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3h

Nettle & Bone
T. Kingfisher
After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marraâthe shy, convent-raised, third-born daughterâhas finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself. Seeking help from a powerful gravewitch, Marra is offered the tools to kill a princeâif she can complete three impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes, witches, and daughters, the impossible is only the beginning. On her quest, Marra is joined by the gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. Together, the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the throat of the prince and frees Marra's family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler at last.

laraw started reading...
1d

Ninth House
Leigh Bardugo
Galaxy âAlexâ Stern is the most unlikely member of Yaleâs freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say sheâs thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the worldâs most elite universities on a full ride. Whatâs the catch, and why her? Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yaleâs secret societies. These eight windowless âtombsâ are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywoodâs biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

I really wanted to enjoy this book for the cutesy hallmark romance that it tries to be, but I fear it missed the mark for me. The writing was very YA at times, but also extremely millenial. Like, defining characters by their Hogwarts houses millenial. I also found myself repeatedly rolling my eyes at the dialogue, which included pearls such as âWe are literally made of stardustâ. Yes, really. The premise was cute and the audiobook narrator did a good job, but I frankly could not wait to reach the end of this one⌠The astrology sapphics deserve better đ

cloudreads finished a book
1d

Written in the Stars
Alexandria Bellefleur
With nods to Bridget Jones and Pride and Prejudice, a charming #ownvoices queer rom-com debut about a free-spirited social media astrologer who agrees to fake a relationship with an uptight actuary until New Yearâs Eveâwith results not even the stars could predict! After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Loveâand the inevitable heartbreakâis the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesnât expect her lie to bite her in the ass. Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcyâs brotherâand Elle's new business partnerâexpresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward. When Darcy begs Elle to play along, she agrees to pretend theyâre dating to save face. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family over the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Yearâs Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a fake relationship. But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?


cloudreads started reading...
1w

The Bee Sting
Paul Murray
From the author of Skippy Dies comes Paul Murray's The Bee Sting, an irresistibly funny, wise, and thought-provoking tour de force about family, fortune, and the struggle to be a good person when the world is falling apart. The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickieâs once-lucrative car business is going underâbut rather than face the music, heâs spending his days in the woods, building an apocalypse-proof bunker with a renegade handyman. His wife Imelda is selling off her jewelry on eBay, while their teenage daughter Cass, formerly top of her class, seems determined to binge-drink her way through her final exams. And twelve-year-old PJ is putting the final touches to his grand plan to run away from home. Where did it all go wrong? A patch of ice on the tarmac, a casual favor to a charming stranger, a bee caught beneath a bridal veilâcan a single moment of bad luck change the direction of a life? And if the story has already been writtenâis there still time to find a happy ending?

cloudreads commented...
2w
It got to a point where every time Iâd pick it up to read a few more chapters Iâd start crying within like two pages⌠every time đĽ˛

This book wrecked me on every level. ButâŚ
God, it was worth it

As a fan of Bob The Drag Queen, I struggle to give this an objective review. While the writing sometimes reminded me this is a debut novel, having Bob narrate the audiobook made it very easy for me to skate past any issues and go along for the ride. The authorâs passion for the story really shone through, and I found this to be an entirely charming read. Were there unanswered questions? Yes. Did I care? Not particularly. Highly recommend the audiobook for the full musical experience đââď¸

cloudreads TBR'd a book
2w

Almost Life
Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Two young women meet in Paris in this decades-spanning tour de force about the enduring power of young love and the poignant heartbreak of missed chancesâperfect for fans of One Day and Normal People. Erica and Laure meet on the steps of the SacrĂŠ-Coeur in Paris, 1978. Erica is a student, relishing her first summer abroad before beginning university at home in England. Laure is studying for her PhD at the Sorbonne, drinking and smoking far too much, and sleeping with a married woman. The moment the two women meet, the spark is undeniable, but their encounter turns into far more than a summer of love. It is the beginning of a relationship that will define their lives and every decision they have yet to make⌠Erica and Laureâs love story spans decades, marriage, children, secret trysts, and the agonizing changesâboth personal and politicalâthat might mean they can be together, after all. But when life brings them within touching distance again, will they be brave enough to seize a future together? Beautifully capturing young love and all its complexities, Almost Life is a story of longing for the paths not taken, and the almost lives we live.

