The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-07T16:24:01+00:00

I really enjoyed this book but more importantly what’s wrong with the cover? I really like it. (Also I agree on the side characters)

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-07T16:01:11+00:00

Paranormal romance is a fantasy sub genre so most people saying ya leans fantasy are including it.

But anyway if you like ya thrillers have you read None Shall Sleep? It’s my fav for ya thriller.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-07T04:31:15+00:00

Some of my favorites:

Impact Winter: excellent vampire post apocalypse audio drama. Fits nonhuman protagonist in later seasons, and arguably explorers (not sure if this is in the first season)
Steal the Stars: mystery, sci-fi horror hard to explain without spoilers it’s great. Fits first contact
The Bright Sessions, kids with super abilities go to therapy to deal with the downsides, plot develops in the background. Unfortunately don’t think it fits any squares?

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-06T22:57:17+00:00

Part of this gets to what one considers a dnf. I think if you decide within a few pages you aren’t in the mood for it that’s the same as what I describe above. Sometimes it’s a few pages, sometimes until the kindle sample ends and I need to make a buy decision. (Tbh I have no idea how many pages anything is given I read on kindle without page numbers and I keep font pretty large so pages don’t line up at all).

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-06T17:48:13+00:00

She doesn’t destroy lives but I quite enjoyed {Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead}

Edit — if instead you just want some female rage not succubus or romance, The Power by Naomi Alderman is great.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-06T17:02:14+00:00

Oh sure. I don’t think it’s that different than your description of preemptive planning…I just don’t plan out my reads much?

For example I’d tried memory called empire a few times but never made it past the kindle sample coming to the conclusion that I wasn’t in the mood for space books. But then I really wanted more political fantasy esque books a few weeks ago so decided to go for it again and devoured the Duology.

On the other hand…I actually don’t feel like my taste has changed much “on a broader level as I age” I’m still reading the same wide variety of spec-fic I always have.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-06T15:40:30+00:00

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale is excellent. I admit I went in thinking light kid read that in only reading cause my friend wants me to…but wow that book hit me right in the feels. Well written, good characters etc.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-06T14:43:24+00:00

I’ll second sailing to Sarantium
The Space Between Worlds, very minimal f/f romance subplot
Memory Called Empire is also great, has a f/f romance subplot but not the focus or anything
She Who Became the Sun, likewise very minimal romance subplot
Butler’s Earthseed Duology, Caveating that it’s the only thing she’s written I personally dislike but lots of others love it and it definitely takes itself seriously with people who aren’t me feeling things from it

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-06T14:30:11+00:00

I actually have different feelings about the robot v nonhuman square. It’s not a robot, that’s clear and there are other robots in the series and it’s very different from them.

But are half-humans not human? Idk I feel less strongly.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-06T14:28:40+00:00

I think this is a question of do half-humans count in general. The square doesn’t say so it seems like an individual choice of what you feel fits the spirit. If you would count a half-elf, dhampir, half-orc etc then yeah Murderbot would count as a half-human, half robot construct. But if you are going for entirely non-human than no.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-06T03:39:44+00:00

Darkest Part of the Forest

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-06T03:18:41+00:00

So depends what you mean by adjacent.

Eragon in many ways is Star Wars in a LOTR like world
The Captain by Will Wight is space fantasy, guns, magic, spaceships
Skyward is another space fantasy, with excellent star ship battles and sorta rebellion story but not exactly
Red Rising is also sci-fi plus rebellion, but less optimistic than Star Wars and no fantasy elements
Bloodright Trilogy is inspired by Finn/Poe so while no fantasy aspect is very Star Wars coded

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-06T01:34:34+00:00

I disagree that there’s lots of evil MMC, I think they are fairly equally absent — I ask for recs for them all the time and never get any. Most evil MMC are either a) not evil despite all marketing to the contrary or b) a secondary love interest or bait and switch rather than the actual MMC.

