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169 reviews
Body of Stars by Laura Maylene Walter
challenging
dark
hopeful
sad
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? No
4.0
(copy via netgalley)
TL;DR recommendation:
Loved it. Grab this if you’re looking for a dystopian female adventure that cuts close to the bone and has The Handmaid’s Tale vibes about it. Shines a light on our world and its stance on gender violence.
Not graphic but mentioned trigger warnings:
Sexual violence, rape, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny & confinement.
I don’t think my heart was quite ready for this book. Other than reading a smidge of the blurb thing, I pretty much went in charging in blind ready to be mad at another dystopian world. The plot in a nutshell? Girls are born with markings all over their bodies that layout their fate (and their family’s) and some men think it’s their god-given right to own them. Here are a few other nuggetos:
✨ One girl (our pal Celeste) forced to deal with her changed life because men decided their pleasure was worth more.
✨ One boy (Miles) determined to help women / change a very, very shitty living experience.
✨ One world which should technically be very, very different to our own little planet but creepily similar.
Women are literally the future. They don’t believe in luck; they believe in fate. Mainly ’cause any marking that dances over their bodies will predict their future. If you’re destined to become a doctor, it’ll happen. If your markings depict a life helping whales fight off the dolphins, then that will happen, too. Maybe.
The other issue is that when girls hit puberty, they turn into Changelings – a time in their life where all senses are heightened, they literally have a weird aura around them and, you guessed it, they become irresistible to men. So irresistible that men can’t ‘control themselves’ *insert intense eye twitching emoji here* and the underground women trafficking market is rife. It’s deemed the most dangerous time in a women’s life and whilst their parents want to protect them, their new bodies urge to be outside.
If the above wasn’t enough of a fucking issue, the women who get returned to society after their two weeks of confinement, drugging and assaults are seen as outcasts to society. They were asking for it, they put themselves in that situation and their kidnappers/rapist were never, ever punished. Their lives and social standing were ruined.
It’s hard to get into the deets as they’re like major spoilers but this is the story of how Celeste takes control.
It’s a hard read and I’m absolutely going to make my next read a little more lighthearted because my feelings are smashed all over the floor. If you grab this book, be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster. The ride will fill your mind with anger, rage and frustration with a hint of hope that perhaps, just perhaps, things might change in our little world as well.
TL;DR recommendation:
Loved it. Grab this if you’re looking for a dystopian female adventure that cuts close to the bone and has The Handmaid’s Tale vibes about it. Shines a light on our world and its stance on gender violence.
Not graphic but mentioned trigger warnings:
Sexual violence, rape, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny & confinement.
I don’t think my heart was quite ready for this book. Other than reading a smidge of the blurb thing, I pretty much went in charging in blind ready to be mad at another dystopian world. The plot in a nutshell? Girls are born with markings all over their bodies that layout their fate (and their family’s) and some men think it’s their god-given right to own them. Here are a few other nuggetos:
✨ One girl (our pal Celeste) forced to deal with her changed life because men decided their pleasure was worth more.
✨ One boy (Miles) determined to help women / change a very, very shitty living experience.
✨ One world which should technically be very, very different to our own little planet but creepily similar.
Women are literally the future. They don’t believe in luck; they believe in fate. Mainly ’cause any marking that dances over their bodies will predict their future. If you’re destined to become a doctor, it’ll happen. If your markings depict a life helping whales fight off the dolphins, then that will happen, too. Maybe.
The other issue is that when girls hit puberty, they turn into Changelings – a time in their life where all senses are heightened, they literally have a weird aura around them and, you guessed it, they become irresistible to men. So irresistible that men can’t ‘control themselves’ *insert intense eye twitching emoji here* and the underground women trafficking market is rife. It’s deemed the most dangerous time in a women’s life and whilst their parents want to protect them, their new bodies urge to be outside.
If the above wasn’t enough of a fucking issue, the women who get returned to society after their two weeks of confinement, drugging and assaults are seen as outcasts to society. They were asking for it, they put themselves in that situation and their kidnappers/rapist were never, ever punished. Their lives and social standing were ruined.
