msrichardsreads89's reviews
2616 reviews

Utterly delightful!

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a dark fairy tale retelling of The Goose Girl that blends horror with historical fantasy. This was a captivating story that explores parental abuse, narcissism, and the resilience of humans. The characters were dynamic and fascinating, and the world and magic were very well done. I loved the dual points of view perspective, and I did not want to put this one down! Cordelia and Hester were my favorite characters, and their plot lines were so deliciously gripping! Kingfisher has a strong, quirky authorial voice that can hold the reader's attention and blend genres effortlessly, and I am very much looking forward to reading more of her work. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

DNF @63%. The writing was nice and the characters were charming, but I was so bored. This felt very drawn out and too long. 

Abbeychurch is the charming first novel of Charlotte Mary Yonge. Overall, I found this to be a middle of the road Yonge novel, but I enjoyed seeing the foundations of her writing as well as how she improves in later books. Her characters have sparkling wit that are reminiscent of Jane Austen characters, and her family dynamics are always so well done. This plot wasn't as engaging to me as her other works, but I am glad I read this one, and it was an enjoyable read!

This is a marmite book - you either love it or hate it. Unfortunately I fell into the hate it category. It took me four tries to get into this book, and the longer I read, the more irritated I became. I went in with a bit of excitement because the premise of this book sounds fantastic: a murder and the Gordon Riots. However, the riots themselves were so boring, and all the plotting was exhausting. The villains get most of the page time, and I had no one to root for. One of the things I love about Dickens's writing is his character development, and in this book it was sorely lacking. We meet them for a bit and then go back to the villains. Then the good guys pop back up for a bit and then get tossed aside again. For as much page time as the villains get, they are also not developed well. There is no character growth, and for a character reader like myself, it was incredibly frustrating. I gave up caring around the halfway mark. After over 700 pages, I was so glad to see the back of this book. Barnaby Rudge was a major trudge. 

TL;DR: Who cares? I want these hours of my life back. 

I must admit that I went into this one with high expectations because George Eliot is one of my absolute favorite authors. These stories are very different from Eliot's usual style, and both stories are quite different! "The Lifted Veil" is pretty ominous with a weird yet shocking plot twist. I've read it three times, and I find it pretty unmemorable except for the end. "Brother Jacob" is a bit more clever. I read this with a lovely group of friends, and most of them found this one humorous, but for me the humor fell flat and was borderline cringeworthy. I enjoyed the themes explored in both stories, but overall they were fun but very mid for me. In my opinion, George Eliot really shines in novel form. 

The Four Winds was such a pleasant surprise! This follows a family through the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl years in the 1930s and their resiliency and strength through incredible hardships. Elsa is an unforgettable character as well as her in-laws and children. We follow her journey from her home in Texas and her choice to take her family to California for more opportunities. I really appreciated the care the Kristin Hannah took in making this story realistic and true to life. She focuses on the plight of the working poor: how they were taken advantage of, how they struggled to feed their families, and how the dry heat and drought affected everyone and everything. Not only does Hannah focus on the Dust Bowl, but she also explores motherhood and doing the best you can with what you have. I enjoyed the exploration of poverty, greed, xenophobia, communism, unions, and how these themes affected the characters throughout the novel. This book will make you cry, but it ends on a note of hope. The writing was compelling and lovely, and I look forward to reading more of Kristin Hannah's work. 

This was absolutely wonderful! Charlotte Mary Yonge is such a lovely writer. Her prose is rich and engaging, and her characters are complex, relatable, endearing kindred spirits. The plot was very well paced with a rewarding, redemptive conclusion. She was part of the Oxford Movement, and her faith shines through with her exploration of spiritual themes without coming across as sanctimonious or overly didactic. The more I read her work, the more I fall in love with her writing. This is a great place to start if you are new to Charlotte Mary Yonge. This has become a new favorite!