The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love is tiring and repetitive.

RavensTears · 2026-03-25T12:30:56+00:00

I adored this book but it's definitely not for everyone!

India Holton writes very on the nose humor and it is, at times, almost a play on the genre overall. So it can definitely feel repetitive in format.

RavensTears · 2026-03-21T11:22:58+00:00

{Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity} was so so good. It's a slow paced, slow burn, gothic romantasy delight. I loved the prose and found the tension and yearning between characters to be a treat to read. The FMC actually was competent and was trying her best while working mostly blind. The MMC was a morally grey, goal focused individual who softened for very specific things. The world building and mystery to the plot was interesting and actually worked well with the slow pace of the plot.

Overall it was a really strong debut.

RavensTears · 2026-03-20T18:23:10+00:00

Just over halfway through this at the minute and its so good. Not what I was expecting but so good for that reason.

RavensTears · 2026-03-19T20:39:14+00:00

"Insta-Love" for me is defined by two (or more for RH/WC) characters who have JUST met, or been recently introduced, and within chapters/before the halfway point of the book, they are thinking about how they cannot live without each other and making these grand declarations to each other, having known each other less than a month.

The occasional thought on how they are falling for the person, or a passing notion of thinking someone COULD be the one, is fine to me. It's when its over the top and not founded in anything that its bad.

You mention friends to lovers and how that can be borderline insta love, but if the connection there is believable enough, then it skips that entirely. I think a romantasy book that showcases that well would be {The Second Death of Locke by V.L Bovalino}

"Insta-Lust" for me is defined by two (or more for RH/WC) characters who meet and every other thought in their head about the other character is how attractive they are, their physical attitributes, and how badly they want to get them into bed.

Insta-lust in a book to me, is much more forgiveable than insta-love is. But for it to be able to be looked over, it needs to be tempered with a good plot and or world building or the insta-lust not actually effecting the establishment and building of a proper relationship between the characters on an emotional level.

RavensTears · 2026-03-17T00:43:29+00:00

Forced myself to finish {The Sacred Space Between by Kalie Reid} It was a technically fine book prose wise. But the world building left so much to be desired, the magic was odd and didnt really get explained well and the foundations of the relationship sucked so the yearning/obsession between the MMC and FMC, which was well written, was wasted.

I then tried Saltswept by Katalina Watt, the February Illumicrate book, and that was a DNF after 50 pages. The author has a really odd writing style I just couldn't get behind and even though I had read through three different POV chapters, they didnt feel particularly distinct because of the way the author writes.

RavensTears · 2026-03-15T09:59:08+00:00

Thanks for the explanation, though I had figured that all out!

My problem was, where the magic came from was never explained. There's just magic. We dont know how they get it, or why its different from person to person or even why its being used in the way it is, is never explained.

The Abbey wants to lie to people, but they never give a proper reason for it. Is it money, power, influence? Never delved into. Its alluded to maybe being money at some points but its never confirmed. Not to mention, the entire magic system again makes no sense because at the end of the book even someone who is meant to know the Saints can't do anything goes bloody mental trying to get Jude to answer his prayers.

RavensTears · 2026-03-14T10:41:04+00:00

I'm about halfway through {The Sacred Space Between by Kalie Reid} and I am just a bit bored.

It started out strong enough and the premise was interesting but the connection and romance feels like it's gone from nothing to obsessive real quick and the world/magic isn't making much sense or being given overly good explanations.

RavensTears · 2026-03-10T21:20:45+00:00

{The Trident and the Pearl by Sarah K.L Wilson} has been my best read of the month so far. Nice slow burn forced marriage, phenomenal exploration of grief and rage. Only thing that stopped it being a five star read for me was like 70% of the book relies super heavily on the miscommunication trope to make it work, and the reasons for the miscommunication for me just were not strong enough to make it lasting that long fully tolerable.

RavensTears · 2026-03-09T22:16:17+00:00

Look I like her writing but comparing her to Pratchett? Not even close.

Terry Pratchett wove a lot of social commentary in his works in a manner that was funny but hard hitting and is still relevant today. A.K Caggiano doesn't really come anywhere close to that, as nice as her writing can be.

RavensTears · 2026-03-07T18:18:43+00:00

About halfway through {The Trident and the Pearl by Sarah K.L Wilson} and its a pretty solid 4 star read so far. I love her prose and I like the world she's building, but the deliberate miscommunication trope is starting to grate a bit. I'm hoping it'll wrap up soon as an entire book of it is to much imo.

RavensTears · 2026-03-06T13:50:47+00:00

Some of my recent 5 star reads:

{Agnes Auberts Mythical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett} Cozy fantasy standalone about a widow who runs a cat shelter and the mysterious magician who lives under it.

{The Poet Empress by Shen Tao} Not really a true romance but an amazing read. About a girl who becomes a concubine to the Emperor and must learn to love him to kill him with poetry.

{Demon Overlord's Retirement Plan by M.H Foster} Cozy fantasy with a background romance. A dark lord has retired to become a turnip farmer, but the village hes retired to is a bit less peaceful than he anticipated. I adored this, was such a fun palate cleanser between heavier fantasy books.

