A Coup of Tea, Casey Blair

12+B

I love this book sooo much! I’ve just reread it for the second time and it is so much better than I remembered! (I mean I had it already as a five star read but it just got better!)

It looks and feels mostly like a cosy fantasy that follows a previously sheltered princess finding love and herself as well as a found family BUT it is so much more than that. We begin in the palace of Istralam during Miyara’s political crossroads in her life. As the fourth daughter she is expected to follow the third into a previously travelled controlled route. Miyara makes the random decision to leave fleeing the city and her family’s control. I honestly like the idea of the princess in exile because she wanted to.

This first part is the least connected to Miyara as a character and that is because she doesn’t really have a character yet. She is used to fitting into the spare corners of her cold royal family and she is used to being passive, not active. Miyara is an interesting character because she is so set in her decision – she doubts herself but not her decisions.

I love her growth and her interaction with the other characters. Ms Blair excels at hanging a lantern on how Miyara’s privilege gives her more security to change things. Because of her princess training, she can perform the tea ceremony well enough to instantly have a status in the world (more on the tea and the world later). The book explores systematic oppression (I would say deftly but it is through the experience of Miyara who has never been oppressed and is shocked by it so it isn’t subtle because Miyara isn’t subtle about it. She hasn’t been taught or learnt to ignore it or fear it or hide it or manipulate it unlike the other characters).

I also love the witch/mage idea and the idea of the witch hunts not only being sexist but also racist – the women thought to be witches are of the foreign oppressed race. It is a little bit more complex than that but I cant say anymore for spoilers!

Last thing – tea. Like the title suggests tea is very important. Tea is diplomacy, it is expression, it is universal and in this kingdom which is quite low fantasy it forms the almost magic that I hope will be explored later on.

Characters: 4/5 stars. I really like them, Miyara reflects the characters around her so well. I think the best mc’s are the ones that truly allow other people to display facets of their perspective on the world while still having their own.

Romance: 5/5 stars – Soft Romance – Its so sweet! Its also a subplot but I do love it.

Plot: 4/5 – I do like the plot but it almost comes secondary to me. For most of the book, the reasons for the plot are being developed, the oppression which makes the ultimate confrontation and take down (with legalities included and awkward councils open to bribery).

World: 4/5 – I love this world and I cant wait to explore more of it.

Things to be aware of: racism. It was tricky to give it an age rating, I would personally say that twelve and up could read it but they might enjoy it more if they were a bit older – it has a lot of moving parts in the story. The romance is very minimal so if you are looking for a read that doesn’t focus as much on the will they wont they then this is such a relax to read. Also if you are looking for an LGBTQ+ read then this is enjoyably subtle and woven in without the clumsiness of some books!

January 24, 2025 1

Just Stab Me Now, Jill Bearup

Age Rating: Complicated.

This book isn’t my usual genre, but I watched all her shorts as she developed this world with skits and parodies of the usual romance genre and I loved them. I got the book for Christmas and read it in less than 24 hours.

Layer 1

The essential basis of the book is that it is multiple layers. At the bottom there is the fantasy enemies to lovers story. It uses an older heroine whom has children the usual age of the main characters and is subsequently wiser to the world. Rosamund deals with her problems like an adult, an adult whom has already been through one political foreign marriage to Hugo and has been left a widower in a war that is being fought with the king her sister married too. Honestly the basic story while it has a twist or two on the usual tropes isn’t that exceptional. Its not supposed to be, the interaction between the characters and the author is where Bearup has focused her efforts.

Layer 2

Caroline the author talks to her characters regularly in the middle of scenes, directing them what to do and arguing with them about what to do. She is desperately trying to make genre expectations work despite characters whom are actively rebelling against her outline.

Layer 3

Carolines own life with her annoying CFO at a tech firm. Essentially it is there to support Carolines frustrations with her character and also to slid in some parallels like the book plot reflecting her own life just with a more satisfying ending.

Layer 4

Editor Comments. Like the gorgeous cover which looks half way through editing, Henry her hot editor (his descriptor throughout all of the book) occasionally puts in a note about historical accuracy and she responds with her own ideas.

It sounds complicated, and it semi is. I struggled for a few chapters to get a grasp on the rapid switching of POV and layers. I think that Caroline chiming in for only a few lines and then ducking back out was the hardest thing for me to follow. I do know that I read exceptionally fast, and so reading the book that fast means that I do wrestle with Pov changes that are that small because I have to double back and figure out who said what.

