My name is Scarlet, and this is a place to collect thoughts on the books that I have read, review them, and overall just talk about the bookish things I enjoy. Feel free to recommend anything or ask me any questions you might like. You can also find me on Storygraph as @scarletschema feel free to add me!
My reviews will generally follow the following format:
Format: Or the way that I read the book; whether that be audiobook, paperback, hardcover, or ebook.
Rating: The standard 1-5 stars. I generally try to stay in intervals of .5, but there will be the occasional shift in format.
Short review: A spoiler free mini review which will tell you the general themes of the book, some interesting details I liked or didn't like, and whether I think its worth the read.
Related Song: I have been assigning a song to every book that I read as a personal challenge of mine, and have really been enjoying it. I will be including what song I connect to the book, as well as my explanation for why, in this section
Finally, beneath a read more, I will include a Long Review separated into 4 sections: Summary (the overarching plot of the book, in my own words) The Good (Things that I thought the book did very well) The Bad (Things that the book fell flat at, or actively failed on) and The In-Between (Things that weren't bad per se, but could've been done better.) Anything under the read more will contain spoilers. Please keep that in mind.
okay the paul photo is fantastic but have you seen anthony joshua winding up to throw that punch?
smile on his face✨
he was talking in interviews about breaking paul down psychologically and taking him apart very methodically, and giving the audience their money’s worth
#not to rain on anyone’s parade but#as funny as Tate getting his shit rocked is Demoor is not a hater in the way Joshua is#after it was announced he won he slung his arm over Tate and rambled about how much he loved him and how Tate literally saved his life
in general i don't think it matters who does the shit rocking given that it's all pure schadenfreude, however i do actually think this makes it funnier. Mr Big Bad Alpha Male Kickboxer went up against a dude who is not only a fan of his but by his own admission fucking sucks at boxing. and Tate still lost to him.
Disclaimer: I was given an advanced copy of this book from Interstellar Flight Press via Netgalley. Some things may change by the time the book is released. All thoughts are entirely my own, I was only given an early copy in exchange for my honest review.
Short Review: I truly think this is the best collection of short stories I have ever read. I have never given a collection like this 5 stars, but every single piece is jaw droppingly beautiful. They're all very melancholic with heavy themes of longing connecting them all, making a beautiful through line, but the actual stories and characters each feel unique enough that they don't blend together. If you want quick, hard hitting, sweet and emotional reads taking place in scifi, fantasy, or magical realism settings, please pick this up.
Related Song: Come Along by Cosmo Sheldrake is my choice for this collection. The song carries the almost surreal element that goes through all of the short stories, and also has the concept of chasing something Other, whatever that other might be. It also has a slower section that pairs well with the nostalgic, melancholic feel of the stories.
Because The House of Illusionists is a collection of short stories, I will not be following my normal review format. It doesn't fit. Instead, let me tell you that every. Single. One. Of these stories is incredible. If you don't want to commit to the entire book, skim through the stories included in this, and see if you can find her works in other places. It is worth it.
Disclaimer: I was given an early access copy of this book from Quill and Crow Publishing House via Netgalley. Some of the things in the official book may change after publication. All thoughts provided are my own, I was just given an early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Short Review: The Black Carnival is a wonderful debut novel with fantastic descriptions, fun characters, and a tense and fantastical plot running throughout. While there are some glaring issues (namely a major plot point that ends up feeling uncompleted) it is still a very enjoyable read, and if you're a fan of the macabre and the circus, especially when they're combined, I think this book is for you.
Related Song: Crush by Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards is this books associated song, partially because its stuck in my head I'll admit, but also because I think the song fits Atherton primarily in the context of his relationship with Lillian, but also to an extent Mason and Ivory. I think it fits him and his descent very well.
Long review under the cut! Will contain spoilers.
Atherton Graves is a young man who has spent most of his life amongst the dead, having been tasked with helping his father in their undertaker business from the ripe old age of ten. He has a difficult time socializing with people that aren't dead, which doesn't help the encroaching worries about ending up like his deceased grandfather who was driven mad by "seeing spirits."
Recently, there's been an uptick in accidental, tragic, premature child death's, and the latest one is reported to the police by Ivory Todd, the spiritualist at the Black Carnival. Atherton is, of course, the one who has to take care of the poor orphaned beggar girl's funeral. However, Ivory offers to cut Atherton a deal; 5 pounds for the girl's corpse. It's not a deal easily passed up, and Atherton finds himself agreeing despite his guilt.
Unfortunately for him, word of this deal gets to Mason Cross, the head of the Disciples, the local underground mafia-esque group offering the Graves Mortuary "protection" for a cut of their profits. Mason decides that Atherton needs to pay for undercutting his business. Simultaneously, Atherton finds a locket in the beggar girl's throat - a Gehennic witch's symbol, and identical to one he had pulled out of another child's throat scarcely a week prior.
Caught between the Disciple's anger, a mysterious witch's plot, his own crumbling sanity, and his first romance, Atherton's life is hurtling towards being unrecognizable to what it used to be, and he's not sure if he has the power to stop it.
