Welcome to Book Two, Week Nine of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). I’ve included an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app.

If you’re not reading along, you can always turn off just these emails while continuing to receive The Town Crier, Side Quests, and my other newsletters. Customize your email preferences here.

Before we get into today’s newsletter: I’m excited to be collaborating on a new project and I would love your help with it. If you have a favorite fantasy or sci-fi book to recommend, reply to this email with the title and author, a short set up, and why you love it. More to be revealed about this soon!

Graphic by HollysLitMagic

Book Two, Week Nine: People, Places, and Things to Note

We did it—we finished Book Two of Crescent City! Note that this newsletter will include spoilers for House of Sky and Breath pages 710 through 801, through the end of the book.

Tying Up Loose Ends

Before embarking on the big mission to infiltrate the Asteri Archives, Tharion finally tells his fiancé the truth and, in an effort to escape the wrath of the River Queen, he enters into some kind of magical vow of service to the Viper Queen. Ithan discovers that the wolf shifter mystic is a secret Fendyr heir and decides to finally rescue her from her enslavement. Ruhn and Cormac make peace and Ruhn tells Bryce he wants to back her in overthrowing the Autumn King to become Queen of the Fae. As the infiltration begins, Cormac is killed in a deadly blast along with Ophion rebel commander Pippa Spetsos; Tharion escapes with his identity still hidden.

Raiding the Asteri Archives

Graphic by HollysLitMagic, Artwork by elizianna.the.one

Bryce sneaks into the Archives and at last learns that the Asteri are powered by the firstlight (and secondlight) of Midgard’s Vanir populace. They also have been invading planets across the universe, mining them for more magical beings upon which they can feed, often destroying their planets in the process.

A few specific revelations to note:

• The Asteri themselves no longer remember their own home world.

• Since Queen Theia closed the gates, the Asteri have been trapped on Midgard, unable to continue invading other planets.

• They want to use Bryce to reopen the Rifts. Rigelus pretended to be Aidas earlier in the book, when prompting Bryce and friends to begin digging into everything.

• Midgard’s Fae hail from “a verdant land, rich with magic” which I immediately flagged and, by the end of the book, was confirmed as being the ACOTAR world.

• Bryce’s star hails from this land and the Asteri believe it will lead them back to that world, for a second chance at conquering it.

• Midgard’s shifters are also Fae! But a different kind, from a different world, where all the Fae share their form with an animal. The mer descended from these Fae, too.

• Project Thurr: “Thurr was the last time someone got as far as Danika did in learning about us. It didn’t end well for them.” Let’s put a pin in this for future.

• As much as Celestina may not be totally bad, she did rat Hunt out to Rigelus. That’s both super disappointing and, I like that this happened as it makes her a much more complex character.

Last but not least, we finally learn all of the Asteri’s names: Hesperus, the Evening Star; Polaris, the North Star; Eosphoros; Octartis; Austrus; Rigelus the Bright Hand; and Sirius, who was devoured by the Prince of the Pit. Supposedly—I’m not sure I believe anything they say anymore. I have theories about this seventh Asteri; we’ll se if they play out in Book Three.

Connections to ACOTAR and TOG

At long last, we have concrete evidence that Crescent City and ACOTAR don’t just connect—they COLLIDE. Bryce runs through the portal and right into Prythian, where she’s discovered by none other than Azriel the Shadowsinger and taken to the others: Nesta, Cassian, Amren, Feyre, and of course—Rhysand. That last line had me screaming. And apparently, Rhysand looks exactly like Ruhn. GAME ON.

I will also say, I still sense a lot of commonalities with TOG as well. Beyond the obvious as far as world-hopping portals and trapped god-like beings, a couple of minor things: Lidia’s “golden eyes” bring to mind the golden eyes of another witch in TOG…and the Asteri’s crystal palace obviously made me think of the Glass Castle in Rifthold.

Graphic by HollysLitMagic, artwork from Sailor Moon

Under the influence: There is a Crystal Palace in Sailor Moon. There is also a Crystal Tower which is a pillar of prayer in the Moon Kingdom. As we’ve discussed in previous newsletters, crystal and quartz are also used as communication devices in Sailor Moon. The Crystal Palace also contains a large library.

I definitely think there will be more to come on that front, if not in the next book then definitely in the future. I am so ready for it!

I’d love to hear if there’s anything you feel I’ve missed! Let me know in the comments.

Final Thoughts

As with Book One, I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure and getting deeper into the lore and secrets of this world. Yes, sometimes the dialogue is crass and juvenile; and I do feel like looking back, not that much actually happened—the characters do a lot of running around searching for answers and causing chaos. I’d heard people rave about the ending, and now I know why. I’m thrilled to finally be in the know about how this series and ACOTAR are intwined and cannot wait to see what happens next in Book Three. A few questions and notes looking ahead:

• Will Hunt, Baxian, and Ruhn survive the Crystal Palace’s dungeons?

• Will the Hind be able to keep up her act working for the Asteri? Will Ruhn ever forgive her?

• Mordoc the bloodhound says Hunt’s “scent is wrong…Not like any other angel I’ve scented.” Will we finally get to the bottom of Hunt’s history?

• Is Tharion going to be ok given his new allegiance to the Viper Queen?

• Will we learn more about Jesiba Roga? Let’s not forget: the Under-King knew her by a different name; she has a mysterious history abandoning the House of Earth and Blood for the House of Flame and Shadow; and, it’s noted when Bryce arrives in Prythian that the style of the house reminds her of the style of Jesiba’s gallery. I don’t think these are coincidences.

• Similarly, I’ve noted that the “petite, dark-haired female” (presumably Amren) has eyes that remind Bryce of Fury. Does this mean anything? Especially since Danika knew something about Fury’s magic and ancestry via her bloodhound abilities?

• And most importantly…BRYCE IN PRYTHIAN! I have ALL of the questions about that, including about her ancestry, the Starsword (“Gwydion?!”) and its knife, and of course whether she will be able to make it back in time to save her loved ones and the rest of Midgard.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll officially begin reading Book Three, House of Flame and Shadow, starting with pages 1-86, through the end of Chapter 6.

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share fun, seasonally relevant reading guides and thought-pieces in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

Welcome to Book Two, Week Eight of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). I’ve included an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app.

If you’re not reading along, you can always turn off just these emails while continuing to receive The Town Crier, Side Quests, and my other newsletters. Customize your email preferences here.

Before we get into today’s newsletter: I’m excited to be collaborating on a new project and I would love your help with it. If you have a favorite fantasy or sci-fi book to recommend, reply to this email with the title and author, a short set up, and why you love it. More to be revealed about this soon!

Graphic by HollysLitMagic

Book Two, Week Eight: People, Places, and Things to Note

Note that this newsletter will include spoilers for House of Sky and Breath pages 621 through 709, through the end of Chapter 65.

Let’s Have a Ball

Artwork left by sam.rosariio, right by demiashley04

It’s time for the Autumnal Equinox masked ball—where Bryce boldly declares in front of the Archangels, Asteri, and all attendees that she and Hunt are officially mates. Ruhn has plans to finally meet Agent Daybright—plans that are thwarted when he finds the Harpy and the Hind in their chosen meeting spot instead. I feel pretty affirmed at this point that my theory is correct, that Day is the Hind—but honestly, I could still be totally wrong.

Bryce and Hunt discover Hypaxia and Celestina making out in secret—so that theory is definitely correct! Meanwhile, Tharion reluctantly takes the River Queen’s daughter to the ball—only to hoist her off so he can go be messy. He later goes on a solo mission to find Ariadne, who is living with the Viper Queen and refusing to return with him.

Finally, Apollion the Prince of the Pit comes to Bryce in a dream, appearing in a fictional depiction of Parthos. He reveals that Theia, the Starborn Queen, was actually in love with Aidas, Prince of the Chasm. The Princes of Hel were allies with Theia against Pelias and the Asteri, who murdered her.

It’s a Trap!

Graphic by HollysLitMagic; Artwork left by mftfernandez, right the Under-King by Rokii.

Things take a turn when Hypaxia and Ithan attempt to summon Connor’s spirit—only to summon the Under-King instead. This starts a series of events leading to Bryce, Hunt, Ruhn, and Hypaxia meeting the Under-King at Urd’s Temple, where he attempts to hand them over to Pippa Spetsos and her Ophion rebels. Luckily, Bryce is getting better at teleporting so gets several of them out, before she and Hunt are saved by Baxian. Finally we learn that Baxian can be trusted—turns out, he was secretly Danika’s mate. Yet another secret from Danika! What secret wasn’t this girl keeping?! We also find out that the Reapers sent after Bryce and Hunt hailed from the Eternal City.

After this big revelation about Danika, the group reconvene and discuss the meaning of those numbers carved on Sofie’s arm: they point to a section of the Asteri Archives and are the key to whatever intel Sofie knew that got her killed. I think there’s a lot at play when it comes to bloodlines and history, with all the hints about Hunt and of course what we know about Danika’s research into wolf bloodlines, Sofie’s Thunderbird bloodline, and now Baxian’s unique bloodline.

Buckle up—I think (and hope) we are about to visit the Asteri Archives!

Things I’m Watching Looking Ahead

Here are a few other things I’m taking note of and watching as we continue reading:

• Hunt’s heritage: Apollion tells Bryce that “Orion was bred to be receptive to our kind. Why do you think he is so adept at hunting us?”

• Jesiba Roga: I continue to be intrigued by Jesiba and her role in all of this; let’s not forget the last book ended with her and Aidas chatting. Here, Bryce asks the Under-King if he knows her, and he answers, “I do not know her by that name, but yes. I know of her.” What other name would he know her by??

• Six-pointed star: Hypaxia draws this when summoning Connor’s spirit and explains its meaning: “It’s a symbol of balance…Male and female, dark and light, above and below…and the power that lies in the place where they meet.” Notable given everything I unpacked at the end of Book One when it comes to all of the binary oppositions that exist within this series.

Graphic by HollysLitMagic; Artwork left Tibetan Naropa Mandala, right Hermetic Alchemical Illustration of a Hexagram by Abraham Von Frackenberg.

Under the influence: The six-pointed star is a symbol that has a rich history across religions, from its presence within cosmological diagrams in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, to its recognizable association with Judaism as well as Christianity as the Star of David. The hexagram, like the more commonly referenced pentagram, was also used as a symbol of the occult to conjure spirits and magical forces.

Connections to ACOTAR and TOG

I’m continuing to keep an eye out for possible connections, or even just similarities, to the worlds of ACOTAR and TOG. Here are a few things I noted this section:

• The masked ball: Of course, this made me think of the Spring Court’s curse in A Court of Thorns and Roses.

• Bryce is a Gate: When discussing the way her magic works, and where she got it from, Declan says, “You’re literally a Gate; you can take in power and offer it.” Once again I’m reminded of the Wyrdgates in TOG.

• Urd: The way the Under-King speaks about the goddess Urd: “Perhaps you remember the old beliefs? From a time when Urd was not a goddess but a force, winding between worlds? When she was a vat of life, a mother to all, a secret language of the universe? The Fae worshipped her then.” This recalls so many things: the gods and the Wyrd in TOG, the Cauldron in ACOTAR…

I’d love to hear if there’s anything you feel I’ve missed! Let me know in the comments.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll read pages 710-801, through the end of Part 3 and finishing the book!

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share fun, seasonally relevant reading guides and thought-pieces in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

Welcome to Book Two, Week Seven of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). I’ve included an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app.

If you’re not reading along, you can always turn off just these emails while continuing to receive The Town Crier, Side Quests, and my other newsletters. Customize your email preferences here.

Before we get into today’s newsletter: I’m excited to be collaborating on a new project and I would love your help with it. If you have a favorite fantasy or sci-fi book to recommend, reply to this email with the title and author, a short set up, and why you love it. More to be revealed about this soon!

Graphic by HollysLitMagic

Book Two, Week Seven: People, Places, and Things to Note

Note that this newsletter will include spoilers for House of Sky and Breath pages 533 through 620, through the end of Chapter 56.

The Aftermath

So far, the Hind hasn’t said a word about the group’s involvement with Ophion. We don’t know the Hind’s motive but do know that she killed Sofie Renast because of the dangerous intel Sofie had learned. Supposedly, Baxian the Helhound is himself a rebel sympathizer, but Bryce and Hunt haven’t yet decided whether to trust him. Meanwhile, we at last find where Emile Renast has been hiding—hidden with the Viper Queen by Bryce. Apparently he has no powers—only Sofie had the Thunderbird gift—so he’s given a new identity and shipped off to be adopted by Bryce’s parents.

Bryce meets the freed fire sprites and Ariadne the dragon, who have become official roommates with Ruhn and team. Poor Tharion is so miserable every time he reports to his River Queen and decides to drag out his current project versus share with her the truth of Emile’s lack of magic, in a desperate attempt to capitalize on his time Above. Bryce also gets another surprise visit from her father, the Autumn King, who informs her that she has accidentally accepted her official role as Fae Princess and must act accordingly.

Queen Hypaxia Returns

Graphic by HollysLitMagic, Artwork left by Ruinandrising, right by QueenofDeath02

It’s been too long since we last saw Hypaxia, queen of the witches; this section reveals some interesting context about both her past and her present. She doesn’t trust her mother’s coven and is seeking outside protection, which Ruhn offers in the way of Ithan the wolf shifter and Ariadne the dragon woman.

Hypaxia shares that her mother isolated her from others as a child and educated her using…GHOSTS. Yes, “My only companions while growing up were the dead.” A woman after my own heart! “My mother summoned three ancient, wise spirits to teach me. One for battle and physical training, one for mathematics and sciences, and the other for history, reading, and languages. She oversaw my magical training herself—especially the healing.” We also learn later that these spirits lived long before the Asteri arrived and the Northern Rift was opened.

As far as her engagement to Ruhn, Hypaxia indicates to Bryce that she has feelings for someone else, but it will never be. The very friendly vibes later in the section between Hypaxia and Tharion made me wonder if it could be him, or if they really are just friends. Another theory based on literally nothing that I have is, maybe she and Celestina were secretly an item? And Celestina ended it when forced to marry Ephraim? We also learn more about her relationship—or lack thereof—with her half-sister, the Hind.

At the end of the section, Hypaxia and Bryce get attacked by two deathstalkers—demonic assassins straight from the Prince of the Pit in Hel. The group speculates about why they were sent and who was the target, Bryce or Hypaxia. Ithan is saved despite having his throat torn out; I admit I found it a bit unbelievable and insensitive for Bryce and the others to be cracking jokes immediately after this happened to him.

Things I’m Watching Looking Ahead

Here are a few other things I’m taking note of and watching as we continue reading:

• Irithys: When the freed fire sprites meet Bryce, they mention their queen Irithys who had been sold to one of the Asteri. I find this EXTREMELY interesting—could this be Agent Daybright?! Access to high power, the Asteri themselves, and the constant fire and embers imagery Ruhn sees during their meetings…

• Ariadne the Dragon: I hope to still see more of Ariadne, but in this section we learn from the sprites that Ariadne was gifted to the Astronomer by an Archangel. I feel like this is also worth noting; possible Archangels we know of living and dead include Sandriel, Shahar, Micah, Celestina, Ephraim…ALSO: Ariadne calls Hunt by his full name, Orion Athalar, and knows of him “by reputation.”

• Avallen: The Autumn King explains to Bryce that Avallen, Cormac’s homeland, is a powerful safe hold: “Even the Asteri cannot pierce its mists without permission, so old is the magic that guards it.”

• Palania: Hypaxia’s ghost tutor Palania taught at the academy in the ancient city of Parthos when alive—I don’t think we’ve heard the end of Parthos.

• Dragon fire: On a related note—Bryce learns that dragon fire “is one of the few substances proven to harm the Princes of Hel. It can burn even the Prince of the Pit’s dark hide.” This absolutely sounds like it will be important later on.

Graphic by HollysLitMagic; Artwork left “Smaug” by J. R. R. Tolkien, right “Beowulf battles his nemesis the dragon” by J. R. Skelton

Under the influence: Many mythologies possess variations of fire-breathing monsters such as dragons. The first fictional appearance of what we would think of as a European dragon is commonly attributed to the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. This, in turn, is what influenced J. R. R. Tolkien to create Smaug the dragon as well as the Balrog in his books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Connections to ACOTAR and TOG

I’m continuing to keep an eye out for possible connections, or even just similarities, to the worlds of ACOTAR and TOG. The main thing that stood out to me this section was what we learned about the witches through Queen Hypaxia; their loyalty and violence, not to mention Hypaxia’s mother herself, definitely remind me of the witches and their matrons in TOG. Also, something about Avallen reminds me of ACOTAR, between the shadow magic and how ancient it is…I’d love to hear if there’s anything you feel I’ve missed! Let me know in the comments.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll read pages 621-709, through the end of Chapter 65.

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share fun, seasonally relevant reading guides and thought-pieces in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

I have finished reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I’ve been reading it slowly along with since January and am left feeling fulfilled by my accomplishment, in awe of Mantel’s talent, and eager to continue on with the next book in the trilogy (although I’m definitely running behind the official reading schedule, and I’m ok with that).

Today’s newsletter includes details about the book Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel—however, most of it won’t come as a surprise to anyone at all familiar with the history of Tudor England and Henry VIII.

Narrative Style and Focus

I am at a loss as to how to put my thoughts together on this masterpiece of literature and historical fiction, but feel it’s appropriate to start with the way the book is written. Mantel packs so much meaning into each line, with so much skill; I marked too many gorgeously written sentences to count, from beautifully atmospheric metaphors to poignantly sharp assessments of human nature. Every page contains lines that made me marvel at how someone’s brain could come up with writing them in that way.

Mantel also reverses the focus from what’s usual in a novel: the plot itself happens almost within the shadows, and at the forefront instead are the interior workings of Cromwell’s mind and the power dynamics and political machinations behind the scenes that make this court run. The story is told subtly; a lot happens, but you might miss it if not reading carefully. The narrative style can be challenging but is intentional; as Mantel herself said when awarded the Booker Prize: “Wolf Hall attempts to duplicate not the historian’s chronology but the way memory works: in leaps, loops, flashes.” She often refers to Cromwell as simply “he” without specifying his name—a choice that some dislike, but that Mantel said felt appropriate from her point of view within his own head. It’s assumed that we know who “he” is.

Cromwell’s Climb

The book begins with young Cromwell’s face pressed into the ground, knocked down by his own abusive father; it ends with him as the right-hand man of the King. Much has been written about King Henry VIII and his six wives, but hearing it all from the perspective of this critical character on the shadowy sidelines was an extremely fresh and genuinely interesting take.

Cromwell first serves Cardinal Wolsey, one of the most powerful men in the realm; he has climbed to this position from his start as an abused young boy who was driven from his home to make his way as a jack-of-all-trades in France and Italy. The street smarts he gained, and that the English nobility lack, would eventually allow him to play the politics game and survive (at least, so far) where others failed. We follow Wolsey’s fall from grace and Cromwell’s rise as he makes himself indispensable to King Henry VIII, finding a way to at long last legalize the King’s position as head of the Church of England and grant the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon in favor of Anne Boleyn.

