This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

 

Book: This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Read From: 8th July - 11th July 2021

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Briseis has a gift where she can grow plants with a single touch. When she inherits a dilapidated estate, her family move for the summer and Bri, surrounded by plants and flowers, thinks it’s the perfect opportunity to control her powers. But, there is more to Bri’s inheritance than she could have ever imagined, and she won’t stop until the truth is uncovered.

Okay this book was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE and I cannot stop thinking about it. Last year I read (and loved) Bayron's debut, Cinderella is Dead. I know the works aren't comparable whatsoever but you can just tell that she has gone from strength to strength in terms of her writing, intricacy and plot since her first book. Not only was the premise extremely intriguing and well done, there was an added element of Greek Mythology interwoven throughout which added so much depth to an already fascinating story.

I found it extremely enjoyable to read about Briseis' journey with her powers and affinity for plants. The magic system was genuinely interesting and I even found myself Googling the names of the different plants that were mentioned so that I could visualise everything which made for such a captivating reading experience. I loved the side characters and thought their love and support for Bri was the most wholesome thing ever and I also appreciated the lack of unnecessary sub-plots that would have drawn attention away from Briseis' self-discovery. Whilst I think the relationships in this book were an amazing touch, it is very much about Bri's own journey and I really loved that.

I don't want to say too much about this because I want everyone to just go and read it... right now! I loved the characters, loved the plot AND the plot twists - I could never have predicted that ending! I'm sad that the next book isn't going to be released until next year, so I will be patiently waiting until then. At least it gives me the perfect excuse to reread this delightful story closer to the sequel's publication day!

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Book: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Read From: 30th June - 3rd July 2021

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: August has recently moved to New York and on her regular commute to college aboard the Q Train, she consistently sees the mysterious (and drop dead gorgeous) Jane. August later finds out that Jane is from the 1970s, stuck in a time loop, and August needs to use everything she's tried to leave in her own past to save her.

This was such an addicting book that centred around such a unique concept, I had so much fun reading this and I definitely think it’s worthy of all the praise I’ve seen it get on Bookstagram. It felt like a mix of romance, contemporary AND fantasy - with a touch of historical too! I’ve never read anything like this and it was such a stand-out book to me for this very reason.

I’ve said all I need to about the plot. Don’t go into this expecting anything less because Casey does not hesitate in giving everything I’ve detailed above AND MORE. All of this alongside an absolutely brilliant cast of characters made for such an incredible reading experience. Each and every character was really brought to life, it was so easy to forget I was reading a book and not actually sat in Billy’s with a plateful of pancakes in front of me, listening to the group’s banter. It sounds ridiculous, but there are some books I read where I feel like I know the characters so personally that I actually feel like their friend. This is one of those books.

There is so much more I could say about this book but I think the world of the wonderful August, Jane, Niko, Myla, Wes, Isiah, Winfield and Lucie deserves to be experienced first-hand by everyone (also, yay for Lucy with an ‘ie’ representation! This Lucie is very happy to see her name spelt CORRECTLY)😉. Just go and read this. Seriously! Thank you so much again to Pride Book Tours for the amazing opportunity to read this incredible book and for gifting me my copy.

Witches Steeped In Gold by Ciannon Smart

 

Book: Witches Steeped In Gold by Ciannon Smart

Read From: 4th July - 9th July 2021

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: Jazmyne and Iraya are two completely different girls with the same goal. They both want to kill Aiyca’s doyenne and so enter a deadly alliance to take down the woman who threatens both of their worlds. Two witches. One motive. And a very untrustworthy alliance.

This book is a prime example of why my star rating system is slightly flawed. In my opinion, I’ve read better books that I have also rated 3 stars. But giving this book a 2 star rating, even a 2.5 stars, would be doing it a disservice because I don’t want it to be categorised in the same league as some of the other 2 star books I’ve read. I think this is why a full written review is so much more effective in conveying my thoughts, rather than a star rating being taken at face value.

