kalventure's reviews
522 reviews

 

A dark tale of blood magic, revenge, and redemption, The Return of the Sorceress is a feat. With vivid descriptions, Silvia Moreno-Garcia says a lot in just about 100 pages while keeping a fast and engaging pace.

It's rare that I read a novella where I'm not left wanting for more, but the author has crafted an evocative tale that satisfies my worldbuilding desires and cut away that which is unnecessary for Yalxi's journey. It feels like a complete story, and I love that it feels as if we've been transported into the middle of an epic tale with endless backstory and more adventures beyond the novella's ending.

This is a must-read for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, she's nailed it again!

eARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley for my honest review. This has not affected my opinions of the book nor the content of my review. Quotations are from an unfinished proof and are subject to change upon final publication. 

 Well, that was one of the best books I've ever read. I've been sitting here for the last fifteen minutes, brain empty, mouth agape. Review to come if I ever am able to write anything more than "DAFVHJDFSHNBAVAVK PLEASE READ THIS BOOK". I'm literally speechless. 

 

Words cannot express how much I adored this debut. Atmospheric and engaging, The Lights of Prague swept me away to another time and place. This is a must read for fans of immersive fantasy.

Oozing with atmosphere that engages all of the senses, Jarvis transports the reader to Prague of the 1800s with its lush and vivid prose. I'll admit that it took me a bit of time to settle into this immersive historical fantasy (likely because of my mood), but it didn't take me long to fall in love with the characters and the world. The story really took off for me around 20% in. I love that the worldbuilding is vast and left no questions to pull me out of the story while maintaining a solid pace and avoiding info-dumps.

With two main characters seemingly on the opposite side of a supernatural battle in the dark streets of Prague, the book follows follows a lamplighter (and monster hunter) named Domek and a centuries-old bisexual vampire (pijavica) named Ora. Secret identities unknown to one another, their paths have crossed on occasion over the course of the last year, both having a bit of a crush but not moving beyond casual flirtations.

I love gentle ribbing and roasting among friends, and both Ora's and Domek's friends trade gentle barbs with one another. This gives life to the friendships beyond the parts of our character's lives confined within the pages.

I appreciate the discussion of class and privilege woven into the narrative. Despite being of the working class, Domek's been fortunate for people to judge him based on his character rather than station but there's still an undercurrent of how different his world is from Cord's or Ora's. High society in a way serves as a lens for the rigid boxes that he puts people into. Human or monster. Good or evil. Just and Ora and Cord look beyond his station, he needs to learn how to judge a person by their character. Meanwhile, Ora is a foil to Domek's selflessness and needs to help others. Their journeys are complex and compelling, as well as a bit messy.

No review by me would be complete without mentioning Kaja's philosophical musings. Who is worthy of saving? Good and bad are not purely black and white; some monsters are of the human variety, and some "monsters" act just as they did when they were human. I love that Domek's character development doesn't come from his relationship with Ora, but rather Kaja challenging his rigid notions of right and wrong.

Overall, I am wholly impressed with Jarvis' debut fantasy and look forward to reading more from this author in the future! I enjoyed the characters and world created, as well as the vivid and immersive prose. Fans of V.E. Schwab's writing style will certainly enjoy The Lights of Prague, just be sure you're in the right mood before picking this one up as I think it's one that you need to be in the right mood to read.

Representation: bisexual main character, gay side character, Romani rep
Content warnings: blood, classism (challenged), death, racism and antisemitism (challenged)

ARC provided by the publisher for my honest review. This has not affected my opinion nor the contents of my review. Quotations are from an unfinished proof and subject to change upon final publication. 

 

I adored this debut fantasy with all of my heart and am currently kicking myself for not reading my eARC of it sooner to provide more time for me to scream about it. There's still time to pre-order and have one tree planted - plus lots of other goodies! Have you SEEN the special naked cover that Sourcebooks is doing for the first print run? 😍

Beautiful and engaging right from the beginning, The Nature of Witches drew me into the narrative with its prose and tone. You know how some books are just so beautiful that you want to have a copy to hold and look at lovingly? I knew this book was going to I placed a pre-order of the book after finishing the first chapter.

