Kirstie / Roo

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace  “Which is better? To live forever, or to live and love?”
Synopsis: Signa Farrow was orphaned as a baby and raised by a series of guardians more interested in her large inheritance than her well-being who all met an untimely end. Now 19 and not long away from gaining access to her fortune, she has been sent to her latest guardians - a recently bereaved uncle by marriage and his two children, one of whom appears to be dying from the same mysterious malady that took her mother. Here, Signa meets her deceased aunt's ghost who requests her help in stopping the poisoning and attempted murder of Signa's cousin. Since surviving the mass poisoning that killed her parents, Signa has been able to see and communicate with Death, and she enlists the help of him and the stablehand Sylas in the endeavour. 
“Your name is no curse, Little Bird. I just like the taste of it.”
My Thoughts:

• A great gothic atmosphere that made me want to don a red ballgown and creep around a manor house and secret garden literally flirting with death and attempting to solve a murder.
• The apparent love triangle between Signa, Sylas and Death wasn't overdone, Signa was attracted to and intrigued by both but wary of their motives. Without spoiling anything, it was resolved satisfactorily.
• This is the first of a series and so the central murder mystery is solved, there are some questions I still need answers to, most significantly:
  • Is there significance to Signa's aunts being two different colours beyond the resemblance to her late aunt?
  • Why were Signa's parents, all their guests and staff poisoned? By who? Is this still an open criminal case, because it seems like it should be a bigger deal!

“Do not change the parts of yourself that you like to make others comfortable. Do not try to mold yourself to fit the standards someone else has set for us.”

The best part about being the Seer isn't the tower or the amenities or the access to the King. It's how easily everyone believes what you say."

What it's about:
Violet is the court Seer for the kingdom of Auveny - an orphan plucked from the streets after she foresaw and prevented the death of Prince Cyrus when they were both children. She also regularly lies on the King's behalf, making fake prophecies that support his actions and goals. 

But true prophecy has continued to follow Prince Cyrus and he was subject to one by another Seer foretelling that who he gives his heart to will either lead to the kingdom's doom or salvation. With the King's health failing, Cyrus planning to fire Violet from her position when he ascends to the throne, a strange black rot spreading throughout the countryside, political tensions between Auveny and their neighbours threatening war, and the council & populace pinning all their hopes on Cyrus selecting a curse-breaking bride soon, tensions between Seer & Prince are running high. Violet's visions are telling her that she will die unless Cyrus does, but although they hate each other, she doesn't think she wants him dead. 

“There are no love stories found upon the throne. Only secrets and schemes and spider-fingered kings.”

What I thought:

• I really enjoyed the setting but I would have liked more in-depth world building, such as more about the Fairywood, and the source of the Seer's powers. This is hinted at but not expanded on so I'm hoping it will come more into play in the sequel.
• Despite being book 1 of a planned duology, the main arc of this story is pretty much resolved, with enough plot threads left hanging to intrigue me to want to read on without leaving things on a huge cliffhanger. 
• The story is told from Violet's POV. She is cynical and distrusting, but I liked her all the same.
• I adored the characters of Camilla and Dante.
• Like Violet, I found Cyrus frustrating yet compelling (I would have gotten out of my own way sooner though, tbh). The enemies-to-lovers chemistry and sexual tension between them worked well.
• The book provides a map of the Sun Capital, where the palace and seer's tower reside, but doesn't have a map of the wider kingdom and it's various “dominions” nor the wider world, which I would have found helpful to refer to when the dominions, Fairywood and other countries were being discussed.
• There are nods throughout to ‘traditional' fairytales - Cinderella, Beauty & the Beast, which helped contribute to the fairytale feel of the story.
• This was an easy and enjoyable read that I could see myself rereading and I will certainly be looking out for the sequel.

“Our entanglement wasn't inevitable in the way of the stars, but in the way you can only toss so many lit matches at a powder keg before one catches - and I should have stopped tossing matches.”

