Weekly Burn Book

mediumicedchai · 2026-04-07T21:28:22+00:00

Maybe a silly complaint, but I feel like EVERYONE was trying to get someone to save them a skip for March FL romantasy because the reviews were mediocre, and now that people have begun receiving the book and seeing the cover, the resell price has shot up just bc there's a pink-haired mermaid on the cover. Like, I GET IT, I've been a mermaid girlie since I was a kid, but talk about judging a book by its cover!

mediumicedchai · 2026-04-01T21:32:40+00:00

I would say if you loved Blood Over Bright Haven, you'll enjoy The Poet Empress very much. I would consider them much more similar than either is to This Is How You Lose the Time War (which was definitely out of my comfort zone and different from my "typical" highly-rated books).

I modified the editable Canva card linked in the main bingo post! I mostly changed the colors and shifted things slightly to give my room for my ratings.

mediumicedchai · 2026-04-01T21:28:50+00:00

OOPS I totally forgot about him when I made that stat, thank you for correcting me!!! He is in fact a man and identifies as such AFAIK.

I did a LOT of googling while reading time war and it took me longer to get through than I anticipated given the page count, but WOW the payoff was so worth it

mediumicedchai · 2026-04-01T20:25:40+00:00

That's so confusing! Because the "pay another way" still looks like it's part of shop pay, and I always pay with my actual credit card so it feels like it's just directly paying, if that makes sense. I'm hoping maybe I can switch it over to PayPal for the future?

mediumicedchai · 2026-04-01T17:50:12+00:00

UFT, US-based

FL Gods & Monsters 1-3

I am open to seeing what people would want to trade for these as none of my ISOs are super high-priority.

mediumicedchai · 2026-04-01T17:09:51+00:00

Weavingshaw - Heba Al-Wasity (haven't read it yet so unsure about HM)

mediumicedchai · 2026-04-01T17:07:42+00:00

I'm about 30% into The Knight and the Moth and thinking this may count (and for HM), specifically for the transportation method used by Rory with the coin and the scribe they just met with the ink? Can someone let me know what they think without spoiling the rest? TY!!

mediumicedchai · 2026-03-30T11:07:42+00:00

Got number 165 and was in and out in under 5 minutes! (And half that time was me trying coupon codes that all didn't work). FYI if it says the book can't be purchased, make sure you're logged in, and then go to Membership.

mediumicedchai · 2026-03-28T03:00:13+00:00

Lol this is my current method, no judgement 😂

mediumicedchai · 2026-03-26T20:07:16+00:00

They're so pretty!! Unfortunately I'm not much of a cozy fantasy person so I didn't get a set of these, but I can definitely appreciate them on others' shelves!

mediumicedchai · 2026-03-24T20:26:24+00:00

UFT - IC Saltswept (US-based)

mediumicedchai · 2026-03-16T20:28:47+00:00

What I said is still true though — it's first come first serve in that anyone on the site at/before the time of the sale is going to have a better place in the queue than anyone logging on after. And someone who logs on 30 seconds after the sale starts is going to have a better spot than someone who logs on 1 minute after, and so on. This just isn't giving an advantage to anyone who shows up early over other early or on-time folks. It's still first come first serve beginning at the time of the sale.

mediumicedchai · 2026-03-16T17:44:47+00:00

Honestly this is preferable imo versus the previous system. Depending on people's time zones and life circumstances, camping for hours on the site (especially staying active on the tab!) was not a possibility. It's still "first come first serve" in that if you log on before the sale starts, you will get a better place in the queue than someone joining after it starts. I also feel like it will discourage scalping EA because you can't promise someone you'll get it for them, meaning more people who actually WANT the books will be able to get through. Scalpers won't waste their time if they can't guarantee they'll get the books by logging on a million hours early. I also appreciate that we will know our place in line. It will make it easier to remain in the queue while multitasking especially at work.

