Let’s Talk Bookish: Underrepresented Female Characters

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.

This week’s topic is:

Prompts: For the final week of March, here is another Women’s History Month topic! Do you notice certain female character archetypes that you think are used too often? What types of female characters do you want to see more of in fiction? Who are some female characters that inspire you?

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The Magical Readathon: Orilium Spring Equinox 2025

Get excited—it’s almost time to return to the Orilium Academy for ✨The Magical Readathon: Orilium Spring Equinox 2025!✨

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, our lovely host G @Book Roast created this Beginners Guide to the Magical Readathon, just in case you’re interested in starting your own journey to Orilium!

As someone who’s generally terrible at completing reading challenges, this is one challenge I join without hesitation every year because not only is it fun, but it’s also low-key, which means less pressure. This makes it easy for me to keep up as a notorious mood reader!

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [275]

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.

I don’t know if I’ll end up reading after this as I’m knackered and I have to get up early for my tattoo tomorrow, but if I end up reading, it’ll be This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone. I haven’t read much into this and I might pick up the audiobook to follow along to but I’m curious!

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Let’s Talk Bookish: Guilty Pleasure Reads

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.

This week’s topic is:

Prompts: Do you agree with the term since it has a somewhat “negative” connotation? Should you feel ashamed or “guilty” for enjoying a certain genre or non-traditional type of book (i.e. graphic novels, manga)? What books do you love or are on your TBR do you think would be considered “guilty pleasures” by others?

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The Fantasy Book Tag

Hello, friends! Over the years I’ve seen (and been tagged in) several Fantasy Book Tags but I haven’t done any of them yet until now! I came across this particular fantasy book tag on Alli @ Alli the Book Giraffe’s page earlier this year and it seemed short and sweet enough to get done relatively quickly (I ate my words, it took me ages to decide on anything, lol)!

On that note, let’s get to it 🙂

What is the longest fantasy series that you’ve ever read?

This goes to Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I haven’t actually finished the series yet as I’ve still got the final book to read, but I did read all the others… But don’t ask me about any of them because I’ve got zero recollection of any of them! 😂

Favourite fantastical setting or world

Again, there are so many to choose from but one of the first that came to mind is the world from Elizabeth Lim’s The Blood of Stars and Six Crimson Cranes series. They’re not set in the same exact location but they are set in the same universe. It’s such a magical and whimsical Asian inspired fantasy world and I love it heaps!

Besides HP, what is your favourite fantasy book/series?

Nevermoor Series

If you love HP, there’s a high chance that you will love Nevermoor because it has many of the same qualities and it’s not written by a trash author (yes). This MG fantasy has easily replaced HP as my favourite, and I will never stop recommending it!

[check out my review]

What fantasy book do you wish was more popular?

Another MG fantasy, you say? Yes. Omega Morales only has 180+ ratings on Goodreads and I have no idea why because it’s such an amazing MG fantasy!

[check out my review]

Your favourite villain

This is surprisingly difficult as I’ve got two villains who I loathe & love but Holland from the Shades of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab has been my favourite for years. Ayt Mada (The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee) is a great contender even though it took me a minute to appreciate her villainy because she hurt my people. 😭

Art by Kiranight (L) and Mossillustra (R)

What’s the first fantasy book you have ever read?

I honestly have no idea but it might be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.

What is your favourite mythical creature?

…It’s a bit cliche to say dragons, right? But DRAGONS! But I also love werewolves, gumiho, vampires, faeries… So many mythical creatures!

Favourite female protagonist from a fantasy book?

This isn’t my only “favourite of all time” FMC but Matsuda Misaki is top-tier. I finished The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang this week and it was amazing! Misaki’s story was incredible and her character left me speechless/in awe so many times throughout the read.

Art by Tom Jilesen

Favourite male protagonist?

Same as above, while he’s not my only favourite of all time, Yin Nezha from The Poppy War series by R.F. Kuang is without a doubt a character that just … I have no words! 😂 His character wrecked me!!! Made me so unwell!! Just thinking about him makes me CRY!!! HELP. SO GOOD. SO SO GOOD!!!

Art by bland_apple

That’s it for The Fantasy Book Tag! I won’t be tagging anyone specifically but if you want to do this, feel free to link back so I can check out your answers! I want to know who your favourite fantasy FMC and MMC are! 😃

Blog signature that reads: Let's Chat! xoxo, Dini

Book Review: Quicksilver by Callie Hart

Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy #1)
Publisher: Hodderscape
Pub Date: 10 September 2024
Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

From global phenomenon Callie Hart comes a highly addictive enemies-to-lovers Romantasy with razor-sharp banter, heart-stopping action, and blistering hot romance that you won’t be able to put down!

Do not touch the sword. Do not turn the key. Do not open the gate.


In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn’t much a girl wouldn’t do for a glass of water.

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen’s reservoirs for as long as she can remember.

But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.

When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently re-opens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares… but it turns out they’re real, and Saeris has landed herself in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.

The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist’s magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him . . . or her.

Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he’s the only way Saeris is going to make it home.

Be careful of the deals you make, dear child. The devil is in the details . . .

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Rape of the protagonist’s mother, sex work, suicidal ideation, forced sterilization (recounted), blood, injury & gore depiction including decapitation & emesis, murder & torture, war themes, extreme childhood poverty (recounted)

Shoutout to Leslie for buddy reading this with me because it is a super fun book to have someone to exchange thoughts and theories with! 💜

TL;DR: Oops, I’m coming in with a slightly unpopular opinion here even though I ultimately ended up enjoying the story. I’ve seen everyone and their mum reading and talking about this book for months. While my reading experience was fairly average and I can’t say that I fully get the hype, I can understand why it is hyped because it ticks off all of the fantasy romance boxes. From hate-to-love romance and high sexual tension (and steam!) to faeries and vampires, and enough action to keep you invested—this has all of the elements that make this genre so popular and well-loved. Although I didn’t love it as much as everyone else did, I liked it enough to want to continue the series and I look forward to seeing where the author takes our characters next!

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [274]

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.

I’ll spend the rest of my Sunday in bed with Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson. This is the next Owlcrate book I’m reading with Leslie, Julie, and Ali. I remember how excited I was to read it when it was released and now four years later, I’m finally reading it! 😂 I’ve completely forgotten what it’s about and I’m only five chapters in but I am enjoying it so far!

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