The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall

Pages: 336 

Publisher: Aria 

Released: 12th of October 2023 

For fans of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls, The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic is a debut novel that explores the shields we build around our hearts to retain our own magic.

Sadie Revelare has always believed that the curse of four heartbreaks that accompanies her magic would be worth the price. But when her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer with only weeks to live, and her first heartbreak, Jake McNealy, returns to town after a decade, her carefully structured life begins to unravel.

With the news of their grandmother's impending death, Sadie's estranged twin brother Seth returns to town, bringing with him deeply buried family secrets that threaten to tear Sadie's world apart. Their grandmother has been the backbone of the family for generations, and with her death, Sadie isn't sure she'll have the strength to keep the family, and her magic, together.

As feelings for Jake begin to rekindle, and her grandmother growing sicker by the day, Sadie faces the last of her heartbreaks, and she has to decide: is love more important than magic?

Readers who love the magic of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake and the sense of community found in The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches will enjoy this warm, witchy novel.

What I Have to Say 

So going into this book, I was expecting a warm, cosy baking novel. Which it was. But what I hadn't picked up on was the emphasis on heartbreak in this novel. It was incredibly, incredibly sad. It tackles grief and terminal illnesses and losing the most important family member you have. 

Along with these issues, this book also shows the different kinds of heartbreak you can have. I was so happy to see that the heartbreaks weren't just about dating and romance, the main one of course being the sight of her grandmother being taken from her by cancer. I felt this was really really important especially since family is such a big part of the book. 

And there is cosiness in this book. There's a generous helping of small town charm, a lot of baking magic (with recipes interspersed between each chapter!) and a whole extended family's worth of love. Though I would hesitate to call this a cosy book considering how sad it all is, the cosiness is there to be seen. 

5 stars 

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

This Spells Disaster by Tori Anne Martin

Pages: 354 

Publisher: Penguin 

Released: 14th of September 2023 

When 'messy witch' Morgan Greenwood drunkenly offers to fake date her dream woman Rory Sandler during the New England Witches' festival, she's sure she was hexed at birth. And things go from bad to complicated when Rory accepts.

But although they're 'pretending' to be a couple, their undeniable chemistry soon starts to feel like the real deal -until Morgan realizes she may have broken one of the most sacred Witch Council Laws, and accidentally given Rory a love potion. If this is true, she'll have to prove how incompatible she and Rory are to break the potion - and her heart in the process.

Morgan is no stranger to a disaster, so ruining their relationship should be easy.

Is Rory destined to be Morgan's latest screw-up?

Or could the magic between them be real?

What I Have to Say 

This book was really cute and I loved the couple in it and the setting and everything really, except that I found that I couldn't enjoy a good half of it as much as I wanted because it used my least favourite trope, when lovers don't talk to each other and so they spend most of the book struggling with a problem that could be fixed in five minutes. It was also a little predictable 

Morgan should have told Rory about the love potion immediately. Honestly, I think the fact that she didn't is almost as bad as giving someone a love potion to begin with! Rory deserved to know that her feelings were being messed with. And although the consent issues in this book were definitely handled well, I just hated Morgan the whole time for not telling her. 

I loved the magic in this book. It was interesting to see the rituals and spells woven into the life of everyday witches, using potion-infused bath products and drinks that are spelled to create different effects was so interesting. Honestly this was the sort of book that I would like to live in if I could. 

Overall, the issues around not telling Rory was really the only problem I had with this book. The plot, the humour, the characters, the settings all added up to be really entertaining. I would recommend it as a good witchy read. 

4 stars 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Penguin for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub

Pages: 400

Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books 

Released: 3rd of October 2023 

Miss Lydia Bennet may be the youngest, but what she lacks in maturity and responsibility, she more than makes up for in energy, fun - and magic.

In this exuberant reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story from her own perspective. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves; Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.

But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat, and Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would you expect from a demon? And if you think Mr. Darcy was uptight about dancing etiquette, wait till you see how he reacts to witchcraft. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that when you're a witch, promises have power . . .

Full of enchantment, intrigue, danger, and boundless magic, The Shocking Confessions of Miss Lydia Bennet, Witch, has all the irreverent wit, strength, and romance of Pride and Prejudice - while offering a highly unexpected redemption for the wildest Bennet sister.

What I Have to Say 

This was everything I wanted it to be. Magic, regency society and a nice scattering of Jane Austen. It was the perfect blend of a regency novel full of scandal and a fantasy novel of witchcraft and danger. The author also captured Lydia's voice perfectly. There was not a moment of this book where I wasn't entirely convinced this was the same Lydia from Pride and Prejudice. And this is the Jane Austen inspired book the I've seen that goes into what happens to Lydia after the scandal. 

