Lauren

On the surface, Yesteryear is a debut novel about Natalie, a woman who partakes in the tradwife persona online while having a team behind the curtains making her social media boom possible, and what it may be like to truly live during the time she tries to encapsulate online. This story is also about womanhood, media perception, real vs fake identity, religious trauma, and more. I can’t say this was a fun time, but I can say I will be thinking about this for a long while. While it was not perfect (the pacing in the middle was pretty slow for how fast it wrapped up), I’m very impressed that this is a debut novel and I will certainly be keeping an eye out for anything else Burke decides to write (and perhaps I’ll need to check out her podcast). This story features a full cast of unlikable characters (literally no one) and the perspective of one of the most unreliable characters I’ve read in a long time. Truly, I’m still thinking through some of the things I’ve read and I’m trying to decide what occurred (this was an intention choice and it does make me want to reread it. Personally, I love an unreliable narrator, but I can see some people not enjoying this book because of that. I also appreciated that the writing style was both readable and very intentional. There were very few things I did not like about this book. The pacing was a bit of a hurdle for me. This book is not any longer than what I typically read, but it took me significantly longer to get through it due to the off pacing. While I love characterization, I felt we were given a few too many scenes to help the reader understand how a character (partially Natalie) behaves or thinks. I wish some of it was pared down because it resulted in a lot of nothing happening for a while. I also wanted more time in the past timeline. While we needed the present timeline, we spent too much time there for me.

Before I get into my more spoilery thoughts, I think think book requires a few specific trigger warnings: (I’m sure I missed some) Misogyny (external and internalized) Slut shaming Sexual assault Physical assault Depression childbirth Child loss Miscarriage Abuse (physical, emotional, child) Neglect Religious bigotry Homophobia Animal death infidelity

Spoiler Section Below . . . . . . . . . . Honestly, I felt kind of dumb I didnt figure out what was happening. The clues were all there, but I somehow missed it. I really like how Burke left the language in the “1800s” modern. While reading it I found it a little jolting, but now knowing that they were not in the past, it felt like a well developed clue. I also thought it was so interesting that everyone around Natalie said she was awful and and mean (and she was internally), but then towards the end she says her mean thoughts out loud, but it’s still in italics and not quotes, so I’m curious how much of that stuff was said out loud. Her old roommate and her mom called her out for being mean, so I’m guessing at least some of it?? I do wish we know what happened with Caleb, her husband. In this way, the ending fell a little flat. I don’t need things to be tied up with a bow, but I do find him to be even worse than her. I don’t think Natalie was ever a good person, but she certainly was suffering from postpartum depression and never received the proper support or treatment and was very unwell. Meanwhile her husband is happy to do nothing, drug her, was consciously and willfully neglecting their children, and did not provide his wife proper medical treatment when her foot became mangled. I’m not giving Natalie a pass, but the story does nothing to either tell us he was held accountable for his part in the abuse, nor does it give any kind of messaging about how men are rarely held accountable for the same crimes as women (the story touches on the latter once, but not in regards to what happens with Caleb). I also don’t know what to think of the story line with Shannon. In one breath she says Caleb is smarter than he seems and in the next she says she would be too smart to have his kids, so which is it? I also don’t know what to think about the sexual assault claims because it didn’t seem that way from the book, but Natalie is not exactly reliable. Still, I don’t feel comfortable with the idea of Natalie acting out this way in some kind of suppressed desire (it’s kind of a harmful concept and I don’t think that’s was this author’s intentions considering how the rest of the book was written), so I’m choosing to believe Shannon is also unreliable as well.

To be honest, I had no idea what A Darker Shore was about. I saw it was part of the Six of Crows duology and it was a no brainer. I assumed it was going to be a collection of essays or letters from our favorite characters, and while that is technically true, it’s actually its own story. Two investigators come together to try to discover who is responsible for a massacre at sea, who a correspondent who addresses their letters as “I” could be, and who is the captain of the Wraith.

If you didn’t read Six of Crows yet, don’t read this. Actually, if you haven’t read the full duology or the King of Scars duology, don’t read this as it has spoilers for both series. From this point forward, there may be potential spoilers from the main duology.

