Gina Lucia

Gods of Want was challenging, deep, and dark. As a short story collection, every single one was beautifully written. Some left me uncomfortable, some left me with questions, others left me deeply unsettled. They're all very surreal.

I really enjoyed this. It pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way.

  This book pulled something a bit raw out of me. It made me feel like I just had a therapy session. So I don't necessarily feel better, but I do understand.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built is filled with so many interesting thoughts, philosophical questions, and relatable quips that tickled my brain. I felt seen and opened up in a way I wasn't expecting, especially in so few words.
If you miss the pointers towards gender and society, you're really missing out on some of the things that make this book great. It has so many layers and is a book I might just need to re-read again to see them all clearly.
I'll be recommending this to everyone whether they like it or not.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt   

 A Snake Falls to Earth is a slow, winding story that blends Lipan Apache culture, mythology, and storytelling, with modern-day life.
In a two-part perspective, we experience both worlds in an almost cosy mystery. Not a mystery for the characters, but one for the reader.
I'm going to be honest, the story was difficult for me to grip onto at first. I don't think this is the fault of the story itself, but the medium I was reading in. I read the first half of the book on the app Fable (my phone). This was a major struggle and made the story feel even slower.
As soon as I swapped to audiobook (on recommendation), the story and characters came alive. 
If you're looking for a slow-build story with mythology, modern references, messages about climate change, and found family, give this a go.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt   

 The Spellshop is a cute, fun, and harmless cosy fantasy that hits all the marks.
It's got that magic Stardew Valley formula. Get an old abandoned house and land, fix it, do it up, and gradually sort out your life with meagre supplies after living a cushy life in the city. You also have to meet the locals and get their help. Who doesn't want that?!
The romance in the book is pretty refreshing due to their personality types but it can be a little cheesy at times.
The Spellshop didn't get me in the feels as much as I'd like for a cosy fantasy but was fun regardless.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

 Not for the Faint of Heart is a witty, banter-filled romance with found family, heists, and adventure.
Basically, it's good fun.
If you're looking for a kind of fantasy that's inclusive and upbeat, this is it. The book does tackle some pretty deep topics you wouldn't expect within all the banter, but it does work well. It's balanced. 
The only thing that let this one down were some of the character choices and plot points. They were only minor things, but they threw me a little. It's a slow build with a quick wrap-up which could have done with being drawn out a little longer.
If you're going to give this one a go, check the content warnings. When I said some of the topics are deep, I meant it.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 
 

 DallerGut Dream Department Store is a sweet, thoughtful, and very strange book. Think goblin market meets YA Ghibli, and you've got it.
It's incredibly low-stakes and message-filled. As long as you don't expect anything more, you'll enjoy it.
The only thing I'd like to see is more depth to the characters. More of what makes them tick, their real feelings and motivations. But other than that, it was a very chill and fun read.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

Gwen and Art are Not In Love is a sweet, thoughtful hug of a book that delivers the perfect balance of relationship-building with a seemingly low-stakes plot. 
In essence, it's one of those slightly addictive stories that's more about the characters than anything else, and that made it brilliant.
It's filled with banter, amazing dialogue, characters that feel real, and while you know where the story is going, it's not clear how you'll get there. Which made it comforting but still entertaining.
Gwen and Art has an almost Disney-like quality. It's fun, lighthearted, but with a message you know you're going to get to, and when you do, it's going to hit hard.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking perhaps was just not made for me. 
The story is cute, the characters perhaps even cuter (and also weird), but I just couldn't get into it.
The main character is a 14-year-old girl, and this, I think, is where I struggled. I listened to this one as an audiobook and the narrator was so adult, imaginging a child instead of a grown (and very posh) woman, was difficult.
Aside from that, the MC's inner voice was so adult-like and mature, it threw me. 
I do think the audiobook contributed to all of this. Id I'd have read the physical book, I may well have felt differently.

On Grief and Studio Ghibli is a mindful and essay-like exploration into the idea of grief and how it manifests in some of the most well-known Studio Ghibli films.

