bandysbooks's reviews
178 reviews

I had not previously read a T. Kingfisher book, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up. I'm glad I did though. This book was just the right mix of Southern gothic horror vibes with a splash of humor. There were so many great elements that came together to create a quirky, fun, and mildly creepy read.

First of all, I loved the characterization in this. Our MC is so relatable and I loved her ability to laugh at herself. I also really appreciated how logical she was in regard to the majority of the horror. She didn't panic or immediately jump to a haunting and that felt so much more realistic. And all of the supporting characters felt like real people as well. Even characters that only appeared briefly felt thoroughly fleshed out.

I also really enjoyed the quirky elements like the pet vultures and the bug factoids. It made the book feel a bit more unique and less cookie cutter.

The humor in this was a surprise for me, but a welcome one. I loved that this book didn't take itself too seriously. It made the book feel light even with some of the darker subject matter.

All in all, this was a good first experience with Kingfisher and I will definitely read more of their books in the future.

I did receive an egalley of the audiobook on netgalley and I really enjoyed the narration of this. It was smooth and I felt that the narrator's voice really fit with the story,

*Receipt of an egalley in no way influences the content of my review.

I recently listened to House of Cotton on audiobook. I didn't know much about the book going into it, but the summary sounded amazing and the cover was really calling my attention. Maybe I should've done a bit more research because this was quite the surprise.

This book follows a young woman who is struggling to get by and is approached by the eccentric owner of a mortuary who offers her a job modeling. While she initially assumes that it will be a standard modeling job, she finds that it requires quite a bit more than she bargained for. As she works for him, things get stranger and stranger and soon she is imitating dead people.

I don't really know where exactly to start with this review. The summary does not really adequately prepare the reader for what is going to happen. This book touches on a lot of difficult topics. Some parts felt like sharp social critique and other parts felt like they were added in just for shock value. Perhaps some of it went over my head, but I felt like some of the messaging might've been lost within the graphic and uncomfortable content.

Our main character is a tough character. She's clearly lived a hard life and seen some of the worst that society has to offer. No one has ever given her anything and she's really had to struggle to survive. That said, I'm not sure how I feel about her. I understand some of the choices she makes. The weird things she's being asked to do offer her a semblance of financial freedom, but they come with some pretty heavy strings attached.. It was also pretty hard reading about the way she approaches sex. Ultimately, I don't dislike her character, but I don't exactly like her either. I felt sad for her and angry for her too, but she was just not an easy character to read.

One thing that I did really appreciate about this story was the beautiful description. The author really did an excellent job of setting the scene. I could easily imagine what was going on and where it was happening which is part of what made this book so visceral and uncomfortable at times.

I will say that overall I found this book to be a very confusing experience. In some ways, I think that that might be intentional, but in other ways I wonder if the message would've been better understood had the story been a bit more tightly woven. The flashes between reality and dreams or hallucinations were sometimes hard to follow and all of the chaos made for a disorienting experience.

All in all, I'm not sure who to recommend this book to, but if you decide to read it, make sure you read the trigger warnings as there is a lot of dark stuff in this book.

As for the audiobook, I felt that the narrator did a good job. I was able to understand her and I felt she suited the story. It was easy to tell who the different characters were and I thought her pace worked well.

TW: Rape, Sexual Content, Illusions to Necrophilia, Drugs, Racism, Homelessness, False Imprisonment

Medusa? Feminist retelling? By a well-established author of Greek mythology retellings? Yes, please! Sign me up! When I saw this listed under available audiobooks, I immediately sent in a request.

I delved into this story with enthusiasm and was mostly satisfied with what was delivered. This is a multi-POV story that gives us chapters from the Gorgon sisters, Athene, and Perseus in addition to Medusa. All of the chapters collectively bring us the story of Medusa's life and the events outside of her control that cause her eventual fate.

I thought the characterization of the various gods and demi-gods was very well done. I appreciate that they aren't glorified or made to seem benevolent. Haynes really leans into their awful behaviors toward mortals and it honestly makes a lot more sense.

I also loved how she chose to characterize the Gorgons. They may appear monstrous, but even monsters love their family. She really did a good job of humanizing them and making us care about their plight. It made the emotional response to Medusa's story that much stronger.

