Adeline

3.75 stars Historical fiction set before and during the Big Freeze of 1962/1963 and the Cuban Missile crisis, it follows Marta a marine archaeologist assigned to collect the remains of a local hero inside a sunken ship near a remote Scottish island. Dealing with a painful past, she starts a relationship with Elsie, a local woman but her expedition is threatened by the disappearance of the ship’s treasure.

The main strength of this book was the atmospheric description of the Scottish island, a desolate, humid and creepy place with unwelcoming inhabitants. The writing was lushly evocative, with a distinct tone enriched by the Scottish vernacular, perfectly rendering the historical and geographical era. The historical events provided another layer of tension and danger to the story. The author did a great job showing the devastating effect of the cold on the islanders, physically and mentally, adding a dose of religious psychosis and supernatural horror elements. Marta wasn’t completely likeable and even irritating many times because of her self flagellation. It impacted on my enjoyment of her relationship with Elsie (it didn’t hit all the right notes as a sapphic enthusiast) and with other characters. I liked how she finally grew out of her self misery but it came a bit too late into the story. While her story was compelling enough for me to continue, I wished we saw more of her backstory, her diving skills and work as a marine archeologist since it was interesting to me. The pacing wasn’t great. It felt too repetitive during the 1st part of the novel, because of the character’s personality and ruminations. Some elements were a bit too quickly developed or resolved, with some superficial interactions and dialogue, not adding to the plot or the characters in an organic way. Fortunately with another character entering the story the 2nd half of the book was more entertaining. I really liked how the author integrated themes on xenophobia, bigotry, privilege, traditions, folklore, religion etc into the main story. Overall a mixed read for me, but I might check out the author’s other books in the future.

Second book in the Kindom trilogy, this space opera action thriller continues the journey of the cast from These Burnjng Stars as they are confronted by murder mysteries, conspiracies and political intrigue.

What an incredible sequel this was. I loved seeing the characters from the first books, but also a new character whose point of view was equally compelling to read. Bethany Jacobs does such a great job juggling twists and turns, different storylines and flashbacks to five a fast paced story with great world building and character development. I loved how this book has even more queerness than the previous. I will avoid saying anything else to avoid spoilers but this second book really put this trilogy into my top 3 queer space opera series. I can’t wait to read the third and final book that will be released in December.

3.75 stars Historical paranormal mystery following Sarah a young and lonely city girl who finds work with Alistair, a veteran from WW1, interested by ghosts, meeting his assistant the mysterious and unsettling Matthew; the three investigate the strange haunting of a recently deceased maid in the English countryside.

My third book by Simone St James. Overall this felt like reading The Book of Cold Cases, I was a bit underwhelmed compared to Silence for the Dead, though this was apparently the author’s first novel. The haunting parts were well done and I loved how the apparitions of the ghosts were described, how it affected each character differently. The atmosphere was creepy during those moments, I loved the use of birds too. The mystery itself was good but there wasn’t anything surprising to it, I clocked the villains quite rapidly so I did wish for more suspense and twists, more subtle hints throughout the novel. I liked Sarah as the main character, her strength,and resilience; but her point of view felt at times a bit too much telling rather than showing. The romantic subplot between Sarah and Matthew was a bit less underwhelming like her previous books. I did like the angsty, lust filled moments but it felt a bit too rushed and superficial, I wanted more scenes of them together just talking and developing their relationship more. I feel this story could have been told in various points of view, like Matthew’s and Alistair’s which would have add something more profound, especially their past experiences during the war. Pacing wise, I feel it lagged a bit during the middle part, so the final confrontation felt a bit rushed, but overall the story moved at a good pace. Overall a good novel but with some underwhelming elements especially the plot.

4.75 stars Historical literary fiction following the lives in Canada and the US of two indigenous siblings: Joe, who struggles with anger and grief after the disappearance of his sister, and Norma, who is raised by a white family, until the secret of her real heritage is finally unearthed after decades.

I really devoured this book, since it features one of my favourite tropes (estranged family members), and truly this was a strong debut novel in my opinion. I loved the writing style, simple and engaging with some gorgeous turns of phrases. I particularly loved Norma’s point of view, her story was so touching and I felt for her when she discovered the truth, I liked how her anger was expressed. Joe’s point of view felt compelling, though there was a particular episode that made me dislike him. While I’m glad the author’s never tried to minimise it but it made his parts a soured experience to read afterward.

While events were shown in a compressed narrative, and it’s usually a style that makes me distant from the characters’ life and feeling, there was still an emotional resonance to the writing that made me feel for them. The last 30 pages made me cry so hard. There was a couple of plot elements that dragged a bit or that I wished arrived sooner, and the historical setting felt too generically described in a way. I feel that this book should not be marketed as a mystery because it’s pretty obvious from the synopsis that the disappearance of Norma is not the central focus or the why wasn’t important, and it felt more a reflection on various themes like, racism, struggles faced by indigenous communities, violence, motherhood, family, grief and guilt.

