Briar's Book by Tamora Pierce

I really thought Briar’s Book was going to hit differently because of COVID. I’m not sure if it did because of that, really. I am going to say I was probably more emotionally invested this time, which made certain bits hit harder, but… yeah. Briar’s Book is quite good. I feel like the science-y bits are very true-to-life (which I get into later) and parts were definitely heart-breaking.

Tris getting upset about The Mire had me tearing up. Poor girl’s worried as fuck and doesn’t know how to deal with it… not to mention how her personality is. Woof. Honestly, Tris’ reactions to things in this book had me tearing up this read-through. She’s so caring and prickly at the same time. I love it.

I think this book is where I learned about how disease is tracked and how cures are devised. I mean, it was a very general knowledge, but it’s where I learned it first, even if I didn’t fully internalize that information until later. I think it’s a rather good primer, actually… for the general public. Again, this is one of the spots where Tamora Pierce excels at writing realistically for her audience, even with the magic involved.

I am forever grateful to Tamora Pierce for writing truthfully and not dumbing things down for younger readers. In this one especially, the importance of quarantine and disease tracing are well written and as true to life as they can be. What happens in the quarantine is also written realistically, though not going beat-by-beat but still managing to convey just how horrible having, dying, and caring for those with the disease is. Oh, and having at least one person with tuberculosis in there… that’s some fun (not really) icing on the disease cake right there. Having now learned a lot about tuberculosis (thank you, John Green of Vlogbrothers) it uh… yeah… icing on disease cake.

I think Moonstream’s reaction to the climax was both funny and sobering. These kids just broke one of the cardinal RULES and definitely don’t need to be bandying about that they could technically do it again… Plus there definitely should be limits on what magic can do.

So yes, I thought Briar’s Book was excellent. It’s honestly probably my favorite of this quartet.

Favorite Line

"You needn't adore humanity to feel bad for someone in this fix," - Rosethorn

In Other News

I completed another OviPets project. This is Cherubimon (Vice), based on the Digimon. Took me about 7 months to complete. Part of my Mega Digimon Project line.

 

At the Dark End of the Street by Danielle L. McGuire

I honestly had a hard time staying focused while reading At the Dark End of the Street. I'm not used to reading nonfiction books and really do better with ones that stick to a single narrative thread rather than one with several, as this is. In addition, the popping out from the narrative being told to round out the historical setting and tell other, smaller narratives was distracting to me. That's all structure-related and doesn't actually reflect badly on the subject matter, which I actually believe is extremely important. At the Dark End of the Street highlights a part of history that is largely swept over for most Americans. I know The Civil Rights Movement was barely covered in any of my High School History classes. We learned the names of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. and I'd heard of Malcolm X, but that was pretty much it. Also the time span over which The Civil Rights Movement actually happened is glossed over, so I think this is really the first time I really internalized just how long this shit took and is, in a lot of ways, still taking. At the Dark End of the Street really highlighted all that for me, so I truly thank Ms. McGuire for that.

I found a lot of the content both shocking and unsurprising at the same time. We see a lot of the same shit repeating itself in 2026, just with a different set of non-White people, and hell, with the same set in some cases. Definitely highlighted here was the police brutality that went on. The police have been on power-trips for a long, long time and it's gross. They also seem to be getting away with a lot of the same sort of crimes, too. Definitely not a good look.

I wrote in my notes about the Montgomery Bus Boycott and how it was brushed over in my schooling. I definitely heard about it, but didn't actually learn about it before now. I read about this stuff as an adult and am repeatedly reminded how schooling in the US is just so, so inadequate. We focus on the Revolutionary heroes and maybe a bit more on World War II (thought clearly not enough with the way this country is going at the moment). But the more recent history? Not a damn word.

It is absolutely hilarious (in a very not hilarious way) how White Supremacist men are all fear-monger-y about Black men going after White women and yet have no problem kidnapping and raping Black women. Seriously, wtf, you POS. The cognitive dissonance is astounding.

Somehow surprised and yet not, given how states were about abortion laws before Roe v. Wade was overturned, to learn states also passed laws to nullify Brown v. Board of Education. All of this stuff just makes me shake my head in “wtf are we doing?” and “don’t we have better things to be legislating about?” Ugh.

I’m sorry… “interracial incubi”? And “Armageddon [was] just around the corner.” Because… wtf. I know this shit was deadly serious in the moment, but the lengths White Supremacists went to in their own heads and in real life in order to degrade and stop Black people from voting or from interracial marriage is a fucking joke. So very unserious. And yes, I know the lens I’m looking at it through is as a 30-something white woman in 2026, where some of this shit is still rearing or re-rearing its ugly head… still. So. Fucking. Stupid. Racism is very fucking stupid. The obsession with sex by all of these "morally upstanding" people is also very fucking stupid.

So yeah... I really do appreciate At the Dark End of the Street for teaching me more about a part of history the US just wants to sweep under the rug. I sincerely hope that more people pick up this book and take the messaging to heart. We need to do better and keep moving forward... all I've got is platitudes at this point. Well, that and Listen to Women damnit.

