Experience the propulsive love story of two Greek gods—Hades and Persephone—brought to life with lavish artwork and an irresistible contemporary voice. Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love—witness what the gods do after dark in this stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of mythology’s most well-known stories from creator Rachel Smythe. Featuring a brand-new, exclusive short story, Smythe’s original Eisner-nominated web-comic Lore Olympus brings the Greek Pantheon into the modern age with this sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.
This review is for Volumes 1-4 of Lore Olympus. I’ve read volumes 1 and 2 before, but it was my first time reading volumes 3 and 4. I decided to pick up all of these in one day, and it was such fun to be able to immerse myself fully into this world and story.
I love the artwork in these graphic novels and the colour palette is absolutely beautiful. I also appreciate and enjoy how all of the characters have a different colour theme, and it does change how each volume is presented. Having not a lot of previous knowledge of the Greek Gods, I do find these quite accessible and the idea of this being a story of the Greek Gods ‘after dark’ is such a fun idea.
However, my main criticism of these books, especially volume 4, is that I feel like the focus is sometimes lost. These books are mainly meant to be about Hades and Persephone, and I really wanted more of their relationship and sexual tension in the later volumes, 3 and 4. I hope we get more focus on them as the volumes continue.
These graphic novels do cover some quite difficult and emotional themes, and it is worth checking content warnings before reading.
Keiko is 36 years old. She’s never had a boyfriend, and she’s been working in the same supermarket for eighteen years. Keiko’s family wishes she’d get a proper job. Her friends wonder why she won’t get married. But Keiko knows what makes her happy, and she’s not going to let anyone come between her and her convenience store…
I’ve had this book for a while and just wasn’t sure why I hadn’t picked it up. It’s quite a short book and interested me at the time of picking it up, so I decided to finally read it.
This isn’t the kind of book that I would really say I enjoyed reading, but I found it very intriguing to read. It is quite strange and a little odd, but is a very interesting societal study. It is kind of visceral and honest in a way, and holds nothing back in terms of looking at internal thoughts and feelings our main character, Keiko.
I found the concept of this really interesting, and definitely found it relatable in some aspects. Although I am not necessarily feeling ‘stuck’ in a job or another aspect of my life, I think this book does a good job of discussing how all of our lives vary and we are all combatting societal ‘norms’. Having worked several retail jobs in my life, I did also find some of the more day-to-day aspects relatable.
I did find some of this story, including the characters, quite infuriating. However, I can appreciate how well-written even these aspects of the book were. Overall, some mixed thoughts and feelings here, and I do struggle with not being able to say I necessarily ‘enjoyed’ a book.
A snow-dusted love story. In the Autumn of 1931, eighteen-year-old Freya Trevelyan runs away from her home in Cornwall to follow her dream of becoming an actress. When she is invited to join a theatrical company about to head out on tour, Freya thinks the path to success is clear, and, amidst all the glamour and bustle of stage life, she finds – for the first time – a place to belong. But can reality ever live up to her expectations? What if her life – and falling in love – turn out to be nothing like she planned? An enchanting coming of age romance about following your dreams – even when they aren’t quite what you expected.
Myself and Courtney have read a lot of Laura Wood’s books now, but we tend to pick them up on our summer reading holidays. We always wondered when we would get around to reading A Snowfall of Silver, as this one is set in winter and it never quite felt like the right time. When we booked a winter reading retreat for January, we knew it would be the perfect time to pick this up, and we were right.
Every time we pick up a Laura Wood book, we’re astounded by how enveloped in the story we end up being. We read this in one sitting because we didn’t want to put it down, and we both absolutely loved how much we felt like we were in the story. It was so lovely to follow Freya, who is the sister of the main character in A Sky Painted Gold.
I loved the plot of this story and I found it so much fun to follow Freya as she travels around the UK. The atmosphere is brilliant and I would argue this is more of a wintery story than autumn – reading it on a cold, frosty January afternoon was absolutely perfect.
The group of main characters who travel with this theatre company were so much fun to read about and such a lovely friendship group to be a part of. I also really enjoyed the romance, as I always do with Laura Wood stories! Overall, this one was a very enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to picking up The Agency for Scandal on our next reading holiday.
