Category: Book Review

Review: The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.
In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It’s wild and volatile, and the price of her magic―losing the ones she loves―is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.
In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she’s the only one who can make a difference.
In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she’s terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.
In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves… before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos.

I was hoping to save this one for Halloween/October time, but I was running out of standalones to read on Scirbd, so I made the decision to pick it up now. And as this book is so focused on all seasons, I actually don’t think there is a perfect time to pick it up anymore, everything works!

I really like the premise of this book and I can see why it became so popular so quickly. I enjoyed the elemental magic and the idea of climate change affecting the witches magic felt very important and relevant. I did read this one as an audiobook but it flew by and I feel like I would have read it super quickly if I’d have picked up the physical version.

But I like winter. Winter is the truest of the seasons. It’s what remains after everything else is stripped away. The leaves fall. The colors fade. The branches get brittle.

I liked the idea of Clara having this inner turmoil and it gave a solid plot for the story, but I can also see why some readers think she is a little annoying. Her naivety made her seem like a very young narrator and that, along with the romance, echoed Twilight era books for me. I managed to overlook this most of the time, but I think it’s worth considering if you’re going into this one.

I liked the love interest and the romance, and I feel like it made the book easy to like. The fantasy system was unique and I liked seeing the changing of the seasons, with snippets from another book throughout. It was such an easygoing fantasy that felt very approachable and easy to read.

And if you can love the earth, understand it when all the beauty is gone and see it for what it is, that’s magic.

Overall, this book isn’t without it’s problems but was very easy to like and I can see why it’s so popular! I’d definitely recommend it if you think you can overlook the younger tone.

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: Message Not Found by Dante Medema

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Bailey and Vanessa shared everything: laughter, secrets, and packets of Pop Rocks to ward off bad days. But that all changed the night Vanessa left Bailey’s, headed for home, and ended up swerving off a cliff nowhere near her house. Now Bailey, who thought she knew Vanessa better than anyone in the world, is left with a million unanswered questions, and the only person with answers is gone.
To help grieve her loss, Bailey creates a chat bot of Vanessa using years’ worth of their shared text messages and emails. The more data she uploads to the bot, the more it feels like she’s really talking to her best friend. That is, until the bot starts dropping hints that there was more going on with Vanessa than Bailey realized–a secret so big, it may have contributed to Vanessa’s death.

Thank you to Harper 360 for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a feeling I’d really enjoy this book, and I wasn’t wrong. It was such an interesting mix of contemporary, romance and thriller, and I couldn’t put it down. The chapters were super short and lead me to flick through the pages so quickly, I just wanted to find out where the story was going.

I really liked Bailey as a main character and her experience of grief felt real and visceral to me – although I can’t be a judge of this personally having never lost anybody as close to me as Vanessa was to Bailey. The idea of Bailey finding out what happened to Vanessa after she died, through a chat bot, was so fascinating to me and I knew I’d want to pick this up.

I did really like the aspect of the book focusing on the chat-bot, although I have to admit that I initially thought this would be much more of a thriller than a darker contemporary. I wish I’d have realised before going in that this one would be much slower, sadder and more visceral than the thriller I expected. The chat bot didn’t necessarily reveal things itself, but rather prompted Bailey to question those around her and her surroundings, which in turn revealed things about Bailey’s death.

There were a lot of underlying aspects about this book that I really enjoyed – and seeing Bailey learn more about herself throughout the book was lovely to see. There was also some great diverse rep throughout the book, and some mentions of a pin-badge that reminded me of my favourite book, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue.

I’d definitely recommend this one, just keep in mind it might be more of a heavy contemporary with thriller/mystery elements than a straight up thriller.

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Upon the cliffs of a remote Scottish island, Lòn Haven, stands a lighthouse.
A lighthouse that has weathered more than storms.
Mysterious and terrible events have happened on this island. It started with a witch hunt. Now, centuries later, islanders are vanishing without explanation.
Coincidence? Or curse?
Liv Stay flees to the island with her three daughters, in search of a home. She doesn’t believe in witches, or dark omens, or hauntings. But within months, her daughter Luna will be the only one of them left.
Twenty years later, Luna is drawn back to the place her family vanished. As the last sister left, it’s up to her to find out the truth . . .

