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Wheel of Fate by A.K. Faulkner (Inheritance #10)

The wheel turns. Laurence figured he'd be planning his wedding as soon as he got home from the desert; instead he's pulled away from his fiancé to track down Rufus' missing mom. Worse, the last person he'd ever want help from is on his side, and Laurence can't afford to say no. Surrounded by strands of fate that rapidly became a web, Laurence's only hope is to aim for the spider at its heart, but Vincent Harrow has been weaving it since before Laurence was born. ​​​​​​​Trapped between two evils, neither of which are lesser, Laurence is about to discover that there really are fates worse than death. PUBLISHER: Ravensword Press YEAR: 2024 LENGTH: 450 pages (13 hours, 19 minutes) AGE: Adult GENRE: Fantasy, Romance RECOMMENDED: Highly Queer Rep Summary: Lesbian/Sapphic Secondary Character(s), Gay/Achillean Main Character(s), Bi/Pan Main Character(s), Genderqueer/Nonbinary Secondary Character(s), Ace/Aro Secondary Character(s). *I received a free review copy in excha

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho (Gumiho, #1)

Family is fraught and friendships are complicated, especially when you're a gumiho. Wicked Fox is a romance with bite; negotiating with the past for the possibility of a future. A bit of mystery just might hurt someone after all.

It feels very high stakes but also languid at the same time. There's a time limit, a ticking clock for them to figure out a solution and work together, but also the time is long enough that a lot happens while they wait for it to run out. The romance is awkward and endearing, Jihoon’s earnestness is a great counterpoint to Miyoung’s standoffishness. There's a lot of negotiation of boundaries, both in healthy and not-so-healthy ways. It felt very earnest and messy, but good. I like that Jihoon has important people in his life, there's a lot of value placed on friends and family in a way that's positive and supportive. It makes for a great contrast with Miyoung, but without making it so stark that one of them has everything and the other has nothing. 

I appreciate a good interstitial narration between chapters, and this example was very satisfying. I enjoyed these as an alternative to getting infodumps of the mythology from either of the gumiho. As for the pacing of the book as a whole, I was thinking of this book as kind of languid after a very dramatic opening, and I thought I knew where it was going. I successfully guessed one twist and then was almost immediately surprised by several additional layers that made a bunch of slightly confusing things from earlier click into place all at once. I like the twists and I love the ending. It was a really sweet conclusion as the first book in a series and I'm intrigued by the prospect of where it might go next.

CW for bullying, parental neglect, major character death.

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A girl in a school uniform and long flowing hair stands back to back with a boy in front of a full moon.

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