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eggcatsreads's Reviews (480)
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and 47 North for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a fun twist to the classic of Jane Eyre, where our main character is a witch who must solve and remove the shadow haunting Thornfield Hall.
This was a fun twist on the classic, and in many ways I think I enjoyed this a bit more. I’m always a sucker for romances, and I felt that Edward and Jane were perfect foils for one another. Also, we get occasional glimpses into Edward’s thoughts and I LOVED THAT. I also loved how much of the novel was focused on him not wanting Jane to change or diminish herself for anyone, and how much his attraction to her was due to her being willful and headstrong.
I also liked how certain elements of Jane Eyre were changed in this book, which both made this novel different and interesting, but also made me like the characters more than I did in the original. (Especially with regards to Mr. Rochester.) I won’t spoil anything, but there were certain things I knew about the original novel that made me a bit anxious about how this one would end, and those exact elements were turned on their head instead.
I think this novel would work for both fans of the original novel, as well as those who haven’t read it or aren’t super familiar with the story. There are many elements and events that are retellings from the original novel, but enough things are changed and adapted to still make this an original and captivating story. If you like gothic romances, with a supernatural danger lurking in the shadows trying to drive the two characters apart, you’ll enjoy this book.
This is a fun twist to the classic of Jane Eyre, where our main character is a witch who must solve and remove the shadow haunting Thornfield Hall.
This was a fun twist on the classic, and in many ways I think I enjoyed this a bit more. I’m always a sucker for romances, and I felt that Edward and Jane were perfect foils for one another. Also, we get occasional glimpses into Edward’s thoughts and I LOVED THAT. I also loved how much of the novel was focused on him not wanting Jane to change or diminish herself for anyone, and how much his attraction to her was due to her being willful and headstrong.
I also liked how certain elements of Jane Eyre were changed in this book, which both made this novel different and interesting, but also made me like the characters more than I did in the original. (Especially with regards to Mr. Rochester.) I won’t spoil anything, but there were certain things I knew about the original novel that made me a bit anxious about how this one would end, and those exact elements were turned on their head instead.
I think this novel would work for both fans of the original novel, as well as those who haven’t read it or aren’t super familiar with the story. There are many elements and events that are retellings from the original novel, but enough things are changed and adapted to still make this an original and captivating story. If you like gothic romances, with a supernatural danger lurking in the shadows trying to drive the two characters apart, you’ll enjoy this book.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Harper Perennial for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A fun homage to 90s slasher movies where you think you know the ending - until it happens.
This book was a fun and quick read, and the entire time reading it felt like I was relaxing with a Goosebumps paperback while a classic babysitter slasher movie is playing in the background. In my opinion, a large portion of this book is to be enjoyed with Vibes, and Vibes only.
Told with multiple POVs and a mixed timeline, we slowly see how all the pieces on this chessboard come together for this one fateful night. This book starts off with the crescendo of the night, which occurs at midnight, and we then skip around throughout the day of all the events that happened before this. We also get glimpses of our babysitter when she was still a child, and had her own babysitter, and we can see how our main character grew up into the teenager she is today.
If you want to curl up and relax for a bit with something that feels like watching a classic slasher movie, or playing Puppet Combo’s “Babysitter Bloodbath,” then this is the book for you.
A fun homage to 90s slasher movies where you think you know the ending - until it happens.
This book was a fun and quick read, and the entire time reading it felt like I was relaxing with a Goosebumps paperback while a classic babysitter slasher movie is playing in the background. In my opinion, a large portion of this book is to be enjoyed with Vibes, and Vibes only.
Told with multiple POVs and a mixed timeline, we slowly see how all the pieces on this chessboard come together for this one fateful night. This book starts off with the crescendo of the night, which occurs at midnight, and we then skip around throughout the day of all the events that happened before this. We also get glimpses of our babysitter when she was still a child, and had her own babysitter, and we can see how our main character grew up into the teenager she is today.
If you want to curl up and relax for a bit with something that feels like watching a classic slasher movie, or playing Puppet Combo’s “Babysitter Bloodbath,” then this is the book for you.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Blood Bound Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
An interesting concept with the idea that all of human history and beliefs are actually one single entity that is attempting to take over the world. A very cosmic horror tale where you can't trust anyone, and need to watch your back from everyone.
The concept for this novel was fascinating, and I think overall the plot was well-done. Unfortunately, I did not like our main male character, nor did I like how every chapter randomly ended with a stanza from a song with no warning.
I understand this novel is called “earworm” but I don’t think this gimmick was necessary, as we already have multiple chapters where our main character is already spending the entire chapter with a song in his head. Also, many times it was hard to tell where the chapter ended and the song began, and it greatly disrupted the flow of my reading. There was also an irritating part where our main character gets the song “You Got a Friend in Me” stuck in his head, and instead of just a line or two we get a whole random paragraph of the entire song. Unnecessary.
Ripley was not a character I particularly liked, which isn’t necessary for me to like a book. However, many times it felt like the author was begging me to like him based on how “good” of a person he “really” was. There were multiple instances where Ripley would mentally go “I’m a feminist” or “I’m not sexist” or xyz before describing a woman in the most blatant sexist offensive terms ever. And to be honest, this wouldn’t have bothered me if it wasn’t POINTED OUT to me as a way of self-acknowledgement from him that he just HAS to describe this woman in this way, really, it’s nothing to do with sexism. Personally, I’d have rather he just be sexist than to read “I’m a feminist, so this isn’t being sexist, but *describes a woman in unnecessarily rude terms* but it’s okay, I’m married to a woman and thought another woman was attractive. It’s just a personal gripe of mine, but I feel I’d rather he be a flawed character with some sexist characteristics rather than a sexist character who keeps insisting he’s not “because he’s a feminist.”
