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eggcatsreads's Reviews (480)
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House/Peachtree/Pixel+Ink/Peachtree Teen for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Trigger Warnings:
- Transphobia
- Ableism
- Sexual assault
- Gore; medical gore; explicit mentions of performing a cesarean section and removing the uterus
- Pregnancy
- Miscarriage
- Violence
–
“There’s a difference between weakness and survival.”
This book is a wonder. It’s bloody, and violent, and freeing. It lets you be yourself, guts and all, and doesn’t shy away from honesty and being true to oneself.
Our main character Silas (“Gloria”) is trapped by convention to be nothing more than a wife to produce (male) children. Despite his interest in anatomy and becoming a surgeon, and absolutely no interest in being a wife or a woman at all. However, when he tries to break away from the life forced on him, he’s caught and sent to a kind of finishing school to turn “women” like him into perfect wives - or else. This is a great setting for a gothic horror. Our main character is trapped, with no or very few allies, and must do whatever he can to save himself before it’s too late.
The society clearly takes its inspiration from the spiritualist movement of the early 1800s. (I personally just want to mention this because this era is so fascinating to me, and I almost love every novel I’ve read that takes direct inspiration from it.) I thought it was interesting that originally women were the ones doing the medium work, but once it was discovered how to use the power for war and money women were banned from doing it - or risk becoming ill. And this begs the question - is this “Veil-sickness” real, or is it manufactured to ensure compliance?
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I thought the worldbuilding for the setting was phenomenal - it’s not just simply info-dumping at us. Concepts that we learn more about as the novel progresses - the importance of the purple eye color, the existence of ghosts and mediums, the society controlling the use of contacting spirits - are casually brought up with the understanding that the person being talked to understands it already. Personally, I much prefer this type of worldbuilding, as I don’t like it when it gets to “anime-conversation” style, where I’m being explicitly explained concepts that, by all means, the character should already know. It’s much more natural to piece together the information we’re given, and to discover the whole picture more naturally.
We aren’t told until a conversation with his brother that our main character is even a trans man who secretly goes by the name Silas, which I thought was a nice change of pace to some books just Telling you. In the same way we’re told how the main character is autistic, simply by his reactions, his brother’s help, and how he reacts and thinks. It’s entirely naturally built into the character, and nothing feels manufactured.
The inner voice of the character - constantly mocking him, telling him to shut up, to behave, etc - being internally seen as a rabbit was an interesting choice. I felt it had a lot of symbolism, in the fact that we typically see rabbits as cute and nonthreatening, and yet the things it is saying to Silas are cruel. I thought it served as a nice mirror to the idea of their society “protecting” women (or anyone it deems to be women) by forcing them to be small and meek, and this being seen as a positive due to them being “the weaker sex.”
There’s also really well-done tension with the characters that Silas meets, where even when nothing is explicitly going wrong at that moment, you pick up on something being off. There were multiple characters that we met at the beginning who had some mildly reddish flags popping up for them, but otherwise were benign. But then, as the novel progressed, these issues became more pronounced until by the end you were almost expecting their heel-turn, but you were hoping the entire time you were wrong about it.
–
This novel ties together a lot of concepts and ideas extremely well, kept me hooked until the last page and even wincing at times. I highly recommend this book.
–
Trigger Warnings:
- Transphobia
- Ableism
- Sexual assault
- Gore; medical gore; explicit mentions of performing a cesarean section and removing the uterus
- Pregnancy
- Miscarriage
- Violence
–
“There’s a difference between weakness and survival.”
This book is a wonder. It’s bloody, and violent, and freeing. It lets you be yourself, guts and all, and doesn’t shy away from honesty and being true to oneself.
Our main character Silas (“Gloria”) is trapped by convention to be nothing more than a wife to produce (male) children. Despite his interest in anatomy and becoming a surgeon, and absolutely no interest in being a wife or a woman at all. However, when he tries to break away from the life forced on him, he’s caught and sent to a kind of finishing school to turn “women” like him into perfect wives - or else. This is a great setting for a gothic horror. Our main character is trapped, with no or very few allies, and must do whatever he can to save himself before it’s too late.
The society clearly takes its inspiration from the spiritualist movement of the early 1800s. (I personally just want to mention this because this era is so fascinating to me, and I almost love every novel I’ve read that takes direct inspiration from it.) I thought it was interesting that originally women were the ones doing the medium work, but once it was discovered how to use the power for war and money women were banned from doing it - or risk becoming ill. And this begs the question - is this “Veil-sickness” real, or is it manufactured to ensure compliance?
