Category: Book Reviews

October 2023 Wrap Up

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Spooky month is officially over and we enter the month of pre-Christmas!

  • I read 16 books this month
  • Genre: 9 fantasy, 2 non-fiction, 2 horror and 3 contemporary
  • Gender of authors: 12 women and 4 men
  • Race of authors: 10 white authors, 5 asian writers and 1 black writer
  • Age range: 8 adult, 6 YA and 2 children.
  • Format: 13 paperback, 2 hardback and 1 ebook.

Challenges

  • Prompt: Spooky
    • Starling House
    • The Girl from the Other Side, Vol.3
    • I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me
    • We Have Always Lived in the Castle
    • Witchcraft
    • Garlic and the Witch
    • Every Exquisite Thing

Sword Catcher – Cassandra Clare (DNF)

I was super excited to finally read Cassandra Clare’s adult debut. I had read the first 4 books of her YA Shadowhunter series when I was younger but hadn’t read any of her stuff in ages. I was looking forward to seeing her to move away from her Shadowhunter universe and try something new. While I did enjoy the world-building and lore of Clare’s brand new world I found the pacing and the plot to be very slow. I ended up DNFing just under 200 pages in as barely anything was happening and this was a nearly 600 page book. I was just a lot of standing around talking which for me did not grab me at all.

Every Exquisite Thing – Laura Steven (2 stars)

This was a disappointing read unfortunately. I found the premise to be super intriguing and was excited to see how it was applied but I found the execution to be lacklustre and at times absurd. I found the main character unlikable, the plot structuring to work against mystery the author is trying to set up and many other things. I will say it was super nice to see aloe pica representation – as someone who struggled with it growing up I could relate to our MC on that level.

Normal Women – Philippa Gregory (4 stars)

I had the privilege to introduce Philippa Gregory on her book tour for this mammoth of a history book. Taking in 900 years of women’s history in Britain – this book was vast, well-researched, intersectional and very inclusive. I learnt some much about so many women that history had forgotten.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson (4 stars)

Look at me rating a classic very highly. I think this was down to the short page number and the creepy atmosphere. I also part audio booked it and the author was incredible in building tension and a sense of dread.

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me – Jamison Shea (4 stars)

I have a whole review about my love for this book but what I will say is this is a super atmospheric novel that delves into the descent into madness that happens when you get given loads of power and how systems are built on oppressing talent that doesn’t fit into their very white lense.

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop – Hwang Bo-reum (5 stars)

This book resonated with me on a molecular level. Most likely due to me being a bookseller but I loved all the conversations that were had about lifelong happiness, how that is different from one person to another and how the pursuit for happiness takes courage, sincerity, putting yourself first and a big leap. I loved the mix between the funny slice-of-life moments in the bookshop alongside the more introspective elements of the novel.

Curious Tides – Pascale Lacelle (5 stars)

After finishing this a week I am still struggling to form the words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. The writing was incredibly insightful and poetic, the plot kept me up at night and constantly guessing, the mystical meta element to the plot was super fun (listen I love books about books), the beauty of relationships and how complicated they can be was probably the most interesting and humanising factor of the novel and finally I loved the exploration into how insecurity and fear can hold you back.

Starling House – Alix E. Harrow (5 stars)

This book is an amazing slow-burn urban fantasy/horror novel about creepy houses with a complicated history, a book about a book, the topic of how history distorts the truth, how poverty can be just as horrific and scary as the fantastical horrors plaguing this story, slavery in the American South, Opal’s character from start to finish was so incredibly written and I feel that Harrow has truly nailed flowery prose with a straight to the point plot.

Other books I have read:

  • The Girl from the Other Side, Vol.3 – Nagabe
  • Witch Hat Atelier, Vol.2 – Kaome Shirahama
  • Donut Feed the Squirrels – Mika Song
  • Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials
  • Imelda and the Goblin King
  • The Kamogawa Food Detectives
  • Garlic and the Witch
  • Vox Machina Origins, Vol.1

September 2023 Wrap Up

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So, there wasn’t an August wrap up last month as frankly I went on an unprompted 2 week hiatus. So, we a re back better than ever to wrap up what I read in September!

  • I read 10 books this month
  • Genre: 5 fantasy, 2 non-fiction, 2 romance and 1 contemporary
  • Gender of authors: 8 women and 2 men
  • Race of authors: 6 white authors and 4 asian writers
  • Age range: 5 adult, 4 YA and 1 middle grade
  • Format: 7 paperback, 2 ebooks and 1 hardback.

