Category: Bits and Bookends

Mini Mention Monday

Welcome back to another mini mention for those books that dont quite have enough to chat about that i can write a long usual blog post on them but still deserve a little bit of a spotlight and i want to share the violence and spice ratings for!

The Royal Runaway by Kate O Keefe

This is a fun quick romcom and the main thing i loved was that they both were keeping their identity from each other. It’s not the best place to start a relationship but that they were both doing it made it feel a lot less toxic than some hidden identity romances. I loved all the rules that structured the beginning of the book and the way they slowly dispersed as Amelia gained more confidence. There was an interesting twist at the end which i knew must be coming because there were little odd clues but it was still a little bit of a surprise. 

Romance Rating: Soft – just kisses, little to no detail. 

Violence Rating: Level 1 – this is a ‘clean’ romance it doesn’t have any violence in it. 

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Mini Mention Monday

This is where I have all my little mini reviews (that you can also find on Fable, StoryGraph and Goodreads, although Fable is my primary short form reviewing platform) for books that were three stars or under and so I’m not going to write a whole blog post for but still want to give you my thoughts and the violence/spice ratings for them!

Royally Off Limits by Kate O Keeffe

This is the fourth book in this series, and it held up to the fun romcom expectations I had for it. This one is I think my favourite of the series so far – Max and Valentina had this amazing tension and chemistry and I always love a good secret identity/backstory. We alternate povs throughout book and overall it was a solid fun rom-com. It didn’t rock my world but it comfortably sat within it and I enjoyed the ride. My favourite part was when Max and Valentina were still in the interview phase, i would have loved more scenes of them interacting like they did at the archery range. Overall if you want a quick light rom-com this is the one to read and it’s a great series to binge over the holidays.
I will say that that terse vibe between them in the beginning is perfection though and I really enjoyed it.

Romance Rating: Soft – kissing, little to no description.
Violence Level – Level 1 – it’s a romcom we don’t have any violence in it.
Content Warnings: none.

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Mini Mention Monday: Nikita Gill

This poetry anthology is one that I have multiple times read cover to cover like a novel, and I cannot stop absorbing every single poem she writes. This anthology delves deep into the Greek myths but also imagines the deities living in our times – Eros lost without Psyche as her immortality wanes, Aphrodite finally able to reach out to other women, Hera able to divorce Zeus, Zeus being held in court for his crimes. Every time I read one of these I think WOW then I read it again and I am speechless. Each poem (sometimes mixed with some prose) breathes life into the myths and reimagines the motivations and minds of the great goddesses of Greek Myth.

She is releasing Hekate soon and I absolutely cannot wait because I love her work so much!

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Morally Grey or just the FMC?

This is something I have been thinking about more and more as I read even more – across hundreds of books especially fantasy/dystopian/sci-fi – the trope of the ‘morally grey’ heroine is becoming more and more popular so I’m going to do a deep dive into this! Are the female main characters (FMC) that are being marketed as morally grey truly morally gray or are they just women in a patriarchal world acting in a way that that society – ours or fictional! – don’t appreciate?

Minor Spoilers for Throne of Glass, Red Queen and Eragon!

So lets dive in!

Evangeline Samos from Red Queen is a key example of a ‘morally grey’ character. She argueably an antagonist. In the beginning she is even semi competition for protagonist for the interest of Cal. But she doesn’t care.

Her values are focused on love and acceptance for herself and yes she is ambitious and we know she is cruel sometimes but she is still not a villain. If she is a villain then Julian – the amiable uncle figure to Cal and Mare – is a villain too! He kills her father, takes over a mans brain and makes him walk of a cliff where he knows he will be drowned to death painfully and slowly. But Julian is still presented as working for the right side! Surely Evangeline is working for the right side too – her side. Survival.

Another example is Caeleana Sardothian – presented as insane and unstable for most of it but it she just head and shoulders above everyone around her? She is more intelligent, more charismatic and more skilled than the assassins and her other peers so she is separated from them by this ‘otherness’ but is that just that she is truly powerful?

