Syndrie
I definitely enjoyed this book, but I must admit I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into proper words here. Something that I can't quite put my finger on made this novel feel unique and I think it's something readers will have to just dive in and experience themselves to really understand.
I'll start off by saying if you're a reader that likes faster paced novels or plots with a lot of action—this book is definitely not for you. But it will be perfect for the readers who are happy to sit down with a slow-burn story full of atmospheric writing and can, at times, feel a bit like a character study.
In a tale that's absolutely stuffed with longing, as well as anger, grief, classism, and a pinch of witchcraft, we follow alongside a girl named Margaret who just so happens to be a bit in love with Joanie—the girl she considers her best friend. Although coming from different walks of life—Margaret from a poor family and Joanie from wealth—due to a certain series of events, Margaret has ended up in the care of Joanie's family and lives with them instead of her father. But after the pair is discovered in a rather compromising situation by Joanie's father, Margaret is cast out of the house and has no choice but to return to her father's house of squalor. The bulk of the novel really focuses on Margaret's feelings and general state of being after she's been torn away from her love—and let's just say she doesn't exactly handle it well.
As I mentioned before, this is a rather slow-paced novel, but Evans' prose sets the tone so well that I felt as if I was being pulled into a trance while reading it. You can really feel Margaret's pain and the great amount of tension she has between herself and pretty much every other character in the story. There's also really great insight into Margaret's state of mind as well as her motivations for the actions she does (and doesn't) take. With a bit of witchiness thrown in as an extra level of intrigue, this really stood out to me as a story that I haven't quite read anything like before.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Henry Holt and Co., via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
I definitely enjoyed this book, but I must admit I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into proper words here. Something that I can't quite put my finger on made this novel feel unique and I think it's something readers will have to just dive in and experience themselves to really understand.
I'll start off by saying if you're a reader that likes faster paced novels or plots with a lot of action—this book is definitely not for you. But it will be perfect for the readers who are happy to sit down with a slow-burn story full of atmospheric writing and can, at times, feel a bit like a character study.
In a tale that's absolutely stuffed with longing, as well as anger, grief, classism, and a pinch of witchcraft, we follow alongside a girl named Margaret who just so happens to be a bit in love with Joanie—the girl she considers her best friend. Although coming from different walks of life—Margaret from a poor family and Joanie from wealth—due to a certain series of events, Margaret has ended up in the care of Joanie's family and lives with them instead of her father. But after the pair is discovered in a rather compromising situation by Joanie's father, Margaret is cast out of the house and has no choice but to return to her father's house of squalor. The bulk of the novel really focuses on Margaret's feelings and general state of being after she's been torn away from her love—and let's just say she doesn't exactly handle it well.
As I mentioned before, this is a rather slow-paced novel, but Evans' prose sets the tone so well that I felt as if I was being pulled into a trance while reading it. You can really feel Margaret's pain and the great amount of tension she has between herself and pretty much every other character in the story. There's also really great insight into Margaret's state of mind as well as her motivations for the actions she does (and doesn't) take. With a bit of witchiness thrown in as an extra level of intrigue, this really stood out to me as a story that I haven't quite read anything like before.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Henry Holt and Co., via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
This was one of those books that took me a little bit to get into, but once I hit chapter 7, around 20% in, I was hooked!
I'm not sure I'd really consider this one to be much of a horror story — although that could just be due to the fact that I'm used to reading much darker novels. I'd say the horror elements are mild, the thriller elements are a bit stronger, and mystery is the strongest of them all here.
That said, Jacquie Walters did a great job weaving the two different timelines in this story together using a rather unique connection between them. I definitely wasn't able to guess ahead of time what was really going on here and it was satisfying seeing how the whole mystery unfolded throughout the story. I found the pacing to be really well done as well. It's a bit of a slow build but that just gives us plenty of time to set the scene and let tension build up naturally throughout the novel. I'd say the ending does ramp up pretty quickly, but it manages not to feel overly rushed or anything like that. The ending felt well-rounded and I'm satisfied with how it all wrapped up.
The main reason I'm knocking a star off of my rating is simply because I found the present day timeline to be noticeably weaker — and maybe a tad too dramatic — compared to the historical timeline. I also found Edith's character to be the most fascinating, so that's probably influencing my opinion a bit as well. As a woman healer back in the 1600s — a time when intelligent women were regarded with great suspicion — she proves herself to be a rather strong character. But, as I said earlier, the connection between the two timelines was so well done that I can't complain too much about the present day plot at all. Without it, this would be a completely different story and wouldn't have quite the same charm overall!
