Astraios

Isn't grief, ultimately, about ourselves ?
Who are the people we love when we're not here ?
When I say that I miss you, don't I only miss what you were to me ?

Here is a story of grief and loss, of not letting go. The infinite ways we mourn, the ones that keep on going and the ones that shatter under the weight.
Sisters is a bond that can bloom and cross divides, a cement with vines to grow. No one you know more deeply, and yet there are always secrets, a personal garden to each of us.

Soojin does the unthinkable, the primal act of love and grief, and yet who is it for ?

wasn't expecting such a punch in the gut from such a short story.


Huge trigger warning for pregnancy and child loss that I wasn't expecting and has hit a little bit too close.

But there's so much to talk about, the american-dream fever dream of Wisteria Lane-type neighbourhood, the declining birth rate and the strain of infertility on couples. Throw in there the rage of future generation to what we've done, what we're leaving behind.
This talk of parents love with so many faces, the different shapes it can take and still always mean for you my child, I'd give the world.

I just wish Making Space was longer, to ironically give space to the characters to expand on their traumas and the hopes lying underneath.

If ever offered to go back in time, over and over and over again, to spend time with my loved ones, I would grow old and die years before I learned about death.

First thing first, let us be clear : this is not a sapphic story.
There are lesbians in this, but it is not sapphic. I do think that seeing this book on so many Lesbians / Sapphic / LGBT lists gave a very wrong impression and part of my unsatisfaction with it stems from that wrong impression.
I thought I'd be reading about women and instead had a very distasteful man front and center.

Now, ignoring this misunderstanding : the story takes a long time to pick up and then rushes to the end, when I would have been so interested in a different path for the sisters to take if the first part had been shorter.
Blood on Her Tongue can be praised for the historical brutality it shows, with no restrain, but not unkindly. Women's position in society has been terrible (still is but at least a majority gets some kind of autonomy) and there's no sugarcoating the horror faced by those who came before us.
Unfortunately the main character is not that likeable - I too adore my sister and would go scorched-earth on the world for her, but I do hope I have more than that going for me.

The third part was my favorite, the relationship between sister being shown rather than the narration telling us the whole time “no no, they're so close I swear” and I would have liked the book to take more time to grow this new relation between them, to show their new understanding of each other with truth as a foundation. Instead, that's where it ends, right where I would have been so interested in reading more.


Above all aspects of the story itself, please note that Johanna van Veen's writing is spectacular and I'd gladly give a shot to another book of her's anytime.

I just wanted to see pretty dress but now I'm crying in a sofa over first loves and childhood and bad parenting and who I was 15 years ago when I cried about these same things because this story didn't age but I did.

I think T. Kingfisher has a real talent for whimsical, slightly dark, silly-yet-profound stories.

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking starts, as it should, with a dead body and a lot of humour. Don't get fooled by the light tone and silly characters though, as the story goes on to touch serious topics, real world problems.
Racism, facism and grief are at the center of what Mona has to confront and get through without minimizing them or making them disappear with a magic want just because it's a book for younger people.
Each character has been developed, even the ones you barely see, with their flaws and their past and their hauntings.
Funny how such a short story can be so moving and important for the message it carries.

No one should have to be a hero is not something I ever thought of, but the logic of it makes me sad for everyone who ever had to be, and for those who didn't have one.

I can see where this book is strong, moving, where it throw fuels into the fire.
Unfortunately, I can see it a bit too much, it felt a lot like a child grabbing my hand and pointing “see ? SEE ?”.
Yes love, I can see. I need women's voice, but I also don't need the same points being pointed out all the time like I'm not seeing or understanding.
There was no horror, but I suspect it's also part of what Bazterrica was aiming for : it's exhausting, tiring, to know, to be enraged, but not surprised at men, at violence, at the fast ending of a world that deserves so much more.
Somehow I yearned for a revelation, for an epiphany that would break through the bleak statement that even at the end of times, in the darkest and hardest time, men are still the worst that can happen.
Somehow the religious trauma of it all didn't hit that well, maybe because the worshippers themselves seemed to be more about survival and violence than an actual faith in what they were worshipping.
All in all, I see what I'm being shown, I just don't feel much invested in how it's shown.

The art is so delicate and detailed, it's definitely a pleasure to just look at every frame. Even the sunsets were captivating.
The two main characters are touching, but Riftan's personality is.. weird ? I don't know if the lack of depth is on purpose, but it was hard to like him more than that.
In the end, Maxi spends more time with Ruth and we learn more about him, so I had to wonder if the romance in here was misdirected to confuse the reader about the real end goal.
Eventually, you also have to notive that nothing is really happening past the first few pages. Riftan wants to kiss, Maxi is terrified, and the castle needs renovation.


