We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune

 

Ebook with thanks to NetGalley and Tor/Pan Macmillan.

5/5 stars

A slightly belated review since I read this in January but also shockingly ahead of schedule for me considering this isn't released until April.

At 176 pages this is a novella rather than a novel but though short it packs a lot of impact.

The world is ending in a few days. A massive black hole is sucking everything up, most of the planets have been destroyed and once it comes for the moon humanity is done for.

Don and Rodney are an old married couple driving from Maine to Washington State to do something important (and heartbreaking once revealed) before it's too late. On the way they meet a variety of people: crazy bad, crazy good, dangerous crazy and queer kin.

This is a simple book but it has so much emotional depth and characterisation and it is beautiful.

Stef Out x

Contracts and Cats by Toni Binns

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

5/5 stars

Sable is applying for what looks like her dream job. A live-in job at a local bookshop where she must also take care of The Cat. After a successful interview with the current caretaker Sable accepts the job, once she does the reality of the role becomes more obvious... For the next year she cannot leave the premises at all.

It turns out that there is plenty to keep her busy though since this is actually a magical bookshop and it... Travels to best meet it's customers needs. One of these customers leaves something behind, something he shouldn't have had in the first place. A baby dragon!

I love this book! It was long (526 pages according to StoryGraph) but it didn't feel it. I flew through it. I loved the characters and their diversity and the fact that we got passages from the point of view of The Cat. The writing flowed and the plot was engaging and easy to read and everything felt seamless. I even enjoyed the mundane day to day life bits of breakfast and coffee. I'm really looking forward to the next book!

Steff Out x

Thick Witch Travels by Lizzy Ives

 

Ebook with great thanks to Sword and Rose press and the author.

5/5 stars

You may recall last year I read book 1 of this series? Trilogy? I think it's a trilogy... Fat Witch Summer which I loved.

Book 2 picks up a year later, the Gift system has been dismantled thanks to Thrash and her coven but familiars keep approaching Thrash, everyone's unsettled and they just need a break.

Now Thrash, Cresca, Em and Saki are heading out on a gap year to travel Europa finished off with an apprenticeship Thrash arranged at Wainwood Academy under famed architect Fernicus Wainwood. Right from the start the four all seem to have different ideas about the trip and Thrash worried they might be growing apart but then a familiar asks for their help...

I LOVE these books, the characters are so well-written and 3D. They all have distinct voices and personalities. As a fat person I relate to Thrash's struggles to buy off the rack, especially when thrifting or at boutiques (that adjustment wand sounds amazing though!). I loved the ace rep.

The story is complex and layered but still easy to follow and the danger towards the characters feels real. I loved the expansion of the world and the magic system, everything is so well thought out and I'm really looking forward to the future and seeing where these characters end up.

Steff Out x

See the Stars by Eleanor Ray

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

5/5 stars

Alice is an astronomer. Previously she was studying for her masters degree but left it suddenly and joined the world of finance in the city. As a kid she loved nothing more than stargazing with her beloved grandpa until his descent into dementia and rambles about a comet no-one else could see.

Following a collapse at work and the diagnosis of a mini-stroke Alice goes home to Yorkshire to recuperate, re-discovering her grandpa's logbooks in the process and maybe he wasn't wrong about the comet? Along the way she reconnects with her teenage crush Matt, through his nerdy, autistic nephew Berti. I loved Berti as a character and his autism is obvious to me but unfortunately never named on page which is my only slight bugbear with this novel

Told in dual timeline between Alice's time as a child and her university journey and present day this is an emotional, engaging story and I didn't find the space stuff too complicated or overwhelming in the way it was written. The characters were all well-written and easy to connect to. I was hoping for a certain outcome and I was not disappointed but no spoilers here of course.

Steff Out x

Alchemy and a Cup of Tea by Rebecca Thorne

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

5/5 stars

The book opens with Reyna, who has been acting as Queen for several months at this point, being kidnapped. When Kianthe finds out she is naturally in a panic and immediately flies to the rescue but Reyna being Reyna doesn't entirely need rescuing and as a matter of fact she's also discovered the work of a rogue alchemist.

In the meantime tourists are invading Tawney and the pair are struggling with the fact that they may have to close their shop to save the town.

Along the way we solve the mystery of the missing dragon egg and Serena is trying to plan her proposal to Bonnie.