This book is truly a love letter to nature in all its forms, and each season has a section of the narrative. I loved the fast-paced and descriptive narrative, I not only could envision the scenes but also feel them. Told in the first person perspective of 17 year old Clara, it feels deeply personal – almost like reading a diary. She’s got the weight of the world and the power to help, if only they could figure out how to control her magic and not hurt the people she loves. For the last year she’s lived alone in a small cabin in the woods and kept to herself.

One thing that I’ll never grow tired of is the isolated character letting their guard down slowly over time and catching feelings. Bonus points when the character also learns to love themself in the process. Friends, Clara’s journey is such a beautiful one and we watch her blossom. It’s never fun to be alone with one’s thoughts, so sometimes Clara’s anxious worrying about things feels a little repetitive, but not in a way that ruined my reading experience.

Soft and supportive boys are the best and Sang is such a kind character. We all deserve people like him in our lives. I really enjoyed watching his and Clara’s relationship evolve over the seasons that they train together. His calm and genuine care helps Clara learn to trust — others, as well as herself. This botanist will capture the hearts of readers. Did I mention there’s yearning? Because there’s lots of yearning.

I loved the worldbuilding, especially the way it builds upon our world. It is such a fun take on elemental magic that ties into the seasons, and personality traits often associated with the elements. The Nature of Witches is very much a contemporary book with magic and beyond the magic system things are largely left unexplained, which makes this an excellent read for those who struggle with high fantasy and heavy worldbuilding. I do wish the origin of witches was explained more because that’s the kind of reader that I am, but given this is Clara’s story and experiences it makes sense that it’s focused on school and her training.

Overall, I absolutely adored The Nature of Witches with its beautiful prose and characters. It’s got an important message about climate change and needing to take action, but it’s done in a way that it doesn’t take over the story, and honestly it makes me want to go frolic in a meadow. I also have the urge to learn the meaning of all flowers. I read the book in one sitting and the ending brought tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart, I wholeheartedly recommend that you add this one to your TBRs. 

I'm a simple gal, I see this on Twitter and immediately add the book to my TBR: "if you want a jazz age murder mystery starring a tiny, tired lesbian, look no further than DEAD DEAD GIRLS." And let me tell you: this debut historical mystery did not disappoint! With an amazing atmosphere, complex characters, and engaging plot, I devoured this book in two sittings *shakes fist at sleep*"Secrets were made and kept at the Zodiac. It was a place where men could dance with men, and women could dance with women."

Instantly gripping with a sense of unease creeping from the narrative, I was transported to Jazz Age New York City. Let's set the scene for Dead Dead Girls with some Jazz ! I loved how the reader is introduced to Louise in the "present time" of 1926 on the dance floor of a Prohibition era club: the freedom and excitement of expressing herself dances on the page. The Zodiac is where she can be herself and dance with her partner Rosa.

"On nights like tonight, everything fell into place, and 'good' wasn't even the best word to describe it. 'Magical,' maybe. The way the room vibrated with anticipation as the band struck up, and she was whirled onto the dance floor -- it always elicited the same feeling."

Diminutive in stature but not in personality, Louise is a main character you can't help but root for. A survivor of kidnapping ten years prior, she lives a happy and 'simple' life as a waitress and tries to move past her notoriety. But when Black girls turn up dead, the police "ask" (aka force) Louise to help them solve the crimes because she can go where the white cops can't. This is the last thing she wants, but she feels a responsibility to her community to do what she can... and it's quickly obvious that the police haven't been doing much in their investigation. She fights for Black girls who the system seems to not care about and I like how she challenges white apathy.

"Summers were time for them to get together as a community. But no one trusted anyone anymore. There was doubt seeping in through the cracks of a community that used to be so close."

Expertly plotted, I love how the clues and hints all tie into the greater mystery rather than having obvious and poorly contrived red herrings. Every chapter ends with a quip that only someone recalling with 20/20 perspective would say, and that not only kept me on my toes but kept me reading. I had to know what would happen next, and I was on pins and needles trying to figure out who the killer is and who the killer will attack next. It's a fast read and one I struggled to put down.