It kind of felt like the wrong time of year to read this one, I’d have liked to have picked it up closer to Halloween if I’m honest. But I ended up picking up this one as audiobook and I really enjoyed it. I actually think, having read the final 30 pages in physical format, that the audiobook was a more accessible way to pick this up. Having a whole cast of narrators was just great for this book, as it kept the chapters distinct and easy to follow.

The haunting tale of this book was woven throughout time, and kept me interested throughout. Told between 1998 and 2021 across multiple narrators, I can see this one being impossible to put down if I’d read it physically. There’s a lot of historical references and background which I enjoyed seeing throughout the story, too.

We form stories about our lives to create meaning out of them—without meaning, they feel shapeless and without purpose.

The characters were easy to sympathise with and I enjoyed the different viewpoints of the mother and sisters, which built on my love for the family aspects. The island setting of this book was haunting and felt just perfect for the story. It was full of atmosphere and I could picture the island well, which I always appreciate from an auidobook.

I was trying to work out the secrets of this book and work out where it was going, and I honestly don’t think I’d have guessed the ending. It was a bittersweet ending which I actually really liked, as I was a little hesitant about how it would end. My only complaint would be some of the details of this book were sometimes a little far-fetched or worked out a bit too conveniently.

When something lies beyond the realm of meaning, it’s terrifying.

Overall, this was really enjoyable read and I’d definitely recommend the audiobook if you think you’d like to read it! I’d also recommend reading it around Halloween if you can.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: Lulu and Milagro’s Search for Clarity by Angela Velez

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Overachiever Luz “Lulu” Zavala has straight As, perfect attendance, and a solid ten-year plan. First up: nail her interview for a dream internship at Stanford, the last stop on her school’s cross-country college road trip. The only flaw in her plan is Clara, her oldest sister, who went off to college and sparked a massive fight with their overprotective Peruvian mom, who is now convinced that out-of-state-college will destroy their family. If Lulu can’t fix whatever went wrong between them, the whole trip—and her future—will be a waste.
Middle sister Milagro wants nothing to do with college, or a nerdy class field trip. Then a spot opens up on the trip just as her own Spring Break plans (Operation: Lose Your Virginity) are thwarted, and she hops on the bus with her glittery lipsticks, more concerned about getting back at her ex than she is about schools or any family drama. But the trip opens her eyes about possibilities she’d never imagined for herself. Maybe she is more than the boy-crazy girl everyone seems to think she is.
On a journey from Baltimore all the way to San Francisco, Lulu and Milagro will become begrudging partners as they unpack weighty family expectations, uncover Clara’s secrets, and maybe even discover the true meaning of sisterhood.

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

I listened to this one on audiobook and it’s a great quick read for summer! The audiobook was really enjoyable despite the narrator for one of the sisters (I forget which!) being a little annoying in my opinion, but I got used to it quickly. I liked the sisters and their relationship, which felt realistic and was interesting to see change throughout the book.

I liked the road-trip/travel aspect of the book which made it feel quite summery and fun to follow. It also gave the book a clear plot, which was quick and easy to read. The ending was definitely predictable but I also rooted for the characters, so I didn’t mind too much.

The two main characters were distinct which I liked but had similarities too – I related a lot more to Lulu than Milagro but both were enjoyable to read in their own ways. The side characters were distinctly under-developed though, and I don’t really remember anything about them a week after finishing reading.

This book was enjoyable enough but didn’t blow me away, and would have been much more enjoyable for me as a younger reader. But it was a fun and summery read!