Quotes that Stuck Out

My commentary in blue 

"For surely those who perpetuate these ugly prejudices here are seeking to destroy our democratic form of government just as surely as the Axis forces." - Courier reader 

"This of course will be very bad for the war effort," he argued, "for it is senseless to fight fascism abroad is fascisitc influences are to be protected here at home." - Charles S. Seely 

"Blacks in Montgomery knew better. The city's police force had a reputation for physical and sexual violence. Police brutality plagues the black community." - Narration

     Like I've said, not a great look, historically, for police forces, even if this is specifically referencing Montgomery, Alabama. - Me

 

"Whether that had been a white girl involved or a colored girl, a jury is very reluctant to pass a death sentence or life imprisonment for that charge upon a man" - Mayes McGehee

     I think it's gross how White Men have been getting away with lesser sentences for rape since, ya know, forever. Pisses me off, quite frankly. - Me

"there is no human being on the face of the earth" who had the right to violate or abuse another person, "no matter who you are or where you think you come from or whatever possession or control you have," - Jerry Paul 

 

In Other News

Well, now that I've finished with the heavy subject matter we can move on to a little levity. I finished my Impmon Project over on OviPets. Based on the Digimon of the same name. Tattoos on the face and stomach were done by me in GIMP. Impmon took me approximately 11 months to complete.

Probability Sun by Nancy Kress

Probability Sun was definitely less segmented than Probability Moon, which made being more interested in one part versus the other less of a thing. It did, however, present some interesting ethical quandaries. We also found out more about the Fallers, but not significantly more. Probability Sun was entertaining enough and it was kind of nice to know what Enli got up to once she returned to Shared Reality.

I honestly think the humans were in the wrong, stealing the artifact out from under the Worlders’ noses. We’re a damn shady people when we wanna be. It was damn lucky the Worlders didn’t actually know what they had or that it even existed. That they now have to deal with the complete disappearance of Shared Reality is kind of horrible. Not that I think basically being hive-minded was a fantastic thing, but it’s what they knew and, as Ann pointed out a bunch, adapted to deal with.

Moving on to the Faller stuff with Marbet… Grafton was an idiot. I understand you don’t want the Faller to kill itself, but how the hell is it supposed to communicate when you’ve basically taken away body language and it doesn’t speak our language? So dumb and ultimately short-sighted.

I thought Capello and his girls were an interesting addition. Bit of color in an otherwise very adult-centric narrative. Essa was also a fun addition. I like that Enli’s basically become her surrogate mother. I think it’ll do them both good in the long run.

Speaking of the long run, I don’t at present have any desire to read the third book in this trilogy. I feel like Probability Sun left off at a fairly good place. Maybe not the best, but satisfying enough.

In Other News

I finished 2, count 'em 2!, OviPets projects since the last one. We have the Diver Cat and Lavendeer. Both original critters designed by me and not based off anything else. Well... the Diver Cat is based off a previous project of mine, but other than that... Yay!

 

Glimmering by Elizabeth Hand

Glimmering was honestly not my cup of tea. It was engrossing enough and kept me reading, but I feel more put off by it than anything else. It felt chaotic, in all honesty, and not entirely cohesive. Sure, Leonard Thorpe was there, threaded through everything, but... and then it just trailed off suddenly at the end... I'm left with this really unsatisfied feeling. I don't even have anything else to say about Glimmering. I'm not sure it really did what Elizabeth Hand says it does or did in her Author's Note in the beginning. Just felt like it was going somewhere and then... didn't.

In Other News

I finished my Upamon project! Part of my Village of Beginnings Project Line.

Good Eats 4: The Final Years by Alton Brown

Full disclosure: I haven't cooked anything from this book and mainly just read the info-parts and the footnotes. Alton Brown truly does live in the footnotes.

I will say, reading this cookbook is just like watching Alton Brown's content, only, ya know, staring at sheets of paper and hallucinating his voice in my head rather than watching him move around with his voice coming out of the speakers. I definitely count this as a good thing. I learned a few things and reviewed a few others (as a long-time consumer of Alton content, I've seen a few things he went over in the book before reading the book).

I will probably cook some things out of here in the future. I already swear by his recipe for sugar cookies, so... yeah. Solid, informative, and fun read for any fan of Alton Brown.

In Other News

I have finished my "Harvest" Project over on OviPets. They are part of my Digi's Miscellany Project Line. These guys took me about 11 months to finish. I was originally thinking I'd come up with a better name for them as I was completing the project, but I never did so... yup. Harvest it is.

 

In much sadder news, I was informed yesterday that my Paternal Grandmother passed away that morning. We weren't close at all, but... yeah. Still sad.

Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton

I am really feeling quite "meh" about Bullet. There's a lot that happens in the span of not a very long time, but a good chunk of it is "off-screen" orgy and the rest is pace-killing therapy speak. Makes the whole thing just very odd. It is, however, weirdly more memorable in places than a lot of the series has been for me up until this point.

I definitely remember the beginning of this one. Anita hanging out with kids for a hot minute definitely stuck in the brain-pan. I did not remember the bit with Monica and honestly… Anita’s right to despise her still. Ma’am, trauma is trauma, no matter who or what activity is involved. Also, Monica, Cynric is 17. 17. A literal child. Fuck you, Monica. This part wasn't even plot-impacting at all, but boy did it make me angry in the moment.

