By this point it’s impossible to avoid the hype surrounding The Priory of the Orange Tree - it’s everywhere! But happily, in this case the hype is well deserved. I mean, just look at the premise - LGBTA/feminist high fantasy with dragons!

It’d been awhile since I’d read true high fantasy, and had kind of forgotten how much concentration it takes to keep everything straight in my head. Priory is definitely not a book you can casually read - I usually read at least two books at a time, but I just couldn’t manage it in this case!

So besides the awesome premise, what makes this book so great? Well, the world building is absolutely insane. Religion, regions, customs, government structure… It’s all incredibly detailed which - while being one of the reasons I had to concentrate extra hard - also drew me into the story and wouldn’t let me go.

That awesome world building is perfectly complimented by Shannon’s well developed characters. Ead is hands down my favourite - I could read an entire book just about her. Her relationship with Queen Sabran is so multi-layered and complex, I found myself truly invested in the outcome of the relationship. Roos is pathetic and obnoxious, which meant reading his POV felt like an actual pain. His chapters also seemed to slow down the pacing of the plot; honestly, I think the book would have been just fine if he hadn’t been included. Happily that’s the only thing that bugged me - Priory is perfection otherwise.

But how can I not mention the dragons?! These are not your typical fantasy dragons - in Priory there are two very different species with distinct temperaments, physiology and social structure. I don’t think I can do them justice in this review, they’re just too wonderfully complex. So go read the book!

I think I need to read Priory again sometime soon. I know I likely missed things while flying through this brick of a book, and really I just want to jump back into that world again. It’s a standalone, which is refreshing. I get so tired of this trend for overly drawn out, multi-book series. Priory is definitely more suited to a one-and-done approach. BUT - I wouldn’t mind entering that world again! Yeah, I’m totally contradicting myself, but I don’t care - just go with it!

I picked up this book last night - and then read it all in a single sitting. Completely worth it.

I first read the novel in high school back in the 90’s, and I still own that copy. It’s a story that sticks with you - gets its claws into you and doesn’t let go. The graphic novel is a faithful representation of the source material, and it doesn’t pull any punches. Like the show, actually seeing it all laid out makes it sink in more and triggers a powerful emotional response.

Nault’s artwork is stunning - sometimes stark and raw, and sometimes vibrant with slashes of colour. It’s a perfect companion to the story. I’d be very interested in seeing more of her work.

I was first introduced to Horowitz via Magpie Murders - I received it in a now defunct book box. I loved it, and immediately looked up his other books. The House of Silk is my second foray into his work… and I loved this one too!

The Conan Doyle Estate authorized this Sherlock Holmes tale. Those are big shoes to fill, but Horowitz did a fantastic job. He kept the spirit of the character, and matched Conan Doyle’s writing style quite well. It’s darker than a typical Holmes mystery, but still believable. Watson’s POV keeps you guessing; Sherlock tends to keep things close to the chest. So the climax of the story becomes a very emotional gut punch - I certainly didn’t see it coming, and it stuck with me long afterwards.

The pacing was perfect. The tone, mood and setting excellently captured. Horowitz has now impressed me twice; I’m definitely a fan.

I have a couple more of his books on my shelf - I’m excited to read them soon!

Happy book birthday to Love & Other Curses, and thank you to HarperCollins Canada for the advance copy!

I’ve been trying to think of a good way to describe this story, and I think I’m going to go with: Jeff Zentner writes Practical Magic. In case you didn’t know, I love both those things! So obviously, I really enjoyed this book.

The blurb on the back cover sounds rather lighthearted, but the story itself is a bit more heavy and serious. It mentions romance, but it’s not really about Sam falling in love - it’s more about this 16yo guy trying to figure out who he is growing up to be. There’s a bit of magic and a supernatural twist that adds a great dimension to the story. And I totally did not see that twist coming!

The only bit I felt could use a little help, was the character Tom. He’s supposed to be the romantic interest, but is dull/more 2D than he should have been. The character is completely defined by being trans, with nothing else added to his personality. I felt a bit shortchanged by the portrayal - he really could have been a fantastic character.

All of the other characters felt wonderfully quirky and real. The Grands were amazing, and I just wanted to give all the drag queens big hugs! Overall, it’s a very solid story and I would definitely recommend it.

Dry is a deeply unsettling look at a totally plausible scenario - what would happen to the people of California if they completely ran out of water? The result is kind of terrifying.

The story is told from the POV of a handful of teens who have been separated from their parents. They understandably have a rough go of it; people will go to great lengths in order to survive. This story is definitely an example of survival of the fittest. Dry is actually a great look into the human psyche and makes the reader ponder the question - how far over the line would you be willing to go?

Besides the intriguing concept, this book is also built on strong characterization. The teens jump off the page and draw you in; I found myself actually getting worried about a few of them. And I felt absolute disgust with one or two - to the point where I was ready to throw the book whenever their POV cropped up.

Young or old, I would recommend Dry to everyone. Because although it’s fiction right now, there’s a very good chance that soon it won’t be. Personally, the story gave me a greater appreciation for the water so easily accessible to us. Please, go read it.

I won The Department of Sensitive Crimes in an IG contest hosted by the publisher. I have a confession - this is my first book by McCall Smith. He’s been on my TBR list for ages - so I was really happy to win!

I suppose this story could be classified as a mystery - a very quirky one. It focuses on a detective named Ulf and his team, although the structure is more like a series of short stories tied together by the people investigating. So it doesn’t have a big sweeping plotline, but I liked it that way - it worked well with the humour.

The humorous aspects mostly came from the rambling, often off-topic conversations between the characters. It actually reminded me a bit of regular, everyday speech and how what we say often isn’t as polished or on topic as what you see in TV, movies or most books. And I’m prone to saying the odd random thing out of the blue, so I could definitely relate!

The Department of Sensitive Crimes is very easy to read and become thoroughly engaged in. I was left wanting to read McCall Smith’s other books now more than ever. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a light-hearted mystery. The book is available now.

I was so happy to win this book in an IG contest - Buffy was my jam back in high school. I will admit though, I did go into the story a little concerned about it matching the tone of the show. I shouldn’t have worried - Kiersten White did a fantastic job and I loved it.

White has managed to pull in TV show canon quite nicely, and yet tells a completely unique story. It takes place after the end of the series, and is told from a young teen’s POV. Nina is a part of one of the original Watcher families, and has a lot of baggage related to that. She hates Buffy for the chaos and death she has brought to Nina’s family, and pretty much feels the same way about all the other Potentials/Slayers. So when Nina becomes a Slayer herself… well, emotional upheaval would be an understatement.

Nina is a great character, but at times I just wanted to smack her; her insecurities were CONSTANTLY cropping up, which made her act like a total doormat. But her progression into a confident woman was well done - it felt natural and not abrupt at all.

The only bummer with this book was how fast I spotted the villain - which doesn’t usually happen to me! It kind of killed the suspense, unfortunately, and I found myself getting impatient while waiting for the characters to catch up. But I still enjoyed it - this a great start to a new series, and a worthy continuation of the show. I’m looking forward to the next book!