in an expensive city where the rent is too high, works long hours at a thankless job, and is dating a guy she doesn’t even like in the hopes of winning her prickly mother’s approval.She also happens to be a demon hunter.Ever since her father's murder, she's been forced to hunt deviants alone, meaning everyone, including her family, sees her as an outsider . . . until the day she crosses paths with a dangerously alluring demon, Reid Graveheart. The reformed deviant tells her of a school for people just like Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. If she enrolls, she'll learn to hone her craft, work with other hunters, and never be alone again.But Viv has a deadly secret. One that not even her new friends at Harker can know about, not if the school might hold the answers to untangling the mystery surrounding Viv's father’s death. When strange occurrences begin to plague the students, Viv will have to figure out who she can trust, fast, all while trying to ace her classes, avoid falling for a demon, and make it through her first year at Harker in one piece. How hard could that be?

acidicchaos commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

prongsreads

Edited

For the TBR trackers: how do you calculate pages you need to read each day for a deadline?

I read mostly library books and ARCs which both have deadlines. My main reading tracking app will very helpfully track the number of pages I need to read in each book before the deadline for each book, but it doesn't track total pages I need to read each day across all books, especially if each book has a different deadline.

I've tried making spreadsheets, but I'm hopeless at figuring out formulas honestly, so I've come to PB to ask the TBR tracking gods, how do you do it?

Sometimes I just want to know if I should make time for another chapter to finish on time or if I just need to DNF a book because there's no way I'm getting it done by the deadline.

Edit for clarification: I couldn't figure out how to say this earlier, but I want to be able to track how many total pages a day because I don't want to read 5 pages each out of 6 different books every day (which is how my current app tracks it). I'd rather read 30 pages a day out of one book until I finish it and then move on to the next book. Does that make sense? It gets more complicated as different books have different due dates of course.

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Strange Girls

Sarvat Hasin

From the prize-winning author of The Giant Dark comes a beautiful exploration of the ties that bind us and the scars they leave when they break. Aliyah and Ava arrive in England from opposite corners of the world with dreams built upon Emily Brontë, Brideshead Revisited and Richard Curtis films. Instead, in the shadow of their historic, fairytale campus, they get the sense that they don't belong. The two form a Vita-and-Virginia-like bond, building a world full of stories that they write together. For a time, they are inseparable in their identity as 'strange girls'. When the end of university looms, they will have to return to the world where a devotion like this seems impossible to maintain. Years later, Aliyah has everything Ava wants - a room of her own and a publishing deal - and, worse, the thing Ava was certain neither of them had ever wanted: a sensible doctor husband. Arriving back in London for a mutual friend's hen party, Ava is desperate to unpack the truth of what she really meant to Aliyah. Was what they had - whatever you call it - real? And what will become of the stories they tell themselves about one another?

acidicchaos commented on linnie's review of Strange Girls

linnie

Mar 25, 2026

4.5

Enjoyment: 4.0Quality: 4.5Characters: 4.5Plot: 4.0

✍️

👭

❤️‍🩹

Strange Girls by Sarvat Hasin follows a pair of college best friends who have become somewhat estranged over the years and are now forced into close proximity due to their mutual friend's upcoming wedding, split between two timelines: the beginning of their friendship during school, and the current day as they grapple at resurrecting an addictive relationship from their youth.

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this book: the formatting of said timelines and the way they switched between chapters and the POV's of the two girls, how realistically the characters are fleshed out, how gritty every relationship feels between them all (familial, platonic, romantic, it doesn't matter), the weaving of important issues within ex. ethnicity, gender identity, and sexuality. This novel is right up my alley! I absolutely adore dysfunctional characters, especially when they're obsessed with one another, on the verge of something more- and boy, are these girls on the verge of something more.

The first third felt a bit slow moving, but once I got two thirds of the way in, I was hooked. I needed to know more about our main characters Ava and Aliya, about their rapidly all-consuming friendship, the other girls they kept close to them, who they were individually and how their own characteristics were both what caused this magnetism between them but also friction and discomfort. I loved watching them struggle internally, to see them come of age but also retain some of their traits from young adulthood. The further I read, the more enthralled and attached I became.

My main gripe with Strange Girls is that the ending wasn't entirely satisfactory. It felt rushed, and left me a bit confused on the timeline and where our beloved Ava and Aliya may go from here, not in the way of wanting an entire sequel, but just pining for a bit more of a wrap up.

Overall it is written beautifully, covers all of my usual interests, and is titled in a tastefully ironic way in my opinion: are these Strange Girls, or just girls finding their way? "STRANGE GIRLS--Can They Marry Like Other Girls? Have Children? Be Happy As They Are? Why Were They Born?"

