Maybe it's because I grew up reading a certain book series (that i will not mention bc ykw)'s fanfiction and later on wizard school alternate universeMaybe it's because I grew up reading a certain book series (that i will not mention bc ykw)'s fanfiction and later on wizard school alternate universes in other fandoms on AO3 but oh my goodness I adored this book. Sorcery and Small Magics is the kind of cozy fantasy I love - charming and whimsical in a way cozy fantasies tend to be but also still a well written worldbuilding that leaves you satisfied enough to continue reading and filled with lovable and strong characters. This book was also so funny and full of humor - the banter between the characters were so great.
Leo was such a great main character - I loved his humor, wit but also how kind hearted he is deep down, and Grimm was also a fantastic grumpy character to Leo's sunshine. I adored the romance - can you even call it that? It's so slow burn that you barely see any romance in this at all BUT at the same time you know it's there. That ending had me shrieking!!! I am very excited to follow Leo's and Grimm's development in their friendship(?) in the next book. Another thing I also enjoyed was both Grimm and Leo's character development, especially Leo in regards to the way he thought of his privileges and also the reality of the world outside of his.
This book definitely falls into my "this book might not be the best book ever but it made me so happy and in love with reading" 5 stars category so if you're in the mood to read something cozy yet still fun and fast paced - I would recommend you this one!
Thank you so much to Orbit UK and Netgalley UK for the ARC. Sorcery and Small Magics comes out on October 17, 2024 if anyone is thinking of adding this to their tbr<3 ...more
I loved Lonely Castle in the Mirror so much that when I found out the author is coming out with a new book and that it rating: 3.75* (rounded up to 4)
I loved Lonely Castle in the Mirror so much that when I found out the author is coming out with a new book and that it was on Netgalley - I knew I had to try requesting for it. Imagine my surprise when I got it. Thank you Netgalley and Doubleday!
Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon is a collection of five short stories about the Go-Between, a service provided by a strange young man in a coat and a lovely old lady where the living can request to reunite with a deceased loved one/acquaintance during a full moon.
One thing about short story collections is that sometimes because of the length of the stories, as a reader we would feel distant with the characters as they didn't have enough space to grow, or feel dissatisfied as we feel there could've been more to be explored in the story. Another worry that I have sometimes is when the collection is interconnected with the same "theme", the stories would feel too monotone.
What I appreciate about these stories is how interconnected they are. Each narrative is connected to the next - starting with subtle connections that gradually build in strength as the collection progresses. The characters, settings, and events intersect very subtly, which I really like because it feels cohesive and gives some of the characters some extra space to develop. I also appreciated how distinct the themes are in each story, so I don't feel bored reading them.
However, compared to Lonely Castle in the Mirror, I still feel like there was something missing from this book? I feel like the characters could've been fleshed out a little more hence why I was still feeling distant from the characters while reading this book. I still very much would recommend this, especially if you're a fan of cozy Japanese literature. I will also definitely be reading The Go Between #2 (whenever that is).
It really bums me out to DNF an ARC but I've been trying to read this one for a few weeks now but everytime I open it up there's always sometDNF @ 70%
It really bums me out to DNF an ARC but I've been trying to read this one for a few weeks now but everytime I open it up there's always something that makes me decide to pick up another. I tried to give it a fair chance though so I got up to the 70% mark before finally deciding that I could spend my time reading another.
