Gillig’s writing is magical. I loved how she told this story, the lore and the imperfections in each character. The banter and comedic timing interspersed was also just so well done in that it didn’t detract from the story but allowed for light moments in a serious plot (Bartholomew!). Each supporting character I enjoyed just as much as the main character.

I didn’t love the ending of book 1, it was a bit of low hanging fruit. Still can’t wait to read book 2 though.

Ah so initially after reading I really liked this, but the more I thought about it, the more things came up that made me like it less. The concept of will and the hierarchy was fascinating, and I enjoyed Vis’ character for the most part. The relationships he built at the academy and the found family with Callidus and Eihdin were aspects I really enjoyed.

The author dislikes women lol like why are they always the villain? Relucia, Belli and Emissa and even Aequa have few distinct character traits, and serve as characters to challenge, deceive or extort Vis (and not always in a good way).

The world building in this one is pretty heavy at the beginning and I found the density made it harder to get into, despite my interest in the concepts, but it sped up a lot toward the middle and end and left me wanting to read the next book in the series.

Parody? Cautionary tale? Whatever this is, it I seemed funny at first until it wasn’t. This novel is so sinister, and offers an interesting perspective into Christian white nationalism, conservatism, and the crucial role women play in upholding these institutions, even if it’s to their own demise. Every character was at the very least unlikeable (or horrendous), but you read anyway because you want to see what happens... it was like a car accident.

This was a festive, hetero spin on Under the Whispering Door lol. Not the best timing for my library to make this available to me given that it’s springtime, but it was cute, less the weird PJ obsession.

I really enjoyed the meet cute of this series and how Emma fit effortlessly into Preston’s family, despite the obvious fact that they were strangers. However, that she didn’t know he was a pro footballer despite being in her friends’ husbands’ social circles wasn’t my favourite plot device. Started strong, and I enjoyed that she was able to find herself instead of throwing herself into a man. Also Gram was the best!! So cute.