cloudreads TBR'd a book
2w

Taiwan Travelogue
YĂĄng ShuÄng-zÇ
A bittersweet story of love between two women, nested in an artful exploration of language, history, and power May 1938. The young novelist Aoyama Chizuko has sailed from her home in Nagasaki, Japan, and arrived in Taiwan. Sheâs been invited there by the Japanese government ruling the island, though she has no interest in their official banquets or imperialist agenda. Instead, Chizuko longs to experience real island life and to taste as much of its authentic cuisine as her famously monstrous appetite can bear. Soon a Taiwanese womanâwho is younger even than she is, and who shares the characters of her nameâis hired as her interpreter and makes her dreams come true. The charming, erudite, meticulous Chizuru arranges Chizukoâs travels all over the Land of the South and also proves to be an exceptional cook. Over scenic train rides and braised pork rice, lively banter and winter melon tea, Chizuko grows infatuated with her companion and intent on drawing her closer. But something causes Chizuru to keep her distance. Itâs only after a heartbreaking separation that Chizuko begins to grasp what the âsomethingâ is. Disguised as a translation of a rediscovered text by a Japanese writer, this novel was a sensation on its first publication in Mandarin Chinese in 2020 and won Taiwanâs highest literary honor, the Golden Tripod Award. Taiwan Travelogue unburies lost colonial histories and deftly reveals how power dynamics inflect our most intimate relationships.

This was unhinged from start to finish, but also surprisingly funny? Overall a great blend of horror, comedy, and family drama. It also had a gorgeous art style and really creative premise and execution. My main critique is that I wish weâd had a bit more time to dig deeper into the themes and characters rather than rush through some of the plot, but that is an issue I often have with short graphic novels. Definitely recommend as a quick spooky read!

cloudreads finished a book
2w

The Night Eaters, Vol. 1: She Eats the Night
Marjorie M. Liu
The first volume in a new graphic novel horror trilogy from Marjorie Liu and Sana Takedaâthe creative team behind the New York Times bestselling series Monstress Chinese American twins, Milly and Billy, are having a tough time. On top of the multiple failures in their personal and professional lives, theyâre struggling to keep their restaurant afloat. Luckily their parents, Ipo and Keon, are in town for their annual visit. Having immigrated from Hong Kong before the twins were born, Ipo and Keon have supported their children through thick and thin and are ready to lend a handâbut they're starting to wonder, has their support made Milly and Billy incapable of standing on their own?    When Ipo forces them to help her clean up the house next doorâa hellish and run-down ruin that was the scene of a grisly murderâthe twins are in for a nasty surprise. A night of terror, gore, and supernatural mayhem reveals that there is much more to Ipo and her children than meets the eye. Eisner Awardâwinning and bestselling author Marjorie Liu and illustrator Sana Takeda have crafted a wild and wicked tale that will leave readers hungry for more. She Eats the Night is the perfect start to The Night Eaters trilogy, which is a combination of Monsters by Barry Windsor-Smith and Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan.

As a fan of Bob The Drag Queen, I struggle to give this an objective review. While the writing sometimes reminded me this is a debut novel, having Bob narrate the audiobook made it very easy for me to skate past any issues and go along for the ride. The authorâs passion for the story really shone through, and I found this to be an entirely charming read. Were there unanswered questions? Yes. Did I care? Not particularly. Highly recommend the audiobook for the full musical experience đââď¸

I went into this graphic novel completely blind, never having read the original books, and I had a good time with it! I did feel like I probably would have gotten more out of it with some prior knowledge of the characters and plot, but I let myself wade through the deep end. I also really enjoyed the art style, which immediately points to a well-executed graphic novel for me đ

cloudreads started reading...
2w

The Night Eaters, Vol. 1: She Eats the Night
Marjorie M. Liu
The first volume in a new graphic novel horror trilogy from Marjorie Liu and Sana Takedaâthe creative team behind the New York Times bestselling series Monstress Chinese American twins, Milly and Billy, are having a tough time. On top of the multiple failures in their personal and professional lives, theyâre struggling to keep their restaurant afloat. Luckily their parents, Ipo and Keon, are in town for their annual visit. Having immigrated from Hong Kong before the twins were born, Ipo and Keon have supported their children through thick and thin and are ready to lend a handâbut they're starting to wonder, has their support made Milly and Billy incapable of standing on their own?    When Ipo forces them to help her clean up the house next doorâa hellish and run-down ruin that was the scene of a grisly murderâthe twins are in for a nasty surprise. A night of terror, gore, and supernatural mayhem reveals that there is much more to Ipo and her children than meets the eye. Eisner Awardâwinning and bestselling author Marjorie Liu and illustrator Sana Takeda have crafted a wild and wicked tale that will leave readers hungry for more. She Eats the Night is the perfect start to The Night Eaters trilogy, which is a combination of Monsters by Barry Windsor-Smith and Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan.

This book wrecked me on every level. ButâŚ
God, it was worth it