So because I had a two-hiatus from blogging and reviewing and just generally reading, I didn’t have a lot of ARCs to read, and I purposely kept my ARC pile low so that I could focus on reading for pure enjoyment without the stress of reviewing. Because of this, I’ve managed to read books that I’ve just wanted to read, not because I needed to. And I focused on just writing mini-reviews instead of in-depth reviews, just to get my immediate thoughts and feelings down. These are all on Goodreads, where I do most of my reviewing these days (just to keep it casual), and I’m just putting them here too just in case you care!
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
“Gods do not care about us. They have other concerns. That is why you should never live in the shadow of their anger. It is men you must fear. It is men who will be angry with you if you rise too high, if you are too much loved. The stronger you are, the more they will try to take you down.”
CLYTEMNESTRA is an excellent debut from Costanza Casati. Set in Ancient Greece, it tells the story of Clytemnestra from Greek mythology. She is the Queen of Mycenae, the wife of Agamemnon who is the commander of the Greek forces in the Trojan War. Clytemnestra, who killed her husband. In this retelling, we follow the injustices from Clytemnestra’s point of view; we see her reasoning, her strength and resilience, and most importantly, her rage.
CLYTEMNESTRA is an ode to the strength of women — & not just physical strength, but their intelligence, cunning, and wit. Their inquisitive mind and curiosity, their kindness and good hearts. Their anger and their grief. Casati does an exquisite job exploring the characterization of Clytemnestra and establishing her as a character in her own right, not just a footnote in another’s story. An excellent retelling akin to Circe. A must for fans of Greek mythology, retellings, and vengeful women.
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
“Dark and dangerous things happened around the Hollow sisters.”
HOUSE OF HOLLOW is a morbid fantasy horror of lost girls and sisterhood. It is beautifully written with lyrical imagery, a frightful atmosphere, and a macabre writing style that brought the horror and suspense to life. It’s creeping vines, rotting flowers, death and decay. It is one of the more excellent books that I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year. I would highly recommend it if you like darkly whimsical stories with a focus on sisters or family.
“Both of my sisters were the great loves of my life. I couldn’t live without them. I didn’t want to.”
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
“It is said that five belladonna berries are all it takes to kill someone. Just five sweet berries, eaten straight from the foliage. Or, as Signa Farrow preferred, mashed and steeped into a mug of tea.”
BELLADONNA is very much Sanditon and Bridgerton with a gothic murder mystery vibe. Unfortunately, this fell a little flat for me. I felt Signa had such an amazing introduction, but ultimately, the characterization was lacking, as was the romance, which I daresay was kind of…boring? Unfulfilling? I did enjoy the gothic murder mystery aspect, and it was very compelling, but otherwise…
Maybe the hype let me down on this one. I still think it was an enjoyable and very readable gothic fantasy, just not superb.
This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede
THIS VICIOUS GRACE is an Italian-inspired fantasy novel with a uniquely crafted magic system, generally decent world-building, and a compelling plot with a few twists and turns in there to keep you on your toes. I must admit though, it was a bit different than what I was expecting, and by that I mean it is heavily focused on the romance aspect of the book. This isn’t a bad thing, because I found Alessa and Dante had really good chemistry and some light-hearted banter that made them a really endearing couple. My only complaint was that the stakes didn’t feel quite so high until the last 20 percent or so, even though it was a life-and-death situation from the get-go — though this might be because it’s definitely more a ‘romantasy’ than an epic fantasy. A solid read though, and I will keep my eye out for the next book because there was a pretty compelling plot twist at the end there.
Good Girls Die Last by Natali Simmonds
” ‘Were you not scared?’ I ask. She shrugs. ‘When are we ever not scared?’ “
GOOD GIRLS DIE LAST is a story of being a woman — of being voiceless, abused, mistreated, and sexualized; and to top it all off, she is having a monumentally bad day. It’s a book written from anger and thus is raw in its message. Be good. Be quiet. Be small. Then it’s not your fault. This book says to BE LOUD. BE ANGRY. AND FIGHT.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL, ANGRY PLANET definitely has Firefly and Mass Effect vibes right from the get-go. It follows a motley crew on a ship called the Wayfarer, and that’s where the novel’s strength lie — in its characters and their interactions. It also has exceptional world-building, beyond anything I’ve ever read in science fiction. My only complaint was that it took a while for the story to really get going. It’s a 500+ page novel, and at times, it felt even longer… just a word of warning, but I personally love character-driven novels, so I still rate this very highly. Not one to miss for fans of sci-fi.
Eyes Guts Throat Bones by Moira Fowley-Doyle
EYES GUTS THROAT BONEST is a superb collection of adult horror short stories. Moïra Fowley-Doyle has created an immersive collection of imaginative short stories, incorporating a wide range of genres so I would say these would appeal to lots of different types of readers. It was also so beautifully written and it’s very queer & very sapphic. Some of my favourites were:
– Nature Morte
– Only Corpses Stay
– Rath
– Big Round ball of Light and the Water
I’d say there are lots of trigger warnings, for example; self-harm, graphic bodily horror, violence, and eating disorder behavior, loss of a loved one, grief — amongst others..so I would go into this lightly.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia #1) by Carissa Broadbent
I could not put this down. It was just, purely, an exceptionally enjoyable fantasy romance with vampires, politics, pretty decent world-building, a deadly hunger-games-esque competition, and an enemies-to-lovers romance. I really enjoyed our rage-filled, morally grey human protagonist Oraya, and I especially loved the snarky but complex vampire love interest Raihn. I guessed the plot twist fairly early on, but I was SO emotionally invested that it still gutted me. I would definitely recommend THE SERPENT AND THE WINGS OF NIGHT to fantasy fans who love a good enemies-to-lovers trope because this one is great.
Lauren is a British blogger and book reviewer. She is an avid bookworm, writer, and procrastinator extraordinaire. A not-too-recent history grad, Lauren is currently grappling with adulthood, finding solace in the written word. As an avid reader of YA literature, she’s a lover of sci-fi, epic fantasies, found families and sister stories, and cute sapphic books. Some of her favourite books include Code Name Verity by the incredibly talented Elizabeth Wein, the hauntingly atmospheric Other Words For Smoke by Irish author Sarah Maria Griffin, and the magical fantasy Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst.
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