Review: A DARK AND DROWNING TIDE by Allison Saft

 

Rating: 2.25/5 stars

Tell me this doesn't sound amazing: academic rivals must team up to solve their mentor's murder + sapphic rivals-to-lovers romance + fantastical expedition to locate the Ursprung, the source of all magic and power. Right? I thought so too! Unfortunately, I didn't love the execution as much as the premise. 

When I read the phrase "academic rivals" I expected more of the academic aspect, but that really isn't present at all here. I love novels about academia, but this novel isn't about that; it's more a facet of the two protagonists' backgrounds. Lorelai is the edgy, sharp-tongued one, and Sylvia is the beautiful, intelligent one. They are rivals in the sense that they are both vying for their mentor Ziegler's attention, but that's really it. Then after Ziegler is murdered aboard their expedition ship, Lorelai and Silva realize that one of the other five individuals aboard the vessel must be responsible for the murder, so they grudgingly team up to solve the mystery, all while still pressing forward toward their goal of finding the Ursprung. 

Each character has an elaborately developed background full of political motivations and cultural distinctions, but I struggled to keep them all straight. I really think this book needs a map, and I hope the final edition has one (I read a review copy that did not have a map). 

I think this book would be good for anyone who really enjoyed Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries as A Dark and Drowning Tide has the same vibes as that book as well as lots of mythical creatures the characters come across; I couldn't help but think of Emily Wilde multiple times while reading this book. The array of mythical creatures was neat, but I think that aspect of the story needed to be further developed as I still don't know what any of them look like or what abilities they have, and they felt to me like they were just thrown into the story at the last minute. 

The ending of the novel felt underwhelming to me, and I found myself rushing to get through the last 15% or so because I just really didn't want to be reading this book anymore, sadly. I don't think this story or these characters are going to stick with me, and there's nothing worse than an unmemorable book. I think certain people will love A Dark and Drowning Tide and I really wish I were one of them because I have been looking forward to this book for months. I own other books by Allison Saft, and I still want to check out those books, so I hope they will be more up my alley than this one.  

Review: DON'T LET THE FOREST IN by C.G. Drews

 

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

I've been following this author's book reviews on Goodreads for years, which is how I found out she wrote a book and why I was interested in reading it. Her writing in her reviews can be gorgeous and lyrical at times, and I was hoping that would translate to her novel. 

At times, it did, and at other times it didn't. There were moments of beautiful descriptions and lush prose, but sometimes it became too much, and the descriptions felt as if they were meaningless. 

My favorite part of the book was the setting: a boarding school with a dark off-limits forest behind it. Unfortunately, most other aspects of the story fell short for me. The main characters seemed almost like caricatures, not fully fleshed out beyond their initial descriptions. The side characters read rather one-dimensional to me and I struggled to connect with any of them. Even now writing this review, about two weeks after I finished the book, I cannot remember any characters' names outside of Andrew and Thomas, the two main boys. 

I liked the idea behind Thomas's monster drawings coming to life, but I also don't feel like it really made sense why that was happening. I don't know why I struggled so hard to connect to this book.

Overall, Don't Let the Forest In was fine but unmemorable for me. I don't think young adult novels hit the same for me as they did when I was younger and more in that age bracket, sadly. But if you don't mind YA books and you enjoy psychological horror novels with botanical elements and two boys who toxically yearn for one another, then you will likely enjoy this novel. 

Review: GODFIRE by Cara Witter

 

Rating: 4/5 stars

Put this book on your radar. Fans of epic fantasy and Brandon Sanderson alike are going to love Godfire. It was an excellent start to an adult epic fantasy series. This book has incredible worldbuilding, ancient magic, political intrigue, relatable and fleshed-out characters, slow-burn romance, multiple POVs, and an engaging and fast-paced plot. 

Side note: The whole series is available for free in the Audible Plus catalog for anyone interested! (Please go listen to it; it's so so good.)  

Kenton is the first character you get to know. He is the last of his people, and he is one of the godbearers. He sets out on a quest across the Five Lands to find the other godbearers in hopes that together they can reunite the gods to restore good to the lands before the evil dictator Diamis destroys everything with the dark magic he possesses. And then on his journey, Kenton finds an unlikely but powerful ally: Diamis's daughter, Daniella. 