DO YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH TO FACE WHAT LIES BEYOND? Seventeen-year-old Suzume lives with her aunt in a quiet port town in Kyushu. One day, on her way to school, she runs into a young man searching for something and follows him to a ruin in the hills. But inside, all she finds is a single white door among the rubble. As if pulled by an invisible force, she reaches out to open it…and begins an epic journey across Japan connecting the past, present, and future. Follow Suzume’s adventure in this novelization of the acclaimed animated film Suzume, written by director Makoto Shinkai.
It is no secret that I will consume anything Makoto Shinkai creates, in any format I can find. I’ve been reading and watching his work for years, and Suzume is no different. Mark recently realised that the novelisation of Makoto Shinkai’s newest film has recently been released, and I immediately ordered it and picked it up as soon as it arrived.
Although Your Name is hard to beat in my eyes, I do really enjoy the story of Suzume and I found it very comforting to slip between these pages. I watched the film last year when it came out, and these stay so true to the story (I believe Shinkai writes them alongside the production of the films), that it almost felt like a comfort re-read.
The story of Suzume is pretty wacky, and is the oddest Shinkai story yet, with a talking chair being the main side character in the story. I definitely preferred the first half of this book, which is more grounded in real life than the second half. Although I don’t mind the wackiness of the second half, I do find it harder to relate to and didn’t enjoy it quite as much.
Reading this book definitely gave me a deeper understanding of the film and the emotional aspects of the grief this story represents. Although Your Name remains to be my favourite of Shinkai’s stories, I still enjoyed and appreciated being able to consume more of his work.
In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad is forced from the arms of her beloved husband, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once thought Khalid a monster—a merciless killer of wives, responsible for immeasurable heartache and pain—but as she unraveled his secrets, she found instead an extraordinary man and a love she could not deny. Still, a curse threatens to keep Shazi and Khalid apart forever. Now she’s reunited with her family, who have found refuge in the desert, where a deadly force is gathering against Khalid—a force set on destroying his empire and commanded by Shazi’s spurned childhood sweetheart. Trapped between loyalties to those she loves, the only thing Shazi can do is act. Using the burgeoning magic within her as a guide, she strikes out on her own to end both this terrible curse and the brewing war once and for all. But to do it, she must evade enemies of her own to stay alive.
After many years of having this on my TBR list and knowing I needed to reread The Wrath & the Dawn before diving into it, I have finally read this book. I decided to pick up the audiobook for this one after listening the audiobook of The Wrath & the Dawn and finding it quite engaging.
Sadly, I definitely found The Rose & the Dagger quite a lot less engaging than the first book, but it was also my first time reading this one. I will admit that moving the setting away from the palace itself felt a little disappointing to me, but I did really enjoy the fact that we were joined by Shazi’s family. Although I found it a little difficult to follow as an audiobook, I believe we are joined with a viewpoint from Shazi’s sister.
As the book went on, we see some of the characters from the first book meet some of the main characters from this book, mainly Shazi’s family. I enjoyed seeing the fire and passion of Shazi’s sister, and the dynamic between her and Khalid was really interesting.
One of the most enjoyable parts of this book for me was the romance, which does follow on from the first book as I also loved the romance as we see it initially develop. I will say I felt like this book was not the most memorable read, and the main memories I am taking away from this read are the relationships between the characters.
Overall, I’m glad I’ve finally completed this series, but I definitely didn’t enjoy this as much as the first book.
A retelling of Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, accompanied by original concept and sketch art from development of the film. This beautiful hardback features premium cloth binding, a ribbon marker to match the cover, foil stamping and illustrated endpapers, making this the perfect gift for all those who have been enchanted by the magic of The Nightmare Before Christmas and a book to be treasured by all. A family favourite and cult classic, Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of the best-loved films of all time. Relive the magic through this retelling of the classic film, accompanied by paintings, sketches and concept art from the film’s development.
Just like The Nightmare Before Christmas Novelisation, this book was always going to be a comfort read for me. I’ve watched the film a few times over now, and I’ve read the novelisation. Revisiting the story in a new way, with concept art and sketches, felt like a lovely way to indulge with a revisit to this world.