Challenges

  • Prompt: Academia
    • Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1
    • Haikyu!!, Vol.4
    • Love in Focus
  • Sequel Challenge
    • Haikyu!!, Vol.4

Love in Focus – Yoko Nogiri (DNF)

This was a book I bought ages ago and was super excited to finally getting round to reading it. I have been enjoying a lot of romance stories recently and I had been enjoying a lot of manga romance subplots. Unfortunately, this book to me felt super surface level. I didn’t feel the character had any depth whatsoever and it was very clear who the main character was going to end up with. I don’t mind the love triangle trope but it only works if you really are unsure of who the main character will choose. This book made it so obvious.

Assistant to the Villain – Hannah Nicole Maehrer (DNF)

Another romance I was hoping to enjoy. Now, I love the premise of this book. I loved mixing the office like experience of a daily 9-5 but in a fantasy world. Unfortunately, I found the main character to be very annoying and I wasn’t fussed by the romance at all. I wanted it to be more of a focus of the office environment in the fantasy world but I spent most of the book reading about how clumsy the MC was. This had so much potential but I felt it was wasted.

The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Vol.1 – Hiromu Arakawa (3 stars)

This series has been HARD to lock down. I knew after finishing the Fullmetal Alchemist series that I needed to read her adaptation of The Heroic Legend of Arslan but the volumes are really hard to get hold of! Anyway… this was a fine first volume. It set up everything it needed to but it didn’t blow me away. I am hoping this will change with the coming volumes.

The Long Game – Elena Armas (3.5 stars)

Now I nearly DNFd this book. I was just not feeling it. I said to myself get to page 100 and if you’re still not feeling it then DNF it. Well it was literally page 100!!! that made me change my mind and continuing reading. I have an issue with the ‘enemies to lovers’ trope in contemporary settings as I feel that it never works. Here we have two people that had one misunderstanding and you want me to believe they are ‘enemies’? No. No way. I found super unbelievable and therefore did not care for them at all. When they finally started to show feelings for one another and the hating became more flirtatious then I was finally interested. I don’t think they were layered enough as characters to work as a ‘enemies to lovers’. After that though it was super fun and I had a great time. It’s a shame it took 100 pages though.

The Witchstone Ghosts – Emily Randall-Jones (5 stars)

The perfect book for the spooky season. I was intrigued about a middle-grade book with strong Wicker Man vibes and inspirations. Like I was so interested to see how it was done but also nervous to see how far the author would take it. Emily Randall-Jones nailed the horror elements! She also had an amazingly strong female character at the centre which I love!

The Hexologists – Josiah Bancroft (5 stars)

Josiah Bancroft does not disappoint! He never lets me down! This steam-punk fantasy ,which (I personally feel) is inspired by Britain during the Industrial Revolution, has an amazing mystery at the centre, rumours of revolution around the corners and a married couple who holds the whole story together. I am being serious I have literally found a book that ticks all my book fave boxes. Bancroft’s writing and imagination is incredible. I got slight Terry Pratchett vibes.

Divine Might – Natalie Haynes (5 stars)

Ok, so I know I said no more Greek Mythology. I MEANT RE-TELLINGS. I am taking a break from the re-tellings. Until Madeline Miller releases her Hades and Persephone re-telling and I have heard the possibility of a Hera re-telling from Jennifer Saint. So I am one major hypocrite. The reason I say this is everytime I think I am done with greek mythology but thenI read something like Divine Might and it reminds me why I love it so much! THIS BOOK WAS SO SO SO GOOD. Specifically the Hera chapter. I learnt so much about deities I thought I knew loads about already.

Other books I read this month:

  • Witch Hat Atelier, Vol.1 – Kamome Shirahama
  • Haikyu!!, Vol.4 – Haruichi Furudate
  • Seven Kinds of People You Find in the Bookshop – Shaun Bythell

Thornhedge Review

Quote IndiaReadsALot2 Comments

There’s a princess trapped in a tower. This isn’t her story. Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult thought, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right? If only. Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He’s heard there’s a curse here that needs breaking, but it’s a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold…

July 2023 Wrap Up

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Honestly, since I have started my 30 Books in 30 Days Challenge, I cannot remember a single book I read in July.

  • I read 10 books this month
  • Genre: 5 fantasy, 2 sci-fi, 2 mystery and 1 contemporary
  • Gender of authors: 8 women and 2 men
  • Race of authors: 4 white authors, 3 asian authors, 2 black authors and 1 mixed race author (author has personally not specified)
  • Age range: 6 adult, 3 YA and 9 middle grade
  • Format: 7 paperback, 2 ebooks and 1 hardback.

Challenges

  • Prompt: Low Fantasy
    • Every Heart a Doorway – Seanan MacGuire
    • The Gilded Wolves – Roshani Chokshi
    • Masters of Death – Olivie Blake
    • Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies – Heather Fawcett
    • Mountains Made of Glass – Scarlett St. Clair
  • Sequel Challenge:
    • Sailor Moon, Vol.2 – Naoko Takeuchi
    • Death on Gokuman Island – Seishi Yokomizo

Mountains Made of Glass – Scarlett St. Clair (2 stars)

This book started off so strong. That first chapter was so good! But the decline afterwards was quite apparent. I felt a bit disappointed as I felt the first chapter showed some incredible writing and beautiful prose which then just disappeared by chapter 2. I also felt the romance was very toxic and very rushed and the story just lacked depth.