Overall a very touching and striking debut, I’m looking forward to read more of Amanda Peeters’ work.

3.25 stars Speculative literary fiction following Kathy a carer in an alternate 90s who reminisces on her days in a special British boarding school alongside her childhood friends Ruth and Tommy.

At first I liked the world building, the subtle hints at something not being quite right about the characters, the speculative elements being buried under layers of everyday life, a twisted version of a classic boarding school story, making it like a magical realism novel.

However most of the novel felt like a slog, not a good sort of slow burn. There was a lot of repetitiveness (in words like «  anyway » « what I’m saying is » or « the point is, « whether I mean is ») that quickly became annoying. Also the narrator had a lot of meandering thoughts with superfluous details, not only in her thoughts but also the dialogue shared between other characters. To be honest I hate when people take forever to talk about stuff in real life so it definitely negatively impacted my enjoyment of the story. The most interesting pieces of lore ended up being stuffed towards the end of the book, and I wished it had been better displayed throughout the story.

Kathy as the narrator came across a bit as a dull not being helped by the writing. I liked her relationship with Tommy, though he wasn’t a compelling character either, but I really felt for them. Ruth was a bully so I really didn’t care for her.

Because of that pacing and the lack of compelling characters, this really lacked emotional impact for me so this ended up being a very mixed experience. Overall a great concept with interesting world building but the execution left me underwhelmed.

4.5 stars

Historical thriller mystery following Hannah Cole, a recently widowed woman who reopens her confectionery shop in 1750s London, after the unresolved murder of her husband and encounters William Devereux a rich foreigner whose idea of a new product could make her shop even more successful.

Overall this was a great historical novel that I devoured, and while there’s no explicit spoilers next I’d advise going into this book with minimal knowledge as possible. Spoilers ! Like her previous book this was such a page turner full of tense moments and twists, a true battle of cons and wits. Some parts though I felt were a bit rushed like in regards to the change in feelings and the resolutions, how each character makes the right connections. The ending too felt a bit rushed and underwhelming.

I loved reading the two characters, each reflecting the character own personality, with their own vernacular. I also liked how they were both complex, grey characters with their own ambitions. Their romance was interesting because of the lies yet at the same time it had yearning and angst but I wished we had seen it more scenes showing how it evolved, I wasn’t 100% into it.

The author did such a great job recreating the atmosphere and culture of mid 18th century London, in terms of vocab and synthax. The historical note at the end was really interesting to read too. Overall a great page turning historical thriller, with some minor flaws for me.

3.5 stars Memoir following the author Hua Hsu, a Taiwanese American throughout his years in college and the short but intense friendship he cultivated with Ken, a Japanese American who was tragically killed during a car jacking.

I rarely gravitate towards memoirs but wanted to challenge myself for Goodreads, but alas this was a quick but not incredible read for me. The author might come across as a bit culturally pretentious to some yet his interest for niche and diverse music and other forms of entertainment resonated with me personally. I loved the 90s setting, many of the references I knew about (American college life which I saw on tv shows or movies) or lived through/with them (mixtapes, MTV, alternative music, grunge, rap, etc). It was also an informative and enriching read about Asian Americans experiences and identities.

That being said, I felt the passages on academic (philosophy) and historical subjects were interesting in themselves but not well integrated into his story. The writing itself was good but not incredible as I wasn’t really emotionally devastated like I thought I would especially the passage where his friend died, it lacked something. I felt this was slightly mismarketed, it felt less about the author’s friendship with Ken than his own personal life growing up and going to college, his reflections on topics such as memories, time, grief, friendship, identity etc. I do like how the author was self aware at the end about this. The aftermath of Ken’s death and how the author lived through his memories of their lives together, how he struggled to process his grief, the unique and shared experience of mourning, his depression and morbid thoughts, how our identity change through time and experiences, how his tastes changed were more impactful for me. Overall a mixed read for me, not totally uninteresting but my expectations weren’t totally fulfilled.

3.75 stars Horror mystery translated from Icelandic about a young woman Idrunn who surfers from constant fatigue and soon realises something happens to her every night during her sleep.

This was a quick little story that I read in a couple of hours. The pacing was good, and many chapters were very short (one sentence long) so I flew through this.

The Icelandic setting of course made me want to travel there even more so I also wanted more descriptions of the island and city. Though it’s always hard to judge because it’s translated, I wasn’t wowed by the writing, there were some nice turns of phrasing but more often it was simplistic.

