Inkpot Gods by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was honestly fascinated to read all about Asphodel Baker, the one, the only, the writer, grand alchemist, the architect of two whole series of books. This one is her backstory and her tragedy, her rise.

And fascinatingly, of a great new start in the series.

I mean, I have loved Roger and Dodger, but being powerful is nothing without desire.

And A. Baker has that in spades.

Good continuation of the series, and trust McGuire's vision.

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The End of Everything by M. John Harrison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is definitely a vibe. Magical realism done as SF. Very, very fluid in multiple ways.

Did I figure out what was really going on? Not at all. It feels like the world, relationships, memory, is one gigantic post-apocalypse scavenger hunt.

I've read a few of Harrison's other works and enjoyed them. This one is a very different kind of beast.

In the end, if I just allow myself to flow with it, winding up on the shore of the story, it's an interesting exercise in storytelling.

If I try to analyze it seriously, I actually tire myself out. Don't go against the tide. Live in the moment.

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Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dark, with a bit of dark romance, full of dark hell, dark adventure, dark schooling, dark secret societies, and an even more dark future.

But hey, what else can we expect in a dark academia dealing with demons in our modern world? What do you want, sparkles? Buff demons? No. This isn't that kind of book.

But I should say that even though Alex is kinda beast by now, she sure does feel a bit unsure of herself. Maybe it's realistic, but by this point, I'd fully expect her to get cocky and fall into some major trouble by this point.

Oh. Wait.

Still a fun series so far. A lot of the veil has been revealed, and even more secrets, but it's still pretty good.

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The Wandering Inn by Pirateaba
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A lot has happened since last year. I started this little series called the Wandering Inn by Pirateaba and thought I'd just fly though some cotton candy fantasy with a heavy focus on characters and slow burn developments sprinkled with tons of good humor, friendship punctuated by devastating blows and war crimes.

At least, that's how it started. I was amused at first.

And then I kept reading, slowing down my reading speed because I discovered that I was having a genuinely good time and I wanted to stretch it out. And then, all of a sudden, I read the twentieth book this month and cried. And cried. And finally decided to check out the web serial and how far in the published books are compared to the web version. Only to realize I'd gotten to the end of only Volume 7. And the volumes are currently in the middle of 12. And then I cried for another reason. And started reading from there.

But what does that have to do with the first book?

Well, I decided to give myself a treat for when I am exercising. I decided to only exercise while reading this story from the start. And all of a sudden, I've been working out a bit more than usual. And I keep doing other things that could be considered working out because I just wanted to get back to Erin and the Inn. And I just happened to get through the first audiobook again. On accident.

But I'm not upset. This series successfully upgraded itself in my consciousness to the top ten stories of ... everything. It's currently my main and ultimate obsession for the foreseeable future. I even convinced my young daughter to start it. You know. To give it a little chance. And I won't mind if she gives up by chapter 20. If she can.

She's now walking into traffic while reading it. I'm feeling like a bad parent now. And she's hooked well before chapter 20. I'm glad to know that it's not just me.

The thing is... I NEVER would have guessed how much of an impact these books would have on me at the beginning. These characters are genuine FAMILY to me now. All of them. Including the ones that take turns on my shit list. They're still family.

I hate this author for the utterly magical way I've been tied into knots.
And I can't get enough.



Original Review:

I'm reading this mainly because I wanted something COMFORTABLE. It SOUNDS comfortable. It SMELLS comfortable. It's also LitRPG with an absolutely humongous page count, between this volume and all the rest. So, if I play my cards right, I'll have an ENDLESS COMFORTABLE adventure.

That was my expectations.

So how did it pan out?


I got exactly what I wanted. Tons of absolute low level isekai, getting a class of Inkeeper, and generally making friends among everyone, even low level mobs that should have been despised. And let's face it, making everyone welcome IS very nice. Add chess, adventurer's stories, and even a necromancer or two either mooching off the Inn or killing countless people, and we get a nice, broad swath of a new fantasy.

And this being just the first book, and knowing from other readers that it gets a LOT better, I think I'm going to have a nice, FINE time. Now, if only I could get the scent of acid out of my nostrils. It's not unpleasant, but damn, as I read this, it sure got EVERYWHERE. (If only in my mind)

Damn synesthesia. At least it's rather citrusy. Like cleaner.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.

Arctunn.com

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Breaking Rules by Erin Ampersand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A big escalation here. I really feel the endgame territory well before the end of this particular novel. The kids are strong, mommy is getting some insane help now, and even though she's NOT with the military types, the whole thing feels like some kind of polite fiction to give her peace of mind.

Because stay at home moms know WAR. Yep. I'm standing behind that one.

Not bad as a LitRPG but it's honestly a little weak when comparing it to the big guns. DCC pulls this plot off in a genuinely wild way in comparison. This one is rather tame. Not bad, not great. But definitely decent.

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Hide and Seek by Erin Ampersand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Either I'm relaxing into this series or I'm finally happy to see a wider range of abilities and opportunities to use them in overwhelming fashion. You know, power fantasy. The kind of thing that makes LitRPG rather shine.

The whole post-apoc feel is dampened a bit with so many people finally learning to work together, but it's probably a bit more interesting that our favorite mommy is truly getting the kind of props that she deserves, even if she wants none of it. Yet another reason why this is considered a fantasy, no? :)

More than everything, though, I'm just happy that the kids are a bit more powerful now, less likely to get killed off. The tension from before was kinda unwelcome when I just wanted some light fluff. But, of course, that's a personal issue, lol.


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Making Friends by Erin Ampersand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's decent, but I need to stress one little fact: these are more like post-apocalypse novels than LitRPGs. The few chosen abilities as you gain experience are absolutely LitRPG, but the total feel of this is a lot more Walking Dead than DCC, and none of this is even close to my initial thought that this would be a bit more humorous, with the whole idea of super powerful young kids saving their mom or something along those lines.

Making Friends, as a title, is more about getting along in a new, angry community. Not quite the tongue-in-cheek I wanted. Alas.

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