I was invested in the story right from the beginning. I enjoyed the author's writing style, and I appreciated that she pulled no punches. There were very emotional scenes and violent scenes that I've seen other authors stay away from, but having them included only enhanced my experience with this series. I loved each of the main characters as well, and I felt like I got to know them personally. My favorite character duo was Daniella and Jaeme, and I loooved the slow-burn pining that occurred between them. There is not very much romance in this series, but what little there is is so well-written and I was very invested in it. 

I highly recommend this book, and now that I've finished the whole series, I can confidently tell you that each book gets better and better. This is a very underrated series. I listened to all the books via audio, but now I want to buy physical copies of each book and reread them with my eyes; it was just that good. 

Review: A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL by T. Kingfisher

 

Rating: 4/5 stars 

A Sorceress Comes to Call is retelling of The Goose Girl with T. Kingfisher’s signature writing style that’s whimsical and fantastical and weird and just a little bit creepy. This book is mostly fantasy, but it does have a few horror elements thrown in there as well, and the setting also has a historical feel to it. 

I haven’t read The Goose Girl, nor do I know what the tale is about, so I don’t know how well this retelling follows the original story, but I did enjoy this book nonetheless. It stands on its own without the reader needing any prior knowledge of the classical tale. 

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a multi-POV tale largely centering Cordelia, whose mother, Evangeline, is an evil sorceress trying to con her way into a better life with a wealthy older man called the Squire. Cordelia reluctantly comes along for the ride and finds companionship and solace in the Squire’s sister, Hester, who is very suspicious of Evangeline. Hester and Cordelia team up with a few others at the estate to try to stop Evangeline from ensnaring the Squire and release Cordelia from her controlling clutches. 

I loved the characters in this novel. Cordelia was really delightful and I enjoyed seeing her grow into her self and become more confident throughout the story. Hester and Lord Evermore were my favorite “not-a-couple” couple and I loved their dynamic. There are even protector geese and a very eerily-aware horse named Falada. All of the characters were so well written and memorable. 

Overall, this was a delightful story. I love T. Kingfisher’s writing style, and if you do too then you will also like this book. I recommend it to anyone looking for a classical standalone fantasy tale that’s a little dark and a little cozy and a little funny all at the same time. 

I received a digital copy of this book for review from the publisher via Edelweiss. 

Review: WHERE THE DARK STANDS STILL by A. B. Poranek

 

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

I picked up Where the Dark Stands Still solely because I had seen multiple people comparing it to Howl’s Moving Castle and saying it was a book for Miyazaki lovers. I love anything Miyazaki-related, so I knew I needed to read this book. It’s a standalone young adult fantasy set in a gothic manor tucked deep inside an enchanted forest. 

I can definitely see the comparisons to Howl’s Moving Castle as Liska and Leszy’s banter rivals that of Howl and Sophie’s. However, I would also point out that there are some similarities to For the Wolf, The Bear and the Nightingale, Uprooted, The Paper Magician, and The Near Witch too. I tend to seek out and enjoy books set in dark forests with mysterious love interests who have to mentor the female protagonist in her magic, and each of these books more or less falls into that category. There’s just something about that setting and style of story that really calls to me, so if you are also like me then you should read Where the Dark Stands Still. It’s one of the better books on that list, in my opinion. 

In this story, Liska makes a deal with the demon Leszy to rid her of her magic if she will serve him for one year. Easy enough, she thinks, but Leszy doubts she will even be able to stay alive that long. So Liska moves into his enchanted crumbling house in the woods, and she faces all kinds of magical encounters. The house is changing, doors appearing and disappearing before Liska’s eyes. Strange creatures are roaming the grounds at night. And Leszy is not what he seems. 

The majority of the book was more or less a story that I’ve read before and it was pretty easy to tell where the plot was going. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book. The Polish influence was unique, and I really enjoyed the characters and the setting. However, I wasn’t overly fond of the ending. I appreciated that it was nontraditional since I wasn’t able to anticipate where the story was going, but it wasn’t the most satisfying of endings for me. 

