The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen

Pages: 355

Publisher: Bantam 

Released: 30th of November 2023 

Light and dark - this is the destiny placed upon Natasha and Clara, the birthright bestowed on them by their godfather, the mysterious sorcerer Drosselmeyer. Clara, the favourite, grows into beauty and ease, while Natasha is cursed to live in her sister's shadow.

 But one fateful Christmas Eve, Natasha gets her chance at revenge. For Drosselmeyer has returned and brought with him the Nutcracker, an enchanted present which offers entry to a deceptively beautiful the Kingdom of Sweets.

In this land of snow and sugar, Natasha is presented with a power far greater than the Sugar Plum Fairy, who is also a giver of gifts . . . and a maker of dread-filled bargains. As Natasha uncovers the dark destiny laid before her birth, she must reckon with powers both earthly and magical . . . and decide to which world she truly belongs.

What I Have to Say 

This was so deliciously dark. It was full of murder and betrayal and revenge and the Sugar Plum Faery was the perfect dark fae full of bargains and darkness.

I really liked Natasha's character. I liked how dark she was, how fixated on revenge. She's not exactly a hero but it worked because from the start it made it clear that this wasn't that kind of book. I loved how her actions changed the story of the Nutcracker from being an adventure story to being a dark bitter tale of fae. 

If you're looking for a faithful retelling of the Nutcracker, you will be really disappointed because this book takes the characters and the worlds of the Nutcracker and changes it into something completely different. At least half of the story was just a completely different story. But I really liked that. I liked that it surprised me. I like that it played with the characters of the original story without sticking to it faithful. 

I honestly just really, really loved this story. 

5 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Bantam for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson

 Pages: 352 

Publisher: Tor 

Released: 22nd of June 2023 

If you knew how dark tomorrow would be, what would you do with today?

The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson is a spellbinding debut for fans of The Night Circus and The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue.

Welcome to the Circus of the Fantasticals.

Ringmaster – Rin, to those who know her best – can jump to different moments in time as easily as her wife, Odette, soars from bar to bar on the trapeze. With the scars of World War I feeling more distant as the years pass, Rin is focusing on the brighter things in life. Like the circus she’s built and the magical misfits and outcasts – known as Sparks – who’ve made it their home. Every night, Rin and the Fantasticals enchant a Big Top packed full with audiences who need to see the impossible.

But while the present is bright, threats come at Rin from the past and the future. The future holds an impending war that the Sparks can see barrelling toward their Big Top and everyone in it. And Rin's past creeps closer every day, a malevolent shadow Rin can’t fully escape. It takes the form of another Spark circus, with tents as black as midnight and a ringmaster who rules over his troupe with a dangerous power. Rin’s circus has something he wants, and he won't stop until it’s his.

What I Have to Say 

This book was dark! Really dark. It went deep into control and abusive relationships but it also went into the inevitability of World War Two. It did have some brightness in it as well though. It had a really good message about how tiny things can influence and change the world for the better. 

This book killed with emotion though. Seeing the things Rin went through in the climax of the novel was so emotional and heart-breaking. It really kept me on the edge of my seat to find out what happened. I was happy with the way it ended. I think it was the right ending for the book to give hope and catharsis to the reader. 

I don't have much more to say really. I think this was a truly great book, though maybe not one for the faint of heart. 

4 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Tor for providing me with this copy for review. 

Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater

Pages: 257 

Publisher: Orbit 

Released: 21st of July 2022 (first published: October 2020) 

Regency housemaid Euphemia Reeves has acquired a faerie godfather. Unfortunately, he has no idea what he's doing.

Effie has most inconveniently fallen in love with the dashing Mr Benedict Ashbrooke. There's only one problem; Effie is a housemaid, and a housemaid cannot marry a gentleman. It seems that Effie is out of luck until she stumbles into the faerie realm of Lord Blackthorn, who is only too eager to help Effie win Mr Ashbrooke's heart. All he asks in return is that Effie sew ten thousand stitches onto his favourite jacket.