I loved seeing the machinery of all that was involved in keeping the King happy—because Henry’s happiness is required for everyone else to in turn remain happy and safe in their positions (and attached to their heads). In some ways, this world that was ruled at the complete whim of a single man feels so distant and archaic; in other ways, it feels still eerily relevant. Whether it was Anne’s sister Mary having to sacrifice herself to sleep with the King while Anne was pregnant, to keep Henry from looking elsewhere (which would threaten her family’s position of power); or whether it was Cromwell interpreting the King’s nightmares in a way that fed him a version of himself designed to disarm his own insecurities—every word, every interaction had an agenda and strategy behind it.

So much time is spent in the small moments between Cromwell and the various court players: the King, the clergy, the competing dukes and lords. All of these men are vying for the King’s favor, stumbling over the correct thing to say, constantly changing their opinions and allegiances to ensure their ships rise with the ever-shifting tide.

In a way, Cromwell is like them; but he also makes choices that set him apart. He shows great loyalty to his master Wolsey even as Wolsey falls from grace, managing to somehow walk the line of dutiful servant while not going against the King and his wishes.

This show of Cromwell’s character differentiates him from the rest and proves his value to men like the King, the Boleyns—even the Spanish ambassador, who can’t help but grow to like Cromwell even while working directly against him.

It is no coincidence that the book opens on Cromwell being beaten and humiliated by his father; throughout the book, long after his father Walter’s death, Cromwell keeps a mental tally of his successes as proof of his own worth. After he speaks to both the French king and Henry in the same day, we read, “Two hours. Two kings. What do you know, Walter? He stands in the salty air, talking to his dead father.” I found this very humanizing, showing how no matter how high we climb, there are always still those childhood wounds and insecurities that continue to chafe.

What About Wolf Hall?

I find the book’s title a fascinating choice because we never actually go to Wolf Hall in this volume.

By the end of the book, the King has yet to produce a male heir under this new marriage and Cromwell is already plotting anew, planning a visit to Wolf Hall. Wolf Hall is the Seymour family estate—a family who are players in the periphery of this novel but who are not the main focus (yet). The title is almost a promise, fulfilled only in the very last lines as Cromwell marks his travel calendar: “Early September. Five Days. Wolf Hall.” For 600 pages, we’ve watched the Boleyns climb to power, with Cromwell right alongside—but as a male heir is still to be conceived, Cromwell begins to assess the playing board and sets his sights on cozying up with the Seymours at Wolf Hall.

Of course, the imagery the name evokes is also fitting for the entire novel: what else is this court but a hall filled with power-hungry wolves? Who is Cromwell but the hungriest, craftiest wolf of them all?

The Specter of Civil War

Allow me to nerd out with some historical context before I close: I have long been fascinated by King Henry VIII and his six wives, summarily encapsulated by the macabre rhyme: “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.” Growing up, I had an image of this king who was willing to throw aside his current queen in pursuit of his own lusts and ego; while this was definitely true, it doesn’t tell the full story of all that was at stake.

It’s not possible to fully understand Henry VIII without grasping the preceding history of the Wars of the Roses, in which the houses of Lancaster and York engaged in an intense battle for the throne over the course of several generations. Both houses branched out from the royal House of Plantagenet and each firmly believed in their own divine right to rule England. They fought and plotted for just over 30 years, until finally they merged when Elizabeth of York married King Henry VII. Even then, claimants continued to come forward or were used as pawns by other surrounding powers—France, Burgundy, Scotland—necessitating the production of male heirs to secure the line. This Henry and Elizabeth did—however, shortly after their eldest son Prince Arthur married Katherine of Aragon, daughter of the illustrious Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, he became ill and died. The immense pressure to keep political ties strong with Spain, with its wealth and its connections to the Catholic Church in Rome, led to Katherine marrying Arthur’s brother, now Henry VIII.

As time passed and the marriage resulted in only a daughter, Mary, the pressure increased for Henry to produce a male heir and secure his reign—and, by doing so, maintain the peace for England that his parents had come together and worked so hard to secure. I have no doubt that there were many factors at play in Henry’s ultimate decision to divorce Katherine and marry Anne Boleyn, including selfishness and personal lusts—but there is no question that the very real threat of not having a male heir was the biggest driving force in this unprecedented break from the Catholic Church and all that followed.

Of course, it ultimately would not be a male heir who would hold England together, but a daughter—one whose 44-year-long reign would make her the longest ruling monarch from the House of Tudor. But that’s a story for another day.

That’s it for this month’s Side Quest! Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “The Hero’s Journey,” where I am reading through some of the biggest book series and author projects on my TBR.

One last thing: I’m excited to be collaborating on a new project and I would love your help with it. If you have a favorite fantasy or sci-fi book to recommend, reply to this email with the title and author, a short set up, and why you love it. More to be revealed about this soon!

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

Welcome to Book Two, Week Six of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). I’ve included an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app.

If you’re not reading along, you can always turn off just these emails while continuing to receive The Town Crier, Side Quests, and my other newsletters. Customize your email preferences here.

Before we get into today’s newsletter: I’m excited to be collaborating on a new project and I would love your help with it. If you have a favorite fantasy or sci-fi book to recommend, reply to this email with the title and author, a short set up, and why you love it. More to be revealed about this soon!

Graphic by HollysLitMagic

Book Two, Week Six: People, Places, and Things to Note

Note that this newsletter will include spoilers for House of Sky and Breath pages 446 through 529, through the end of Part 2.

Heightening Action

The crew teleports to Ydra, where Ophion rebels have stolen a mech suit prototype from the Asteris. At last Bryce and the others come face-to-face with Pippa Spetsos, leader of the Lightfall squadron. She proves as bloodthirsty as her reputation described, summarily executing a group of Vanir who had volunteered to help the rebel cause. The mech suit seems built of Gorsian stones and able to pull firstlight energy from the ground to power its weaponry—a sobering danger regardless of which side uses it in battle. Without warning, Hunt blows up the prototype and sets off a fight between the Ophion rebels and our crew, who escape only to be confronted by the opposition, led by the Hind.

They are saved by the coolest ever water vessel run by a mer female named Sendes, belonging to the Ocean Queen (who sounds a LOT better than her sister the River Queen of the Blue Court). Bryce and Hunt finally get frisky which unexpectedly unleashes some additional power from Bryce, allowing her to accidentally teleport. Last but not least, it’s confirmed at long last that Sofie Renast is indeed dead, her body gathered up by Sendes and crew who reached her too late. Carved along her arm are some sort of numbers and symbols.

Fire, Fire, Everywhere

Graphic by HollysLitMagic, Artwork left by Niafield13, right by DraxiaVescovi

While the others are on their ill-fated sea-faring adventure, wolf shifter Ithan gets a call from the Prime about his pack status before deciding to return to the mystics. There, he finds the one female mystic still disconnected from the tank; he learns that she was sold into this life as a child and is actually a wolf shifter. On his way out, Ithan steals the Astronomer’s entrapped fire sprites. When he, Flynn, and Declan break them open from their ring prisons, they discover that the fourth one is actually…a dragon. Dragon woman? I CANNOT wait to learn more about this new character. The three fire sprites are named Rithi, Malana, and Sasa and are descendants of Persina Falath, Lady of Cinders. The dragon goes by the name Ariadne.

Artwork left “Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus” by Angelica Kauffman, right “Ariadne in Naxos” by Evelyn De Morgan

Under the influence: In Greek mythology, Ariadne was a princess from Crete and the daughter of King Minos, who famously was supposed to sacrifice a bull to the god Poseidon; when he failed to do so, Poseidon cursed his wife Pasiphae to fall in love with the bull and bear a child by it. This monstrous child was the Minotaur, and King Minos tasked inventor Daedalus to create the famous Labyrinth in which he could entrap the Minotaur. Ariadne later falls in love with the Greek hero Theseus and aids him in navigating the Labyrinth and ultimately killing the Minotaur, providing him with a sword and a ball of thread with which Thesus can find his way back out. She is later abandoned by Theseus on the island of Naxos, where she is then claimed in marriage by the god Dionysus.

Agent Daybright

This once again brings me to—who is Agent Daybright? Based on these latest sections, my top current theories:

• The Hind: The aggressive sex she’s subjected to made me further think she’s the Hind, dating Pollux aka the Hammer. Especially when she says, “I hate him. No one knows it, but I do. He disgusts me.”

• Celestina: Although it could also be Celestina with Ephraim—but Celestina doesn’t seem to hate Ephraim in the same way.

• Ariadne the Dragon: As soon as this character appeared I wondered if this was somehow Agent Daybright. The fire correlation?? But I don’t see how it can be if she’s been trapped by this sorcerer for who knows how long.

When Ruhn guesses she belongs to the House of Sky and Breath, she stills. That indicates his guess was correct. When he asks her what her middle name would be, she says, “Retribution.” WHO IS IT?! I’m dying to know!

At the end of the section, Agent Daybright tells Ruhn a story that I think is worth noting, about a time before the gods when a young witch was pursued by a prince. She was aided by the forest and turned into a deer, then a fish, then a hawk, and finally, “a monster…A beast of claws and fangs and bloodlust. She ripped the prince and hounds who pursued her into shreds.”

Things I’m Watching Looking Ahead

Here are a few other things I’m taking note of and watching as we continue reading:

• The Wolf Mystic: I’m sure we’ll see more from the wolf shifter mystic; I’m holding onto these details about her past in case they become relevant: “My parents had no pack…They roamed the tundra of Nena with me and my ten siblings…My parents never named me, and I never learned their names.”

• Ariadne the Dragon: I can’t wait to learn more about this new character. I loved the description of her: “Her back heaved with each long, sawing breath, ripples of what seemed like red-and-gold scales flowing beneath her skin.” The fire sprites also trailed off when talking about who entrapped Ariadne.

• Pippa’s Warnings: Before everything literally blows up, Pippa says to Bryce and crew, “You’re too coiled up in your own snake’s nest to see the truth. Or to see who among you has a forked tongue.” What could this mean?! Is there a traitor in our midst?

• Hunt resembling Thurr: The hints are beyond heavy-handed now about Hunt resembling this deity: “Bryce couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of him—like a god of lightning. Like Thurr himself. He looked exactly like that statuette that had sat on her desk a couple weeks ago…” Later on when Hunt is in ultra-defensive mode, Bryce and Ruhn have a mental conversation that also describes that Hunt has gone “lethal in a Fae way.” Mentally noting that, too.

• Underwater Ruins: I’m curious about the columns and symbols spotted by the ocean ship crew along the ocean floor. “This was a highway…a grand avenue the mer once used to swim between great cities…It’s from long ago.” And then Bryce mentioned a statue from her days at the gallery that Jesiba brought in “from a sunken city…she said it was almost fifteen thousand years old. That it came from the original Beneath. As old as the Asteri—or at least their arrival in Midgard.” I think Sendes knows something.

Connections to ACOTAR and TOG

I’m continuing to keep an eye out for possible connections, or even just similarities, to the worlds of ACOTAR and TOG. Nothing new stood out to me this section, beyond noting that the way dragons are depicted in this world seems extremely different from the dragons we see in Throne of Glass. I’d love to hear if there’s anything you feel I’ve missed! Let me know in the comments.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll read pages 533-620, through the end of Chapter 56.

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share fun, seasonally relevant reading guides and thought-pieces in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

August new releases are an absolute gory glory of summer mysteries, thrillers, and horror novels. I definitely can’t sink into summer reading the way I used to, as I’m currently chasing around a 14-month-old, but I intend to make the most of this fun reading season before more literary heavy-hitters start coming out this fall.

I am also in the midst of our read-along for Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series, halfway through Book Two, House of Sky and Breath, as part of my project The Hero’s Journey. Details about the read-along here—it’s never too late to join in and catch up at your own pace!

Before we get into this month’s books: I'm excited to be collaborating on a new project and I would love your help with it. If you have a favorite fantasy or sci-fi book to recommend, reply to this email with the title and author, a brief version of the premise, and why you love it. More to be revealed about this soon!

Without further ado, here’s The Town Crier for August 2026.

Notable Recent Reads & Rereads

Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje (Literary Fiction, published 2025).

• My review: This is a story about a woman who finds herself childless and divorced, caring for her ailing father, struggling to keep her family’s finances in order and property intact—and she is losing the fight. It’s about life turning out to look different than what you’d imagined, and when to be content versus when to push yourself to want more. How to honor the past without staying stuck in it. When to let go and how to move on. I was slowly drawn into this saga of past love, new lovers, and the complicated web that forms between them all. If you enjoy deeply human stories about flawed but well-meaning people, with beautiful writing set against the backdrop of the Croatian coast, this one is for you.

Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier (YA Fantasy, published 2024).

• My review: This book had a ton of potential. A girl who has been “raised” by dragon hunters returns to the palace from which she was taken as a child; she seeks to help resuscitate the poisoned queen, who has been unconscious for many years. We have powerful sea dragons and magical tattoos that move and become alive. I do feel like the plot didn’t really progress in a way that was particularly gripping or complex. I enjoyed entering this world, with its evocative setting and refreshing non-European inspired magic system and characters. I wish it had been executed a bit better overall!

Whistler by Ann Patchett (Literary Fiction, published 6/2).

• My review: A very buzzy new release that for me was just fine. It was perfectly nice, very sweet—almost too sweet? I could have used a bit more bite or believable flaws. This is a slice of life and exploration in family history and storytelling in the same vein as her previous book Tom Lake except it lacked the specificity of time, place, and situation that Tom Lake possessed. Ultimately it was a nice read but one that feels likely forgettable.

The Odyssey by Homer, trans. Emily Wilson (Classic Mythology, published 2017).

• My review: What can I say about this classic? It's the blueprint of so many future books, encompassing every genre: fantasy, adventure, thriller, romance, horror, etc. This translation in particular was so masterfully done by Emily Wilson; I personally love that she chose to translate using vocabulary that is familiar to modern readers, while still keeping the classic tone intact. I thought the new film did quite a good job as an adaptation; it's impossible to capture every aspect of a story like this but it hit the main beats, followed the thread of how the story is told, and successfully brought the most dramatic moments to life. I did miss seeing more of the various gods and agree that the character of Odysseus is quite changed compared to the text.

For reviews of every book I read, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

August 2026 New Releases

…If You Want Something Dark & Mysterious

The Unknown by Riley Sager (Mystery, out 8/4).

• Premise: In 1926, five women disappeared from a remote island in Vermont. Now, one hundred years later, it’s happening again.

• I’m going to be honest—Riley Sager is one somewhat thin ice with me at the moment. His books are hit-or-miss; I’ve loved some (Home Before Dark, The Last Time I Lied) and have DNFed others (With A Vengeance). But it’s always an annual event to get the new Riley Sager so I will be keeping my ears open for feedback on this latest one before deciding whether I give it a try.

Freyja by Magrét Ann Thors (Mystery, out 8/4).

• Premise: The unsolved case of a young girl's disappearance reopens after twenty years in this atmospheric novel of suspense set in Reykjavík and the Icelandic coast.

• I don’t recall what put this one on my radar but between the beautiful cover, Icelandic setting, and catnip-y plot summary—I’m so in.

The Calamities by Chuck Wendig (Supernatural Horror, out 8/18).

• Premise: The heir to one of the world’s most influential families reckons with the demonic secret of their power in this contemporary dark fantasy that melds occult magic with shocking family drama.

• I’ve only read one Chuck Wendig (The Staircase in the Woods) and am curious to try more; perhaps this one if I’m in the mood for something a little demonic?

Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahon (Horror, out 8/11).

• Premise: A queer folk horror in which a woman must confront decades of secrecy and superstition to learn the truth about her mother’s death. Some towns stay isolated for a reason.

• I adore Jennifer McMahon; I’ve read a lot of her back catalogue, all of which are set in Vermont. I don’t always love a dual timeline story but she always does it well.

That Night by Gillian McAllister (Mystery, out 8/18).

• Premise: An electrifying thriller about three siblings torn apart by the cover-up of a death while on a family vacation in Italy.

• Gillian McAllister always writes mysteries with unique elements or twists. This one’s European vacation setting and the neon-lit pool on the cover screams “read me this summer.” Note that this is an August Libro.fm ALC selection for those who have access.

Reliquary by Hannah Whitten (Horror, out 8/11).

• Premise: A young woman is lured to her late fiancé's remote island estate—only to uncover eerie family secrets, a haunting past, and a monstrous hunger stirring beneath the sea in this deliciously atmospheric horror debut.

• The covers of Whitten’s books always attract me and this one is no exception. This seems like a great option if in the mood for a summer gothic.

The Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson (Literary Folk Horror, out 8/11).

• Premise: In this gripping debut, steeped in Welsh folklore, a husband and wife living in the beautiful but isolated mountains of Snowdonia stumble upon a buried Neolithic ruin—awakening a mysterious, ancient presence with its own dark designs.

• A late addition to my list that intrigued me with the expressive sheep on the cover and then pulled me in with the remote Welsh setting and folk horror premise.

…If You Want Something a Little Literary

Queen Mab by Emily McBride (Literary Fiction, out 8/4).

• Premise: Madeleine is young for motherhood, a promising grad student in Victorian and Modernist literature. But after a few nights, something seems amiss, changed. Her child never stops crying. Her hunger is insatiable. Her eyes glint with some kind of ancient mischief. Could Maud be a fairy child, swapped when Madeleine wasn’t paying attention?

• I know nothing about this one but the title caught my interest, since Queen Mab is a mythological fairy referenced in Shakespeare’s plays. Then I saw it’s about a mother who has an unusual child who may have been swapped by fairies? Sold.

The Song of Stork and Dromedary by Anjet Daanje, trans. David McKay (Translated Literary Fiction, out 8/18).

• Premise: A thrilling literary puzzle that explores the haunted life and mysterious afterlifes of a writer and her work.

• This one is a 700+ page tome that was put on my radar by Liz Hein and . Somehow they’ve convinced me that I really should give it a try. It also sounds heavily influenced by the life of Emily Brontë (of Wuthering Heights).

…If You Want Something Magical or Speculative

Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher (Middle Grade Fantasy, out 9/1).

• Premise: T. Kingfisher returns to the charming fantasy world of Swordheart in this delightful and unexpected new romantic adventure.

• How exactly does T. Kingfisher manage to write so many books? I’m not sure, but I am sure I want to read more of them after A Sorceress Comes to Call made it onto my Top 10 Books of 2025. This one looks like a sequel to the book Swordheart.

Earthbound by Saara el-Arifi

• Premise: Yeeran and Lettle’s world has been shaken by a revelation from the Fates that changes everything: The obeah are not what they seem.

• This is the final installment in a trilogy that has been sitting on my list to read since the first book came out (Faebound).

Screen Adaptations & Other Nerdy News

• Dungeon Crawler Carl has been optioned for adaptation by Peacock. This series has been high on my list to read, it’s been so buzzy lately!

• A new film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility will be in theaters October 16. I am…not sure yet how I feel about it. There are already two PHENOMENAL adaptations: the 1995 Ang Lee film starring Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant etc. as well as an amazing 3-episode BBC version from 2008 with Hattie Morahan and Dan Stevens. Both are perfect. This new trailer so far doesn’t seem to do anything particularly unique, other than make me wary that this will be another botched adaptation. The completely unhistorical half-up hairdos alone make me nervous.

• A tv series adaptation of The Whisper Man, one of my favorite thrillers, hits Netflix on August 28. Trailer here.

• Recent Marvel news: the new Doomsday trailer is out; and Black Panther III was just announced at ComicCon coming December 2028, along with Ghost Rider starring Ryan Gosling.

