Starling House by Alix E. Harrow (audiobook)

Pages:  320 

Publisher: Tor 

Released: 31st of October 2023 

A grim and gothic new tale from author Alix E. Harrow about a small town haunted by secrets that can't stay buried and the sinister house that sits at the crossroads of it all.

Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland--and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―go to rot.

Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.

As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire choice to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares.

If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it.

What I Have to Say 

 I adored this book, but I was very aware while reading it that it's not the sort of book everyone will like. It is a book of vibes and while there is a plot, it's very slow to start and for most of the book it's happening in the background. I personally adored the vibes and was very happy to just sink into the book and enjoy it, but I know other people have had problems with books like this, so I wanted to issue a warning. 

I loved the themes of finding a home in this book. The main character Opal lives in a motel room with her brother and there were other characters looking for a home in Starling House too. It was very much a book about finding where you belong as much as it was of haunted house vibes. 

I also have to say it was refreshing to see a story that didn't shy away from the realities of rich families in America who've made all their money through colonialism and slavery. Alix E. Harrow has always been very good at this and it's good to see that not only acknowledged but made a big part of the plot. 

The narrator was excellent and she gave a sort of dream like quality to the book that really really fit well with the aforementioned vibes. I would recommend having a hard copy of the book to refer back to though as there were places I wanted to look back to confirm the details of, especially with the different stories of Starling House. 

If you like a book with good vibes, this is a great choice! 

4 stars 

 My thanks go to Tor and Netgalley for providing me with a gifted copy of this book for review. 

A Midwinter's Tail by Lili Hayward

Pages: 224 

Publisher: Sphere 

Released: 12th of October 2023 

It's nearly Christmas and committed Londoner, Mina Kestle, is close to signing a deal that will make her career and give her everything she's ever wanted. And then she receives a mysterious letter in the post along with an ancient key, sent by her long-estranged godfather . . .

Davy Penhallow is an artist who lives on the tiny Cornish island of Morgelyn with only his pet cat, Murr, for company. Mina hasn't seen or heard from him in decades, but now it seems he wants her to look after his cottage - and his cat - while he recovers from a stroke in hospital. Mina doesn't know why Davy has written after all these years, but she intends to do what's sort out the cottage and the cat and then get back to London in time for her career-saving meeting, before everything she's built comes crashing down around her.

But the more time Mina spends in the cottage, looking after Murr and remembering the magic of Cornish folklore, the harder it becomes for her to tear herself away. And when she discovers that a set of ruthless property developers are coming for Morgelyn, she realises she might be the only one who can stand in their way to save the island, Davy's cottage and Murr's home.

As Christmas draws ever closer and echoes of the past - her own and the island's - wash up in her memory, Mina begins to unravel a generation of secrets... and discover what it is she has truly always wanted . . .

What I Have to Say 

This was the perfect little story for Christmas. Steeped in Cornish legend, it had the warm cosy feel to it that you want from a nice Christmas read. It also had absolutely everything you get from a Christmas movie.  I do feel I read it a bit early to really get into the Christmas spirit, but I can't deny that it would be good to read on Christmas eve! 

I loved how much this book centred around the cat, Murr. And how right from the start Murr is set up as a mythical cat of the sea. Though the characters don't believe this, the book led me to believe in Murr's power right from the start and I loved the magical realism feel that it gave to the book. 

It was great for cat lovers and anyone interested in Cornish mythology or even just anyone who loves a good underdog fights against big developers story! 

4 stars 

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

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa (audiobook)

Pages: 150 

Publisher: Manila Press 

Released: 4th of July 2023 

The moving international sensation about new beginnings, human connection, and the joy of reading.

Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo, is a booklover's paradise. On a quiet corner in an old wooden building lies a shop filled with hundreds of second-hand books.

Twenty-five-year-old Takako has never liked reading, although the Morisaki bookshop has been in her family for three generations. It is the pride and joy of her uncle Satoru, who has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife Momoko left him five years earlier.

When Takako's boyfriend reveals he's marrying someone else, she reluctantly accepts her eccentric uncle's offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above the shop. Hoping to nurse her broken heart in peace, Takako is surprised to encounter new worlds within the stacks of books lining the Morisaki bookshop.

As summer fades to autumn, Satoru and Takako discover they have more in common than they first thought. The Morisaki bookshop has something to teach them both about life, love, and the healing power of books.

What I Have to Say 

This was such a sweet book, but it was almost written in two halves. The first half was pretty much a love story to Japanese Literature. It sang with the joy of reading and made me want to read some of the authors mentioned. 

The second part is more about family. I was a little disappointed as there wasn't so much set in the bookshop and I wanted more warm cosy bookshop vibes, but it was a still a nice little story with touching emotions. 

The audio was good, the voice actress is half Japanese so there's no pronunciation issues with the Japanese words and she was exactly right for the voice of Takako. 

4 stars

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

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. 

A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley

Pages: 432

Publisher: Gollancz 

Released:  30th of November 2023 

Calladia Cunnington curses the day she met Astaroth the demon, but when he shows up memoryless, why does she find him so helpless . . . and sort of hot?

Calladia Cunnington knows she’s rough around the edges, despite being the heir to one of small-town Glimmer Falls’ founding witch families. While her gym obsession is a great outlet for her anxieties and anger, her hot temper still gets the best of her and manifests in bar brawls. When Calladia saves someone from a demon attack one night, though, she’s happy to put her magic and rage to good use . . . until she realizes the man she saved is none other than Astaroth, the ruthless demon who orchestrated a soul bargain on her best friend.

