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rayaufebay's reviews
234 reviews
Everything Is Poison by Joy McCullough
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley for the free earc of this book.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE „Everything is Poison“!!!! It’s my first book by Joy McCullough but it certainly shan’t be my last.
The book follows Carmela, the daughter of Giulia Tofana (look her up, if you don’t know who she is) as she turns 16 years old and starts working in her mothers apothecary. This has been Carmelas lifelong dream/goal and she will do everything she can to ensure that she does a good job. Soon however Guilia and the other apothecary workers let her in on a secret: they invented and produce Acqua Tofana - a nondetectable and deadly poison. Soon the apothecary starts getting into trouble and Carmela is left to figure out the next steps.
The only aspect of the book which I found to be lacking was the pacing, as all the events happen within a couple of months (I feel like it might’ve been a bit realistic if it was closer to a year). Nevertheless the book was absolutely amazing.
The book has quite beautiful prose and is interspersed with poetry that reveals that Carmela isn’t the only one making experiences like these.
What I personally really loved, were the setting and vibe of the apothecary, the found family and the wonderful character development that multiple characters (including our main character Carmela) undergo.
Though the book is classified as Historical Fiction, it certainly doesn’t read as such. It is a slower book but it is written in a very easy and engaging way.
Id recommend „Everything is Poison“ to really anyone, as it is a beautiful story about helping and uplifting others and feminism. Especially if you’re interested in Poisoners/Giulia Tofana this will be the book for you. It was a great first read of the year.
Go read this beautiful story when it comes out on January 14!!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE „Everything is Poison“!!!! It’s my first book by Joy McCullough but it certainly shan’t be my last.
The book follows Carmela, the daughter of Giulia Tofana (look her up, if you don’t know who she is) as she turns 16 years old and starts working in her mothers apothecary. This has been Carmelas lifelong dream/goal and she will do everything she can to ensure that she does a good job. Soon however Guilia and the other apothecary workers let her in on a secret: they invented and produce Acqua Tofana - a nondetectable and deadly poison. Soon the apothecary starts getting into trouble and Carmela is left to figure out the next steps.
The only aspect of the book which I found to be lacking was the pacing, as all the events happen within a couple of months (I feel like it might’ve been a bit realistic if it was closer to a year). Nevertheless the book was absolutely amazing.
The book has quite beautiful prose and is interspersed with poetry that reveals that Carmela isn’t the only one making experiences like these.
What I personally really loved, were the setting and vibe of the apothecary, the found family and the wonderful character development that multiple characters (including our main character Carmela) undergo.
Though the book is classified as Historical Fiction, it certainly doesn’t read as such. It is a slower book but it is written in a very easy and engaging way.
Id recommend „Everything is Poison“ to really anyone, as it is a beautiful story about helping and uplifting others and feminism. Especially if you’re interested in Poisoners/Giulia Tofana this will be the book for you. It was a great first read of the year.
Go read this beautiful story when it comes out on January 14!!
Vandemere by Kimberley D. Tait
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley for the audio arc.
This book follows Vandy Petruska, a trick rider in a traveling circus during the 1930s.
As Vandy begins to experience increasingly sinister and inexplicable events, he realizes that the bad luck in his life is not simply a coincidence. His ancestors, who emigrated to America on the back of a trick horse (that he is named after), brought something dark with them—an evil force that now threatens his very existence.
I did enjoy this book, however it took me around half the book to get properly invested. A lot of the characters were very interesting, which I enjoyed.
This book would probably be a good fit for you if you like fantasy novels set in circuses, that contain dark magic.
This book couldn’t quite wrap up the ending the way I would’ve wanted it to, but that’s probably why there’s a second book.
This book follows Vandy Petruska, a trick rider in a traveling circus during the 1930s.
As Vandy begins to experience increasingly sinister and inexplicable events, he realizes that the bad luck in his life is not simply a coincidence. His ancestors, who emigrated to America on the back of a trick horse (that he is named after), brought something dark with them—an evil force that now threatens his very existence.
I did enjoy this book, however it took me around half the book to get properly invested. A lot of the characters were very interesting, which I enjoyed.
This book would probably be a good fit for you if you like fantasy novels set in circuses, that contain dark magic.
This book couldn’t quite wrap up the ending the way I would’ve wanted it to, but that’s probably why there’s a second book.
Close to Home by Allisa Bahney
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the earc.
„Close to Home“ follows Eli Thomas, an author who comes back to her hometown after her grandmother died. As her and her brother find out about a mistake in the will, Eli ends up staying longer than expected. Throughout this stay she has to figure out how to reincorporate herself into the small town that also houses Aracely, the woman she once loved.