That’s a wrap on The Town Crier for August 2026! Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other monthly publications: “Side Quests,” in which I share book guides, react to recent reads, or unpack specific topics related to my reading life; and “The Hero’s Journey” where we are reading the biggest fantasy books on our to-read lists—currently tackling Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series!

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic. Most book links are affiliate and help support my work.

Welcome to Book Two, Week Five of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). I’ve included an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app.

If you’re not reading along, you can always turn off just these emails while continuing to receive The Town Crier, Side Quests, and my other newsletters. Customize your email preferences here.

Graphic by HollysLitMagic

Book Two, Week Five: People, Places, and Things to Note

Note that this newsletter will include spoilers for House of Sky and Breath pages 358 through 445, through the end of Chapter 41.

The Plot Thickens

We finally get a closer look at the Hind and the Harpy, who engage in some power posturing with Ruhn and his companions. Celestina puts on a good face as she enters into her arranged marriage and Sabine makes yet another surprise appearance at Bryce’s apartment. I honestly feel like Sabine’s character and the way she’s been utilized so far feels a bit flat; she’s a convenient boogie man who pops up to stir up drama whenever the action slows. I’m curious if her character and role will improve and further develop as we keep reading. Bryce gets caught up on the fact that the Hind’s dreadwolf, Mordoc, is Danika’s father. Baxian continues to prove himself helpful to Hunt and Bryce, although it’s still unclear how much he can be trusted or if this is simply an act. Bryce decides to step in and help Juniper gain the leading role at the Crescent City Ballet, which badly backfires.

Who is Agent Daybright?

Some more hints about the identity of Agent Daybright—I have a suspicion about who she might be but am hesitant to share in case there’s a good reveal coming soon. The comments made about never having a true friend in her life; that she has a family, “A very influential one…They’re pieces of shit, too;” as well as saying, “You’re the first person I’ve spoken to normally in…a very long time…So long that I think I’ve forgotten what it feels like to be myself. I think I’ve lost my true self entirely. To destroy monsters, we become monsters.” It must be someone who appears convincingly bad and on the side of the Asteri.

A Visit to the Mystics

I loved how creepy all of the scenes were with the mystics. The description of the space was vivid and detailed, with the crammed bookshelves, golden orb dangling from the ceiling, and the tubs in which the three mystics lay submerged in cloudy green water. The orrery depicting the universe’s planets hanging above is described as a tech-meets-magic hybrid that “helps us answer the most fundamental questions: Who are we? Where do we come from?” These questions seem relevant to me on a larger scale as far as all the hints at the rift and origins of the many Vanir inhabiting this world.

Artwork left, Wiseacre’s Orrery at Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios; right, A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery (c. 1766) by Joseph Wright of Derby.

Under the influence: Orreries and other similar planetary models have existed since Ancient Greece, evolving over the years to incorporate intricate machinery and clockwork mechanisms. They have been used to demonstrate planetary movements, speed, and other similar movements to help better understand the universe in which we live.

As the mystics seek to find Connor’s soul, the Prince of the Ravine, Thanatos, reveals himself—and almost steals the soul of the mystic, causing the group to unceremoniously pull the mystic out of her slumber and hastily leave the scene.

A few things I noted from this encounter:

• Thanatos says of Bryce, “I can smell the starlight on you” and “You’re the one my brothers speak about.”

• He claims that the Shepherd had been his link to Midgard

• When asked if there’s a way to help souls like Connor’s, he replies, “Only the Asteri would know.”

• He claims to know nothing about Sofie and Emile.

Artwork left Thanatos sculptured marble column drum from the Temple of Artemis at Ephesos, c. 325–300 BC., right “Death” by Jacek Malczewski, 1902.

Under the influence: In Greek mythology, Thanatos is the personification of death. The Greek poet Hesiod claimed that Thanatos was the child of Nyx, goddess of the night, and brother of Hypnos, the personification of sleep. He was known for being merciless and indiscriminate but was outsmarted twice by Sisyphus. In modern psychology, Sigmund Freud claimed that humans have two warring instincts within them: the life instinct, which he called Eros; and the death drive, which he called Thanatos. He saw this drive as any sort of self-sabotage or risky behavior that might result in someone’s demise.

Things I’m Watching Looking Ahead

Here are a few other things I’m taking note of and watching as we continue reading:

• Danika’s book: Footage shows Danika stealing a book from the gallery back when she was alive: Wolves Through Time: Lineage of the Shifters. Bryce manages to obtain a copy from Jesiba and sees that the lineages go all the way back to when the Northern Rift opened, 15K years ago.

• Thurr: There’s another brief mention of the god Thurr, and the planet named after him, during the visit to the mystics: “Bryce set the question aside as one of the planets carved in the door—the five-ringed behemoth that was Thurr—swung away, revealing a pale gray eye.”

Connections to ACOTAR and TOG

I’m continuing to keep an eye out for possible connections, or even just similarities, to the worlds of ACOTAR and TOG. Nothing new stood out to me this section. I’d love to hear if there’s anything you feel I’ve missed! Let me know in the comments.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll read pages 446-529, through the end of Part 2.

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share fun, seasonally relevant reading guides and thought-pieces in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

Welcome to Book Two, Week Four of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). I’ve included an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app.

If you’re not reading along, you can always turn off just these emails while continuing to receive The Town Crier, Side Quests, and my other newsletters. Customize your email preferences here.

Graphic by HollysLitMagic

Book Two, Week Four: People, Places, and Things to Note

Note that this newsletter will include spoilers for House of Sky and Breath pages 274 through 357, through the end of Chapter 32.

The Plot Thickens

Tensions continue to grow between Tharion and his River Queen. Declan is scraping video footage to try and see what Danika had been up to visiting the Gallery in years past. I do struggle with some of the writing in the group scenes; the rapid fluctuation between serious action to juvenile sex jokes is definitely not my favorite part about reading SJM.

We meet Mordoc, the dreadwolf who works for the Hind and who is apparently Danika’s father and, like her, also a bloodhound. He almost catches Cormac, Ruhn, and Ithan as they drop information to Ophion. Afterwards, they try to play it cool in a bar when who shows up but the Hind and the Harpy. Finally, we ended up in the Bone Quarter where the Under-King reveals what really happens to the dead souls and we get to see a fantastic stand-off between Bryce and Hunt and the Under-King’s demon dog who can split into three, the Shepherd.

Artwork: Cerberus by William Blake, 1824

Under the influence: Cerberus is the name of the famous three-headed dog guarding the Underworld in Greek mythology. It belongs to Hades, the god of the Underworld, and is also what the term “hellhound” commonly refers to. Other similar hellhounds in other mythologies include Gamr from Norse mythology, fairy hounds of Celtic mythology, and the black dogs of English folklore (yes, referenced by the Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). The three-headed dog Fluffy in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is another reference to Cerberus.

The Starsword & Hunt’s Powers

We are discovering more about the powers of the Starsword, between seeing it destroy the Reapers in the previous section and now, how Bryce was able to use it to channel Hunt’s powers to destroy the Shepherd demon.

Earlier in the section, the Autumn King shares more about the sword’s origins:

“It’s an ancient sword,” the Autumn King said…“from another world. Made from the metal of a fallen star—a meteorite. This sword exists beyond our planet’s laws.”

Under the influence: There are real ancient weapons that have been made from meteorites from across the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Examples include King Tut’s dagger found in his tomb and currently on display at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo; two Japanese katanas named Ryuseito or Meteor Swords; and various tools and weapon heads forged from the Cape York meteorite by the Inuit.

AS I PREDICTED there was a callback to one of the statues at the ballet from the start of the book, as Bryce watches Hunt battle the Shepherd in the Bone Quarter:

“She’d never seen anything of the sort—Hunt was the heart of a storm personified. The lightning around him turned blue, like the hottest part of a flame. An image blasted through her mind. She had seen this before, carved in stone in the lobby of the CCB. A Fae male posed like an avenging god, hammer raised to the sky, a channel for his power.”

Inspired by this, she decides to jump in front of Hunt’s lightning blast with the Starsword, enabling Hunt’s power to blast into it and inflict maximum damage on the Shepherd. I’m very curious about where these revelations about channeling powers will lead—between Hunt, Bryce, Sofie and Emile, this is something they all have in common with their abilities although it’s also slightly different for each. I need more time and explanation to understand what exactly this means.

Agent Daybright

I’m still not sure who Agent Daybright may be but I’m gathering clues:

• Based on a comment she makes to Ruhn, he concludes: “She had to be old, then. One of the Vanir who’d lived for so long that modern lingo was like a foreign language. Or, gods, if she was an Asteri…”

• Twice when she leaves her meetings with Ruhn, she’s described as leaving embers behind. This made me think of Bryce’s mom whose name is Ember Quinlan—but she’s a human and I definitely don’t think there would be these possibly-romantic vibes with Ruhn if that’s who it was.

• My best guesses are still Queen Hypaxia or Celestina…but I’m honestly not sold on either. It must be someone we’ve already met, most likely in this book. I even wondered if it could secretly be the Hind or the Harpy but I don’t think so—or Baxian, but this person is female. Someone associated with fire who is in a high-up position…

Things I’m Watching Looking Ahead

Here are a few other things I’m taking note of and watching as we continue reading:

• River Queens: I’m not sure if this will become more relevant but I enjoyed this world-building detail: “The queens of Valbara’s four great rivers, the Istros, the Melanthos, the Niveus, and the Rubellus—the Blue, the Black, the White, and the Red, respectively—had long been rivals: all mighty and gifted with magic. All vain and ancient and bored.”

• Seven Planets: “Ruhn spied their own solar system in the center of it all. Seven planets around a massive star. Seven Asteri—technically six now—to rule Midgard. Seven Princes of Hel to challenge them. Seven Gates in this city through which Hel had tried to invade this spring. Seven and seven and seven and seven—always that holy number.” As I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, the number 7 has significance across religions and cultures.

• “Anyone can be bought.” Hunt says this to Cormac about Agent Daybright and I just appreciated the callback to Book One when the Viper Queen says to Hunt, “Everyone, General, is for sale. You just have to figure out the asking price.”

• Baxian is creeping around Bryce and Hunt—I truly don’t know where to land with him yet. I still think he’s actually good but we shall see.

Connections to ACOTAR and TOG

I’m continuing to keep an eye out for possible connections, or even just similarities, to the worlds of ACOTAR and TOG. Nothing new stood out to me this section. I’d love to hear if there’s anything you feel I’ve missed! Let me know in the comments.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll read pages 358-445, through the end of Chapter 41.

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share fun, seasonally relevant reading guides and thought-pieces in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

Welcome to Book Two, Week Three of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). I’ve included an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app.

If you’re not reading along, you can always turn off just these emails while continuing to receive The Town Crier, Side Quests, and my other newsletters. Customize your email preferences here.

Graphic by HollysLitMagic

Book Two, Week Three: People, Places, and Things to Note

Note that this newsletter will include spoilers for House of Sky and Breath pages 180 through 273, through the end of Part One.

The Hunt for Sofie and Emile

Surprise! Cormac is Agent Silverbow, and his “engagement” to Bryce is mostly a cover for him to come to Lunathion and search for Sofie and Emile. He warns against Ophion commander Pippa Spetsos, explaining that there are no lines she won’t cross to accomplish her goals. Bryce becomes convinced that too many bad actors are after Sofie and Emile, seeking to use their powers for their own benefit: Ophion and Pippa; the River Queen; and of course the Hind and the Asteri. We also learn in this section that Celestina had been secretly friends with rebel leader Shahar, and has apparently been seeking to help Hunt ever since Shahar’s death.

More Secrets and Secret Missions

What exactly was Danika up to? She had connections to Ophion but wasn’t working for them; she had her own agenda. Cormac was told by Sofie that “Danika suspected something about the Asteri, and needed someone to go in to confirm those suspicions. Sofie was that person.” Then, Ithan accidentally smashes a table at Bryce’s apartment and reveals piles of Danika’s hidden college papers “theorizing on the origin of worlds and what the Asteri even were,” plus blank papers marked “Dusk’s Truth”—just like the subject of Danika’s emails to Sofie.

Meanwhile, Cormac has another request: he wants Ruhn to use his telepathic powers to communicate with their most high-profile spy, Agent Daybright. I’m so curious to know who this is! Her appearance during their spy-talk is a female cloaked in flame. There seem to be hints that it’s someone we know, or that Ruhn knows. My top guesses are Queen Hypaxia (but we already had the medwitch-to-queen reveal last book, so that seems a bit repetitive) or Celestina (but again seems maybe too obvious). Let me know if you have any guesses in the comments.

Under the influence: The way quartz serves as a communication channel, both through the quartz-fueled radios and comm-crystals the Ophion spies use as well as the quartz Gates across the city, is a direct inspiration from Sailor Moon. The Sailor Guardians use quartz crystal-based communicators to stay in contact, which were created by a talking cat named Luna—yes, Luna just like one of the Crescent City gods and yes, a talking cat just like Aidas. There are actually two cats in Sailor Moon: Luna, who is black, and Artemis, who is white.

A Visit from the Prince of the Pit

What is up with Hunt being visited by Apollion, the Prince of the Pit? I find it kind of hysterical how helpful these terrible demon princes from Hel are. We have gotten a lot of hints that Hunt has more power than we are currently aware, stemming possibly from his mysterious father per the conversation between Aidas and Jesiba at the end of last book. Some highlights from this exchange:

• I think his real name “Orion” could be some sort of hint to his identity, because I think only Aidas, the Oracle, and now the Prince of the Pit have used it.

• A reminder that Apollion is known as the Star-Eater, said to have killed and eaten the seventh Asteri. This is also something I’m curious about better understanding what actually went down back then.

• Apollion says his father “was the Void, the Being That Existed Before. Chaos was his bride and my dam.” Cool parentage.

• Apollion accuses Hunt of wasting his gifts: “You don’t know a fraction of what you might do. You and the Starborn girl…Both of you would benefit from training. Your powers are more similar than you realize. Conduits, both of you. You have no idea how valuable you and the others like you are.” This phrasing—“the others like you”—makes me think it’s about more than just Hunt and Bryce?

The section ends with Ruhn being abducted by Reapers supposedly sent by the Prince of the Pit, bearing the message that he is “ready to strike.” They claim he “already hunts through the Bone Quarter’s mists to find the other one who might be his worthy opponent…or his greatest weapon.” Bryce assumes this means Emile and his thunderbird abilities—I personally think that’s a red herring. I think there is someone else this references. The fact that the Prince of the Pit reached out directly to Hunt to talk about his abilities…has me very intrigued.

Artwork left Apollyon, the Fiend by William Blake; center Christian Fights Apollyon by William Strang, right Christian Fights with Apollyon by A.F. Lydon

Under the influence: Apollyon is the Greek version of the Hebrew name Abaddon, meaning the “Destroyer” and referencing the angel of the bottomless pit as depicted in the Bible’s book of Revelation. Essentially it is another representation of Satan. This figure also appears in The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, a 1600s text that is essentially a long allegory detailing the spiritual journey of an everyman character named Christian, from sin through temptation to salvation. I was nerdy enough to read it as a teen because it’s referenced repeatedly in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.

Things I’m Watching Looking Ahead

Here are a few other things I’m taking note of and watching as we continue reading:

• The Spine: I’m nervous about this hit Ophion is planning on the Spine, which is a north-south railway cutting Pangera in half and the main artery for supplies in the war. I’m not sure how much this will feature in the action ahead or if it’s just a reason for Ruhn to communicate with Agent Daybright.

• Baxian, the Helhound: I believe that he’s actually good, or better than Hunt believes him to be—am I being too easily convinced? Do you believe him? Let me know in the comments!

• Knife and Sword: Again, I’m continuing to pay close attention to these swords—this chapter, the Starsword really shows its unique magical abilities in destroying Reapers, thought to be indestructible. We’re also reminded of this Fae prophecy: “When knife and sword are reunited, so shall our people be.”

• Death’s Day: We’re told this Autumnal Equinox holiday is coming up, “a day of balance between the light and dark, when the veil between the living and dead was thinnest. Cthona began her preparations for her upcoming slumber then, but in Lunathion, raging costume parties were held along the Istros River at the various Sailing points. The biggest party of all surrounded the Black Dock, where lanterns were sent across the water to the Bone Quarter, along with offerings of food and drink.”

Under the influence: Days of the Dead are common celebrations across cultures and religions at the end of October/early November, most notably “Die de los Muertos” in Mexico. Families gather to remember loved ones who have died; they set up altars, or “ofrendas,” offering their deceased loved ones’ favorite foods and drinks. Decorations include calaveras, or candy sugar skulls, marigold flowers, and colorful flags. Catholicism also celebrates the season of Allhallowtide, which includes All Saint’s Day, or Hallowmas, when people pray to the saints for the souls of their dead loved ones. Halloween evolved from All Hallow’s Eve, the night before All Saint’s Day. The timing of all of these celebrations coincides with the general belief that at this time of the year, the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is thinnest, and the souls of the dead are able to cross over and visit.

Connections to ACOTAR and TOG

I’m continuing to keep an eye out for possible connections, or even just similarities, to the worlds of ACOTAR and TOG.

• “I can think of no better reason to yield my life.” Cormac utters these words and it immediately made me think of the witches in TOG and the Yielding. sobs

• The Prince of the Pit: This is minor, and may mean nothing, but the description of “leathery wings” on the Prince of the Pit definitely made me think of the Illyrian Fae in ACOTAR.

• Gods and other worlds: Again, we are reminded that there may be a bigger game afoot, reaching beyond this planet. “The demons worship different gods than we do, but what happens when the worlds overlap? When demons come here, do their gods come with them? And all of us, the Vanir…we all came from elsewhere. We were immigrants into Midgard. But what became of our home worlds? Our home gods?” This definitely makes me think of the situation faced by the gods in TOG.

I’d love to hear if there’s anything you feel I’ve missed! Let me know in the comments.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll read pages 277-357, through the end of Chapter 32.

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share fun, seasonally relevant reading guides and thought-pieces in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

In case you’ve been living under a rock (kidding, mostly), there is a new film adaptation of The Odyssey coming out this Friday 7/17 directed by Christopher Nolan (famed for his films The Dark Knight, Interstellar, Oppenheimer, Inception, among others). The movie will star Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson and many more.

Today, I am sharing a comprehensive list of books that bring Greek mythology to life, from source texts to clever retellings. Some of these I’ve read, some are still on my own to-read list.

I’ve broken this out in a few ways for your convenience:

• “Source & Reference Texts,” for those of you who want to reference the “original” or complete academic works;

• “Author Collections,” providing a rundown of the biggest names in the space writing myth-inspired-fiction and how they are differentiated from each other;

• “Topics,” which group some of those same books together by subject matter—that way, if you’re interested in a particular event or set of characters, you can see exactly which titles fall under that category;

• “Modern Adaptations & Literary Twists,” which veer away from direct retellings and more towards modern interpretations or nods to the myths;

• “Beyond Greece,” in which we will close out by looking at other myth retellings from across the globe.

Source & Reference Texts

From Homer’s epic poems born out of the oral tradition to more modern comprehensive looks at the Greek myths—here is where to begin if you want to get as close to the source as possible. Particularly notable: Emily Wilson is the first woman to translate Homer into English, and it is her translation of The Odyssey specifically on which the upcoming Christopher Nolan film is based.