What's it about?
Eliza believes she is the perfect candidate to be the next editor-in-chief of the school newspaper. She is running unopposed so if confident she has it in the bag. Unfortunately for her, former jock Len decides to throw his hat in the ring the morning of the election and beats her by a landslide. Eliza decides Len's win is due to misogyny and writes an impassioned manifesto to that effect, however she fails to log out of the computer she pens it on. Someone finds the manifesto, shares it to the school website, and a school controversy is born. In defending her name, Eliza inadvertently sparks a feminist movement among the student body. Meanwhile, Len and Michelle are instructed to work together on an article for the paper, which is more time than they have ever spent together previously.

My thoughts and feelings:

• I wanted to like this book. With the feminist agenda and promised rivals-to-lovers chemistry it really appealed to me. Sadly, I felt it fell flat on both fronts.
• I would have voted for Len too. He gave a good speech, is more charismatic and approachable and works better with others. While she is more technically qualified and has spent more years on the paper, Eliza is hypercritical and mean to others. She clearly thinks she is superior to most of the others at the school, so it's no surprise they don't want her in charge.
• Eliza has a great deal of internalised misogyny. She frequently criticises other girls for caring about their appearance, wearing make-up or fashionable clothes. The concept that a girl can either be pretty or intelligent but not both is expressed more than once and not challenged.
• The concept of feminism that Eliza and the other students have is very shallow and flawed. This would be okay if they were challenged or called on it if we saw their elders or school faculty educating them about the nuances of feminism they are missing... but they are not. In this book, feminism is akin to the bra-burning man-hating caricature radfem.
• There is also no intersectionality in their feminism. In fact, there is a lot of gender essentialism.
• Len is made the face of the patriarchy at the school, with the female students organising a walkout in protest at him being editor and demanding his resignation. The only thing Len did wrong, so far as they know, is a) existing as a male person and b) being better liked by his colleagues.
• The book touches on intergenerational trauma in the experiences of Eliza's mother as a Vietnamese-Chinese immigrant and the experiences of Eliza and her sister's upbringing, but this is not developed. Not saying it had to be, but it felt like a missed opportunity.
• I didn't feel the chemistry between Len and Eliza. 

"It's not how long you live that matters, it's what you live for."

What it's about:Apollo remains trapped in the body of teenage Lester Papadopolous and on a mission to restore the oracles and regain his status as a god. Insane Roman emperors are still trying to stop him.

“We chose the only heroic option available - we ran.”

• Apollo continues to be loveably arrogant while developing further and learning more humility and a greater appreciation of mere mortals.
• Wasn't sure how I felt about Leo and Calypso at first, but I was glad to see recognition that there would likely be tensions in their relationship and that they still need to learn who they are apart, rather than teenage instalove that lasts forever.
• I like the way Meg's shown to have torn loyalties, and how it is hard for her to walk away from the man who has been raising her even while she is aware he is abusive and manipulating her - very realistic and skillfully handled.
• Loved all the new characters we met, and again some familiar faces returned.

“Everything living deserves the chance to grow.”

"I'll never belong anywhere like I belong with you."

What it's about:Set with an alternating timeline covering the present day and the course of ten summer trips (moving toward the present summer) taken by friends Poppy & Alex, as they navigate the changes in their lives and feelings towards each other.

“Being together was as easy and natural as being alone, without any of the loneliness.”

What I thought:

• I have a personal soft spot for friends-to-lovers (since that's what my own love story is) and I feel this was a very well done depiction of how that feels and plays out, in my experience. Indeed, I definitely saw glimpses of my own relationship in this book, which has probably biased me towards it.
• The slow burn is A+.
• It's a very introspective and reflective read, giving the novel a somewhat slow pace, especially as the timelines alternate. 
• Beautifully written prose, the kind I just want to be wrapped up in.
• As with other Emily Henry novels, I like how characters are called on their shit and make the effort to improve and become emotionally available for the relationship.
• I also appreciated how the third act conflict is not drawn from a miscommunication which could have been easily solved by just talking, as so many romance books seem to be.

“It's not your job to make me happy, okay? I'm happy just because you exist, and that's as much of my happiness as you have control over.”

