Tag: book recommendation

Biblioshelf Musings – The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

The Biblioshelf8 Comments

Hello Bibliofriends!

This week’s Biblioshelf Musings is about a fantastically rich, character and culture driven YA fantasy called The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna. I first received this book as a physical ARC in June 2020’s FairyLoot box and it has taken me until now to finally get around to reading it – although what better time with its release date set for this week! With a premise of Children of Blood and Bone meets Black Panther, I definitely went in with high expectations and – there were definitely not disappointed!

Book: The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Genre: YA / Fantasy
Publication Date: February 4th 2021
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 432
Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

The start of a bold and immersive West African-inspired, feminist fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther. In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice.

Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.

But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.

Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat.

Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.

My Musings

One of the 2021 reading goals I wanted to set myself was a quest to read more diversely. Spending so much time with my head in the pages of authors such as Cassandra Clare, Sarah J Maas and Holly Black was lovely (and great for my ‘modern fantasy must-reads’ game), but with more prominent and widespread news coverage about issues surrounding race and diversity – now was as good a time as any to kickstart my goal with The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna.

There were so many things I enjoyed whilst reading this book, but the biggest one by far was the group of characters. These girls were pulled together from all across Forna’s fictional kingdom of Otera and were made up of all different heritages, classes and backgrounds. I loved the way their friendship knitted together as they showed each other their vulnerabilities and then supported and empowered each other to become fierce, strong warriors. You can’t help but have empathy for these girls, especially people like Deka and Belcalis whose sufferings are so brutally told – then admire the loyalty people like Britta, Asha and Adwapa show to Deka even at a time when they may be unsure of her motives.

The beginning of the novel is pretty much atypical of other YA fantasies – you can see what is coming and where it’s going, but when the group of alaki (the girls whose blood runs gold) get to their training camp, the author really kicks things into gear and the story begins to unfold in a riveting fashion. I loved learning about the mythology surrounding the alaki and it was on the deathshriek raids where I found the world-building to be particularly strong – there were a couple of particularly amazing scenes in temples which really appealed to the wanderlust in me! 

In her author’s letter at the end of the novel, Namina Forna explains to the reader that this book is an examination of patriarchy. She outlines the questions that she wanted to try and answer through her narrative and boy-oh-boy did she deliver on them. This story is all about the idea of the ‘Goddess’ and how women have been continually supressed by a male-dominated world, practically forcing themselves to become monsters and demons just to survive. Whilst the sad reality is that this is probably a more true-to-life reflection of what some girls and women may face in cultures and civilisations left in today’s world, the incredible storytelling of the author has managed to address this in a creative and magical plot which provides an intriguing and interesting story.

After the ending, I’m still left with so many questions about where this story goes now. Whilst I could predict parts of what happened and what was revealed at the final showdown, I’m definitely intrigued and curious to see how the next instalment plays out and what else lies in store for Deka and her fearsome group of friends!

Why Should I Read This?

For a well-paces, character-driven plot where you can really get inside the mind of Deka, the MC.
For an empowering group of women who support each to overcome the stigmas and suppression enforced on them by the patriarchy.
For a lavishly dark, rich fantasy stepped in West-African culture and magic!

Find out more about this book here:

Amazon | Waterstones | Goodreads | Author’s Twitter | Author’s Website

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com

Biblioshelf Musings – The Island by C.L. Taylor

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Hello Bibliofriends!

This week’s Biblioshelf Musings are all about a YA Mystery/Thriller set in a beautiful Thai paradise! Think phobias, secrets, lies and intrigue – this book definitely kept me on my toes and turning page after page. 

This is my first review since I can actually remember! To be honest, I wasn’t reading much towards the tail end of last year and even though my reading has picked back up again, I just haven’t been in the mood to really ‘review’ what I’ve been reading. The Island by C.L. Taylor was a Netgalley arc I received in October and read cover to cover within 2 days. It’s out tomorrow so I thought now would be the perfect time to upload and share my review. Huge thanks to NetGalley, C.L. Taylor and the publishers HQ for providing me with a complimentary e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book: The Island by C.L. Taylor
Genre: YA / Mystery
Publication Date: January 21st 2020
Publisher: HQ Young Adult
Pages: 384
Rating: 📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Welcome to The Island.
Where your worst fears are about to come true…

It was supposed to be the perfect holiday: a week-long trip for six teenage friends on a remote tropical island.

But when their guide dies of a stroke leaving them stranded, the trip of a lifetime quickly turns into a nightmare.

Because someone on the island knows each of the group’s worst fears. And one by one, they’re coming true.

Seven days in paradise. A deadly secret.

Who will make it off the island alive?

My Musings

When I read that this book was like Lost meets The Hunger Games – I was sold! The beautiful Thai setting was the perfect world for me to escape into when I wanted a reprieve from the cold, wintery landscape outside. I could practically see the crystal blue waters and hear the macaques and jungle birds as they drifted through the trees. 

Tropical paradise aside, it took me a little while to get to grips with who was who in the band of 6 main characters. The perspectives shift quite quickly which was a little confusing to start with but I soon got into the rhythm of it. The format definitely helped draw out the suspense because the actions and events were coming from changing viewpoints. It was tricky to decide which narrator/character was giving you the honest truth but that made me more invested in the story.