This was the fourth and final book in the Tomes and Tea quartet and I am so sad that it's over 😭 I love these books, the characters, the way they're written all just get me. I definitely plan to read anything else the author writes!

Steff Out x

My Three Dogs by W. Bruce Cameron

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

5/5 stars

Liam and Sabrina have a happy life with their two dogs, Riggs and Luna, or so Liam thinks but when he brings home puppy Archie - rescuing him from a bad situation - it suddenly reveals that there are cracks in their relationship. Sabrina moves out for a break. Several days later Liam has come to his senses, he's spoken to Sabrina and they're planning to meet up where he wants to propose but before that happens he's in a car accident.

Liam's brother Brad takes over, tells Sabrina that Liam is dead and takes the dogs to a shelter where they are all eventually adopted separately to mixed success but Riggs in particular wants to reunite his pack.

At less than 300 pages this is a short novel, maybe a little too short in that we don't properly get to know our human characters but who cares when we are so perfectly in the heads of our canine characters and I love all three of them and never want them to come to harm! I especially loved the epilogue!

Steff Out x 

Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

5/5 stars

The prequel to Legends and Lattes showing orc Viv's early life at the beginning of her mercenary career.

Viv's enthusiasm to get the job done maybe without thinking too much about it leads to her getting a nasty leg injury which results in her group leaving her to recover in Murk, a dismal little seaside town.

On her explorations Viv comes across Fern and her dilapidated inherited bookshop. Fern loves the place but customers are very thin on the ground and Viv takes it upon herself to help once Fern's book recommendation inspires her that is...

An excellent and diverse cast of characters: Viv is an orc, Fern is a rattkin, we also have a dwarf, a gnome and some other beings. Each character is written so well with a distinct personality and I loved the way they all came together.

If I had one criticism it's that the "big finale" took a while to come and was over a little too quickly. I also wanted more of the end!

Steff Out x

Tea You at the Altar by Rebecca Thorne

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

5/5 stars

Book 3 in the Tomes and Tea quartet and Kianthe and Reyna are deep into wedding planning when news arrives from tyrannical Queen Tillaine's spymaster Locke. She has a secret half sister who could be eligible for the throne! He also knows where she is and plans are afoot to bring her to town. But things are never that easy...

I love these books, I love this world, the writing style is nice and easy to follow but doesn't talk down to the reader. The representation is impeccable, we have our lead lesbians, we have characters who are bi or gay, one of our new characters in this edition is AroAce, we have multiple non-binary characters (would like a bit more pronoun variety, someone using neo-pronouns for example) including that rarity of an AMAB non-binary character - so many people just see non-binary as woman-lite so I was glad to see Rebecca bucking that trend. The characters are all so well-written and have distinct personalities and I love the secondary (tertiary?) plot with the dragons!

I'm looking forward to book 4 but I'm also sad that it'll be the last one but rest assured I'll look forward to reading whatever else Rebecca writes in the future!

Steff Out x 

The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune

 

Hardback bought by myself but ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

5/5 stars

Nate has lost his parents in a murder/suicide. Not that he's had much to do with them since they basically disowned him for being gay. Now he's also lost his job so he decides to use his only inheritance from his parents - his dad's truck and their holiday cabin in the mountains - and get away for a while.

When he gets there however he finds the cabin occupied by a giant hulking army guy and a little girl around 9 years old. Alex, who prefers to shoot first and ask questions later, and Artemis Darth Vader, who is not quite normal, however she is obsessed with western novels and bacon.

Yet another stunning novel by TJ. Tightly plotted with characters that are so easy to love and to root for and yet another brilliant example of found family! This was so visually written I can imagine being a fantastic movie, hey Hollywood can you get on that?

Steff Out x 

Everything is Beautiful by Eleanor Ray

 

Paperback read but ebook previously provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

5/5 stars

This was a sad yet hopeful book and beautifully written.

In no uncertain terms Amy is a hoarder. Specific items - green wine bottles, mugs, clocks, ashtrays, cookbooks, ceramic birds, plant pots/vases and newspapers. All items relating to specific moments in her relationship with the man she planned to marry, until the day he and her best friend disappeared without a trace, presumably together.