• 1st person POV from Apollo - he is a hilarious, pompous and narcissistic arse I found it impossible not to love.
• Introduces the character of Meg, who I really liked, especially the interactions between her and Apollo.
• More Nico DiAngelo development, hurrah!
• Lots of wit and snark throughout
• Cameos from Percy and lots of other old favourites
• Slow start but gains momentum
• Interesting watching Apollo interact with his kids while trapped in the guise of an awkward teen
• Really loved how each chapter starts with a poem composed by Apollo referencing the coming events
• All around fun read, with some good insights and character development.

“When one is a god, the world hangs on your every word. When one is sixteen... not so much. 

"Everyone deserves to have someone fight for them, even - and especially - when they're unable to fight for themselves."

Kiva is back in Zalindov following the events of The Gilded Cage and is desperate to fix things. Jaren & Caldon are in hiding and trying to reclaim their kingdom.

• Caldon remains my favourite character. In fact, I love him even more.
• As frustrating as it is that Jaren appears to be holding onto his anger and pride for so long, it's nice to see that he isn't perfect, as he was certainly looking that way in the last book. Hooray for flawed characters.
• I really loved the development of Cresta's character (except for the final reveal of her true heritage, which felt quite contrived). I would have not believed when reading The Prison Healer that she would become a favourite but she had such a delightful energy!
• The friendships and found family in this series are perfect.
• This series really does like to keep readers on the edge of their seats!

"Our scars define us. They tell a story of courage and survival. They tell of who we are at our deepest being, of the challenges we've faced and overcome."

What it's about: Kiva has escaped Zalindov Prison, but now she feels like a prisoner of a different sort, staying in the palace with the shockingly (to her mind) royal family and being treated well while her siblings entreat her to spy and sabotage in the name of the rebellion. Kiva agonises over her sworn goal of reclaiming the throne for her family and her growing feelings for Jaren and his family.

“Never forget that every scar is beautiful and you should never be ashamed of them.”

What I thought:

• This book has a similar pace to The Prison Healer, gaining momentum as it twists and turns throughout.
• I adore Caldon, he is such a good friend to Kiva, even though she doesn't really see or appreciate it.
• I spent a lot of this book desperately wanting to read on to find out what happens next whilst simultaneously afraid to keep reading in dread of Kiva hurting or betraying Jaren.
• Expecting lots of twists and reveals I was suspicious of the motives of every character introduced.

This is a poly romantic comedy and it really worked for me. 

The premise is that Layla is nearing 30 and successful in all areas of her life except her love life. She loves a list and plans everything to the nth degree but is worried so won't tick of the last item on her ten-year plan before she's 30 – getting married. 

Her good friends in the flat opposite are Josh, Zack and Luke – hot single guys who host a dating advice podcast. After Layla airs her woes to them after a disastrous date (he tried to climb out the loo window between the starter and the main course), they all land on the ingenious plan to simultaneously fake date Layla to see where she's going wrong, let her ‘practice' and produce some fresh new content for their podcast. 

Surprise, surprise, they all catch feelings, as well as get very horny. There's no angst surrounding the non-monogamy element here as the three guys have been in a polyamorous relationship with each other before (there are no romantic or sexual interactions between the men). Layla is very much ok with this. The wider world, is not so ok with this. 

It is very smutty, and it doesn't make you wait until right until the end before heating up. I like my smutty fiction with plot and this novel delivers on that – we have plot, and we have character growth as well as lots of sex. 

One thing that did distract me from my enjoyment of the novel was the confusing sense of it being not-quite British but not-quite American. I looked the author up and it turns out that although she lives in the UK now, she is not British by origin, which I think probably explains that. I think most people who have grown up not in the USA with a huge amount of US media exposure growing up are quite adept at understanding the sort of cultural differences between the things we are shown and translating various words and phrases. As such, I feel completely comfortable reading or watching media set in the US, I feel I've grown up with enough exposure and context to feel I can understand most of all nuances there. And there are definitely things that were once purely Americanisms that have become commonplace or unremarkable in the UK over the years – proms, calling secondary school ‘high school' (although it was always high school in my county as we had middle schools in the past, most of the UK didn't... anyway that's a tangent). But this novel did have a lot of Americanisms cropping up in a narrative that was supposedly from the perspective of British characters and otherwise did a very good job of writing them believably. Which I think is why they were so jarring. One example is a reference to getting “dress coded” which is a phrase I've only ever encountered in American media. Not that kids in the UK don't get in trouble for not complying with the uniform policy, but I've never heard anyone refer to it as getting dress coded. But I left school longer ago than I like to think about so maybe they do now? 