The Phobias each character had were a real plot driver to carry the story forward and reveal more clues about what was really going on compared to what was perceived to be going on. As each character had to face their phobia, you were able to whittle down who could possibly be the one behind all of the drama. Then particular events near the end have you not only questioning what you thought you knew already, but also questioning what you thought you had read. These little red herrings continue to mind-trick you into narrowing down the list of suspects and their motivations whilst also keeping you engrossed in the plot. It’s probably the setting and mystery that kept me turning the pages rather than the actual characters themselves.

References to grief, guilt and PTSD are dealt with sensitively in a way which doesn’t necessarily dive right into the traumatic heart of its core but still help to raise awareness of these conditions well enough for a teenage / YA audience.

In a way, The Island totally reminded me of Lord of the Flies in the sense that these friends are stuck on this beautiful island which seems to be filled with horrors caused by one of their own. It’s definitely the new Lord of the Flies for a modern YA generation. One thing which could be said about The Island is that it seemed (in my own mind) to be a bunch of fairly privileged teenagers on a paradise island almost bemoaning about their lot in life whilst at the same time struggling to reconnect with each other now that they’re getting older, growing apart and dealing with the aftermath of events which have led to mental health issues. If you’re looking for diversity and complex world-building then I’m not sure that this book will appeal to you, but if you’re looking for thrills, spills and a multi-layered mystery (with a hint of paradise!) then this modern day Lord of the Flies may be right up your street.

Why Should I Read This?

For a compelling mystery complete with shifting character perspectives and tropical island vibes.
For a dark, twisty set of phobias which come to life one by one.
For a layered plot filled with mind-tricks which will keep you flipping page after page.

Find out more about this book here:

Amazon | Harper Collins – Listen/Read a Sample | Waterstones | Goodreads | Author’s Twitter | Author’s Website

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com

Biblioshelf Musings – The Savage Garden

The Biblioshelf1 Comment

Hello Bibliofriends,

There are so many hectic things going on in my life right now that I’m getting waaaayyyy behind on all of my scheduled blog posts! 🙈 Normally, I get into a good habit of scheduling posts a week or two in advance but with a house clearance and Parents’ Evenings at work there has been very little time for reading or blogging! 🙃

The Savage Garden by Mark Mills is a book I picked up at an English language bookshop whilst visiting my friend in Lanzarote. I was immediately sold by the fact that the story is set in a large Memorial Garden near Florence in Italy (my favourite city ever!) and bought it straightaway. I’ve been trying to get through my gigantic, colossally mammoth large collection of books as part of my house clear-out so it seemed a perfectly good time to pick this one up.

Book: The Savage Garden by Mark Mills
Genre: Fiction / Mystery
Publication Date: 2007
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 388
Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

The story of two murders, four hundred years apart – and the ties that bind them together.

From the author of the acclaimed national bestseller Amagansett comes an even more remarkable novel set in the Tuscan hills: the story of two murders, four hundred years apart-and the ties that bind them together. 

Adam Banting, a somewhat aimless young scholar at Cambridge University, is called to his professor’s office one afternoon and assigned a special summer project: to write a scholarly monograph about a famous garden built in the 1500s. Dedicated to the memory of Signor Docci’s dead wife, the garden is a mysterious world of statues, grottoes, meandering rills, and classical inscriptions. But during his three-week sojourn at the villa, Adam comes to suspect that clues to a murder are buried in the strange iconography of the garden: the long-dead Signor Docci most likely killed his wife and filled her memorial garden with pointers as to both the method and the motive of his crime. 

As the mystery of the garden unfolds, Adam finds himself drawn into a parallel intrigue. Through his evolving relationship with the lady of the house – the ailing, seventy-something Signora Docci – he finds clues to yet another possible murder, this one much more recent. The signora’s eldest son was shot by Nazi officers on the third floor of the villa, and her husband, now dead, insisted that the area be sealed and preserved forever. Like the garden, the third-floor rooms are frozen in time. Delving into his subject, Adam begins to suspect that his summer project might be a setup. Is he really just the naive student, stumbling upon clues, or is Signora Docci using him to discover for herself the true meaning of the villa’s murderous past?

My Musings

Now I’m not just saying this because it’s set in Italy but the setting and the Memorial Garden featured in this novel really hooked me in – right from the map of it on the very first page! The fact that the whole plot basically spirals out of the design and layout of a garden was a pretty unique concept and it’s probably this element of the story that I enjoyed the most.

Like with my love of treasure hunts and all things Robert Langdon-esque, the way each of the statues and groves related to Greek mythology and provided clues for the murder mysteries at the centre of the plot was intriguing – whilst the references and links to Dante added that extra layer of geeky literary goodness.

Overall, the main character Adam was a good narrator. He didn’t reveal all of his findings directly to the reader which made the suspense and guessing last a little longer, but he did reveal enough to let you wonder how he was going to then ‘tell-all’ to the other characters in the story. There was enough action and character conversation balanced with Adam’s internal dialogue to keep the pace moving quick enough. What I also loved was the way that the story didn’t just end as soon as the culprits had been discovered, there were additional twists near the end of the story which made me respect the whole book that little bit more.

If you’re on the lookout for a gently suspenseful mystery filled with a little Dante, a dash of Greek mythology and set against a glorious Tuscan landscape then you might enjoy spending a little time with The Savage Garden!