–
I thought the worldbuilding for the setting was phenomenal - it’s not just simply info-dumping at us. Concepts that we learn more about as the novel progresses - the importance of the purple eye color, the existence of ghosts and mediums, the society controlling the use of contacting spirits - are casually brought up with the understanding that the person being talked to understands it already. Personally, I much prefer this type of worldbuilding, as I don’t like it when it gets to “anime-conversation” style, where I’m being explicitly explained concepts that, by all means, the character should already know. It’s much more natural to piece together the information we’re given, and to discover the whole picture more naturally.
We aren’t told until a conversation with his brother that our main character is even a trans man who secretly goes by the name Silas, which I thought was a nice change of pace to some books just Telling you. In the same way we’re told how the main character is autistic, simply by his reactions, his brother’s help, and how he reacts and thinks. It’s entirely naturally built into the character, and nothing feels manufactured.
The inner voice of the character - constantly mocking him, telling him to shut up, to behave, etc - being internally seen as a rabbit was an interesting choice. I felt it had a lot of symbolism, in the fact that we typically see rabbits as cute and nonthreatening, and yet the things it is saying to Silas are cruel. I thought it served as a nice mirror to the idea of their society “protecting” women (or anyone it deems to be women) by forcing them to be small and meek, and this being seen as a positive due to them being “the weaker sex.”
There’s also really well-done tension with the characters that Silas meets, where even when nothing is explicitly going wrong at that moment, you pick up on something being off. There were multiple characters that we met at the beginning who had some mildly reddish flags popping up for them, but otherwise were benign. But then, as the novel progressed, these issues became more pronounced until by the end you were almost expecting their heel-turn, but you were hoping the entire time you were wrong about it.
–
This novel ties together a lot of concepts and ideas extremely well, kept me hooked until the last page and even wincing at times. I highly recommend this book.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love creepypastas and r/nosleeps, so this story immediately drew my attention with similarities to the creepypasta Candle Cove. Instead of a group of strangers reminiscing on a children’s show that may or may not have existed, however, it’s a reunion of the last set of child actors. There’s a kind of cult classic feel to the hype for the show, as people seem to remember it but they can’t quite remember exactly what they watched nor can anyone find evidence of it online. It’s a mystery, and so once word gets out about the last cast getting together to do a podcast about the show - it’s all over the internet.
This book does a great job of bringing that feeling into it - it includes blog entries, discussion boards, Wikipedia articles, etc - with the rest of the world’s opinion and feelings towards Mister Magic and the cast reunion. I loved this, as it really brought a sort of “reality” to the novel. It’s not just the main character or the previous cast who are both obsessed with the show but also can’t quite remember anything specific that happened - it’s the rest of the world too. It really gives a solid foundation to the almost eerie feeling of this show that was a part of everyone’s childhoods - but yet no one can find evidence of it online.
The main character, Val, was apparently a cast member as a child on this show, but she has absolutely no memory of it. Her father brought her to the farm that she’s lived on for the past 30 years, keeping her hidden from anything that could identify her - but why? Does it have something to do with the show Mister Magic? What’s wrong with the show if everyone who remembers it only has positive memories attached?
We kind of wander in the dark, trying to figure out what’s exactly going on - all the while, an omnipresent uneasiness fills both the reader and Val, letting us know that there’s something not right going on. Why did her father essentially kidnap her, and never tell her about her past? What’s going on with the house they supposedly filmed Mister Magic in? And who exactly is the podcast narrator? We don’t know the answers to any of these questions, and neither does Val. From the start, Val can sense a feeling of wrongness about everything that’s going on, but she needs answers to these questions as well.
There is a very strong (and explicitly stated) theme of religious trauma in this novel, that lends an entirely other aspect to the horror happening. Once the reader can start to connect the dots between the events of the book, and the real-life abuses inflicted by the LDS church, it brings everything that’s happening into a new light. The ending might not be satisfactory to some, but I felt - with the context of this being a novel by White to confront her religious trauma from growing up in the LDS church - that it made sense. There’s never an easy answer or an easy solution when you grow up and move on, and there shouldn’t have to be.
If you, like me, read Candle Cove years ago and wanted more out of it - I recommend this book. It’s obviously not the same as Candle Cove, but it incorporates a lot of the things I loved about the creepypasta into this novel, all the while still being its own unique experience. (However, if you have issues with confronting religious trauma or cults, I would kindly suggest choosing another novel.)
I love creepypastas and r/nosleeps, so this story immediately drew my attention with similarities to the creepypasta Candle Cove. Instead of a group of strangers reminiscing on a children’s show that may or may not have existed, however, it’s a reunion of the last set of child actors. There’s a kind of cult classic feel to the hype for the show, as people seem to remember it but they can’t quite remember exactly what they watched nor can anyone find evidence of it online. It’s a mystery, and so once word gets out about the last cast getting together to do a podcast about the show - it’s all over the internet.
