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471 reviews
Rani Choudhury Must Die by Adiba Jaigirdar
4.0
Rani Choudhury Must Die
By Adiba Jaigirdar
Genres: YA, contemporary, fiction, romance
4/5⭐️
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for this eARC.
This is a novel about two friends-turned-rivals who realise that they share a boyfriend and decide to get revenge on him by winning a massive science competition together, falling in love with each other along the way.
When we first meet our first protagonist, the impulsive and creative Meghna, she is meeting with her then-boyfriend Zak. This opening chapter paints her as a character who hates to think badly of others, as she brushes aside Zak’s lack of enthusiasm about her project. While she is furious at his cheating on her, she quickly sets her sights on revenge. Of the two protagonists, she’s the one who wanted to defeat Zak the most.
Throughout the book, we watch her try to beat Rani, only to find herself catching feelings as they become friends again, after five years of no contact after rumours about Meghna’s family caused most of their community to turn their backs on them, including Rani’s parents.
The first thing we learn about Rani is that she always succeeds, at least to the eyes of Meghna, whose parents seem to praise Rani at every turn. However, she had her own struggles, such as a mother who dictated what clothing and makeup she wore, and her parents’ assumptions that she and Zak would one day marry, despite her having no romantic interest in him. She was clearly a very brave character, deciding to put her language app aside to create the totally new C.A.T app with Meghna.
Both protagonists had their own unique personalities and voices, it was easy to distinguish between their perspectives. They were such lovable characters, and I did find myself invested in their story.
One thing that often annoys me in rivals-to-lovers romances is when the characters aren't actual rivals. Fortunately, this was not the case here. For the first half of the book, Rani and Meghna bickered and disagreed about a variety of topics. In fact, it takes 27 chapters for even a hint of romance to bloom. It was so wonderful to watch the trust they had for each other grow, their romantic feelings subtly slipping in. However, I did feel like there was something missing that I can’t quite put my finger on.
From the first time we meet Zak onwards, I wanted to punch him. In the opening chapter, Meghna was clearly so excited to be chosen for the science competition and he tries to get her to back out, making her think it's because he cares when it's very evident to us readers that he's hiding something. The way he spoke about both girls behind their backs was disgusting. I hated how Rani's family adored him and ignored their brilliant daughter and her achievements. I’m glad we didn’t get to hear about his project in the finals, he didn’t deserve the attention of us readers, or of the two amazing girls he obviously didn’t care about.
The concept of Rani and Meghna’s ‘Catch A Two-Timer’ (C.A.T) app was interesting, though I did wonder why their teachers allowed an app revolving around tracking others’ online activity through downloading it without their permission to be entered in the competition, due to the ethics around spying on people.
When I read YA books set in Ireland, I'm always startled to find settings I'm familiar with, especially when the protagonists were in the same year as myself, at the same time of year as it is now. My school doesn't partake in the Young Scientist Exhibition, but in the last year of primary school we visited the RDS to see all the epic projects. It was very cool to read about characters partaking in it, though it was disappointing that the girls were the only females of colour at the European finals, and the only all-female group. It shone a light on the lack of diversity in STEM, even in 2024.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. As with Jaigirdar’s previous works, I highly recommend it to those interested in the genres. It’s quite a light, easy-to-read book. I will definitely consider purchasing a physical copy, as the book was released on the 14th of November 2024.
TWs: misogyny, racism, sexism, toxic relationship, gaslighting, infidelity
Queer rep:
Sapphic protagonists
Nonbinary sc
Lesbian sc
By Adiba Jaigirdar
Genres: YA, contemporary, fiction, romance
4/5⭐️
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for this eARC.
This is a novel about two friends-turned-rivals who realise that they share a boyfriend and decide to get revenge on him by winning a massive science competition together, falling in love with each other along the way.
When we first meet our first protagonist, the impulsive and creative Meghna, she is meeting with her then-boyfriend Zak. This opening chapter paints her as a character who hates to think badly of others, as she brushes aside Zak’s lack of enthusiasm about her project. While she is furious at his cheating on her, she quickly sets her sights on revenge. Of the two protagonists, she’s the one who wanted to defeat Zak the most.
Throughout the book, we watch her try to beat Rani, only to find herself catching feelings as they become friends again, after five years of no contact after rumours about Meghna’s family caused most of their community to turn their backs on them, including Rani’s parents.
The first thing we learn about Rani is that she always succeeds, at least to the eyes of Meghna, whose parents seem to praise Rani at every turn. However, she had her own struggles, such as a mother who dictated what clothing and makeup she wore, and her parents’ assumptions that she and Zak would one day marry, despite her having no romantic interest in him. She was clearly a very brave character, deciding to put her language app aside to create the totally new C.A.T app with Meghna.
Both protagonists had their own unique personalities and voices, it was easy to distinguish between their perspectives. They were such lovable characters, and I did find myself invested in their story.
One thing that often annoys me in rivals-to-lovers romances is when the characters aren't actual rivals. Fortunately, this was not the case here. For the first half of the book, Rani and Meghna bickered and disagreed about a variety of topics. In fact, it takes 27 chapters for even a hint of romance to bloom. It was so wonderful to watch the trust they had for each other grow, their romantic feelings subtly slipping in. However, I did feel like there was something missing that I can’t quite put my finger on.
From the first time we meet Zak onwards, I wanted to punch him. In the opening chapter, Meghna was clearly so excited to be chosen for the science competition and he tries to get her to back out, making her think it's because he cares when it's very evident to us readers that he's hiding something. The way he spoke about both girls behind their backs was disgusting. I hated how Rani's family adored him and ignored their brilliant daughter and her achievements. I’m glad we didn’t get to hear about his project in the finals, he didn’t deserve the attention of us readers, or of the two amazing girls he obviously didn’t care about.
