This is a female text

I honestly don't think I have the right type of critical, analysing mind to talk about this book properly in the way it deserves but all I can say is, it's a masterpiece.

In this book Doireann Ní Ghríofa outlines her own life and identity as a young mother who becomes enthralled with the mystery of Eibhlín Dubh - the author of Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire. Who she was before she became the wife and widow of Art, and what became of her after his death. She disappears from history as the letters she once wrote, or on which her name appeared, were thrown away while similar notes connected to male figures attached to her lived on throughout history.

Love, your blood was spilling in cascades,
and I couldn't wipe it away, couldn't clean it up, no,
no, my palms turned cups and oh, I gulped."

There is so much to love about this story - both Doireann's intense attachment and growing obsession with Eibhlín, and the way she uses her story to tell her own from failed medical student to passionate teacher and onward to loving mother who not only uses her own body to nurture the children of her flesh, but to nurture other babies in need of mother's milk.

"In choosing to carry a pregnancy, a woman gives of her body with a selflessness so ordinary it goes unnoticed, even by herself. Her body becomes bound to altruism as instinctively as to hunger. If she cannot consume sufficient calcium, for example, that mineral will rise up from deep within her bones and donate itself to her infant on her behalf, leaving her own system in deficiency. Sometimes a female body serves another by effecting a theft upon itself."

I thought the structure and flow of this story was perfect. I felt equally attached whether Doireann was talking about her hospital stay, Eibhlín's early life with her twin Mary or the years after when Doireann and her family finally moved to a permanent home and Doireann attempted to pay homage to the woman who came before her and spilled her love into the house and garden (I really loved this chapter about remembering the lady who once lived in their new home, it was so lovely and if everyone could remember others/perfect strangers in the same way, what special moments they would be).

In this book, Doireann paints a picture of Eibhlín Dubh and brings her to life in a glorious way. In writing what she knows down, she finally gives to Eibhlín her own caoineadh that she rightly deserves. Forgotten in history behind the shadows of sons, husbands and brothers, a young mother finally uses her own power of language to pull Eibhlín back into the light and take her rightful place in Ireland's memories.

"In every page there are undrawn women, each waiting in her own particular silence."

This book just really hit me where it was meant to, and I loved every bit of it. I'm excited to reread it again in the future and I feel like every time I do I will feel different emotions and react to different parts even more strongly than I already did the first time around.

Hi this is basically an erotic fairytale about erectile dysfunction and I don't know why I kept reading it but I couldn't stop and it was really weird and I'm not sure if I want to think about it again. Ok, bye.

Spanning the years leading up the famous Pendle Witch Trials in 1612, Daughters of the Witching Hill centres around the women of the Southern/Device family that were involved.

Old witch Demdike or Bess comes into her powers late in life, and eventually passes her knowledge onto her daughter Lisa, best friend Anne and grandchildren Jamie and Alizon. But as the years pass on, and King James I's insistence on the persecution of witches, the family become an opportunity for a local man seeking power from the King.

This was a grand book, and the storytelling was a bit slow and steady, with nothing too strange or startling. I liked learning about the particular time in history and what it was like to live in England with changing religions, and how fear and disgust of 'Papists' gradually changed people's feelings towards each other and neighbourly friendliness all but disappeared. Bess and her family never seem to live a particularly comfortable life and forever penniless and begging for work and scraps but there are times of simple family happiness in the story too.

I wasn't too crazy between the woman-on-woman hate that occurred between Bess/Liza and Anne and Annie Redfearn but this was apparently something that truly happened in history so so be it.

This book really shows what a farce witch trials were and how unfair the trials were to the people accused of witchcraft. There was never really a chance to defend themselves and it can be infuriating to read at times, and the story feels a bit hopeless.

I recommend for people who like historical fiction and prefer slower reads with not a whole load of action but more so a story of an interesting life.

I received an e-copy of this book from The publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

CW: sexual assault, child abuse

Aimee Sinclair is an up and coming actress, having waited years for her big break. She's close to finishing up a film that could mean something great o her but on returning home after a day on set, she realises her husband isn't home but all of these things remain in their usual place. Aimee immediately comes under suspicion for the disappearance of Ben but as police delve further, and Aimee remains tight-lipped about her past, she realises that she may not be the only person in the relationship keeping secrets.

Umm...okay. So I thought this started out very well - it almost felt like Gone Girl in reverse (even though I hate books being compared to Gone Girl, the whole missing spouse, past secrets etc is similar) and I enjoyed how confusing everything was at first and I as a reader couldn't really tell if Aimee was an unreliable narrator or not. I enjoyed the little look into her life on set and as an actress, and I feel like I could have even had more of those scenes.

The flashback sequences were also fairly intriguing to me too as Ciara turns into Aimee and I was waiting for this big twist about that (which didn't come if I'm honest - it felt a bit too easy that the flashbacks were actually Aimee after all).

But the end, wow. Okay, the end just really ran away with itself and it definitely became a big nonsensical and honestly, it was bloody gross. I had guessed early on that that could possibly end up being the 'reveal' but I really prayed it wouldn't be because there was just a height of violation there that was disgusting and just too much. But no, Alice Feeney went there. I really feel like the other person's POVs didn't quite add up as much as I think they could have considering the reveal and I was just genuinely confused and wondering how it could all work so well (for years!).

It's very clearly implied in this book that Aimee has suffered repeated rape (both vaginally and anally) from her husband, and I feel like the trauma of that was never really addressed. I really believe you can't suffer like that without consequence (mentally as well as physically) and while each to their own, I found it a bit odd that Aimee would be so happy to jump into bed with Jack having suffered, seemingly quite brutally, from the hands of Ben days earlier (and not for the first time).

