3.5/5

A cross between a nature documentary and fiction. Raptor Red follows the titular utahraptor and her family, showing life and survival for her and her family.

- Written by an esteemed paleontologist, Raptor Red is, for the time it was published, an accurate guess at what life would have been like for these predators back in the early Cretaceous period. Of course there is some creative licence and some educated assumptions made but all of it seems plausible, if occasionally outdated.

- I like how Raptor Red herself was characterised and how the reader gets to see inside her head and her thought processes. This took the narrative from documentary commentary to a narrative that makes the reader invested in Raptor Red and care about her.

- The supporting cast of creatures and the environment was well informed and varied. We don't just meet other dinosaurs but pterosaurs, early mammals, sea life and more. Each has a role in the narrative and it doesn't feel forced or like the reader is being taken on a tour but more organic and natural.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to other dinosaur and prehistoric life enthusiasts as a dip into the lives of some of these creatures.

4/5

A short story about our favourite lady astronaut Elma. Elma, now in her 60s is offered a chance for one last space mission. However her husband is dying. Should she take this last chance to fly or stay?

- It was bittersweet to see Elma and Nathaniel again. Considering the number of pages, the author did an excellent job of catching up the reader and breaking their heart over the changes.

- Although not deeply described, I loved the world-building of life on Mars and the changes in space travel.

A short must read for fans of the Lady Astronaut series.

4/5

After the dramatic events of Her Majesty's Royal Coven, the witches have some clean up to do. However, not all is well or as it seems. Ciara has taken over her sister's body, a powerful warlock seeks a powerful artifact and witchfinders are on the hunt.

- Due to a slight change in the character line up, we get to see some new perspectives in this book and I enjoyed that. We also got to see changes and growth in the previous characters and how they react to new situations.

- Although not a major part of the book, I enjoyed the foreign parts and seeing different witches from parts of Europe. Also the Greek legend reference was amazing and I hope it is revisited.

- The book does suffer from second book syndrome a little. There's continuation from HMRC and set up for book three and although okay to read, you don't get the pay off just yet.

A worthy sequel and exciting set up for Human Rites, book three in the series. I also hear rumours of a novella within the HMRC universe which I am so excited for.

3.75/5

Cosy queer mystery set in Salt Lake City. Ben has moved home after his divorce and to help his dad with his game shop. A less than honest game dealer turns up murdered outside the shop. To avoid being arrested, Ben and his friend Ezra do some sleuthing.

- I loved the setting and the cosy scenes from this book, especially surrounding Ben and some blossoming romance. Also, the pets are awesome, especially Grandpa.

- The mystery is okay. It's not Agatha Christie level but it's fun if a little predictable. I guessed who'd done it fairly early on but it was still enjoyable.

- I loved the rep: gay, nonbinary, sapphic, loads in there. All really well and authentically done.

Perfect for a cosy autumn/winter read with queer characters and a relaxed pace.

4/5

Audiobook narrated by Jennifer Hale

A woman, Kira, surveying a moon orbiting a gas giant finds an alien organism that forms a suit for her. Previously unknown xenoorganisms start attacking human colonies. Joining with the crew of spaceship Wallfish, Kira has to work out how to stop the conflict and fix a dangerous interstellar problem.

- This book is long and technical. For the most part I enjoyed this but occasionally I felt things could have been condensed or made more interesting. If you enjoy harder sci-fi though, this book is a treat and has detailed diagrams and explanations of the science as appendices.

- I adored a lot of the side characters, my favourite probably being the shipmind Gregorovitch who was delightfully weird and fun. Kira though sometimes fell a bit flat for me and a little Mary-Sue.

- The world-building was very good and I was happy to learn there will be more books in this universe.

Long but interesting. Good for fans of hard sci-fi, alien life forms and interstellar adventuring.

3.5/5

A tour of various organisms, their roles and functions in ecosystems and how they often benefit humans. 

- This is a book of snippets. There is an overarching theme of conservation and each chapter has its own sub theme but over all we jump from one short excerpt to another about different creatures and ecosystems. The information is interesting but not necessarily in-depth.