It definitely took me a while to get into this book. While it was interesting to learn about the Nameless, the Yielding and why it was so important to kill the doyenne for example, I didn’t find myself hooked or even fully understanding this book until around the 100 page mark. This book was infused with culture which I absolutely ADORE - think along the lines of Raybearer, The Gilded Ones and Children of Blood and Bone. However, and perhaps this is testament to my own idiocy, but I do think it could have benefitted from a glossary. I really appreciated the character lists and the details about the different Orders, but for some of the more abstract terms that were rarely repeated I did find myself skimming through what I had already read in an attempt to understand, which definitely impacted the reading experience for me.

Ordinarily, I absolutely love dual POV’s but I did think that in this novel the voices were very similar and for the times when my attention was lacking, it was easy to forget who the chapter was following. I do think that the pacing was also slightly off at the beginning because of the different viewpoints - both characters were on a completely different path initially. Once they had come together however, I thought it worked really well.

Despite being a good book that gave me an enjoyable reading experience, it’s not one I think I will ever revisit. I believe there is going to be a sequel but I can’t say that it’ll be making it’s way onto my anticipated releases list. Overall, I do recommend this, it was an extremely strong debut novel and I’m glad that I read it.

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

Book: Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

Read From: 1st July - 7th July 2021

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: Jayne and June are estranged sisters and are the complete opposite of one another. When June is diagnosed with cancer, they suddenly find themselves living together as Jayne is the only person who can help her.

Mary H.K. Choi is a seriously talented writer who has an amazing way of truly bringing her characters to life. They were messy and raw, but perhaps most importantly they were so REAL. Yolk is categorised as a YA novel but reads like both a Young Adult and New Adult at the same time as both sisters are in their early 20’s. As a reader around a similar age, I thought the experiences of Jayne and June were in equal parts heart-warming and heart-breaking. Whilst it absolutely broke me to read about June grappling with her cancer, Jayne’s denial of her eating disorder and how much of an impact a broken family can have, the underlying themes of unconditional familial love made way for a feeling of warmth. Because after all, no one has your back like your family do.

Saying that, Choi does not shy away from the nitty gritty. Whilst family relationships are central to this novel, these characters are far from perfect. Jayne has many flaws and made some pretty bad decisions, almost to the point that it became frustrating. But even from the writing, you can just tell that she is such a vulnerable character who carries so much pain and so you can’t help but feel for her. I can see why people wouldn’t quite ‘get’ Jayne and therefore find it hard to connect with her but her character is just so realistic. No human is perfect and it was so refreshing to see this represented in fiction, rather than an idealistic protagonist.

I don’t really have anything negative or even constructive to say about this book, it’s just one I won’t revisit which is why I’ve given it the 3 star rating. I definitely recommend this, but only if you feel that the topics won’t be triggering for you as they are discussed in a fair bit of detail. These are including but not limited to: child abuse, eating disorders, depression, cancer and racism.

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

 

Book: The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

Read From: 25th June - 29th June 2021

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: After fleeing Paris. Celine seeks refuge in New Orleans and becomes quickly embroiled by the glitzy underworld of Le Cour des Lions and it's mysterious leader - Basiten. When suspicions of a serial killer being on the loose arise, Celine takes matters into her own hands. But what she doesn't expect is to reveal shocking secrets about the darkest creatures of the Underworld.

I read The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh back in February and I absolutely adored the lyrical and atmospheric writing style! I was so pleased that The Beautiful was just as evocative, I was so captivated by the world Ahdieh had created and how the darker setting built up intrigue surrounding the murder-mystery element of this novel.

I thought most of the characters were incredible - Celine was the typical strong female main character which I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of seeing in books. I loved her friendship with Pippa who I thought was such a compassionate and loyal side character. Odette was simply iconic and Bastien was the morally grey character everybody knows and loves. Even the characters I didn’t like so much were still incredibly well developed - like Michael for example. I’m intrigued to see what happens with his character development in The Damned but I have a gut feeling that it’s going to involve a certain relationship and I’m NOT going to like it...

