Category: Book Review

Review: Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

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After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

I’ve wanted to read Mexican Gothic for such a long time, but sadly it let me down a bit. I wanted and expected this book to be similar to Rebecca, which I read last year and I really enjoyed. I loved the atmosphere and gothic mystery of `Rebecca, and in a way it was reflected in the story of Mexican Gothic.

The part of this book that didn’t surprise me at all is that it was so slow. I really found it difficult to motivate myself to pick this up, because the plot just didn’t seem to be moving. I broke this down to few pages a day as I was reading this as part of a buddy read, which definitely helped and I think I would have struggled to finish it if it wasn’t for that. Even reading 20-30 pages at a time felt like a slog.

The plot was really interesting but sadly didn’t carry much weight or tension for me. As the book continues, there was more intrigue and I was fascinated by how the house played a role in this story. However, parts of the plot were much darker than expected, and please check trigger warnings if you are going to check this one out.

The atmosphere was definitely my favourite part of the story, and was quite involving. When I found myself reading this one, I could lose myself in the pages only because of the atmosphere. Overall, there were aspects of this book I enjoyed, but there weren’t enough elements to really love the story, sadly.

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang

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Alice Sun has always felt invisible at her elite Beijing international boarding school, where she’s the only scholarship student among China’s most rich and influential teens. But then she starts uncontrollably turning invisible—actually invisible.
When her parents drop the news that they can no longer afford her tuition, even with the scholarship, Alice hatches a plan to monetize her strange new power—she’ll discover the scandalous secrets her classmates want to know, for a price.
But as the tasks escalate from petty scandals to actual crimes, Alice must decide if it’s worth losing her conscience—or even her life.

This book was sent to me by Harper Insider in exchange for an honest review – thank you!

I honestly enjoyed this book so much. I picked up the audiobook (Harper do some great audio!) and it gripped me from the start – I finished it in about 24 hours. The plot was so easy to get caught up in but also focused heavily on these little moments between the two main characters, who I ended up really liking.

The concept of this book was so fun and entertaining but considered some really heavy topics as well, especially as money was such a huge part of the story. It also discusses themes such as racism, class divide, poverty and inequality. There was so much of this book that felt considered and balanced against the entertainment factor.

And everything about this moment is so lovely and so fragile in its loveliness that I’m almost afraid to hold it. 

This had such an interesting magical realism element – although this book is set in the real world and feels like a contemporary, our main character does have the power of invisibility that adds a fantasy layer. I really liked how this was done and it felt really easy to read and easy to fall into as a story.

I liked both of the main characters, and their relationship between us which had an academic enemies to lovers trope. There was little moments between them which I really enjoyed reading, but the only disappointing part was that I didn’t always feel connected to the characters, it did feel intermittent depending on the scene.

Afraid that the spell will break.

Overall, this book was really enjoyable and the concept was so clever. It had such a unique storyline with some great characters and the audiobook was great too.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: Kingdom of the Feared (#3) by Kerri Maniscalco

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Emilia is reeling from the shocking discovery that her twin sister, Vittoria, is alive. But before she faces the demons of her past, Emilia yearns to claim her king, the seductive Prince of Wrath, in the flesh. Emilia doesn’t simply desire his body, she wants his heart and soul—but that’s something the enigmatic demon can’t promise her.
When a high-ranking member of House Greed is assassinated, Emilia and Wrath are drawn to the rival demon court. Damning evidence points to Vittoria as the murderer and she’s quickly declared an enemy of the Seven Circles. Despite her betrayal, Emilia will do anything to solve this new mystery and find out who her sister really is.
Together Emilia and Wrath play a sin-fueled game of deception as they work to stop the unrest that’s brewing between witches, demons, shape-shifters and the most treacherous foes of all: the Feared.
Emilia was warned that when it came to the Wicked nothing was as it seemed. But, have the true villains been much closer all along? When the truth is finally revealed, it just might end up costing Emilia her heart.

I’ve read a lot of Kerri Maniscalco’s books and I was really happy to read the 3rd and final book in this series soon after it was initially released. I’ve been following Emilia and Wrath through several worlds and mysterious plots, and we finish in the demon court.