Effie has heard rumours about what happens to those who accept help from faeries, but life as a maid at Hartfield is so awful that she is willing to risk even her immortal soul for a chance at something better. Now, she has one hundred days - and ten thousand stitches - to make Mr Ashbrooke fall in love and propose. . . if Lord Blackthorn doesn't wreck things by accident, that is. For Effie's greatest obstacle might well prove to be Lord Blackthorn's overwhelmingly good intentions.

From the author of HALF A SOUL comes a whimsical fantasy romance with a Cinderella twist. Pick up TEN THOUSAND STITCHES, and dive into another enchanting faerie tale set in Olivia Atwater's charming, magical version of Regency England!

What I Have to Say 

This was honestly a delight to read. I love that Atwater is going back to the roots of faerie stories and making them dark again. In this one, the faerie is not as cruel as the last one. His intentions are always the best! But the cruelty lies in that he honestly hasn't a clue what he's doing or what is good or ill. It was the perfect way to make a faerie into a good love interest without completely abandoning the dark side of the fae. 

I haven't heard any talk of this book, so I don't know if the regency setting has improved at all since Half a Soul, which apparently had some really bad errors. But as someone who doesn't read regency that much at all, that didn't bother me. In this one, we got a look downstairs in one of the big houses and took a look at how the servants lived! I love how in these books we get to see rights being fought for. 

I loved the characters and the magic we saw in this book a lot. Effie was perfect, just the right balance of anger over the situation and the way she and the other servants are treated and friendship and loyalty towards the other maid and her brother. She wasn't full of bitterness, just righteous anger and it made for a good character. 

I just had such a good time with this book. I love the series and hope the next one is just as good! 

5 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Orbit for providing me with this copy for review. 

 

Not Good For Maidens by Tori Bovalino

Pages: 352

Publisher: Titan Books 

Released: 13th of September 2022 

Louisa doesn’t believe in magic, until her teenage aunt Neela is kidnapped to the goblin market.

The market is a place of magic, where twisting streets, succulent fruits, glimmering jewels, and death are on offer to the unwary human. An enticing place that her mother and aunt barely escaped seventeen years ago, paying a terrible price.

With only three days before the market disappears, Lou must navigate the treacherous market, controlled by bloodthirsty goblins who crave vengeance against her family. She must learn the songs and tricks of the goblins to save Neela, or the market might just end up claiming her too.

What I Have to Say 

This was the dark faerie story I wanted! It was deliciously dark, with the kind of Fae that will trick you and kill you for no other reason than it brings them pleasure. I really enjoyed the twists and turns of this book and guessing what would happen next. 

I loved the relationship between Laura and Eitra. This is how paranormal romance should be done. The Goblin being so Other and dark that Laura doesn't know whether to trust her or not and Eitra being just sympathetic enough to think that maybe she might be different, leaving you questioning who's side she's really on. 

I did think that Lou was rushing in to the market without a plan a bit too much. Especially the first time. She went in with no idea how to find Neela and somehow that was okay? There's not knowing what to expect and there's going in completely blind and just hoping it would turn out okay. 

But even with this, I absolutely loved this book. I hope Tori Bovalino does more fae stuff in the future. 

(5 stars) 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Titan books for providing me with this copy for review. 

Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 304

Publisher: Head of Zeus 

Released: 11th of April 2019 

1906: A large manor house, Wake's End, sits on the edge of a bleak Fen, just outside the town of Wakenhyrst. It is the home of Edmund Stearn and his family – a historian, scholar and land-owner, he's an upstanding member of the local community. But all is not well at Wake's End. Edmund dominates his family tyrannically, in particular daughter Maud. When Maud's mother dies in childbirth and she's left alone with her strict, disciplinarian father, Maud's isolation drives her to her father's study, where she happens upon his diary.

During a walk through the local church yard, Edmund spots an eye in the undergrowth. His terror is only briefly abated when he discovers its actually a painting, a 'doom', taken from the church. It's horrifying in its depiction of hell, and Edmund wants nothing more to do with it despite his historical significance. But the doom keeps returning to his mind. The stench of the Fen permeates the house, even with the windows closed. And when he lies awake at night, he hears a scratching sound – like claws on the wooden floor...