Astaroth is a legendary soul bargainer and one of the nine members of the demon high council—except he can’t remember any of this. Suffering from amnesia after being banished to the mortal plane, Astaroth doesn’t know why a demon named Moloch is after him, nor why the muscular, angry, hot-in-a-terrifying-way witch who saved him hates him so much.

Unable to leave anyone in such a vulnerable state—even the most despicable demon—Calladia grudgingly decides to help him. (Besides, punching an amnesiac would be in poor taste.) The two set out on an uneasy road trip to find the witch who might be able to restore Astaroth’s memory so they can learn how to defeat Moloch. Calladia vows that once Astaroth is cured, she’ll kick his ass, but the more time she spends with the snarky yet utterly charming demon, the more she realizes she likes this new, improved Astaroth . . . and maybe she doesn’t want him to recover his memories, after all.

What I Have to Say 

I wasn't sure how this one would be after seeing Astaroth's character in A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon, but it worked better than I thought. The only problem I found was that Astaroth had a complete personality change in order to fall in love. 

It made sense in the plot and he still had some of the same sass and snobbery that the original Astaroth had. And I don't think the plot would have ever worked with the original Astaroth. But I found myself wondering at several points whether amnesia really would have so much of an effect. 

I liked both characters though and the enemies-to-lovers style of their relationship was satisfying., I love this world and I was really glad to spend more time in it. 

Looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book! 

4 stars 

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

Til Death Do Us Bard by Rose Black

Pages: 352

Publisher: Hodderscape 

Released: 21st of November 2023 

Marriage isn't always sunshine and unicorns... sometimes it's monsters and necromancy.

In a world of magic and adventure, Logan "the Bear" Theaker had hung up his axe and settled down with his sunshiny bard husband, Pie. But when Pie disappears, Logan is forced back into the world he thought he left behind.

The kingdom is in turmoil, and Logan must come out of retirement to save it. But first, he must save his beloved husband from whatever danger he's in. With the help of an old adversary and a ghost from his past, Logan discovers that Pie has been blackmailed into stealing a powerful artefact capable of creating an undead army.

The fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance as Logan and his team set out to stop the brewing war and put an end to the king's ban on magic. But in doing so, Logan must confront his own hero complex and come face to face with the one man who's ever made him feel worthy of love.

Legends & Lattes meets Kings of the Wyld in this thrilling, queer, light fantasy. Follow Logan and Pie's journey as they fight to save their love and the kingdom they call home.

What I Have to Say 

This book was fun and light-hearted with a cast of character right out of a Dungeon's and Dragons adventure. I  really liked the queer romance and the found family feel to the cast of characters. It all felt right for the book. 

The only thing that put me off though, was this was quite obviously Witcher fanfiction. The author didn't seem to have done much to change it up. The main character was a grumpy monster hunter who was married to a man who is just everything a bard should be. I would have liked to see a bit more change in the characters to make it fresher. Though I have to say, I do love the Witcher so I didn't mind too much. 

I've seen a few people calling this low-stakes and I have to wonder what book they've been reading. This is not a Legends and Lattes style low -stakes book so please don't read it expecting it to be!! 

4 stars 

My thanks goes to Hodderscape and Netgalley for providing me with a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

Pages: 400 

Publisher: Rock The Boat 

Released: 4th of May 2023 

From the New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper’s Daughter comes a thrilling YA mystery about a Native teen who must find a way to bring an ancestor home to her tribe.

Perry Firekeeper-Birch was ready for her Summer of Slack but instead, after a fender bender that was entirely not her fault, she’s stuck working to pay back her Auntie Daunis for repairs to the Jeep.

Thankfully she has the other outcasts of the summer program, Team Misfit Toys, and even her twin sister Pauline. Together they ace obstacle courses, plan vigils for missing women in the community, and make sure summer doesn’t feel so lost after all.

But when she attends a meeting at a local university, Perry learns about the “Warrior Girl”, an ancestor whose bones and knife are stored in the museum archives, and everything changes. Perry has to return Warrior Girl to her tribe. Determined to help, she learns all she can about NAGPRA, the federal law that allows tribes to request the return of ancestral remains and sacred items. The university has been using legal loopholes to hold onto Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors’ remains, and Perry and the Misfits won’t let it go on any longer.

Using all of their skills and resources, the Misfits realize a heist is the only way to bring back the stolen artefacts and remains for good. But there is more to this repatriation than meets the eye as more women disappear and Pauline’s perfectionism takes a turn for the worse. As secrets and mysteries unfurl, Perry and the Misfits must fight to find a way to make things right – for the ancestors and for their community.

What I Have to Say 

This book made me so angry on behalf of all of the Native American tribes who's artefacts and ancestors are hoarded away in museums and private collections instead of safely with the tribes where they belong. I am sicken on behalf of all the indigenous people's of the world who have had so much taken from them by western greed. 

I loved Perry's character so much. I loved the toughness and the sarcasm, but underneath how much she cared about her ancestors, her tribe and her friends. The fact that Team Misfit toys were so willing to help her out even with her illegal activities even though she hadn't known some of them that long is a testament to friendship and found family. 

I haven't read much about Native American Tribes and only this about Ojibwe so that's something I would really like to read more about. I knew they were treated really badly and I've heard about residential schools and other things like that, but this book showed me that it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the abuse they've faced in history and are still facing in modern times. 

4 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Rock the Boat for providing me with this gifted copy for review.