Some said it was tragic, what happened to the Van Laars. Some said the Van Laars deserved it. That they never even thanked the searchers who stayed out for five nights in the freezing forest trying to help find their missing son. Some said there was a reason it took the family so long to call for help. That they knew what happened to the boy. Now, fifteen years later, the daughter the family had in their grief has gone missing in the same wilderness as her brother. Some say the two disappearances aren’t connected. Some say they are.
Plot: Following the murder of her husband in what looks like a violent street robbery, Hannah Cole is struggling to keep her head above water. Her confectionary shop on Piccadilly is barely turning a profit, her suppliers conspiring to put her out of business because they don’t like women in trade. Henry Fielding, the famous author-turned-magistrate, is threatening to confiscate the money in her husband’s bank account because he believes it might have been illicitly acquired. And even those who claim to be Hannah’s friends have darker intent. Only William Devereux seems different. A friend of her late husband, Devereux helps Hannah unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his death. He also tells her about an Italian delicacy called iced cream, an innovation she is convinced will transform the fortunes of her shop. But their friendship opens Hannah to speculation and gossip and draws Henry Fielding’s attention her way, locking her into a battle of wits more devastating than anything she can imagine.
his is the second Shepherd-Robinson novel I have read in my life and the last book was a 5 star and made it to the top read of that year. So going into this book I had high hopes. I expected a well-researched historical period, a layered mystery that would keep me guessing until the final page and characters that struggle under the weight of the world and societal expectations. And I got all of that and more!
Writing a review for a book like this is hard as the nature of the book is lies and deceit. The title of this book is not lying when it says “the art of a lie” because S-R really delves deep into the intricacies of lying, the perils of lying and the dangers of lying. You find yourself questioning every single character in this book, even the ones you thought you truly understood. Trying to review this book is hard because by page 35 (yes I checked) S-R drops a bomb on you so astounding you question whether you as the reader are supposed to know this! Writing a review for this book is so hard because the lies and twists and turns are woven so incredibly well into this novel that trying to explain any facet of book has you teetering into spoiler territory. But I will try my best.
S-R is a master at work with this novel. Highly researched and realised historical setting, a great look into the psychology and motivations of all of our characters, from trade apprentice all the way to Countesses, and again, as is expected, a deeply layered mystery. But it’s truly her characters and their lies that set this novel up. Despite everything you read and learn you can’t help but understand these characters and why they do what they do. You can’t help but feel for them and root for them despite the very huge cloud of retribution shadowing over them. I devoured this book purely because despite the initial draw in of the murder mystery I just want to follow these characters and I wanted desperately to know for good or for bad what happens at the end.
I couldn’t look away from this book and neither should you!
Plot: Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia. When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it. Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms. But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet façade. . . .
I first read House of Salt and Sorrow, the first book in this series, 5 years ago and it blew me away. A dark gothic re-telling of the 12 dancing princesses that left me thinking about it for half a decade. Last year, while perusing Forbidden Planet London I stumbled upon a 99p paperback copy of House of Roots and Ruin. I didn’t know there was a sequel let alone already out in paperback. I snatched it up quickly.
There is always a pressure with follow up books to out perform the original or, in my case, prove to me that my taste has not changed that much in 5 years. There is nothing worse than realising your faves don’t resonate with you as much as the years go by. But there was no reason for this worry as House of Roots and Ruin enveloped me in an amazing story of ghosts, strange plants and curious patriarchs.
Going into this book knowing nothing as amazing as I truly was a blank canvas of knowledge. I did have to remind myself of the events in Book 1 but I truly think you don’t need to have read book 1 to enjoy book 2. They feel very standalone in nature but I do feel that you would get a better reading experience if you did read book 1 first.