The world has always been magical and well painted throughout this series. Maniscalco writes dark and mysterious fantasy worlds so well and I can still picture some of the scenes months after finishing this series. The world building is one of the biggest appeals for me, and I really wanted to pick up the book because of it.

I’ve had my qualms about Emilia and Wrath throughout this series, including the power dynamic between them that was heavily demonstrated in Kingdom of the Cursed (review here). Although there is definitely heat and tension between them, the sex was definitely in the forefront of this story, and I had mixed feelings about it.

There is no doubt that these books are full of sexual tension and smut, and I do enjoy these scenes for the most part. However, the smut has become heavier and more frequent as this series has gone on, and the balance was a little off by the end. I also couldn’t help but feel like the scenes could occasionally feel just a touch repetitive and lose their excitement.

I love the atmosphere and writing in this book, but did edge down my ratings a little because of the romance, as I couldn’t help but feel it took away from the plot. However, I still really enjoyed the conclusion to this enjoyable fantasy series.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: Mina and the Slayers (#2) by Amy McCaw

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NEW ORLEANS, 1995. MINA’S HAVING A KILLER HALLOWEEN.
Three months after Fang Fest, Mina’s settling into her new life.
Despite the teething problems in her relationship with Jared, she has her sister back, new friends and a part-time job to die for.
Over Halloween, Mina and the gang have planned a spooky week of Gothic restaurants, horror movies, ghostly tours, creepy carnivals and a costume ball.
But the fun doesn’t last. Mina is on work experience with Detective Cafferty while the police are investigating a savage masked killer and a rise in suspicious ‘animal attacks’.
During her own investigations, Mina discovers a mysterious group of slayers, who are battling to control the rogue vampires.
The threats circle closer as Mina spends her days with the police and nights with the slayers.
Will she and her friends survive Halloween without being staked, stabbed or bitten?

I was so excited to dive back into the story of Mina and the gang and see what the next steps were for them. In the first book, Mina and the Undead, we follow Mina as she finds herself in New Orleans and in a world of vampires.

I wasn’t sure where the story would go after the first book, but I was really intrigued in the continuation of Mina’s story from the very start of the second instalment. We rejoin the cast of characters in October, which felt perfect for the plot and added to the ambience and atmosphere of New Orleans.

One of my favourite parts of returning to these characters was how familiar they already felt – and the found family aspect of the first book has definitely continued in to the second. Knowing some of the relationships between the characters meant we could delve deeper into their dynamics.

This book is longer than the first one, but still kept me hooked until the very end and had such an interesting plot line. I also, once again, really loved all of the 80s and 90s references to music and movies!

I’m looking forward to the newly announced 3rd instalment in the series, Mina and the Cult!

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

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In the dark, gothic town of Wickdon, Maggie Welty lives in an old creaking manor. Maggie’s mother is an alchemist who has recently left town, leaving Maggie with just her bloodhound for company. But when Maggie spots a legendary ancient fox-creature on her porch, her fate is changed forever. Whoever tracks down and kills the hala in the Halfmoon Hunt will earn fame and riches – and if Maggie wins the hunt, she knows her mother will want to celebrate her. This is her chance to bring her home.
But the rules state that only teams of two can join the hunt, and while Maggie is known as the best sharpshooter in town, she needs an alchemist.
Enter Wes Winters. He isn’t an alchemist … yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he’s landed, this is his last chance.
Maggie and Wes make an unlikely team – a charismatic but troubled boy, and a girl who has endured life on the outskirts of a town that never welcomed her. But as the hunt takes over, the pair are drawn together as they uncover a darker magic that may put everything they hold dear in peril…

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I listened to the audiobook mostly, diving in at the end of the physical version, and I really enjoyed the experience. This one captured my attention from the start with brilliant world-building, a stunning atmosphere and beautiful writing. I listened to around half of this book driving across the English and Welsh countryside on a long drive, and it was the perfect autumnal setting to settle into this story.

I really loved the romance, which was very slow burn and a lot of lusting, but was written so well that I couldn’t help but fall for these two and really root for their relationship. There was also several different family dynamics explored, and I really liked reading about Wes’ relationship with his sisters, and Maggie’s life spent largely alone.