This book does a great job of bringing that feeling into it - it includes blog entries, discussion boards, Wikipedia articles, etc - with the rest of the world’s opinion and feelings towards Mister Magic and the cast reunion. I loved this, as it really brought a sort of “reality” to the novel. It’s not just the main character or the previous cast who are both obsessed with the show but also can’t quite remember anything specific that happened - it’s the rest of the world too. It really gives a solid foundation to the almost eerie feeling of this show that was a part of everyone’s childhoods - but yet no one can find evidence of it online.
The main character, Val, was apparently a cast member as a child on this show, but she has absolutely no memory of it. Her father brought her to the farm that she’s lived on for the past 30 years, keeping her hidden from anything that could identify her - but why? Does it have something to do with the show Mister Magic? What’s wrong with the show if everyone who remembers it only has positive memories attached?
We kind of wander in the dark, trying to figure out what’s exactly going on - all the while, an omnipresent uneasiness fills both the reader and Val, letting us know that there’s something not right going on. Why did her father essentially kidnap her, and never tell her about her past? What’s going on with the house they supposedly filmed Mister Magic in? And who exactly is the podcast narrator? We don’t know the answers to any of these questions, and neither does Val. From the start, Val can sense a feeling of wrongness about everything that’s going on, but she needs answers to these questions as well.
There is a very strong (and explicitly stated) theme of religious trauma in this novel, that lends an entirely other aspect to the horror happening. Once the reader can start to connect the dots between the events of the book, and the real-life abuses inflicted by the LDS church, it brings everything that’s happening into a new light. The ending might not be satisfactory to some, but I felt - with the context of this being a novel by White to confront her religious trauma from growing up in the LDS church - that it made sense. There’s never an easy answer or an easy solution when you grow up and move on, and there shouldn’t have to be.
If you, like me, read Candle Cove years ago and wanted more out of it - I recommend this book. It’s obviously not the same as Candle Cove, but it incorporates a lot of the things I loved about the creepypasta into this novel, all the while still being its own unique experience. (However, if you have issues with confronting religious trauma or cults, I would kindly suggest choosing another novel.)
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Inkyard Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a flawless combination of The Poppy War and Fullmetal Alchemist, while still maintaining its own story. The main character (Zilan) needs to become a royal alchemist so she can help financially provide for her family - and her two cousins/siblings are also attempting to take the civil service exams for the same reason. Alchemists have discovered the key to immortality, and joining the royal family as an alchemist comes with a significant amount of prestige - but there lies the risk of serving them forever. It’s also revealed that Zilan has discovered how to bring the dead back to life - an illegal use of alchemy that she does to keep their family business afloat.
While reading this book I could see a significant amount of references to Fullmetal Alchemist - clearly by someone who loves the series as much as I do. However, you in no way need to have watched/read FMA to understand this book - it’s more like easter eggs hidden in plain sight.
This book is amazingly fast-paced and there was never a dull moment to me as I read. Even when Zilan is doing her training as a royal alchemist, or talking with the prince, there is always something going on that will very quickly raise the tension and the stakes.
I also wasn’t expecting to love the romance in this book as much as I did. I thought the buildup between Hong and Zilan to be organic, as well as super sweet to read about - even amidst all the bloodshed of everything else going on in the book. I liked that despite how passive Hong can be, Zilan forces him to become a better version of himself despite his reservations. They make each other grow more as people, without ever trying to change each other into different people.
Finally - I know this book has a lot of inspiration from Fullmetal Alchemist. But. Could the ending have been slightly less Fullmetal Alchemist. Just as a treat? Did you HAVE to rip out my heart like that? .
This book is a flawless combination of The Poppy War and Fullmetal Alchemist, while still maintaining its own story. The main character (Zilan) needs to become a royal alchemist so she can help financially provide for her family - and her two cousins/siblings are also attempting to take the civil service exams for the same reason. Alchemists have discovered the key to immortality, and joining the royal family as an alchemist comes with a significant amount of prestige - but there lies the risk of serving them forever. It’s also revealed that Zilan has discovered how to bring the dead back to life - an illegal use of alchemy that she does to keep their family business afloat.
While reading this book I could see a significant amount of references to Fullmetal Alchemist - clearly by someone who loves the series as much as I do. However, you in no way need to have watched/read FMA to understand this book - it’s more like easter eggs hidden in plain sight.
This book is amazingly fast-paced and there was never a dull moment to me as I read. Even when Zilan is doing her training as a royal alchemist, or talking with the prince, there is always something going on that will very quickly raise the tension and the stakes.
I also wasn’t expecting to love the romance in this book as much as I did. I thought the buildup between Hong and Zilan to be organic, as well as super sweet to read about - even amidst all the bloodshed of everything else going on in the book. I liked that despite how passive Hong can be, Zilan forces him to become a better version of himself despite his reservations. They make each other grow more as people, without ever trying to change each other into different people.