Overall, this book is a soft recommendation. Those who enjoy similar stories would likely enjoy Where the Dark Stands Still too, and those who tend to not like these kinds of stories probably won’t find anything life-changing in this one. I did think this was a strong book for a debut though, I am looking forward to reading more books from A. B. Poranek in the future. 

Review: RENTAL PERSON WHO DOES NOTHING by Shoji Morimoto

 

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I found this book to be fascinating and I’m so happy I spent the time reading it. 

Rental Person Who Does Nothing is a memoir of exactly that: a rental person who does nothing. Do you need a person to accompany you to an event but can’t ask anyone in your personal life? Do you want some company while you quietly work at home? Do you want to try a new restaurant but don’t want to go alone? That’s what Rental Person is for. 

I was unaware of Shoji Morimoto before reading this book, despite his prolific online presence. I was intrigued by the title alone, which is why I decided to pick it up, and I’m so happy I did. This was one of the most unique and thought-provoking books I’ve read in quite some time. 

Morimoto recounts many of his experiences as a rental person, but he also provides commentary on the idea of a society that finds value in a rental person and also the value that someone can provide who simply does nothing. In fact, my favorite part of the book was the commentary he provides about the value a person has regardless of their job and the value they provide just for existing as a person, even if they do nothing. 

He states that his dream was to do nothing, and he hated working for his company simply because he needed money when he didn’t like anything he was doing at work. So he started his rental person business. I say “business” but it’s important to note that Rental Person does not charge for his services, only for transportation and any applicable food. But his time comes free. He discusses in detail why he decided to operate this way, and I found it all to be extremely fascinating. 

I would definitely recommend this book. The concept alone is worth reading about, but hearing specifically about Morimoto’s experiences and thought processes makes for an incredible experience.

Review: THE FAMILIAR by Leigh Bardugo

 

Rating: 3/5 stars

The Familiar was good, but nothing about it really wowed me. I enjoyed my time reading it, but it likely won’t be a standout or memorable book for me this year, sadly. 

I wish the setting was more prominent. If I didn’t know before starting this book that the story takes place in the 1600s during the Spanish Inquisition, I wouldn’t have been able to gather that information from the narrative. Maybe that’s just me being dumb though, because I have heard others mention the setting was a prominent feature. 

The entire book was rather slow-moving to me, and I do wish the pace had been faster. I felt the whole time I was reading that it was moving along very leisurely, and that frustrated me a bit. Especially when the plot picks up, the pace should too, but I personally feel that it did not. 

I felt rather emotionally distant from the entire story, including from the characters. All the characters outside of Luzia and Santángel fell flat for me, unfortunately, and I found myself not really caring what happened to any of them. I was most invested in Luzia of everyone. 

I really enjoyed Luzia as a protagonist though and thought she was deceptively strong-willed, which I love to see. She had a tiny bit of magic, which was cool too. Even though she had the ability to use some magic, this story definitely reads like a historical fiction and not like a fantasy though; the fantastical element is so small, found in just her tiny miracles and in the familiar’s immortality, but that's really it. 

I didn’t feel the chemistry between Luzia and Santángel at all. He seemed pretty creepy to me the whole novel, but love was clearly developing between them. When did he turn from the unsettling emaciated immortal creature to the handsome and loving man? 

I didn’t particularly care for Santángel as a love interest, but I do appreciate that Bardugo included a non-traditional love interest in this novel. I did enjoy learning about his backstory and why he is immortal though. In fact, that was the most captivating chapter of the whole book for me. 

The ending kind of came out of nowhere, and while I’m not sure yet if I liked it or not, I do appreciate it and the message it was communicating. I like that it wasn’t a conventional ending either, something both expected and unexpected at the same time. 

Maybe Leigh Bardugo’s writing style just isn’t for me. I have enjoyed the books I’ve read by her but I haven’t really loved any of them. I felt emotionally detached from The Familiar and from most of the characters, and I’m sad about that. I was prepared to love this book and have a great time reading it, but it was just a book that I read, no emotional strings attached, no significant impact on my life hereafter. I know many people are going to love this book though, and I wish I were one of those people too. It was fine, but that’s about it. 

