The Dark Days Club

Hey. It's been a while.

I tried to read another book that was really boring. Like, I didn't even want to make a review for it. I also started a job, and I have a lot of stuff due all at the same time. College is so much work. But, here are some good points:

• thank you, next freaking slaps
• While We Wait, by Kehlani also slaps

That's all. And I finished a book.

That book is, if you couldn't read the title, The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman (she also wrote the Eon series if her name sounds familiar). This book is about a Lady named Helen who never behaved as normal English ladies should behave. Then, a maid of her family's goes missing and she falls down a supernatural hole. This hole includes the love of my life, but cousin(?), Lord Carlston, superhuman strength, and demon-like possessions. It's a hard hole to navigate in 19th century England, but Helen's got this.

So. Stuff happened in this book. I read this book three years ago, and I remembered almost none of it. It was great. Anyway, I like Helen. She's sharp and sassy. I lowkey wanted her to do the thing at the end though, just to see how changed she'd be. As usual, with my rereads, I couldn't not like Carlston. He's a bit rough around the edges, but I adored him. I still do. Her brother, Andrew, can go home and her uncle can bite rocks. I despise that man with a passion. Ugh. I have so many issues with the past, so reading period pieces is sometimes a struggle for me, but once you throw in magic or fantasy or supernatural stuff and I'm in.

I have other feelings about this book, but I have a lot of things to do, so I gotta go. I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me. Go listen to Kehlani's album. It's really good. I love it so much.

Ship: Helen and William (Carlston), Darby and Quinn
Snake: Uncle Penworth, Andrew (lowkey), Benchley
Sweet: Millicent, Pug, Darby

7/10
~Book Panda

And I Darken—DNF

Hi gamers,

Here's the deal. I've tried to read this book three times. Three. Every time something came up, or my attention wasn't held. At first, I thought it was because of extenuating circumstances, but this is the third time. You know what that means? This ain't happening. This sucks because the covers are dope, and I was ready to get into the nitty-gritty of toxic relationships, but alas, it's not meant to be. Leave a note in the comments and tell me what I'm missing. Just kidding, I'd never make you do that. A lot of people liked this book, and the writing is good, so you should go read it. I just don't really vibe with history writing that doesn't have anything else to distract me from history, like romance or mysteries or magic. Have a lovely day. I'd give you some fanart that I had no context for, but apparently, people don't stan it? Rude.

Kingdom of Ash

Hello,

I'm back. Who wants to analyze why it took me less time to read the thousand-page book than the other regular paged books? No one? Me neither.

So, I finished Kingdom of Ash, the 984-page conclusion to the Throne of Glass series a few hours ago. This book is a whirlwind. With there being a thousand pages, a lot happens. Essentially, Aelin is trying to survive being shrouded in iron and tortured, Rowan and squad are trying to find her, Dorian and Manon are searching for the lost Crochan witches and the third Wyrdkey, Aedion and Lysandra are off to war, with Lysandra masquerading as Aelin, and Chaol and the other people are trying to get to the war front. It's a lot. If you want a fancy summary, go get it.

By: Simsamy

I don't even know what to tell you, tbh. I feel like I'll say too much and then it'll be hella spoiler-y. Best book in the series? Probs. I can tell you this, though. Half my ships fell apart. Then one ship got back together that had no
business being back together at all. And the other ship, I lowkey wish one had died so the dumb petty one could go to their grave knowing that their last words to them were complete lies and yet they said them anyway and be filled with regret forever because they know they thought that they were telling the truth. Honestly. And people died, which makes me very upset. But it's war, so I should have expected it. I didn't though.

I really don't feel qualified to tell you anything else, because I suck and I don't want to ruin the last book for you if you haven't read it. This is, of course, assuming you read, and you're going to read the book, and you actually exist and I'm not just ranting out into the endless void that is the internet. Here's some fanart instead. See you next book.

