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@readwithkath

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recommending only my favorite reads🐞mostly old-school, epic fantasy, historical, and asian lit🐛 #bookreviewer

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The Curse of Chalion (2001) by Lois McMaster Bujold

❓Who’s your favorite fantasy mentor?

In so many fantasy stories, we see young heroes guided by wise older mentors and so often sacrificing themselves to push the hero forward. They always end up as everyone’s favorite supporting character, beloved but never given the spotlight.

But in Chalion, Bujold does something diff: she makes the mentor the protagonist.✨

Cazaril, a 35-year-old battle-worn soldier, hopes for a quiet retirement after years of war and slavery. But the gods have other plans with him, when his former employer named him secretary-tutor to the young Royesse Iselle dy Chalion. I won’t spoil what lies ahead—this is best experienced by going in blind!!

What makes him so compelling is that despite every reason to turn bitter or villainous, Cazaril remains honorable and good. Mind you, he’s also past his heroic prime and has a chronic muscle ache like any normal adult 😂 (so relatable)—yet he never flees when danger comes.

The best part is how calm he looks while internally screaming under pressure. How many fictional characters do you know who can keep their cool when death is looming? Exactly.

All credit to Bujold who has this incredible knack for turning deeply conflicted thoughts into laugh-out-loud dialogue, all while writing a main character you can’t forget.

There’s so much more I could say, but you can find my full review and the mini glossary I made —useful if you need a little help keeping track of the characters and religion system, which can be confusing at first and wasn’t included in my edition (see photos above ⬆️).

The Curse of Chalion is hands down, one of the best standalone fantasies I’ve read in years!!

It is NOT for those chasing fast-paced entertainment and action. It’s a slow-burning, character-driven, political fantasy with protagonists scarred by trauma, full of schemings, layered religion (not preachy), and exquisite prose.

rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

#thecurseofchalion #worldofthefivegods #loismcmasterbujold #bookreview #fantasyreader by @readwithkath

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9 months ago

this looked like a fun bookish challenge to try—do we have things in common? 👀✨

#fantasyreader #123456challenge by @readwithkath

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8 months ago

SANDERSON ENDED THIS SERIES BEAUTIFULLY BUT WITH NO MERCY.

i cried a lot, he really gave us the most heart wrenching and yet the most perfect ending to mistborn series!

i closed the book with such a wonderful feeling of satisfaction and breathless wonder, and at the same time grieving for so many of the characters i came to love!!

i was gonna write a long glowing review, to sing glorious praises and show my ultimate love and devotion for mistborn but i just can’t. my soul is still hurting, my mind in shock because of the extreme level of foreshadowing and the endless twists and turns. sanderson, what do you eat to be so genius??

dark as the tale may be—the mistborn trilogy shines brighter than any of the novels i’ve ever read. it’s a story about hope and faith, no matter how the darkness presses them down and makes the characters suffer greatly, they never give up.

this story will pierce through your heart and soul, pours tons of emotions into you, making you feel everything the characters are feeling. it also has outstanding world-building, a unique and intricate magic system, cast of characters that you will love so dearly, and a love story that leaves you in breathless awe.

if you haven’t read mistborn yet, i urge you to please do yourself a favor and feast upon these books, for the mistborn trilogy will reward you with one of the most unforgettable and extreme reading journeys ever in the fantasy literary world. it will arrest you completely for wanting more and it leaves you with such deep emotions.

i love mistborn so much, nothing i’ve read comes even close!! 😫

rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

#bookreview #alltimefavorite by @readwithkath

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5 years ago

it’s already the end of august?! -`д´- i’m in a terrible reading slump and haven’t read much lately, so i’m just hopping on this bookish trend of books you couldn’t pay me to…

- pick up
- finish
- re-read
- take off my tbr
- shut up about

tell me yours below!!! no judgement here!!! also, yeahhh, pikmin bloom is my august obsession 😂 need to include them here.

#booktrend #bookph #bookrecommendations #bookstagramph #fantasybookstagram by @readwithkath

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a month ago

mini dump!!! revisited one of my fave mysteries in preparation for A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett, my most anticipated read of the year. i really missed my perpetually stressed-out detective, dinios khol~ 😂✨

who else is reading book 3 on release day?!!

ps. i’m still stuck on Between Two Fires, this reading slump is hitting hard.*sobs*

#highfantasy #adropofcorruption #atradeofblood #robertjacksonbennett #fantasyreader by @readwithkath

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2 months ago

reading is just so amazing in the summertime ughh!!! ☀️🍹 📖

I couldn’t think of a better vacation companion than Robin Hobb’s Ship of Magic. the ocean, the ships, the salty air, it feels oddly perfect!! and if it ends up breaking my heart…at least i’ll do it by the sea haha

❓what’s your current summer read?

p.s. i’ve developed a bali calamares addiction, i could eat it everyday! 🦑

#bookworm #realmoftheelderlings #bali #fantasyreader #bookstagrammer by @readwithkath

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3 months ago

Remembering Patricia A. McKillip on the anniversary of her passing.🕊️

One of the most highly acclaimed female fantasy authors, whose dreamlike prose felt so distinct that no else truly writes quite like her.

I’ve only read few of her works, but her novels left an impression on me that i felt saddened when i learnt of her passing, as if the world became a lil less magical after losing someone like her.