Verity as a character was steadfast, brave and in a way whimsical. At the beginning of the book she dreams of leaving her ancestral home and traveling the world, meeting new people, finding purpose outside of being a Thaumas girl. She ends up running away to the small Duchy of Bloem to paint the portrait of the heir Alexander. I really enjoyed Verity as a character and I felt she was incredibly relatable despite her very unrelatable circumstances. She has a big heart, a lot of compassion but also stands up for what is right no matter what. I just found myself really engaging with her as a character.
The main setting of Chanteleilie is a fascinating one of mysterious flowers, confusing hallways and an amazing lake that the reader gets to visit about halfway through the book. I love a creepy Manor House, always have and always will and this house was no exception. I enjoyed watching Verity explore it and try understand its history. The inhabitants of this grand house are not all as they seem and as you read Verity interact with them you have a sense of unease throughout their scenes but an unease you can’t identify. It’s this uneasy tension that really elevates the novel as you can’t put the book down because you need to know all the mysteries and the secrets the characters and the house are holding back. I guessed a couple of things right but also was completely taken a back by some of the reveals in this novel.
Overall this was an amazing sequel to an already great series and I am excited to read the next book in the series out next year!
Hello everyone! You haven’t heard from me for some time and I want to apologise. I have not been blogging at all for the last two months as I have been wanting to try new things. Blogging just wasn’t something that was giving me joy recently.
As of Dec last year I have been creating YouTube videos dedicated to reading etc. and this feels like the natural progression of where I want this blog to go.
I have recently taken more responsibility on at work and am volunteering my time to help a indie podcast with their social media so I just do not have the time to also add to this blog.
So what does that mean? Well, I will be taking a hiatus for most likely the next 6 months. But I do not know when I will be back. I am sorry if this disappoints anyone but I really enjoying where this next step may take me. I also may come back to blogging I am just not sure yet.
I cannot believe we are here again! A whole year has passed. I have so many weird emotions about the new year. Excited for the year ahead but also FREAKING OUT BECAUSE TIME IS WEIRD! Now for the first time since I started blogging and logging my reading, I have not improved upon last year. I knew it would happen eventually – I still read loads but just not enough to beat 2023.
For this wrap up, I will be using stats taken from both the Goodreads Wrap Up, Storygraph and some reading spreadsheets I have collated from Ali from Hardback Hoarder.
Basic Stats
I read 44,725 pages
I read 163 books
I DNFed 8 books
My average book length was 269
My average book rating was 4
I read 17.5% of my physical TBR (Less than last year despite reading a lot more from my TBR this year!)
The shortest book I read in 2024 – 24 pages
This was a fun story in the world of Mistborn Era 1.
The longest book I read in 2022 – 560 pages
So for the first time ever I have a double bill. Both Where Sleeping Girls Lie and Harrow the Ninth are 560 pages. Where Sleeping Girls Lie was a lot easier to read and I flew through this book while Harrow the Ninth took me a lot longer to get through.
The most popular book I read in 2024.
This book has been shelved by 11,740,974 people.
The least popular book I read in 2024.
This book has been shelved by 37people.
The book I read with the highest rating on Goodreads.
This had an average rating of 4.8 stars.
Rating Breakdown
So as per usual here is a breakdown of all the books I read this year and where they fall in the star category. I have also included links to my reviews if you wanted to read them!
Loads of people talk about how they rarely give out 5 stars. They are only reserved for the best of the best… I was giving out 5 stars left, right and centre in 2024. You get a 5 star and YOU GET A 5 STAR! A quarter of what I read this year got 5 stars.. oop.
And here we are, my final post in my year wrap up (ignore my December wrap up ok). And while the last couple of years have been as many challenges as possible I decided for 2024 that I would tone things down and limit the amount of challenges I would do. And we are going to DO THAT EVEN MORE FOR 2025. I have given 2025 a title. The title is Slow 25. Let me explain.
Over the part 3 and a bit years, since becoming a bookseller, I have been trying to expand my reading as much as I possibly can. I believe to be the best bookseller you can be, if you work in a store with a lot of different genres etc., is to read different authors, genres, formats etc and I have spent 3+ years doing that. Now that I am a place where I feel that I have a good amount of knowledge I want to get back to reading the books I was obsessed with back when I first got into reading.