So overall, I would definitely recommend this story to readers who are interested in mysteries with some ghostly/thriller aspects weaved in!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Mulholland Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
This was one of those books that took me a little bit to get into, but once I hit chapter 7, around 20% in, I was hooked!
I'm not sure I'd really consider this one to be much of a horror story — although that could just be due to the fact that I'm used to reading much darker novels. I'd say the horror elements are mild, the thriller elements are a bit stronger, and mystery is the strongest of them all here.
That said, Jacquie Walters did a great job weaving the two different timelines in this story together using a rather unique connection between them. I definitely wasn't able to guess ahead of time what was really going on here and it was satisfying seeing how the whole mystery unfolded throughout the story. I found the pacing to be really well done as well. It's a bit of a slow build but that just gives us plenty of time to set the scene and let tension build up naturally throughout the novel. I'd say the ending does ramp up pretty quickly, but it manages not to feel overly rushed or anything like that. The ending felt well-rounded and I'm satisfied with how it all wrapped up.
The main reason I'm knocking a star off of my rating is simply because I found the present day timeline to be noticeably weaker — and maybe a tad too dramatic — compared to the historical timeline. I also found Edith's character to be the most fascinating, so that's probably influencing my opinion a bit as well. As a woman healer back in the 1600s — a time when intelligent women were regarded with great suspicion — she proves herself to be a rather strong character. But, as I said earlier, the connection between the two timelines was so well done that I can't complain too much about the present day plot at all. Without it, this would be a completely different story and wouldn't have quite the same charm overall!
So overall, I would definitely recommend this story to readers who are interested in mysteries with some ghostly/thriller aspects weaved in!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Mulholland Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
Both heartbreaking and beautiful, Tayari Jones has crafted a poignant story about two girls who crave maternal connections after growing up motherless. This is a story about family and friendship, love and heartbreak, and growing up as a black women in the south in the middle of the segregation era.
Referring to each other as cradle friends, Vernice and Annie have known each other their whole lives and grew up together from babies all the way to adulthood. Connected by the loss of their mothers (one by death, the other by abandonment) these two girls both understand and care for each other deeply. They are perfect foils to each other where Vernice tends to be more of a rational thinker while Annie often lets her emotions guide her. And even though they end up going on separate journeys as they enter adulthood, the girls keep their bond strong by keeping in touch via letters. It was really nice to see a friendship so strong that it couldn't be broken by either distance or differing life experiences (because they do end up living significantly different lives).
Although I'd consider the overarching tone of this novel to be more somber than anything else, it still has its bright moments and is overall a really nice read. Honestly it's just a very realistic story — after all, not everything in life goes correctly all the time. Jones did a great job with the story pacing as well as giving us fully fleshed-out characters that were easy to care about and therefore want to keep reading about.
In showing the girls at both their most fragile moments and their strongest moments, this ends up being a rather thought-provoking story that will probably sit with readers for awhile after they've finished. I would highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys character driven novels and literary fiction as a whole.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
Both heartbreaking and beautiful, Tayari Jones has crafted a poignant story about two girls who crave maternal connections after growing up motherless. This is a story about family and friendship, love and heartbreak, and growing up as a black women in the south in the middle of the segregation era.
Referring to each other as cradle friends, Vernice and Annie have known each other their whole lives and grew up together from babies all the way to adulthood. Connected by the loss of their mothers (one by death, the other by abandonment) these two girls both understand and care for each other deeply. They are perfect foils to each other where Vernice tends to be more of a rational thinker while Annie often lets her emotions guide her. And even though they end up going on separate journeys as they enter adulthood, the girls keep their bond strong by keeping in touch via letters. It was really nice to see a friendship so strong that it couldn't be broken by either distance or differing life experiences (because they do end up living significantly different lives).
Although I'd consider the overarching tone of this novel to be more somber than anything else, it still has its bright moments and is overall a really nice read. Honestly it's just a very realistic story — after all, not everything in life goes correctly all the time. Jones did a great job with the story pacing as well as giving us fully fleshed-out characters that were easy to care about and therefore want to keep reading about.