• The Iliad by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

• The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

• The Aeneid by Virgil, translated by Scott McGill and Susannah Wright with introduction by Emily Wilson

• Metamorphoses by Ovid, translated by Stephanie McCarter

• Theogony / Works and Days by Hesiod, translated by A. E. Stallings

• The Greek Myths by Robert Graves

Author Collections

It is the golden age of Greek myth retellings in literature, with many authors carving out entire niches in the space through their bodies of work. Here are a few of the most notable names to know.

Stephen Fry

A hybrid between source texts and retellings, Fry really captures the myths themselves faithfully while infusing them with lots of humor and personality. His own voice is excellent on audio.

• Mythos, the origin story of everything: the birth of the universe, the Titans, and the rise of the Olympian gods, from Chaos to Pandora's jar to the love of Eros and Psyche.

• Heroes, the age of mortal men who rivaled the gods: Perseus, Heracles, Jason, Atalanta, and Oedipus, on their quests, labors, and ultimately tragic destinies.

• Troy, the full sweep of the Trojan War, from Helen and Paris's fateful meeting through a decade of battle to the fall of the city and the wooden horse.

• Odyssey, Odysseus's ten-year journey home from Troy, cursed by Poseidon and waylaid by sirens, cyclops, and gods, while Penelope waits in Ithaca.

Madeline Miller

Perhaps the best place to start in reading Greek myth retellings. If you enjoy literary fantasy with emotional depth, Miller is for you.

• The Song of Achilles, the Trojan War retold as a love story, narrated by Patroclus as he follows Achilles from boyhood to the battlefield and the fate neither can escape.

• Circe, a witch who finds her own power across centuries of encounters with gods, monsters, and mortals, from the Minotaur to Odysseus to Medea.

• Galatea (novella), the Pygmalion myth told from the perspective of the statue-turned-woman, trapped in a perfect body by a husband who wants her silent and still.

Pat Barker

Read the Booker-award winning Barker if you’re looking for more of a historical fiction feel than a fantasy flavor; her books focus on the details of war itself versus spending time with the gods. Her “Women of Troy” trilogy gives voice to the character of Briseis and the other enslaved women of Troy, who have been captured by war hero Achilles.

• The Silence of the Girls

• The Women of Troy

• The Voyage Home

Jennifer Saint

Saint tends to highlight a female figure, usually someone on the sidelines, and grant her own moment in the spotlight. Her books are character-driven and sit more within the accessible upmarket fiction space vs literary fiction.

• Ariadne, Princess of Crete and daughter of King Minos, who helps Theseus navigate the Minotaur’s labyrinth and pays a hefty price for it.

• Elektra, who, along with Clytemnestra and Cassandra, narrates the fall of the House of Atreus across generations of revenge, murder, and divine punishment.

• Atalanta, the legendary huntress who joined the Argonauts, told as her own story instead of a footnote in Jason’s.

• Hera, the Queen of Olympus who is often reduced to being the jealous wife of Zeus, finally given center stage.

• This Immortal Heart, following the goddess Aphrodite and her ill-fated love affair with Ares god of war.

Natalie Haynes

Haynes is a classicist and this shows in her books, which balance a scholarly level of detail with interesting experimentations in form, shifting between narrative POVs and incorporating a lot of characters. Another one who reads her own books excellently on audio, as she is also a stand-up comic.

• The Children of Jocasta, in which mother and daughter Jocasta and Ismene reclaim the narrative in the Oedipus story.

• A Thousand Ships, which tells the story of the Trojan War through a chorus of voices including women, goddesses, and even the ships themselves.

• Stone Blind, the story of Medusa from her own perspective as well as those whose fates collide with hers: Athena, Perseus, and Poseidon (and my personal favorite out of all these Greek myth retellings).

• No Friend to This House, in which Medea aids Jason and the Argonauts in stealing the Golden Fleece.

• Pandora’s Jar (nonfiction), reexamining ten women from Greek mythology based on original sources versus just what they’ve been reduced to after centuries of retellings.

• Divine Might (nonfiction), a similar treatment as the book above but this time focusing on the goddesses of Olympus.

Claire North

North balances humor and playing with form, bringing a more postmodern feel to her writing. These three books form a cohesive trilogy following Penelope as she seeks to hold Ithaca together during Odysseus’s absence—all narrated with sharp irony by the goddess Aphrodite.

• Ithaca

• House of Odysseus

• The Last Song of Penelope

Claire Heywood

Another Claire—this one is a scholar of the ancient world and brings academic grounding to accessible, character-driven retellings, each of which center women who had previously been at the fringes of the stories.

• Daughters of Sparta, following famed Spartan sisters Helen and Klytemnestra.

• The Shadow of Perseus, retold through the three women left in Perseus’s wake: his mother Danae, his victim Medusa, and his wife Andromeda.

• The Wandering Queen, about Dido, the legendary Queen of Carthage and her encounter with the Trojan Aeneas.

Phoenicia Rogerson

A newer voice in the space whose books are quite funny and more approachable than some of the others. If you’re looking for a more progressive, fun interpretation of the myths, start here.

• Herc, a satirical dismantling of the hero myth telling the story of Hercules through the eyes of everyone he has ever failed, harmed, or simply left behind.

• Aphrodite, the story of the beautiful goddess of love and desire, and what that costs her.

Topics

Now we’ll group these books, plus add in some additional stand-alone works, by topic so you know which to target for any deep-dives on specific characters or events.

The Trojan War

• The Iliad by Homer, trans. Emily Wilson

• Troy by Stephen Fry

• A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

• The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

• The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

• The Voyage Home by Pat Barker

• Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

• Elektra by Jennifer Saint

• House of Names by Colm Tóibín

• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

• Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

The Odyssey & Penelope

• The Odyssey by Homer, trans. Emily Wilson

• Odyssey by Stephen Fry

• Ithaca by Claire North

• House of Odysseus by Claire North

• The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North

• The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

• Circe by Madeline Miller

• Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood

• Sweetbitter Song by Rosie Hewlett

Olympians & Goddesses

• Mythos by Stephen Fry

• Hera by Jennifer Saint

• This Immortal Heart by Jennifer Saint

• Aphrodite by Phoenicia Rogerson

• Divine Might by Natalie Haynes

Heroes & Quests

• Heroes by Stephen Fry

• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

• Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

• Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

• Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson

• Andromeda by E. S. McLeod

• No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes

• The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes

• The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood

• Medea (also titled The Witch of Colchis) by Rosie Hewlett

Medusa & the Gorgons

• Medusa by Nataly Gruender

• Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

• Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear

• I, Medusa by Ayana Gray

• The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood

• Medusa by Rosie Hewlett

Psyche & Eros

• Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara

• The Palace of Eros by Caro De Robertis

• Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

Modern Adaptations & Literary Twists

Here are some books that aren’t direct retellings of the Greeks myths but either carry on where the myths left off, adapt the stories to modern times, or simply incorporate nods to them throughout the narrative.

• Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson

• Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman

• House of Names by Colm Tóibín

• The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

• Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

• Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann

• Lovely War by Julie Berry

• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

• Lore by Alexandra Bracken

• Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

• This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Beyond Greece: Other Global Mythology

While Greek mythology does seem to have an extra-strength grip on our modern imaginations, there are plenty of other incredible books inspired by a diverse range of mythologies and folklore from across the globe. Here are a few worth noting.

• Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, in which a young woman in 1920s Mexico accidentally frees the Mayan god of death and must help him reclaim his throne;

• Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel, a retelling of the Hindu epic Ramayana from the point of view of Queen Kaikeyi;

• Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan, in which a young woman sets out across the heavens to secure the freedom of her mother, goddess of the moon;

• The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec, telling the story of the Norse witch Angrboda who loved Loki and mothered his most monstrous children;

• Sistersong by Lucy Holland, where three siblings in post-Roman Britain navigate the collision of Christianity and the Celtic gods;

• Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen, in which a figure from Yoruba mythology saves a girl from a slave ship and takes her place among the living;

• When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, in which a young man arrives at the Port of Spain to meet Yejide, the last line a line of women who can hear the voices of the dead, steeped in Trinidadian folklore;

• American Gods by Neil Gaiman, an epic battle between the old gods and the new;

• Cleopatra by Saara el-Arifi, a story about the famous historical queen that weaves in rich Egyptian mythology and magic.

That’s it for this month’s Side Quest! Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “The Hero’s Journey,” where I am reading through some of the biggest fantasy series and author projects on my TBR.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

Welcome to Book Two, Week Two of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). I’ve included an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app.

If you’re not reading along, you can always turn off just these emails while continuing to receive The Town Crier, Side Quests, and my other newsletters. Customize your email preferences here.

Graphic by HollysLitMagic

Book Two, Week Two: People, Places, and Things to Note

This section of Book Two ended with an AMAZING series of reveals! Note that this newsletter will include spoilers for House of Sky and Breath pages 91 through 179, through the end of Chapter 15.

New Revelations

Some big revelations and introductions this section. We meet the new Archangel of Valbara, Celestina, who so far seems too good to be true. With her come two of what had been Sandriel’s triarii—the Hammer and the Helhound. Meanwhile, mer male Tharion continues his investigation into Sofie and Emile’s whereabouts and discovers that Sofie had been in touch with none other than…Danika. They had exchanged emails during the six months prior to Danika’s death about a few secret projects; and they had discussed a safe location somewhere in Lunathion “where the weary souls find relief from their suffering,” which is where Tharion thinks they may be hiding out now. We also learn that Danika was a “bloodhound,” aka she could literally sniff out bloodlines—a dangerous skill that made her a target for any powers wanting to use her talent for evil. According to wolf shifter Ithan—who is still couch surfing at Bryce’s apartment after being kicked out of the wolf pack—Danika also had been researching some arcane history that would “land her in a heap of trouble.”

Character Refresh

Let’s recap the group that had previously been Sandriel’s triarii since they’re becoming more and more relevant, and since they all begin with the letter “H” which I’m sure can be confusing:

• The Hind, aka Lidia Cervos: we saw her at the start of the novel and now know she’s also the half-sister of Queen Hypaxia of the witches.

• The Hammer, aka Pollux Antonius: he seems to genuinely suck but we shall see.

• The Helhound, aka Baxian Argos: “an angel with the rare ability to shift” into a Helhound, had been Sandriel’s chief spy-master and tracker. Extremely cool, I’m very into this character.

• The Harpy: I don’t recall meeting this character yet.

• The Hawk: Haven’t heard much about this character yet but described here as “Pollux’s main rival for power.”

A Glimpse of the Blue Court

I LOVED getting a look at where Tharion works in the Blue Court and understanding more about how his mer magic works. The juxtaposition of underwater world and modern technology is extremely fun to envision:

His office was in one of the glass-domed bubbles that made up the Blue Court Investigative Unit’s headquarters—the River Queen had only allowed their construction because computers had to stay dry.

Tharion is in a bit of a bind, tied to this world under the water and serving his queen when he clearly would rather spend more time up in Crescent City proper. This passage really stuck out to me—I viscerally felt Tharion’s desire for this other life, as he dug his toes into the carpet of his office:

Tharion swallowed, looking toward the wall of glass that opened into clear cobalt waters…Tharion couldn’t ever move Above, he reminded himself. His duties required him here, at the River Queen’s beck and call. Tharion peered at his bare feet, digging them into the cream shag carpet beneath his desk. He’d been in human form for nearly a day now. He’d have to enter the water soon or risk losing his fins. His parents found it odd that he’d chosen to live in one of the dry glass-and-metal buildings anchored into a sprawling platform at the bottom of the river, and not near them in the network of underwater caves that doubled as apartments for the mer. But Tharion liked TV. Liked eating food that wasn’t soggy at best, cold and wet at worst. He liked sleeping in a warm bed, sprawled over the covers and pillows, and not tucked into a seaweed hammock swinging in the currents.

I’m curious—which life would you choose if you were a mer? Let me know in the comments!

The Prince of the Chasm Returns

Graphic by HollysLitMagic, Artwork by Sncinderart

Finally, my favorite character Aidas, prince of the Chasm, returns in his cat form. The reveal here was *chef’s kiss* perfection, I was screaming reading at how brilliantly SJM has us on high alert that something is wrong, and how subtly she reveals what it is as Ithan says, “Your cat’s a sweetheart, by the way,” stroking the white cat curled on his lap. That is NOT Syrinx! I loved this tension between a beautiful, seemingly harmless cat that is not at all what it seems.

A few things we learn from Aidas:

• He knew Theia, the last Starborn Queen, whose powers Bryce now holds.

• Bryce’s starlight powers are different than Ruhn’s—his descend from Prince Pelias.

• Pelias wasn’t a great guy after all, apparently having murdered Queen Theia, appointed himself as prince, and forcing himself onto Theia’s daughter, Helena.

• Theia had an older daughter who vanished into the night—Aidas says “I never learned of her fate.” I’m SO CURIOUS about this.

• Supposedly, Aidas and the armies of Hel are not the enemy the Asteri have painted them out to be; Aidas claims they want to aid the rebel cause today: “Hel’s armies shall strike at your command, Bryce Quinlan.” !

Finally, Aidas emphasizes that Bryce does not know how to wield her power but that someone can teach her—someone named Cormac Donnall, who has been jaw-dropingly revealed to be…Agent Silverbow. OBSESSED. This entire Chapter 15 was everything I want in a book.

Things I’m Watching Looking Ahead

Here are a few other things I’m taking note of and watching as we continue reading:

• Reapers: I loved getting a closer look at one of these creatures from the House of Flame and Shadow. They dwell in the various “zones of the dead” in this world, which include the Bone Quarter in Crescent City; the Catacombs in the Eternal City, and the Summerlands in Avallen (the “Summerland” is the concept of the afterlife in Wiccan belief systems). I so hope we get to explore more of these realms of the dead as we keep reading.

• Cormac’s prophecy: The Oracle told Cormac that he was “destined to unite with a princess who possessed a star in her heart. That our mingling would bring great prosperity to our people.”

• Thunderbird and pegasus: We know that Sofie and Emile are both thunderbirds, which were thought to be extinct; in this section Bryce recalls that one of her Starlight Fancy horses was named Thunderbird and it was a blue-and-white unicorn-pegasus. This jumped out at me given the pegasus statue from the ballet in the previous section, which I still haven’t forgotten about.

• 12 Sphinxes: I just enjoyed learning this world-building detail: there are twelve sphinxes around the world, “the meanest of them, apparently, dwelled in the Ocean Queen’s court Beneath.”

• Thurr: At the start of this section, Bryce calls Jesiba to ask about a “nine-thousand-year-old Rhodinian bust of Thurr” that she’s handling at the Fae Archives. It’s a minor interaction but my brain alarm went off when later in the chapter, we learn that Danika and Sofie had been in contact about something called Project Thurr (and something else called Dusk’s Truth). The bust in question is described as “a broody male who was supposed to pass for the nearly forgotten minor storm deity. All that remained of him in their culture was the behemoth of a planet named after him. And Thursdays, apparently.”

Artwork left “Thor’s Fight with the Giants” by Mårten Eskil Winge, center “Zeus (Jupiter),” right Sailor Jupiter by Guh Walker

Under the influence: “Thursday” is linked to a few different gods and cultures, most of which are a version of the god of the sky, storms, and thunder. It came from “Thunor’s day,” for the Old English god Thunor and Germanic god of thunder Thunraz; this is the equivalent of the Roman god of sky and thunder, Jupiter—who is the equivalent of the Greek god Zeus. It can also reference the Norse god of thunder, Thor—also known for wielding a hammer. The word for “Thursday” in Japanese characters also incorporates the character for Jupiter, and in most Indian languages the day’s name also references the regent of the planet Jupiter. Last but not least, we already know how much SJM loves Sailor Moon—in the manga and tv series, Sailor Jupiter also has the power of thunder, lightning, and storms.

Connections to ACOTAR and TOG

I’m continuing to keep an eye out for possible connections, or even just similarities, to the worlds of ACOTAR and TOG.

• The Hawk: a hawk shifter in what had been Sandriel’s triarii—anyone else immediately think of Rowan in TOG?

• Fury’s powers: we still don’t know what exactly Fury is, but apparently Danika knew because of her bloodhound abilities. The way Fury’s powers are spoken about reminds me of Amren in ACOTAR.

• Aidas’s questions: As always, Aidas asks lots of critical questions that feel extremely relevant to how SJM’s series may connect: “What was this world before the Asteri?…Where did the Asteri come from? Where did the Fae, or the shifters, or the angels come from?”

I’d love to hear if there’s anything you feel I’ve missed! Let me know in the comments.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll read pages 180-273, through the end of Part 1.

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share fun, seasonally relevant reading guides and thought-pieces in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

Welcome to Book Two, Week One of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). I’ve included an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app.

If you’re not reading along, you can always turn off just these emails while continuing to receive The Town Crier, Side Quests, and my other newsletters. Customize your email preferences here.

Graphic by HollysLitMagic

Book Two, Week One: People, Places, and Things to Note

I have so many thoughts about this first section of House of Sky and Breath—this will include spoilers for Book Two pages 1 through 90, through the end of Chapter 7.

A Glimpse of Pangera

It’s always a bit jarring when a new book in a series starts with a prologue featuring characters you don’t yet know—but I actually do think it’s a very effective tool to create a mental break between the first book and what’s to come. For the first time, we get a glimpse of life across the sea in Pangera and it’s bleak—clearly pulling inspiration from World War II’s concentration and death camps. A spy working for the rebel group Ophion, Sofie Renast, has broken a group of kids out of one of these prison camps and is racing them to freedom. She and her younger brother both harbor a secret: they are thunderbirds, magical beings that were thought to have been hunted to extinction by the Asteri centuries ago. The children make it out in time but Sofie is captured by the Hind and tossed to her (presumed) death at the bottom of the sea.

Artwork “The Great Thunderbird” by Selladora

Under the influence: “Thunderbirds” are powerful spirits in various North American indigenous mythologies, including the Ojibwa of the Great Lakes region, Tlingit of the Pacific Northwest, Pawnee of the Great Plains, and about two dozen other tribes. Thunderbirds were said to create thunder by flapping their wings and lightning by flashing their eyes. They were often depicted as rulers of the sky in opposition to the spirits of the sea.

Meanwhile, back in Crescent City, Bryce and Hunt attend the ballet with her parents before going to a party at Ruhn’s. While there, they learn who the newly assigned Archangels will be to replace Micah and Sandriel: Ephraim and Celestina. Then, a mysterious new visitor shows up: Cormac, the shadowy Fae Prince of Avallen who apparently has become betrothed to Bryce, per decree of her father the Autumn King (whose name we finally learn is Einar!). No one is happy about this arrangement.

Finally, mer male Tharion Ketos is on a secret mission for the River Queen (to whose daughter he is apparently betrothed) to search the bottom of the ocean for Sofie’s body. They discover her anchor and chains but no body in sight—in fact, the chain’s cuffs are unlocked, implying that Sofie may have been rescued or somehow escaped.

