Category: Book Reviews

Yellowface Review

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Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena’s a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn’t even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song–complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

The Promised Neverland Series Review

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Life at Grace Field House has been good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious foods and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems… Emma, Norman and Ray are the brightest kids at the Grace Field House orphanage. And under the care of the woman they refer to as “Mom,” all the kids have enjoyed a comfortable life. Good food, clean clothes and the perfect environment to learn—what more could an orphan ask for? One day, though, Emma and Norman uncover the dark truth of the outside world they are forbidden from seeing.

Spoiler free!

April Wrap Up 2023

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Not my best month, no 5 star novels and I didn’t get to my entire April TBR 😦

  • I read 17 books this month
  • Genre: 13 fantasy and 4 mystery
  • Gender of authors: 6 women and 6 men
  • Race of authors: 7 white authors, 4 Asian authors and 1 collection of varied authors
  • Age range: 11 YA and 6 adult
  • Format: 9 paperback and 8 ebook

Challenges

  • Prompt: Mystery
    • The Ashes of London
    • Moriarty the Patriot, Vol.2
    • The Cloisters
    • Final Acts
  • Sequel:
    • Moriarty the Patriot, Vol.2

Final Acts edited by Martin Edwards (DNF)

This was just a super uninspiring murder mysteries with slow pacing and engaging writing. Which is a shame as I loved some other collections I have read.

Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman (DNF)

Nothing particularly bad about this fantasy re-telling of The Scarlet Pimpernel. I just couldn’t stay engaged and for a fantasy book promising vampire aristocrats there weren’t many at all!

Soggy Landing by Alec McGovern (2 stars)

I couldn’t actually tell you what this graphic novel was about. I really liked the art style but that was about it! The plot was all over the place and not cohesive at all and it felt gory and sexual for no real reason.

Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber (3.5 stars)

A super fun and action-packed fantasy romance with major Parent Trap/Princess and the Pauper vibes. I loved the world-building, the romance (Team Shen) and I thought the magic was super cool. I will say it took some time for the plot to properly going at first and a bit too much telling and not enough showing for certain aspects of the narrative.

At Midnight edited by Dahlia Adler (3.5 stars)

Overall, I had a really great time reading these stories and I loved the amount of love, representations and magic I saw in these pages.

Sugarplum – 2 stars
In The Forest of the Night – 5 stars
Say My Name – 3.5 stars
Fire and Rhinestone – 3 stars
Mother’s Mirror – 3 stars
Sharp As Any Thorn – 2.5 stars
Coyote in High Top Sneakers – 4 stars
The Sister Switch – 3 stars
Once Bitten, Twice Shy – 3 stars
A Flame So Bright – 3.5 stars
The Emperor and the Eversong – 5 stars
HEA – DNF
The Littlest Mermaid – 2 stars
Just a Little Bite – 5 stars
A Story About a Girl – 5 stars

The Cloisters by Katy Hays (3.5 stars)

A book for academia fans and art fans everywhere. A really engaging story following a young art historian as she works at the prestigious The Cloisters renowned for its collection of medieval and Renaissance art. This started off super strong and I was so absorbed in the story and the interpersonal dynamics of the main characters but unfortunately this book ended in a super predictable and cliched way for my personal liking.

The Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor (4 stars)

A really detailed and engaging historical crime novel. I will say that the mystery definitely takes a back seat in order to bring the historical fiction side of the novel to be highlighted. I would have preferred more mystery content but our two main characters are super captivating that I didn’t mind. My favourite part of this whole novel was the atmosphere. This book is set during and just after the Great Fire of London and Taylor did a great job weaving the terror and grief throughout the novel. You felt just as suffocated.

The Promised Neverland Series Vol.15-20 by Kaiu Shirai (5 stars)

What a way to end the series!!!! I want to give a standing ovation to this series and the author. So masterful. But… if I have to be picky I will say that Vol. 20 includes one of my least fave tropes and while I think it was the only answer to the tricky puzzle the author put himself in. I am still not a fan of the trope. Apart from that one tiny thing. 10/10! I cried.