Seeing the art, paintings and sketches from the film’s development was super interesting, and I love how it added an extra layer of depth to this story for me. I love seeing behind the scenes of films and their development, and I honestly enjoyed pouring over the pages about who drew which art piece and their involvement in the film (right at the back of the book).
However, this book wasn’t without a few flaws. This book is quite short at only 64 pages including the extra information at the back, and I felt like it jumped quite a bit between scenes, missing out quite a bit of context from the film. This was difficult to judge with a background knowledge of the film, but I couldn’t help but feel I would be a bit lost as a first time reader. At points, I even jumped back in case I’d missed out a page.
Saying that, I can still see this as a quick version to consume in the run up to Christmas, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy flicking through the pages again and again.
Hi everyone! It’s time for my April wrap up – I read 9 books in April, which definitely isn’t my best month but it’s not too shabby either. If you want to watch a video about all the books I read, you can view this below.
What if men built a tower from Earth to Heaven-and broke through to Heaven’s other side? What if we discovered that the fundamentals of mathematics were arbitrary and inconsistent? What if there were a science of naming things that calls life into being from inanimate matter? What if exposure to an alien language forever changed our perception of time? What if all the beliefs of fundamentalist Christianity were literally true, and the sight of sinners being swallowed into fiery pits were a routine event on city streets? These are the kinds of outrageous questions posed by the stories of Ted Chiang. Stories of your life . . . and others.
In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series. The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them…
Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby. Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute. If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.
After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream – for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is. If Viv wants to put the past behind her, she can’t go it alone. And help might arrive from unexpected quarters. Yet old rivals and new stand in the way of success. And Thune’s shady underbelly could make it all too easy for Viv to take up the blade once more. But the true reward of the uncharted path is the travellers you meet along the way. Whether bound by ancient magic, delicious pastries or a freshly brewed cup, they may become something deeper than Viv ever could have imagined.
‘But where are you REALLY from?’ Phil Wang has been asked this question so many times he’s finally written a book about it. In this mix of comic memoir and observational essay, one of the UK’s most exciting stand-up comedians reflects on his experiences as a Eurasian man in the West and in the East. Phil was born in Stoke-on-Trent, raised in Malaysia, and then came of age in Bath – ‘a spa town for people who find Cheltenham too ethnic’. Phil takes an incisive look at what it means to be mixed race, as he explores the contrasts between cultures and delves into Britain and Malaysia’s shared histories, bringing his trademark cynicism and wit to topics ranging from family, food, and comedy to race, empire, and colonialism.
In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut. In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place. Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.
Roach – bookseller, loner and true crime obsessive – is not interested in making friends. She has all the company she needs in her serial killer books, murder podcasts and her pet snail, Bleep. That is, until Laura joins the bookshop. Smelling of roses, with her cute literary tote bags and beautiful poetry, she’s everyone’s new favourite bookseller. But beneath the shiny veneer, Roach senses a darkness within Laura, the same darkness Roach possesses. As Roach’s curiosity blooms into morbid obsession, it becomes clear that she is prepared to infiltrate Laura’s life at any cost.
An all-new collection of spring-themed mysteries from the master of the genre. The days are growing warmer and the nights are growing shorter… It’s the perfect time to relax in the garden with this spring-themed collection from legendary mystery writer Agatha Christie. Blossoming flowers and countryside strolls may sound innocent enough, but not when there’s murder in the air. Beware of secluded cottages, stolen treasure and fatal revenge schemes. This compendium of short stories, some featuring beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, is an essential omnibus for Christie fans and the perfect gift for mystery lovers.
It’s the summer before senior year. Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small, rural town by their queerness, their good grades, and their big dreams. But they have plans for the summer, each about to embark on a new adventure. Gabriel is volunteering at an environmental nonprofit in Boston. Reese is attending design school in Paris. Sal is interning on Capitol Hill for a senator. Heath is heading to Florida, to help out at his aunt’s boardwalk arcade. What will this season of world-expanding travel and life-changing experiences mean for each of them–and for their friendship?
★★★★ 4 out of 5 stars
I had quite a positive month and I enjoyed all of my reads. The one I enjoyed the least was Sinister Spring, and my favourite was either Book Lovers or Legends and Lattes – both were so good I can’t decide which was better!
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.
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.
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!
The Books are Everywhere 