Illthdar - Guardians of Las Review!

@illthdar​ generously sent me a copy of her book, Illthdar, Guardians of Las earlier this semester and I finished it the other day! It took me a while to finish, not out of lack of interest, just because I’ve been busy. Here are my thoughts!

Blurb: 

“Illthdar: the land that logic and reason forgot. A place where every fairytale exists, and not in harmony. Pulled there by a mysterious force, Zercey Stamos learns that she is part faery must join the Order of Mana. The religious protectors of the sacred crystal are fighting to save everyone from mana waste. None of the displaced humans or aliens can leave. The Order does not want them to leave.”

Compliments:

This book has excellent world building and characters. A lot of thought clearly went into the development of Illthdar and the diverse cast; there’s a lot to the planet of Illthdar and I expect even more will be revealed in coming books. The magic system is well-constructed with clearly defined limitations, which I always appreciate, and is fun! The different types of magic and physical appearances depicted in the book create what I can best describe as visual interest (not sure what the right word is for a book). Each character had a distinct personality, motivation, and voice, which is especially important with a relatively large cast. Garcia used classic tropes while adding unique twists and traits that helped them come to life rather than feeling canned. The writing is skillful in terms of sentence structure, active voice, etc, and uses artful prose appropriately.

Critiques:

As for critiques, the pacing in the beginning felt a little fast to me and I would have liked to get a better sense of Zercey as a character before going to Illthdar. A few of the descriptions confused me or didn’t give me a clear picture, though overall they were clear. The shifts in POV felt too fast for me at points. A range of emotions is represented throughout the book, but I think at times it could have been pushed further, especially considering some of the situations the characters are in (though I am sensitive and dramatic so my taste may not reflect most people’s thoughts). I also would have liked to see more of an arch in the plot; I expect the purpose of this book is setting the world and characters for the rest of a series, which it did well, but I felt there could have been a clearer rising action and climax. Still, the book maintained my interest.

Overall:

This book was fun, well developed, and had refreshing representation. While I have critiques, I would absolutely recommend it for fans of fantasy or anyone looking for an interesting, semi-lighthearted read. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Link for Purchase:

($12.95? That’s damn near free, can’t afford not to buy it!)

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Illthdar-Guardians-of-Las-9781839451508.aspx

Illthdar - Guardians of Las Review!

@illthdar​ generously sent me a copy of her book, Illthdar, Guardians of Las earlier this semester and I finished it the other day! It took me a while to finish, not out of lack of interest, just because I’ve been busy. Here are my thoughts!

Blurb: 

“Illthdar: the land that logic and reason forgot. A place where every fairytale exists, and not in harmony. Pulled there by a mysterious force, Zercey Stamos learns that she is part faery must join the Order of Mana. The religious protectors of the sacred crystal are fighting to save everyone from mana waste. None of the displaced humans or aliens can leave. The Order does not want them to leave.”

Compliments:

This book has excellent world building and characters. A lot of thought clearly went into the development of Illthdar and the diverse cast; there’s a lot to the planet of Illthdar and I expect even more will be revealed in coming books. The magic system is well-constructed with clearly defined limitations, which I always appreciate, and is fun! The different types of magic and physical appearances depicted in the book create what I can best describe as visual interest (not sure what the right word is for a book). Each character had a distinct personality, motivation, and voice, which is especially important with a relatively large cast. Garcia used classic tropes while adding unique twists and traits that helped them come to life rather than feeling canned. The writing is skillful in terms of sentence structure, active voice, etc, and uses artful prose appropriately.

Critiques:

As for critiques, the pacing in the beginning felt a little fast to me and I would have liked to get a better sense of Zercey as a character before going to Illthdar. A few of the descriptions confused me or didn’t give me a clear picture, though overall they were clear. The shifts in POV felt too fast for me at points. A range of emotions is represented throughout the book, but I think at times it could have been pushed further, especially considering some of the situations the characters are in (though I am sensitive and dramatic so my taste may not reflect most people’s thoughts). I also would have liked to see more of an arch in the plot; I expect the purpose of this book is setting the world and characters for the rest of a series, which it did well, but I felt there could have been a clearer rising action and climax. Still, the book maintained my interest.

Overall:

This book was fun, well developed, and had refreshing representation. While I have critiques, I would absolutely recommend it for fans of fantasy or anyone looking for an interesting, semi-lighthearted read. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Link for Purchase:

($12.95? That’s damn near free, can’t afford not to buy it!)

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Illthdar-Guardians-of-Las-9781839451508.aspx

Illthdar - Guardians of Las Review!

