moriendum est

Underskin is MY kind of beauty channel: in that they (I don't know what kind of pronouns the person running it uses, so I'm defaulting to "they") look at the creativity, business, and popularity angles. Everything is well-reseached, so even if the titles might be a tad clickbait-y, there's v. little (if any) room for weird/doubtful claims.

They've got videos on a lot of brands (from Fenty to Max Factor, r.e.m beauty, and more.) Here are some of my faves:

Watch on YouTube

This is one is super fascinating to me. Particularly cuz I was a teenager when The Body Shop was considered a good-to-upscale indication at USA malls. In addition to that was the marketing (appealing to cruelty-free and environmentally-centered products at a time where such labels were only a few years from total hippie-dom.) In any case, I love how deep of a look Underskin takes into the implosion of this once super popular brand.

Watch on YouTube

I do consider this video part 1 of why Pat McGrath as a brand has fallen out of favor within the beauty product world. Personally, I've liked some of their earlier products, but (v. mild spoiler for the video essay) I do agree with Underskin in that there's been a v. sad/unfortunate decline on the launches.

One thing I appreciate is how the video focuses on the brand itself and NOT Pat McGrath herself. She remains a v. talented MUA.

Watch on YouTube

And this is what I consider part 2. As the theme has to do with the Louis Vuitton x Pat McGrath collabo (launched back in late August this year. A controversial line that included $160 lipsticks. And there's the (alleged) shared PR packaging which FUCKING YIKES.

Watch on YouTube

I don't want to end this post on a downer/ragebait-y note, so I'm posting abt this cosmetic brand instead. It's also interesting in seeing a brand bounce back after a rather ho-hum, sort-of-plateau moment.

Re-reads. HUH.

None for now.


I DNF'd

*The Falconer by Elizabeth May (New Adult Romantasy) - In 1874 Scotland, Aileana tries her best to go along with her image as a member of the aristocracy. However, she's also the last Falconer, a specific type of fae hunter. She teams up with Kiaran McKay, a fae who kills his own kind. Together, they're meant to stop a horrible tragedy from happening . . .

I first heard abt this novel a good decade ago, back when I was reading a lot of YA. For some reason, I never got around reading it, tho. The only other thing I knew was that it was the first in a trilogy.

Years later, I heard that the author had revised all three books in order to bring the series closer to her original vision for the story. Now, characters were adults, there would be more on-page violence as well as some spicy scenes. Sounded like a good time to me!

OTOH, there's technically nothing bad abt the book itself. It's v. likely a novel that some folks will enjoy.

Unfortch for me, I found this author's writing to continue in a v. flowery/almost overwritten style which distracted the heck out of me. Frex (an excerpt from Chapter 3) emphasis mine:

The weak morning light filters through the misted windows, framing my mother's rigid silhouette in soft gold.

I take a sip of tepid tea, studying her. The proud tilt of her chin, the steely glint in her dark eyes--all signs of mourning transmuted into cold purpose.

This author sure LURVES adjectives. #Sheeesh!

Then there's Aileana, the protagonist, who is 21 years old* yet comes off as someone in her mid-teens through her behavior, thoughts, and opinions. She also has a "Not Like Other Girls (TM)" aura that got v. tiresome v. fast. Her immaturity brings what should've been a New Adult novel down to mid-YA levels.

* The fact that she's 21 is brought up a few too many times in that first 12%. By the fourth or fifth time she mentions being 21, I bit back an "I KNOW! YOU'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE!", NGL.

Finally, aside from the fae being actual!monsters (something akin to magical vampires?), there really wasn't anything in the story to bring it out of "generic YA fantasy mode". IJS. I DNF'd this book somewhere before 15% and gave it a 2 out of 5.


Had an awesome time at first (but it all went downhill from there).

* Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews - After a whole lotta ups and downs, Maud accepts Lord Arnald's invitation to his home planet. She's not sure if she's going to accept his wedding proposal AND she's also thinking abt her half-human, half-vampire daughter Helen. So the two of them head on to the seat of power of House Krahr. Between an upcoming wedding between two smaller houses, alien friends, mysterious aliens, and several attempts to her life, Maud's got her hands full . . .

This is Book 4 in the Innkeeper Chronices and, something of a spin-off since it follows Maud instead of Dina. It's also an IA book so worldbuilding? Spectacular. Plot? Engaging. Pacing? Solid.


HOWEVAH, there were three things I had some SRS BIZNESS issues with.