Other books I read but couldn’t form coherent thoughts about at this current moment in time:

  • Yona of the Dawn. Vol.1 by Mizuho Kusanagi (4 stars)
  • Moriarty the Patriot, Vol.2 by Ryosuke Takeuchi (4 stars)
  • Fierce by Mathieu Burniat (4 stars)
  • A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin (4 stars)

March 2023 Wrap Up

IndiaReadsALot1 Comment
  • I read 16 books this month
  • Genre: 5 mystery, 4 sci-fi, 3 fantasy, 2 historical fiction, 1 spy novel and 1 poetry collection
  • Gender of authors: 9 women and 7 men
  • Race of authors: 8 white authors, 7 Asian authors and 1 black author
  • Age range: 8 adult, 6 YA and 2 middle grade
  • Format: 10 paperback, 5 ebook and 1 hardback

Challenges

  • Prompt: Mystery
    • Usotoki Rhetoric Vol.1
    • Murder in Mesopotamia
    • Whose Body?
    • Promise Boys
    • Tokyo Express
  • Sequel:
    • Murder in Mesopotamia
  • Tor.com: The Wonderful Stag, or the Courting of Red Elsie

Nocean by Efa (2 stars)

This was a post-apocalyptic graphic novel that I read through Netgalley. Unfortunately, it didn’t really meet my expectations plot wise but I thought the art design was stunning!

Tokyo Express by Seiko Matsumoto (2.5 stars)

A Japanese post war classic crime story. It was super engaging in the first third and I found the ending result to be entertaining but the middle section of the book was incredibly boring. You spend most of the book watching the detective read a myriad of transport time tables and at first it was novel but by the 4th timetable I was bored.

Leo in Little Pieces by Mayana Itoiz (2.5 stars)

Another graphic novel through Netgalley this time a World War 2 memoir. A really interesting look at a first-hand experience of what it was like living in France at the time of WW2. I will say I found the narrative structure to be confusing as well as the art design not being, particularly to my taste.

The Strange – Nathan Ballingrud (3 stars)

A sci-fi western. The first I have ever read this genre mix. I loved the setting of a western-esque town on the planet Mars! The plot started off super interesting but I think the author was trying to do too many different things half way through the story I started losing interest and all the points didn’t really tie up.

Red Dust White Snow – Pan Huiting (3 stars)

I think the theme so far this month is an amazing start but a less-than-amazing ending. I loved everything about the beginning of this story. I was fully on the 5 stars train but after the 50% mark, the story just fell away from the author. I felt that this book should have been longer as it felt that the author forgot they had to wrap up the story and rushed the ending while the plot itself felt unfinished or under-explored.

Promise Boys – Nick Brooks (3 stars)

A really interesting YA thriller that tackles systemic racism, toxic masculinity and the education system. Specifically on how it affects black and brown boys. I thought the use of multiple POVS and multi-media was incredibly engaging and really pushed this theme of assumptions and how they can harm people. I thought the characters were really interesting. But I felt that the mystery itself was disappointing and not structured amazingly.

Whose Body? – Dorothy L. Sayers (3.5 stars)

A re-read from a book I listened to last Summer. I enjoyed this re-read more than the audio version. Peter Wimsey is a really engaging character and I think Sayers does an amazing job at the dialogue in this book. Incredibly entertaining. My favourite scene had to be the scene where Wimsey figured everything out in his living room. I was also not expecting the PTSD representation so much within this book.

Murder in Mesopotamia – Agatha Christie (4 stars)

Continuing on with my Hercule Poirot read-through. I had heard very bad things about this book so I went in with quite low expectations but I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. I normally hate when Poirot isn’t in the story from the beginning but I found the first 100 pages to be engaging without him. This probably would have been a 5-star if it wasn’t for the complete 180 of an ending which was too over the top even for me.

