Finished books, short verdicts, and longer dispatches from the reading desk.
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Finished Oct 3, 2026
Mara Rutherford’s The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake promises a high-stakes, anti-progress dystopia with a dark “enemies-to-lovers” romance, but the novel ultimately buckles under the weight of unconvincing character motivations and unearned instant infatuation.
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Finished Sep 14, 2026
A warm, irreverent meditation on found family, elevated by Neil Helleger’s voice acting—which turns an already delightful read into a funny and wonderfully charming listen.
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Finished Sep 3, 2026
It is not an easy read, and it is far from a seamless one. You have to earn your enjoyment of this book in blood and terminology— just like the heroine it follows.
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Finished Aug 29, 2026
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Finished Aug 27, 2026
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Finished Aug 23, 2026
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Reading note – 005 The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake Mara Rutherford Harper · 2026 Mara Rutherford’s The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake promises a high-stakes, anti-progress dystopia with a dark “enemies-to-lovers” romance, but the novel ultimately buckles under the weight of unconvincing character motivations and unearned instant infatuation. Fiction · Fantasy · Young Adult […]
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