Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

Pages: 296 

Publisher: Harper Voyager 

Released: 19th of January 2023 

You are not welcome here, godkiller

Kissen’s family were killed by zealots of a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing gods, and enjoys it. That is until she finds a god she cannot kill: Skedi, a god of white lies, has somehow bound himself to a young noble, and they are both on the run from unknown assassins.

Joined by a disillusioned knight on a secret quest, they must travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favour.

Pursued by demons, and in the midst of burgeoning civil war, they will all face a reckoning – something is rotting at the heart of their world, and only they can be the ones to stop it.

What I Have to Say 

This book killed me! It was so sad! My first mistake was getting so attached to Skedi, but in my defence if you have a little rabbit creature in a book who can talk and is attached to another character, I'm going to very quickly fall in love. 

My second mistake was assuming for even a second that I knew where it was going to go. This book had more twists and turns that anything I have ever read. It shocked me and surprised me and generally made for a very enjoyable read. 

I am really looking forward to the next book in the series because I can tell that this is going to be good. 

4 stars 

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

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

Pages: 400

Publisher: Gollancz 

Released: 7th of March 2023 

Mariel Spark knows not to trust a demon, especially one that wants her soul, but what’s a witch to do when he won’t leave her side—and she kind of doesn’t want him to?

Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.

Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can’t leave Mariel’s side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).

But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she’s dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she’ll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both.

What I Have to Say 

This was a funny, easy read. It was full of wit and charm. While it was a bit too horny for me, I appreciated that most romance fans like a bit more sex in their books than me. There were parts that were predictable, but all in all I had a good time reading the book. 

I really liked the characters. They were both relatable and had a good amount of humour in them. It felt like they were nice well rounded characters who had decent backstories. Though the backing characters were a little more like caricature, they were also fun to read about. 

I loved Mariel's plant magic so much. I loved that she was so good at it even though she couldn't see it and how Ozroth saw it instantly. I also like how the demon realm was made out to be this society that was so much better than ours despite the whole soulless demon thing. 

I don't know if I will read on or not. I might do out of curiosity, though I do think this would have worked well as a standalone. 

 

4 stars

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

The Headmaster's List by Melissa de la Cruz

Pages: 400 

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books 

Released: 2nd of March 2023 

Four students. A fatal car crash. Three come out alive – and they will do anything to bury the truth.

One of them was driving.

One of them was high.

One of them screamed.

And one of them died.

When one of their own is tragically killed in a car crash, Argyle Prep is full of questions. Who was at the wheel? And more importantly, who was at fault?

But in a place ruled by pedigree and privilege, the answers can only come at a price.

Set against the glitz and glamour of an elite LA private school The Headmaster's List , Melissa de la Cruz's first YA thriller, is an addictive whodunit perfect for fans of Gossip Girl and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder 

What I Have to Say 

Mysterious, privilege and full of gossip, this book delivered on all fronts. The mystery was intriguing enough to keep me reading and I was interested in the characters and their lives. I really warmed to Spencer quickly and wanted her to succeed in getting to the bottom of the accident. 

It was really wonderful to see a service dog! Service dogs work really hard and can be useful plot devices but I rarely see them in books! I think this is only the second book I've read where the character has a service animal! So that was really good to see, 

 I guessed a couple of the plot points which made me feel really clever but I always question whether that means that they were obvious because I am not good at guessing plot points usually! But I do think in this case that I just picked up on one or two clues in the text. Maybe I'm just getting better at guessing! 

If you, like me, eat up books about terrible things happening to privileged teenagers, this might be the book for you. 

4 stars 

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

 

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten

Pages: 480 

Publishers: Orbit 

Released: 9th of March 2023 

When Lore was thirteen, she escaped a cult in the catacombs beneath the city of Dellaire. And in the ten years since, she’s lived by one rule: don’t let them find you. Easier said than done, when her death magic ties her to the city.

Mortem, the magic born from death, is a high-priced and illicit commodity in Dellaire, and Lore’s job running poisons keeps her in food, shelter, and relative security. But when a run goes wrong and Lore’s power is revealed, she’s taken by the Presque Mort, a group of warrior-monks sanctioned to use Mortem working for the Sainted King. Lore fully expects a pyre, but King August has a different plan. Entire villages on the outskirts of the country have been dying overnight, seemingly at random. Lore can either use her magic to find out what’s happening and who in the King’s court is responsible, or die.

Lore is thrust into the Sainted King’s glittering court, where no one can be believed and even fewer can be trusted. Guarded by Gabriel, a duke-turned-monk, and continually running up against Bastian, August’s ne'er-do-well heir, Lore tangles in politics, religion, and forbidden romance as she attempts to navigate a debauched and opulent society.

