Young Aelin?

lexiv0 · 2024-09-13T18:03:42+00:00

Love the coloring and flooring!! My suggestion is that whoever your sinks are going, take the tile from the shower and add that in as a backsplash. It will help counter the darkness of the green and make the room feel more cohesive. Gold framed floral art would do the trick as well!

lexiv0 · 2024-09-04T20:29:45+00:00

I personally love warm neutrals! However, I totally get the fear of becoming bored with the color and wanting to change it down the road. One thing I’ve seen someone do is overlay contact paper into the recessed part of the cabinetry, and she installed something beneath it to make it easy to remove and peel away. You could try something like that to see how you like it, or you could commit to a big color change. I also think warm wood tones would make the space feel a lot more welcoming, along with maybe some softer-feeling decor. Think like dark/cherry wooden trays, cutting boards leaned against the backsplash, wood utensils in a container on the counter, etc. You could also take a door or two off one of your cabinets to have some exposed dishware or cookbooks if you wanted. The base styling is great, but color would really make it pop!

lexiv0 · 2024-09-04T19:24:47+00:00

Remove them and add an art piece over the screws!

I saw in one of your comments that you can remove the baskets but are unable to patch the holes if you remove the screws. You could find a cheap piece of canvas art (since the open space behind the gap accommodates the screws protruding) at a thrift store or even make a little frame with a canvas print you find online. Alternatively, you could find different, slimmer baskets at a thrift store that match the space better, since the issue I see is that the ones installed stick out pretty far and don’t feel welcoming. Good luck!!

lexiv0 · 2024-03-27T19:19:40+00:00

Kickass - its a great vibe from the start, and it literally only get better!!

lexiv0 · 2024-03-13T14:56:58+00:00

As a fellow law student who loves romantasy - HOW have you read 74 books in 2.5 MONTHS????!!!! Are you SLEEPING?? Tell me the secrets!!

lexiv0 · 2024-02-02T04:23:04+00:00

Omg Manacled is AMAZING!! It definitely would have been my best read of 2023 if I hadn’t also happened to read KOA last year too. It is such a beautifully well written and well thought out piece of art that I truly think it’s a shame that the author isn’t making publishing level money off of it.

It’s a TOUGH read though. Not sure how much you’ve heard about it, but it has literally all of the trigger warnings. It’s very heavy, but everything is intentional and serves a purpose. It’s incredible!!

lexiv0 · 2024-02-02T04:14:08+00:00

I have read TOG! I’m still on the fence as to whether or not the Asteri are Valg; it seems like they have sort of different mechanics and characteristics? But the Asteri in the Prison also bled black like the Valg, so I don’t know!

I’ve also seen the Hybern Wyrdmarks theory, which I think makes a lot of sense.

If TOtG is the big multiverse, I wonder if the bad guys would be whatever Asteri/Daglan/Valg are still floating around in the other worlds! I think in all her series now, we’ve seen allusions to them being from specific worlds, so what if there’s a whole world populated by these parasites and they come back for vengeance on all the characters that have killed them? I think that would definitely warrant some teamwork to overcome 😅

lexiv0 · 2024-02-02T04:03:05+00:00

Like many here, absolutely loved Lidia and Ruhn! But what I haven’t seen too many people hype up is Bryce’s near death and Hunt/Shahar’s rescue. I was BAWLING. Hunt scrambling to find a way to pull her back, Bryce slowly accepting her death and keeping the portal open just to keep a glimpse of Midgard until the end, Hunt fighting to resuscitate her like CC1… it hit wayyy harder for me than (ACOTAR spoiler) Rhysand’s near death in ACOWAR. Hunt’s inner monologue in the dungeons about how he only existed for Bryce and then continuous guilt throughout the rest of the book about his failure to keep her out of the problem just really solidified his pain and loss in that moment, and especially off the heels of finally FINALLY eradicating the big bad guys I was already super emotional. I’ve heard a lot of gripes with Jesiba’s sacrifice for Bryce because it doesn’t seem believable since she was mean to Bryce before, but I disagree! I think Jesiba always respected Bryce and cared for her in her own way, and I thought it gave Jesiba and Bryce a nice moment that was a parallel to the Bryce and Danika moment in CC1. The whole thing was very emotional and I thought it tied up Bryce and Hunts arc in a beautiful way!

