stitchesandpages811's reviews
657 reviews

The Celestial Kingdom world has apparently become my go-to escape when off work for a few days due to illness as I have just flown through Immortal over two days between naps. 

Whether you’re familiar with this world or not (and you absolutely do not have to be – this book stands alone), Sue Lynn Tan’s beautiful writing draws you in. The descriptions are vivid and rich, fully immersing you in this world. 

The characters are fantastic. I loved Liyen our FMC – determined and strong, yet flawed and vulnerable. I truly felt every emotion with her – there was just something so real about her. Then we have Zhangwei, the God of War, our MMC. So much more than we see at the initial surface level. As much as he frustrated me at times, it was so nice to see the care he had for Liyen. And I truly loved seeing their relationship develop. Yes, there were miscommunications and frustrations but there was such a solid bon developed between the two. 

The book displays a brilliant combination of political intrigue and manoeuvring, fantastical elements and a well-crafted romantic plotline. There is truly something magical in Sue Lynn Tan’s writing and world-building, and I am so glad I picked this up. 

In this fifth book in the Finlay Donovan series, Finlay finds herself taking in her elderly neighbour, Mrs. Haggerty, after a body is discovered in her garden. Despite Finlay and her nanny-turned-partner-in-crime Vero not looking to get involved in another murder investigation, they have no choice when Finlay’s ex-husband Steven finds himself caught up in the investigation. 

I love this series, and this book is right up there as a favourite. It’s entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny but without being overly ridiculous, as some of the more recent books have been. It gave off similar vibes to the first book which first drew me in to the series, and it was great to get back to a slightly more traditional murder mystery. 

It was interesting to get more of Mrs. Haggerty’s background in this book and it definitely helped explain her actions in some of the earlier books. I also really enjoyed the chance to explore some of the other relationships in this book: while Javi had only a few small cameos in the book, his and Vero’s relationship raised some interesting questions, as did Finlay and Nick’s. After all, just how much can you progress a relationship when you can’t let someone fully in? I’m excited to see what’s next for the couple after some of the revelations in this book. 

Finally, that ending! Elle Cosimano is a master of the cliffhanger and I’ll be on tenterhooks waiting for the next book. While you can read this as a standalone, I recommend reading the whole series to get the full experience, particularly as it’s looking like we will be pulling together some longstanding threads in the next. 

Another great outing for Finlay and Vero which I flew through in one sitting. These really are compelling and entertaining reads. I can’t wait to see what comes next! 

With thanks to Headline and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review ahead of publication. 

I struggled a bit with this. I found Selena incredibly frustrating as a character. She spent so long complaining that no one liked her that I got fed up of it. And of course, it was only with Draven, our MMC, that she could really fight back and be herself. 

Despite the difficulties I had with Selena, I did find this incredibly compelling and every time I put it down, I’d pick it straight back up for ‘just one more chapter’. That and the unexpected plot twist at the end definitely saved this for me. I’ll be picking up the sequel and hoping Selena truly starts to shine for me. 

Firstly, thank you to my work book group for finally encouraging me to read this! This is the third R.F. Kuang book I’ve read now and I have to say, while I have enjoyed elements of each, I do think I am going to have to accept that they just aren’t quite right for me. 

The Poppy War is divided into three parts. It follows Rin, a war orphan who is determined to enter Sinegard, the most elite military school in Nikan. The first part very much follows Rin’s journey to the school and first year there. I really enjoyed this part. I’ve read a lot of books which are essentially set in war colleges over the last few years, so the overall setting didn’t feel that original but it was done well and I had a good time. I likes the different masters and routes students could follow – it was interesting to understand these different areas of study, although I have to say that aspects of what Rin was learning did go over my head and I never really lost this feeling (more on this later). I liked that within this, Rin kind of demonstrated a ‘you don’t have to do all things in the same way to succeed’ mentality and I appreciated seeing someone who wasn’t just trained to be the perfect follower soldier. 

Moving into part 2, it felt like I was reading a completely different book. I was immediately thrown off my stride with a change in character, time and setting and I really found myself struggling to get into this section. It was very clear that a LOT had happened in the couple of years covered in a couple of blank pages. These feelings did dissipate but, I’d already had issues with Rin as a character previously, and I really found these growing as the story continued (more on this later too). 

Part 3 is where I would say the worst of the violence is features, so I really do recommend being aware of this going in. There are some quite graphic descriptions of violence which the author does not shy away from. I think their inclusion is to be commended given the atrocities it’s based on but well worth knowing going into it. I have to also say that R.F. Kuang delivers a cracking ending. The first part and the events of the ending were by far my favourite parts of the book (although they felt like two different books). With the ending specifically, I was engrossed, turning the pages without even realising in my haste to find out what would happen. 

