book reviews

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher || Book Review


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.

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.


book reviews

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht || DNF Review


Persephone Station, a seemingly backwater planet that has largely been ignored by the United Republic of Worlds becomes the focus for the Serrao-Orlov Corporation as the planet has a few secrets the corporation tenaciously wants to exploit.

Rosie–owner of Monk’s Bar, in the corporate town of West Brynner, caters to wannabe criminals and rich Earther tourists, of a sort, at the front bar. However, exactly two types of people drank at Monk’s back bar: members of a rather exclusive criminal class and those who sought to employ them.

Angel–ex-marine and head of a semi-organized band of beneficent criminals, wayward assassins, and washed up mercenaries with a penchant for doing the honorable thing is asked to perform a job for Rosie. What this job reveals will effect Persephone and put Angel and her squad up against an army. Despite the odds, they are rearing for a fight with the Serrao-Orlov Corporation. For Angel, she knows that once honor is lost, there is no regaining it. That doesn’t mean she can’t damned well try.

This book sounded very interesting and I thought I would enjoy it. Sadly that wasn’t the case. I read 96 pages of it and I just didn’t connect to either the story or the characters. I didn’t care about what was going on at all in this book. Seeing that this book is over 500 pages long I just couldn’t force myself through it. That’s why I decided to DNF it.

I need to say that I do have a problem with getting into science fiction stories. It’s a genre that I’m interested in but one that I struggle with, as I don’t tend to read it often. So this is more of a fault with me rather than with the book. I felt that the beginning part, the one I read, was too fast paced for me to connect with anything. I’m especially disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this one as it has many queer characters, from what I’ve heard, and I love that. Queer speculative fiction is my favourite.

This book just wasn’t for me, which is why I have decided to DNF it.


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

book reviews

Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo || Book Review


Wandering cleric Chih of the Singing Hills travels to the riverlands to record tales of the notorious near-immortal martial artists who haunt the region. On the road to Betony Docks, they fall in with a pair of young women far from home, and an older couple who are more than they seem. As Chih runs headlong into an ancient feud, they find themselves far more entangled in the history of the riverlands than they ever expected to be.

Accompanied by Almost Brilliant, a talking bird with an indelible memory, Chih confronts old legends and new dangers alike as they learn that every story—beautiful, ugly, kind, or cruel—bears more than one face.

The novellas of The Singing Hills Cycle are linked by the cleric Chih, but may be read in any order, with each story serving as an entrypoint.

This is the third novella in the Singing Hills Cycle, which is one of my favourite series. I have loved all three books that I read so far, though I have to say that this one was my least favourite. Which doesn’t mean much as you can see by my rating.

The writing style in these novellas is gorgeous. It pulls you in immediately and captures your attention throughout the story. The stories that cleric Chih listens to and records feel like fairy tales and folk tales. There is something so magical about these novellas. I love learning about the world this series takes place in. The reason that this one is my least favourite so far is due to the fact that I didn’t connect to the characters as much as I did in the first two stories. Don’t get me wrong, I still liked them and I wanted to know what was going to happen to them. I just didn’t connect to them fully, which lowered my enjoyment slightly. As you can see by my 4.5 star rating I loved this novella as well.

I would highly recommend this novella series to everyone. They are beautiful and magical stories. I can’t wait to pick up the next instalment in this series!


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

book reviews

Little Eve by Catriona Ward || Book Review


ebook, 275 pages

“A great day is upon us. He is coming. The world will be washed away.”

On the wind-battered isle of Altnaharra, off the wildest coast of Scotland, a clan prepares to bring about the end of the world and its imminent rebirth.

The Adder is coming and one of their number will inherit its powers. They all want the honor, but young Eve is willing to do anything for the distinction.

A reckoning beyond Eve’s imagination begins when Chief Inspector Black arrives to investigate a brutal murder and their sacred ceremony goes terribly wrong.

And soon all the secrets of Altnaharra will be uncovered.

This is the first Catriona Ward book that I have ever read, but it’s definitely not going to be the last. I had an amazing time with this book and I’m so glad that I got the chance to experience it. I read this book at the perfect time, as it was exactly what I was in the mood for at the time. I love when that happens. Anyway, let’s actually move onto my thoughts on this book.