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com

Biblioshelf Musings – A Life On Our Planet

The Biblioshelf6 Comments

Hello Bibliofriends,

This week’s review was incredibly difficult to write, or even just to arrange my thoughts into text, so apologies if it’s a really long winded one! Seeing David Attenborough’s A Life On Our Planet on NetGalley, the sheer prevalence of his notoriety and the subject matter of the book immediately intrigued me and it became one of those titles that I just had to read.

It’s very rare that I choose to publicly post about current affairs or political issues, but conservationism, sustainability and the preservation of our planet is a matter which is really close to my heart. I can’t seem to watch Blue Planet or wildlife programmes about pangolins etc. without getting incredibly upset at how some people abuse our incredibly amazing natural world. Sadly, like other issues facing the world, I feel that it is also a matter which different people of different generations from different nations will have contrasting and contradicting views about. We are not yet a united force when it comes to discussing the future of our planet.

First off, I feel the need to separate this review into two parts – one, to review a non-fiction book as I would review any other non-fiction book; then secondly, to review this book based on the worldwide renown of its author, the message he conveys and my own personal response to it. It seemed a little unfair or confusing to intertwine the two. A big thank you to Ebury Publishing, NetGalley and Sir David Attenborough for providing me with a complimentary e-book in exchange for this honest review.

Book: A Life On Our Planet: My Witness Statement and Vision For The Future by David Attenborough
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publication Date: October 1st 2020
Publisher: Ebury Publishing
Pages: 272
Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

In this scientifically informed account of the changes occurring in the world over the last century, award-winning broadcaster and natural historian shares a lifetime of wisdom and a hopeful vision for the future. 
See the world. Then make it better.

I am 93. I’ve had an extraordinary life. It’s only now that I appreciate how extraordinary. 

As a young man, I felt I was out there in the wild, experiencing the untouched natural world – but it was an illusion. The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us, barely noticeable from day to day — the loss of our planet’s wild places, its biodiversity. 

I have been witness to this decline. A Life on Our Planet is my witness statement, and my vision for the future. It is the story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake — and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right.

We have one final chance to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited.

All we need is the will to do so. 

My Musings

As a non-fiction book, A Life on our Planet is incredibly well structured. Broken down into separate parts, the author lays out his experience of living and travelling around the globe, then he explains the current problems facing our planet and finally, he lays out the steps we could take to go about fixing things for future generations. The cyclical nature of A Life On Our Planet allows the reader to absorb the key messages being explained whilst also posing an outlook of hope for readers in what is a relatively large and heavy concept to contemplate.

The book immediately offers the reader a narrative and thinking point centring around Pripyat (Chernobyl). In Part 1, the author then proceeds to summarise his years of experience in his field, intertwined with a witness statement about what he has observed through the decades of his life. With facts regarding population change, carbon presence in the atmosphere and the percentage of biodiversity left on the planet, these chapters easily highlight to the reader the pace of change which has happened during the author’s time spent navigating the globe as a broadcaster. They offer a context and background which I found particularly useful given my own fairly limited life experiences and knowledge of certain events that took place in different continents or happened before I was born. 

In Part 2, the author makes the reader aware of the multitude of problems currently facing our planet. This is backed up with scientific research and theories as to how these issues came about, as well as what may happen if we continue to ignore them and go about living our lives at the pace and rate which we are now accustomed. A helpful, comprehensive glossary at the end of the book makes any technical language easily accessible and the gentle, explanatory writing style of the author succeeds in its aim to be informative without being too advanced or alternatively, patronising. Broken down into thematic chapters, the individual elements of the narrative become understandable and it was clear to see how each layer of the author’s argument reinforces and builds upon that which came before it. 

Finally, in Part 3 the author references countries across all continents of the globe which are starting to take action to try and fix the aforementioned problems. This knowledge from different nations reinforces how well-researched, informed and connected he is in this particular field. He lays out a roadmap for how together, as a whole planet, we can take steps to try and prevent a future mass extinction on Earth. A closing reference to Pripyat again in the Conclusion brings the author’s narrative full-circle, nicely rounding off his argument and in a sense, proving exactly the witness statement which he is championing. 

As far as non-fiction books go, I found A Life On Our Planet to be incredibly well-written, well-researched and with a voice which enables me to get on-board and believe the narrative the author is laying out. It is informative, without being excessively scientific and for me, struck the right balance between facts and personal opinion. His message is clear and it is a vital one which needs to be read.

I feel incredibly lucky to have seen Sir David Attenborough in person as part of an interview at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. To me, he has one of the most iconic voices (quite literally!) and influential expertise when it comes to discussing our natural world. 

There is no doubt that his early connections with the BBC have taken him on a life adventure that most of us can only ever dream of undertaking and have opened doors to places, peoples and sights not available to the rest of us. He himself admits that he would not be where he is today without the vast range of researchers and scientists behind him who do all of the crucial, technical aspects of the work; it is this humble approach and almost grandfatherly nature which see him adored by millions. 

In A Life On Our Planet, it feels like David Attenborough is using his lifetime of privilege, experience and notoriety to shine a light on a crucial matter that seeks to affect the very core of all life on Earth. 