I liked the bleak atmosphere, enhanced by the helplessness felt by the main character about her situation, and most gory elements (not all though, IYKYK and check the tw) especially after she woke up. But I felt this lacked tension, especially in the revelations of what is happening to Idunn

Idunn as a main character came across as a bit bland but still her story was compelling enough for me to push through. The side characters were just there and I didn’t care for any of them (though it felt like a parallel to the main character’s emotions perhaps).

I liked what the author had to say about autonomy, patriarchy,sexism in the medical field but I wished it was better integrated into the story and that the author delved more into it. Many plot elements weren’t explained but I feel this added to the sense of despair and helplessness of Idrunn so I wasn’t totally bothered. I really liked the open ending. Overall a quick read perfect for the autumn/winter seasons if you like weird stories that doesn’t answer everything.

4.25 stars Murder mystery following Celeste an old widow who owns appartements in an exclusive London square makes two of her tenants, Audrey and Lewis, do their own parallel to the police investigation on the murder of another resident of the complex.

Overall a good little cozy mystery and a strong debut ! This was mostly like a page turner but while most of the investigation felt slow paced, some parts felt a bit too rushed especially towards the end when the solution is being presented, so I thought it lacked a bit of tension in the twists. There was a bit too much suspension of belief moments too.

Some side characters felt a bit underdeveloped and some subplots felt rushed too, so they felt like an afterthought more than being integrated into the story.

I liked both Audrey and Lewis, with their own struggles and charms, and their interactions were cute without being overwhelming cheesy (in a golden retriever and black cat way). Celeste was also a very interesting character, a quirky little rich old lady, IYKYK. Having each their own point of view made for a richer reading experience. While there was a certain coziness and lightness to the atmosphere though author also tackled different themes like domestic violence or ptsd.

Overall a very good debut novel and I’d love to see another book with that trio investigating another mystery, apparently there’s one coming up 👀

4.25 RTC

4.25 stars A collection of 9 short stories with elements of horror, gothic and speculative fiction, the author explores trauma, fractured relationships, death, toxic masculinity in various locations across the USA, where each protagonist, mainly working class men, is confronted by horrible and mysterious events.

I really liked this collection and absolutely inhaled all nine stories.

The element that stood out for me was the writing, which was absolutely gorgeous, lush and evocative. The author’s prose perfectly rendered a creepy and tense atmosphere, filled with some weird and gruesome imagery, horrifying moments of physical and psychological brutality. I loved how original the supernatural elements felt and how they were interwoven into the everyday lives of the characters especially for The Crevasse, Wild Acre, The Way Station and Sunbleached. I liked how the author explored how each character dealt in the aftermath of these horrifying experiences. Throughout these stories, we follow damaged and flawed characters, some even bigoted and horrible but still, the story itself felt compelling enough for me to continue reading even when I didn’t like the character.

The pacing for each story was good though some endings were abrupt, leaving us with questions or unsatisfied. The open ending worked for some stories but not for others. Here are my ratings for each individual story: You Go Where It Takes You 4.25 Wild acre 4.5 S.S 3.5 The Crevasse 4.5 The Monsters of Heaven 4 Sunbleached 4.5 North American Lake Monsters 3.75 The Way Station 4.5 The Good Husband 4.25

Overall a great collection of dark fiction with incredible prose and creepy atmosphere, this makes for a perfect read for this spooky season.

4.25 stars A collection of 9 short stories with elements of horror, gothic and speculative fiction, the author explores trauma, fractured relationships, death, toxic masculinity in various locations across the USA, where each protagonist, mainly working class men, is confronted by horrible and mysterious events.

I really liked this collection and absolutely inhaled all nine stories.

The element that stood out for me was the writing, which was absolutely gorgeous, lush and evocative. The author’s prose perfectly rendered a creepy and tense atmosphere, filled with some weird and gruesome imagery, horrifying moments of physical and psychological brutality. I loved how original the supernatural elements felt and how they were interwoven into the everyday lives of the characters especially for The Crevasse, Wild Acre, The Way Station and Sunbleached. I liked how the author explored how each character dealt in the aftermath of these horrifying experiences. Throughout these stories, we follow damaged and flawed characters, some even bigoted and horrible but still, the story itself felt compelling enough for me to continue reading even when I didn’t like the character.

The pacing for each story was good though some endings were abrupt, leaving us with questions or unsatisfied. The open ending worked for some stories but not for others. Here are my ratings for each individual story: You Go Where It Takes You 4.25 Wild acre 4.5 S.S 3.5 The Crevasse 4.5 The Monsters of Heaven 4 Sunbleached 4.5 North American Lake Monsters 3.75 The Way Station 4.5 The Good Husband 4.25

Overall a great collection of dark fiction with incredible prose and creepy atmosphere, this makes for a perfect read for this spooky season.