It's a warm and beautiful graphic novel, but it seemed to only stay on the surface of things.
I hope the second one will go deeper into the relationships, the personnalities, and actually give a plot to follow ?

After mushrooms and maybe-ghosts, Alex Easton and Angus are travelling to new horrors : America.

What Moves the Dead was, and still is, one of my favorite horror novel. I'll admit that it comes from a personal fascination with fungus as an organism, and the execution was masterful.
What Feasts at Night didn't hit the same way for me, though the horror was still sipping through every page, because I do not find “ghosts” frightening, and the whole “is it - is it not” didn't make a lot of sense.

But we're talking about What Stalks the Deep now, and I think it's both a proud little brother to What Moves the Dead, and a very clear separate entity from both its siblings.
Alex Easton is formidably funny, got a few chuckles out of me even in the deep of stress and fright.
In this one, the atmosphere is not heavy with dread and terror. It's a slower, calmer kind of worry, of unsettling places and characters.
Yet there's more hope and fondness, a little carelessness around those caves that there was in a certain pond or cabin.
Ironically, the fright is not deep here, it's twinned with something that was whispered in the first encounter : the potential of more, of other.

I wouldn't read What Stalks the Deep to get chills, but I would do it again to come back home.

Please let this be a long, long serie where those three always end up soft and safe in each others' arms.

Kill Creatures was one of my greatest expectation for 2025, with how much I love Wilder Girls and the blurb was intriguing.

First, I want to point that choosing to NOT go for a supernatural plot given the blurb was a relief and delight for me.

I'm not sure I really understand why Rory Power chose a split narrative here, because the “Then” is not taking that much space, and doesn't really talk about anything for the first few chapters it comes in.

The plot twist was twisting (not the one about the dad tho) but as it stands, Nan is really not likeable. Unhinged is more like it.Which makes it not that surprising that her mind is fractured, and I like an unreliable character.Unfortunately, the girls are also not likeable ? Even though portrayed through Nan's rose-colored glasses, Luce and Eddie are asses. Jane gets a pass from me.

In the end I didn't really feel worried or sorry for anyone but Nan's mom, which definitely impacted how I felt by the last chapter: indifferent.

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society sounds a bit more adventurous and challenging than what it actually is, but not necessarily in a bad way.

It had cozy mystery vibes, with demons that just want a new tv show and a Miss Marple-like taking no nonsense.
For a book with demons, murders and talking cat, it felt very light-hearted, a kind of found family trope.
Problem is that most of the characters are not fleshed out, they are archetypes, and even if they are funny and soft, they don't seem to have more personnalities than this.

The plot twist was laid out in touches very early on, so I wouldn't say that it's unsurprising, it appeared to be the point, but it was innovative for sure.

My only disappointment was that during the whole book, we could investigate alongside Sherry, gather clues and and testimonies.. but then for the grand reveal, the reader had no access to the information she was gathering, so we obviously could not guess with her some of the mystery -which is the best part of a Poirot or Marple mystery tbh.

I'd be curious if there would be a second installment.

” It would be nice to go back to caring about the moon.”

I do not, generally speaking, read non-fiction on my personal time. Non-fiction is part of my job, it was part of my long list of mandatory readings at university.
But sone things I do not want to avoid, do not want to brush past.
So I read One day, Everyone will have Always been against This as my first non-fiction in years, and came out of it drained, incredibly heartbroken, with so much care and rage I still do not know how to aim, but relieved to see an echo of it in someone else.

I do not know how to accurately represent my thoughts and this book, but I am glad for its existence.

ARC graciously provided by Quill&Crow Publishing House through NetGalley

The Bone Drenched Woods is what I refer to as “atmospheric dread” rather than horror. You come out of it feeling like slimy hands and sticky fingers tried to grab you.
The Teeth have victimised Hyacinth's village for generations, lurking in the woods in a reign of terror.

The setting reminded me a lot of Extasia by Claire Legrand : girls in a small village have to bear the punishing religious belief of elder men.

Hyacinth is a “wild thing” in comparison to the very tame, submissive behaviour expected by her community, dreaming of freedom and woods. Cruelty is her only reward. Cruelty and the grief that follows.

However, the metaphors for women's rights, religion and sapphic feelings ended up giving a very fuzzy feeling of cautionary tale.
I wanted more reflection on the Teeth, the patriarchal system and the women upholding it, but The Bone Drenched Woods undeniably made me feel cold dread and feminine rage.

I cannot give this book more than two stars.
I got it through Amazon First Read when it came out and thought the blurb sounded a bit fun, like an old Miss Marple but with young people. Expectations where banter, murder, and a side of vacation.

Unfortunately the main character is miserable. Judgmental and whiny to the core, which made the banter non existent - only just bitter and complaining arguments between the sisters.
The family is supposed to be absolute trash, but all of the arguments are coming from an entitled perspective which made it hard to tolerate Remi's (the main character) complaints.