While not the beginning to Asher being a jealous butthead, this is the beginning of it in force. He definitely has his reasons, and I'm not saying they're bad reasons, but it's also quite annoying from here on out... assuming I'm remembering correctly, of course.

I’m sorry, what was that about “against our laws” to steal Human Servants away from each other? Anita’s been tossed around like a fuckin hot potato in the Human Servant category pretty much since the beginning. She’s mostly Jean-Claude’s, but also Belle’s and Marmee Noir’s at the moment, technically. So what’s the ruling on that shit? This is definitely one of those moments where you can see the world-building still happening, but also cracked a bit.

Okay, this is the book where my liking of Max happened. I feel the need to mention this because in Skin Trade I was very confused about when that happened. Honestly, Bibiana, Max, and Auggie are more likable over the phone in this book than they were in their initial appearances.

A big part of the problem with Haven is that he is a classic example of toxic masculinity. He can’t share, can’t square Anita’s “masculine” qualities, and can’t seem to change despite having the knowledge that he clearly needs to. This is rather talked to death with the Anita/Haven scene and the later scene after spoilery stuff happens. I think having this sort of, probably more common than a lot of us would like to admit, representation is good on the one hand, because it is so ingrained and now being reinforced in the younger generation. On the other hand, the fact that Haven is never able to move past it doesn't bode well for those being represented. If any of that makes sense... Haven's whole personality lands in the "thanks, I hate it and I hate it hanging around" category.

The way Bullet goes from crisis, crisis, crisis to slice-of-life is weird. It feels very strange. Definitely more true-to-life than a good chunk of the other books, but it just feels strange. I do think I figured it out, though. This is where Hamilton started putting more therapy stuff into the books. The entire crisis plot grinds to a halt so we can talk about the feelings involved in the situation rather than just forging ahead with the crisis at hand. That’s why it feels strange: it’s an element that wasn’t exactly there before and now it’s here in force. It’s not bad, exactly, just… strange, especially as far into the book as it is.

Which then brings us to the end. I very much remembered the end as being more bad-ass than I ended up thinking it was this time. I feel like Bullet ground itself to a halt and then never really picked the momentum back up. I'm not mad there wasn't some sort of large-scale battle or something at the end, but the calling of tigers thing just didn't land this time around. Like, yay, they did it! But also... okay... and now what? I don't know. I wasn't enthused and am not really enthused about picking up the next one.

Memorable Moments

Okay so, this section I'm tacking on here because I talked a little about remembering stuff from this book, but didn't get to touch on all of it in my review.

- The beginning with Anita and Matthew. Very memorable, very cute.

- Valentina. I do not at all remember what, if anything, ultimately ends up happening with Valentina. I did remember Anita, Nicky, and Damien finding her on the computer and how creep-tastic that was, though.

- Reba definitely seemed more badass on my first read-through and I remembered her, but I did not remember much else about that bit.

 

In Other News

I finished my MetalGarurumon Project over on Ovipets. Took me a little over a year to finish. I also did the body tattoo for them. Free-handed while looking at a MetalGarurumon reference. Ovipets sadly doesn't have robot genes.

Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton

I honestly found Blood Noir to be forgettable. There were a couple of over-arching plot-relevances, but otherwise... forgettable. As this is a reread, as well, I will double down on that. I did not remember a single damn thing from this book going into it again.

Regardless of the cause of his rage, Richard will not be forgiven for how he acted or has been acting because of it. I've been done with Richard for a while (which you will know if you've read my previous Anita Blake reviews) and this... other than Anita figuring out she could eat anger and Richard's version of the ardeur surfacing, he had zero reason to be there. Pretty much just an on-screen conflict generator that I would very much just like to punch in the face. Richard's ardeur scene was just icing on the "Richard's not a great person actually" cake. No, not icing, decorative, inedible detailing on the cake. He just made me so, so mad.

I did enjoy the "little" lore drop we got about the clan tigers and in-universe Chinese history regarding lycanthropes. Those little in-universe history touches really flesh out Anita's world in the best ways.

The bit where Anita ate Richard's rage/took back her rage reminded me very much of the scene in Disney's She-Hulk where Jennifer tells Bruce about her experience with rage. Women are just so full of rage and so good at keeping a lid on it and men just cannot handle the barest hint. We are scary and that makes us powerful.

But yeah... other than that, I will probably completely forget this book existed again. I am otherwise happy to be jumping back into the Anita Blake universe. 

Favorite Lines

"Obsession isn't love, Jason. It's possession." - Anita Blake

"Sometimes, if people forget you're there, you learn more. Silence can be a greater asset than any question." - Anita Blake 

In Other News

I have finished my Chuumon project for my Child Digimon Project Line over on OviPets. Chuumon took me 7 months to complete.

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch

While not exactly super surprising, I did very much enjoy Moon Over Soho. I thought it was nice to see consequences from the last book carry over into this one. It's always nice when we aren't just reset back to "normal" immediately. I know that's a little weird to say for a sequel, as I think the consequences should always stick... but yeah.