Look at her values. Justice – skewed and biased but whos isn’t? Kills Nehemia’s murderer painfully but is that just revenge?

Then take a very male character like Eragon from the Inheritance Cycle – I love this series, it is what got me into fantasy but it does make a good comparison.

By the end of the book he has killed hundreds in a swathe to get to the capital, he kills the king and the dragon and is so powerful that he has to leave. But his power is heroic and his sanity is never questioned. Not when he prioritises helping Rouran his cousin find Katrina over the arguebaly ‘greater good’ of supporting the Vardan, not when he leaves an entire army marching towards certain death to chase a dream – people question it but not him. Yes those decisions are taken from a moral place, yes they work out in the end and yes they make a great story.

But so do Caeleana and Evangelines.

When I was doing my international womens day post about strong FMCs it really got me thinking. All of the FMCs had killed someone – I read fantasy -, all of the FMCs had moral compasses just different ones but the difference is was who’s control they were under. Keladry of Mindelan isn’t a morally gray knight, she is noble despite controversy but she is still very much under the thumb of the capital until she breaks out in the fourth book and this is when we see some of those lines blur for the first time despite her always remaining a firmly good classical hero because she regrets the actions she has to take for justice. Paedyn Gray from Powerless kills someone but she isn’t morally gray – at least of that book – in the eyes of the reader because we completely understand.

So what is the difference between morally gray and not? Is it that we just understand the motivations? Because in that case I would argue that Manon Blackbeak, Caeleana Sardothian, Katsa and Evangeline Samos are by that definition not morally gray. Some of their decisions are not solid and they do kill people but is the defininton of a morally gray FMC whether they are under the control of the patriarchy/govermantal structure of their respective worlds?

Katsa breaks away from that but in the beginning when we decide what their character is like she is going to execute people for the king. She also starts a secret council to undermine that hence the gray part not black of her morals. Evangeline Samos is so powerful and yet still controlled by her father until pretty late in the series. She knows that to get the power she wants she is going to have to marry Cal but by the end she decides not too. Caeleana Sardothian is probably the most morally gray in most people’s eyes on this list because she was an assassin for many years and does kill a lot of people on and of page in brutal ways. But so do other ‘classic’ heroes. Eragon kills people on page, he even mentions that it is almost unfair because they cant keep up with his supernatural skill. Percy Jackson kills a LOT of ‘monsters’ but he is still a hero, we never question at any point whether he is flexing his power or leaning into insanity he is just trying to survive.

If I start on another debate about how Percy Jackson and Eragon are arguably still until the guidance and power of their respective structures the Gods and the Vardan and how that may be why they are also classic heroes and never morally gray I could keep going forever but I wont! (maybe another day!).

To wrap it up is this main idea – are the female characters portrayed as insane and morally gray and villiainous in fantasy books really like that or are they just outside of the control of the government or a rebel structure? Are any female characters that aren’t in a recognisable structure that restricts their movement or power morally gray? And are all female characters who are powerful enough to take revenge on those who wronged them nudged closer to the label of insane or morally gray when they are doing the exact same as their male counterparts it is just labelled justice and avenging loved ones instead?

I also wanted to add that it is so odd how the obstacles placed in their path and the way they are overcome are judged so differently in morally gray characters to classic heroes. A classic hero’s journey is all about overcoming refusal of the quest, inheriting power or a throne and overcoming resistance to achieve a greater goal. Often the morals in the beginning have to be compromised to achieve the greater good. But powerful FMC’s aren’t often given that grace, especially as they are so easily dubbed morally gray. If they exchange morals for power or justice then they are irretrievably morally gray or downright villainous.

Readers – and this has been proved over and over by sales and booksta as well as just general chat – don’t care about morals or the perceived moral state of the character they care about being able to sympathise or emphasise with them. That is why villain backstories are so popular, they deal with the shadows within humanity show what can happen to people who stray of the path. And redemption arcs which are sometimes present in villain afterstories show that people can climb out of that life state and leave that behind.