I would recommend looking up content warnings for this story before reading it, as there are some heavy topics and themes within this story.

The story alternates between the past and the present. I found this an amazing way to tell this story. We get the aftermath of the events that happened and then the details of the events as they were happening. This made me very engaged with the story, I wanted to know what was actually happening and how everything played out. At some point in the story it felt like too much was going on, at least to me. That took me out of the atmosphere this book created and it’s probably the only thing that bothered me about this story. If it weren’t for those few instances this would have been a five star read.

An aspect of this book that I completely adored is the atmosphere. I love the cold, gloomy and windy setting of the castle. Catriona Ward has managed to create the perfect gothic setting for this horror story. The characters in Little Eve were really interesting. I was doubting everyone and trying to figure out what was actually going on and how much everyone knew about the happenings. There are quite a few traumatic things that happened that really made me feel for the characters. The character that stood out to me the most was Evelyn, or little Eve. Right from the beginning we find out that she is the villain of the story, I found it fascinating learning how she ended up that way. I couldn’t help but sympathise with her, despite the things that we learn about her.

Overall, Little Eve was a dark, atmospheric and mysterious story that I very much enjoyed. I would definitely recommend checking this book out, if you have the chance. Though definitely look up content warnings for it, after all this is a horror novel. I look forward to reading more from Catriona Ward in the future.


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

book reviews

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♥

book reviews

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau || Book Review

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


Title: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Published: 19. July 2022

Edition: Quercus Books

ebook, 320 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction | Science Fiction | Horror

Summary:

Carlota Moreau: a young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of either a genius, or a madman.

Montgomery Laughton: a melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers. 

The hybrids: the fruits of the Doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities. 

All of them living in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.

For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.

◄ 3 OUT OF 5 STARS ►


The Daughter of Doctor Moreau was an interesting book. There were some element of the story that I really adored and some that I didn’t enjoy at all. If I’m being honest I expected to love this book, based on the synopsis and the fact that I enjoyed the authors previous work. I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. Anyway, with all that said let’s get into the actual review.

I enjoyed the writing style a lot, as I expected I would. Moreno-Garcia has the ability to create such a vivd atmosphere. I could picture the setting of the story perfectly and I will remember it for a long time. I adore atmospheric books, so this was right up my alley. I don’t know how to explain it better but I love the way this author creates stories. All of Moreno-Garcia’s books have such interesting summaries that make me want to read them all. The writing style was a definite favourite of mine and I plan on picking up more books by this author in the future.

I expected there to be a lot more horror elements than there ended up being. I feel like this book was marketed as a horror, but it was more of a mix between historical fiction and science fiction (with horror elements as well). Which isn’t a bad combination, but I just expected something different. That’s on me I guess, I just think this would have been an even more interesting book (for me) if the horror elements were the main focus of the story. I did find the story to be boring at times, it just didn’t manage to hold my attention. Though I’m still attributing that to having different expectations of the story.

Now onto the characters. I didn’t really connect with any of them. They were mostly fine but I didn’t feel anything for them. Carlota was interesting in the sense that she was a very sheltered character, and I felt that that portrayal was well done. It’s not a perspective that I read from often. I don’t have any strong feelings about her, I liked her fine but she didn’t stand out much for me. Which can be said about all the characters in this story. Montgomery was also fine, I honestly don’t have much to say about him. He was either grumpy or drunk during the book, so there is that. Doctor Moreau was fine as well, but he fell flat towards the end. I expected something more and that it would turn more complex than it actually did. (I can’t go into details about that since saying what it was would be a spoiler.) I wanted more from him, or rather I wanted more from all the characters.

I didn’t enjoy the romance. Montgomery met Carlota when she was a child, so their whole relationship felt weird to me. She was an adult when their relationship started, but it still felt weird. There were also some other things that bothered me with their romance (small things, nothing major), but I can’t go into detail about that since I would need to spoil some things. Basically I didn’t like the romance and I thought it was unnecessary. I would have enjoyed seeing them have a platonic dynamic more.