"It was strange to see how her story wasn't a story until it was. There was no mention of missing girls, no mention of her being snatched from the sidewalk blocks from her home, no mention of this utterly life-changing event, until there was a fifteen-year-old Louise looking shellshocked and dirty, accompanied by three other girls."

There's a parallel spanning ten years in Louise's life: when she was abducted in the past and her trying to solve the murders in the present. How no one beyond the community seemed to care about the missing girls until Louise escape; how no one cared about the murdered girls until bodies were left out in the open. It's a critique on not only the news cycle and sensationalism of media but also how crimes against Black people often go unreported and under-investigated. Lingo and slang of the era helps to solidify the era, as sadly the trials and tribulations of Louise and other Black girls of Harlem could have been set in modern times with little difference.

The pacing is a little weird towards the end of the book, and I would have liked maybe 20 more pages. I was genuinely wondering if there was going to be a resolution in this book because I was getting close to the end and it was still all rising action building toward the final confrontation... and then it's resolved in a page. I had a case of reader whiplash because I was vibing so hard with the book and then it was over in a blink; I was left feeling a little unsatisfied, which is a shame because other than that it was a stellar read.

Overall, Nekesa Afia's historical mystery debut wowed me. I love being so engaged in a plot that I can't put a book down, and the mystery itself is plotted well. While the ending came a little quicker than I'd have liked, it's a testament that I wanted to keep reading. I look forward to the next installment in this series and recommend this one to lovers of historical mystery with female characters who become detectives to speak for the forgotten victims.

Representation: Black main character, diverse main cast, LGBT+ characters (gay and sapphic characters)
Content Warnings: attempted rape, depictions of grief, loss of a loved one, murder, racism, sexism, use of n-word, victim blaming

eARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley for my honest review. This does not affect my opinions of the book nor the content of my review. Quotations are from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change upon final publication. 

 Trouble Girls unapologetically examines rape culture through this queer reimaginging of the iconic 1991 movie "Thelma & Louise". While I was intensely excited for this book in the #MEtoo era, unfortunately I found the story didn't quite live up to its potential. While the beats of a truly great feminist book are present, it unfortunately doesn't reach the mark for me.

Just as in the film, Trouble Girls documents female metamorphosis of two friends on the road after one night changed everything. It's as much of a coming-of-age story as it is a tale of friendship and love.

I found the near stream-of-consciousness narrative style difficult to engage with (exacerbated by my eARC's formatting being terrible - there weren't chapters? or any indication of breaks or shifts of time?), which made it difficult for me to connect with the characters. This is very much a Me Thing and others will undoubtedly like the biting and at times acerbic prose, but it wasn't for me.

Ultimately, this book didn't quite work for me due to the narrative style but that doesn't mean it won't be a future favorite for you. If you enjoy stories centered on friendship and the love between best friends who become more, truly ride-or-die friendships of strong women, this book may be for you.

Content warnings: abuse (off-page), attempted rape, death, drug use, hunger, murder, rape culture, slut shaming, underage drinking and smoking, victim blaming, violence

Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing me with an eARC copy in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my opinion nor the contents of my review. Quotations are provided from an uncorrected proof and subject to change upon final publication. 

 - Intensely satisfying end to an epic space opera.
- Radha and the succulent!
- Titania's character development!
- Made me cry dozens of times.
- I love these characters so much, send help.
- Capricious gods meddling. Boons and tricks and love and sacrifice.
- Cycles of violence.
- Seriously, I cried so much.
- At least 100 of my 397 annotations are "NO!" 

 
Lies We Bury showed up in my mailbox unannounced twice and I gifted my extra copy to my best friend… who read it and sent me a bunch of text messages about how good it was. So naturally, I had to read for myself — what a suspenseful, twisty, and dark story.

Talk about a page-turning and well-plotted thriller! Fast-paced and instantly engaging, I read this in one afternoon because I just needed to know and really enjoyed this one. I didn't know who to trust and found myself surprised with the reveal at the end.

ARC provided by the publisher for my honest review. This has not affected my opinion nor the contents of my review. Quotations are from an unfinished proof and subject to change upon final publication.