The Good: Grim has a way of describing things that makes everything feel symbolic, metaphorical, and haunted without dragging the tension down. This shines through most during the circus scenes; you can feel the love of the circus, the experience with the different acts, the admiration of the people who do these kinds of things pouring from the page, and anytime a scene was taking place in the carnival I devoured every word. Genuinely magical. While his other description isn't quite as fantastic as the parts in the circus, they are still a joy to read through.
I adored the characters in this. Ivory was my favorite, closely followed by Lillian (while I try to keep my reviews coherent and professional, you can look at this post to see my in real time reaction to Lillian's ghost and when Atherton introduces himself by Ivory's last name.) Lillian and Mason, who were undeniably bad people, still had so much depth about them, and you could tell that Grim cares deeply about them just as much as he cares about the rest of the cast. He also did a great job writing the children to be children but not stupid, which can be difficult for a lot of authors.
The Bad: My biggest complaint is that the Lillian and Mason plotlines (ie. the child murdering witch and the crimelord with vengeance on the mind) felt so disconnected from each other. You could easily separate these two plots into two separate (albeit much shorter) books, and I don't think much depth would be lost from either of them.
In addition to that, it felt like Lillian's story never actually came to a conclusion. The children's souls she tasked Atherton with were put into ghostlight lanterns almost entirely off page, and the Lester's mention about Lillian's soul not being so easy to part with never went anywhere during the rest of the story. In fact, I don't think she was so much as mentioned again for the rest of the book, and if she was it was tangentially in passing. For her having been part of the summary (the child murderer it talks about) she becomes so unimportant starting the second act. Atherton's arc with her feels incomplete, to the point where I'm wondering if there's a second book planned dealing with that. If it is a standalone like I believe it is, it is disappointing.
The characterization can also be very inconsistent. For example, Atherton is repeatedly labeled in his own POV as being awkward around other people, of people being scared of him because of his association with the dead, of not knowing his way around a conversation. However, he is labeled as charming and charismatic by other characters throughout the book.
That can be easily explained through Atherton's self doubt, but another character, Boo, is described as being almost like a phantom, near mute around most people and scarcely interacting with the other members of the carnival. However, he immediately pulls Atherton into a conversation at their first meeting, talks in most of the scenes he's a part of, oftentimes to great lengths, and is dating one of the trapeze artists and considers the other close friends. It feels like Grim has a bit of a "have you cake and eat it too" problem with these two especially, where he wants these characters to both have a certain reputation while not having to deal with the problems that kind of reputation would provide.
The In-Between: This is a bit of a personal pet peeve of mine, but I dislike when character's are given just one or two perspective chapters. Ivory, Kayne, and Mason are given two, one, and two perspective chapters each, and its frustrating to be bouncing between so many perspectives when those three could easily be structured into some other perspective character's chapter.
In somewhat the same vein, it can be difficult to actually figure out whose perspective you're in; the character voices in their actual chapters aren't very well fleshed, and oftentimes the third person limited pov will snap onto someone else for a little while in the chapter before returning to our actual POV character, and that can be disorienting when it happens.
Overall, I did enjoy The Black Carnival there was definitely room for improvement, but it is a very good read, and Grim shows a lot of potential. I hope that there is a sequel diving further into the spiritualist/Gehennic/witchy plotline that was left unfinished, but even if there's not, I'm happy to have read it.
JBGFJKBGJDFBGJDFBGDBGDFBGUIBDFGUIBDFB I LOOOOVE TRAGIC DOOMED ROMANCE THAT STAINS THE LIFE OF THOSE IT TOUCHES I LOVE WHEN SOMEONE WANTS TO ESCAPE BUT THE CLAWS OF THIER LOVED ONE PULLS THEM BACK I LOVE WHEN LOVE IS A BURDEN BUT TO NEVER LOVE IS A DEATH SENTENCE GRRRRRR
JBGFJKBGJDFBGJDFBGDBGDFBGUIBDFGUIBDFB I LOOOOVE TRAGIC DOOMED ROMANCE THAT STAINS THE LIFE OF THOSE IT TOUCHES I LOVE WHEN SOMEONE WANTS TO ESCAPE BUT THE CLAWS OF THIER LOVED ONE PULLS THEM BACK I LOVE WHEN LOVE IS A BURDEN BUT TO NEVER LOVE IS A DEATH SENTENCE GRRRRRR
JBGFJKBGJDFBGJDFBGDBGDFBGUIBDFGUIBDFB I LOOOOVE TRAGIC DOOMED ROMANCE THAT STAINS THE LIFE OF THOSE IT TOUCHES I LOVE WHEN SOMEONE WANTS TO ESCAPE BUT THE CLAWS OF THIER LOVED ONE PULLS THEM BACK I LOVE WHEN LOVE IS A BURDEN BUT TO NEVER LOVE IS A DEATH SENTENCE GRRRRRR
Disclaimer: I was provided an advanced copy of this book by Macmillan Audio via Netgalley. Some of the things in the official published edition may end up changed. The opinion provided is entirely my own; I was simply provided advanced access in exchange for an honest review. Also, because I got an audiobook only, I will almost certainly misspell some names. My apologies.