So often FMC’s backstories and how they became morally gray are because of the patriarchy and violence so they become the most dangerous thing to protect themselves. We can see this with Caeleana, she is forged by the Assassin King and it is only when she leaves the country adknowledges the deeper parts of her history that she previously was ignoring that she can face what he made her into and go back to confront him.

Morally gray is the middle ground between villain and hero but who is the hero? It is cliché but someone’s villain is another characters hero and the more fantasy I read the more I become convinced that morally grey is a label given to female characters who aren’t controlled by the goverments around them!

In Conclusion…

Are the female characters portrayed as insane and morally gray and villiainous in fantasy books really like that or are they just outside of the control of the government or a rebel structure?

Are any female characters that aren’t in a recognisable structure that restricts their movement or power morally gray?

And are all female characters who are powerful enough to take revenge on those who wronged them nudged closer to the label of insane or morally gray when they are doing the exact same as their male counterparts it is just labelled justice and avenging loved ones instead?

What do you think?

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March Book Club Pick!

Our March Read is Reckless by Lauren Roberts! I rated Powerless five stars and have reread it twice but somehow Reckless has sat on my shelf for a few weeks without being read which is a tragedy. Kai and Paedyn were 100% my romantasy favourite of 2024 and they might be of this year as well! Click the link here to join us over on Storygraph as we read Reckless, chat about it and books generally and prepare for the release of the end of the saga!

We’d love for you to join us over on Storygraph and every bookworm, dragon or wyvern is welcome!

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A Guide to Violence Ratings

Here are my violence ratings for damsel! I am going to start adding these in to all of my reviews so you can make sure you know the overall violence level of the book. Some books have SA discussed and very violent things alluded to but not on page so always check the Content Warnings. 1+2 are suitable for most readers, 3 is the bottom of YA fantasy content, 4 is probably the most common area that I rate within and 5+6 are the ones that contain graphic descriptions, blood, torture, PTSD, racism etc. Violence is hard to gauge specifically because it is all relative and descriptions while useful dont help as much as examples! It is always useful to have a gauge of what kind of books fall into each category so click here 1 to skip down at see what I gauge popular books you might have read/heard of to be.

Level 1

this is very minor violence, perhaps a punch but ultimately suitable for most YA readers.

Level 2

minor injuries/fights with small non graphic descriptions.

Short combat scenes and limited threat

Level 3

Medium threat and danger.

Medium combat scenes with injuries described non graphically.

Death and violence are present and regularly part of the storyline and plot.

May have minor Drug/Alcohol Abuse

Level 4

Violence occurs regularly as does death and injuries.

SA references will mostly be in the past and non graphic if present.

Drug/Alcohol abuse may be graphic

Level 5

Violence is frequent with long combat scenes that contain deaths of both good, bad and morally gray characters.

Some sexual violence/harassment may be present on page and in the past but rare and short.

Blood and injuries may be described graphically.

Drugs/Alcohol abuse may be present

Level 6

graphic descriptions of injury, violence and blood.

may have sexual violence or harassment.

SA may occur – in the past or on the page so check the content warnings

Frequent death and suffering including torture should be expected.

Drugs/Alcohol abuse may be present

Level 1 – These are going to be romances mainly. Very few fantasy books fall into this category that I review and so I cant think of any examples other than Meet Me at Midnight which releases 10th of April 2025.

Level 2 –

Keeper of the Lost Cities – we are firmly middlegrade here, we have short fight scenes with no graphic description (but later on in the series it might brush up to a 3).

Howls Moving Castle – I would say this is suitable for 10+ as long as you are okay with a little threat – most of Diana Wynne Jones’s books are pretty safe in general, a few do drift darker than others but I have read her entire works and I would say this is where most of them sit if you are looking to read her!

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone sits here there is threat but not all throughout.

Level 3 –

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and the Prisoner of Azkaban as well as the Goblet of Fire sit here and the Order of the Phoenix.  

Level 4 –

Powerless by Lauren Roberts, it does center around trials and there are fight scenes – some are sparring and some serious – but overall the book is more romantic than murderous.

A Good Girls Guide to Murder and Good Girl Bad Blood both fall into this category. They are pretty dark in places but we are looking back especially in the first so the SA, rape and drugs aren’t primarily to the main characters.

