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

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

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

3/5 stars

Grady Green is an author. He has just phoned his wife, Abby, with news of being a New York Times bestseller when she stops the car saying she sees someone in the road. The call goes silent and when Grady goes to investigate Abby has vanished!

A year later Grady is a broken man living in a cheap hotel and with a writing advance needing to be paid back (he only wrote one book of a two book deal) his debts are accumulating. But then his agent Kitty - Abby's godmother - phones. She needs him to write a new book and she's got just the place he can use, the cabin used by a now deceased author on the isolated island of Amberley off the coast of Scotland.

The island when Grady arrives is a very strange place. A tiny community of 25, phones that don't work, or do they? No consistent schedule to be able to leave the island. Odd looks and comments and for Grady the delivery of some of Abby's old newspaper articles possibly referencing people on the island.

This started off interestingly but it took a lot of time to get anywhere. The pacing struggled. There's only so many paranoid hallucinations someone can take before thinking just get on with the plot! The last quarter where we get all the reveals felt crowded and muddy. There were moments one character mentioned that earlier in the book seemed to belong to another character. Some stuff seemed a bit out of the blue and unbelievable. And then that ending!?!? What was that??? I hated the lack of clarity there.

Steff Out x

Eight Pieces of Silva by Patrice Lawrence

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

3/5 stars

Becks's mum and Silva's dad have just got married and gone on their dream honeymoon. Silva at 18 is supposed to be the responsible adult looking after 16 year old Becks but then Silva doesn't come home after waving the parents off.

Becks's cat Azog decides to poop in Silva's room and while cleaning it up Becks finds a bunch of receipts for random items, the earliest dated has a handwritten message on it expressing romantic interest. Further investigation reveals other strange items: a crappy wig, fairground token, medal, locker key and a football related newspaper article.

So I loved Becks. Black, out and proud lesbian, Marvel and Tolkien obsessive (her cat's name even comes from the Hobbit movies). Also China - I wish we could have had more of her. Raych was interesting but we didn't know her enough to care about what happened

But Silva. Silva pissed me off in short. She's supposedly so fragile following her mum's death from cancer but it's not like she was a little kid (I can't recall if the amount of time was specified), enough time has passed for her dad to feel comfortable remarrying. Also her blind obsession frustrated me to no end. You are 28 yet you are acting like a child!

The ending was also very abrupt like the author didn't want to go over a certain word count.

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

Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

2/5 stars

Josephine Morrow is Girl One of Nine. She was the first to be born as part of Dr Joseph Bellanger's experiments with parthogenesis or solo birth. Her mother, Margaret, and the other mothers all lived with Joseph at a place known as the Homestead until a fire claimed the lives of Joseph and the youngest child, Fiona.

Now years later Josie, following in Joseph's footsteps and studying reproductive science, is semi-estranged from her mother but then she hears of an incident. Margaret's house has burned down and she is missing. Josie finds a notebook that implies Margaret was more interested in the others than she let on so with the help of journalist, Tom, whom Margaret contacted, Josie sets out to find her.

The concept of this was so interesting although I didn't really understand the choice of the time period chosen (the births took place in the late 70s and the story is set in the 90s) but the execution was such a letdown. The whole story is tell tell tell. Each vital bit of information is given by another character telling a story. There is very little show. Also the ending??? What the hell was that??? To put it bluntly there was no ending. It just stopped.

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

All the Worlds Between Us by Morgan Lee Miller

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 stars

Quinn is an out lesbian and a star swimmer who only narrowly missed out on trialling for the Olympics - a fact the school mean girl won't let her forget. Her life is swimming and swimming alone, along with occasional arguments with her twin brother over their car.

She has an on-off relationship with swim teammate Riley, currently more off than on but Quinn is debating starting things up again. That is until she has a weird moment at a party she's forced to attend as her brother's ride with Kennedy, her former best friend who kissed her then moved away...

This was super cute and I loved how confident Quinn was about her identity and how she didn't want to compromise herself for the sake of someone else. I found the relationship really realistic and well-written, though there are a couple of scenes not suitable for younger readers 👀

My only criticism was that we didn't get a happily ever after but it did feel like there was hope for the future.

Steff Out x

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

 

4/5 stars

Yadriel is a brujo. Or at least he should be. His failure at the feminine bruja healing and his trans status mean his father refuses to let him go through the ritual so he goes and does it alone.

Shortly after the family senses that cousin Miguel has been killed but no-one can find his body so Yadriel gets the idea to summon his spirit and hopefully find out what happened.

Well, Yadriel does summon a ghost but it's not Miguel. It's Julian, a boy from school. He also died in a mysterious manner and Yadriel wants to find the truth.

I loved the characters and culture and I find Aiden's writing engaging and easy to follow. My only tiny criticisms were that I wish we'd seen more of Julian's friends and Yadriel's mum. Also the pacing could have been a little better. The middle section was full of character development but then the last quarter or so felt very rushed and I'm not sure I totally understood everything that happened.

