The Inklings Digest 15

Currently Reading:

I’m currently reading We Kept Her In The Cellar by W.R. Gorman, which is a horror retelling of Cinderella. I’m about 10% through, so not a whole lot. I’m also 25% through The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune, following two gay men and a quirky girls while they face the world’s potential ending, and I am 15% through Blood Over Bright Haven by ML Wang, a standalone fantasy novel that a ton of people adore.

Recent Reads:

This past week, I finished Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson. I have a review up here you can find right here: https://theinklingspodcast.blog/2025/01/30/exploring-adventure-and-romance-empire-of-shadows-review/ It was phenomenal and I’m starting the second book at some point this week or next week.

The Blood Orchid by Kylie Lee Baker was a great book and I did have a good time. It’s the sequel to The Scarlet Alchemist, but reads more like a continuation than a sequel. It was tough to follow up Empire of Shadows with this and I could definitely tell than I just was not having as great a time with this one. It was still good. It’s quick and fast paced, but can also feel a lot like you’re just following these characters as they stumble around, trying their best.

I finished the week with The Lesser Devil by Christopher Ruocchio. I really enjoyed this. It starts around what would be roughly halfway through Empire of Silence, but with Crispin and his younger sister. It’s awesome seeing Crispin and how he thinks about Hadrian so often, because a lot of the thoughts he has about his brother are the same (or similar) to the ones Hadrian has about him. It was short and to the point, but still engaging and fun.

This Week’s Plans

Y’all, I don’t know. I want to finish my current reads and I do plan to have about 3-4 posts this week. Other than that, we’re just hanging out and reading to avoid reality.