A good friend of mine has suggested both the film and the BBC 4 radio adaptations to me also multiple times, I finally I got round to it. I got so round to it that I listened to the radio play – not on BBC Sounds any more but can still be found on YouTube – and downloaded the audiobook so I could switch between that and the kindle edition. I still haven't seen the movie, but I'm sure it won't be long! 

I'm sure since I am very late to the party with this one that everyone already knows what it's about, but just in case anyone else also lives under a rock, the story is set in the world of Ingary. Our main character is Sophie, who is the eldest daughter and being very genre-savvy has resigned herself to a fate where nothing much of note ever happens to her, as she is the eldest, and if she goes out to make her fortune she will fail first and fail the worst. However, one day she gets cursed by a wicked witch and transformed into an elderly woman. Deciding that she can't continue to live her life like this, she immediately sets off to make her way in the world and ends up on the doorstep of Howl's literally moving about the landscape castle, where she's hoping the curse can be broken. 

I fell headfirst in love with this story. It very much reminds me of the magical feeling of being drawn into and entranced by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and filled me with the sense of whimsy and magic which that book also does, which probably accounts for how much I love it. The brilliant cast of characters certainly helps, the gentle inherent humour that suffuses the entire narrative, the charm and quirkiness. It was a delight. I found myself wanting to go get my kids to read it to them (currently they aren't interested as it's not Minecraft, but I will make them come to the light) just because I wanted to share my delight in it with them. 

The way that Sophie completely embraced being an elderly woman was very endearing. Howl could easily have been annoying considering how vain and spoilt he is, but he doesn't come across that way at all. There is a great sense of found-family affection between the residents of the moving castle that is just a pleasure. I loved how the curse, while ostensibly a bad thing, freed Sophie from what she felt was her role in life and enabled her to become more her than she had ever been. 

  One of the great things about book subscriptions and book clubs is that they can broaden your horizons a bit and lead you to books you wouldn't have otherwise come across, which is the case for me with this book – I'm not all that sure I would have picked this up of my own accord. But I would have been massively missing out as I have loved reading this. 

This book introduces us to Kurara, a young girl who has paper magic – she can fold paper with her mind and bring it to life. The story is set in a world where there is an Empire that controls the civilization living on the ground, and there are cities in the skies who at least some of the inhabitants want independence from the Empire. In addition, there are giant paper magic creatures called shikigami who can cause a lot of destruction. Early on in the novel, Kurara is found by a fellow user of paper magic, Himura, who tells her she is a crafter and takes her to live and work with him on board an airship, from where they hunt shikigami and retrieve their paper cores, which is what is implied to contain the enchantment that make these creatures live. The cores are then sold to the Princess, who researches them. 

The world building is exquisite and just makes me want to know more – I want to learn about the magic system, about the Empire and the political set-up, how the sky cities were established and how long ago such that the inhabitants are now considered like a separate race. It's very original and was a huge breath of fresh air – I love a demon and fae/chosen one style epic series but there are a lot of those so its good to shake it up and read something that really departs from that. In fact, if you don't like romance in your fantasy fiction then I have good news for you, because there is no love interest or romantic subplot. The closest it comes is the implication of a potential romance between two background characters. 

There were a couple of twists I didn't see coming – one I think I probably should have, but I was so wrapped up in soaking up all the world building and wondering about what I was learning about it that I didn't really take note of the clues that were there. It left me feeling winded and knocked off course, which is a really great reaction to have to a plot twist. I did suspect the betrayal of a certain character who I will decline to name to avoid spoilers, but even though I anticipated it, when it happened it left me so mad that I was still feeling it days later. I have rarely been so enraged with a fictional character, I wanted to reach into the book and shake them. 