As usual, I very much enjoyed the world-building. Got a few answers to a couple of questions I had from Rivers of London, The Masquerades of Spring, and some of the short stories preceding Moon Over Soho chronologically. It was also fairly well done. Not a giant info dump, just Nightingale organically telling Peter stuff when appropriate.

I also enjoyed the progression of the characters. Getting to know Peter better and learning about Lesley through her family and recovery. Dr. Walid amused me, in line with several coroner types from CSI-like shows. I even quite like Ash and hope we see more of him in future.

I was kind of amused at the notion of Nightingale assuming his former colleagues would just not teach anyone else magic just because there was some sort of Agreement. It does (from short story readings) seem like other government types in other countries assumed the same. It seemed completely silly to me for some surviving wizards to keep that knowledge to themselves. Of course the knowledge is going to be passed on. It's so obvious to me. Heck, Peter's pretty much got two apprentices of his own in Lesley and Abigail (one assumes Abigail, anyway) and he's not even a "proper" wizard yet. I kind of assume Lesley's going to come under Nightingale's tutelage, but one never knows.

I thought Simone being super connected to Peter's case was also fairly obvious. He fell too fast, too hard for her to not be involved somehow. I actually though she might be a shapeshifter of some kind. I was definitely wrong on that count, but that's where my head was originally at.

Anyway, I thought Moon Over Soho was a solid follow up to Rivers of London. Built out more of the world nicely and was just solid over all. 

Favorite Lines

"He was calling it an atonic seizure because, even if he didn’t know why it had happened, it was important to give it a cool name." - Peter Grant

"For a terrifying moment I thought he was going to hug me, but fortunately we both remembered we were English just in time. Still, it was a close call." - Peter Grant  

In Other News

I finished my Moosemon Project, part of my Armor Digimon Project Line over on OviPets. Took me just about a year to complete. 

2025 In Books

So basically the only rule for this list is that I had to read or finish the books in 2025. Everything else is my opinion. Of course, if you're interested in my deeper thoughts on these books, check out my reviews.

Number of times I smashed my Reading Goal: 1 time

Number of Books Read: 71 read, bringing my lifetime total to 1,148 books

Number of Pages: 26,648

Shortest Book: Aboard the RMS Aquitania by Ben Aaronovitch - 5 pages, barely a short story

Longest Book: The Shapeshifters by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes - 968 pages

Average Book Length: 375 Pages

Favorite New Read: A House Between Sea and Sky by Beth Cato - Really interesting, mostly cozy fantasy.

Favorite Reread: The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey - The copy I have is an anthology of the first 3 books in the overall Pern series, which I just adore.

Favorite Non-Fiction: I did not read any non-fiction this year.

Favorite Series: InCryptid by Seanan McGuire. Finished off that series this year. It's just a really fun series, you guys.

Favorite Author: Seanan McGuire - This hasn't changed since last year, even though I didn't read a lot from her this year... again.

Most Read Author: Laurell K. Hamilton - Been going through the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series, which ended up being more books than the Pern series by 6 books! I'm not even close to done with it yet!

Least Favorite Book: Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes - I didn't like it the first time and rereading did not change that.

Most Disappointing Read: Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan - I really wanted to like the books, ya'll. I really did. I probably would have if I'd read them when I was younger but... Percy Jackson just wasn't for me.

DNF Pile: Dragon's Code by Gigi McCaffrey & The Big Meow by Diane Duane

Favorite New-to-Me Character: Leah from The Prince of Nowhere by Emily Drake. She was such a fun character I wish had been in a better book.

Favorite Reread Character: Nathaniel Graison from Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton - Nathaniel is the sweetest cinnamon roll of a man, despite his horrible unbringing. I would protect him with my life.

Currently Reading: Acorna's Quest by Anne McCaffrey & Margaret Ball, The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling, Illustrated by Jim Kay & Neil Packer 

Finished Series: I finished 7 series this year.

Non-Book Stuff

I just wanted to brag that I finished 15 OviPets projects this year. I had several projects that were 1 or 2 traits with tattoos involved. Gotta love them Slime projects. Heh.

 

I also finished 2 full Pokedexes this year in Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Scarlet. I'm proud of myself. 😁

The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton

A mostly spoiler free reread review.

First and foremost: Forbidding any knowledge of The Harlequin to even be passed to a Human Servant or Animal to Call is a dumbass rule. If Anita hadn’t learned about The Harlequin, she definitely would have held this stupid ass secret over Jean Claude’s head for the rest of their lives and probably, given how he doesn’t even want to accidentally tell her via their dreams, she would have found at that way eventually anyway. Stupid, stupid rule. I’m glad Anita gets to say as much about an adjacent part of the rules. I do also wonder, if The Rules say The Harlequin are not to be even mentioned, how does knowledge of them and their Rules get passed around?

It makes me happy that Anita is able to talk out her Nathaniel issues with Nathaniel.

Oh hey, Edward’s back. I didn’t super realize I’d been missing him, but I was so… yay? I super hate that he was forced to bring Olaf in on this. I fuckin' hate Olaf. He's not at all interesting to me and is really just gross. I did kind of like Peter being around, but, like Anita, have issues with that because he's friggin' 16. Even if trauma made him grow up quicker, it's not great to have him almost get killed so young.

