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I've been really slacking off on Dreamwidth things as I scramble to finish my DAI replay before Veilguard comes out... I'd say I'll hopefully catch up after that's done, but then I'll be playing Veilguard, so... But for now here's my September + October reading round-up! Again mostly graphic novels, but also a few books I'd been looking forward to that all released around the same time.
Confounding Oaths by Alexis Hall (★★★★☆) [goodreads]
Swordcrossed by Freya Marske(★★★★☆) [goodreads]
GRAPHIC NOVELS
Mismatched: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Emma by Anne Camlin & Isadora Zeferino (★★★☆☆) [goodreads]
Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo & Dani Pendergast (★★★★☆) [goodreads]
Of Her Own Design by Birdie Willis, Jess Taylor, Fiona Marchbank, & Nicole Andelfinger (★★★☆☆) [goodreads]
Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione(★★★☆☆) [goodreads]
Dying Inside by Pete Wentz, Hannah Klein, & Lisa Sterle (★★★★☆) [goodreads]
Confounding Oaths by Alexis Hall (★★★★☆) [goodreads]
Historical Fiction, M/M Romance. Set in a Regency era England where magic and gods are real, this is a companion novel to Hall's Mortal Follies, this time following John Caesar and his family. After a fairy godmother curses his younger sister, Mr. Caesar must work with Captain Orestes James and his ragtag group of soldiers to deal with the fae, a mysterious cult, racism in London high society, and various other troubles.You're the Problem, It's You by Emma R. Alban (★★★★☆) [goodreads]
If you enjoyed Mortal Follies, you'll enjoy this one too. Once again the story is narrated by Robin Goodfellow and the humor, fourth wall breakage, and light social commentary abound in spades. I think the pacing in this book was much improved from the first, and though the previous book had more of a mystery to the main plot that I enjoyed slightly more, overall this book held my attention a little better. The characters were a fun mix, though I would've liked to see Maelys and Georgiana a bit more lmao. In terms of the romance, it had its charms, but it definitely also took a side role to the overarching plot which may disappoint someone looking for something romance-focused.
Not sure if there'll be more books in this series, but I'd definitely read more as I really like the magical Regency setting. Maybe we'll get a Miss Bickle book?
Historical Fiction, M/M Romance. "The enemies-to-lovers queer Victorian romance follow-up to Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend, in which a young lord and a second son clash, but find themselves thrust together again and again by their meddling cousins."
This is less enemies-to-lovers than annoyances-to-lovers, but you know how book blurbs love to classify everything as enemies-to-lovers. I was very glad to see Beth and Gwen again, the aforementioned cousins and the main pair from the first book, and I enjoyed the conflict between James and Bobby at the beginning because ~drama~. I wish Raverson, the antagonist in a blackmail plot that threads through the book, had been a bit more of an actual problem, since I do love a man who exists just to cause problems, but given the lighter tone of the series I wasn't surprised they got rid of him so easily.
Overall this was a fun read with a decent amount of relationship drama (James my panicking son) and a super sweet ending for everyone! I definitely recommend the duology to anyone who enjoys more lighthearted historical romance that reads a little more modern.
Swordcrossed by Freya Marske(★★★★☆) [goodreads]
Fantasy, M/M Romance. Mattinesh Jay, heir to a struggling wool business, needs a swordsman to stand as best man at his wedding so he can defend against any challenges to the arranged marriage that will save his family's business. Unfortunately, all he can afford is con artist Luca Piere, a new duelist in town trying to escape the mistakes he made back home.
So this had been my most anticipated book of the year. I was so excited for this release. And unfortunately I think this has been my biggest disappointment in a long time.
But Lex, you say, you gave it 4 stars. I did lmao. It wasn't bad, really, maybe 3.5 stars rounded up because I love Freya Marske. If this had been any other author I wouldn't have been disappointed at all. But having loved The Last Binding trilogy--like that's one of my top favorite series now--I was hoping for big things with this one, which I think colored my expectations going in. Upon finishing the book and reading the acknowledgements page to find out that this was Marske's first ever novel written despite being published fourth, suddenly everything made sense.