Go back to my reading roots. HOW EXCITING. Now the reason it’s called a Slow 25 is the books that I want to read are all books that are going to take me some time to read whether that’s pacing or the amount of content. So let’s see how my SLOW 25 impacts my challenges.
How many books do I plan to read in 2025? (Goodreads Reading Challenge)
Now my first challenge is always the Goodreads Reading Challenge. For the last couple of years I have been challenging myself to read 100 books and I have succeeded. Now that I am focusing on books that will take up for of my time, I have decided to challenge myself to read 75 books.
2025 Sequels Challenge
The sequels challenge this year is actually not affected at all! Like every year I am challenging myself to read 12 sequels from series I am currently working my way through. This challenge has been going on since I started blogging basically. It’s an old faithful. I do have 42 series on the go at the moment…
Here are series I am currently reading:
Title
Author
Series
No. in Series
The Bullet That Missed
Richard Osman
The Thursday Murder Club
3
The Republic of Thieves
Scott Lynch
Gentleman Bastard
3
Nona the Ninth
Tamsyn Muir
The Locked Tomb
3
As Good As Dead
Holly Jackson
AGGTM
3
Faithbreaker
Hannah Kaner
Fallen Gods
3
Exit Strategy
Martha Wells
The Murderbot Diaries
4
Down Amongst the Sticks and Bones
Seanan McGuire
Wayward Children
2
The Silvered Serpents
Roshani Chokshi
The Gilded Wolves
2
The Little Sparrow Murders
Seishi Yokomizo
Detective Kosuke Kindaichi
7
Sad Cypress
Agatha Christie
Hercule Poirot
21
Clouds of Witness
Dorothy L. Sayers
Lord Peter Wimsey
2
Foxglove
Adalyn Grace
Belladonna
2
Heavenly Tyrant
Xiran Jay Zhao
Iron Widow
2
A Steeping of Blood
Hafsah Faizal
Blood and Tea
2
Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games
3
The Wicked King
Holly Black
The Folk of Air
2
Sycamore Gap
L.J. Ross
DCI Ryan Mysteries
2
Dream Girl Drama
Tessa Bailey
Big Shots
3
Return to the DallerGut Dream Department Store
Mi-Ye Lee
DallerGut Dream Department Store
2
Muse of Nightmares
Laini Taylor
Strange the Dreamer
2
Shadow of the Bird
Tim Probert
Lightfall
2
Ancillary Sword
Ann Leckie
Imperial Radch
2
The Christmas Stocking Murders
Denzil Meyrick
Inspector Frank Grasby
2
The Heroic Legend of Arslan #3
Hiromu Arakawa
Delicious in Dungeon #5
Ryoko Kui
Frieren: Beyond Journey’ End #6
Kanehito Yamada
The Girl from the Other Side #5
Nagabe
Yona of the Dawn #6
Mizuho Kusanagi
Claymore #3
Yagi Norihiro
Spy X Family #3
Tatsuya Endo
Usotoki Rhetoric #3
Ritsu Miyako
Inuyasha #2
Rumiko Takahashi
The Faraway Paladin #3
Mutsumi Okubashi
Children of the Whales #4
Abi Umeda
Drifting Dragons #3
Taku Kuwabara
Snow White with the Red Hair #5
Sorata Akiduki
Bloodmarked
Tracy Deonn
The Legendborn Quartet
2
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon #4
Naoko Takeuchi
Nana #3
Ai Yazawa
Sweat and Soap #3
Kintetsu Yamada
Witch Hat Atelier #5
Kamome Shirahama
Daemons of the Shadow Realm #5
Hiromu Arakawa
Physical TBR Challenge
I smashed my 50 books challenge last year but again – due to the nature of my Slow 25 idea I have decided to reduce the amount of books from my TBR. So I am challenging myself to read 40 books from my Physical TBR!