@illthdar​ generously sent me a copy of her book, Illthdar, Guardians of Las earlier this semester and I finished it the other day! It took me a while to finish, not out of lack of interest, just because I’ve been busy. Here are my thoughts!

Blurb: 

“Illthdar: the land that logic and reason forgot. A place where every fairytale exists, and not in harmony. Pulled there by a mysterious force, Zercey Stamos learns that she is part faery must join the Order of Mana. The religious protectors of the sacred crystal are fighting to save everyone from mana waste. None of the displaced humans or aliens can leave. The Order does not want them to leave.”

Compliments:

This book has excellent world building and characters. A lot of thought clearly went into the development of Illthdar and the diverse cast; there’s a lot to the planet of Illthdar and I expect even more will be revealed in coming books. The magic system is well-constructed with clearly defined limitations, which I always appreciate, and is fun! The different types of magic and physical appearances depicted in the book create what I can best describe as visual interest (not sure what the right word is for a book). Each character had a distinct personality, motivation, and voice, which is especially important with a relatively large cast. Garcia used classic tropes while adding unique twists and traits that helped them come to life rather than feeling canned. The writing is skillful in terms of sentence structure, active voice, etc, and uses artful prose appropriately.

Critiques:

As for critiques, the pacing in the beginning felt a little fast to me and I would have liked to get a better sense of Zercey as a character before going to Illthdar. A few of the descriptions confused me or didn’t give me a clear picture, though overall they were clear. The shifts in POV felt too fast for me at points. A range of emotions is represented throughout the book, but I think at times it could have been pushed further, especially considering some of the situations the characters are in (though I am sensitive and dramatic so my taste may not reflect most people’s thoughts). I also would have liked to see more of an arch in the plot; I expect the purpose of this book is setting the world and characters for the rest of a series, which it did well, but I felt there could have been a clearer rising action and climax. Still, the book maintained my interest.

Overall:

This book was fun, well developed, and had refreshing representation. While I have critiques, I would absolutely recommend it for fans of fantasy or anyone looking for an interesting, semi-lighthearted read. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Link for Purchase:

($12.95? That’s damn near free, can’t afford not to buy it!)

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Illthdar-Guardians-of-Las-9781839451508.aspx

Illthdar - Guardians of Las Review!

@illthdar​ generously sent me a copy of her book, Illthdar, Guardians of Las earlier this semester and I finished it the other day! It took me a while to finish, not out of lack of interest, just because I’ve been busy. Here are my thoughts!

Blurb: 

“Illthdar: the land that logic and reason forgot. A place where every fairytale exists, and not in harmony. Pulled there by a mysterious force, Zercey Stamos learns that she is part faery must join the Order of Mana. The religious protectors of the sacred crystal are fighting to save everyone from mana waste. None of the displaced humans or aliens can leave. The Order does not want them to leave.”

Compliments:

This book has excellent world building and characters. A lot of thought clearly went into the development of Illthdar and the diverse cast; there’s a lot to the planet of Illthdar and I expect even more will be revealed in coming books. The magic system is well-constructed with clearly defined limitations, which I always appreciate, and is fun! The different types of magic and physical appearances depicted in the book create what I can best describe as visual interest (not sure what the right word is for a book). Each character had a distinct personality, motivation, and voice, which is especially important with a relatively large cast. Garcia used classic tropes while adding unique twists and traits that helped them come to life rather than feeling canned. The writing is skillful in terms of sentence structure, active voice, etc, and uses artful prose appropriately.

Critiques:

As for critiques, the pacing in the beginning felt a little fast to me and I would have liked to get a better sense of Zercey as a character before going to Illthdar. A few of the descriptions confused me or didn’t give me a clear picture, though overall they were clear. The shifts in POV felt too fast for me at points. A range of emotions is represented throughout the book, but I think at times it could have been pushed further, especially considering some of the situations the characters are in (though I am sensitive and dramatic so my taste may not reflect most people’s thoughts). I also would have liked to see more of an arch in the plot; I expect the purpose of this book is setting the world and characters for the rest of a series, which it did well, but I felt there could have been a clearer rising action and climax. Still, the book maintained my interest.

Overall:

This book was fun, well developed, and had refreshing representation. While I have critiques, I would absolutely recommend it for fans of fantasy or anyone looking for an interesting, semi-lighthearted read. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Link for Purchase:

($12.95? That’s damn near free, can’t afford not to buy it!)

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Illthdar-Guardians-of-Las-9781839451508.aspx

Illthdar - Guardians of Las Review!

@illthdar​ generously sent me a copy of her book, Illthdar, Guardians of Las earlier this semester and I finished it the other day! It took me a while to finish, not out of lack of interest, just because I’ve been busy. Here are my thoughts!

