lavagirl

she/her. librarian. i love epic fantasy adventures and anything with a great cast of characters. bonus if it's queer

1244 points

0% overlap

My Taste

Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist

Reading...

33%

Cello's Gate (The Sky Pirates of Imperia, #1)

Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism

54%

51%

lavagirl wrote a review...

lavagirl

Jul 19, 2026

Mark of the Warrior

3.0

Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

🐉

🫂

🧱

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books, and authors Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee for the opportunity to read an e-ARC of this title!

When I saw the second book to the Breathmarked duology on NetGalley, I was so excited. I really enjoyed the first book and couldn't wait to dive back into Jun's world. Generally, I don't read much YA anymore, but this series is one of the exceptions. I love the premise of the fantasy world and the martial arts elements throughout. One of my favorite elements of the first book was the Dragon Tournament, so I was curious how the second would play out now that the Tournament was finished, but I really enjoyed how the story developed more of Jun and Sai's relationship and their connection. I feel like the plot really got interesting around 50 percent for this reason! Before this, I was a little bored and felt like the plot was meandering, but I still enjoyed reading about all the characters and how they developed. I guess it just felt like the plot was moving the characters around? But I think the characters and their dynamics are the strength of this duology. Yin Yue's character was especially great and I love how this book explored how he adapted to having one hand. I did find myself annoyed at the focus on Jun's crush on Ren (I do not like love triangles and also I feel like Jun had other things to worry about tbh), but I liked how it turned out in the end and I feel like Ren was able to maintain her independence as a character in her own right. Hooray! I kind of wish we got some of Sai's point of view, even if it was brief…But overall I am satisfied with this conclusion to the duology and enjoyed reading it! Mark of the Warrior provides a lot of closure and I love the overarching messages the story tells about friendship, disability, and celebrating everyone's own unique gifts. I'd sum up the series with, “maybe the real dragon mark was the friendship we made along the way.”

lavagirl made progress on...

Brightstorm (Brightstorm, #1)

Vashti Hardy

33%

Post from the Brightstorm (Brightstorm, #1) forum

lavagirl

Edited

Thoughts from 4%

The fur collar moved again. This time it raised a head and winked. It wasn't a fur collar at all—she had an animal draped around her neck.

Otto from Barbie as Rapunzel

lavagirl started reading...

Brightstorm (Brightstorm, #1)

Vashti Hardy

Remember what Dad said? Don’t call it a dream, call it a plan. There’s always a way, Maud, there has to be. Arthur and Maudie Brightstorm are devastated to learn that their famous explorer father has died in a failed attempt to reach South Polaris, the southernmost point in the world. To make matters worse, the Lontown Geographical Society finds Ernest Brightstorm guilty of sabotaging the expedition of his competitor, Eudora Vane, a respected and powerful member of the Society. But then a mysterious clue leads the twins to question the story they’ve been told. Joining the ragtag crew of the Aurora, a homemade sky-ship captained by the intrepid Harriet Culpepper, Arthur and Maudie race to South Polaris to salvage their family’s reputation. As the sky-ship sets sail, the twins must keep their wits about them if they are to uncover the truth about what happened on their father’s doomed expedition, and to prove themselves worthy explorers. Brightstorm is a propulsive, vividly imagined fantasy adventure set among vibrant landscapes and peopled with dynamic and unforgettable characters.

lavagirl TBR'd a book

A Gallery of Rogues (The Swifts #2)

Beth Lincoln

Shenanigan Swift is headed to Paris, where new mysteries and new relatives await. The hilarious, quick-witted sequel to Beth Lincoln’s instant bestseller. Now that the murderer has been caught and her family is safe, Shenanigan Swift can return her attention to important projects, like combing the lake bottom for the family treasure. But the routine won’t last for long, because a new adventure is about to begin--in Paris. Shenanigan, Phenomena, and their uncle Maelstrom are off to France to unravel the mystery of a strange series of elaborately staged art museum heists. The A Gallery of Rogues is the highly anticipated sequel to Beth Lincoln’s celebrated debut, The A Dictionary of Scoundrels . Beloved characters are back, joined by a fresh flock of relatives—the Martinets, the French branch of the Swift family tree. There are new mysteries—and more dead bodies—in this delicious sequel that once again celebrates words, family, and lots of shenanigans.

