REVIEW: A Wild and Ruined Song by Ashley Shuttleworth

Pages: 432

Format: Hardback

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Genre: Fantasy, LGBT

Release Date: November 12th 2024

Arlo and her friends struggle to rally against an overwhelming foe before time runs out in this gripping final book in the Hollow Star Saga, the urban fantasy series about fae in Toronto. 

Arlo Jarsdel has lost everything. Her family. Her freedom. Her name. And now that she’s sharing her body with Ruin, the formidable titan of devastation, she’s even beginning to lose herself. 

In their most dangerous game of deception yet, Arlo has just one goal: destroy the three Bone Crowns corrupting the mortal and immortal realms before her time runs out and Ruin takes permanent control of her being. 

With Celadon fighting on the political front against the ruthless High Queen Riadne—now armed with the cataclysmic power of her Crown, the Sins, and Ruin—Vehan and Aurelian are scrambling in secret to build an army to rival Riadne’s infernal forces. Meanwhile, Nausicaä will do whatever it takes to save her girlfriend from obliteration, despite knowing the odds of survival are nearly nonexistent. 

When the line between hero and villain becomes blurred, and bonds are put to the ultimate test, it has never been more imperative—or more difficult—to stand united. For this is not the first lifetime that these five friends have faced the evil behind this impending war, but if they can’t find their way back to each other, it might just be their last.

Let’s not call this a review, shall we? I can’t quite put into formal words how I feel about this book, so let’s just say this is me SCREAMING INTO THE VOID. That works, right? 

This was the final instalment in the Hollow Star saga, and I’ve been going insane waiting for this to drop since I finished A Grim and Sunken Vow. And this book? It was everything I could possibly want and more. It picks up a little while after the events of book three, showing us the moments directly after that cliffhanger ending before giving us a time skip. And let me tell you: I was STRESSED. 

Having to experience Arlo being combined with Ruin in this book was a whirlwind. It was cleverly written, especially when switching up between the two of them. I wanted nothing more than for Arlo to be free from Ruin’s grip so she could be herself again, but it was so interesting to see her in a different light. I adored Nausica standing by her side throughout though. My queen. I adore her. 

Don’t get me started on Lethe and Celadon because you know I’ll be here all day. I love them. Deeply. I loved seeing their relationship develop after the third book. I loved every interaction between them. I loved Lethe’s fierce protectiveness, and how Celadon can get away with teasing him when no one else would even dare. I love that they’re destined to find each other in every single lifetime. Have I mentioned that I love them? 

Also: VEHAN AND AURELIAN MY BABIES!!! After being kept apart for most of the third book, I was so thankful to have them practically glued to each other in this one. And I was very happy with a certain momentous occasion that happened during a certain someone’s birthday party. 

• A bit of everything. This series does such a good job of weaving a little bit of everything into the plot. There’s gods, there’s DND vibes, there’s myths, there’s history. Not to mention the humour. There’s just SO MUCH and it’s all exciting. 

• Solid relationships. It’s one of the things I love most about this series, actually. There’s great communication between the characters and the angst that does happen is plot related. We love healthy relationships in YA books!!! 

• Satisfying ending!!! I’m always terrified for endings, especially when it comes to a series I love this much, but I had nothing to fear. In Ashley we trust. 

I don’t even think I can put into words how glad I am that I picked up this series because it means so damn much to me. It was the perfect ending, even though I’m going to miss these characters terribly and would lap up any sort of spin-off or continuation in the future. I wouldn’t mind the details of a certain wedding as a short story, perhaps. Hint hint. But anyway, if you haven’t read these books yet then PLEASE give it a chance. I dare you not to fall in love with this entire cast.

Royal Rating:

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DESKTOP WALLPAPERS: January 2025

A bit of a new type of post for me – wallpapers! I’ve been doing photography for a decade now, and I have far too many spare pictures that are always just wasting away on my OneDrive. So, I thought I’d inject some life into them and turn them into desktop wallpapers. 

Initially, I was simply planning on making them for myself, but I figured I’d share them here in case anyone was looking for a new background. I’m hoping to make some for every month of the year, so keep an eye out in the final few days of January for some February ones! 

This one was taken out of my attic window during a snow fall and I thought it was a perfect representation of a snowy January – cold but makes even the dullest of days feels a little bit magical. Unless you have to go outside. 

Snowy Aesthetic Wallpaper 

Click below to open full-size pic and save! 

With Calendar / Without

This is a bokeh pic I snapped of some snowflakes in my back garden. It’s a simpler choice for a background, perfect for you minimalists out there. 

Bokeh Snow Wallpaper 

Click to open full-size pic and save!

Just the two wallpapers this month for my initial dip into background making, but I’ll have a bigger variety for February so watch this space!

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Bookish Gift Haul!