Review: WHAT FEASTS AT NIGHT by T. Kingfisher

 

Rating: 3.25/5 stars 

I absolutely loved What Moves the Dead, and it was the book that got me hooked on both T. Kingfisher and horror novels last year. I was so excited to see that she was releasing a sequel to that beloved book. 

What Feasts at Night sees the return of our intrepid solider, Alex Easton, on a new adventure with our favorite mycologist, Miss Potter. They both journey this time to a hunting lodge, where they find the caretaker dead and a strange silence permeating the area. As rumors of a breath-stealing monster swirl through the air, Alex must keep their guard up in the lodge—and in their dreams. 

I enjoyed this story, but it was not as good as What Moves the Dead. That book had a sort of magic to it, plus a strong gothic atmosphere and sentient mushrooms, and this book was missing all of that. 

I love T. Kingfisher’s writing and I will continue to read every book she writes. I would definitely recommend reading What Moves the Dead, which can be treated as a standalone, but I’m hesitant to recommend What Feasts at Night since it’s subpar to the first book, unless you’re a huge T. Kingfisher fan like me. 

Top 5 Books I Read in 2023

1. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young 

I didn't expect to love this book so much, especially not to have it be my top book of the year, but Adrienne Young blew me out of the water with this literary magical realism tale that was at times historical and at other times romantic. I don't know how to properly describe it without giving away some of the reveals that made it so magical for me, but I will say that there are magical doors and beautiful friendships and second chances. The writing is stunning. Don't look up anything more before reading; just jump straight in. 

2. Starling House by Alix E. Harrow 

This is my favorite Alix Harrow novel. This book is ethereal and transportive, perfect for anyone interested in reading about the dark secrets of a cursed town, a generational history that gets twisted through time, a pair of protagonists fighting for survival, a sibling relationship to envy and found family bonds stronger than steel, an unexpected yet swoony romance, and a house brimming with monsters. A creepy, old, gothic, sentient, house that may or may not be the real main character. This story captivated me from the beginning. 

3. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher 

This year I discovered T. Kingfisher, and she has become one of my favorite authors now. Swordheart was my favorite book from her this year. It's about a woman who has suddenly inherited an estate, and the man who is trapped in the enchanted sword that she finds within the house. It's a romantic novel, an adventure, and a comedy. It was such a fun and wholesome reading experience for me. Highly recommend to fantasy and romance fans. 

4. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson 

An Asian-inspired romantic fantasy written by my all-time favorite author? Sign me up! This book pays homage to the movie Your Name, one of my favorite movies. The protagonists wake up in each other's bodies and basically have to watch the other person live out their life while they watch from spirit form. There's a magical noodle shop, magical energy lines, and magical stone stacking that can summon spirits. Very magical and fun and feel good. 

5. Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth 

This book helped me to realize that I do in fact enjoy horror novels. I loved everything about this. A trio of women in the past experiencing terrors at school, and a trio of women in the present day making a film about the historical trio but while experiencing their own terrors on the film set. There are wasps. There is romance. There is drama. There are drawings and poems throughout. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to more from this author. 

2023 Reading Goals Review + Yearly Stats

 Reading Goals Review

My first goal was to read 100 books. I managed to read 148 books this year!! 

View my Goodreads Year in Books here to see all the specific titles I read in 2023!

My second goal was to read my TBR pile. I had 532 books on my physical TBR list on January 1, 2023. I wanted to reduce that number as much as possible. The ultimate goal was to read more from my TBR than I added to it. Unfortunately, I did not accomplish this goal as my TBR at the end of the year was at 606. *crying emoji* 

Yearly Statistics

Number of books I read in 2023: 148
Number of those books that I listened to on audio: 87
Number of books I read from my TBR: 75
Number of ARCs I read before the publication date: 24
Number of series I started: 23
Number of series I completed: 15
Number of books I DNFed: 14
Number of books I reread: 3
Number of books I acquired this year: 167
Number of those books acquired that were TBR books: 149
Amount of money spent on books this year: $1,519.11
Number of books I unhauled this year: 28
Number of books on my TBR at the beginning of 2023: 532
Number of books on my TBR at the end of 2023: 606

Books I read that were . . .
Middle Grade: 5
Young Adult: 31
Adult: 111
Nonfiction: 8 

*Note that I categorize anything not specifically labeled as middle grade or young adult as an adult title, such as nonfiction, humor, graphic novels, or religious books that could be enjoyed by any age group. 