1. The way Maud/Arland's romance was portrayed.

No one would question Maud and Arland being a Power Couple. EVERYONE knows they're in love with each other. Still, Maud has some internal stuff to work thru before her relationship with Arland can solidify for good. And that's fair.

My problem is that, even though both are staying at the same location (heck, their rooms are next to each other!), they spend large chunks of the book APART. I was tapping my watch by the halfway point because the bulk of their interactions would be having The World's Shortest Conversations Ever (TM). It's not that I was expecting a boinkfest, but I wanted MORE romance taking center stage instead of being almost an afterthought. Eventually, there were smooches and even an intimate scene (that was closed door, btw). But these happened wayyyyy later in the book.

2. Maud was too perfect.

I liked her. I truly did. Some parts of her character journey--such as processing her trauma while struggling to leave her survivor!mode mindset behind--were fascinating.

OTOH, she also had deep knowledge of aliens, their cultures, and languages. To the point she could speak Common AND Ancient Vampiric dialects! In addition to that, she was a superb fighter. Totes able to go against anyone without the help of technology. Finally, she was a brilliant tactician.

One could argue that the first two things could be explained via her upbringing. As the daughter of innkeepers, she'd met and interacted with all kinds of aliens since childhood. Readers also learned that her father had hired fighting tutors for Maud to hone her skills.

Two vague and non-spoilery examples of what I mean.

Scene A - After being treated with contempt by all but 3 vampires (Arland, his uncle, and his female cousin), Maud attends a fancy dinner. Her seat is with the 9 tachi, an insect-like alien race, who are visiting the vampire planet. The tachi are sitting v. stiffly and ignoring the Universe's Worst Salads (TM)that were presented to them.

As soon as she sees all of that, she takes fruit and prepares a plate for the royal member of the tachi present. She also speaks to them in their language. The waiters freak out and then, after some minutes, bring out plates similar to the one Maud came up with.

I 🙄 at the fact that vampires didn't know that there was a MEMBER OF THE ROYAL TACHI FAMILY in the group OR that the tachi are particular abt plating in that food must make geometric designs. BUT MAUD KNEW!

Scene B - A creature is attacking the vampire children. WHO KILLS THE CREATURE? Maud does (with some assist from Arland). This happens despite there being over 20 vampire knights present--who all decide to RUN AWAY? I... SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH.

The cherry on top was something that occurred in the last third of the book.

HUGE SPOILER

During said battle against the creature, Maud is able to temporarily stop time--which is something that only the ad-hal can do. She's never done that before and, apparently, can't do again? But, yeah, it was thanks to this ability that she was able to slay the creature and save her daughter.

And THAT was the point got Maud to cross the line into Mary Sue territory. 🤷🏽‍♀️

This last point was exacerbated by the last of my complaints. She literally had OTT skills that weren't matched (or surpassed) by the villains. Which was different from all of the other female protags in IA books. Yes, even the Kate Daniels novels.


3. The villains were painfully MID! 😞

A good villain will elevate a book no matter how mediocre the story might be. Unfortch, the villains in this novel were childish and stupid. There wasn't a single moment I worried abt any of the characters. The stakes weren't high at all.


In any case, this was v. rare miss from IA. Not nearly enough romance, Maud was too perfect, and weak villains. I did enjoyed some of the scenes featuring political intrigue, the way Maud navigated a situation that was tenuous, and the v. few moments between her and Arland. This book should've been a novella. It ends on a soft-yet-intriguing cliffhanger. I gave it a 2.3 out of 5.

It sucks to give it such a low rating (especially cuz I was entertained, but this is deffo a really meh book from IA. *Hands*

ETA: I'd forgotten to mention that part of my :| abt this book popped up after I finished a review that mentioned something that readjusted my perspective on this book. It was the fact that the vampires in this series are actually Space Colonizers--down to being extremely xenophobic toward other aliens. This in turn means that I was actively hoping for Maud to be with one of the few, actually "good", i.e. non-racist, vampires. And I basically 😔 after that. FTR, that didn't affect my overall ranking, but I am SMH ar myself for not picking that theme up faster.

It was . . . fine?

None.


Good vibes all around.

* Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews - The second novel in the Innkeeper Chronicles finds Dina hosting a summit between three different alien species. (I promise you the actual!story is way more interesting than this premise makes it sound like.)

This novel is the perfect example of what it means to have an excellent reading experience.

There were moments I laughed, others when I actual!cried. It's a book with thrilling scenes as well as heartbreaking ones. This is IA running on all cylinders cuz wow, what a book!