Finally - I know this book has a lot of inspiration from Fullmetal Alchemist. But. Could the ending have been slightly less Fullmetal Alchemist. Just as a treat? Did you HAVE to rip out my heart like that? .
I've removed my review as part of the boycott for St. Martin's Press and all its imprints (including Minotaur Books) until a response is made to the racist, Islamophobic, and queerphobic comments made by one of their employees.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Orbit Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book starts off with a bang. It’s hilarious and the first chapter absolutely made me want to continue. I was intrigued from the first page and had really high hopes - but it just never grabbed me or kept me captivated.
The best way I can describe the disconnect in this book, is it feels like a book in the middle of a series. It feels like I should already know some of these characters and their investigations, and not that this is the first introduction to them. We meet Isolde (Iz) and Warren (War) but so much of their “investigation” is simply “ask person A - (brief background about person A) - Person A decides they like them - answer” and then rinse and repeat. It REALLY feels like this book is taking place in an already established world, and that I should already have a basis for what’s going on. The fact that I don’t really made reading this book difficult for me. (I even double-checked that I wasn’t amiss in my understanding that this was a new series, and not a continuation, I felt so lost the entire time.)
For a mystery novel about private investigators, there honestly was little actually investigating going on, to be honest. A good portion of this book felt like reading a walking simulator where you’ve already done all the side-quests so when you talk to the person they ONLY give you plot relevant information. The issue is, we (the reader) have not seen these side-quests but instead we’re briefly told about them as if we should already know. This kind of makes the stakes never feel relevant when we’re reading, nor does it give adequate background on the main characters or the person/creature they’re talking to - it just makes the entire thing feel pointless to read.
The writing is whimsical, and the world is interesting, but sometimes it felt like things were added simply to BE whimsical, and not because they were needed in the story. The dragon in the bag was only there for either a deus ex machina save, or to occasionally make funny quips and I felt nothing would have been lost if it was removed. The issue is that there are multiple instances of either something happening or a character that could also be described in a similar way. Personally, at no point did I feel that something was both plot relevant and necessary, and never not that it was mostly added forshock or humor value.
It’s hard to describe, but I think this book would have been more fun to read if Iz and War were already characters we cared about, and not where this was supposed to be our first introduction to them. This book would have worked as the third or fourth in a series of their investigations, where you technically don’t have to read them in order but when stuff is mentioned you can go “oh I remember that happening in the last book!” rather than it feeling like pointless info-dumping to make you care about something you’ve never read about.
The twist ending at the end didn’t really make me interested in continuing, instead it kind of made me feel like everything I just read for the past hundred pages was pointless? Which is NOT the feeling I should have with a twist ending for a mystery novel - but instead it kind of felt less like it was finishing up the plot in this book and setting up the next, but instead it was making everything that happened in this book pointless and then never actually solves the issue it starts with.
I feel bad that I didn’t enjoy this novel, especially as I can see I’m in the minority for this. I think you should still check out this book, because it was never bad or poorly written, and it does have a lot of funny moments, it just never clicked for me as I read it.
This book starts off with a bang. It’s hilarious and the first chapter absolutely made me want to continue. I was intrigued from the first page and had really high hopes - but it just never grabbed me or kept me captivated.
The best way I can describe the disconnect in this book, is it feels like a book in the middle of a series. It feels like I should already know some of these characters and their investigations, and not that this is the first introduction to them. We meet Isolde (Iz) and Warren (War) but so much of their “investigation” is simply “ask person A - (brief background about person A) - Person A decides they like them - answer” and then rinse and repeat. It REALLY feels like this book is taking place in an already established world, and that I should already have a basis for what’s going on. The fact that I don’t really made reading this book difficult for me. (I even double-checked that I wasn’t amiss in my understanding that this was a new series, and not a continuation, I felt so lost the entire time.)
For a mystery novel about private investigators, there honestly was little actually investigating going on, to be honest. A good portion of this book felt like reading a walking simulator where you’ve already done all the side-quests so when you talk to the person they ONLY give you plot relevant information. The issue is, we (the reader) have not seen these side-quests but instead we’re briefly told about them as if we should already know. This kind of makes the stakes never feel relevant when we’re reading, nor does it give adequate background on the main characters or the person/creature they’re talking to - it just makes the entire thing feel pointless to read.
The writing is whimsical, and the world is interesting, but sometimes it felt like things were added simply to BE whimsical, and not because they were needed in the story. The dragon in the bag was only there for either a deus ex machina save, or to occasionally make funny quips and I felt nothing would have been lost if it was removed. The issue is that there are multiple instances of either something happening or a character that could also be described in a similar way. Personally, at no point did I feel that something was both plot relevant and necessary, and never not that it was mostly added forshock or humor value.