The book follows a dual timeline of now and then with each then section headed with the item it relates to. In the present day Amy is dealing with an interfering neighbour who is obsessed with her hoard being dangerous. Then a new family move in next door which changes everything.

This was really sensitively written, especially around the hoard and how much Amy clearly cares for her belongings. The word hoard is only used once so as not to stigmatise things further. The mystery of Tim and Chantel's disappearance added an intriguing extra layer.

Steff Out x 

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

 

5/5 stars

Beautiful, perfection. This series now ranks in my favourite favourites.

We have the same cast of characters but in a more sort of way because they have grown so much, especially Sal! The one who has been through the most trauma and was the most timid but he's now taking charge, having big ideas and challenging the adults on his own terms, my heart 🥹

And little Lucy, it's so much harder for him to make the right choices but he does and he's lovely and I want to give him a hug! I LOVED Talia's comments about her beard and I love her confidence in herself and her appearance!

This book went more in depth about trauma and how it can influence a person and how the government is still totally shit and ignorant and unwilling to accept when they've done wrong.

The ending was perfection and I want an infinite number of these books.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

 

5/5 stars

So this was a re-read before reading the sequel. I first read it back in 2022 and it was a 5 then and it's still a 5 now.

Linus works for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth and he's been sent to investigate a rather unorthodox orphanage based on Marsyas Island. Unorthodox in the sense that it houses several children considered especially dangerous including Lucy, son of the antichrist, and Sal, a dog shifter who can pass his condition on with a bite, plus Chauncey so rare his species is completely unknown, there are also concerns about the master himself one Arthur Parnassus.

Overall I love this book, the characters are so well-written and the way the relationships develop and they grow into a family are so heart-warming. Found family at it's best 💕

Steff Out x

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you!

5/5 stars

This is super cute and I loved it! The acknowledgements state that she was inspired by "Legends and Lattes" and I can see it and I am here for it!

Reyna is sick of her Queensguard life so decides to follow her secret Mage girlfriend's wishes to abscond to the middle of nowhere and set up a combined tea room and bookshop.

Life isn't simple though. Kianth is basically the boss of the Mages, the most powerful one, and some feel that she's shirking her responsibilities. Their new town also has problems: bandits,dragons and town leaders at loggerheads.

I loved the characters in this and the way everything developed, the pacing was perfect as well.

Steff Out x 

Brothersong by TJ Klune

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

5/5 stars

The fourth and final Book of the Green Creek series follows Carter, the oldest Bennett brother and picks up after Book 3's finish with him following Gavin into the wilderness.

We get flashbacks of Carter's childhood as the eldest and his role as protector towards Kelly and Joe, and every extra little bit we're shown about this family just makes me love them more.

I love how Klune writes about love. The love between brothers, the love between parent and child, the love for your friends, and of course romantic love and how it's not always what you expect. I read falling in love being described once as "happening slowly, then all at once" and I think that describes Carter perfectly.

All in all if there were 100 of these books I'd happily read them all.

Stef Out x

Heartsong by TJ Klune

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley for review and hardback copy bought by myself.

5/5 stars

I think I'm gonna go ahead and call this my favourite book series. I love the characters and the way the stories are all interwoven and seeing the different characters points of view.

Heartsong is Robbie's story. When it opens he's living at the complex with Michelle Hughes and my assumption was that this had gone back in time to before he came to Green Creek. It soon transpires that this is not the case... He had been kidnapped and had his memory wiped. Having to fit back into the place where he clearly belongs but has no clue about was hard on him but he tried, bless him!

I just want to give everyone massive hugs, they go through so much trauma but they just keep going! Thanks to the extra twist near the end I'm extra eager for Brothersong to get released and read Carter's story, one of the characters that seems most together in the surface but the reality is otherwise.

Stef Out x

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

 

5/5 stars

Well this was fantastic!

Based on South American mythology were the Gods or Dioses are separated into three groups: the Gold "superstars", the Jade important but lowly, and Obsidian, only three named Gods but bad news and were shut away.

Teo is 17 and the trans son of Quetzal, the Jade bird Goddess/Diosa. I loved how casually his transness is talked about, a binder was mentioned but actually he's had top surgery and the binder is for his wings - the downside to being a bird demigod, or semidios, is birds are sexually dimorphic and there are plumahe differences - their colour is the last big dysphoric thing about him.

