egkaetzel's reviews
191 reviews

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A letter to the luminous deep plays out entirely in letters, capturing an epistolary romance, a mysterious investigation, and an academic adventure into the oceans depths. It’s hard to characterize this book because while it certainly turns into a sci-fi/fantasy book and definitely centers a mystery, the first half of the book doesn’t include much of either. The result is a bit of an uneven pace as you read through the budding romance of two ocean-loving introverts before being thrust into the details of an amazing mystery involving secret societies, poetry, sci-fi crafts, and unexplained disappearances. All that to say while it takes a bit to get going, readers who stick with it will be rewarded with a fantastic mystery that leaves you itching to read the inevitable sequel. Bonus- great representation of someone with OCD, autism, or social anxiety in the main characters!

I received a copy of A Letter to the Luminous Deep as an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Orbit books

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

5.0

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Read this as an advanced readers copy- thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for this ARC.

Lucy Holland takes everything that made Sistersong good and dialed it up to 11. I liked Sistersong, I LOVED Song of the Huntress. Holland shows again her ability to weave believable/flawed/lovable characters into a story made of magic and history, all tied with beautiful prose. As a lover of epic fantasy, I love when a standalone novel can bring enough world building and character development to get me invested and then wrap up in a satisfying way. A captivating and moving story with well balanced political intrigue, mysterious magic, and heart wrenching romance. 

Themes/Highlights: strong females characters, sapphic love, non traditional relationships, welsh myth

The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Read. this. Book. (Really a novella) At 80ish pages this novella is a one sitting read that takes you on a breakneck ride, weaving west African lore with the cadence of a folktale. The best kind of fantasy where lies and truth and tangle together. I bet this would be AMAZING on audiobook! No notes, just read it. 

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

An Education in Malice, by ST Gibson

ARC review- advanced digital copy provided by Redhook Books

Set to release Feb 13

I feel like it’s important, especially with ARCs to distinguish between when a book is not for me and when I think it is just not well done. This is an example of a book where there are specific reasons it didn’t fit my usual style,  it I do think there are a lot of people who will really enjoy it. I did enjoy reading it though!

The book is described as a dark academic fantasy with a heavy romance element. It focuses on the relationships between two poetry students (female) and a poetry professor (female), and the blurred lines between desire, obsession, and rivalry.

Vibes: sapphic romance, enemies to lovers, academic rivals

The truth is this book is mostly a romantasy. It has more depth and plot elements than a lot of books in the genre, and is well written stylistically, but the focus is on the rivalry/romance and not on fleshing out the magical worlds/academic world. 

You will like this: if you’re looking for a book that’s romance focused with poetic prose and with a bit of delightful sapphic 🌶️ and dark academic vibes

You may not like this: if you’re looking for a mostly dark academia and fantasy book similar to Ninth House or Atlas Six, or something with a heavier mystery/cult element. Or if you want any poetry, despite all being poets this book basically uses that as window dressing

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexual content, Blood, and Murder

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

The book was cute a lighthearted, with a nice little mystery to drive the plot. I wished I could like the main character, Lucy, better , but I think there just wasn’t enough time for me to really invest in her story. Reads closer to middle grade /YA so if you expect that level it’s a fun time. 

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

4.5

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Did not finish book.