I just can’t believe that The Near Witch is Schwab’s first book. It’s so well done, and really shows how consistent she has been in the quality of her prose.

The story was a bit darker and creepier than I had expected, but it suited the plot quite well. Schwab’s world building and development of the tone of the book was fantastic. It reminded me of the movie The Village (M. Night Shyamalan) - an isolated village with this constant feeling of dread hanging over it. I enjoyed that movie, so I’m sure that also contributed to my liking this book as much as I do.

Only one bit put me off - the dreaded YA trope of teen insta-love. Thankfully, it was secondary to the main plot, so it didn’t bother me too much. Overall, if you like her other work, I definitely recommend you give The Near Witch a try.

Gods of Jade and Shadow has been popping up a lot on Instagram lately. The plot sounded intriguing so I decided to give it a shot. I’m so glad I did - this book was fantastic.

The story is set in 1920s Mexico, and features a lot of old Mayan gods and myths. I know very little about that part of the world so it felt very unique and fresh to me. Add in Moreno-Garcia’s wonderful world building and I could not put this book down.

The central character is a young woman named Casiopea. She lives a rather Cinderella-like life, taking care of her arrogant grandfather and abusive cousins. But when she accidentally frees the Mayan god of death, she is roped into helping him regain his throne. It’s a risky journey, but Casiopea embraces the chance to see the world beyond her small village.

But it’s a harder journey than she expected. Casiopea ends up facing a dilemma with no good solution, destined to lose in one way or another. I spent most of the time trying to figure out which way she would go, and ended up totally surprised in the end. Maybe it’s just me, but I love when a story throws me off like that.

A childhood favourite that was available as an ebook from the library. How could I resist? Still as fun as I remember. Now to find a paper copy for my nephew!

2.5 stars.

I am so conflicted about this book. I really wanted to love it, and even made excuses to myself while I read it… But it just wasn’t for me. The book covers the battle of Troy, but from a captured woman’s point of view. The concept itself is very intriguing and unique, but I think the execution could have used some work.

First the good: this story was layered with a tonne of historical detail, which worked really well for world building - it was very easy to picture it all. Barker also used a lot of modern British words and slang, which I surprisingly enjoyed - for some reason it seemed to fit!

The majority of the book is from Briseis’ point of view - a former queen who became Achilles’ slave after her city fell. But there were also some chapters written in the 3rd person following Achilles. Here is where the story started to fall apart for me; the back and forth between the two was jarring and repeatedly pulled me out of the story.

And then there was the writing itself. The prose was dry and the pacing ploddingly slow. The captured women go through the worst hell you can imagine, but it was all told with such distance that there was little to no emotional impact. I’d almost describe it as a ‘fictional textbook’ if that makes any sense.

Oh well.

I received this book from HarperCollins Canada in exchange for an honest review.

The story behind The Ventriloquists is fascinating - it retells a little-known incident in nazi-occupied Brussels in 1943. Ramzipoor even uses names of some of the people who were actually involved.

Basically, a group of rebels released a parody version of the national newspaper Le Soir, poking fun at Hitler and all he stood for. The newspaper had turned into nazi propaganda during the occupation, so their version was all the more glaring at the newsstands. They did this, knowing it would probably end in their deaths. Why isn’t this act of bravery more well known?! It sounds incredible.

The story itself is told from the point of view of a homeless child named Helene, who becomes involved in the scheme. She is recounting the tale to a young woman in the present day. It’s a structure I struggled with. Helene describes events she wasn’t present for, and even the inner thoughts of the other characters. It was confusing - I couldn’t figure out how she could know so much. Personally, I think it would have flowed a bit better if it had been written in the 3rd person, without a specific narrator.

But Ramzipoor hit it out of the park in every other aspect of this book. The world building is immersive, firmly planting the reader in wartime Brussels. The characters themselves are beautifully written - their flaws and bad choices felt very natural. There is even some positive LGBT+ representation. Overall, a solid debut.