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: Tidesong by Wendy Xu

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads

Sophie is a young witch whose mother and grandmother pressure her to attend the Royal Magic Academy—the best magic school in the realm—even though her magic is shaky at best. To train for her entrance exams, Sophie is sent to relatives she’s never met.
Cousin Sage and Great-Aunt Lan seem more interested in giving Sophie chores than in teaching her magic. Frustrated, Sophie attempts magic on her own, but the spell goes wrong, and she accidentally entangles her magic with the magic of a young water dragon named Lir.
Lir is trapped on land and can’t remember where he came from. Even so, he’s everything Sophie isn’t—beloved by Sophie’s family and skilled at magic. With his help, Sophie might just ace her entrance exams, but that means standing in the way of Lir’s attempts to regain his memories. Sophie knows what she’s doing is wrong, but without Lir’s help, can she prove herself?

Inspired by East Aisan Culture, Tidesong is a graphic novel with Studio Ghibli undertones, following Sophie, a young witch who struggles with both her magic and making friends. Sent to live with her cousin and great aunt, Sophie is given more chores than magic lessons. She attempts to perform magic on her own, but becomes entangled in a world of underwater magic, shapeshifting and dragons. As Sophie attempts to improve her magic skills, she also challenges expectations from family and friends.

The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, depicting a cosy seaside town with a vibrant, striking colour palette. Sophie is a headstrong 12 year old girl who struggles with anxiety, and this is visualised throughout the story in separate thought bubbles. The story feels somewhat familiar and comfortable, but has a complex magical plot which is foreshadowed by a section of mythology at the start of the novel. Due to the target audience being younger readers aged 9-12, the mythology could be a little confusing and hard to follow, and requires a considerable amount of backstory for a short story presented in a graphic novel format.

In such a brief space, the story manages to weave together a heartwarming relationship between Sophie and her newfound family and friends, including Lir, a shapeshifting water dragon who is trapped on land due to Sophie’s backfiring magic. The character development can sometimes feel a little rushed, with the balance difficult to strike in such few words. Sophie herself struggles with anxiety and this is reflected in the way she is treated by her parents. The separate thought bubbles to show her anxious thoughts were striking and relatable to the reader.

Tidesong will be perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli, with a beautiful, whimsical and magical feeling similar to Kiki’s Delivery Service. Although aimed at a young audience, the book could be suitable and enjoyable for all ages. The font is legible and created from the author’s own handwriting. The story was heartwarming with a beautiful moral about friendship, family and self-acceptance.

★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: Endgame (#6) by Malorie Blackman

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

The first Nought Prime Minister, Tobey Durbridge, is about to go on trial for the murder of notorious ganglord, Dan Jeavons. Tobey insists he is being framed.
There were ten seats at Dan’s dinner party the night he was killed and each guest had their own reasons for wishing him dead.
Sephy Hadley was one of the guests that night. Haunted by the idea that she didn’t do enough to stop the death of her first love, Callum McGregor, Sephy will not sit quietly and wait for accusations to fall on her now. She has her children to protect.

After reading and really enjoying the 5th book in this series, Crossfire (review here!), I definitely had high expectations for the 6th and final book. Although I did enjoy this one, it sadly didn’t quite meet my enjoyment of Crossfire.

We start this book exactly where Crossfire left off, with tensions running high and politics at the forefront. At the end of the last book in this series, I was in disbelief at how long Blackman had managed to keep particular storylines running without it feeling boring or like it was dragging on too long. This book is almost 500 pages, but like the others in the series, it was super easy to read and really enjoyable.

I didn’t quite fly through this one like I did Crossfire, but I could have read it a lot quicker if I had the time to pick it up a bit more. I read the last 200 pages in around a day, and I liked the short chapters to keep the story going. I liked the characters, but there were some aspects of this book where I felt like I should have felt more emotional than I was.

I also feel like there was just so much going on in this book, and I struggled to follow every aspect of the story by the end without thinking about all of their characters and their motivations. I also feel like it did stop us from seeing a large amount of character development, which may have been why I didn’t feel such a connection to them.