In the same tune, I also didn’t like Bogart for many similar reasons. There’s an entire conversation between the two about him having sex with Ripley’s wife in VERY unflattering terms, and I was just like “really? Is this what I’m reading right now?” Also, he very much ruined a soft moment between him and Ripley where Bogart is trying to help Ripley’s self-esteem by going full “but no-homo” on him. Overall, I felt the two characters were kind of surface level with many jokes and exchanges that fell flat.
Complaints aside, the overall plot was short and sweet enough to give us a glimpse into this world with these parasites, and how humanity can try to defeat them. This was very much a cosmic horror novel, and it accomplishes its goal fairly well. If you were looking for a short cosmic horror novel and are fine with some cringy internal dialogue then I think this novel would work for you.
An interesting concept with the idea that all of human history and beliefs are actually one single entity that is attempting to take over the world. A very cosmic horror tale where you can't trust anyone, and need to watch your back from everyone.
The concept for this novel was fascinating, and I think overall the plot was well-done. Unfortunately, I did not like our main male character, nor did I like how every chapter randomly ended with a stanza from a song with no warning.
I understand this novel is called “earworm” but I don’t think this gimmick was necessary, as we already have multiple chapters where our main character is already spending the entire chapter with a song in his head. Also, many times it was hard to tell where the chapter ended and the song began, and it greatly disrupted the flow of my reading. There was also an irritating part where our main character gets the song “You Got a Friend in Me” stuck in his head, and instead of just a line or two we get a whole random paragraph of the entire song. Unnecessary.
Ripley was not a character I particularly liked, which isn’t necessary for me to like a book. However, many times it felt like the author was begging me to like him based on how “good” of a person he “really” was. There were multiple instances where Ripley would mentally go “I’m a feminist” or “I’m not sexist” or xyz before describing a woman in the most blatant sexist offensive terms ever. And to be honest, this wouldn’t have bothered me if it wasn’t POINTED OUT to me as a way of self-acknowledgement from him that he just HAS to describe this woman in this way, really, it’s nothing to do with sexism. Personally, I’d have rather he just be sexist than to read “I’m a feminist, so this isn’t being sexist, but *describes a woman in unnecessarily rude terms* but it’s okay, I’m married to a woman and thought another woman was attractive. It’s just a personal gripe of mine, but I feel I’d rather he be a flawed character with some sexist characteristics rather than a sexist character who keeps insisting he’s not “because he’s a feminist.”
In the same tune, I also didn’t like Bogart for many similar reasons. There’s an entire conversation between the two about him having sex with Ripley’s wife in VERY unflattering terms, and I was just like “really? Is this what I’m reading right now?” Also, he very much ruined a soft moment between him and Ripley where Bogart is trying to help Ripley’s self-esteem by going full “but no-homo” on him. Overall, I felt the two characters were kind of surface level with many jokes and exchanges that fell flat.
Complaints aside, the overall plot was short and sweet enough to give us a glimpse into this world with these parasites, and how humanity can try to defeat them. This was very much a cosmic horror novel, and it accomplishes its goal fairly well. If you were looking for a short cosmic horror novel and are fine with some cringy internal dialogue then I think this novel would work for you.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Dreamscape Media for providing this e-ARC/audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
A fairly slow-paced thriller that picks up by the end, and keeps you wondering if the siblings will survive to escape.
Unfortunately, I found this plot to be kind of slow and predictable, and the characters and plot weren’t enough to hook me to the end. I listened to this mainly through audiobook, and the narrator did a fantastic job voice-acting and keeping the emotions throughout the novel - and my being bored by the plot was not because of anything from the narrator. With this being a fairly quick audiobook, I found it interesting enough to continue until the ending - but to be completely honest, if I didn’t have the audiobook version to listen to while I was at work I probably would have DNF’d this book.
I kind of found the plot to be predictable, and didn’t like how weirdly attracted our main character was to the (spoiler) man she found to rescue her - considering she is 16 and he was most assuredly not. I get that she was sheltered, but it made me a bit uncomfortable to listen to, as an outside perspective. Even though there isn’t really any indecent behavior from this man and all the romance is entirely imagined by our main character, there was still something off about him and I could never fully be on his side. (Could be a translation issue, but I was always waiting for a heel-turn for him to betray them because something felt off the entire time.)
Speaking of, there was one specific spot that made me cringe so hard I seriously considered ending my entire read. I won’t spoil exactly what happens, but our main character decides to hide a book in her underwear and we spend ENTIRELY TOO LONG describing her sweaty body trying to “hold up her knickers.” I’m serious, that if I never read or hear the word knickers again it will be too soon. This could be an issue with the translation, but with the English version it felt like a WAY TOO intimate look at a child’s underwear and describing it falling down.
There were also a few spots that felt either too slow or too fast for what was going on. For instance, in the same “knickers” incident, our main character breaks into her father’s study and has her little brother keep watch. However, she spends entirely way too long in the study and causes herself to be trapped inside - even though her little brother gave her AMPLE warning when their mother stopped her shower. At other times, our main character did things horribly stupid for no reason other than to add tension to the novel - with one of them deciding to talk on the phone instead of text, even though her mother could come into the door at any second.