It's one of those books that, if you struggle with grief and death, then you'll find some use in the themes it explores. Especially if you just so happen to also like Studio Ghibli, of course.

It explores grief in the sense of loss of a loved one, small everyday losses, collective loss, and even worldly losses such as climate change.

It's a book that whole short, gives you time to think and reflect. It starts the ball rolling in your mind. Due to its length though, a lot of the themes feel as though they need to be more detailed, deeper. Essentially, I wanted more. 

 Empire of a Vampire is gothic, gritty, and filled with atmosphere and humour. I read it as an audiobook, which only added to this.
If you enjoyed The Witcher series, but particularly the TV series version, you'll love this. It's got those same vibes. Immaculate world-building, gritty characters that feel real, twists and turns, and slow reveals. 
To make it even better than The Witcher (in my opinion), although it's written by a man, the women within the book are empowering, real, and not abused for the sake of plot.
The storytelling model in this book is a mix between 3rd person and 1st person POV. It works well and lends itself to time jumps and the slow drip of information.
It has everything: vampires, battles, some spice, swearing, gritty morbid horror, a fun and complicated magic system, and great world-building that isn't a rambling lesson, but gradually handed to you through the plot.
Can't wait to read the next book.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt   

 The Maidens was absolutely brilliant, until it wasn't.
In general, I had a lot of fun listening to The Maidens as an audiobook. I was immediately hooked and enjoyed the dark academia vibes immensely. It made you feel on edge right from the get-go. Like you're unsure who the threat actually is.
The writing is beautiful, with a very thoughtful inner monologue that draws you in. You really feel like you know the character, almost as if you are her.
It's sad, deep, unsettling, and slightly scary. Crime fiction but for the dark academia lover. Plus, with a whole host of Greek Myth references, you know I had fun.
I just didn't vibe with the end, like at all. 
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

Chalice of the Gods was my jump back into the Percy Jackson universe after maybe 17 years, and I had a great time.
This book does a good job of getting you back into the swing of the story and characters but weaving in information to catch you up.
Percy's POV-style inner monologue is as fun as it ever was. Although I feel slightly more adult, that makes sense, considering he's a bit older.
It's filled with sarcastic humour, pop culture references, and tongue-in-cheek adapted Greek Myth. Created for a younger audience, of course. It's good fun 
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

 These Deathless Girls was not what I expected, and honestly, that's probably my fault for not reading the blurb.
Let's just say without reading the blurb, the book starts as one thing and transforms into something else. It's not exactly a bad thing, but it did throw me for a loop.
Aside from that, this book contains some beautiful relationship-building and sweet sapphic romance. 
I very much enjoyed the world-building and wanted more of it, which is why I was surprised when the book wasn't made into at least a duology. It felt as though it were building to one, but instead, it ended quite abruptly.
It's a fairly short read, so if you want a quick hit of gothic sapphic romance with a very intriguing magic system, I'd give it a go. Although it may well leave you wanting more of something you'll likely never get.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

 Goddess of the River is a brilliant retelling of an Indian epic and one I very much enjoyed, with a few thoughts. 
Note: As I said with Kaikeyi, my opinion and feelings about this book come from my Western perspective. I know very little about ancient Indian epics, so take that into consideration.
Vaishnavi Patel has a brilliant way of mixing the divine with humanity by showing the world from different perspectives. Particularly when it comes to our main character Ganga, seeing how her mind shifts depending on her situation is done so subtly, you see her character evolve even as a divine being. 
Just like Kaikeyi, it's beautifully written, if a little slower. As an impatient reader, I didn't feel the impact of this at all. Instead, I enjoyed being able to sink into the world.
There was one thing that threw me off the story, though, and that was the shift in perspective and time jumps. They're a little jarring, and when they first appear, the sheer number of names and new characters are hard to contend with.
The chapters with Ganga are much stronger because we've grown with her. We know her. The other chapters are less so. 
Having said this, I'm keeping this book at 4 stars. The shifts and jumps did throw me for a loop and took some time to get used to, but the writing and story are done so well that I can't bring it down further.
Please check the content warnings on this one!
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