Blurb: 

“Illthdar: the land that logic and reason forgot. A place where every fairytale exists, and not in harmony. Pulled there by a mysterious force, Zercey Stamos learns that she is part faery must join the Order of Mana. The religious protectors of the sacred crystal are fighting to save everyone from mana waste. None of the displaced humans or aliens can leave. The Order does not want them to leave.”

Compliments:

This book has excellent world building and characters. A lot of thought clearly went into the development of Illthdar and the diverse cast; there’s a lot to the planet of Illthdar and I expect even more will be revealed in coming books. The magic system is well-constructed with clearly defined limitations, which I always appreciate, and is fun! The different types of magic and physical appearances depicted in the book create what I can best describe as visual interest (not sure what the right word is for a book). Each character had a distinct personality, motivation, and voice, which is especially important with a relatively large cast. Garcia used classic tropes while adding unique twists and traits that helped them come to life rather than feeling canned. The writing is skillful in terms of sentence structure, active voice, etc, and uses artful prose appropriately.

Critiques:

As for critiques, the pacing in the beginning felt a little fast to me and I would have liked to get a better sense of Zercey as a character before going to Illthdar. A few of the descriptions confused me or didn’t give me a clear picture, though overall they were clear. The shifts in POV felt too fast for me at points. A range of emotions is represented throughout the book, but I think at times it could have been pushed further, especially considering some of the situations the characters are in (though I am sensitive and dramatic so my taste may not reflect most people’s thoughts). I also would have liked to see more of an arch in the plot; I expect the purpose of this book is setting the world and characters for the rest of a series, which it did well, but I felt there could have been a clearer rising action and climax. Still, the book maintained my interest.

Overall:

This book was fun, well developed, and had refreshing representation. While I have critiques, I would absolutely recommend it for fans of fantasy or anyone looking for an interesting, semi-lighthearted read. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Link for Purchase:

($12.95? That’s damn near free, can’t afford not to buy it!)

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Illthdar-Guardians-of-Las-9781839451508.aspx

Illthdar - Guardians of Las Review!

@illthdar​ generously sent me a copy of her book, Illthdar, Guardians of Las earlier this semester and I finished it the other day! It took me a while to finish, not out of lack of interest, just because I’ve been busy. Here are my thoughts!

Blurb: 

“Illthdar: the land that logic and reason forgot. A place where every fairytale exists, and not in harmony. Pulled there by a mysterious force, Zercey Stamos learns that she is part faery must join the Order of Mana. The religious protectors of the sacred crystal are fighting to save everyone from mana waste. None of the displaced humans or aliens can leave. The Order does not want them to leave.”

Compliments:

This book has excellent world building and characters. A lot of thought clearly went into the development of Illthdar and the diverse cast; there’s a lot to the planet of Illthdar and I expect even more will be revealed in coming books. The magic system is well-constructed with clearly defined limitations, which I always appreciate, and is fun! The different types of magic and physical appearances depicted in the book create what I can best describe as visual interest (not sure what the right word is for a book). Each character had a distinct personality, motivation, and voice, which is especially important with a relatively large cast. Garcia used classic tropes while adding unique twists and traits that helped them come to life rather than feeling canned. The writing is skillful in terms of sentence structure, active voice, etc, and uses artful prose appropriately.

Critiques:

As for critiques, the pacing in the beginning felt a little fast to me and I would have liked to get a better sense of Zercey as a character before going to Illthdar. A few of the descriptions confused me or didn’t give me a clear picture, though overall they were clear. The shifts in POV felt too fast for me at points. A range of emotions is represented throughout the book, but I think at times it could have been pushed further, especially considering some of the situations the characters are in (though I am sensitive and dramatic so my taste may not reflect most people’s thoughts). I also would have liked to see more of an arch in the plot; I expect the purpose of this book is setting the world and characters for the rest of a series, which it did well, but I felt there could have been a clearer rising action and climax. Still, the book maintained my interest.

Overall:

This book was fun, well developed, and had refreshing representation. While I have critiques, I would absolutely recommend it for fans of fantasy or anyone looking for an interesting, semi-lighthearted read. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Link for Purchase:

($12.95? That’s damn near free, can’t afford not to buy it!)

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Illthdar-Guardians-of-Las-9781839451508.aspx

Illthdar - Guardians of Las Review!

@illthdar​ generously sent me a copy of her book, Illthdar, Guardians of Las earlier this semester and I finished it the other day! It took me a while to finish, not out of lack of interest, just because I’ve been busy. Here are my thoughts!

