jessicamusch's reviews
159 reviews

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

adventurous challenging funny mysterious 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? Yes

3.0

Joyce, Elizabeth, Ron and Ibrahim don’t have much in common. Except that they live in a peaceful retirement village and have an interest in investigating unsolved murders. When a murder happens right on their doorstep they band together and work to catch the killer.

I’ve realised that perhaps crime fiction isn’t my genre. I wanted to love this so badly but I found it hard to follow and that I wasn’t that interested in the who done it, and more interested in the relationships between the main characters.

The writing was gorgeous, written in part in the form of diaries.

The Big A.S.S. Party by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

“Our flesh may ache for this, our foolish hearts may want it too, but you and I… were like sharks passing in the sea, only I hunger for the scent of dolphin blood in the water while your snout wants to taste turtle.“

Yes, Geraldine thinks the same way as she speaks.

In the main series, Max is the most emotionally intelligent of the heirs, but in this novella that doesn’t come through. Perhaps when he thinks of Geraldine and his own love life he doesn’t know how to act! If he just showed more kindness to the Vega twins, Geraldine would be his. But he can’t seem to work that out.

Cursed Fates by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The ending with Diego dead and Tory bound to Lionel was a lot. 

Gabriel being the long lost brother feels too convenient.

Darcy and the Heirs uniting to go against Lionel!!! 

And tbh Lance Orion got what was coming to him, I don’t feel bad at all. 

If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin

dark sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I didn’t expect to like this so much! 
The book captures young love and teenage thoughts very authentically. The pressure Autumn feels to have sex with her boyfriend and all her thoughts feel very teenage and relatable. 

The ending let this down - once what happened in the car crash comes out, the aftermath is too brief. It would have been better to spend longer here.

Shadow Princess by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

adventurous dark tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

“Darius Acrux had set out to break me from the first moment he’d ever laid eyes on me. And he’d finally gotten his wish.”

“there is more to the world than power, no matter what society teaches us.”

I can now see why people say you’re in for a ride with Zodiac Academy. This book was a lot. 

When I first started the Zodiac Academy series, I thought ‘this is dumb’, but was peer pressured to persevere. 4 books in and I can say I still think it is a bit dumb, but I’m obsessed with it. Yes, the writing is often crass but the characters are complex and there is now a very tangled web of storylines converging.

Quick thoughts:

• Geraldine and Max!!! Still into this pairing!
• The blossoming friendship between Tory and Orion is sweet 
• I am almost more interested in how the other characters will react to the main characters love (or not so much ..) stories
• Seth and Caleb!!!
• The way the boys POV chapters are written doesn’t feel out of character with their actions. They think in the same way as the girls
• “I mean seriously, a fucking teacher Darcy?”
• When Seth says babe 🤮
• Tory “Making bad choices and owning them”
• The triple D: Darius’s Dragon Dick
• Very excited to see where rejecting the fate mates bond takes the narrative - I’ve never seen this explored in other books, so this is very refreshing and unpredictable! 

River God by Wilbur Smith

adventurous dark informative medium-paced

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

3.0

An Ancient Egyptian saga, told from the lens of our hero Taita, the slave of a rich and powerful lord and sworn to care for Lostris, the masters’s daughter. When Lostris is married off to the old Pharaoh, Taita follows her into a high stakes world of deception and treachery. 

I don’t think this book was meant for me - it likely resonates better with a male audience. 

It irritated me to no end that our hero Taita is good at literally everything - medicine man, horse groomer, spy, architect, engineer, matchmaker, seer - he can do it all. Taita would feel more three dimensional if he had some limitations, but he doesn’t. 

I did like the telling of then very sad origin story of our hero. Although the telling of castration and murder was extremely graphic, it fit the time. I also liked the backdrop of ancient Egypt and the way that historical facts and practices are woven into the narrative. 

The Reckoning by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

adventurous mysterious 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? No

4.0

“Because that’s what I do,” he said slowly. ”I watch you and hunger for you and ache for you. It torments me like I torment you.”

In book 3 of the Zodiac Academy series, Tory and Darcy must pass the Reckoning to become fully fledged student of Zodiac Academy. But first, they must endure Hell Week where all of their seniors play pranks and bully them to no end, and pass trials in Fire, Water, Earth and Air magic. 