As I said at the start of this review, I enjoyed some aspects of the story while others bothered me. In this book the setting is very memorable but the characters are not. I would still recommend this book if you enjoy atmospheric books, just don’t go into it with the expectation of it being a horror book.


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

-Ana♥

book reviews

Taproot: A Story About A Gardener and A Ghost || Graphic Novel Review

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


Title: Taproot: A Story About A Gardener and A Ghost

Author: Keezy Young

Published: 5. July 2022

Edition: Oni Press

ebook, 128 pages

Genre: Fantasy | LGBT+ | Romance

Summary:

Blue has been living as a ghost for a year when he meets Hamal, a beautiful and sweet gardener who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. Together, their friendship develops into something more, but being a ghost, Blue can never truly be connected with Hamal.

When Blue realises Hamal’s strange ability may be putting him in danger, Blue has to find a way to protect him–even if it means leaving him.

◄ 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ►


This was such a sweet graphic novel! I don’t think I have ever read a romance between a human and a ghost, so that was a first for me. I really enjoyed how it was portrayed in this story, both of the main characters were amazing and I loved them together. There were some creepy moments as well, of the supernatural variety, and that made me enjoy it even more. The only thing that I didn’t enjoy about this graphic novel was the pacing. I wanted more build up to their relationship, I wanted to see them bond. I would have loved this story even more if we got more moments from them, prior to the relationship. Basically I wanted it to be longer. Also, I really loved the fact that one of the characters was a florist. Taproot was adorable, with beautiful art and an amazing story. I definitely recommend it!


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

-Ana♥

book reviews

The Ones We’re Meant to Find || DNF Review

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


Title: The Ones We’re Meant to Find

Author: Joan He

Published: 24. June 2021

Edition: Text Publishing

ebook, 384 pages

Genre: Science Fiction | Mystery | Dystopia

Summary:

Cee has been trapped on an abandoned island for three years without any recollection of how she arrived, or memories from her life prior. All she knows is that somewhere out there, beyond the horizon, she has a sister named Kay, and it’s up to Cee to cross the ocean and find her.

In a world apart, 16-year-old STEM prodigy Kasey Mizuhara lives in an eco-city built for people who protected the planet―and now need protecting from it. With natural disasters on the rise due to climate change, eco-cities provide clean air, water, and shelter. Their residents, in exchange, must spend at least a third of their time in stasis pods, conducting business virtually whenever possible to reduce their environmental footprint. While Kasey, an introvert and loner, doesn’t mind the lifestyle, her sister Celia hated it. Popular and lovable, Celia much preferred the outside world. But no one could have predicted that Celia would take a boat out to sea, never to return.

Now it’s been three months since Celia’s disappearance, and Kasey has given up hope. Logic says that her sister must be dead. But nevertheless, she decides to retrace Celia’s last steps. Where they’ll lead her, she does not know. Her sister was full of secrets. But Kasey has a secret of her own.

◄ NO RATING ►


As the title of this post says I didn’t finish reading The Ones We’re Meant To Find, I decided to stop reading it at 23%. I just wasn’t enjoying the book and one of my resolutions is to DNF books that I’m actively disliking. I’m very disappointed that it happened with a review book, but I just couldn’t force myself to get through it. I hoped to enjoy this book, but sadly that wasn’t the case – which makes me even sadder since the cover is gorgeous.

What did I not enjoy about this book? I found it confusing. I was reading the book but it felt like my brain retained no info, I just didn’t get what was going on – it felt like I couldn’t properly follow the plot. So that was rather frustrating. I also didn’t care about any of the characters, nothing drew me to them. I just didn’t care what was going to happen in this book, which is why I decided not to finish it. Especially since I know that, if I forced myself to finish it, it would get a low rating for me. So this was the better option. I don’t really know how to end this, since this is the first DNF review I have ever written, but I guess I’ll just leave it at this.


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

-Ana♥

book reviews

Where The Drowned Girls Go || Book Review

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


Title: Where the Drowned Girls Go

Wayward Children #7 )

Author: Seanan McGuire

Published: 4. January 2022

Edition: Tordotcom

ebook, 160 pages

Genre: Fantasy | Portal Fantasy

Summary:

Welcome to the Whitethorn Institute. The first step is always admitting you need help, and you’ve already taken that step by requesting a transfer into our company.

