I adored this book, and I can seriously see so many of my friends adoring this too. It’s such a unique take on the Fae, for so many reasons, while still sticking to the same core that I’ve seen in so many stories. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is an almost academic take on the Fae and on the stories surrounding them, and it worked so much better than I ever could have imagined.

The premise of this book circles around Emily and her academic interest in the Fae, wanting to be the first to write a cohesive guide to all the different types of Fae in the world. There are variations based on region, environment, and so much more, and Emily wants to meet them all. The entire story is told through the research journal she keeps while exploring the Hidden Ones, one of the last unexplored types of Fae, and this unique narration style only enhances the academic atmosphere of the book. The world this book is set in already has a large academic community entirely based on researching the Fae and learning more about them, and it’s constantly referenced in Emily’s research journal, through footnotes and references to research others have done before.

This set-up alone was enough to draw me in to the book, but then the characters themselves only drew me in more. Emily is a classic prickly academic, someone so focused on the pursuit of knowledge that she thinks of little else. Even then, something about her curiosity, and her wealth of knowledge when it comes to the Fae, is so endearing, that you begin to look past her walls and appreciate her as a narrator. And while the pursuit of knowledge is always her main goal, she begins to care about some of the people around her as well, and take them into account beyond just their use as study material. And even if Emily isn’t the character for you, Wendell surely is. He almost literally breaks right into the narrative a few chapters in, and shakes everything up in the best of ways. He has the same interests as Emily, but is everything she isn’t: charming, talkative, and not exactly inclined to hard-work. Their dynamic is such a fun one to read, and I adored reading their banter, and seeing them grow even closer over the course of this book was wonderful.

The only thing that I wish I’d known going in was that the book had a sequel, because it would’ve changed my perception of the ending, as I went in expected things to be a bit more wrapped up than they were. However, I’m ecstatic that there’s more to come of Emily and Wendell’s adventures, and I can’t wait to buy a physical copy of this when it releases! If you love the Fae, from their wealth of lore and stories to their scheming ways, then this book is definitely one for you! It breathes new life into Faerie stories, and tackles this popular subject in such a new and unique way!

This book definitely felt like a second act, much more so than the sequel romances in these sorts of series often are. While normally I’d say you could read these sorts of series out of order, I really wouldn’t recommend it here, as it certainly feels way more interconnected than other romance series, and the understanding of the setting does strongly come from the first book rather than this one. I think this may have also contributed a bit to why I didn’t like this book quite as much as the first, since we didn’t really have as much of a strong connection to the town and the setting itself, since that groundwork was already done. And while it hadn’t been that long since I’d read the first book, it’d been long enough that I never really got that connection back from just reading this book.

Additionally, since you lose a lot of the scene set-up, more space is left for the actual relationship and character building. Normally, this is a fantastic thing, as it allows room for you to get more attached to the characters and get a stronger feel for the relationship, but this book almost suffered for it. Instead of taking the space to add more nuance, we instead see the same thoughts and arguments rehashed over and over again, and while sometimes progress is made, it’s really frustrating. The same string of thoughts have to be had 10 times in a section before that little smidge of progress is made, and it honestly got really tiring. It felt like I was hearing the same thing over and over again, and in this book where the main issues stopping the relationship are largely self-imposed (or require both characters to just take the step and try), it doesn’t feel productive to run in circles so much before that step is finally taken. It was almost too realistic, instead of enjoyable as a romance to read. I also just didn’t feel for the pairing as strongly as I did for the first book, which was unfortunate because I did really like these two as side characters!

Overall, this was still a fun book though, and I can definitely see myself reading more by this author in the future! This one just wasn’t entirely for me, unfortunately, though I can see it still working for many!

Honestly, this book was an overall nice, fun time. I ended up listening to the audiobook while working on some chores and misc work, and it was the perfect companion to keep my brain distracted! I think I ended up listening to this in almost a single day, it was just the perfect level of engrossing and was exactly what I needed to be, even if it won’t make any of my favorite lists!

