kinetics

lauren | 🏳️‍🌈 | she/her | sf bay | 30+ spec fic, fantasy. character driven.

4330 points

0% overlap

My Taste

The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)

Reading...

Not "A Nation of Immigrants": Settler Colonialism, White Supremacy, and a History of Erasure and Exclusion

11%

kinetics started reading...

The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2)

Brandon Sanderson

"Description contains spoilers for previous book in the series" The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler—the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years—has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves. As Kelsier's protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her. Stopping assassins may keep Vin's Mistborn skills sharp, but it's the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn't run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier's crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won't get easier with three armies - one of them composed of ferocious giants - now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler's hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal. As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

kinetics started reading...

Goddess of the River

Vaishnavi Patel

A powerful reimagining of the story of Ganga, goddess of the river, and her doomed mortal son, from Vaishnavi Patel, author of the instant New York Times bestseller Kaikeyi . A mother and a son. A goddess and a prince. A curse and an oath. A river whose course will change the fate of the world. Ganga, joyful goddess of the river, serves as caretaker to the mischievous godlings who roam her banks. But when their antics incur the wrath of a powerful sage, Ganga is cursed to become mortal, bound to her human form until she fulfills the obligations of the curse. Though she knows nothing of mortal life, Ganga weds King Shantanu and becomes a queen, determined to regain her freedom no matter the cost. But in a cruel turn of fate, just as she is freed of her binding, she is forced to leave her infant son behind. Her son, prince Devavrata, unwittingly carries the legacy of Ganga’s curse. And when he makes an oath that he will never claim his father’s throne, he sets in motion a chain of events that will end in a terrible and tragic war. As the years unfold, Ganga and Devavrata are drawn together again and again, each confluence another step on a path that has been written in the stars, in this deeply moving and masterful tale of duty, destiny, and the unwavering bond between mother and son.

kinetics wrote a review...

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)

kinetics

Mar 12, 2026

4.0

Enjoyment: 4.0Quality: 3.5Characters: 0.5Plot: 4.5

this book was so much fun, and one of my favorite fantasies i’ve read lately. cinematic without being overly image driven, deep enough in its lore that i got to dive into a new world - just chef’s kiss. i’ve never seen anything like the allomancy magic system before and thought it was so interesting and clever; seeing the ways that people used it was an absolute joy. the plot was interesting and fast paced, but still gave the reader time to spend with the characters that let me understand them on a deeper level.

my main gripe was the romance - incredibly shallow, fast, and quite immaturely written - but i loved everything else so much that it hardly mattered. i also thought that the ending came together quite quickly, given the length of the book, but it still worked for me.

i’ve already got book two loaded up and ready to go.

kinetics finished a book

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)

Brandon Sanderson

Where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. Criminal mastermind Kelsier teaches Allomancy, the magic of metals, to another Mistborn, urchin Vin 16. The unlikely heroine is distracted by rich Venture heir Elend. Can Kelsier's thieving crew take on the tyrant Lord Ruler and bring back colour to their world?

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kinetics

Thoughts from 87% (ch34)

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kinetics

Thoughts from 87% (ch34)

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kinetics TBR'd a book

Goddess of the River

Vaishnavi Patel

kinetics commented on a post

kinetics

Thoughts from 60% (page 390, ch23)

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kinetics made progress on...

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)

Brandon Sanderson

64%

Post from the Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1) forum

kinetics

Thoughts from 60% (page 390, ch23)

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beloved404

Edited

Thoughts from 28%

Sooo hooked now!! I am really loving the suspense, getting to know the characters, the magic system and world building. I think Sazed might be my favourite 🥹 The way he cares about preserving culture and about protecting and teaching Vin is everything.

However. Will we ever meet a female character that is not a disregarded servant, a girl in danger enabling Kelsier to show his heroicism, the dead wife serving as a reason for revenge, or the young apprentice who is "not like other girls" (read: not initially conventionally pretty, tough, and strong)? To clarify, I don't think that's all that Vin is, I actually really like her and think her character development is going to be super interesting! I just cannot help but notice that she also doesn't have a lot of agency (yet?). Plus, I wish she could have a female friend or person to look up to. 🫠 please tell me it gets better!

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kinetics

Edited

Thoughts from 30% (page 88)

“Human beings fear difference,” Lilith had told him once. “[they] persecute their different ones, yet they need them to give themselves definition and status.”

This book is almost 40 years old. Octavia Butler and her contemporaries have clocked this for so long and yet we as a species seem to be stuck in the same trap.

kinetics made progress on...

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)

Brandon Sanderson

59%

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