There is another school for children who fall through doors and fall back out again.
It isn’t as friendly as Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.
And it isn’t as safe.

When Eleanor West decided to open her school, her sanctuary, her Home for Wayward Children, she knew from the beginning that there would be children she couldn’t save; when Cora decides she needs a different direction, a different fate, a different prophecy, Miss West reluctantly agrees to transfer her to the other school, where things are run very differently by Whitethorn, the Headmaster.

She will soon discover that not all doors are welcoming.

◄ 3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS ►


The Wayward Children series is one of my favourites, I just love the characters and the adventures they get up to. The world-building is always interesting, as we get a new world in each story (or rather with each character). With that being said, Where The Drowned Girls Go wasn’t a favourite of mine. I think it’s my least favourite instalment in the whole series.

The whole concept of there being another school for children who have visited other worlds was fascinating to me, but I didn’t enjoy the execution that much. The introduction to the school was interesting, though also grim as we find out exactly how much different the school is from Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. There is a lot of power imbalance and bullying in this book, which was hard to read but also realistic. The problem that I had with this instalment is that it felt too rushed. The major turning point in the story (which I won’t get into because it’s spoilers) just happened to quick for me. I wish there was more buildup to it. But that is a problem of this type of book, the story being a novella that is. Usually I don’t have a problem with the length of the books in the Wayward Children series, but in this one I felt it needed to be longer. I enjoyed all the characters in this story, or at least I was interested in all of them. The old ones from previous books and the new ones introduced in this one.

That is basically all that I want to say in regards to this novella (without getting into spoilers). It was a solid instalment in the series but by no means a favourite of mine. I would definitely recommend this series, as it is amazing overall. I look forward to future books in the series and I will hopefully enjoy them more than this one.


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

-Ana♥

book reviews

The Vain || 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 Vain

Authors: Eliot Rahal, Emily Pearson (illustrator), Fred C. Stresing (illustrator)

Published: 6. April 2021

Edition: Oni Press

ebook, 144 pages

Genre: Vampires | Historical Fiction | LGBT+

Summary:

Chicago, 1941. A blood bank is held up in a robbery, but no cash is taken—only blood. It’s the latest in a string of similar robberies and as the United States prepares to enter World War II, FBI Agent Felix Franklin is certain it’s part of a wider plot to weaken the United States by depriving it of its blood supply. But the truth is much more sinister.

The four robbers are vampires: immortal, physically powerful, and after decades of honing their skills, practically untraceable. But time goes on and the vampires—who call themselves The Vain—stay the same in a world that is rapidly changing around them. As security measures evolve, stealing blood is harder every day. And with every decade that passes, Agent Franklin gets closer to finding them. Capturing them. Ending them.

The Vain is a story about wild, eternal youth, reckless rebellion, endless love, and how in the end…maybe it is better to burn out than fade away.

◄ 2.5 OUT OF 5 STARS ►

This graphic novel wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be. I enjoyed some aspects of it, while others weren’t really my cup of tea.

First of all, I assumed that the story would take place in 1941, as is said in the synopsis. That wasn’t the case. Rather the story jumps throughout many different time periods. At first that didn’t bother me but then it started to feel as if we were spending too little time in each period. It made the story feel rushed and it didn’t feel like we had the time to really get to know the characters. I liked their interactions between each other, but there wasn’t that much that stood out to me in regards to them. Aside from the fact that we had lesbian vampires in this story, which is always great.

The Vain is a very gory graphic novel, so if that is something that bothers you I would recommend staying away from this one. I don’t have a strong opinion on the art in this graphic novel. I liked it well enough, but it’s by no means a favourite of mine. I think it served its purpose in telling the story. The story in itself was interesting and I enjoyed seeing where it would end up, though (as I already mentioned) the pace wasn’t the best. The story did loose me towards the end of it.

Overall, I had fun while reading The Vain but this isn’t a graphic novel that is going to stick with me, as it wasn’t that memorable to me.


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

-Anna♥