Star Ratings:
1 star: 18 books
2 stars: 29 books
3 stars: 30 books
4 stars: 39 books 
5 stars: 31 books 

Reading Survey

Favorite book of the year: The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
Least favorite book of the year: Pop Kids by Davey Havok 
Most surprising book of the year: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher 
Most disappointing book of the year: The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson 
Longest book of the year: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes 
Shortest book of the year: The Long Way Up by Alix E. Harrow 
Book that was on my TBR the longest that I read: Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira 
Biggest accomplishment: The Freelance Editor's Handbook by Suzy Bills 
Most read genre: Fantasy (48%) 

Reading Reflections

This year was a good year. I managed to read all of Brandon Sanderson's secret projects plus his other new releases. I read a book by almost all of my favorite authors. I finished up a lot of series and started even more. I committed to DNFing more books, especially early on in the year. I went through a period of romance books and discovered I love clean romance novels. I read some great fantasy, but I also read some great non-fantasy. I discovered horror this year with T. Kingfisher and Eric LaRocca and found love in Plain Bad Heroines. I read a good amount of nonfiction, including memoirs, reference, and religion books. Overall, I'm really pleased with my reading year in 2023. 

Review: HEIR OF UNCERTAIN MAGIC by Charlie N. Holmberg

 

Rating: 4/5 stars

I really enjoyed Keeper of Enchanted Rooms and excitedly picked up its sequel, Heir of Uncertain Magic, soon after finishing it.

Charlie Holmberg's writing style never fails to delight me. I love her books so much.

This series is a cozy historical fantasy with some romance and some mystery. It's the perfect combination of genres, and Charlie writes them all so well together. I particularly love that her romances are always slow-burn and always clean; I really appreciate that.

Heir of Uncertain Magic was a good follow-up to the first book in the Whimbrel House series. This book introduced multiple POVs, including one perspective from a dog, which was really fun to read. I also loved seeing the progression of Hulda and Merritt, both as individuals and as a couple. They are both really delightful.

I am having the best time reading this series and I can't wait to continue on with Boy of Chaotic Making soon! 

Review: KEEPER OF ENCHANTED ROOMS by Charlie N. Holmberg

 

Rating: 4/5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. Charlie's books never fail to impress me. 

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms is a historical cozy fantasy with some mystery and some romance. I love the combination of all of those genres together, and it works really well in this book. 

I love that there are twelve different kinds of magic in this world. There is a handy guide at the beginning describing them all, but I thought it was super neat because most fantasy stories only have one or two kinds of magic. 

Hulda and Merritt were both wonderfully stubborn characters whose interactions I really enjoyed. I loved their slow-burn clean romance. Charlie does slow-burn clean romance so well. 

I am super excited to finish this series and see where the story takes me. I know I am going to fall more in love with these characters and this world. 

Review: HOUSE OF ROOTS AND RUIN by Erin A. Craig

 

Rating: 3/5 stars

House of Roots and Ruin is a standalone companion novel to House of Salt and Sorrow. You don’t need to read that book first to understand this book. And frankly, this one is better so just read this one instead.

Read if you like: 

• lots of plants, especially poisonous plants 
• slow-burn clean romance 
• a mysterious and potentially dangerous house with hidden rooms 
• ghosts 
• a historical-feeling setting 

I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it, but I don’t know how memorable it will be. I don’t remember anything about House of Salt and Sorrows except that the ending was confusing, and I do think I will remember more about this book, but probably not many relevant details. 

Review: TWO TWISTED CROWNS by Rachel Gillig

 

Rating: 5/5 stars

Suspense, action, romance, betrayal, intrigue, magic: this book has it all. 