Honestly the ending was just gross and a bit over the top in my opinion, and the more I think about it, the more I feel like it let the whole book now. And to make matters worse, we then find out

Aimee is pregnant with his baby?!?! I mean...not only is the child at full risk of being deformed or suffering sever issues due to ya know, incest, but also the man was clearly extremely mentally ill - and could it be possible a child has inherited that AS WELL as being a product of incest. There's just something, perhaps morally, there that I cannot get over - especially when clearly she's in a good relationship with Jack and could try and conceive again.

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

Selma van de Perre is a Holocaust and Ravensbrück camp survivor and in this book, she tells her experience of the war starting from her early childhood, her memories of the war as a young woman growing up in the Netherlands and her eventual separation form her family. her work in the Resistance and her capture.

This was a really interesting look at the war from the eyes of someone who truly lived it, experiences the trauma of losing family members and almost dying herself and finding ways to rebuild her life afterwards. The tone of this book is very conservational and Selma's story is an easy one to follow and understand. Her love for her family really comes through in every word she writes about them which makes it all the more heartbreaking when we know they didn't survive the war.

Selma's work in the Resistance was interesting to follow though I felt at times, she almost rushed through her stories and I would have loved some deep dives into particular trips she had to take undercover. I think Selma herself seems really humble about her war efforts and it seems like she really doesn't understand what an extraordinary woman she is!

The time in the concentration camp was hard to read about and knowing Selma was at death's door so often, it's just amazing to think about the strength and fortitude she displayed to keep going, to keep getting up every day never knowing if she was ever going to be saved.

I definitely think Selma kept the readers at arm's reach in this book, and I'm not sure if I really understood who she was deep down (for example Edith Eger's The Choice, I really felt like I knew Edith and her personality). But also I find this extremely understandable as Selma is telling us about an extremely traumatic time in her life that she might not want to deep dive into too much,
and she's also a very old woman now too so this style of storytelling was probably easier too!

I really liked that Selma also put an emphasis on how hard it was to keep going after the war and the depression she struggled with and that she knew other people struggled with as well. And the fact that many survivors were told to just 'keep living' and not to think about the atrocity that had happened to them and their families. As well, Semla briefly described the trauma young Jewish children experienced both living during the war as well as from being separated from parents at a young age, loving their foster parents and then bein returned to parents who were, tragically, all but strangers to them. And that many children never really got over this.

This is a really wonderful read full of sadness and heartbreak but also full of love, friendship and survival. What a lady!

I received this book from Titan in exchange for an honest review.

When Violet Saunders moves with her mother back to her mother's hometown of Four Paths, she has no idea she is entering a place of magic and history - and a bloodline that connects her directly to the heart of the mystery of the monster that haunts every towns person.

Okay, I really loved this and I think one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was because I didn't really have any expectations for it, and really didn't know what I was about to read. This book is suspenseful and atmospheric with the right amount of mystery, magic and darkness.

The characters of Justin, Isaac, Violet, Harper and Mae are brilliantly weaved into the story, and I love that each character felt unique and there was so much tangled history with not just each other but also the town and their parents and whatever happened in 1985. And you just KNOW that in the true style of anything like a CW show, every character probably has a fantastic wardrobe and amazing hair. Also Isaac, Jess from Gilmore Girls called and he wants his 'paperback squashed into his back jean pocket' back.

I definitely always felt like I never really knew what was going to happen next with this book, and it definitely surprised me a few times which I loved. Also three cheers for bisexual characters - and not just the teenagers but the parents too. I love that.

I'm really excited for the next book, I can't wait to read it!

2.5 stars

"Sometimes being a good ally is about opening the door for someone instead of insisting that your voice is the only one that matters."

This book is a great look, and an honest look, at modern day feminism and modern day feminists and all the way the movement and those involved are failing those who need it most in marginalized communities.

The author Mikki Kendall takes a deep dive into different parts of life in which feminism - and white feminists - have let down black or POC women, disabled women and people in the queer community or who are femme-presenting. And how issues like housing, gun violence, and parenting are all issues that come back to feminism and how people can use their voices to shine a light on those who need help, and improve the system to help young women growing up in all sorts of circumstances have support when they need it, and potentially help their future in the long run.

"Sometimes solidarity is just that simple. Step up, step back, and keep pushing forward."

While this book for obvious reasons is heavily focused on issues in the US, it made me think about things in my own country of Ireland - how marginalized women are treated here - women of colour, women with disabilities, trans women and femme-presenting people and non-binary people. How feminists in Ireland need to continue to hit out at the cruelty that is Direct Provision - that is harmful to all but affects women with families and can be downright dangerous to transpeople and others in the queer community. To really listen to changes in welfare that could affect women who depend on it, and the systems that if dismantled could prove disastrous for many but if slightly improved could mean a new meaning of life for a lot of people and better for futures for little girls.

"But the patriarchy has more heads than the Hydra and must be tackled from all sides."

It was also really interesting to read this book straight after the 2020 Presidential Election in the US as Mikki Kendall had some interesting things to say about voter turnout, and voting within the Hood and voting in communities of colour. And we all know that Black women in particular really helped turn the tide of the 2020 election towards the better path.

"Fear of Black people. Fear of immigrants. Fear of the Other. It's an endless cycle that hinges on the willingness of white women to ignore their own power to effect positive change."

I definitely recommend this book for anyone wanting to explore intersectional feminism and to really think about making changes to the way they use their voice or thinking about things in a feminist light. The book is really easy to read, and even for someone who is not in the US, I found a lot of topics easy to understand as well. It's one that made me think in light of my own country and I feel like it could be the same for anyone in different parts of the world.