Wakenhyrst is a terrifying ghost story, an atmospheric slice of gothic, a brilliant exploration of the boundaries between the real and the supernatural, and a descent into the mind of a psychopath. 

What I Have to Say 

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It's a great mystery, full of obsession, madness, demons and all things creepy. Paver is a master at creating an atmosphere that pulls you completely into the scene and keeps you there in suspense, unable to put the book down. 

This book really delves into the dark sides of Christianity. It shows the madness and religious fervour that can be brought on by those who would use it as a form of control, but it also explores the nature of questioning the concept of Christianity. Whilst escaping from the control of her father and his version of religion, she also questions the mortality of it all. The idea that everyone is born in sin and have to redeem themselves. I really liked to see all her thoughts and explorations while escaping from the strict rules of her father's household. 

It was really interesting to see the study of the medieval fixation on the afterlife, the fixation on the punishment and demons in hell rather than the bright happy reward of heaven. This really is a fantastic look at the history of Christianity both medieval and during Maud's time. 

A damn good mystery focused on how things went down and what actually happened. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for providing me with this copy for review.

Bad Girls with Perfect Faces by Lynn Weingarten

Synopsis (Goodreads) 

Pages: 304 

Publisher: Electric Monkey 

Released: 11th of January 2018

No one is good enough for Xavier. Not according to Sasha, his best friend. There's nothing Sasha wouldn't do to protect Xavier from getting hurt, especially by his cheating ex Ivy, who's suddenly slithered back into the picture. Worried that Xavier is ready to forgive and forget, Sasha decides to do a little catfishing. She poses as a hot guy online, to prove cheaters never change.

But Sasha's plan goes wrong fast, and soon the lies lead down a path from which there's no return . . . 

What I Have to Say 

This book was absolutely not what I expected. It changed so much and so quickly throughout the book, often changing the feel of the book or even what you think you've read so much. I liked it. I think. It's hard to really say when it changed so much. I definitely liked the catfishing element of it and what it sort of became. Then the twist in the middle shocked me a lot and I wasn't really prepared for it, but it was okay. It all makes sense in the end and you can see where it comes together.  So I liked it over all but there were a lot of times where it was like what's going on. 

I liked the characters a lot. I liked how they were so defined. I think that made the book for me really. Though I think i would have liked to hear more about Ivy and her viewpoint. There wasn't really much time to get to know her and understand why she treated Xavier the way she did. 

It's a good book, but I think you have to like dark stories. I think it threw me a bit because I was so unprepared for quite how dark it was going to go. I also felt more could have been said about Sasha's bisexuality. Because it was just sort of thrown out there that she liked girls as well and then it wasn't really picked up again. For a while, I wanted her and Ivy to get together, because I thought that would be a good twist and be interesting. 

So yeah, mostly just prepare yourself for the fact that it gets really really dark. 

My thanks go to Electric Monkey and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Aurabel by Laura Dockrill

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 304 

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 1st of June 2017 

Other Books in the Series: Lorali 

It has been two years since Rory drowned, and Lorali is in Hastings, living the quiet life of a normal teenage girl. But her safe life on land won't last for long. Life in The Whirl has become a hotbed of underwater politics and as the council jostles to oust the king, one Mer in particular has her eye on Lorali as the key to her own rise to power.

Meanwhile, Aurabel, a lowly Mer from the wrong side of the trench, is attacked by sea beasts and left for dead - and without a tail. Raging with righteous anger, she rebuilds herself a mechanical tail and reinvents herself as a fearless steampunk Mer seeking revenge. But she never expected the most important job that was about to drop into her lap.

What I Have to Say 

I didn't like this as much as Lorali. I think most of that is because I didn't warm to Aurabel as quickly as I did to Lorali. Lorali had all the sweet innocence and Aurabel has an edge to her even before the events of the stories started. I grew to like her more once she became bad-ass, but at first she just wasn't a character I could connect to. 

