Unlike anything I’ve ever read, equal parts fantasy and mystery.

This book is best enjoyed in a physical format as a physical book as the way the words are written is as important as the words themselves. Much of the charm of this novel would be lost in audio.

We Burn Daylight by Bret Anthony Johnston

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

We Burn Daylight by Bret Anthony Johnson is a coming-of-age love story set inside a cult in Waco, Texas. This novel takes a look at what it might have been like to grow up in and around this extraordinary series of events (loosely based on the Branch Davidian cult in the 90's but the names and some of the details have been changed).

“Sometimes [my father] took me with him to serve warrants… He wanted me to see how people we knew–grocery store cashiers, parishioners from church–could turn unrecognizable if things went sideways in their lives”

This book has:
✔ A coming-of-age love story
✔ 1990’s Waco, Texas cult
✔ Historical Fiction
✔ Short chapters
✔ Multiple POVs

This book is for you if you enjoy true-crime podcasts, historical fiction novels, and a smattering of action and adventure.

Content warning: This book mentions pedophilia (frequent, but not graphic), and has some violent chapters.

Content Warnings

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Beauty and the Beast but with sex, violence, and watery bowels for some reason

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

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adventurous hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

A beautiful metaphor for what is lost (and gained) in war. Historical fiction with a touch of fantasy, this novel wasn’t quite what I expected but I can already tell that this story will stick with me.

Set in World War I, just before US troops have entered the fight, The Warm Hands of Ghosts is told from an often-overlooked transition in global history, from the Victorian Era to the modern age.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

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adventurous mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

In an opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupts from his body. Even in this canton at the borders of the Empire, where contagions abound and the blood of giant, ancient sea monsters give way to strange magical changes, it’s a death at once terrifying and impossible.

I mean… the Empire spends endless amounts of blood and treasure defending a whole continent from sea beasts the size of small mountains. But it can’t save a canton from one damned plant?

This book has:

✔ Sherlock and Watson-style detective team (with a Female lead)

✔ High fantasy with references to Greek Mythology

✔ Orphan Black vibes (highly altered people with unique powers and abilities)

✔ A satisfying conclusion (no frustrating cliffhangers here!)

✔ A diverse and inclusive cast of characters

Overall, I loved The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. As with all fantasy series, you’ll spend the first few chapters trying to acclimate yourself and learn the language, but once you’ve met the cast of characters this novel will have you hooked. I was certain I had everything figured out, only to find I was totally off-base, this mystery kept me guessing without becoming too convoluted to follow the plot. I came to love the crude but undeniable genius investigator Ana, and her earnest assistant Din, and I’m eagerly awaiting their next adventure.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Ray for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

I was delighted to find book 2 in this series even more gripping than book 1. We got to skip right over all the exposition and pick up where left off with Emily and Wendell in search of his door. Adventure immediately ensues.
I’ll be eagerly awaiting the third installment in this series!

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kellybarth's reviews 61 reviews

kellybarth's reviews
61 reviews