Yet AGAIN, we have to deal with Richard and his issues. I’m so, so tired of this. I know Anita is also tired of this. They need to just stop letting him in whenever he shows up unannounced. I understand The Harlequin are in town and you want the Triumvirate all together but come on. Get the man his own room where he can go and not bother others with his bullshit. It feels like Richard's shit has finally come to a head, but it's felt kind of like that before, so I'm not actually holding out hope. I mean, I know, because this is a reread, that he gets "better" and becomes less present overall, but I cannot for the life of me remember when that actually starts happening. Whatever, he needs to stop showing up and fucking everyone over at exactly the wrong moments.

The backstory recaps feel clumsy here. Very “we both know this information but I’m gonna tell you anyway” followed by the larger context. I understand you’re kind of supposed to be able to pick up any book and understand what’s going on at any given point but… it’s getting ridiculous.

Politics, oh politics, I hate the effing politics. <— that was in a little sing-song voice in my head. But seriously, I hate the politics of this crap. I also hate Dolph taking out his issues on Anita. She should have told him to fuck off way before she did. Honestly, Dolph is devolving the same way Richard has. All that hatred interfering with his job and making him a less likeable character... I don't like it and am super tired of it.

The Harlequin seemed to take me forever to read. I just had to keep stopping every few paragraphs in places because the characters were just annoying me so much. I do like The Harlequin as a concept and they do eventually make a more robust appearance than they do here. I had been expecting (as it's been so long since I first read this) that to happen here, but it didn't, so I am a little disappointed. So... yeah. I'm overall frustrated with the series at this point. I think rereading them all in a bunch like this isn't the best method for a reread. 

Favorite Line

"Friends want what's best for you more than they want sex." - Anita Blake

In Other News 

So, for those who don't follow me on Social Media (Threads is where I hang out 99% of the time these days) I have been spending most of my time in Pokemon Land. While waiting for the Pokemon Legends: Z-A DLC, I was using the Vizualizer function over on OviPets to create Pokemon. Did from Bulbasaur to Wigglytuff, making my to-do OviPets Project List way longer... I'm not even halfway through the Kanto Dex. 😫

And now the Pokemon Legends: Z-A DLC (Mega Dimension) has been released. I've been enjoying it. It's honestly more of the same, just with more Pokemon and black-and-white Lumiose settings.

I have decided to take a break from my Anita Blake reread. I think the next few books will make me less frustrated overall, but... I'll pick that up in the new year. I'm going to be jumping into Anne McCaffrey & Margaret Ball's Acorna series. I read and reread the first book several times in my early teen years and now it's time to jump back in and actually read the whole series. 

Pokemon Legends: Z-A

This post will include game and storyline spoilers for Pokemon Legends: Z-A. If you're worried about that kind of thing, I highly recommend not reading this post. You've been warned.

I have honestly been taking my sweet time playing this game. It's a lot of fun and really quite chill. I've personally been referring to it as "Pokemon Ooh Shiny!" in my head... which is funny because I have yet to catch any shinies other than the "Government Mandated Mareep." (There's a side quest where you find a shiny Mareep for someone and get to keep it.) But seriously, the amount of random crap to pick up as you're running around the city is insane. I've been pulled off course at the drop of a hat by the random little yellow shinies to pick up.

Lumiose City is labyrinthine. The graphics may not be the best, but the setting feels lived in by its NPCs... which there are a lot of. I honestly don't look for absolutely excellent graphics in my Pokemon games. I have seen artist renditions of realistic Pokemon and, while fun to look at, I don't really need that in my games. Character customization is back with a vengeance. The only thing I have to complain about on that front is the inability to mix and match pieces outside of their "sets." For example, I wanna wear a leather jacket with a t-shirt and you can only swap the t-shirts with "shackets" and wear a leather jacket with a sweater. I get why all that is, but I miss being able to swap indiscriminately. But hey, I was able to put together another Carmen Sandiego cosplay, so I'm overall happy on that front.

I could honestly take or leave the story line. I'm really here for collecting the Pokemon and running around. It's interesting to be running around, saving Pokemon from weird Mega Energy spikes and collecting the Mega Stones, but the rest is honestly just fluff for me. I barely read the text and just kind of... go along with it. The story line is not where my interest lies. I'm too busy doing side quests and catching Pokemon. Boy, are there A LOT of side quests. Some of them are kind of fun, a good chunk of them are battles. Speaking of battles, you have to do A LOT of them, too. Trainer battles to earn the Challenge Tickets for the Battle League or whatever it's called. Honestly... it's a grind.

Which then brings me to the controls. I have issues with the controls. I'm not sure if it's lingering muscle memory from Legends: Arceus or what, but... I don't find the controls very intuitive. I very much dislike having to use the "focus" button during battles. Like, dude, we clearly need to target the Pokemon and keep targeting them, so why, in one-v-one battles, do I have to "focus" exactly? Any Pokemon that uses something like "Take Down" runs through your Pokemon and you lose "focus" on them and have to readjust your avatar to readjust your "focus," which I think is dumb. Corbeau's Gyarados about killed my Pokemon at least twice on separate occasions because of this exact issue. Much frustration. Aaaand your Pokemon will also attack bushes and things during a battle instead of the Wild Pokemon you're trying to attack... not great. Little bit silly. Mostly frustrating. But hey, they have Pokeball Return Guys at all the Pokestops, so you can get back Pokeballs you missed with, so that's cool.