Slow 25
Now you must be asking yourself what the hell are these books she is going to be focusing on? Well let me tell you.
SFF Books – Specifically chunky fantasy books. I have on my bookshelf currently way too many 500+ epic fantasy or complicated and intricate sci-fi books that I just haven’t been prioritising. The have been sat there collecting dust. After reading books like Harrow the Ninth and Ancillary Justice, I knew I want to get back to reading SFF books that make my brain work. Get those cogs turning. This does mean it will take longer for me to read them.
Murder Mysteries – Specifically classic murder mysteries. I have been neglecting my classic crime books for the last year and a bit. Mainly because the pacing of these books require to really give the time and energy to them that I wasn’t ready to give yet. But after reading Before the Fact I just knew I needed to read more classic crime. I will also be reading modern crime as well.
Non-Fiction – Last year I started increasing how much non-fiction I read but got bogged down by how long it takes to read them. Well I want to prioritise these books going forward. I am so excited to expand my knowledge.
I can’t believe another year has flown past – how exciting!!! So, this year I didn’t really give myself many challenges so this post will not be as long as they have normally been!
Goodreads Reading Challenge
So, my goal for this year was to read 100 books, this was the same goal I had last year as well. Last year, I read 168 so while I was very confident I was going to complete my 100 books I was not feeling confident on beating 168. I can now confirm that this year I read 163books!!! So while I didn’t beat 168, I still smashed my original goal.
2024 Sequels Challenge
This is another goal that doesn’t change with each year. Just the amount of books has heavily increased going from 12 to 24 to 37. Now my original goal was just to read 12 this year so a super easy manageable goal. I can confirm I read 25 sequels this year! I think this is down to reading a lot of manga during my 30 volumes in 30 days challenge!
New – This just means I read an extra sequel in a series I have already established I’m reading or a sequel to a series I started in 2024.
January
Sunbringer – Hannah Kaner
Artificial Condition – Martha Wells
The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Vol.2 – Hiromu Arakawa
Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 2, 3, 4 – Sorata Akiduki
Nana, Vol. 2 – Ai Yazawa
Blue Exorcist, Vol.3 – Kazue Kato
The Girl from the Other Side, Vol. 4 – Nagabe
Usotoki Rhetoric, Vol. 2 –
Claymore, Vol. 2 – Nori Yagi
September
Harrow the Ninth – Tamsyn Muir
November
A Very Lively Murder – Katy Watson
Spy X Family, Vol.2 – Tatsuya Endo
December
TLOZ: Twilight Princess, Vol. 3 – Akira Himekawa
The books I will be taking over into 2025 are –
The Bullet That Missed – Richard Osman
The Republic of Thieves – Scott Lynch
Down Amongst the Sticks and Bones – Seanan McGuire
The Silvered Serpents – Roshani Chokshi
Clouds of Witness – Dorothy L. Sayers
Inuyasha, Vol.2 – Rumiko Takahashi
Heavenly Tyrant – Xiran Jay Zhao
Physical TBR Challenge
So, I challenged myself this year to read 50 books on my Physical TBR and I smashed it by reading 66 books! Absolutely incredible. That being said I won’t list all those books because there are so many!
30 Volumes in 30 Days
So I did a brand new challenge this year and decided to challenge myself to read 30 volumes in 30 days. I had a tiny bit of success in 2023 trying to read 30 books and managed to get up to 20 so I thought why not try to read manga and graphic novels.
I am happy to say I completed this challenge and read 30 volumes!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! So, I haven’t yet released my Reading Plan for 2025 but this TBR will give you a little sneak peek into what I have planned for my reading goals this year!