This was a lot of fun. As the story unfolds it is very clear who is behind what and exactly what is happening. After all, if you know Kaz and his associates, it’s very predictable. Still, it was fun reading letters and seeing it all play out. Because these characters were so well fleshed out previously, you don’t feel like you’re missing anything without being in the room where it happened, so to speak. It made me want to reread the whole grishaverse.

Also, hats off to E.K. Belsher for the beautiful artwork in this book. I would frame much of it if I could. Truly stunning! Also, loved the sheet music composed by E. Aaron Wilson. Can someone please play it so I can hear it?? I can read music a little, but unfortunately I have no skill for playing and I need to hear it.

Without spoiling anything, however, there is a small mystery within the text that is not revealed until the end, however, the answers are left for you to find. I enjoyed this interactive piece. I will admit I struggled with it, but that is in great part due to my poor eyesight and lack of a table to use to investigate better. It was really fun. If you want the reveal for that mystery, I will include it in a spoiler section at the end of this review.

I do have two small complaints. First, some of the writing was difficult to read. Maybe it was my lighting, but I definitely had to read the words around a handful of words to know what they were. Also, towards the end of the book there are little envelopes with collectables and such, and they’re sealed. I tried and tried but could not for the life of me peal up the seals without damaging the envelopes. I’m so sad that they’re damaged, but the envelopes are so thin that it’s nearly unavoidable (I supposed I could have done the hairdryer trick but 1. I don’t want to get up while read and 2. I don’t want to risk harming the pages either). I think they could have done a different closure or even cut them so the top could have tucked in.

Okay, now, as promised, the mystery answers . . . . . . . . . . . . During the story, Kaz and Inej exchange letters. During those letters, Kaz sends her sheet music. This sheet music is the key to a cipher so they could talk in code by aligning the stars.

Letter #1 We are given the answer, which Kaz says, “dreamed you returned must avoid trap”

Letter #2 Inej responds with, “can we set a trap of our own making”

Letter #3 Kaz responds, “trust me to protect you use their ships”

Then we have a final exchange of letters at the end.

Letter #4 Inej says, “I’ll return to Katterdam and to you no mourners”

Letter #5 Kaz responds, “wait for you by the window always no funerals”

The Heartstopper series as a whole follows Nick and Charlie as they navigate romantic and platonic relationships, sexuality, identity, mental health, and so much more. Vol. 6 is the conclusion of the series. In this final installment we follow Nick and Charlie as they prepare for their relationship to become long distance once Nick goes to university.

Something I really like about the Heartstopper universe is there is always someone to relate to. Although I can see some readers getting frustrated with Nick in this installment, I really identified with him. At his age I felt very similar to how he feels. For Nick, this story really asks, “who am I?” And to that I say, who knows? Seriously, even at almost 30, I still don’t know how to really answer that question, so seeing him struggle with that is relatable now, but especially at that time. When applying to schools I went through at least three different majors because I just didn’t know what I wanted to do. While that isn’t Nick’s struggle in this book, the vibe was very similar.

Charlie has also shown a lot of growth. He did not get quite as much character development in this installment because he had so much in the other. Instead this book allowed Charlie to show the reader that he really did learn and grow from the events in the earlier volumes.

I loved seeing Tori more, too. I don’t have much to say about her other than I just really love her character. Without going into anymore specifics about the side characters, it was also nice to see that they were dealing with their own ups and downs. Heartstopper does a great job of giving readers two main characters with a cast of side characters who have lives of their own, struggles of their, and things to deal with that do not revolve around the main characters. I think having so much diversity in relationships and relationship types did this story so much justice because really, all of them were portrayed pretty well (both romantic and familial).

I will say, I didn’t love how often it was insinuated that they were having sex. I’m not anti-sex in books or in YA books, it just felt like a lot. I get that they’re young and in love, but I think two instances would have been enough for my personal tastes.

Now I need a series about Mr. Ajay and Mr. Farouk

Father Material is the confirmed 3rd and final book in the London Calling series. The overall series follows Luc and Oliver’s relationship through the highs and lows it experiences. There may be spoilers for books 1 and 2 in the review, but I will try to refrain from spoiling anything that could not be gleamed from the book’s description or information on who Luc and Oliver are from previous books.