My only real qualm with this story is that I expected it to be more about Medusa in her own words since this was marketed as a feminist retelling.. Instead, we have more chapters of other people talking than we do of her talking. It sort of allows her voice to be a bit squashed by everyone else. Perhaps that is an intentional choice that mirrors exactly what is happening to Medusa within the story, but I do wish I'd heard a bit more from her.

As for the audiobook, I believe Haynes narrates this herself. I thought the narration was smooth and easy to follow. She voices each character well and with the right emotions in the right places. I have no real critique to offer in terms of the narration.

All in all, whether you listen to this or read it, if you enjoy Greek mythology retellings, I think you'll likely enjoy this one. Medusa is a compelling character, made more so by Haynes' treatment of her.

Beyond That The Sea is a historical fiction set during WW2 which follows an English girl sent to America to wait out the war. When she is finally allowed to return home, she struggles with leaving her adopted American family behind. What follows is a story that spans several decades, multiple countries, and a multitude of trials.

The strongest point of this story for me was the main character Beatrix. I thought she felt very authentic at the various ages we see her at. In particular, her child and pre-teen version is very compelling. Her desire to not be babied and even to rebel a bit all seemed very natural for her age. Her guilt at not being present for certain events also makes sense as the world is in chaos, but she's safely hidden away in the States.

I was a bit nervous when it became apparent that the romance aspect of the book would become more prominent as I am not a big romance reader. However, this was tastefully done and there was still a lot to the story aside from just the romantic element. I will say that I did find it a bit predictable in terms of who fell in love when and in what order, but it didn't really deter me from enjoying the book.

I do wish there had been a bit more detail about the war and how it affected things when it finally reached America. I know some details were included, but I feel like most of it was glossed over and resolved pretty quickly. I know that because the family Beatrix is living with is wealthy, they are protected to some degree, so that makes it understandable that they wouldn't necessarily feel it as deeply as a poor or middle class family might, but I do think it might be a bit more prominent or worrisome than it comes across in the book.

As for the audiobook version of this book, I did think the narrator did a good job. Their voice was pleasant to listen to and was easy to follow. I did have to speed up the audio a bit, but that is normal with audiobooks for me.

All in all, if you enjoy historical fiction mixed with coming of age and romance that spans a couple of decades, you'll likely enjoy this book.

Thank you to the publisher for the physical copy of the book and to Netgalley for the audio-galley! This in no way affects my ability to objectively review this book.

I have had a somewhat conflicted relationship with The Bone Witch Trilogy. The first book was good enough to give the second book a shot. The second book was my favorite in the series. And then there's book three, which was just okay for me. 

I do think that book three wrapped up the story line pretty well and provided closure everywhere that it needed to, but I also felt like it started to get a bit repetitive. I found myself a bit bored at points and only really kept reading because I'd read so much of the series already.

All in all, if you enjoyed the first two books, I'm sure you'll likely enjoy this one too. It isn't anything revolutionary, but does wrap up the series effectively. 

I typically read books with darker themes or topics, but every once in awhile I feel like I need something a little fluffier or more feel good to balance things out. I had been hearing a lot of buzz around Remarkably Bright Creatures. When I heard that one of the POVs was an octopus, that sealed the deal.

This story is told in three POVs. We have Tova who is an older woman living on her own after the passing of her husband and the disappearance of her son. There is Marcellus, who is a Giant Pacific Octopus and there is Cameron, a young man who is still figuring out life. All three of their stories intertwine to create a mostly heartwarming story. 

I definitely think that the characters were the strongest part of this book, particularly Marcellus and Tova. Marcellus is wise and clever and has a streak of rebelliousness that makes him so endearing. Tova has had some hard things happen in her life, but is stubbornly marching forward, holding onto her job at the aquarium. I felt that both of these characters were relatable and felt realistic (at least what I imagine to be realistic for an octopus). Cameron was definitely the weakest POV, in my opinion, because he was a bit cliche and predictable, but it worked well enough with the story. Even the side characters like Ethan were memorable and interesting. 

The plot was quite predictable very early on in the story and had this been a thriller, I might have rated this book lower, but in the case of this book, I felt so invested in the characters and the resolution that I didn't really feel like it ruined the book. That said, I would've probably given this 5 stars had it been a bit less obvious. 

