These Vicious Delights

Today's TOP TEN TUESDAY post is a freebie, which means I made it. TTT was started by That Artsy Girl, and you can learn more about it here.

Hyped books. You know them. Everyone knows them. These are the masterpieces of their genre that you have to read if you want to know what a good [insert type of novel here] book is. But when you read them, you don't get the hype.

Please tell me I'm not alone. What popular or "amazing" books could you just not finish? Or which ones did you just not enjoy?

No need to bash any books here, of course, but I'd love to hear your opinions on why you didn't enjoy a certain novel. I think it's important to discuss these things. I LOVE Haruki Murakami, but I know a lot of people who don't, and I understand it perfectly. His stuff isn't for everyone, and it has its issues.

So comment down below and tell me which hyped books you COULDN'T finish and why!

Here are mine:

Super hyped novels that I just couldn't finish

TOP TEN TUESDAY is hosted by That Arsty Reader Girl. She provides weekly topics for book bloggers to discuss. See more info here

This is going to be niche and ultra-specific, because I want to have fun ;)

Settings I'd Like to See More of (Or At All) in English-language Books

1. Creepy college campuses where someone commits murder

Bring on more dark academia! Preferably less Riverdale and more THE SECRET HISTORY. I like my liberal arts students bathed in blood while they try to solve (or cover up) some hideous crime...

2. Asian settings that actually feel like Asia, not the West with Asian food and clothing slapped onto it

Perhaps this will be a blog post for another day. EMPIRE OF SAND author Tasha Suri wrote a fantastic Twitter thread on the topic HERE. For the most part, I love Asian fantasies, but sometimes the worldbuilding isn't immersive enough. Culture is an iceberg, and writers forget that attitudes, values, and behaviors are just as important as external indicators like food or clothing. There's nothing more jarring than reading a historical Indian fantasy, for example, and having everyone act like Americans.

3. Magical libraries in fantasy

Yes, I'm talking about SORCERY OF THORNS. Eight years ago, I also started obsessing over an anime and light novel series called Dantalian no Shoka, which also featured magical grimoires. And honestly, what bookworm doesn't want to read about books coming alive and being used to cast wicked spells? Give me more glorified librarian-warrior protagonists!



4. Asian dieselpunk

Think that Love, Death, & Robots episode Good Hunting meets Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra. This is just so cool and has amazing potential. Imagine blimps and mechanical monsters flying through Hong Kong skyscrapers! Plus, in true punk fashion, it's perfect for social commentary. There's a lot to be said about modernism, national identity, and neo-imperialism if you write dieselpunk in Southeast Asia.

5. Isolated forests

Maybe it's because I've lived in a city my whole life, but I'm always fascinated by deep, dark forests. Especially if they're the deadly fairy tale kind.

6. The Arctic, or any other desolate, eternally wintry place

Ever since I watched that X-Files episode about that creature in the Arctic ice, I've been intrigued by the idea of horror stories taking place in the Arctic. I mean, it's perfect. You have harsh, unforgiving weather. Darkness almost all-year round. A closed circle. Blinding white snow as far as the eye can see. Deadly monsters that may or may not be there...

7. Fandom spaces

Honestly, I'm still too embarrassed to read books about fangirls, because I can't easily forget all the years I spent hiding my hobbies. But nowadays being a geek is mainstream, and fans can shout about their passions in broad daylight. Well, there's no shortage of fandom books, but I still want more of them. Characters meeting at conventions, or online, or as gaming buddies. Give me nerds in love.



8. Cozy fantasies like HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE or AN ENCHANTMENT OF RAVENS

More than anything, I'm desperate for a vibe. It doesn't matter if the novel has fairies or witches or dragons. All I really want is to read about a magical world that feels like a warm cup of tea. Something that focuses on characters and relationships, and has an old-timey vibe. Even if the world is at stake, it should still feel comforting to read. It should feel like a Ghibli movie. You know, give us a protagonist with an ordinary job and a comfortable but boring life... and let them set out on an adventure! [I know that sounds like LOTR and the Hobbit, but those are epic fantasies and characters die tragically, so they don't count]

I also suggest watching Violet Evergarden if you love this setting. Warning: it WILL make you sob like a baby, though.

9. The Roaring Twenties

Did you know that I used to have a gangster fiction phase? Give me lavish, Gatsby-esque parties and hidden speakeasies and a soundtrack full of big band jazz! I would also LOVE to see more fantasy set in the twenties. The only ones I can think of are Fantastic Beasts and a super fun anime and light novel series called Baccano!

10.  Really weird alien planets

Something along the lines of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. I don't want another planet that's basically a carbon copy of something else in our solar system. I don't want something that's weird but funny. I want something that is terrifyingly strange. Somewhere the protagonist does not belong... and is not welcome to.