Overall, though, I would have liked to see deeper characterisation, as many of the supporting cast felt quite flat and interchangeable, I didn't really have a good feel for their personalities. It was a bit like characterisation suffered at the expense of the world building, as that is so rich and detailed compared to the cast. 

When I started this novel, I didn't realise that it's the first in a trilogy, so I was frustrated by how little was answered or resolved at the end of this book. Even knowing it's the start of a series, it still feels a bit like it's the first half of a first instalment or a prequel novella of a sprawling fantasy epic. The ending feels quite abrupt, just as the action and narrative conflicts are really being laid out. 

That being said, I loved every moment I was reading it and will definitely be picking up the next instalment without question. Despite the weaker characterisation of the supporting cast, I gave it 4/5 stars because I am very generous with my star ratings, I adored reading it, I'd happily read it again, I'll absolutely be reading the next book and I do really recommend it. 

  This was an Audible Plus title which is a quick and light romance story which made a great palate cleanser to follow up binge reading an 8 book fantasy series back-to-back. It follows Gabby who is considered by her family and friends to be quite flighty and fickle, she's not got her future figured out, not in a long-term relationship, bouncing from job-to-job. Her roommate is an actor that's just starting to find success with a recurring role on a long-running soap opera and encourages Gabby to give working as a recurring extra on her show. This brings Gabby into contact with hot actors, high-strung divas, starving writers and more drama off screen than on-screen. It's fun, it's an easy read, there is a great cast of well-defined characters. I called this a romance, as that's what it was sort of advertising itself as and it LOOKS like a romantic comedy, with the styling of the art and the synopsis, but I wasn't really all that invested in the romance parts of the plot. I would have been perfectly satisfied if Gabby ended the story still single. This didn't really let the rest of the book down to much as the sort of ‘coming-of-age', self-growth parts of the narrative and the entertainment of the characters and their conflicts was enough to carry it, and I wonder if it might have actually been even better if the authors had chosen to downplay the romance more and make it more of a woman's fiction, finding herself focused book instead. 

 

I gave this book 3.5/5 stars. There are other books set in this same universe and I wouldn't rule reading or listening to those out, but I'm not particularly compelled to either. 

Rather than a traditional audiobook, this was recorded and presented more like a radio play with a full voice cast and background sound effects, which seems to be something Audible are doing to an increasing degree. 

The premise is that Amanda has recently won a Bachelor-like reality TV show and is laying low in her small hometown while waiting for the series to start and finish airing. She's signed an NDA so not a single friend or family member is aware that she won the show and is now engaged to the bachelor, a Scottish man called Liam. As just about anyone who has ever read a romance novel can probably guess, she reconnects with someone from her past and there is angst and drama and all the rest. Nothing ground-breaking, sure, but definitely lots of potential for an enjoyable narrative there. 

I found the characters of Amanda and Josh likeable but never felt any sympathy or affection towards Liam, which kind of took away from the tension of the supposed love-triangle for me. I couldn't really root for the Amanda/Liam relationship, what we saw of it never felt genuine and the endgame was really clear from the start – as in, Amanda and Josh had loads of chemistry and Amanda and Liam just... didn't. So, a lot of Amanda's angst over her feelings didn't really ring true. 

I also, despite LOVING Scottish accents, found Liam's dialogue very overdone in term of Scottish idioms, and although the accent didn't sound false or forced, the use of the idioms and slang did, which caused some dissonance and may have contributed to my dislike of the character. 

  The great thing about this series is that it is not too difficult to dip in and out of the supplementary novellas when the fancy takes you, as the narrative is forever jumping around in time anyway, although it's probably best you don't read the ones set in between main books you've not read yet, in case of casually dropped spoilers or general confusion. 

