whatellisreadnext's reviews
618 reviews

Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

 I read this entire thing in one day. It's safe to say I am obsessed with how Molly brought Alice Kyteler to life. Historical fiction books rooted in real people or events are becoming a favourite subgenre of mine, and this ticked all the boxes.

Yes, Alice Kyteler was condemned as a witch, but I want to make it very clear that this book has nothing to do with witches. We follow her through the years as she makes a name for herself, becoming a successful business owner and having many an admirer. Morally grey characters are my absolute favourite. I loved Alice, but my gosh, did she do some very questionable things👀 

I just wanted to touch on the fact that the writing style took me by surprise at first, but I soon settled into the narrative, and then I couldn't read it quick enough. There are town gossip chapters scattered throughout the book, and I love how these added another layer to the story. It felt very reminiscent of books I've loved previously in narrative style, like The Wall and I Who Have Never Known Men, and one for lovers of historical literary fiction like The Dance Tree and Cursed Bread.

Thank you so much to Canongate and Molly for my gifted early copy. Bright I Burn is out now!

Walking Practice by Dolki Min

adventurous dark funny reflective 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

4.0

I'm a sucker for a translated novel with commentary on society, especially sexuality and gender. This scratched that itch, whilst also being hilarious. We follow an alien who crash lands on earth and now uses dating sites to meet people, sleep with them, and eat them 💁🏻‍♀️ what a ride

Fragile Animals by Genevieve Jagger

dark funny mysterious 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

5.0

I bloody loved this... excuse the pun. Fragile Animals follows Noelle, a hotel cleaner, as she stays in an Airbnb on the Isle of Bute. She's essentially running away from her entire existence, whilst also being the funniest protagonist ever. I loved being in her head. It was a hoot. Turns out there's another guest, and he's a vampire. I'm not talking Edward Cullen, I'm talking crusty and old and weird but a good listener. I don't know what it says about me, but I'm into it. 

The narrative has a sort of out of body quality. It feels real, but also not. There's so many little quirks to the writing and the way she tells this story. I'm finding it hard to put it into words, but the whole vibe was immaculate. 

I'd avoid reading the blurb as it gives too much away and may leave you expecting something different. This is a weird woman at its best. Noelle is morally grey, she's got mummy issues, she's an ex Catholic, she's a poet and she tells people way too much about herself. I loved her. 

I would recommend this to lovers of Pizza Girl and One's Company just because I feel they have a similar dry humour vibe with an unstable woman at their core. But really, this felt like a truly unique experience, and I hope it finds its audience.

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

adventurous mysterious reflective 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

3.0

This is not one for people who need an explanation, in that way I likened it to one of my favourite books Never Let Me Go, because why would somebody explain how their world works if they've never known any other way. I really enjoyed the audiobook and I think maybe if I was reading between the lines quite literally, maybe I wouldn't have as much. The Other Valley is set in a town that is sandwiched between two other towns, one 20 years ago and one 20 years in the future. This made for some interesting timey whimeyness, but I do wish the ending had been more sinister.

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara

challenging dark slow-paced

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

5.0

I need to get my thoughts together because that ending, even though expected, was uncomfortable. But what a book this was. Hanya is a genius. 

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing tense 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

4.0

I loved this trilogy. It was great to read where Brando Sando started off, and I can't wait to read loads more from him this year.  The magic system is fascinating, and all the lore throughout this one was my absolute favourite part. I could just sit and read a book about this world's history for hours. The books are very long, but they don't feel long. If anything, this last book felt too short for me, I could have read so much more. If you're on the edge about this one, just read it 💃

Napalm in the Heart by Pol Guasch

dark reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

What a unique little reading experience this was. Napalm in the Heart follows an unnamed protagonist living in a deserted village in a militarised society, as he writes letters to his lover Boris, who lives in the city.

The writing is quite jarring but I think it does a good job of keeping you in a state of confusion, that is clearly felt by the protagonist as he grapples with life and love and the difficulty of familial bonds. 

You'd be reading something completely grotesque, which will be quickly followed with the loveliest line you've ever read. I couldn't get enough of this weird and meandering narrative. It reminded me a lot of Strega in it's writing style and The Old Haunts with its tough parental relationships and winding storyline.

I honestly couldn't recommend this enough, and no I don't think I was smart enough for a lot of it, but I can totally see myself rereading it to capture things I missed the first time around. 

Thank you to Faber for the gifted copy, this will be out on the 4th of July.

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

adventurous dark funny mysterious 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

3.0

I love portal fantasy, so the ones in the series like this one, where they step through a door by accident, are my favourites, but I'm just not a horse girly. Saying that, I love how inclusive this whole series is, but I do kind of wish they were perhaps suitable for children? They're full of important messages that the adults reading will probably already know, but are perhaps too violent in someways for children. I'm torn, but it's easy listening, and they give me the same feels as the Monk and Robot novellas.

Ascension by Nicholas Binge

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

3.0

This isn't a bad book by any means, I actually really enjoyed it for the most part. There just seems to be a bit of a disconnect for me later in the story. I love a character driven narrative, and I couldn't get enough of the main protagonist telling us about his past. But as the story got more and more ridiculous, I think it lost that element a little. Plus, it is structured as letters, and you know where he's going to end up right at the beginning, so this took away the danger element for me. Overall, it was fun but didn't come close to Annihilation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

4.0