New Releases
Title: Black Woods, Blue Sky
Author: Eowyn Ivey
Series: Standalone
Format: Paperback
Age Rating: Adult
Genre: Literary Fantasy
Publish Date: 04/02/25
Plot: Birdie’s keeping it together, of course she is. So she’s a little hungover on her shifts, and has to bring her daughter to the lodge while she waits tables, but Emaleen never goes hungry. It’s a tough town to be a single mother, and Birdie just needs to get by. And then Birdie meets Arthur, who is quieter than most men, but makes her want to listen; who is gentle with Emaleen, and understands Birdie’s fascination with the mountains in whose shadow they live. When Arthur asks Birdie and Emaleen to leave the lodge and make a home, just the three of them, in his off-grid cabin, Birdie’s answer, in a heartbeat, is yes. Out in the wilderness Birdie’s days are harsher and richer than she ever imagined possible. Here she will feel truly at one with nature. Here she, and Emaleen, will learn the whole, fearful truth about Arthur.
Title: Hungerstone
Author: Kat Dunn
Series: Standalone
Format: Paperback
Age Rating: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Publish Date: 13/02/25
Plot: But as the couple travel through the bleak countryside, a shocking carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla into Lenore’s life. Carmilla, who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night, Carmilla who stirs up something deep within Lenore. And before long, girls from the local villages fall sick, consumed by a terrible hunger . . . As the day of the hunt draws closer, Lenore begins to unravel, questioning the role she has been playing all these years. Torn between regaining her husband’s affection and the cravings Carmilla has awakened, soon Lenore will uncover a darkness in her household that will place her at terrible risk . . .
Title: Dream Girl Drama
Author: Tessa Bailey
Series: Big Shots #3
Format: Paperback
Age Rating: Adult
Genre: Romance
Publish Date: 13/02/25
Plot: When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne. Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can’t wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to meet his dad’s new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mother. Oh, and they’re engaged. Sig’s dream girl is his future stepsister. Though the pair is now wary of being involved romantically, Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, yearns to escape her controlling mother. Sig promises to teach her the ins and outs of independence in Boston—but not inside his bedroom. They both know there can never be more than friendship between a famous hockey player and his high-society, soon-to-be stepsister. But keeping their relationship platonic grows harder amid the developing family drama, especially knowing they were meant for so much more…
Blacklist
Title: The Warm Hands of Ghosts
Author: Katherine Arden
Series: Standalone
Format: Paperback
Age Rating: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Plot:January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else? November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear. As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.
Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hungers Games #3
Format: Paperback
Age Rating: YA
Genre: Sci-Fi
Plot: Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss’s family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding. It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans—except Katniss. The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss’s willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels’ Mockingjay—no matter what the personal cost.
Title: The Little Sparrow Murders
Author: Seishi Yokomizo
Series: Detective Kosuke Kindaichi #6
Format: Paperback
Age Rating: Adult
Genre: Murder Mystery
Plot: An old friend of Kosuke Kindaichi’s invites the scruffy detective to visit the remote mountain village of Onikobe in order to look into a twenty-year-old murder case. But no sooner has Kindaichi arrived than a new series of murders strikes the village – several bodies are discovered staged in bizarre poses, and it soon becomes clear that the victims are being killed using methods that match the lyrics of an old local children’s song… The legendary sleuth investigates, but soon realises must unravel the dark and tangled history of the village, as well as that of its rival families, to get to the truth.
Synopsis: What kind of mother abandons her child? It’s a question that conjures the worst kind of moral judgment. Yet during the pandemic, trapped at home with young children and struggling to find creative space to write, journalist Begoña Gómez Urzaiz became fixated on artistic women who were able to overcome both society’s condemnation and their own maternal instincts to leave their children—at will or due to economic or other circumstances. More than anything, she was fascinated by her own prejudice toward these women, so clearly tied up in a much wider cultural bias. The Abandoners is sharp, at times slyly humorous, and always deeply empathetic. Using famous examples such as Ingrid Bergman, Muriel Spark, Doris Lessing, and Maria Montessori as well as fictional ones like Anna Karenina and the many roles of Meryl Streep, and interrogating modern trends like “momfluencers,” Gómez Urzaiz reveals what our judgement of these women tells us about our judgement of all women.
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