Blurb: 

“Illthdar: the land that logic and reason forgot. A place where every fairytale exists, and not in harmony. Pulled there by a mysterious force, Zercey Stamos learns that she is part faery must join the Order of Mana. The religious protectors of the sacred crystal are fighting to save everyone from mana waste. None of the displaced humans or aliens can leave. The Order does not want them to leave.”

Compliments:

This book has excellent world building and characters. A lot of thought clearly went into the development of Illthdar and the diverse cast; there’s a lot to the planet of Illthdar and I expect even more will be revealed in coming books. The magic system is well-constructed with clearly defined limitations, which I always appreciate, and is fun! The different types of magic and physical appearances depicted in the book create what I can best describe as visual interest (not sure what the right word is for a book). Each character had a distinct personality, motivation, and voice, which is especially important with a relatively large cast. Garcia used classic tropes while adding unique twists and traits that helped them come to life rather than feeling canned. The writing is skillful in terms of sentence structure, active voice, etc, and uses artful prose appropriately.

Critiques:

As for critiques, the pacing in the beginning felt a little fast to me and I would have liked to get a better sense of Zercey as a character before going to Illthdar. A few of the descriptions confused me or didn’t give me a clear picture, though overall they were clear. The shifts in POV felt too fast for me at points. A range of emotions is represented throughout the book, but I think at times it could have been pushed further, especially considering some of the situations the characters are in (though I am sensitive and dramatic so my taste may not reflect most people’s thoughts). I also would have liked to see more of an arch in the plot; I expect the purpose of this book is setting the world and characters for the rest of a series, which it did well, but I felt there could have been a clearer rising action and climax. Still, the book maintained my interest.

Overall:

This book was fun, well developed, and had refreshing representation. While I have critiques, I would absolutely recommend it for fans of fantasy or anyone looking for an interesting, semi-lighthearted read. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Link for Purchase:

($12.95? That’s damn near free, can’t afford not to buy it!)

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Illthdar-Guardians-of-Las-9781839451508.aspx

Now is a great time to buy Illthdar: Guardians of Las. Why? Because the profits of all purchases of it between now and the end of August 2020 will be donated to Gendered Intelligence.

In response to Jk Rowling's anti-trans statements, as well as the need for change highlighted by the black lives matter movement. As an advocate for change, I am always prepared to use my platform and privilege to amplify great causes and support underrepresented groups.

Why is Gendered Intelligence important? They're a not-for-profit organisation in the UK that, among other things, provides support to trans people of colour.

If you're unable to help support the cause, I do hope you will join me by signal boosting and sharing the news so that as many people as possible can help contribute.

Illthdar - Guardians of Las Review!

@illthdar​ generously sent me a copy of her book, Illthdar, Guardians of Las earlier this semester and I finished it the other day! It took me a while to finish, not out of lack of interest, just because I’ve been busy. Here are my thoughts!

Blurb: 

“Illthdar: the land that logic and reason forgot. A place where every fairytale exists, and not in harmony. Pulled there by a mysterious force, Zercey Stamos learns that she is part faery must join the Order of Mana. The religious protectors of the sacred crystal are fighting to save everyone from mana waste. None of the displaced humans or aliens can leave. The Order does not want them to leave.”

Compliments:

This book has excellent world building and characters. A lot of thought clearly went into the development of Illthdar and the diverse cast; there’s a lot to the planet of Illthdar and I expect even more will be revealed in coming books. The magic system is well-constructed with clearly defined limitations, which I always appreciate, and is fun! The different types of magic and physical appearances depicted in the book create what I can best describe as visual interest (not sure what the right word is for a book). Each character had a distinct personality, motivation, and voice, which is especially important with a relatively large cast. Garcia used classic tropes while adding unique twists and traits that helped them come to life rather than feeling canned. The writing is skillful in terms of sentence structure, active voice, etc, and uses artful prose appropriately.

Critiques:

As for critiques, the pacing in the beginning felt a little fast to me and I would have liked to get a better sense of Zercey as a character before going to Illthdar. A few of the descriptions confused me or didn’t give me a clear picture, though overall they were clear. The shifts in POV felt too fast for me at points. A range of emotions is represented throughout the book, but I think at times it could have been pushed further, especially considering some of the situations the characters are in (though I am sensitive and dramatic so my taste may not reflect most people’s thoughts). I also would have liked to see more of an arch in the plot; I expect the purpose of this book is setting the world and characters for the rest of a series, which it did well, but I felt there could have been a clearer rising action and climax. Still, the book maintained my interest.