It’s hard to describe, but I think this book would have been more fun to read if Iz and War were already characters we cared about, and not where this was supposed to be our first introduction to them. This book would have worked as the third or fourth in a series of their investigations, where you technically don’t have to read them in order but when stuff is mentioned you can go “oh I remember that happening in the last book!” rather than it feeling like pointless info-dumping to make you care about something you’ve never read about.
The twist ending at the end didn’t really make me interested in continuing, instead it kind of made me feel like everything I just read for the past hundred pages was pointless? Which is NOT the feeling I should have with a twist ending for a mystery novel - but instead it kind of felt less like it was finishing up the plot in this book and setting up the next, but instead it was making everything that happened in this book pointless and then never actually solves the issue it starts with.
I feel bad that I didn’t enjoy this novel, especially as I can see I’m in the minority for this. I think you should still check out this book, because it was never bad or poorly written, and it does have a lot of funny moments, it just never clicked for me as I read it.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Doubleday Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Set in a historical fiction in 1812 Russia, Let the Dead Bury the Dead is a tale that perfectly blends folklore with reality, making you unsure which is which as the story unfolds. Told with three perspectives - Felix (the grand duke of Russia), Sasha (an imperial soldier with a relationship with Felix), and Marya (a member of the Koalitsiya, a revolutionary) - this story blends together all sides of the unrest stirring in Russia, and the choices each person makes that led to the ending of this novel.
Helped by the enigmatic Sofia to achieve their goals, as the novel unfolds we remain unsure what her goal truly is. Does she wish to help the revolution for a better Russia for the people, or watch it burn to the ground? She is the hand guiding this story, and the only one who knows what resolution her actions will bring.
This story was a beautiful take on Russian history, and made you truly feel like you were living in these times with these people. The stakes slowly rise higher as the novel continues, until eventually you are unable to see how this can end without bloodshed.
Set in a historical fiction in 1812 Russia, Let the Dead Bury the Dead is a tale that perfectly blends folklore with reality, making you unsure which is which as the story unfolds. Told with three perspectives - Felix (the grand duke of Russia), Sasha (an imperial soldier with a relationship with Felix), and Marya (a member of the Koalitsiya, a revolutionary) - this story blends together all sides of the unrest stirring in Russia, and the choices each person makes that led to the ending of this novel.
Helped by the enigmatic Sofia to achieve their goals, as the novel unfolds we remain unsure what her goal truly is. Does she wish to help the revolution for a better Russia for the people, or watch it burn to the ground? She is the hand guiding this story, and the only one who knows what resolution her actions will bring.
This story was a beautiful take on Russian history, and made you truly feel like you were living in these times with these people. The stakes slowly rise higher as the novel continues, until eventually you are unable to see how this can end without bloodshed.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Aurora Metro for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This gothic historical fiction follows Dr. Kathryn Darkling's story as she evolves from simply a protective older sister, to the “Westminster Vampire” sentenced to death for the murder of several prominent war figures. Her story begins when her brother is injured as a child and loses a piece of his finger - and she discovers a form of magic in an old book entitled “Bone Rites,” which promises her the power of protecting him from any further harm using his bone.
Everything that occurs after this point in the story is up to the reader to speculate whether the magic is real, or if simply the delusions of her psyche from grief and trauma of the war.
Dr. Darkling continues her life after the discovery of the magic of the “Bone Rites,” and studies medicine to become a medical doctor. She even serves in the war as a nurse, and this is the catalyst to her becoming who she currently is in the prison. Despite believing only in science, a strong part of her still believes in the magic of the Bone Rites, and she practices it in secret during the war in an attempt to save her patients’ lives.
This story is told through dual timelines, one in her jail cell undergoing confession before her hanging, and one recounting her life up until this point to explain how she got here.
This book strikes me as extremely similar to Laura Purcell’s “The Poison Thread/The Corset” as not only is the story told through the perspective of the accused - at no point are you entirely sure which is real, and which is the delusion of the storyteller. Did this magic truly protect her brother growing up? Did the magic work to keep others safe? Is Dr. Darkling insane for her beliefs and subsequent murders? Or was there a legitimate belief to her delusions and she is fully sane the entire time? We are never entirely sure where the narrative takes us.
This novel is a great gothic historical fiction that tackles love, loss, grief, and trauma - and really makes you consider if the road to Hell being paved with good intentions is a justification for her actions.
This gothic historical fiction follows Dr. Kathryn Darkling's story as she evolves from simply a protective older sister, to the “Westminster Vampire” sentenced to death for the murder of several prominent war figures. Her story begins when her brother is injured as a child and loses a piece of his finger - and she discovers a form of magic in an old book entitled “Bone Rites,” which promises her the power of protecting him from any further harm using his bone.
Everything that occurs after this point in the story is up to the reader to speculate whether the magic is real, or if simply the delusions of her psyche from grief and trauma of the war.