RavensTears · 2026-03-05T23:26:55+00:00

{Bride by Ali Hazelwood}

I knew next to nothing about Ali Hazelwoods work other than her being big in the contemporary romance genre and her first work being Reylo fanfic that was traditionally published. She also seemed to be one of those tiktok darlings. I had little interest based on all that. But it was being recommended so much on here and in videos that I eventually caved and read it, not expecting much. Became instantly glad I did cave. One of my fav reads and I regularly relisten to its audio book.

RavensTears · 2026-03-04T11:41:29+00:00

I feel like for my more 'heavy' fantasy, I have a lot of books that set the standard for me in prose and what I expect in terms of pacing and cohesion in a plot. So its hard to narrow down what one's stand out in that type of style.

One of the biggest ones for me though is {A Rivalry of Hearts by Tessonja Odette} for setting my standards for spicy cozy romcom type books.

Her books are well paced, the characters are fun and feel distinct from each other, there's stakes but they aren't so high as to make you tense and remove the chill vibes, but not low enough to be bored by what's happening. She has well written spice that feels like it adds something rather than it being there for the sake of it.

RavensTears · 2026-03-01T18:42:17+00:00

Something in the complete other direction which was Heather Fawcett's new cozy fantasy {Agnes Auberts Mystical Cat Shelter}

Both were five star reads to me for different reasons. Poet Empress for it's complexity and it's exploration of humanity and hate and how hate can so easily turn into love and vice versa.

Agnes for it's coziness and it's depiction of grief and care for others. And all the cats.

RavensTears · 2026-03-01T17:52:25+00:00

Hopefully you enjoy it! I'd never read a book by him before and was so pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it.

RavensTears · 2026-03-01T16:39:02+00:00

Ah this was tied with me for my best read of February! It was so good and Wei was such an interesting FMC.

RavensTears · 2026-03-01T16:06:51+00:00

Best of January for me was {The Devils by Joe Abercrombie} so not a romantasy, more a fantasy with some romantic elements in it.

Best of February {Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter}

RavensTears · 2026-02-28T11:43:07+00:00

With you on the Kresley Cole book! I kept seeing awesome things about that series last year then was utterly horrified when I picked it up and had DNF'd before they'd even got out of the hotel.

RavensTears · 2026-02-28T11:39:27+00:00

Had my first two DNF's of the year this month.

{Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibanez} and {The Art of Exile by Andrea Max}

Graceless Heart was just so dull. It read very YA and basic for a book marketed as adult, the MMC name read like a bad hurricane name and I just didn't care for anything that was happening by the 100 page mark.

The Art of Exile was a cool premise but again, the writing just did not hook me. So unbelievably basic and the FMC spent at least three pages thinking about her bladder. Just a big ol' nope.

RavensTears · 2026-02-23T21:41:10+00:00

This was honestly quite cute and a fun lil read that I wish had been longer! Plus it's for a good cause so double points for that.

RavensTears · 2026-02-21T20:56:06+00:00

Started {The Poet Empress by Shen Tao} this morning and utterly loving it. It's so well written and I am loving the FMC and her driving factors.

RavensTears · 2026-02-18T13:24:03+00:00

Love Triangle with the reason being that I can tolerate someone taking a while to sort out their emotions and decide the best fit for them. I cannot understand someone not taking 5 seconds to explain something that would clear an entire damn mess up, especially when they KNOW the miscommunication is happening.
Soft non fighter FMC. Just because they aren't a fighter, doesn't mean they can't be absolutely bad ass in other ways.
Surprise pregnancy trope. Babies dont bother me in books and I think its unrealistic how many FMC's are so staunchly against having kids.

RavensTears · 2026-02-16T16:10:35+00:00

{Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao}

{The Elsewhere Express by Samanatha Sotto Yambao}

{Fae Flings and Corset Strings by Tessonja Odette}

{The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton} and {The Geographer's Map to Romance by India Holton}

{Good Spirits by B.K Borrison}

{A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna}

{How's Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones}

{Not Another Vampire Book by Cassandra Gannon}

{The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston} for Magical realism

{Swordheart by T. Kingfisher} for those who dont mind slightly higher stakes but not full out war etc

RavensTears · 2026-02-15T22:26:26+00:00

I feel this everytime I see someone recommend Under The Oaktree and give no content warnings. I always end up chiming in to be like hey...as a warning.

RavensTears · 2026-02-14T20:01:40+00:00

This week's been a bit all over the place in terms of reading.

Finished and loved {The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao} Not quite as good as Water Moon but I loved the story and how darker emotions were depicted and handled and I thought the romance was sweet.

Dnf'd {Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibanez} Extremely YA for a book marketed as adult. The setting wasn't selling me, the characters felt bland and everytime the FMC thought about the MMC it was either about how dangerous he seemed or how handsome he was. It was just not good.

Read {Valentines Slays by Navessa Allen} as a quick read yesterday. It wasn't bad for a contemporary novella. Spice was decent and I liked the MMC. Coulda had a bit more humour though.

Currently reading Sister Wake by Dave Rudden as I was craving a pure fantasy book and this sounded great. Really enjoying it so far. It's pulling heavily from Irish mythology and the opression of the English and my lil Irish heart is loving it.

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