Overall:

This book was fun, well developed, and had refreshing representation. While I have critiques, I would absolutely recommend it for fans of fantasy or anyone looking for an interesting, semi-lighthearted read. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Link for Purchase:

($12.95? That’s damn near free, can’t afford not to buy it!)

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Illthdar-Guardians-of-Las-9781839451508.aspx

Hello there… edition 2 of online open mic is coming up, give me a message to get the link. Date : 7.06.2020

Time : 07:00 pm IST (GMT + 5.30)

Venue : Google Meet

All story tellers and poets are welcome, the language is English, if not performing, you are welcome to be a spectator…

Illthdar - Guardians of Las Review!

@illthdar​ generously sent me a copy of her book, Illthdar, Guardians of Las earlier this semester and I finished it the other day! It took me a while to finish, not out of lack of interest, just because I’ve been busy. Here are my thoughts!

Blurb: 

“Illthdar: the land that logic and reason forgot. A place where every fairytale exists, and not in harmony. Pulled there by a mysterious force, Zercey Stamos learns that she is part faery must join the Order of Mana. The religious protectors of the sacred crystal are fighting to save everyone from mana waste. None of the displaced humans or aliens can leave. The Order does not want them to leave.”

Compliments:

This book has excellent world building and characters. A lot of thought clearly went into the development of Illthdar and the diverse cast; there’s a lot to the planet of Illthdar and I expect even more will be revealed in coming books. The magic system is well-constructed with clearly defined limitations, which I always appreciate, and is fun! The different types of magic and physical appearances depicted in the book create what I can best describe as visual interest (not sure what the right word is for a book). Each character had a distinct personality, motivation, and voice, which is especially important with a relatively large cast. Garcia used classic tropes while adding unique twists and traits that helped them come to life rather than feeling canned. The writing is skillful in terms of sentence structure, active voice, etc, and uses artful prose appropriately.

Critiques:

As for critiques, the pacing in the beginning felt a little fast to me and I would have liked to get a better sense of Zercey as a character before going to Illthdar. A few of the descriptions confused me or didn’t give me a clear picture, though overall they were clear. The shifts in POV felt too fast for me at points. A range of emotions is represented throughout the book, but I think at times it could have been pushed further, especially considering some of the situations the characters are in (though I am sensitive and dramatic so my taste may not reflect most people’s thoughts). I also would have liked to see more of an arch in the plot; I expect the purpose of this book is setting the world and characters for the rest of a series, which it did well, but I felt there could have been a clearer rising action and climax. Still, the book maintained my interest.

Overall:

This book was fun, well developed, and had refreshing representation. While I have critiques, I would absolutely recommend it for fans of fantasy or anyone looking for an interesting, semi-lighthearted read. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Link for Purchase:

($12.95? That’s damn near free, can’t afford not to buy it!)

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Illthdar-Guardians-of-Las-9781839451508.aspx

Illthdar - Guardians of Las Review!

@illthdar​ generously sent me a copy of her book, Illthdar, Guardians of Las earlier this semester and I finished it the other day! It took me a while to finish, not out of lack of interest, just because I’ve been busy. Here are my thoughts!

Blurb: 

“Illthdar: the land that logic and reason forgot. A place where every fairytale exists, and not in harmony. Pulled there by a mysterious force, Zercey Stamos learns that she is part faery must join the Order of Mana. The religious protectors of the sacred crystal are fighting to save everyone from mana waste. None of the displaced humans or aliens can leave. The Order does not want them to leave.”

Compliments:

This book has excellent world building and characters. A lot of thought clearly went into the development of Illthdar and the diverse cast; there’s a lot to the planet of Illthdar and I expect even more will be revealed in coming books. The magic system is well-constructed with clearly defined limitations, which I always appreciate, and is fun! The different types of magic and physical appearances depicted in the book create what I can best describe as visual interest (not sure what the right word is for a book). Each character had a distinct personality, motivation, and voice, which is especially important with a relatively large cast. Garcia used classic tropes while adding unique twists and traits that helped them come to life rather than feeling canned. The writing is skillful in terms of sentence structure, active voice, etc, and uses artful prose appropriately.

Critiques:

As for critiques, the pacing in the beginning felt a little fast to me and I would have liked to get a better sense of Zercey as a character before going to Illthdar. A few of the descriptions confused me or didn’t give me a clear picture, though overall they were clear. The shifts in POV felt too fast for me at points. A range of emotions is represented throughout the book, but I think at times it could have been pushed further, especially considering some of the situations the characters are in (though I am sensitive and dramatic so my taste may not reflect most people’s thoughts). I also would have liked to see more of an arch in the plot; I expect the purpose of this book is setting the world and characters for the rest of a series, which it did well, but I felt there could have been a clearer rising action and climax. Still, the book maintained my interest.