Short Review: The Maiden and Her Monster brilliantly blends a rich and deep fantasy world with real world Jewish culture, customs, and religion, painting a vivid picture of magic and adventure steeped in real world oppression and persecution. The characters feel alive on the page, the relationships between them all pulse with chemistry, either romantic, platonic, familial, or pure, unadulterated hate, and the plot is both simple enough that I never felt lost but deep and complex enough that it kept me hooked at every single turn. It's slowly paced, but not in a bad way; Martinez clearly knows exactly how long to let moments linger and breathe before moving to the next thing, although I do tend to prefer lingering longer than most. Absolutely incredibly written, highly recommend.
Related Song: All Things Devour by aeseaes is the song I ended up going with, after recruiting a friend to help look. The first set of lyrics sets up a "fake", inorganic woman like Nimrah, and the lines "Like the story, make me holy" really nicely parallels the religious stories and plot points that go throughout the story. The bulk of the song can both be read through a more literal lens, of the creatures in the woods, or in a more metaphorical lens, in the greed of the Ozmini church or in the way hope and faith are necessary for people to persevere.
Longer review under the cut! Will contain spoilers.
Malka is the eldest daughter of the only healer in her village, a burden that she has carried heavy the last five years, ever since the forest that borders their homes turned on them. There is the monster of the woods now, a horrible creature that kills women who dare wander too close after dark, leaving horrible, mangled corpses for their families to find later, but it has also withdrawn its bounty of plants to forage and game to hunt, leaving them starving, sickly, and broke.
To make matters worse, the Ozmini Church, whose presence is interwoven with the politics of the area and doesn't approve of the religion of Malka and her people. They take what little they have left, and disregard all talk of the monster that stalks the woods, even when one of their own dies from it. Instead, they point the blame towards Malka's mother, who was found trying to help the dead woman.
Malka makes a desperate plea to spare her mother's life - she will bring the Ozmini priest the monster, and in return, he will let her mother go. With little plan, she leaves into the forest with her close friend Amnon, expecting to die before the sunrise.
Instead, she is saved by Nymrha, a golem, thought to be dead after killing a child, and responsible for the curse on the forest, although unwittingly. When Nymrha learns of her creators fate, unfairly prosecuted for a crime he did not commit and imprisoned unjustly in the dungeons, she strikes a deal with Malka. They will free her creator, and Nymrha will turn herself over to free her mother.
That is far easier said than done, and in order to free both of the people they love, they will have to brave the cursed forests, harness the powers of forbidden magic, and uncover just how deep the injustices run.
The Good: I think it would be easier to list what wasn't good about this book, truth be told. It carries such a reverent tone through the whole book, which sets such a wonderful tone, but still manages to keep the characters feeling present and real. Malka is such a good character, sheltered in some ways and not in others, Nymrha strikes a great balance between being stony and caring, Amnon and the other side characters all feel unique and impactful with the screen time they have. Nikki Massoud, the narrator, does a wonderful job at breathing life into them.
I love how often they'll dip into stories, and how many of the religious traditions are seen, even if only in passing. It really makes the religions in this feel so much more fleshed out and alive, which is really important when its such a clear stand in for a real world religion. I am not Jewish myself, so I can't talk about specific representation things, but even with the little I know you can feel how much care was put into the story.
The overarching plot is well thought out and well executed. I never had a moment of "why would that be the decision you make?" about it, and the twist at the end with Malka leaving Nymrha unrooted had me so excited to see how that would come back to bite them the moment it happened.
The In-Between: I can't think of anything bad to say, so I'm jumping straight to here, and even then I can only really think of two things.
The first is that the book is pretty slowly paced. I thought it was perfect, but I tend to really enjoy spending a lot of time in character's thoughts and feelings and sitting with the actions before moving onto the next. If you're someone who doesn't really enjoy slow, you might not have a great time.
The second is moreso with the marketing than with the book itself. The Maiden and Her Monster is undeniably sapphic, and there is definitely a lot of chemistry between the two, but it definitely leans a bit more towards subplot as opposed to main focus, and that subplot is a slowburn (an incredibly done slowburn, I should add). Once again, this is something that I personally really loved, but if you're looking for something that has romance as a focus, this might not scratch that itch.
Overall, The Maiden and Her Monster was an incredible read with masterfully done worldbuilding that blends important elements of our own into the magical one Martinez has created. If you're thinking about picking up a fantasy book in the upcoming months, this is definitely a solid choice.
Disclaimer: I was provided an advanced copy of this book through Atria Books via Netgalley. Some of the things in the official published edition may end up changed. The opinion provided is entirely my own; I was simply provided advanced access in exchange for an honest review.