It’s hard to get into the deets as they’re like major spoilers but this is the story of how Celeste takes control.
It’s a hard read and I’m absolutely going to make my next read a little more lighthearted because my feelings are smashed all over the floor. If you grab this book, be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster. The ride will fill your mind with anger, rage and frustration with a hint of hope that perhaps, just perhaps, things might change in our little world as well.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping
Minor: Confinement, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia
Cunning Women by Elizabeth Lee
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
3.0
TL;DR recommendation:
🤷♀️ Unsure/depends
Slow-burner that didn’t keep my attention
🤷♀️ Unsure/depends
Slow-burner that didn’t keep my attention
Anyone who knows me will be aware of how my mind works – you need to keep it entertained or I’ll wander off and get distracted no matter the punchline. This book is an AWESOME story but my attention? Wandered off into the damn hills. Here’s what you’re in for:
✨ People who possess witchy-like powers during the time of the Pendle witch trials
✨ Shitty neighbours hell-bent on accusing anyone of being in bed with the devil
✨ One doomed relationship (my poor heart)
✨ Shitty neighbours hell-bent on accusing anyone of being in bed with the devil
✨ One doomed relationship (my poor heart)
Sarah’s mum is a witch which means she’s most likely one, too. And that means society is going to banish you to the outskirts and hound you at every given opportunity. This is a story about their daily hell. Reduced to sending the kids out begging every day, the rest of the Haworth family is left punting out their salves and potions to anyone with an ailment they’d rather not share with others. Under the cloak of healing warts and hives, Sarah battles with her dark side and tries everything to keep it hidden from the world. Not content with the one job of keeping half her personality under wraps, Sarah only goes and falls in love with Daniel; the farmer’s son and eligible bachelor number 1.
To add mayhem to an already chaotic world, a new magistrate saunters into town and he’s here to make his mark. You guessed it. Everything goes tits up, tensions run extremely high, accusations get thrown which ultimately leads to a disastrous end.
Right, so what did I love about this? A few things. Firstly, it’s about witches and that automatically gets my attention. Secondly, it’s a really well done story and one I honestly didn’t see coming.
The bits I didn’t like? It’s a slow-burner and it just didn’t keep my attention for long enough. I hate skim reading with a passion but here I was doing it.
If you like historical witch fiction and can handle a bit of a slower story, absolutely grab this.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
emotional
tense
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
All aboard the train to Smutville via Watery Bowels.
The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner
Did not finish book. Stopped at 56%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 56%.
Copy via Netgalley.
I really struggled with this one. It sounded wildly interesting:
✨ Historical fiction
✨ Jewish folklore (which is very, very rare in books)
✨ Magic
And I should have been hooked, but if I'm being honest with myself, I really didn't want to pick it back up.
This is the story of three sisters: Hannah, Sarah, and Levana. Each with their own magic abilities which leads to someone dinging the witchcraft bell and sending the village into a tizzy. Fleeing from their lives, they need to leave behind everything they know including some of their culture.
Ok so things I found really, really interesting:
⚫ Judaism actually being represented in a book. I am not religious but I love learning about them and let me tell you - you will learn A LOT.
⚫ The characters are insanely well developed and I can see them floating around in my noggin.
However, this was a very heavy book. Trigger warnings everywhere (anti-Semitism, violent deaths, rape & sexism.) and perhaps it was just a little too much for me to handle. I am also one with a simple brain - this book comes at you from three different POVs so I was thrown off very easily and constantly found myself lost.
And lastly, there's a lot to take in. As I mentioned before, learning about Judaism was amazing but it became overwhelming to the point where I had to stop and Google what things meant. It became a bit like homework.
Would I recommend this book to someone with an excellent attention span? Yes, absolutely.
Would I recommend it to someone after Jewish representation in a fantasy book? Of course!
Would I try to read it again? Probably not.
I really struggled with this one. It sounded wildly interesting:
✨ Historical fiction
✨ Jewish folklore (which is very, very rare in books)
✨ Magic
And I should have been hooked, but if I'm being honest with myself, I really didn't want to pick it back up.