All in all, if you are looking for a mostly fluffy, feel good read with a unique character, then you will likely enjoy this book. If anything, it's worth reading it simply to get inside the head of an octopus. 

I don't typically read middle grade books as there aren't any children in my family, however, I usually try to get in one or two in March. I had been eyeballing this one for a while and finally decided to pick it up. I am so happy I did as it might be one of my best reads of the month! 

When You Trap A Tiger follows a young girl named Lily as she copes with her grandmother/halmoni's terminal illness. While it is designed to be understandable for a child, it is something that I think will also resonate with adults. 

One of the things that I most loved about this book was the way that Korean culture was mixed in to the story. There are some folklore elements that weave in and out of the narrative, but that isn't the only bit. We get Korean words, food, and cultural practices as well. It really created a rich character background and provides a bit of education on Korean culture.

I also really loved the relationship between Lily and her halmoni. This is the sort of relationship I think most people would be/would have been happy to have with their own grandmother. When Lily is scared or upset, halmoni takes the time to understand her and make her feel seen. When halmoni is ailing, Lily is trying everything in her mind to help her. 

The themes covered in this book are really great as well. The primary theme is dealing with a terminal illness, but it also explores grief, fitting in, speaking kindly, apologizing when we make mistakes, the dangers of stereotyping, and the bonds between family members. It's all remarkably written in  ways that would be understandable for kids.

All in all, I really highly recommend this for anyone looking for an age appropriate book about grief and death. I could see this being a good book for a family to read together and maybe discuss after.

I received an ARC copy of this audiobook from Netgalley. This in no way affects my ability to objectively review this book.

I read the first book in The Anatomy Duology last year and was left feeling unsure if I would read the second book. While I really enjoyed Hazel, I found the magical elements sprinkled in at the end of the book to be frustrating. Finally, my curiosity about whether or not Jack survived and if he reconnected with Hazel won out and I requested a copy of this book.

This book was an enjoyable enough continuation of the first book. It definitely provided the closure I suspect that most readers will crave after the cliffhanger in book one. 

At the start of the book, we see Hazel, grief-stricken, unsure of what happened to Jack, and throwing herself into her work as a way of coping. One day, a woman shows up on her doorstep near death from overuse of abortive herbs. Hazel sets off to save her life and ends up accused of providing an illegal abortion. She is locked in a prison cell and from there the story really starts to take off.

First, the strongest part of this book was once again Hazel. She is a strong female lead who is determined, clever, and unafraid to rock the boat. I love her continued passion for medicine and being able to treat medical problems. While her heart is hurting from the loss of Jack, she does not grow despondent, but instead keeps moving forward with her practice.

The new side characters in this book are also quite enjoyable. I won't say more than that for not wanting to spoil the book.

That said, I felt like the plot was a bit meandering and unnecessarily windy. There were several plot points that literally had no affect on the story and only seemed to make the book a bit longer. Maybe there was a specific page count to be met? While I did like parts of the story, I felt like some of this book could've been trimmed and it still would've been essentially the same story.

I did listen to an audiobook of this and I really enjoyed both narrators. I thought they did a great job with the different characters and I could easily distinguish between voices. I did speed this up to 1.5x speed as it felt a bit slow, but that is typical to my audiobook listening habits. 

All in all, if you were very invested in the first book, I think it doesn't hurt to continue on. You'll get some resolution and a pleasant read. I still wish the magical element hadn't been introduced, but I did love the look at medicine way back when.  

The Changeling is a mix of horror and modern day fairytale that creates a really unique story. It follows a family who is rocked by a tragic event, leaving a distraught father in its wake. It explores grief, generational trauma, and the meaning of family.

During the first part of this book, I was a bit confused and honestly a bit bored. It just seemed like a story about a family, but I’m glad I stuck with it. Once the story is set, it picks up quickly and gets really interesting. 

I thought the way that this book explored trauma was very unique as well. We See two people who are really struggling and are not receiving the support that they need. The consequences of that ripple throughout the story.

All in all, if you like horror and fairytales mixed with real life, I think you’ll like this book. There are some difficult topics in it, so please check the trigger warnings.

TW: Murder, Death of a Child, Mental Illness, Blood, Assault, Guns