Two Twisted Crowns is the sequel and conclusion to One Dark Window, which follows a girl who is inhabited by the soul of a monster she calls Nightmare. I really enjoyed the first book, but I absolutely loved this second book. 

We solely followed Elspeth’s perspective in the first book, but here we interchange between Elspeth’s, Ravyn’s, and Elm’s POVs. And I loved it! I didn’t care for Elm in the first book, but I really grew to love him after reading through his eyes. By the end, I was actually looking forward the most to his chapters. I also enjoyed his and Ione’s relationship more than Elspeth and Ravyn's, although I still loved both couples. 

I do appreciate that the romance in this series is fairly clean, having only one spicy scene in the first book (even though it was unnecessary) and none in the second book. I’m always on the lookout for fantasy books with clean romance in them. I loved the character-building and character relationships that were present in this series. 

Regardless if you think the story itself is interesting or not, this book is still very well-written. Gillig set a good foundation in One Dark Window and seamlessly built on it in Two Twisted Crowns. Somehow I liked this book even more than the first, even though I was skeptical when I first picked it up. The ending here nicely wrapped up all the plot points and answered all my questions. It was a very satisfying conclusion where I didn’t fully know how everything would play out until it did. 

I would recommend this series. It’s pitched as being similar to For the Wolf and Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale, all books that I did not enjoy, yet I still ended up loving the Shepherd King duology. Each of the above books has a female protagonist, a dark forest, a castle, ancient magic, a historical setting, and a romance with a mysterious man. However, One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns handled that all in a way that I enjoyed reading about while the other books did not. I can’t really pinpoint what the difference is, other than possibly that I like Rachel Gillig’s writing style while I do not like the other books’ authors’ writing styles. Either way, I was very surprised that I ended up loving this duology so much, and I can’t wait to read future books from Rachel Gillig. 

Review: THE PROX TRANSMISSIONS by The Starset Society

 

Rating: 2.5/5 stars 

This novel is one for fans of the band Starset. They’re my favorite band, which is why I picked up this book. The Prox Transmissions, written by the singer of the band, is a prequel of sorts to their first album, Transmissions. 

If you’re not familiar with the lore of the band, Starset was “commissioned by The Starset Society to spread broad awareness of The Message through music and media. The Message contains the knowledge necessary to spare the future of humanity.” The primary objective of the Starset Society is “to shed light upon various emerging near-future technologies, investigating the potential and inevitable social, economic, political, and philosophical impacts thereof,” and one of the ways they do that is through the band Starset. The Message was received by the Society in a mysterious transmission from space, and the known details of that transmission are laid out in the book The Prox Transmissions.
(If you’re confused and want clarification, listen to the band. 🙂) 

I thought the premise of the novel was quite interesting. I’m not a huge sci-fi reader, but I was able to follow along just fine and stay engaged the whole story. The writing style is a bit amateurish, but I didn’t really have a problem with it.

The plot itself is intriguing—our protagonist Stephen receives a mysterious message leading him to obtain a mysterious transmission, and he has to decode its meaning before the enemy corporation steals the data from him. Even though Stephen receives more than one transmission from the planet Prox, this book only delves into the first transmission, leaving this book feeling incomplete in a sense, like not all the questions were answered. It does end on a cliffhanger though, and I know the Starset Society has more books planned for release in the future. 

I thought the plot was the strongest part of this book as neither the characters nor the setting were very fleshed out. There was only the tiniest bit of backstory given to Stephen, but everyone else felt rather two-dimensional to me. Unfortunately, every female in this book is described as “beautiful” in a way that is cliched and over-sexualized, not to mention that the word “sensuous” is used as a synonym for “female” in one instance. 

My biggest complaint, however, was that this novel badly needs a copyeditor. There are typos on nearly every page: incorrectly used punctuation, misspelled words, poor grammar choices, inconsistent word usage, and even some words cut off due to poor layout choices. Did I mention improper punctuation? The biggest offenders are missing quotation marks and missing hyphens, which made for a few confusing sentences as my brain was trying to figure out the intended meaning. As an editor, I could feel my eyes burning as I read this book. But if you can get past all that, then the story is actually worth reading if you’re a Starset fan. 