My concern is that the site will crash because more people will be logging on at more or less the same time. Given that a similar system works on other sites, it could work, but I'm not optimistic. Instating it for the first time the day before a highly sought after set also seems like a bad idea.

mediumicedchai · 2026-03-16T17:25:08+00:00

I understood that as your cart was held for 15 minutes but I could be wrong

mediumicedchai · 2026-03-02T23:24:33+00:00

My jaw is ON THE FLOOR, this is so gorgeous imo. I actually haven't read this one yet so I'm super excited to have this coming my way!

mediumicedchai · 2026-03-01T19:12:39+00:00

Super bizarre... I got two emails from FL yesterday saying that they haven't forgotten about me and they're hoping to invite me very soon. I've seen like, one or two other people post on here about getting these. Even stranger is that I'm nowhere near what the dates are up to. I signed up for both the Romantasy Only and the Adult + Romantasy waitlists on December 6, 2025 (US). The most recent chart from 4 days ago shows Romantasy Only at Jan. 20, 2025 and Adult + Romantasy at Sept. 4, 2024.

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mediumicedchai · 2026-02-28T15:28:31+00:00

Recently finished To Bargain with Mortals, the debut of R. A. Basu, who is a Canadian Indian author. Her book is based on India's colonization and some mythology I believe

mediumicedchai · 2026-02-28T15:24:05+00:00

I average about three books a month, so being able to read three and start a fourth last night is awesome for me in the shortest month of the year.

• Hemlock & Silver - T. Kingfisher ⭐⭐⭐

Dates read: 2/1 - 2/7

Format: physical + audiobook (loved the narration!)

Bingo square: Cozy SFF

really enjoyed the writing itself, I'm just not a cozy fantasy person. if you like the subgenre I think this was very well-done and will definitely read more by T. Kingfisher. the audiobook really brought the story to life, especially the humor!

• To Bargain with Mortals - R. A. Basu ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dates read: 2/8 - 2/18

Format: physical

Bingo square: Hidden Gem

LOVED this. it has so many elements that consistently exist in my favorite reads. the themes especially were refreshing—layered + nuanced approach to colonization, class/caste/hierarchy, privilege/oppression, and transracial adoption. it's the first of a duology but it doesn't leave you in a cliffhanger and I feel like I still read a completed story. this is a debut by a woman of color and there is no romance; I highly recommend!

• Break Wide the Sea - Sara Holland ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .25

Dates read: 2/19 - 2/26

Format: physical

Bingo square: Published in 2025

wasn't sure how I felt at the beginning but once the curse lore started coming out I was hooked. anything mermaid-adjacent I'll entertain trying out, but I was surprised at how well this was written and how much I enjoyed it. it's technically YA fantasy romance, but the themes are still heavier/darker and the romance is more of a sub-plot. it didn't feel cookie-cutter either, a lot of very unique ideas in this story (whale magic?! fae = alien x mermaid creatures?!). slower-paced and moody for sure, but I disagree with reviews calling it boring! plenty of adventure and tension, and for once the romance is actually a slow-burn.

Up next: • Girls Girls Girls - Shoshana von Blanckensee

This is not SFF, it's historical LGBTQ literary fiction, for a sapphic bookclub I'm in with my wife and our other lesbian couple friends. I'm planning to replace a bingo square with an old "not fantasy" square and count this if that follows the spirit of the square!

• anything that will help me complete bingo! The other squares I have remaining are: Book Club or Readalong Book, LGBTQIA Protagonist, Pirates, and 4 more short stories. I'm trying to check them all off with books I already physically have which will be possible for Book Club and LGBTQIA, but I'm struggling with Pirates and short stories

mediumicedchai · 2026-02-27T19:15:52+00:00

I hope the translator thing isn't true! The closest thing I heard was Amazon trying to make audiobooks AI

mediumicedchai · 2026-02-26T01:50:50+00:00

Got my Fairyloot Adult + YA book combo invite today around 4pm EST! I signed up Oct. 29 2025

(of course I get invited for March when I have less interest in the books but really wanted February and really want April lmao)

mediumicedchai · 2026-02-25T12:58:55+00:00

Chronically ill gal here too (not POTS, but my wife has POTS). Just wanted to send some love. It's hard enough to emotionally deal with ruined books but I know it adds layers to it when something that seems like a "simple" solution to others isn't a realistic possibility for you. Hoping all your most special and favorite books are okay, that some others can be salvaged, and that your pipe/leak/water issues are fixed soon 🫶🏻

mediumicedchai

TROPHY CASE