talislibrary's Reviews (339)

Emily St. John Mandel is just a fabulous writer. I cannot think of another author who can world build quite like she can, which is thoroughly impressive as she writes in a non-linear, multi-perspective way. I feel her books are better experienced with no knowledge beforehand, so just pick this up and give it a try.

This was a genuinely fun read despite its outlandish plot. Avery is named in a will of a billionaire that she never knew, but to receive the money she must stay with his spurned family for a year. The story would have been more enjoyable if the author hadn't fallen into the love triangle trope, but beyond that, the story was a good time. 

I mean, dinosaurs and Ian Malcolm. What's not to love?

Ellie carries the knowledge of raising the ghosts of the dead. When her cousin dies under curious circumstances Ellie (and her ghost dog companion) knows she needs to get to the bottom of it, travelling across the country and delving into the magical realism of the world. Whilst this reads like a middle grade in some areas, this was a genuinely great book with a solid asexual lead.

Whilst I think this YA was aimed at the lower end of that bracket, and therefore I was not the target audience, I did enjoy this story. In this multiple-perspective story, you follow Tavia and Effie who show that family doesn't need shared blood. Rich with mythology, A song below water introduces sirens, mermaids and more to our world. The ending was a little rushed for me, not giving me the satisfaction I wanted, but the rest of the book more than made up for it. Bonus - I learnt so much about caring for black hair which was a pleasant surprise!

The third book in the Truly Devious trilogy (soon to be extended to a fourth book), The Hand on the Wall aims to tie up the loose ends from the mystery spanning across this trilogy. Is this book needed? No, this series would have worked fantastically as a stand-alone. However, is it still enjoyable? Yes! I will forever love a mystery set in a boarding school (hello my dark academia obsession). 

Heavily influenced by Lovecraft, a family find themselves haunted by monsters, one's which visit each generation. These monsters are looking for something, which they all manage to avoid until one family member invites one in!
There are a great deal of themes and topics approached in this book that will make you uncomfortable, including suicide and grooming, hidden in the guise of a monster. Overall A Cosmology of Monsters follows the generations of a dysfunctional family, making the horror of this book all too real!

This book has a solid and creepy plot, one which genuinely gave me chills. Unfortunately, the villains ended up being moustache-twirling bad guys, making a large part of the plot feel cartoonish. Until that point, I was completely on edge reading this book.

Stephen Graham Jones is able to find the horror in the most random or mundane of things. I have yet to read one of his books that doesn't stick with me long after finishing, and I anticipate this will certainly follow this pattern.

I am on a 5 star streak, and You should see me in a crown is no exception. I knew I would enjoy this based on the concept, but I honestly didn't expect to have my heart grow x4 like the Grinch.