Level 5 –

Hunger Games Trilogy, we have gory battle scenes, brutal murder and corruption etc.

Red Queen – the first book might just scrape down into level 4 but we have war, torture, captivity and a lot of manipulation and threat. I read it about 13 and loved it to bits (still do!) but it is pretty violent especially later on.  

Throne of Glass – just the first book here! – we have trials and on page violence and general darkness to the whole series.

Level 6 –

As Good as Dead, very violent, she is being hunted by a serial killer and threat is very high.

Nightweaver – the first two thirds have about a level 5 of violence but it ramps up in the last third to have graphic blood and murder as well as possession by demons.

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Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

13+B

This book is one I have wanted to read since Red Queen (honestly changed my brain chemistry and my shelves forever!) and so in true bookish fashion it has sat on my TBR for just long enough for me to get really worried I wasn’t going to enjoy it – but I did!

It was the Damsel book club read for February and so it will feature more details than usual mainly because I cant stop typing!

This is a gorgeous huge world that follows a large cast full of different characters on a physical quest and I honestly felt like any of them could have been the mc and from a single POV and I would still have 100% been there for that!

I love that the leading men had a conversation about grief and loss that was frank and open – we need more vulnerability and exploration of this in books – and not to a love interest. So many books have the love interest equal the therapist and it was so nice it separated from that!

There are a lot of different POVs and they are all in third person so I am not entirely convinced there needed to be that many especially when most of the companions were travelling together but I adapted to the format by the end of the book and cant wait to pick up the next two (I downloaded them instantly they are on Kindle Unlimited but I may need shelf trophies too!). This is a slower pace than Red Queen and focuses on a classic fantasy quest with several enjoyable twists and a romantic hint of a subplot instead of a high action dystopian revolution romance which wasn’t quite what I was expecting but I did enjoy it!

A little more on the characters (some not all and I could rant forever about these characters but here are five of them!) because they are the real driving force behind this book despite the solid plot!

Corayne an-Amarat is a pirates daughter who has never been to sea. That perspective of being the daughter of Hell Mel, of facilitating hundreds of illicit trades and doing everything she can to support a ship and crew that she will never be a part of was honestly heartbreaking. I need more of her – yes she is closer to the usual protagonist than the others but that is for a reason!

“Your blood is born of spindles, of distant realms and lost stars. You want the horizon, Coryane of Old Cor. You want it in your bones.”

Andry is the first character we meet in the prologue and as the usual main focus of the book (a young male squire trying to protect his mother and save the world) I was worried it would overfocus on him but it was nicely balanced! He was just adorable and had some of my favourite quotes!

“He doesn’t belong here with us, as much as he tries to. The end of the world is no place for Andry Trelland. He doesn’t deserve it.”

Dom is immortal a prince and wrestling with a loss and grief that his culture has no experience of. As the companion of Corayne’s father who dies in the prologue throughout he is absorbed with the idea of honouring him as well as comparisons with Corayne. I really enjoyed how Victoria Aveyard wrote it that he changed from seeing Corteal in her to seeing herself.

“Sorrow touches us all, Lord Domacridhan, whether we believe in it or not. It doesn’t matter what you call the things ripping you apart. It will still devour you if given the chance.”

Sorasa – the assassin mc I always love! She feels a little like Celaena Sardothian only more muted from her experiences! Throughout she is the character who knows what they are doing. the one who makes calculated decisions because this quest isn’t as close to her emotionally as the others. With her connections and her insane combat skills I would read a whole book of just her!

“The Amhara has great need for those who can pass unseen, and who is more unseen to men than a woman?”

Erida of Galland – I love her. I just love the character the complexity and the sheer frank honesty of her character which is hidden behind a calculating mask. I need more details of her I need a book from her perspective because she would usually be cast as the villain or the obstinate unprepared child queen but instead Victoria Aveyard makes her into the most stunningly complex character despite only a few chapters featuring her!