This is the story of three sisters: Hannah, Sarah, and Levana. Each with their own magic abilities which leads to someone dinging the witchcraft bell and sending the village into a tizzy. Fleeing from their lives, they need to leave behind everything they know including some of their culture.
Ok so things I found really, really interesting:
⚫ Judaism actually being represented in a book. I am not religious but I love learning about them and let me tell you - you will learn A LOT.
⚫ The characters are insanely well developed and I can see them floating around in my noggin.
However, this was a very heavy book. Trigger warnings everywhere (anti-Semitism, violent deaths, rape & sexism.) and perhaps it was just a little too much for me to handle. I am also one with a simple brain - this book comes at you from three different POVs so I was thrown off very easily and constantly found myself lost.
And lastly, there's a lot to take in. As I mentioned before, learning about Judaism was amazing but it became overwhelming to the point where I had to stop and Google what things meant. It became a bit like homework.
Would I recommend this book to someone with an excellent attention span? Yes, absolutely.
Would I recommend it to someone after Jewish representation in a fantasy book? Of course!
Would I try to read it again? Probably not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Antisemitism
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Misogyny
The Plague Letters by V.L. Valentine
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
This book should have hit me in all the right places:
- historical fiction
- plagues
- deaths that ain't caused by said plague
BUT I just struggled with this from the get-go.
Set in 1655 London, everyone is trying to avoid the plague sweeping the nation and very quickly all deaths were to be treated as plague now (sound familiar...?), except when our lad Symon (the Rector and the only one who seems to care to about the dead) notices a familiar face lying in the mass grave. Mary's death had been ruled as the plague but the shorn hair and lacerations on her wrist and ankles said otherwise.
Time to don their best amateur sleuthing hats and find out what the hell is going on.
I loved the premise but found the characters difficult to follow or even like in most cases so this was a bit of a struggle bus.
A lot of people will love this. It just wasn't for me.
- historical fiction
- plagues
- deaths that ain't caused by said plague
BUT I just struggled with this from the get-go.
Set in 1655 London, everyone is trying to avoid the plague sweeping the nation and very quickly all deaths were to be treated as plague now (sound familiar...?), except when our lad Symon (the Rector and the only one who seems to care to about the dead) notices a familiar face lying in the mass grave. Mary's death had been ruled as the plague but the shorn hair and lacerations on her wrist and ankles said otherwise.
Time to don their best amateur sleuthing hats and find out what the hell is going on.
I loved the premise but found the characters difficult to follow or even like in most cases so this was a bit of a struggle bus.
A lot of people will love this. It just wasn't for me.
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
dark
hopeful
fast-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
5.0
Copy via Netgalley but also bought my own.
Fuck me sideways – THIS IS A BOOK YOU NEED TO READ. My emotions, my heart, my MIND all left scrambled whilst I lie in the dark trying to contemplate what just happened. I am a mess.
When you grab this (noticed I said when and not IF), this is what you’re in for:
✨ Hunger Games vibes but in a death prison
✨ Rebel Queen messing everyone’s shit up
✨ One bad-ass 17-year-old trying not to die in said death prison that has to heal people with no training
✨ A set of ordeals that would grant her her freedom
✨ A disease that is killing off inmates in droves
I mean c’mon. How could you even resist that in the first place? First up, you’ve got our main gal, Kiva. The aforementioned bad-ass is the one standing between life and death of most of the prisoners. Dragged along to Zalindov prison because of her father’s actions, she’s 10 years deep in a never-ending sentence and doing what she must to survive. Then you have little Tipp. Another kid thrown in this hell-hole because of his parents, Tipp is like a little ray of sunshine that bounds from one place to another like he’s in fucking Disney World. If we could bottle up his essence, we could be millionaires.
If that pair isn’t enough, enter Jaren (lad supreme) and Naari (a prison guard who is nice…? Weird) to really throw a few spanners into the works. This band of merry misfits join forces to try to figure out what’s behind the sickness that’s plaguing the prison, but when the Rebel Queen, Tilda, is flung into her world everything grinds to a halt. Tilda is sentenced to Trial by Ordeal, but as she’s, uh, unconscious, she ain’t in any fit state to do them, so Kiva volunteers as tribute. If she survives, they both walk out of this place. One problem though – very few people do.
