I promised you art last month, so here it is: a starfish merman pole dancing! I think I like the bent arm better, but I made both, so I might as well share both. I struggled A LOT with the drawing of this one, but I love how the tail makes such interesting shapes, and I feel like coloring has gotten less stressful and more fun for me.

I like to imagine there’s a band nearby playing some pretty music to go with his graceful pole dance performance. Normally I learn some fish facts, but this time I learned about underwater music (or I tried to, at least, but I’m not a science person). This hotel pool I used to go to sometimes played music underwater, and I loved to rest my hand on the side so I wouldn’t bump into people and then just float with my eyes closed. It was truly one of the most peaceful things I’ve ever experienced because all the sound from above the water would disappear, and it would just be me and the water and the fresh air and the music. Anyway, turns out you can also play some instruments underwater, though apparently some work better than others, and here’s a video I found!

Aside from that, I played some great games with an Utomik subscription. The Sexy Brutale was a really cool, unique game! If you like organic sort of puzzle solving and eccentric mansion murder mysteries, check it out. Spellcaster University was a management sim + deck building game, and it ended up being really cute and fun! Genesis Noir was an interactive visual delight. Very pretty and interesting. I finished Calico, which wasn’t perfect, but the game really grew on me and was so adorable and silly that I couldn’t help but enjoy it. The Descendant had bad gameplay (in my opinion), but a great story. When the Past was Around was sad but lovely, with gorgeous, calming art. Whispers of a Machine was a point-and-click detective game with challenging gameplay. I plan to do reviews for most, if not all, of these soon(ish)!

Blog/Bookish Updates:

Nothing.

Books I Received for Review:

Tasmanian Gothic by Mikhaeyla Kopievksy, Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco, and Like Silk Breathing by Camille Duplessis, all from NetGalley. Violet Reverie by Talbot Finch and Øystæinn by Marishka Grayson, from BookSirens.

I also got a visual novel for review! ScreamCap by Pixel After Pixel.

Books I Finished:

If you’re considering buying one of the books below from Amazon, I’d really appreciate if you’d use my affiliate link!

Jack of Thorns // Knight of Flames // Lord of Ravens // Reeve of Veils by A.K. Faulkner – I’ve had such a hard time lately finding series that are the kind of thing I like, and also with the same characters throughout, and also available to me free or affordably (e.g. the library, ARCs), so I am really happy to have found this one! So far, it’s a great m/m urban fantasy series with a bit of action, a bit of romance, some supernatural powers, and characters I like.

Violet Reverie by Talbot Finch – A quick read with some nice character growth and a gentle m/m romance.

Tasmanian Gothic by Mikhaeyla Kopievksy – My attention was caught by the cover, and then I was just so intrigued by the description. It was pretty dark and violent, but not entirely without hope, and a good book overall.

Legacy by Gail Z. Martin – I think I’m giving up on this series. It’s great if you like detailed paranormal mysteries, these are definitely not bad books, they just don’t have enough character focus for me.

Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore – This felt like a memoir forced to be a sorta fantasy novel instead. It was mostly explanations of what it’s like to be nonbinary and neurodivergent, which, explanations of those kinds of things, not a problem! But I didn’t feel like I got to know who the characters were beyond that, I didn’t feel the connection between them, and there wasn’t really a plot.

Lord of Eternal Night by Ben Alderson – You can never read too many vampire books! I enjoyed this.

Øystæinn by Marishka Grayson – Confusing, but some interesting ideas, and I am curious to know how it will turn out (and maybe some of the confusion will get cleared up).

In Case You Missed It:

– I reviewed Capt. Hook: The Adventures of a Notorious Youth by J. V. Hart, a fun book that really did the character of Hook justice.
– I recommended 5 funny SFF podcasts to check out, because I love having things to make me laugh every week.
– I reviewed Jack of Thorns by A.K. Faulkner, the start to a m/m urban fantasy series I’m really enjoying so far.
– I did the Extraordinary Means Book Tag and failed at it, but that’s ok because everyone who commented agreed with me!
– I reviewed Spellcaster University, a fun, addictive game that reminded me how fun magic schools can be!