Death on Gokuman Island – Seishi Yokomizo (3 stars)

Look a me continuing on with this series despite me saying I wasn’t going to… This was definitely better than the last two books that I read. Really engaging characters and plot with an ending I truly did not see coming. I also felt Yokomizo had a great sense of place within this work. I could truly picture the island and the post war atmosphere.

The List – Yomi Adegoke (4 stars)

What a book. This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire way through. One of the things I was most aware of was how Adegoke would handle the main topic of the book. I was interested to watch how Ola, a world-renowned feminist who has been very vocal online about calling out harassment, etc., how would she react to something that directly impacted her own personal life. I think Adegoke managed to highlight a variety of different points of view as well as add nuance to her characters and did a great job writing the complexities that come with voicing and standing up against harassment. Reading the countdown to the wedding was intense and I couldn’t look away as I watched these characters make drastic decisions left right and center. I had my own personal theory about how this book would end and I nearly got it all right but Adegoke added in one final point before I turned that last page.

Masters of Death – Olivie Blake (4 stars)

So, the biggest standout element of this novel for me was the characters. I did not hate a single character. They were all super fun, entertaining, interesting, and layered. It didn’t matter the amount of page time they got I genuinely just enjoyed every character big or small. Along with these amazing characters was some genuinely hilarious dialogue. The dialogue in this book is witty, smart, and laugh-out-loud funny. That doesn’t mean this book doesn’t have its impactful and emotional moments. Blake is still able to bring out her beautiful prose and poignant moments with just a lot more laughs in between. I also loved how Blake structured this story. This book is told through multiple POVs, multiple narration styles, and different time periods. At times you don’t know why you are meeting this character until 50 pages later. This was written in such an interesting way that I couldn’t put it down and would feel sad if my bus pulled up to my stop and I had to carry on with my day.

The Gilded Wolves – Roshani Chokshi (4 stars)

I may have actually liked this more than Six of Crows! Another great YA heist book with a diverse and dynamic cast and amazing interpersonal relationships. I preferred the alternate historical road and the story’s use of technology and puzzles. I am super looking forward to the sequel which I have ordered.

Every Heart a Doorway – Seanan McGuire (5 stars)

A book that subverted all the tropes surrounding portal fantasies and I ate every page up! Despite it being less than 200 pages, this story did more work and raised the bar higher than some of these other 500+ fantasy books I have read. Great characters, fresh ideas and immaculate execution. Loved it!

The books I did not mention:

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies Review

Quote IndiaReadsALot1 Comment

Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party–or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people. So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her. But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones–the most elusive of all faeries–lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all–her own heart.

Masters of Death Review

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Viola Marek is a struggling real estate agent, and a vampire. But her biggest problem currently is that the house she needs to sell is haunted. The ghost haunting the house has been murdered, and until he can solve the mystery of how he died, he refuses to move on. Fox D’Mora is a medium, and though is also most-definitely a shameless fraud, he isn’t entirely without his uses—seeing as he’s actually the godson of Death. When Viola seeks out Fox to help her with her ghost-infested mansion, he becomes inextricably involved in a quest that neither he nor Vi expects (or wants). But with the help of an unruly poltergeist, a demonic personal trainer, a sharp-voiced angel, a love-stricken reaper, and a few high-functioning creatures, Vi and Fox soon discover the difference between a mysterious lost love and an annoying dead body isn’t nearly as distinct as they thought.

June 2023 Wrap Up

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After January I never thought I would beat those numbers. I thought I had peaked too early but June proved to be the best month ever!

  • I read 23 books this month
  • Genre: 15 fantasy, 4 mystery, 2 sci-fi, 1 romance and 1 non-fiction
  • Gender of authors: 15 women, 4 men and 1 non-binary author
  • Race of authors: 13 white authors, 3 asian authors, 3 black authors and 1 jewish latina author
  • Age range: 10 adult, 9 middle grade and 4 YA
  • Format: 11 paperback, 7 ebooks and 5 hardback.

Challenges

  • Prompt: Middle Grade
    • Hilda – Luke Pearson
    • Luna and the Treasure of Tlaloc – Joe Todd-Stanton
    • Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels – Tola Okogwu
    • Ember Shadows and the Fates of Mount Never – Rebecca King
    • The Tea Dragon Society – Kay O’Neill
    • The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder – Kereen Getten
    • Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones
  • Sequel Challenge:
    • Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels – Tola Okogwu
    • Blue Exorcist, Vol.2 – Kazue Kato
  • Short Story Challenge:
    • The Six Deaths of the Saint – Alex E. Harrow

As is now usual for my wrap ups I will only be talking about the books where I feel that I have loads to say.

