annekawithane's reviews
75 reviews

Thank you Claire Kohler for providing me with a digital arc. Below is my honest opinion! 

Angel of Torin Wood is a short novella following Vincent and Bethany as they hunt for a creature with hauntingly beautiful voice in the woods. It’s perfect for those who want an easy introduction to some Scottish folklore and to the author’s series, Betwixt the Sea and Shore. 

As a reader who hasn’t read the published predecessors (technically set after this), Kohler cohesively sets up the story so that it stands on its own. There are hints of what lies ahead that do pique my interest in the rest of the series. I enjoy the magical creatures from Scottish folklore that are introduced and how we see them from the point of view of one of the few villagers who believes in them. The footnotes were a nice touch for those not familiar with certain words. 

The largest conflict I had was I wished we got to see the time our main characters spent in the fairy realm. The story built up nicely up to them entering (52%) then skipped to them leaving months later. I was told what happen, that characters grew, relationships were formed, but without seeing it, I found it hard to believe in these changes given the length of the novella and especially since they were visually aged up to their 20s while there and then returned to their childhood youth. And with their ages, I was confused on certain aspects. We were told some of Vincent’s conflict with his family, but I found it odd that his whole family blames him for his older brother’s accident (not explained) when he was only 7. I also don’t know how I feel about the age difference between Vincent, 15, and Bethany who is stated to be several years younger (another review said she was 12). I didn’t put the two together while reading. These questions could be answered in the full length novels, but I haven’t read those yet! 

Overall, it was an entertaining prequel novella.

This was such an unexpected story that I fell in love with. The story starts with Lazlo, an orphan-turned-librarian known infamously for his research and love of Weep, an inaccessible city, who’s original name was stolen from the world. When an abassador know as the “Godslayer” arrives, Lazlo gets the chance to visit the city alongside a convey gathered in attempts to fix a dilemna within the city. 

We are also introduced to Sarai & and her siblings, a family of magic wielders, who have been living-in-secret within Weep; with Sarai’s power granting her the ability to enter dreams via moths. 

This is a beautifully written story of how their two worlds collide with themes of legacy, trauma, and identity. There’s complexity to the definition of “monster.” Taylor evokes emotion and imagery with her descriptions that you can get a sense of the world past and present without going into detailed specifics*.  Much of this story is the dynamics between family, strangers, and friends. I started really loving this story when Sarai and her family were introduced. They are fun with individual personalities. Minya really intrigues me. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t connect to the main romance as it felt a bit quick. I wish there were a few more moments together, but then again, both characters have little familiarity with others outside their nuclear “family” per se.

This was a beautiful novel, to which I immediately started the sequel.

To note—because this is YA in the US and Adult in the UK—there is one intimate scene that is a bit more descriptive than closed door as it mentions nudity and implied actions. *There is mention (non-descriptive, history reveal) of sexual assault and rape. 

This was a fun and short audiobook listen/read. In the short 3 hours of the book (144 pages) the characters and the plot felt well developed and understandable for a novella. I was invested as the surveying team investigated the abnormalities in their maps and systems and am looking forward to continuing the seties. Murderbot is quirky but fun main character. Just your atypical self-hacked secbot (robot with organic organs) who loves entertainment channels and dreads interacting with its humans. Muderbot had a number of neurodiverse traits and is honestly and admittedly comfortable in it’s own armor and skin. It has no desire to be “human.” His narration felt natural and reflective.

Thank you Net Galley, Bandele Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and Members' Audiobooks for this audiobook arc! 

Francesca McMahon weaves Celtic lore into a contemporary YA fantasy with LGBTQIA+ rep, mental health and therapy practices, and a bit of blacksmithing. 

I think McMahon’s strengths in this novel lies in their inclusion of Celtic folklore and mental health representation. I found myself interested in the gods, creatures, and symbols that our main characters encounter with the start in world building. It’s a central part of the story throughout the novel in plot and Eilean’s, our protagonist’s, heritage. Eilean is also working though her anger with therapy and blacksmithing. Throughout the journey, she is able to use technique and skills and explore a bit of her fears and blockages. Her journey felt realistic. I thought blacksmithing was a unique hobby that aligned with the story. Furthermore, the cover (and synopsis) pulled me in with its style and colors. I will say that I did not realize this was a contemporary fantasy novel based on the aforementioned elements. The writing style and pop culture references reads for a more younger YA audience. 

I found, A Spiral of Life, unfortunately, lacked development in plot area and characterization. I appreciate the story immediately starting off at a decent pace, but the journey overall felt lackluster. The characters and the plot didn’t grab my attention by the reins within its 8 hrs of narration. There was occasional glimpses at Freya and Bhradain’s character like magical power and being in the air cadets, but nothing overall that strengthened their character development or plot as some were one and done moments. I think I was missing the tension and the momentum of the story. This dark power over the land is described as “far more vicious that I believed” and “not really here” with very little explanation by the end. There was some negative effects of this dark power to both Scotland and the Otherworld, but nothing that seemed to imped their journey. I also felt like Eilean’s school conflict, relationship with her grandmother, and the “chosen one” concept could have been better fleshed out. Overall, this book felt like the slow build of “rising action” with a plateau of a climax. Honestly, the synopsis ad for the second book at the end had more interesting plot and character development. 

Audiobook wise, narration was fine and fit the story. It was a bit harder to get through the climax chapters with the changes between lethargic and wheezy narration styles. There was occasional usage of effects which was cool. I didn’t see the meaning of the sound clips at the beginning of each chapter as it was [chapter title] then [sound effects]. Sometimes they matched the chapter sometimes not. Maybe put them during the title narration.

Guys, I get the Emily Henry hype now. The People We Meet on Vacations has become one of my favorite romance stories.

From the minute I started listening to the audiobook, Poppy and Alex felt alive. Their banter, inside jokes, and interactions had me laughing and smiling. If I spotted them on my campus, they’re two that I think would have become friends with. Henry’s writing reads conversationally, like Poppy is recounting all their stories with a natural transition between present and past summers. There was substantial character given to their previous summers and the present which gave understanding to Poppy and Alex’s friendship and how it cumulates into “now”. I have to give much praise to Jen Mcelan’s narration whose stylistic choices made it feel like an authentic conversation in tone and inflection. 

This was the second book this month that resonated with me particularly where I am currently in life. I understood Poppy’s conflicting emotions toward her work and deciphering why she feels that way. This book just made me smile (despite the third act break up! 😒). I cannot wait to fall in with with Emily Bader and Tom Blyth. Netflix, so help me if you mess this up.