lavagirl commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

shanethe_readingrat

what are your hobbies BESIDES reading???

in my time on PB, i’ve noticed that a lot of people here seem to enjoy making crafts in addition to reading (fabric crafts, diamond painting, etc etc). which is super cool! i’d love to know what everybody else here loves to do that isn’t reading :] for me: i love doing anything outside (the activity doesn’t matter, if i could be outdoors all the time i would be), music (listening to it, playing it, and songwriting!) and drawing

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lavagirl

Thoughts from 10% (page 46)

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Post from the Project Hail Mary forum

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Thoughts from 10% (page 46)

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lavagirl started reading...

Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he?

lavagirl commented on antari.reads's update

antari.reads started reading...

Blood Over Bright Haven

M.L. Wang

The first woman ever admitted to a prestigious order of mages unravels a secret conspiracy that could change the practice of magic forever, in this standalone dark fantasy from the author of The Sword of Kaigen. For twenty years, Sciona has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry. When Sciona finally passes the qualifying exam and becomes a highmage, she finds her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues are determined to make her feel unwelcome—and, instead of a qualified lab assistant, they give her a janitor. What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was not always a janitor. Ten years ago, he was a nomadic hunter who lost his family on their perilous journey from the wild plains to the city. But now he sees the opportunity to understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the privileged in power. At first, mage and outsider have a fractious relationship. But working together, they uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first.

lavagirl wrote a review...

lavagirl

Jul 13, 2026

Brume, Volume 1: The Dragon Awakens

5.0

Enjoyment: 5.0Quality: 5.0Characters: 5.0Plot: 5.0

🧹

🐖

🐲

SOO cute and funny, loved the illustrations and the humor. adorable

lavagirl finished a book

Mark of the Warrior

Shannon Lee

In the explosive finale to the instant New York Times bestseller Breath of the Dragon, a young warrior fights to reunite his family and the realm. Two brothers. Two nations. One destiny. Exiled as a traitor after the Guardian’s Tournament, Li Jun has vowed to retrieve the stolen Scroll of Heaven and to honor his father’s dying request: find his mother and twin brother, Sai. Fleeing into the East in search of their friend Ren, Jun and his longtime rival Yin Yue have no choice but to trust the two breathmarked women who saved their lives but who answer to the mysterious and draconian Council of Virtue that tore Jun’s family apart and banished him and his father a decade ago. Recovering the Scrolls of Heaven or Earth in order to stop the brewing war that threatens to devastate East and West alike isn’t Jun’s only seemingly insurmountable challenge. The twin he was separated from in childhood is now the High Keeper who resides in the Sun Pagoda, protecting the precious Scroll of Earth from all potential enemies…including Jun. The fate of the entire land hinges on an inevitable reckoning between brothers that will test their skills, their loyalties, and everything they thought they knew about themselves and the nature of destiny.

lavagirl finished a book

Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1

Hiromu Arakawa

Breaking the laws of nature is a serious crime! In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical “auto-mail” limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother’s bodies...the legendary Philosopher’s Stone. the mystical power to alter the natural world; something between magic, art and science. When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, dabbled in this power to grant their dearest wish, one of them lost an arm and a leg…and the other became nothing but a soul locked into a body of living steel. Now Edward is an agent of the government, a slave of the military-alchemical complex, using his unique powers to obey orders…even to kill. Except his powers aren't unique. The world has been ravaged by the abuse of alchemy. And in pursuit of the ultimate alchemical treasure, the Philosopher's Stone, their enemies are even more ruthless than they are…

lavagirl commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

essiest

Edited

Bookmarks!

Hey Boundlings! I am starting to read more physical books and I'm just wondering where you get your bookmarks?

I prefer cardstock or other thin ones and really don't want to spend a ton on them because I want to use my money for actual books. How do we feel about magnetic ones? I have a single leather magnetic one (my only bookmark) and it's not my favorite because it's not really thin enough for my taste.

In the past, I have actually used business cards I acquired but I can't even find any around the house so I'm at a loss at the moment.

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