This has one of the most interesting concept I've ever seen, which is the reason why I had decided to request it here. It's definitely very meta and camp, but not in a good way? I probably went into this book thinking it'd be something else (something more in the lines of high fantasy) and I'm not a huge fan of pop culture/stan twitter slangs used in fantasy books - honestly, not even in contemporary but I can justify a few - so this was really hard for me to read. I also had a hard time with the writing and the dialogue. Plot-wise, it was fun but I feel like there was so many parts where I was just confused by and the amount of info dumping in this book did not help whatsoever in my enjoyment. ...more
not going to give it a rating bc this was a DNF but god i did not like the main character at all (which is a major reason why I couldn’t continue thisnot going to give it a rating bc this was a DNF but god i did not like the main character at all (which is a major reason why I couldn’t continue this). I enjoyed a fair share of books w unlikeable main characters but the mc here was just a different kind of unlikeable - acting childish and upset over your best friends’ (who were the ones helping and supporting you during yours and who helped you deal with the aftermath, who even then were holding back their excitement for your sake) wedding because of your experience w yours is just… not it. ...more
if you love character driven books/sally rooney-esque writing, i think you would like this one! this was quite a heavy and intense book but i just4.5*
if you love character driven books/sally rooney-esque writing, i think you would like this one! this was quite a heavy and intense book but i just couldn't take my eyes off the pages while reading this. the writing just flowed so easily and the author was able to capture so many emotions and atmosphere in the scenes.
thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc!...more
THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN. I'm fully admitting that I'm reviewing this right now based on my level of enjoyment because while there may be some flaws that THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN. I'm fully admitting that I'm reviewing this right now based on my level of enjoyment because while there may be some flaws that I can recognize or remember, I also did have a really great time reading this (I started it this morning and decided to binge it all in one day). The God and the Gumiho reads like a fantasy k-drama for me and although I haven't really watched any in that category, it was easy to imagine it up in my head. I loved the setting and loved seeing how these myths are blended into the mortal world. Most importantly, I loved Hani, Seokga and their banters. Without the banters, I don't think I would've enjoyed this that much.
Honestly, the romance was just okay to me (again it was the banter that I truly enjoyed, and while I think the romance was cute, I think it could've been better developed). There were also some parts where I felt like it was clunky and I also thought some of the dialogs are a bit over the top, but again I did imagine this as an actual K-drama and I felt like they weren't really out of place for that.
If you're a fan of K-dramas or you're looking to read a book that reads like one, I would recommend this one. Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me of an arc!
p.s. miss Sophie Kim are you an ARMY this is an important question...more
i loved black water sister by the same author and when i saw that she's releasing a romance book - of course i got curious whether or not i would enjoi loved black water sister by the same author and when i saw that she's releasing a romance book - of course i got curious whether or not i would enjoy it. i was hesitant at first starting this but i surprisingly had a pretty good time with it!
this was ultimately a romance book, but i liked that the romance wasn't only the only focus. i think renee and ket siong were great main characters and i liked that this book also has discussions about environmental issues such as rainforest destructions and their impacts towards the communities, and (which kind of surprises me in a good way) corruption happening inside the wealthy.
romance wise, it was okay? i'm a second chance enjoyer and so i also enjoyed this one but there were definitely some "telling but not showing" happening which i'm not the biggest fan of, and in my opinion, the romance could be developed a bit better. there were a few moments that seemed a bit rushed and lacking in buildup.
thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for approving me of an arc!...more
The Bookshop Woman is definitely a book to read if you love books, and if you love recommending books to other people. I loved the premise of this booThe Bookshop Woman is definitely a book to read if you love books, and if you love recommending books to other people. I loved the premise of this book and enjoyed the way Nanako, the author and also the main character in this book, met people through a "dating" app to recommend them books, and how she seems to be challenging herself outside of her comfort zone in order to become less lonely and also to be able to understand people better. I loved this particular message of this book, of trying something new in order to open up a new window.
However, I did have some issues with this book. I just found the meetings she had were a little too shallow and I wasn't really getting anything from it? There was a lot of telling but not showing when it comes to this and pretty soon I got bored of the same concept over and over again (to be fair Nanako in the book also said this). I did like a few topics that were discussed but overall i was just feeling dissatisfied by this book.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.
this was on the 'read now' section in Netgalley a few months back so i had taken the opportunity to get it and i'm glad i did!
i went into this one blithis was on the 'read now' section in Netgalley a few months back so i had taken the opportunity to get it and i'm glad i did!
i went into this one blindly so i wasn't sure what to expect, but thankfully i ended up really enjoying it. it's a classic take on the locked room murder mystery but at the same time still manages to surprise me with the plot twists and the reveal. i liked the way the story was narrated through an unreliable character's journal (mostly) and also how atmospheric the story was!
thank you so much to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for giving me a chance to read this one.