New Characters

Artwork left Lidia Cervos by luaartiste, right Cormac by Rokii

Here’s a brief overview of a few new characters—I’m having to be very careful nowadays looking into fan art for fear of spoilers:

• Sofie Renast, a half-human thunderbird and Ophion spy tossed to the bottom of the sea;

• Emile Renast, Sofie’s brother (also a thunderbird) whose parents were murdered by the Hind;

• Agent Silverbow, an Ophion operative whose real name we don’t yet know;

• Pippa Spetsos, leader of Ophion’s elite Lightfall unit;

• Lidia Cervos, aka “The Hind,” deer shifter, member of Sandriel’s triarii, and half-sister of the new witch Queen Hypaxia;

• Ephraim, the Archangel chosen to replace Sandriel in northern Pangera;

• Celestina, the Archangel chosen to replace Micah, hailing from the small region of Nena;

• Cormac Donnall, Crown Prince of the Avallen Fae;

• Ithan Holstrom, wolf shifter and brother of the deceased Connor from Danika’s Pack of Devils.

Crescent City Ballet Statues

Statue left Athena Parthenos, center right Winged Victory of Samothrace, far right Julius Caesar.

I suspect that almost all of the art and statues described at the Crescent City Ballet hold clues for what is to come:

• The Gods: First we see statues of the various gods, who we are finally getting a bit more clarity around: Cthona is the earth goddess, Solas the sun god, Ogenas is goddess of the sea, Luna the moon, and Urd the underworld. The statue of Luna shows her “aiming her bow toward the heavens, two hunting dogs at her feet and a stag nuzzling her hip.” Between the various wolves, hunting imagery with Hunt’s name, and various stag and deer shifters from Juniper to the Hind—I feel there’s a lot to unpack here.

• Fae male with hammer and lightning: My ears majorly perked up at this one: “A powerful Fae male stood poised above an anvil, hammer raised skyward in one fist, lightning cracking from the skies, filling the hammer, and flowing down toward the object of the hammer’s intended blow: a sword. Its label read simply: Unknown sculptor. Palmira, circa 125 V.E.” Bryce snaps a photo and sends it to Hunt, joking, “Long-lost relative of yours?” Except—we know the last book ended with cryptic hints from Aidas and Jesiba Roga about Hunt’s father. The title is in the Old Language of the Fae and reads “The Making of the Sword.” Is this the Starsword? Danika’s sword? Or some other sword?

• The Frieze: Here we see “Hel’s armies arriving to conquer Midgard during the First Wars,” although it’s only one part of a larger piece. The caption reads, “Thus the seven Princes of Hel looked in envy upon Midgard and unleashed their unholy hordes upon our united armies.”

• Pegasus and rider: The final piece we’re shown is a pegasus going into battle, “An armored figure, helmet obscuring any telltale features, rode atop the beast, sword upraised.” A scene from the First Wars, or some foreshadowing for the future? Also again, noting the sword.

Things I’m Watching Looking Ahead

Here are a few other things I’m taking note of and watching as we continue reading:

• Swords: As in the last book, I’m continuing to watch the swords. So far we have the Starsword and Danika’s sword. In the last book we also saw depictions on items from Parthos, a demon beast being stabbed by a sword. And now these statues of Fae creating a sword and riding with one into battle.

• Queen Hypaxia and the Hind: We already saw the Hind at the start of this book and now have learned that she’s half-sister to Queen Hypaxia. I’m very curious to see more about this dynamic ahead, and also to learn more about Hypaxia’s unique magic, since she’s half witch and half necromancer. In general I would love to learn more about both the witches as well as any beings from the House of Flame and Shadow.

Connections to ACOTAR and TOG

I’m continuing to keep an eye out for possible connections, or even just similarities, to the worlds of ACOTAR and TOG. The shadow powers belonging to Cormac and the Avallen Fae definitely make me think of Azriel in ACOTAR. The depiction of war in Pangera is actually quite a contrast from the more medieval fantasy settings of ACOTAR and TOG, incorporating more modern warfare in a way that I find really fresh and interesting. Finally, with all this talk of swords—another sword comes to mind from A Court of Silver Flames: Nesta’s sword Ataraxia. I’d love to hear if there’s anything you feel I’ve missed! Let me know in the comments.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll read pages 91-179, through the end of Chapter 15.

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share thought-pieces and bespoke guides sparked by my reading life or in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

We are entering the thick of summer and for me, that is prime mystery reading season. I love nothing more than being on vacation, by the beach, reading about the search for a killer. Luckily, some of this month’s new releases will perfectly fit that bill. I’ll be honest, some of the other new books coming this month are not as high on my personal list; but I’m still keeping tabs because there are some big names.

We are in a bit of a lull after the huge publishing month that was June, before the next big releases come out this fall. I’ll enjoy this extra time to sink into my summer TBR—I recently made some real progress tackling more of my high-priority new releases so far, which I get into in the Recent Reads section below.

We are also in the midst of our read-along for Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series, having just started Book Two, House of Sky and Breath, as part of my project The Hero’s Journey. Details about the read-along here—it’s never too late to join in and catch up at your own pace!

Without further ado, here’s The Town Crier for July 2026.

Notable Recent Reads & Rereads

The Land and Its People by David Sedaris (Nonfiction Essays, published 5/26).

• My review: What hasn’t already been said about the hysterically brilliant David Sedaris? I’ve loved his writing since first discovering his collections in college and in recent years, he has delivered the same dark humor but with an added sense of depth as he and his loved ones begin to face the good, the bad, and the ugly of growing older. Like any essay collection, some are stronger than others but all are laugh-out-loud funny and best heard in his own voice on audio.

Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser (Fairytale Retelling, published 3/3).

• My review: This is technically a Cinderella retelling from the point of view of the stepmother; however, I think that description is a bit off the mark for what this book really is. There is no magic in this story; instead, it is vaguely historical fiction about a woman who has fallen down in her luck and is trying her best to maintain social standing and financial security for her daughters and stepdaughter. It explores what it means to mother, to be a woman, at the mercy of the world’s unforgiving social limitations. The back quarter felt slightly off the rails from where things began, which honestly didn’t bother me much but I could see not landing for some. All in all I had a great time listening to this one on audio.

Evil Genius by Claire Oshetsky (Literary Fiction, published 2/17).

• My review: Oshetksy has said this new book was a bit of a reaction to their emotionally heavier previous two books (Chouette and Poor Deer), and it’s true that most of my time reading it was a darkly funny ride. I so enjoyed getting to know 19-year-old Celia, who is stuck in a marriage with a truly horrible man she’s been gaslit to think is great. It’s 1974 and she works at the phone company, which was honestly my favorite part of the novel, being taken back in time to this job. I also loved her own rising sense of wanting to free herself, perhaps violently, from her circumstances. The end of the novel didn’t fully deliver on the buildup; it fell a bit flat and lost me by the end. Overall I’m glad I read it and will continue to read Oshetsky’s work, I just wish it had stuck the landing better given how much I enjoyed the first 3/4.

For reviews of every book I read, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

July 2026 New Releases

…If You Want Something Dark & Mysterious

Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard (Mystery, out 7/28).

• Premise: When Ellie moves to 1 Delaney Row hoping for a fresh start where no one knows her secrets, she doesn’t know that her new home is already hiding someone else’s secrets—and the people determined to keep them are watching her. As she unravels the house’s disturbing backstory and comes closer to the shocking mystery at its center, she puts herself on a deadly collision course not just with her new home’s history, but with her own as well.

• I am almost a CRH completionist, having read all but one of her other books. Summer is the perfect time for some good Irish crime fiction on audio.

Hide and Seek by Søren Sveistrup (Mystery, out 7/7).

• Premise: Thirty years after a body is discovered in the water and a strange voice repeats a child’s counting rhyme from the woods, a woman begins receiving anonymous text messages with the same rhyme and then disappears—prompting detectives Naia Thulin and Mark Hess to search for her on Valentine’s Day. When they uncover links to a decades-old cold case, their investigation takes a terrifying turn as they race to catch a violent killer before they strike again.

• Sveistrup’s book The Chestnut Man has been sitting on my to-read list for YEARS. Maybe this is the push I need to finally read that one, and this new one. Apparently this new book has already been sold to become a Netflix series?

The Devoted by Catherine Cho (Literary Crime Fiction, out 7/7).

• Premise: Raised in Hong Kong by their Korean grandmother, Eunha and her brother Solomon live a sheltered life removed from the violence surrounding their father, a Triad Dragon Head, with only Solomon and their permitted companion Kai for company. When her young son is kidnapped, Eunha is cast into the city’s criminal underground and back into the orbit of Kai, now a Dragon Head himself, forcing her to confront whether she will finally give in to the life she has strived to rise above or if her future was always fated.

• This is a wild card whose cover immediately drew me in—the premise sounds extremely intriguing. I’m always looking for books veering into the crime fiction genre by a more diverse range of authors—and this one is a debut.

Three Reasons for Revenge by Dervla McTiernan (Mystery, out 7/23).

• Premise: When Alexis Turner walks into the police station to report an assault and disappears, three identical packages arrive at three very different doors—a respected psychologist’s home, a socialite’s mansion, and a struggling single father’s apartment—each perfectly tailored to tear apart the life of its intended victim. Detective Sergeant Judith Lee races to uncover the connection between these three unrelated people, but discovers she’s no longer just investigating the game—she’s being forced to play it.

• Another of my favorite Irish crime fiction authors that I will definitely be prioritizing this summer.

Wisdom Corner by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Crime Fiction, out 7/7).

• Premise: Virgil Wounded Horse desperately tries to escape his past as a hired vigilante on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, but is forced back when a legendary figure is murdered, while threats emerge from the Pine Ridge 705 gang and shady politician Mitch Gagnon seeking to expand his power. With a tribal council election looming and new revelations about past injustices at the local Native boarding school, Virgil races to find the justice he’s seeking before it’s too late.

• I read and really enjoyed this author’s debut, Winter Counts, a few years ago; this new book is a sequel following the same characters through new crimes. I don’t think you need to read the first book necessarily to pick this one up. Note: this is a July Libro.fm ALC for those who have access.

…If You Want Something Magical or Speculative

Dominion by Jean Kwok (Fantasy, out 7/14).

• Premise: After the Annihilation destroyed her homeland, Rubi Morningtail lives as an Azure refugee hiding her singing magic as a ribbon dancer—until she wounds a battle tyger and draws the notice of Blake Axefire, supreme metal mage and leader of the royal Tyger Warriors, who casts her into the brutal Bonding where surviving is unthinkable. But survive she does, and now she’s stuck on Blake’s elite team racing to reseal the Anchors to the Demon Realm, forced to unlock the truth of her magic and past while resisting her dangerous attraction to the ruthless warrior who could be her redemption—or her ruin.

• Jean Kwok seems to be a genre chameleon—this is her fantasy debut and it looks AMAZING! I will definitely be picking this one up if I hear even anything remotely positive about it. Blurbed as “Fourth Wing—by way of Chinese mythology—meets The Hunger Games.” The first in what looks to be a trilogy.

Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim (Historical Magical Realism, out 7/23).

• Premise: Guangdong, 1940. When Ha Yut Ying narrowly escapes Japanese soldiers by turning invisible, she knows her new-found magic must be kept a secret. Her mother suspects her daughter has changed and warns her of a curse upon their family, giving her a gold fishbone bracelet.​ After the war, Ha Yut Ying is sent to live with her father and his second wife, who have become wealthy factory owners in Hong Kong. Her stepmother, jealous of her beauty, forces her to work in the family’s shoe factory. Decades later in San Francisco, Ha Yut Ying’s daughter Marigold witnesses her mother vanish and becomes convinced she’s the only person who can save her by uncovering the tragic, fairytale-tinged history their family has fought to forget.

• I don’t know much about this one other than seeing the cover floating around; Cinderella retellings are having a moment this year!

…If You Want Something a Little Literary

Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead (Literary Historical Fiction, out 7/21).

• Premise: In 1981, successful Harlem fence Ray Carney gambles on one last heist to help his wife's business, entangling himself with a legendary criminal mastermind and reuniting with his old partner Pepper as New York City undergoes radical transformation. Haunted by his inability to save his cousin Freddie twenty years earlier, Carney seizes a chance to rescue Freddie's son from the violent forces of the city, but coming out of retirement means risking the safety and security he's spent decades building for his family.

• The final volume in Whitehead’s Harlem Trilogy; I tried and put aside the first book, Harlem Shuffle, the premise and time period weren’t really for me. However, I know Whitehead is beloved so want to put on your radar in case it’s a better fit for any of you!

Country People by Daniel Mason (Literary Fiction, out 7/7).

• Premise: Miles Krzelewski, devoted husband and doting father twelve years late with his PhD on Russian folktales, moves to Vermont expecting to finally move forward with his life, but instead finds himself entangled with a cast of characters as colorful as those in his folktales—from a ghostly tree surgeon to a scythe-mad biochemist to a photographer of snowflakes—and stumbles upon a bizarre local legend that may not be just a legend after all. Joyous, absurd, and life-affirming, Country People is a luminous exploration of marriage and parenthood, the nature of belief and the power of stories, and the ways in which we find connection in an increasingly fragmented world.

• I never ended up reading Mason’s previous hit, North Woods, but know it was beloved by many (including my husband). I’ll keep an eye out for feedback on this newest novel before deciding whether to prioritize it.

Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli (Literary Fiction, out 7/28).

• Premise: A mother and daughter travel to Sicily on a summer journey of exquisite tenderness, attempting to reconstruct their lives as a duo while the daughter transforms their quest into a search for origins—across continents, languages, and generations, and back to a mythical and geological past—while the mother's memory fades and the daughter stands on the threshold of adolescence. Spanning four generations of women and weaving myths, ancient philosophy, and natural history with contemporary life, this warm, funny, and poetic novel explores how stories shape children's memories, how we situate ourselves in the world while accepting our transience, and how family memories are made and disappear.

• I didn’t read Luiselli’s Lost Children Archive (another one that my husband read). This one may be too meandering in scope and tone for my taste but the cover is gorgeous and the questions it explores do sound interesting so I’ll be keeping an eye out for early reviews from trusted sources.

We Were Forbidden by Jacqueline Harpman (Literary Novellas, out 7/7).

• Premise: From the bestselling author of I Who Have Never Known Men comes a startling trio of novellas—translated into English for the first time—each plumbing the depths of that vital human instinct: defiance, from a woman wandering a forbidden forest after unfathomable war to a teenage girl barred from questioning dogma in 1940s Casablanca to a young woman locked in a loveless marriage. These first works by Jacqueline Harpman to arrive in English in decades reveal her incredible stylistic range and demonstrate her penetrating psychological insight, tracing the origins of a singular, relentless voice.

• Harpman’s book I Who Have Never Known Men has been high on my TBR for FAR too long—maybe once I finally check that one off my list, I’ll consider this newly translated collection of novellas.

Screen Adaptations & Other Nerdy News

• Rings of Power returns November 11! No trailer yet.

• A new limited series adapting Daphne du Maurier’s The Birds will star Succession’s Sarah Snook. I’ve seen mixed reactions to this news given the iconic Hitchcock film. I have a Side Quest piece related to du Maurier and Hitchcock coming later this year.

• On the heels of the recent insane “adaptation” of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights—we now have Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre being adapted for TV starring Aimee Lou Wood. Fingers crossed this one gets a better treatment.

• Huge news in literary fiction: Percival Everett announced a new book publishing March 2027, Serious Music. This one sounds right up my husband’s alley.

• Another big literary fiction announcement: new book by Kazuo Ishiguro, Miss Lambert Steps Aboard Danger, also coming March 2027.

• Speaking of Ishiguro—trailer out now for the adaptation of his book Klara and the Sun, directed by Taika Waititi and starring Jenna Ortega—I am SO EXCITED for this.

• R.F. Kuang’s Katabasis is coming to the screen with Amazon MGM Studios. I had zero interest in reading this book personally but perhaps I’ll enjoy this on screen more than on the page.

• I hated The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides but it’s being adapted as an FX limited series starring Sadie Sink, who I do love.

• Last but not least, calling all nerds—the upcoming Assassin’s Creed game is themed 1666: Amsterdam: “You play as a witch, explore a dark, historical world, and you can even control a black cat!” SOLD. I have not had time to play any video games since becoming a mom, maybe this is my time to return.

That’s a wrap on The Town Crier for July 2026! Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other monthly publications: “Side Quests,” in which I share book guides, react to recent reads, or unpack specific topics related to my reading life; and “The Hero’s Journey” where we are reading the biggest fantasy books on our to-read lists—currently tackling Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series!

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic. Most book links are affiliate and help support my work.

Welcome to Book One, Week Eight of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). I’ve included an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app. Let me know in the comments if you like having this audio option!

If you’re not reading along, you can always turn off just these emails while continuing to receive The Town Crier, Side Quests, and my other newsletters. Customize your email preferences here.

Graphic by HollysLitMagic

Book One, Week Eight: People, Places, and Things to Note

We did it—we finished Book One of Crescent City! This will include spoilers for all of House of Earth and Blood, particularly pages 707 through 799, the end of the book.

The True Starborn Heir

Graphic by HollysLitMagic, artwork by JanaRunneck

I thought last week’s section was action-packed, but this final section came out swinging and never stopped. Micah is dead, but he did indeed succeed in opening up a portal with the Horn: all seven Gates across the city have become open doorways to Hel. Bryce races to protect the defenseless humans in Asphodel Meadows as demons flood the city, getting help from the Viper Queen and the wolves of Moonwood despite Sabine’s own resistance. Bryce races to the Heart Gate and shocks everyone by revealing that she is the true Starborn heir. This is why Danika tattooed the Horn into Bryce’s skin; and it is what the Oracle saw all those years ago.

Artwork “Fields of Asphodel” by Brian Doers

Under the influence: In Greek mythology, “Asphodel Meadows” is a section of the Underworld where ordinary souls of the dead remain for eternity, versus the highly rewarded souls (which go to the Elysian Fields) or severely punished souls (sent to Tartarus). It represents a kind of limbo and is named for the colorless blossoms of the asphodel plant. The Fields of Asphodel also appear in Homer’s Odyssey.

Light It Up

Queen Hypaxia takes advantage of the commotion to free Hunt using her own witch magic, allowing him to kill the Archangel Sandriel. I absolutely loved seeing this version of Hunt, crackling with lightning and deadly intent as he rallies a team to go help Bryce. They arrive almost too late, as the Asteri have sent brimstone missiles to flatten parts of the city. Hunt sacrifices himself to save Bryce, who in turn attempts to save him and the city by making the Drop, anchored by Danika’s spirit from the Bone Quarter. Seeing the onyx stone of the Bone Quarter glowing from the Gate’s dial was an INCREDIBLE moment. Against all odds, Bryce manages to return to life, now filled with all the power given over to the Gates over the years.

Artwork “Sodom and Gomorrah” by John Martin

Under the influence: Within the Judaic and Christian Bible, “fire and brimstone” is a common symbol of God’s wrath. Brimstone is an archaic word for what is essentially sulfur—more specifically, the sulfur dioxide emitted from volcanic activity and lightning strikes. In the Bible, the sinful city of Sodom and Gomorrah is destroyed with fire and brimstone; and in the book of Revelation, Satan and his followers are cast into a lake of burning brimstone. “Fire and brimstone” has also become a phrase used to describe Christian preachers who promote a doom-and-gloom message of eternal damnation; this is a contrast to the more gentle “Jesus is love” theological framework, which is reminiscent of Danika’s “With love, all is possible” message.

Life, Death, and Other Binary Oppositions

This book is full of binary oppositions: life and death, good and evil, Heaven and Hell, angels and demons, starlight and shadows (I’m wondering if we’ll get more of this last one in the next books, between Bryce and Ruhn’s respective powers).