When she looks like this, flushed and hazy and haloed by the moon,

The fantasy aspect of this book was well done and gave another layer to the story, but was incredibly complex. If I had a slight complaint about this one, it felt like the fantasy elements were over complicated in places and the space could have been used to discuss the side characters in more depth, which frequently appeared but were sometimes not fully integrated in the story in my opinion.

I did, however, really enjoy the discussions of Irish folklore and culture, and although I cannot personally speak about the Irish Catholic and Jewish rep, I have read several other reviews discussing their positive feelings towards the representation. I also really liked the alchemy aspect, but it feels like it could have been explored in more depth. The time period and setting was largely ambiguous which I didn’t particularly mind but I can understand why it might bug some people as it was difficult to pinpoint!

he truly can believe God exists, and her name is Margaret Welty.

Overall, there was so much to love about this book, which had a delicious romance, an atmospheric setting, and beautiful writing. Although I had a few small criticisms, I’d recommend it!

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: Once Upon a Fever by Angharad Walker

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Since the world fell sick with fantastical illnesses, sisters Payton and Ani have grown up in the hospital of King Jude’s.
Payton wants to be a methic like her father, working on a cure for her mother’s sleeping fever. Ani, however, thinks the remedy for all illness might be found in the green wilderness beyond the hospital walls.
When Ani stumbles upon an imprisoned boy who turns everything he touches to gold, her world is turned upside-down. The girls find themselves outside the hospital for the first time, a dark mystery unravelling …

I listened to the audiobook of this one and it was such an immersive and fantastical world! I loved the way this used slightly different language that had a more classical feeling. It didn’t feel overly complex and still felt familiar enough to the reader but gave a different level to the story.

The plot definitely kept me hooked and I was intrigued to see where the story was going for both of the sisters. Talking of the two sisters, they made for great main characters, but my biggest gripe with this one was that I never felt particularly close to either of the sisters. Although I rooted for their stories, I didn’t find them particularly memorable or remarkable.

I was a little concerned reading about a pandemic in our current situation, but this one does have enough a fantasy feeling to distance ourself from the world, while feeling relevant and current. It does also face some other difficult topics that felt a little older than the 9-12 age range I would categorise it at, and would be good as a transitional read into younger teen books.

Overall, I really liked the world-building and the visualisation of the fantasy world was definitely the best thing for me. This wasn’t perfect, but was still enjoyable and I really liked the audiobook!

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: Thieves by Lucie Bryon

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Ella can’t seem to remember a single thing from the party the night before at a mysterious stranger’s mansion, and she sure as heck doesn’t know why she’s woken up in her bed surrounded by a magpie’s nest of objects that aren’t her own. And she can’t stop thinking about her huge crush on Madeleine, who she definitely can’t tell about her sudden penchant for kleptomania… But does Maddy have secrets of her own? Can they piece together that night between them and fix the mess of their chaotic personal lives in time to form a normal, teenage relationship? That would be nice.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

As soon as I saw this graphic novel, I knew I wanted to pick it up. The art style looked adorable, and once I noticed it had been blurbed by Alice Oseman and Tillie Walden, I knew I had to add it to my tbr. This one didn’t let me down, and I ended up reading it in one sitting and absolutely loving it. We follow two girls at the start of a relationship, with one of them finding out the other steals trinkets from houses she visits. The book then follows the two girls returning these items to their owners, in the sweetest ways. The friendship group as a whole was also adorable.

I loved the art style of this book and the colours were just gorgeous. Each panel was gorgeous and the colours were so soft and gave the book such a distinct identity.

The story itself was so inventive and felt really original, with my only slight criticism being I didn’t always completely understand the motives behind the thieving in the first place, although I liked the way the topic was explored throughout. Overall, I’d highly recommend this one and I really enjoyed it!

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Carvalho

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Lari Ramires has always known this to be true. In Olinda, Brazil, her family’s bakery, Salt, has been at war with the Molinas’ bakery across the street, Sugar, for generations. But Lari’s world turns upside down when her beloved grandmother passes away. On top of that, a big supermarket chain has moved to town, forcing many of the small businesses to close.
Determined to protect her home, Lari does the unthinkable—she works together with Pedro Molina to save both of their bakeries. Lari realizes she might not know Pedro as well as she thought—and she maybe even likes what she learns—but the question remains: Can a Ramires and a Molina truly trust one another?