“History gorges itself on women raised high and then brought low by men grasping for power. I will not be one of them. I will not lose what my father gave me. I will make it greater”

VA has delved into a completely different genre here – this is epic fantasy, this is quests, this feels like classic fantasy I fell in love with in the beginning of my readers journey. If you compare it to Red Queen then it just cant because they are completely different genres.

This review is becoming overly large so let me continue to the star ratings and wrap this up!

World – 5/5 – As a fantasy reader who hates underdeveloped worlds – what do you mean you only have one location and no description?? – then VA hit me with the perfect world. it feels tangible and like I could chart it on a map!

Plot – 3/5 – I struggled with the plot a little. It starts of rapidly with action and adventure and then dips a little in the middle focusing on the characters before it picks up again when they visit Adira and from then on I read it in one sitting!

Characters – 4/5 – its tricky with such a huge cast to get a real feel for the characters as we are rapidly introduced to them in short succession however I do feel like I can differentiate between them and they are all very different. Let me just say that Sigil and Charlie’s relationship and introductions were just perfect and I love them so much!

Romance – NA – some crushes and flirting but the focus is on the quest not the romance.

Content Warnings: Nothing you wouldn’t expect in a high fantasy world – violence, death but nothing outside of the violence rating given! There is a scene where the current POV speaker expects to sleep with someone out of duty but it doesnt happen.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books set in Another Time

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl where bloggers are given a prompt that is usually a list of ten bookish things.

Todays prompt: Books Set in Another Time (These can be historical, futuristic, alternate universes, or even in a world where you’re not sure when it takes place you just know it’s not right now.)

1 – Fierce Heart by Tara Grayce (historical fantasy)

2 – Temanarie by Naomi Novik (historical)

3 – Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (dystopian)

4 – Twelfth Keeper by Belle Malory (dystopian)

5 – Changeling by Molly Harper (victorian/dystopian)

6 – Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okrafor-Mbachu (sci-fi alternate world)

7 – Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (alternate world)

8 – Galdoni by Cheree Alsop (dystopian)

9 – Roaring by Lindsey Duga (roaring twenties with magic)

10 – The Time Hunters by Carl Ashmore (set in literally everytime from ancient Greece to modern day to dinosaurs)

Special! The Wycherley’s by Annaliese Avery (regency/futuristic) which is coming on the 22nd of May!

All links will take you to the full review with an age rating, expansive content warnings and the Damsel rating system so you can be delighted with your read and not stumble into any unwanted violence or spice!

If the book is not linked then the reviews will be coming soon but all of these recommendations are YA and no spice however some of them are more violent than others so do check when the reviews are put up!

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Waiting on Wednesday: The Wycherleys by Annaliese Avery

Thanks to Net Galley and Simon & Schusters for this e-ARC and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own as always!
Pub Date: 22nd of May, 2025
Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK Childrens  
Genre: YA Fantasy, Witchy.
Age Category:  YA

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that originated at Breaking the Spine but has now linked up with Waiting for Wednesday at Wishful Endings. It is always a fun chance to display books that are going to be joining our bookshelves very soon in 2025!

The Wycherleys by Annaliese Avery

13+

This was such an unexpectedly sweet book with a really distinct narrative style and plot. Centered around multiple Sabbaths in the first debutante season of Aurelia Wycherley this had the feeling of a dystopian read and of a subtle regency influence.

Reading a book where the heroine knows what is expected to happen to her, and even knows that she will be shunned from society even further than she already is when her seasons are over could have made the book more of a darker read. However while I felt it did dip into exploration of what happens if you are the exception that slips through the cracks of an otherwise heavily organised society the romance kept things light and warm (I don’t know if warm makes any sense but Nightly and Aurelia just radiated it).

The romance was just right for me and I loved how Aurelia was willing to let Nightly go, she wanted what was best for him despite her feelings. Often this leads to the miscommunication trope but their relationship didn’t stumble down this path. We had a relationship as well, the relationship of their ancestors hundreds of years earlier and how Heston Nightly had cursed Mathilde.

A lot of witchy academia/regency/Victorian reads end up becoming either quite dark or very fluffy but this balanced it nicely. It feels in the same genre to Changeling by Molly Harper, just a more romance focused and less political.