I so appreciate the book’s many mythological references tied to these themes across cultures and religions, much of which we have unpacked over the last eight newsletters. There are references to the underworld: Greek mythology’s River Styx and boatman Charon; Norse mythology’s Midgard and Hel; Dante’s Inferno and the nine circles of Hell; Egypt’s Osiris. We also have the recurring phrase “Memento mori” alluding to popular death motifs across literature, visual art, and music.

At the end of the day, this story centers around two protagonists who have endured much loss—of those they love, of their own autonomy, sometimes of their own will to live. Throughout the book we watch as they help each other journey back from their own internal hellscapes to the world of the living, where they are no longer alone, no longer suffering, and free to embrace hope again. The opposite of death and despair is life and hope. Yes we will all one day die; that is why we can’t squander the time we have here, now, together.

Final Thoughts

My rating system is based on my own enjoyment, and I simply had to give this book five stars. It was fun, exciting, and at times, genuinely moving; I wanted to hug it by the end. That doesn’t mean there aren’t aspects worth criticizing: SJM’s sentence-level writing is not her strength, and phrases like “alphaholes” make me cringe. I wasn’t extremely compelled by Sandriel as a villain and found her death abrupt, although I remain obsessed with the image of Hunt holding her decapitated head, “smoke still trickling from the mouth, the nostrils.” I know many enjoy the smutty scenes but that’s not why I’m here; I don’t mind them (there aren’t many) but the overtly explicit language does slightly pull me out of the rest of the story.

Did any of these things take away from my overall enjoyment? No. SJM is a masterful story-teller, and I honestly think this might be her strongest book to date. She has reached a point in her writing career where she worked out the pacing kinks from her earlier two series (which both have weaker first books) and really delivered a compelling story filled with an intriguing mystery, fascinating world, and relatable characters. I loved the mix of magic and modernity so much more than I anticipated. And if I’ve learned anything from reading her series, we are just getting started with much more to be revealed.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll officially begin reading Book Two, House of Sky and Breath, starting with pages 1-90, through the end of Chapter 7. A few things I’m curious about as we jump into this next book:

• What will the fallout be from Micah and Sandriel’s deaths? Who will be the new Archangel to rule Valbara? Will Bryce and Hunt be able to comply with the Asteri’s wishes to remain under-the-radar?

• How will Bryce and Ruhn navigate her position as the true Starborn heir? How is the Autumn King going to take this going forward?

• How is Bryce’s newfound power going to affect her life?

• What is going to happen with Synth now—will it be weaponized as part of the rebellion?

• What are Jesiba Roga and Aidas plotting together per this Epilogue? And who is Hunt’s father?

I would love to hear what else you are excited to see happen as we embark upon this next portion of our journey together!

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share thought-pieces and bespoke guides sparked by my reading life or in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

Welcome to Book One, Week Seven of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). I’ve included an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app. Let me know in the comments if you like having this audio option!

If you’re not reading along, you can always turn off just these emails while continuing to receive The Town Crier, Side Quests, and my other newsletters. Customize your email preferences here.

Graphic by HollysLitMagic

Book One, Week Seven: People, Places, and Things to Note

SO MUCH HAPPENED in this section of House of Earth and Blood—this will include spoilers for Book One pages 613 through 706, up through the end of Chapter 80.

Hunt’s Fate and Bryce’s Identity

How many of you simply had to continue reading by the end of this section?! To recap: Hunt has been sold to Sandriel as punishment for the synth rebellion attempt. Justinian is confirmed dead and Viktoria is presumably also lost—although part of me is holding out hope she will somehow get rescued. The Autumn King visits Bryce at the Gallery, demanding to find Luna’s Horn and revealing that he does have some regrets when it comes to Bryce—even if it’s too little, too late. Bryce attempts to bargain for Hunt’s freedom, which (shocker) fails and results in Ruhn outing her true identity as the illegitimate daughter of the Autumn King. Bryce is attacked by a kristallos demon and saved by Ruhn and his Fae bros. Meanwhile, the Valbaran leaders gather to begin the Summit, which is kicked off virtually by the creepy Asteri who speak as one.

Summit Leaders

Artwork left Jesiba Roga by Morgana0anagrom, center Sandriel by artworks_by_rokii, right Queen Hypaxia by QueenofDeath02

Let’s review the attendees of this Summit, which is being held in a modern conference center five hours outside Crescent City. There are six groups represented, as usual with no one representing the seventh group, the humans:

• Representing the Angels:

  • Archangel Sandriel, most of her triarii, and her newly regained possession Hunt Athalar.

  • Archangel Micah and what’s left of his triarii, Isaiah and Naomi.

• Representing the Fae:

  • The Autumn King, his son and Prince Ruhn, and Ruhn’s right-hand warriors Declan Emmett and Tristan Flynn.

• Representing the Shifters:

  • The Prime, ancient and mostly represented by his daughter and heir, Sabine.

• Representing the Witches:

  • Queen Hypaxia, newly in power who is—surprise!—the same medwitch who healed Bryce and created the Synth antidote (and with whom Ruhn has had an ongoing flirtation).

• Representing the House of Many Waters:

  • The River Queen’s daughter and mer male Tharion Ketos.

• Representing the Bone Quarter and the Under-King:

  • Jesiba Roga—I didn’t realize she held this powerful a position?

Micah’s Motives

During the Summit, Micah makes a surprise visit to Bryce at the Gallery—the Gallery that, it turns out, is the ancient lost Library of Parthos, which Jesiba Roga has been guarding all this time. Bryce alerts Jesiba, who pulls up the Gallery’s security cameras for all to watch as Micah threatens Bryce and reveals that Bryce herself bears Luna’s Horn on her body—Danika had ground the Horn into a fine powder, mixed it with witch ink, and tattooed it across Bryce’s back. I did NOT see this one coming—it’s slightly far-fetched but I can buy into it. Turns out, it was Micah who had been hunting down the Horn—Micah who murdered Danika and her pack; Micah was behind all of it, in his own attempt to end the human rebellion and feed his own thirst for power.

Since we learn a lot of new info in a very short period, here’s a recap of Micah’s exact motivations and revelations:

• Micah has been hunting for Luna’s Horn so he can open a portal to other worlds, summon an army to defeat the human rebels and gain power for himself.

• Micah was an investor in Redner Industries, where Danika had been hired to track down a group of rebels who were experimenting with Synth to aid in defeating the Asteri and Vanir. This group had also discovered that the venom of the kristallos demon can nullify magic, which would aid humans in fighting the Asteri and the Vanir.

• Redner Industries came up with the cover story of experimenting with Synth for healing purposes and this is when they discovered how the drug affects Vanir and humans who overdose. Danika stole and saved footage from these trials.

• Micah realized the Synth could be used to heal Luna’s Horn. He leaked Synth into the streets knowing it would prompt Danika to buy it back in an effort to protect people, only to “catch” her and blackmail her into stealing Luna’s Horn.

• His plan backfired when Danika suspected his intentions and hid the Horn, so Micah injected Danika with Synth and caused her to kill her pack and herself.

• Since then, Micah has been summoning kristallos demons to try and find the Horn, which is what led to him realizing Bryce could help uncover where Danika had hidden it.

• He also planted the seed in the Autumn King’s mind to try and find the Horn himself, knowing that Ruhn and his Starborn power might also prove helpful.

Lehabah’s Last Stand

From here, it’s nonstop action: Micah uses his power and injects Bryce with Synth to heal and activate the Horn and, when she doesn’t cooperate, throws Syrinx into the deadly nøkk’s tank. Bryce just barely manages to save him, stalling Micah with the help of the Library’s enchanted books. The fire sprite Lehabah sacrifices herself with an inspiring last fight (remember back in Week Two learning that her name in Hebrew means both flickering flame and the glistening edge of a weapon?), buying Bryce time to grab the Godslayer Rifle and shoot Micah in the head.

Artwork by Philippe de Champaigne, Vanitas ou Allegory of human life, 1646

Under the influence: “Memento mori” is a Latin phrase meaning “Remember that you must die.” The concept was championed by ancient philosophers such as Plato and Seneca as well as by early Christianity, and generally served as a reminder to not take life for granted. This message was incorporated across a huge range of architecture, craftsmanship, and artwork, usually by the presence of a skull or some other death symbol, often in conjunction with a clock or watch to convey that our time will eventually run out. In literature, this theme shows up via symbols such as Yorick’s skull in Shakespeare’s Hamlet; and in classical music with the popularity of the requiem genre.

Things I’ve Been Watching That Have Paid Off

As we are nearing the end of this book at a breakneck pace, here are some things I’ve noted in past newsletters that have paid off this section:

• Archesian amulet: Finally we learn that these amulets were worn by the protectors of the Parthos Library which is why Bryce has had access to them; they have been concealing her role as the Horn bearer and protecting her from the kristallos demons all this time.

• The Nøkk: Knew this creature was going to come into play—although I had thought that maybe this was someone who had been transformed and imprisoned, this version of events in which Bryce must face the nøkk in its tank before Lehabah blasted it to smithereens was also very satisfying.

• The Godslayer Rifle: This has been mentioned quite a few times and was clearly serving as a Chekhov’s Gun within the story. I loved how this paid off.

Under the Influence: Chekhov’s Gun is a narrative principle that states that every element included within a story should ultimately become directly relevant. In the classic example from renowned Russian playwright Anton Chekhov: “If you say in the first act that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third act it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there.” The presence of the Godslayer Rifle, and the fact that Bryce is established as a sharpshooter, is a quite literal use of this principle.

Connections to ACOTAR and TOG

I’m continuing to keep an eye out for possible connections, or even just similarities, to the worlds of ACOTAR and TOG. I didn’t note anything new in this section, since it was heavy on the plot and revelations—other than wondering what other worlds this Horn can open portals into. I’d love to hear your thoughts or if there’s anything you feel I’ve missed! Let me know in the comments.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll read pages 707 to 799, through the Epilogue and officially finishing the book!

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share thought-pieces and bespoke guides sparked by my reading life or in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

We are officially halfway through 2026 and my reading looks very different this year than other years. As of mid-June, I’ve read 26 books so far—compared to 32 in 2025 and 44 in 2024. Honestly, I am not bothered by this change in quantity; I’m so enjoying reading what I want to read at a more relaxed pace versus trying to squeeze in as many books as possible each month.

That said—there are SO many amazing new releases this year. Here is my personal list of highly-anticipated new books that have been published through June and of those, which ones I have already read and which ones I plan to prioritize in the coming months. This doesn’t include everything else coming out the second half of 2026—for those, subscribe and stick around for future editions of my Town Crier newsletter, where I’ll be sharing my most highly-anticipated new releases the rest of the year.

General Stats for 2026

First, a few numbers and stats about my 2026 reading so far:

• Audiobooks are saving my reading life this year, making up a whopping 61%. This is shocking to me, but also not considering I barely have time to sit during the day and when I do, my physical books have been mostly part of my slower reading projects.

• 73% of what I’ve read I’ve rated 4 stars or higher—this is hugely successful and one of the biggest differences from past years. I’m reading less, but I’m enjoying what I’m reading more. I will happily take this trade-off.

• POC authors make up 27% which is lower than I’d like; I feel like I’m slacking here and would like to find ways to be intentional about this looking ahead. However, in looking back at the numbers, it’s actually an improvement on last year and creeping back towards my higher annual averages, so that makes me feel slightly better (34% in 2021, 25% in 2022, 27% in 2023, 31% in 2024, and 20% in 2025). Doesn’t mean it still can’t improve!

• I’m pretty 50/50 split between books I’ve read published in 2025 or 2026 (53.8%) versus backlist books published pre-2025 (46.2%). I’m happy with this split although anticipate new releases might increase as we enter the back half of the year.

8 Priority New Releases I Already Read (or Tried)

The Infamous Gilberts by Angela Tomaski

• Literary Historical Fiction, published 1/20.

• My review: As soon as I heard about the tone of voice of this novel, I was sold: the setting is Thornwalk Manor, an old house that is about to be turned into a boutique hotel. We are invited inside by a neighbor and family friend of the former residents, Maximus, who proceeds to take us around to each part of the house, telling us about the family who lived there through the empty rooms, leftover objects, and stains. What unfolds is both funny and surprisingly tragic; we see these five children and the lives they end up living, none of which quite measures up to the potential they had through a variety of factors both outside their control and stemming from their own decisions. I was very touched and completely swept up in their stories; I am very curious to see what else this author writes in future.

Kin by Tayari Jones

• Historical Fiction, published 2/24.

• My review: This book felt very in the tradition of books like Passing or Sula, watching two Black women who come from the same place but proceed down wildly different life paths. It asked a lot of questions around what it means to grow up without a mother; I’m not sure if I felt those questions were answered? While some of the sentence-level writing is quite beautiful, I expected something more literary and while I did enjoy this book, it very much felt like book club-ish historical fiction. I’m not sure how memorable it will be or what it’s adding to the conversation that similar predecessors haven’t already accomplished. I’ve also learned that I’m very picky when it comes to books written in first person. Particularly in this book, which alternates between two first-person voices, I didn’t feel they were differentiated from each other enough; the voices felt completely interchangeable. Many people have loved this one so definitely give it a try if it sounds more like your taste vs mine!

Cleopatra by Saara el-Arifi

• Historical Fiction, published 2/24.

• My review: I’ve always known of the iconic figure of Cleopatra but to be honest, knew almost nothing really substantive about her. This book takes an imaginative glance at her life and who she was, told in her own empowered voice. I loved having a front seat to her time on the Egyptian throne, battling both internal and external threats and engaging in doomed love affairs with Caesar and Marcus Antonius. There is some magical realism that fits in smoothly with the myth of who she was—the goddess Isis reincarnated—and I personally enjoyed the twist of the ending. This is a reading experience that has stuck with me since finishing.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

• Mystery/Suspense, published 4/21.

• My review: Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors; she always delivers a story that goes down like a milkshake, engrossing your attention while keeping you thinking. This one was the most sad and tragic of her books so far I think, although it definitely also had a lightness of tone reminiscent of The Thursday Murder Club. In some ways it reminded me of All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle with a side of multiple deaths. As always the audio production was excellent even if I’ve found the story to be a bit forgettable since finishing.

The Land and Its People by David Sedaris

• Nonfiction Essays, published 5/26.

• My review: What hasn’t already been said about the hysterically brilliant David Sedaris? I’ve loved his writing since first discovering his collections in college and in recent years, he has delivered the same dark humor but with an added sense of depth as he and his loved ones begin to face the good, the bad, and the ugly of growing older. Like any essay collection, some are stronger than others but all are laugh-out-loud funny and best heard in his own voice on audio.

Evil Genius by Claire Oshetsky

• Literary Fiction, published 2/17.

• My review: Oshetksy has said this new book was a bit of a reaction to their emotionally heavier previous two books (Chouette and Poor Deer), and it’s true that most of my time reading it was a darkly funny ride. I so enjoyed getting to know 19-year-old Celia, who is stuck in a marriage with a truly horrible man she’s been gaslit to think is great. It’s 1974 and she works at the phone company, which was honestly my favorite part of the novel, being taken back in time to this job. I also loved her own rising sense of wanting to free herself, perhaps violently, from her circumstances. The end of the novel didn’t fully deliver on the buildup; it fell a bit flat and lost me by the end. Overall I’m glad I read it and will continue to read Oshetsky’s work, I just wish it had stuck the landing better given how much I enjoyed the first 3/4.

Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser

• Fairytale Retelling, published 3/3.

• My review: This is technically a Cinderella retelling from the point of view of the stepmother; however, I think that description is a bit off the mark for what this book really is. There is no magic in this story; instead, it is vaguely historical fiction about a woman who has fallen down in her luck and is trying her best to maintain social standing and financial security for her daughters and stepdaughter. It explores what it means to mother, to be a woman, at the mercy of the world’s unforgiving social limitations. The back quarter felt slightly off the rails from where things began, which honestly didn’t bother me much but I could see not landing for some. All in all I had a great time listening to this one on audio.

No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes

• Greek Mythology Retelling, published 3/10.

• My review: I listened to about 40% of this one on audio and decided to hit pause for now. I adore Natalie Haynes—particularly on audio, as she’s a comedian and her rich British voice really brings her books to life. However, this book is full of so many characters being constantly introduced that I simply could not keep them straight. I would still like to return to this one at some point, either when I can better concentrate or try it in print.

8 Priority New Releases Still To Read

Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward

• Horror, published 2/24.

• Premise: Fleeing an abusive home, Riley and her younger brother Oliver follow whispers of a hidden refuge called Nowhere, an abandoned ranch in the Rockies that seems to promise freedom and safety. But as they settle into this feral sanctuary, they discover the land’s embers hide darker secrets and demand a harrowing price for sanctuary.

• I love Catriona Ward; she has become an auto-read author for me. Her stories are always visceral and unique, packing a boatload of psychological depth and intensity.

The Beheading Game by Rebecca Lehmann

• Speculative Historical Fiction, published 3/24.

• Premise: Anne Boleyn rises from her execution in the Tower of London, sews her severed head back onto her body, and escapes into Tudor England on a magic-laced quest to stop Henry VIII from remarrying and endangering her daughter Elizabeth’s claim—discovering, alongside an unlikely ally, both the brutal realities of common life and the enduring cost of being a woman too bold for her time

• Is there anything else I even need to say after that description? Between my slow read of Wolf Hall and the massive Tudor Reading Guide I published earlier this year, I’ve been on a major Tudor reading kick and need to pick this one up.

The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan

• Fantasy, published 2/24.

• Premise: In 1785, monster-slayer Sebastian Grave is drawn back into the blood-soaked hunt for the Beast of Gévaudan—this time by an estranged lover who shares his darkest secrets and his unfinished past with the creature. As revolution stirs and the Church closes in on Sebastian and his heart-devouring demon, the Beast returns transformed, threatening to ignite a war that could consume all of Europe.

• This cover and premise caught my attention when it came out and I’ve heard enough positive buzz about it since that I would love to pick it up soon. I’m always looking for good new fantasy books (particularly that aren’t just romantasy).

Land by Maggie O’Farrell

• Literary Fiction, published 6/2.

• Premise: In 1865 Ireland, Tomás and his son Liam are working on the great Ordnance Survey project to map the country ravaged by the Great Hunger; but when Tomás has an unsettling encounter in a copse, his life and his family’s are forever changed—leaving ten-year-old Liam terrified and struggling to finish the mapping and get them both home. Land is a novel about separation and reunion, tragedy and recovery, colonization and rebellion—a story of buried treasure, overlapping lives, ancient woodland, persistent ghosts, and how, when it comes to both land and history, nothing ever goes away.

• Maggie O’Farrell’s book Hamnet is one of my favorite books of all time, and the most beautifully written book I’ve ever read full stop. That’s a high bar to live up to so I haven’t read anythign else by her—but I think I’ll give this one a try!

The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty

• Fantasy, published 5/12.

• Premise: Pirate Amina al-Sirafi balances dangerous quests for immortal rulers with life as a mother—until she’s sent on an impossible mission to steal a fate-altering relic from an inescapable island. As storms, betrayals, and a far deadlier game close in, Amina must outwit enemies both ancient and close to home to survive.

• The highly-anticipated sequel to The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi and hands-down my most anticipated May release. I cannot wait to return to this world! I started this on audio briefly but may switch to a physical copy, to ensure I’m absorbing the world-building in full. Definitely read the first book first.

