This book was so different than what I thought it was going to be, the synopsis and cover made me initially think Hyo the Hellmaker was a YA novel but I was very wrong. It is gritty and meaty, a story to sink your teeth into. 

I loved the mystery storyline and was trying to piece it together myself, as the story developed, the plot twists were so much fun. I enjoyed the illustrations, I think it added to uncomfortable/unreliable narrative, they were creepy and amazing at the same time.

I very much want to read another Hyo the Hellmaker novel, I’m so excited for what Gosh does next.

 The Rainfall Goblin Market appears during the rainy season and allows guests to exchange lives for better ones. Serin a young girl, who hopes for a better life receives a golden ticket to the market. 

I liked the social commentary throughout that no one is ever happy with what they have, and that even someone who had that ‘ideal life’, was still at the Market wanting a better life. Serin also wishes in, I suppose the ‘right’ order for the social commentary to progress, from something small like a place at her dream university (so is she older?) to freedom to money. At each instance seeing why having that kind of life might not make her happy. The subplot with the Goblins was confusing mainly as it all came to play in the later chapters, but it does play into the social commentary aspect of the novel. 

The premise was great although I think the execution was a bit confusing, in the being you find that Serin is reeling from the loss of her sister and yet, Yerin is younger despite Serin readings as though she is twelve? I’m not sure if Serin is then older towards the late teens. Serins choices and mentality throughout the novel scream young. Also, I’m not sure if the premise or the cover said anything about Goblins? 

I'm not entirely sure who the target demographic is for this book, I think it's marketed as a General Fiction (Adult) but I do think it's primarily Teens & YA and that's solely because of the writing style and the lack of in depth social commentary which makes this more suited to a younger audience, so because of that I've reviewed this as if The Rainfall Market was a YA book. 

Thank you to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, You Yeong-Gwang and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

My first Libby read, I can’t believe that it took me this long to head back to my local library to borrow books.

Masks was such a strange read, it was unnerving and super creepy. Absolutely no one here had any morals. I liked the writing, the history and the analysis of the Tale of Genji.

I devoured Butter, (and not just literally) it took me some time to finish but that was because it made me hungry! I had to keep stopping to make some of the recipes, I made rice with soy sauce and butter, and pancakes with artisan butter, both were amazing. But onto the novel.

I loved the discussion of feminism and femininity throughout the novel. Kajii from the start is very clear that she hates feminists but in my opinion she’s portrayed as quite the feminist. Kajii chooses to go against the standard of weight, of womanhood and of social expectations in Japan, which to me is what being a feminist is all about having the ability to choose for yourself. Which I found was in contrast to some of things she would say which were very subservient towards men, a direct contrast but as you read on you see how it all plays out together, in a wonderful display of Kajii’s true ability.

The above quote I felt resonate throughout the book, especially at the end, with the public response to Rika - which if you have read the book you may feel the same, but if you have not I will not say more.

I found that Butter is more a vehicle for social commentary that it is a thriller with a murder mystery element, which is fine for me. I enjoyed the social commentary aspect slightly more, but I did enjoy the murder mystery a lot as well, it was enjoyable trying to piece the story together with Rika, and trying to understand Kajii and her motivations.

The pacing was interesting, I found it to be very slow, but looking back on the novel I’m glad it was. One because it’s translated and the translation should be as faithful to the original work as possible but second because Rika’s investigation was over a decent period of time and I don’t think all the plot lines would have come together in a fulfilling way (especially Kajii’s actions) if it had been sped up for the sake of page count.

I was famished for a good book but Butter has me sated. My physical copy is on the way and I look forward to annotating the heck out of it.

Thank you to Asako Yuzuki, Fourth Estate and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rewitched is a cozy, magical, autumnal read with a mix of fantasy, contemporary and slow-burn romance.

