*in love screams* Hey, friends! Today is one of my most favorite humans in the whole wide world’s birthday! I couldn’t possible condense how much I love and appreciate her into a single blog post, but I thought it might make her smile to see a few books I have on my TBR because of her. 🎂

If you’re looking for a book reviewer who boosts marginalized identities and voices (while having such a powerful voice herself), who has some of the most intelligent and eloquent writing (truly gives me goosebumps constantly), who is just so very kind and charming and sweet and thoughtful (I’m truly her biggest fan, ama), and who just has some really amazing taste in literature, then you should all follow Maëlys and have her and her writing bless your lives. ✨ Goodreads | Booktube | Twitter ✨

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➽ Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb Roehrig

✨ Maëlys gifted me this for my birthday in 2019 and it meant /a lot/ to me.

“Finding this community was a breath of fresh air and like finally being my true queerest self. And I think this book really portrayed this side of drag. That it’s a place where we can find ourselves and make our own family and support system when sometimes it isn’t entirely possible elsewhere.”

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➽ Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

✨ I really wanna brush up on my French accent, because Maëlys really enjoys it. :]

“Les Misérables is one of those books that made me hold in a breath at how impactful and beautiful the writing is. This book showcases the social injustices and inequalities of 19th century France which are tragically still relevant to today’s society and how love can be nurtured into hope and a better life. I think it also highlights how change can be fostered in many different ways (from a single kind act to fully blown out insurrection) and asks a lot of questions about right and wrong. I would give my life for any of the Les Amis de l’ABC but my personal emotional support revolutionary boy is Combeferre. This book is heart-wrenching and beautiful and I’ll happily shed many more tears over it in my lifetime.”

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➽ The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 

✨ This is actually the #1 book that reminds me of Maëlys! (I blame it maybe being the first booktube video I saw of hers!)

“I always feel some type of way when I can find a badass brown woman who I can relate to on a deeper emotional level and Ead was the one for me. She was careful, kind, generous, honest yet secretive, had a smart-mouth when she wanted to, so fucking badass, and queer. It honestly makes me want to tear up a bit when I think of her character and how much I relate to her on so many levels.”

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➽ The Rise of Kyoshi (The Kyoshi Novels #1) by F.C. Yee & Michael Dante DiMartino

✨ I see anything ATLA related and I think of Maëlys.

“She is used to downsize herself, try to blend in, be normal, be anything but special. She hasn’t had the easiest life, having to grow up on her own, abandoned by her parents, ignored but the townsfolk and bullied by their children. She despises her birth parents and is travelling the world with murder on her mind. She is an angry and vengeful Avatar and it makes so much sense as to how she ended up being the utilitarian icon we know from the show. I love and will protect my favourite tall lady with my life.”

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➽ The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara

✨ The real reason this book reminds me of Maëlys is because I would always see it when I went to her Goodreads.

“While this book explored shared pain, trauma and struggles, it managed to showcase individual stories and keep distinct characters. […] There was so much love to be found in those moments and a deep sense of understanding between them no matter their differences. They came together, stronger that way than if they stayed alone, and built a home in the safety of each other.”

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➽ The Fever King (Feverwake #1) by Victoria Lee 

✨ I love Maëlys and this author and she read this book in a day so I believe a powerful combo is here, and I truly can’t wait to read this one and this might be the one I feel the most sure I’ll give five stars to.

“The complexity of this book resided in the characters, their dynamics and the politics of this setting which was brilliantly executed. The pacing also allowed the story to explore topics extremely relevant to today’s society without rushing over these important points and let them sink in.”

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➽ The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

✨ This is one of the books Maëlys recommended when we were doing BTS recommendations and it always stuck with me and really impacted more than she probably knows.

“I can see why this book has become a classic and gets recommended by so many people. The storytelling was incredibly efficient and yet retained a beautiful whimsical glow. It also left me incredibly motivated to follow my dreams and live my best life.”

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➽ The Calculating Stars (Lady Astronaut #1) by Mary Robinette Kowal

✨ Me and Maëlys share upset tummy anxiety and we hate it here (or maybe we love it here, I’m not too sure, but I know we are 100% here, upset tummy stress vibing)! Also, women in STEM dots, always, too.

“…this book did remind me of the things that made me fall in love with it in the first place. The topic just really resonated with me and there were a few moments where I teared up because I know how much this book would’ve meant to me a few years ago.”

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➽ Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet #1) by Roshani Chokshi

✨Just me trying to project me and Maëlys’ identities into this book and everything else. I might have to write my own story about a certain island though.

“Aru is a lonely girl who doesn’t fit in at her school and whose mum seems to leave her to her own devices a lot. So she finds refuge in lies and stories to get through life a bit more unscathed, to pretend she’s not on her own. Trouble doesn’t accidentally find her, she sets everything in motion herself. Aru has her faults but she’s so brave and does ultimately want to do the right thing, when she can grasp what the right thing is.”

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➽ Not the Marrying Kind by Jae

✨ This is one of the very first books Maëlys ever recommended to me (we love a pan baker)!

“This was just a very cosy read from the bakery to the flower shop and the local bar where everyone hangs out. There are also two lovely dogs making an appearance. This isn’t a Christmas book by any means but it still somehow has this holiday book feeling.”

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I hope you all enjoyed this extremely niche blog post! Maëlys, and her friendship, has meant so much to me these last two years, and I feel so very blessed to get to love her! She really is always there for me, and always loving and supporting me unconditionally. She truly deserves all the stars in every galaxy, and I hope she has the best birthday in the whole wide world, and hopefully in 2021 we can celebrate a little more magically than an extremely niche blog post! 💗

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