Dr. Darkling continues her life after the discovery of the magic of the “Bone Rites,” and studies medicine to become a medical doctor. She even serves in the war as a nurse, and this is the catalyst to her becoming who she currently is in the prison. Despite believing only in science, a strong part of her still believes in the magic of the Bone Rites, and she practices it in secret during the war in an attempt to save her patients’ lives.
This story is told through dual timelines, one in her jail cell undergoing confession before her hanging, and one recounting her life up until this point to explain how she got here.
This book strikes me as extremely similar to Laura Purcell’s “The Poison Thread/The Corset” as not only is the story told through the perspective of the accused - at no point are you entirely sure which is real, and which is the delusion of the storyteller. Did this magic truly protect her brother growing up? Did the magic work to keep others safe? Is Dr. Darkling insane for her beliefs and subsequent murders? Or was there a legitimate belief to her delusions and she is fully sane the entire time? We are never entirely sure where the narrative takes us.
This novel is a great gothic historical fiction that tackles love, loss, grief, and trauma - and really makes you consider if the road to Hell being paved with good intentions is a justification for her actions.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Muse and Quill Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, and despite my intention of reading this for 2-3 days, I finished it in one sitting as I could not put it down. It’s a fresh take on Greek mythology retellings, in that the author has created her own mythos within the story - and yet, it fits perfectly into any other Greek myth retelling. It honestly felt more like reading a mythology retelling that I was unfamiliar with, and less like a brand new original story, as everything fit together into established mythology so well.
(It’s almost frustrating, [in a “I can’t wait for the next book" kind of way!”] that I can’t look up the story of Helinthia to learn what happens next, because part of me is convinced that I’ve simply missed an epic by Homer somewhere. By this I mean, the author has done phenomenal at incorporating her own story into existing Greek myth to the point that it’s near impossible to find the lines of what is taken from the myth, and what is original to this story.)
I did have a little difficulty understanding what was going on at the beginning of this book, as it began already extremely in-depth with the assumption you would know the characters and places - when we, as the reader, do not. However, I felt like this almost enhanced the believability of this being a mythology retelling and not an original story, as every retelling I’ve read begins in the same way. This story isn’t any more confusing, in my opinion, than any other novel on Greek mythology read by someone not overly familiar with the story.
I personally believe it’s better to read through the confusion - which only lasts with the first 2-3 chapters, before we (the reader) start being able to more easily understand and connect the dots. After this point, I had no confusion about anything I was reading, and despite the large cast of characters I found it fairly easy to identify them, their relationships with one another, and their goals. So personally I enjoyed the slight confusion, and the feeling that I should already know this setting and these characters, as it really made Helinthia feel like a real place and a real goddess. It simply felt like an aspect of Greek mythology I wasn’t aware of, and not that I was reading an original story.
The title being The Epic of Helinthia I feel as very apt, as reading this provided similar feelings to when I had read The Odyssey or The Iliad years ago. This isn’t written in the same epic poem format, but reading it definitely provided the feelings of reading an epic poem while still written as a typical novel. And the ending absolutely lends itself to the feeling that this is the first step to an epic journey that will stretch for years and have many twists and turns throughout it - just like the epic poems by Homer.
To be completely honest, I was putting off reading this book for a while because I personally wasn’t in the mood to read a Greek myth book. However, this book quickly and easily changed my mind within the first few chapters and by the end I forgot why I was even putting this off. I wish I had read this earlier, as it’s absolutely worth it.
I will warn readers to absolutely check the trigger warnings, as there are a few parts that could be alarming, but there’s nothing too overly graphic.
Also, this is only partially a joke but how much money can I bribe to bring a certain character back in the next book? Asking for a friend. (The friend is the same character that I refuse to believe is really dead.)
This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, and despite my intention of reading this for 2-3 days, I finished it in one sitting as I could not put it down. It’s a fresh take on Greek mythology retellings, in that the author has created her own mythos within the story - and yet, it fits perfectly into any other Greek myth retelling. It honestly felt more like reading a mythology retelling that I was unfamiliar with, and less like a brand new original story, as everything fit together into established mythology so well.
(It’s almost frustrating, [in a “I can’t wait for the next book" kind of way!”] that I can’t look up the story of Helinthia to learn what happens next, because part of me is convinced that I’ve simply missed an epic by Homer somewhere. By this I mean, the author has done phenomenal at incorporating her own story into existing Greek myth to the point that it’s near impossible to find the lines of what is taken from the myth, and what is original to this story.)
I did have a little difficulty understanding what was going on at the beginning of this book, as it began already extremely in-depth with the assumption you would know the characters and places - when we, as the reader, do not. However, I felt like this almost enhanced the believability of this being a mythology retelling and not an original story, as every retelling I’ve read begins in the same way. This story isn’t any more confusing, in my opinion, than any other novel on Greek mythology read by someone not overly familiar with the story.
