Ruta Sepetys is one of my favourite authors. I read this one right after The Fountains of Silence and I felt like it didn't have as much depth and soul as TFOS. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed it and I really appreciate that reading her novels is interesting and educational at the same time. 

I loved Home Before Dark so I had big expectations for this one.
It didn't make me want to turn on every light in the house like HBD, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The first half felt to me like a mix of The Woman in the Window and The Girl on the Train and I was desperately hoping for the story to take an original turn. And I feel like it did. I had several theories churning in my head and I was particularly sure about one of them, but that was not at all what happened. I truly could not have seen the twist coming.

Then again part of me would have preferred another solution, as I feel a bit like the reveal was out of place in this story. Then there's the part of me that really likes this experimentation with genres. You think it's one thing and then it turns into something else. 

Erotic Stories caught my eye sometime last year. After reading the description, I thought it would be a funny, feel-good story about a group of women who had repressed their desires all their lives and now decided to let themselves loose and enjoy their sexuality, so I kept this book for a day I would need something light and joyful to read.

Boy, was I wrong. Surprisingly, Erotic Stories deals with some very heavy topics as well, but it doesn't feel overwhelming or out of place. I really enjoyed how the author managed to balance the heavy with the wholesome.

Although the book deals with a specific community, the characters and their values were so diverse. They weren't just identical cut-outs of the same stereotype and I loved learning about their various ways of life.

Truly an enjoyable read and definitely an author to keep an eye on.

The bulk of the novel takes place in Madrid, 1957, during the 36-year dictatorship of Francisco Franco. The history of Spain is something I’m not familiar with at all. I genuinely don’t remember ever being taught about him in school, so it was truly a combination of a gripping read and a learning opportunity. Like many novels based on history, it’s a story about forced silence, self-preservation and secrets.

I think it’s one of my favourite historical novels I’ve read to date. There was so much complexity and layers packed into it and I found myself really feeling for the characters. So much so that I sobbed at the end and haven’t been able to pick up the next book in my TBR (which is also a historical novel by Ruta Sepetys, uh oh) because I’m still thinking of this one. Having read four out of her five works, I can confidently say that Ruta Sepetys is one of my two favourite historical fiction authors.

If you want to avoid being enraged at men on the inside, don't read this.
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I admit I didn't have high hopes for this for some reason, but I ended up binging this in one sitting (it’s less than 150 pages) and loved it. I see this book labelled as horror, but don’t let this deter you from reading it. It is not spooky or scary in the usual sense of horror, but it is creepy because the society it portrays is not so far from our own. It’s a horrific twist on the way women are being manipulated and forced to conform to made-up societal standards.

After Joanna learns the truth, I physically felt my chest constricting. The suspense was done so well and I loved it.

An amazing WW2 story from a perspective I had not read before. 

The last chapter felt like a summary and wasn't necessary to the story in my opinion. Therefore, the ending seemed very rushed. Could have ended with 

the Martels reaching the US

and left the rest of their life story for the afterword.

This could have been MUCH better. I want a nice spooky story without a dumb, pouty, selfish husband who drags their family to a god-forsaken haunted house only to ignore every red flag and manipulate their wife into staying. The "writer dude in desperate need for a change in his life" has been overdone. 

This book had me in a chokehold from the very first page. I loved the different timelines and points of view, as they gave me a great insight into the characters struggles. I really enjoyed the folkloristic elements the author weaved into the story.

There were a few things I would have liked the author to explain, but overall, an amazing read and I highly recommend it to anyone who is experiencing a reading slump, as this will surely pull you out of it!

Dark, twisty, feminist, historical. Say no more.

The Corpse Queen by Heather M. Herrman popped up on my radar sometime late last year and I finally managed to read it recently. It’s a story with such a unique premise that I immediately knew I had to pick it up. How often do you come across a story featuring an orphaned teen who gets kicked out of the orphanage and starts working for her long lost aunt’s business procuring corpses for medical students? The macabre atmosphere in this book is amazing. The entire story has this cold and gloomy vibe that I really enjoyed.

Overall, I would have liked a bit more action from the plot. There was a good chunk in the middle where not much happened and I felt like the ending was a little predictable as well. Nevertheless, a very unique book in terms of plot and characters, so it’s worth picking up in my opinion if you enjoy darker books.