In showing the girls at both their most fragile moments and their strongest moments, this ends up being a rather thought-provoking story that will probably sit with readers for awhile after they've finished. I would highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys character driven novels and literary fiction as a whole.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
A bit of a slow burn—in the best way possible—"A Slow and Secret Poison" is a novel where the title is a perfect fit for the story readers will find inside.
The story follows a woman named Vee as she begins her new job as a gardener at Harfold Manor—home of the now dwindled Lascy family. Vee initially applies, and accepts, the position without knowing anything about the family's history, but as she settles in she begins to uncover more knowledge about the family and the curse that the current family head, Arabella, fully believes has been placed upon her lineage.
Lowkis did a fantastic job with the pacing of this novel. We start off really taking the time to get to know all of the characters, their histories, and the setting in general—if anything it feels like a bit of a slice of life story at first. But as the novel progresses there are more and more quips and small details slipped in that suggest things might not all be as straightforward as they may seem. The plot itself slowly becomes poisoned with secrets, distrust, and paranoia as more and more of our character's stories are revealed.
This is one of those novels I probably could've devoured in one sitting if life hadn't gotten in the way! It was a smooth and easy read that captured my full attention from the very beginning. The characters felt like real people, the settings were perfectly descriptive, and the romance aspect was the perfect mix of being important to the plot while not completely overtaking the whole story. I really enjoyed my time with this novel and I'm honestly a little sad that it's already over!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Atria Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
A bit of a slow burn—in the best way possible—"A Slow and Secret Poison" is a novel where the title is a perfect fit for the story readers will find inside.
The story follows a woman named Vee as she begins her new job as a gardener at Harfold Manor—home of the now dwindled Lascy family. Vee initially applies, and accepts, the position without knowing anything about the family's history, but as she settles in she begins to uncover more knowledge about the family and the curse that the current family head, Arabella, fully believes has been placed upon her lineage.
Lowkis did a fantastic job with the pacing of this novel. We start off really taking the time to get to know all of the characters, their histories, and the setting in general—if anything it feels like a bit of a slice of life story at first. But as the novel progresses there are more and more quips and small details slipped in that suggest things might not all be as straightforward as they may seem. The plot itself slowly becomes poisoned with secrets, distrust, and paranoia as more and more of our character's stories are revealed.
This is one of those novels I probably could've devoured in one sitting if life hadn't gotten in the way! It was a smooth and easy read that captured my full attention from the very beginning. The characters felt like real people, the settings were perfectly descriptive, and the romance aspect was the perfect mix of being important to the plot while not completely overtaking the whole story. I really enjoyed my time with this novel and I'm honestly a little sad that it's already over!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Atria Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
A bit of a slow burn—in the best way possible—"A Slow and Secret Poison" is a novel where the title is a perfect fit for the story readers will find inside.
The story follows a woman named Vee as she begins her new job as a gardener at Harfold Manor—home of the now dwindled Lascy family. Vee initially applies, and accepts, the position without knowing anything about the family's history, but as she settles in she begins to uncover more knowledge about the family and the curse that the current family head, Arabella, fully believes has been placed upon her lineage.
Lowkis did a fantastic job with the pacing of this novel. We start off really taking the time to get to know all of the characters, their histories, and the setting in general—if anything it feels like a bit of a slice of life story at first. But as the novel progresses there are more and more quips and small details slipped in that suggest things might not all be as straightforward as they may seem. The plot itself slowly becomes poisoned with secrets, distrust, and paranoia as more and more of our character's stories are revealed.
This is one of those novels I probably could've devoured in one sitting if life hadn't gotten in the way! It was a smooth and easy read that captured my full attention from the very beginning. The characters felt like real people, the settings were perfectly descriptive, and the romance aspect was the perfect mix of being important to the plot while not completely overtaking the whole story. I really enjoyed my time with this novel and I'm honestly a little sad that it's already over!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Atria Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
A bit of a slow burn—in the best way possible—"A Slow and Secret Poison" is a novel where the title is a perfect fit for the story readers will find inside.
The story follows a woman named Vee as she begins her new job as a gardener at Harfold Manor—home of the now dwindled Lascy family. Vee initially applies, and accepts, the position without knowing anything about the family's history, but as she settles in she begins to uncover more knowledge about the family and the curse that the current family head, Arabella, fully believes has been placed upon her lineage.