Changes happening on a planetary level (sea temperatures warming, carbon in the atmosphere rising, ice-levels melting) are so abstract to measure and witness through day-to-day living. It is only now that the pace and rate of changes happening on our planet is being noticed and realised. It is only now that we can measure the impact of humanity’s presence on Earth through the last few centuries and predict an accurate timeline for the continuing rate of change in the future. That being said, the references to Chernobyl and Attenborough’s plee that we rewild the world brought one very recent event to the forefront of my mind.

The current global pandemic saw the world come to a pause and in that standstill of humanity, nature and the wild flourished. Canals in Venice ran so clear that fish and swans could be seen swimming in them (and even dolphins and an octopus!); skies were so blue and clear now that air quality had improved with the fall of emissions from roads and airways; seismologists recorded lower vibrations thought to be due to the lack of people moving around – it took a global pandemic to show us that nature and planet earth would thrive just as well without us!

Regardless of political agendas or personal beliefs, it is becoming evidently clear that our time for positive change is running out and it feels that it takes a guy like David Attenborough to write this book, make this plea and cry out how very close we are to the tipping point before people start to take notice.

This book needs to be read.

It is not long. It is not arduous. It is not confusing or taxing. What worries me most is that the place where change is needed the most, as Attenborough details, is the top tier of our societies – those people in power writing manifestoes, running governments, heading global corporations need to be held accountable and spearhead the campaign for change in order for the rest of us to be able to assist facilitating the change that is so desperately needed.

All creatures great and small live on this planet together and now we, as the supposed intelligent species that we are, need to work together to ‘rewild the world’ and make sure that it survives to see a new century and a new era.

I have to climb down off my soapbox now before this rant goes on forever and hits 1500 words but I can’t urge you enough to read this book! Even just a part of it – its message is so incredibly vital to the future of our planet and it will take an effort by every single one of us to make it happen.
Feel free to drop me a comment or ask me any questions about what else is in the book. This is a deep, yet important issue and I’m always happy to chat about it!

T xx

Find out more about this book here:

Amazon | Penguin – Ebury Publishing | Waterstones | Goodreads |

Connect with me here:

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Biblioshelf Musings – A Curse of Ash and Embers

The Biblioshelf1 Comment

Hello Bibliofriends!

This week’s Musings review comes from my first accepted ARC from Edelweiss! I’m still trying to get to grips with the system and formatting of the site but I was so thrilled to finally get off the mark with A Curse of Ash and Embers by Jo Spurrier. Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publishers at Harper Voyager for providing me with a complimentary e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book: A Curse of Ash and Embers by Jo Spurrier
Series: Tales of the Blackbone Witches (#1)
Genre: YA / Fantasy
Publication Date: November 3rd 2020
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 367
Rating: 📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

A dead witch. A bitter curse. A battle of magic.

Some people knit socks by the fire at night. Gyssha Blackbone made monsters.

But the old witch is dead now, and somehow it’s Elodie’s job to clean up the mess.

When she was hired at Black Oak Cottage, Elodie had no idea she’d find herself working for a witch; and her acid-tongued new mistress, Aleida, was not expecting a housemaid to turn up on her doorstep.

Gyssha’s final curse left Aleida practically dead on her feet, and now, with huge monsters roaming the woods, a demonic tree lurking in the orchard and an angry warlock demanding repayment of a debt, Aleida needs Elodie’s help, whether she likes it or not.

And no matter what the old witch throws at her, to Elodie it’s still better than going back home.

My Musings

Originally published in 2018 and set for rerelease on 3rd November 2020, A Curse of Ash and Embers forms as the first novel in The Blackbone Witches series by Jo Spurrier.

The world of the Blackbone Witches is by far my favourite part of this book. It is so cleverly created and is filled with really imaginative and fascinating forms of magic. I absolutely loved the wicked creatures and demons that were constructed out of bits of nature and old broken bones. They were ominously sinister, like something leaping right out of the horror genre and what’s more, they were believably scary and made me want to hide behind the sofa when our main characters were confronted by them. There is also a freakishly demonic tree (which I hope never to come across in my life!) and an adorably intriguing group of sprites which built up a wonderfully multi-layered world in my head.

The story is told from Elodie’s perspective, however I was much more interested in the parts of the story which were filled with Aleida, Attwater and Laurel. These are the magical creatures/beings around which much of the drama, action and magical elements within the story unfold. Aleida is mysterious and reminds me of those morally grey characters who aren’t necessarily good but aren’t all that bad either. Her presence offered a stark contrast to the rather homely and naive Elodie, through whose perspective the story is told. I felt like I was waiting for the arrivals and interactions of the otherworldly characters to brighten up the storyline and incorporate that fabulous world-building and magical antics into the plot, rather than just living through Elodie’s rather provincial life as housekeeper/assistant.

Because of that, I much preferred the final half of the book to the second half. At about halfway through, the plot and characters seemed to be fully established enough that the pace of the novel lifted as the drama and magic began to snowball. Beasts came out of the woodwork (literally), ghosts came back from the past with a vengeance and we were catapulted forward into what was really quite a darkly interesting and exciting magical world.

Overall, there were many things I enjoyed whilst reading A Curse of Ash and Embers. It offered me a rather different, enchanting world to explore with some really quite grizzly, foreboding villains. The struggle and harsh realities of the battle between good and evil was definitely felt through the storytelling and the wide range of magics and characters woven between the pages.

