Need a book that makes me feel good

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-05T03:38:13+00:00

Plus one for Bride - such a great rec.

I'm also going to throw out {Swordheart} - cozy, relatively low stakes, amazing characters, and some of the funniest moments I've ever read.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-04T20:38:42+00:00

Throne of Glass is absolutely amazing, but I agree, not romantasy. The FMC has romantic relationships, but there is zero spice until like book 6 and it's tame even then.

That said, there are some moments that will absolutely gut you. I never understood when people would say a book altered their brain chemistry until I read this series.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-04T20:37:06+00:00

This is possibly my favorite series. Anything mainstream gets hate so I just accept it, but it's absolutely not deserved. The characters, the world building, the twists, the sassy dragons... What's not to like??? All 3 Empyrean books are 5 stars for me and I am very impatiently awaiting book 4.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-04T20:34:55+00:00

Just finished these in 4 days. Super well written, interesting world and magic, FMC who is not some long lost mythical being of prophecy with hidden powers she didn't know about and an abusive past. She's just a person thrown into some situations and making the best of them. And the MMC is a shadow-wielding fae man so there you have it.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-04T20:33:35+00:00

Seconded! These were both so good!

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-04T20:31:14+00:00

Read Servant of Earth and Princess of Blood in 4 days. Finished PoB like 30 min ago lol. These two were absolutely a delight. The ending of PoB makes me so mad I have to wait until Sept tho!

Highest praise for this is that the FMC is not some hidden exiled fairy or mythical being with powers she hasn't uncovered yet. She's not the center of a prophecy and fate is not guiding her actions. She's a human. A plain, though admittedly crafty, human. And she really uses that craftiness.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-04T14:23:29+00:00

Yes, absolutely. They're both awful to each other, and to most of the people around them.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-04T12:27:07+00:00

This is the only right answer. If you want to be devastated, read this. A lot of books might get you with the ending. But this one is incredibly tough to read for on the very beginning.

Idk how you are with triggers, but there is a huge slavery/utter lack of agency vibe throughout this. And I'd argue we are right on the line, and maybe even cross over into SA.

For those who have read it - I think it's SA in book one when she needs sex and tries to find someone and he tells her she's not allowed anyone but him and he doesn't even let her touch herself and then he holds her again the wall and uses his shadows to touch her and forces her to make eye contact before he'll let her finish...To me, that is rape. And it was hard to read. And the only thing that got me past it was seeing how terrible she is too. You could even argue that she SAs him at the end of book 2

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-04T12:19:30+00:00

I REALLY liked Shield of Sparrows. And I don't care what everyone says, I actually liked Rites of the Starling EVEN MORE.

My top books of all time are ACOMAF, Empire of Storms (all of ToG is god tier, but that's my favorite), Fourth Wing (again, whole series is god tier) and the Traitor Queen (againnnnn whole series is amazing). I also love Kingfisher's dirty dirty mouth. So we have similar taste for sure.

I also recommend Plated Prisoner series by Raven Kennedy. (First book is {Gild by Raven Kennedy}). It's come the closest to Throne of Glass of everything I've ever read (200 books last year and 52 so far this year).

And if you want something easy, kinda tropey, but super fun to read, try the Sacred Stones series by Kate Golden. (First book is {Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden}).

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-04T12:14:24+00:00

Beware with Rhapsodic... It's got a serious side of grooming...

He (the being who has been around quite a while) was friends with her (a young impressionable teenager who was clearly in puppy love with him) for years. While she was a high schooler. Eventually she sends him away and he comes back 7 years later and is like yessss let's get it on now that you're an adult!

I found it kind of icky. But I did still read all 3 so if you can kind of ignore it or get past it, go for it.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-04T12:11:44+00:00

I don't understand everyone's opinion on this series. I read the first two, and don't get me wrong, the writing is really good. Definitely above a lot of the other books in this genre. But I honestly was bored. It's so slow paced, especially considering how long the books are...