 It took me way too long to read Kaikeyi!
Note: My opinion and feelings about this book come from my Western perspective. I know very little about ancient Indian epics, so take that into consideration.
Kaikeyi is very reminiscent of the mythology retellings I enjoy so much. It tells a well-known story from an alternative perspective and weaves in elements of feminism.
The language is emotive, focusing on Kaikeyi navigating her power, relationships, and the societal limits of her gender.
If you're a fan of retellings like Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati or Medea by Rosie Hewlett, this has similar vibes.
The magic we see most in this book is something called the Binding Plane. It was so detailed and vivid that when the story started to slow, this fantasy element kept me hooked. It provided a way to see how relationship dynamics worked and Kaikeyi's place in them all.
And let's give a nod to that asexual rep because it's not only brilliant, it's subtle yet solid, and blended right into the story with ease. 
The pace was slower, but even for an impatient reader like me, I enjoyed it. It gave me room to appreciate the relationships and the slow build instead.
Kaikeyi was a joy to read. It's one of those books you don't want to put down and are excited to get back to. 
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 
 

  The End Crowns All is bold, creative, and clever.
If you think you're getting a gritty, dark, and true retelling of the Trojan War, you're not. Instead, you're getting a sapphic reimagining with asexual representation and a twist. 
I'm going to be honest, it took me a while to get into this one. It starts slow, takes time to build, and perhaps could be a little faster. But once I got going, I got it.
Dialogue is the main attraction, Bea has a fantastic way of showing you character personality through conversation. This book is less about atmosphere and more about relationships. At first, that stumped me, but once the winding plot picked up, I was in.
This is YA, so it leaves out some of the reality of the war, especially when it comes to women. But this doesn't make the book feel any less heavy, it just shows you a different perspective. 
The one thing that did feel missing for me, was a clear distinction between mortals and the Gods. They're written to feel more human, which could be intentional, but I wanted more distinction to give you that earth-shaking feeling when they turn up.
Regardless, I grew to really enjoy this unique take on the story, and yet again, I'm left surprised at another retelling of Troy that somehow manages to be different.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

  This is the type of book I want more of. I want it to go deeper, I want it to last longer, I just want more.
A Magical Girl Retires was so fun. It took the concept of a magical girl and made it modern yet kept some of that whimsical fun I remember from actually watching magical girl anime.
It took me a little while to get into the story, mostly because it was so fast. Instead of that speed, I wanted to know more, to sink into the world and place myself within it.
I ultimately couldn't do that and now I can only hope another story like it finds its way to me.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

Let me start by saying I'm a fan of Cal Newport. But I do wonder if there's a limit to how many times you can write a book about such similar topics and make it unique. In this case, I don't think this is it.
Slow Productivity interested me because I tend to be one of those overly productive people who struggles to prioritise myself over just being productive all the time.
So let's just say I had a specific need I hoped the book would help me work through. 
It didn't.
Cal does a great job of breaking down specific topics via credible stories, but in this case, these stories were so unrelatable I struggled to think my way into them. He's very self-aware of this and acknowledges their unrealisticness. But as he does so, the alternative solutions he comes up with are also pretty unrealistic and inflexible.
He seemed quite unsure of his own advice. Like the principles in the book weren't as fleshed out or as confident as they were in Deep Work or Digital Minimalism.
Instead of feeling motivated to do less, or be productive in a slow way, I now feel motivated to work more. Which seems counterintuitive. 
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

  I really enjoyed the first book in this duology. It was fun, the magic system was cool, and the relationship build/tension really worked for me.
The second book was harmless and lighthearted, but it lacked plot. One of the main characters felt incredibly bland. The others were honestly slightly annoying. I didn't feel this way in the first book. It was all just a little ‘meh'.
A shame because while the relationships were the main focus (and that's fine), I wanted a little more.
 

