Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher || Book Review

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

---

Title: Nettle & Bone

Author: T. Kingfisher

First published: 26. April 2022

Edition: Tor Books

ebook, 262 pages

Genre: Fantasy | Horror | Adventure

Summary:

This isn’t the kind of fairytale where the princess marries a prince.
It’s the one where she kills him.

Marra never wanted to be a hero.

As the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter, she escaped the traditional fate of princesses, to be married away for the sake of an uncaring throne. But her sister wasn’t so fortunate—and after years of silence, Marra is done watching her suffer at the hands of a powerful and abusive prince.

Seeking help for her rescue mission, Marra is offered the tools she needs, but only if she can complete three seemingly impossible tasks:
—build a dog of bones
—sew a cloak of nettles
—capture moonlight in a jar

But, as is the way in tales of princes and witches, doing the impossible is only the beginning.

Hero or not—now joined by a disgraced ex-knight, a reluctant fairy godmother, an enigmatic gravewitch and her fowl familiar—Marra might finally have the courage to save her sister, and topple a throne.

◄ 5 out of 5 stars ►

Nettle and Bone was such a wonderful book. I fell in love with it from the beginning. Everything about this book worked perfectly for me and I couldn’t put it down. This is one of my new favourite books and I want to read everything T. Kingfisher has ever written (and is going to write). I’m so happy that I got the opportunity to read this story!

Nettle and Bone follows Mara as she tries to save her sister. Mara is joined by a some people she meets along the way and together they attempt to complete the quest. This story involves a lot of traveling which I very much enjoyed. All the traveling allowed for the world to be built and explained. I enjoyed learning more about it as the story progressed. The plot of Nettle and Bone was gripping as well. I wanted to know how they were going to rescue Mara’s sister, as there stood quite a few obstacles in their way. I couldn’t put this book down, I just needed to know if and how everything was going to work out.

If you look at the genres that this book falls under you will notice one of them is horror. There were some very dark topics discussed in this story. It showed some of the darkest and most horrific actions that humans are capable of. I would recommend looking up content warnings for this story, before you read it.

Nettle and Bone felt like a dark fairy tale and I enjoyed every moment of it. Though I must say, my favourite part of this book were the characters. There is just something so captivating about all of them. I wanted to know more about them and I loved seeing them interact with each other. They formed such a wonderful group and they were a joy to read about. My favourite character in the entire story was, obviously, Mara. I loved the way she approached things and how much she cared about her friends and family. She has a quiet strength that I really admire. I loved seeing her form new relationships with her companions.

As I already said, I loved Nettle and Bone. I would definitely recommend checking this book out. I definitely need to get my hands on a physical copy of this book. I want to have this story in my collection as I know I will want to reread it in the future.

---

Thank you very much for reading and I hope that you have a wonderful day!

-Ana♥

Iron Widow || Book Review

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

---

Title: Iron Widow

(Iron Widow #1)

Author: Xiran Jay Zhao

Published: 21. September 2021

Edition: 

ebook, pages

Genre: Fantasy | Science Fiction | Historical Fiction

Summary:

The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain. 

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​ 

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

◄ 4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS ►

---

I was very exited to read this book, since I follow the author online and I have heard them talk about this book a bit. From that point on I was interested in reading this book and it didn’t disappoint. I’m very much looking forward to the sequel, as I definitely want more from the characters and the world. But let me not get ahead of myself, I need to write my thoughts about this book first.

THE WORLD: I have never read a book that features mecha, even though I’ve watched quite a few anime about them. So that was quite interesting and I enjoyed learning more about them and why they are needed to protect the world. Another interesting thing about the world is that it’s inspired by Chinese history and the only female Chinese emperor. The combination of advanced technology and elements of Chinese history has been fascinating to read about.

THE CHARACTERS: Probably my favourite aspect of this novel. I adored all three of the main characters, though Zetian remained my favourite. I loved how headstrong she was and how much she was willing to do to get her way. I enjoyed her as the main character and I loved seeing her grow throughout the story. The two male main characters were interesting as well, I loved learning about them. One of my favourite aspects of the novel is the relationship between the three main characters, I adored seeing it form. They all come from different backgrounds, with different struggles, and it was wonderful seeing them understand each other and come together to achieve their goals.

THE STORY: I enjoyed the plot, as I always enjoy following people who are going against the norm of the world that they live in. I need to mention that this book contains quite a few heavy scenes that were hard to read – so I would advise you to look up trigger warnings for this book. Towards the middle of the book I felt like the pacing was very slow. It just felt like some unnecessary things were happening, which is also why I couldn’t give this book the full five stars. It just brought me out of the story.

OVERALL: I very much enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more works from this author in the future.

---

Thank you very much for reading and I hope that you have a wonderful day!

-Ana♥

The Weirn Books Vol. 1 by Svetlana Chmakova || Graphic Novel Review

Disclaimer: I received this graphic novel from the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

---

Title: The Weirn Books, Vol. 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods

( The Weirn Books #1 )

Author: Svetlana Chmakova

Published: 16. June 2020

Edition: JY

ebook, 240 pages

Genre: Fantasy | Supernatural

Summary:

In the Night Realm, vampires, shifters, weirns, and other night things passing for human prowl the streets… but they still have to go to school! Ailis and Na’ya are pretty average students (NOT losers), but when a shadow starts looming and a classmate gets all weird, they are the first to notice. It gets personal, though, when Na’ya’s little brother D’esh disappears-It’s time to confront the secrets of the forbidden mansion in the Silent Woods!

◄ 3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS ►

This was such a cute and fun graphic novel! This was the first time that I have read anything by Svetlana Chmakova and I must say that I enjoyed myself. I definitely plan on checking out further volumes in this series. Anyway, onto more about Be Wary of the Silent Woods.

The first thing I would like to write about is the art style. As you can see by the cover it’s adorable, I also found it very fitting to the whole atmosphere of the story. By which I mean that it felt very whimsical. The characters were good, but I didn’t particularly fall in love with them. The dialogue between them felt a bit over the top, which is understandable since they are children. I think someone younger would enjoy this graphic novel a lot. I especially enjoyed seeing the familial relationships in this story, they were so sweet. The story was interesting, I enjoyed learning more about the school and the magic of the world. There were some things that I found predictable, but that was expected since this graphic novel is aimed towards a younger audience.

Overall I enjoyed The Weirn Books Vol. 1 quite a bit. The story and setting were fun, I enjoyed learning more about the characters and there were some very heartfelt moments. I would definitely recommend checking this graphic novel out.

---

Thank you very much for reading and I hope that you have a wonderful day!

-Anna♥

One Word Kill and Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence || Book Reviews

Disclaimer: I received One Word Kill from the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

---

Title: One Word Kill

( Impossible Times #1 )

Authors: Mark Lawrence

Published: 1. May 2019

Edition: 47North

ebook, 201 pages

Genre: Science Fiction | Time Travel | Young Adult

Summary:

In January 1986, fifteen-year-old boy-genius Nick Hayes discovers he’s dying. And it isn’t even the strangest thing to happen to him that week.

Nick and his Dungeons & Dragons-playing friends are used to living in their imaginations. But when a new girl, Mia, joins the group and reality becomes weirder than the fantasy world they visit in their weekly games, none of them are prepared for what comes next. A strange—yet curiously familiar—man is following Nick, with abilities that just shouldn’t exist. And this man bears a cryptic message: Mia’s in grave danger, though she doesn’t know it yet. She needs Nick’s help—now.

He finds himself in a race against time to unravel an impossible mystery and save the girl. And all that stands in his way is a probably terminal disease, a knife-wielding maniac and the laws of physics.

Challenge accepted.

◄ 3 out of 5 stars ►

One Word Kill is the first book by Mark Lawrence that I have ever read. Previously I had heard many amazing things about his works, in particular his Book of the Ancestor series. Because of that I was very happy to receive a copy of his science fiction novel. As you can see by my rating, I didn’t completely enjoy this book. There were things about One Word Kill that I enjoyed and things that really didn’t work for me.

I didn’t find it easy to get into One Word Kill. It took me some time to get used to the writing style. This book is very fast paced. It’s also short, which means that things are happening non-stop. This does make it a fast read, but it also means that some things felt rushed and glossed over. The focus of the story is on the action, rather than the characters. I feel that because of that the relationships between the characters weren’t that well done. The characters in itself weren’t that complex, there just wasn’t enough time in this book to develop them well.

The story was entertaining to read, but it didn’t feel all that original. There were also quite a few cliches that dimmed my overall enjoyment of the story. Due to the fact that the characters weren’t that well developed I didn’t connect to any of them. That made it harder for me to care what was happening to them. Honestly I was reading this book for the story rather than the characters (and that is not something that is usually the case for me).

Overall, One Work Kill was an okay book. It’s a fast paced and action packed story, with lacklustre characters. If the premise for this book sounds interesting to you I would recommend picking this book up.

---

Disclaimer: I received Limited Wish from the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

---

Title: Limited Wish

( Impossible Times #2 )

Authors: Mark Lawrence

Published: 28. May 2019

Edition: 47North

ebook, 222 pages

Genre: Science Fiction | Time Travel | Young Adult

Summary:

One choice. Two possible timelines. And a world hanging in the balance.
It’s the summer of 1986 and reluctant prodigy Nick Hayes is a student at Cambridge University, working with world-renowned mathematician Professor Halligan. He just wants to be a regular student, but regular isn’t really an option for a boy-genius cancer survivor who’s already dabbled in time travel.

When he crosses paths with a mysterious yet curiously familiar girl, Nick discovers that creases have appeared in the fabric of time, and that he is at the centre of the disruption. Only Nick can resolve this time paradox before the damage becomes catastrophic for both him and the future of the world. Time is running out—literally.

Wrapped up with him in this potentially apocalyptic scenario are his ex-girlfriend, Mia, and fellow student Helen. Facing the world-ending chaos of a split in time, Nick must act fast and make the choice of a lifetime—or lifetimes.

Game on.

◄ 2 out of 5 stars ►

I enjoyed Limited Wish even less than One Word Kill. This book might suffer from the middle book syndrome (which isn’t something I can verify, as I don’t plan on finishing the series). Despite this book being as short as it was, I felt that it dragged on in some parts. There were just many things about Limited Wish that bothered me.

I found the overall story less engaging and enjoyable. The action was still there and I did fly through this book, which is always nice. The D&D stuff started to annoy me, it felt like such a chore to read about it. Another aspect of this that bothered me is Nick. He annoyed me so much throughout the whole book. I can’t go into detail as to why, because that would definitely contain spoilers. The other characters weren’t developed from the first book, which was rather disappointing. I feel that the point of this series is the plot and not the characters.

The thing that bothered me most about Limited Wish is the love triangle. That is a trope that I hate and the way it was used in this story bothered me so freaking much. I honestly didn’t expect this kind of love story from this book. I feel like this review makes it seem like I hated this book. That is not the case. I was still interested in the story, but many other aspects of the book hindered my enjoyment of it.

Overall, Limited Wish was a disappointing book for me. Things I hoped would improve from the first book didn’t and some other things happened that really bothered me. I’m not sure if I would recommend this book.

---

Have you read One Word Kill and Limited Wish? Did you enjoy them? Let me know in the comments below!

Thank you very much for reading and I hope that you have a wonderful day!

-Anna♥

The Resurrectionist of Caligo by Wendy Trimboli and Alicia Zaloga || Book Review

Disclaimer: I received By a Charm and a Curse from the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

---

Title: The Resurrectionist of Caligo

Authors: Wendy Trimboli and Alicia Zaloga

Published: 10. September 2019

Edition: Angry Robot

ebook, 360 pages

Genre: Historical Fantasy | Mystery

Summary:

With a murderer on the loose, it’s up to an enlightened bodysnatcher and a rebellious princess to save the city, in this wonderfully inventive Victorian-tinged fantasy noir.

“Man of Science” Roger Weathersby scrapes out a risky living digging up corpses for medical schools. When he’s framed for the murder of one of his cadavers, he’s forced to trust in the superstitions he’s always rejected: his former friend, princess Sibylla, offers to commute Roger’s execution in a blood magic ritual which will bind him to her forever. With little choice, he finds himself indentured to Sibylla and propelled into an investigation. There’s a murderer loose in the city of Caligo, and the duo must navigate science and sorcery, palace intrigue and dank boneyards to catch the butcher before the killings tear their whole country apart.

◄ 3 out of 5 stars ►

The Resurrectionist of Caligo is a fantasy murder mystery set in the Victorian era. Just by knowing that about the book I was intrigued by it. As you may know, I love reading about the Victorian era and I also tend to love historical fantasy. This seemed like such a great combination for a story and while I enjoyed The Resurrectionist of Caligo it did let me down in some aspects.

The setting was probably my favourite part of the book. The combination of the Victorian era and noir elements was amazing and I had a lot of fun finding out things about the world. There are themes of medicine and illness in this book, so if that is something that you don’t enjoy reading about I would recommend staying away from this book. The mystery was alright. It wasn’t anything outstanding, but it wasn’t bad either. The pacing of this book felt off at times. I didn’t know for the longest time if the main conflict had started or not, which ended up just confusing me. The last 30% or so of the book let me down, but I can’t go into detail about the reason because of spoilers.

The two main characters, Roger and Sibylla, were interesting. I enjoyed learning more about them as the story progressed. It was compelling seeing them try and figure out what was going on. Despite saying all of that, I don’t think they are too memorable as characters. Don’t get me wrong, I liked them fine but I’m not going to be thinking about them in the future. The dynamic between Roger and Sibylla was strange as well. They obviously liked each other and their relationship grew stronger throughout the book but it also felt it didn’t go anywhere. I was just confused by their relationship, or rather I just expected their relationship to go farther than it actually did.

Overall The Resurrectionist of Caligo is an imaginative book with an interesting premise. The mystery wasn’t the best, but the setting was amazing. The characters were good, but their relationships somewhat confusing. I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you enjoy reading about the Victorian era.

---

Have you read The Resurrectionist of Caligo? Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments below!

Thank you very much for reading and I hope that you have a wonderful day!

-Anna♥

The Reborn King by Michael R. Miller || Book Review

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

---

Title: The Reborn King

( The Dragon’s Blade #1 )

Author: Michael R. Miller

First published: 10. November 2015

Edition: Acorn Independent Press

ebook, 412 pages

Genre: Fantasy | Dragons | Adult

Summary:

Darnuir made terrible mistakes. Death is his redemption. His second chance is the world’s last hope.

Dragons once soared in the skies, but that was before the Transformation, before they took human form. Now, demonic forces stand to obliterate them. When left mortally wounded, Darnuir, the Prince of Dragons, can only be saved through a dangerous rebirthing spell. He is left as a babe in human hands.

Twenty years later, Darnuir is of age to wield the Dragon’s Blade. As the last member of his bloodline, he is the only one who can. He is plunged into a role he is not prepared for, to lead a people he does not know. Shadowy demons ravage his new home and the alliance between humans, dragons and fairies has fractured.

Time is short, for new threats and deadlier enemies are emerging.

◄ 3 out of 5 stars ►

The world of The Reborn King is a very interesting one. There are many different races in this world that coexist together. There are dragons, humans, demons, wizards and other races. Some of them are getting along with each other, while there are tensions with others. I was interested in learning about the world of The Reborn King and the politics involved. The combination of so many different races was an interesting choice and it was well done. I enjoyed learning more about the magic and magical artefacts as well.

Darnuir was an interesting character, though I have rather conflicting feelings when it comes to him. Or rather my opinions on him kept changing. In the beginning, before the rebirth, he was very arrogant and I very much enjoyed him as a character. It was interesting to read from his perspective. He wasn’t necessary likeable, but he was very intriguing. When he was reborn and raised by humans he was a lot calmer. I understood why he was that way, but it kinda felt jarring as well. I didn’t care about him all that much then. Later in the story, due to things I can’t mention because of spoilers, his personality becomes more of a mix between the two already mentioned ones. I liked him a lot more then. As I said in the beginning, I just have conflicting feelings towards him as a character.

The other characters in this story were alright. I liked some of them more than others, as is usually the case, but none of them stood out as much as Darnuir. By which I mean that I didn’t find anyone as interesting and they weren’t that memorable to me. My least favourite part of the book was the romance. As soon as I saw that there would be a romance between Darnuir and Cassandra I knew that I wouldn’t like it. First of all it was insta-love, which is something that immediately bothered me. Also, I didn’t feel any romantic connection between the two of them and it was honestly bothersome to read about. This book would have been so much better if there was no romance. I honestly have no idea why every single book needs to have a romance, especially if it isn’t very well done.

Overall The Reborn King was a good book. I enjoyed the world and it’s magic and politics a lot. The main character was interesting to read about, but the side characters weren’t that memorable. The romance was definitely the worst part. With all of that being said, I would still recommend this book as I did have fun while reading it.

---

Have you read The Reborn King? Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments below!

Thank you very much for reading and I hope that you have a wonderful day!

-Anna♥

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers || Book Review

Title: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet

            ( Wayfarers #1 )

Author: Becky Chambers

Published: 13. August 2015

Edition: Hodder & Stoughton

                Paperback, 404 pages

Genre: Science Fiction | Space Opera

Summary:

Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe—in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.

Goodreads | Bookdepository | Amazon

◄ 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ►

Trigger warnings: murder, death, violence, themes surrounding war, depiction of PTSD
(the trigger warnings are written in white)

This is one of the first science-fiction novels, that are set in space, that I have read. The other science-fiction stories that I have read are either dystopians or about people with superpowers (since that is considered science-fiction as far as I’m aware). This book was definitely a bit out of my comfort zone, but I’m very pleased that I decided to pick it up when I did.

THE WORLD AND STORY:

The world that Becky Chambers created in this book is vast and fascinating. There are many cultures and species woven into the narrative of this story. The story is more focused on the characters and their relationships to one another, than the action. Which also means that this story is slower paced. That should be kept in mind when reading The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet.

The slower pacing didn’t bother me at all, as I do tend to enjoy character driven stories. I was also aware of this fact beforehand, so I read this book at the perfect time when I was in the mood for a slower read. As the story focused more on the characters, there was a lot of time to develop the different cultures of the different species that we encountered in the story. It was fascinating learning more about them. It was also very thought provoking, as many of the issues that exist between the different species can be applied in some way to our current society.

I did find this book to be a bit too info-dumpy during some moments. While I did enjoy learning about the world of this book, sometimes it just felt like too much information. I think this is more of a it’s me and not the book situation. I just didn’t expect to get that amount of information, which can be attributed to my previous reading of science-fiction (as mentioned in the beginning).

THE CHARACTERS:

I adore all the characters on the Wayfarer. They were definitely the highlight of this book! (As you should expect from a character focused story.) All of the characters on the Wayfarer were interesting and I loved learning more about them, and their pasts, as the story progressed. I loved seeing Rosemary form bonds with her crew-mates. Plus seeing the already established relationships on the ship was amazing as well. The characters were very complex and flawed. I cared about all of them a lot, even the ones that I was unsure about in the beginning.