I personally believe it’s better to read through the confusion - which only lasts with the first 2-3 chapters, before we (the reader) start being able to more easily understand and connect the dots. After this point, I had no confusion about anything I was reading, and despite the large cast of characters I found it fairly easy to identify them, their relationships with one another, and their goals. So personally I enjoyed the slight confusion, and the feeling that I should already know this setting and these characters, as it really made Helinthia feel like a real place and a real goddess. It simply felt like an aspect of Greek mythology I wasn’t aware of, and not that I was reading an original story.
The title being The Epic of Helinthia I feel as very apt, as reading this provided similar feelings to when I had read The Odyssey or The Iliad years ago. This isn’t written in the same epic poem format, but reading it definitely provided the feelings of reading an epic poem while still written as a typical novel. And the ending absolutely lends itself to the feeling that this is the first step to an epic journey that will stretch for years and have many twists and turns throughout it - just like the epic poems by Homer.
To be completely honest, I was putting off reading this book for a while because I personally wasn’t in the mood to read a Greek myth book. However, this book quickly and easily changed my mind within the first few chapters and by the end I forgot why I was even putting this off. I wish I had read this earlier, as it’s absolutely worth it.
I will warn readers to absolutely check the trigger warnings, as there are a few parts that could be alarming, but there’s nothing too overly graphic.
Also, this is only partially a joke but how much money can I bribe to bring a certain character back in the next book? Asking for a friend. (The friend is the same character that I refuse to believe is really dead.)
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Simon & Schuster for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A murder mystery set in 1875, starring a woman doctor who becomes embroiled in the police investigation when a patient of hers suddenly seems to go missing - and the body they discover in the river matches her description. We follow Lydia as she investigates alongside the police to determine what exactly happened to Anna Ward - and whether it was simply suicide, or if it was murder.
This book was a solid mystery novel, where at no point were you completely positive where the investigation was going to go, nor who was actually at fault. I enjoyed Lydia as a character - as a female doctor and a professor at her school educating OTHER women to become a doctor - she has an interesting insight to the events going on around her. I liked that while this was a mystery novel, we do spend a decent portion of the book as Lydia goes about her life and the sexism she faces for her profession.
When Lydia finds a personal diary from Anna Ward that seems to contain poetry that alludes to her knowing something that someone might want to keep secret - as well as her being frantic the last time she was seen - it adds intrigue to the case. Was someone hunting her? Did she know a secret she should not have? And while the police focus on interviewing suspects, Lydia focuses on discovering the secrets of the journal - which slowly piece together the events that lead to Anna Ward being found dead.
Mystery novels involving a complicated and intricate investigation, where you have many suspects but no clear evidence until the end, can be difficult to pull off properly. This book is able to do it convincingly, where even with there being multiple suspects and culprits, how they all fit together works extremely well. I liked how Lydia was able to work alongside the police for the investigation - but also, when she has her own leads will go off on her own.
This is a great murder mystery novel, and the meshing of the investigation with Lydia’s daily life almost felt like I was reading something similar to Katherine Arden’s Cemeteries of Amalo series.
I would only caution readers reading this if they are squeamish about descriptions of bodies, surgeries, and autopsies as while the descriptions are not overly graphic, they are described fairly well.
A murder mystery set in 1875, starring a woman doctor who becomes embroiled in the police investigation when a patient of hers suddenly seems to go missing - and the body they discover in the river matches her description. We follow Lydia as she investigates alongside the police to determine what exactly happened to Anna Ward - and whether it was simply suicide, or if it was murder.
This book was a solid mystery novel, where at no point were you completely positive where the investigation was going to go, nor who was actually at fault. I enjoyed Lydia as a character - as a female doctor and a professor at her school educating OTHER women to become a doctor - she has an interesting insight to the events going on around her. I liked that while this was a mystery novel, we do spend a decent portion of the book as Lydia goes about her life and the sexism she faces for her profession.
When Lydia finds a personal diary from Anna Ward that seems to contain poetry that alludes to her knowing something that someone might want to keep secret - as well as her being frantic the last time she was seen - it adds intrigue to the case. Was someone hunting her? Did she know a secret she should not have? And while the police focus on interviewing suspects, Lydia focuses on discovering the secrets of the journal - which slowly piece together the events that lead to Anna Ward being found dead.
Mystery novels involving a complicated and intricate investigation, where you have many suspects but no clear evidence until the end, can be difficult to pull off properly. This book is able to do it convincingly, where even with there being multiple suspects and culprits, how they all fit together works extremely well. I liked how Lydia was able to work alongside the police for the investigation - but also, when she has her own leads will go off on her own.
This is a great murder mystery novel, and the meshing of the investigation with Lydia’s daily life almost felt like I was reading something similar to Katherine Arden’s Cemeteries of Amalo series.