Lowkis did a fantastic job with the pacing of this novel. We start off really taking the time to get to know all of the characters, their histories, and the setting in general—if anything it feels like a bit of a slice of life story at first. But as the novel progresses there are more and more quips and small details slipped in that suggest things might not all be as straightforward as they may seem. The plot itself slowly becomes poisoned with secrets, distrust, and paranoia as more and more of our character's stories are revealed.
This is one of those novels I probably could've devoured in one sitting if life hadn't gotten in the way! It was a smooth and easy read that captured my full attention from the very beginning. The characters felt like real people, the settings were perfectly descriptive, and the romance aspect was the perfect mix of being important to the plot while not completely overtaking the whole story. I really enjoyed my time with this novel and I'm honestly a little sad that it's already over!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Atria Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
This was one of those stories that ended up being deeper than it originally seemed like it would be. Starting off it feels more like it could be a potential mystery of the week kind of deal where we’ll be following along as DEUS — a government agency that helps keeps supernatural beings & events out of the public eye — tries to uncover the mystery behind a disappearing neighborhood. But as the story progresses, it really digs deeper into bigger themes of ethics, society, and community.
The good: - Satisfying character development. - A good mix of humorous antics as well as serious moments and concepts. - The idea of humans simply being too blind to notice gods and mythological beings living amongst in secret is definitely entertaining. - Lots of diversity amongst the Others - we get to see jinns, wyverns, necromancers, and more alongside some concepts that I believe are unique to this novel. (I found the idea behind the Gardeners especially interesting!) - I loved how the top secret government agency tasked with helping manage the Others is forced to deal with the same bureaucratic bs that the average human employee experiences.
The less good: - At times, it seemed like the prose started to ramble a bit and it did lose my attention here and there. Other times it felt like too much information too fast and I had to reread portions to fully take a new concept in. - It feels like the first half of the story was more plot focused, but towards the end the plot felt like it really took a backseat to the message that the book was trying to portray. So by the end, when the stakes should’ve been at the highest for our characters, it felt somewhat predictable and did not hold the same tension that the middle portions had.
Overall this was a nice read and, as a starting point for a new series, it did give us the foundations of the world and its rules while giving a good introduction to our main cast of characters. So even though I had a couple of problems with it, I’ll probably be keeping an eye out for the second book in the future to see how it plays out!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Orbit Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
This was one of those stories that ended up being deeper than it originally seemed like it would be. Starting off it feels more like it could be a potential mystery of the week kind of deal where we’ll be following along as DEUS — a government agency that helps keeps supernatural beings & events out of the public eye — tries to uncover the mystery behind a disappearing neighborhood. But as the story progresses, it really digs deeper into bigger themes of ethics, society, and community.
The good: - Satisfying character development. - A good mix of humorous antics as well as serious moments and concepts. - The idea of humans simply being too blind to notice gods and mythological beings living amongst in secret is definitely entertaining. - Lots of diversity amongst the Others - we get to see jinns, wyverns, necromancers, and more alongside some concepts that I believe are unique to this novel. (I found the idea behind the Gardeners especially interesting!) - I loved how the top secret government agency tasked with helping manage the Others is forced to deal with the same bureaucratic bs that the average human employee experiences.
The less good: - At times, it seemed like the prose started to ramble a bit and it did lose my attention here and there. Other times it felt like too much information too fast and I had to reread portions to fully take a new concept in. - It feels like the first half of the story was more plot focused, but towards the end the plot felt like it really took a backseat to the message that the book was trying to portray. So by the end, when the stakes should’ve been at the highest for our characters, it felt somewhat predictable and did not hold the same tension that the middle portions had.
Overall this was a nice read and, as a starting point for a new series, it did give us the foundations of the world and its rules while giving a good introduction to our main cast of characters. So even though I had a couple of problems with it, I’ll probably be keeping an eye out for the second book in the future to see how it plays out!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Orbit Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
Through "Year of the Mer," L. D. Lewis has crafted an engaging story that is both a dark re-imagining and a sequel to a well-loved fairy tale. This is not the story of The Little Mermaid that many of us grew up on, but a story of how the selfish choices of one Mer girl ended up causing strife and political unrest across multiple nations—both on land and in the sea—for many years to come.
Not only do we get to see how Arielle's descendants are living as a result of her decision to leave the sea to live as a human, but we also get a lot more insight into the character of the sea witch, Ursla, herself. Lewis has clearly put a lot of thought into this tale and has created a fascinating lore for the world itself as well as managing to give Ursla a proper backstory—something that I was especially interested in.