The beginning is slow, and genuinely made me worry that I wasn't going to really enjoy this book. Thankfully things eventually pick up, but I can fully see someone who isn't a committed Marske fan giving up early on. The setting and the business-related plot(s) give the place a feeling of a non-skeezy Ketterdam (of Bardugo's Six of Crows fame) which certainly does take most of the fun out of such a setting.
(Also people keep calling this a romantasy, but it's the kind of fantasy that's basically indistinguishable from Earth other than the names being different. Anyone looking for actual fantasy won't find any here, but those that enjoy a low stakes historical romance may have better luck.)
The writing itself, however, I found no fault with. Marske has an almost poetic quality to her writing that I really enjoy, used sparingly so as not to make everything overly flowery. It lends itself well to romance, which is the part of her novels I think she excels at. Though Luca and Matti don't quite live up to any of the pairings from Marske's previous books, I enjoyed their interactions, the obligatory drama they have to overcome in their relationship, and the overall vibes of the ship.
And even with the faulty start, I enjoyed the book by the end, which was a mostly predictable but still sweet happy ending for everyone. So while I can't say I liked this book as much as I wanted to, it definitely will find its audience with certain readers. Me though, I think I'm going to re-read The Last Binding trilogy lmao.
GRAPHIC NOVELS
Mismatched: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Emma by Anne Camlin & Isadora Zeferino (★★★☆☆) [goodreads]
Graphic Novel, Contemporary Romance. A modern adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma set in a New York high school, where social media influencer Evan learns that his supposed flair for matchmaking is not always as successful as he'd like. (Okay, here is where I admit I love Emma adaptations despite not having read the source material.)
It's funny how when Emma is a girl a la the original or Cher from Clueless she's fun and endearing but when it's a boy I'm like stop being annoying lmao. I think this is a decent adaptation for a modern YA audience, there's plenty of drama (perhaps almost too much given the length of the book?) and the art is very cute and charming.
Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo & Dani Pendergast (★★★★☆) [goodreads]
Graphic Novel, Fantasy. A comic adaptation of Leigh Bardugo's short story of the same name, giving some backstory for the Darkling from the Shadow and Bone series, though you could still enjoy this with zero Grishaverse knowledge, imo. It follows a boy and his mother who are constantly on the run, unable to settle down because of their unusual powers. I'd already read the story so this was nothing new to me, but the art was nice and it was a quick read. I do enjoy an angsty villain backstory lol.
Of Her Own Design by Birdie Willis, Jess Taylor, Fiona Marchbank, & Nicole Andelfinger (★★★☆☆) [goodreads]
Graphic Novel, Contemporary, Fantasy. This was a cute YA portal fantasy about a teen who acquires a magic pen that makes her stories come to life. It was a bit rushed toward the end and we don't really get to learn anything about the love interest character, but I liked the different art styles for each story and how by the end reality had become colorful (when at the beginning it was all black and white).
Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione(★★★☆☆) [goodreads]
Graphic Novel, Fantasy. Another cute YA graphic novel, this one about two girls at a magical cooking academy. This one did feel like it leaned more Middle Grade, especially in the dialogue. I wish there'd been a bit more put into the world building too because I loved the premise of magic + food. But the art was very bright and cute, and it touched lightly on a few serious topics like burnout and parental pressure that would resonate with the intended younger audience.
Dying Inside by Pete Wentz, Hannah Klein, & Lisa Sterle (★★★★☆) [goodreads]
Graphic Novel, Contemporary, Fantasy. A teenage girl wants to kill herself the same way as her music idol, but can't because the cool knife she bought online has somehow made her immortal. Now she has to team up with the teen witch who accidentally cursed her to solve the problem of her immortality.
I enjoyed this more than I expected, having picked it up randomly from a library shelf because I thought the cover was cool. The art style is fantastic, I liked the inking a lot and the minimal use of solid colors throughout the book. The main character is sarcastic and snippy and constantly breaks the 4th wall by talking to the reader. The dark humor keeps things light, but doesn't make light of the serious subject matter. I enjoyed the relationship between the two girls, Ash and Liv, and though the plot wraps up a little too easily, I liked the ending.
As a warning, this book obviously deals with suicide and self-harm and it is shown on the page, for those who may be sensitive to visual depictions of these things.
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