Why Should I Read This?

For an intriguing magical world filled with steampunk-esque ‘constructs’, a hellish witch-villain and ethereal sprites.
For the morally-grey Aleida who brings a new style to the idea of witch-kind.
For a cleverly crafted plot.

Find out more about this book here:

Amazon | Waterstones | Harper Collins | Goodreads | Author’s Website

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com

Biblioshelf Musings – The Windsor Knot

The Biblioshelf5 Comments

Hello Bibliofriends!

When I think of some of the greatest detectives of all time – Poirot, Miss Marple, Sherlock Holmes and even Agatha Raisin spring to mind… but HM The Queen?! Well, new novel The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett tries to prove that Elizabeth II deserves her place amongst these crime solving greats. Thank you to Netgalley, Bonnier Books UK/Zaffre and S.J. Bennett for providing me with a complimentary e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book: The Windsor Knot: A Novel by S.J. Bennett
Genre: Mystery / Fiction
Publication Date: October 29th 2020
Publisher: Bonnier Books UK / Zaffre
Pages:
Rating: 📚📚📚.5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

The first book in a highly original and delightfully clever crime series in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves crimes while carrying out her royal duties.

The morning after a dinner party at Windsor Castle, eighty-nine-year-old Queen Elizabeth is shocked to discover that one of her guests has been found murdered in his room, with a rope around his neck.

When the police begin to suspect her loyal servants, Her Majesty knows they are looking in the wrong place. For the Queen has been living an extraordinary double life ever since her coronation. Away from the public eye, she has a brilliant knack for solving crimes.

With her household’s happiness on the line, her secret must not get out. Can the Queen and her trusted secretary Rozie catch the killer, without getting caught themselves?

The Windsor Knot is the first book in the ‘Her Majesty The Queen Investigates’ mystery series by SJ Bennett – for fans of The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, Agatha Christie and M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin.

My Musings

Born and raised in England, I’m slightly addicted to the Royals – the pomp and pageantry of Trooping the Colour, the tradition of counting the 3-second pauses between the Queen’s Speech at Christmas, the Cambridges…! It’s no wonder that a book featuring the Queen as a crime-solving detective would find its way into my book pile.

S.J. Bennett has got, what I imagine to be, the Queen’s personality right down to a T. Her character came across so whimsically that I was definitely picturing and hearing our real Queen’s image and voice whilst reading. I could totally visualise her rattling around Windsor with her corgis and riding her horse through the castle grounds, magnifying glass in hand trying to solve the latest crime to grace her historically decorated threshold. S.J. Bennett has done such a brilliant job of capturing and creating this realistic, yet fun portrayal of Elizabeth that I was immediately gripped into the whole world of the novel.

Rozie, HM’s Watson sidekick for this novel really intrigued me and brought a vibrancy to the story. For anything that Queenie couldn’t investigate or carry out, Rozie was there to fill in the gaps. I liked the references to her heritage and that she was a young, confidant woman against a backdrop of patriarchal figures and other characters. She also gave us an additional insight into what it may be like to work behind the scenes alongside The Firm. I have always been fascinated by this and here it brought an interesting kind of narrative to complement the overall storyline.

The plot in itself was quite cleverly done. Amidst all of the little clues and hints, I still hadn’t fully put together exactly ‘whodunnit’ until right near the end. The breadcrumb trail and character motives are descriptively and gently teased out to keep you guessing throughout the whole multi-layered plot.

Overall, this series starter was such a moreishly addictive read – it’s like the book version of The Crown mixed with a little of The Windsors and topped off with a bit of Poirot. I read it from cover to cover in just one weekend. I’m really keen to see this original series develop and my mind is already boggling at what adventures and crime-capers Rozie and HM The Queen are going to solve next!

Why Should I Read This?

For the fun-factor of imagining our reigning monarch solving a fairly risqué crime… by Windsor Castle standards!
For the exciting new crime-solving duo of The Queen and Rozie!
For a glimpse behind the scenes at what might really go on behind palace doors!

If you’re a Royals fan, or you just love those good old-fashioned ‘whodunnits’ from the golden age of crime fiction, then you’re bound to find something to enjoy in The Windsor Knot!

Find out more about this book here:

Amazon | Waterstones | Goodreads |

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com

Biblioshelf Musings – The Inheritance Games

The Biblioshelf13 Comments

Hello Bibliofriends!

I finally managed to make it into a real-live Waterstones shop a couple of weeks ago and came out with an absolute armful of books! I love those tables where they have the ‘buy one, get one half price’ deals (even though I miss 3 for 2 more). When I saw The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes on one of those tables, I knew I had to buy it as I’d read lots of great reviews from some of my fellow book bloggers!

Book: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Genre: YA / Mystery
Publication Date: September 3rd 2020
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 400
Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

An utterly addictive and twisty thriller, full of dark family secrets and deadly stakes. Perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out.

She came from nothing. 
Avery has a plan: keep her head down, work hard for a better future.
Then an eccentric billionaire dies, leaving her almost his entire fortune. And no one, least of all Avery, knows why.

They had everything. 
Now she must move into the mansion she’s inherited. 
It’s filled with secrets and codes, and the old man’s surviving relatives – 
a family hell-bent on discovering why Avery got ‘their’ money.