Of the three R.F. Kuang books I’ve read, I do think this is my favourite but two things really stopped me from loving this: 

Never say never as I’m really pleased I gave this a go, but I’m happy to put this series down for now. 

Disclaimer that my ratings are based on feeling so while I do have some criticisms of the book, the enjoyment I had reading meant this was a solid 5-star read for me. 

The book’s only been out a week and as book 3 in the series, it’s getting harder and harder to review these without accidentally including spoilers so, a few quick highlights of things I loved: 

I think the ending was well done. I definitely saw some of it coming but not in this exact way. Given there will be a bit of a break before the fourth book, I think this has left off at a good point and I’m excited to see what comes next.

Another roaring success for me in a book of this type. It was pacy, engaging and kept me guessing throughout. I did not see the ending coming and I have to say I do like that it leaves it open to other possibilities than just final narrative. I also really liked the podcast elements – both in how the episodes were included within the book, and in how the development of the podcast impacted the path the story took. A great mystery/’light’ thriller that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend for fans of these kind of books. 

I really enjoyed this and am so glad I finally picked it up (*cough* listened to the audiobook despite the paperback being on my shelf for literally years at this point *cough*). 

In this novel we follow Violet, one of the ‘surplus women after WW1’. I was intrigued with the differences between the way Violet was treated in the novel and some of the norms of today – I got a real sense of how things have changed for women in the intervening years, while still spotting some parallels, and I was really interested in her story (and those of women like her). 

I found myself rooting for Violet, cheering the moments when she really questioned the expectations she was raised with. I also really appreciated that it didn’t have the easy and traditionally satisfying ending I might have expected but instead one that was a bit more open ended and really made me think. 

Having really enjoyed both this and Girl with a Pearl Earring, I am excited to delve into more of Tracy Chevalier’s works. 

With thanks to Avon Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this as an EARC ahead of publication. 

In the fourth instalment of this series, retired schoolteachers and amateur sleuths Liz, Pat and Thelma are called in by an old colleague to investigate the death of her ex-husband. Neville Hilton, former Ofsted inspector and employee of the Lodestone Multi-academy Trust, dies tragically of a heart attack, but no crime was committed. At least according to the police. Unconvinced, and certain his new wife had something to do with it, Neville’s ex-wife asks Liz, Pat and Thelma to investigate and the trio soon find themselves caught up in more than they bargained for. 

It was so nice to be back with Liz, Pat and Thelma in J.M. Hall’s latest book. In this addition to the series we find ourselves back to its roots – investigating a mystery quite closely related to education. I have to say, I do think this is where the series shines – J.M. Hall’s background in education is woven throughout and it feels like a very realistic portrayal. I always feel a sense of nostalgia while reading/listening to these books, remembering the conversations I overheard growing up when my mum worked at our primary school. Particularly in this book we are privy to the stressor that is the Ofsted inspection and I felt the author did a commendable job of offering different views on how teachers, and schools more generally, can find themselves affected by both the anticipation and outcome of these inspections. 

As always, the relationship between Liz, Pat and Thelma was a real highlight, and I found myself feeling like a fourth member of their group. The warmth of their friendship really comes through in their interactions and I love how they work so well together – both when they are physically together and the ways in which they play to their strengths when apart for the good of the group’s investigations. I will say that their characters and friendship have developed throughout the series so while I do think this could be read as a first introduction to the series, I would also absolutely recommend checking out the earlier books. 

This book asks a lot of questions about ‘what is a crime?’ and the power someone’s words can have over you. It’s certainly a book I’ll be thinking about a lot going forward, and the power our words can have. Overall, another fantastic outing with Liz, Pat and Thelma, and I’m excited to see what comes next. 

[Please note this is a review of a second book in series and as such, may include information that could be considered a spoiler for book 1.]

With thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this as an ARC ahead of publication. 

Where do I even begin with this review? I’ve just flown through this in a few hours and I can honest say I loved it just as much as the first. Brigid Kemmerer has firmly cemented herself as a favourite author and this as a favourite series. 