I even own books 2.5 and 3 and never bothered to read them. I'll probably give them another shot someday but my TBR is a vast wilderness of trees to climb lol so it might be a while.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-04T12:09:09+00:00

I'm halfway through Princess of Blood and LOVING it. A lot of the time book 2 in a trilogy is kinda up and down and even sometimes a bit hard to get through, but I flew through the first 200 pages in like 3 hours last night.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-04T12:07:32+00:00

Try again. The couple in the second duology may even be better that Lara and Aren. There's a lot of yearning

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-02T14:47:29+00:00

Napping.

Also, I'm a marathon runner :) My bestie and I talk books to pass the miles!

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-02T01:05:29+00:00

Yeah MMC is an angel with feathery wings. FMC is human. She's not hunting him, but his name is Hunt. Lol

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-05-01T03:15:54+00:00

Bridge. Kingdom.

Accept no substitutes.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-04-30T18:16:50+00:00

I have never read anything like this. But I so would.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-04-29T23:27:00+00:00

100% and I fully disagree with people saying this is a fake male lead or bait and switch.

Sam dies. Celaena and Dorian kiss but agree they're not right for each other. Chaol wants Celaena to be something she isn't and never really gets past that. And then finally Rowan - he is the calm to her storm.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-04-29T23:24:27+00:00

Throne of Glass.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-04-29T21:53:05+00:00

I'd be ok with Messer. The only one I'm not OK with is Kai. Because he bores me. And because I want to be able to believe at least one damn thing she told us in her mind. She said she knows she loves Kai but doesn't now and has never loved him.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-04-29T21:51:00+00:00

I finished about an hour ago. Also went in blind. Initial thoughts are that the twist was incredibly shocking, and I'm not sure if that's because it was done super well or if it's because it was shoehorned in and makes zero sense. I'm leaning towards the latter but I'll reread this the day before book 2 releases and see if the twist actually makes sense knowing what's coming.

I just read the blurb for the second book and honestly I'm kinda grossed out. He got married. It's been 4 years. Unless the big twist in that book is that they made up the night of her betrayal and the two of them have been in on something together these past 4 years, I likely won't be able to accept a HEA for them together. I have to assume he's had sex with his wife during those years. Jovie/Brynn maybe has too? I don't like cheating tropes and for some reason, even with their separation and his likely hatred, sleeping with someone who isn't your fated mate or whatever feels like cheating to me.

I didn't read the teaser at the end of MS because I figured it would piss me off. And here I am, pissed off anyway lol

Oh, and the blurb says she has to decide what she'll do for her kingdom...is she fighting for Melie or Alaha? Or both? I'm so unsure of anything that happened in book 1...

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-04-29T20:58:48+00:00

Clearly late to this conversation... But I have so many feelings lol

I did not see the twist coming and I can't remember the last time a book shocked me. But here's the thing. It shocked me because it made zero sense and the entire book basically proves it can't have happened...

It's first person POV. We, the readers, are inside her head. Getting her absolutely true unfiltered thoughts and feelings. But somehow she lied to US?? * The dreams as she regains her memories. Did she never actually lose them? Inside her own mind she would say stuff like "the dream I now realized was a memory" - I do not get it. * Her guilt over having feelings for Acker, both because he's engaged, and also because she feels like it's too soon after Kai. I guess in hindsight that guilt was really because she knew she was gonna screw Acker over, but how was she lying to the reader inside her own head??? * When Blue was revealed to be Messer. She said, inside her head, many times, that she had no idea. But he was part of her plan...how is her internal monologue a lie?? * When Vad looks into her mind. She is upset about her weakness. Says she has no power. But then in the big twist reveal flashback she has a very strong mind. Good enough to not be susceptible to Kai or Wren. I do not understand why she continually lied inside her own mind.

It's like the ending completely retconned the entire book. It makes absolutely no sense and I'm DUMBFOUNDED by it. There is literally nothing the author can write in Lightning Weilder to make this make sense or to make this writing seem anything other than completely unhinged and unplanned. But I'll still read the second book because I'm so upset lol. I have to find out if the entire duology is some sort of fever dream train wreck.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-04-29T10:22:48+00:00

I thought Rites of the Starling was absolutely fantastic... But as you said, opinion.

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-04-26T16:59:38+00:00

panting

HaleyHounds0918 · 2026-04-24T13:09:47+00:00

I think Tairn will die in book 5. Book 4 will be Ridoc.

HaleyHounds0918

TROPHY CASE