It’s not a cozy fantasy read without a bookstore, Rewitched follows Belladonna Blackthorn, a witch who receives a summons on her 30th birthday to attend a Equiwitch Trial to test her ability and worthiness as a witch. After being given one month to learn to master her magic, Belle seeks out a mentor to teach her about her magic. Unfortunately, darker magic is working against her, Belle with her mother, mentor and watchman must come together. After all the only thing darkness cannot fight is the light.

Belle has been working at Lunar Books for most of her adult life, living a quiet life, working for a sweet old lady named Violet and her crappy son Christopher (he deserves being called crappy). After hiding her magic for most of her adult life, Belle is out of touch with her magical core, which is not what you want when you are about to tested for magical neglect and if found guilty, you risk losing your magic completely. Belle, is different to other protagonists I’ve read recently in that she’s advertised as recently turning 30 and it’s nice to read about characters that are going from their late 20s to 30. Being 25 myself I have yet to feel the pressure of 30 but that way that Belle, felt turning 30 that sense of wanting and uncertainty in oneself is a feeling I know all too well and was glad to explore. We get to follow Belle as she finds happiness with herself but also finds family. The writing style was lovely and whimsical with a light quality about it, making Rewitched a pleasant read. Rune is so cute, and adorable is his clumsy pursuit of Belle.

Rewitched was a cozy read, I’m almost sad to have read it in the summer in the blistering heat instead of by the window, with mug of tea while it snows. I look forward to a winter reread instead.

Rewitched releases on the 19th of September 2024, and is available at all good bookstores, with a special edition being offered at Waterstones.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan MacMillan and Lucy Jane Wood for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

 Blood Over Bright Haven nearly ruined me. 

BOBH is a fantasy, academia standalone set in a world where magic takes a mathematical spin that feels a lot like coding, mages use a spellograph to program their magic to achieve certain ends. The city of Tiran is a protected safe space away from the blight that affects that otherworld’s. 

I found the magic system interesting and very entertaining as someone who understands the fundamentals of coding, it felt familiar and so easy to understand and even if you didn't the way that Wang uses characters to explain the magic system is also wonderful in its simplicity. Without spoiling anything, there's no large information dump at the start, instead what you need to know about the world is broken into extracts at the end of a chapter and through Sciona's conversations with other characters. It does make that first few chapters slow as we find out feet in the new fantasy world but stick with this book you will be rewarded. 

The main characters of Sciona and Thomil were so interesting because of Sciona's racism against the Kwen and how she had to educated herself on the Kwen to overcome her racism, which in my opinion she never did. Sciona is just as proud at the end as she is at the start, you do kind of hate her but that the same time you want her to succeed, it's odd. Part of me roots for her to fight against the sexism, misogyny, racism, religious and academic supremacy, colonialism. I enjoyed how bold some of the sexism and racism was written because often in reality, it's not hidden and it's not subtle it's overt. I am also aware that she never lost that ego that made her superior to everyone else and I'm glad. She is a character that defines "complex female main character", she is imperfect and wonderfully so. BOBH is a perfect example of anti-hero done well, also she's a woman in STEM so how could I not race through this. 

Thomil's journey was heartbreaking to read, and we never really find closure in that story line but I'm glad, it truly emphasised for me, the want and hope for a better life, free from oppression. 

You are going to suffer, BOBH will have you feeling everything but you are going to enjoy every second of it. 

Blood Over Bright Haven publishes 29 Oct 2024.

 Thank you to  M. L. Wang, Del Rey and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. 

Unfortunately, I had to dnf this book.

From the beginning we are told that a high importance has been place on Japanese Honorifics and yet on the first page of the prologue we see “Mr Usagi-san”, there is also no consistency with the use of these honorifics where sometimes they are used to convey respect and on the next page that character is no longer referenced with the honorific. The whole thing therefore felt flat. 

The book is also marketed as a fantasy novel however I think it’s better placed as a Young Adult book, the way that the characters speak to each other felt far too immature.

I did give the book a fair go but ultimately had to stop around chapter 3.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nib and Feather and Rachael Krotec for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.