msrichardsreads89's reviews
2618 reviews

I went into Ruth with high expectations. While this wasn't my favorite Gaskell novel, I did enjoy most of it. Ruth is different from Gaskell's other novels (but honestly all of them are different), and we follow a fallen woman and the consequences that ensue. I did not expect that this novel would be so religious. That being said, I really enjoyed the exploration of hypocrisy within the community and how some people do not practice what they preach and some do. There were some lovely characters in this book that were genuinely kind people and exemplify love thy neighbor. While it did have some parts that I thought were just fine, this novel was heartbreaking and redemptive. 

Another enjoyable read by Charlotte Mary Yonge! We meet the Mohun family in this novel, and they are a delight. Some of the characters' decisions earlier in the novel were painful to read about, but I adored how CMY used those decisions to write fantastic character arcs and development. Her love for the Oxford Movement shines through with her exploration of spirituality and morality. Her exploration of family and sibling relationships are phenomenal! 

I went into this novel with trepidation because I know it is so well loved and that there would be some hard content warnings. However, this was such an amazing fantasy novel! Marillier took the fairytale of the Six Swans and really made it her own. It is vivid, and the writing was lovely. Sorcha is a compelling, strong protagonist, and her journey throughout the novel is beautiful, heartbreaking, and hopeful. The romance was absolutely charming. There is a very graphic scene that was hard to read, so please look up trigger warnings, but I thought it was handled well. I love that each brother has their own personality, and I loved following all the characters in their adventures. Daughter of the Forest is a wonderful tale of family, heartbreak, and endurance, and I cannot recommend it enough! 

Never Whistle at Night is an Indigenous dark fiction anthology featuring twenty six stories written by Indigenous authors. I definitely had my favorites out of the bunch, but they were all good. These stories do touch on nightmare-inducing subjects, but the majority of them made me feel uncomfortable, disturbed, and unsettled, and they made me reflect on how they apply to the real world. This collection explores racism, tradition, culture, generational trauma, grief, folklore, family, and community. So many of these stories will stay with me. They are quite heavy, so taking my time with this collection worked best for me. Many of these authors were new to me, and I am excited to check out more of their work! 

I absolutely adored this conclusion to one of my favorite cozy mystery series. I loved the exploration into Everly's family curse. The setting of Charm, North Carolina and Everly's cafe were great. The characters were fantastic as always, and the mystery was fun! I love that Bree Baker got to end this series the way she wanted, and the ending was emotional and lovely! 

While I do enjoy the characters and setting of this series, it isn't my favorite. I wasn't very engaged, so I finished it via audiobook. One character had some great growth, but otherwise the characters were just fine. This was a fun but mid cozy for me.