I would recommend this book only to hardcore fans of Starset who want to know more about the lore behind the band. There are a handful of references to lyrics and other things related to Starset lore, such as mentions of “Carnivores” and the “BMI” and the “Everything Machine,” among others. Any regular sci-fi reader would be able to understand this novel just fine, but I don’t think it would be as enjoyable or meaningful if you aren’t familiar with the band because you wouldn’t understand the references, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you aren’t a fan—and frankly, there are better sci-fi novels out there to read instead. 

Review: SWITCHED by Amanda Hocking

 

Rating: 2/5 stars

This book—in fact, this whole trilogy—has been sitting unread on my shelf for over a decade, and 2023 is finally the year I get to remove it from my TBR. 

The first thing I noticed while reading is that this book has very plain writing. It’s certainly fast-paced and entertaining, but it’s also full of overused tropes (although they probably weren’t as overused when this book was originally published). You have the girl who’s not like other girls who’s also secretly a princess soon-to-be-Queen over a whole kingdom, and let’s not forget she has a hidden special ability that’s going to help save her people. And of course, there’s also the hot guy who’s not like other guys who she falls in love with. We have all read this story many times before. The difference here is that she secretly belongs to a tribe of trolls called the Trylle. I don’t think I’ve read a troll book before. 

Switched is extremely insta-lovey. Like I’ve never read a book with more overt and quick insta-love than this one, and I’ve read a lot of books. Wendy chooses to leave her family and follow Finn, whom she hasn’t had more than three interactions with, into Trylle, and she comments how she’s happy she can spend her life with him. Like girl, get to know him first. 

I probably would have enjoyed this book a decade ago when I actually acquired the book, but now as a twenty-something adult with a lot more books under my belt, Switched just feels amateurish and cliche to me. It also doesn’t really hold up in today’s market as I encountered a handful of phrases and descriptions that would be deemed either offensive or outdated in today’s society. 

Overall, I can’t really recommend this book. It sounds like I’m bashing it pretty hard, but it’s not a bad book for its time, and I’m sure I would have loved it had I read it back in high school when it was published. However, it doesn’t hold up in 2023, nor does it align with my current reading tastes. I’m glad I at least read Switched though because I felt like I would be doing a disservice to my sixteen-year-old self if I didn’t read it after having owned it for so long; however, I will not be continuing with this series. 

Review: THE UNMAKING OF JUNE FARROW by Adrienne Young

 

Rating: 5/5 stars

After being pleasantly surprised by Adrienne Young’s Spells for Forgetting, I wanted to give The Unmaking of June Farrow, her newest adult novel, a try. And I’m so glad I did because I liked this one even more! It was incredible. 

June is the last of the Farrow woman, an ancestral line that has been cursed with madness. June’s mother went mad and left her alone as a baby, and June just witnessed her grandmother’s death after she fully succumbed to the madness. And now June is next. She knows what’s in store for her, but that doesn’t make her any more prepared when she starts seeing objects that aren’t real and hearing people talk who were never there. 

June’s slow descent into madness makes her quite the unreliable narrator—you can never be sure if what she’s experiencing is real or not. But I still loved her. I thought the characterization in this novel was done well. 

Magical realism doesn’t usually work for me: I want something either realistic or fantastical, not somewhere in between. Yet I have loved both of Adrienne Young’s magical realism novels that I’ve read. Her writing style is really suited to this subgenre, and the small town setting with a mysterious history and some soft magic makes her stories work rather well. It also probably helps that her stories lean more toward the magical side than the realism side, which I enjoy. 

I was really drawn into this narrative and had a hard time putting the book down. I found it easy to connect to the characters and fall in love with Jasper, North Carolina as I was drawn deeper and deeper into its history. I really can’t say any more about this novel, though, as I don’t want to spoil anything, and I feel like adding any other details about the setting or the characters or the madness would be a potential spoiler. I went into this book blind, having read only the words on the cover of the book before picking it up, and that’s what I would recommend. The more you know, the less exciting the reveals in the story will be, in my opinion. 

