I received a digital copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jade is a young mermaid who is happily engaged to a young merman rising in social status. But things go wrong when she catches him trying to cover up the death of a naiad woman - creatures who are treated badly by mer society - and reports him to authorities. Soon Jade is in the centre of a war between two species and being blamed.

I picked this book up basically because I saw it was about a mermaid and I love mermaids! While I did like the society that jade lived in and how things were described, such as buildings, clothing and food, there wasn't much about this book that really grabbed be.

While the story itself is important enough as it highlights today's own struggles with racism in modern society, I felt like there could have been more action. It seemed like Jade did a whole lot of nothing and was repeating the same actions over and over again. I also thought the sudden appearance of Alexander a bit eye roll-inducing and it was so typical that she'd fall in love with a guy she hadn't seen in years. This story unfortunately was just bland and boring for me, and while the very last line peaked my interest I don't think I'd read any more in the series.

I received a free copy of this book from the author/publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Radium Girls follows several groups of women who worked in dial-painting companies in the 20th century. These women worked all day, every day with radium paint and while for a few years they were glamorous and the cream of the crop, it wasn't long before the dangerous effects of radium made itself clear. Most of the women died horribly painful death and this book tells their story - not just how they died but who they were and how hard they fought the company that killed them.

This is a deeply personal story and one I instantly connected with. I'm not an avid reader of non fiction so going into this I didn't know how I'd feel. But I absolutely loved it. There's a rawness and a sincerity about this book and about the women whose lives are being told. It's honest and real and it doesn't just focus on their illnesses and their fight against the dial-painting companies but it tells their story from before they fell ill - how some of them liked to dress and treat themselves to bags and hats. How one woman was deeply religious, while another loved to laugh and others liked to dance. I found out about the men who loved them and literally had to watch as they fell to pieces in front of them, the children they left behind and the relatives they inadvertently spread the radiation to in their sleep.

This book made me smile in companionship with the young women living their lives and falling in love and also grit my teeth in anger at the big wigs who refused to accept their responsibility in harming the women. Their fight to stay alive for justice, not just for themselves but for the other girls, as well as how their husbands and siblings looked after them made me want too cry. This book was so touching but held such a great respect and admiration for the women as well. They were fighters, and we owe so much to them today.

I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review


The Ice is about a wealthy man called Sean Carson who is the CEO of an important business venture in the rapidly melting Arctic. When the body of his best friend is found following an accident four years prior, Sean has to reconnect with the memories of the terrible day and starts learning new secrets about the business he runs, his partners and if Tom’s death was even an accident in the first place.

This book sounded quite exciting and while it’s very well written and put together, it just wasn’t really for me. I didn’t find it terribly engaging or exciting (I mean it might possibly be because Ireland is actually having good weather so I couldn’t connect with a story about the Arctic at the time, I don’t know). I did think Sean’s character is intriguing as he comes across as a womanising, wealthy ass but is actually quite a sweet guy underneath who does try to do the right thing, even if he often failed. I also liked the mystery of Tom’s death and the events surrounding it. I just couldn’t connect, or even properly understand, Sean’s business in the Arctic and all the dealings with investors and partners just didn’t interest me and went over my head.

I wasn't mad about the excerpts of tales from Arctic explorers in the past at the end of each chapter. I knew it was probably to make the Arctic a whole separate character and it did emphasis the danger and the wild appeal of the Arctic but often the stories didn’t connect with the chapter they were appearing at the end of so just ended up a bit confusing and ‘whatever’ for me.

received a free copy of this book from the author/publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Comedian Paula Poundstone is determined to find the perfect recipe for happiness and in this book details a series of different experiments she set herself to help her be happy. From fitness, life organisation and dancing, Poundstone gave everything a whirl.

I liked this book for what it was which was just a comedic take on trying new things, basically. I admired Poundstone's gumption to jump in and try new things. I myself like to set myself goals but I really have to push myself if it means having to face a new group of people alone or join classes etc (to sum it up - to have any normal human interaction). I found her chapters on exercise and dance classes particularly funny and endearing though didn't much care for the day in a lambo exercise, or the organisation. I think the organisation one was someone actually employing a "professional organiser", I didn't even know that job existed.

While some of the excerpts from Poundstone's family life were nice (the all-day movie marathon, yes please), I did find some of them a bit annoying and pointless and ended up feeling like she just wanted to talk about her children and her parenting skills at times. Which is fine, except this is a book about happiness and not children. I also definitely think she had way too many cats and dogs for one house, and that's me, a dog lady, saying this.

So overall, this book was mildly enjoyable but not great by any means.

Angel Crawford was a bit of a hot mess. Addicted to pills, living with an alcoholic father and dating a no-good loser, there doesn't seem to be much hope - until she wakes up after an accident with a craving for brains. A new job at the coroner's office gives Angel all the access to fresh brains she needs but other zombies are turning up dead and Angel still hasn't found out who turned her in the first place.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was narrated by Allison McLemore. I really liked the narration and while I had to listen to the first few chapters slower than normal to get used to Angel's thick Southern drawl, I eventually was able to speed up and fly through the book. I really liked Angel as a character and I actually think anyone who loved iZombie the TV show (I haven't read the comics) will love this book as it's very similar. Angel is on a real learning curve and moment of change in her life - not just with her new status as a zombie. She's still someone who needs to deal with addiction (just this time it's brains) but she's finding ways to improve her life and her fathers, and has the incentive to finally keep a good and steady job. She gains new friends who don't lead her down dark paths and finally gains the courage to stand up for herself to those trying to beat her down. She was really great to follow, and the story was fun with just the right amount of zombie horror for me. I liked trying to guess what was going on and who was the hunter and who was Angel's 'guardian angel'.

I definitely recommend this book for anyone wanting a fun story, and I recommend the audiobook as well!

4.5 stars for first read
5 stars the second read - listened to it on audiobook, narrated by Katherine Kellgren who was AMAZING. 5 stars for narration alone.

I pretty much knew nothing going into this book. All I knew was that it was about a girl called Kelsea that, one day, gets called up to take her rightful place as Queen.

The Queen of the Tearling reads much like a fantasy book, an adult fantasy not a YA fantasy which I kept forgetting, except at some points where America and Britain are mentioned as well as the “seven volumes of Rowling” (which I take to be Harry Potter) as well as The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. It’s pretty confusing though whether the country of Tearling lies somewhere in America or Central Europe, as well as Mortmense.

I liked Kelsea as a character, and I particularly liked that she wasn’t one of these characters who never gained weight. She describes herself as having a bit of extra girth and she likes second and third helpings. And while Kelsea is aware that she needs to slim down to become a better swordswoman, she doesn’t make huge efforts to do so. Which is refreshing as it’s so very normal.

However, the lack of information about pretty much everything is incredibly frustrating for the whole of the novel. I felt like 50% of the book was Kelsea asking questions, and everyone around her refusing to answer because of a very annoying vow. We find out barely anything about Kelsea’s mother, apart from some not-so-nice tidbits, and considering there’s so much emphasis on the jewels and their power, I still have no idea about them or what exactly they do and what kind of magic Kelsey wields and if she has any kind of control over them.

I did like the lack of romance and how all of the plot focused on Kelsea’s journey to becoming a good Queen. But that doesn’t mean that I’m looking for some more chemistry-laden scenes with the Fetch, and maybe some more bare-chested scenes with Pen, no? I do think that the Queen of the Tearling set up a great adventure to come, and I’m looking forward to reading the Invasion.