Ever been in a months-long reading slump, and you just KNEW it was going to last forever?
Yeah, that kind of reading slump.
Well, as some of you know, my husband and I went through an IVF cycle earlier this year, and it was unsuccessful. It was a devastating setback on our quest to have kids of our own, and because of that, I went through a pretty serious depression. I took time off the podcast, I barely wrote here on the blog, and I buried myself in Stardew Valley.
For Months.
I couldn’t find a book I wanted to read, I barely allowed myself time to think, and if a television show had a pregnant character, I gave it a hard pass. Any interview on youtube where the person mentioned having a kid, or being pregnant, was immediately closed. I couldn’t take it.
I’m only just now, about 5 months later, getting to the point that I can be around someone who is pregnant, without wanting to shake them and scream “THAT SHOULD BE ME!! WHY ISN’T THAT ME!?!?!”
But, I digress… this post isn’t about my pregnancy triggers. The whole point of that was to say that I went through a pretty serious reading slump, and while I’ve read a couple books in the past several months, I’ve been hard pressed to find books that can capture my attention.
I recently found a new series, though, and I wanted to share. It’s getting me out of my reading slump, for one, and for two, it’s amazingly written, and for three? It’s got REALLY COOL CHARACTERS!!
Intrigued, yet?
The series is called Cruel Gods, and it’s by Trudie Skies. If you listened to my podcast episode with Alex O’Connor, you heard me talk about this series, and why I think it’s so good. I also love supporting diverse authors, and I believe Trudie is non-binary. They at least use they/them pronouns, so that’s something. I’m always trying to diversify my author choices, even if I don’t diversify my genre choices.
This post may contain affiliate links. Your purchase provides The Picky Bookworm with a small commission, and I’m so grateful for the support!
Kayl was born into a world run by 12 gods. Each god has his or her own domain, and a “neutral” world named Chime, where citizens of each domain can live and work together. Chime isn’t perfect, even though its premise is supposed to be. The gods are supposed to stay out of Chime’s business, everyone is supposed to be equal, and it’s pretty much supposed to be a utopia, outside of the gods’ control.
Yeah, right.
Wardens, from the Diviner domain, are the “cops,” and are pretty much in charge. They, of course, have their favorite domains, so some people get away with more than they should, while other domains are in trouble almost every day.
I’m not a fan of the Wardens, even though I do think the Diviner ability to control time is pretty cool.
Kayl refuses to pray to her god, Valeria, and has created a sect called the “Godless.” The Godless are an underground network, determined to get the people to think for themselves. It’s an admirable goal, but has gotten her in trouble more than once.
I’m afraid I’m not giving this book the due it deserves, because there’s SO MUCH that goes into the story, and if I give too much away, I risk spoiling the whole series. Suffice to say, I think you should read this series. I just finished book one, The Thirteenth Hour, which was 516 pages long. See what I mean about there being a lot to it? There’s not a bit of those 516 pages that I think was superfluous, either. All of it was important to the story.
I do know, once you read the first book, that everything I’m talking about will make sense.
Take me to Cruel Gods on Amazon!
I’m so thankful to Trudie, and their amazing book series, for helping me out of my slump, and getting me back into the books I love so much. I’m so grateful for that, and I hope you will support this amazing author, because I’m not sure where I would be right now without them.
Probably still in Pelican Town, fishing and mining, without a single goal. And if you think I’m exaggerating, I’m really not. The slump was for REAL, my friends.
I’m not sure what I’m going to read next, but I’m looking forward to it.
What has been your longest reading slump? And what book did you read to get out of it? Let me know below! Let’s chat!
Until Next Time, Friends!
P.S. I was paid to add a purchase link to Capital One Shopping for Stardew Valley. It is not an affiliate link, and I will not receive a commission. But, I absolutely love Stardew Valley, so giving you a link to purchase the game was not a difficult choice, and getting paid to do so was an extra bonus 🙂 Cheers!