I loved how the magic fit in perfectly to regency society. It was easy to go from a ball with women in tight dresses dancing with suiters to a coven meeting where naked witches danced around a bonfire. The style it was written made it feel completely natural. As though there was witchcraft in Jane Austen all along! 

The story itself was skilfully written. Everything fit perfectly with the events of the original text. I was so excited to see how it would all end and there was plenty of suspense and mystery created throughout the novel. The ending was perfect, it was clever, unexpected and it just fit so well. 

4 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Jo Fletcher books for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa

Pages: 336

Publisher: Harper Collins 

Released: 9th of February 2021 

“YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF ME…”

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool… King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat from a time before Faery began. A threat that brings him face-to-face with a new enemy…himself.

With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck’s longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten. Evenfall is coming, and with it a reckoning that even their combined powers and wits may not vanquish, as a shadow falls over the lands of Faery and the world slips into chaos.

What I Have to Say 

I love Puck so I was really excited to read this one. The only reason it took me this long was that it was my dyslexia got really bad during lockdown. 

This had all the elements of a great Julie Kagawa book. Adventures, Puck and Ash at each other's fronts, a little helping of Grimalkin and even a bit of Meghan! It was nice to see the old gang all back together again, even if they've changed so much since the first book. 

I really liked Nyx a lot. I love the concept of the forgotten and having a sexy moonlight powered assassin just added some icing to the top of a really interesting cake!! 

Can't wait to read on to the next book! 

4 stars

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker

Pages: 416

Publisher: Hodderscape 

Released: 25th of October 2023 

You cannot create good without also creating evil.

Zilan dreams of becoming a royal alchemist, of providing for her family by making alchemical gold and gems for the wealthy to eat in order to stay young forever. But for now, she's trapped in her impoverished village in southern China, practicing an illegal form of alchemy to keep food on the table - resurrecting the dead, for a price.

When Zilan finally has the chance to complete her imperial exams, she ventures to the capital to compete against the best alchemists in the country in tasks she'll be lucky to survive, let alone pass. On top of that, her reputation for raising the dead has followed her, and the Crown Prince himself seeks out her help, suspecting a coming assassination attempt.

The more Zilan succeeds in her alchemy, the more she gets caught in the dangerous political games of the royal family. There are monsters lurking within the palace walls, and it's only a matter of time before they - and secrets of Zilan's past - catch up with her.

A dark YA fantasy duology set in an alternate Tang Dynasty China, where alchemy has led to income inequality as the rich eat gold to achieve eternal youth, and a poor biracial girl with the ability to raise the dead gets caught up in the dangerous political games of the royal family.

What I Have to Say 

This was so good. I couldn't guess how it would end at all. I'm so excited for the next book because I want to see what happened next so bad. 

The alchemy was interesting. It took the concept of transmuting objects such a metals or gemstones and took it onto a whole different level. I was fascinated to see everything that Zilan did with it. I want to see more of this world and more ways of using the different materials for different purposes. 

I loved the characters so much. Zilan was such a strong character and Yufei was one of my favourites. The Prince was maybe a little dull, but the other characters more than made up for it. 

4 stars 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Hodderscape for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

Look Out for the Little Guy by Scott Lang

Pages: 256

Publisher: Igloo Books 

Released: 30th of September 2023 

This is the incredible story of an ex-con turned world-saving superhero.

In Look Out for the Little Guy, Scott Lang shares with the world a bracingly honest account of his struggles and triumphs, from serving time to being a divorced dad to becoming Ant-Man and joining The Avengers. These are stories of epic battles won and lost, as this everyman turned superhero finally tells all—from the official account of what really happened between The Avengers and Thanos to how shrinking down to ant-size really feels to the challenges of balancing the roles of hero and dad.

Across his many adventures big and small, Scott has gathered the wisdom of countless amazing experiences into this, the first memoir from a real-life Avenger. Once you learn the unforgettable details of his epic journey, you won’t need to be reminded… to look out for the little guy.

“Introduces the man behind the hero, and the hero I call friend.”

—Bruce Banner, fellow Avenger

What I Have to Say 

Okay so I requested this book because it made me laugh that someone had actually written it. I really liked Ant-Man they're some of my favourite Marvel movies and I was curious as to what the book would actually be like. And honestly it captured his voice perfectly. There was no time when I was reading it that it sounded off or wrong. I was just reading it the whole time like yep this is Ant-man! 

