Going into this book I was skeptical. Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet have been ruined for me after being made to study them for so many years in High School. However this book was everything I could have wanted in a retelling of a classic.

Set in 1920s Shanghai, we follow our two main characters Roma Montagov and Juliette Cai who like in the original play come from two rival families, which in this case are represented in the form of the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers. Our two main characters are forced to come together in order to fight this unknown ‘monster’ who is going around killing those dear to both Roma and Juliette. But unlike in our orignal play, this book is very much an enemies to lovers retelling. So If you’re like me, someone who enjoys seeing two people who hate each other finally succumb to their feelings for one another, then you are going to LOVE this.

Like the play this book deals with love, loss, and betrayal as well as a huge spoonful of mystery, monsters, and a dash of gay romance. One of the things i really appreciated is how beautiful Chloe writes. Her ability to describe the world we are presented with was simply magical. My favourite example of this from the book is the following quote “They say Shanghai stands tall like an emperor’s ugly daughter, its streets sprawling in a manner that only the limbs of a snarling princess could manage. It was not born this way. It used to be beautiful”

As well as excellent writing I adored the characters. Juliette is strong willed, smart, brutal yet caring. Roma is still a bit of a mystery to me, but gives me that I’m a bad boy with a heart vibe. But if there was one character I fell for the most, it would be smooth( definitely gay for Benedikt) Marshall. I loved the little Romeo and Juliet Easter eggs scattered across the novel and all in all can say this has been one of my all time favorite reads in a looong time. My only complaint being a lot of the characters sometimes speak in French, Russian and Chinese so it would have been good to have some sort of translations as to what was being said. The cliffhanger was also a total shock, but one I enjoyed

Luray was a risky pick for me, not only is it a book that was not published too long ago it was also a sci-fi novel, and for anyone who knows me, you know I’m not a Sci-fi fan.

I’m not entirely sure what the plot of this book is, but it follows our main character 31 year old Luray, who from what I gathered is kind of like an investigator dealing with criminals all over space ( because yes you can now travel through space, how cool) For her new task she gets set an assignment where she has to research this new civilisation and convince people that they do not pose a threat to human civilisation. As the story progresses we very quickly realise this is far from this truth, and that this new civilisation is a lot more advanced than we think.

I loved Luray, she is incredibly sassy and smart. It was fascinating reading about the different situations she was put in and her reasoning behind what she did. I also really liked the character of Kailioon, he is a great representation of a fair leader, he is full if life and lets be real I like a bit of a cocky bad boy

This book poses a lot of questions in regards to humanity and how we make certain decisions. Would you kill 1 person to save 15 others? It asks the reader to think about good and evil and why we consider some actions to be better then others. It also looks at the idea of rulers and whether too much control over human beings can be damaging, after all is free will and the idea of self expression not something that makes humans, so human? Take those away and we become robots!

So for all my sci-fi nerds, and anyone who likes some good ol philosophical questions being asked in their books then this novel just may be for you!

It’s no surprise that Agatha Christie is considered to be the Queen of crime novels, and as someone who adores a good murder mystery im really surprised it’s taken me so long to read another one of her books.

Murder at the Vicarage is set in the quaint little town of St Mary Mead, where I can’t imagine very much happens, until one day Colonol Protheroe is killed and we are thrown into this classic whodunit murder mystery.

The beauty of Christie is that her books are very simple, there’s nothing too extravagant about them, yet she has this ability to really hook the reader in and encourages them to join in on the mystery. Reading this book I was constantly analysing the little clues that we were given in order to try and figure out the murderer.

The characters for me were nothing special, they all seemed pretty mundane but I absolutely adore Miss Maple. She is far from your typical old little lady and it was such a joy seeing her character come to life.

So for all my crime lovers and anyone who enjoys a classic murder mystery, I’d not only highly recommend this book, but I’d recommend Agatha Christie in general.

Outlawed follows our main protagonist Ada. A girl like any other who wants to get married and have kids. The only issue is she happens to be infertile and unable to have children. However the year is 1984 and women who can’t have kids are assumed to be witches. Because that’s the only logical explanation

This book was just one big WTF.

