bookswithlydscl's Reviews (639)

Very dull, characters very flat, couldn't make a connection and wasn't interested. Halfway through and I couldn't tell you what was happening.

I needed some time to think about this review to make sure I had some distance from the reading experience and now I think settling where I have on this reading experience is what feels right.

The easiest summary I can give is that this is a political historical fiction murder mystery set during the turmoil of the post Shogunate era when Japan had been forced to open its borders to foreign influence and Japanese society as a whole was trying to find its footing and identity in a new era. It's styled around the honkaku subgenre - that being a 'fair play' mystery, and it's told in what feels like interlinked short stories all coming together in the final chapters to give a satisfying 'denouement' but you may come away from this wondering what on earth you just read.

As a fan of the translated works of Seishi Yokomizo's Kosuke Kindaichi series I felt comfortable with the style of writing in this work and I am personally interested in Japan, Japanese history and culture so the use of untranslated Japanese words and the heavy historical and political focus didn't overwhelm or intimidate me. However it may not work for other readers especially as you really do need to pay attention to keep track of characters, themes and background information.

Reflecting back on the book I've realised that the clues to solve the mystery are all there but, as above, there are so many characters and names to keep track of that it can be confusing, not helped by a distinct lack of characterisation of most of the characters. 

That said, I appreciated the look at a Japanese society in turmoil, and the struggle to reconcile tradition with modern expectations is universally understandable. I did find the conclusion worked really well and enjoyed the twists and turns as everything was laid out for us but at times it was just a little bit of hard work to get there.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for a digital review copy of "The Meiji Guillotine Murders" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

My first fantasy romance and first Fae Fantasy and probably the right level for me as an introduction. Enjoyed the story, liked the characters, and will likely read the next in the trilogy.

The romance elements worked pretty well (enemies to lovers trope and a reluctant romance due to prophecies) and weren't annoying or frustrating as a reader, but I can do without the spicy scenes as they added nothing to the story for me. Suffice to say I don't think I'll ever be a reader that actively seeks out many, if any, other Romantasy novels but I enjoyed this one and think the world, magics and story were strong enough for me to continue the trilogy.

 4.25*

Joy is a lovely debut and a highly absorbing contemporary queer romance. The story is wonderfully human and feels relatable as we follow twentysomething Joy who is in an unhappy marriage to Sebastian (classic villain figure, hated him from the start) and returns home to Liverpool when her mother-in-law has an accident and has to face up to her feelings for lost love, Erica. Through flashbacks and current timeline scenes we follow Joy, Erica and their Influencer friend, Val as they move from student to adult life and face up to the difficulties of admitting to themselves that they're not happy with their lives and go about trying to change things.

I found this to be a highly readable book and it absolutely flew by. I loved the student scenes as there were so many elements that reminded me of my own student days. The current timeline really did feel like it was building to something that, much like in real life, would leave some people hurting and some people getting the ending they deserved (whether that's good or bad) but I would have liked to have seen it stretched out a little more to give us just a little bit more of that element of the story.

I enjoyed the acknowledgments about issues around social mobility, the imposter syndrome it can bring and how difficult it can be still to traverse social classes in Britain. On the romance side the inclusion of bisexuality was a welcome addition as Joy is extremely comfortable with who she is and her sexuality wasn't a cause of personal struggle - that came from the pull between former and current relationships.

'Joy' is a lovely story with some difficult themes done very well as it doesn't drag down the reading experience at all. It was a read that's outside of my normal genres (I don't tend to do any contemporary romances) but I'm so happy to have been introduced to Samantha Leigh's writing and will be keeping an eye out for future works for sure.

Thank you to Northodox Press for a digital review copy of "Joy" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.  

For a long while, after a strong start, this was sitting at a 3/3.5 but with the final third everything clicked into place and I started to properly care about the characters as the dynamics between them started to feel more natural.

I love a found family trope and I think this has been well set up for the next books.

Notes from as i read - does feel quite YA/New Adult which is fine for me but some fantasy readers may come into it not expecting that kind of narrative voice. The world building takes a little while to click but again, when it does it works well.

Comparisons to Gideon the Ninth are a little misplaced. I'd say the closest it comes to that is the characterisation of Kissan - sharp, fiesty, with plenty of banter but a good heart and darker back story that feeds well into the main narrative.

The story of Medusa but less like the new wave of 'villain' retellings, which more solely focus on the figure (like Circe or Medea). This is the full story like we get in more traditional Greek myth - the foundations that build it right through to the end. However, unlike traditional Greek myth, this story has multiple female points of view, so we hear from Medusa, her sisters, Athene, Andromeda, and several others. It makes for a vividly told and fast-paced story, but some readers may be disappointed that this isn't a fully Medusa centred story. I loved the final sections post Perseus's mission completion and thought the final couple of chapters to be especially lovely.
I'll be interested to read Rosie Hewlett's 'Medusa' in comparison and also recommend Jessie Burton's interpretation as a different take on the story as well but I did enjoy this one for it being a more classical take but still extremely readable.

A wonderful middle grade retelling of Rapunzel, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty but retold to give us Muslim fairy tale princesses and heroines. The intertwined stories have genuinely good hearts, a sense of adventure, and stress the importance of family and friendships.
Will definitely read book 2 to follow the adventures of Rumaysa further to see if she gets her happily ever after.

Deserves a full review but to sum up for now:

A tough and unflinching read full of vengeance but also wonderfully written and vividly brought to life. Brutal and extremely violent but also reflective, thoughtful and full of growth and love.