Really, honestly, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is fun. It's open world enough that you can just kind of go wherever at any given moment, but structured enough to keep you on-task when you need to be. From what I've seen in my corner of the internet *cough* Threads *cough*, I'm not the only one who thinks so. There are a lot of people who're having fun just taking pictures of their avatars with their Pokemon. It's pretty great.

I'm not sure where I am exactly, in terms of the main part of the game... I did just hit Rank B today. But I'm having a lot of fun. That's the main draw of this entire franchise for me: how fun it is. So... yeah.

From the Pokemon Museum

From the Pokemon Museum

 

In Other News

I finished my Magnadramon X project over on OviPets. Took me a year and three months to complete these guys. They're part of my Mega Digimon Project. 

Obsidian Butterfly by Laurell K. Hamilton

Well that reread only took a month... almost. Honestly, there are parts of this book I really dig and parts of this book I want to throw into a fire, starting with Olaf. I remembered very little of this book outside of Olaf, Bernardo, Donna, Becca, and Peter being introduced... and basically what happened to Peter. But that's was pretty much it.

I really enjoyed the world-building, again. Seeing how Hamilton imagines surviving Aztecs would punish the Spaniards responsible for the destruction and genocide of their people was gross and yet interesting. Honestly, the whole way Itzpapalotl runs her court is quite horrifying from several standpoints, even just beyond the usual vampire shenanigans. I did enjoy the difference between Itzapapalol's vampire-ness and what we've been getting from the European vampires. I liked getting to see Edward outside of how Anita has encountered him up until this point. I loved the Quetzecoatl dragon mashup being a thing, even if the circumstances of its introduction were also gross. Obsidian Butterfly was honestly the goriest of the Anita Blake books so far. I'm very glad my brain doesn't super visualize this stuff cuz... ew.

I really, really hate Olaf. I think originally, it was kind of like "yeah, okay, interesting character I guess. He'll probably get killed off the next time he meets Anita..." Spoiler: He doesn't and I hate him. I hate that he's still around 21 books later. I'll just leave those thoughts there cuz... yeah. They don't run much deeper.

I did enjoy the deeper building of Edward's character. I don't really have anything to say about how that's going, but character growth is a good thing.

Honestly, Obsidian Butterfly just felt unnecessarily long. I get that Anita's trying to figure herself out and needed someone much more grounded in the "normal" stuff -- like Ramirez -- to bounce her weird crap off of. It just seemed to take forever. Maybe that's due to the fact it took me about a month to reread this, but I dunno. 

Favorite Lines

"When you spend all your time worrying that the devil is right behind you, eventually you start seeing him whether he's there or not." - Anita Blake

"That's the problem with psychic shit and magic. Sometimes it's not very helpful." - Anita Blake

"If you love someone, then your freedom is curtailed. If you love someone, you give up much of your privacy. If you love someone, then you are no longer merely one person but half of a couple. To think or behave any other way is to risk losing that love." - Leonora Evans

"Only you decide how far gone you are, Anita. Only you can decide how far you'll go." - Edward

"Most of us start off soft," he said, "but you can't stay that way, not and survive." - Edward

In Other News

I am super close (one pet away) from finishing my "Ivy Buns" Project on OviPets. This project has taken me approximately 7 months. They are a companion project to my "Harley Buns." 

Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton

Burnt Offerings is, ah, interesting. It further builds out the world in some fun and not-so-fun ways. Really drives home just how monstrous vampires can get while at the same time exposing just how petty they really are. I really did not remember much about this book despite how actually quite important it is in terms of character and concept introduction. The details simply slipped my mind.

Asher giving off Constantine vibes right at the beginning there. I quite like Asher here. He's got his reasons for being the way he is but hasn't yet gone completely off as he does in later books. I won't get into that, though. The point is: Asher's introduction is neat and I like him. I also quite enjoy Warrick. He reminds me some of The Wicked Truth from later books. Warrick doesn't get a lot of "screen time" here, but what he does get is quite impactful. I feel much the same with Gideon and Thomas. I like them in the small amount of "screen time" they're given. And oh yes, last, but ultimately not least, Nathaniel is introduced here. I love Nathaniel and he shall be protected at all costs.

I do believe this book begins the “vampires are really just people on dang power-trips” thing that bugs me soooo much about things like Vampire Councils. The Council members and affiliates get butt-hurt when Anita won’t play ball and be “properly” intimidated or kow-tow to them because they said so. I like how she manages to play them within their own rules, though, once she's properly informed as to what the rules are. The fairly arbitrary rules, it seems like to me, to be honest. Again, vampires are humans with extraordinary powers who could just as easily decimate each other if they didn't have their rules so... that's super fun.

