kishab's reviews
301 reviews

I’ve heard Running close to the wind described as a queer, pirate adventure novel and that grabbed my attention immediately, but it was a bit different to what I was expecting. First, the narrator did an amazing job with all the character voices and accents. They were all lively and distinct and I really enjoyed the entire narration, it definitely added to the zany atmosphere of the story. Overall the story is very chaotic and many times I had to go back and read the description to see where the story was supposed to be going. I still had a fun time but the story can be a little hard to follow at times. I really liked all the characters though, I could picture them clearly and they were all well thought out. I know this is based in the same world as one of the authors other series, I haven’t read it but I still understood the world so I don’t think it’s required to read first. This is very silly and fun, a great one to read if you’re looking to add some levity to your reading list 

Thanks to NetGalley, RB Media and Alexandra Rowland for this ALC

This is my first Kingfisher novel and I am blown away. It’s the exact dark fairy tale vibe that I love to read. It’s dark but also funny and hopeful, and has an unexpected goose cameo. Besides the main villain, all of the characters are very likeable, I was a bit sad to leave them when the book was over. The audiobook narrator did a great job bringing life to all of the characters. I gobbled up this story so quick, I could not put it down. Overall this is fast paced dark and sometimes funny, and will probably be one of my favourite reads of the year. 

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Tor Publishing Group and T Kingfisher for this e-ARC/ALC

I’ve loved everything I’ve read by S.T Gibson, but this was a bit of miss for me. I’d still read book 2 when it comes out because this felt like more of a set up than a book in its own right. This is more character driven than plot driven, there’s a huge focus on the relationship between David and Rhys. I think the relationship between David and Moira had potential for a lot more but by then end I just wanted her to find another partner for herself. I would have liked more exploration in the occult practices mentioned, everything felt a bit surface level but I think we are getting set up for some bigger reveals in book 2 

Thanks to NetGalley, S.T Gibson and Tantor Audio for this ALC

This is a beautifully written story about Ganga, goddess of the River and her son set against the backdrop of the Mahabharata. Ganga is cursed to live a mortal life and the story is about how she escapes her mortality but also how it changed her. I’m not super familiar with the original story but I was able to keep up even though there are multiple characters involved. I know Ganga is not a huge part of the Mahabharata but I like how in this story she is weaved throughout with her small interactions with the characters that have effects later on. There’s themes of duty vs justice and complex family dynamics and the toll of war. I found the mother and child dynamics hit me hard and made me think of my own relations with my baby. The arc didn’t have the family tree added (it’s available online) but I think having it added to the published version will be a great help

Thanks to NetGalley, Redhook Books and Vaishnavi Patel for this e-ARC. Goddess of the River will be released on May 21