The only minor issues I had with this book were the repetitiveness and the pacing. It’s obvious that Celine was racked with suspicion of Bastien’s involvement in the murders, and its no secret that he’s a dark and mysterious character. I just feel like showing this behaviour would have been enough, it started to lose a lot of the effect when we were constantly told about it. I think if I read this book in a single sitting and took a shot every time Bastien was compared to the devil, I would be very drunk by the end. In terms of the pacing, I could fully appreciate WHY it was slow but I just wanted answers, and because of this I found myself becoming a little disinterested at parts.

One thing I will say is that if you’re expecting a vampire story, this is probably not the book to pick up. Vampires are of course involved, but it’s more so near the end of the book that discussions about them start to take place. Thankfully, I went into this already knowing that so I definitely wasn’t let down but I’ve seen a few people be disappointed by this so I do feel like it’s worth bringing to light in my review.

Overall I really enjoyed this! It’s definitely not one of my favourite books of all time, nor is it my favourite Ahdieh novel, but it was a great book all the same with its great characters and amazing writing. I don’t feel a desperate need to pick up the sequel immediately, but it is one that I’ll be getting around to (hopefully) soon!

Tunnel of Bones by V.E. Schwab

 

Book: Tunnel of Bones by V.E. Schwab

Read From: 27th June - 28th June 2021

Rating: 4/5 stars 

Summary: Cassidy is in Paris where her parents are filming their TV show about the world's most haunted places. When she accidentally awakens a strong spirit, she must rely on her ghost-hunting skills and friends both old and new to help unravel a mystery. But time is running out, and the spirit is only growing stronger.

I really enjoyed City of Ghosts when I read it last year but for some reason I never got around to buying Tunnel of Bones until very recently. Even though I left it a while before picking up the second instalment in this middle grade trilogy, it honestly didn’t matter. I do think that this could have been read as a stand-alone, but I’m glad I read City of Bones first as it was nice to have the backstory and to see how Cassidy’s parents’ TV show is progressing.

Paris was SUCH a great setting for this book, especially with the involvement of the Catacombs. It is a children’s book so if you’re going to read this as an adult, then I’ll state the obvious that you’re not going to feel scared. Regardless, this book is written so well and Schwab really brings all of the different ghost stories to life. Accompanied by the subtle hints about Jacob’s past, it’s hard not to keep turning the pages - the atmosphere and the mystery is built up really well throughout.

On the topic of Jacob, I loved his character development and thought that his sarcastic and witty personality shone through a lot more in comparison to the first book. His friendship with Cassidy is so wholesome, it’s the kind of friend you wish you had when you were younger (aside from the ghost part, obviously). I liked that more of his back-story was explored and I’m excited to see where this could potentially go as the series progresses. Whilst I love Cassidy, Jacob is definitely my favourite character in this series.

I would really recommend this one - it’s a FAB middle grade! So far this series has been quick, easy, atmospheric and gripping; I can’t wait to get around to reading Bridge of Souls! V.E. Schwab is an auto-buy author for me (also my favourite author of all time) and I find it so fascinating that every single time she is able to write amazing books tailored to a wide range of different audiences. If you’re looking for a fun page-turner, give this series a go!

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

 

Book: Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

Read From: 14th June - 26th June 2021

Rating: 2/5 stars 

Summary: Jules becomes an apartment sitter at The Bartholomew, a high-profile private building home to the rich and famous. However, with the commitment comes some rules: no visitors, no nights away from the apartment and no disturbing the other residents. When Jules meets fellow apartment-sitter Ingrid, she learns that the Bartholomew is darker than what meets the eye. It's not long until Ingrid goes missing, and then Jules discovers that she isn't the first temporary resident to vanish.

Yikes, so this is the longest it’s ever taken me to read a thriller and I think it speaks volumes about how much I actually cared about what the ending turned out to be. I actually spent longer reading this book than Plain Bad Heroines which is over 600 pages long! Part of me wishes I had DNF'ed but I’m also kind of relieved that I managed to finish as it confirmed my suspicions that I would be severely let down by the ending. I now know for a fact that I wouldn't have missed out on anything mind-blowing.