I received this book complimentary from the publisher through NetGalley. All the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop

Takuya Asakura

15%

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Your Body is Not Your Body

Alex Woodroe

A centaur seeks illicit surgery in an alien bodily modification club. Two medieval monks react to their transformation and demonic pregnancy in very different ways. A resourceful trans teen destroys sports bigots through the power of pluckiness...and abundant body horror. A stellar cathedral crosses galaxies to dump the corpse of God into a star before the mission devolves into a panoply of psychedelic orgies. A doxxed teen falls victim to violent assault and dishes out some harrowing retribution of their own. Over thirty Trans and Gender Nonconforming creators unite to voice their rage, and the rules of conventional Horror go out the f$%&ing window in this collection featuring murderous pleasure-bots; proselytizing zombies; acid-filled alien cops; science run amok; sorcerers, ghouls, cannibals...and that barely scratches the grave-dirt. YOUR BODY IS NOT YOUR BODY Table of Contents Introduction by M. Belanger The Flensing Lens—LC von Hessen Tonsilstonespunksplatter666!—Rain Corbyn High Maintenance—S.A. Chant The Infinite Being—F. Tullia Catulla Brother Maternitas—Viktor Athelstan The Same Thing That Happened to Sam—M. Lopes da Silva Ballad of the Pest—Meagan Hotz Playing House—Ziggy Schutz Hybrid—Rose Sable Cholesterol-Monoxide—W.N. Derring-Judith Why We Keep Exploding—Hailey Piper We've Been Trying to Reach You—Charles Maria Tor Lost in Reincarnation—Devaki Devay Because My Mother Tells Me So—Dayna Ingram Seaflowers—Ori Jay Fencing Chestplate—Avi Burton Gender Envy—Gabriel Valentine Rest, my head.—Cosmin-Mihai Bîrsan The Divine Carcass—Bitter Karella Chironoplasty—Joe Koch #MOTHERMAYHEM—Jei D. Marcade The Lives of Scavengers—Rhiannon Rasmussen The Simulacrum—Max Turner The Roots They Pull—Taylor J. Pitts Stench—Vincent Endwell The Pearl Diver—Bri Crozier Tiny Magic—G.E. Woods Cover art Mx Morgan G Robles Featuring illustrations Harrison Webb Lex Lillian Hochwender Becca Snow Rieroo Cori Walters William Taylor

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Fowl Play: A History of the Chicken from Dinosaur to Dinner Plate

Sally Coulthard

From dinosaur to dinner plate, Sally Coulthard tells the fascinating – and sometimes shocking – story of the domestic chicken. Earth is home to 23 billion chickens, at least ten times more than any other bird. For every human on the planet, there are three chickens. Despite being capable of flying only a few metres, this most adaptable animal has somehow managed to conquer the world. In Fowl Play, Sally Coulthard probes every aspect of the genus Gallus: the evolution and domestication of the chicken; its social behaviour and array of physically striking varieties, from Rhode Island Reds to Belgian d'Uccles and from Buff Orpingtons to White Leghorns; its importance in ancient Egyptian religion, Roman augury and Christian theology; its role as egg-providing companion on farms and smallholdings and in suburban back gardens; and the darker reality of modern poultry farming and society's insatiable appetite for chicken breasts, wings and nuggets. This is a story of evolutionary change, epic global travel and exploitation, as well as biophilia, companionship and human ingenuity.

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The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop

Takuya Asakura

For fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, What You Are Looking for Is In the Library, and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop comes an enchanting novel that will linger in your heart long after the last page is turned. As the last petal falls, the final page is turned… Welcome to The Cherry Blossom Bookshop, a haven for book lovers that only appears during the fleeting cherry blossom season. Nestled amidst the bloom of delicate petals, you’ll find a sanctuary for those burdened by regrets and past sorrows. Here, Sakura, the mysterious young owner, and her wise calico cat, Kobako, patiently await the arrival of souls in need of solace and healing. Told over four seasons, each visitor to the bookshop holds a book that bridges their past and present, guiding them towards understanding and acceptance. Within the antique charm of the shop and the soothing aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Sakura and Kobako help their guests confront their lingering sadness through the power of stories, enabling them to move forward with renewed hope.

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Raising Hare: A Memoir

Chloe Dalton

A moving and fascinating meditation on freedom, trust, loss, and our relationship with the natural world, explored through the story of one woman’s unlikely friendship with a wild hare.Imagine you could hold a baby hare and bottle-feed it. Imagine that it lived under your roof and lolloped around your bedroom at night, drumming on the duvet cover when it wanted your attention. Imagine that, over two years later, it still ran in from the fields when you called it and slept in your house for hours on end and gave birth to leverets in your study. For political advisor and speechwriter Chloe Dalton, who spent lockdown deep in the English countryside, far away from her usual busy London life, this became her unexpected reality.In February 2021, Dalton stumbles upon a newborn hare—a leveret—that had been chased by a dog. Fearing for its life, she brings it home, only to discover how impossible it is to rear a wild hare, most of whom perish in captivity from either shock or starvation. Through trial and error, she learns to feed and care for the leveret with every intention of returning it to the wilderness. Instead, it becomes her constant companion, wandering the fields and woods at night and returning to Dalton’s house by day. Though Dalton feared that the hare would be preyed upon by foxes, stoats, feral cats, raptors, and even people, she never tried to restrict it to the house. Each time the hare leaves, Chloe knows she may never see it again. Yet she also understands that to confine it would be its own kind of death.Raising Hare chronicles their journey together, while also taking a deep dive into the lives and nature of hares, and the way they have been viewed historically in art, literature, and folklore. We witness first-hand the joy at this extraordinary relationship between human and animal, which serves as a reminder that the best things, and most beautiful experiences, arise when we least expect them.

