francesmthompson's Reviews (976)

It's both fascinating and alarming that so many of the observations in this book still hold true 70 years after it was first published. An essential read for anyone wanting to dismantle their internalised racism and biases.

Sci-fi is not my genre but this was MY JAM!

For the record, I will never not love an Alexis Hall book. No matter the genre or the genders. If he writes it, I'm going to read it. So, yes, I was very excited to read an eARC of Pansies, especially because I loved For Real and Glitterland, other books in this Spires series.

And Pansies had all the things I enjoyed about those books: quirky Britishisms, snarky banter, hilarious almost slapstick comedic moments. 

And like with those other books, there was unexpected depth to Pansies. Poor Fen's heartbreak was palpable and Alfie's internal battles about who he was and where he had come from were very relatable. 

I also want to give a special mention to the Prologue which was one of the loveliest openings to a book I've ever read.

Adored Mortal Follies so was so excited for this and while I did enjoy it, it's far from what I would call a romance. The majority of the plot is focused on the magical and mystical goings on across a number of characters and the two so-called main characters and their romance often took a backseat. But I still had a blast and will never hate an Alexis Hall book. 

Also the narration by Nneka Okoye was absolutely perfection. Possibly my favourite audiobook performance of the year.