The point of this book is to parody and show a different side of an authors life, the one whom wrestles with deadlines, her other life and horrible historical limitations that should NOT exist in fantasy (but have to. For the record if it is a historical fantasy I don’t want modern inventions!) Its not what I usually would review but I do think its worth a read if you read a lot of fantasy/romance/anything in the YA/adult popular booktok categories that centre on magical systems.

Plot – 3/5

Characters – 3/5

Romance – 3.5/5 – Sweet Romance – (I am giving a lot of 3s! but the Romances of both, Leo and Rosamund (sweet and I did like it.) and Henry and Caroline (sneaking in that boss/employee trope in there to play with which I usually hate but can just let slide this time.) NB – I did appreciate that Bearup had Leo (mmc) point out the flaws in her plan for him to make an inappropriate comment during the plot.

World – 4/5 – Standard fantasy world but with some interesting world building details thrown in. because what we are reading is the first draft, there are a few notes that Caroline will add more lore in later. I would have liked that lore in the book but still a good dual world with multiple aspects.

Things to be aware of: so for the age I have no clue, its mostly suitable I’d say 12+B but the actual content does not reflect whom it is written for. I would hesitate to say it is a YA novel, I would say it is an adult novel that is enjoyable and its content is suitable. I would honestly recommend this for after all the samey samey romantasys and random rom-coms. I have been reading a lot lately so this was nice to see my own thoughts reflected.

Overall I am delighted that the skits managed to turn into a manageable book and if you are looking for a chill read with a relaxing predictability and some new interesting perspectives then give it a go!

January 24, 2025 0

Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu

12+

I have read this book several times over the last few years and every time the vivid world and courage of Zahrah has returned it instantly to my reread pile.

In general, I dont read a lot of sci-fi, but this one stands out from everything I have read both in that genre and in general because of the world of Ginen and the kingdom of Ooni. It is vivid and detailed and in places very similar to earth (and they mention earth as a ‘legend’ which might be one of the best and memorable worldbuilding details I have read yet) but with a sense of otherness that really defines the sci-fi genre. All the technology in Ooni is made using plants which I love! Even the library is made up of a giant plant. Even the computers grow with the child, as they are plants, and their leafboards grow to perfectly fit the child they are growing for. I love all these tiny little details that make the world so vivid.

Zahrah has dada – vines growing in her hair – which sets her apart from her peers at school and causes her to be bullied in the beginning. As the story progresses, we learn there are more to the dada than just vines as Zahrah grows up and matures. It is a classic character arc, but one that is portrayed beautifully and believably and freshly. One of the things that can be difficult with a story that is focused on a physical Quest is that the characters become stagnant or do not have any character development past their acceptance of the quest. However, this book neatly avoids all the pitfalls and allows Zahrah to grow alongside and separately from her quest in the greeny jungle to find an egg to save her friend who is in a coma despite the fact that no nobody goes deep into the forest and there are horrific stories of people who even go on the outskirts.

Characters – 5/5 stars – They are all rounded and realistic and everyone around Zahrah has their own stories that dont rely on hers (especially the frog! I love a good talking animal and the pink frog is the best)

World – 1000/5 stars – I have gushed about it enough, but honestly this world is so refreshing to read as it isnt based on a pseudo-european medieval land but instead Nigerian myths.

Romance – NA

Plot – 5/5 stars – its perfect. just perfect.

This is honestly one of the books I think everyone should read between the ages of 10 – 13. Go read it!

August 11, 2024 1

Guide to the Damsel rating system

As you all know I make sure to put age ratings and why I have rated them a 12 or a 15 or a B as well as my favourite things about the books and the characters on ALL my reviews, but I thought i would define what I call YA and what my age ratings mean on Damsel in Delight.

YA means young adults and through this can be stretched to cover anywhere from nine year olds to twenty somethings, I focus on the middle around 12- 18 and will report back on books accordingly. Everyone’s reading levels and comfort levels with different topics are completely different, of course, and it is immensely difficult to pin down exactly WHEN you should read books on your tbr, but in the end I am just offering the information so you can decide what you would be comfortable reading.