Once our main character learns the “truth” of her life, instead of amping up the tension it kind of fell flat, since I could tell how the rest of the book would end. However, I think if slower thrillers where the tension is more with HOW the characters escape, rather than shocking plot reveals or twists, this would work well for you. I kind of found the “twist” that the main character discovers to be anticlimactic, because the narrative is so obvious from the beginning what exactly is wrong.
A fairly slow-paced thriller that picks up by the end, and keeps you wondering if the siblings will survive to escape.
Unfortunately, I found this plot to be kind of slow and predictable, and the characters and plot weren’t enough to hook me to the end. I listened to this mainly through audiobook, and the narrator did a fantastic job voice-acting and keeping the emotions throughout the novel - and my being bored by the plot was not because of anything from the narrator. With this being a fairly quick audiobook, I found it interesting enough to continue until the ending - but to be completely honest, if I didn’t have the audiobook version to listen to while I was at work I probably would have DNF’d this book.
I kind of found the plot to be predictable, and didn’t like how weirdly attracted our main character was to the (spoiler) man she found to rescue her - considering she is 16 and he was most assuredly not. I get that she was sheltered, but it made me a bit uncomfortable to listen to, as an outside perspective. Even though there isn’t really any indecent behavior from this man and all the romance is entirely imagined by our main character, there was still something off about him and I could never fully be on his side. (Could be a translation issue, but I was always waiting for a heel-turn for him to betray them because something felt off the entire time.)
Speaking of, there was one specific spot that made me cringe so hard I seriously considered ending my entire read. I won’t spoil exactly what happens, but our main character decides to hide a book in her underwear and we spend ENTIRELY TOO LONG describing her sweaty body trying to “hold up her knickers.” I’m serious, that if I never read or hear the word knickers again it will be too soon. This could be an issue with the translation, but with the English version it felt like a WAY TOO intimate look at a child’s underwear and describing it falling down.
There were also a few spots that felt either too slow or too fast for what was going on. For instance, in the same “knickers” incident, our main character breaks into her father’s study and has her little brother keep watch. However, she spends entirely way too long in the study and causes herself to be trapped inside - even though her little brother gave her AMPLE warning when their mother stopped her shower. At other times, our main character did things horribly stupid for no reason other than to add tension to the novel - with one of them deciding to talk on the phone instead of text, even though her mother could come into the door at any second.
Once our main character learns the “truth” of her life, instead of amping up the tension it kind of fell flat, since I could tell how the rest of the book would end. However, I think if slower thrillers where the tension is more with HOW the characters escape, rather than shocking plot reveals or twists, this would work well for you. I kind of found the “twist” that the main character discovers to be anticlimactic, because the narrative is so obvious from the beginning what exactly is wrong.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It’s not a doomed Arctic Exploration without cannibalism and queer longing, am I right, ladies?
We follow disgraced ship captain William Day, who when the real captain died, became the leader of an Arctic exploration where their only chance of survival was by feeding on their dead comrades. While Day is seen with revulsion by the general community, his second-in-command Jesse Stevens is seen as a hero who found help for the remaining survivors. Day is haunted by this past, and lives hidden in shame away from anyone who might recognize him - or the monster he had to become to survive.
But now Stevens has gone missing in those same doomed Arctic waters, and Day is the only one determined to find him - and keep him from having to repeat those same actions 13 years ago.
As Day follows in Stevens’ footsteps, he unwillingly uncovers the past he tried to hide so well from both the public - and himself. Forced to confront the truth of what happened 13 years ago, and the true nature of his relationship with Stevens, can Day grow from his past and move on from his mistakes, or will he succumb to becoming the monster everyone already thinks he is?
I loved this gothic novel about the hopelessness and isolation of the Arctic, that forces the reader to really confront what they’d do to survive.
His relationship to Stevens is complicated and tragic, and we can only imagine how both their lives might have been different (as well as everyone else’s) had the two never met. Day begins the novel quite literally haunted by Stevens, and seeing him as the better part of himself - but as the book continues we start seeing Stevens as he truly is as Day confronts the reality of their relationship, and his complicity in his actions.
It’s not really related, but I think “Just a Man” from Epic the Musical fits Day’s internal monologue throughout this novel extremely well. He’s never certain where he ends, and the monster begins - and whether or not he’s only simply fooling himself into believing he’s better than he is. I thought of these lines multiple times during this novel, as Day reveals and uncovers more and more of what happened, and his actions, during both the doomed original exploration, as well as the current one we are on.
But when does a comet become a meteor?
When does a candlе become a blaze?
Whеn does a man become a monster?
When does a ripple become a tidal wave?
When does the reason become the blame?
When does a man become a monster?
This book is perfect for anyone who likes doomed gothic fiction where there’s never really a happy ending to be had, but there is a resolution. The isolation and temperatures of the Arctic set for a perfect location for the depravity that unfolds when all hope is lost and rescue is impossible.
It’s not a doomed Arctic Exploration without cannibalism and queer longing, am I right, ladies?
We follow disgraced ship captain William Day, who when the real captain died, became the leader of an Arctic exploration where their only chance of survival was by feeding on their dead comrades. While Day is seen with revulsion by the general community, his second-in-command Jesse Stevens is seen as a hero who found help for the remaining survivors. Day is haunted by this past, and lives hidden in shame away from anyone who might recognize him - or the monster he had to become to survive.