In this second instalment of the Forging Silver into Stars trilogy, we are once again following Tycho, Jax and Callyn, although their lives have changed quite dramatically. The King’s Courier, Tycho, having struck a dangerous bargain finds himself beholden to the magical scrivener who saved King Grey’s life. Meanwhile Jax travels to Emberfall and finds life very different away from his small town, and Callyn finds herself in the Syhl Shallow court at the Queen’s side, a place she never expected to find herself. Apart from each other, Tycho, Jax and Callyn must navigate a tense political situation before the situation turns dire. 

We pick up in this instalment pretty much immediately where the first book finishes. While the action continues, this does have a slower pace, allowing us more time to spend with the characters as individuals. This continues throughout – while we remain in suspense as the political tension continues to build, we really get to know our characters at a deeper level. 

As in Forging, we spend time with each of our three main characters, which is important as actually they spend little time with each other. We see Jax flourish now he’s out from under his father’s thumb despite the initially tense situation he finds himself in, we see Callyn navigating the royal court and a relationship the royal family – massively unexpected considering her previous feelings on them – and we see Tycho, split between his loyalties, really start to find himself. I do think that we again spend less time with Callyn which was frustrating as times as I think her perspective is an important one, both to the stories as a whole and the events of this particular book as she offers a different perspective on magic due to her own experiences of it, and an important voice for Queen Lia Mara and Syhl Shallow in this book where Emberfall, Grey and Rhen much more prevalent in Jax and Tycho’s narratives. Each character’s storyline was engaging and I found myself torn between excited to move on to the next and sad that I had to leave someone I was enjoying spending time with each time the POV switched. 

I found the relationships one of the most interesting aspects of the book. Not just those with each other, but those around them as well. I loved the development of the relationship between Callyn, Lia Mara, Nora and Sinna, intrigued by her treatment by Grey and really unsure on my feelings about her interactions with Alek. For Jax, I truly felt for him in his initial dealing with the residents of Emberfall, and then so proud to see how he grew in confidence and friendships with others. Tycho’s relationships both with those around him and with himself remained at the forefront of the book. We get to see him grow and find friendships outside of the narrow circle he has, particularly important as the tension between him and Grey ramps up throughout the book. 

Despite the slightly slower pace, Brigid Kemmerer masterfully moves the plot along, both through the character development mentioned but also with moments of high action and intensity, particularly with the ‘threat’ of magic, and the scravers which are prevalent in this book. I went through a whole range of emotions alongside the characters while reading and it was virtually impossible to put the book down. A solid second book that in no way suffers from middle-book syndrome for me, I cannot wait to see what comes next for these characters. 

First read: July 2022 
Reread: January 2025 

This book has firmly established itself as one of my all-time favourites. 

I should probably preface this review by flagging that it’s a spin-off to Brigid Kemmerer’s Cursebreakers series. I have not actually read the Cursebreakers series as the first time I picked this up, I didn’t realise they were related. I do suspect that there are some things I missed having not read those first, but honestly, there was nothing obvious beyond not knowing the full detail of past events that were mentioned. I think Brigid Kemmerer does such a fantastic job of setting up this book and world that this can work as a standalone series. 

We are thrown straight into the action from the first page and I was hooked from that moment on. Despite being a longer book, it’s pacy and not one of the 540+ pages felt like a slog to get through. The plot was engaging and I was thoroughly invested, cheering characters on at certain points and muttering about them at others. 

The book is multi-POV, told from the perspective of three characters: Tycho, the King’s Courier, Jax, a blacksmith in a smaller border town, and Callyn, a baker and Jax’s best friend from the same town. Jax and Callyn find themselves caught up in something much bigger than them, arousing Tycho’s interest as he delivers messages between Emberfall and Syhl Shallow. I really enjoyed this multi-POV approach as it allowed us to really understand each character and their motivations. It did feel like we heard slightly less from Callyn’s perspective and I wonder if this is why, of the three, I found her the most frustrating and probably least likeable (I ADORED Jax and Tycho) but actually Callyn had by far the biggest development arc and I’m excited to see what comes next for her. 

There is also a multi-romance sub-plot (although not a love triangle as the three POVs might suggest) and a lot of sub-plots relating to friendships and relationships, including those between Callyn and Jax, and Tycho, King Grey and Prince Rhen. The ups and downs of these relationships were masterfully weaved into our main plot which focuses on the perceived threat of magic to the kingdom of Syhl Shallow. All of our characters are bound up with past events in some way and it was so interesting to see how events and attitudes are shaped (and misshapen), influenced and twisted by manipulation, fear and ignorance (and how this affects the relationships our characters have with each other). 

I’ve had the best time re-reading this ahead of book 2 releasing. This was a fun fantasy with disability and queer rep and I really do see myself returning to this time and time again.