Rereading Callie Hart’s Quicksilver has been a fascinating experience, especially now that I’m deep into my own writing project. This is my first reread since stepping into the writer’s seat, and I can feel that subtle shift in how I’m engaging with the story. I’m more aware of the artistic choices, the pressure points, and the moments where tension is carefully engineered rather than organically inevitable.
Saeris is still… Saeris. On my first read, I struggled with her stubbornness. It felt realistic, yes, but also deeply aggravating in a way that made me want to shake her. That hasn’t changed. Her independence and contrariness constantly land her in hyper-tense situations, both in her world and Kingfisher’s, that feel just a touch non-realistic but undeniably exhilarating. The ring-stealing kiss is a perfect example. It works because it’s bold and breathless, even if part of me now recognizes the narrative hand nudging events into place. There are moments that feel slightly forced. Still effective. Still fun. Just more visible now.
I’ve just reached Cahlish, which is where the story truly starts to open up for me. This is the point where the dynamics sharpen and where Carrion begins to step out of the shadows. Even before the grand reveal at the end of the book, he was already becoming my favorite character on my first read, and that affection has only deepened this time around.
One moment in particular stood out to me on reread. When Carrion speaks to Saeris about her brother for the first time in Cahlish, he tells her:
“I got him papers and shifted him that first night when you were taken up to the palace. He’s now gainfully employed as a store clerk. It isn’t glamorous work, but it’s better than having no job at all. He has triple water rations and a room above the shop.”
Whether this turns out to be true or not, the emotional weight of the moment lands the same. Carrion understands what matters to Saeris. He doesn’t offer grand gestures or flowery reassurances. He gives her safety, stability, water, shelter. If it isn’t a lie, then it quietly reveals how deeply he cared, even if Hayden himself wasn’t someone he particularly liked. That kind of care, practical and unromantic on the surface, is what cemented Carrion as a standout character for me.
Overall, I’m really enjoying this reread. It’s less about being swept away and more about watching the machinery of the story work, appreciating its strengths, noticing its seams, and still choosing to lean into the parts that sparkle. Some books change when you reread them as a writer. Quicksilver hasn’t lost its edge. It’s just showing me more of its bones, and I don’t mind that at all.

I love Celaena's inner monologue sometimes. I love that in Chapter 18, while she's watching Dorian and Nehemia spar, she is hardcore ogling Dorian. Her exact thought is: "It made her uneasy how he'd made her blush. In fact, he was so attractive that she had difficulty not thinking about how attractive he was, and again wondered why he wasn't married." I get it. Dorian is described as being super attractive. Then add in his flirtatious nature, and he is probably fatal. While I love that he's attractive and charismatic, I also love that Celaena, more than anyone, knows those two attributes can be honed like any other weapon.
The heat of the moment is quickly lost when Celaena thinks of Sam. As a rereader of the series, this initial mention of Sam is heartbreaking. No extra thoughts with this... just a note I made because I want to keep track of how frequently Celaena thinks of Sam and whether she shares him with other people, even though she isn't used to letting others see her vulnerability.
In keeping with Sam, another note I have comes in Chapter 20 when Celaena sees the pianoforte and begins to play. If I recall correctly, we get more details in another book about why this moment hits her so hard. As someone who loves piano, I adore this scene because piano absolutely evokes memories, especially of people we've lost. Later, she even observes this: "She was surprised that her hands had not forgotten, that somewhere in her mind, after a year of darkness and slavery, music was still alive and breathing. That somewhere, between the notes, was Sam." And the fact that the first person she confides in about Sam is Dorian speaks volumes about their growing friendship. This scene makes me cry almost every time.
On to probably my favorite scene in this entire book: in Chapter 21, Celaena and the other would-be Champions are completing their next Test. They have to scale a wall and capture a golden flag. Last one there is out. During the test, in which Celaena is trying to take a harder side route to avoid the other competitors, Nox, a friendly competitor, is pushed. While he's hanging from his rope, another competitor starts cutting it. Knowing that if the rope is cut, Nox will fall and die, Celaena, against her better judgment, runs to his rescue. She narrowly saves him, coming in second-to-last due to the time lost in helping him.
I love this because she even states that Arobynn would have punished her severely for stopping to save someone, especially someone she was in competition with. Chaol even reprimands her. But this is one of the earliest glimpses we get of Celaena's inner character, the one she keeps hidden behind her scary, sarcastic exterior. One of my favorite Celaena moments in the series, and definitely my favorite in this particular book.

