ninaprime's reviews
2433 reviews

A cozy mystery plus Regency romance. The spinster protagonist is slightly naive, very headstrong, but generally clever and fun. I also enjoyed the side characters, particularly a young dog trainer, an imperious lady of the Ton, and an eager young urchin. The mystery gets surprisingly dark with a creepy main villain but is apt for the time. Both the worldbuilding and the cliffhanger ending (which did not surprise me) really set up the series well.

Battis created a very cool premise by modernizing Arthurian legends into a Toronto university campus but the execution was lacking for me. The world-building was muddled by bringing in other legends (Valkyries, fates) and never really giving a clear explanation for how the myth cycles worked, despite repeat attempts. The plot meandered, with the central mystery put on the backburner for quite awhile to focus on the romantic entanglements. There is great representation with autistic, trans, and queer protagonists but it was frustrating when Battis dropped exposition about their backstory into pivotal moments. For example, when one character starts reminiscing about exploring her cultural heritage with her dad during the confrontation with the big bad. I wanted to love this but couldn't.

Horrifying but essential book about the insidious grasp the KKK had over government and society in 1920s Indiana. The parallels to today are wildly unsettling, with the rise of hate groups like the Proud Boys, the pardoning of violent crimes, the fact that some people appear to be above the law and get away with sexual assault and grift. The KKK thrived because millions of white Protestant Americans were angry and fearful of immigrants and other minorities, believed in the words of charlatans, and wanted to join a meaningful community of the likeminded. 

Egan has managed to make this a propulsive narrative, even though it is lengthy. It is easy to read in one sense, but also difficult to hear about the more sadistic elements.  I never realized how widespread and almost commonplace the KKK was so Egan's book was a revelation regarding their reach and power. It took numerous people - newspaper editors, Catholic priests, resolute prosecutors, and of course women like Madge Oberholtzer - to finally get enact some justice on Grand Dragon D.C. Stephenson. But really it was also the KKK leaders' own greed and confidence in their superiority that caused them to overreach and people's eventual shame at being fooled (not necessarily because they became anti-racist) for the organization to fall apart. Despite some measure of closure and hope, it is probably too close to home for some people given the weight of everything happening now, which is really a reason both for and against reading it.

This is my second book by Mills. While she excels at writing cute banter and heartwarming friendships, I thought the characters were rather one-dimensional - sweet bubbly Flora, serious Dash, prone to outbursts Brit. Also, I wasn't as compelled by the romance between Sophie and August as I was by the one in 'Foolish Hearts'. She does include serious topics

like parental incarceration and sibling injury/death

but overall the story is a sweet, light read that makes me nostalgic for teenage summers full of possibility.