To me, her novels embody what fantasy literature should be. knights, wizards, princess, a fever-dream prose that thrusts you into some faerie realm, and a soft magic that is unpredictable yet feels alive~

t.y. @themoonwholistens for gifting me Alphabet of Thorns 🥹🫶🏻

🐛

What’s your fav #patriciaamckillip book?

#classicfantasy #fantasybooks #fairytalebooks #bookrecommendations by @readwithkath

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5 months ago

books that…

learnt the hard way not to get hyped 😂 now, i go into every new book with no expectations… saves me from disappointment. so its always a fun surprise when i enjoy books that usually get negative opinions!

what really matters to me is the journey, not the destination.

do we share any of the same? 🙂‍↔️🙂‍↕️🫣🤭

#bookchallenge #bookrecs #books #favoritebooks #booksph by @readwithkath

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7 months ago

28 🥳 got a lois mcmaster bujold omnibus bc i’m dying to get back to world of the five gods, aka one of the best fantasy worlds i’ve ever read.

then luck hit twice! i stumbled on an old cover of guards! guards! i’d been chasing for ages, and won a kobo giveaway from @kendallhugger with the cutest bridgerton-themed case, perfect for me who reads historical romances as therapy after stress-filled epic fantasies.😂 ngl, feeling really blessed!!

🐛

btw, been laying low for health reasons. but you guys…i’ve finished mistborn era 2, and now i’m onto wind & truth! i hope it’s better than my reading experience with lost metal haha

#bookstagrammer #loismcmasterbujold #brandonsanderson #terrypratchett #sunniesph by @readwithkath

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7 months ago

Sometimes a book falls into your lap and strikes you in the heart. You spend days untangling your thoughts and sitting with the ache it leaves behind, so much so that every book you read afterward feels a little lesser.

Daughter of the Forest (1999) was that book, a beautiful retelling of the six swans—of a young woman who endures immense suffering to break the curse on her brothers.

I giggled, I cried, I raged, and I begged. every silence and sorrow Sorcha carried, i felt it deep in my bones. I even felt the world inviting me in, as though I were seated inside the story.

Birds sang and the stream trickled through a forest breathing softly with life, whimsy spirits of mirth, and ancient magic. the air smelled of earth and rain, and I heard the wind carried the faintest whispers as it brushed against my skin.

How can a book feel this alive? It doesn’t dictate but it simply lets you experience it. something I think only old fantasy seems to master, and sorely missed in newer fantasy releases.

but what really gripped me most was the strong familial love between Sorcha and her brothers. their shared strength and bond felt unconditional and steadier than any romance i’ve ever read, even with a happy ending, the many heartaches on both sides left me wrecked by the end.

Yet Marillier eases that ache with a crippling slow-burn romance that unfolds unexpectedly, one I didn’t see coming. He is brave and protective, and his gentle love becomes a quiet balm for Sorcha’s pain and, in a way, to mine as well.

rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

🦢

❓What’s your favorite retelling?

#bookreview #julietmarillier #sevenwaters #daughteroftheforest #fantasyretelling by @readwithkath

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7 months ago

Empire of the Vampire (2021)🩸was one of my biggest surprises!! i didn’t pick it up for years because i’d seen negative reviews calling it “misogynistic” but when i gave it a chance, i saw something different, and ended up loving it!!

this gripping grimdark fantasy is narrated in an Interview with the Vampire–style frame, following Gabriel de León, the legendary and last vampire hunter, as he recounts his story of pain, love, loss, and a faith worn thin by suffering.

i understand why some find it uncomfortable — it’s sensual (as vampire lore often is), filled with violent deaths, and portrays misogynistic religious mindsets that fit its medieval-inspired setting.

yet here we see that the protagonist reveres the women in his life. he even trains a nun to fight despite restrictions and openly asserts that the church wouldn’t survive without women. from what i saw, kristoff uses the protagonist’s voice to criticize that sexism, not promote it…

so if that’s what’s been keeping you from reading it, i’d recommend giving it a chance, you might end up seeing it in a different light.

at first, i felt a little off because it seemed like a rip-off of my fave video game, Bloodborne 🎮 especially in its hunter aesthetics, lore, endless night, and decrepit atmosphere. it also reminds me of Castlevania and the Last of Us!

but Kristoff still manages to turn those influences into something entirely his own! and that’s probably why it works for me. EotV feels like a fusion of vibes and themes i already love!

rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

❓ What’s one book you didn’t expect to love because of all the negative reviews?

*while the first book worked for me, I sadly didn’t enjoy the following books, but I still highly recommend EotV!

🧛🏻‍♂️

#bookreview #empireofthevampire #empireofthedamned #empireofthedawn #fantasyreads by @readwithkath

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8 months ago

better than ‘ILY’ 😮‍💨❤️‍🔥

this valentine’s day, i’m honoring the fictional men (mostly fantasy) i loved as a teen and still adore in my late twenties, because some lines stay with you forever!

tbh there are many more characters i want to include, but i couldn’t remember a quote, or some epic fantasy i’ve read just didn’t have enough romantic lines 😂

but i realized while editing this, that the ones who stayed with me mostly share the same traits: gentle, emphathetic, and brave. the kind-hearted characters who lets you be yourself, show all your flaws, and loves you anyway. maybe that says something about me, i’ve never really been fond of grumpy men—i think real life already has plenty of those haha. but, i do make exceptions for well-written, complex characters.

❓how about you, what character traits do you usually fall for? or do you have any fictional crushes that never faded?

#bookstagram #fantasyreader #bookquotes #fantasyromancebooks by @readwithkath

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8 months ago