It also was just lacking the innocence and wonder that I really enjoyed about Lorali. Lorali's wonder at discovering everything about the Walkers was one of the best things about Lorali and I just missed it so much. It also had all all the darker elements that were in the second half of Lorali and it quickly became a bit too much for me. It was all dark and gore and not enough lightness to balance it out. 

I still think that these are good books, but I just was so unprepared for Aurabel.  I think if I reread it now that I like Aurabel as a character and am more prepared for the dark, gritty feel of the book, I'd enjoy it more, but this time it just didn't live up to my hopes. 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with this copy for review. 

Simon Says by Robert Armstrong

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 102

Publisher: Austin Macauley

Released: 30th of November 2016

Hello there, Cherished Reader, I am Rebecca Sweet, self-confessed drama queen and games-playing schemer! I found myself friendless in my new residence of Jamestown, and Diary Dearest became my confidante. Unfortunately, while I was distracted, someone managed to steal her and her bitter innards from the safety of my room. And so began a chilling tale of cat and mouse with the elusive, letter-writing Simon.

I became determined to find out my tormentor's identity, although it took me to the darkest and most dangerous of booby-trapped places, complete with fearsome creatures and even the undead. 

It seemed someone in Jamestown did not want me to become the heroine, Nora, in the school play Vampire's Lady. However, Patient Reader, I am Becky Sweet, and I have tricks up my sleeve!

What I Have to Say 

This book was a complete and utter disappointment. The idea had a lot of potential and I will admit that when I picked it up I did feel it could go either way, but that didn't do anything to lessen the gut-wrenching disappointment I felt as I read it. If it wasn't a mere 102 pages, I would have put it down. 

I wish so much that there was something I could say to soften this review even slightly, but there was literally nothing I liked about it. The main character, Rebecca was an awful person who was clearly some kind of psychopath who's mind went straight to planning a murder as revenge, without a single moral quandary about doing so.   

I'm just so sad it didn't live up to my hopes of it. 

My thanks go to the publisher for providing me with this copy for review. 

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 643

Publisher: Harper Voyager 

Released: 11th of August 2016 

Destined to destroy empires, Mia Covere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death.

Six years later, the child raised in shadows takes her first steps towards keeping the promise she made on the day that she lost everything.

But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, so if she is to have her revenge, Mia must become a weapon without equal. She must prove herself against the deadliest of friends and enemies, and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and demons at the heart of a murder cult.

The Red Church is no Hogwarts, but Mia is no ordinary student.

The shadows love her. And they drink her fear.

What I Have to Say 

This is a very well thought out world. It was obvious while reading it that there was a load of world building that was worked out intricately. I loved the footnotes. As annoying as they were to read on my tablet, I think that every fantasy book with a lot of world-building behind it should have footnotes like this for the author to share the information that want to share without it bogging down the text with useless detail. This was a way to do it without the pressure on the reader to read through it all to get to the story. They're amusing comments and extra detail that can be skipped if the reader wishes to. It's genius and I love it.

The humour was fantastic. The whole book, and a lot of the footnotes, were filled with the kind of dry wit and sarcastic comments that I really like to see in books. The way that the narrator would occasionally add their own comment or joke on what's happening was really interesting and great to read. I also loved Mr. Kindly. I felt that everything he said was funny and awesome. 

It was a long read, but one that I enjoyed immensely. I was fascinated by the world and the characters. Mia felt like a refreshing take on the "strong female heroine" trope, showing herself to be a strong fighter, an opinionated woman with a healthy attitude towards sex and boys without seeming to 2D female stereotype. She felt like a real woman with no unnecessary love triangles. This is how female characters should be treated from now on. 

My thanks got to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 392

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Released: 7th of October 2014

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

What I Have To Say

I know there has been a lot of negative talk about this book. I seem to be one of the only few who actually liked it. So I'm going to start this review with a paragraph of just my opinions as I'm easily swayed by other people. Then I'm going to look at the reviews on Goodreads and write some more paragraphs on what I think after the flaws have been pointed out. 