And I’m going to stop there. Because this is a book you should read for yourself.
Yes, it’s a story about Kings and Queens. Yes, there’s a smidge of romance but nothing wild. Yes, some of this sounds clichéd as fuck but I do not care. I needed a book like this at the moment and it’s filled a void that I didn’t even know was there. It’s a deliciously easy read leaving you wanting to devour more and I promise you that might not see that ending coming. I was sitting there all smug thinking I’d mastered it, but hell no. Smacked right in the face – left gobsmacked.
Gimmie the next one. Now.
(p.s. thankfully I only need to wait until October)
Fuck me sideways – THIS IS A BOOK YOU NEED TO READ. My emotions, my heart, my MIND all left scrambled whilst I lie in the dark trying to contemplate what just happened. I am a mess.
When you grab this (noticed I said when and not IF), this is what you’re in for:
✨ Hunger Games vibes but in a death prison
✨ Rebel Queen messing everyone’s shit up
✨ One bad-ass 17-year-old trying not to die in said death prison that has to heal people with no training
✨ A set of ordeals that would grant her her freedom
✨ A disease that is killing off inmates in droves
I mean c’mon. How could you even resist that in the first place? First up, you’ve got our main gal, Kiva. The aforementioned bad-ass is the one standing between life and death of most of the prisoners. Dragged along to Zalindov prison because of her father’s actions, she’s 10 years deep in a never-ending sentence and doing what she must to survive. Then you have little Tipp. Another kid thrown in this hell-hole because of his parents, Tipp is like a little ray of sunshine that bounds from one place to another like he’s in fucking Disney World. If we could bottle up his essence, we could be millionaires.
If that pair isn’t enough, enter Jaren (lad supreme) and Naari (a prison guard who is nice…? Weird) to really throw a few spanners into the works. This band of merry misfits join forces to try to figure out what’s behind the sickness that’s plaguing the prison, but when the Rebel Queen, Tilda, is flung into her world everything grinds to a halt. Tilda is sentenced to Trial by Ordeal, but as she’s, uh, unconscious, she ain’t in any fit state to do them, so Kiva volunteers as tribute. If she survives, they both walk out of this place. One problem though – very few people do.
And I’m going to stop there. Because this is a book you should read for yourself.
Yes, it’s a story about Kings and Queens. Yes, there’s a smidge of romance but nothing wild. Yes, some of this sounds clichéd as fuck but I do not care. I needed a book like this at the moment and it’s filled a void that I didn’t even know was there. It’s a deliciously easy read leaving you wanting to devour more and I promise you that might not see that ending coming. I was sitting there all smug thinking I’d mastered it, but hell no. Smacked right in the face – left gobsmacked.
Gimmie the next one. Now.
(p.s. thankfully I only need to wait until October)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault
Tall Bones by Anna Bailey
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Copy via Netgalley.
I think I’m probably in the minority here but this book wasn’t massively for me. THAT BEING SAID – it’s one of those books that will make you massively uncomfortable to read because this shit still goes on. On that note, I’d be an ass if I didn’t pop out a few trigger warnings for Tall Bones. In this book you’ll find:
Alcoholism & drug abuse
Homophobia oozing out every pore
Incest
Racism
Abuse (child, domestic and everything in between)
This is a dark, claustrophobic and utterly depressing story of a Whistling Ridge – a small town (with an even smaller town mentality) where religion comes first. Here’s what you’re in for:
✨ One girl who disappeared during a party
✨ Her BFF trying everything within her power to figure out what happened to her
✨ A family torn apart and living in fear of their father/husband
✨ A small town laced with secrets and whispers around every corner
I grew up in a small town. Nothing (and I mean N O T H I N G) was ever a secret. Perhaps that’s why I wanted to grab this one in the first place to see how other places fared when it came to gossip and insanity? Who knows. What I do know is that this is a book you have to concentrate on as it flips from past to present. This and the fact there’s a LOT going on, meant my poor brain went into meltdown.