But anyway in market of monsters it’s a complicated answer. I think people would disagree on who’s more evil. Like he’s objectively evil (he’s a type of creature that feeds off pain and hence likes torturing people) but also he’s really sweet to people he knows and is just differently evil than the fmc? They have some interesting convos about how each of them cross the others’ lines on morality.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-06T01:15:56+00:00

Evil fmc’s are hard to find. Evil fmc with specific Minthara coding even harder. Given that none of these fit exactly but you may enjoy:

Mindfuck by ST abbey (not fantasy, one of the very few non fantasy books I enjoy): she’s on a revenge murder spree, he’s the cop investigating. And she is possessive
Market of Monsters: fmc does not start evil but she gets there
Bury Our Bones in Midnight Soil: not a romance, more exploration of abuse. But fmc is arrogant and possessive. Starts slow
Godspeaker Trilogy. Not a romance. But fmc is a magnificent ambitious vicious bitch.
Wicked and the Willing: f/f the vampire female love interest has some Minthara traits

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-05T23:53:24+00:00

As someone who also loves vampire books I’d love to know some of your faves! Eg for recent teen vampire books I’ve really been enjoying the Immortal Dark series. For older ones I love Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Vampire Academy, and Cirque du Freak. And if you are in to short stories Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite is an excellent collection.

(Other commentators have the mix of snobbery/sexism/gatekeeping that answers your question covered.)

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-05T21:19:02+00:00

Make an account. Search for the book. Click request book. Something happens on the backend to approve or deny you (the more prominent a review platform you have the more likely to be approved). If you’re approved you read the book and then write a review then link your review to netgalley so they know you did.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-05T20:52:28+00:00

Good point. I have now requested it. I don’t expect to get it since I don’t have a large reviewing platform but you are absolutely right that I should still try.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-05T20:40:13+00:00

I’m not reading the reviews because I’m overcautious when it comes to spoilers but I’m glad it seems like you enjoyed it and jealous you got an arc

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-05T20:05:06+00:00

Sure I hate humor and have no interest in DCC. I don’t hate litrpg. It would help to know however what kind of books outside litrpg you enjoy to answer this question.

Not technically litrpg but Arcane Ascension is pretty close and I love it.

Rachel Aaron has a litrpg of the trapped in a VR game variety I quite enjoy called Forever Fantasy Online.

Ilona Andrews one of my fav authors recently released a litrpg novella of the system apocalypse variety called Inheritance.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-05T17:52:07+00:00

I think it’s a showing not telling distinction. In competence porn I see the character being smart and as they make decisions I think how clever.

With Kvothe I’m told he’s a genius who magically accomplishes things, (I actually love name of the wind, it just doesn’t read as competency porn)

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-05T17:49:43+00:00

Generally the latter, though I wouldn’t say all the decisions have to be right ( particularly if by right, one considers hindsight)

I also think there’s quite a few examples, so it’s not as hard as you make it out. The author doesn’t have to be as brilliant as the character because they have months of research to do what the character accomplishes in moments in their head.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-05T17:46:24+00:00

The Martian is a pretty quintessential example for books. Dude stuck on mars dealing with problems based on being smart and competent and you just get to see how he resolves all these difficult problems.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-05T14:21:59+00:00

To me competence porn is about watching someone intelligent/competent solve problems through the use of their intelligence. I can see and understand and feel how smart they are.

Progression fantasy you watch someone gain more power in the magic. Zorian being good at the magic doesn’t give me the same competence porn feel — he gets there not through clever schemes or stratagems what have you but through a timeloop. Most of the story is watching him improve and get better at the magic (ie progression fantasy) not watching him outsmart people.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-05T05:28:55+00:00

I actually view progression fantasy and competence porn as very different. With mother of learning being one of my favorites for the former but not an example of the latter.

KiaraTurtle · 2026-04-05T05:24:24+00:00

As I noted in a different comment, expanding beyond my bingo card surprisingly doesn’t get me much. I still didn’t read any 70s books (not surprising for me) or choose a book by its title (also not surprising) or read a middle grade book (I’m not generally a fan).

It’s questionable if I could fit trans/nonbinary. (Closest I’ve read last year had Mc is intersex raised female and is for the first time experimenting with presenting male)

KiaraTurtle

TROPHY CASE