For readers of any genre My favorite reading season is upon us; the dark nights, the gloomy weather, the beautiful colors of nature and the pitter patter of raindrops on the window... There is no setting more perfect to curl up on the couch with a blanket and a hot drink and get immersed in your favorite book. And what would autumn-reading be without some good halloween reads...? Horror novels, ghost stories and thrillers scurry from their dark corners, around this time of year and swarm the internet like bats in the nightsky. However, even if you don't enjoy being spooked: we can still make halloween an awesome reading experience. In this list I'll share some of my favorite halloween-reads from multiple genres, and one book per genre from my halloween TBR. Turn off the lights, grab a blanket and snuggle up with one of these horrifying beauties. Enjoy! ​ ​ Classic Horror No matter how many amazing modern horror/thrillers I read, when people ask me for halloween recommendations, my mind immediately goes to the classics. Most well-known are obviously the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley or my personal favorites: the cosmic horrors of H.P. Lovecraft. There is something uniquely terrifying about this fear of something we cannot understand, that gets me every time. For Lovecraft I can definitely recommend the audiobooks, for maximum atmospheric experience. Despite the somewhat archaic language, their atmosphere and brand of creepy stand the test of time in my opinion. ​ My recommendations: The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft - H.P. Lovecraft Frankenstein - Mary Shelley On my TBR: The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson ​ ​ Modern Thriller and Horror As I have mentioned many times before: I'm not the biggest fan of gore-filled horror. Therefore my favorite thrillers are the psychological kind. I've read a multitude of mediocre thrillers in my time, so I don't have too many good ones to choose from. If you have some recommendations: please let me know. ​ My recommendations: Birdbox - Josh Malerman The Shining - Stephen King Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane On my TBR: Sleeping Beauties - Stephen King ​ Literary Fiction When it comes to literary fiction, I look for atmosphere and lush writing rather than spookiness in my halloween reads, and frankly I have too many recommendations to include them all. I will limit myself to some more recent releases (and some recent reads), to include as many books you guys might nog have read yet. Daisy Johnson and Sarah Perry's books combine the mysterious elements of folklore with the darker edge of real life tragedy, whilst The Lightkeepers by Abby Geni is terrifying by its bleak portrayal of the rough nature of both its landscape and protagonists. ​ My recommendations: Melmoth - Sarah Perry Everything Under - Daisy Johnson The Lightkeepers - Abby Geni On my TBR: Dark Water - Elizabeth Lowry ​ ​ Fantasy and Magical Realism In general: magical realism is an amazing genre for this time of year. As far as this genre goes, I don't think it gets more halloween appropriate than Neil Gaiman. If you are looking for something a little more light, yet still filled with magic and lush writing: I recommend Anna-Marie McLemore or Maggie Stiefvater. Looking for some darker fantasy? You can't go wrong with the following recommendations. Please take note that the first two books are adult fantasy, and contain some more mature themes. The others are YA, and suitable for anyone over 15. ​ My recommendations: Nevernight - Jay Kristoff The Lies of Lock Lamora - Scott Lynch The Ocean at the End of The Lane - Neil Gaiman Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo On my TBR: The Diviners - Libba Bray Neverwhere- Neil Gaiman ​ ​ Sci-fi I can keep this one very brief: my one-stop-shop scifi author for this season is Blake Crouch. Combining mystery with dark sci-fi twists, his novels are perfect for the autumn- and halloween season. Otherwise, one of my all-time-favorite books (Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer) would also be suitable for this time of year. ​ My recommendations: Annihilation - Jeff Vandermeer Dark Matter - Blake Crouch Wayward Pines trilogy - Blake Crouch ​​​ ​ Middle-grade Lastly, if you are looking for a book for a younger reader or just enjoy the genre yourself, the following are ones you shouln't pass up. Note that The Lie Tree is technically shelved as YA in America, it's considered middlegrade where I'm from, and I think it's suitable for both age groups equally. ​​ My recommendations: The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman The Prince of Mist - Carlos Ruiz Zafon The Lie Tree - Frances Hardinge ​ On my TBR The boy, the boat and the beast - Samantha M. Clark I-don't-like-scary-books Finally: spooky books are not for everybody. If you really don't care for scaring yourself, it may be tempting to skip on Halloween all together. Before you do so however: consider that Halloween is not just about spooks and darkness. It's also about magic and mysterious worlds. Therefore, the following fit the Halloween spirit perfectly in my opinion. 100% of the magic, 0% of the scares: I promise. My recommendations: The Nightcircus - Erin Morgenstern Strange the Dreamer - Laini Taylor ​On my TBR The Weight of Feathers - Anna Marie McLemore I truly hope you get some good recommendations from this list. I'd love to hear what you're reading this Halloween: feel free to drop your reads down in the comments or respond to my goodreads question here. ​Happy Halloween, and enjoy your reading!