The series really starts to get going here, with many subplots emerging. With Hell Week, the Trials, the Reckoning and then the Lunar Eclipse, there is a lot going on. 

Some quick thoughts:

• I am extremely here for Geraldine and Max
• Finding out that Caleb and Seth hooked up
• Tension amongst the Heirs, particularly Caleb and Darius, feels realistic. I hope this develops more.
• I cringe every time Caleb says ‘sweetheart’
• Exploring more of the bond between Darius and Orion is 
• Diego has gotta be evil and that is interesting! I didn’t see that coming in the first 2 books
• I spent the whole book waiting for Lionel to do something and when he does Darius dares to slightly defy him… I’m sure it didn’t go unnoticed. 
• I spent the whole book saying to myself ‘no way that’s her teacher’. So yes this book is problematic. 
• “In Solaria blue means royal. And to me, blue means you.” Swoon

Almond by Won-pyung Sohn

challenging dark inspiring sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The tragic tale of Yunjae (Almond), a boy with Alexithymia, the inability to identify and express emotions. When Almond’s mother and grandmother are shockingly attacked, Almond’s life changes forever. 

This is an excellent read. Fast paced, full of heart and the universal experience of youth. Although this is a sad story, hope is the shining key theme. 

The narrative voice of Almond, detached and slightly dejected, is juxtaposed with the extreme expressions of emotions by other characters, in particular his friend Gon. This is extremely effective in drawing out the subtle character development over the course of the book. 

The translation is excellent. The translator has taken liberties to make phrases feel natural to an English speaking audience. 

I find the portals of Korean society to be quite realistic, but query whether a western audience would find some aspects of the story relatable. For example, when Almond sees a middle schooler viciously beaten and runs to tell a local shopkeeper, the shopkeeper doesn’t have a strong reaction. Later, when the shopkeeper finds out the identity of the middle schooler, he blames Almond for not conveying the urgency of the situation. While I think the behaviour of the shopkeeper is certainly not common in Korea and is an extreme example, as a “mind your own business” mindset is strong in Korean society, I found this character compelling.

I feel like this is a book I will revisit again and again. 

"If you close your eyes first, you lose. I always won these kinds of games. Other people struggled to keep their eyes open, when I just didn't know how to close my eyes in the first place."

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Violence

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

I remind myself that Warner is a liar. A crazed lunatic. A psychotic murderer. He would never try to help me. 

I think. 

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. Juliette must escape. 

Youth dystopia is back baby! The cover art is cringeworthy but the book is quite good. I also enjoyed the writing style as it made for a quick read. 

I particularly liked that none of the characters true motivations are clear, and I get the sense that it will take some time in the series for this to come out. Makes for an exciting read!

The love interest in this book is cringe worthy. Adam is love bombing way too much. And Juliette falls for it to easily. I have a strong feeling his motivation is more dubious than it appears.

Once I worked out who the end game love interest I felt very clever. Although apparently the entire internet also worked this out fairly easily. So I’m not so clever. 

But to make it clear, this book is a slow burn of all slow burns. The enemies are in fact enemies, but I have a feeling that perhaps the characters this book sees as hero’s are in fact the real villains.

But why is everyone 17-19? Can we please have a story where everyone is over the age of 25 with a fully formed brain? 

Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert Harris

adventurous informative medium-paced

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

4.0

“To be ignorant of what happened before you were born is to remain forever a child.” - Cicero 

Imperium retells the story of political antics in Ancient Rome through the life of Marcus Tullius Cicero, told compellingly from the perspective of his slave Tiro. 

Cicero is known as an orator and politician. This book centres on Cicero’s defence of Rome against a plot to overthrow it by Julius Caesar, culminating in Cicero’s election as consul. 

This is an excellent historical retelling. Through telling the story from Tiro’s perspective, Harris is able to deftly weave in real historical records of events and fills in the gaps to tell the story of the complex political dynamics of the era. 

Tiro himself is a dynamic character - he was a slave, but was educated with Cicero (at the master’s request) and became Cicero’s secretary. When Cicero granted Tiro his freedom, Tiro continued to work for Cicero. Tiro was a vastly intelligent man, and invented shorthand, which we still use today. He also helped Cicero with writing the speeches he is so famous for. 

I really loved this book, but I think it has to lose a star as it lacks criticism of Cicero, beyond Tiro's unspoken disappointment about not being freed yet.