I chose this as part of a reading challenge I am doing, and like with most books outside of my comfort zone, I was nervous I wouldn’t like it too much. Surprise surprise - I loved it! The Fox Wife is a unique blend of historical fiction/mystery slash folklore, and I learned a lot about Chinese legends surrounding foxes as well as early 19th century Chinese culture in general.

It was a large cast of characters but they were well-thought out and came to life. Yangsze Choo’s prose is simply beautiful and I found myself hooked.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

4.5

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

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dark lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

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emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

I enjoyed the insights into Indian life and culture right after achieving independence from Britain, and I liked Lakshmi, the main character. The audiobook narrator had a LOT of voices to do (very large cast of characters) and did a wonderful job with all of them. The story was compelling.

However, I HATED Radha, Lakshmi’s younger sister. I know she is young but I found her so unsympathetic. It could be that I am a people pleaser so if my sister told me that I needed to behave a certain way in order to not upset the delicate balance she’d created, I would.

Maame by Jessica George

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emotional funny medium-paced