The book opens on Luc and Oliver officially reaching that age that their friendship are all either having children, already have children, want children, or are purposely childfree. Meanwhile, Luc and Oliver are taking the big step of becoming dog owners. If you’ve read books 1 and 2, it should come as know surprise the Oliver is panicking over this large decision. This, however, is where my first complaint falls. Simply put, this book could have and should have been shorter. This entire arc with the dog is more or less pointless as the synopsis tells use they get the dog. While I don’t mind Luc’s antics, I wish the book started after they adopted the dog. While the dog training montage does provide some context for their parenting styles, it’s not like we don’t know these characters by now. The set up wasn’t totally necessary (Spud was necessary, but he could have already been there).

I suppose this is a minor spoiler, but totally needed to discuss this book. After having a dog for a few weeks (days?), they decide they need to discuss having children, and Oliver is pretty set on fostering. Here is where I give the book some praise. Fostering is first and foremost almost always about reuniting the child and their parent(s) and the book acknowledges this. While I am not an expert on the foster system in England or in the US, I have some background due to my work and research, and from what I understand, it is pretty accurately shown.

Throughout the story, I really enjoyed getting to see Luc. At the start of the book he seems like the same person in book 1, and while he certainly still has his flaws, his growth is highlighted in this installment. However, I was disappointed in Oliver’s lack of growth from book 2. He is more or less unchanged by the experiences in book 2, and while he is forced to confront that in those book, it was frustrating to read. I usually don’t enjoy reading books with kids in them, however, I really liked Jaz. Maybe it’s because I work with kids exactly her age, but I felt like I understood who she was immediately, and there were times she had me actually laughing out loud. I also appreciated how her character was treated by Hall, making her fell authentic and real.

Like with Husband Material, I think audiences will be split with the ending of this installment. I liked Husband Material’s ending, however, for the series conclusion, I wasn’t thrilled with this ending. Let me be clear, this book ended perfectly for this book. The ending was fitting, realistic, and definitely had bittersweet tones. It was nicely done. However, because of the events in the book (both through Oliver’s work and the fostering situation), the ending did not feel like the ending of a series. I don’t mind an open ended ending, but in this case I would have preferred things be tied up a little nicer (not necessarily happier or less happy - I just wanted more finality I suppose).

Overall I liked this book and I’m sad I am done watching Luc and Oliver grow. I perhaps feel extra bittersweet because this series was the first series I read via audiobook for the first time a few years back when I had an hour commute. Luc and Oliver had kept me company, and narrator Joe Jameson spoiled me for narrators before I realized how much I loved audiobooks.

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower follows a stereotypical princess locked away in a tower that princes must fight their way through in order to claim the princess and the coveted sword…except the hardest part of the tower is on the ground floor and it seems none can reach the princess or the sword. When Floralinda is joined by Cobweb, a fairy who cannot get the jobs they truly desire, they begrudgingly begin to find a way out of the tower together.

This book was humorous from start to finish. Floralinda is described as clueless and unlearned due to being a princess. Cobweb is snarky and self-serving. Neither character is particularly kind to the other, though somehow, their dynamic works to make them a compelling duo that in light of everything you cannot help but root for. While parts of this book are certainly gory, if you’ve read Muir’s other works (such as the Locked Tomb series) this one is significantly less so, and even during those gorier and darker times there is humor to off set it.

While Floralinda and Cobweb were both interesting characters, I think the narrator is my favorite. We are told this story as if it was a story tale, so the narrator is removed, oftentimes telling the reader that we must excuse Floralinda from ABC because of XYZ. The narrator made the story feel like an adult fairytale. It added a sort of fun and whimsy.

While this story was short, and while I enjoyed it throughly, it did become a touch repetitive. There is a central disagreement between Floralinda and Cobweb, and while I understand why this disagreement would persist, it was brought up fairly often. Also, since the story is about escaping a 40 story tower, obviously that will be repetitive as well. Muir does pretty well ensuring it isn’t distractingly so by summarizing a good chuck of the floors, and we do get some time to focus on Floralinda considering what it even means to be a princess. The ending, however, made up for the repetition as well as the way Floralinda and Cobweb treated each other.

It was short, fun, and a quick read. Bonus points for Moira Quirk’s stellar narration (as always).