I really liked the tension in this book. I felt that there were cliffhangers in the right pages and it kept me reading even when I should have been sleeping, which everyone knows is the sign of a good book. The romance was a little.... Stockholm Syndrome-y? And that was a little weird... But I could see the connection between them and I've honestly read worse books. I quite liked Britt as well. Her friend was completely incapable, but I felt Britt had a good head on her shoulders (unless it came to creepy guys who may or may not have killed people....). 

After reading some reviews, I feel that most people are hating on Britt because she is naive, immature and spoilt. I agree on the spoilt. But other than that... I just... She is a teenager. I have to say that most teenagers are at least a little bit naive and immature. I know I was at that age and it's true that there are exceptions, but word immature... it basically means that you need time to mature. Teenage hood is the time in which you mature... So obviously books about teenagers are going to have some immature characters. I think that the whole thing about Black Ice is that Britt is matured by her journey, by the danger she faces and how she handles it. The thing with Jude being an exception, which I'm just not going to go into, I feel that the Britt we see at the end of the novel is a much more mature and self-reliant Britt, who admits her failings and tries to improve on them. I feel that people are complaining about something which is the entire point of the novel. 

Also Britt's friendship. Yes, it's terrible. Yes, Korbie is a real bitch. Yes, the friendship isn't good. But it's something that can happen in real life. I have actually had friends like that. Do friendships in books really have to be good? 

I'm sure that people will disagree with me, but these are my opinions. I'm not meaning to attack teenagers, I'm just saying that SOME teenagers are like this. 

3.5 Stars

Confessions by Kanae Minato

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 240

Publisher: Mulholland Books

Released: 14th of August 2014

Her pupils killed her daughter. Now, she will have her revenge.

After an engagement that ended in tragedy, all Yuko Moriguchi had to live for was her four-year-old child, Manami. Now, after a heartbreaking accident on the grounds of the middle school where she teaches, Yuko has given up and tendered her resignation.

But first, she has one last lecture to deliver. She tells a story that will upend everything her students ever thought they knew about two of their peers, and sets in motion a maniacal plot for revenge.

What I Have To Say

This was another really dark book. I really loved the ending. It tied up really well and was just so manipulative. It also was cool to read a book where there was only really Mizuki who was anything close to a good person and even she had a bit of a dark side.

The thing I liked the best though was the different styles of writing used. The first two chapters were my favourite, the teacher's parting speech and Mizuki's letter. Though I also liked Shuya's letter/ blog post. Their voice were just very interesting.

This is a story of messed up characters. Of revenge and the dark side of human nature. It delves deep into the Japanese concepts of ijime (bullying) and hikikomori (a person who  shuts themselves away from life/ the world) . It's not a story for the faint-hearted but definitely an interesting look into the human condition. 

The 100 Society by Carla Spradbery

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 317

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books

Released: 4th of September 2014

For sixth-form student Grace Becker, The 100 Society is more than just a game; it's an obsession. Having convinced her five friends at Clifton Academy to see it through to the end, Grace will stop at nothing to carry out the rules of the game: tagging 100 locations around the city. With each step closer to the 100-mark they get, the higher the stakes become. But when the group catches the attention of a menacing stalker - the Reaper - he seems intent on exposing their illegal game, tormenting Grace with anonymous threats and branding their dormitory doors with his ominous tag.

As the once tight-knit group slowly unravels, torn apart by doubt and the death of a student, they no longer know who to trust.

With time running out, Grace must unmask the Reaper before he destroys everything she cares about for ever...

What I Have To Say

So the blurb made this book sound fairly dark, but I wasn't quite expecting it to be as dark as it was. I love dark books and this is no exception. Once I got into it, I finished it in about a day. It was just so good!

The characters were maybe a little flat, except for Trick and Grace who I felt were much more well rounded. Regardless, I didn't think the lack of character affected the sympathy I felt for them at all.

It was a nice set of characters though, there were a range of characters, stereotyped or not, all of them adding something to the group and working well together with their attempts to join the 100 Society.

As long as you like dark books, you can't go wrong with the 100 Society. It's got mystery , suspense and interesting friendships, all the things that make a good book.

4.5 stars!