Short Review: I think that The Book of Lost Hours is very well written, has a very interesting story, and some very important things to say, but for some reason it just never clicked with me. I think it is a very good book, and think it could very easily be someone's next five star read, it just wasn't mine.
Related Song: Rewrite the Stars from the Greatest Showman. Is it cheap to use a show from a movie for this? Almost certainly, but it fits Ernest and Lisavet's relationship so, so well, and the concept of rewriting the stars is exactly what the timekeeper's are doing throughout the book, so I feel justified in my choice.
Longer review under the cut! Will contain spoilers.
Lisavet Levy is the daughter of a Jewish watchmaker, one of the few people alive who knows how to construct the special watches that allow people access to the timespace, where history is stored. In an effort to save her from the events of Kristallnacht, her father pushes her into this space beyond our world, but dies before he can get her out, leaving her trapped. She spends her days, or what can be considered days in a space where time is made physical, preserving memories that Timekeepers from different countries aim to destroy.
Amelia Duquesne's uncle is dead. A communist traitor, is what people say, killed for selling secrets to Russia during the Cold War, but Amelia doesn't believe them. Her suspicions are confirmed when a woman named Moira comes to her with an explanation about her uncle, and about the watch Amelia has now inherited. Her uncle was an American timekeeper, and with him dead, now someone else is going to need to find what he was looking for, what he was killed for. Lisavet Levy's book, containing dangerous memories of people better left forgotten.
The Good: Genuinely, I think that everything in this book is good on a technical level. The characters are interesting and multifaceted, the magic/technology blend is fascinating and is used to make a good message about history and censorship and the ideas that people find dangerous, the relationships between everyone are so interesting in different ways, and the plot twists are shocking but in a deeply satisfying way. I found myself figuring things out just as they were beginning to be spelled out, and every time it was so fun to actually see it executed. When I said earlier that I think this could easily be someone's five star read, I meant it.
The Bad: Similarly, I don't think there's anything actually wrong with the book. There were no plot holes, no idiosyncrasies or redundancies or other glaring flaws that I could concretely label as bad. I think I could make an argument for the ending to feel a bit rushed, and the epilogue section to feel incredibly convenient, for lack of a better word. I wouldn't have minded Anton not being there, because it seems like it would make sense given the changes that would've taken place, but I'm not upset at it.
The In Between: Having said the good and the bad parts, I just could not get invested in the book for the life of me. It might just be a me problem - maybe I'm in a reading slump, maybe I just hate reading on my phone with a burning passion, maybe I just burnt myself out of historical fiction, but I read this book very, very slowly, a couple of pages at a time, over a month. That's incredibly unusual for me. And as much as I hate to rate something off of pure personal disinterest, I just was not invested, and that warrants it a 3.5.
Definitely check this book out though! It is very well written and has a very interesting, well executed concept. I might try and give it another read when physical copies are available, because I am so certain that the mid tier rating I'm giving it is a me problem and not a problem with the book.
I want to get through this ebook so bad. Its a good book I'm enjoying it I'm just cursed to hate reading on my phone it sucks so much is there any rich person with poor money spending habits who wants to sponsor me an e-reader
Mending Bodies is a speculative dystopian scifi-esque horror story about an alternate Hong Kong with the Conjoinment Act, which incentives people to surgically unite with their partners. Our unnamed protagonist grapples with what it means to be an individual, a half of a pair, and part of a society, the different ways they isolate you, and the ways that disability exacerbates it.
I liked the writing style, the themes discussed and what was said about them, but I was, I assume purposefully, left confused. It was a stream of consciousness narrative, and while it was wonderfully translated, the inherent telephone game of translation did not help with the confusion. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and think that it will stick with me for a while. 4 stars.
Disclaimer: I was provided an advanced copy of this book through Harlequin Audio via Netgalley. Some of the things in the official published edition may end up changed. The opinion provided is entirely my own; I was simply provided advanced access in exchange for an honest review. As I only had access to the audiobook, some of the names may be misspelled. If that's the case, please correct me and I'll go back and edit them.
Short Review: The actual substance of Love is an Open Book are very good. I love Blumberg's writing style, the characters are interesting, and the twist on the fake dating trope is very fun. Unfortunately, the problems I did have with the story ended up making me hope that Mia and Gavin would just stay friends.
Related Song: Turning Out by AJR describes the exact main conflict in this book to the letter. Is the feeling romantic love or just strong feelings for a best friend? How do you know? When do you pursue that? And is it really love if its not like the stories?
Longer review under the readmore! Will contain spoilers.
Mia Brady has made it big, with her series of interconnected romcoms being adapted for the big screen. Everyone loves it, and everyone especially loves the lovable best friends, Sydney and Victor. They love it so much, in fact, that Hollywood greenlights Season 4, focusing on the two characters love story.
The problem? Mia doesn't believe that friendship is a good basis for romance. Her own horrible past experiences (including her ex best friend, exboyfriend, now brother in law, as well as others) have taught her that romance is risky, emotional, and messy. Friendship is stable and safe, and if you value a friendship, you shouldn't risk it on romance.
