First I would like to say thank you to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for giving me access to an e-arc. 
I don't always remind people to check trigger warnings and reviews of books... but this book I feel it's necessary to make a note of this. The triggers are extensive in this book! 
Things that I loved/enjoyed about this book... the initial location is local to where I live. It was fun to read a book set in places I can visualise well because I know them in real life. On top of that, the description and world building was impeccable in this. Until later in the book where it bordered on overly extensive. I am also a sucker for educational environments in fiction along with beautiful travel scenes and a beautiful romance and some gorgeous friendships too. The "bad guys" were unique and well written... I really enjoyed the tension that built between the "good guys" and "bad guys". I would recommend the audio too as there are a lot of words that the audio helps with the pronunciation of. Both the writing and the audio have been produced really well. Including different accents and voices to distinguish between characters and locations well. Although, there isn't a lot of time spent on he travelling between places, you visit so many places within the story that you will feel like you've been around the world in 80 days... in a good way. It's very atmospheric and the tension builds deliciously. I also felt that it could be considered a retelling of Genghis Khan to some degree too. There was a lot of religious and cultural concepts mentioned that I ended up googling to see if they were inspired by history. 
I also, really appreciated the mental health description and representation. 
Things I didn't enjoy were the lack of chapters... it was split into parts, but the parts were long and I personally prefer to have chapters. I also got confused when the pov changed... it wasn't as clear as it could have been at first. I also didn't particularly appreciate that the only people that accepted queerness were the bad guys. 

My thoughts on this book are on The Sib's Book Club Discord and the November live show on my YouTube channel.

I've been anticipating this read for a while. I had heard it was a good alternative to The Thursday Murder Club which was the only thing that made me hesitate with it because I had dnf'd The Thursday Murder Club. However, this really solved the reasons I had dnf'd. I really loved the characters and found them not only relatable but also funny, and complex. The mystery element was fun and it was a very cosy vibe. I ended up reading this in one sitting and although the mystery was not too complicated and the red herrings were a little obvious, I did have fun going along with it. This is a great book for anyone who is new to mystery; likes a cosy vibe and funny characters; or just wants a fun book to have a break from the day. I would also recommend this to anyone who found the Richard Osman books to be a bit flat. 

I was soooo excited for this book. I loved the rest of the series so far, love Juno Dawson, and love historical settings with queer characters.... and of course witches! it was a no brainer! I did not disappoint... I am struggling to find anything to be critical of. This very much felt like it was a book written just for me.

I was so excited for another book from this author. I have really enjoyed other books from this author and was predicting at least a 4 star experience. I was so disappointed though. It was hard for me to put my finger on why I wasn't getting into it, but eventually I realised it was because I just didn't care. I am a character driven reader, but in slashers, if the slash is good I can forgive lousy characters. Unfortunately, even the slash just isn't that good. What I did like though was that it was from the killers perspective and that there were a couple of interesting moments... like when the colour blindness "thing" is discovered. Overall, it was a 2.5 star read for me.

I read this because, as a YouTuber, I think about (and often worry about) what I put out on the internet being morally safe. I went into this book hoping that it would help me clarify my thinking on this topic. I would say it was largely successful and the book is well written with clear intention and given through the lens of feminism. It has turned into a bit of a passion project and I am putting out a video with my in depth thoughts on this book. 

First I want to show my appreciation for being given access to the e-arc through NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be continuing the series. I really enjoyed the flow of Esme Addisons writing style and although it was a relatively short book but it was weaved well. The witchy vibes were immaculate and there was a strong mystery too that I really appreciated. The characters revolve around the family and there was a lot of nods to mythologies and fairy tales without it overtaking the witch vibes. I am really looking forward to the rest of the series. 

First I would like to show my gratitude for being able to have access to this e arc! I did go back and read the first book before reading this one... I think I have found a new must buy author. Let's start with the things I didn't like, or would have wanted to see done a bit differently. I just want more... another book or the current ones made into full length novels I don't mind. The world is ravaged by sickness and the ecological collapse but Reid (mc) is focused on change for the better. They apply to go to university that demands them to leave their community behind for 4 years and embark on a terrifying and dangerous journey to get there. This book follows Reid on the journey and what happens there after is mind-blowing! There's so many elements of social commentary and the ways humans can and do behave in the face of life changing situations. I think you could read this without having read the first one, but I would recommend reading both. This is mainly because they are both novella length books and reading both just allows you to have a little more time to connect with the characters and understand the world. I don't know if Premee Mohamed will be writing more in this series but I really would be excited to read more in this world and with this characters. 
Now for the spoiler section of this review.... I liked that the story carried on where it left off in the first book and that certain aspects were not forgotten... like the death of one of the characters. It became an integral part of the motivations of Reid and I really appreciated that. I did however, think it was strange that the university were open to Reid going back to their Mum... it wasn't clear if that was because Reid was causing problems with testing the boundaries or wether it was what they would have done anyway. If it was the first reason then it was a bit soon considering the pattern in change of behaviour that St Martin pointed out.  

Just finished Lady of Darkness and I loved it! really looking forward to the rest of the series! I rarely get the attraction to male characters in books but totally get it with this one! I also really understand why people compare it to acotar and SJM's worlds. It has  fae and human realms, a character called Cassius (close enough), a female main character that looks like Celeana Sardothian, trained assassins from a guild, and general SJM vibes... especially in the second half of the book.  but outside of them aspects the writing is much better, the characters feel more real somehow, and the plot seems actually planned out, where SJM's series feel more "fly by the seat of your pants". I also really liked the clearly thought out trauma responses. It wasn't just a thing we were told but the characters actually behaved in ways that trauma causes in people. I think I am rating it 5 stars!