Overall:

This book was fun, well developed, and had refreshing representation. While I have critiques, I would absolutely recommend it for fans of fantasy or anyone looking for an interesting, semi-lighthearted read. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Link for Purchase:

($12.95? That’s damn near free, can’t afford not to buy it!)

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Illthdar-Guardians-of-Las-9781839451508.aspx

Illthdar - Guardians of Las Review!

@illthdar​ generously sent me a copy of her book, Illthdar, Guardians of Las earlier this semester and I finished it the other day! It took me a while to finish, not out of lack of interest, just because I’ve been busy. Here are my thoughts!

Blurb: 

“Illthdar: the land that logic and reason forgot. A place where every fairytale exists, and not in harmony. Pulled there by a mysterious force, Zercey Stamos learns that she is part faery must join the Order of Mana. The religious protectors of the sacred crystal are fighting to save everyone from mana waste. None of the displaced humans or aliens can leave. The Order does not want them to leave.”

Compliments:

This book has excellent world building and characters. A lot of thought clearly went into the development of Illthdar and the diverse cast; there’s a lot to the planet of Illthdar and I expect even more will be revealed in coming books. The magic system is well-constructed with clearly defined limitations, which I always appreciate, and is fun! The different types of magic and physical appearances depicted in the book create what I can best describe as visual interest (not sure what the right word is for a book). Each character had a distinct personality, motivation, and voice, which is especially important with a relatively large cast. Garcia used classic tropes while adding unique twists and traits that helped them come to life rather than feeling canned. The writing is skillful in terms of sentence structure, active voice, etc, and uses artful prose appropriately.

Critiques:

As for critiques, the pacing in the beginning felt a little fast to me and I would have liked to get a better sense of Zercey as a character before going to Illthdar. A few of the descriptions confused me or didn’t give me a clear picture, though overall they were clear. The shifts in POV felt too fast for me at points. A range of emotions is represented throughout the book, but I think at times it could have been pushed further, especially considering some of the situations the characters are in (though I am sensitive and dramatic so my taste may not reflect most people’s thoughts). I also would have liked to see more of an arch in the plot; I expect the purpose of this book is setting the world and characters for the rest of a series, which it did well, but I felt there could have been a clearer rising action and climax. Still, the book maintained my interest.

Overall:

This book was fun, well developed, and had refreshing representation. While I have critiques, I would absolutely recommend it for fans of fantasy or anyone looking for an interesting, semi-lighthearted read. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Link for Purchase:

($12.95? That’s damn near free, can’t afford not to buy it!)

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Illthdar-Guardians-of-Las-9781839451508.aspx

I’ve Made Up My Mind!!!

So I told you guys about my idea (which I have decided to call Theme Songs of the World, thanks to @akanorskwritblr giving me honest feedback). The series is about YOU GUYS - literally! I will be getting ahold of people that are interested in this series one at a time and I’ll be working on one at a time.

The only catch is I’m NOT going to be giving myself deadlines. I’ve tried doing that crap in the past and it just stresses me out and this is supposed to be FUN on all ends!

So… if you’d like a song written about you, please like this post! Please make sure that I am able to send you messages. If I can’t message you, I’ll skip and go on to the next person. I’ll be sending the messages in the order that I receive the likes!

Anyone is welcome to be part of this! I’ll probably cap it at like 25 people for now. Just to make sure I don’t overwhelm myself. I might get this done in under 25 days, or I might get it done in a year. Like I said, I have no deadline. I just want to get back into songwriting!

So like I said, like this post and I’ll (eventually) send you a message to get information about your life that you would like in your song.

Thank you in advance to all interested parties! Let’s have fun and sing along! ;)

Oh, and if you’d like samples of my songwriting style…

You can read some of my lyrics here and here.

You can also listen to several of my songs here.

Please boost so other people can get songs written about them if they’re interested as well!

Thanks again!

Whoops, forgot to tag all the people that showed interest in the explanation post!

So tagging everyone who liked this post:

@books-of-lunacy @pluttskutt @fae-evermore @dreamsicledream @illthdar @rgarciawrit-advocate @abalonetea @re-writing-h @mocosa-media @keen2meecha @dawnoftheagez @rysngrovearchives @adorably-awesome @apologeticapathy

Illthdar - Guardians of Las Review!

@illthdar​ generously sent me a copy of her book, Illthdar, Guardians of Las earlier this semester and I finished it the other day! It took me a while to finish, not out of lack of interest, just because I’ve been busy. Here are my thoughts!

