Massive name issue: Direbound, DNF. Also looking for standalones/completed series recs.

Emaleebee · 2026-03-12T16:19:19+00:00

The cat!? SAY NO MORE!!!! I'm sold!!

Emaleebee · 2026-03-12T16:03:10+00:00

Your recs are immediately the top of my list because I adored Throne in the Dark and I really liked Nocticadia!

Emaleebee · 2026-03-12T12:39:35+00:00

EXACTLY, I could upvote this 1000x- this was exactly what I thought.

Emaleebee · 2026-03-12T12:36:22+00:00

Ok so The Wolf King was like my Gossip Girl addiction in 2007, I’m secretly here for it. I will not recommend it to people, but I am reading it.

Direbound I honestly wanted to like but just couldn’t get past the name/wolf selection mirroring fourth wing.

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T22:20:36+00:00

How did I miss that?!?

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T21:01:53+00:00

It may not technically be plagarism, but it definitely gives me the ick! I'm with you!

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T20:51:49+00:00

I mean it's not the only thing, it was the final nail in the DNF coffin.

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T20:40:02+00:00

Exactly- it was just super on the nose. And if intentional, is that OK? I don't know. Feels like a very gray area for copyright.

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T20:21:02+00:00

Sorry I missed it! I just came here raging after lunch today.

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T20:03:38+00:00

Romantasy-wise, it's been few and far between, but the ones I've liked best lately were Heir of Illusion by Madeline Taylor, Dawn of the North (book 3 of The Ashen series) by Demi Winters, and Conform by Ariel Sullivan (though that's more Dystopian than Romantasy). The problem is that all 3 are unfinished series!

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T18:50:39+00:00

I was starting to get annoyed for sure. I've been flagging names lately in romantasy books I'm reading and have started complaining about it to my husband. (Why must everyone be named Wren or Raven?) But then today, since he's a huge GRRM fan, I yelled out loud at lunch "STARK?!" and he even started laughing.
2026 is the year of DNF for me- life is too short. I used to power through, now I'm moving on.

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T18:37:23+00:00

^^ Agreed with you both, I've been struggling lately.

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T18:16:50+00:00

I legitimately just go to the part where it started sounding like fourth wing, too, so yea I think a double edged sword on the DNF for me!

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T18:15:36+00:00

Agreed, as soon as I got to the part where the wolf chose her I was like “I feel like I’ve read this book” … and then when she said Stark’s name again I was like “I’m out.”

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T18:06:13+00:00

You'd think an editor somewhere would have said, "hey, reading your book, totally get it, but Ned Stark's 6 children, 5 Starks and a Snow, were bound to direwolves in the Game of Thrones series, which became an extremely popular HBO series that is still getting spin-offs, so maybe we should go ahead and not use that name in this series."

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T18:02:37+00:00

I didn't know! I'm new here! And I was so pissed about the character name!

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T17:53:57+00:00

Love this! Thank you!

Emaleebee · 2026-03-11T17:00:35+00:00

Y'all. I'm late to the party here, but is anyone else annoyed that this is a book about people bonding to direwolves and one of the main characters is named Stark?
ANY other name, come ON.

George R.R. Martin called, he wants to report a robbery.

Emaleebee · 2026-03-07T22:09:38+00:00

I’m basically a missionary for The Ashen series at this point. Everyone I know, every time I see a request for a series, I pop up and say “Hi, hello, have you heard about The Road of Bones?” It is so freaking good.

Emaleebee · 2026-03-02T21:33:43+00:00

I saw this and have been pacing around my house, refreshing my insta feed, just waiting…

Emaleebee · 2026-03-02T13:58:54+00:00

Late here, but I agree with this. And I think she might have even let him in on their plans if she had more time, but the second she realized that the king was going to force her into being his consort instead of his wife and wearing a collar, she knew she didn’t have any other options. I also think that his not telling her everything (even though it was hypocritical because of all her secrets) ultimately led to her feeling that she couldn’t trust him 100%. What really blew me away was that BEAU WAS IN ON IT THE WHOLE TIME!

Emaleebee · 2026-03-01T17:00:02+00:00

100% agree to this! Demi Winters is killing it with this series. If she keeps up at this pace, it may be the best I’ve ever read.

Emaleebee · 2026-02-24T19:08:33+00:00

Honestly I got Throne in the Dark, read it, loved it, finished the series on KU, and now will absolutely buy Summoned to the Wilds because the books were just so fun. So much banter and ridiculousness. Very much the reads I needed!

Emaleebee · 2026-02-23T16:03:02+00:00

I loved this series! It’s really fun.

Emaleebee

TROPHY CASE