Along the journey of this book we meet many different side characters, that are in some way connected to the Wayfarer crew. I found them to be interesting as well, especially since many of them were from different species and we got to learn more about their culture and way of life. This is one of the first times that I don’t have a definite favourite character. I enjoyed each member of the Wayfarer crew for different reasons. Together, as a team, they were even better! I just loved reading about them.

The characters in this book are very diverse. There are different representations of race, species, gender identity and sexuality. There were also very interesting discussions about artificial intelligence. In general this book brings forth many different discussion points. The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet manages to be both heartwarming and thought-provoking.

OVERALL:

I enjoyed The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet a lot, as you can see by my review. I’m so happy to have read this book! Becky Chambers has managed to create a fascinating and intricate world, lovable characters and amazing relationships (both platonic and romantic) in this book. I would highly recommend this book to everyone!

---

Have you read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet? Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments below!

Thank you very much for reading my review. I hope you have a wonderful day!

-Anna♥

Twitter | Goodreads | Tumblr

The Atrocities by Jeremy Shipp || ARC Review

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Title: The Atrocities

Author: Jeremy Shipp

Published: 17. April 2018

Edition: Tor.com

Kindle Edition, 104 pages

Genre: Horror | Fantasy | Paranormal

Summary:

When Isabella died, her parents were determined to ensure her education wouldn’t suffer.

But Isabella’s parents had not informed her new governess of Isabella’s… condition, and when Ms Valdez arrives at the estate, having forced herself through a surreal nightmare maze of twisted human-like statues, she discovers that there is no girl to tutor.

Or is there…?

◄ 3 OUT OF 5 STARS ►

There were some aspects of this novella that I enjoyed and some that bothered me. The Atrocities left me feeling conflicted and for the longest time I didn’t know how to rate it.

What I really liked about this story was its setting and atmosphere. I was very intrigued by the mansion and I wanted to know more about it. The author managed to create an eery and uneasy atmosphere within the first few pages. The atmosphere continued to be like that throughout the whole novella and I loved it. I was also very intrigued by all the characters. There just seemed to be something strange about every single one of them. (They all just made me feel weird for some reason.) I enjoyed learning more about them and what their deal was.

What I didn’t enjoy about this novella is its lack of depth. There were some very interesting things hinted at, but never fully explored. I believe that the story would have been a lot better had it been longer and more developed. The premise, setting and characters had the potential to be explored a lot more and it’s really too bad that they weren’t. Another problem that I had with it was the ending. It felt very abrupt. I somehow didn’t even realise the story ended, I just expected something more from it – it didn’t feel completed. There was no transition to the ending, it just kind of happened. Plus there were some parts of the story that I found confusing, which I can’t go into detail about as it would spoil the story.

Overall I enjoyed this story, I just wish it was longer and more developed. I would recommend you to pick this novella up if you enjoy atmospheric and eerie books.

---

Have you read The Atrocities? Did you enjoy it? What was your favourite moment in the book? Do let me know!

Thank you very much for reading my review. I hope you have a wonderful day!

-Anna♥

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire || Book Review

Title: Every Heart a Doorway

( Wayward Children #1 )

Author: Seanan McGuire

Published: 5. April 2016

Edition: Tor

Hardcover, 173 pages

Genre: Fantasy | Young Adult

Summary:

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Goodreads | Bookdepository | Amazon

◄ 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ►

Wow. Just wow. This book was fantastic and I completely fell in love with it!

Now with that out of the way lets get into the actual review, where I will explain why exactly I loved this book so much. (Though it might be more of a gush than an actual review.)

The whole premise of this story intrigued me. Children returning from other worlds and then trying to adjust to a “normal” life – it’s a topic that I didn’t know I needed to read about until I heard about this book, but now I just want more and more! Growing up the series that actually got me into reading was The Chronicles of Narnia and I always wondered what it was like for the Pevensie siblings to return to their everyday life. This book answered some of those questions that I had.

The characters within this story were definitely my favourite part of it. I found all of them fascinating and I wanted to know more about them. That doesn’t usually happen, especially which shorter books like this one. The characters within this story are very diverse, which I appreciated greatly. One of the characters was asexual and I found the representation of it amazing! I have never encountered a character within a story that explicitly stated they were asexual. Finding this representation made me especially happy, seeing that I’m asexual myself. (Not sure if you were aware of that fact or not.)

The plot of the story was interesting, but not the strongest aspect of this book. The mystery, which I won’t mention in any detail because of spoilers, was rather predictable. I just don’t think that there was enough time to build and develop the plot more, as this book was rather short (which I keep mentioning for some reason). Still, I enjoyed it a lot – some things were unpredictable and I enjoyed the darker and more gruesome aspects of this book a lot.

Overall, this book was fantastic and I would highly recommend it to everyone! I can’t wait to get my hands on the other books in this series, I just NEED them in my life. Hopefully I will be able to get them soon!

---

Have you read Every Heart a Doorway? Did you enjoy it? What was your favourite moment in the book? Do let me know!

Thank you very much for reading my review. I hope you have a wonderful day!

-Anna♥

Twitter | Goodreads | Tumblr

Miss Treadway & the Field of Stars by Miranda Emmerson || ARC Review

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Title: Miss Treadway & the Field of Stars

Author: Miranda Emmerson

Published: 12. January 2017.

Edition: Fourth Estate

                Kindle Edition, 297 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction | Mystery

Summary:

Soho, 1965.

In a tiny two-bed flat above a Turkish café on Neal Street lives Anna Treadway, a young dresser at the Galaxy Theatre.

When the American actress Iolanthe Green disappears after an evening’s performance at the Galaxy, the newspapers are wild with speculation about her fate. But as the news grows old and the case grows colder, it seems Anna is the only person left determined to find out the truth.

Her search for the missing actress will take her into an England she did not know existed: an England of jazz clubs and prison cells, backstreet doctors and seaside ghost towns, where her carefully calibrated existence will be upended by violence but also, perhaps, by love. For in order to uncover Iolanthe’s secrets, Anna is going to have to face up to a few of her own.

◄ 2.5 OUT OF 5 STARS ►

I really don’t know where to start with this review. I have very conflicted feelings about this book, I enjoyed some aspects of it but I also had problems with it (as it’s obvious by my rating of it).

When I first started reading this book I was very much enjoying it. The writing style flowed very nicely, it was very easy to read. Miss Treadway seemed like an interesting character and I wanted to know more about her. I liked the writing style and I felt that the introduction to everything (characters, setting, plot) was very well executed.

But as the story progressed I found myself more and more bored. By the end of the book I just didn’t care what was happening anymore, I just wanted to be done with it. I also didn’t particularly care about any of the characters, while they seemed interesting in the beginning they just didn’t capture my attention throughout the story. The mystery didn’t live up to what I thought it would be, I expected it to be a lot more exiting and gripping than it was. The mystery wasn’t actually the main aspect of the story, as I expected it to be, rather it served as a tool to showcase the society and the relationships of that time period.

The story follows a diverse cast of characters with their own problems and stories woven  into the main story. This book also deals with important topics like: racism, xenophobia and misogyny.

OVERALL:

This was an alright book, but nothing too special. It wasn’t the exiting mystery that I expected it to be, which was rather disappointing. I’m unsure if I would recommend this book. Definitely not if you’re looking for a mystery novel. But if you enjoy historical fiction that explores society and it’s issues then this book might be for you.

---

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Thank you for reading my review and I hope that you have a wonderful day!

-Anna♥