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acidicchaos

Mar 25, 2026

2.5

Enjoyment: 2.5Quality: 2.5Characters: 2.5Plot: 2.0

I wanted to love this one more than I did after reading the other two books in this world, but somewhere between the premise of this one and the payoff of a few things got lost in translation for me.

What This Book Did Well The setup is genuinely compelling and Moronova commits to the tension from the start. The story moves at a solid clip, and there's enough forward moment that I kept going even when certain elements didn't fully stick the landing. What also stands out is the tonal consistency. Moronova clearly set up to write something dark, volatile, and emotionally charged. The dynamic between Nell (Bunny) and Bones leans hard into intensity with mutual hostility if not outright enemies, but you can always feel something messier underneath it. This is a book that knows what it is and commits to it which I applaud. Whether or not it works for you will come largely down to taste in my opinion.

Where It Falls Short For Me The biggest stumbling block was execution - specifically in character logic and worldbuilding consistency. The story asks you to buy into a highly trained, elite special ops unite operating under life-or-death conditions. But there are enough moments when character decisions and team behavior feel out of step with that level of expertise that it really started to chip away at the credibility for me. When the stakes are supposed to feel that high, the inconsistencies pulled me out of the story. The worldbuilding has similar issues particularly around trust, identity, and backstory that's meant to carry the emotional weight. Those elements are there, but the way they unfold doesn't always align with how the characters respond to them. As a result, some of the bigger emotional beats feel under-supported, like the story was asking me to feel something it hadn't fully set up yet. The romance itself is going to be very reader-dependent. The dynamic between Bunny and Bones leans heavily into dominant/submissive territory with sadistic/masochistic behaviors. While it's clearly intentional, the balance between tension, consent, and emotional development felt uneven to me which made it harder to fully invest in where the relationship was going. I'm not asking a dark romance to act as a BDSM educational textbook, but I really didn't love the lack of consent/discussion between the couple outside of the "scene". I can kind of get it because of the characters backstories, but it's a significant issue for my personal enjoyment. While the overarching plot was engaging enough to carry me through - the final resolution ultimately didn't land for me. There are interesting ideas in motion and I could see what it was reading for, but with the other issues I had in the book, the ending didn't land with the punch it could have with a more solid set up.

Audiobook Experience I have listened to these two narrators in Moronova's other books in this world. Once again, Isabelle Turner and Walker Williams delivered fantastic performances! Since the book is mostly from Nell's perspective, I think Isabelle deserves an extra shout out for her performance here.

Who I Would Recommend This To This is for dark romance readers who don't scare easily. This is 1st person POV with dual narration (mostly from Nell's perspective) very explicit and very spicy (Dominant/Sadistic MMC with Submissive/Masochistic FMC) I highly encourage potential readers to read the content disclosures before diving in.

Final Thoughts & Opinions I'm glad I read the other two books in this world first, because I don't know if I would have continued on to read those if this had been my first exposure. I'm cautious curious about exploring Moronova's other worlds, but I'm not jumping at the bit to start another one after this. There is definitely an audience for this one and I don't think my reservations should be yours necessarily. The concept was really interesting and Moronova has a voice that can really pull you in. It really came down to the inconsistencies in the execution and my personal preferences in the sexual dynamics between characters. I am also a huge fan of life-or-death stakes enemies-to-lovers, but even that ended up not fully connecting with me because of the other issues.

TL;DR - The bones (pun intended) are good, but it doesn't all come together for me in the end.

My thanks to my local public library for having the whole "trilogy" of books set in this world available as audiobooks. You the real MVP here.

Scoring Breakdown Personal Enjoyment: 2.5 Overall Execution: 2 Craft & Writing Quality: 3 Characters: 2.5 Plot: 2 Final Score: 2.4

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Leave Me Behind

K.M. Moronova

Nell Gallows is the sole survivor of an elite dark forces squad, Riøt, after a detrimental attack two years ago. Unsurprisingly, she’s being put up as the top candidate for the special ops Malum. The squad that goes where no one else will or can. There’s only one Malum blames their one casualty from the Patagonia mission on the Riøt squad. So what is she to do when she finds herself on a plane to California and on her way to a sure death sentence? A one-night stand. At least, that’s all it was supposed to be—one last night to be free. Only, she finds out too late that the dark and mysterious man she solely wanted as a fling is not only her new comrade but also the one she dreaded meeting most—her immediate superior and untouchable devil in the field. Bones. He’s hell on earth—cruel and unforgiving, but most of all, he hates her, and he makes sure she knows it. And yet, she finds herself unwilling to leave his side when he’s unable to get to the evac point when their mission goes awry. She stays behind with the devil and the secrets he keeps. They only have one another to trust when no faith is left.

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ItachisHowlis

Thoughts from 100% (page 461)

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