Yes, I haven't actually finished a book since Sept.
Got into a reading stump when there was series I wanted to continue but couldn't afford and it made me anxious to get them

-1
Silk & Steel trilogy by Ariana Nash

Eroan is a member of the Order, an elven assassin group dedicated to taking down the dragons that have been wiping them out, training to kill Elisandra, the Amethyst queen of the dragons.
No assassin has been successful.
When Eroan is captured and locked up, he's given a chance to get closer to the queen and killer, reluctantly going along with whatever torture they plan.

Lysander is the second Amethyst prince, destined to be wed off to breed warriors.
Though he was the one to stop the elven assassin, he wishes he hadn't and spends his time worrying about the future and drinking wine to wash it away.
He fears he's doomed anyways, being he only feels attraction to men and can't get with a woman no matter how hard he tries.

Starting as enemies simply by their situations, destiny may push them together for the future of the world.

So first off, HEAVY trigger warning.
There's r*pe, one book has a scene involving the main villain.
Lysander has dealt with such abuse since he was a child. (Though it doesn't have any flashback scenes or anything, just heavily implies it)
The people he's supposed to breed warriors for are VERY messed up,
There's some incest stuff.
Some dubious consent
There's also consensual smex scenes.

This series is definitely 18+. Maybe even 20+
I've seen some say it's more messed up than Game of Thrones.

That stuff aside, I loved this book. I will be explaining my love of this with the occasional meme, too-

It's a fantasy post-apocalyptical dystopian with queer MCs (Lysander is gay, Eroan is bi) and dragon shapeshifters and elves, it's like Skyrim and Fallout were mashed together to make a fuked up monster, but a beautiful fuked up monster with a heart.

It's a tale about a messed up world needing change, about love, about hate, about war, and about dealing with trauma, and sometimes using that trauma to fuel you. Though the trauma could still hurt, could linger with a bad taste and cloud your head.
And it doesn't joke about the trauma. Doesn't make light of it.

The first book pulled me into this world, I love the way it built up the setting through the book instead of just saying "In the town of Felhayen" or "It's the distant year of 3076 in the place once known as New York."
It gives you little pieces here and there, and even the people help with the world building.

Second book is a little too fast paced, but it still kept me on the edge and made me want more.

Then the third book do be crazy! I just love how Lysander and Eroan build up together, find their strengths, their love, their people.

I actually enjoyed the fight and battle scenes in it, how the world was given in sprinkles with visuals.

It's not perfect, but it's good!
It's like a really really good Wattpad book. Y'know, the rare underrated gems you come across? Ya, it's like that but slightly better.

Kinda getting a bit in spoiler territory here

Lysander...
My gods, by the time I finished the series (I still need the side stories though), I wanted to hug this man and make sure he got all the best therapy in the world.
He did not deserve all that schist, but the fact he went through it and still kept some inkling of kindness and sanity just shows his strength and heart.

He deserves the gods dam world, and you can pry my maternal love for him from my cold dead hands!

Yep, this meme I found explains it!

And Eroan-
First off, if I had a nickel for every bisexual white haired elf, I'd have 3 nickels.

But I love how though Eroan is supposed to be the hero of his people, he's far from perfect. 
He gets casted out and and scoffed at many times, but he still means well and tries his dam best to do what he believes is right. And sometimes, a mistake happens that he learns from.

He starts off as a sort of brood, but when he lets himself be open it's great seeing him be happy, be in love, be ready to fight to protect those he cares about even if they don't want him to.

And I can make jokes about him being Lysanders Heroine because the name is pronounced the same. XD

And Seraph-
Sure, enemies-to-lovers can be good. But enemies-to-besties?

Her and Lysander, man. I love the duo!
And they create a lil chaos that gets to Eroan XD

She's a supporting character, but gods dam I love her character!

The best way I could explain this trio is either as the girl who becomes besties with her brother's boyfriend, or with the laughing wolves meme

And the three are so willing to fight and die for each other!

And the characters aren't perfect. They make choices that have heavy consequences. 
But it's either out of survival instincts or thinking about the people they're trying to protect.
That's what I love.

I don't know what else I can say without spoiling too much. I could go on and on about it.
I just absolutely loved this series, and would definitely read it again at some point.

Not perfect, but gods dam, I loved it! I wanna see a movie or show about it! Or maybe more books set in other parts of the world?
I rate this book 9 and a half stars!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/

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-2
Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline is a young girl looking to find some fun in her new home, her parents being too busy and most other adults ignoring her.

She hopes the little door in one of the rooms may lead to somewhere, instead it's nothing but bricks, blocking off the next room after the house had been renovated to an apartment.
But a while later, a rat leads her to the door, now with no walls barring the way, leading her to a place much like her own.

Except for the living toys, the old man and his rat performers, Miss Spink and Forcible being young performers again, and of course, the button eyes which everyone — even the copies of her parents — have.

We all know the Coraline movie. The horror fantasy for kids that everyone grew to love.

But the book has a lot of differences. Bobinski is called Mr. Bobo. Spink and Forcible's dogs can speak. There is now Wybie, Grandma with missing sister, or look-alike doll. And Coraline is more standoffish about the button world.

It was a short read, if I hadn't chose to read the first half before bed, I would've finished it within a day.
But it was good! C'mon, it's a book by Neil Gaiman that became a big hit!

It reads a lot like a fairytale. Not the Disneyesque types, but the Alice In Wonderland or the East of the Sun, West of the Moon types. Some consider it to be a fairytale, even without the fairy character taken into consideration (yes, Coraline has actual fairies)
And as someone who just adores fairytales, I can agree.

It's not perfect at and adult reader's standpoint, since it is written for kids. It's fast paced and short. But if you were a kid reading it, it feels just right. I remember from my own childhood reading days and know that the books that took me a while to read then would take an hour or two now.

And there are some things I wish the movie kept that the book had; such as the fairy, the talking dogs, the scene where she goes to the room that was blocked off.

I did love this book enough though to keep reading it.
So I give this 8 and a half stars!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/

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