en-US Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:35:32 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7644598089 Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:35:32 -0700 /review/show/7644598089 Phia gave 3 stars to The House Where Death Lives (Hardcover) by Alex Brown
bookshelves: read-2025
I was expecting ‘The House Where Death Lives’ to be a series of connected stories through the same house, showing the lives of different spirits in the same home, and it wasn't that. Instead, it was an amazing collection of brilliantly written short stories, all of which covered the topic of death, dying, and grief, in a unique and heartfelt way while maintaining their own personal voices.

The stories don't necessarily connect to one another, though I have seen some people say that they think all the stories occur in the same house. However, I think that all the stories are entirely separate, connected only by the fact that each covers the topics of death and grief in some way.

My favorites of the collected stories were ‘Good Morning Georgia’, ‘Mirror Mirror’, and ‘In Deep’.

The Book is technically a thriller, and some stories certainly read that way more than others, but for the most part, while I was reading I just felt like I was seeing many different perspectives on death and grief, all of which were told in this haunting and beautiful way.

A great read, even if you're not into thrillers or horror!
]]> Review7644598854 Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:34:52 -0700 /review/show/7644598854 Phia gave 4 stars to Where the Dark Stands Still (ebook) by A.B. Poranek
bookshelves: read-2025
I love a good fantasy book that is based in or inspired by classic mythology and folktales, and ‘Where the Dark Stands Still’ delivers with a beautiful representation of slavic folktales mixed in with original fantasy elements.

Every part of this book was so beautifully written and a page turner. The constant twists in the story that come as you learn more about the characters, the reveals that make you swoon or gasp in sheer horror at what's happening, and the ending that while satisfying isn't the fairytale that you expected.

The characters in this book are so well written and I really enjoyed learning more about them as the book went on. Even Liska, whose eyes we see the story through, has secrets hidden from us that are hidden in her internal monologues and then revealed to us fully later in the story.

I especially loved the ending of this book. I've been seeing more and more Young/New Adult books end in this way. Where it's a good satisfying ending, meant to finish the book off, but it's not the happily ever after or regular ending we’re used to.

It's refreshing and I love how it makes these stories feel when I think back on how they ended and how everything came together to make that happen.

Overall, wonderfully written, amazing characters, great twists, and beautiful ending!
]]> Review7673378939 Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:34:25 -0700 /review/show/7673378939 Phia gave 4 stars to Legend of the White Snake (Hardcover) by Sher Lee
bookshelves: read-2025
As always, I am a huge fan of mythology and Fantasy based on Mythology. And OH MY GOODNESS! Did this book DELIVER?

I have always loved Chinese mythology, and the ‘lEgend of the White Snake’ (the actual myth, not this book) is one of my favorites. So when I saw this fantasy book named the same thing but with a queer twist I had to read it, and I loved it.

When I first opened the book and got through the first few chapters I was squealing and kicking my legs because the character names were the same as those from the myths, and I was so excited to see how everything turned out.

The tension that was present just from knowing what was bound to happen all while watching those poor love sick boys try to flirt with each other was so brilliant. When the ending started I was on the edge of my seat, and during the final chapter I was bawling from how beautiful it all was.

Sher Lee did an amazing job of combining Mythology with a new Fantasy twist, staying true to the original all while adding a new flair that I think Lady Suzhen and her Husband Zian would have appreciated.

Wonderfully written!
]]> Review7692690921 Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:33:54 -0700 /review/show/7692690921 Phia gave 5 stars to Chinese Mythology: Legendary Tales of Heaven, Earth, Humanity, and Beyond (Hardcover) by Aaron Hwang
bookshelves: read-2025
I love this series of books, and I'm currently in the process of getting the rest of this series to read. If you're interested in different cultures’ folk tales and mythology, then you need to read the ‘Tales’ series.

This book tells a variety of Chinesmythsgy in a very easy-to-digest and accurate way, of the original stories. I loved reading through this book as it delivered exactly what I was looking for.

I am a big lover of mythology, and as many fellow mythology lovers will know, it can be hard to find mythology and folktales from certain cultures. This series is working on fixing that, looking at a variety of cultures and their core mythology and folktales and putting them all into one place for a reader's convenience, all while making it easy and fun to read.

This book isn't formatted in a textbook style, so it reads like a collection of short stories rather than an academic text. It's a refreshing taste of mythology reading, and I am very much looking forward to my delivery of the rest of this series!

Very well written and has a great selection of folktales within the book. I loved this so much!
]]> ReadStatus9574526839 Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:33:54 -0700 /review/show/7673378939 Phia has read Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee
]]> Review7692690921 Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:15:27 -0700 /review/show/7692690921 Phia gave 5 stars to Chinese Mythology: Legendary Tales of Heaven, Earth, Humanity, and Beyond (Hardcover) by Aaron Hwang
bookshelves: read-2025
I love this series of books, and I'm currently in the process of getting the rest of this series to read. If you're interested in different cultures’ folk tales and mythology, then you need to read the ‘Tales’ series.

This book tells a variety of Chinesmythsgy in a very easy-to-digest and accurate way, of the original stories. I loved reading through this book as it delivered exactly what I was looking for.

I am a big lover of mythology, and as many fellow mythology lovers will know, it can be hard to find mythology and folktales from certain cultures. This series is working on fixing that, looking at a variety of cultures and their core mythology and folktales and putting them all into one place for a reader's convenience, all while making it easy and fun to read.