The only real qualms I have with it is the content. So as it's supposed to be a biography, I knew that it would go over some of what was in the films. But I felt it did a bit too much of it. I was sat there reading through what had happened in the final battle of Avenger's Endgame and was just so bored. I didn't need line by line breakdown of the action, I have watched that already! 

And it was the same for everything. Every anecdote about the Avengers, every example he gave was something from the films. I really think that they could have slipped in a little bit of newly made up stuff just to reward us for our custom! 

So honestly overall, it was a disappointment. 

If you're a huge fan of ant-man and want to read it for the humour (of which there is plenty) and insights in to Scott's character then go ahead, it might be worth it for you. But it wasn't for me. 

3 stars 

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

I Loved You In Another Life by David Arnold

Pages: 339 

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 10th of October 2023 

A sweeping romantic novel from NYT bestselling author David Arnold about the power of soulmates and love

Evan Taft has plans. Take a gap year in Alaska, make sure his brother and single mother are taken care of, and continue therapy to process his father's departure. But after his mum's unexpected cancer diagnosis, and as Evan's plans begin to fade, he hears something - a song no one else can hear, the voice of a mysterious singer ...

Shosh Bell has dreams. A high school theatre legend, she's headed to performing arts college in LA, a star on the rise. But when a drunk driver takes her sister's life, that star fades to black. All that remains is a void - and a soft voice singing in her ear ...

Over it all, transcending time and space, a celestial bird brings strangers from an escaped murderer in 19th century Paris, to a Norwegian cosmonaut in low-earth orbit, something is happening that began long ago, and will long outlast Evan and Shosh.

 I LOVED YOU IN ANOTHER LIFE explores the history of love, and how some souls are meant for each other - yesterday, today, forever.

What I Have to Say 

I enjoyed reading this, but it didn't take my breath away. I liked the characters, the story was sweet with all the flashbacks to their past lives, but I don't know, I expected more. 

The thing that I think I liked most about this was how much it normalised therapy. Evan has a therapist in the book and quite a few chapters were set in his appointments talking about various things that were happening. It felt refreshing in the way that it wasn't such a big thing, it was just an ordinary part of his life. As it should be! 

I also liked how some of the flashbacks to the past lives showed gay relationships. Although I feel that more could have been done with the different types of people shown in these bits, it was good to see a nod to the LGBTQ+ community. 

I definitely liked this book, but ultimately I don't think it will be one that stays with me. 

4 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for Providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

The Body in the Blitz by Robin Stevens

Pages: 464 

Publisher: Puffin 

Released: 12th of October 2023 

March 1941. Britain is at war, and a secret agency called the Ministry of Unladylike Activity is training up children as spies - because grown-ups always underestimate them. Enter May, Eric and Nuala: courageous, smart, and the Ministry's newest recruits.

May's big sister Hazel has arranged for them to stay on a quiet street close to the Ministry, home to an unlikely collection of people thrown together by the war. And it is in the basement of the bombed-out house at the end of that street that they discover something mysterious. Something that was not there when the Blitz wreckage was first combed through. Something that has been placed there recently. A body...

Could this be the missing Ministry spy that Daisy Wells is on a dangerous mission in France to find? Or could it be someone else - someone a resident of the street wanted silenced . . . ?

What I Have to Say 

I was gripped by this book from the moment I picked it up. There's something truly comforting about Robin Steven's writing. You can fall deeply into the book and just be completely engrossed. I honestly struggled so much to put it down. 

I've always loved the diversity in Robin Steven's books. Bringing in gay characters and Asian characters. This book hit a new high. Not only has Steven's now announced that Daisy has autism, but one of the main characters in this book has ADHD. In this book there's also a character with one leg, a deaf character and characters with different races and nationalities. Although in the case of some of the characters (especially the Neurodiverse ones) she can't say exactly their identity in the book, she has stated it in the Author's Note and made it very clear in the text. The only thing I would like is a bit more empathy towards May's ADHD. I expect it's coming, that the characters will in later books be much more compassionate towards the way May's brain works, because that's the way Robin Stevens writes diverse characters, so I look forward to that. 

I guessed a few things about the mystery which I was pretty proud of, Stevens put in as many twists and turns as usual so I expect it's that I've got cleverer rather than her becoming predictable. All in all a very good mystery as usual. 

If you or you children haven't picked up these books yet, you are seriously missing out. These are the very best in Children's Mystery Fiction. 