Myself and a friend are reading Throne of Glass by Sarah. J. Maas. This is a reread for me. I am so excoted to be reading this entire series again AND with a friend. So i decoded to share my thoughts here as I go. As opposed to posting every thought I have AS I have it, like I've done previously on this page, I'll do chunked thoughts daily or weekly.
I will not be afraid.
Rereading this series with intention, I didnt realize, until now, how immediately in the story Celaena first says this phrase! Chapter one! I don't normally do this, but im sticky noting my book for various moments, either characyer building or quotes, and I have a specific tab color for this specific quote! I'm on Chapter 18 and already it has been said 3 times.
Dorian and the note
I forgot how little Dorian is in the first bit of the book, at least when it comes to moments of real substance. Like yes we get a brief glimpse of him when he gets Celaena and when we seem him disgusted with either his father or the noble in general. But my favorite moment where I think we get to see the “normal side” of Dorian is when Celaena writes him a note asking to borrow books from the royal library. He doesn't just say yes he sends his own personal books for her to read so that they can talk about them. I forgot how genuinely adorable Dorian is, it usually gets lost in his flirting.
Chaol…
I love Chaol, let me just start with that. However, rereading he is an interesting guy. First off, he feels a little bipolar. Literally I the same page he’ll go from being rough and mean to Adarlan’s assassin to softening his expression and tone like he's forgotten she’s a girl. Which i get… but it happens almost… too soon? They haven't bonded much when this starts happening. It just doesn't sit great with me from a writing perspective, but maybe I'm wrong.
However, I LOVE when him and Celaena bicker! My favorite moment is when he's eating fish and she makes a face so he asks if she doesn't like fish. When she says no he says thats surprising… cuz you smell like one, and she is absolutely stricken. Or rather I think her pride is.
Celaena’s pride
I remember Celaena being very prideful throughout the series, which bites her in the butt a lot, but I forget 1) she's only 18 in the first book, 2) she doesn't easily slip OUT of her ego ever, 3) she’s proud of somethings I'd consider very silly and vain. I know thats a great character growth moment, but I dont really recall her growing from it lol it's just always a character flaw.
Conclusion
I know a lot of people find the first 3-4 books “boring” or “slow”, but I find them nostalgic. I remember the first time I stumbled across this book in the Nook Friday Freebies. I bought it but didnt read it for almost a year. I've read this books during some very hard times in my life and in the comfortable silence of people I love very dearly. I feel so much more than JUST the story when I read this series… I think that's part of why it is one of my all time favorites.

I picked up another Elena Armas book. I loved the Spanish Love Deception and the American Roommate Experiment so I am hoping I enjoy this one as well. So far I have to say it starts off a little slow and I don't LOVE how Armas just kind of dumped the reading into the thick of it, but hopefully it picks up soon. 

I came across a quote I really liked during today’s reading. It’s a little depressing the way Noah puts it, but I liked the quote overall. It’s about how care is an emotion totally different from similar emotions one might mistake caring for.

​I loved this quote because minus Noah’s sadness behind it, I think it does articulate the subtle difference between caring and lusting and infatuation… and how it’s the absence of selfishness that changes your feelings to those of caring for someone else.

When in Rome is novel written by Sarah Adams that follows Rae (Amelia) Rose and Noah Walker. When Amelia needs a break from her pop star life she drives and winds up broke down in Rome, Kentucky where she meets the less than charming Noah. Noah is standoffish towards Amelia because he’s had a big city girl break his heart before. However, this time he won’t let himself get drawn in only to have his heart broken again. Turns out he’s not as strong as he thought though as the two have an undeniable chemistry.
This book has been interesting so far. I enjoy it and have picked it up for a couple of chapters each night before bed, but there’s something about the continuity of it that doesn’t sit well. It feels like for a moment it flows well, then a character thinks or does something that feels rushed or misplaced. It isn’t consistent. I’m going to try and look at it as a form of unpredictability, not in the overall storyline, but in what happens from moment to moment.
I think my favorite character so far is Mabel. I have known a few “no nonsense” women like her and I feel like EVERY smalltown needs someone like her to keep everybody accountable. However, I’m not sure how I feel about Amelia or Noah… OR Noah’s sisters for that matter. I do also know that I strongly dislike Amelia’s agent… Susan I feel has way more to do with the rift between Amelia and her mom than anybody probably knows. I can’t wait for THAT part of the storyline to come to a head.

