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plain.sjane

opinionated linguist above everything else

176 points

0% overlap
Sapphic Across Genres
LGBTQ+ Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Found Family in Fantasy
My Taste
Antenora
Babel
This is How You Lose the Time War
Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, #1)
A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan, #1)

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2w
  • A Little Life
    plain.sjane
    Feb 16, 2026
    4.5
    Enjoyment: 2.5Quality: 4.0Characters: 4.0Plot: 3.0
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    5w
  • Queen of Faces
    plain.sjane
    Jan 30, 2026
    3.0
    Enjoyment: 3.5Quality: 3.0Characters: 3.5Plot: 3.5

    Okay… let’s start with what I liked. Lord has given us a really intriguing magic system and a magical university that feels oddly nostalgic and fresh at the same time. The way this book plays with gender and identity through body swapping is, without a doubt, completely singular. There is a great foundation for found family with a ragtag group of unexpected friends.

    Now for the tough part of this conversation. Almost nothing in this story is fully explained. I would say you get between 40-80% and I don’t think you can blame that on this being a series or building tension. Similarly, there is SO MUCH HAPPENING that it feels like whiplash when we move through the scenes. Did I like the idea and progression? Yes, but it felt so busy, like I couldn’t concentrate on what was important. I do feel that Lord needs to do better at indicating how time is passing because I had no idea a year had passed in these 400 pages.

    Last thing before I get off the mic.. Lord has GREAT characters here, but we never really get to know them. It doesn’t feel like you know them or want to root for them.

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    5w
  • Queen of Faces
    Thoughts from 86%
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