So that's my list of ten settings I wish I could see more of in English-language books! What about you? Any settings you want to see? Anything you agree with?

If you haven't read my review of A Curse So Dark and Lonely yet, then CLICK HERE.

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! Please read at your own risk.




So, a recap of the ending:

The curse is broken. Harper has fallen in love with Rhen. Rhen is now fully human. The villain is dead. Gray has sacrificed himself.

Or has he?

Plot twist: Gray is alive. Gray is in hiding because he faked his death. Gray is actually Rhen's half-brother and therefore the rightful elder heir to the throne.

For once, Gray escapes. He knows that Rhen and Harper must be distraught over his fake-death, but he decides that he has to run. It's a very sudden piece of character development considering he's spent the entire novel at Rhen's side out of his very strong sense of duty.

What will Gray do in Book 2? I don't know. I don't know if he'll be forced to fight against Rhen or if he'll have his own plot line. Either way, such a reveal was disappointing. I feel like it just negates the themes that Kemmerer had been building up throughout the novel.

If there's one lesson that A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY champions well, it's that the outside doesn't matter. It's a person's heart—the inside—that truly matters. Titles (or a lack thereof), social class, gender, abilities and disabilities—these things do not dictate whether or not a person is good or noble. It's always the actions, the choices, that have meaning in the end.

Imagine Harper, the brat from DC, becoming Princess Harper of Disi. Near the end, even Rhen marvels at how well she plays the role of a princess. Harper has the strength and bravery of any royal, even without her royal blood. Even with her palsy. Even if she's not from this world. Her fake identity becomes her true identity because of her heart.

And Rhen, the prince and heir to Emberfall, was cursed in the first place because he was such an asshole. Even when he learns to be kind and caring, he's still too cold, too calculating, too awkward when dealing with other people. That's why Gray could befriend Harper even before he could. And look at how he treated Gray at the beginning—almost cruelly just for his own entertainment.

And then there's Gray: the farmer's son who is the most honorable among them all. Even after Rhen dismisses him, even after he spends an eternity trapped in this curse, he refuses to leave because he made an oath. Of course we all know that he's friends with Rhen and Harper, but nobody can deny how strong his heart is. He chooses to suffer alongside his liege simply because it's the right thing to do. [And because he trusts him, but trust can only go so far]

So with these three main characters, A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY keeps proving that the bloodline doesn't matter. That titles don't matter. That anyone can be a ruler as long as they're strong enough. It's a very noble theme.


And then, of course, all of that is destroyed when it's revealed that Gray is Rhen's half-brother and the rightful heir to the throne.

Obviously Gray didn't know this. His blood doesn't change the fact that he spent years doing the right thing for the sake of righteousness. But it does change the implications. So bloodline and titles matter, now? So things have to change because Rhen isn't the prince, now? Was Gray only this important because he's the secret heir?

Do you see where I'm going?

So many royalty books focus on bloodlines and secret children, and I get it. It's exciting. But A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY was refreshing because it focused on average people, not the usual royals. It was great how Harper became a princess, rather than being born as one. It was great to see Rhen regain his kingdom and learn what it truly means to be a prince. It was great to see Gray as the best of the group—even though he was just a guard.

Quite frankly, I feel like this novel should have been a standalone. The plot has pretty much wrapped up. The curse is broken. The evil has been defeated. Rhen and Harper have fallen in love. Gray is freed from his oath. All could have been okay. All could have been happy. Sure, Rhen's eligibility is questioned, but who even cares?! The rest of the royal family is dead! The only other possible loose end is the fact that there are still angry witches hiding around, but that quest can be solved by the main trio even without Gray becoming New Prince.

Nowadays, it's difficult to find a YA fantasy novel that isn't part of a series. I hope that more writers and publishers realize that you don't always need to serialize a work. Or at least, if they want to serialize it, they should actually make a cliffhanger that makes sense. It was still a decent book despite this gripe. Sad how an epilogue can really break one's opinion of a story.

• This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling so... the novel starts with Prince Rhen and his loyal guard Gray kidnapping Harper. She is understandably pissed off and treats them with much antagonism. She tries to kill them, attack them, and run away. Multiple times of each. But soon she realizes Rhen isn't as bad as she thinks and they get closer. There really isn't much hatefuck steam; it's just plain hating to loving. No sexual tension, no romantic tension (until she realizes he's actually a good person). Pretty vanilla for the enemies to lovers fan.

• The romance between Rhen and Harper is actually really sweet. Some notable scenes: them dancing under the stars, her declaring her love for him despite him being a monster, and just... the two of them opening up to each other in general. Both Harper and Rhen have prickly and cold exteriors respectively, but those walls are down once they get to know each other more deeply. Also, yes, there are multiple kisses, and my grandma butt was shocked at how quickly Harper decided to grope her prince in the latter one. You go girl lmao

On to the actual review...