Amolika

I found this book useful, approachable, and relevant as a beginner. I enjoyed every aspect of the book, and while this is no pioneering piece of writing, all the science has been well-synthesised and this is a genuinely more engaging read than most popular self-help books.

I also watch Ali Abdaal's channel a lot, so maybe that's why this book really resonated with me.

I purchased this book when it was on sale.

I am unsure why people think there are too many POVs. I recall like 5 characters at most, which pales in comparison to high fantasy books.

I liked every single POV and how some people's story overlapped.

Every character is awful in their own way and the ending was delicious. I rooted for some characters.

I read the entire book in one sitting.

My only question is WTF happened with Jackson Crane when Jess “killed” him?

This book is absolutely beautiful and the hardcover is an absolutely perfect medium for it, with sprayed edges.

The story is written well and yet maintains simplicity, so it's good for a reading slump. I enjoyed the pacing and dual narrative.

The illustrations towards the end are the best. I saw the twist coming (which is fine because it's a children's story) but I found the ending abrupt, so I took a star off.

I found the size of this book very intimidating, but I am appreciative of high fantasy and I think it has to be considered high fantasy at 800 pages long. It would be an absolute crime if this book was slow but it was enjoyable and finishing this book in two sittings is good.

A brief summary is that our protagonist has sacrificed her mortality to save her sister and is now under the servitude of Kaden, who requires the Book of Azrael.

I requested this book via NetGalley because I wanted a high fantasy novel that wasn't Brandon Sanderson or emphasized male characters too much. Of course, I wanted a book of quality with a fresh voice and that's what I got! This book is not derivative at all and I don't feel it is trying to copy formulas of big franchises.

This was a comfort read in terms of tropes like a villainous female main character (Dianna) and enemies to lovers yet not unreasonable, poorly written spice at all. This book gave me a lot of things I never knew I wanted from books. I feel that in my limited experience of high fantasy, I haven't read anything like this and I absolutely loved it.

This book is excellent from the characters to world building. I am excited to see more from these characters.

Finally, yes this book does show a bit of inexperience as a debut and the editing could be improved but it is a very promising start and I am thrilled to have read this e-ARC. Thank you to NetGalley & Rose and Star Publishing for the free copy, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for this eARC.

I thought this book is unique in that it heavily leans into its Britishness and most mystery thrillers I read are either American or neutral to me. The book definitely has an atmosphere of its own - set in 2001 and I'm not very familiar with that time period as I was born then, so I enjoyed that. Quite minor but I did not think the author needed to make a note that smartphones were different in 2001, I'd like to think that people know this but I digress. Especially because I highlighted about 10 or so words I hadn't heard of before, which is unusual for me so the vocabulary was very adult-oriented to me. I do think that the time period could have been integrated more clearly in the plot. However, I appreciate the note regarding Devil's Chimney and Belle Tout, so I question why the glossary was at the back of the book. I figured if it were at the front, the reader would be able to refer to it as they are reading along without spoiling themselves of other pages but I also understand how the glossary can be spoiler-y in nature. Anyway, after I finished this book, I was not surprised at all to find out that the author has been serving as a UK police officer for a long time. The voice is present in the writing and it does not detract from the writing surprisingly; I thought it would.

The plot is basically that our protagonist Barnes and his cop partner, Harriet apprehend a criminal fleeing from Harriet's house. Shortly after, Harriet is found deceased and an investigation is underway. Barnes navigates his personal life and seeking justice for Harriet, but there's more to it than what's immediately obvious. This book does a good job of exploring relationships, work politics and attitudes between police colleagues, but I thought Eve (Barnes' wife) was really annoying and irrational as her motivations did not make sense. However, I liked characters such as Hadrian and Emily. I think Barnes' was likeable enough and really felt for him, which is a good thing.

I thought the first 10% was a bit boring so I took away a star, it took me a bit of time to get through but I pushed through and got really invested, peaking in the 50% mark until the end. I read this book in one sitting so that's a good thing. I really appreciated that there was an epilogue because I am sick of books cheapening out with endings and that is a reason why anyone should care about this book. Furthermore, a standout is the police in action.

Lastly, I don't think this was the most shocking or elaborate mystery ever so that is why it was not a 5 star for me, but it was an enjoyable read and it's very in line for this subgenre of books (procedural detective fiction). Like many mystery and thriller books, I start off not understanding the title or cover, but figuring out afterwards is neat.