At some point when I was recommending this series to a friend via Threads, someone else said something about Anita being homophobic in the early books. I’ve been on the lookout for evidence of this… doesn’t seem to exist from what I can tell. Even here, she tries to get The Traveler to vacate Willie’s body because Willie doesn’t like men and The Traveler does. She isn’t insulting about it, just matter-of-fact about respecting someone else’s preferences. She also doesn't say anything about Gwen & Sylvie. At this point, I'm largely finding any homophobic comments are in the context of the cops and are on par with what they say about the "monsters" as well. That doesn't make them right, of course, or the comments non-existent, but so far... nothing entirely shocking or out of the ordinary for the context. I'd also like to make it clear that I don't condone these comments any more than I condone what was said to Detective Perry in an earlier book.

Interesting discussions here about the nature of the monsters, leadership, and what it means to be part of society. I think it’s interesting that vampires, or at least The Council, think themselves apart from human society still. What Anita tells The Traveler is correct on all counts: leadership comes with a responsibility to those you lead and letting yourselves become legal in society also means responsibility toward that society. Of course this discussion also comes as part of an issue with trying to save what, just four years ago in-world, would have been deemed monsters and not worth saving. Add to that the whole thing with the lycanthropes at the hospital… I wouldn’t quote me on this at all, but what happened to Lorraine has to have happened irl to Black men in the past when they saved the lives of White people (at least I hope that kind of thing is past… the world today… smh).

“There’s the possibility of disease contamination if there are bodies floating in the basement,” - Lieutenant Wren — misconception. Dead bodies do not carry disease and I HIGHLY doubt anything carrying disease would have had time to get to these particular bodies. If you'd like to know more about this stuff, I highly recommend checking out "AskAMortician" over on YouTube. This isn't super relevant to the plot, but clearly jumped out at me to mention.

If it weren't for the inclusion of forcing the Vampire Council to do some actual leadership, I would say the police stuff felt quite tacked on. It came at a point in the book where it felt very sudden, which I suppose any terrorist activity does. Make no mistake, what Humans First did was terrorism. It also ended up giving Dolph another opportunity to lecture Anita about dating "the monsters," which I don't think she needed after Ronnie essentially said the same stuff. I personally find the third party lectures about the whole thing annoying at best.

Speaking of the whole thing and third parties... Richard is a giant turd here. Just the whole book until the very, very end, Richard is too wrapped up in his own pity party. I get taking it out on Anita, since they're exes, but it's highly inappropriate in a majority of the situations he does it in. Stop parading your shit in private while people are literally bleeding around you. Geez.

So yeah... Burnt Offerings is interesting. Much drama. Gorey vampire shenanigans. World-building. Ultimately quite fun.

Favorite Lines

"Just because it doesn't have fangs doesn't mean it can't kill you." - Anita Blake

"Love is never free, Jean-Clause. It is the most expensive emotion we have, and I am going to see that you pay it in full." - Asher

"Love isn't the most expensive emotion, Asher," I said. I took another step forward, and he retreated another step. "Hate is. Because hate will eat you up inside and destroy you, long before it kills you." - Anita Blake

"Leadership doesn't just mean privileges. It has a price tag." - Anita Blake

"It's their job to do this. You don't bargain to get someone to do what they're supposed to do in the first place." - Anita Blake 

In Other News

Yet another OviPets project done! These are an approximation of the Digimon "Sakkutomon" for my "Village of Beginnings" project line. They took me about 4 months to do.

The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton

Double Reread Reviews!

This review written after a reread. (2017)

Okay so, The Killing Dance has pacing issues, which is a thing I'm starting to notice about some of the Anita Blake series. There are so many action and plot beats and then something metaphysical happens and everything just grinds to a halt... and then picks up again afterward. I understand that exploring whatever the metaphysical thing was is important, but... the grind to a halt this time really stuck out to me.

Also... Richard. I haven't reread the series in a while so I forgot exactly where my general hatred of Richard started... this might be it. He just has too many issues and resolves absolutely none of them. I guess he wouldn't be interesting without his issues but... I don't enjoy the discovery of those issues at all. That said, good on him for following through with the whole Marcus thing. It's about damn time.

Speaking of Marcus, I remembered that scene being a lot longer than it was. Might just be my brain blowing it up because I was so focused on it before, but it was surprisingly short.

But anyway, I did enjoy reading The Killing Dance again. I just want to pat Anita on the head and assure her that this Jean-Claude/Richard thing is going to be the least of her relationship worries down the line...

2025 Reread

I definitely feel like I keep making a mistake while rereading these: the mistake of essentially drawing out the stuff I don’t like. It’s so easy, when you only read in the bathroom, like I’ve been doing lately. No way to really power through the cringe when there’s a limited amount of time to read. But hey, I made it. The Killing Dance true beginning of the metaphysical Anita Blake shenanigans. I’d remembered bits and pieces of The Killing Dance, but it’s mostly forgettable… what with what is essentially a deep-dive into why Anita and Richard as a couple just won’t work. God, I hate Richard.

It still really, REALLY bugs me that neither Richard nor Jean-Claude explain the rules to her at any point until she absolutely NEEDS to know. I don’t remember if that’s ever remedied with anyone ever, but it honestly pisses me off. No wonder she keeps getting in over her head. She doesn’t have all the information she should if she’s expected to have anything to do with vampire or werewolf society. I know Richard planned to keep her well out of it, but that was just stupidity on his part, if we’re all honest.

