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Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
Lex Croucher
Post from the One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1) forum
Post from the One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1) forum
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Girl, Serpent, Thorn
Melissa Bashardoust
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Violet Made of Thorns (Violet Made of Thorns, #1)
Gina Chen
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Someone You Can Build a Nest In
John Wiswell
Post from the One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1) forum
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The Everlasting
Alix E. Harrow
mandersreads wrote a review...
Appropriately hyped book!! I really loved this!
The arc of this book is so incredibly compelling - the main character, raised literally cloistered in a cathedral by a dogmatically religious abbess, is suddenly torn apart from everything she loves and needs to go on an adventure to seek out the truth. And it’s so thoughtfully crafted. This is a fantasy religion with real political power, and the narrative explores these themes of devotion vs blind faith, autonomy vs control. The way the protagonist struggles with her faith and takes back her own agency, reclaims her own power, is genuinely beautiful. And all on a fantasy backdrop that almost feels like Elden Ring to me, until the humor and hope come through so strongly that it feels like something entirely unique.
I also love that the main character embodies all these classic traits of a defiant, stubborn, and snarky female protagonist but that she’s not a loner. She has deep bonds with other characters, from beginning to end. The romance in this book is so tender too — the love interest is so considerate and devoted to our protagonist without his own character traits getting lost. In fact, a lot of the side characters feel very rich, even and especially the gargoyle (he’s hilarious and he also made me cry!!)
There were points where I honestly felt like we were rushing through the plot, like this book could have been longer without getting at all boring, and to be honest, there was one character I felt was under-explored. Considering he’s the apparent villain of the next book though, I’m gonna hold out hope that we get that exploration soon. I’m sure the next installment will be just as gripping and emotional as this one!
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mandersreads DNF'd a book

War Crimes (World of Warcraft, #13)
Christie Golden
mandersreads DNF'd a book

War Crimes (World of Warcraft, #13)
Christie Golden
mandersreads started reading...

One Dark Window
Rachel Gillig
mandersreads finished a book

The Knight and the Moth
Rachel Gillig