The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

• Literary Fiction, published 5/5.

• Premise: Artie Dam leads a quiet, respectable life as a high school teacher, husband, and sailor, yet beneath the surface he is consumed by a deep sense of isolation and a haunting question about how little we truly know one another. When a hidden truth comes to light, it forces him to reevaluate his life, his relationships, and the fragile meaning he has built around them.

• I love Strout’s Lucy novels (Oh, William! and Lucy By the Sea in particular) and have no idea what to expect with this new stand-alone. But her sentence-level writing and poignant characters are always divine.

Whistler by Ann Patchett

• Literary Fiction, published 6/2.

• Premise: When Daphne Fuller and her husband encounter Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they reconnect after decades apart; their brief relationship when she was nine had profoundly shaped both their lives, and now reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again. Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made and the choices made for them, ultimately exploring how love endures and how being truly known by one other person, even briefly, can change everything.

• I’m a newer Ann Patchett devotee, first being pulled in by The Dutch House and then enjoying Tom Lake. There are still many backlist classics I want to get to, but in the meantime I look forward to picking up her newest novel when the right mood strikes. I’ve heard it’s great on audio; I’m torn about what medium to try.

Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson

• Science Fiction/Fantasy, published 2/3.

• Premise: All his life, Sixth of the Dusk has been a traditional trapper of Aviar—the supernatural birds his people bond with—on the deadly island of Patji. His people are in a race to modernize before they are conquered by the Ones Above, invaders from the stars who want to exploit the Aviar. When a chance comes to sail into the expanse of the emberdark through a mystical portal, Dusk sets off to secure his people’s salvation with only a canoe, his birds, and all the grit and canniness of a Patji trapper. He forges an uneasy alliance with Starling—a dragon bound in human form—and together they navigate ancient magic, ruthless politics, and the lingering power of a dead god in a bid for freedom that could reshape their worlds.

• This cover is EVERYTHING, it just looks so absolutely fun (badly needed right now). This is the latest from Brandon Sanderson’s Secret Projects (learn more about those here) and though I’m dying to read it, I have seen that it would be best to read further into Sanderson’s other Cosmere books (which I’ve been slowly working on) before picking it up. I have a lot of reading to do! What a wonderful problem to have.

That’s it for this month’s Side Quest! Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “The Hero’s Journey” where we are reading the biggest fantasy books on our to-read lists—this month starting Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series!

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

Welcome to Book One, Week Six of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). I’ve included an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app. Let me know in the comments if you like having this audio option!

If you’re not reading along, you can always turn off just these emails while continuing to receive The Town Crier, Side Quests, and my other newsletters. Customize your email preferences here.

Graphic by HollysLitMagic

Book One, Week Six: People, Places, and Things to Note

I have so many thoughts about this next section of House of Earth and Blood—this will include spoilers for Book One for pages 489 through 609, up through the end of Part 3.

The Plot Thickens

We got some drama by the end of section! It all started when traces of this mystery drug, synth, were found on Danika’s clothes. Thanks to Sabine, Hunt is subjected to the Living Death, which means his wings get CUT OFF. We finally learn what Bryce did at the end of Part 1: she made a deal with the Under-King to exchange her place in the Bone Quarter’s afterlife to ensure Danika had a place there. And by the end of the section, right after crossing the line from friends to something more, Bryce feels betrayed by Hunt, learning that he and the other Fallen were trying to purchase Synth from the Viper Queen for their own rebellious efforts. Not only that, but supposedly they believe that Danika herself had been dealing in and addicted to the drug, which is ultimately what led to her and her pack’s deaths that fateful night. Is this really what happened? I’m not sure and would love to hear what you all think. Meanwhile, the Fallen are left in shambles, with Justinian crucified, Viktoria ripped from her host body and imprisoned in a glass box, and Hunt—well, we don’t yet know what punishment is in store for him, but it is supposedly something even worse than the Living Death.

Synth & Danika’s Death

At Viktoria’s revelation about the weird substance showing up on Danika’s clothes being something called “Synth,” I yelled out loud, “WAIT!”

Let’s rewind all the way back to Part One, page 51: Bryce goes to the White Raven and buys drugs from a draki female, who “tried to sell her on some new party drug—Synth will make you feel like a god, she said.” At the end of that chapter, Bryce mentions this exchange to Fury—Fury who has been mysteriously MIA since this night and doesn’t appear again until the end of this section:

Bryce squinted at the powder. “Is this what the dealer just tried to sell me?”

Fury went still. “What’d she say it was?”

“Some new party drug—gives you a god-like high. I don’t know. Super expensive.”

Fury frowned. “Synth? Stay away from it. That’s some bad shit.”

So we now learn that Synth is a new drug that had been developed as a healing aid in a lab that leaked onto the streets; it is essentially “synthetic magic” that imbues those without magical abilities with extreme powers for a short time, or dangerously heightening the powers of the Vanir. This is apparently what went wrong the night Danika died: supposedly, Danika herself was dealing in Synth and her own use of it is what ultimately killed her pack and herself. Bryce and Hunt watch footage of the lab trials for the drug and witness the subjects tearing others into pieces, exactly matching the way Danika, her pack, and the other victims were found dead.

I’m still skeptical about whether Danika was actually addicted to the drug and the perpetrator that night. I think more might still be at play here than has been revealed—if only because of Danika hiding the USB for Bryce in her jacket. To me, that reads as more than someone who was using this drug for her own personal enjoyment. I think Danika was onto something about this drug and someone wanted her dead because of it, and this is the narrative now being pushed. Let me know what you think in the comments!

The Horn & The Kristallos

Graphic by HollysLitMagic, Artwork Kristallos by Spine_Lux

It seems that one of the ingredients in Synth is obsidian salt, which can open portals and is how the team theorizes the kristallos demons are being summoned—accidentally—upon use of the drug. I suppose this is possible but it sounds a bit far-fetched and convenient to me, particularly given the fact the Luna’s Horn was taken and is still missing. There is the possibility that the person selling Synth is the same person who stole the Horn, because the Synth might be able to “heal” the Horn. Could this have been Danika’s real purpose getting involved with Synth? We shall see.

Things I’m Watching Looking Ahead

Here are a few other things I’m taking note of and watching as we continue reading:

• Solas and Cthona: There’s a small reference that Bryce’s mother, Ember, wears a pendant depicting “a circle set atop two triangles. The Embrace…The union of Solas and Cthona.” We haven’t gotten a detailed run-down of the gods but know that Cthona represents the House of Earth and Blood, including humans like Ember, and Solas represents the House of Sky and Breath, including the angels and Fae. An interesting symbol given that Bryce is the product of a human-Fae union and she herself is now falling for an angel. 

• Nøkk: I predict that this giant nøkk that Jesiba moves into the giant tank in the archives is somehow going to become more important to the story. I loved hearing it described: “At more than eight feel long, the nøkk might have very well been the Helish twin to a mer male. But instead of humanoid features, the nøkk presented a jutting lower jaw with a too-wide, lipless mouth, full of needle-thin teeth. Its overlarge eyes were milky, like some of the fishes of the deep. Its tail was mostly translucent—bony and sharp—and above it, a warped, muscled torso rose. No hair covered its chest or head, and its four-fingered hands ended in daggerlike claws.”

Artwork “Nøkken” by Theodor Kittelsen

Under the Influence: “Nøkk” is another name for a creature in Germanic folklore called a “nixie,” which were shapeshifting water spirits depicted as sometimes male, sometimes female. In Nordic folklore, they would play enchanted songs to lure women and children to drown in lakes and streams. They were sometimes an omen for drowning accidents and were similar to the Siren of Greek mythology.

Connections to ACOTAR and TOG

I’m continuing to keep an eye out for possible connections, or even just similarities, to the worlds of ACOTAR and TOG.

• Lavender soap: When Bryce cares for Hunt after his murder job, she washes him with lavender soap. If you’ve read Throne of Glass you’ll know that lavender soap is extremely significant in that story: a character doesn’t share their expensive lavender soap with a loved one and shortly afterwards, that person suddenly dies; the soap becomes a symbol of regret and a call to open yourself up to those you love in the present while you still have the opportunity to do so. It’s extremely meaningful that Bryce uses her lavender soap to wash and care for Hunt in this scene.

• Iron cauldrons: There is brief mention of the witch shops Hunt has visited in Pangera, “where witches still made their own potions in iron cauldrons that had been passed down through the generations.” Definitely thought of ACOTAR. And in general, these healing witches make me think again of Yrene in Throne of Glass.

• Magic-killing manacles: As Hunt and the other Fallen are arrested after their botched Synth deal, they are cuffed with “gorsian stones—thick, magic-killing manacles.” This of course made me think of the Wyrdstone rings and collars used in Throne of Glass.

I’d love to hear if there’s anything you feel I’ve missed! Let me know in the comments.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll read pages 613-706, to the end of Chapter 80. We are in the home stretch!

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share thought-pieces and bespoke guides sparked by my reading life or in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

Welcome to Book One, Week Five of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). I’ve included an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app. Let me know in the comments if you like having this audio option!

If you’re not reading along, you can always turn off just these emails while continuing to receive The Town Crier, Side Quests, and my other newsletters. Customize your email preferences here.

Graphic by @HollysLitMagic

Book One, Week Five: People, Places, and Things to Note

I can’t wait to get into thoughts about this next section of House of Earth and Blood—this will include spoilers for Book One up to page 488, the first half of Part 3.

The Plot Thickens

So we now know that Sabine Fendyr tampered with the security footage from the night Luna’s Horn was stolen; but plot twist, Sabine isn’t the one who stole the Horn—it was Danika. Bryce and Hunt consult with the Fallen wraith Viktoria in an effort to track the kristallos demon, which leads to a visit to Tharion Ketos, a swoony mer male from the Istros River. Hunt gets attacked by a kristallos demon, and Tharion reveals that more bodies have been found with those wounds floating in the depths of the Istros—all of which leads Bryce to realize that the kristallos isn’t the same creature that is behind the murders of Danika, the vampyr, and the temple victims. She’s also furious to learn that the Autumn King interfered with Danika’s murder investigation. Hands-down my favorite part of this section was the summoning of Aidas, demon Prince of the Chasm—not only because of the incredible drama of his appearance, but because he seems to know or guess at things that are still hidden from us readers.

Tharion Ketos & the River Folk

Graphic by @HollysLitMagic, Artwork left River Queen elizianna.the.one, center Tharion by BloodyDamnit, right Tharion by Ivy Gwendolline

This section we take a trip to the banks of the Istros River and meet Tharion Ketos, a mer male who promises to help with the investigation. I loved learning about the mer people: “The mer could shift into fully human bodies for short periods of time, but if they went too long, the shift would be permanent, their scales drying up and flaking away into dust, their gills shrinking to nothing.” The modern twist about Bryce’s friend in college who had a giant tub in her dorm is extra creative and fun.

One of my favorite things about reading fantasy is that expansion of the world—continuing to discover new places, new creatures, new magic. Here, we get a closer look at the House of Many Waters: “The river folk were notoriously secretive, their city beneath the surface—the Blue Court—a place few who dwelled on land would ever see. One glass sub went in and out per day, and those on it traveled by invitation only.” We even get a hint at the mysterious River Queen herself:

The River Queen, part mer, part river-spirit…was a daughter of Ogenas, according to legend, born from the mighty river-that-encircles-the-world, and sister to the Ocean Queen, the reclusive ruler of the five great seas of Midgard.

Aidas, Prince of the Chasm

Graphic by @HollysLitMagic, Artwork by Sncinderart

The dramatic summoning of Aidas, Hel’s demon Prince of the Chasm, is everything I want from SJM and more. I love the creepiness of the obsidian salt, the sudden frost, the deceptively handsome facade and surprisingly casual familiarity with Bryce. I love that he previously appeared as a cat—something he seems to do again by the end of the chapter, unless Bryce is dreaming. We are left with his cryptic words, “The Oracle did not see. But I did.”

Also important to note: Aidas recognizes something in Hunt, which brings to mind the Oracle’s reaction to Hunt as well. He comments on Hunt’s “black crown,” seeming to see it differently than the halo of shame it’s intended to be. Stay tuned for more on this front.

Under the Influence: It’s mentioned that the Prince of the Pit earned the name of “Star-Eater” because during the First Wars, he killed (and presumably, ate) the “seventh holy star—Sirius, the Wolf Star.” In our real-world night sky, the star Sirius is also known as Canis Majoris, or the Dog Star, and it is the brightest star in Earth’s night sky. In Greek Mythology, the star is part of the constellation of Canis Major, which is set next to Orion, the Hunter, as his faithful dog. Don’t forget what Hunt’s real name was revealed to be last section—and the significance of the number seven.

Visualizing Crescent City

Another great visual of the city as Hunt flies Bryce around through the rain:

In the rain, the marble buildings gleamed like they were made from moonstone, the gray cobblestone streets appeared polished a silvery blue splashed with the gold of the firstlight lamps. To her right, the Gates in the Old Square, Moonwood, and FiRo rose through the sprawl, like the humped spine of some twining beast breaking the surface of a lake, their crystal gleaming like melting ice. From this high, the avenues that linked them all—the ley lines beneath them—shot like spears through the city.

We also make a visit to the wolves’s Den in Moonwood, which was described in a way that reminded me of Gramercy Park in NYC with its privacy and iron gates. SJM is a New York City girl like myself so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this was part of her inspiration.

Last but not least, I would love to get a glimpse of the Bone Quarter which was briefly mentioned: “No one knew what went on in the Sleeping City. If the dead roamed through the mausoleums, if the Reapers patrolled and ruled like kings, if it was merely mist and carved stone and silence. No one flew over it—no one dared.”

Under the Influence: Bryce’s love for the fictional “Starlight Fancy” horses are a direct reference to SJM’s own love of My Little Pony, the toys and animated series that all are about how “friendship is magic.” SJM has spoken about how important friendship, especially female friendship, is throughout all of her novels.

Things I’m Watching Looking Ahead

Here are a few other things I’m taking note of and watching as we continue reading:

• Witches: We have yet to meet any witches but did learn a little more about them: “Though they looked like humans, their considerable magic and long lives marked them as Vanir, their power mostly passed through the female line…The power was inherited, from some ancient source that the witches claimed was a three-faced goddess, but witches did pop up in non-magical families every now and then. Their gifts were varied, from seers to warriors to potion-makers, but healers were the most visible in Crescent City.”

• Danika & Through Love, All is Possible: I think Miss Danika was up to a lot more than Bryce knew about, that led to her death. I also am curious about the deeper significance of the phrase “Through love, all is possible,” which was on the back of Danika’s leather jacket that Bryce now wears: “The tattoo on my back says the same thing…in some fancy alphabet that [Danika] dug up online…Danika had a thing about that phrase. It was all the Oracle told her, apparently.” This Oracle is real busy out here with the meaningfully cryptic phrases!!

• The Starsword & the Knife: Ruhn reveals that the Starsword is part of a pair: there is a long-bladed knife “forged from the iridium mined from the same meteorite, which fell on our old world…The world the Fae had left to travel through the Northern Rift and into Midgard.” The sword is apparently useless without the knife, which was lost “eons ago—even the Fae archives have no record of how it might have been lost, but it seems to have been sometime during the First Wars.” All of the history around the First Wars and Crossing of the Rift is clearly incredibly important to what is going on now, including the hunt for Luna’s Horn.

• Lehabah & the Elemental Wars: I’m not sure how much this is added world-building color vs if this will become important later on, but I noted the fire sprite Lehabah mentioning that she’s descended from Queen Ranthia Drahl who was dethroned in something called the Elemental Wars; she was accused of trying to steal the royal consort from the imposter queen. I love tidbits of history like this, whether they become more relevant or not.

• The Last Starborn Prince: Mention was made of “the last time a Starborn Prince appeared,” who was apparently killed before he had the chance to make the Drop—while going through the Ordeal with none other than the Autumn King. This reads as definitely suspicious to me!

• Messenger Otters: HOW CUTE!!

Connections to ACOTAR and TOG

I’m continuing to keep an eye out for possible connections, or even just similarities, to the worlds of ACOTAR and TOG. The big one this section comes from Aidas, Prince of the Chasm:

The Northern Rift opens to other places—other realms, yes, but other planets as well. What is Hel but a distant planet bound to yours by a ripple in space and time?…Your kind, Fallen, were made in Midgard by the Asteri. But the Fae, the shifters, and many others came from their own worlds. The universe is massive. Some believe it has no end. Or that our universe might be one in a multitude, as bountiful as the stars in the sky or the sand on a beach.

I am sat and ready for wherever this is going. Lastly, what we’ve learned so far about “medwitches” and healers definitely made me think of Yrene in Throne of Glass. I’d love to hear if there’s anything you feel I’ve missed! Let me know in the comments.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll read pages 489-609, to the end of Part 3. We are moving right along in the second half of the book!

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share thought-pieces and bespoke guides sparked by my reading life or in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

Welcome to Book One, Week Four of our read-along of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City trilogy! I’m thrilled that you’re here as we prepare for the newest ACOTAR books publishing this fall (since these series connect!). Note that I am testing out an audio voiceover for this entire piece, which may play best within your Substack app. Let me know in the comments if you like having this audio option!

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Graphic by @HollysLitMagic

Book One, Week Four: People, Places, and Things to Note

I can’t wait to get into thoughts about this next section of House of Earth and Blood—this will include spoilers for Book One up to page 366, through the end of Part 2.

The Investigation Continues

In the aftermath of the White Raven explosion, Bryce and Hunt are both beginning to open up to each other about past traumas and the baggage they’re carrying around. Bryce is waiting to make the Drop for another two years, when she and Danika had planned to do it together. Hunt shares about his bargain with Micah and his ill-fated love story with Shahar, the leader of the failed angel rebellion. Bryce, Hunt, and Ruhn hang out in the gallery archives researching the kristallos and attempting to put the pieces of this murderous puzzle together, searching for both the killer as well as whoever stole Luna’s Horn.

Their sleuthing takes them to see both the Oracle and human rebel Philip Briggs, leading up to the discovery of another person slain—a guard from Luna’s Temple who was on duty the night the Horn was stolen. This revelation leads Bryce to realize that the murders are forming a pattern across the city, mirroring ley lines of firstlight power that flow through the city’s Gates. I knew these Gates were going to be important! The section ends with the revelation that someone did indeed tamper with footage from Luna’s Temple the night the Horn was stolen—and it was none other than Danika’s mother and second-in-line to be leader of the wolf-shifters, Sabine Fendyr.

The Oracle

Graphic by @HollysLitMagic, Artwork center by Saad Irfan

Oh did I love this scene. Between the Viper Queen last week and the Oracle this week, these are the kind of mysterious, slightly creepy, very cool characters I love in my fantasy books. And hope to see more of as we continue reading.

The temple itself is a direct contrast to Luna’s Temple, which we visited in last week’s reading: “The sunlight glowed off the white stones of Luna’s Temple—and, as if in a mirror reflection directly across from it, seemed to be absorbed by the black domed Oracle’s Temple.” The chamber smells of smoke and roasted meat due to the burning animal sacrifices to the god Ogenas, “Keeper of Mysteries.”

The Oracle herself is a Sphinx which is SO cool. She looks as though she’s made of molten gold, with the body of a lioness, folded wings, and the face of a beautiful woman. She is ancient and mysterious, and while she doesn’t reveal who took the Horn, she does share why: “They wish to use the Horn to reopen the Northern Rift.”