Thank you to Harper Collins for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It was an absolutely adorable romance with so many discussions of food and Romeo and Juliet inspired elements. It reminded me a lot of A Pho Love Story, which I read last year and really loved.

I expected this to be from multiple POV, but it was actually just from Lari’s POV, which I still think worked really well. The feud between the two families gave the book a whole other layer but I also enjoyed the discussions of independent businesses and bakeries that reminded me of Last Chance Books.

I always love when books include food, as it really makes me feel closer to the story (and made me feel hungry too!). The two characters were really likeable and I also really liked that this one was set in Brazil (somewhere outside of the US or the UK is always refreshing!).

The romance was so sweet and there was so many layers to the story. I feel like I could have connected to the characters ever so slightly more, but that’s a very small complaint considering how much I enjoyed reading Salt and Sugar.

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: The Balloon Thief (#1) by Aneesa Marufu

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For Khadija, the only escape from her father’s arranged betrothal is the sky. When she spots a rogue hot air balloon fighting against its ropes, she leaps at the chance for adventure.
Khadija soon finds an unlikely ally in a poor glassmaker’s apprentice, Jacob. But Jacob is a hāri, and Khadija a Ghadaean.
The hāri are oppressed and restless―their infamous terrorist group, the Hāreef, have a new fearsome leader. And the ruling Ghadaeans are brutal in their repression. Soon, a deadly revolution threatens their friendship and their world. The Hāreef use forbidden magic, summoning jinn―wicked spirits made of fire―to enact their revenge, forcing Jacob and Khadija to choose what kind of a world they want to save… 

Thank you to Chicken House for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book drew me in from the very first page, and I really loved the concept and focus on hot air balloons. It was such a unique idea and I love how the world building centred around the balloons from the very start.

I listened to the audiobook, which at the start of the book really drew me in and I enjoyed Khadija’s chapters a lot. The concept of her escaping her possessive and controlling father gave an added layer to the story that felt really important and well written. We also had a POV of Jacob, a Hari, who were looked down upon by society.

The unlikely friendship struck between these two meant the prejudices and divergences between the two characters were faced head on and discussed throughout the book. I really enjoyed seeing the divisions dissolve between the two main characters and this felt like an important theme.

However, this book did start to let me down in the second half, as more and more started to happen. We went from a story focusing on family, friendship and prejudice, to a highly complex world including terrorism, Jinn, protests, attacks and dark magic. There was an introduction of a large amount of characters that left me feeling confused and struggling to focus on the story.

Overall, this book started so strong and I really loved the concept throughout, but lost me as it became overly complex and seemed to drift away from the original plot and point to the story. A solid debut with great world building, but I most likely won’t be continuing with the series.

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: Demon in the Wood (Grishaverse #0) by Leigh Bardugo and Dani Pendergast

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Before he led Ravka’s Second Army, before he created the Fold, and long before he became the Darkling, he was just a lonely boy burdened by an extraordinary power.
Eryk and his mother, Lena, have spent their lives on the run. But they will never find a safe haven. They are not only Grisha—they are the deadliest and rarest of their kind. Feared by those who wish to destroy them and hunted by those who would exploit their gifts, they must hide their true abilities wherever they go. But sometimes deadly secrets have a way of revealing themselves…

It’s no secret that I love the Grishaverse. Six of Crows is one of my favourite series of all time with some of my favourite characters of all time, but I also love the wider Grishaverse including Shadow and Bone and the Netflix series.

As far as I’m aware, this graphic novel expands on a previously published short story of the Darkling’s origin, and if I remember rightly this was also shown in the Netflix series at the start of the penultimate episode.

I honestly had no idea how much I needed this book exactly when it arrived. I’ve been struggling to pick up books in the past couple of weeks, but this was perfect, it was exactly the right amount of focus I could comfortably give to a book. I flicked through this in one sitting while also listening to music, and I fell in love with it.

The artwork is beautiful and Dani Pendergast has given such a brilliant atmosphere to this story. The colours are subtle but work so well and gives the book such a consistent feel too. Leigh crafts yet another amazing tale that I really enjoyed delving into, and I loved being back in this world so much, even if it was just for a taste.

If you’re a Grishaverse fan, I would really recommend picking this one up. It was so beautifully composed and felt familiar, yet added a new layer to the universe and story.

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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