AHHHH!!! THE HURRICANE!!! I am in LOVE with this scene. Like honestly it isn’t the best writing I’ve read, but I love the idea that they form a truce and because they don’t trust each other enough to fall asleep they start divulging secrets. I did NOT see some of the secrets coming though!!
However, I don’t at this point see how they are going to work out. They both are completely convinced that whomever wins, the other will be exiled. Like if it was wholly up to each other I don’t see that happening, heck even if it was up to Escalus, I don’t see that happening. If it was up to the King or Kawan, most definitely.
Then you have Dear Nickolas. I really don’t know what to make of him. Normally I would assume he is working from his own angle, but his personality is almost TOO accommodating when Annika corrects him. Generally the type of narcissistic character I’d have assumed Nickolas to be isn’t capable to kowtowing to someone they loath. So either Nickolas is cut from a different cloth or I’ve misread him.

I FOUND THE LINE!!! I love when the book title becomes apparent! I found it a little bit heartbreaking that it came from Rhett. I still don’t entirely know how I feel about Rhett… Like I like him and I love his description of what love is, but something doesn’t feel right either. Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic and I don’t like it when anyone settles for something and it doesn’t sit well with me that he is content to settle for someone who doesn’t love him the way he loves them. Or maybe it doesn’t sit well with me that he has zero issue not treating her like a royal. Like I get it Annika wants him to treat her normal, but he hugs and touches her with WAY too much ease. I’m not quite sure how I feel about him as a whole. I like him but cautiously.

Kiera Cass has won a place in my heart since I first read the Selection series! Now I’m diving into a new book by her called A Thousand Heartbeats. It follows the stories of Annika and Lennox. Both are from different worlds and their lives aren’t fully their own. Love isn’t something that either believe is attainable with their lifestyles.
The two are suppose to meet at some point, but I have yet to have that occur in the book. Annika’s story reminds me of Hollister from the Betrothed, while Lennox reminds me of Elias from An Ember in the Ashes. Annika is being shoved into an arranged marriage. The prospective groom isn’t heinous, but he’s a LONG way from prince charming. Then you have Rhett… the attractive, suave, and well educated librarian. He is smitten with Annika. (As a librarian I am rooting for him though I KNOW that’s never going to happen… us librarians have gotta stick together!) Lennox lives in a rough world and is expected to be an enforcer for that harsh lifestyle. A curve ball comes his way when his mother’s new husband (?) the leader of their people, tells him he is to lead a handpicked team through a ceremonial “coming of age” trial. The one problem? Unlike everybody else, Lennox isn’t allowed to pick his team, and he is given a bunch of people that he either doesn’t know or that he has a bad history with. Immediately, they all realize it is a set up. However, they choose to make the best of it and provide hope for their people by stealing the crown of a neighboring (conquering) kingdom… if you guessed Annika’s kingdom, you’d be correct.
This is where my first big guess comes in… I’m kind of wondering if this story has a time shift going on. Hear me out… I’m curious if Lennox’s point of view is happening earlier than Annika’s. Like Rhett reminds me of Indigo, a wise arse on Lennox’s team, and Annika’s made reminds me of Blyth, another member of Lennox’s team. I don’t know how realistic this assumption is, given that Rhett has been at the castle for a very long time (it sounds like years), but even if this isn’t the case, it would be a cool idea for a book to do something like this. I’ve seen this kind of time jump on tv shows and it almost always takes me by surprise if it is done correctly. I don’t know I lowkey kind of hope there’s something that gives this story a twist. I haven’t read a book in a long time that has a really good mind blowing twist… Actually the best twist I’ve read in a long time was in the Kiss of Deception.

I CALLED IT!!! Stephen, the baron's son, is a tool bag!!! I think this adds an interesting and unique (for lack of better word) twist to the classic story. It also makes sense why she willingly ran to the beast. I'm really intrigued to see how this affects her character development and growth, especially with the beast. It also explains why she's REALLY uncomfortable with the beast proposing!