Once Upon a Time With a Twist

Reading started a bit rough this week. I started reading a book and felt ashamed in myself as I was terribly confused and had to keep rereading parts thinking I had missed some vital piece of information. Finally, I discovered the book I was reading was actually a third in a series and it suddenly made sense why characters were being mentioned that it seemed like I should know along with references to past escapades of the main character. Oh well, I'll have to go back and read the other two book because the story itself felt pretty interesting. 

The book I actually read all the way through this week was called A Spindle Splintered by Alex E. Harrow. It wasn't what I expected in the slightest but in a good way. It was a feminist retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I enjoyed the themes of the book, and found the lens of someone dying from a terminal illness very intriguing. There were some funny parts and parts that broke my heart. It was a good mash up of emotions that made me really feel for the characters and dread with all my heart the inevitable ending expected with a main character suffering from a terminal illness. 

I also started reading The Forgotten Kingdom by Signe Pike. This is the second book in a series and this book has sent me on an emotional rollercoaster that has contended even with the first book. The writing is beautiful and powerful. It's a book that makes me uncomfortable, as it's intended to, but I keep going back because I care so much about the characters and can't stand not knowing what will happen to them. I'd highly recommend the first book, especially if you're a fan of the Arthurian legend or Historical Fiction. 

Monster Hunter Rise has been taking over my evenings after I've finished editing. I've now sat down and done research on armor and weapons which has given me something to work toward. With the help of my ever patient brother and his friend, I reached rank 8 and found going up ranks after 8 is a whole lot faster. I've now started playing with strangers online which is exciting and terrifying. I've never really played many games where I can interact with real people. I spend half the time panicking that they see how obviously ignorant I am but oh well. That's a part of the learning process I guess.