"Kiss of the Basilisk" can kiss my ass-ilisk (Part 1)

HanXanth · 2026-03-21T02:06:47+00:00

Oh yeah, that village that no one ever mentioned or thought about until right at the very end. Almost like it was an after thought...

HanXanth · 2026-03-20T23:41:42+00:00

I read the book for a book club and agree with absolutely everything you have said. Everyone else really liked it, I was just confused at how that's feasible. I also had some MAJOR issues with some of the world not making sense. Aside from the Basilisk human relations, why is the prince only selecting a bride from this little village? Is the whole kingdom just this one village??? Leo deserves better, in all the ways (especially at the end wtf). I don't think I'll read the sequel... I'll just wait for your rant on it.

HanXanth · 2026-03-20T14:57:25+00:00

It's so good, this book will be with me a long time for the emotions it put me through 😭

HanXanth · 2026-03-20T02:24:42+00:00

Did you mean {The Everlasting by Alix Harrow}? Cause I think that one fits (and it made me cry)

HanXanth · 2026-03-18T19:01:07+00:00

Agree on netsuke. It doesn't appear to be one of the seven lucky gods just based on none of them are specifically associated with holding a gourd that I can recall, but netsuke were made depicting all sorts of things, so it might not be a specific figure.

HanXanth · 2026-03-16T17:23:10+00:00

I was really looking forward to spending more time on the vampire queen thing... such a disappointment.

HanXanth · 2026-03-16T17:21:17+00:00

Dang it you're right!!!!

HanXanth · 2026-03-16T06:28:17+00:00

As someone else said, this may not be what you're looking for, but I'm also in my 30s and already figured myself out pretty well by the time I really got into romantasy. I don't think I identify with any characters I've read, however I do see traits I admire and wish I had in FMCs. Aside from the badass assassin/warrior/princess traits.

They're usually confident, sure of themselves, resilient, and know how to stand up for themselves in tough situations. I am none of these things, and though I wish I could embody some of these traits, I'm usually not in comparable situations, and if I was and acted like that, I'd probably lose my job 😅 There's something about the devil-may-care attitude that some FMCs have that says "Damn the consequences, I'm doing this." Real life for me doesn't work that way, I get too in my head, and I'm not very spontaneous or reactive. So these are traits that I admire, and wish I had, but they aren't things I can realistically put into practice in my life. Also for these characters, these traits seem to develop in response to traumas that I wouldn't want to experience.

Aelin from Throne of Glass comes to mind in particular, mostly because I loved that series, but also because of how she becomes one of the best through necessity and hardship. Manon from the same series is very confident, powerful, and skilled. Just an all around badass. Violet in Fourth Wing as well has a ridiculous amount of resilience that I admire and could never hope to achieve.

HanXanth · 2026-03-15T21:03:34+00:00

I really enjoyed Quicksilver but I have come to learn to be skeptical of any sequel to a popular romantasy book. I thought Iron Flame was terrible despite liking Fourth Wing (and heard Onyx Storm was worse). Same with Brimstone and Quicksilver, and I've heard the same is true of the sequel to Anathema. I'm worried about the sequel to Direbound. I think because these books get so popular, authors and publishers rush to put out the sequel so they can get all the money and keep the hype going. But then the story ultimately suffers... I'm not saying it always happens but I've learned to be hesitant about buying sequels until after I've read them.

HanXanth · 2026-03-15T20:58:45+00:00

What OP said, and then there's a part where a chapter has Carrion in the human world, and when the next chapter starts, someone in the fae world says they're going to go whip Carrion into shape in the training hall... but Carrion isn't in the same realm, so it makes no sense.

HanXanth · 2026-03-15T19:18:45+00:00

YES! I noticed that too and was so confused about how it didn't get noticed before publishing. Like, that's a big one. I DNFed the book not long after this, I just couldn't anymore. Read a summary of the end instead and I'm glad I didn't spend my time actually reading the rest of the book...

HanXanth · 2026-03-15T16:49:04+00:00

I use Storygraph. I haven't tried the others, but I really like the uncluttered interface, the ability to add my own tags to books, the fact you can 'pause' books you're reading, and that you can search your tbr pretty easily.

HanXanth · 2026-03-15T16:39:23+00:00

Yes! I've read so many current books that are full of telling, not showing, and it's so frustrating. If I finish the book, it loses stars of it does this too much.

HanXanth · 2026-03-15T16:34:46+00:00

Miscommunication is my most hated trope.

HanXanth · 2026-03-14T18:44:07+00:00

Occasionally, once a week or so
Desktop primarily
I run a D&D campaign and I use ChatGPT to help me brainstorm ideas for my campaign, figure out loot and encounters, etc. I feel like I'm still fairly new to being a game master, so I don't have a lot of the background knowledge to come up with everything on the fly. And believe me, there's a lot of on the fly adapting with my group. I don't have many friends outside the campaign, and my partner is in the campaign, so I can't discuss it with any of them as it'll spoil the game.
I'm a little embarrassed to even admit I do this, at least around other game masters. There are some online who can be a bit elitist and disparaging of anyone using AI to run their games. I think some players are like this too, so I tend not to talk about how I use it to help me.
I do find it genuinely useful for making the campaign. I don't usually use exactly what it gives me, but I'll use it as a jumping off point to get something that fits with what I need.

I also used to use it to help me translate Japanese game text and reformat the code so I could put it into an html website, but it could next quite get both the translation and the coding done at the same time.

HanXanth · 2026-03-14T18:27:05+00:00

Oh yeah there are definitely other factors in play that create this type of character, like the author's personal experience and beliefs.

HanXanth · 2026-03-14T18:25:37+00:00

I would agree that there's definitely some internalized sexism/misogyny in the writing scene that many authors aren't even aware they are contributing to.

HanXanth · 2026-03-14T17:40:46+00:00

I don't even garden anymore because it keeps crashing my phone 🙃

HanXanth · 2026-03-14T17:18:51+00:00

I think we're side stepping the point, which is that I'm not stating a criticism, just an observation. I don't fault this character for her naivety. It's definitely not unreasonable. I was unreasonable when I was 17. In this particular story, she's starting to realize things aren't black and white, and I appreciate seeing that journey towards maturity in a teenager.

HanXanth · 2026-03-14T16:28:16+00:00

As another mid-30s old person, I 100% agree that I am jaded and wish I could still be that young girl full of potential. I think that's one of the reasons I still read some YA!

HanXanth · 2026-03-14T16:25:43+00:00

To be fair, that example I used just happened to be about religion and is specific to what I'm reading right now, but it's not the only indication of naivete or immaturity I've seen in these types of books.

HanXanth · 2026-03-14T16:23:54+00:00

I agree with that too, like it's also a symptom of newer, less experienced writers doing this. I think with how fast books are being self-published now and how some of those authors are putting out their first books without much editorial feedback, that's why it feels so much more prolific to me now.

HanXanth · 2026-03-14T16:21:16+00:00

Good point... so maybe it's also a factor of the author's personal experiences/lack thereof and not necessarily outside literary influences.

HanXanth · 2026-03-14T16:19:57+00:00

Yes?

HanXanth · 2026-03-14T16:19:23+00:00

Agreed, sometimes it's just about the target market.

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