I feel like this book got the pacing down really well, because we start at an interesting point in the story that still gives us enough time to get our bearings before the intrigue really starts picking up. Over time, secrets begin to unravel faster and faster, and it really felt like such a steady and comfortable increase that I really have to commend it! I also absolutely loved that this whole book takes place over the course of a single day. It made the story even more interesting, narratively, and it goes to show just how much can change in the span of 24 hours. It also actually managed to feel like a whole day, and was the exactly right amount of events (and again, paced perfectly!) to make it feel realistic.

I also found the plot quite intriguing (though my only experience with The Tempest so far was a single, messy reenactment in my Shakespeare class, where I honestly hadn’t the slightest what was actually going on because I was too stressed over what I had to act out next). It proves that this book stands on its own beyond its basis as a retelling, and I always really appreciate when a story is strong beyond the original tale it draws its inspiration from!

Overall, I found myself quickly enthralled and invested in these characters, and I genuinely really enjoyed the time spent with this story! I have another of this author’s books to read, so I think I’ll get to that real soon, after how much I liked this.

I already adored this author’s first book, The Dark Tide, but when I saw her next release was going to be sapphic monster girls, I knew it was going to be even more of a favorite than the The Dark Tide ever was. And boy was I right! I loved so much about this, from the setting that felt like it curled out of the edges of the book to the characters that brought life to every page!

My favorite part of this book definitely had to be the characters, and I loved the strong contrast they created in the narration. You could so clearly tell who was narrating each chapter, whether it was Marynka and her burning energy and the magic of Midday or whether it was Zosia, with the blanketing calm and power of Midnight. I love how clearly every character embodied their powers, but that similarities could still be drawn between all these witches, and that they were so clearly not human on top of all of that. This book fully leans into these girls being monsters, and I love it so much for it. (I also love Marynka and her fire and chaos so so much, especially when it’s seen on page with Zosia as a contrast!)

The plot itself wasn’t necessarily dazzling, but it also felt like it fit the setting wonderfully, and didn’t necessarily try to fit with the characters themselves for the reader’s attention. This book was heavily character-driven, and the plot seemed to understand that and work in tandem with the strengths of the characters, rather than drowning it out. I also really loved how the setting tied it all up, and it was so interesting to see the contrasting temperature reflected in this setting as Zosia or Marynka would use their magics. It was overall just really well-done and composed, and I can still picture certain scenes in my mind!

Overall, this book has cemented this author as someone to keep an eye on for me, and I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

It’s honestly taken me an absurdly long time to find the words to review this book, because I just loved it so so much. Natasha Pulley was always an author that I saw around everywhere but never thought was necessarily for me, because I’d never really read much historical fiction before, whether it be fantasy, romance, or just plain historical. But something about her books is just so magical, with The Bedlam Stacks being the first to open my eyes.

The Half Life of Valery K feels a lot different to the other Pulley books I’ve now read, leaning a bit more scientific rather than whimsical, but it still has the same strong core of characters and their complex relationships with one another that I’ve found in the other Pulley books I’ve read. You’re so quickly engrossed in these characters’ inner selves and the trials they're currently going through, and Valery was such a good example of this. I fell for him as a character so quickly, and there were so many moments where I just wanted to steal him away and wrap him in the warmest, fluffiest blanket I could find and push a cup of warm hot cocoa in his hands. He is such a soft character in such a harsh world, yet he is still so incredibly brilliant. We often see scientist characters written so coldly, and while Valery can sometimes come across as harsh or brash, we get to see how he truly doesn’t mean any of it, and how much he truly cares for all the people around him.

This book was heartbreaking on so many levels, and I honestly just don’t have the words for how much some scenes in this book moved me. I loved that there was always this bright light among all the darkness, and that there was still so much joy to be found in this book full of suffering and heartbreak. It really ran me through a whole range of emotions, and I can still feel my heart clench thinking back to some scenes in this book.

While I loved The Bedlam Stacks, this is the book that fully pulled me into Pulley’s writing, and I’ve spent the few months since trying to gather as many of the missing works of hers as I can! I can’t wait to read even more, and I highly recommend this one!