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readwithcarter

@readwithcarter

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fantasy reader in dc 🧚📖🗡️🦄🧝‍♀️✨🩷
📚read in 2026: 74/70
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I adored The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig! If you loved her first duology, One Dark Window, you should pick this up soon! The Knight and the Moth is a gothic romantasy story about a divine prophet who meets a knight and joins his quest to defeat the gods she's spent her life revering. I loved the slow burn romance in this story, and I found Sybil's struggle with identity and loyalty so human and compelling. The quest style of the plot left a bit to be desired, but I think that's just a personal reading preference for me. I so enjoy Rachel Gillig's prose, and I think she is the best current writer in the romantasy space in terms of creating an atmosphere and mood with her words. This book also stood out for me in terms of the setting/world-building. It was an easy five star for my pleasure while reading! Have you read The Knight and the Moth? Share your thoughts! If not, are you interested in picking this up? 🖤#newbook #romantasy #bookreviews by @readwithcarter

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a year ago

by @readwithcarter

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2 years ago

The Bloodsworn Saga by @john_gwynne_author is one of my favorite series of the year! I was really intimidated by these books, but Gwynne makes the world building so accessible. I loved the characters, I loved the pacing, and I loved this world. This series is a masterful example of weaving together different storylines. Each book was a 5 star for me!This Norse-inspired trilogy takes place in the aftermath of an epic and catastrophic battle between animal gods. Our 3 main characters face perils on their individual quests—the landscape is unforgiving and tension has risen between rival jarls. Have you read this series? What did you think? ⬇️#fantasybooks #johngwynne #norsemythology #thebloodswornsaga #greatseries by @readwithcarter

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2 years ago

If Libby cooperates, I’m hoping for an incredible reading month in August! ✨⛱️☀️Have you read any of these? Tell me what you think if so! #tbrlist #whattoreadnext #augustreads #summerreading #summerbooks by @readwithcarter

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a day ago

Daggermouth was a fun, dark, twisty, dystopian ride that I couldn’t put down! While the first half felt a little bit too simple and juvenile, I was STUNNED by the incredible cliffhanger. Daggermouth takes place in a dystopian surveillance state ruled by a violent dictator. The story sets up an impossible contracted marriage between the dictator’s son and heir, Greyson, and a rebel assassin sent to kill him, Shadera. I couldn’t put this book down. There wasn’t a single slow moment without action. I enjoyed the multi-POV to a point (the secondary romance was actually my favorite over the main love story), but some perspectives felt entirely unnecessary (sorry, Jameson). I think Wolfe did a really great job of showing the complexity of human nature and goodness without glossing over the darkness and violence that permeated every page of this story. This book couldn’t be five stars for me (but maybe the sequel will be!) because the worldbuilding felt so rudimentary and basic. I needed more history and explanation of the rules and norms. What came before New Found Haven? WHY did the people in the top caste have to wear masks besides control of image and erasure of sense of self? This story could have been really enhanced by not having such a cookie-cutter authoritarian regime. I’ve read a lot of these stories and was looking for something unique.If you’re looking for something dark and action-packed, pick up Daggermouth (and check your trigger warnings!) This wasn’t a perfect book for me, but I’m hopeful for the sequel after that insane cliffhanger. #daggermouth #dystopianfiction #dystopianbooks #dᴀʀᴋrᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ #bookreview by @readwithcarter

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3 days ago

We’re over halfway through the year, so here are my best and worst reads of each month! What has been your best book of the year so far? Mine favorite book from February, The Poet Empress, still hasn’t been beat! ❤️#bestbooks #worstbooks #reading #fivestarbooks #bookreviews by @readwithcarter

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5 days ago

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8 days ago

As an avid fantasy reader, I’ve certainly daydreamed about falling into the worlds of some of my favorite series, so I was intrigued by the description of this book. I really enjoyed this portal fantasy story, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, and think the series has a lot of potential!The challenge in writing a story where our main character falls from the modern world into a pseudo-medieval fantasy setting stylized like A Song of Ice and Fire is that so much of the worldbuilding, lore, and history is told to us by the narrator. We don’t experience the city of Kair Toren; we’re told about it directly. It was really challenging to get immersed in the political intrigue and magic system, because at times I felt like I was reading a textbook, not a fantasy story. I think this can be remedied in book two.The main character in this story, Maggie, shines. Her perspective funny without being too silly or obnoxious. The side characters that we actually get to meet and aren’t just told about by Maggie are also really great. I also really liked the plot and the plan Maggie creates to ward off a destructive future for the world she’s fallen in love with, but I felt pulled out of it at times when random bits of confusing backstory were inserted awkwardly.I have high hopes that book two of this series can maintain the magic of Maggie and her crew and move away from the awkward worldbuilding needed to set up book one of a portal fantasy story. This book didn’t change my life, but it was really fun! #thiskingdomwillnotkillme #fantasybooks #bookreviewer #bookrecs #fourstarreview by @readwithcarter

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10 days ago

Last week was a great reading week! ✨❤️Lonesome Dove, 4.5 stars, review posted on my pageThis Kingdom Will Not Kill me, 4 stars, review forthcoming on WednesdayYesteryear, 4 stars, review forthcoming on FridayDaughter of the Empire#readeveryday #yesteryear #bookclubpick #fantasybookseries #bookreviewblog by @readwithcarter

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12 days ago

I’m a fantasy reader to my core, but sometimes you just need to read a perfect romance book (especially in the summer🌊) Here are ten of my favorites!!!! 💓✨#romancebooks #emilyhenry #beachread #carlyfortune #prideandprejudicebook by @readwithcarter

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15 days ago

I hate to say that it took me until about 55% into everyone’s favorite Western to get the hype, but I (and my dad lol) am really glad I read Lonesome Dove! I want to encourage others to read this dense, character-driven novel, but I don’t want to say that this was the best book I’ve ever read or that it changed my life, though I do think the story will stick with me. The hype around this book made me feel like I was misunderstanding or doing something wrong in the first 200 pages, when I just couldn’t fall in love with the story.The relationship between our two main characters, the sheer breadth of the country that this story covers, and the themes of grief, love, sacrifice, and duty are all the classic standouts mentioned in reviews of Lonesome Dove, but this book went from a 4 to a 4.5 star for me because of the FEMALE CHARACTERS!Lorie, Clara, and Elmira are some of my favorite characters in any story across genres. Lorie’s arc is one of the most heartbreaking, important, and intense stories I’ve ever encountered. They are such underrated standouts in a pretty fantastic cast. Overall, I think you should read Lonesome Dove, but if you don’t love it from the get-go, that’s totally okay! It’s a classic for a reason, and I feel like a better person and reader for my time with it. #lonesomedove #classicnovels #westernbooks #booksreviews #whattoreadnext by @readwithcarter

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17 days ago

I’m so excited that I hit my Goodreads goal for 2026 of 70 books!!! These were my 24 favorites! ✨#fivestarbooks #goodreads #goodreadsgoal #bookbloggersofinstagram #bookreviewer by @readwithcarter

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19 days ago