I would only caution readers reading this if they are squeamish about descriptions of bodies, surgeries, and autopsies as while the descriptions are not overly graphic, they are described fairly well.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Brigids Gate Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The cover is gorgeous, and was my impulse to ask for this book. And this novella is great if you were wanting a quick story with deadly women pirates who kill and take revenge on men. The story can be a bit confusing at times, but overall is a quick read so if you were just wanting a palette cleanser, I would recommend this novella. The writing, the imagery, and the relationships all felt real and fleshed out, and getting into the head of the main character wasn’t difficult - nor was it difficult to sympathize with her, or her desires.
To get into why this story didn’t really work for me, however, it personally felt too rushed and like it was needing 100-200 more pages to make a more coherent story. There were a few times that it almost felt like there was a jumpcut between scenes that were supposed to be happening at the same time, and I had to reread it to even understand what was going on. (And some of these were important plot-related scenes, where I definitely think there should have been some buildup instead of it simply just occurring.) In some ways, reading this novella felt like watching a play happening with scene changes, but nothing in the middle to indicate why or when the scene had changed.
I enjoyed the main plot of the story, but overall I felt there was too much unexplained with the origins of the rusalka or their ship. We learn that they have no memory of their time before the ship, and it’s implied that their previous memories were removed. However, when they start to regain their memories, we’re told that the captain would be willing to help them get their revenge. If that’s the case, why the memory loss? There also seems to be some confusion about the festival, as when it was occurring it seemed to be something that they do yearly - and yet, when their destination was changed to the location it was a huge contention. Once again, I think a lot of this could be solved by just having a longer book that can go into detail about these (and other) things. Also, with such a short book, I think the other character’s histories and pasts should not have been explained in detail - they don’t really do much for us, the reader, other than adding more confusion to the plot.
I will also confess to not liking the ending, as it felt like a rather cop-out versus an actual conclusion to the story.
I’m not the biggest fan of the first person narrative that this story is told through. It wasn’t done poorly, but at times it didn’t feel like there was much variation in the storytelling voice. Even when the one telling the story wasn’t the main character, the voice still felt like the same character speaking. This isn’t the biggest deal, but it was kind of stark to have no difference in speaking voice between Jaq and the snake, during their chapters.
Overall, I can absolutely see the potential in this story and would absolutely be willing to give it another chance if it’s ever extended into a full novel. When the story was flowing well I really enjoyed it, but unfortunately for me there were too many rough patches to rate this higher than 3 stars.
The cover is gorgeous, and was my impulse to ask for this book. And this novella is great if you were wanting a quick story with deadly women pirates who kill and take revenge on men. The story can be a bit confusing at times, but overall is a quick read so if you were just wanting a palette cleanser, I would recommend this novella. The writing, the imagery, and the relationships all felt real and fleshed out, and getting into the head of the main character wasn’t difficult - nor was it difficult to sympathize with her, or her desires.
To get into why this story didn’t really work for me, however, it personally felt too rushed and like it was needing 100-200 more pages to make a more coherent story. There were a few times that it almost felt like there was a jumpcut between scenes that were supposed to be happening at the same time, and I had to reread it to even understand what was going on. (And some of these were important plot-related scenes, where I definitely think there should have been some buildup instead of it simply just occurring.) In some ways, reading this novella felt like watching a play happening with scene changes, but nothing in the middle to indicate why or when the scene had changed.
I enjoyed the main plot of the story, but overall I felt there was too much unexplained with the origins of the rusalka or their ship. We learn that they have no memory of their time before the ship, and it’s implied that their previous memories were removed. However, when they start to regain their memories, we’re told that the captain would be willing to help them get their revenge. If that’s the case, why the memory loss? There also seems to be some confusion about the festival, as when it was occurring it seemed to be something that they do yearly - and yet, when their destination was changed to the location it was a huge contention. Once again, I think a lot of this could be solved by just having a longer book that can go into detail about these (and other) things. Also, with such a short book, I think the other character’s histories and pasts should not have been explained in detail - they don’t really do much for us, the reader, other than adding more confusion to the plot.
I will also confess to not liking the ending, as it felt like a rather cop-out versus an actual conclusion to the story.
I’m not the biggest fan of the first person narrative that this story is told through. It wasn’t done poorly, but at times it didn’t feel like there was much variation in the storytelling voice. Even when the one telling the story wasn’t the main character, the voice still felt like the same character speaking. This isn’t the biggest deal, but it was kind of stark to have no difference in speaking voice between Jaq and the snake, during their chapters.
Overall, I can absolutely see the potential in this story and would absolutely be willing to give it another chance if it’s ever extended into a full novel. When the story was flowing well I really enjoyed it, but unfortunately for me there were too many rough patches to rate this higher than 3 stars.