This book isn't formatted in a textbook style, so it reads like a collection of short stories rather than an academic text. It's a refreshing taste of mythology reading, and I am very much looking forward to my delivery of the rest of this series!

Very well written and has a great selection of folktales within the book. I loved this so much!
]]> Review7644598460 Sat, 28 Jun 2025 16:52:54 -0700 /review/show/7644598460 Phia gave 4 stars to To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods (Gods Beyond the Skies, #1) by Molly X. Chang
bookshelves: read-2025
I wasn't sure about this book when I first started. It's a fantasy with a mix of Sci-fi, clashing together Roman and Chinese cultures with opposite technological advancements, a battle of magic and technology, a battle between peoples and morals, and times. I didn't really know what to think.

But it was so good! What seems like many opposing things thrown together actually comes together in this wondrous, well-balanced blend of storytelling, fables, and conflicting views.

I especially enjoyed the ending of the book, which I know now was left as a cliffhanger because it's number one in a series, but when I was reading it, I thought it was a standalone. The ending was so well written. It makes the story feel like it's done, wrapped up, finished, satisfying, and complete, but with loose ends, unanswered questions, and wonders that I lay awake wondering about. I loved the feel of the ending that was open-ended in a way, which isn't something I see often in fantasy books. I felt like it connected well with how Ruying feels at the end of the book, like it's all over but with so much left undone.

This book was very well written; it balances all of these opposing topics, ideas, and advances so well with each other that I wasn't pulled out of the book every time spaceships and science portals were mentioned in the middle of the fantasy-themed story. The writing with the characters, especially, was so beautifully done, I was following along with Ruying and feeling her changes in thought from ‘this is wrong’ to ‘im doing what needs to be done’ to ‘is any of it worth it in the end?’The chaos that she feels is so perfectly represented through the storytelling.

This is a great story, and I highly recommend reading it! I am very excited to read the next book in the series!
]]> Review7644583972 Sat, 28 Jun 2025 16:52:14 -0700 /review/show/7644583972 Phia gave 5 stars to Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales (Hardcover) by Soman Chainani
bookshelves: read-2025, favorites
This book was amazing!

I am a huge fan of all things Mythology, folktale, and old story-related, and this was so perfect! Retelling classic tales in a spooky but not Brothers’ Grimm kind of way with a twist!

Amazing new perspectives on the old classics, delivering messages that the originals had, but with a new punch of flavor and flair.

I especially loved the fact that there were many different cultures represented in the book and how each story was tweaked just a little to work with that cultural background, which brought the stories to life that much more.

If you're looking for new takes on revamped old tales, then definitely pick this up!

I loved the messages of self-power, self-love, self-reliance, found family, and growth that this book told.
]]> Review7644595049 Sat, 28 Jun 2025 16:51:48 -0700 /review/show/7644595049 Phia gave 5 stars to Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom, #1) by Sue Lynn Tan
bookshelves: read-2025
his book is beautiful; the story, the characters, the plot, the writing, the scenes, all of it is just so beautiful!

I was so in love with this book in just the first few chapters that I struggled to put it down.

Xingyin’s journey to self-understanding, love, freeing her mother, and finding her truth was so well written that I was tearing up at so many scenes.

Sue Lynn Tan’s characters are just beautifully written, her internal monologues are amazing, the character descriptions felt like I was looking at a picture rather than reading a book, the thoughts and feelings that go unsaid but you can still put together between the lines, it's all just wonderfully well written. There was never a moment when I was asking, What is this character trying to be? Why are they here? What are they for? Amazing, in-depth, detailed characters that I loved reading!

And the scenes! The way Sue Lynn Tan writes her scenes is so heartfelt. I was either on the edge of my seat, crying, having my heart racing, or laughing-all while I could not stop turning the pages. Sue Lynn Tan writes so beautifully it's like looking at delicate ink paintings come to life before your very eyes!

And the plot twists! I did not see any of them coming, and they kept me on the edge of my seat.

This book is amazing, everything about it is just beautifully written, well thought out, and wonderfully executed.

I cannot wait for the next book in the series!
]]> Review7644595049 Sat, 28 Jun 2025 16:51:25 -0700 /review/show/7644595049 Phia gave 5 stars to Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom, #1) by Sue Lynn Tan
bookshelves: read-2025
his book is beautiful; the story, the characters, the plot, the writing, the scenes, all of it is just so beautiful!

I was so in love with this book in just the first few chapters that I struggled to put it down.

Xingyin’s journey to self-understanding, love, freeing her mother, and finding her truth was so well written that I was tearing up at so many scenes.

Sue Lynn Tan’s characters are just beautifully written, her internal monologues are amazing, the character descriptions felt like I was looking at a picture rather than reading a book, the thoughts and feelings that go unsaid but you can still put together between the lines, it's all just wonderfully well written. There was never a moment when I was asking, What is this character trying to be? Why are they here? What are they for? Amazing, in-depth, detailed characters that I loved reading!

And the scenes! The way Sue Lynn Tan writes her scenes is so heartfelt. I was either on the edge of my seat, crying, having my heart racing, or laughing-all while I could not stop turning the pages. Sue Lynn Tan writes so beautifully it's like looking at delicate ink paintings come to life before your very eyes!

And the plot twists! I did not see any of them coming, and they kept me on the edge of my seat.

This book is amazing, everything about it is just beautifully written, well thought out, and wonderfully executed.

I cannot wait for the next book in the series!
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