Enough waffle.
Abigail Blake is a typical small-town gal (livin’ in a lonely worlddddd) – rebellious and looking for adventure outside of their home which is slowly killing them. In an attempt to have a bit of a normal life, Abi and Emma head to a party in the shadow of the Tall Bones; only one of them makes it back home.
Abi’s disappearance not only tore apart Emma’s life but also shone a massive spotlight on the Blake family and the number of bruises that littered Noah and Jude’s bodies. You’d perhaps think that that would make them the centre point for an investigation but a bigoted town’s gotta bigot and before long, Rat (a Romanian immigrant teenager who lived alone in a trailer) became the focal point of the town’s manic anger.
I liked this book. I didn’t love it but I liked it. It’s a slow read so, if you’re anything like me and desires intense shit from the get-go, then you might struggle with this. If anything, it should be mandatory reading for anyone who lives in a small town in the hopes that it helps them realise what goes on behind closed doors.
Challenge racism, misogyny and homophobia, please.
I think I’m probably in the minority here but this book wasn’t massively for me. THAT BEING SAID – it’s one of those books that will make you massively uncomfortable to read because this shit still goes on. On that note, I’d be an ass if I didn’t pop out a few trigger warnings for Tall Bones. In this book you’ll find:
Alcoholism & drug abuse
Homophobia oozing out every pore
Incest
Racism
Abuse (child, domestic and everything in between)
This is a dark, claustrophobic and utterly depressing story of a Whistling Ridge – a small town (with an even smaller town mentality) where religion comes first. Here’s what you’re in for:
✨ One girl who disappeared during a party
✨ Her BFF trying everything within her power to figure out what happened to her
✨ A family torn apart and living in fear of their father/husband
✨ A small town laced with secrets and whispers around every corner
I grew up in a small town. Nothing (and I mean N O T H I N G) was ever a secret. Perhaps that’s why I wanted to grab this one in the first place to see how other places fared when it came to gossip and insanity? Who knows. What I do know is that this is a book you have to concentrate on as it flips from past to present. This and the fact there’s a LOT going on, meant my poor brain went into meltdown.
Enough waffle.
Abigail Blake is a typical small-town gal (livin’ in a lonely worlddddd) – rebellious and looking for adventure outside of their home which is slowly killing them. In an attempt to have a bit of a normal life, Abi and Emma head to a party in the shadow of the Tall Bones; only one of them makes it back home.
Abi’s disappearance not only tore apart Emma’s life but also shone a massive spotlight on the Blake family and the number of bruises that littered Noah and Jude’s bodies. You’d perhaps think that that would make them the centre point for an investigation but a bigoted town’s gotta bigot and before long, Rat (a Romanian immigrant teenager who lived alone in a trailer) became the focal point of the town’s manic anger.
I liked this book. I didn’t love it but I liked it. It’s a slow read so, if you’re anything like me and desires intense shit from the get-go, then you might struggle with this. If anything, it should be mandatory reading for anyone who lives in a small town in the hopes that it helps them realise what goes on behind closed doors.
Challenge racism, misogyny and homophobia, please.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence
Minor: Incest
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
The Asylum by Karen Coles
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ARC via Netgalley.
I read this within 24 hours. I tried to put it down (I really did) but I just kept going back to this little gem of a book.
First up – a wee warning. This is gaslighting on steroids. You’ll be left so unbelievable pissed off with the early 20th-century world, that you’ll want to smash everything in sight. Please see the following example and watch your blood pressure rise:
“You know as well as I do, sir, that women’s brains are not capable of scientific study. They’re too soft, prone to overexcitement.”
You mad yet? Excellent. You’re in for quite a dark ride then.
✨ 1906 – where intelligent women are a threat to both wealthy men and women alike.
✨ Angelton Lunatic Alsyum where ‘excitement’ is classed as a major sickness for women.
✨ A forgotten past.
✨ A doctor and his assistant chipping away to get to the truth.
Meet Mary/Maud. Whilst she has no idea why she’s in the asylum or any recollection of her past she knows her name is definitely not Mary even though it’s what the doctors keep calling her. Maud has lived the last five years of her life locked away with no memory of why she’s there in the first place with only her manipulated brain for company. A brain that’s keeping trauma away from a fragile, gaslit human.
