quackquackquack

1732 points

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Reading...

30%

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)

79%

37%

quackquackquack TBR'd a book

Babylonia

Costanza Casati

From the author of the bestselling Clytemnestra comes another intoxicating excursion into ancient history, as Casati reimagines the rise to power of the Assyrian empire's only female ruler, Semiramis. When kings fall, queens rise. Nothing about Semiramis's upbringing could have foretold her legacy or the power she would come to wield. A female ruler, once an orphan raised on the outskirts of an empire - certainly no one in Ancient Assyria would bend to her command willingly. Semiramis was a woman who knew if she wanted power, she would have to claim it. There are whispers of her fame in Mesopotamian myth- Semiramis was a queen, an ambitious warrior, a commander whose reputation reaches the majestic proportions of Alexander the Great. Historical record, on the other hand, falls eerily quiet. In her second novel, Costanza Casati brilliantly weaves myth and ancient history together to give Semiramis a voice, charting her captivating ascent to a throne no one promised her. The world Casati expertly builds is rich with dazzling detail and will transport her readers to the heat of the Assyrian Empire and a world long gone.

quackquackquack TBR'd a book

The Everlasting

Alix E. Harrow

From Alix E. Harrow, the New York Times bestselling author of Starling House, comes a moving and genre-defying quest about the lady-knight whose legend built a nation, and the cowardly historian sent back through time to make sure she plays her part–even if it breaks his heart. Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children’s books and recruiting posters—but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten. Centuries later, Owen Mallory—failed soldier, struggling scholar—falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives—and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs. But that story always ends the same way. If they want to rewrite Una’s legend—if they want to tell a different story--they’ll have to rewrite history itself.

quackquackquack made progress on...

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)

Sarah J. Maas

79%

quackquackquack is interested in reading...

17h

Assassin's Apprentice

Robin Hobb

In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma. Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility. So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.

quackquackquack commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

17h

quackquackquack

Edited

Well written fantasy/romantasy recs

I'm going through the popular romantasy sagas (think ACOTAR, The Empyrean, etc) and I keep finding comments in forums about how poorly written these are. Now I'm no writer and I haven't read THAT much to realise what's wrong with the writing. I'm curious to read something that falls within the well written standards so I can compare and find out by myself. What is a book that you love and is well written? Also, what defines a good writing? Are we talking lack of plot holes? Perfect grammar? Goes above and beyond with the story building?

Please help me understand.

Editing to add my take on it: I find something is poorly written if I struggle to follow the story for a couple of paragraphs, which only happened once or twice while reading those books I mentioned. I may or may not like the plot, but I don't think that defines the writing, does it? Repetition of phrases also bothers me if it happens too often and doesn't add up to the plot.

Edit 2: I guess what I'm trying to understand is if there are a certain set of 'rules' that define good writing or it all comes to personal taste (sorry, my background is in science and I know very little about art😅)