I’m a fan of Young’s adult novels and will read any she writes in the future. The Unmaking of June Farrow is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. It’s an excellent read for a cozy autumn day, and if you enjoyed Spells for Forgetting then you will likely enjoy this one as well. 

Review: MASTERS OF DEATH by Olivie Blake

 

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Masters of Death hooked me with its very exciting synopsis: Viola is a vampire real estate agent trying to sell a haunted house. Tom, the ghost haunting the house, doesn’t want the house to sell so he scares away any potential buyers. So Viola enlists the help of a medium named Fox, who is a fraudulent medium but the real godson of Death, to help her rid the ghost from the house. However, Death has recently gone missing and the aforementioned characters must play a dangerous game to find Death and return him to the world. This mysterious game is one that only the immortals play and there is only one rule: don’t lose.

That sounds incredible, right??

Well, I found the story to be more convoluted than necessary at times and also longer than it should have been. The book really feels like a mashup of two separate plots: one where Viola is trying to sell the house, and one where the characters are playing the game. I didn’t enjoy reading anything about the game because it honestly made no sense to me. I still have no idea what the game is. The characters alluded to gambling, battling immortals, or actually having nothing to physically lose in order to win. But it is still quite unclear to me exactly what this dangerous game entails, which is why reading about it wasn’t enjoyable for me because I just felt lost.

I did enjoy the plot surrounding the house, which was more present at the beginning of the book, and I did like the characters. Olivie Blake is skilled at crafting fleshed out and likable characters in each of her novels and this one was no different.

I think Masters of Death is a novel that I will need to reread to fully grasp the whole story. I’m a little conflicted about my rating because there were parts that I really enjoyed but also parts that I didn’t enjoy at all. I definitely liked it better than Blake’s One for My Enemy, but I enjoyed The Atlas Six and Alone with You in the Ether more. Her books are really hit or miss for me and I can’t pinpoint why.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you think it sounds interesting to you with the caveat that there is a lot more going on in the story than the synopsis initially alludes to and you have to pay close attention to understand it all.

Review: THIS IS HOW WE END THINGS by R. J. JACOBS

Rating: 4.25/5 stars 

Pitched as a dark academia thriller, This Is How We End Things is a fast-paced murder mystery with lots of twists.

The story takes place at a university among a cohort of six PhD students who are studying the psychology of deception. Which means they are all very skilled at lying. And then one of them ends up murdered.

Even the most skilled liar can’t keep their darkest secrets from coming to light during the investigation, and each student has secrets they’re aiming to keep hidden.

I really enjoyed this novel, but I wouldn’t describe it as dark academia. It has an academic setting and there’s a murder, but I don’t feel like it has the right vibe to fit in with the dark academia subgenre. For one, the main POV in the novel is a detective, and I feel like in dark academia, there are no detectives right off the bat. The focus was less on the students’ POVs and actions and more on what the two detectives were discovering as they were investigating the case. We did get POVs from the six students as well as some other minor characters, but I did feel like the “main character” of this book was Detective Larson.

Overall, though, this book was a quick read that really captured my interest. I read it very quickly and had a great time trying to solve the mystery along with the characters. 

Review: EVERYDAY ANGEL by Victoria Schwab

 

Rating: 4/5 stars

I’m obviously not the target audience for this series, but I decided to read it anyway because I’m trying to read everything Victoria Schwab has written. I still really enjoyed this series though, and I think it would be especially great for the target audience of 12-year-old girls.

Aria is a guardian angel, and she has to earn her wings by helping three different girls through tough moments in their lives.

Each book is a standalone story following a different girl with a different problem. In the first installment, Aria helps Gabby deal with her brother’s sickness. In the second book, Aria helps Caroline deal with bullies at school. And in the last novel, Aria helps Mikayla learn to balance her happiness with her passion for dance.

Each book discusses friendship and family and the importance of helping others and being a kind person. These books are very wholesome and fun, and I know I would have absolutely loved them as a young girl.

Book 1, New Beginnings: 4/5 stars
Book 2, Second Chances: 4/5 stars
Book 3, Last Wishes: 4.25/5 stars