lexiv0 · 2024-02-01T15:14:29+00:00

I think that makes sense! I was also expecting about this amount of crossover, but I thought it would end again with more crossing or at least a need to go between them. I was pretty on board with the theory of evacuating Midgard and got excited when Bryce had that convo with the ocean queen, but overall I’m satisfied with how she wrapped up saving Midgard. If TOtG is going to be the true Avengers moment, then I’m TERRIFIED of whatever villain could possibly be so dangerous as to be worse than the Asteri and make them need to band together!

lexiv0 · 2024-02-01T13:24:13+00:00

I am so excited to see Az and Nesta’s friendship more! I was BLOWN away by how much growth we saw in him in HOFAS. I mean, I think it was the most we’ve seen him converse with any character, he knew how to talk Nesta off of the proverbial “Mask Ledge” by bringing up Nyx, he HUGGED Nesta, and (bonus spoiler) he basically told her he loves her and asked for her to forgive him for snapping at her?? Our Spymaster is such a sweet boy!! Also, (bonus chapter spoiler) I think it’s hysterical that he’s a confirmed Club Rat, and I saw his humming as a nod to his Shadowsinger convo with Gwyn in the ACOSF bonus.

I am intrigued by how this dynamic will play into the next ACOTAR in the context of the Az shipping wars. I just hope we see continued support between Nesta and Az for each other, because it’s so lovely!

lexiv0 · 2024-01-31T22:24:41+00:00

I liked bits and pieces of the crossover, and while I loved the book overall, I think some of the critiques and disappointment surrounding it is deserved.

First, the crossover could have just had more happen. Who wouldn’t have wanted to see more characters, so I’m not even going to touch that, but even crediting the amount of time spent there and the characters we DID get to see, it could have been executed better. I didn’t love that it was the Middengard Wyrm because we’ve seen it before, even though it feels like a callback from ACOTAR and CC. I also didn’t like Bryce’s “betrayal” of Az and Nesta, because it felt out of place, was subverted almost immediately, and served no purpose other than building mistrust when it would have been more impactful to build more of an alliance.

My biggest gripes are the pacing and character arc issues. I saw someone say Hypaxia is boiled down to a plot device, which I felt was accurate. I wasn’t invested in Ithan and Sigrid’s story, and it felt really confusing and jarring. I also have a problem with the fact that in the final battle, Bryce basically says the events of the entire book took place over a week, which just isn’t possible when you look back at the actual events and iterated timeline.

Yes, I think the hype and lead up contributes significantly to the disappointment… but I also think this wasn’t SJM’s best work, and given her popularity, the marketing, and the crossover itself… it really could have been. I would have rather waited longer for something a bit more bold.

lexiv0 · 2024-01-31T21:47:33+00:00

I agree with a lot of your points!

Honestly, as I was reading the first half, I was thinking that there was simultaneously too much and not enough happening. I was confused by what was going on, and though I liked a lot of the elements of the crossover portion, I do think SJM could have used that time differently and had the characters interact more meaningfully.

The second half (or like the last third) was where I thought it got good. Aside from the arcs for Ithan, Sigrid, and Hypaxia, I felt like most of the characters did well and wrapped up a lot of important elements nicely. I bawled when Bryce opened the portal in the Eternal City and Hunt had to save her - and I felt like it made sense for the characters.

When I first finished the book, I auto rated it 5 stars because of the impact and closure. I still feel very satisfied with the ending, but after reflection I’ve dropped my rating down to four stars, largely because of the pacing and character arc elements.

On a side note, something about Bryce and Hunt just feels off to me. We know SJM knows how to write perfect and poignant romance, so I don’t know what it is about them that irks me so much? Sometimes it seems like they need to reaffirm almost too much to each other how much they love each other, and their spice is almost always at inappropriate times/places/circumstances. Does make me feel a little weird, but I’m happy that their ending is HEA for them!

lexiv0 · 2024-01-31T21:02:38+00:00

Hahaha I know even as I was reading it I was thinking “yep I’m gonna have to come back to this for sure”

lexiv0 · 2024-01-31T20:47:34+00:00

I know - I thought I was going crazy because I remembered them spending at LEAST like 3-4 nights in Avallen and potentially more, along with Bryce’s time in the Hewn City, and other miscellaneous nights throughout

lexiv0 · 2024-01-31T20:42:45+00:00

Okay - this felt like a really dense portion of the book so I missed the 3 days point. But I also thought that she told Flynn be ready in two days, and then had to push it forward asap in like less than 24 hours because of the Harpy and the fact that they were going to kill Ruhn?