Wilder girls follows Hetty, Reece and Byatt three friends who are stuck on Raxter island when the Tox, and unknown disease hits the island and begins mutating the inhabitants bodies and the world around them.

Reading this book left me with more questions than answers. I’m still not quite sure what the hell I just read. Although the concept is very interesting and kinda reminds me of lord of the flies, the way this author approached writing this book at least in my opinion was terribly confusing. Not enough explanations are given on the Tox and what exactly it does to people and the twist in the novel made absolutely no sense. Character relationships were a tad bit confusing to understand so all in all I was not really a fan of book.

However, with that being said I really enjoyed the sapphic horror element this book had. Although incredibly slow the last few chapters were a lot more interesting( but still confusing as shit). I think this book might benefit from a sequel because the ending was terrible and did not really tie up all the mess that was going on. I would have also appreciated some closure on what exactly happens to the remaining characters.

I bloody love Mark Watney!

Sci Fi and anything space related is usually something I stay clear off. But oh my god was this book such a little gem. The Martian follows our main protagonist Mark who after an accident gets left for dead on Mars, only for NASA to find out he has actually survived. It then essentially becomes a race against time to get him out alive and back to earth.

The plot for the most part was pretty interesting, it was technical but so well explained even I could understand it (and I’m stupid when it comes to anything science related) . The book was paced perfectly and had enough quiet and action packed moments which literally left me holding my breath waiting to see what happens next.

But it was the characters that made this novel amazing. I loved Mark and his sarcastic, witty self, I loved the relationships between the crew members on the mission to save Watney and it was just so much fun seeing Mark say stupid shit even when we felt like he was going to die!

So for all my sci-fi lovers, I cannot recommend this book enough!

Sometimes you gotta take a break and read a short story.

For such a short tale this little story sure packs a punch. Billy Weaver is a 17 yr old who by the looks of it seems to have traveled to Bath for business purposes and now is tasked with the role of trying to find a place to spend the night. He ends up deciding to stay at this little B&B run by a seemingly cute little old lady. However it soon becomes apparent that something is not quite right with the house and it’s owner.

I’m not a huge horror fan, but this book and how subtle it is, really sends a shiver down your spine. If can also be seen as a cautionary tale to not judge things too fast, and that everything is not always what it seems.

For such a short novel this book is WILD.

Double indemnity follows Walter Neff an insurance agent who falls in love with a mans wife and then proceeds to plan the perfect murder to kill him. This novel is the perfect example of greed meets lust and shows just how far humans ( or men) are willing to go for a beautiful woman and a fat pay check.

If you like me love a nice murder mystery with twists and turns around every corner then you will love this book. It’s short and sweet, but packs a punch!

Although I did enjoy the beauty of Coraline as a character, and the writing style of Gaiman. The book itself was neither overwhelming or underwhelming. It was just fine! I loved the childishness of Coraline, and it definitely reminded me of myself as a kid always looking for adventure and not always being happy with the mundane world around me. However, the book in itself was not as exciting as the movie. Now this may be due to the fact that I am indeed 21, and this book after reading it is definitely aimed at a much younger audience. However, it was still a pleasure following Coraline as she tries to defeat the ‘other mother’ as well as seeing her grow as a character and learn to be brave.

All in all, it’s a cute little book, so a perfect escape from some of the longer novels I’ve been reading recently. But I think Its safe to assume I’ll be sticking to watching the movie in the future.

I’m pretty sure by now everyone and their mum has heard of this series. My original intention was to stay clear of the book but after countless Tik Tok posts and the book being adapted into a Netflix series I though I’d give the book a shot, and omg was I not let down.

Shadow and Bone follows are main protagonist Alina Starkov, who to most people is your plain ol cartographer, but there’s more to her than meets the eye.Alina has a power, who she herself has not realised yet. We very quickly begin to realise that there is more to Alina, than just a plain, orphan girl. But that the fate of a whole country rests on her shoulders. I don’t want to be one of those people who spoils the plot of the book, so if you want to find out more... well you are going to have to read the book