This is the kind of middle-grade I love. I would compare it to the His Dark Materials books; not in plot, but the themes explored, the adventure and the fact that while the main character is 15 years old (and actually acts like a 15 year old, not 20 year old!) but there are still some dark undertones and themes explored in the book. These include toxic friendships, the power stories have over us, monsters (the undersea kind) and monstrous acts (perpetrated by the most mundane of humans). 

 

I admit, it did take a little time for to sink (pun absolutely intended) into this vibrant, vivid world and understand what was happening and some of the book-specific terms like “sea-kissed” and “godware”. Once I did, it was a joy to continue reading and immerse myself in this world. Frances has also included some excellent representation of deaf characters after being approached by one of her readers, and sign language and deafness feature predominantly in this book. 

 

I consider myself a total Hardinge convert now! 

 

This is a delightful return to the Sorcerer Royal world but this addition concentrates on two entirely new characters; twin sisters Muna and Satki. I really enjoyed the interplay between the two sisters

and I really loved the introduction of a sapphic romance between Henrietta (who is a gold star cinnamon roll) and Muna – even though it seemed to only make itself apparent in the 11th hour!

 

Once again, the writing is Regency based so it tends to take 2-3x longer to get to the point, particularly during any dialogue between British characters; which is why it was so refreshing having the first third of the book based in Malaysia. The main eventual plot twist was quite obvious but credit to Zen Cho for still making the experience of getting there enjoyable. 

 I really loved the premise of this book: a secret inn hidden away that acts as a gateway to different worlds? A murder mystery with the politics of other worlds involved? A bisexual MC? I really wanted to love this book (and the cover had nothing to do with it at all…). 

 

But what follows is a whole lot of hand-wringing and a lot of repetitive dialogue. Unfortunately, Maddie the main character, really started to frustrate me, and while I realise she has been thrust into a position of power during a delicate situation but I really wanted to shake her sometimes to grow a spine! 

 

The final plot twist was a goodie (but admittedly there were some very obvious red herrings…) but this just felt like a fairly generic YA fantasy that could’ve been ground-breaking, but just…wasn’t… 

 I’ve always been a sucker for any new Shadowhunter book, but I admit I didn’t love Chain of Gold as much as other titles in the series. Fortunately, I really enjoyed this latest addition to the series and it made me remember what it was to love, and be invested in, all the characters that I’m reading about. 

 

The story mainly concentrates on Cordelia/James and Lucie/Jesse but I did find that there were almost too many sub-plots regarding all the other different characters and their various angsts/romances. It did get slightly confusing at times, and I constantly had to remind myself what was happening with the main plot. 

 

The book ends on a cliff-hanger full of emotional turmoil typical of Cassie Clare so I’m desperately keen for the next instalment! 

 If you want a speculative YA fantasy with a difference, then this is your book! Not only is the setting and magic highly unique but it explores a lot of dark and thoughtful themes whilst still maintained a certain degree of whimsy. Add that to the fact the book has #OwnVoices Lipan Apache representation and the main character is asexual, you have yourself a must-read. Not to mention Rovina Cai’s beautiful chapter illustrations. 

 

As much as tropes have their place, it’s refreshing to see the lack of the “chosen-one” and “missing/dead” parents tropes. Elatsoe is incredibly matter-of-fact about her magical abilities which have been passed down with her Lipan Apache heritage, and I loved the writing of her family interactions with her parents because they actually talk to each other (can this even be a YA novel??). Much of the book emphasises the strength of story-telling and indigenous traditions with various stories of her six (greats) grandmother who also had her abilities. 

 

I would’ve loved some more world building; there was plenty enough to understand the plot, but Darcie’s created such a unique world, I want to read more about it! 

 I really wanted to love this book, and in truth, I almost DNF’d it. Naomi Novik is an incredibly diverse writer and I’ve really enjoyed all her past books, but I really struggled to connect with this one. 

 

Galadriel “El” Higgins is a great morally grey protagonist, but I found that much of her internal monologue (and in some cases, diatribe) distracted me a lot from the initial world-building and plot. And when there was some world-building, it came in the form of massive info-dumps; it felt like Naomi had spent so much time and effort into this world, she just couldn’t unpack it in an easy to consume fashion. 

 

The story really comes into its own in the last 100-150 pages where there are more character interactions and a more definitive plot. That said, I still have some issues with the design of this magical school (like, why does it have to be this cut-throat? and why are there no teachers?). The cliff-hanger definitely has me reeled in; I’ll still read the sequel and hope that the writing improves with now that we’ve gotten past the info-dumping and the worst of El’s ramblings! 

If you read one non-fiction book this year, please read This Book Will Make You Kinder by Henry James Garrett! 

 

I’m not usually in the habit of reviewing non-fiction books as I read them so infrequently, but I have started reading more and more self-help books occasionally. 

 

This book systematically and gently explores the ways we can show empathy and the ways our empathy can be blocked (termed in the book as “empathy-limiting” mistakes). I’ve always considered myself a relatively kind person, but I also come from a privileged background, being a white women with an upper middle-class background. This, as the book discusses, often can blind people’s empathy (i.e. white Australians who claim that racism isn’t an issue in Australia, where in fact they are the least likely group of people to experience racism therefore often don’t acknowledge it). 

 

The book neither blames nor attacks those from majority groups; the author himself admits he comes from a privileged background. It simply states that we have more to learn from other minority groups and the best thing we can do is listen to people when they say there is an issue. 

 

This book is an absolute gem and made even more engaging by Henry’s iconic illustrated cartoons throughout the book. Do yourself a favour and find a copy!