Babel Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution [R.F Kuang]	Babel was definitely the best read I've had in awhile. I'd been growing fatigued of straight "romantasy" and started looking for books that had less of a focus on the romance. It's what I'd describe as an AU-historical fantasy. The story follows Robin Swift and his assimilation into European culture as a half-chinese, half-white boy in the 1830s. It's a bleak, rough look at what life would have been like for POC in that era. While there are some small silver linings, ultimately the overall mood I'd decribe as dark. I loved the magic system and enjoyed reading it a lot. It gave me a lot to think about and a lot to relate to. I would recommend it to those that enjoy darker themes based in realism.
	A Court of Thorns and Roses [Sarah J. Maas]	You're telling me that there's an otherworldly race of people that are inhuman in every aspect except their sexuality? Why do the fae follow human gender norms? From a sociological and fantastical standpoint that's the stupidest move I've ever seen an author make. They had a big ass sex party but it was only heternormative. I'm not even going to get into the self-insert heroine. A lot of reviewers call her stupid, but I'll give the arguement that she's meant to make her decisions based on trauma so it does make sense that she doesn't make the best decisions ever. However, I have a lot of problems with the way it's handled. It's like they wanted to give her a Cinderella-esque situation (I've heard it's supposed to be a retelling, I hope the fuck not) but didn't commit to the bit. Like if you're going to give her a complex relationship with her family actually do that, it felt more uncertain. Like the author didn't know if she wanted to make them abusive or not rather than presenting it as a morally complex situation. It was just so... horny like it actually got in the way of the plot and the sex scenes were pretty boring. It's definitely a suburban straight cis housewife's ~romantasy~ book like oooh so spicy. It was aggravating. Never taking a recc from "BookTok" or any form of social media hype ever again. WHACK. The the thing that made me maddest is it had potential but it was so dragged down by it's horniness it's actually pretty sad.
	The Ones We're Meant To Find [Joan He]	This book was sad as hell. It's a Young Adult novel but it really doesn't feel like one. The story is set in a dystopian reality where climate-change has made the Earth inhospitable, so eco-cities were built to provide shelter, and clean air. "Their residents, in exchange, must spend at least a third of their time in stasis pods, conducting business virtually whenever possible to reduce their environmental footprint." [Goodreads 1] It's a dark look into a possible future for Earth. The story follows two protagonists, a pair of sisters. Kasey, lonely, introverted, and awkward. The other, Celia, popular, lovable, and extroverted. As you might imagine only one of them thrives in the enviornment while the other feels suffocated by it. I cried several times reading this. I was kind of smacked by it because I wasn't expecting it to be so grim I guess, the YA rating really does it a disservice. I think it only got that rating as there aren't any super adult situations in it. It's really well written and emotional, only one star is taken off because (spoilers) I personally don't like open ended endings. I know a lot of people like those but I want something more concrete. I don't know if Kasey actually died or not.
	Jade Fire Gold [June CL Tan]	Jade Fire Gold sadly was not that memorable for me. I enjoyed it but I can't recall anything groundbreaking with it. I do like that it wasn't necessarily focused on romance and I don't remember it having any until the very end of the book. Not really a spoiler it was just that insignificant, it didn't add that much to the story but I remember rooting for them. I will probably read it again at some point because I do remember enjoying it I just can't remember much about it.
	Time Stops for No Mouse [Micheal Hoeye]	"Kiyu this is a kids book..." ARE WE TOO GOOD FOR KIDS BOOKS NOW? HAVE YOU NO SENSE OF WHIMSY? Also I read this when I was about 14 I think. It has hands down the most memorable book I ever read and it seriously gave me the same vibes as The Hobbit by Tolkien. There's something about like, a little nerd shut-in being taken out of his element that really appeals to me. Hermux is a very Bilbo-esque character, except instead of Hobbit-things he's just really fucking British like hardcore that's a European mouse. Can't miss tea time! I've read it several times I think, there's a few sequels as I think it's a Trilogy but the first one is still my favorite. There's mystery, intrigue, and!!! A little guy!! I love him so much. Please read this book if you're in the mood for something light and fun. If you don't like it don't tell me or I'll burrow into your walls.
	Howl's Moving Castle [Diane Wynne Jones]	It's fucking Howl's Moving Castle. I like the idea that the Ghibli movie is Howl's perspective (handsome, charming, just a little quirky ehe) and the book is Sophie's perspective (Howl is a brat, absolutely drag him by the hair Sophie). The book is just so... whimsical and it feels so grounded. I really, really enjoyed the book. I was going through a traumatic time when I read it so I don't remember it that well, but I'm definitely going to read it again sometime because it's just cozy. Like a warm, familiar blanket.
	The Moorchild [Eloise McGraw]	When I was a child, I had a "phase" of getting super hyperfixated on Celtic mythology. I say child I think it was just before high school when Lord of the Rings came out. It was my first dip into the fantasy genre and as a sheltered child stuck in a conservative strict life, it was an escape. This book really captured me right from the start. The story follows a Changeling child and actually starts before the baby is born with the fae it gets replaced with. Becoming a changeling was a form a punishment for the Fae if I remember correctly and she gets sent to trade places with a child. As a baby she's at first starkly self-aware so it just presents itself as colic. Gradually though she loses all her former memories and believes herself to be a human child. It's a different sort of coming of age story, I love it a lot.
	Song of Achilles [Madeline Miller]	I have to re-read this now that I'm out of [a situation], it's really sad. I also went through an era on being hyperfixated on Greek Mythology, loosely as Greek mythology is... raunchy. Most others are but you can kind of skirt it if you try. But Greek mythology, it's really just so embedded into the stories it's hard to separate them from that. So ~AT THE TIME~ I didn't feel comfortable getting too deep into it. But as an adult? I can do whatever I want, thank god. So I read Song of Achilles, it takes a narrative approach to the tale of the Illiad and it's very, very sad. I would not be surprised if this influenced the video game Hades to some degree. Please read it if you love BL.