With her thoughts on the matter and a deadline approaching, Mia has to find a way to figure out how to ruin her favorite characters friendship, and find a way to write a happily ever after she doesn't believe in.
Her best friend of 9 years, Gavin, proposes something to help. Go on dates with him. Fake ones, of course, but dates, to see how it might progress. Of course, Mia shuts it down (too risky, in her opinion. She's knows how that ends.) but it does give her an idea. Trope tests. Act out all the different romantic tropes that have appeared in her favorite stories, to hopefully get her creative juices flowing.
It's not quite as safe as Mia hoped, and she finds herself doing what she promised herself she'd never do: falling in love with her best friend.
The Good: Mia and Gavin have a really fun friendship, with a lot of interesting banter and inside jokes. Its fun watching them interact, and it feels like they've been friends for a decade. Most characters have a lot of interesting in jokes and banter, and I think that's the most important part of a romance book.
The trope test idea is SUCH a good take on fake dating. and it allows for Mia and Gavin to be put in a lot of admittedly cliche circumstances without feeling contrived, and allows both of them to react in interesting unique ways. It's just such a fun concept, and I do think that it was executed very well!
Blumberg's writing is So Fun, and the narrators (Keylor Leigh and Will Damron) both bring the characters to life in such a fun way, it really is impressive writing and voice acting.
The In Between: Normally, I would go into the Bad, but I think that its better to start here. My biggest complaint is because of most of the things that are in this section.
First, Mia starts attracted to Gavin. By chapter 6, she's talking about needing to put conscious effort into not being distracted by his muscles, while he is fully clothed and sitting on her couch. (The first two chapters are flashbacks to their first meeting, which means this is more like present day chapter 4.) For someone who has spent nearly a decade with a hard rule of Not Being Interested in Friends, I think her showing attraction so early on weakens her perspective. It would make so much more sense for her to be so deeply in denial she's in the river bank, you know? With her already attracted to him to that degree, it also makes it hard to understand how she's So Stuck, when she clearly does feel a way that they could bridge that.
Following that, the Sydney/Victor(S/V) story and the Mia/Gavin(M/G) story are way too similar. One of the best things, in my opinion, of books about a character creating stories, is the extended metaphor the inception allows. The character projects on the inner story, and as it progresses, so does the character, identifying with different problems and themes. When its done well, its super cool and adds an extra layer and symbolism to read into. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel like S/V are a metaphor; its an exact copy of the M/G story.
S/V start acting scenes together to help further V's career. Feelings progress because of the emotionally charged scenes, and despite their concerns, they get together. When their relationship is revealed to their friends/family, it strains them, because the labels and boundaries changing makes their relationship in a very delicate stage. They persevere, and end up happily ever after.
I could rewrite that for M/G, but honestly, it would look almost exactly the same, and instead of adding an extra layer, it just felt like being told twice.
Finally, every single person who interacts with either Mia or Gavin pushes them in some way, shape, or form to get together. Family, friends, coworkers, whoever they talk to is pushing these two together, despite them having been platonic for 9 years. To me, that either says that a) they've been doing this the whole time or b) there's no way that they don't know they're actually together. Either way, it got incredibly annoying.
The Bad: All of that leads me to my number one complaint, and the reason that I rated this fairly enjoyable book at only a 3 stars. I didn't want Mia and Gavin to be a couple.
Everything listed in the in between section contributed to this, as well as the fact that their flirting was just so much worse than their friendly banter. When they were emotionally close, joking around, or around their mutual friends I found myself loving them, but when it was just them in a romantic situation, it felt shallow, and kind of boring. That isn't to say they didn't have any cute romantic moments, but even the ones that they did I think would've still held their own if they were just friends.
It was a fun read for the most part, and the bones of the story were very good, but I couldn't root for the characters to actually get together, and I don't think I could rate a romance over 3 stars if I don't like the main couple.
The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Gray
Format: Early Access Audiobook
Rating: 4.25
Disclaimer: I was provided an advanced copy of this book through Highbridge Audio via Netgalley. Some of the things in the official published edition may end up changed. The opinion provided is entirely my own; I was simply provided advanced access in exchange for an honest review. As I only had access to the audiobook, some of the names may be misspelled. If that's the case, please correct me and I'll go back and edit them.
Short Review: The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Gray expertly uses some of what I consider the best aspects of historical fiction and magical realism to create an incredible mix of suspense and intrigue along with the tragic, cyclical story of a family torn apart by the darkness of the time period, and the magic that brings them back together, if only in a round about way. It's a fantastic read (pun intended) and if you are a fan of historical fiction, I definitely think this should be on your radar.
Related Song: I decided to go with As Above So Below by In This Moment for this book. While it doesn't quite have the familial aspects that I wanted in a song (thought the name of the album is Mother which feels like it should count for something) it does deal with the themes of freedom, feeling trapped by the workings and deals of others around you, and importantly, the cyclical nature that I feel really made this book stand out. Some of the more specific lyrics also work to set up a connection between Lottie and Nora, which is an extra detail I enjoy.