I found the pacing to be absolutely perfect here and I'm impressed at just how much story was packed into just 400 pages. Things do start off a little slow as we're introduced to the general setting, characters, and conflicts, but once the action kicks in, it really kicks in. I was personally happy to have had the slower start to really get myself oriented with the story and get some real insight into the character's personalities as well. (Also, this is only the first book of a planned duology, so we have plenty of time to see more action with book two!) The characters themselves were properly fleshed-out as well and each one really stood out as a unique person in the story. We really get to see their beliefs and ideals come through in the choices they make, as well how their interpersonal relationships occasionally make choosing the "right" path a bit of a struggle.
Overall, "Year of the Mer" was a riveting story packed with anger, trauma, revenge, and love—both familial and romantic. I'll probably be thinking about this one for a while still as I eagerly await the second book, because that ending especially has left me wanting more!
[Thank you to Saga Press for providing me with an advance review copy via NetGalley! I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.]
Through "Year of the Mer," L. D. Lewis has crafted an engaging story that is both a dark re-imagining and a sequel to a well-loved fairy tale. This is not the story of The Little Mermaid that many of us grew up on, but a story of how the selfish choices of one Mer girl ended up causing strife and political unrest across multiple nations—both on land and in the sea—for many years to come.
Not only do we get to see how Arielle's descendants are living as a result of her decision to leave the sea to live as a human, but we also get a lot more insight into the character of the sea witch, Ursla, herself. Lewis has clearly put a lot of thought into this tale and has created a fascinating lore for the world itself as well as managing to give Ursla a proper backstory—something that I was especially interested in.
I found the pacing to be absolutely perfect here and I'm impressed at just how much story was packed into just 400 pages. Things do start off a little slow as we're introduced to the general setting, characters, and conflicts, but once the action kicks in, it really kicks in. I was personally happy to have had the slower start to really get myself oriented with the story and get some real insight into the character's personalities as well. (Also, this is only the first book of a planned duology, so we have plenty of time to see more action with book two!) The characters themselves were properly fleshed-out as well and each one really stood out as a unique person in the story. We really get to see their beliefs and ideals come through in the choices they make, as well how their interpersonal relationships occasionally make choosing the "right" path a bit of a struggle.
Overall, "Year of the Mer" was a riveting story packed with anger, trauma, revenge, and love—both familial and romantic. I'll probably be thinking about this one for a while still as I eagerly await the second book, because that ending especially has left me wanting more!
[Thank you to Saga Press for providing me with an advance review copy via NetGalley! I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.]
A bit slow to start off, "Heap Earth Upon It" takes its time building up tension before throwing the reader right into the middle of what is both a family drama and a haunting tale of obsession. This is a story about a family that is trying to escape their past, even though none of them are actually ready to move on yet.
Starting off I wasn't sure if this was going to be very suited to my tastes, the slow start plus the more classical-styled prose made it a little hard for me to get into. But once things started to pick up around the midway point, my attention was definitely captured! Howarth does a good job of really building up a tense atmosphere around the O'Leary family that makes you wonder if you can really trust them or not. There are many POV shifts between the siblings in here, but each one lasts just long enough for you to get a good look at their—sometimes unsettling—motivations and emotions. And even though I had a general idea of where the story would probably end up, I was still pleasantly surprised by some of the turns that it took on the way there.
I would definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy the classics or even just gothic fiction readers in general!
(Thank you to Melville House for providing me with an advance review copy via NetGalley! I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.)
A bit slow to start off, "Heap Earth Upon It" takes its time building up tension before throwing the reader right into the middle of what is both a family drama and a haunting tale of obsession. This is a story about a family that is trying to escape their past, even though none of them are actually ready to move on yet.
Starting off I wasn't sure if this was going to be very suited to my tastes, the slow start plus the more classical-styled prose made it a little hard for me to get into. But once things started to pick up around the midway point, my attention was definitely captured! Howarth does a good job of really building up a tense atmosphere around the O'Leary family that makes you wonder if you can really trust them or not. There are many POV shifts between the siblings in here, but each one lasts just long enough for you to get a good look at their—sometimes unsettling—motivations and emotions. And even though I had a general idea of where the story would probably end up, I was still pleasantly surprised by some of the turns that it took on the way there.
I would definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy the classics or even just gothic fiction readers in general!
(Thank you to Melville House for providing me with an advance review copy via NetGalley! I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.)