5 stars 

My thanks goes to Puffin and Netgalley for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa

Pages: 256

Publisher: Doubleday 

Released: 12th of October 2023 

Against changing seasons in Japan, seven cats weave their way through their owners' lives ...

We meet Spin, a kitten rescued from the recycling bin, whose simple needs teach an anxious father how to parent his own human baby; a colony of wild cats on a holiday island shows a young boy not to stand in nature's way; a family is perplexed by their cat's devotion to their charismatic but uncaring father; a woman curses how her cat constantly visits her at night; and an elderly cat, Kota, hatches a plan to pass into the next world as a spirit so that he and his owner may be together for ever.

Bursting with empathy and love, The Goodbye Cat explores the unstoppable cycle of life as we see how the steadiness and devotion of a well-loved cat never lets us down. A huge bestseller in Japan, every page is a joyous celebration of cats and how we cannot resist sharing our lives with them.

What I Have to Say 

This was such a cute book. Though it got very sad in places (as you can probably tell from the title of the Goodbye Cat), I enjoyed reading it immensely. I really enjoyed the different personalities of each of the cats and the differences and similarities in the stories. 

As with all short story collections, there were some stories that I loved and some that I didn't like so much. In this book, I really liked the Cat Island story and the one about Hachi. I also enjoyed the last story in the book and I loved the connection between that one and Hachi, being stories about two cats owned at different times by the same owner. 

As with any translated book, it was very different from the style I'm used to in Western works. I feel like Japanese stuff in more thoughtful and is often more told than shown. I think a lot also gets lost in translation. So I wouldn't say the writing was amazing, but I do think a lot of that is down to the type of book and translating it from a Japanese style. 

Overall, if you like cats, this is a good book to choose! 

4 stars 

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

Alebrijes - Flight to a New Haven by Donna Barba Niguera

Pages: 338

Publisher: Piccadilly Press 

Released: 3rd of October 2023 

This is the story as it was told to me by Leandro the Mighty.

For 400 years, Earth has been a barren wasteland. The few humans that survive scrape together an existence in the cruel city of Pocatel - or go it alone in the wilderness beyond, filled with wandering spirits and wyrms. They don't last long.

13-year-old pickpocket Leandro and his sister Gabi do what they can to forge a life in Pocatel. The city does not take kindly to Cascabel like them - the descendants of those who worked the San Joaquin Valley for generations.

When Gabi is caught stealing precious fruit from the Pocatelan elite, Leandro takes the fall. But his exile proves more than he ever could have imagined - far from a simple banishment, his consciousness is placed inside an ancient drone and left to fend on its own. But beyond the walls of Pocatel lie other alebrijes like Leandro who seek for a better world - as well as mutant monsters, wasteland pirates, a hidden oasis, and the truth.

A thought-provoking and beautifully written novel, creating a whole new imaginative world, that holds a mirror to our own.

What I Have to Say 

This is a really strong and hopeful sci-fi story for young readers. Though I didn't enjoy it as much as The Last Storyteller, it still had a plot and setting that drew me in completely. I loved learning about the society and how the technology they had ran on a single drop of water! 

The story wasn't as smooth as in The Last Storyteller, which was always going to appeal to me more because I love stories so much. But I loved the idea of putting your consciousness inside a drone and flying about. I loved all the animals that Leadro met. I did find though that I quickly forgot which animal was which character though as it was only mentioned when they were introduced. Some of them have the Spanish name for the animals though, so if you speak Spanish, you'll have an advantage remembering them! 

As with The Last Storyteller, this book is filled with Spanish! I loved how bilingual it was, even though I don't speak Spanish. It would be absolutely perfect for bilingual kids. Be advised though, though this was almost standalone, to make sense of the epilogue, you have to have read The Last Storyteller, so the best way to read them is with TLS first and then this one. 

Read for dystopia, sci- fi and cool drones! 

 

4 stars 

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

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

Pages: 477 

Publisher: Harper Voyager 

Released: 12th of October 2023 

The Night Empire will rule all. Nothing can stand in the way of its might and power. Little by little, year by year, the Hurricane Wars take more and more from those who resists the empire’s supremacy. And yet, there is hope in the darkness. One lone light stands against the empire.

Talasyn was left on the steps of a Sardovian orphanage as a baby. All she has ever known are the Hurricane Wars, as her people fight for freedom from the tyranny of the Night Emperor Gaheris. But are they her people? Talasyn dreams of one day finding where she comes from – her true place, family, and the source of the Lightweave magic that flows through her veins like sunlight.