Coming up are the Sunbearer Trials, a competition where the winner out of 10 is chosen to sacrifice the loser to refuel the sunstone that protects the kingdoms. The last Jade chosen for the competition 130 years ago lost and was sacrificed. This year Teo and fellow Jade Xio are both chosen.

This was so fast paced but also emotional and I loved the world-building and the characters and the ups and downs and that twist ending and I can't wait for the sequel now!

Stef Out x

Ravensong by TJ Klune

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley for review and hardback since purchased by myself.

5/5 stars

Book one, Wolfsong, introduced to the Bennett wolf pack via Ox, book two, Ravensong, follows Gordo. Ox's best friend/boss/mentor/surrogate father figure, and the witch to the pack.

We get details about Gordo's childhood, his witch father and his untrusting mother and the way they affected his own ability to trust and lead him to ignore life-changing bonds.

Through Gordo's point of view we also get more details about what happened in the background of book one when Gordo, Joe, Carter and Kelly go off hunting Richard Collins. I really appreciated this extra context and it shows just how intricately that these books have been woven together. So much thought has gone into the planning of the series and it's just beautiful.

The characters are all amazingly written and I love the banter! It can be a life or death scene and someone will say something that will still make me laugh and I love it!

There is a rather spicy scene so these books are definitely not for younger readers. For people who don't wish to read it the run-up is clear enough that it can be easily skipped.

All in all these books have my heart!

Stef Out x

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

5/5 stars

Simone is a normal teenager... Mostly. Her thoughts of boys and the development of future relationships are coloured by the fact that she is HIV positive and has been since birth. She's chill about it, mostly, and she looks after her health but it's not something she likes to be open about. The last time she tried, to a girl she had a crush on, it went badly and she felt that she had to leave her last school.

Now, things are looking up at her new school, she has two new best friends and a role as student director for the school's musical, Rent. Simone is passionate about musicals and Rent holds extra meaning personally since it's about the AIDS epidemic that killed friends of her two dads.

Through the musical Simone starts to bond with, and then fall for, Miles. But someone isn't happy about the blooming relationship and Simone starts to receive notes threatening to out her.

I did guess the culprit but I never would have guessed their reasoning and it added a much needed extra layer of depth. I loved Simone's friends and how casual their representation is! Lydia is bi and Asian, Claudia is asexual and a lesbian. Simone herself is Black (so is Miles) and bi questioning, not surprisingly prior experience has somewhat tainted that.

Overall I loved this, loved the characterisation especially Simone, the relationship she had with her dads was beautiful, they were so supportive!

Stef Out x

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

5/5 stars

Amora is the princess of the island kingdom of Visidia. She is also a practitioner of Soul Magic and training to be a High Animancer - Master of Souls. One final public demonstration will prove that she's fit to rule but then it all goes wrong and she's thrown in jail. Fearing execution she flees with mysterious pirate, Bastian. He'll help her if she will help him reclaim his stolen magic.

As they journey across the sea, along with an unexpected hitchhiker, Amora learns that her father, the King, kept her in the dark about the problems that the kingdom is having and now she feels that it's up to her to put things right.

I thought the world-building was simple yet effective, and the magic system was intriguing, but it was the overall storytelling that really got to me. The way we gradually got to know the characters and their motivations. I do feel like the romance side of things went a little too obvious when there was another choice that may have been more interesting... Overall I enjoyed it and I immediately borrowed the sequel from the library (4/5 stars: great overall but ending felt rushed and incomplete).

Stef Out x

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

 

Ebook from the library.

5/5 stars

This was not really what I expected but I loved it anyway.

August has moved to New York in an attempt to get away from her mother's obsessive search for her missing brother which has clouded August's whole childhood. She's on her third college degree and fiercely minimalist with her possessions.

She is at first unsure about her new roommates, one claims to be psychic, one leaves strange art everywhere and the third is basically nocturnal with a dog who has become communal. Over time they become family, along with August's work crew at Billy's Pancake House and Annie, the drag queen across the hall. Along the way she meets Jane on her subway commute. Cool, mysterious and electrifying, Jane isn't who she appears to be...

The story with Jane was a bit startling at first for what I thought was a regular contemporary romance/whatever but the whole thing drew me in and was so well written!

To me this book is queer joy and I highly recommend it!

Stef Out x