The way racism is weaved throughout these books is so cleverly done, and I admire how there are aspects of this book that reflected events of even the past few years. It shows how prevalent racism still is in our society over 20 years after the original Noughts & Crosses was published, which is both shocking and sad.

I will always admire Malorie Blackman and the world she has created within this series. I’m so glad I’ve read all of the books and followed Sephy through her journey.

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: The Dragon Republic (#2) by R.F. Kuang

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

The war is over.
The war has just begun.
Three times throughout its history, Nikan has fought for its survival in the bloody Poppy Wars. Though the third battle has just ended, shaman and warrior Rin cannot forget the atrocity she committed to save her people. Now she is on the run from her guilt, the opium addiction that holds her like a vise, and the murderous commands of the fiery Phoenix—the vengeful god who has blessed Rin with her fearsome power.
Though she does not want to live, she refuses to die until she avenges the traitorous Empress who betrayed Rin’s homeland to its enemies. Rin’s only hope is to join forces with the powerful Dragon Warlord, who plots to conquer Nikan, unseat the Empress, and create a new republic.
But the Empress and the Dragon Warlord are not what they seem. The more Rin witnesses, the more she fears her love for Nikan will force her to use the Phoenix’s deadly power once more.
Because there is nothing Rin won’t sacrifice to save her country . . . and exact her vengeance. 

This series has been such a rollercoaster for me so far. I went in expecting this one to be a political high fantasy full of war and conflict, but the start of the first book began in a very different way. This series began with Rin moving to a magical academy in the north of her country, and I really loved the premise it presented. The initial day-to-day narrative of Rin’s life in the academy really drew me into the story, and I honestly thought the book could have ended up as a 5 star read.

Sadly, as the story went on, I realised that the war narrative I expected would come back. After the first part of the book, it became much closer to what I was expecting before I went into the story. There are definitely some content warnings across this series for violence, sexual assault, gore, genocide and more, so please go into these books with care!

Between us, we have the fire and the water.

The second book, The Dragon Republic, starts from where we left off at the end of the first book. The story continues with the war, conflict and political battles of the first. Although I find this interesting, and it’s what I expected from the series, I definitely wanted to be back in the initial phases of this story.

I’ve read the first few books on audio, and I’ll definitely be picking up the last one as an audio version too. I find it much more accessible to listen to than read, and it helps with the pronunciations of names and places too! If you’re going into this series, I’d recommend trying out the audiobook if it appeals to you.

I’m quite sure that together, we can take on the wind.

Overall, I will be finishing this series but I am constantly hoping we’ll be going back to a more day-to-day narrative about Rin’s life, which I unfortunately don’t think we’ll see again. But I’ll hold out for the glimmers of the kind of narrative I loved in the first book!

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: The Last Firefox by Lee Newbury

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Between bullies at school and changes at home, Charlie Challinor finds life a bit scary. And when he’s made guardian of a furry fox cub called Cadno, things get a whole lot scarier.
Because Cadno isn’t just any fox: he’s a firefox – the only one of his kind – and a sinister hunter from another world is on his trail.
Swept up into an unexpected adventure to protect his flammable friend, Charlie’s going to need to find the bravery he never thought he had, if he’s going to save the last firefox . . .

This book was everything I love about middle grade – a delightful adventure story full of family, friendship, and an animal companion! Charlie is exploring the castle in his town when he comes across a hidden doorway, and is given a firefox to take care of and protect from the world beyond the door.

Charlie has to hide the magical fox from his parents, as his dad is a firefighter and would freak out if he found a fiery animal in the house! While trying to care for the fox, who he names Cadno, he is also trying to protect him from a sinister monster from the world beyond the door.

There was so many amazing aspects to this book that I loved so much. I read it in just a few sittings because it kept me gripped and was beautifully illustrated with drawings by Laura Catalan. Charlie was bullied throughout this story and he was supported by his two friends, Roo and Lippy. I loved seeing Charlie grow throughout this story with the support and help from his friends, family and his little firefox.

