Reading

In 10 Words or Less: TV Tropes is real, and it can hurt you.

What's It About? "The Empire stands triumphant. For twenty years the Dread Empress has ruled over the lands that were once the Kingdom of Callow, but behind the scenes of this dawning golden age threats to the crown are rising. The nobles of the Wasteland, denied the power they crave, weave their plots behind pleasant smiles. In the north the Forever King eyes the ever-expanding borders of the Empire and ponders war. The greatest danger lies to the west, where the First Prince of Procer has finally claimed her throne: her people sundered, she wonders if a crusade might not be the way to secure her reign. Yet none of this matters, for in the heart of the conquered lands the most dangerous man alive sat across an orphan girl and offered her a knife. Her name is Catherine Foundling, and she has a plan."

Why Read It? The story is set in a world where narrative tropes are an actual force that guides the world, and you get to see our protagonist deconstruct these tropes and use them to her advantage. The story itself contains gripping fight scenes, actually interesting political scenes, and above all else, god-tier banter. In addition to all this, the story also has some of the best LGBTQIA+ representation I've ever seen in a book (although it's not a central feature of the plot, besides Cat's perpetual thirst).

In 10 Words or Less: Repetition is the mother of progression fantasies.

What's It About? "Zorian, a mage in training, only wanted to finish his education in peace. Now he struggles to find answers as he finds himself repeatedly reliving the same month. 'Groundhog Day' style setup in a fantasy world."

Why Read It? This book is easily the best story involving time travel that I've ever come across. On top of this, the worldbuilding is exquisite, since this story was originally a worldbuilding project for a few years before it was written. And overall, watching the protagonoists slow but steady progression as the book develops is really satisfying to read.

In 10 Words or Less: Occasionally flirts with being good.

What's It About? "Nic Tutt is a good student. He excels at all subjects. But his education serves only one purpose—to gain entry into the Ransom School. The most prestigious school in the country, its alumni are destined to become the future leaders of Ranvar. Politicians, statesmen and, in some exceptional cases, mages. But Nic doesn't care about any of that. He has another reason to want to enter Ranvar's most famous school."

Why Read It? When this book is at it's best, it's a pretty good read, with some of the main characters and the general plot being compelling. Unfortunately, it meanders around most the time, and most chapters spend their time waffling on so the juicy plot hooks can be put at the end of the chapter to get you coming back for the next chapter. Overall the book isn't terrible, but it's probably not worth reading unless you're bored and don't have anything better to read. Also the author appears to have abbandoned the book, so getting sucked into the book will only leave you disappointed at this point in time.

In 10 Words or Less: Long, addictive, and the chapter word count is increasing exponentially.

What's It About? "An inn is a place to rest, a place to talk and share stories, or a place to find adventures, a starting ground for quests and legends. In this world, at least. To Erin Solstice, an inn seems like a medieval relic from the past. But here she is, running from Goblins and trying to survive in a world full of monsters and magic. She’d be more excited about all of this if everything wasn’t trying to kill her. But an inn is what she found, and so that’s what she becomes. An innkeeper who serves drinks to heroes and monsters – Actually, mostly monsters. But it’s a living, right?"

Why Read It?

In 10 Words or Less: What if trauma gave you superpowers?

What's It About? "An introverted teenage girl with an unconventional superpower, Taylor goes out in costume to find escape from a deeply unhappy and frustrated civilian life. Her first attempt at taking down a supervillain sees her mistaken for one, thrusting her into the midst of the local ‘cape’ scene’s politics, unwritten rules, and ambiguous morals. As she risks life and limb, Taylor faces the dilemma of having to do the wrong things for the right reasons."

Why Read It? The story contains a large variety of interesting and unique powers, which are used in creative ways throughout the book. There's an insane amount of worldbuilding behind this story (and it's sequel), so the world feels really large and developed.