The Trial of Lotta Rae – Siobhan MacGowan (4 stars)

A heart-breaking historical fiction novel about a woman who is let down by the man who was supposed to give her justice. I normally tend to read historical mysteries or historical fantasies so this was my first pure historical fiction novel in a long time AND I LOVED IT! MacGowan’s writing is so incredibly beautiful and her characterisation of Lotta Rae is amazing. Not only is it amazing but watching how she writes Lotta’s continuous growth and constant changing was masterful.

Juniper Mae: Knight of Tykotech City – Sarah Soh (5 stars)

A super fun graphic novel for a 7+ audience. With beautiful art design, a great female protagonist and the cutest frog-like sidekicks I have ever seen!

Spy x Family Vol.1 – Tatsuya Endo (5 stars)

I am so happy I finally got my hands on this series! Every great thing I heard about this is very accurate. I love the setting, the comedic writing and the characters. FOUND FAMILY IS THE ULTIMATE TROPE!

Some other books that I didn’t feel I had enough to write a mini review about:

  • A Passing on of Shells – Simon Lamb (3.5 stars)
  • The Wonderful Stag or the Courtship of Red Elsie (3.5 stars)
  • Usotoki Rhetoric Vol.1 – Ritsu Miyako (4 stars)
  • The Promised Neverland Vol.14 – Kaiu Shirai (4 stars)
  • The Girl from the Other Side Vol.2 – Nagabe (4 stars)

The Mountain in the Sea Review

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Rumors begin to spread of a species of hyperintelligent, dangerous octopus that may have developed its own language and culture. Marine biologist Dr. Ha Nguyen, who has spent her life researching cephalopod intelligence, will do anything for the chance to study them.

The transnational tech corporation DIANIMA has sealed the remote Con Dao Archipelago, where the octopuses were discovered, off from the world. Dr. Nguyen joins DIANIMA’s team on the islands: a battle-scarred security agent and the world’s first android.

The octopuses hold the key to unprecedented breakthroughs in extrahuman intelligence. The stakes are high: there are vast fortunes to be made by whoever can take advantage of the octopuses’ advancements, and as Dr. Nguyen struggles to communicate with the newly discovered species, forces larger than DIANIMA close in to seize the octopuses for themselves.

But no one has yet asked the octopuses what they think. And what they might do about it.

Godkiller Review

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Kissen kills gods for a living, and she enjoys it. That is until she finds a god she cannot kill: Skediceth, god of white lies, who is connected to a little noble girl on the run. Elogast fought in the god war, and helped purge the city of a thousand shrines before laying down his sword. A mysterious request from the King sends him racing back to the city he destroyed. On the way he meets a godkiller, a little girl and a littler god, who cannot find out about his quest.

My Killer Vacation Review

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It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation in sweet, sunny Cape Cod—just me and my beloved brother—but discovering a corpse in our rental house really throws a wrench into our tanning schedule. Now a rude, crude bounty hunter has arrived on the back of his motorcycle to catch the killer and refuses to believe I can be helpful, despite countless hours of true crime podcast listening. Not to mention a fulfilling teaching career of wrangling second graders. A brash bounty hunter and an energetic elementary schoolteacher: the murder-solving team no one asked for, but thanks to these pesky attempts on my life, we’re stuck together, come hell or high tide. I’m just here to do a job, not babysit an amateur sleuth. Although… it is becoming less and less of a hardship to have her around. Sure, she’s stubborn, distracting and can’t stay out of harm’s way. She’s also brave and beautiful and reminds me of the home I left behind three years ago. In other words, the painful hunger and protectiveness she is waking up in me is a threat to my peace of mind. Before I sink any deeper into this dangerous attraction, I need to solve this murder and get back on the road. But will fate take her from me before I realize the road has been leading to her all along?