But now Stevens has gone missing in those same doomed Arctic waters, and Day is the only one determined to find him - and keep him from having to repeat those same actions 13 years ago.
As Day follows in Stevens’ footsteps, he unwillingly uncovers the past he tried to hide so well from both the public - and himself. Forced to confront the truth of what happened 13 years ago, and the true nature of his relationship with Stevens, can Day grow from his past and move on from his mistakes, or will he succumb to becoming the monster everyone already thinks he is?
I loved this gothic novel about the hopelessness and isolation of the Arctic, that forces the reader to really confront what they’d do to survive.
His relationship to Stevens is complicated and tragic, and we can only imagine how both their lives might have been different (as well as everyone else’s) had the two never met. Day begins the novel quite literally haunted by Stevens, and seeing him as the better part of himself - but as the book continues we start seeing Stevens as he truly is as Day confronts the reality of their relationship, and his complicity in his actions.
It’s not really related, but I think “Just a Man” from Epic the Musical fits Day’s internal monologue throughout this novel extremely well. He’s never certain where he ends, and the monster begins - and whether or not he’s only simply fooling himself into believing he’s better than he is. I thought of these lines multiple times during this novel, as Day reveals and uncovers more and more of what happened, and his actions, during both the doomed original exploration, as well as the current one we are on.
But when does a comet become a meteor?
When does a candlе become a blaze?
Whеn does a man become a monster?
When does a ripple become a tidal wave?
When does the reason become the blame?
When does a man become a monster?
This book is perfect for anyone who likes doomed gothic fiction where there’s never really a happy ending to be had, but there is a resolution. The isolation and temperatures of the Arctic set for a perfect location for the depravity that unfolds when all hope is lost and rescue is impossible.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Ballantine/Del Rey providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A heart wrenching rivals to lovers sapphic tale where two academic rivals are forced to work together to solve a murder before time runs out and one of them is chosen to take the fall.
I loved this story so much, from the characters to the gothic folklore vibes, to the darkly realistic “fairytale” setting. If I could read this again blind going in, I would. The dynamic where the one character thinks they are unlovable and hideous, only to cut to the other character who has been pining after them this entire time? Unmatched.
I can’t even write a long review BECAUSE this story was just so perfect. Believe me, you need to read this.
If you love:
Enemies/Rivals to Lovers
Sapphic romances
Gothic fairytales
Jewish folklore
“Who could ever love me?” “ME MOTHERFUCKER”
Murder mysteries
Angst/betrayal/hurt-comfort
Read this. Trust me. It’s worth the hype.
A heart wrenching rivals to lovers sapphic tale where two academic rivals are forced to work together to solve a murder before time runs out and one of them is chosen to take the fall.
I loved this story so much, from the characters to the gothic folklore vibes, to the darkly realistic “fairytale” setting. If I could read this again blind going in, I would. The dynamic where the one character thinks they are unlovable and hideous, only to cut to the other character who has been pining after them this entire time? Unmatched.
I can’t even write a long review BECAUSE this story was just so perfect. Believe me, you need to read this.
If you love:
Enemies/Rivals to Lovers
Sapphic romances
Gothic fairytales
Jewish folklore
“Who could ever love me?” “ME MOTHERFUCKER”
Murder mysteries
Angst/betrayal/hurt-comfort
Read this. Trust me. It’s worth the hype.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Henry Holt & Company for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I would also like to thank Goodreads for giving me a free physical copy.
TW: Cults, CSA, CSE, fighting/violence
I would describe this novel as a psychological character study with thriller elements, and would recommend it for readers who enjoy deep character/sibling relationships and converging storylines.
We follow the relationship of two near-identical twins, after a car crash that causes one to have almost complete amnesia (Kat) - with the only thing she remembers being her sister's name (Jude). She must work to piece together both her past and personality - but when Kat investigates, she realizes that there are inconsistencies in her sister’s stories. Meanwhile, we have occasional flashes to the past from the Jude’s POV - and we (as the reader) can piece together the larger story as told between them both.
This story creates more of a personality study between both of the sisters, and tests their trust and belief in one another. Can Kat really trust her sister, who has lied to her the entire time since her accident? Or should Kat trust her estranged family, who finds her after all these years, instead?
Personally, this book worked less for me as I could predict the story from around the 30% mark and was less invested in how the narrative unfolded. However, if you don’t wish for shocking twists of the narrative, then I think this book would work well for you.
I think one of my biggest issues was Kat’s personality. I understand she lost a great deal of herself due to the amnesia, but regardless she makes very questionable choices that I’m still shocked worked out well for her. For instance, Jude tells her not to leave their apartment when she’s gone, or to not leave their small block - both of which I find very reasonable requests when told to someone who has no memory of their life or how the world works. However, Kat makes the decision fairly early on to not only disobey this, but to follow a strange man she just met into the back room of a bar, filled with other men. Nothing happens because this random man is the love interest, but STILL.
I realize it tells us in the synopsis, but I was expecting this to be much more of a thriller with an unreliable narrator who doesn’t know who she can trust. This book tries to be, but with us having flashbacks to Jude’s memories growing up, we (as the reader) have too much information to doubt the sister, even when she is lying to Kat. I think a much more cohesive story might have only been told from Kat’s POV, where we only learn of things at the same time she does - but as it is, when the big twist is finally revealed to Kat, we already know about it, which takes away the impact.