We Should All Be Feminists – Chimimanda Ngoni Adiche (3 stars)

I loved this TedTalk when it first came out around 2012. But as I have grown and my knowledge of feminism has changed and grown. I felt this book was only just scraping the surface of what needs to be discussed. It tackles one of the core foundations of feminism but it was not in depth enough for me and not very inclusionary of LGBTQ+, Trans and Non-Binary people.

The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder – Kereen Getten (3 stars)

A super cute and exciting mystery for young audiences. I loved the main character so much. Her determination, her intelligence, everything. I also felt that the book did a great job tackling topics such as bullying and financial difficulties.

A Wizard of Earthsea/The Tombs of Atuan – Ursula K. Le Guin (4/3 stars)

I read the first two books in the Earthsea series on holiday. I really enjoyed A Wizard from Earthsea and I felt very average feelings for The Tombs of Atuan. For A Wizard from Earthsea, I loved the characters, I loved the setting and I loved the coming of age story. I did feel that the story ended very abruptly. For The Tombs of Atuan, I loved the setting and the main character and her crisis of faith moment but the writing was just not engaging at all and I ended up skim reading the ending.

Ember Shadow and the Fates of Mount Never – Rebecca King (4 stars)

I CANNOT BELEIVE it took me this long to read this book. This book was soooo good. It had super strong Alice in Wonderland meets Labyrinth vibes. Super whimsical yet it handled the emotional moments so well. I loved this book so much!

Gwen and Art are Not in Love – Lex Croucher (4 stars)

Back on my romance grind. Now way too many romance books are called rom coms yet they aren’t funny. This book however put the comedy in romantic comedy. It was a historical rom com with a lot of emphasis on the legend of King Arthur which I found to be really interesting. The dialogue was hilarious and witty and I loved the platonic banter between Gwen and Art. My favourite enemies to friends.

Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels – Tola Okogwu (4 stars)

My favourite kids book from last year finally got a sequel and it was just as good. Black Panther meets X-Men. It was action-packed, funny, exhilarating. Again, it tackled those harder topics so well and I loved our core group of kids. It’s always the series I recommend to children. So good! The anxiety rep in this book was especially good.

The Six Deaths of the Saint – Alix E. Harrow (4 stars)

This book was super hyped on twitter early 2023 and I only just got round to reading it. I get the hype, I understand why it is loved so much. So much happens in such a small amount of pages and it is heartbreaking!

Thornhedge – T. Kingfisher (4 stars)

My first ever T. Kingfisher novel and it did not disappoint. A really nice way of re-telling the Sleeping Beauty fairy-tale but in a more gothic and gory twist. I felt that one of the strongest elements of this story was the imagery Kingfisher created with her writing. I could just picture everything perfectly with the way she described things.

Herc – Phoenicia Rogerson (4 stars)

One of my new favourite greek myth re-tellings. Funny, heartfelt and just as easily heartbreaking. This story is told through multiple POV from people in Herc’s life and I enjoyed every second of it. I also learnt so much about Herc’s myth that I didn’t already know which was super fun!

Hilda series – Luke Pearson (5 stars)

So, I read 6 Hilda comics last month and they were the cutest thing I have ever read. The art design is absolutely incredible, the stories are wonderful and whimsical and I love the blend of the modern day alongside fantasy and how they fit and work together. Hilda is an amazing and witty character full of brains and empathy. My favourite comics had to be the last two the Night of the Trolls ones. SO GOOD!

The books I read but did not mention:

  • Hooky – Miriam Bonastre Tur (DNF)
  • Lemon – Kwon Yeo-Sun (DNF)
  • Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones (DNF)
  • The Mimicking of Known Successes – Malka Older (2.5 stars)
  • Uncle Paul – Celia Fremlin (3 stars)
  • The Tea Dragon Society – Kay O’Neill (3 stars)
  • The Hunter’s Guild: Red Hood, Vol.1 – Yuki Kawaguchi (4 stars)
  • Cards on the Table – Agatha Christie (4 stars)
  • Blue Exorcist, Vol.2 – Kazue Kato (4 stars)

Herc Review

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This should be the story of Hercules: his twelve labours, his endless adventures…everyone’s favourite hero, right? Well, it’s not. This is the story of everyone else:

Alcmene: Herc’s mother (She has knives everywhere)

Hylas: Herc’s first friend (They were more than friends)

Megara: Herc’s wife (She’ll tell you about their marriage)

Eurystheus: Oversaw Herc’s labours (Definitely did not hide in a jar)

His friends, his enemies, his wives, his children, his lovers, his rivals, his gods, his victims. It’s time to hear their stories.