Under the Influence: Sphinxes served as guardians of temples and tombs in both Egyptian and Greek mythologies. There are some differences between the two mythologies: Greek sphinxes were female and challenged visitors with a riddle, which, if not answered correctly, would result in her killing and eating them. Egyptian sphinxes were depicted as male, often a representation of the Pharoah; they didn’t have wings and symbolized strength.

The Oracle leaves Hunt with strange parting words: “You remind me of that which was lost long ago…I had not realized it might ever appear again.” No clue what that means—but sounds important! We learn that the Fae visit the Oracle by the time they turn 13 years old to provide a glimpse of their future. Apparently, when Bryce went, her vision led to the Oracle going blind for a week. The Oracle also calls Hunt by his given name: Orion. Yes, Orion—the Hunter.

Under the Influence: Orion was a near-giant and hunter in Greek mythology. There are conflicting versions of his story but most involve him hunting with the goddess Artemis and being killed by a scorpion sent by Gaia. After his death, Artemis asks Zeus to immortalize Orion in the heavens as a constellation—a scorpion is commemorated as well, forming the constellation Scorpius.

Luna’s Horn & More Fae History

Luna’s horn can only be repaired “by light that is not light; magic that is not magic.” Whatever that means…Meanwhile, Ruhn discovers an account about Prince Pelias—the original bearer of Luna’s Horn—and his bride, Lady Helena which absolutely seems important:

“Pelias was actually the high general for a Fae Queen named Theia when they entered this world during the crossing—and Helena was her daughter…Queen Theia was also Starborn, and her daughter possessed the same power. They had a younger daughter with the same gift, but only Lady Helena gets mentioned…Night-haired Helena, from whose golden skin poured starlight and shadows. It seems like Pelias was one of several Fae back then with the Starborn power…The Horn worked only when that starlight flowed through it, when it was filled with power. This claims that the Starborn magic…can be channeled through the sacred objects—bringing them to life.”

My guess is that others besides Ruhn may contain this Starborn magic—perhaps Bryce herself? And that’s why Ruhn has seen starlight swimming around her and heard the Starsword singing in her presence? We shall see!

Visualizing Crescent City

Graphic by @HollysLitMagic

I loved this passage summarizing a bit of the various districts within the city and want to make note as we continue to visualize what this world looks like:

The Central Business District was separated from the Old Square by the clear dividing line of Ward Avenue…Hunt looked beyond the Old Square, to where the green of Five Roses sparkled in the muggy haze. Towering cypresses and palms rose up, along with glittering bursts of magic. In Moonwood, more oak trees—less magic frills…Asphodel Meadows wasn’t much to behold. Yet the Meadows was a luxury development compared to the human districts in Pangera.

Things I’m Watching Looking Ahead

Here are a few other things I’m taking note of and watching as we continue reading:

• Old Square Gate: I still think the scene with Bryce and Danika visiting the Old Square Gate at the very start of the book, is going to come back into play. It’s mentioned in this section briefly, keeping it in the periphery as we continue reading: “They passed the Old Square Gate, tourists already queued to take photos or touch the disk on the dial pad, gleefully handing over a drop of their power as they did so. None seemed aware of the body that had been found a few blocks away. In the drifting mist, the quartz Gate was almost ethereal, like it had been carved from ancient ice. Not one rainbow graced the buildings around it—not in the fog.” Is it in the fog because this piece of the puzzle is still shrouded in mystery?! We shall see!

• Bryce’s sharpshooting: I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Bryce’s stepfather is apparently a legendary hero and sharpshooter named Randall Silago. This skill set will definitely come into play at some point.

• Micah’s Ownership of the Fallen: It’s pointed out that if something were to happen to Micah, his ownership of the Fallen triarii including Hunt would “pass on to whoever replaces him…If he doesn’t have anyone listed the assets get divided among the other Archangels.” One of which is Sandriel, Hunt’s former owner and sister of Shahar. I found this to be a very interesting potential motive considering that the kristallos attacked and almost killed Micah at the start of the book. I feel like it’s no coincidence that Micah has “collected” so many of the Fallen in his triarii.

• Parthos vase: In the archives, the crew discovers images of an ancient vase depicting a creature like the kristallos being slain by a sword. Noting this considering we have not one, but two notable swords in play: Danika’s sword and the Starsword. There’s also mention of the vase’s place of origin, Parthos, which is vague but seems like some sort of mythical ancient library that has been lost to time.

Connections to ACOTAR and TOG

I’m continuing to keep an eye out for possible connections, or even just similarities, to the worlds of ACOTAR and TOG. Nothing too new struck me here in this week’s reading besides continuing to be curious about this Fae history and wondering from where they crossed over years ago. I also am connecting these Gates to the Wyrdgates in Throne of Glass, which I won’t get into further but if you know, you know. I’d love to hear if there’s anything you feel I’ve missed! Let me know in the comments.

Coming Up Next

Next week we’ll read the first half of Part 3, pages 369-488, to the end of Chapter 52.

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other regular publications: “The Town Crier,” a monthly newsletter sharing my most-anticipated new releases and other book news; and “Side Quests,” where I share thought-pieces and bespoke guides sparked by my reading life or in reaction to books I’ve read recently.

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

Gird your loins—June is jam-packed with exciting new releases, including some of the heaviest hitters of the year (Ann Patchett! Maggie O’Farrell!). I have been slow to pick up many new releases so far this year, something I’ll be unpacking more in this month’s Side Quests newsletter. Stay tuned!

In case you missed it, I’ve officially kicked off a read-along for Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series starting with book one, House of Earth and Blood, as part of my project The Hero’s Journey. Details about the read-along here—it’s never too late to join in and catch up at your own pace!

Without further ado, here’s The Town Crier for June 2026.

Notable Recent Reads & Rereads

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth (Suspense, published 4/21).

• My review: Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors; she always delivers a story that goes down like a milkshake, engrossing your attention while keeping you thinking. This one was the most sad and tragic of her books so far I think, although it definitely also had a lightness of tone reminiscent of The Thursday Murder Club. In some ways it reminded me of All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle with a side of multiple deaths. As always the audio production was excellent.

Disney Adults: Exploring (and Falling in Love with) a Magical Subculture by AJ Wolfe (Nonfiction, backlist).

• My review: THOROUGHLY enjoyed. I love an exploration of a niche and passionate sub-culture and relished every part of this journey, learning about the adults who love Disney’s stories, theme parks, and world of magic and imagination. The author did an excellent job sharing all the good and acknowledging the potential bad that comes along with obsessions like this, profiling real people and examining Disney as a brand and business. I for one am all for people finding joy where they can get it.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker (Horror, backlist).

• My review: This is horror born out of not just the COVID pandemic but more specifically, the racism faced by anyone Chinese or Asian more broadly during that time. It took me a bit to settle into the rhythm and I wouldn’t say I was particularly invested in either Cora or any of the other characters, but overall I enjoyed it and appreciate it shedding a light on this very real social horror, heightened by gory deaths, the spirits of hungry ghosts, and the threat of a potential serial killer.

For reviews of every book I read, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic.

June 2026 New Releases

…If You Want Something a Little Literary

Whistler by Ann Patchett (Literary Fiction, out 6/2).

• Premise: When Daphne Fuller and her husband encounter Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they reconnect after decades apart; their brief relationship when she was nine had profoundly shaped both their lives, and now reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again. Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made and the choices made for them, ultimately exploring how love endures and how being truly known by one other person, even briefly, can change everything.

• I’m a newer Ann Patchett devotee, first being pulled in by The Dutch House and then enjoying Tom Lake. There are still many backlist classics I want to get to, but in the meantime I look forward to picking up her newest novel when the right mood strikes.

Ghost-Eye by Amitav Ghosh (Literary Fiction, out 6/16).

• Premise: When three-year-old Varsha Gupta, raised in a strict vegetarian Calcutta mansion, suddenly asks for fish and claims to remember another life in a mud house by a river, her family turns to Dr. Shoma Bose, a psychologist investigating cases of reincarnation—and Varsha’s revelations change Shoma’s understanding of the world forever. Half a century later, Varsha’s case file catches the attention of environmental activists, drawing Shoma’s nephew Dinu into their plans and unearthing buried memories of his own past in this urgent novel about family, fate, and our fragile planet.

• A new Amitav Ghosh is coming out! This was an author I read long before I was involved in the book community online, having loved his Sea of Poppies trilogy. I’m not sure how much I’ll prioritize this one but it’s still exciting to see.

Land by Maggie O’Farrell (Literary Fiction, out 6/2).

• Premise: In 1865 Ireland, Tomás and his son Liam are working on the great Ordnance Survey project to map the country ravaged by the Great Hunger; but when Tomás has an unsettling encounter in a copse, his life and his family’s are forever changed—leaving ten-year-old Liam terrified and struggling to finish the mapping and get them both home. Land is a novel about separation and reunion, tragedy and recovery, colonization and rebellion—a story of buried treasure, overlapping lives, ancient woodland, persistent ghosts, and how, when it comes to both land and history, nothing ever goes away.

• Maggie O’Farrell’s book Hamnet is one of my favorite books of all time, and the most beautifully written book I’ve ever read full stop. That’s a high bar to live up to so I haven’t read anythign else by her—but I think I’ll give this one a try!

The Emilys by Heather Abel (Speculative Literary Fiction, out 6/16).

• Premise: When Eve, alone with her two children in Massachusetts while her husband pursues his music career in New York, reconnects with her childhood friend Demeter, she discovers that Demeter’s daughter—like a growing number of people dubbed Emilys—cannot go outside during the day, and no one knows why. Determined to help her friend, Eve joins an unlikely band of detectives searching for answers, but finding a cure will require a price: she’s keeping secrets from her husband, fighting with Demeter, and distracted from her children, forcing her to decide what she’s willing to risk.

• This sounds like the right amount of weird mixed with thought-provoking speculative elements and relatable themes. Plus a beautiful cover.

Little Wild by Laura Evans (Literary Historical Fiction, out 6/23).

• Premise: In 1937 Suffolk, as preparations for a party at Snare House are underway, Margaret—longtime ward of the Winther family—and Joanie, the family’s only daughter, plan to leave for London to live together as lovers instead of Joanie attending Oxford. When the pair is discovered and Margaret is banished to a cabin in the woods with her estranged father, she begins to lose herself as dark dreams and a perverse power awaken within her—perhaps the very one that led to her mother’s ostracism and death—and she must decide if she can harness it to secure the love she’s always craved, and at what cost.

• Another wild card pick, this one got me with the beautiful cover plus the description of “Weyward meets Atonement.”

Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See (Historical Fiction, out 6/9).

• Premise: In 1870, three Chinese women—Dove, the bound-footed daughter of a scholar seeking love; Petal, the big-footed peasant’s daughter sold twice and desperate for freedom; and Moon, the educated beauty with a limp seeking justice—arrive in the violent pueblo of Los Angeles. Facing a society filled with anti-Chinese sentiment that leads to the Night of Horrors, the three women must use their bravery, endurance, and ability to “eat bitterness” to discover their voices, find freedom, and connect through solace and friendship.

• I have adored several of Lisa See’s books in the past (The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, The Island of Sea Women); and although I’ve been less drawn to this kind of historical fiction lately, See always unearths a really unique time and place in history so I always like to keep an eye out for what she releases. This one is especially interesting as it’s set in historical Los Angeles (where I live).

…If You Want Something Dark & Mysterious

It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell (Thriller, out 6/23).

• Premise: When a small white terrier appears alone near her country estate and the teenaged girl he'd been staying with goes missing, Jane Trevally offers to return the dog to his registered owner in London—but arriving at a run-down house called Thornwood in Hampstead, she is immediately on alert because she has a dark history with this house. The cagey man who answers the door claims to know nothing about the missing girl, but conjuring her memories from twenty-five years ago, Jane knows this unsettling house holds the key to the missing teenager, to her own traumatic story, and to the dark secrets of the past.

• I’m not going to lie, the cover and title of this one are utterly forgettable; BUT, Lisa Jewell always delivers. I love her books—she always balances solid writing with unputdownable plot—and will definitely be picking this one up on audio.

Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller (Literary Horror, out 6/2).

• Premise: In 1987, sixteen-year-old Ursula finds herself with a new job, a bed in a halfway house, and new friends including wild-child Sue—but when Sue's demands become extreme, Ursula carries out a terrible dare at the mysterious Underwood house and finds herself literally haunted. Thirty-six years later, Ursula is a reclusive sculptor living under a pseudonym when a true-crime documentarian exposes her identity, forcing her to confront whether the monsters are within her or without—and if they will finally make her pay for her past mistakes.

• I’ve never read Claire Fuller (she has previously written The Memory of Animals as well as Bitter Orange, which has been recommended to me by ) but the cover, title, and premise of this one has me intrigued. I love keeping an eye on what books publisher Tin House is putting out.

The Children by Melissa Albert (Gothic Fiction, out 6/2).

• Premise: Guinevere Sharpe has two childhoods—one in the wooded shadow of her family's isolated Vermont farmhouse where she and her brother Ennis grow up near-feral, and another in the pages of their mother's world-famous Ninth City books, where their magical adventures have made them household names. Now an adult coasting on her mother's name, Guinevere's public facade begins to crack when her estranged brother announces an art installation titled Mother, forcing her to confront the questions she's spent twenty years running from: What really happened the night of the fire that left them sole survivors, and what dark history lies behind their mother's fantasy world?

• This cover caught my eye last year when it was first announced; it’s Albert’s first adult novel, having previously written the YA Hazel Wood books.

The Heirs by Faridah Àbíké Iyímídé (YA Mystery, out 6/2)

• Premise: Five adopted siblings—Octavius the Maestro, Fola the Brain, Bilal the Olympian, Perdita the Artist, and Romeo the Failure—were viciously trained by their billionaire father Leontes Button with his infamous "Button Method" to prove his hypothesis for creating child geniuses, until he is murdered at his annual Prodigy Ball. Now all who attended the ball are required to stay in Button Manor while police investigate, but each of the Button siblings has something to hide—and they aren't the only ones with secrets, as Leontes Button was especially good at making enemies.

• I really enjoyed this author’s previous book, Where Sleeping Girls Lie, and have heard raves about Ace of Spades; she seems to have mastered a moody, dark academia vibe with a modern twist. She excellently balances dark plots with a lighter YA touch.

Someone Else’s Husband by Kimberly McCreight (Mystery, out 6/16).

• Premise: When Gretchen Falk's devoted husband Richard joins an expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro, she doesn't know that the beautiful artist Frankie Callahan climbing alongside him will prove a far greater danger than the mountain—by the time the group descends with one fewer member than when they began, they have lost more than they ever could have imagined. Now, less than two weeks after their return to New York, Frankie's loft is a blood-soaked crime scene and Richard has been charged with her murder, leaving Gretchen to figure out how the life she so carefully constructed could have imploded so completely.

• Another one with a forgettable title but another author that always delivers a smart, gripping thriller (I adored A Good Marriage). Plus, mountain climbing expeditions gone wrong?! One of my absolute favorite tropes.

…If You Want Something Magical or Speculative

The Tinder Box by M. R. Carey (Fantasy, out 6/23).

• Premise: Wounded former soldier Mag Tresti finds work in the home of Jannae Mirchella, a reclusive widow who is secretly a witch of great skill hiding her powers behind a mask of respectability. When a dead demon falls from the sky carrying a tinderbox—an artifact of terrifying magical power that can grant wishes and change the fate of nations—the fates of the soldier and the witch are irrevocably intertwined.

• A wild card selection whose gorgeous cover drew me in and led me to discover this is by the same author as The Girl with All the Gifts, which has been high on my to-read list forever!

Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer (Science Fiction, out 6/9).

• Premise: Doctor Liz has just been acquitted for performing the last abortion in North Dakota when she’s kidnapped by a fundamentalist cult deep in the rural west—a group without respect for law or decency, in desperate need of an OB/GYN. Guarded, isolated, and very aware of what happened to the last obstetrician they kidnapped, Liz must escape and bring help to the girls trapped at the compound, if it’s the last thing she does.

• I haven’t seen this one mentioned anywhere but Kritzer is a Hugo-award winning author and the subject matter is, unfortunately, all-too-relevant right now.

The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden (Historical Fantasy, out 6/2).

• Premise: When France invades Brittany and drives her royal father to his death, young sovereign duchess Anne refuses to be conquered through marriage to the French king, arranging instead a daring secret betrothal to Charles of France’s greatest rival. To wed in secret, Anne plans a unicorn hunt in the ancient forest of Brocéliande—the one place hostile to divination where rival courts cannot spy—but what she thinks is pointless pageantry becomes something far more dangerous.

• I’ve somehow never read Katherine Arden (The Bear and the Nightingale), but this one sounds like exactly the kind of fairytale-adjacent story that I have been loving listening to on audio the last year.

Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay (Sci-Fi Horror, out 6/30).

• Premise: Julia Flang, a twenty-something former semi-professional gamer, accepts a temp job from her estranged mother to chaperone a man in a vegetative state with proprietary AI implanted in his head across the country—”remote control this dead dude,” as she puts it. Meanwhile, the man wakes within a disorienting hellscape with no memory of who he is, only knowing he must find a certain person, and as Julia fumblingly navigates him using a cell phone modeled after a game controller, they become unlikely allies and fugitives on a collision course with reality.

• I have never read Tremblay but know he is beloved; this premise is WILD. I’m both overwhelmed by it and fascinated. If anyone picks it up please do report back—or if you’re a Tremblay devotee, let me know where is best to start.

Screen Adaptations & Other Nerdy News

• First of all, James by Percival Everett is being adapted by none other than Taika Waititi, with Steven Spielberg an executive producer.

• Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito, which I loved last year, is premiering on-screen at Cannes before a September 25th release. The trailer is…something!

• Speaking of Virginia—the film adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day is releasing in the UK this month. The trailer looks really cute although not what I would have guessed Virginia Woolf would write? I would love to hear thoughts from anyone who has read the book (I have not yet).

• The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer is being adapted starring Sydney Sweeney. I’ve heard mixed feedback on this book but I bet it’s one that will be very watchable as a movie.

• One of my favorite mystery/thrillers ever, The Whisper Man by Alex North, is coming to Netflix this August.

• Little House on the Prairie is getting a Netflix reboot and I’m…unsure how to feel about it. GOD did I love those books growing up and man was revisiting the first book a few years ago a bit cringe. Here’s the trailer.

• East of Eden is coming to Netflix this fall starring Florence Pugh and I’m a bit upset because it’s been high priority for me to read but I just haven’t yet and there’s no way I will before this comes out. The trailer is here but I won’t even watch it because I don’t want any sort of spoilers.

• The Rings of Power has a new season finally coming out this November.

• Samantha Shannon has shared the official title and release date for the sixth book in The Bone Season Series, The Moth Reborn, coming out February 2027. This will be the second to last book in the series.

That’s a wrap on The Town Crier for June 2026! Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions of this newsletter plus my other monthly publications: “Side Quests,” in which I share book guides, react to recent reads, or unpack specific topics related to my reading life; and “The Hero’s Journey” where we are reading the biggest fantasy books on our to-read lists—currently tackling Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series!

For day-to-day updates on my reading life, dynamic mood boards, reviews for everything I read, and bonus reading guides, follow me on Instagram @hollyslitmagic. Most book links are affiliate and help support my work.