If you like stories that revolve around cults with strong sibling relationships, with only a few thriller elements, then I would suggest this novel. I did not find any of the twists to be surprising, but I don’t think that is necessarily needed if the character building/relationships and interweaving of the past/present is something you enjoy in a story.
TW: Cults, CSA, CSE, fighting/violence
I would describe this novel as a psychological character study with thriller elements, and would recommend it for readers who enjoy deep character/sibling relationships and converging storylines.
We follow the relationship of two near-identical twins, after a car crash that causes one to have almost complete amnesia (Kat) - with the only thing she remembers being her sister's name (Jude). She must work to piece together both her past and personality - but when Kat investigates, she realizes that there are inconsistencies in her sister’s stories. Meanwhile, we have occasional flashes to the past from the Jude’s POV - and we (as the reader) can piece together the larger story as told between them both.
This story creates more of a personality study between both of the sisters, and tests their trust and belief in one another. Can Kat really trust her sister, who has lied to her the entire time since her accident? Or should Kat trust her estranged family, who finds her after all these years, instead?
Personally, this book worked less for me as I could predict the story from around the 30% mark and was less invested in how the narrative unfolded. However, if you don’t wish for shocking twists of the narrative, then I think this book would work well for you.
I think one of my biggest issues was Kat’s personality. I understand she lost a great deal of herself due to the amnesia, but regardless she makes very questionable choices that I’m still shocked worked out well for her. For instance, Jude tells her not to leave their apartment when she’s gone, or to not leave their small block - both of which I find very reasonable requests when told to someone who has no memory of their life or how the world works. However, Kat makes the decision fairly early on to not only disobey this, but to follow a strange man she just met into the back room of a bar, filled with other men. Nothing happens because this random man is the love interest, but STILL.
I realize it tells us in the synopsis, but I was expecting this to be much more of a thriller with an unreliable narrator who doesn’t know who she can trust. This book tries to be, but with us having flashbacks to Jude’s memories growing up, we (as the reader) have too much information to doubt the sister, even when she is lying to Kat. I think a much more cohesive story might have only been told from Kat’s POV, where we only learn of things at the same time she does - but as it is, when the big twist is finally revealed to Kat, we already know about it, which takes away the impact.
If you like stories that revolve around cults with strong sibling relationships, with only a few thriller elements, then I would suggest this novel. I did not find any of the twists to be surprising, but I don’t think that is necessarily needed if the character building/relationships and interweaving of the past/present is something you enjoy in a story.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This novel is a phenomenal addition to the romantasy genre that will keep you guessing about who to trust until the very end. (And will also make you never trust your mirror again - that is, if you ever did in the first place.)
I had to finish this novel in one sitting, as once I started reading I could not stop.
I’ve always found that mirrors made me anxious, and after a certain point at night I would never look into them - as I was terrified that my reflection would do something that I myself wasn’t doing.
This novel is what happens when that exact scenario is something that can, and will, happen.
Our main character Ying is soon to be married to the crown prince, but the only problem is - she’s been locked in her room the entire time she’s been there, and every time she meets with him he’s cruel and cold to her. And if that’s not enough, suddenly every reflection she sees seems to be showing her things that only she notices. Until finally, it all comes to a head and she rips away the barrier between her world, and the mirror world.
Here, Ying meets the Mirror Prince - the complete opposite to the crown prince in her world. Kind and loving, the Mirror Prince is the love that Ying has always dreamed of - and yet, she can’t stay in this world forever. Things are happening, war is on the horizon, and soon lines are drawn in the sand between friends and foes.
Keshe Chow has both incredible worldbuilding and characterization in her debut novel, and at no point did I feel bored or felt like something didn’t make sense.
Never once did I feel like yelling at my book because the main character did something I felt was stupid, or obviously the wrong decision. Ying is thrust into this strange world of mirrors, and neither her, nor the reader, is ever certain of who she can really trust. She makes the best decisions she can with the very limited information she has, and even when everything comes crashing down around her - I felt like she did the best she could have done.
I also never once felt that the worldbuilding in this novel was done poorly or without care. As Ying is learning about the dynamics of the mirror world as compared to the “real” world, so is the reader. Whenever I had a question about how something worked - so did Ying, and so we essentially learned the ropes of this reality together.
This novel also gets really intense at multiple times, and there is one scene in particular that shocked me to my core and EXTREMELY raised the stakes. (I might have yelled at the author for this scene in discord, but trust me - it’s worth it.) While much of the beginning of this novel feels like much of the danger will bypass the main character - the tension slowly rises until you can't be certain about who will survive until the end.
I would describe this book as perfect for fans of Daughter of the Moon Goddess, The Scarlet Alchemist, and Song of Silver, Flame Like Night and would highly encourage anyone who is a fan of high-stakes romantasy to check it out. The romance is fantastic, the worldbuilding is fascinating, and the characters are believable and human.
This novel is a phenomenal addition to the romantasy genre that will keep you guessing about who to trust until the very end. (And will also make you never trust your mirror again - that is, if you ever did in the first place.)
I had to finish this novel in one sitting, as once I started reading I could not stop.
I’ve always found that mirrors made me anxious, and after a certain point at night I would never look into them - as I was terrified that my reflection would do something that I myself wasn’t doing.
This novel is what happens when that exact scenario is something that can, and will, happen.
