5/5 Stars – Clockwork Boys

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This is Clockwork Boys, by T. Kingfisher. Wow. I’m so glad I read the Paladin series first, even though it’s out of publishing order as far as these books go. I loved this book so much but I think it also helped that I already knew the history involved. Kingfisher is brilliant, her characters came to life (as always), and I can’t say enough good things about this read. It was an absolute joy in every aspect.

There’s a ton of ‘unique’ aspects of this book that make it so much more than your basic fantasy read. The carnivorous tattoos, the ex-demonhunter paladin, a smart ass assassin. I’m very excited to read the next book because of course it ended on a massive cliffhanger.

5/5 stars

3/5 Stars – The Christmas Tree Farm

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The Christmas Tree Farm, by Laurie Gilmore. I needed something easy on the brain, and this was available at the library so I picked it up. It is your typical hallmark-esc romance, except r-rated with some sex thrown in. I could not take this book seriously. The part where he found her vibrator in the couch was just hilarious to the point of being unbelievable (in specific, their discussion around it, not the actual act, that part I could see happening). Not a literary masterpiece, but it was what I was looking for. Just a nice simple read.

3/5 stars

5/5 Stars – Dandelion

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Dandelion – by Jamie Chai Yun Liew.

I borrowed this from the library as an audiobook, and while it started off very slow (giving a LOT of background to the main character, introducing family members, etc), I really loved it by the end. It was heartbreaking, and felt real. Later on I discovered it was a work of fiction, and I almost wish I had not known that. This book was suggested by CBC reads, in my effort to read more Canadian authors. All of the other books had very long wait times, and this one was available immediately. I’m not sure why.

The ending felt a little rushed, the reader is presented with a lot of information in a very short span and everything wraps up in a neat little package which didn’t exactly feel realistic. Going over the reviews a lot of readers felt that the writing was poor – but that didn’t come across in the audiobook version and I’m glad I decided to listen to it in that format.

5/5 stars

3/5 Stars – Demon World Boba Shop: Vol. 1

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This is Demon World Boba Shop: Vol. 1 by R.C. Joshua. First of all, this is not my first LitRPG – but it is the first time I actually understood what a LitRPG book WAS.

LitRPG, short for Literary Role-Playing Game, is a literary genre that combines elements of fantasy or science fiction novels with the mechanics of role-playing games (RPGs), particularly those found in video games. Essentially, it’s a story where characters navigate a game-like world, often with visible statistics, levels, quests, and other RPG elements integrated into the narrative. 

Unfortunately, nothing ever really HAPPENS in this one. I was looking for a slice of life read, but this was TOO casual, even for me. I do like the genre, and I will continue to pick up other litrpg (Dungeon Crawler Carl is another example of this genre), but this was not it. At least not for me. On the plus side, it *was* very well written, and that helped. It’s also not exactly a small book, coming in at 414 pages. In that time frame, the main character arrives at his new planet, gets established, discovers his skills, makes some friends, one ‘event’ happens that leads to a second ‘event’ and that’s it. That’s the entire story. Again I know I was looking for a calm quiet slice of life read, but this was too casual a read for me.

May 2025 Wrap Up

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I did NOT get a lot of reading done this month. The Butcher’s Masquerade was almost completed as I went into the month, and then I had a really difficult time finding a book that would stick. I ended up starting Foxglove King but I had to put it on hold as it was all a bit ‘too much’ for me at the time. I’m sure I will pick that one up again at a later date. The book is a physical one I own on my shelf, so at least I can easily come back to it.

The BBBC read was another huge disappointment. I’m thinking of joining another book club where I might find books that actually resonate with me, the net is just too wide on this one and they promote a lot of books from Amazon which I’d like to avoid since swapping over to my Kobo. Onyx Storm has also yet to reel me in, for some reason I’m just not that interested in the story this time around. It’s probably also because I’m reading the physical book and my hands have a hard time holding it. Weird thing to mention, I know, but it is what it is.

At least some reading was had. Maybe June will be a better month, we’ll just have to see.

3/5 Stars – Dungeons and Drama

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Dungeons & Drama, written by Kristy Boyce. This was a YA book chosen by my book club – and it started off really rough with a young woman who had stolen her mom’s car, and without a license, drove it. Her “punishment” was to work at her Dad’s store. Pretty sure if that was me, I would have gotten into a lot more trouble. It was difficult to suspend reality for that. The cover was absolutely adorable, and that’s where my interest in the book stopped.

3/5 stars

April 2025 Wrap Up

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It was a pretty good month as far as reading goes, with some fantastic 5 star reads (that’s always lovely) even if some were on the lower side. I read 5 books, for a total of 1,375 pages along with 26.97h of audiobook. Most of my reads were fiction (no big surprise there) with an even balance between digital and print. I spent a LOT of time listening to The Butcher’s Masquerade, this is a huge one but I hope to finish it in May. As always, the statistics and awesome calendar come from The Story Graph, which you can find me at as Stargrace.

Happy reading!

5/5 Stars – The Third Gilmore Girl

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I’m such a huge Kelly Bishop fan, this was a no-brainer to borrow from the library (as an audiobook this round). It took almost 6 months for it to be available, not the fault of anyone really, but good grief! Still, what an utterly fascinating woman. She is very different than what I was expecting, and I didn’t know about her very long history in dance!

5/5 stars