Alaric of House Ossinast, Master of the Shadowforged Legion and Gaheris’s only son and heir has been forged into a weapon by his father. Tasked with obliterating the Sardovian Allford alliance with the strength of his armies and mighty Shadow magic, all Alaric can see is their extinguish all threats to the empire. That is until he sees Talasyn burning brightly on the battlefield with the magic that killed his grandfather, turned his father into a monster, and ignited the Hurricane Wars. He tries and fails to kill her, his now greatest enemy slipping through his fingers. But a greater threat is coming. One that will overshadow the Hurricane Wars. Will these mortal enemies be able to come together to confront it or is everything that has been fought over for so long about to be destroyed?

What I Have to Say 

Okay so I loved loved loved the magic and settings in this book. The magic system was so interesting and I would love to explore more of it in the future. The ying yang of the two main characters having opposite magic types and having to work together to combine it, perfect. The settings were fascinating, though I would have liked to know more of the Sardovia and I'm looking forward to seeing more from Alaric's home country in the next book. 

So let's get to the enemies to lovers component, which almost never satisfies me in any book. So firstly, they start being attracted to each other pretty quickly, I'd prefer a slower burn on the attraction front. They do the thing about refusing to believe that the other loves them, which just irks me completely. And finally the genocide. Can I really forgive Alaric that? Especially after he's so unapologetic about it. I do think that this will be explored more in the next book. I think there were hints that the empire was lying to him and that he will realise that it's not all as it seems. So I've got a big WE'LL SEE on that point. 

Other than the enemies to lovers disappointing me, I really enjoyed the book. I think this is an interesting world and an interesting situation and I'm looking forward to learning more. 

4 stars 

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

Away With Words by Sophie Cameron

Pages: 288 

Publisher: Little Tiger 

Released: 11th of May 2023 

Set in a world where words appear physically when people speak, AWAY WITH WORDS explores the importance of communication and being there for those we love.

Gala and her dad, Jordi, have just moved from home in Catalonia to a town in Scotland, to live with Jordi’s boyfriend Ryan. Gala doesn’t speak much English, and feels lost, lonely and unable to be her usual funny self. Until she befriends Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. The two girls find their own ways to communicate, which includes collecting other people's discarded words. They use the words to write anonymous supportive poems for their classmates, but then someone begins leaving nasty messages using the same method – and the girls are blamed. Gala has finally started adapting to her new life in Scotland and is determined to find the culprit. Can she and Natalie show the school who they really are?

What I Have to Say 

I adored this book. The idea of words manifesting into physical form when speaking aloud was just so fascinating to read and the fact that the characters then used the words to make art out of was very satisfying. I loved all the descriptions of the different colours and shapes of the words and the way they were put onto the page as well made this a really interesting book to read. 

I loved the main characters and the fact that they both had their own struggles made the book interesting. This book covered so many topics from moving countries and learning a whole new language, to selective mutism to bullying, it also brushed over a few other topics lightly with what the people at school were going through. 

I think this is a great book for any 9-12 child to read and also a great read for the grown ups. 

5 stars 

My thanks goes to Little Tiger and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis

Pages: 368 

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's UK 

Released: 4th of October 2023 

Winner takes all: a cutthroat competition for the world’s best thief and the girl who must beat the odds to save her parents’ lives. 

Rosalyn Quest was raised by a legendary family of thieves with one rule: trust no one. Trapped in a glamorous world of riches and double-crosses, she is about to escape the family business when her parents are kidnapped.  Her only chance to save them is to win the Thieves’ Gambit – a deadly competition for the world’s up-and-coming thieves, where the victor is granted one wish.  To win, she must outwit all of her backstabbing competitors, including her archnemesis. But can she take victory from the handsome, charming boy who makes a play for her heart? The one who might be hiding the most dangerous secret of all?

The most highly-anticipated YA launch of the year from Kayvion Lewis and soon to be a major movie, are you ready to join the Thieves' Gambit?

What I Have to Say 

A cut-throat deadly competition full of danger and betrayal, but make it a heist? I'm in! I loved a good heist book and this was a very good heist book. It was also really easy to read and just sink into and enjoy. I could hear the main character's voice in my head really clearly. 

I loved the characters and the found family vibe I got from it. Even though I knew that none of the characters could be trusted, I was glad that Ross found some illusion of friendship throughout the book. I didn't think much of her family, so it was really satisfying that she found something outside of that. 

And that ending. I expected some twists and turns, but this was something else. I was watching the percentage I had left to read go down and down and getting very worried! It honestly kept me hooked right up until the very last line. 

5 stars 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with this gifted copy for review.