Our main character Ying is soon to be married to the crown prince, but the only problem is - she’s been locked in her room the entire time she’s been there, and every time she meets with him he’s cruel and cold to her. And if that’s not enough, suddenly every reflection she sees seems to be showing her things that only she notices. Until finally, it all comes to a head and she rips away the barrier between her world, and the mirror world.
Here, Ying meets the Mirror Prince - the complete opposite to the crown prince in her world. Kind and loving, the Mirror Prince is the love that Ying has always dreamed of - and yet, she can’t stay in this world forever. Things are happening, war is on the horizon, and soon lines are drawn in the sand between friends and foes.
Keshe Chow has both incredible worldbuilding and characterization in her debut novel, and at no point did I feel bored or felt like something didn’t make sense.
Never once did I feel like yelling at my book because the main character did something I felt was stupid, or obviously the wrong decision. Ying is thrust into this strange world of mirrors, and neither her, nor the reader, is ever certain of who she can really trust. She makes the best decisions she can with the very limited information she has, and even when everything comes crashing down around her - I felt like she did the best she could have done.
I also never once felt that the worldbuilding in this novel was done poorly or without care. As Ying is learning about the dynamics of the mirror world as compared to the “real” world, so is the reader. Whenever I had a question about how something worked - so did Ying, and so we essentially learned the ropes of this reality together.
This novel also gets really intense at multiple times, and there is one scene in particular that shocked me to my core and EXTREMELY raised the stakes. (I might have yelled at the author for this scene in discord, but trust me - it’s worth it.) While much of the beginning of this novel feels like much of the danger will bypass the main character - the tension slowly rises until you can't be certain about who will survive until the end.
I would describe this book as perfect for fans of Daughter of the Moon Goddess, The Scarlet Alchemist, and Song of Silver, Flame Like Night and would highly encourage anyone who is a fan of high-stakes romantasy to check it out. The romance is fantastic, the worldbuilding is fascinating, and the characters are believable and human.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Penguin Group Dutton for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A darker twist on the story of the Nutcracker, focusing on toxic sister relationships.
I honestly didn’t know almost anything about the Nutcracker (my only exposure was literally Danny Gonzalez’s video on it, to be honest) so I can’t speak to any accuracy or where this story deviates from the original. However, I thought this story was easy to follow along, and even when things got significantly more fantastical - everything seemed to be set in reality to where it was believable.
Told from the perspective of one sister who was essentially “cursed” to be the dark twin (Natasha) to her sister’s “light,” (Clara) we follow as she grows up and see the cracks in her relationships due to the favoritism for her sister. Clara is seemingly able to float through life without a care in the world, while Natasha, as the “dark” sister, has to accept living in the shadows and being invisible.
This is the status quo that both live with, until one night, after the announcement of Clara’s betrothal where she is gifted a nutcracker. This nutcracker goes with Clara on a magical adventure to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy, while Natasha is dragged along behind her into this world, and forced to follow in her sister’s footsteps. While Clara is dazzled by the light and beauty of this world, Natasha sees the facade of the illusion of the candy land, as well as the “fairy” that rules it.
Overcome by jealousy to her sister, Natasha makes a bargain with this false fairy - completely changing the trajectory of both sister’s lives in the process.
However, after causing ruin to each other’s lives, are the two sisters able to move past this and forgive one another? Or will they destroy both the real, and fantastical, worlds to take their revenge on one another?
I was surprised by the real-world historical fiction worldbuilding of this novel, as I wasn’t expecting such a real world connection to a seemingly fantastical story. However, I thought this book did a good job of combining the two, so that the magic of the Sugar Plum Fairy never seemed entirely impossible - even when in the “real” world.
This would be a good novel to read for anyone who likes darker fantasy retellings, as well as historical fiction and toxic sibling relationships. I was unsure until the very end how the story of the two sisters would conclude, and thought it was a very poignant ending with neither sister being truly innocent nor a true villain.
A darker twist on the story of the Nutcracker, focusing on toxic sister relationships.
I honestly didn’t know almost anything about the Nutcracker (my only exposure was literally Danny Gonzalez’s video on it, to be honest) so I can’t speak to any accuracy or where this story deviates from the original. However, I thought this story was easy to follow along, and even when things got significantly more fantastical - everything seemed to be set in reality to where it was believable.
Told from the perspective of one sister who was essentially “cursed” to be the dark twin (Natasha) to her sister’s “light,” (Clara) we follow as she grows up and see the cracks in her relationships due to the favoritism for her sister. Clara is seemingly able to float through life without a care in the world, while Natasha, as the “dark” sister, has to accept living in the shadows and being invisible.
This is the status quo that both live with, until one night, after the announcement of Clara’s betrothal where she is gifted a nutcracker. This nutcracker goes with Clara on a magical adventure to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy, while Natasha is dragged along behind her into this world, and forced to follow in her sister’s footsteps. While Clara is dazzled by the light and beauty of this world, Natasha sees the facade of the illusion of the candy land, as well as the “fairy” that rules it.
Overcome by jealousy to her sister, Natasha makes a bargain with this false fairy - completely changing the trajectory of both sister’s lives in the process.
However, after causing ruin to each other’s lives, are the two sisters able to move past this and forgive one another? Or will they destroy both the real, and fantastical, worlds to take their revenge on one another?
I was surprised by the real-world historical fiction worldbuilding of this novel, as I wasn’t expecting such a real world connection to a seemingly fantastical story. However, I thought this book did a good job of combining the two, so that the magic of the Sugar Plum Fairy never seemed entirely impossible - even when in the “real” world.