There were a few loose ends I wanted to see wrapped up that didn’t quite – I don’t know if a sequel is being planned?? But despite that it was a really enjoyable read that I would 100% recommend if you want a slightly lighter romantic but still fantasy read!

World – 5/5 – I really like this mix of current/almost alternate reality dystopian and regency witch academia. The three seasons to find your ‘tether’ was a really interesting link to marriage in the regency times and how if you didn’t find one or  high society didn’t deem you suitable for marriage then you were increasingly ignored.

Plot – 4/5 – it felt like it wandered a bit in places mostly because Aurelia isn’t just dealing with a new romance and mystery here she is dealing with the loss of her magic and future. However I wholeheartedly enjoyed it and we got a masquerade ball (I do love those!) and other society events which framed the romance and desperate situation.

Characters  – 5/5 – I love Jules Nightly, his focus on saving his sister, on protecting her from society and how devoted he is to her wellbeing is just the sweetest fictional sibling relationship ever. I also loved Evelyn (his sister) and her interactions with Aurelia were always really enjoyable!

Romance – 4/5 – Sweet Romance – so gorgeous. When a book is marketed as enemies to lovers I am always a little worried that I wont like the dynamics of the romance (often they can stray into a little toxic) but this one felt more like rivals to lovers despite the familial history between the two.

Content Warnings: a little fantasy violence, murder (nothing on the page).

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Top Ten Tuesday – Books I have Never Reviewed

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl where bloggers are given a prompt that is usually a list of ten bookish things.

This weeks prompt was –

Books I Never Reviewed (Share the titles of books you never reviewed on your blog/tiktok/insta/etc. and if you liked them or not!)

Okay so this was actually a really easy prompt to start (and a really hard one to finish I could keep going forever) because I have just started and there are sooooo many books that I haven’t reviewed yet. I am going to tweak the prompt a little to SERIES that I haven’t yet reviewed or finished reviewing.

  • Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce – I love Tamora Pierce’s world so much and I am much due a reread of her series!
  • The Twelfth Keeper series by Belle Malory – the final book is out! It came out late January and my fyp didn’t think to tell me this until I randomly looked it up (i have been waiting for this book for at least three years) and its out! So reviews are coming for the whole series and the new book Until the Sun Rises!
  • All of KM Shea’s Magiford series and the individual trilogies – this is sweet clean paranormal fantasy with a new couple every trilogy (I have my favourites but honestly they are all five star couples).
  • Three Dark Thrones Series by Kendare Blake –  (and the prequal! Which is on my TBR as well as a complete reread of this epically dark fantasy).
  • Kirenmala and the Kingdom Beyond by Sayantani DasGupta – Indian mythology, vibrant worlds and a really cute demon prince this should have been reviewed by me before but I am 100% digging it out later for a reread.
  • Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger – I have only reviewed the first! I have read the rest before but now I am going to go back and revisit them (I can barely remember all the complexities of the plot!) and this time review them too!
  • Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – only reviewed the first one which is a travesty because this series is honestly in my top reads of all time and I am always thinking about it so I should have!
  • Eragon by Christopher Paolini – I haven’t reviewed any of these books but I really am going to because he was the author that got me into fantasy and dragons and without this series I would not have so many cluttered shelves of epic fantasy! I also got the illustrated edition that I need to show of so a review for this is definitely coming.
  • Elven Alliance by Tara Grayce – currently on my third read of the entire series and there is a new book coming out so I need to catch up on all my reviews for then!
  • Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas – again only reviewed the first book but I am going to buy the series in paperback for my third reread (I originally read them on Borrowbox) and then reviews upon reviews and book lists are coming.
  • Galdoni by Cheree Alsop – this whole trilogy is just gorgeous (and she has written another sci-fi book that I also loved!). We have winged gladiators, a sweet romance and a beautiful exploration of the best and worst of humanity, even if the protagonists are regularly told they are less than human. Reviews are coming!

This is more than 10 now so I am going to stop now but this post really reminded me of all the reviews and books I want to share with all of you so its now a 2025 goal to review all of the books on this list!

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