Continuing with Taylor Swift’s Evermore album, here are some more book recommendations! Again, these pairings are solely based on how I perceive or interpret the novels. Happy reading!
“coney island” — Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
This book recommendation came to me via TikTok. More specifically, TikToks for books that will make you sob at the end. So, naturally, my roommate has been bugging me to read it because she wants to know if everyone is right! Song of Achilles is a historical fiction novel following young Patroclus and Achilles as they navigate their relationship and their destinies in the midst of the Trojan war. I picked this book and song pairing because they both tell the story of a doomed love and the raw emotions that surface with the pain of heartbreak.
Lyric: “Break my soul in two. Looking for you, but you’re right here.”
Quote: “He is half of my soul, as the poets say.”
“ivy” — An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
I read this series over the break and it was so emotionally jarring that I still haven’t recovered. Laia of Serra sells herself into slavery in order to spy on the headmistress of the Empire’s military academy for the rebel cause. In return, the rebels promise to free her brother from imprisonment. Elias is a soldier and one of the most promising graduates the military academy has ever seen. But he hates what the Empire stands for. As fate brings the pair together, their lives and the world will never be the same again. Swift’s “ivy” has a sort of spooky charm to it, while still managing to be a love song—perfectly summing up Elias and Laia’s relationship and adventures in Tahir’s quartet!
Lyric: “I just sit here and wait, grieving for the living.”
Quote: “Would that we all knew the cracked terrain of each other’s broken hearts. Perhaps then, we would not be so cruel to those who walk this lonely world with us.”
“cowboy like me” — Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
So I’m still a bit new to novels with pirate protagonists or pirate aesthetics, but this duology sounds amazing! Alosa, the daughter of the pirate king (as the title suggests), is on a mission to uncover the famed treasure trove. There’s one slight hiccup to her plan, however, and the only reasonable solution is for Alosa to allow a rival pirate crew to capture her. Obviously. But what she doesn’t plan for is the rival crew’s stupidly attractive first mate—Riden. Like “cowboy like me,” Alosa and Riden must deal with their feelings for each other while also realizing their true identities and destinies in the world.
Lyric: “Takes one to know one. You’re a cowboy like me.”
Quote: “I am me because I choose to be me. I am what I want. Some people say you have to find yourself. Not I. I believe we create ourselves to be what we want.”
“long story short” — Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Another day, another TikTok book recommendation. This one, like all the rest, I’ve heard is so worth it. Alex, son of the President of the United States, and Henry, son of the British Royal family, find themselves in a mild disagreement in a very public setting. With the relationship between their families and nations on the line, they’re forced to play nice while feigning friendship—at least until things calm down. And it’s such a shocker when the two begin having very real, very deep feelings for each other. Oh, I love a good contemporary romance! Alex and Henry fall perfectly into Swift’s “long story short” lyrics in that their feelings are completely unexpected, but once they take the leap, they must accept that there is no turning back.
Lyric: “And I fell from the pedestal, right down the rabbit hole.”
Quote: “Sometimes you just jump and hope it’s not a cliff.”
“marjorie” — Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass is undoubtedly my favorite book series of all time. Celaena Sardothien is a girl like any other—besides the fact that she’s been groomed to be the best assassin the world has ever seen. In the kingdom of Adarlan, she has fought and lost and stood up again on her own too many times to count, so when the Prince comes to make a bargain with her, things seem almost too good to be true. As she competes in a tournament to become the king’s personal assassin, Celaena fights for a better future and in remembrance of all those she’s lost. This song immediately reminded me of Celaena because of how deeply she cherishes and grieves the people she loves.
Lyric: “What died didn’t stay dead. You’re alive, so alive.”
Quote: “We all bear scars… Mine just happen to be more visible than most.”
“closure” — Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Another one of my favorites. Red Queen introduced me to fantasy novels, but most of all I remember the impact the morally grey characters had on me. In a kingdom divided based on the color of blood, the Silvers oppress the Reds simply by existing. Some call Silvers’ magical abilities a gift, but many would call it a curse. To Red-blooded Mare Barrow, it’s the reason she has to steal for a living. That is until one day when an accident reveals she has powers of her own. Swept away to the palace and forced to pose as a Silver, Mare learns not only how to control her lightning, but she also learns how to love, how to spy, and (most of all) how to betray. This series constantly breaks and bends characters, showing how fragile and corrupt humans can truly be, and by the end, I think most of those characters simply need some closure.
Lyric: “I know that it’s over, I don’t need your ‘closure.’”
Quote: “Once, I was afraid of these walls, frightened by such beauty. But I see the cracks now.”
“evermore” — A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Last, but certainly not least, A Court of Thorns and Roses. Feyre is a young woman who hunts to support her family—her two older sisters and her all-but-absent father. One day, she makes the mistake of killing a Faerie, and as a consequence, is whisked away into the magical land of the Spring Court where she finds horrifying monsters and a not-so-horrifying High Lord. Soon, Feyre learns she’s in way over her head, leaving her to suffer her trauma and guilt on her own. Swift’s “evermore” reminds me so much of Feyre because we are able to watch her slowly heal from her pain and eventually begin to hope for a better life and a happier future with her found family.
Lyric: “I had a feeling so peculiar. This pain wouldn’t be forevermore.”
Quote: “I was not a pet, not a doll, not an animal. I was a survivor, and I was strong. I would not be weak, or helpless again. I would not, could not be broken. Tamed.”