This particular novella was The Steam Pump Jump, which is set between novels 9 and 10. The St. Mary's series is, in my opinion, excellent however you consume it, but it is one of those series that is truly magnificently narrated on audiobook. Zara Ramm has narrated all of the books and novellas, and I believe also the spin off series the Time Police, and she is just so good. Know if I read any St Mary's I automatically hear her voices for all the characters and I wouldn't want it any other way. This novella, like it's brethren in the rest of the St Mary series, was warm and amusing. I especially loved this one as it has a lot of my favourite character in the series, Markham. This got a 5/5 from me, which to be honest most If not all St Mary's books do, as usually my only complaint is that they have to eventually end, and I could just live in this world forever. 

The second Mr & Mrs Darcy Mystery has Lizzie & Darcy settling comfortably into married life. They invite Kitty to spend the season in London with them and Georgiana, where they make the acquaintance of Harry Dashwood and his relations. The favourable connection starts to sour, however, when strange occurrences begin after Mr Dashwood takes possession of a portrait & mirror belonging to an infamous ancestor.

Of course, Lizzie sticks her nose in and takes it upon herself to invseitgate; Darcy is skeptical but along for the ride; and Professor Randolph pops back up with exposition and the key to solving it all.

As in the previous novel, the interaction between Lizzie and Darcy was brilliant - just the right balance of teasing banter and true affection. The pacing of the plot was good, no part of the story felt like it was too rushed along or drawn out, with the one exception that it seemed puzzling to me how quickly the Ferrars' accepted Lizzie's word and took her into the fold as if she was an old friend and not practical stranger.

I also felt that Professor Randolph was not as well integrated into the narrative, being much more of a side character in this novel, so when he pops up to explain the supernatural elements and at the end with the deus ex machina it does seem quite contrived in places.

I do have two big gripes though: first has to be when Darcy voices his admiration of Lizzie's telling falsehoods, as in canon he famously declares that he ‘abhors deceit' - it jolted me out of the story a bit. Second is the continual fat-shaming of Regina and mocking of her size by Lizzie and Darcy.

Despite all this though I did enjoy the book and will continue on with this series.

We start with the POV of Bess, a poor London street hawker who is placing her one day old illegitimate daughter into the care of The Foundling Hospital. The tone of Bess's narrative is immediately warm and easy to sink into. Throughout Part 1 we learn about Bess, her family, the circumstances leading to her child's birth and placement at the Foundling, and watch her prepare to reclaim her after years of working and saving. As the reader is already aware from the synopsis, Bess arrives at the Foundling only to be told she has already reclaimed the child, and this event is the main mystery of the narrative.

About a third of the way into the book we reach Part 2, which introduces the perspective of Mrs Alexandra Callard, a wealthy widower raising her husband's daughter. The voice of Alexandra is very distinct from Bess', and at first it does feel very cold and rigid in comparison. As the story continues and we learn more about her character and her history we discover that she is a deeply traumatised person and I felt a lot more sympathy for her. Alexandra is encouraged by one of the doctors from The Foundling to employ as a nursemaid for her daughter Charlotte a young woman called Eliza whose description matches Bess' to a suspicious degree.

I really liked how the author made just enough clear to make you feel like you were probably sure what was going on, but not all that sure how it was going to play it - the balance between spelling things out and not giving it away completely was perfectly achieved. Several times I would start to formulate theories or make predictions only to find something new that made me rethink them a few pages later. This could have been frustrating but it is done so well that it just kept me gripped and eager to know more. The pacing was ideal - it felt like the plot moved along steadily but without rushing, and it didn't become staid at any point.

There were no characters I disliked. Even those whose motives or actions ran counter to those of the protagonists were well written and made sympathetic as you could tell where their motivation was coming from - e.g. Ned, so rather than be annoyed at them for putting stumbling blocks in the way, I felt sad for them and the circumstances that drove them,

The book did a great job of portraying Georgian London and its people, though it did give me a start and a chuckle when it described the countryside as being so close to Great Ormond Street, and Fulham as being ‘in the country'.