 Lighthearted, slightly silly, informative, and charming. This is one of those non-fiction, kind of fiction books that hits all the marks.
The Book of Japanese Folklore tells you the stories, history, and cultural context of spirits, monsters, and yokai in Japanese myth. 
Honestly, this kind of book is right up my street. As a 90s kid growing up watching a mix of Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, and Sailor Moon, I now eat up anything Japanese-related. Especially if it involves mythology and folklore.
Let's just say it scratched that itch.
Each section within the book has just enough detail to feel like you've absorbed the information, but not so much that it's hard to follow. 
Plus, I'm not sure there's anything better than learning about mythology and looking at some of the most gorgeous illustrations I've seen. They're colourful, fun, and absolutely necessary.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt   

 In need of your next fantasy romance with witches, magic, and The Handmaid's Tale vibes (what?!)? This might be it!
You're probably thinking, The Handmaid's Tale, really?!
Let me explain myself. This book, even though it's a YA romantasy, gave me those vibes. 
Honest!
The world is kind of gritty, slightly dystopian-feeling, and the women within it either feel persecuted for something almost unexplained, almost natural, or they're part of the system.
It's gritty, kind of sad, and you don't really know a lot because the world and its dynamic are slowly handed to you through the characters. I liked it. A lot.
Of course, there is a romance element. It wouldn't be romantasy without it. This is the perfect blend of dark reality and relationship-building. The dynamic between characters is fantastic, and the near-constant drama and action pulls you through the story.
This book was a very easy and enjoyable read. Slightly predictable but with a dark edge. Can't wait to read the next one.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

Disney-like charm, a hint of darkness, magic, found family, mythology, and dragons? Yes please!
Dragonfruit was such a joy to read. It's short, punchy, and if you enjoyed something like The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, you'll love this. 
I'm a firm believer in stories not being drawn out for the sake of page numbers, and Dragonfruit is a perfect example of this. It delivers a fun story while balancing some punchy atmosphere.
The descriptions of the beautiful islands, the unique and lovable heroine, and the incorporation of lesser-known mythology all contributed to this.
Let it be known that this is on the younger side of YA. So the themes are light, the vibes are pretty positive, and the messaging leaves you with a good feeling in your tummy.
More of this please!
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt

Children of Anguish and Anarchy wastes no time diving headfirst into the action, which keeps you on your toes from the start.
However, I couldn't shake the feeling of being thrown into a new storyline abruptly. It felt like picking up a sequel without the necessary setup, and it disoriented me. 
It was like I'd missed something or misremembered the first two books because this felt like something entirely new rather than a conclusion to a series.
I wondered if condensing this into a duology might have helped. The rapid introduction of new elements made it hard to stay grounded in the established world and characters.
While the writing is undeniably strong and intense, I struggled to connect with the new direction of the plot. It felt like the relationships and developments from the earlier books were brushed aside for the sake of speed.
Children of Anguish and Anarchy is short and highly energetic, almost as if it were sprinting towards a conclusion. While this style has its thrills, it left me longing for what the first two books ultimately were, a lot better.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt

This was my second read-through of Circe, and I'm raising my rating from 4 stars to 5. 

Madeline Miller's writing is vivid, easy to read, and full of emotion. Her writing allows you to really imagine, to feel what it's like to be there with every sense you've got. It's fantastic.

I'd re-read this again!

  Scythe and Pen is all about atmosphere. It's gritty, dark, and intricately layered from the get-go. The characters are portrayed with finesse, down to their smallest quirks, which gives them a depth that feels genuine.
What struck me most was how the book avoids the usual pitfalls of its genre. Rather than leaning heavily on tropes and stereotypes, it crafts its world and characters with subtle, intricate details that lend authenticity to the time period and setting.
The dialogue is a standout feature. It's almost cinematic in its delivery, making these scenes a joy to read.
Around the halfway mark, the story really picks up momentum and becomes incredibly gripping. You have to endure a gradual build-up of characters before the action kicks in, but once it does, it's worth the wait.
For me however, I found the book a bit lengthy. There were moments where the detailed descriptions and slower pacing made me lose interest. This is completely personal, I'm not a patient reader, and this reflects in my rating.
Scythe and Pen offers a fantastic story with rich themes and engaging characters. Due to its length, it's a lesson in patience, but for those willing to invest the time, the payoff is rewarding.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt