Tag: fiction

Review: Us in Ruins by Rachel Moore

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

Margot Rhodes, current high schooler and jack of all trades has never found a skill that she couldn’t hack, and then inevitably discard. But her latest foray into archeology may have taken it a smidge too far. After scheming her way onto a school archaeological trip to Italy while lacking all the necessary skills, Margot plans on following in the footsteps of Van Keane a teenage explorer from 1932 who mysteriously disappeared on the hunt for a mythical artifact. The Vase of Venus Aurelia has long been believed to hold tremendous power, but it hasn’t been seen in almost a century. Luckily, explorer Van Kean left behind a journal, and examining the last tie to this missing boy could help unite the vase. Walking in his footsteps one evening Margot finds herself in a room with an incredibly lifelike statue of Van Keane which then comes to life. The real-life Van Keane is the opposite of the romanticized version Margot had manifested in her head, prickly and driven by a sharp determination to right the wrong of a century ago. Margot and Van begrudgingly agree to team up to find the missing shards and restore the past to right. Spread out across Italy and guarded by intense challenges, the quest for the shards and the treasure won’t be easy and may come at the cost of their own hearts.

Falling in love with the statue you brought back to life while searching for the shards of a missing artifact that may grant you your heart’s greatest desire? It’s more likely than you think. Rachel Moore’s sophomore novel is for anyone who loves The Mummy, high-stakes adventures, and romance novels, all wrapped in an incandescent Italian summer. Margot Rhodes, A high schooler known to try everything and commit to nothing, schemes her way onto her school’s archaeological trip to Pompeii but gets more than she bargained for when she accidentally ignites an age-old search for the mythical Vase of Venus Aurelia. As a lover of romantic adventures, Moore is the author I’ve been waiting for. Us in Ruins brings together some of my favorite things across history, romance, and myth in one young adult standalone.

Us in Ruins follows the formulaic narrative for an adventure romance while carving out new paths for its two main characters. Framed in the architecture of Italy and its history, Us in Ruins centers on an unlikely partnership between soft-hearted Margot and stubborn former statue and explorer Van Keane, overshadowed by moments of yearning and keen understanding. I needed a fun romantic adventure in my life and this absolutely nailed that, while serving an unexpected amount of angst. Margot Rhodes, our protagonist, is searching for meaning in any way that she can after her mom left in search of bigger and better things. Pouring over Relics of the Heart, an adventure romance her mother left behind gives Margot inflated ideas of adventure and a love story of her own. The search for the shards of the Vase of Venus Aurelia and her grumpy companion in this endeavor ironically shatters those notions. Moore suffuses that classic grumpy sunshine pairing but in an adventure setting where their competing personalities could stand in the way of the treasure. I love how Moore developed trust between these two. Van may be the first person to see the real Margot lingering under the surface and he ultimately realizes that he judged her unfairly. Margot is a kind person who aches for love and affection from those she most cares for. She twists herself inside out time and time again to be something different, to be someone worthy of love – as if the person she was before her mom left wasn’t good enough. Moore highlights how misguided this is while an entirely different love story blossoms all on its own. Us In Ruins is for the people who want too much but don’t know how to reach for it, who are so scared of disappointment that they never settle for just one thing — who ultimately find solace in the love that they never expected to be granted. In her latest, Rachel Moore expertly balances adventure, cleverness, and heart, as two complete opposites realize the real quest might be winning over the other completely.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: parental abandonment, violence

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Review: Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

Books have always been a solace for Rae, lying sick in the hospital with cancer. One night a mysterious stranger appears in her room and tells her she is about to die, and Rae is given a choice between death and a second chance at life. Rae accepts this magical bargain and awakens in her favorite book series, Time of Iron, a bloody and romantic fantasy saga of heroes, villains, and gruesome revenge. Unfortunately, Rae has no memory of the first book in the series which is exactly where she is supplanted. Worse, she inhabits the body of the villainess, the Beauty Dipped in Blood, days before her intended execution. Desperate to save herself, Rae turns to scheming, enlisting the help of some unexpected allies: a violent prone guard and a lady’s maid with a talent for axe-wielding. Being a character in a book should be fun, but as the clock counts down, Rae realizes the story itself is an ever-changing narrative and her limited knowledge may only get her so far. Luckily evil is in and there are few limits to Rae’s plans…

Long Live Evil is my first Sarah Rees Brennan novel and legitimately one of my favorite books of this year. Playing off of classic fantasy tropes, but subverting genre traditions, Sarah Rees Brennan delivers a fresh fantasy debut that asks the question: what would you do if set loose in your favorite fantasy series? Long Live Evil packs in the adventure but takes a nuanced approach to narrative and character archetypes. With villains running amok and heroes testing the boundaries of their morality, Long Live Evil isn’t your standard fantasy novel. It’s a campy, meta, absolute ball of a time and a reading experience I will not forget soon.

Long Live Evil is certainly a story for anyone who’s ever fallen for the villain, but it’s also a tale for anyone who has ever wanted to be the villain and make unexpected choices for the sheer thrill of it. Following Rae, a terminally ill twenty-something who has had to live her life in a hospital bed not knowing if she will survive, Brennan voices a character devoid of choice given access to a world brimming with opportunity. A layered story within a story with an unexpected third layer (the original narrative that is seemingly changing), Long Live Evil embraces all the nuance, pop culture references, and hilarity. Brennan pushes the boundaries of storytelling through this portal fantasy with layered narratives within narratives and a scintillating blend of humor undercut by moments of intense poignancy. This book is incredibly funny, and I think you’ll have to have a mind impacted by the various phases of the internet to truly appreciate it. I cackled at Rae convincing the king that “AF” stands for “as foretold” and Key’s murderous tendencies. Also a thousand points for The Mummy reference thrown in. Sarah Rees Brennan has shared in the author’s note how her own cancer diagnosis split her life into two parts, a before and an after. I admire how she gave voice to that through Rae, a testament to those forgotten after a cancer diagnosis and the tumultuous journey to recovery. Choosing the mantle of a villain is a personal transformation for Rae, who despite everything cannot return to the person she once was. Where her journey concludes is tremendously gratifying and I loved seeing the connection between the first and last chapters (IYKYK). We love morally grey characters who toe that line between good and evil and Long Live Evil has that in spades. Sarah Rees Brennan pens a unique fantasy series starter—an uproarious delight of inverted tropes, rage, and all the freedom in being a villain. Bring on more chaos, morally grey characters, and schemes!

Thank you to Orbit Books for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: cancer, murder, blood

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Let’s Talk: Spring Reads

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Friends! It’s been a while since I did a proper book wrap-up for my notable reads and with spring practically in the air I can think of no better time to close the loop on some of the books I’ve read recently. With my move to the UK just around the corner, I have been focusing my attention on ARCs on my physical TBR and books on my shelf I have not read yet. Spanning a variety of genres here, this is your one-stop shop for your next spring (or summer) read, all endorsed by me!

Lady Scandal by Laura Lee Guhrke

A Haughty, newly titled viscount, and a widowed countess and determined event planner butt heads over the management of The Savoy Hotel, courting scandal and unexpected romance as they fight to get their way. Reading Lady Scandal was simultaneously the best time ever and renewed my faith in the historical romance genre. Everything about this book from start to finish is sheer perfection, from the flowering wit to the punchy back and forth between leads Simon and Delia. Guhrke certainly knows how to elevate the chemistry to deliver an outstanding love story with characters that feel like they could leap off the page. Lady Scandal is a refreshing testament to the genre and an excellent addition to the Scandal at the Savoy series. I really just had the best time with this one and will absolutely be keeping up with the next book from Guhrke. 

Trigger warnings: death, miscarriage

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A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

A Letter to the Luminous Deep blends mystery and a light academic romance between two scholars as their correspondence uncovers a secret long buried about their world. Like dense fronds of seaweed unfurling, Sylvie Cathrall untangles a beautiful epistolary academic romance between shy but inquisitive “E” and esteemed scholar Henerey Clel who find a connection deeper than the boundless depths in which they reside. Split between their initial correspondence and the two siblings left behind to unravel the mystery through the letters they penned, A Letter to the Luminous Deep instills a quest for the truth, while providing insight into both the past and the present. Including discussions around mental health, academia, and scientific exploration, this magical underwater adventure leaves plenty to investigate. A wonderfully curious debut that completely enraptured me!

Trigger warnings: death, grief

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The Ornithologists Field Guide to Love by India Holton

In this fresh and absolutely absurd romance adventure, two rival ornithologists become the victims of an elaborate marketing plan … and suffer intense yearning, birding mishaps, and mixed variations of there was only one bed trope – all for the chance of becoming Birder of the Year. One thing about India Holton is that she will have you cackling one moment, and swooning the next. The reluctant team-up between rivals Beth and Devon was EVERYTHING, comprised of snarky banter, near misses, and a healthy dash of yearning. The Ornithologists Field Guide to Love will entangle you in a clever repartee between two rivals (who maybe aren’t), dangerous magical birds, hijinks, and most importantly, tea! This historical romance with a delightful fantasy twist is a new favorite.

Trigger warnings: animal captivity

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The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce

A Napa Valley wedding rekindles the sparks between Georgia and Eli, once lovers now strangers, who may just have a chance to get back what they lost while building something altogether new. Filled to the brim with the bittersweet, The Ex Vows is a second-chance romance that encapsulates all of the joyous and painful parts of reuniting and reconciling the past. Georgia and Eli have both been through a lot, together and apart, and the focus on these experiences in mending what went wrong in their relationship made for a truly exceptional romance. The yearning, the underlying tension between the two leads, and the wonderful moments of rediscovery along the way completely bowled me over. Jessica Joyce’s sophomore novel expands on her talent and craft as she interconnects the past and present, focusing on mental health, and the power of love in finding healing. The Ex Vows is astonishingly vulnerable and its resolution will undoubtedly have you close to tears. Jessica Joyce supremacy!

Trigger warnings: grief, anxiety

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Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis

A jewel thief, a former assistant, singers, rebels, and spies converge in a spaceship hotel that traverses the galaxy to meet its clientele. Floating Hotel is a genre-bending, distinctly period drama-esque romp through space with the most delightful crew of characters and past and present timelines. Like elements of a secret code, Curtis reassembles the past to make sense of the present as time winds down for the Grand Abeona Hotel. This feels like a cozy mystery with an intense heart as victims across planets desperately seek a new home in the face of an empire destroying worlds. I enjoyed filling in the pieces and its bittersweet final destination. 

Trigger warnings: blood, death

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My Rogue to Ruin by Erica Ridley

No recommendation list is complete without a historical romance, and My Rogue to Ruin is my latest favorite. Part of an ongoing series from Erica Ridley, My Rogue to Ruin melds classic romance tropes with one untraditional family and their ensuing antics. Ridley returns to the Wild Wynchesters, this time taking on a massive forgery scheme. Armed with prickly hedgehogs and mixed with a bit of blackmail, My Rogue to Ruin takes the word chaos and reaches beyond to deliver a fresh and exciting historical romance. Locked in a room with the most rogueish and arrogant scoundrel, Marjorie Wynchester takes it upon herself to solve the family’s latest case. Forced proximity, a diverse cast, and swoony moments are what you can expect with this one, as Marjorie and Adrian realize they might be on the same side. Erica Ridley’s books are always the most entertaining romps and I know both seasoned and new readers to the genre will love this one!

Trigger warnings: ableism, confinement, misogyny

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Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B Poranek

We love sentient houses, strange forests, and Howl’s Moving Castle vibes!!! Entangled in Polish Folklore, Where the Dark Stands Still follows a young woman determined to undo the magic she possesses by bonding herself to the demon warden of the spirit wood, who promises her a trade: one year in his service for the ability to remove her magic. With dangerous bargains, folklore, and a house full of secrets, this debut wholly ensnared me even before I stepped into the bones of the story. The intrigue around the Leszy and the woods that are his domain, as well as the growing romantic connection with Liska played off of one another in increasingly devastating ways. With a final act bringing the conflict between immortality and older bargains smashing together, Where the Dark Stands Still has one of the best endings in a young adult novel I have read in years!! Sheer perfection in a book!

Trigger warnings: violence, blood, gore, death, animal death

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Review: Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

Truly Livingston has always believed in happily ever afters, owed to her parents’ successful marriage of 33 years, and her career as a historical romance novelist. When she catches her fiance cheating and her parents soon after announce their separation, her world is shaken and she finds herself in a writing rut for the first time. In the middle of all this is a podcast Truly agreed to record in which she and a self-described realist give dating advice live to viewers. The self-described realist is family lawyer Colin McCory, whose views on love and dating are polar opposite to Truly’s, made clear when he calls her out during the recording of their first episode. Though she fully expects to not continue with the podcast, Truly returns after Colin makes an unexpected apology, and from there the show takes off running. In between recording and writing, Truly and Colin strike up an unlikely friendship lingering on the border of something more, and it could be, if Truly can convince herself she is worthy of writing her own love story.

Alexandria Bellefleur reaches soul-deep to deliver the romance novel of the year, filled with scorching levels of heat, podcast arguments, social media mishaps, and all the awkwardness in taking charge of your own love story. Truly, Madly, Deeply is hands down one of the best romance novels from Bellefleur since she departed from her Written in the Stars series. I initially had my doubts since that trilogy holds such a special place in my heart, but I’ve since learned never to doubt Bellefleur and this is further proof. I reread this almost immediately after reading through it for the first time, and I really can’t wait to do so again. Truly, Madly, Deeply is everything I’ve come to love from Bellefleur, open, honest, and so bisexual. 

Truly, Madly, Deeply features two characters, a realist and a romantic, falling in love and reexamining their set ideals and agency in their own lives. It’s a beautiful story that burrows down deep and takes time to settle before consuming every waking thought thereafter. Bellefleur has written an up close and personal love story for the hopeless romantics out there, the people who have found themselves adrift for the first time and are seeking a solid landing place. The setup for this one was everything I was hoping for, a snarky back and forth between two opposites on a podcast, that introduces a raw honesty that is just what each character needs. Now Truly Livingston is a total icon and not even her embarrassing social media mistakes could have me not backing her up (because yeah, Colin is the hottest man to ever exist. next question). Her struggle with feeling like she’s not a good enough version of herself to jump back into dating was certainly relatable and it was a kind of reward to see her go after what she wanted and be proactive in creating her own happiness. I’m a big fan of right person, right time, even when our characters can’t see that at first, and this book absolutely delivered on that. All the little moments between Colin and Truly fueled me, from the impromptu coffee hangs, to late-night drinks, and impassioned conversations about biphobia. I just love them dearly. Truly and Colin were the epitome of bisexual chaos and their bickering turned full arguments turned back around to understanding was all-consuming and seriously entertaining. Truly, Madly, Deeply has reminded me of the power of connection and the strength that comes from our close relationships – of the happiness we can’t wait around for and must create for ourselves. It left me with a truly debilitating crush on a fictional character and a massive book hangover and I wish I could do it all over again.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing the advance copy.

Trigger warnings: infidelity, biphobia

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Review: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

On the edge of a small southern town, a house stands alone. Left to fester by the townspeople determined to move on from the town’s less-than-savory history, Starling House and its heir haven’t been seen for years. In a motel across town, Opal and her brother are just trying to survive Eden enough to one day leave it behind, but an innate curiosity keeps dragging Opal back to Starling House and its wrought iron gates. Opal can’t pull herself away, and one evening she finds herself at the gates of Starling House, only she’s not alone. The next day, she is given an opportunity that could get her brother out of Eden, but she will have to go back to the house. Opal returns to Starling House, where she explores its maze of rooms and discovers that all of the stories may have a kernel of truth to them. Outside parties are seeking entrance to Starling House as well, and they realize Opal is the way through. To stake her claim and build herself the home she has been longing for, Opal must return to Eden’s complicated history to discover what exactly lies buried underneath.

With Starling House, Alix E. Harrow captures a festering darkness in a small Southern town, and the strange house caught up in the center of it that refuses to let the past stay buried. It’s a gritty contemporary Southern Gothic that dragged me under from its very first pages. Now it should surprise no one that I’m an Alix E. Harrow enthusiast. I’ll read anything she writes at a drop of a hat and you’ll find me hunched over one of her books in my room for hours at a time until I reach the end of its pages. Her previous works drove me absolutely wild, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that her newest would inspire much of the same feeling. Starling House is a punishing gothic novel innately entangled with fairy tales and the undercurrent of truth that inevitably runs through them. Harrow ensnares readers in The Underland, a children’s fable depicting the monsters below the earth and one girl’s journey into the foul places below that ring more true than initially believed. Starling House is alive, a labyrinthian estate filled with twisting secrets and locked rooms that beg to be exposed. The house takes on a life of its own, much like the two focal points for this novel, Opal and Arthur. Harrow delivers a clever heroine and tortured heir, completely buried under the weight of their pasts, and unable to figure out how to drag themselves out of the surrounding dark. The romance is very much “we should rot in this old house together” and I was more than here for it. Starling House gives voice to two individuals who have just been trying to survive for so long that they no longer know how to do anything else but exist. The entire journey out of that is joyous, painful, and every emotion in between. Alix E. Harrow is a brilliant storyteller, reaching into those dark places that must be uncovered and exposing them to the light of day, all in her own time. Starling House feels like a reckoning as much as a journey toward healing and love, with a signature Harrow flair. This twisted story will drag you down into the depths of the earth where the truth lies, and leave you clawing for more. 

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing this arc to review.