Now there’s only one rule: winner takes all. 
Soon she is caught in a deadly game that everyone in this strange family is playing.
But just how far will they go to keep their fortune?

My Musings

There’s no doubt about it, if you liked the film Knives Out then there is a 99.9% chance that you’ll end up loving this book! It gave me so many flashbacks and feelings that led me to draw so many parallels between the two. 

I loved the way that Avery entered into the family and the inheritance as a complete unknown. My quizzical mind was already trying to find the breadcrumb trail of clues and solve the puzzles before they were revealed by the author – and on the whole, my attempts mostly backfired (except for one aspect, but that may be because I am a huge fan of Mr. Stink by David Walliams and I couldn’t help but associate two specific parts of both those books together).

Avery is a really easy character to get along with. The opening scene immediately made me like her and I enjoyed reading the story unfold from her perspective. Those Hawthorne brothers… 👀Having four of them brought lots of fun to the story as each of them had their own unique dynamic which would have been just too much for one or two other main characters to handle on their own. I have to admit, I did enjoy the very incredibly light love triangle that seemed to be hinted at, without it ever being really carried out. 
On the whole, I think each of the characters were developed well, giving me enough information about them to get to know them as part of the story, but not too much that it detracted away from the main plot. 

I am such a nerdigan for anything involving a treasure hunt, riddles, quizzes, puzzles or games of any variety so the premise of The Inheritance Games was right up my street. I’m so used to those ‘high stakes’ kind of mysteries and conspiracies such as Dan Brown and Scott Mariani, that I feel I would have liked a few more challenges within the story, but I guess it’s definitely a YA version of a mystery as opposed to something which is geared up to a more adult audience.This was such an enjoyable read for me that I read the whole thing in under 24 hours – I can’t quite remember the last time that happened! It was an incredibly fun read and the ‘big reveal’ at the end leads it nicely on the sequel which I am very much looking forward to reading.

Why Should I Read This?

For an intriguing mystery and gradually-revealed plot that will have you devouring page after page.
For Avery, who proves that smart girls have courage and integrity and can still come from disadvantaged/challenging backgrounds.
For a manor house filled to the brim of exciting clues and puzzles waiting to be solved.

Find out more about this book here:

Amazon | Penguin | Waterstones | Goodreads | Author’s Twitter | Author’s Website

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com

Biblioshelf Musings – The Once and Future Witches

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Hello Bibliofriends!

If you’re on the hunt for the perfect witchy read this Halloween, then look no further than The Once and Future Witches! An amazingly ethereal read, Alix E. Harrow’s new novel combines compellingly powerful female characters with a spine-tingling recreation of patriarchal New Salem and a plot that will unite witches everywhere! I loved it! Huge thanks to NetGalley, Orbit and Alix E. Harrow for providing me with a complimentary e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book: The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Genre: Fantasy / Historical Fantasy
Publication Date: October 15th 2020
Publisher: Orbit / Little, Brown UK
Pages: 528
Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

In 1893, there’s no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters–James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna–join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women’s movement into the witch’s movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There’s no such thing as witches. But there will be.

My Musings

Right from the very first page, The Once and Future Witches had such a distinctive, atmospheric tone that I actually felt as if I had stepped into a vortex and travelled back in time to 1890s New Salem. The way the opening captures and introduces each Eastwood sister… it’s one of the best openings to a story I’ve read in a long time, it hooked me right in. Harrow’s storytelling was so sharp and effervescent; every single word and sentence meticulously crafted to transport the reader right into the hearts and minds of the Eastwood sisters – I loved it! Language and writing style are so important to me as a reader and the way Harrow told her story is by far my absolute, favourite thing about this novel. 

The story is told through the three perspectives of the Eastwood sisters and each one has their own different style linking to their personalities. James Juniper is wild, feisty and headstrong, Agnes Amaranth has a strong moral compass and an iron will to protect her own and Beatrice Belladonna calls out to every book-loving nerdigan out there. I found there was something to relate to in all of them and I was interested in reading every narrative equally rather than favouring one character over another. 

What’s more, these characters are on a mission! The way the rights of women is merged with the rights of witches – all of that anger and vengeance from oppression and the patriarchy is turned into determined action which keeps driving the storyline forwards like an ongoing march without making the storyline come across as aggressive. A slow-burn Sapphic relationship also sprinkled a little romance into the mix allowing one of the main characters to really come into her own.

The subversion of famous historical male figures was like little Easter Eggs which I loved looking out for. Iterations to the heritage of witches with the presence of the Crone, the Mother, the Maiden and Familiars sang out to my inner history geek whilst the featuring of Avalon and a quest to revive the witching ways by hiding it underneath everyday women’s work appealed to my love of treasure hunting and puzzles.

All in all, The Once and Future Witches was exactly the novel I needed to get me right in the mood for spooky season. It is also one of my favourite representations of witches I’ve read for a long time. A beautifully-written, action-packed piece of witch-lore with characters I will be championing long into the future.

Favourite Quotes:

A new witch-tale, for a new world.

Behind every witch, is a woman wronged.

That’s all magic is really: the space between what you have and what you need.

If you want to blame someone for a fire, look for the men holding matches.

You can tell the wickedness of a witch by the wickedness of her ways.