Gavriel
By: Morgana0anagrom

Ship: Aelin and Rowan, Manon and Dorian, Yrene and Chaol, Nesryn and Sartaq, Elide and Lorcan, Lysandra and Aedion (grudgingly)

10/10
Series: 9.2
~Book Panda

Squad: This is on the inside cover of the book

Empire of Storms

Hello, it is I, sadness,

Welcome. It's been days. Don't remember how many as I couldn't be bothered to check. Anyhow, how has your day or night or week or whatever? I'm a bit down because my Miami dad is leaving for Auburn and this book wreaked me, though not as hard as it did previously, AND they canceled the Australia study-abroad trip so I am no longer going to the Aussie land. I was really excited for that trip and I don't even really want to go anywhere else now. Australia was it. Then I was going to move there in like three years, find a bushman husband, and live my life with three dogs and a dingo, batting away everything that can kill me. But it's fine. I guess I can go next year.

Today I finished—and did not break down because of—Empire of Storms. It was a whirlwind. Basically, all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. Aelin is mad scheming, but no one knows it. Rowan is worrying about what he has to offer Aelin, when she doesn't want anything but him. Dorian is ruling a castle then trying to learn how to control his magic. Manon is wrestling with following the heart she didn't know she had vs. following orders. Elide is just trying to find Aelin. Aedion is being a grade A dick. And then things feel like they're starting to come together. And then.

Dorian
By:  Morgana0anagrom

I'll try to stay towards the front half of the book, in order to refrain from major major spoilers. Aelin is my queen. She does no wrong. She reminds me a lot of my dad, Marvel franchise Tony Stark. Everyone thinks they're arrogant and selfish and show-offy when in reality, everything they do is for the people they care about and they worry all the time so they hide it behind arrogance or sarcasm or whatever. They're sweethearts and I love them. Leave them alone. Rowan, always a love. I didn't realize that they didn't know until like the end end, and that makes me livid. Dorian. . . I love him. He's one of my favorites and I couldn't tell you why. He's a sweetheart too and he's gone through so much and he shouldn't have but he's doing the best he can, being a secret smart person. I love him. I also love Manon. She really out here, trying to be heartless, and everyone but her knows she isn't. But that's okay. Because next book, I'm almost certain we're going to get some feelings. Hopefully, they'll be the love type feelings, but any feelings would do. Elide, a sweet, wicked Elide. How great are you? The greatest. How's some tiny girl going

Manon and Abraxos
By: SNCINDER

to tame a whole male finally carved from centuries of rage in like three weeks? Only with greatness, that's how. And Lorcan? I think he can be sweet. He'll be sweet as heck in the next one. On my momma. I feel like I'm missing people? Well Aedion and Lysandra were there, but we only really saw Lys when she was being bae and transforming into animals. She's the best best friend though. Any time I saw Aedion, he was being a dick, so he's kind of on my poo list at the moment.

Rereading so far, I do wish there were more gay ships. I understand she started this series a while ago and maybe it was too hard to work that in, but I'd like at least one gay ship. That's not too much to ask at all.

Here's what I need to happen in the final book, because that's the only one I haven't read yet. This will be a true reading experience, though I forgot almost everything that's happened so far in these books. Anyway, here's what I need: no major character deaths, no animal deaths, all the sexy time, all the lovey time, my ships to sail (I'm desperately bailing water out of like four ships right now), Maeve being chopped into teeny tiny pieces, Erawan being chopped into equally tiny pieces, no one dying accept maybe a horse, Nesryn to be the queen of my life, Chaol to hurt himself aagain (lol, not really, but it'd be kind of funny), and for everyone to live. That's about it. The end is nigh, bruh.

Ship: Aelin and Rowan, Lysandra and Aedion, Manon and Dorian, Elide and Lorcan
Burn: Maeve, Erawan, Cairn, Darrow, probably someone else I'm forgetting

9.5/10
~Book Panda