Longer review under the readmore! Will contain spoilers.
Just after the turn of the 1900s, Nairna and her father Tavish travel through the Scottish country side scamming people with fake seances and seer card readings, barely scraping by on their earnings from that. While it is undoubtedly a scam, Nairna does actually have quite a bit of talent as a medium, talent that is recognized by Lady Rona, a member of the Edinburgh Psychical Society. With Rona's tutelage, Nairna is taught how to harness her psychic powers, far surpassing what most mediums ever accomplish and propelling herself into stardom, whether she wants it or not.
One of the reasons that Nairna, later renamed Nora in an effort to escape a scandal in Scotland (a name I will continue to use for simplicity's sake), is her unusually strong connection with her spirit guide, Lottie. The reader gets to watch as Nora's story unfolds in tandem with Lottie's, several decades before Nora is ever born. Lottie's faces against the prejudice of her time in the 1860s, having just lost her husband and with a baby on the way. She faces a future in the workhouses, living on the streets, but unfortunately for Lottie, there are much worse things waiting for her.
The Good: Kaufman does what is arguably my favorite thing in historical fiction books, which is to include articles from the future to introduce a section. For example, when we are first introduced to Lottie, it isn't from when she was alive, but rather from an excerpt from a book on ghosts, discussing about the true history of the wailing woman, and the horrible fate that befell one Lottie Liath. It is such an effective tool to create a level of suspense and intrigue, and Kaufman executes it perfectly, revealing just enough information to get you hooked without completely spoiling how it ends. Absolutely fantastic.
I loved the side characters in this. I feel like they all had very clear cut motives and reasons behind what they were doing, whether it be helping or hindering the main characters goals. Even the pretty objectively evil Doctor Toad and Hog was completely understandable, even if he was absolutely deplorable, it made sense. I especially liked the sisters in Lottie's chapters; you could tell that they really cared about the people they were caring for, and while they could have done more, you know why they didn't.
The way that the medium magic stuff worked was super fun. I liked the way that its all described, and especially like how it is almost always described after the actual event occurs, as neither Nora or Lottie are fully conscious when the events happen. Being able to see what our perspective character sees, and then hearing about the physical world events made it feel a lot more real to me, and added an extra layer I really liked.
The Bad: There is a good bit of repetition in the book. Some of it I have no problem with (being used in line with the hypnosis, for example). Some of it is stuff that I have full faith will be edited out in the final edition of the book (different takes from the narrator) but some of it I'm not so sure about. You can tell that there are some phrases that the author just really likes to use; "for/just a spell" is used about 6 times in 10 minutes of listening towards the beginning, and before Lottie and Nora know each others names, they are constantly being described by "the girl with (feature) so like her own." It can get pretty annoying, and any mystery about Nora and Lottie's relationship to each other is solved almost immediately when they're described as looking nearly identical right off the bat. (I would like to add that I don't think that there is supposed to be a mystery there, I just think its worth mentioning.)
I also feel like Nora and Lottie's feelings change on the dime about their situation and goal constantly. One moment Nora is happy to be in the town home in Scotland, and with almost nothing changing, she suddenly feels like she's trapped and needs to be free. One moment she's content working at Bell Island, looking forward to a small but happy life as working as a housekeeper, and the next she feels like she needs to do something bigger, something more. On Lottie's side, she goes from being restless and desperate to get out, to being happy to escape in her mind during her therapy sessions, to once again needing to get out in the span of three chapters, with very little actually changing about her situation.
Nora's ending also felt very disconnected. While its clear that she made a good impression on Lady Bell during her stay there, being made the new Lady Bell, changing her identity again, and then taking control over the estate came completely out of left field for me, and it didn't carry with it any of the same satisfaction that Lottie's significantly more tragic, but much more linear conclusion.
The In Between: Now I know that it doesn't make sense to complain about historical accuracy in a book clearly labeled as magical realism. I know this is incredibly nitpicky and should be disregarded. And I think that anyone reading this should, in fact, do that. Unfortunately, I am being held hostage by my special interest and need to discuss it or I will explode into ten million pieces.
The field of psychology is generally said to have started somewhere either slightly before or slightly after Lottie's chapters take place. The theory of subconscious mind was popularized by Freud around Nora's chapters. Inherently, the time frame for Lottie to be in a mental asylum and receiving hypnotherapy is just not very feasible.
Once again, it makes sense in the story. If psychic powers were an actual thing of course we'd have started researching it sooner. There is no complaint here. I just have to mention it.
The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Gray is a wonderful read. Truly, if you are a fan of historical fiction with a bit of magic thrown in, I think you should definitely pick it up when it comes out. You will not regret it.
Disclaimer: I was provided an advanced copy of this book through Dragonblade Publishing via Netgalley. Some of the things in the official published edition may end up changed. The opinion provided is entirely my own; I was simply provided advanced access in exchange for an honest review. I would also like to make it very clear that I have not read the other books in this series.
