Post from the A Desperate Fortune (Mary & Hugh, #1) forum
hs_bookdragon made progress on...
hs_bookdragon made progress on...
hs_bookdragon started reading...

A Desperate Fortune (Mary & Hugh, #1)
Susanna Kearsley
hs_bookdragon finished a book

Things You Save in a Fire
Katherine Center
hs_bookdragon started reading...

Things You Save in a Fire
Katherine Center
hs_bookdragon wrote a review...
I have mixed thoughts on this book, largely thanks to a publisher blurb that gives away entirely too much. If you're interested in reading this, skip the inside cover, as it spoils the entire first third of the story. Because I made the mistake of reading it, I was bored through the first section of the book. I started getting into it during the second section, but it wasn't until the third section that the narrative finally hooked me.
Additionally, the romance subplot feels forced. While I could understand an attachment forming because of their deal, the central dynamic felt off—either neither character actually knows what love is, they're mistaking other feelings for affection, or the relationship is just plain toxic. Fortunately, the romance isn't central to the main plot, making it easy enough to dismiss for the most part.
To be clear, my early boredom was the fault of the blurb's spoilers, not the writing itself. The evolution of the push-pull conflict between Miriam and Cybil is genuinely compelling, and it truly shines in the third section when Cybil takes matters into her own hands with a badass confidence reminiscent of how she started. Ultimately, the strong writing elevates what would otherwise be a middle-of-the-road 3-star read into a solid 4-star review.
hs_bookdragon finished a book

As Many Souls as Stars
Natasha Siegel
Post from the As Many Souls as Stars forum
View spoiler
hs_bookdragon commented on a post
Post from the As Many Souls as Stars forum
hs_bookdragon commented on a post
I feel like it took 126 pages just to get beyond what’s stated in the synopsis… but enjoying it so far!
hs_bookdragon commented on a post
hs_bookdragon commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Now this could just be me and I'm a terrible person but I find that authors have a really hard time making art or music seem authentic. It often just feels kinda cringy but I can't put my finger on why?!
For example if a character likes drawing an author will be like "I got lost in the beauty of my own work, sketching those pools of ocean blue I dreamt of nightly. I drew page after page, by the time I finished the sun was coming up, my pencils were just nubs, my thumbs bled from the exertion."
Or if the character is a musician they'll be like "I felt the vibrations of the strings into the core of my aorta" or something lol.
It sometimes feels like the author is almost oversimplifying what it means to be an artist (which is odd because a writer is an artist).
The most "popular" example I can think of is Feyre randomly whacking out her painting kit at any given opportunity in ACOTAR.
The only time I've found it done well is in Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. The artist wasn't just lustfully sketching their muse, but making interesting mixed media pieces, the meaning of which was very pertinent to the story.
Am I making any sense?? It just often feels very difficult to take these representations seriously. Whereas I feel like when characters have other hobbies or jobs, they are more normal about it.
hs_bookdragon started reading...

As Many Souls as Stars
Natasha Siegel