The Queer rep in this book was so lovely, Charlie had two dads and it’s just part of his everyday life. This was hardly discussed throughout the story and was just normal. I loved it. And obviously, the best part of this book has to be Cadno. I want a firefox please! He was so cute and was such a lovely and genuine way of moving the plot forward.

I’d highly recommend this one to anyone of any age, and I can’t wait to recommend it to kids at work throughout the month! I’m really happy to say this is the Waterstones children’s book of the month for March.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Helen has it all…
Daniel is the perfect husband.
Rory is the perfect brother.
Serena is the perfect sister-in-law.
And Rachel? Rachel is the perfect nightmare.
When Helen, finally pregnant after years of tragedy, attends her first antenatal class, she is expecting her loving architect husband to arrive soon after, along with her confident, charming brother Rory and his pregnant wife, the effortlessly beautiful Serena. What she is not expecting is Rachel.
Extroverted, brash, unsettling single mother-to-be Rachel, who just wants to be Helen’s friend. Who just wants to get know Helen and her friends and her family. Who just wants to know everything about them. Every little secret…

I don’t read that many thrillers, but this one really gripped me from the first page. With short chapters from many points of view and no one to be trusted, I couldn’t put it down. This book is set in Greenwich, which appealed to me as a place I’ve been a number of times and I could picture the setting quite well.

One of my main hesitations going into this book was about the characters – I often find that I can’t connect with a thriller because of all of the characters being unlikeable (this happened with The Guest List by Lucy Foley). But even though I wouldn’t say any of the characters are particuarly likeable in this book, they’re difficult to hate and I sympathised a lot with Helen, the main character.

Trying to work out where it all began, where it all started going wrong.

The plot was wild and thrilling, keeping me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. The more I read of this book, the more I found myself drawn into the pages, not wanting to put it down until I’d found out what was going on. I kept thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it, just waiting until I could pick it up again. Although I had my suspicions, I never guessed where this was going to go and was definitely surprised by the intricacy of the plot twists!

Despite having more than one point of view, I followed the story easily and didn’t particularly enjoy one more than the other. I liked the balance of the perspectives and the short chapters meant I just wanted to read one (or five!) more before I put the book down. The ending felt a little flat, but it kind of felt like any ending would after the amount of lead-up and tension we had throughout the rest of the story.

And I suppose the real answer is it started years before you could have ever imagined it did.

Overall, I enjoyed this one so much more than expected, and I’m really glad I picked it up. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who loves a thriller, or doesn’t read many but is drawn to the story, like me!

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: Like a Charm by Elle McNicoll

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Edinburgh is a city filled with magical creatures. No one can see them… until Ramya Knox.
As she is pulled into her family’s world of secrets and spells, Ramya sets out to discover the truth behind the Hidden Folk with only three words of warning from her grandfather: Beware the Sirens.
Plunged into an adventure that will change everything, Ramya is about to learn that there is more to her powers than she ever imagined.

Like a Charm is the third book by the author of A Kind of Spark and Show Us Who You Are, both books I’ve read and really enjoyed. Elle McNicoll enters into fantasy with this book, with a magical realism story set in Edinburgh. There was a great balance of the real city and magical elements, making it very accessible and easy to read.

All of Elle’s books have great representation, and this one was no different. Our main character, Ramya, had dyspraxia, and this was discussed throughout her story. Not only will this allow so many neurodivergent children to see themselves reflected in it’s pages, but other children will build a greater understanding of those around them.

Ramya was a great strong female main character, and I love that all of Elle’s books have female main characters to provide role models for young people. The way the characters are discussed and the magical beings are used to discuss our differences and similarities was so well done.

This one was a really enjoyable middle grade and I’ll definitely be recommending it, but sadly I didn’t feel myself quite as addicted to it as I was with A Kind of Spark and Show Us Who You Are. It was still a super entertaining read and gave me goosebumps at the end, but A Kind of Spark still holds the top spot for me of Elle’s books.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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