But the life she left behind in the catacombs is catching up with her. And even as Lore makes her way through the Sainted court above, they might be drawing closer than she thinks.

In this lush, romantic new epic fantasy series from New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten, a young woman’s secret power to raise the dead plunges her into the dangerous and glamorous world of the Sainted King’s royal court.

What I Have to Say 

This took a little while to warm up, but once I got into it, I was very into it. The lies, the manipulation, the secrets and betrayals! This book was a ride. I honestly don't think I could have predicted what was going to happen at any point in the book! 

The magic and the way the gods came to play in it were my favourite things about the book. The death magic was so creative. I really liked the idea of threads of death and the idea of mortem and spiritum. I liked the balance between them a lot. It really spoke to me. 

I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes next from this series. The way the book ended definitely left me intrigued for more. 

4 stars 

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

 

The Nowhere Thief

Pages: 256 

Publisher: Nosy Crow 

Released: 2nd of March 2023 

A mind-bending multiverse adventure about theft, family, and finding your home.

Twelve-year-old Elsbeth has an extraordinary power: she can travel to parallel worlds and bring objects back with her. But as freak weather events become more frequent and a strange boy, Idris, starts to turn up everywhere she travels, she has to ask herself: does her gift come with a price?

What I Have to Say 

I really enjoyed this book, but it was a little disappointing. I wanted more time to explore the worlds that Elsbeth and Idris were going to but most of them they spent barely any time in. Even the main worlds they were in, Elsbeth's and Idris's own two worlds, were only sketchily made. 

I was really sucked into the story though. I felt the characters were really sympathetic and I loved the description of the little cat like animals that existed in Idris' world. 

The ending was another disappointment though. I felt that it all wrapped up a little too conveniently and without that much impact of the kids. Everything just fell into place and was fixed. 

I would like to see more in this universe though as the concept and the characters were really intriguing. 

3.5 stars 

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

Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai

Pages: 384 

Publisher: Zephyr 

Released: 2nd of March 

Magic-realism blends with Japanese myth and legend in an original story about grief, memory, time and an earthquake that shook a nation.

There's a catfish under the islands of Japan and when it rolls the land rises and falls.

Sora hates the catfish whose rolling caused an earthquake so powerful it cracked time itself. It destroyed her home and took her mother. Now Sora and her scientist father live close to the zones – the wild and abandoned places where time runs faster or slower than normal. Sora is sensitive to the shifts, and her father recruits her help in exploring these liminal spaces.

But it's dangerous there – and as she strays further inside in search of her mother, she finds that time distorts, memories fracture and shadows, a glimmer of things not entirely human, linger. After Sora's father goes missing, she has no choice but to venture into uncharted spaces within the time zones to find him, her mother and perhaps even the catfish itself...

What I Have to Say 

This book was beautiful. It was the perfect blend of a sort of science fiction style premise and magical realism. It also delved deep into scientific and philosophical questions about what time is and how we related to it. 

I loved the way the myths and religion of Japan were interwoven into this premise. It showed how important little things like shrines and protection spirits are to the daily life of many Japanese people. It really gave insight into how the Japanese people deal with the tragedies of earthquakes and other disasters. 

It was also a tiny bit gay! Nothing I read anywhere said it was LGBTQ+ but from reading it, I believe the character is bisexual! It was a nice little surprise for me. 

I don't think this review really does it justice, but all I can really say is read this book, it's so good!! 

5 stars

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

Someone is Watching You by Tess

Pages: 320 

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books 

Released: 2nd of February 2023 

An abandoned prison. A deadly game. How far would you go for a dare?

Nia would do anything to win the approval of her boyfriend Scott and his friends, especially mean girl Olivia. When Olivia dares Nia to explore an abandoned prison, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to prove herself. Facing dark tunnels, distant noises and creepy mementoes left behind by incarcerated criminals will surely all be worth it.

But it isn't long before Nia and her little sister, Kayla, find themselves trapped inside. And then Kayla vanishes.

Suddenly, this feels like more than a game gone wrong. Someone is hellbent on making Nia and Kayla the prison's last inmates ...

An utterly compelling, terrifying thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat, from remarkable new author Tess James-Mackey.

What I Have to Say 

This book was really tense. It was so enthralling that I read it in a day. I really wanted the main character to get out from under her "friends'" control and it hurt a bit when she kept doing what they said. 

It was however a bit predictable. The was only one or two twists that I didn't see coming. It made me feel good to guess them, but it also felt a bit disappointing because I felt like I knew what was coming. 

I liked the theme of bullying and toxic friendships though. I really liked the characters a lot even when I didn't agree with their actions (except the toxic friends obviously). Kayla was my favourite because she was such a sweet little girl, even if her character was a bit flat. 

All in all, I'm glad I read it, but it's not one I'll pick up again, 

3 stars 

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