The ending was not what I expected at all. When reading it my primary reaction was one of relief and pleasure that they would all get somewhat of a Happy Ever After after all, however after a few moments of reflection after finishing the book I did feel it somewhat unrealistic how easily and neatly all was resolved and the manner in which it was settled. Not that I couldn't see people behaving that way out of love for a child, but it seemed quite sudden for Bess and Alexandra to be behaving so warmly to each other and unlikely a scenario for what I know of the period. I am happy to suspend my disbelief though as it was a satisfying resolution to a satisfying read.

I really enjoyed that character of Lyle (for some reason I see him as Lin Manuel Miranda's character from Mary Poppins Returns even though that's entirely the wrong era) and would have liked to see more of his and Bess' developing relationship, especially the bit in the direct lead up to the final scene, but overall there's really not much I would have changed about this book (and probably extra Lyle scenes would have disrupted the pace or flow or somesuch).

The story is told from the point of view of an alien who has been sent to Earth to inhabit the recently vacated body of Professor Andrew Martin in order to prevent the humankind gaining knowledge the aliens have decided they are not equipped to have. Our alien soon discovers that Professor Martin was quite unpleasant, grows attached to Professor Martin's friends and family, and discovers a love of poetry, all of which lead him to reconsider the mission he was sent to complete.

The narrator was very endearing and likeable, and the development & progression of his relationships and interactions with others are heartwarming and touching. The list for humans that completes the book is especially so. I read this book not long after a sudden and traumatic bereavement and found it a great comfort.

All in all, this book is funny, heartwarming, poignant, endearing and just beautiful. A definite recommendation.

This novel picks up the story of Lizzie & Mr Darcy on their wedding day, where they have been upstaged by Caroline Bingley's announcement of her engagement to a charming American. As they navigate being newlyweds, and continuing acquaintance with Caroline, strange things seem to start happening, and Caroline begins to act very oddly. Lizzie being the curious and intelligent woman she is can't help but to try to unpick the puzzle.

For much of the story I wasn't sure what I felt about the new characters, or who was my number one suspect in the mystery, as the clues were well executed and it genuinely seemed liked many were implicated, which kept me carried along in the narrative. The dynamic of the relationship between Lizzie & Darcy is charmingly done and feels true to the source material, although sadly Jane & Bingley didn't appear to have any chemistry. I probably would have preferred that Lizzie wasn't in possession of some supernatural/psychic instincts - I don't think it is necessary for her to have worked out the mystery, she is an intelligent and perceptive person already without it, so I don't think they were needed to justify her solving things. I don't have any objection to the other supernatural elements (magic use, talismans etc), it just felt that Lizzie being powered/gifted in that regard was superfluous.

A Pride & Prejudice variation from Mary's perspective that starts a few months prior to P&P events and runs a few years past its conclusion. The book develops Mary's character and gives her greater depth where she is often otherwise treated as little more than a prop in Lizzie's story in many works (or absent altogether). Telling and continuing the story from Mary's perspective is an unusual conceit for P&P variations, even stories that further develop the other Bennets are usually focused on Lizzie as the protagonist.

Mary's character isn't the only one developed further. Mr Collins became more sympathetic and likeable whilst remaining true to Austen's portrayal of his obsequious and ingratiating manner. Charlotte is portrayed as very shrewd, and at times this comes across as somewhat cold and calculating/ruthless, though only so far as she is aggressively protecting her own interests. There are insightful discussions between Charlotte and Mary regarding their places & prospects in the world as ‘plain' Regency gentlewomen.

There were a few callbacks/nods within the text to P&P's famous lines/scenes that were very well done - subtle and satisfying rather than in-your-face and forced as they can feel in other works.

The original characters did not feel at all out of place among Austen's creations. I found Mr Hayward instantly likeable and impossible not to fall for. The progression of his interactions with Mary was well-executed and nicely paced. However I did feel that the presence of Caroline Bingley didn't add much to the narrative beyond a stock ‘Mean Girl' to add conflict - her character would have benefited from the development and greater depth other characters such as Mr Collins and Mrs Hill got but she remained rather two dimensional. This is a minor complaint though and didn't stop me from immediately looking up the author to see if there are any more books by her to consume!

