Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

After finishing [book:Wilding|38891828], I was a little trepidatious heading straight into another 'nature non-fic' straight away, but this book turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. My e-copy was only about 150 pages long, and this gentle little book took me through the many beautiful moments of the lead up to Spring (and Spring itself!) in the Devonshire countryside. Not only this, but Morpurgo writes with  heartfelt reflection on a wide range of topics, certainly a book I would return to as I would a book of poetry so benefit from such wonderful prose!

 Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted to talk about the Raven Cycle in this review for ages but have ultimately decided that I can't avoid it. That series is everything to me, each time I've read it I feel I've discovered something new about my reading tastes and all of those characters are very close to my heart. I find that often Stiefvater's characters come across so well because of the level of seemingly irrelevant detail that goes into them - how a guy tucks in his shirt or how a girl looks across a room when she first walks in - that then turns out to be the damning nail in the coffin for the most heart-wrenching character analysis you've ever read.

I don't know if I'm explaining that very well, but just want to try and express how unique her writing style is. So I knew, even as a pulled myself slowly and carefully through the first half of this novel, that even if I didn't end up being convinced by the plot the writing would win me over without a doubt. And, to my delight, this is almost exactly how my reading experience went. The setting of this novel is the Appalachian mountains during World War II, and I knew already going into this novel that historical fiction (even historical magical realism) is not usually my cup of tea. However, I was beyond curious to see what this new project would entail!

This feels like an increasingly rambling review all to say that I found it a slow moving novel and I thought I felt largely indifferent about the large cast of characters until the 70% mark when I realised that actually I cared so deeply about all of them that I couldn't put the book down and felt like someone had punched a hole in my chest once I'd finished. Luckily I had a whole train journey to sit and stare out the window dramatically as I reflected on it.

 

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review
This was another fun fanfic-y romance (kinda) for this year. I have read my fair share of fanfic over the years and I loved wondering which pieces of this were from the original and what had been changed and developed!
I loved the magic system in this: fascinating blend of magic and science, but somehow also still having a heavy reliance on British folklore (my fave omg). We even had a load of old english etymology which was a wonderful detail to accompany the historical differences (no Norman conquest in 1066 would have prevented the loss of anglo-saxon). Speaking of language there was also some very sophisticated vocabulary in here - loved it!
It's also so refreshing to find characters in an enemies-to-lovers who actually hate each other (you wouldn't think it would be so hard). Osric and Aurienne have literal opposite moral compasses and I liked that this wasn't just thrown away to further a romance plotline - they inherently disagree with other ALL THE TIME. And the insults they levelled at each other were honestly impressive.
The only minor qualm I have with this story is the pacing felt a bit strange - I thoroughly enjoyed each chapter and the drama that unfolded, but when we reached the end of the book I felt a little like I'd been cheated out of a dramatic culmination of plot - you know the kind of thing: a battle or a suddenly revealed secret etc. 
Was so excited to have an ARC for this and will be eagerly anticipating book 2.

 

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

The word that comes to mind for this book is self-indulgent. I went into it suspending all rational belief and allowed myself to be swept away by the drama of your long-time actor crush turning up in your rural hometown because he thinks he's turning into a werewolf.
This was definitely not so much of a cutesy romcom since both our protagonists carried pretty heavy burdens and/or grudges for a major part of the storyline, but I did find them both loveable in a "difficult exterior but soft-hearted" kind of way, although I will admit that the hollywood celebrity sleaziness kind of vibe didn't really do it for me with ou MMC.
This is my second Rosie Danan book and have enjoyed both, so will def be picking up more in future

 

Such mixed feelings on this one! Jenny Greenteeth is probably one of the most interesting and unusual protagonists I've read in forever and for the first 20% I was very intrigued as to the time period and setting of the story. The way this book focuses in on British mythology and folklore is right up my street; I found this novel full of familiar characters and creatures: goblins, witches, unicorns, the high fae and wild hunt.
However, once this gorgeous medieval setting had been established, and our main characters had their mission, I started to lose interest. The dialogue during each scene often felt slow, and like it lacked purpose and, despite the brave adventures they all went on, I never felt like the stakes were that high (perhaps it's leaning on some of the ideas of cozy fantasy?).
Then again, the book pulled itself back at the very end for me with some Arthurian mythology and some dramatic twists and turns in the last few pages. A mixed bag!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