Short Review: The Trick of The Treasure reminds me a lot of Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys in that, while it definitely has an overarching plot and developments, I didn't have any trouble hopping in here instead of at the beginning. The book is succinct in a very well done way, providing just enough details for you to fully understand the character's opinions/perspective but nothing more, and the characters themselves are well done. Unfortunately, the bread and butter of the book, the mystery of the missing treasure, is executed in an incredibly boring manner. Our main character's primary and seemingly only method of gathering information is to go and interview somebody, who gives them a name, so they go interview that person, rinse repeat. I think that there's a lot of potential with the series, but the repetition of the interview process, and the almost complete lack of any other kind of investigative measures, makes it a dull read.
Related Song: I Know You Better Than That by Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards is the song I chose for this book. I think that it works very well for Constance and Solomon's relationship with each other, seeing the parts society wants to judge and limit but acknowledging that it makes the other person stronger. There are also parts of the song that fit the Lloyd family and their relationships with each other very well.
Longer review under the readmore! Will contain spoilers.
Constance Silver and Solomon Grey are very newly engaged, but that does not stop them from needing to go to work at Silver and Grey where they work as private investigators. They are approached by a new client, Barnabas Lloyd, an adventure who has recently returned from an overseas adventure with a large bounty of treasure in tow. Only, it has mysteriously vanished in the middle of the night from his secret locked strong hold in his own home, without any sign of a struggle.
Constance and Solomon take the case, promising to return the stolen treasure, all while dealing with the struggles their engagement will bring, and Solomon's own hunt for his missing twin brother.
The Good: Like I said before, The Trick of the Treasure reads very similarly to Nancy Drew books I remember reading as a child, and I had absolutely no trouble jumping into the books at this point in the story. All of the returning characters are reintroduced with just enough information that I knew who they were and why they were relevant, but not so much that I would imagine a return reader would be frustrated by exposition of things they already know. The events and overarching plot points are given the same luxury, being introduced with just enough detail that a new reader wouldn't be confused, but not enough that it would be anything but a refreshing reminder for a returning fan.
I think that succinctness is carried throughout the entire book in the writing style. We aren't given a lot of superfluous detail, and everything seems to serve a point. That isn't to say that we don't spend time in characters thoughts; we frequently dip into the minds and perspectives of characters, and I always felt like I had a good grasp on not just their perspective in the moment, but their perspective overall. Lancaster also has a good understanding of when the scene calls for actions or emotions, and this comes through very clearly during the romance scenes.
When the story is focusing on Solomon and Constance's romance and interactions, we are given lots of room to explore how they feel about one another, how their love has grown and changed, the anxieties that their upcoming marriage is going to bring, and it doesn't feel rushed or stilted. We dwell there just long enough to get the point across, and then move on. Even though I missed the majority of the slow burn between these characters, I did find myself caring about them as a couple, and I think that striking a balance between the emotions required to make me care, and the ability to make sure that it never dragged the rest of the story down is something that this book did very well.
The Bad: Unfortunately, pretty much everything about the mystery, which is the main reason I was interested in the book in the first place, fell flat. On paper, its incredibly interesting. A locked door mystery with nobody even in the room? It sounds like it would be a really fun puzzle to solve. But when almost every bit of solving that puzzle is talking to someone, or traveling to talk to someone, or talking to someone so you can figure out where the someone you need to talk to is... well, it got boring very, very quickly. I'd hoped that maybe it would pick up somewhere along the way, but the only bit of other investigative work that I'd say was done in this book was relatively early on, and it was looking at pictures. Maybe the interview method is the most realistic, but its just not fun to read.
Another problem with the mystery comes from the provided summary of the book. The final line of the official summary goes:
And then their chief suspect is murdered, and everything becomes much more dangerous…
This adds a bit of intrigue, and I'm not mad at its presence in the summary per se, but the aforementioned murder doesn't take place until past the halfway point, and I am a hard believer that a summary shouldn't spoil anything past that point. An even more egregious issue I have is that at the time the "suspect" is murdered, he is not, in, in fact, the prime suspect! We read a section from said suspect's perspective, of him getting murdered, and then we get our protagonists realizing that the dead man was who they were looking for all along. It ruins a lot of the suspense that it could have built, especially since it was already spoiled by the summary.
I do feel like I should mention that there were a number of grammatical and spelling mistakes throughout the book. All of them were incredibly minor (then instead of they, cone instead of come, etc.), and they were spread out, but they were frequent enough that it was noticeable. Hopefully that's something that will be fixed in the final edition of the book, and is a problem unique to the advanced digital copy I read.
The In Between: The main thing I would like to discuss here is Rachel, the youngest child of the Lloyd family. I quite liked Rachel towards the beginning of the book; she was characterized as being a very observant, somewhat odd, energetic almost to the point of erratic child. I think that she was a very compelling source of information for the investigators, especially since she was just slightly too young to be as invested in the secrecy and decency of the household as the rest of the family.
