Books | Review: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Name: The Spellshop

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Publisher: Tor

Date published: July 2024

Genre: Fiction, adult, romance, fantasy, cosy

Pages: 376

Rating: 5/5

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.
She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, she and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. She’s hoping to lay low and figure out a way to survive before the revolution comes looking for her. To her dismay, in addition to a nosy - and very handsome - neighbor, she finds the town in disarray.
The empire with its magic spellbooks has slowly been draining power from the island, something that Kiela is indirectly responsible for, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right. Opening up a spell shop comes with its own risks - the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the quirky townspeople, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must break down the walls she has kept so high.

- Goodreads.

This was a truly delightful and heartwarming story. It made me so happy to read and I read it so quickly as I did not want to put it down.

The world was so magical and full of all sorts of different creatures, it made the story a lot of fun to read.

The characters were so loveable and I loved that Kiela really found a family amongst them on the island. The fact that she had a talking spider plant as a companion was just brilliant and made for a lot of funny moments.

The romance was just perfect. The love interest was so lovely and sweet and I loved how much he respected and admired Kiela. The two of them had a few awkward moments but I loved that they always tried to help and understand each other and respected each others' boundaries.

Kiela was a wonderful main character and I really enjoyed the journey she went on throughout the story. She was an introvert and found dealing with people difficult, which was understandable after being alone for so long as she had been, and it was lovely to see her finding friends and a group of people who understood her and watched out for her. 

It was such a cute book, definitely a very well done cosy fantasy, and I will be looking forward to any further books from Sarah Beth Durst that are like this.

Books | Review: The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

Name: The Hurricane Wars (The Hurricane Wars #1)

Author: Thea Guanzon 

Publisher: HarperVoyager

Date published: October 2023

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance

Pages: 472

Rating: 3/5

All Talasyn has ever known are the Hurricane Wars. An orphan of the struggle, she uses the power of light to fight for her people against the Night Empire.
All Alaric has ever known is darkness. The son of the Night Emperor and their deadliest weapon, he wields terrifying shadow magic to crush the rebellion.
Then he sees Talasyn, his sworn enemy burning bright across the battlefield. The moment they clash their lives are changed forever.
Now a greater threat is rising and only they can stop it.
The coming storm threatens to destroy everything. If they don’t destroy each other first...

- Goodreads.

There was a lot of exposition and explanation of the world and storyline at the beginning of the book that did make it slower to get through, and although it did get better once we got into the flow of the story, I did find that in general there was a lot more telling than showing and it could have been balanced better. There was also the problem that when there were action scenes or other complicated descriptions of what was happening, it was sometimes hard to picture or understand so sometimes it could be confusing.

However, there were some good descriptions and I thought the setting and the world were all very creative and interesting to learn about. The way the magic worked and the ships that were used in the war were very inventive concepts.

Even though I did think the exposition could have been done better, the plot was still interesting to follow and I was always curious to find out what would happen next, and I am definitely curious enough to read the next book.

I did like the characters and mostly understood them, but did find them frustrating sometimes. I think especially with the main character Talasyn, her actions did not always make sense to me.

While this book definitely had its flaws, it was still an interesting story with a lot of potential and I can imagine the sequel will be quite exciting.

BOOKS | Review: Blood Solace by Vela Roth

Name: Blood Solace (Blood Grace series #2)

Author: Vela Roth

Publisher: Five Thorns Press

Date published: February 2022

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance

Pages: 614

Rating: 4/5

Lio is out of time. He must reunite with Cassia, his beloved Grace, before his Craving for her blood becomes fatal to him. But the Queens of the Hesperines have closed the border between Orthros and Tenebra with their magic, and he and Cassia are trapped on opposites sides. He must make his own way back to her. He, Orthros’s youngest ambassador, must move his fellow immortal Hesperines from their ancient, unchanging course.
Cassia has made herself the King of Tenebra’s worst enemy. Her father has no idea it is she who secretly sabotages his every attempt at alliance with the Mage Orders of Cordium. But the king and the mages will stop at nothing to make war upon the Hesperines, and Cassia’s own clandestine war can only secure peace for Lio’s people for so long. To truly protect the Hesperine she loves and his kind, she is prepared to take matters into her own hands as never before and make the greatest sacrifice of all.
When a new threat from Cordium descends upon Tenebra, Lio knows Cassia’s life is in as much danger as his own. Can they work together once more across the distance between them? Can they resurrect their broken partnership, which once proved both their peoples’ salvation? And if they rescue Orthros and Tenebra, can they still rescue each other? 

- Goodreads.

This was a great follow up to the first book, it expanded the world more and it was interesting to learn more about the Hesperines' home and what life was like there. I think the world building was as excellent as the first book, there are so many details and the history behind it all is written with such depth. It felt like a real world and I am looking forward to finding out more about it in the future books.

It was wonderful to see more of Lio and Cassia's development, they are lovely characters to follow and see grow, and I liked to see how they handled things apart and then together and it will be great to see their relationship develop over the rest of the series.

The only problem I had with the book was the pacing, I still enjoyed the story a lot, but it felt more like a build up to future books, rather than a complete story arc that stood on its own. Plenty of things happened in the book but it seemed like a lot more happened at the beginning than at the end so I felt like I was expecting more to happen. I definitely was not bored but it was surprising. The first book was also longer than this one, so I wouldn't have minded if this one had been longer to allow for more of a climax at the end.

Apart from that, I really enjoyed this book and how it continued the story from the first one. It's just really enjoyable to follow these characters and their interactions and see what choices they will make as they are all fascinating and well rounded people. I'm really curious to see what happens in the next books and how all the different threads are resolved.

BOOKS | Most Anticipated New Books of 2025

 There are quite a few books I am excited to read that are releasing this year, here are the ten that I am most looking forward to!

1. Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

Expected publication 11th February 2025

Emily Wilde #3

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project studying the inner workings of a faerie realm - as its queen.
Along with her former academic rival - now fiancé - the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell's long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare, filled with scholarly treasures.
Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal world - how could an unassuming scholar like herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in - Wendell's murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell's magic - and Emily's knowledge of stories - to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

- Goodreads.

I absolutely adored the first two books in this series, so I am excited to see what happens next for Emily and Wendell!

2. The Geographer's Map to Romance by India Holton

Expected publication 8th April 2025

Love's Academic #2

Professor Elodie Tarrant is an expert in magic disasters. Nothing fazes her - except her own personal disaster, that is: Professor Gabriel Tarrant, the grumpy, unfriendly man she married for convenience a year ago, whom she secretly loves.
Gabriel is also an expert in magic disasters. And nothing fazes him either - except the walking, talking tornado that is his wife. They've been estranged since shortly after their wedding day, but that hasn't stopped him from stoically pining for her.
When magic erupts in a small Welsh village, threatening catastrophe for the rest of England, Elodie and Gabriel are accidentally both assigned to the case. With the fate of the country in their hands, they must come together as a team in the face of perilous conditions like explosions, domesticated goats, and only one bed. But this is easier said than done. After all, there's no navigational guide for the geography of the heart. 

- Goodreads.

The first book in this series was so much fun, I can't wait to read more of the world and be introduced to this new couple!

3. The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

Expected publication 15th July 2025

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story... Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes - at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to - the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing - causing the death of everything within them - Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island - and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

- Goodreads.

This is set in the same world as The Spellshop which I really loved last year and thought was so adorable, and I'm curious to see what happens with the main character of this story and to see more of the world!

4. A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Expected publication 15th July 2025

Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps her aunt run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests' shenanigans, tries to keep said talking fox in check, and longs for the future that seems lost to her. But then she finds out about an old spell that could hold the key to restoring her power...
Enter Luke Larsen, handsome and icy magical historian, who arrives on a dark winter evening and might just know how to unlock the spell’s secrets. Luke has absolutely no interest in getting involved in the madcap goings-on of the inn and is definitely not about to let a certain bewitching innkeeper past his walls, so no one is more surprised than he is when he agrees to help Sera with her spell. Worse, he might actually be thawing.
Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera Swan is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone... and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.

- Goodreads.

 This was actually on last year's list of anticipated books but it got pushed back to this year, so I've been looking forward to this one for a while! The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches was a wonderful book from this author so I'll be happy to read to another cosy romance from her.

5. The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison

Expected publication 11th March 2025 

The Chronicles of Osreth #4, The Cemeteries of Amalo #3

Thara Celehar has lost his ability to speak with the dead. When that title of Witness for the Dead is gone, what defines him?
While his title may be gone, his duties are not. Celehar contends with a municipal cemetery with fifty years of secrets, the damage of a revethavar he’s terrified to remember, and a group of miners who are more than willing to trade Celehar’s life for a chance at what they feel they’re owed.
Celehar does not have to face these impossible tasks alone. Joining him are his mentee Velhiro Tomasaran, still finding her footing with the investigative nature of their job; Iäna Pel-Thenhior, his beloved opera director friend and avid supporter; and the valiant guard captain Hanu Olgarezh.
Amidst the backdrop of a murder and a brewing political uprising, Celehar must seek justice for those who cannot find it themselves under a tense political system. The repercussions of his quest are never as simple they seem, and Celehar’s own life and happiness hang in the balance.

- Goodreads.

I've really enjoyed every book in this series so far so I'm sure this will be another great one, although I do miss Maia from The Goblin Emperor and hope we get to return to his story at some point, getting to know Celehar more in these books has been really interesting and I'm excited to see how his journey continues.

6. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

Expected publication 10 June 2025

Santo Domingo de la Calzada, 1532.
London, 1837.
Boston, 2019.
Three young women, their bodies planted in the same soil, their stories tangling like roots.
One grows high, and one grows deep, and one grows wild.
And all of them grow teeth.

- Goodreads.

I always enjoy V.E. Schwab's books and this one definitely has an intriguing concept so I'll be curious to see what it's like!

7. Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon

Expected publication 16th September 2025

Roots of Chaos #0.5 

It has been centuries since the Draconic Army took wing, almost extinguishing humankind.
Marosa Vetalda is a prisoner in her own home, controlled by her cold father, King Sigoso. Over the mountains, her betrothed, Aubrecht Lievelyn, rules Mentendon in all but name. Together, they intend to usher in a better world.
A better world seems impossibly distant to Estina Melaugo, who hunts the Draconic beasts that have slept across the world for centuries.
And now the great wyrm Fýredel is stirring, and Yscalin will be the first to fall...

- Goodreads.

I was really impressed with The Priory of the Orange Tree when I read it, it had such detailed world building and a brilliant plot, so I was excited to find out that after A Day of Fallen Night we have another prequel to learn more about the world!

8. The Dark Mirror by Samantha Shannon

Expected publication 25 February 2025

The Bone Season #5

Paige Mahoney is outside the Republic of Scion for the first time in more than a decade - but she has no idea how she got to the free world. Half a year has been wiped from her memory.
As she makes her way back to the revolution, her journey takes her to Venice, where she learns a dangerous secret - one that could change the face of the war between humans and immortals. Before she can return to London, she must help the Domino Programme unravel the sinister Operation Ventriloquist.
And it soon becomes clear that the one person who could recover her memories - Arcturus Mesarthim - might also hold the key to saving Italy.

- Goodreads.

Each book in this series so far has been pretty thrilling and I have so many questions about what's going to happen in this next book, so we'll see what answers we get in this book and what new questions it creates!

9. Lore Olympus: Volume 8 by Rachel Smythe

Expected publication 6th May 2025

Lore Olympus #8

Revelations rock Olympus as Persephone’s trial ends, threatening to throw the gods into a new war.
Though Persephone and Hades become closer than ever after she opens up to him about all she has endured, their peace is shattered when another truth is revealed: Apollo is Zeus’s son. The announcement shocks the pantheon, and the king of the gods realizes that the would-be usurper wants Persephone’s power to take the throne.
Zeus banishes Persephone to the Mortal Realm and, out of fear, cuts it off entirely from the rest of the gods. This decree succeeds in undercutting Apollo’s plan, but also inadvertently begins a decade-long divine cold war when Hades strikes back by shuttering the Underworld. With the gods scattered and weakened, Kronos uses the ensuing bedlam to finally escape his imprisonment and begin staging his own coup.
Persephone has only one choice when she discovers all the realms on the verge of collapse: Descend into the Underworld to try to defeat the power-hungry Titan, claim her rightful place as queen, and reunite with her one true love.

- Goodreads.

Each volume of this comic has been so much fun to read, I'm excited to get this next one and see more of the beautiful art and find out what happens next for Hades and Persephone!

10. The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

Expected publication 10th May 2025

The Stonewater Kingdom #1

Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum's windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.
Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil's visions. But when Sybil's fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral's cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she'd rather avoid Rodrick's dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.

- Goodreads.

I haven't read anything by Rachel Gillig yet, but this summary definitely sounds like something I'd enjoy, and I'm curious to see what it will be like!

Those are the ten books I'm anticipating the most that are releasing this year, comment below if you're excited about any of these too, or if you have different books you're looking forward to!

BOOKS | Review: Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald

Name: Girl, Goddess, Queen

Author: Bea Fitzgerald

Publisher: Penguin Books

Date published: July 2023

Genre: Fiction, young adult, romance, fantasy, mythology, Greek mythology, retellings

Pages: 474

Rating: 2/5

Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying.
The real story is much more interesting.
Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her.
Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core.
But consequences can be deadly, especially when you're already in hell...

- From Goodreads.

I think I liked some of the ideas in this book and it had some fun moments, I liked some of the humour, but overall the story was not for me.

I think I struggled with the writing style. A lot of things were told to us instead of shown, and a lot of moments felt like they could have used more subtlety. The way the characters talked was also a little too modern and casual for me, sometimes it is fun when things are anachronistic but I think in this case it was too much for me and it pulled me out of the story too much and I could not take it seriously enough.

I also struggled with understanding the character motivations and feelings sometimes. It felt like Persephone was made to be a little too oblivious and assumed too much and could sometimes be pretty hypocritical even when that was not the intention of the author, it could be frustrating to read.

It also felt like Hades sometimes had to be made lesser for Persephone to be great. I think the intention was there to show that Persephone was powerful and his equal, but it often came across like he was the weaker one to show how great she was. I love to see a character discovering their power and freedom, but I do not think I enjoyed how it was executed in this case.

Overall, the story had a lot of potential and a few good moments, but it did not work for me unfortuately. I can see other people liking it if they enjoy the writing style, so it may still be worth giving it a try if you think you could like it.

BOOKS | Review: The Thorns Remain by J.J.A. Harwood

Name: The Thorns Remain

Author: J.J.A. Harwood

Publisher: Magpie Books

Date published: February 2023

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, historical

Pages: 410

Rating: 3/5

A dance with the fae will change everything
1919. In a highland village forgotten by the world, harvest season is over and the young who remain after war and flu have ravaged the village will soon head south to make something of themselves.
Moira Jean and her friends head to the forest for a last night of laughter before parting ways. Moira Jean is being left behind. She had plans to leave once but her lover died in France and with him, her future. The friends light a fire, sing and dance. But with every twirl about the flames, strange new dancers thread between them, music streaming from the trees.
The fae are here.
Suddenly Moira Jean finds herself all alone, her friends spirited away. The iron medal of her lost love, pinned to her dress, protected her from magic.
For the Fae feel forgotten too. Lead by the darkly handsome Lord of the Fae, they are out to make themselves known once more. Moira Jean must enter into a bargain with the Lord to save her friends - and fast, for the longer one spends with the Fae, the less like themselves they are upon return. If Moira Jean cannot save her friends before Beltine, they will be lost forever...

- From Goodreads.

This book had a great use of folk tales and mythology and it was fascinating to learn about all the different creatures included in the story and to see what the faerie realm looked like. The atmosphere was created very well and you could really feel the fear and tension build throughout the story. I was definitely kept in suspense and was hooked until the end to find out what was going to happen.

The characters were all interesting and distinctive, I think the Lord Under the Hill was especially well written and really felt like he was not human and saw the world differently.

Unfortunately I did not end up feeling completely satisfied by how some of the plot threads wrapped up, not that it was a bad ending, and it was fun to read, but it did not feel like quite the right ending from the way the story had been building up, and some parts never felt fully explained.

Overall while I did not completely love it, I still think that there was a lot of good to it and I could see why other people might enjoy it more than I did. I think it is definitely worth a try if you enjoy stories using folklore and stories about fae.

BOOKS | Review: Blood Mercy by Vela Roth

Name: Blood Mercy (Blood Grace series #1)

Author: Vela Roth

Publisher: Five Thorns Press

Date published: January 2022

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance

Pages: 648

Rating: 4/5

 

When Cassia seeks out a Hesperine, he could end her mortal life in a heartbeat. But she has no fear of his magic or his fangs. She knows the real monster is the human king, her father. If he finds out she’s bargaining with his enemy, he’ll send her to the executioner.
As a Hesperine diplomat, Lio must negotiate with mortals who hate him. Cassia is different, but politics aren't why she captivates the gentle immortal. He wants more than her blood, and if he can’t resist the temptation, he’ll provoke the war he's trying to prevent.

- From Goodreads.

This was a really fascinating story with a very detailed world and a lot of interesting characters. This is definitely a book for anyone who is a fan of a slowly paced story that carefully builds up a mystery of interweaving plot lines. It was exciting to unravel the mystery and see all the plot twists revealed. The only downside to the way the mystery slowly became revealed was that sometimes we were left a little too much in the dark and could have used a little more context to understand what was happening, or sometimes there were scenes we were told about that had happened off-page that would have made the story easier to follow if they were on-page. But mostly it was a great plot to follow and I was excited to see it through to the end and find out what happened.

I loved the way Lio and Cassia's romance was built slowly over a lot of deep and thoughtful conversations, it was lovely to see how their bond grew and how they came to understand and trust each other and it was very believable that they felt such love and attraction to each other. It was also lovely to see how they comforted each other and helped each other grow and gain confidence in themselves. Lio really helped Cassia to believe in herself and it was wonderful to see her develop over the course of the book, how she came to realise she was not alone in the palace and that she had friends and allies there too and she did not just have to survive, she could live and find her own power and start to change things.

I will definitely be reading the next book to find out how their story continues, this book left off at an exciting place and I am curious to see how all the threads resolve.