Blurb: 

“Illthdar: the land that logic and reason forgot. A place where every fairytale exists, and not in harmony. Pulled there by a mysterious force, Zercey Stamos learns that she is part faery must join the Order of Mana. The religious protectors of the sacred crystal are fighting to save everyone from mana waste. None of the displaced humans or aliens can leave. The Order does not want them to leave.”

Compliments:

This book has excellent world building and characters. A lot of thought clearly went into the development of Illthdar and the diverse cast; there’s a lot to the planet of Illthdar and I expect even more will be revealed in coming books. The magic system is well-constructed with clearly defined limitations, which I always appreciate, and is fun! The different types of magic and physical appearances depicted in the book create what I can best describe as visual interest (not sure what the right word is for a book). Each character had a distinct personality, motivation, and voice, which is especially important with a relatively large cast. Garcia used classic tropes while adding unique twists and traits that helped them come to life rather than feeling canned. The writing is skillful in terms of sentence structure, active voice, etc, and uses artful prose appropriately.

Critiques:

As for critiques, the pacing in the beginning felt a little fast to me and I would have liked to get a better sense of Zercey as a character before going to Illthdar. A few of the descriptions confused me or didn’t give me a clear picture, though overall they were clear. The shifts in POV felt too fast for me at points. A range of emotions is represented throughout the book, but I think at times it could have been pushed further, especially considering some of the situations the characters are in (though I am sensitive and dramatic so my taste may not reflect most people’s thoughts). I also would have liked to see more of an arch in the plot; I expect the purpose of this book is setting the world and characters for the rest of a series, which it did well, but I felt there could have been a clearer rising action and climax. Still, the book maintained my interest.

Overall:

This book was fun, well developed, and had refreshing representation. While I have critiques, I would absolutely recommend it for fans of fantasy or anyone looking for an interesting, semi-lighthearted read. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Link for Purchase:

($12.95? That’s damn near free, can’t afford not to buy it!)

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Illthdar-Guardians-of-Las-9781839451508.aspx

Illthdar - Guardians of Las Review!

@illthdar​ generously sent me a copy of her book, Illthdar, Guardians of Las earlier this semester and I finished it the other day! It took me a while to finish, not out of lack of interest, just because I’ve been busy. Here are my thoughts!

Blurb: 

“Illthdar: the land that logic and reason forgot. A place where every fairytale exists, and not in harmony. Pulled there by a mysterious force, Zercey Stamos learns that she is part faery must join the Order of Mana. The religious protectors of the sacred crystal are fighting to save everyone from mana waste. None of the displaced humans or aliens can leave. The Order does not want them to leave.”

Compliments:

This book has excellent world building and characters. A lot of thought clearly went into the development of Illthdar and the diverse cast; there’s a lot to the planet of Illthdar and I expect even more will be revealed in coming books. The magic system is well-constructed with clearly defined limitations, which I always appreciate, and is fun! The different types of magic and physical appearances depicted in the book create what I can best describe as visual interest (not sure what the right word is for a book). Each character had a distinct personality, motivation, and voice, which is especially important with a relatively large cast. Garcia used classic tropes while adding unique twists and traits that helped them come to life rather than feeling canned. The writing is skillful in terms of sentence structure, active voice, etc, and uses artful prose appropriately.

Critiques:

As for critiques, the pacing in the beginning felt a little fast to me and I would have liked to get a better sense of Zercey as a character before going to Illthdar. A few of the descriptions confused me or didn’t give me a clear picture, though overall they were clear. The shifts in POV felt too fast for me at points. A range of emotions is represented throughout the book, but I think at times it could have been pushed further, especially considering some of the situations the characters are in (though I am sensitive and dramatic so my taste may not reflect most people’s thoughts). I also would have liked to see more of an arch in the plot; I expect the purpose of this book is setting the world and characters for the rest of a series, which it did well, but I felt there could have been a clearer rising action and climax. Still, the book maintained my interest.

Overall:

This book was fun, well developed, and had refreshing representation. While I have critiques, I would absolutely recommend it for fans of fantasy or anyone looking for an interesting, semi-lighthearted read. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Link for Purchase:

($12.95? That’s damn near free, can’t afford not to buy it!)

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Illthdar-Guardians-of-Las-9781839451508.aspx

Guardians of Las

Made by @guardians-of-las-vyxen

Scyanatha Dubhgelach:  A lithe, pale-skinned woman, with hair the colour of blood and dark red eyes. She stands tall at 6 feet, and looks deceptively fragile. She has two tattoos: a Ginfaxi stave at the base of her neck, and a string of Ogham runes spelling “sgiath”, “wolf”/“peaceable”, along her spine in between her shoulder blades. Both tattoos are extremely faded with the latter being currently illegible. Her arms are littered with many small and nearly invisible scars from cuts and other small wounds received during battles or training, and she has a large scar from the right side of her neck down to the middle of her sternum, the result of an attempt on her life.