The concept of Rani and Meghna’s ‘Catch A Two-Timer’ (C.A.T) app was interesting, though I did wonder why their teachers allowed an app revolving around tracking others’ online activity through downloading it without their permission to be entered in the competition, due to the ethics around spying on people.
When I read YA books set in Ireland, I'm always startled to find settings I'm familiar with, especially when the protagonists were in the same year as myself, at the same time of year as it is now. My school doesn't partake in the Young Scientist Exhibition, but in the last year of primary school we visited the RDS to see all the epic projects. It was very cool to read about characters partaking in it, though it was disappointing that the girls were the only females of colour at the European finals, and the only all-female group. It shone a light on the lack of diversity in STEM, even in 2024.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. As with Jaigirdar’s previous works, I highly recommend it to those interested in the genres. It’s quite a light, easy-to-read book. I will definitely consider purchasing a physical copy, as the book was released on the 14th of November 2024.
TWs: misogyny, racism, sexism, toxic relationship, gaslighting, infidelity
Queer rep:
Sapphic protagonists
Nonbinary sc
Lesbian sc
A Ghost In The Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa is a slow-paced nonfiction book in which the author leads us through her research into the life of Eibhlín Dubh, a woman who composed a 37-verse lament in the 1700s upon her husband Art's murder.
This book begins with the author's domestic life at home, caring for her three sons. After rediscovering the Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire, she devotes many hours to translating it. After the birth of her daughter, the author decides to research Eibhlín's life in as much detail as possible, a difficult task as not many records remain of her.
This is definitely unlike any other book I've read, in terms of both genre and content, but I quickly found myself immersed in both the lives of the author and of Eibhlín. The two lives exchange seamlessly throughout the book, as we go from Ní Ghríofa telling us about her daily life at that time to another part of Eibhlín and her family's history. I immensely enjoyed reading this book, and do highly recommend it to you all!
TWs: pregnancy, blood, medical content, grief, murder, suicide attempt, cancer, miscarriage, death
This book begins with the author's domestic life at home, caring for her three sons. After rediscovering the Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire, she devotes many hours to translating it. After the birth of her daughter, the author decides to research Eibhlín's life in as much detail as possible, a difficult task as not many records remain of her.
This is definitely unlike any other book I've read, in terms of both genre and content, but I quickly found myself immersed in both the lives of the author and of Eibhlín. The two lives exchange seamlessly throughout the book, as we go from Ní Ghríofa telling us about her daily life at that time to another part of Eibhlín and her family's history. I immensely enjoyed reading this book, and do highly recommend it to you all!
TWs: pregnancy, blood, medical content, grief, murder, suicide attempt, cancer, miscarriage, death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Pregnancy
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A Dark and Drowning Tide is an adult fantasy book featuring a group of talented people tasked by their king to find the source of magic, led by the impressive Zeigler. Lorelei, a folklorist who has had to deal with discrimination due to her heritage her entire life, is shocked when she, rather than the beloved Sylvia, is selected to co-command the expedition. She is horrified when, at the start of their journey, Zeigler is murdered. The suspects? The other six members of the team.
A Dark and Drowning Tide
By Allison Saft
3/5⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an eARC of this book. It was released on September 17th 2024.
I had a few difficulties with this book:
Firstly, the magic system and the world-building were just not explained well enough, a map at the start would certainly be useful. I will say that the various creatures the characters meet were very thought out, and therefore a great addition.
Secondly, the two intimate scenes between Sylvia and Lorelei seemed extremely out of place, unnecessary and strangely positioned within the plot.
Thirdly, I didn't feel connected to a single character. Particularly Ludwig, Heike and Adelheid seemed very two-dimensional to me.
Lastly, it felt as if this book couldn't decide if it was a murder mystery or not. Lorelei decides to try solve the mystery, but she barely uncovers any information or does anything productive towards it.
The characters were all very ambitious and mostly seemed to dislike each other, which was interesting.
Lorelei was a unique protagonist, though some of her retorts made me so exasperated. She was unnecessarily cruel to Sylvia through the first 60% of the book.
The fight scenes were pretty interesting to read about, and this book was definitely well-written, the style was lovely.
I don't have much else to say. This one didn't quite meet my expectations, unfortunately. I still recommend it to those of you who enjoy slow-burn romance, high fantasy worlds, and angry characters.
A Dark and Drowning Tide
By Allison Saft
3/5⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an eARC of this book. It was released on September 17th 2024.
I had a few difficulties with this book:
Firstly, the magic system and the world-building were just not explained well enough, a map at the start would certainly be useful. I will say that the various creatures the characters meet were very thought out, and therefore a great addition.
Secondly, the two intimate scenes between Sylvia and Lorelei seemed extremely out of place, unnecessary and strangely positioned within the plot.
Thirdly, I didn't feel connected to a single character. Particularly Ludwig, Heike and Adelheid seemed very two-dimensional to me.
Lastly, it felt as if this book couldn't decide if it was a murder mystery or not. Lorelei decides to try solve the mystery, but she barely uncovers any information or does anything productive towards it.
The characters were all very ambitious and mostly seemed to dislike each other, which was interesting.
Lorelei was a unique protagonist, though some of her retorts made me so exasperated. She was unnecessarily cruel to Sylvia through the first 60% of the book.
The fight scenes were pretty interesting to read about, and this book was definitely well-written, the style was lovely.
I don't have much else to say. This one didn't quite meet my expectations, unfortunately. I still recommend it to those of you who enjoy slow-burn romance, high fantasy worlds, and angry characters.