This would be a good novel to read for anyone who likes darker fantasy retellings, as well as historical fiction and toxic sibling relationships. I was unsure until the very end how the story of the two sisters would conclude, and thought it was a very poignant ending with neither sister being truly innocent nor a true villain.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Bloom Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
To be honest, this was a very typical fantasy/romantasy that I think I’d have read when I was about fifteen-ish before my standards were raised. I had issues with the romance, the plot, the character interactions, as well as the diversity (there isn’t any). HOWEVER this book was really easy to read, and if you can accept some of the issues I’ll write a little bit later I think you could enjoy this book. The book goes very fast, and it’s not hard to follow the plot nor the character interactions. Also, this book is potentially a good beginning book to continue this series, as we can see the larger worldbuilding hinted at in this novel. I looked at the plots of the other books, and even while not enjoying this one, I would consider reading the others - if only to see how the MMC’s are portrayed. I could see these novels as easy palette cleansers between other books.
Don’t read further because I get mean. Reader beware you’re in for a scare, and all that.
My biggest issue in this novel is the purity culture nonsense. SO MUCH of the inner dialogue in this novel is about how being “pure” (a virgin) is SO IMPORTANT and that you MUST SAVE YOURSELF FOR MARRIAGE. Listen, if I wanted to get that nonsense preached at me I’d go back to church so they could slutshame anyone with a pulse. There’s also the fact that a lot of the mythology worldbuilding/religion is never explained and seems to be just Christianity with the name of Hades changed from Hell. (Sidenote: Why is there a Hades? How does this relate at ALL to this story? No other Greek gods are mentioned, so I can only assume this was used because it felt more “fantasy” than simply saying “Hell.” To be completely honest, why weren't new swear words invented, relating to the world this novel is in? Something dragon related, perhaps? There also isn’t any religion mentioned, so having words related to this non-existent religion is also confusing.)
Another issue is the fact that the FMC is the TEXTBOOK case of “not like other girls.” She hunts, she wears pants, she hates dresses, she wants to/joins the army, she’s rude, she doesn’t eat daintily - etc, etc, etc. Which, there is NOTHING wrong with this - it’s just an issue when every single time she meets another woman she disparages her in her head for not being any different. She’s so UNIQUE you know? That must make her special. There is literally only ONE OTHER female character she really respects who is EXACTLY like her, and that’s it. Sure, she pretends to like the other women in this novel, but even when she’s getting along with them she’s insulting them either behind their back or in her head, and then laughs at them because they don’t like how rude she is (but she’s just like “it's because I’m so DIFFERENT”). It gets old fast.
There’s even a fucking quote from the MMC about his “dream woman” that PERFECTLY encapsulates this.
“My dream woman would have hair the color of moonlight, she’d want to hunt and shoot bows and arrows with my friends and me, she wouldn’t fuss over dresses and fashion, and she’d eat normal portions of food, not pick at salads like a bird.”
If you have a functioning brain you’ll see the issue with this quote, starting with “she’s not like other girls” and “I expect her to be skinny but I don’t want her to make an effort at it” and “she needs to be one of the boys, but also hot and feminine and sexually available to me.” Bruh.
Also, SPOILERS AHEAD:
But a huge portion of the plot is how the king needs an heir to keep his magic alive. AND he’s losing his magic at an alarming rate, AND if he entirely loses his magic everyone in the kingdom with a connection to his magic (a good 90% of the population) will die. And our plucky FMC spends SO MUCH of our time griping about how “she’s not just a womb” and only caring if the MMC likes her for “who she is” and whatnot. And like, sure, those are good points - in any other novel. Honestly, I get that she’s only 18 but yikes and grow the fuck up. There’s a reason the king sent out a notice to all women of childbearing age with ANY magic - he needs an heir, like, yesterday.
Also, if the worldbuilding in this novel made an OUNCE of sense and wasn’t just white European Christianity with a fantasy filter over it, the king would have at least 10 wives and twice as many concubines to ensure he was never without an heir and the losing magic thing was never a concern. But I digress. So when the FMC and the MMC finally get together and decide to get married, they learn that there could be an issue with a potential child due to their bloodlines. They agree to let the king have 3 mistresses for an heir, and our little FMC is so UPSET about this. And then the king decides he can’t do it, and to just risk it for the biscuit and try with her anyway. (It works because these are looney tunes rules here, but in reality he should have slept with all 4 of them to be safe.)
Not to even mention the one description of when they finally have sex. Yikes. Her internal dialogue is about how her “purity” is SO IMPORTANT that she was SAVING IT FOR HIM and she’s glad she waited until now instead of just giving it to anyone like SOME OTHER GIRLS. Miss ma’am. AND LITERALLY ALL HE DOES IS TOUCH HER BOOBS AND FINGER HER A BIT, AND THEN PUTS HIS DICK IN HER AND THEN FINISHES OUTSIDE OF HER. They spend so much time discussing how he doesn’t like these other women he has to sleep with to save his kingdom and how it won’t be like this with them, and I’m like??? Be like what? My dude, you literally slept with her like she WAS one of these random mistresses you need to get pregnant, and not like you gave a rat’s ass about her or her pleasure.
I think honestly if we cut back on all the pitfalls I mentioned, this book would be better and would have made me more invested in the world. However, if you’re fine with purity Christianity undertones and “not like other girls” nonsense, this fantasy could be a good fit. It’s quick and easy to read, and only took me like 3 hours to finish - so it’s not a huge investment of time. However, for me it felt like it was taken straight from the early 2010s and not 2022, so I couldn't get into it.