Why Should I Read This?

For a writing style and atmosphere so brilliantly crafted it will suck you into the pages and back in time.
For the incredible narratives and characters of three very different yet sassy and fierce Eastwood sisters.
For a brilliant blend of contemporary female values intertwined with the heritage of witching and the suffragists.

Find out more about this book here:

Amazon | Little, Brown Book Group | Author’s Instagram | Waterstones | NetGalley | Author’s Twitter | Author’s Website

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com

Biblioshelf Musings – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

The Biblioshelf4 Comments

Bonjour Bibliofriends,

This review of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab was one of the hardest ones I’ve ever written. I still cannot believe I had the chance to read this as an e-arc from Netgalley and Titan Books (⭐️THANK YOU⭐️ – if I could have written it in flashing neon, I would have done!). It’s my first time reading anything by Schwab and what a way to do it! 

*warning: insane bookish declarations of love will follow…* 
Reading this book put me into a bookish hangover that lasted almost two weeks – I just couldn’t bring myself to read anything else as I was so sad the book had finished – and the way it finished had me crying into my pillow at stupid AM 😂 And even though that sounds like a terrible thing to say about a book – this is the kind of book that I’m living for –
I want to have those lasting impressions
I want to feel that THIS is a story I just cannot live without
I need to have my heart a little broken by the characters and it needs to inspire such a reaction in me that it leaves an imprint on my bookish soul… *I did warn you it’d be a little bit mushy!* 

Book: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
Publication Date: October 6th 2020
Publisher: Titan Books
Pages: 560
Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚 (ALL THE STARS or 7 stars… if you’ve read the book, you’ll know what I mean 😉)

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever-and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. 

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. 

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore, and he remembers her name.

In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s #1 New York Times Bestselling Author genre-defying tour de force.

My Musings

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue has completely encapsulated and bewitched my heart!

I absolutely love a gimmick, or a motif/symbol/talisman which contributes to a wider plot (especially when they’re birds). In The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, the artworks at the start of each section did this perfectly – so perfectly in fact that I was looking all over the internet just to see if they are actually real world pieces. These additions reiterate the importance of artwork, creativity and the kind of need humans have to leave some sort of impression or legacy of themselves behind, just to let others know of their existence. Identity is such a powerfully resonating theme in Addie LaRue and this was a wonderful way to bind the whole plot of the novel together whilst also driving it forward both through chronological time and the story’s plotline. 

The timing in the novel is not always linear and sometimes it does jump a little backwards and forwards. I didn’t mind this at all as it added to the build up and mystery of trying to work out where the story was going, but also allowed for me as a reader to be led through the story at Addie’s pace.

I absolutely adore every single character: Henry, Luc, Estele, Bea – they all have their individual quirks and personalities, but I especially love Adeline. Her rawness and vulnerability are perfectly balanced with her fierceness and determination. I felt like I was going through her rollercoaster of emotions in my own head. Her character goes through such a turning point towards the end of the story and that kind of growth and sacrifice was satisfying to read. I picture her almost like a love-child between Blake Lively in The Age of Adaline and Drew Barrymore in Fifty First Dates.

The whole tone of the book is romantic – and I don’t mean romantic in the kind of ‘romance genre’ sense; I mean it in the pre-Raphaelite painting style sense. The whole book is just beautiful – I can’t describe it in any other way. From the way it has been written, to the way the settings are meticulously crafted and contribute to the plot, to Addie’s personality and her supporting characters, to the structuring of the artwork – it is so clear to see how much this story means to its writer, to feel the heart and soul poured into every part of Addie’s story. It is beautiful, exquisite, beguiling and tons more adjectives that I can’t even get out of my brain.

In short, there isn’t a single thing that I don’t love about this book, except the fact that it ended! And the greatest part of all, particularly considering the fate of our main character, that after closing the final page and putting the book down, even after weeks of reflecting upon this novel and this review…
I still remember Addie. 💙

Favourite Quotes:

If a person cannot leave a mark, do they exist?

“But art,” she says with a quieter smile, “art is about ideas. And ideas are wilder than memories.”

If he could have spent his whole life sitting in a lecture hall, taking notes, could have drifted from department to department, haunting different studies, soaking up language and history and art, maybe he would have felt full, happy.

Why Should I Read This?

For the exquisite, heart-stopping storyline.
For the the way artwork, history and a quest for identity are told seamlessly around a plot.
For the sheer tour-de-force and beauty of The Invisible of Addie LaRue.

This book has officially entered the ‘God Tier’ on my bookshelf; it is one of my favourite stories of not just 2020, but my entire lifetime! Please read this book! ☺️

Find out more about this book here:

Amazon | Titan Books | Author’s Instagram | Waterstones | NetGalley | Macmillan / Tor – Official book Website

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com

Biblioshelf Musings – Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Wednesday Bibliofriends,

Hag is a wonderfully relevant and apt anthology of British and Irish folktale retellings, perfect for the upcoming Halloween season. Filled with feisty female characters, atmospheric settings and morals aplenty, the fairytale lover within me thoroughly enjoyed rediscovering some of these bygone traditional tales.