Now, the whole murder plot in itself... I could get behind. I could see some feminist points being set up, about women's internalised misogyny, victimhood and sisterhood. Unfortunately, I think the book was too short, and so didn't take the time to fully explore some characters and scenes, to let it develop so it would make sense. Also, oh my god please use half of you brain at least to “solve a murder”, some points were absolutely obvious and it took the characters way too long to connect the dots, which was NOT a fun ride for me. Watching them stumble and make plans based on not having brain cells is a tough read.

All in all, Drop Dead Sisters could and should have been a longer book, taking time for both the jokes and the whodunnit aspect. The humour fell flat and the suspense was deflated immediately by being too obvious.

Voyage of the Damned was a wild ride.
I love huis clos murder mysteries, having to pick through a number of suspects to find the right one, and I had a field day there.

The fantasy setting actually worked well with the plot for this detective investigation, adding layers of clues or motives to look into while the protagonists were trying to survive and find a murderer.
Watch out for plot twists as in any good slasher movie.

However, the plot fell flat for me once the whodunnit happened. The “resolution” turned a character I had really liked into some kind of cliché, and undid all the progression from the main character to overcome grief and see his past lover's flaws. I thought for a minute the ending would turn into an even more bloodlust with no happy romantic ending, but it's just that the love interest lost all appeal to me like a switch.

I liked the idea of provinces being, basically each their own country, with their beliefs and their history entwined together while being each their own.
I even liked every character, even the very annoying ones - except for Ravi. Ravi felt like an astral projection from a wattpad fanfiction into real life. Dee's love for Ravi felt like a teenager swooning over their favorite boyband. It didn't have flesh to hold onto.

Grasshopper though ? I will kill for the little ladyship.

E-Arc graciously provided by Kensington Publishing via NetGalley

Before anything, I now fully intend to pre-order the physical version of this book.

When I first read the synopsis of A Harvest of Hearts, I figured it was right up my alley : a grumpy character, an imbecile of a powerful sorcerer, and of course the whole Howl's Moving Castle vibe.

To me, A Harvest of Hearts was split in two : the first part where it is a good retelling, and the second part where it takes a life of its own.
These are not 50-50, but the beginning definitely steps on Howl's toes.

Now, Foss is an interesting character, strong witted and no-nonsense butcher's daughter, having to leave everything she ever knew in her little village to -unwillingly- follow a magnificent sorcerer. Being in her shoes was the best part of the story, letting the Sorcerer be mysterious and almost sacrosanct, while she discovered a system of magic almost unheard of. Her temper was, at time, hilarious, but her very down to earth view of the world around her made the journey a lot more intriguing and understandable at times.

However, as much as the parts where Foss is getting used to novelties, settling up and making her place in this strange world, the actions parts were very rushed. To the point I wondered, about 80% in, if I had missed that A Harvest of Hearts was going to have a sequel. The revelations are almost not hitting, being dropped in chapters where everything goes so fast.
Not that they are not gripping, but they feel almost like a tale that would be told to an audience, very detached to the actual shock, grief or anxiety that should be felt. Some chapters definitely deserved a bit more time to reveal themselves and their stories.

This feeling is what made the end a little less enjoyable for me. All the emotions, the plot finally coming to an end, went so fast and almost didn't touch the characters, it seemed to barely be happening at all. Like a fairytale where the names and people don't really matter, just the prince and princess.

However, I loved Foss journey and sarcasm throughout the book like I loved Sophie's rambles and admonishments, and so loved A Harvest of Hearts all the same.

The old European myth crawling over the gritty new America's lifestyle will always be something that draws me in.
The interlacing of cultures, the weight of centuries and legends on a modern world.

And there's something soft, heavy and slow in the pages of When Among Crows.
Wether it's the normalcy hidden in a monsters story. Maybe it's the hints, here and there, of History and it's stain.
But for such a short story, it moves me beyond what I expect every time.
There's sorrow and poetry and kindness intertwined and somehow it makes a fable in contemporary America, shadowed by Polish embrace.

I'm a bit on the fence with this one, the characters were all interesting in their own ways but their relationship (except for Jin and Arthie's) felt forced and very convenient for the plot.
I don't know if the fact that every “plot twist” was forseeable from a a mile away intended or not.
Overall the heist is cool, the world building around it makes it both bustling and a statement, I was just hoping more from the characters.

I do want to read the next book and the overall arc of everyone, mainly because I feel it took the entire book to convince me of threads and connection between everyone, every dropped instance in history or the city, now we can go on with that knowledge and see where they go from it.

I really wanted to like this more than I did.

The world and its myths are captivating, and I will not give it a single flaw. Magic and legends colliding, demons and political stakes in a nicely written, carefully set world.