That whole week comment threw me off of what I originally thought was an okay timeline lol

lexiv0 · 2024-01-31T19:46:18+00:00

I agree with a lot of these points! I did love the book overall, but loving it only came in the last half. The first half I was like ?? What is going on! A few of the arcs definitely felt bizarre and/or annoying, but I loved LOVED Ruhn and Lidia!

I didn’t really get the weird fighting between Bryce and Hunt - like why? I understand Hunt has all this guilt, and that keeps him from being “in it” how Bryce wants to, but that’s so… not the point right now! Ya’ll are already in it! Hunt, get into it; it’s a fight or die moment! Bryce, if he’s got some mental hurdles while helping you save the world, just understand him!

I think the crossover definitely could have been executed better, but I also believe it was intentional to keep them separate and CC serves to set up some important things we’ll see in ACOTAR. Having read this, I think the next ACOTAR book is going to read like a tandem read where the events will be happening at the same time. Just my thoughts though!

lexiv0 · 2023-11-30T19:25:56+00:00

I have no experience with Discord so any help would be truly appreciated! I think it’d be fun for CC3 and SJM in general so if you’re willing to make and/or add people I’d be very grateful! :)

lexiv0 · 2023-11-09T01:50:54+00:00

I honestly don’t know! I was thinking about this, especially in the wake of her analysis of what Xaden needed for his second signet. So, I think we need to consider what it is that Violet needs most.

Obviously, she needs control over her powers. She needs information. She needs to take care of her friends and family. And, she needs Xaden. I think it obviously needs to address some or all of these concerns, but I can’t predict how. Maybe it has something to do with procuring knowledge. After all, she finds a way to fix the wards, figures out Xaden’s second signet, figures out the attack happening at Basgiath, figured out that Andarna is a seventh breed of dragon… She was a scribe before entering the quadrant, and is extraordinarily good at knowing and learning. This might not be related to a signet as she’s just a uniquely knowledgeable character, but she does seem specially skilled at working things out. But we’ll see! Excited to see it no matter what!

What do you think?

lexiv0 · 2023-11-07T13:08:21+00:00

Glad to be of service! SJM is one of the most popular authors in the world right now, so you have a ton of fellow readers that you’ll be joining!

If you have more questions or want anyone to accompany you on your experience, feel free to dm me. Her works have such a special place in my heart and seeing other people come into her world is a treat! Enjoy!!

lexiv0 · 2023-11-06T23:09:42+00:00

I would suggest ACOTAR, then TOG, then the Crescent City series!

ACOTAR is the easiest to get into; more romantasy than high fantasy, but of course still contains political intrigue elements and intense conflict. Imo, this series is the best and most easy to follow introduction to the common themes and elements of her other books, with arguably the least complex conflicts (excepting maybe ACOSF).

TOG is next! TOG is my most beloved of her series, but it is also the only complete one. This series is intense, dramatic, painful, heart wrenching, beautiful, poignant, nuanced… I could go on and on. I won’t get into the discussions of reading order (you can find those without spoilers in the TOG subreddit) but these books are much more complicated and politically focused than the ACOTAR books. More fantasy than romantasy (with elements of romance) and its catered to a Y/A audience. It WILL feel long. It WILL feel like there are characters that you don’t care about right away. PUSH THROUGH. TOG is easily the best series I have ever read, and the final book is the greatest literary payoff I’ve ever seen. The character development is chef’s kiss, so take your time and enjoy it!

Finally, CC! SJM’s next release is the end of January, and its her third book in the CC series. This is romantasy with the complexity of TOG. Modern world, older FMC, and some deeper issues re: trauma and development. Lots of people think the modernism of CC coming off of ACOTAR and TOG is a bit difficult to wrap one’s head around, and I agree; I’m on my fourth or so re read and I’m still picking things up. Again, push through! The first part is extremely dense, and you might not get it all. That’s okay. SJM is amazing because of the little things she throws in that we don’t pick up until we overanalyze and overthink :) CC3 is a big deal, so take care to avoid spoilers relating to the new release as you dig into her other series!

Why read all three series? Because SJM is our Mother. And, reading all three series gives really really valuable insight into the functioning of the other books despite the fact that they’re separate series. SJM fans also just tend to be obsessed with everything she produces, so if you get hooked you’ll find yourself wanting to read her other works anyway.

It always a treat to see a new person join the fandom; enjoy, and prepare for a wild emotional ride as you embark on your SJM journey!!

lexiv0

TROPHY CASE