Idk how to write psa but there's an 'unofficial' AO3 app that steal a lot of fanfics. I saw mine and @synchronmurmurs fics in it too.

And it kinda monetize our work since they have subscription fee in it. (Refer third pic)

Okay so I'm kinda still just waking up rn, but I had a peek at this app and there is a TON of fics on this thing. Like around 7.5k works? I only checked the DMC category, but I saw a ton of familiar names and fics listed.

Is anybody around who would know more about this sort of thing? Is reporting the app enough to give it a good old double barrel fuck off? Would this be counted as going against AO3's ToS? I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to even MENTION money on that site, so how would that go for an unaffiliated app?

So, I kinda looked into. At unfortunately it has @synchronmurmurs, @harlot-of-oblivion, @kyarymell, @silversapphyre, @keeroo92, @thedyingmoon, @tehrevving and my own works on this app. Tagging the others I saw, at least in the Nero and Vergil categories, in case y'all wanted to know or try and do something about it. I also went into the reviews for the app on the store

Here's a couple of the 1 star reviews.

I hit up ao3 support team. And unfortunately, this is the response I got.

There isn't much that Ao3 can do. All we can do is make a request to the creator of the app to take put shit down or hope Apple and Android will take it down.

ALL of my (shalashaskalot) works are on here, and idk how I feel about it. It just feels kind of rude for someone to be making money off works that I’ve literally bought food and glasses and SURVIVED on thanks to people tipping me via Ko-Fi and elsewhere. On one hand, I kind of don’t mind bc this person did put time and effort into making the “reader” or viewer or whatever you wanna call it. I used to build websites and had my hands in a fair share of coding and I know it’s intensive and time consuming. But on the other hand, that’s my stuff and you’re using it without my permission to make money. And I put a lot of time and effort into my writing. I didn’t write it for someone else to make money off of. I wrote it because I enjoy it and because others enjoy it.

You know what though? I just hope the money is helping them or assisting them in a way that matters, if they’re even making anything at all. Ad revenue doesn’t produce a lot most of the time and I can’t imagine the subscription service being very popular since we’re all broke as fuck and can find our own fic recommendations. Maybe they have medical bills like I do. Maybe they’re hungry and need it. Idk. I hope it’s worth it.

This is such a weird situation. Keep using the actual AO3 website, please, as they are a very important resource and deserve the traffic and support. You can, in fact, download fics for offline reading directly from there and in several formats. Most mobile devices now support the file structure/hierarchy to be able to download and store files if you’re up to date on iOS/Android.

The best course of action in this case is:

1.) Report the app for DMCA and copyright infringement. As we own the copyrights to our works, they cannot be legally hosted without our permission. On the Google Play store, hit the three dots near the app title, click Flag As Inappropriate, select Other, and describe the infringement as neatly as possible.

2.) Under Developer Contact, the email of the app creator is listed. Send them a cordial email with your writing handles to inform them that you did not consent to having your works hosted on their app, which means what they're doing is, again, illegal. They might not listen to one author, but eventually they'll get the message. Don't harass them, of course.

3.) Using the links provided above, file a DMCA report on whichever version you use (iOS or Android). I know that copyright laws can be murky, but if enough people file a claim, the app will be removed. Neither Google nor Apple want to open themselves up to a lawsuit.

4.) In any works you post, place a note that says that you do not consent to your work being hosted on any unofficial apps, particularly ones with ad revenue and subscription services. Name it or don't name it, but let your readers know that you are very uncomfortable with the idea of your work being used without your permission, particularly with an intuitive mobile reader already available via the web browser.

5.) Spread the word. This does not just affect certain people. Everyone who has posted to A03 has their work on this app. I posted a story on February 14, and it was there on February 15. Let your friends, readers, and mutuals know that this app exists, and that it is stealing their works and profiting from them.

All of my works are on this and I am going to send a notice to the creator of the app and if they do not remove any of the works on there, especially my own, then I can and will sue them because 4 of my works on there are not fanfiction.

4 of the works are part of my IP and that gives me the right to sue because this person is trying to make a profit off of my own original work.

I suggest if anyone else here has posted anything from their IPs on AO3 to check and see if anything from that IP is on the app.

If it is then you can actually sue them for this.

@garrettauthor @jennamoreci check for fan fiction for your works as well. Every author, especially those who use ao3 need to be aware of this.