Originally a podcast series, Professor Carolyne Larrington conjured up a writing experiment which tasked 8-10 inspiring British and Irish women authors to write a contemporary retelling of a forgotten folktale with a modern, feminist twist. This collection reminds me of a fresh uplift on the gothic horror genre – think Angela Carter meets Henry James’ Turn of the Screw. With particularly eerie and dark stories, the tales within are guaranteed to get you in the mood for Halloween and those darker nights by the fire.

Book: Hag by Various Authors
Genre: Short Stories / Fantasy
Publication Date: October 8th 2020
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group UK (Virago)
Pages: 288
Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

DARK, POTENT AND UNCANNY, HAG BURSTS WITH THE UNTOLD STORIES OF OUR ISLES, CAPTURED IN VOICES AS VARIED AS THEY ARE VIVID.

Here are sisters fighting for the love of the same woman, a pregnant archaeologist unearthing impossible bones and lost children following you home. A panther runs through the forests of England and pixies prey upon violent men.

From the islands of Scotland to the coast of Cornwall, the mountains of Galway to the depths of the Fens, these forgotten folktales howl, cackle and sing their way into the 21st century, wildly reimagined by some of the most exciting women writing in Britain and Ireland today.

My Musings

As someone who has spent a fair bit of time reading folk/fairytales (I even did my dissertation on them) I was pleased to see a few of the more familiar and popular creatures making an appearance here such as selkies, boggarts, fairies and mermaids. That being said, the stories they were contained within felt fresh and new, I didn’t feel like I’d read any of them before – whilst the concepts may have been familiar, the stories themselves had me gripped to finding out what was going to happen, so they felt like more than just your average retellings.

What I particularly liked in Hag, was the focus on different regions from the UK rather than just a generalisation of British and Irish tales. It really did emphasise the nature of how transient traditional stories are and how they have shaped places across our entire nation. Also, the settings of each story became more relevant and heightened; you could visualise the area you live in and the places you’ve visited. Kudos too goes to the authors who managed to incorporate some the regional accents and dialects into the speech of their stories to make them all sound incredibly authentic.

The breakdown at the end recaps for the reader the ‘original’ tales as they may have been told in anthologies from the 19thand early 20thcenturies. These short snapshots not only refresh your memory of all the stories you’ve just read, but it also helps to see just how these tales have been revamped and updated for our 21st century world – they now have a modern diversity which wasn’t necessarily present in their earlier versions.

It is highly evident to see how much effort and hard work each author has put into their own retelling. Shamefully, I wasn’t aware when first diving into these stories just how well known some of these amazing writers are and it’s made me want to add more of their own voices and writings to my ever expanding TBR pile – there is some serious writing talent within this book and it shines off each and every page in the tone of the retellings and the way the stories have been brought to life within the pages.

Complete List of Tales

Below is a complete list of the authors, their revamped retelling, the location it is heralded from and a few examples of the author’s own works. (My personal favourites are starred)

Suffolk: A Retelling (Based on the Green Children of Woolpit) by Daisy Johnson [Fen; Everything Under; Sisters]

Yorkshire: Sour Hall (Based on Ay, We’re Flittin’) by Naomi Booth [The Lost Art of Sinking; Sealed]

Norfolk: Rosheen (Based on The Dauntless Girl) by Irenosen Okijie [Butterfly Fish; Strange Gigantular]

⭐️Orkney: Between Sea and Sky (Based on The Great Silkie of Sule Skerrie) by Kirsty Logan [Gracekeepers; Things We Say in the Dark]

⭐️Stafford: The Panther’s Tale (Based on Chillington House) by Mahsuda Snaith [Thing We Never Thought We Knew]

⭐️County Galway: The Tale of Kathleen by Eimear McBride [A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing; The Lesser Bohemians]

London: The Sisters (Based on Tavistock Square) by Liv Little [Editor-in-Chief of gal-dem Magazine]

Wales: The Dampness is Spreading (Based on The Fairy Midwife) by Emma Glass [Peach; Rest and Be Thankful]

⭐️Cornwall: The Droll of the Mermaid (Based on The Mermaid and the Man of Cury) by Natasha Carthew [All Rivers Run Free; Only The Ocean; The Light That Gets Lost]

Somerset: The Holloway (Based on Old Farmer Mole) by Imogen Hermes Gowar [The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock]

Favourite Quotes:

Sad, isn’t it, how many beautiful things we have destroyed to find out truths.
– Between Sea and Sky by Kirsty Logan

The trees surround her like giants from the folktales her mother recited: dark, looming, with crooked arms.
– The Panther’s Tale by Mahsuda Snaith

And if tales of her spirit seen dancing there surfaced, it should be remembered such stories are common enough. They are almost to be expected and should be looked sceptically upon – depending, of course, on how much of the rest of this story you believed anyway.
– The Tale of Kathleen by Eimear McBride

Song for the forgotten, a few words turned towards the ocean waves the place where the legend began where for some of them it would certainly end.
– The Droll of the Mermaid by Natasha Carthew

Why Should I Read This?

For the ominous, autumnal vibes.
For the rediscovery of traditional tales from the heritage of our nation.
For the exceptional storytelling prowess of some seriously powerful female authors.

If you love your folktales / retellings / contemporary female voices or you just want something to give you spooky and caliginous chills this October then Hag may be the perfect collection for you!

Find out more about this book here:

Amazon | NetGalley| Virago | Waterstones

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com