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A Song To Drown Rivers was a wild ride.
ASTDR was engaging from start to finish and I respect Liang for the ending she gave but I do think my man Fuchai deserved better.
It read like a YA fictional historical romance to me, and I think it worked as a YA novel but not a an adult novel for that I think more detail could have been added in during the 'battle' scenes - as short as they were, more exploration of the military history/history in general, just something could've elevated the story more. I'm glad that the initial instant love between Fanli and Xishi was developed through her training, that natural progression stopped the romance from being totally insta-love. Although, there was a lot that didn't make sense in some of the actions of the characters that made me think the novel was more YA than Adult. For example, Zhengdan's Inigo Montoya moment going totally against her training. I'm not sure what the fantasy elements were supposed to be if that categorisation referred specifically to the last few pages but I thought it was misleading in that sense. I also like Fuchai and whilst I am aware that ASTDR is inspired by the legend of Xishi, I think Liang could have done something more with his character who was in a way pathetic, perhaps a redemption.
The ending was brave and Liang hit home with the emotional torture I just went though.
Thank you to Ann Liang, Pan Macmillan, Tor and Netgally for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
ASTDR was engaging from start to finish and I respect Liang for the ending she gave but I do think my man Fuchai deserved better.
It read like a YA fictional historical romance to me, and I think it worked as a YA novel but not a an adult novel for that I think more detail could have been added in during the 'battle' scenes - as short as they were, more exploration of the military history/history in general, just something could've elevated the story more. I'm glad that the initial instant love between Fanli and Xishi was developed through her training, that natural progression stopped the romance from being totally insta-love. Although, there was a lot that didn't make sense in some of the actions of the characters that made me think the novel was more YA than Adult. For example, Zhengdan's Inigo Montoya moment going totally against her training. I'm not sure what the fantasy elements were supposed to be if that categorisation referred specifically to the last few pages but I thought it was misleading in that sense. I also like Fuchai and whilst I am aware that ASTDR is inspired by the legend of Xishi, I think Liang could have done something more with his character who was in a way pathetic, perhaps a redemption.
The ending was brave and Liang hit home with the emotional torture I just went though.
Thank you to Ann Liang, Pan Macmillan, Tor and Netgally for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
It's been 24 hours since I finished Water Moon and I'm still kind of hungover from it, my eyes still feel puffy. I was going to stop reading at around 10 pm because I just had to sleep but I stayed up till 2 am crying over this book and that's how I know it was one of my favourite reads of this year.
A fantasy romance, Water Moon follows Hana who on her first day as the owner of her fathers pawnshop finds it ransacked, her father missing, and the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen. Hana and Kei - a stranger, then go on a journey to find him and the treasure that was lost.
The story's main focus is of Hana finding her father but also in a way finding herself, that being said the ending was not one I hoped for which was funny because it tied into the major theme of the novel around choices and consequences. One of my favourite parts was I suppose of the 'villains' of the novel and how they weren't really villains there was just a way things were always done - so in a way the villain was the status quo. But it was also dark and sometimes very creepy, I enjoyed how the story went for very light and breezy one page to tense the next. I liked how fast paced it was not in plot I suppose but in setting as Water Moon is a fantasy romance adventure novel I liked how we kept moving from place to place it felt like a treasure hunt it also mean that Yambao was so creative in methods of travel, for example, by rumour but also in expression of scientific concepts like time travel and how they were showcased in the other world.
Water Moon felt like a Studio Ghibli film on paper and in my imagination. Water Moon reads warm, vivid and, lush, an expansive story neatly packed in 336 pages.
Thank you to Samantha Sotto Yambao, Netgalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and, Bantam for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
A fantasy romance, Water Moon follows Hana who on her first day as the owner of her fathers pawnshop finds it ransacked, her father missing, and the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen. Hana and Kei - a stranger, then go on a journey to find him and the treasure that was lost.
