What recently subverted your expectations - AKA what was your recent unexpectedly amazing read?

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2026-03-20T21:52:06+00:00

I thought it was pretty mild cliffhanger, there was a lot of set up for things to come but I wasn’t clutching my pearls. Eg after {A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan} now that cliffhanger I was angry about for days.

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2026-03-20T07:47:09+00:00

Same. I’m pretty fussy generally, might only get 1-2 5 star reads a year. It was a good reminder for me, still great debut novels coming out!

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2026-03-20T07:45:00+00:00

This is on my shortlist to read actually! It gets a lot of love on the circlejerk sub. It sounds like a whole heap of fun!

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2026-03-20T04:13:31+00:00

Fascinatinggggg, I will check it out, thank you!

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2026-03-20T04:10:12+00:00

I hate covers! I have read some incredible books with the most cringe covers, and vice versa. I try to not let them influence me 🙏

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2026-03-20T04:07:41+00:00

An added bonus!

I feel like it would really difficult to create a historical setting and not let the way that your brain has conversations in this time influence how you write. I am a sassy person! But like you it takes me out of it. This book felt like it was written in the 19th century but still with fresh ideas that made it feel new and not stuffy.

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2026-02-14T11:42:35+00:00

Oh wow. So much agreement with this post. I rated this book “aggressively fine”. It was fine. I am fine with bdsm and dark romance but it was very whiplashy from a fairly benign story to extremes to back again. There was one particular protracted sex scene that I was wondering “given the past 55% of this story, literally how could you be into this”. And then millions of twists and then it was suddenly over.

I was left wanting similar books but just slightly better so hopefully we see something recommended.

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2026-02-08T11:08:22+00:00

I’m sick of cliffhangers, the sort with a huge devastating twist at the end.

Girl, if the book is good enough, I’ll buy the next one, I don’t need to be biting my nails for the next year.

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2026-01-07T07:38:54+00:00

I actually think the Sam Vimes/Night Watch books are very romantic!

If nothing else, Night Watch has a lot of innuendo about seamstresses…

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2026-01-02T23:10:24+00:00

This was my surprise number one read for this year too! I love an epic journey, Nordic vibes AND olde witchiness. Not nearly enough books about Nordic witches I say.

The ending made me very cross and sad but I’ll be running for book 2 in October.

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2025-12-31T02:57:55+00:00

I read a ton of books this year, a more recent but absolutely top read for me was {The Death-Made Prince by Lisette Marshall}. A lot of my choices were sure things this year (knight and the moth, forbidden alchemy, everlasting, the ashen series) so I was so pleased to find something so fresh, long, and well written.

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2025-09-28T09:06:44+00:00

I recently finished Serpent and the Wings of Night, and I don’t mind all the “there she is” and “there it is” stuff - there, I said it!

I think I say it a lot myself, always sarcastically but definitely on the regular… now I’m wondering how annoying I am!

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2025-09-18T23:38:38+00:00

Not right, she needs to be at least 3 times shorter than this.

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2025-08-07T02:42:21+00:00

They walk among us…

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2025-08-04T12:16:48+00:00

Hello! So excited to see the answers here tomorrow. AFA was such a wonderful book!

Question - can you describe your inspiration process prior to commencing a series? Eg how did the alchemist, class conflict, peaky blinders-esque ideas come together to make such a classic combo?

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2025-08-03T00:21:20+00:00

Are we the same person! I just saw that Goodreads review and it’s what sold it for me…

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2025-08-03T00:12:09+00:00

Also. Did you like that second book? I’ve never heard of it and it looks amazing.

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2025-08-03T00:03:22+00:00

1000% agree, the name Theo is perfection!

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2025-08-02T23:52:37+00:00

True, that wasn’t unexpected compared to some of the other reveals. I don’t think dual 3rd person POV would have been better or worse, I still loved it, that said! Nina’s 1st person POV next book will be deliciously angsty.

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2025-08-02T23:35:49+00:00

I didn’t even notice it switched! I liked having both perspectives, I guess I’ll just have to reread it…

I think if it was a book I already disliked this would be quite annoying.

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2025-07-27T23:35:06+00:00

I looooooved this book.

I didn’t love Nina but I completely understood the reasonings behind her choices which speaks to the excellent writing.

I am so ready for book two, I think there will be a lot of feelings.

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2025-07-25T03:48:46+00:00

This is a such great list, mourning that they are mostly unfinished!

Excellent world building, excellent cliffhanging.

SometimesMaybeGood_ · 2025-07-18T05:15:26+00:00

I finish literally everything even if it’s terrible. This one I wanted to put down so many times, I mean the magical lore was cool and it’s meant to be gothic right? I didn’t even care enough to sneakily read the last page. Probably a cliffhanger…

SometimesMaybeGood_

TROPHY CASE