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terzza's reviews
230 reviews
And he shall appear by Kate van der Borgh
5.0
"It was beautiful and horrible all at once."
Thank you 4th estate for asking me to review this book! When the request landed in my inbox I knew I was in for a treat.
I read it almost exclusively late at night by my fake oil lamp which was perfect. Reading it felt like walking down a familiar road late at night, when before you know it a fog has rolled in and someone might be following you and also it might not be human and can you hear that scratching sound?
This book is about so many things:
Fear, love, ghosts, grief, music, friendship, obsession, the occult, memory, class, academia, magic.
It's quickly become one of my favourites of the year and I'm in awe of how beautifully it's crafted. This made me FEEL THINGS !!
💀
Out: 16th January 2025
💀
When I tell you I RAVED about this book as I was reading it to anyone who would listen, I'm not exaggerating.
Looking beyond this incredible title and cover and there exists the most incredible first chapter I've ever read. It was so instantly terrifying and unnerving that my instincts told me to put it down, but the writing style had its hooks in me from the first description and wasn't going to let me go. Thank god it didn't.
The familiar imagery of a working class northern household was so clear on the page before class was even mentioned. The description was so vivid and so concise. Sharp observations that immediately stick the picture in your brain. It's the kind of writing style I wish I had. Then the contrast to the rich world our narrator is transported to is so clear.
The masterpiece of this novel is the horror. So subtle and perfect, it feels like a delicate thread holding all the themes together. It perfectly captures the all too familiar and unique terror of not belonging.
💀
I could compare it to If We Were Villains (another fave), I could say it's everything that Saltburn fell short of, I could use "dark academia" buzz words, but this story is in a whole new genre of its own.
10/10 can't wait to read again when it comes out next year
Thank you 4th estate for asking me to review this book! When the request landed in my inbox I knew I was in for a treat.
I read it almost exclusively late at night by my fake oil lamp which was perfect. Reading it felt like walking down a familiar road late at night, when before you know it a fog has rolled in and someone might be following you and also it might not be human and can you hear that scratching sound?
This book is about so many things:
Fear, love, ghosts, grief, music, friendship, obsession, the occult, memory, class, academia, magic.
It's quickly become one of my favourites of the year and I'm in awe of how beautifully it's crafted. This made me FEEL THINGS !!
💀
Out: 16th January 2025
💀
When I tell you I RAVED about this book as I was reading it to anyone who would listen, I'm not exaggerating.
Looking beyond this incredible title and cover and there exists the most incredible first chapter I've ever read. It was so instantly terrifying and unnerving that my instincts told me to put it down, but the writing style had its hooks in me from the first description and wasn't going to let me go. Thank god it didn't.
The familiar imagery of a working class northern household was so clear on the page before class was even mentioned. The description was so vivid and so concise. Sharp observations that immediately stick the picture in your brain. It's the kind of writing style I wish I had. Then the contrast to the rich world our narrator is transported to is so clear.
The masterpiece of this novel is the horror. So subtle and perfect, it feels like a delicate thread holding all the themes together. It perfectly captures the all too familiar and unique terror of not belonging.
💀
I could compare it to If We Were Villains (another fave), I could say it's everything that Saltburn fell short of, I could use "dark academia" buzz words, but this story is in a whole new genre of its own.
10/10 can't wait to read again when it comes out next year
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
5.0
Cried four times. Laughed many more.
When I tell you I couldn't put this book down I mean I picked it up after work today and now it is 1 in the morning.
This brought me so much joy
When I tell you I couldn't put this book down I mean I picked it up after work today and now it is 1 in the morning.
This brought me so much joy
Nocticadia by Keri Lake
1.5
I wanted to like this but I did not. The setting and the concept was great and should have made the perfect book for me, but unfortunately the writing wasn't my cup of tea. Everything was so over explained and rinsed out - the book could have been half the length - and it felt like the author was treating the reader like an idiot.
This would be a one star but I give it an extra .5 for plot
This would be a one star but I give it an extra .5 for plot
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
5.0
If I had a nickel for every time I gave five stars to a smutty enemies to lovers rom com that I couldn't put down and read in one sitting until 6am about rivals in the same profession that I later found out started on ao3 as Keylo Ren fan fic, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice
~
Seriously though there is SOMETHING in this book! Maybe it's the witty dialogue, maybe it's the incredible chemistry with an actually unique rom-com plot, or maybe it's the music nerd in me who played first chair violin for two years in high school.
Either way, I started reading this at 11pm thinking I'd get a chapter or two in before bed, and now the sun has risen and I spent the whole night kicking my feet like a little girl and texting friends annoying updates.
This gave me the rom-com joy of books like the Love Hypothesis but without the millennial cringe, and the brilliant dialogue and chemistry of writers like Emily Henry, Talia Hibbert and Nora Ephron, but with the added bonus of a love of string music threaded throughout.
Chefs kiss no notes (major smut warning though if that's not your bag, this was way more intense than I expected).
Ok maybe some notes ... Could the final third be better paced? Yes. Could there have been less sex scenes? Yes. Could someone have mentioned JUST ONCE about their shoulder rest? HELL YES! These musicians were using so much rosin all the time but not once did someone use a shoulder rest, and that is an injustice. I get that they might have picked one up naked for those romantic scenes but there's no way these professional musicians are all playing a three hour concert without a rest or sponge. Also I know this started as Reylo fanfic but those actors could not be further from what I imagined these characters. HOWEVER I had a great time reading this and so it gets five stars from me
~
Seriously though there is SOMETHING in this book! Maybe it's the witty dialogue, maybe it's the incredible chemistry with an actually unique rom-com plot, or maybe it's the music nerd in me who played first chair violin for two years in high school.
Either way, I started reading this at 11pm thinking I'd get a chapter or two in before bed, and now the sun has risen and I spent the whole night kicking my feet like a little girl and texting friends annoying updates.
This gave me the rom-com joy of books like the Love Hypothesis but without the millennial cringe, and the brilliant dialogue and chemistry of writers like Emily Henry, Talia Hibbert and Nora Ephron, but with the added bonus of a love of string music threaded throughout.
Chefs kiss no notes (major smut warning though if that's not your bag, this was way more intense than I expected).
Ok maybe some notes ... Could the final third be better paced? Yes. Could there have been less sex scenes? Yes. Could someone have mentioned JUST ONCE about their shoulder rest? HELL YES! These musicians were using so much rosin all the time but not once did someone use a shoulder rest, and that is an injustice. I get that they might have picked one up naked for those romantic scenes but there's no way these professional musicians are all playing a three hour concert without a rest or sponge. Also I know this started as Reylo fanfic but those actors could not be further from what I imagined these characters. HOWEVER I had a great time reading this and so it gets five stars from me