The story's main focus is of Hana finding her father but also in a way finding herself, that being said the ending was not one I hoped for which was funny because it tied into the major theme of the novel around choices and consequences. One of my favourite parts was I suppose of the 'villains' of the novel and how they weren't really villains there was just a way things were always done - so in a way the villain was the status quo. But it was also dark and sometimes very creepy, I enjoyed how the story went for very light and breezy one page to tense the next. I liked how fast paced it was not in plot I suppose but in setting as Water Moon is a fantasy romance adventure novel I liked how we kept moving from place to place it felt like a treasure hunt it also mean that Yambao was so creative in methods of travel, for example, by rumour but also in expression of scientific concepts like time travel and how they were showcased in the other world.
Water Moon felt like a Studio Ghibli film on paper and in my imagination. Water Moon reads warm, vivid and, lush, an expansive story neatly packed in 336 pages.
Thank you to Samantha Sotto Yambao, Netgalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and, Bantam for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
The Gods Below is the first book in a new series called The Hollow Covenant by Andrea Stewart. The story primarily follows Hakara, who is searching for her younger sister Rasha who were separated during the Restoration of Kashan.
The novel is split into multi-time POVs. Through, Nioanen we experience what time was like pre-Shattering, following the journey of he and his wife Irael - two of the most powerful gods to exist. We experience Hakara and Rasha as well as Mullayne and Sheuan, the latter is trying to restore her family name by taking on the task given to her by the Sovereign. I found that because of this a lot of setting up happened in the first 70-80% which meant that all the action and in turn the plot went fast in the last 20%.
One of the best things about this book is the world building, Stewart creates a world that is so expansive with so much lore and an intriguing magic system. But also characters that we loveable from the start, my favourite is Thassir, who at first did annoy me but by the end I thought his looking after the cats was a perfect expression of who his is and who I want him to be in the coming books.
The novel is split into multi-time POVs. Through, Nioanen we experience what time was like pre-Shattering, following the journey of he and his wife Irael - two of the most powerful gods to exist. We experience Hakara and Rasha as well as Mullayne and Sheuan, the latter is trying to restore her family name by taking on the task given to her by the Sovereign. I found that because of this a lot of setting up happened in the first 70-80% which meant that all the action and in turn the plot went fast in the last 20%.
One of the best things about this book is the world building, Stewart creates a world that is so expansive with so much lore and an intriguing magic system. But also characters that we loveable from the start, my favourite is Thassir, who at first did annoy me but by the end I thought his looking after the cats was a perfect expression of who his is and who I want him to be in the coming books.
"Sometimes, in the stories, the hero fails," he said. "But it's not truly a failure. It only means they've been after the wrong thing."
Hakara was unfortunately very annoying, I couldn't stand her chapters nor those of Rasha and Sheuan which meant that I was at times fighting to get through the book. For someone who is meant to be sneaky and essential to the cause how Hakara could not whisper confused me, and it was only little but it grated on me to the point where I just disliked her, it didn't help that she was cocky and brash even though she really didn't understand what was happening. Hakara, because the typical YA protagonist in that sense and I was hoping for a bit more.
I'm very much looking forward to book two.
The Gods Below releases in the UK on the 5th September!
Thank you to Orbit, NetGalley and Andrea Stewart for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Not motivated enough to wait for another 18 weeks to read, I'd rather put on hold a book I'm more excited about.
This was okay, honestly I found the main male character to be so annoying. The only saving grace was this one thing he said:
You don't have to love your body every single day. That's unrealistic to expect, but I'll be here loving it for the days you can't.
Lucy Undying is a retelling of Dracula by Bram Stoker, focusing on Dracula, Mina, Lucy and Jonathan. The story is told through journal entries, therapy transcripts and regular narrative but also had multiple POVs - in first second and third person and time jumps.
The idea White had for Lucy Undying is commendable but for me the execution fell flat. At times during the reading of this I wanted to give up, it was quite slow going until about the 60% mark at which point we go from slow pacing to foot on the pedal. Neither of which worked. I found the plot reveals to be predictable which is fine - this isn't a murder mystery but I wish they weren't there. I feel like we had a good thing going till the final reveal at which point it, the whole surprise reveal became a caricature of a plot twist taking away from the novel rather that adding to it. There were other issues, such as the romance between Lucy and Iris, I'm sorry but "butter chicken" freaked me out, and Iris basically fell in love with her at first sight which didn't help the case that there was nothing really between them in my opinion to substantiate a relationship except for maybe three lines.