Enjoyed the storytelling, writing and characterisation but unfortunately for me, the plot drags on a little too long and the last quarter of the book Enjoyed the storytelling, writing and characterisation but unfortunately for me, the plot drags on a little too long and the last quarter of the book was a little disappointing. I think it would've been better if the last quarter was longer OR the first half was shorter (so that the last quarter could be explored more).
Thank you to Solaris and Netgalley for approving me of an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review<3...more
a cozy feel-good sci-fi set in space with a little hint of mystery
if you love cozy books similar to becky chambers, i think you'll enjoy reading thisa cozy feel-good sci-fi set in space with a little hint of mystery
if you love cozy books similar to becky chambers, i think you'll enjoy reading this book. however because of the multi pov from different characters each time it was hard to be able to get attached to them (although i do have soft spots for a few of the characters). BUT i do appreciate how although i wasn't attached to the characters, the multiple povs doesn't make the story rigid and the transition to each characters and the plot development were seamless. also if you're a "no plot just vibes" reader, i think you'll also enjoy this book lol
thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC!
I decided to reread this book because Orbit UK had kindly sent me a physical copy (which is INSANE, thank you Orbit I'm so grateful). And I thiUpdate:
I decided to reread this book because Orbit UK had kindly sent me a physical copy (which is INSANE, thank you Orbit I'm so grateful). And I think I liked this book even more the second time around? Whilst I focused more on the plot the first time, I focused more on the characters and the small details this time. I had so much fun annotating and googling all the discussions about the gods and the characters, and reading more about the details of the story. Mahabharata is a major epic hence there are so many different interpretations online so it was really fun to be able to read through some of them and try to make meaning of what I found.
Also second time around of reading this, I grew even more frustrated with the characters. I grew up learning about the righteousness and the goodness of the Pandavas brothers so reading this gave me a different view of them. This was definitely a frustrating book to read but I felt like I reflected so much so that was quite nice LOL.
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First of all, a big thank you to Orbit UK and Netgalley for approving me of an ARC of Goddess of the River! Kaikeyi was one of my favorite books of 2022 and because of this, I was highly anticipating Vaishnavi's second book.
Ganga is a familiar name and entity to me as her name is occasionally mentioned in religious contexts through out my life - so I was so excited to read this one. Despite being familiar with both the Mahabharata and Ganga individually, I have always known them as separate entities/concept (I recognize that this is my fault - I didn't have much interest during religion classes and I wasn't really taught much about them). Therefore, encountering a narrative that intertwines the two was particularly intriguing for me.
Much like her writing in Kaikeyi, I also really enjoyed Vaishnavi's writing. It reads much like a folk/fairy tale though so if you're thinking of reading this one, please take note of that beforehand. This book just feels like Ganga trying to narrate through her life story and in a way it kind of feels soothing. One thing that I wasn't expecting though was that unlike Kaikeyi where we truly focus on her story, Goddess of the River follows a few other characters and although we are narrated by Ganga only, it's not solely HER story that we are reading. This kind of bums me a little bit if I'm being completely honest but I think that these plots are needed to support Ganga's story and messages. I also really enjoyed the message behind this book about righteousness and loyalty, and I especially liked the discussion about "vows before dharma".
The pacing of this book for me was much slower than Kaikeyi and I think that's why I couldn't fully enjoy this one and give it a perfect rating. However, this book definitely motivated me to learn more about the goddess and about the story itself and I really appreciate all the research that Vaishnavi has done to write an accessible reimagining like this....more
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