So my age ratings and what they mean:

10+ – These are books that are about 1/5 on violence and hardly ever have any romance. My reviews mention things to keep in mind when you are choosing to read them so just check those out.

10+B – Might have a little bit more violence or a few darker themes

11+ – Pretty much the same as a twelve ¹ but essentially its just what age group I think would enjoy that book the most!

11+B – Honestly down in the lower categories the B doesnt really up the violence/themes/topics and I wont use it often.

12+ – these are books that are about 1.5/5 on violence, and 1/5 on romance. The exact amounts differ, but there is no truly out there content that would not be suitable for most 12-year-olds. The main themes that absolutely will NOT be in twelves include SA and self-harm as well as tropes that can be morally questionable like assassins being portrayed as heroes or arranged political marriages (even through i love them in some of my older reads, i feel like in a 12 they often are a little too much for especially younger readers )

12+B – These are essentially the 12’s with more violence. Still very little romance, but that might go up to a 1.5 depending on the book (that will be in the specific review). The violence will usually be strictly fantasy violence, and nothing too graphic for most readers, however these 12’s may be a little older than some readers are looking for.

13+ – This is where some of the more complex decisions come in. 13+ on some websites can have some incredibly mature and dark themes, which I adore when I read them portrayed well, but i think its important to read them when you would enjoy them more, and perhaps understand them more than get scared or put off by them earlier. My 13+ does have more violence in general than my 12+B’s, about a 2 or 3 out of 5, but most of them are not too graphic. The romance/sexual context in my 13+ recommendations is slightly higher, but there will be NO smut (non of the books i recommend have anything other than clean romance – look at my other blog post for my definition of that and how they correspond to the age ratings!) and in general will not progress much further than a few kisses.

13+B – this is very similar to a 13+ but is for the books between a 13+ and a 14+. I would usually say that these books will have a 4/5 of violence but the romantic content will be at a 3/5 and a few more complex themes may come in.

14+ – my 14+ do raise the bar from the 13s as they will consider darker topics and tropes/themes. The violence here will rise to a 4/5 for violence, but the romance in each book will vary, however they will remain AT OR BELOW a 4/5 and of course will be clean (see my other blog post for this exact definition). These is the age rating that I start introducing some more mature themes/topics including mentions of prostitution/sex/extreme drunkard behaviour. These will of course have trigger warnings of the individual reviews themselves as 14+s could be solely for violence as well.

14+B – These 14+Bs start drifting towards the significantly older category, but the violence and romance will remain the same, it will just be the darkness of the setting and world that will bump these up to a B. Darker worlds that have very in depth wars or brutal traditions or other themes that I feel justify a B just to let the reader know. (As a side-note, most dystopian books will float between a plain 14+ and that all important B because while they do have some similar topics to fantasy, they are the fictions satire and so are sometimes disturbingly close to reality)

15+ – These are books that can approach a 5/5 on the violence scale and will have a 4.5/5 romance level usually – usually still clean! – but will ultimately be books that look at some of the topics of 14+ and 14+B in a greater depth, and expand them. There may, depending on the book, be mentions of toxic relationships but i will give warnings for those, and off the page SA.

15+B – This is mainly going to be for violent sexual content like SA and harassment which does come in to older YA reads.

16+ – a definite step up from a 15+ this will contain more betrayal/backstabbing and darkness than earlier ratings as well as more sexual content (check individual content warnings).

16+B – B’s are usually for violence, sexual or otherwise.

17+ – this is almost adult so it does contain more graphic depictions of violence etc.

17+B – B’s for sexual content and violence.

Adult – by this point very mature themes are being explored and if you are on the younger end of adult I would definitely encourage a good read of the content warnings.

Some books are really hard to fit into these categories – eg the First Test by Tamora Pierce, i absolutely adore it and read it when i was about 12, but there is a lot of overt sexism towards the main character that may be too much for some readers, which is why I have bumped it up a rating to a 12+B just to be safe.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Different books in the series may have different age ratings, especially as the plot/romances/threat develops, so just make sure that you make sure that the further books in the series are also what you are comfortable with.

On a side note – my book ratings do not collaborate with movie ratings, movie twelves certainly have a LOT more in them violence wise than I would have in a book rec so if you are comfortable reading a little bit more violence or darker themes then have a look at some of the B reviews or go up a category, plenty of these books can be read earlier or later depending on your comfort level!

June 8, 2024 0