I went on vacation this month, and for some reason that meant I did almost no writing. Reviews included. I still want to catch up on reviewing at least some of the books I read last month as well as what I read this month, but admittedly, easing back into creative writing is higher priority. I don't know when those reviews will happen.
In the meantime, have a monthly wrap-up! And a picture of my little pink cat plush.
I really like this picture.
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
Expected Publication Date: January 16th, 2024
Read: October 1st - 2nd
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
This was a really enjoyable follow-up to the first Emily Wilde book, and I'm glad that there will also be a third installment. The reason I'm rating it a bit lower than Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is because I thought I had predicted a particular plot point, but I hadn't, and the story turned out slightly differently from the version I had already eagerly imagined. It was still good, but tragically I LIKE the version in my head, so it can't be a perfect 5 stars. But I really like this world and these characters, and I definitely recommend this series who hasn't already picked it up.
The Dress Diary by Kate Strasdin
Publication Date: June 6, 2023
Read: October 2nd - October 24nd
Rating: 4/5 stars
This is an interesting nonfiction history book centered around a clothing scrapbook created by a Victorian woman named Anne Sykes. Each chapter has its own theme or focus as regards to the 19th century, many of them focused on clothes and the textile industry because of the nature of the scrapbook. I particularly liked the chapters on lace and fancy dress parties. The chapters on England's presence in Singapore and piracy I found less interesting, mainly because of how they're presented - the author kind of has to try and keep relating things back to how Anne Sykes or other English people might have experienced them, and I just don't think that's the perspective I'm most interested in when it comes to learning about 19th century Singapore.
I think this is a good jumping off point for learning about Victorian England if you also have an interest in clothes and fashion history, which I do.
Once Upon a Tome by Oliver Darkshire
Publication Date: October 6th, 2023
Read: October 19th - 24th
Rating: 4/5 stars
I think this is the book I hoped If It Gets Quiet Later On, I Will Make a Display would be when I started reading it (and eventually DNFed). Once Upon a Tome is a quirky mosaic of moments and life lessons in the journey of an apprentice rare bookseller. It's only loosely chronological, and it doesn't have a super strong narrative throughline besides bookselling as a topic (hence why I call it a mosaic, not a memoir or a story) but if you are as charmed as I was by the writing, you will probably have a great time. I certainly had a great time reading it, even though the e-ARC I read had pretty terrible formatting.
The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller
Expected Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Read: October 24th - 25th
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
I had to read this book. No, really, I had to read this book. In February of last year, I read the first book set in this world, The Shadows Between Us, and I hated it so much that I wrote a several-thousand word review of it. I had to read this one.
The Darkness Within Us follows Chrysantha Stathos, older sister of Alessandra Stathos. She's become a dowager duchess and has everything she's ever wanted, but her victory isn't as sweet - or as assured - as she thought it would be. For one thing, Alessandra is writing a bunch of edicts to give women more freedoms (girlboss...too bad she probably still doesn't care about poor people), which makes Chrysantha's hard-won freedom seem less valuable, and for another thing, a guy turns up claiming to be the rightful heir to Chrysantha's dead husband's estate. Opposites-attract romance and some stupid plotting ensues.
I guess I should refrain from saying too much about the plot about this book since it's so far out from release, but I will say that the romance fell into a lot of tropes that I personally am not a fan of. Better writing probably could have gotten me more on board, but Tricia Levenseller doesn't do good writing. Or subtlety. She does girlboss feminism and women who think it's hot that men would commit murder for them.
This book is, I think, exactly as stupid as the first one. I read it faster, so I'm not as angry at it. But it's really dumb. I won't read another Tricia Levenseller unless she contrives a way to write a third book set in this world. If she does that, I will unfortunately be there and I will read the whole stupid thing.
Also, this book is apparently going to cost $25. That seems excessive for a YA book that's less than 350 pages, no? Maybe they're planning sprayed edges like they did for the re-release of Daughter of the Pirate King. I don't know.
Four Letter Word by Gretchen McNeil
Expected Publication Date: March 5th, 2024
Read: October 31st
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
I think the end of October marked a time in my life when I simply had to read the most ridiculous books I could get my grubby little hands on, because this book is ridiculous, and reading the synopsis entranced me immediately.
The premise of this book is that an Italian exchange student comes to live with a family in California for a couple months over the summer, and the main character starts to suspect that he's a serial killer. However, that's not just the premise. That is actually the plot. Like, the fact that this guy who's saying creepy things in a Mario accent might actually be a killer is...the twist? The prestige? I'm not kidding.
There are so many things that are dumb and stupid and funny about this book, but I'm probably going to have to save them for a longer review. Just know that at one point, someone says "You know what else is a four letter word? Ciao."
It's almost up there with the potato grave book.
As for what's next, I'm currently reading How to Be a Victorian and hoping to finish my WIP draft this month, so I'm not sure how much I'll be reading or when I'll finally sit down and catch up on reviews. Someday, hopefully.
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