A great concept, but the execution fell flat. The relationship (non-relationship?) between the characters was so clearly toxic that I couldn’t enjoy the book. If I wanted to read 100 pages of two exes fighting, I’d go to Facebook. A real shame!

I love reading books that have influenced a genre, and the impact of The Rats on horror is obvious. A pulpy, gory, over the top and sometimes campy tale, this book is an important work of British horror.

Most impressively, The Rats shows incredible insight into class and social issues of 1970s London. Strangely, the main character is dull and the main plot a little underwhelming. What I really enjoyed were the vignettes scattered throughout the book. They are of average people, unsurprisingly, getting eaten alive by rats. Herbert gives these characters surprising depth and tragedy even though they’re not on the page for long.

As someone who fell in love with This is How You Lose the Time War, I have been eagerly awaiting for Amal El-Mohtar’s next solo title and it did not disappoint. A beautiful, lyrical fairy tale, The River has Roots is a gorgeous and delightful read (did I cry? Yes.).

The River has Roots has the feel of a classic English or Grimm fairy tale, with the worlds of fae and humans colliding. She packs so much wonderful worldbuilding, emotion, and nostalgia into its short page count. The writing is beautiful and immersive – it evokes sitting outside under a tree on a warm summers day – and the ballad-like storytelling draws you into the magic of the story.

Stories featuring sisters will always be a soft spot for me, and the sibling relationship in The River has Roots is wonderful. Ester and Ysabel’s deep love for each other is the highlight of this book. It was immediately obvious that Mohtar has a sister – she nails the sibling dynamic perfectly. I absolutely loved the way these two interact with each other, how their love for each other pushes the story onward, and how far they’ll go to protect each other.

You’ll love The River has Roots if you’re a fan of portal fantasy, fairy tales, and damn good writing. I don’t know what the finished eBook looks like, but I’d definitely recommend picking up the physical copy. There’s beautiful artwork throughout the book!

What would happen if the American public was possessed by right wing television news channels? Clay McLeod Chapman has an idea. I’m a big fan of Chapman’s since reading What Kind of Mother last year (highly recommended if you like weird books), so I had a good idea of what I was getting into with his latest release. Wake Up and Open Your Eyes is a bizarre possession tale that is uncomfortable on many levels and will leave you with a lot to ponder.

I’ll be honest, I’ve been sitting on this review for months – I read Wake Up and Open Your Eyes in January, and I’ve needed some time to process it. It’s a fantastic book that explores radicalisation through media and the descent of one family, and a nation, into madness. In the age of 24 hour news cycles and constant social media bombardment, Chapman shows us how easy it is to fall into certain lines of thinking. He has a lot to say, and it might not be exactly what you expect – no spoilers here.

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes is a brilliant, unhinged book. It’s absolutely not going to work for every reader, regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, but it’s a unique, thought provoking tale that asks us what we are doing to stop the spread of radicalisation in the media and online. It’s a totally scathing commentary of American society it doesn’t pull any punches and a remarkably relevant reading in early 2025, regardless of where you live in the world.

Sometimes all you need is a cosy book about robots opening a noodle shop, am I right? Automatic Noodle is my first book by Annalee Newitz and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Combining cosy found family tropes with discussions of autonomy and dismantling hate, Automatic Noodle is a great sci-fi novella.

Set in the near-future after a war that sees California split from the rest of the United States, this book focuses on a defunct restaurant and the bots that ran it. This setting allows Newitz to explore the ways in which the world is unsafe for ‘othered’ communities and how to survive when your community is under attack. It also has amazing friendships, a found family, and the determination to carve out a piece of the world to make a home. It’s a little book that has a lot to say, and it’s incredibly relevant to what many communities are experiencing right now across the world.

I loved all the characters in this book – they’re the heart of the story and it’s hard not to fall in love with them. The robots -who have all experienced war, traumas, and the looming threat to their autonomy – have such wonderful interpersonal relationships and Newitz creates such sympathetic characters. They may not be human, but they are incredibly relatable and loveable. Personally, I would die for Hands.

Automatic Noodle is a cosy, slice of life novella that also has a lot to say. I’d highly recommend this if you are a fan of Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot books. Beware: you’ll be craving noodles by the end.

T. Kingfisher is one of my absolute favourite authors, however, one of the big gaps in my Kingfisher reading is the Saints of Steel series. Orbit Books generously sent me a set of their beautiful reissues of this four-book series and I knew that I had to dive in right away. Paladin’s Grace is the first book in the series and it is an absolute delight.

I’m not typically a romantasy fan, but Paladin’s Grace ticked all the boxes for me. 30+ characters? A muscular, sock-knitting cinnamon roll falling for a talented, awkward artisan? Banter and peril? Friends trying to get these two idiots to admit they like each other? Tick, tick, tick.

As you’d expect with a Kingfisher book, the world-building is fabulous, the banter and humour are perfect, and there’s a serious spookiness factor, but the characters are where this book shines. I’ve never read a romance-focused book from her and I was absolutely delighted. I loved that Steven and Grace have their own established lives with friends and jobs – there’s more to them than just their romance. I wanted to shout ‘just kiss, you idiots!’ throughout the book, but I never got frustrated with them – you really understand their hesitations and feelings. Grace and Steven have such wonderful depth of character and are not defined by their relationship – they compliment each other so well.

Romance is definitely the focus of the book, but Kingfisher doesn’t skimp on the story. There’s plot multiple threads that come together, from a killer stalking the night to a dangerous religious order gaining power in the city. I had an amazing time immersing myself in this world and had a great time reading this book. Luckily for me, there are three more books in the series waiting for me on my nightstand.

I loved going into Kingfisher’s backlist and reading one of her beloved series. I can see how she has grown as a writer since Paladin’s Grace originally published in 2020, however she shows that her roots have always been in clever, fun, amazing fantasy.

Fans of Alwyn Hamilton’s Rebel of the Sands series – rejoice! Her much-anticipated newbook is out now, and The Notorious Virtues is a fabulous YA fantasy read. A tale of family, power, secrets, and rebellion wrapped in a 1920-inspired world, The Notorious Virtues is worth the wait.

This book is an action-packed adventure from the get-go. From the high-profile murder of a fabulously wealthy heiress to the start of the trials to pick a virtuous new heir, this book gets its hooks into you immediately. I really enjoyed getting thrown into the deep end, particularly because I loved the world, which is the same as her Rebel series, so much. Hamilton is an excellent world-builder and the 1920’s flair makes this book feel like a breath of fresh air. Much to my delight. there is also a fairytale interspersed throughout the book between chapters, sneakily providing more information on the world and the Holtzfall’s family history and of the city of Gamanix.

Now, for the characters. For me, this is where the book really shines. There are a number of POV characters, and their chapters are all equally fun to read. While I especially loved August, the journalist looking for a career-saving scoop, and Lotte, the secret, illegitimate Holtzfall daughter and surprise Veritaz candidate, Nora is my queen. She is spoiled rotten, a media darling, and far too clever for her own good. She has a fantastic character arc – I loved watching her lift her head up from her champagne glass and see what’s going on in the city outside of her incredibly privileged circles. Her relationship with journalist August and her cousin Lotte gave her so much dimension. I’m really excited to see where everyone’s story goes, but especially Nora’s own character arc and growth.

The Notorious Virtues is a fantastic fantasy novel that is totally unputdownable. A lush world with magic, mystery, and rebellion, you’ll love this if you’re a fan of her Rebel of the Sands series or are looking for a refreshing YA fantasy tale.