Did I have any issues? Sure, I had two (though they were so small they couldn't bring the rating down).

1. The solution to one of the big conflicts was a bit woo-woo for my taste. OTOH, it made sense given everything that was going on. So, even though I 🙄 a little, I got why things had to be solved the way they did.

2. This book put romance on the backseat and made it stay there for most of the plot. IIRC, not much happens in that department until near the end of the book. Before that, it's a lot of daydreaming and pining. Despite my pouting abt the lack of lovey-dovey scenes, I can't think of where IA could've inserted some romance because of all of the extremely SRS BIZNESS plot.

I also feel quite smug abt realizing something abt a character and then seeing my hunch getting confirmed, heheh. But I will 🤐.

Anyhoodle,this book was magnificent, wonderful, melancholy, thought-provoking, tender, funny, brilliant, fabulous, hilarious, cheeky, etc. Let me stop praising this book cuz I don't have all day, LOL. It's earned a SOLID 5 OUT OF 5 (If you know me, you know I don't give 5 stars to every other book I read, IJS.)

One thing I do feel the need to point out is that the lulzy vibes from the first half do segue into something a lot more serious. It was a great book that had a perfect balance of emotions.


* One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews - The third novel in the Innkeeper Chronicles finds Dina juggling a lot of things: rescuing her older sister Maud from a planet far away and offering sanctuary to an alien species that's on the verge of becoming extinct. As an Innkeeper, Dina likes to fulfill her guests' requests. This time, though, she might need some help . . .

LISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEN, there was a point during which I thought my final rating for this novel was gonna be lower.

FTR, I was having a fantastic time following Dina through all of the ups and downs. I also appreciated that there were a few more human and/or humanoid characters whose skin tone was deeper. (I'm still 🤞🏾 for some queer folks to pop up in the series, but I digress.)

However, in the middle of my elation abt everything happening, I was worried abt the large amount of plot IA kept adding to the novel. Aside from the main storyline (which is mentioned in the premise), I counted 5 more asmaller rcs. On top of that, most of them were disparate AF. Or, at the v. least, appeared to be.

I know, I know. After reading over 20 of their books, I should've trusted that IA would stick the landing in the most graceful of ways. Which they did.

Plus there was a part where not one but TWO major reveals happened almost back-to-back. One made me sit up and clap with glee (metaphorically speaking) while the other reveal touched my heart to the point that I did cried.

Then the story comes to a close with the softest of cliffhangers while also being v. satisfying all the same.

Loved how IA went IN in terms of worldbuilding. There's a lot more exploring of the universe this time around AND more opportunities to meet a lot of interesting and weird aliens as well.

ANOTHER THING I LOVED ABT THIS BOOK was that IA anticipated their readers' questions and made sure potential plot holes were taken care of.

My one (1) issue with the novel had to do with the one (1) intimate scene in the book. Like most of IA's other novels, the intimate scene in this book was full of bad cringe. OTOH, though, I liked seeing Dina and Sean talking things out and solidifying their relationship. So my complaint is actually v. small.

This book is a lotta plot, but also tons of fun and thrills. There was romance (and a rather cringe-y sex scene) and some laughs as well as softer moments to keep things from tipping one way or another. Therefore, I cannot give it anything less than 5 OUT OF 5 STARS.


Current fic tally

Have picked up 197 and DNF'd 91. Not bad!


Some thoughts

My 😕 abt Sweep of the Blade aside, Ilona Andrews' Innkeeper Chronicles has carried my reading momentum. So yays to that!

FWIW, I didn't have super high expectations for The Falconer? Elizabeth May's books have been mostly misses for me (this the third book of hers I pick up and the second I DNF.) I do know she's got another book dropping in January that I might pick up? And I'm curious abt her historical romances. IDK

All in all, I where I am in terms of this year's reading.


Up next

Last time: [...] "a historical paranormal that's not cozy. I've renewed it for a second time.

Aside from that, I'm halfway thru the second book in the Innkeeper series and I'm trying to see which horror novels I'm gonna dive in. It's October after all. 😛"

I returned that historical paranormal (cuz I legit didn't want to renew it again.) Will try to read it later.

Right now, I've got the last two published books for the Innkeeper Chronicles, an M/M/F fantasy romance, and I'm reading the first book in a female detective series. Dunno why, but my yays for reading horror have sort of gone to ground? I might end up reading something scary next month, IDK. 😅