How Is It That Yearbook Messages Can Go From "You're Amazing, Fantastic, And Beautiful" To "Thanks For

Hello again, everyone! Since posting my review of @authorkimberlygrey’s wonderful novel Ascendant, it’s been published and is now available to all of you! If you’d like to support this wonderful author and get your hands on one of the best stories I’ve ever read, head on over to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and order your copy!

Ascendant by Kimberly Grey Review

Summary: For hundreds of years, war has raged across the realm of Guardian Angels. White-Wing against Black-Wing. Grace is the Saboteur, daughter of the White-Wing Spy Master, destined to end the war once and for all. But all of that is snatched away when she is captured by the Black-Wings. Trapped in their secret city, Grace finds herself questioning everything.

Going into this story, I already knew it was in my usual reading wheel-house. I’m always a sucker for fantasy stories, especially ones with complex conflict. This story was absolutely no exception.

I’ll admit that I became a touch worried at some points, having noticed some of the tell-tale signs of upcoming cliches that, while I always enjoy, I’ve seen written poorly too many times. Kimberly Grey pleasantly surprised me, however. Not only did Grey execute some of my beloved cliches, but they also lead some of them into outcomes I absolutely did not expect. And, let me tell you, I loved it.

Grace, as the main character, is a brilliant narrator to follow. Not only does she begin the story believing in her mission and the people alongside her, but the reader is given the opportunity to watch as her own understanding of the world, war, and everything around her actually develops. After all, Grace is still a child in this war, a child that has been misled and trained to be a soldier all her life. On top of that, she’s just an all-around lovable character and I really enjoyed my time with her.

On top of the complex conflict and lovable narrator and her development, I absolutely loved the focus on found-family in this story. It’s been a while since I had the opportunity to read a story with a well-written found-family element and, I must say, this was refreshing and incredibly satisfying. Grey could’ve easily written a romantic relationship between Grace and her new family member, but, again, pleasantly surprised me by creating a loving, sibling relationship. Thank you so much for that.

If this was already in Goodreads and Amazon, it would absolutely get a five-star rating from me (and it will receive those ratings as soon as possible). I highly recommend this book, and I’m excited to see this published so that more people can take in this story.

If you would like to learn more about this story, check out the “ascendant” tag on @authorkimberlygrey‘s page!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

happy storyteller saturday! what are some of your characters’s favorite childhood memories?

Happy sts! Thank you so much for sending a question again, @feathered-inkling! I love answering these!

Oliver’s favorite childhood memories all surround the rare times he and his siblings got to just be kids. Times like playing hide and seek when his parents weren’t home and staying up late telling ghost stories with his younger brother. Shiloh’s favorite childhood memories are just whenever her dad gave her metalwork lessons and taught her anything new surrounding his forge.

The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book. The author did a great job of giving the main characters very easy to follow yet quite complex backgrounds and personalities. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and was very satisfied by the ending. I recommend this book to anyone that likes a nice YA novel and/or the author Sarah Dessen.

Friendly reminder that this blog is pro-choice and if you don’t think a woman should have full control of her own body, then kindly unfollow me right now and go to hell

So proud of you my dude!!! I wish you the best of luck and, of course, I’ll still be with you every step of the way!!

okay so I have been out as a trans man for four years now, but have never had the finiancial stability to begin transitioning. But starting in two days, ya boy will be starting hormone therapy! Thanks to all of you have been supporting me during this rough part of my life, and now I can see clearer skies :)

Up To This Pointe by Jennifer Longo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is absolutely a beautiful book. I enjoyed how it went back and forth between Harper’s time Antarctica and the events that led up to her going there. The characters are all awesome and I truly felt bad while reliving the hardships Harper went through. I definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys YA books, fun relationships between characters, and a nice amount of conflict.

happy sts! are there any songs that you associate with your characters?

Oops, I’m a bit late on this one. Sorry!

I only have playlists for two of my characters (Shiloh and Oliver) and, oddly enough, their songs often more closely match their story’s plot than their actual character. A song I definitely associate with Shiloh though is Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time by Panic! At The Disco. With her easygoing personality and some of the shenanigans she gets into in her story, it’s a fantastic fit.

happy sts! what are some of your favorite settings in your wip? what were they inspired by?

Happy sts! Thank you for asking this, @feathered-inkling!

My favorite settings in my most recent WIP are probably Shiloh’s forge/shop as well as the home Oliver buys at some point later in the story. Shiloh’s place is very much inspired by just kind of the general concept of family owned and run businesses. Her father’s name is still on most of the branding and supplies, and you can find his old tools and gear scattered throughout. But if you look around just a bit more, you can find her own personal touches that she’s slowly added ever since she took over. Oliver’s home starts off inspired by just a bunch of pictures of cool, abandoned houses I found online but very quickly becomes a full representation of everything and everyone he loves and ends up looking a lot like my “cozy home” board on pinterest (think definitely designed by a couple of very different people, but still well loved by both).

i am overcome with the urge to deal out unsolicited writing advice

"If you're uncomfortable, I can do it for/with you."

This is probably the most understanding, comforting, and meaningful thing you can say to someone with anxiety (or anyone in general) when they need help. Whether it’s simply talking to someone for/with them or helping them give a speech or performance.

Don’t underestimate the value of your words.