Maud is set to live her life out in her dank ‘room’, accepting that she belongs there and that she’s truly lost the plot. BUT (and I love a good but) who should come crashing in but a shining Diamond himself (his name is Dr Dimmond, but I agree with Maud that Diamond is better) who, shockingly, doesn’t believe in all the barbaric ‘treatments’ that ‘doctors’ of yore would flap to administer. I’m using a lot of air quotes because everything inside them is shite and I’m mad.
Dr Diamond is different, you see. Mr Sparkly Lad is all about this new fangled tekkers called hypnotherapy. Oooooh! Something that doesn’t involve causing pain to a patient. Ahhhhh!
Armed with a chain, Diamond Man swings a ring in front of Maud and slowly starts chipping away at the walls her brain has erected to uncover the trauma that lies dormant.
I have a love/hate relationship with historical fictions. I love history and the simpler times but holy shit the amount of injustice that floats around that time is hard to deal with. This book tore me in two. It was an insanely easy read, but rife with maddening patriarchy with a hint of a power grab at the end.
You’ll fall in love with some characters whilst despising others. It’ll make you think. It’ll make you happy and sad in one fell swoop and it’s a book that you should absolutely hit up if historical fiction is your jam.
So why only 4 stars? I don’t like figuring out the twist so far in advance. Don’t get me wrong – I feel dead smart when I see where a writer is going, but I like to be a wee bit further on before I get my lightbulb moment.
I read this within 24 hours. I tried to put it down (I really did) but I just kept going back to this little gem of a book.
First up – a wee warning. This is gaslighting on steroids. You’ll be left so unbelievable pissed off with the early 20th-century world, that you’ll want to smash everything in sight. Please see the following example and watch your blood pressure rise:
“You know as well as I do, sir, that women’s brains are not capable of scientific study. They’re too soft, prone to overexcitement.”
You mad yet? Excellent. You’re in for quite a dark ride then.
✨ 1906 – where intelligent women are a threat to both wealthy men and women alike.
✨ Angelton Lunatic Alsyum where ‘excitement’ is classed as a major sickness for women.
✨ A forgotten past.
✨ A doctor and his assistant chipping away to get to the truth.
Meet Mary/Maud. Whilst she has no idea why she’s in the asylum or any recollection of her past she knows her name is definitely not Mary even though it’s what the doctors keep calling her. Maud has lived the last five years of her life locked away with no memory of why she’s there in the first place with only her manipulated brain for company. A brain that’s keeping trauma away from a fragile, gaslit human.
Maud is set to live her life out in her dank ‘room’, accepting that she belongs there and that she’s truly lost the plot. BUT (and I love a good but) who should come crashing in but a shining Diamond himself (his name is Dr Dimmond, but I agree with Maud that Diamond is better) who, shockingly, doesn’t believe in all the barbaric ‘treatments’ that ‘doctors’ of yore would flap to administer. I’m using a lot of air quotes because everything inside them is shite and I’m mad.
Dr Diamond is different, you see. Mr Sparkly Lad is all about this new fangled tekkers called hypnotherapy. Oooooh! Something that doesn’t involve causing pain to a patient. Ahhhhh!
Armed with a chain, Diamond Man swings a ring in front of Maud and slowly starts chipping away at the walls her brain has erected to uncover the trauma that lies dormant.
I have a love/hate relationship with historical fictions. I love history and the simpler times but holy shit the amount of injustice that floats around that time is hard to deal with. This book tore me in two. It was an insanely easy read, but rife with maddening patriarchy with a hint of a power grab at the end.
You’ll fall in love with some characters whilst despising others. It’ll make you think. It’ll make you happy and sad in one fell swoop and it’s a book that you should absolutely hit up if historical fiction is your jam.
So why only 4 stars? I don’t like figuring out the twist so far in advance. Don’t get me wrong – I feel dead smart when I see where a writer is going, but I like to be a wee bit further on before I get my lightbulb moment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts