“Suffering Is Cheap As Clay And Twice As Common. What Matters Is What Each Man Makes Of It.” 

Darklina as Taylor swift songs ~

•Exile

"And it took you five whole minutes, to pack us up and leave me with it."

"You were my crown, Now I'm in exile seein' you out."

"Second, third, and hundredth chances, balancin' on breaking branches. Those eyes add insult to injury."

"You're not my homeland anymore, so what am I defendin' now?".

"All this time, we always walked a very thin line."

•Hoax

"My eclipsed sun."

"My twisted knife, my sleepless night, my win-less fight."

"Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in."

"You knew you won, so what's the point of keeping score?"

"My kingdom come undone, you have beaten my heart."

•My tears ricochet

"Weepin' in a sunlit room, and if I'm on fire, you'll be made of ashes too."

"Did I deserve, babe? All the hell you gave me? 'Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you, till my dying day."

"You had to kill me but it killed you just the same."

"I didn't have it in myself to go with grace, 'cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave."

"And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?"

"And you can aim for me heart, go for blood, But you would still miss me in your bones."

•The 1

"And if you wanted me, you really should've showed."

"But we were something, don't you think so?"

"And if my wishes came true, it would've been you."

"You know the greatest loves of all time are over now?"

"If one thing had been different, would everything be different?"

•Haunted

"You and I walk a fragile line, I have known it all this time. But I never thought I'd live to see it break."

"He will try too take away my pain, and he just might make me smile. But the whole time I'm wishing he was you instead."

"But I still mean every word I said to you."

"I thought I had you figured out. Can't turn back now, I'm haunted."

Unfriendly Reminder that

Isaak deserved better :(

This book just got real painful real fast- what have I gotten myself into *sobs*

convincing you to read kingdom of the wicked because the sequel comes out in 10 days!

this post won' t contain any major spoilers, but a few slips might happen-

Let's start out with the premise :)

It's basically a historical fiction- a murder mystery, based in the 1800s in Italy. BUT IT'S NOT JUST ANY OTHER MURDER MYSTERY, it has witches and super hot demons and not so hot hunters and- and chefs<3 AND POSSIBLY THE BEST FANTASY ENEMIES TO LOVERS I'VE SEEN IN A WHILE.

I cannot begin to explain how beautiful the entire ambience of this book is,,, the town in Italy is a very warm, cozy, and welcoming place. So that makes the whole murder situation even eerier and more intriguing. This isn't one of those mysteries where you can guess from the start who it's gonna be, and the murder part isn't that IN YOUR FACE. It's delicately woven throughout the rest of the plot. There's a lot of chilling stuff going on, everyone has secrets and everyone is super sexy and scary- all in all this makes for the perfect autumnal read :)

PLOT!!

We start out with two twin witches who's family owns a restaurant (i mean those lucky bitches get to COOK AND BAKE AND DO WITCHCRAFT ALL DAY LIKE- *dream life*)

Emilia and Vittoria dicarlo- one of them is super outgoing and loud and EDGY- she isn't like other girls!! she has secret affairs and gets in trouble all the time,,, the other is kind of chill and reserved and loving.

BUT THEN SOMETHING LIFE CHANGING HAPPENS- one of them makes a mistake and ends up six feet under.

Now, witchcraft is like super illegal because women with gifts and knowledge are a threat to society!! Witches have been ending up dead in many towns across Italy and since witchcraft is super hush hush, our protagonist can't exactly ask the police for help. So she does one better- SHE ASKS THE FUCKING PRINCE OF HELL- wrath. Go big or go home honey :)))

The magic system in this book is really interesting because it's quite realistic- they use herbs and blessed candles and chalk and really aesthetically pleasing things. Some witches practice dark magic and go nuts because they have these visions which is so cool. The twins come from an ancient family of witches and their nonna is super badass and grumpy i love her.

The villains(seggsy antiheroes?) are the malvachi aka the princes of hell. Each prince has domain over one deadly sin(pride, envy, wrath etc). And they can like control those emotions which IS SO SICKK aaahhhh. Throughout the story, the main characters meets these princes and gets influenced by them but also learns new things to uncover the bigger mystery going on and they're all very intriguing and sexy.(I've used the word sexy so many times like is that not reason enough to read it?)

The restaurant- I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS ARC. It just enhances the reading experience by adding these touches of how invested the characters are in their recipes and flavours which makes it so comforting and also hilarious because one moment someone is like "OMG NO LOOK A CORPSE aaahhh" and the next they're like "hmmm i want your recipe for cannoli *puppy eyes*"

vibes you can expect- mysterious, spells, herbs, candles, witches, church, family love, demons, betrayal, forced alliance, grumpy + sunshine trope, revenge lotsss of revenge, angsty, comforting yet also somehow on the edge of your seat feeling, secrets and darkness, hidden agendas, AND LOTS OF ITALIAN CUISINE.

The romance<333

aka the reason I picked up this book. At this point the romantic interest could be like "aahh you're ugly i hope you die" and then two seconds later be like "you're the most beautiful thing in this world you are the sky and the sun and you could walk over me do you want something to eat? do you want a kitten or a blanket or a cup of tea??maybe we could bang and get married????" and you have the AUDACITY to call that enemies to lovers????

BUT THIS BOOK PORTRAYS that hate to forced alliance to secrets to betrayal to mistrust to slight understanding to maybe some hints of romance. The slowburn is just *chef's kiss*

I ADORE how you can never tell what the love interest is gonna do and you're like daddy??sorry-daddy?? sorry. NO DON"T MAKE ME HATE YOU.....da-

ALSO there's a slight corruption arc because the main character is so driven by her rage and that for me is the cherry on top.

AT ONE POINT, THE DARK ANTIHERO kisses the protagonist to save her life(?) AND SAYS "LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO HATE ME FOR THIS" LIKE SIRRRR??

Quotes you might like-

“I feel your gaze on me when you think I’m not paying attention. You track the dagger every time I move. You need to know where it is." No ma'am he's looking at you-

"Young women died. Life resumed. Such was the way of the world, at least according to men." I didn't come here to cry but okay-

"I couldn’t begin to understand why Wrath had said “my Emilia’s.” Honestly, I wasn’t sure if the demon even remembered my name since he only ever tossed around “witch.” EEEEEHHH THE POSSESSIVENESS TROPE

“You have something I want.” “If it’s my still-beating heart, I’m afraid I must decline.” “No, but I imagine you’ll end up giving that to my brother one day.” excuse me WHILE I GO SCREAM.

"My sister was the adventurous one—I was satisfied with safe, clean fun. Give me a steamy romance novel with forbidden love and impossible odds. That was the kind of adventure I could get behind." same, literally same.

This book as Taytay songs because why not?

•Look what you made me do

•No body, no crime

•Treacherous

•Dancing with our hands tied

•Mad woman

•I did something bad

•Wildest dreams tv THISSS SO MUCH

•Delicate

•Haunted

•So it goes >>>>

Just before you go,, THE SEQUEL HAS THE "I DON'T WANNA KISS YOU UGHHH"// "LIAR" trope and also the "YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T GIVE AF ABOUT ME"// "I LIED." trope

so you don't wanna miss out.

“I’d date more, probably, as well.”

Alex can’t help laughing again. “Right, because it’s so hard to get a date when you’re a prince.” Henry cuts his eyes back down to Alex. “You’d be surprised.” “How? You’re not exactly lacking for options.” Henry keeps looking at him, holding his gaze for two seconds too long. “The options I’d like…” he says, dragging the words out. “They don’t quite seem to be options at all.”

Alex blinks. “What?”

“I’m saying that I have … people … who interest me,” Henry says, turning his body toward Alex now, “But I shouldn’t pursue them. At least not in my position.” Are they too drunk to communicate in English? He wonders distantly if Henry knows any Spanish.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Alex says.

“You don’t?” “No.”

“You really don’t?” “I really, really don’t.”

Henry’s whole face grimaces in frustration, his eyes casting skyward like they’re searching for help from an uncaring universe. “Christ, you are as thick as it gets,” he says, and he grabs Alex’s face in both hands and kisses him.

~Red, White and Royal Blue

“A heart of stone can still be broken.” 

― Holly Black, How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

"Anyway, I found this part of a letter Hamilton wrote to Laurens, and it made me think of you. And me, I guess:

"The truth is I am an unlucky honest man, that speak my sentiments to all and with emphasis. I say this to you because you know it and will not charge me with vanity. I hate Congress—I hate the army—I hate the world—I hate myself. The whole is a mass of fools and knaves; I could almost except you …"

Thinking about history makes me wonder how I’ll fit into it one day, I guess. And you too. I kinda wish people still wrote like that.

History, huh? Bet we could make some.

Affectionately yours, slowly going insane,

Alex, First Son of Founding Father Sacrilege."

“Above me is the same silvery moon that shines down on you. Looking at it makes me recall the glint of your blade pressed against my throat and other romantic moments.”

~Cardan's letters to Jude

This hits different after Row :'')

“Get up,” Chaol whispered. "Celaena,” he breathed, his voice laced with pain—and hope. This was all she had left—his outstretched hand, and the promise of hope, of something better waiting on the other side of that line.

Back when I shipped Chaolena</3