the_bookishkat's reviews
495 reviews

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

Gothikana by RuNyx

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Gothikana is brilliantly unlike things I have read recently. The Gothic influences of the novel work to keep the reader constantly guessing where the story will go next. Verenmore is perfectly spooky and intense to match the plot of the novel and I loved the detailed descriptions inside the castle and its rooms. 

While I enjoyed both Corvina and Vad as characters, I did feel as though I couldn't connect to them as strongly as I would've liked, but perhaps that's part of the distrust each of these characters provides to the plot. Until the end, I was never really sure who I liked - and that's what makes the storyline so gripping. I would've liked more detail in the secondary characters though, as I really liked the kind of friendship that they provided to Corvina who has been alone most of her life. 

I'm glad I picked up this book to see what the hype was about, otherwise I think I would have dismissed it as not really my type of genre but I really enjoyed reading it!

Thanks to Rebellion Publishing and NetGalley for an early release copy of this book!

The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.75

Growing Out: Black Hair and Black Pride in the Swinging 60s by Barbara Blake Hannah

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

3.75

Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

This book is a very promising start to a new YA duology! While I struggled with some aspects of the book, overall it took a very interesting premise and world and ensured that I would never be able to fully predict what would happen next. The concept of the boons and the houses are particularly interesting and I love how it plays into each of the characters' personalities and actions. The politics, while remaining gripping, felt at a perfect level so as to progress the plot and explain actions while not becoming too confusing for me to understand. 

Once Talon and Darling's relationship develops more, and we see Talon's softer side emerge, I was fully on board with their progression and loved seeing their private moments through the dual POV. Both POVs felt important and equal, which I think creates the sense of unease at not knowing who we're supposed to support at any given time seeing as we get insight into different alliances based on the perspective we're viewing. 

The one thing I struggled with was the fast pacing of the book. While I loved that I was able to fly through it, sections of the book felt like not enough time was spent savouring them so I felt like a lot of important scenes and character development were rushed. We spent so little time at each of the Houses that while I felt I was understanding the traits behind each one, the world building of the scion buildings and other important aspects felt a bit waylaid. With such an interesting world, I really wanted to savour as much time understanding it as possible, but felt that this wasn't the case. 

In terms of the ending, I absolutely loved that I didn't really understand what was going on - just frustrated that I'll have so long to wait before the sequel! The morally grey aspects to all of the characters as well as their conflicts meant that I kept jumping back and forth between liking them or not and I love this unpredictable side to the story. Overall, a really great intro to the duology and I look forward to seeing where the sequel goes with this plotline!

Thanks to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the access to this ARC!

The Stopover by TL Swan

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

This fantasy novel was a delightful read that was easy to fly through and remain gripped. While the start took a while for me to get into, once I was invested, I couldn't put it down! The world of the court is brilliant and I loved seeing how Alessandra navigates courtly life. However, I felt that the world of the kingdom felt lacking in description and could have benefited from something as simple as proper introduction or even a map at the start of the text. 

As a character I enjoyed Alessandra's actions and found her to be a brilliant level of conniving and feisty yet entertaining. I felt very invested in both hers and Kallias' plot lines and enjoyed them paired together as a couple. That said, I found that both characters somewhat fell flat in description - the parts where they were just getting on with daily life or minor activities were my favourite because it felt like we were finally seeing what either of them were like without the plot overbearing. Once I felt more invested in them towards the halfway point, I enjoyed them as characters and the dynamic of both being tentative towards each other. 

Overall, this was a great read as I wanted to be introduced to a new fantasy world without the pressure of signing up to multiple long-winded series and this book delivered. I'm excited to see how Levenseller includes the world in future books but involves different characters and storylines. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for an early access to the new version of the book!

The Back Up Man by Phoebe Luckhurst

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

This book is amazing. In the build-up to Christmas reading this, I needed a cozy romance to lighten these dark nights and Luckhurst pulled through exceptionally. I absolutely adore Anya as the main character, and found myself genuinely rooting for her throughout the narrative. The main male character as well was perfectly written - not overdeveloped, but just right in order to leave me in support of him and desperate to know more about his life. 

While I did find the pace slightly slow to begin with, especially as we are introduced to Anya's life and the people are her, it picked up brilliantly by the middle of the book and I found myself unable to put it down! One thing that I found a bit of a shame is that so much of the novel is dedicated to her catering aspirations, and it felt slightly frustrating that we never found out what happened to the events she had booked. 

Overall, this is a great, comforting romance that once you're hooked, you won't be able to put down. Don't be surprised when you find yourself craving some of Anya's home comfort food! 

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

Rebecca F Kuang has possibly written my favourite book of 2023 without it even being 2023 yet. This book was astounding in its writing and blew me away with the quick-paced, dark tone. The plot itself was brilliant: an insight into the world of publishing and social media at its wittiest. 

Kuang's choice to frame the storyline from June's perspective as a white female unreliable narrator makes the nuances of the book deeper and intertwined. The muddied waters, as a reader, of comprehending June's anxiety and yet internally screaming at her inability to understand the microaggressions (and aggressions at points) of how racism overwhelms publishing are what make this story an unputdownable literary work of art. I hated June's character and her constant need to contrast herself to those around her while believing she deserves everything, but that is what makes this book so gripping;  my hatred for her made me desperate to know how her story ended and is possibly the first time I've ever wished for a bad ending for a character. 

Kuang calls out exactly what needs to change in the publishing industry, while brilliantly leaving the reader to ponder the pros and cons of cancel culture and the spiralling effect that social media holds. Ultimately, this book is a must-read as it perfects the depth and nuance of exhibiting characters that we love to hate. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an early review copy of this book!