Opening in the aftermath of Darcy's failed proposal at Hunsford, we begin with our couple feeling miserable. Thankfully, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Anne de Bourgh take it upon themselves to help things along and it seems that all is going well once more for Lizzie and Darcy when Mr Bennet decides that Lizzie has a point about Lydia going to Brighton and sends her along as chaperone. And there begin separations, misunderstandings and miscommunications that ensure the path of happily ever after doesn't run smoothly.

An enjoyable, easy read.

‘Jenny Lopez Has a Bad Week' is a short story centered around the titular character Jenny, best friend and former roommate of the heroine of Lindsey Kelk's ‘I Heart' series of novels (‘I Heart New York', ‘I Heart Hollywood' and ‘I Heart Paris'). It's not necessary to have read them to enjoy this story, I think it stands perfectly well on it's own, but it certainly enhanced my enjoyment through getting to see characters that I love from a different perspective.

It's a quick and easy little read that I really enjoyed, and it made the train ride to work fly by. In fact, I have only two complaints about Jenny Lopez Has a Bad Week: a) it's too short, and b) it makes me miss Angela and Alex and pine for another ‘I Heart...' book even more.

If only it hadn't ended, especially as I was really starting to like the new characters Sigge and Sadie - I hope we get to see more of them in future books.

Which takes me back to point b) - reading this didn't so much take the edge off my craving for more ‘I Heart...' books as it did stoke the flames even higher!

I really wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy this book going in, as it seems a bit like Marmite - people either rave about the A Song of Ice and Fire series or pan it, in my experience. But I'd heard mostly good things, although it has been sitting on my fiance's bookshelf for years as a book he'd tried but could never get into, so picked it up as the ads for the TV series looked promising and I wanted to read the book before it aired.

I did find it really tough to begin with - the prologue was a bit of a struggle, but I hate giving up on books so I ploughed on ahead. To begin with I was quite confused because the prologue seemed to have little to no bearing on the rest of the story, and the switching from POV to POV was a bit jarring at first. However, I'm glad I stuck with it, because before I knew it I was hooked.

The perspective shifts each chapter, and at first this bothered me, as it seemed that as soon as I'd begun to get to know and feel comfortable with a character, I had to get to know another entirely. But once I'd gotten to know them all a bit more, I found that this is one of my favourite features of the novel. It's said that everyone's a hero in their own story, and it really is shown in this novel (and also the subsequent installments) - I may not agree with the character's actions or even particularly like them, but understand their motivations. I wound up rooting for characters who appeared to be on different sides. I definitely have favourites - I looked forward to Arya, Jon and Tyrion chapters especially, but all the POVs serve to illustrate the story from all sides, and advance the plot.

The pacing picked up quite a bit as the story progressed - it gets a bit bogged down in all the exposition and establishment of the setting, perhaps, but I enjoyed it regardless. But once things start kicking off, the pace really picks up with all the twists and turns and I just had to know what happened next.

It's not the sort of fantasy book that follows a hero's epic quest. Rather, it's an immense undertaking in world building, full of political intrigues, a drama more than an adventure story. If you hate cliff hangers or long reads, then this is definitely not the book for you. It can't really stand entirely on it's own, as when it ends you are left with the sense that it's all only just beginning, that all the drama of the novel was just a taster for something much larger. Now that I'm midway through book 3 of the series, it seems clear to me that A Song of Ice and Fire is not one of those series where each installment has it's own resolved story arc within the larger series arc (such as the Harry Potter books), but is more like one great big novel chopped down into more manageable chunks. There is no real resolution of the story at the end of A Game of Thrones because the end of the book isn't where the story ends - it's more like an intermission.

A note on the TV adaptation - if you're enjoying the show, then you should definitely pick up the book as it is a very well done and faithful depiction, and can only give you deeper insight into the motivations of the characters.

MMC too stalkery. Might have been fine in a dark romance where it is acknowledged as problematic but treated as romantic despite FMC's reluctance and discomfort.

Didn't grab or hold my attention. Lots of tell, hardly any show.

Juvenile, poorly written