 I forgot to turn off the air conditioner. Just turn off, please. There we go. Hello, terrestrials and extra-terrestrials alike. I am Kim, and this is Dustmoats and Melcore. This is my first wrap-up video, like, ever! I read a bunch of books in October, and I don't have time. I do not have time to make a review of each of them, so I did- I'm doing a wrap-up video, so here we go! I cannot believe I just did that little dance. Okay. It is currently October 30th while I am filming this video, so I'm including the two books that I'm currently reading because I'm definitely, probably, most likely, maybe going to be finishing them before October 31st. So I think that counts. First up is Language of Thorn. A little square. I'm standing up for this video, so I had to make myself a little square of ribbon to stand in, and when I- when I grabbed the book, I messed up my square. Okay. First up is Language of Thorns by Libra Dugo. Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic. Essentially, this is the Grimm's Brothers Fairy Tales of the Grishaverse, the stories that Nina would have been told as a little girl, and none of the stories and the way you think they will. I just finished her version of Hansel and Gretel, and man, I did not see that one coming. Also currently reading Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. This book is an existential crisis on every page. This is a series of short stories from contemporary female characters dealing with sex and marriage and queerness and existing in the world as we know it and worlds that we don't know. I'll say it, it's a little creepy, but it's creepy in the I'm going to make you doubt every single one of your life choices ways instead of- it's not really the there's someone in your house kind of creepy, so check it out, but be prepared. Going back in time to the beginning of October, I had two books that I really struggled with. First of all was Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson. It's the third book in the Mistborn series, and I love the premise of these books but the execution was really difficult for me. The main issue was pacing. Goodness gracious, it felt like, felt like Brandon Sanderson was being paid by the word. Failed chosen one trope, and we're led to believe that one of our heroes is the new chosen one, but pretty much nothing is as it seems. And also the main female character, Vinn, is very much a hollow shell. The fact that Brandon Sanderson jumps through hoops to give her external conflict, internal conflict, she just ends up being a weapon. And then immediately after that, I read Crowns of Crosswall, which you might recognize from my unboxing video link here, here, here. That's better, that's smarter. I struggled with this one right off the bat because the author, D.E. Knight, wrote herself into her own book as a male character, also called D.E. Knight, and made the entire premise of the book that there was a spell that our main character, Ivy, had to break in order to find D.E. Knight. And that really, that really felt like the height of ego in my personal opinion. But also, Ivy has no personality. She has a quirky job, yeah, and she has a quirky pet, yeah, and several descriptive traits that belong to literally every other person at her school. And yes, you could argue that that is because of the spell. But I think that's a weak excuse, and we shouldn't go with that. Also, the love interest is so bland that he was more interesting when he was not there. That's not good character writing. Please, D.E. Knight, give your characters some personality. However, this book is rife with atmosphere. It's like Fantasia and Weasley's Wizarding Weasies had a baby that exploded. So, if you are okay with non-characters existing in a world that is much cooler than them, check it out. So, the beginning of the month was a struggle. But then, I popped into Barnes & Noble, which, by the way, is my favorite ship name for Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. Think about that one for a little bit. I could not not pick up a copy of An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rodgerson. Delicious, hilarious heartbreaking. A fair tale, if ever there was one. It is the story of a young woman who is excellent at portrait painting. And if you know your fairy stories, you know that Faye cannot resist human craft. But, when she paints a true portrait of the Prince of Autumn and his secret hidden centuries-old heartbreak, she gets in a little bit of trouble. She gets kidnapped into the woods to stand trial for her crimes. But with her wit and several meddling fairies, she and the prince must find their way through the trouble that they have brought on themselves. It is fast-paced and juicy. This story took me by the hand and ran away with my imagination and hats off for interesting and complex female characters. Next up is a reread. My book club started off with one of my favorite books, Dealing with Dragon. Rich in whimsy, our strong-minded Princess Simmerine runs away to volunteer to be a dragon's princess. A position one is usually kidnapped into. Navigating through a world of dragons and witches and genies and, unfortunately, adventuring princes, our Simmerine fights for the life that she wants instead of the life that it would be proper for her to have. Then came a Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee. Now, this is possibly one of the gayest books I have ever read that I praise in my mind. Lush, romantic, deeply character-driven, this book is a romp, if ever I read one. Monty, a bisexual lordling, said to inherit an eroldo? Not sure. His name is Monty and he is in love with his best friend, Percy, and the litany of reasons they cannot be together is long. The story follows Percy, Monty and Monty's sister Felicity as they go on their tour of Europe. Everybody's got secrets, Monty's a rake, they have one point they get kidnapped by pirates, basically it's just fun. Next was The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black. Meet Hazel and her brother Ben. And last but not least, by kind of odd coincidence, I found a treasury version of a series I used to read as a kid in my local library. The series is called Sweep, it's by Kate Tiernan and this is the first three books, so one book, three books. And also some rude person with a purple pen has been doodling within this book. And I'm really irritated by that, so they need to stop. Set in Upstate New York in the age of dial-up, a young girl meets a young boy who starts teaching her about Micah. It's not supposed to be today, today is Monday, that only happens on Tuesdays. Why are you here? Okay, we're gonna do this. I'm sorry. There's drama, there's fantasy element, and super powerful blood witches, and also the traditional will she won't she. But at the core of the story is a young girl discovering herself. And I like it. So in the month of October I read nine books and I'm really glad to be out of my reading swamp. Let me know what you've been reading. Come talk to me about books. A viento!