As the story progressed, Rachel felt less and less like the child she was at the start; in fact, she felt less and less like a child at all. She started talking a lot more formally, lost the energetic charm I had really liked about her, and became a lot more of just a source of information than a character, and I was very disappointed in that.
I still think it was a good idea to make her the most responsible of the Lloyd family; I think it provides an interesting comparison to the rest of the family, when the youngest and most rambunctious child is of more value to the investigators than the people who should know more, but the way it was executed ended up making an otherwise interesting character fall flat.
The Trick of the Treasure, and I assume Silver and Grey as a series, has some very good bones in it, and I believe that Lancaster has the ability as an author to turn it into a great series as a whole, but the mystery in this one just wasn't it. The book felt like a way to pass the time, and I don't think I could recommend it any stronger than that.
Short Review: A tooth rottingly sweet regency romance with very well done fairies. A solidly enjoyable and well researched read.
Related Song: Rule #4 Fish in a Bird Cage - Fish in a Bird Cage I was on the fence between this one and Ophelia by the Lumineers. I ended up going with Fish in a Bird Cage because it felt more specific to Dora's story and struggles, while Ophelia would've been interpreted more from Elias's perspective and the romance between the two.
Longer review under the read more! Will contain spoilers.
Theodora Eloisa Charity Ettings, who preferred to be called Dora, lost half her soul to the Lord of Hollowvale when she was a child, rendering her emotions and reactions incredibly dulled. Because of this lack, she was not given the same luxuries that her cousin, Vanessa, was given to enter society for fear that she would embarrass the family, despite Vanessa's protests.
Under the guise of finding a husband, Vanessa convinces her mother, Dora's Aunt Frances, who has been caring for Dora since she was a small child, to take both of the girls to London. This isn't the actual reason for the journey, though; Vanessa hopes to proposition the Lord Sorcier, Elias Wilder, a magical man who is said to do three impossible things before breakfast to help break Dora's curse. While he turns down Vanessa, he is taken by Dora's condition, and the mystery it presents.
Navigating through the social politics of London (most pressingly the meddling of her Aunt Frances and Lady Hayworth, who graciously let the Ettings stay with her), the bounds of her curse, and the horrors she did not expect to encounter in English workhouses, Dora tries to do what she can to help break her own curse and the mysterious sleeping curse that has been affecting children in the workhouses. She doesn't expect to be able to fall in love at all, least of all with the Lord Sorcier himself, but that feeling has a long enough tail that even she can feel it deeply.
The Good: Half a Soul is inherently a regency romance with a bunch of fantasy elements, and I am admittedly a sucker for regency romances. Atwater does a wonderful job at balancing the wonder and splendor of the balls and feasts that are used for courting during that time and the horrible conditions that the normal people are subjected to.
Dora and Elias are incredibly cute together, with some wonderful banter that left me chuckling in my seat. Several times throughout the night I was left thinking of the two of them and smiling like and idiot because of their antics.
While subtle is definitely the wrong word, the way that magic is woven into the world is done masterfully and in such a way that it feels completely natural even when the rest of the characters are awestruck. It's a very soft magic system, but it definitely works best for this story.
The fairies! While this might be the first time I bring it up here, I can promise it will not be the last. I love stories of fae and fairies, and have since I was a small child. This love has made me... picky, to say the least on how fairies are portrayed in modern fiction. Too often I say fae are basically just elves with extra ornaments or magic. Half a Soul meets my qualification for Good Fairies, which is the simple law of They Can't Lie.
(There are, of course, other stipulations that make a Good Fairy portrayal a Great Fairy portrayal, but those are oftentimes inconvenient, and I understand that, so I will leave those out of this.)
The Bad: I have nothing that I would label as "bad" about this book. It is well written through and through.
The In-Between: I do have things for here, however, that get in the way of the perfect 5 stars. I feel like we didn't get a lot of time with most of the side characters; Dora and Alias and Albert got their time and development of course, but even characters we should've had an emotional connection to, such as Dora's other half, who has been stuck in Fairie for years, wasn't given enough time to actually form a connection with. While the sacrifice she made was still very concrete, in the sense that we know how it affects the Dora we know, it isn't as impactful as it could've been if we had spent more time with her.
Similarly, I would've liked to see more bonding between Dora and Vanessa. While its very clear that Vanessa is a very good cousin to Dora, and cares deeply about her, I think it would've been nice to see more reciprocation on Dora's side. If they had a couple scenes where Vanessa talked freely to Dora, something she isn't able to do in the bounds of Polite Society, it would have made her and her relationships feel so much more vibrant.
Finally, while everything between Dora and Elias was very cute and sweet, I would've liked a little bit more variety. The majority of times they met it was at a ball or a dinner, which is standard for the time period, but I would've liked a change of scenery for one of their more personal themes.
Overall, Half a Soul is worth the read if you enjoy regency romances. The small issues, which might just be a taste thing on my part, shouldn't set you back from reading the book at all.