HAPPY NEW YEAR LITTLE BOOKWORMS! I thought I’d start 2025 off with a haul of the bookish gifts I received over the festive season. If you want to hear me yap about my favourite books of 2024 though, you can find my reading wrap up over on my booktube channel. 

So first up, one of my best friends got me this absolutely delicious edition of Maurice, Yes, I know I already have two copies. Yes, I will get more. But I’m completely obsessed with this one because it also has illustrations throughout. I’ll definitely be squeezing a reread into 2025. 

Sticking with the classics, my sister found me this gorgeous copy of Peter Pan. I fixated on this story so much when I was a kid, and as an adult I really want to write my own Peter Pan story that I’ve been planning for a few years. 

Time for some bookish candles? Of course it is. I found an All For The Game candle on Vinted just before Christmas, so I treated myself to it. It’s from a book subscription box that I couldn’t afford at the time, so I’m glad I managed to get my hands on it. 

My sister also decided to go with an All For The Game candle as a gift because I’m very predictable. She got me an Andrew Minyard one from Etsy and not only does it smell lovely, but it also had the cutest packaging with a quote on the inside of the box. 

Back to books: my mum got me We Could Be Heroes by PJ Ellis because it’s on my TBR for the year. I’m so excited to delve into this one because it sounds exactly like the type of story I’d eat right up. 

Her and my sister also teamed up to get me the Japanese edition of Captive Prince because I’ve been after it for so long. I’m in love with it – LOOK AT THE ART!!! 

So my bestie found me some super cute bookish gifts this Christmas, including a Howl’s Moving Castle music box. If you don’t know, Howl is one of my favourite books and movies. I adore both versions of the story so much. 

she also got me these cute little book pins!

And to wrap it up, my sister found some gems on Vinted for me. This Emily Wilde themed planter is an item from a Fairyloot box and it looks so pretty on my shelves that I’ve decided to put my bookmarks on it instead of my plants. 

She also found me a badge inspired by A Dark and Hollow Star, which is one of my favourite series. More people need to pick these books up btw because they’re amazing. 

So, they were my bookish gifts this Christmas. I feel so known by and grateful for my loved ones. I look forward to reading and enjoying these over 2025! 

Did you receive any books this festive season?

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Autumn Wrap Up!

The leaves have fallen, the nights have drawn in, and I’m freezing my tits off every day. Which can only mean one thing: autumn is making way for winter. I’ve always been an autumn girlie, so it’s sad the say goodbye to my favourite time of the year. I’ll miss the colours and the aesthetic deeply. But, yay, Christmas! 

This autumn, I set myself a spooky season TBR and actually stuck to it, managing to read every book I’d put on my list. So, I thought I’d share my quick thoughts and ratings on each one! 

First up was Young Gothic.

I picked this up on a whim because I fell in love with both the cover and the blurb when I found it on the shelf in my favourite queer bookshop. It was the perfect story to open the Halloween season with. The characters were as intriguing as the plot, and I’m so excited that a sequel has recently been announced after that ending. The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is because the author said that Cinnamoroll is a bunny. My poor boy is a DOG. That was my only issue. Petty, I know, but I love Cinnamoroll. 

Next up was Sixteen Souls, which I’d been meaning to read since last year!

I’m so glad I finally got around to it because I adored the plot. I’m a sucker for anything involving ghosts. It was also nice to read something set in Yorkshire, because I feel like a lot of UKYA books tend to be set down south. It was time for us northerners to shine! 

Here’s one that had been sitting on my shelf for far too long: Gideon the Ninth. 

I kept putting this one off because I knew so many people loved it dearly, and I wasn’t sure whether I’d vibe with it. Whilst it did take me a little while to get a hang on it, I was obsessed once I was I properly in. I am very much in love with Gideon. The ending destroyed me. I bought the sequel immediately. 

Then I moved onto The Other Ones. 

I actually bought this at the start of the year but was determined to wait until October to read because just look at it. It’s perfect Halloween material. It was so worth the wait because I lapped it up from the very start. It wasn’t what I was expected. From the blurb, I thought it was a supernatural mystery, and it was more of an autumnal contemporary. But I loved it anyway. I have a feeling I’ll be craving a reread of this one next spooky season. 

My penultimate read of October was Now, Conjurors. 

I’ll admit, I picked this one up because I completely fell in love with the cover art. Unfortunately, this was one of those times where I shouldn’t have judged a book by it’s cover. I wanted to enjoy it so much, but it just didn’t deliver what I wanted it to. I couldn’t connect with the characters, and they got quite irritating at times. The plot had potential, and there were parts of it that I liked a lot, but not enough for it to save the book as a whole. The jumps between present day and the past were too clunky for me to appreciate. My favourite part of the story was the character who was already dead at the start, so…yeah. 

My final book was a comic based on my all-time favourite video game, MediEvil. 