It will be pretty difficult for me to go into the ins and outs of why I disliked this book so much without spoiling it, which is slightly gutting as I don’t want it to seem like my dissatisfaction is unsupported (if you’ve read this, PLEASE feel free to message me so that I can rant, I actually have so much to say)!

As always, I want to start with the positives because I really don’t want my opinion to put anybody off reading this. I thought that the third quarter (to be incredibly specific) was pretty suspenseful, and this was the time I found myself actually wanting to turn the pages as I felt like the first half was very convoluted and easily became repetitive. The ending was definitely... unique? And I also found that there were some interesting discussions surrounding classism which, despite being a work of fiction, are very relevant to society today (I just wish this would have been explored a little deeper but then again, it is a thriller so may not have been entirely appropriate).

Now come the disappointing aspects... there were SO many plot holes. There were too many for me to overlook and it ended up massively affecting my reading experience because everything seemed too unrealistic and convenient. On the topic of things being too convenient, I felt as though Sager had spent so much time building up Jules' character to be a little unsure of herself - which is perfectly fine and extremely common in thrillers when adding to the suspense and mystery as you're just as in the dark as they are. But then everything just came so easily to her, not at all fitting with her character arc that Sager had spent the entire novel creating! 

As previously mentioned, I can't say too much about my dislike for this book without spoiling anything but I was just overall extremely bored. I really didn't find myself caring about how this book would end and even after I finished reading, I still didn't care. I'm not sure whether we were meant to find perfectly normal occurrences creepy or spooky? If this were the case, maybe I could haven given this book a little more time of day but I couldn't help but feeling that the 'creepy vibes' were compiled of the mundane. Whilst the last thing I want is to discourage anyone from reading this, I can't say it's one I would particularly recommend.

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

 

Book: Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth 

Read From: 14th June - 25th June 2021

Rating: 3/5 stars 

Summary: Brookhants School is haunted by a dark past. In 1902, young lovers Flo and Clara are found dead in the woods after a horrific wasp attack with Mary MacLane's scandalous memoir intertwined between their bodies. Over 100 years later Brookhants opens its doors again to young actresses prepared to film a high-profile movie about the 'Brookhants curse'. As past and present become entangled, it's soon impossible to tell where the curse leaves off and Hollywood begins.

This book is such a little work of genius (although at 600+ pages, I suppose 'little' isn't the right word to use)! Danforth clearly has a natural flair for story-telling because this was just incredible. There were so many side-plots and characters over the course of the dual timelines yet everything was linked in a way that keeps you captured yet intrigued at the same time. This is massively helped by the way the story is told - we experience the tales of Brookhants through the voice of an anonymous narrator who speaks to us first-hand through the both the text and footnotes. I have a hit-or-miss relationship with footnotes, however I think that it was done extremely well in this instance - particularly as they were quite witty and funny rather than being treated as a space to info-dump.

Whilst this is a horror book, I would say to not go into this expecting to be scared. A lot of the mysterious gothic vibes are created in the atmosphere - it’s more unsettling than anything else and I particularly noticed this in the 1902 timeline. I personally found that the characters in the ‘past’ narrative were a lot more fascinating, whilst I did enjoy the modern storyline I felt like the plot became easily convoluted and I wasn’t as drawn to Merritt, Audrey and Harper like I was with the older characters - Libbie and Alex in particular.

There were times I thought the pacing felt a little off, but being a longer book that is more character driven than plot driven, I suppose this is to be expected. When reading, I found that I could either read 100 pages in a single sitting or on the other hand, struggle to finish a chapter in one go. I think the way I read this also meant that I found it more difficult to connect to the characters.

I’ve seen a couple of reviews saying they were a little disappointed with the ending and personally, I neither agree nor disagree. I was satisfied with where things were left, but it still would have been nice for the book to come full circle at the end. I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you have the time to really take in this story and feel a connection towards these characters in order to truly enrich your reading experience.