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

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

2/5 stars

This book felt confused as to what it wanted to be. It read a lot like a crime thriller, especially in the sections from the cop's point of view (also either refer to her as Jo/Joanna or pick a surname that isn't a common first name, I would get confused whenever her first name was mentioned because Harper so often is a first name) but then there's all this stuff about changelings at the beginning of most chapters.

As for Lauren I really wanted her to officially ditch her useless, unsupportive husband. He was definitely having an affair even if he didn't admit it.

The changeling stuff would have been better if they'd gone into more detail about it and done more research, it was just there and barely. It all felt very vague and incomplete and even the ending wasn't really an ending, it just stopped and it didn't feel like much had changed.

Steff Out x

A Pirate's Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you!

4/5 stars

This was super cute and fun and I still really enjoyed it but slightly less than book one.

For a start I missed their friends back at the tea shop. For another although I was glad the thing with the dragons was solved, at the same time it kind of wasn't. I also thought that the "dethroning" of a certain ruler was a little abrupt in the end. And I wasn't entirely sold on the "meet your heroes" part of the storyline. I don't know if they added enough value as a character.

All that being said, I loved Bobbie and Serina's relationship and their growth as characters. I eagerly await the next book. Also 5/5 for the anniversary short! IYKYK 👀🫦🥵

The book comes out next month! October 3rd to be specific. Go buy it!

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 

Hiding Him by Adam Hattan

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 stars

This was super cute!

Cam is the only out gay guy at his school and he spends his time hanging out with best mates Geri and Robyn, ogling his teacher and avoiding school bully West. That is until new student Finn arrives...

I found the story super cute and super relatable (even though I am well past school age 😂) but there was a slight case of instalove. Also the plotline about the school show just disappeared.

The characters could probably have used a little more development, I didn't really know them and Geri and Robyn blended together a little at times. I also wanted a proper resolution for West.

Overall though fantastic vibes and I loved the writing style!

Stef Out x 

Taking Chances by Erin McKenzie

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

3/5 stars

This was a super cute story. Val is an ex-foster kid who, after seeing a sign one day, decides to undergo a training course to become a foster parent. Co-running the course are her old caseworker Connie and Paige. Paige is cute but appears stuck-up in Val's mind.

Paige's stuck-up appearance is just nerves and the fact that even on first sight she is crushing hard on Val but then she becomes the caseworker in Val's first foster kid case and now there's a conflict of interest...

I loved the build up of the romance in this, it was slow-burn with lots of bond building. I also loved Val's interactions with the foster kids.

I did feel like overall the book could have been a little bit longer. There was a time jump that didn't feel very necessary and then the ending was very abrupt and rushed and I wanted more detail of them building their life together.

CW: drug use, suicide, child abuse, death of parent.

Stef 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

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

Ebook provided by Pan MacMillan via NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 stars

Theo and Kit are exes who split in a blaze prior to a food tour of Europe. Now Theo (Theodora) is finally using her rescheduled ticket to get away from things and take a break before her sommelier exam. But who should she meet but Kit, also redeeming his ticket. Things start off tense but friendship regrows out of a hook-up competition and Theo realises she's falling back in love with Kit.

The book is split into two halves, the first half narrated by Theo and the second half by Kit. I loved reading both their perspectives on both current and past events.

The characterisation of our two mains was beautiful and Theo and Kit were so well-rounded but a lot of the side characters felt flat and under-used, the rest of the people on the food tour for example.

Also as someone who is not a foodie and not a drinker the constant food and drink descriptions got a little boring. I preferred reading about the scenery and the local people more. Also excellent queer rep throughout, Theo and Kit are both bi/pan and there were multiple displays of this, plus side characters - those of which I'd have liked to have known more of their story.

Stef Out x

The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

 

2/5 stars

According to the amount of 5 star reviews on Goodreads this is a really popular book and to be honest I'm not totally sure why.

I hated the writing style. The way it was written was very tell rather than show. You can show that someone is poor and ill-educated in ways other than near illiterate writing. It made it hard for me to follow what was going on. Especially with all the references of Mr. — rather than using his actual surname.

The book seemed violent just for the sake of it. That opening chapter felt like trauma porn. You can indicate that she is a young person going through rape a lot less graphically. It wasn't necessary and it didn't add anything to the story. Then there were the beatings. We know that in those days men often hit their wives but did we need so many references to it? Also Sofia's excessive violence didn't make any sense.

I also didn't particularly care much about Nettie's letters, other than the fact that they were easier to read. She was an absent character for half the book and now we're supposed to care about all her ins and outs and missionary work. Sorry but not me.

I did like that Celie grew throughout the book and eventually started her own business and had her happy ending.

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