Natasha

3.5 stars. This was a fun, occasionally spooky, retelling of the 12 dancing princesses. It was gripping and easy to read. I only had two issues with it.

1) The Romance - yuck (but then again, I'm not a fan of romance and I'm not the intended audience for this book - I am sure my 15 year old self would've swooned over the stolen kisses and declarations of love.... but as an adult... just no)

2) The Horror - It wasn't dark enough for me. There were some amazing, spine-tingling scenes, but overall it didn't terrify me the way I expected. Once again - could this be because it is a YA book? Probably.

But the positives outweigh these minor gripes. It takes you on a journey filled with Gods and Monsters, ghosts and murder, secrets and love. Suspend your disbelief and have fun!

4.5 stars. Well this was creepy AF. After the opening pages I almost gave up because the murders were so gruesome and disturbing (trigger warnings for almost everything!). But I bravely kept going and was rewarded with a dark scandi noir, decently developed characters and a plot that kept me hooked ( and freaked out all the damn time). Dolls are ALWAYS scary. ALWAYS.

Blugh! I rolled my eyes a lot through this.

This is the third Ruth Ware book I've read, and I think I can say now that she is one of my favourite Mystery / Thriller writers. While her plot may not live up to everyone's expectations, her writing is effortless. Looking forward to reading her next two now.

Oh, it all ended neatly packaged in a cute little bow, but it was fun and kept me on my toes. I do so love a ‘locked room' mystery.

An easy read with fun twists and turns. Looking forward to The Netflix series.

Nope. Not for me. I appreciate the use of language and myth retelling, but it all felt a bit pretentious.

I adored this book. Poetic, thrilling, heartwarming and strange. My heart was quickening, my eyes were brimming. Lanny is an absolute joy and my favourite of the Booker list so far. Just spectacular.

4.5 stars. This went in a completely different direction to what I expected. And it was all the better for it.

4.5 stars. I listened to this on audiobook- and Stephen Fry is an absolute delight. I was giggling and guffawing and generally having such a good time I didn't even realise I was learning something. Bravo Sir.

This was an uncomfortable and very disturbing read for me - I had nightmares about flora and fauna

I really enjoyed this. It had everything I was in the mood for. A creepy old house, family secrets and a wonderful Mrs-Danvers-esque housekeeper.

I do love a ‘locked-room' who dunnit. And this one kept me guessing til the very end.

Like a roller coaster: it started on a high but it was all downhill from there.

4.5stars. I don't like fantasy. Turns out, I like fantasy.

4.5 stars. Surprisingly, I enjoyed these short stories. Dark and wry and funny. Just goes to show that a Goodreads rating (3.3) should not dictate my TBR pile.

4.5 stars

About half way through this book I was so disappointed. It was fun and frivolous, but lacked the substance of the divine “Signature of All Things”. It's only in the latter half of the novel that anything truly meaningful happens. But when it does, it is touching and heartfelt. It takes it's sweet time getting there, but in the end City of Girls delivers the substance with the style.

Dark and moody. It took me places I didn't expect to go and made me feel all the feelings. I'm looking forward to seeing what this author does next.

This is a special book. Both heartwarming and shocking, with characters you will want desperately in your life. Do yourself a favour and read it!

Great holiday read

3.5 stars

So now I am fired up! And angry! I'm angry that for centuries our patriarchal system has been oppressing and undermining women. And I'm angry that when said women did not conform to societal expectations, they were labelled as ‘delicate', ‘mad' or in this case ‘WITCH!' This is a deeply unsettling and atmospheric read, made all the more appalling because it is based on true events in Essex and Sussex in the 1600's. Matthew Hopkins is a true psychopath and misogynist and is one of the most detestable characters I have had the displeasure to meet in years. The hypocrisy and injustice of this world just made me once again recognise the continued and continuous ‘witch hunts' that go in today's society. Drops micsmashes everything

3.5 stars. It was sweet.

DNF - yawn