It's a shame because I liked that Lucy Undying is sapphic and examines what it really means to know ones self and who can provide that for you, which is why it's got three stars but it felt like a chore at time to read and I wish it hadn't.
Thank you to Del Rey, Netgalley and Kiersten White for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The idea White had for Lucy Undying is commendable but for me the execution fell flat. At times during the reading of this I wanted to give up, it was quite slow going until about the 60% mark at which point we go from slow pacing to foot on the pedal. Neither of which worked. I found the plot reveals to be predictable which is fine - this isn't a murder mystery but I wish they weren't there. I feel like we had a good thing going till the final reveal at which point it, the whole surprise reveal became a caricature of a plot twist taking away from the novel rather that adding to it. There were other issues, such as the romance between Lucy and Iris, I'm sorry but "butter chicken" freaked me out, and Iris basically fell in love with her at first sight which didn't help the case that there was nothing really between them in my opinion to substantiate a relationship except for maybe three lines.
It's a shame because I liked that Lucy Undying is sapphic and examines what it really means to know ones self and who can provide that for you, which is why it's got three stars but it felt like a chore at time to read and I wish it hadn't.
Thank you to Del Rey, Netgalley and Kiersten White for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
“There I go, wrecking your plans again, huh?” I snake my fingers through his hair and give him a soft tug closer. “That’s my man,” I whisper into his mouth.
A romance novel with diverse characters and pop-culture know-how. I’m not normally one for popular culture in books but I have to say, I did Something Bad made it fun, there’s something comforting in the characters you read having the same habits you do - I am talking about repeating free trials here, not accidentally shoving people off things.
“Tyler, we killed a man. A white man. We both know what happens to Brown people who kill white people. Anywhere in the world. Even in this country.”
IDSB balanced what for me is the stereotypical famous actor secret softy trope and gave it a wonderful twist, Tyler Tun rejected toxic masculinity, it was so refreshing to have a main character who was open about his emotions and able to discuss them in a clear and adult way. Which was to the complete contracts of Khin, who frankly needed a crowbar to say what she actually felt.
I thought the storyline themes of *redacted* were explored in a nuanced way, shining light on what is still a major issue in several countries, the US now included. Also, IDSB is set in Myanmar and it’s not often that I get to read books set in Myanmar, let alone romance novels set there. I can’t say too much about the plot as it is a mystery romance but I think if you are a Swiftie, if you like Pop-Culture and very sweet MMC, you will love I Did Something Bad.
Thank you to Dialogue Books, Renegade Books, Pyae Moe Thet War and Netgally for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I had such a visceral reaction while reading Your Neighbour’s Table. The story focuses of a communal living group, and the different families that live in this community. We get a POV from each ‘family’ so to speak and experience a slice of their life, their thoughts, feeling and response to this communal living situation.
There was so much that I thought was so realistically written, that I could not help but empathise with the characters and topics that I think were brilliantly showcased:
There was so much that I thought was so realistically written, that I could not help but empathise with the characters and topics that I think were brilliantly showcased:
- Gender Roles
- Weaponised Incompetence
- Sexism
- Marital Affairs
- Expectations of New Mothers/Mothers
Some of the moments that stood out to me, were where the fathers response when asked by the mother if he understood what it meant to watch the kids was “if you don’t write down instructions… how would I know what to do?”, and it just goes to show how widely it’s understood that men weaponise their incompetence. Similarly, the six-year old daughter being expected by the father to help out and look after younger kids and in his opinion the mother being upset over this was an over reaction.
It was so easy to become invested in the characters and want them to overcome the issues they were struggling with but it was also so easy to dislike some of the characters. Overall, it was a quick read, that I think if you like slice of life, social commentary and realistic characters, you’ll like this.
Thank you to Headline, NetGalley and Gu Byeong-Mo for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