Unfortunately, the characters are so stupid that the only quote from the whole book I will keep with me is

I'm not that stupid !

audacity

The best example of how nothing is to be a problem is when the prince-in-hiding portrait is plastered all over the city and so might end his secrets getaway in like one of the 10 first chapters and is, actually, never a problem.

handsome.

I think I loved this book a little bit more than the first one, because where I couldn't stop picturing Stevie as a little 6 year old girl, here I really had the vision of a young adult evolving and confronting her world.
Beside, the character/world building ( I mean, the people we met in the story through Stevie, does that make sense ) was a bit wider in the Vanishing Stair : more students, the outside world, the adults, and they are incredibly well described ? I mean, Mudge and his obsession for Disney is the doppleganger of a real life friend (which played in how much I like the guy even though we barely see him).
One more good point : the mystery. Yeah okay I kind of guessed the original kidnapper in book 1, but the plot twist has plot twists in the Truly Devious serie so even after the “big” revelation, there's still more to know, and the truth is not complete.
The only reason I'm not putting 5th star is because the first 30% of the book were hard for me to focus on, it felt a bit dragged on before going to the main plot, but at the same time if they weren't there it would have felt rushed. It's not that it was badly done, just that I didn't really connect with the beginning.

It was fun. There is so many books lately that have more or less deep ties with Tarot and I was both confused and amazed at how spiritual, technical and poetic it sounded.
So obviously, as a big, big fan of the Raven Cycle, the opportunity to finally set a foot in the knowledge of Tarot through a simple and step-by-step explanation. And the deck is really pretty so obviously I had to try it over and over and over for the first few days while reading the manual, and it does work well to learn the different arcanas.

It's been a while I read Caraval and I loved it so much that I didn't know I could love Legendary even more.
The magic is still there, darker, more wonderful, and Tella, bold and brave and fierce Tella that we only saw pieces of in Caraval is so bright and smart and I have the hardest crush on her.
But the game is not the whole plot, as there's a lot at stakes and not only for the Dragna sisters and their love interest.
I knew it I KNEW IT yet my heart is so so so broken.

The digital arc of this book was kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley website in exchange for an honest review.

This book had the kind of plot I'd always want to read, and that cover is gorgeous, let's be honest.

Humans live not-so-in-peace with creatures of the Forest, Fianna, does who can take a times human form. Despite their differences, Finn the boy hunter and Adelaide the Fianna savior, will have to work together and confront the prejudices from both races to avoid open war. Even when there is so much going against them.

First of all, the book is told alternatively from Adelaide and Finn point of view, using the first person. It gives us insight on their thoughts and emotions, and a better understanding at their own purpose and evolution.

After the first chapters, presenting the characters, the start was a bit slow. Like, really slow. For about 40 pages I was not really involved in what would happened to the characters. The death of a character important to the hero actually made a turn in the story, picking again my interest.
But once the “quest” and thus the relationship between Adelaide and Finn starts to build, I really enjoyed the book. Even though it might be for younger people than I am, the topics of love, family and differences that makes the characters evolve do not depend on how old the reader is. The bonds that ties Adelaide and Finn to others make sense, the notion of Nature as an entity speaks volume, especially nowadays with most people disconnected of wildlife and nature. Warning : there is a lot of mentions of deaths, violence and blood, so this is not a story for children. Yet they are not gratuitous : pain is part of the process of life, and characters are not above regrets and remorse.

The idea of a Nature God made me think to many stories from my youth, but none with such an end, which was truly a great surprise. I didn't know the tale of the Stag, the Hunter and the Maiden, which might have play in my vision of Foreign to You.
Even though there's plenty of stories with a selfish God bent to turn the world to its desire, the story of the Stag and its daughter through the creation of the world and how, as he was supposed to be impartial and loving, betrayed both humans and fianna, made a twist on how one perceives the notion of selfishness, love and faith.

A few details were bothering me though : a bit too much dialogues for my taste, but that one is just personal. No, my main problem with this book is that most of the secondary characters are not fully pinned down : they exist to create obstacles or motivation to the heroes, but in themselves, do not really have their own existence.
Why was Marshall always helping, at the right place at the right time, almost like a Deus Ex Machina with an arrow ? Why is Hazel so hell bent on being an ass ? And most of all, why was Jay so not in tune with the town if he was some golden son ?

But those little faults are easily forgiven and did not tarnish how enjoyable the read was.

It took me maybe 80% of the book for me to see Stevie as a 16yo and not some really smart 8yo (not in a bad way, I was just picturing her that way and it made so much sense to me that I had to remind myself that she was a teenager every 10 pages).
I have so many suspicions has to who's Truly Devious, I can't wait to read the next volume, my only regret is that it was sometimes a bit slow for the investigations to actually start or move or just do anything, but the whole is smart and leading.