To be honest, this was a very typical fantasy/romantasy that I think I’d have read when I was about fifteen-ish before my standards were raised. I had issues with the romance, the plot, the character interactions, as well as the diversity (there isn’t any). HOWEVER this book was really easy to read, and if you can accept some of the issues I’ll write a little bit later I think you could enjoy this book. The book goes very fast, and it’s not hard to follow the plot nor the character interactions. Also, this book is potentially a good beginning book to continue this series, as we can see the larger worldbuilding hinted at in this novel. I looked at the plots of the other books, and even while not enjoying this one, I would consider reading the others - if only to see how the MMC’s are portrayed. I could see these novels as easy palette cleansers between other books.
Don’t read further because I get mean. Reader beware you’re in for a scare, and all that.
My biggest issue in this novel is the purity culture nonsense. SO MUCH of the inner dialogue in this novel is about how being “pure” (a virgin) is SO IMPORTANT and that you MUST SAVE YOURSELF FOR MARRIAGE. Listen, if I wanted to get that nonsense preached at me I’d go back to church so they could slutshame anyone with a pulse. There’s also the fact that a lot of the mythology worldbuilding/religion is never explained and seems to be just Christianity with the name of Hades changed from Hell. (Sidenote: Why is there a Hades? How does this relate at ALL to this story? No other Greek gods are mentioned, so I can only assume this was used because it felt more “fantasy” than simply saying “Hell.” To be completely honest, why weren't new swear words invented, relating to the world this novel is in? Something dragon related, perhaps? There also isn’t any religion mentioned, so having words related to this non-existent religion is also confusing.)
Another issue is the fact that the FMC is the TEXTBOOK case of “not like other girls.” She hunts, she wears pants, she hates dresses, she wants to/joins the army, she’s rude, she doesn’t eat daintily - etc, etc, etc. Which, there is NOTHING wrong with this - it’s just an issue when every single time she meets another woman she disparages her in her head for not being any different. She’s so UNIQUE you know? That must make her special. There is literally only ONE OTHER female character she really respects who is EXACTLY like her, and that’s it. Sure, she pretends to like the other women in this novel, but even when she’s getting along with them she’s insulting them either behind their back or in her head, and then laughs at them because they don’t like how rude she is (but she’s just like “it's because I’m so DIFFERENT”). It gets old fast.
There’s even a fucking quote from the MMC about his “dream woman” that PERFECTLY encapsulates this.
“My dream woman would have hair the color of moonlight, she’d want to hunt and shoot bows and arrows with my friends and me, she wouldn’t fuss over dresses and fashion, and she’d eat normal portions of food, not pick at salads like a bird.”
If you have a functioning brain you’ll see the issue with this quote, starting with “she’s not like other girls” and “I expect her to be skinny but I don’t want her to make an effort at it” and “she needs to be one of the boys, but also hot and feminine and sexually available to me.” Bruh.
Also, SPOILERS AHEAD:
But a huge portion of the plot is how the king needs an heir to keep his magic alive. AND he’s losing his magic at an alarming rate, AND if he entirely loses his magic everyone in the kingdom with a connection to his magic (a good 90% of the population) will die. And our plucky FMC spends SO MUCH of our time griping about how “she’s not just a womb” and only caring if the MMC likes her for “who she is” and whatnot. And like, sure, those are good points - in any other novel. Honestly, I get that she’s only 18 but yikes and grow the fuck up. There’s a reason the king sent out a notice to all women of childbearing age with ANY magic - he needs an heir, like, yesterday.
Also, if the worldbuilding in this novel made an OUNCE of sense and wasn’t just white European Christianity with a fantasy filter over it, the king would have at least 10 wives and twice as many concubines to ensure he was never without an heir and the losing magic thing was never a concern. But I digress. So when the FMC and the MMC finally get together and decide to get married, they learn that there could be an issue with a potential child due to their bloodlines. They agree to let the king have 3 mistresses for an heir, and our little FMC is so UPSET about this. And then the king decides he can’t do it, and to just risk it for the biscuit and try with her anyway. (It works because these are looney tunes rules here, but in reality he should have slept with all 4 of them to be safe.)
Not to even mention the one description of when they finally have sex. Yikes. Her internal dialogue is about how her “purity” is SO IMPORTANT that she was SAVING IT FOR HIM and she’s glad she waited until now instead of just giving it to anyone like SOME OTHER GIRLS. Miss ma’am. AND LITERALLY ALL HE DOES IS TOUCH HER BOOBS AND FINGER HER A BIT, AND THEN PUTS HIS DICK IN HER AND THEN FINISHES OUTSIDE OF HER. They spend so much time discussing how he doesn’t like these other women he has to sleep with to save his kingdom and how it won’t be like this with them, and I’m like??? Be like what? My dude, you literally slept with her like she WAS one of these random mistresses you need to get pregnant, and not like you gave a rat’s ass about her or her pleasure.
I think honestly if we cut back on all the pitfalls I mentioned, this book would be better and would have made me more invested in the world. However, if you’re fine with purity Christianity undertones and “not like other girls” nonsense, this fantasy could be a good fit. It’s quick and easy to read, and only took me like 3 hours to finish - so it’s not a huge investment of time. However, for me it felt like it was taken straight from the early 2010s and not 2022, so I couldn't get into it.