Books. Cats. Nonsense.
The Mask of Mirrors is a book that seemed like it had my name written all over it: a female con artist worming her way into a wealthy noble family, a magical sickness plaguing the city, and more politics than you can shake a stick at. Despite the fact that there were some fantastic things about this book, I was left feeling a little let down by The Mask of Mirrors.
Why are reviews for books you absolutely loved the most difficult to write? You all probably know by now that Becky Chambers is one of my absolute favourite authors of all time. I adore her cosy science fiction writing and a new book from her is always a big event in my reading life. I went into The Galaxy and the Ground Within knowing exactly how much I'd love it, and all my expectations were met.
Welcome to my stop on the Winterkeep blog tour! The latest installment in the Realm of the Graceling series comes out today - eight years after the publication of Bitterblue -- and our favourite gang of royals and rebels finds themselves in trouble in a fantastical land across the sea.
Everyone was talking about Raybearer in the lead-up to its release, and as with most hyped YA fantasy books I was a little cautious going in. I'm a reader that can really be let down by hype, however I'm here to say that Raybearer is absolutely worth your time and is one of the best books of the year!
I'm an enthusiastic listener of true crime podcasts, having been caught up in the My Favorite Murder craze back when it started, but have read very few true crime books. While I've moved on to better and more responsible podcasts, my interest in true crime remains. When the opportunity to read Killing for Company crossed my path, I decided to give it a go, despite some of my discomfort around true crime reporting and attitudes.
Having read and loved Clark's Cairo novellas earlier this year, I was so incredibly excited to read an advance copy of his upcoming novella, Ring Shout. Although it is very different in terms of tone and setting, Clark's newest story is an incredibly powerful horror tale.
Dangerous Remedy has been on my radar for ages -- I love a good historical fantasy and the French Revolution setting caught my eye. I think that for a reader like me, who has become incredibly picky about what I do and do not like in YA over the years, this one didn't quite hit the mark. However, I think you'll enjoy this one if you're a dedicated YA reader and are looking for a fantasy with a different flavour.
I'll be honest, "gender-swapped Alexander the Great retelling set in space" was all I needed to know about Unconquerable Sun when it originally crossed my path -- it immediately got added to the "most anticipated books of the year" list. Having only read, but absolutely adored, one book by Kate Elliott before, I knew she'd be able to pull of a book with such an epic scope.
Having read Lee's Ninefox Gambit, I knew that I should expect a few things from Phoenix Extravagant: an incredibly immersive and original world, great characters, and a compelling read. While I enjoyed Ninefox Gambit, his latest novel absolutely blows it out of the water for me.
Welcome to my stop on the Trouble with Peace blog tour! As you all may be aware, Joe Abercrombie is one of my absolute favourite authors and a new book from him is always an event in my reading year. Given my absolute love of A Little Hatred, the first book in his new First Law series, I had sky-high expectations for its sequel -- and they were unsurprisingly met.