I think one of the joys of reading cosy fantasy, along with fanfiction, is that you can always be pretty sure you know what to expect, There's probably going to be books, there's probably going to be tea and coffee, and we're probably going to be setting up a shop of some kind. This lovely book had all of these things, and also a wonderful island setting.
Again, as you would expect, it takes a gentle wandering plot of settling in and beginning to make friends - and reacquainting with nature which was so lovely (and something I feel is not a requirement for cosy fantasy - thinking about Legends and Lattes which was much more urban).
I don't know that this is the ideal genre for me but this book did have me suitably envious of an island life!

 Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

This was just an all round good time truly. I haven't read the first book so didn't have any preconceptions about these characters coming into the story, and fell in love with both MCs very quickly.
I feel Amelia's problems in my SOUL, maybe not the need to find a fake-boyfriend for a wedding but definitely the work-hard and stay focused one - so glad this girl got a whole book about how to take some time for herself!
Reginald was absolutely bonkers as far as MMCs go, he was extravagant and so totally open with Amelia that it took me completely by surprise - no dark brooding over here. This really was the vampire rom-com I desperately needed.
For those who love 'What we do in the Shadows', I highly recommend this for some light-hearted romance and a good laugh <3 

 Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

I was absolutely thrilled to be approved for this and it did not disappoint! My previous experiences with Saft's novels have been a bit all over the place: her highest Goodreads rated book (excluding those yet to be released) A Far Wilder Magic wasn't really my cup of tea and I DNFd about half way through. But I LOVED A Fragile Enchantment, it literally had me giggling over the characters. For this reason, I went into A Dark and Drowning Tide knowing very little, except that it was a sapphic fantasy about a folklorist.

The language around folklore and storytelling is a particular interest of mine, and this meant I had so much love for Lorelei from the first page. And I just want to thank Saft here for championing unlikeable protagonists. I'm not saying you're supposed to hate her (I would. in fact, be stunned if you finished the book without falling in love with her), but she's blunt, dismissive, and sick to death of her colleagues (jealousy not-with-standing). I also felt that her rough edges didn't just exist to be dropped later-on because of some self-reflecting eureka moment - she was so raw and human - loved it!!

Also one of those great examples of fantasy worlds being built up around the characters and plot rather than the other way around. At no point did I feel like I was being made to listen to a history or science lesson in order to understand the magic system or political tensions, and this was undoubtedly further improved by Saft's use of storytelling throughout the novel - with folktale characters reflecting tense relationships in more detail. This as a tool was particularly poignant when it began to examine the way that stories can be used to spin narratives of hope or reinforce prejudices depending on how they're used. 

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

This book is for anyone who has ever been a House of Anubis fan. I feel like Egyptian mythology is covered less often in current fantasy, we more often see Greek or Roman retellings etc, so this was quite refreshing!
Structure and plot wise, this book moved FAST. We start off on the first page with the funeral of our FMC, and then she is immediately off to boarding school. I wouldn't say it's the smoothest flowing story line however that said, I personally hate exposition so I really did love that I wasn't required to sit through going over the details - we just jumped straight into the story with mysterious figures, runes and hieroglyphics, and near death experiences. 
In terms of the setting of the story, in my mind we were almost in the exact same location as in Curious Tides with a looming school tucked away in a rough sea-cove. The unsettling atmosphere, themes of magic being based around the moon cycle, and even the references to students drowning in the cove, actually added significantly to the similarities so I would absolutely recommend this to dark academia fantasy fans who are looking for a rapid plot, and potentially a series (?) - since this was set up for a second book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

This was so super cute and exactly what I needed for some comforting escapism. This examined some more serious topics (family tensions, anxiety disorders etc) but I felt it did so in a way that felt so true to life. There were times when our characters' emotions got the better of them, and there were also moments for reflection and meaningful conversations. 
If we ignore the snowy setting that would absolutely not do it for me, the small-town style was perfect - so many examples of a community pulling together, and you can't go wrong with a our FMC running a bookstore - I don't care if it's cliche.