I ended up dnfing this book, as I recently decided to not force myself to finish books if I am not enjoying them. However I really did try with this one (still couldn’t make it past 20%). Now that doesn’t mean that the book was necessarily bad, it just wasn’t for me and I wasn’t in the mood for it. The main reason I have for dnfing it is the fact that I just found it incredibly boring (the chapters are also really long, so that didn’t help)
I can still appreciate some aspects of Allisa Bahneys writing style. She made characters feel very alive which I really enjoyed. As a younger sibling I found the sibling relationship to be quite realistic (from what I read).
„Close to Home“ follows Eli Thomas, an author who comes back to her hometown after her grandmother died. As her and her brother find out about a mistake in the will, Eli ends up staying longer than expected. Throughout this stay she has to figure out how to reincorporate herself into the small town that also houses Aracely, the woman she once loved.
I ended up dnfing this book, as I recently decided to not force myself to finish books if I am not enjoying them. However I really did try with this one (still couldn’t make it past 20%). Now that doesn’t mean that the book was necessarily bad, it just wasn’t for me and I wasn’t in the mood for it. The main reason I have for dnfing it is the fact that I just found it incredibly boring (the chapters are also really long, so that didn’t help)
I can still appreciate some aspects of Allisa Bahneys writing style. She made characters feel very alive which I really enjoyed. As a younger sibling I found the sibling relationship to be quite realistic (from what I read).
Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife: A Christmas murder mystery like no other by Martin Edwards
Thanks to NetGalley for the earc extract.
„Miss Winter in the library with a knife“ is a Christmas themed murder mystery. A group of mystery/crime authors get invited to a game of whodunnit and whydunnit in a secluded small town inhabited only by members of a prestigious society.
This extract was quite short, so I can’t properly delve into the execution of the book (as I have only gotten to read the first 3 chapters). As I am missing this vital aspect of the book, I haven’t properly been able to form an opinion yet. What I can say is that the premise of the book sounds quite interesting and there appears to be an alternate story that would connect to the main plot later on. Both of these aspects of the book intrigued me. However the writing style felt a little pretentious at times, which would have been fine, had it fit with the storyline. This however wasn’t the case.
Overall I would like to know how the book continues, but if none of my friends or family just so happen to come in possession of a copy, I most likely wont be reading the rest of the story. The book started of okay, but not strongly enough for me to inconvenience myself in order to continue it.
„Miss Winter in the library with a knife“ is a Christmas themed murder mystery. A group of mystery/crime authors get invited to a game of whodunnit and whydunnit in a secluded small town inhabited only by members of a prestigious society.
This extract was quite short, so I can’t properly delve into the execution of the book (as I have only gotten to read the first 3 chapters). As I am missing this vital aspect of the book, I haven’t properly been able to form an opinion yet. What I can say is that the premise of the book sounds quite interesting and there appears to be an alternate story that would connect to the main plot later on. Both of these aspects of the book intrigued me. However the writing style felt a little pretentious at times, which would have been fine, had it fit with the storyline. This however wasn’t the case.
Overall I would like to know how the book continues, but if none of my friends or family just so happen to come in possession of a copy, I most likely wont be reading the rest of the story. The book started of okay, but not strongly enough for me to inconvenience myself in order to continue it.
Santa Overboard by Carolyn McBride
2.75
First I would like to thank NetGalley and Make Waves Press for the audio arc of this book. In exchange for this arc I will be leaving an honest review.
„Santa overboard“ is a very relaxed holiday read about Katie, her friends, her romance with Deke and a holiday boat parade. It is the second part in a series (I didn‘t know this when I got it, so I haven‘t read the first book), however I believe it can also be read as a standalone.
Personally I found the book to be a quite enjoyable holiday read, however if I hadn‘t been in the mood for it, I think it would have fallen short for me in a couple different ways. The main one of those being that the book seemed unsure about what it was. There was some romance, but in the first half there wasn‘t enough to properly categorize it as a romance novel and midway through there was a tiny element of mystery, that was then never explored again. I was expecting a more fleshed out romance, however I did enjoy this slice of life story.
I‘d say if you want to pick up an enjoyable slice of life book about love, friendships and the holidays, this one would be a good pick.
„Santa overboard“ is a very relaxed holiday read about Katie, her friends, her romance with Deke and a holiday boat parade. It is the second part in a series (I didn‘t know this when I got it, so I haven‘t read the first book), however I believe it can also be read as a standalone.
Personally I found the book to be a quite enjoyable holiday read, however if I hadn‘t been in the mood for it, I think it would have fallen short for me in a couple different ways. The main one of those being that the book seemed unsure about what it was. There was some romance, but in the first half there wasn‘t enough to properly categorize it as a romance novel and midway through there was a tiny element of mystery, that was then never explored again. I was expecting a more fleshed out romance, however I did enjoy this slice of life story.
I‘d say if you want to pick up an enjoyable slice of life book about love, friendships and the holidays, this one would be a good pick.