- I enjoyed learning about the many contributions creatures have made to life on this planet. However, I was also saddened by how much humans have changed and destroyed, disadvantaging so many species and ultimately ourselves.

- One concept I found interesting was the moving baseline. Because human memories are short, we think that what we or our immediate ancestors remember is the normal baseline for nature when in reality, that memory was already of a degraded nature.

I enjoyed Sverdrup-Thygeson's insect book more but this would be a good book for someone starting to read about ecology and conservation.

4/5

Imagine a Pinocchio-inspired tale, mixed with a bit of the Wizard of Oz and set in a dystopian future where robots reign and humanity has been all but wiped out. Victor, a human raised by a robot, has to go on a journey to save his father, accompanied by his eclectic and mismatched robot friends.

- The characters in this book were so well done. Each had their own quirks and personality and helped to weave detail into the setting and story. My favourite was Nurse Ratched who made me laugh often.

- Compared to The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, I found the plot less engaging overall. It just didn't feel as magic, although still good. Maybe my expectations were set too high? The ending, however, was poignant and moving and on par with the previous novels.

- In the Lives of Puppets will have you debating what it means to be a person, a human. The fluidity of purpose and designation, determining one's own course and deciding who you are are all subjects I debated whilst reading.

If you liked Klune's previous works then In the Lives of Puppets is definitely worth reading. It is both cosy and, literally, heartbreaking.

3.5/5

For an long car trip, my husband and I chose yet another Yahtzee Croshaw book. This time a pulp sci-fi parody about a down on their luck spaceship pilot who gets embroiled in a series of events. The protagonist is employed to pretend to be a galaxy-wide famous author and star pilot for a teenagers birthday. As always chaos ensues.

- As always, Yahtzee is hilarious. From a maths based swearing system to random managing pet aliens, there's always something to laugh at.

- The plot feels episodic, almost like it was written for one of those old pulp science fiction magazines many years ago. Each chapter has a twist, a different challenge but linking to the overall plot.

- I found the ending a little underwhelming. Then again, there is a sequel so it's very possible it was just setting up for what happens in that book.

Not my favourite Croshaw book but enjoyable nonetheless. Will listen to the sequel Will Destroy the Galaxy for Cash on our next roadtrip.

4/5

Cute, heartwarming and cosy. Dylan's family runs a Singaporean takeaway in New York. He meets well-off Theo during a delivery run and Theo asks him to be his fake date for a wedding. 

- Tropey but in the sweetest way. As the title would suggest, there's fake dating but also miscommunication and family drama. The book uses them well and makes them work in the story rather than the story having to work around the tropes. 

- I loved the sense of culture and family in the book and how both characters have experienced both. You felt for both the main characters and the situations they had been through. 

- The descriptions of the food and the titular mooncakes were amazing. Those alone trigger a mooncake-related internet rabbit hole I've intermittently fallen down the past week.

Cosy, full of food, family and fun. Would recommend to those who enjoy lighter romance, books with cooking and heartwarming vibes.

3.5/5

Recommended to me on Instagram as queer and witchy, I thought I'd give Song a try. Based in a fictional Appalachian town, Ezra is despondent following a poor meeting with his academic advisor near the anniversary of his father's death. Gray of the Winged Folk has been following and falling for Ezra and after a fateful meeting in a graveyard, their lives become irrevocably entangled.

- The story itself was fast-paced, almost rushed. I enjoy it and the developments but wish there was more depth to some of the elements. As someone only vaguely aware of Appalachian folklore, I wish there were more in prose explanations of things. There is a glossary at the back describing characters and elements but it contains spoilers so I did not read it until the end.

- The characters were really cool. Obviously Gray and other Winged Folk characters were fascinating and I enjoyed the Mothman elements a lot. I loved that there were several gender diverse characters and they/them pronouns were considered default and the norm unless otherwise stated. 

- So now I have to go and research lots of folklore and regional knowledge for Appalachia. The setting was well crafted and the flavour and essence of the area was incredibly vivid. The darker elements of the book were super creepy and I would love more explanation of those in later books (if there are any).

For those who enjoy folklore-based fantasy, queer characters and cryptid romance. Creepy, vivid and enticing.