Jun 07, 2024 by HL Bernabe, in Reading and Books

I've been listening to the audiobook for The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. The audiobook version is over 19 hours long, and I'm just over half finished. It's a reaaaaaaally slow burn book so far. There are lots of side stories woven in, that I'm not sure if they have a point, since they don't seem related to the main narrative at all. I'm wondering if it will be worth it to finish? I borrowed it from the library on Libby (gotta love it!) and I also have an audiobook of The Starling House by Alix E. Harrow on loan as well. Considering that one is 12 hours, and I still have 9 hours on the other, I'm not sure I can get through both listening to them at work. I may end up DNFing The Starless Sea, if it doesn't grab me more in the next hour or two of listening.

This is the first book I've read by Morgenstern. Is The Night Circus a lot like The Starless Sea in tone and pacing? I've heard The Night Circus is a good book, and have meant to check it out, but now I'm not sure I want to. (Out of curiosity, I just read some reviews of The Starless Sea and it appears people don't think this is like The Night Circus at all and that the other one is much, much better. And the one and two star reviews seem to complain about the same things I'm noticing myself. Perhaps I'm like one of those 8% of reviewers, and this book just isn't the right fit for me. It happens. Not every book is for everyone.)

I have, however, read The Once and Future Witches and The Spindle Splintered by Harrow and enjoyed them both. Hopefully, I will enjoy The Starling House as much as the other two. The blurb gives me fantasy horror vibes, and I love me some horror, so I'm hoping this will be a lot of fun!






I just purchased the ebook Once Upon a Cake, by Gabrielle Landi direct from her website (I got a discount! Yay!). It's a cozy fantasy romance and is part of a series of old fairytale retellings. This one is "The Little Mermaid", except with the genders swapped and a cake baking competition. It sounds like a lot of fun.






I just finished Beast Be Gone by A L Billington. It's essentially about exterminators, like pest control in our real world, except in the fantasy world,they take on fantastical creatures and pests. It's a comedy, and to give you the flavor of this book, here is a bit of the blurb:

Creatures in your basement? Undead spooking your castle? Infestation of goblins? Beast Be Gone will clear out those pesky pests and save your health and business - (no dragons)

These last two indie books are on the shorter side. Beast Be Gone was a quick read, and I imagine Once Upon a Cake will be, too. Out of these four books, I'll be doing a review for Beast Be Gone on an Instagram post next week for sure. Be sure to look for it!

 

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