I do not blame Richard for being so insecure. I find it cringy as hell that he is and tries to guilt Anita into sharing his insecurities, but I don’t blame him for his feelings. It makes me crazy that Richard keeps moving the goal posts, too. First it’s “see me change” and then it’s “gotta see all of us, not just me.” Sir, make up your damn mind.

I really like Sabin as a cautionary tale. It’s great to get a tangible reason as to why Hamilton’s vampires don’t just eat animals as opposed to chowing down on humans. Very well done and creepy af to boot.

I was also not so fond of Dolph’s attitude toward Anita’s dating life. They might be close professionally, but I’ve never felt they were close enough for those conversations. Apparently, Dolph does not agree, and I know how it can get between coworkers but still… it’s my opinion that Dolph needs to mind his own business in regard to Anita’s personal life.

Raw reaction to an explanation of Triumvirates: Hahahahahahaha… two cases of Triumvirates? Only two??? Really? Hahahahahahahahahaha. I don’t remember if this is “real” info or just something that isn’t discussed but… yeah. Guess we’ll find out.

I really quite like the ending beats. Everything from the lukoi getting together to the very end. It’s satisfying. I definitely skimmed the sex scene, but that’s a me thing. I assume it was hot, from what I remember.

But yeah… pretty sure that’s the end of my thoughts on this one. The Killing Dance was okay, for the most part. 

Favorite Lines

"The only good enemy is a dead enemy." - Edward

"A threat's not worth anything if you aren't willing to back it up." - Anita Blake

"Homicide was not something you could be neutral on." - Anita Blake 

In Other News

I completed my Seadramon project over on OviPets! Seadramon took me approximately a year and 2 months to complete. Based on the Digimon of the same name. Part of my Adult Digimon project series.

Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton

According to my previous rating of 5 stars, I was definitely a lot more into Bloody Bones than I am now. (Down to 3 stars) It's alright and boy, does it go a mile a minute once we meet Seraphina... but that mile a minute-ness is actually what made me dislike it more this time around. I feel like a lot happened in too short of a time-frame to make the plot fit and go where it needed to. I really feel like the ultimate solution to Rawhead and Bloody Bones was too easy. Aaand then there's the first real taste of what vampire "politics" are like in the Anita Blake universe, which I also hate with a seething passion.

So... first, on a reread it's actually kind of nice to "experience" Anita traveling pre-entorage. Larry definitely doesn't count. We don't have 5000 characters to keep track of at any given moment. Just Anita and Larry joined by Jean-Claude and Jason. Very chill. Kind of miss that.

I did enjoy, as usual, further expansion of the Anita Blake world with the fairy stuff. This is one of the very few times Anita comes up against fairies... honestly mostly lack-luster. I'm not a fan of Dorcas, but Magnus was at least as menacing as he needed to be. Rawhead and Bloody Bones was semi-interesting before his end... his lore was a lot more interesting than the actual beastie, in my opinion.

Okay, so, vampire "politics" and show-boating and all the "we're gonna play with our food" crap... I get we gotta have vampires shown to be much more dangerous, but I hate it. I honestly feel this is an extension of their humanity showing through. You've got the power to intimidate so you gotta throw it in the faces of your rivals. I get it. This was particularly drawn out by Janos and his rotting ladies. I like that there's more than one type of vampire, and honestly, that scene, or rather, the aftermath, did very much endear Jason to me. However, the manipulation aspect of it bugs the shit out of me. Consent with a coercion backer does not mean actual consent, no matter whose life appears to be on the line. This also happens pretty much non-stop from the moment Anita and the boys arrive at Seraphina's. Anita, we're about to torture some girls to get you to let us torture you instead. Anita, we're gonna kill Larry. Anita, we're gonna kill Jeff. Anita, Larry's about to get killed again. On and on. Ugh. I hate it.

I legit spent about 4 days avoiding the Janos-in-the-basement-scene. Weird, honestly, because I'd forgotten that trauma happens this early in the series... but my brain remembered. I skimmed it, this time, just to get it over with. Read the rest of the book in about 24hrs.

So yeah, I'm a lot less into Bloody Bones than I was originally. I really found a lot of it repetitive in how it forced the plot to move along. I did like the very ending, though. It was interesting, if also kind of confusing... but not a bad ending at all. 

Favorite Lines

"You've just admitted you don't know anything about my job," I said. "How do you know what will affect it and what won't?" - Anita Blake

"A vampire was a person once. Just being dead doesn't cure you of any problems you had as a live human being. If you have a violent pathology before death, that won't change just because you're dead." - Anita Blake

"It's alright," I said. "Carrot's inert." - Anita Blake 

In Other News

As of posting this, I'm one hatching away from finishing my Ebonwumon project over on OviPets. Gonna go ahead and post about this now so I don't end up forgetting later. Ebonwumon is part of my Mega Digimon Project and based on the Digimon of the same name. I did the tattoos on their heads to mimic the helmet-things on the two-headed Digimon. I also did the tail tattoo.

Ebonwumon took me about 13 months to complete.

Ebonwumon