This game has such a special place in my heart because it was the first game I ever played. I’ve bought modern consoles for the sole purpose of playing remastered versions of this game. It was also a game I bonded with my dad over, and since it’s approaching the anniversary of his passing, it felt like the perfect time to read this little comic. Needless to say, I adored it, and it made me wish we could get more games in this world.

So that was my autumn TBR! Very proud that I actually stuck to it and didn't get distracted by a book I bought on a whim. Now I need to start planning what I read during Winter. What will warm me up during the cold months...

What did you read this autumn? 

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some new fave books?│SMALL THOUGHTS #2

Hello, my fellow book inhalers! Welcome to another instalment in my series of mini-reviews. I've been keeping on top of my reading goal so far this year, and all of these books have made a big impression on me. So, let's delve right in. 

The Big Ask by Simon James Green 

Alfie Parker has bagged the hottest date to prom … hasn’t he? Bestselling LGBTQ+ writer Simon James Green makes his Barrington Stoke debut with a life-affirming teen romance.

Harvey is popular, cool, plays football and has been in a relationship with his girlfriend Summer for as long as anyone can remember. Alfie is not popular, not cool, has a sick note so he doesn’t have to play any sport, and has been in a relationship with his Xbox since forever. So when Summer dramatically dumps Harvey just a few days before the school prom, no one is expecting Alfie to ask Harvey to be his date. Least of all Alfie. But sometimes amazing things can happen when you take a chance… 

A short and perfectly sweet novel from one of my all-time favourite authors. There’s nothing more exciting for teenagers than the run up to prom (most teenagers – my prom was the dullest thing to ever happen), and you could just feel the enthusiasm for it in the pages of this novel! The characters in this were adorable and I was completely rooting for them. It put a much-needed smile on my face this summer. 

Royal Rating:

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series. 

Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore who just wrote the world’s first comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Ones on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival Wendell Bambleby. 

Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother and in search of a door back to his realm. And despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal of marriage: Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and dangers. 

She also has a new project to focus on: a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by his mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambleby’s realm and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans.

But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors and of her own heart.

I picked the first book up after one of my best friends recommended it to me, and she’s never been wrong in pointing me to a book before. I enjoyed the first book plenty, but I fell completely in love with the sequel. It has such a cosy feeling to it whilst still bringing an exciting plot. The characters are ADORABLE and it was thrilling to watch them open up to each other throughout the story. It’s going to be a painstaking wait for the next book! 

Royal Rating:

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black

An imprisoned prince. A vengeful queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame. 

Prince Oak is paying for his betrayal. Imprisoned in the icy north and bound to the will of a monstrous new queen, he must rely on charm and calculation to survive. With High King Cardan and High Queen Jude willing to use any means necessary to retrieve their stolen heir, Oak will have to decide whether to attempt regaining the trust of the girl he’s always loved or to remain loyal to Elfhame and hand over the means to end her reign—even if it means ending Wren, too.

With a new war looming on the horizon and treachery lurking in every corner, neither Oak’s guile nor his wit will be enough to keep everyone he loves alive. It’s just a question of whom he will doom

Ah, how much I enjoyed being back in Elfhame. After loving The Stolen Heir, I was majorly excited to see how the story ended in this instalment as I was NOT disappointed. It was also a pleasant surprise to read this one from Oak’s perspective instead of Wren because I was definitely eager to learn more about him as his own character, rather than through the eyes of others. What I loved most about this book was getting to catch up with the characters from The Folk of the Air series. I love Jude and Cardan so damn much. I was looking forward to every scene they appeared in. The only downside is that this duology just made me want more spinoffs. 

Royal Rating:

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

In the vibrant city-state of Castellane, the richest of nobles and the most debauched of criminals have one thing in common: the constant search for wealth, power, and the next hedonistic thrill. 

Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword Catcher—the body double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are as close as brothers, but Kel knows that his destiny is to die for Conor. No other future is possible. 

Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a small community whose members still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls within the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. Despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend without access to forbidden knowledge. 

After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the criminal ruler of Castellane’s underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces. 

As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will their discoveries plunge their nation into war—and the world into chaos?

There was no doubt that I was going to pick up Cassandra Clare’s first adult novel – I’d read her shopping list if she published it. I was super excited for this, with it being her first solo novel set outside of the Shadowhunter world. Predictably, I loved it. It was a slow start, but not in a bad way. It took the time to introduce us to the characters and the world without leaving us feeling overwhelmed. I’m hooked on the plot and I love the characters, so I can’t wait to see what the future of this series holds for them. The only thing I’m not 100% sold on yet is the romantic pairings. I think one worked better than the other, but I’m not going to say which, for those who haven’t yet read it. If that’s where the romance is heading, at least! Maybe the love interests will be shaken up, who knows.

Royal Rating:

I'm so happy I picked up these books because there's definitely some new faves amongst them! If you want to keep tabs on what I'm reading, then be sure to drop by my Goodreads or StoryGraph pages. Until next time, readers!

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