Trigger warnings: blood, death, fire, grief

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Review: Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

As the only mortal of the Gorgons, Medusa knows true weakness. Residing with her sisters in their windswept cave by the sea, she and the Gorgons are fully at the mercy of the whims and desires of the gods. When the sea god Poseidon enacts a violence against her in the Temple of Athene, Athene takes her revenge, transforming Medusa from a young woman into a monster. Armed with a head full of snakes and a piercing gaze that can turn any viewer to stone, Medusa becomes a proper Gorgon. Resigned to never harm a living thing, she retreats to a life of solitude, until a quest blinded by arrogance places the hero Perseus on her shores. With quests and complicated deals at play, limiting the scope of her power may be impossible when divine intervention reigns supreme and women are mere tools for the beings above.

Natalie Haynes transforms the Medusa story we’ve been fed into a layered history of the women at its center and the monster we’ve all been taught to fear. Stone Blind delivers exactly the kind of retelling I have been craving, inexplicably rich, lyrical, and wound up in tragedy. Distinctive with this one is the emphasis on the intersection of time and place, with all characters that coalesce in the Medusa myth. There is not a singular focus on the figure of Medusa, as Haynes grasps at the threads binding the story together, fashioning an elaborate tapestry that rivals that of Athene. I was pulled into the story almost immediately with Medusa’s golden childhood by the sea, completely torn asunder by the acts of violence against her by Poseidon and Athene. Like the tide returns to the sea and back again, there is a constant give and take in Haynes’s narrative, with seemingly insignificant events that take shape, strike, and then fade into the background. Every action leaves behind an echo that lingers, leaving an imprint on every event that takes place further on. There are a broad range of voices present, from godly beings to nymphs, and even animals lending their eyes to the narrative voice. With every delicate line and merciless moment, Haynes dismantles the complex relationships and powerful forces at play within the Medusa myth, creating a wholly authentic view of the monster and existing as a woman within the sphere of the gods. As the focus shifts back to Perseus, it’s clear that existing in spite of these overtly monstrous qualities can equate to a loss of agency in the wrong hands. Stone Blind is the kind of story that will forever be imprinted upon me, long after I have managed to look away from its pages. Natalie Haynes crafts a Medusa retelling that will withstand the test of time, bringing new meaning to the Medusa figure and every woman held within the confines of her myth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc to review.

Trigger Warnings: rape, death, sexual assault, violence

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Review: Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

Renowned athlete Carrie Soto quickly surpassed the masses to become one of the world’s most legendary tennis players. Aided by her cutthroat attitude, her passionate coach of a father, and her willingness to win no matter the cost, she broke nearly every record and managed to collect twenty Grand Slam titles in her time. Six years after her retirement from tennis, an upfront spot in the stands at the 1994 U.S open to her record’s demise compels Carrie to come out of retirement and reclaim what was taken. This tremendous decision will have Carrie relying on her father to coach her again and pair her up with the very person to whom she almost gave her heart. One final season to win or lose, and make her mark on the world for a final time.

Author Taylor Jenkins Reid returns with Carrie Soto is Back, a relentless and immersive portrayal of a female athlete’s legendary tennis career. First introduced to Carrie Soto back in Malibu Rising, I could not imagine Reid’s next book would center around her, yet I was all the more excited having learned so. Carrie Soto is the high-stakes entertaining read I needed for the summer, full of all the twists and intricate relationships I’ve come to expect from its author. Not only is this novel comprised of all things tennis, but a touching father-daughter relationship over the years, and an assessment of the media’s treatment of women in sports. Carrie herself is an easy character to fall in love with, wonderfully vicious, and determined to claim every victory. Her journey took hold of me right at the beginning, with the decisive introductory chapter of a retired Carrie witnessing the downfall of her legacy and deciding to take action. From that moment on, I was here for every upswing and countermove on her path to reclaiming her title. In standard fashion, Reid has created a heroine that is uncompromising, but in different ways from those of her previous novels. I really appreciated reading about Carrie’s dedication to succeed and the sacrifices required in order to make it to the top as a world champion. Reid does an incredible job with the setup and payoff here, especially regarding the initial and final chapters of the story. The mirroring of those two moments was equally gratifying as it was vindicating on my part of having called it from the very start. Tennis may not be my forte, but this novel certainly makes you feel a part of the game. Taylor Jenkins Reid has become a staple author for many, and Carrie Soto is Back is her next unapologetically fierce read to devour.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc to review.

Trigger warnings: death, grief, injury

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