Genre: Literary fiction Published: Granta, July 2016 My Rating: 5/5 stars All-time favorite “Suddenly, you will stop, you and me and all of us. Your lungs will rest at last and the electric pulse in your pulse will vanish into the darkness from which it came. Put your fingers in your ears, lay your head on the pillow, listen to the footsteps of your blood. You are alive.” There is a universal truth, we all know to be true, but can’t quite fathom in all its gravity: life is frail and we are always just one breath away from disaster. All of us. That man you just crossed on the street, your loved ones, you yourself… I’ve probably depressed or unsettled you a little by just stating this. Which is why it’s a good thing that our minds are so adept at suppressing this knowledge, so we can live our everyday lives without worry. Despite the fact that we rationally know it, and we think we understand, we simply can’t until we experience it close to home. It’s a brilliant protection mechanism, yet simple as a child covering their eyes to hide themselves: if I don’t see, it’s not there. For many people, however, there comes a time when this fundamental bubble of safety is burst wide open: the moment we come face to face with the loss of our own life, or that of a loved one. The Tidal Zone explores the aftermath of such an event. An event that will send ripples throughout the lives of the people involved, far passed what outsiders will see. What began as any other day ends in a parent’s worst nightmare for protagonist Adam, when his 15-year old daughter collapses and stops breathing while at school, for no apparent reason. Her condition is known as idiopathic anaphylaxis: a severe and potentially deadly allergic reaction to an unknown stimulus. In other words: the doctors don’t exactly know what causes it, and therefore cannot tell them whether this will happen again or not. Despite the fact that Miriam survives without any physical damage, the ordeal leaves a mark on the entire family. The aforementioned bubble of presumed safety is shattered, and they realize that life is not something they can take for granted. Each family member has their own way of dealing with this realization. Denial, worry, overprotectiveness, the desire to take back your own control, and all the conflicts that arise between those different responses. The push and pull of a family torn apart by this event and being united by the same thing are at the core of this novel. Despite these heavy themes, there is (just like in real life) room for the lightness of ordinary life, teenage sass (Miriam is the best at that!) and heartfelt family moments, to make you feel like you are a fly on the wall of a real family, going through these events. And there are many of those families out there. Families who not only have to deal with the trauma itself, but also with the judgement of people around them. I’ve seen that same judgement in some of the reviews for this book, calling it “a book about overprotective parenting”. Going as far as saying “how long can you milk an even that didn’t even happen”. To all of those people I say: you’ve missed the point. I don’t blame you: you probably have not been in this situation and I’m happy for that. This is not a novel about “overprotective parenting” or “exaggerated mundane fears”. It’s a novel about living past a paradigm-shattering event, that seeps into everyday life that follows, and much more. Written by an incredibly eloquent and compassionate author, I hope this novel will mean a lot to anyone who relates to the themes discussed here, and might inspire some of that same compassion into others. Add this book on Goodreads

Genre: YA, Magical Realism Published: Scholastic Press, October 2017 My Rating: 2 stars "Not many people realize that the ordinary radiowave and the extraordinary miracle have so much in common. (...) What a shame that both miracles and radiowaves are invisible, because it would be quite a sight: ribbons of marvel and sound stretching out straight and true from all over the world" I realize this is probably an unpopular opinion, but Maggie Stiefvaters books and I don’t always get along. All her books, in theory, sound perfect to me: magical, lyrical, filled with metaphors and themes that would generally appeal to me. However, the execution often leaves me feeling a little empty. The Ravencycle, although beloved by many, was a mixed experience for me and unfortunately, the same was true for All the Crooked Saints. Stiefvaters writingstyle is beautiful as always. Often more poetry than prose, her words are truly like a piece of art in itself. However, a very abstract piece of art in the case of All the Crooked Saints. This is, in my opinion, the major flaw in this novel: for all its outward beauty, there is very little substance to be found within. Mostly, the novel is more about the ideas than plot, which there is very little of. This in itself is not a problem (I often like books like this), but the ideas presented, outside the metaphors, were not the most novel or interesting out there. In line with that, many of the ideas are a little bit wide-as-an-ocean, yet deep-as-a-puddle. Stiefvater tries to include a lot of concepts, yet doesn’t go in depth enough on them to be satisfying. Based on the atmosphere and content combined, this novel might have worked better for me in a short-story format, with some of the ideas explored more into depth, and others scrapped. Maybe I am being overcritical of this one, but it’s just that I have read so many great books lately that combine metaphorical, lyrical writing with deep storytelling, that I know what is possible within this genre. Take Anna-Marie McLemore, Kirsty Logan, or even Emily XR Pan; all of which are others operating within this genre that, in my opinion, have written superior books to this one. If you, like me, were disappointed by this one, please pick one of their books up: they are worth it! To quickly touch on the subject that I see discussed in pretty much half of the reviews down here: I don’t have any problems with a white woman writing within the magical-realism-genre. In fact, I have more problems with the people who say this shouldn’t be okay, because the genre has its origins Latin America. Personally, I think it’s great that genres evolve: basically everything does. Besides, we live in the 21st century: shouldn’t everyone, regardless of gender/race/etc., be able to express themselves in whichever genre they want? Criticizing someone for writing in a genre that originated in another culture frankly seems pretty idiotic to me. It would be like me bashing Marissa Meyer for writing the Lunar-Chronicles, as they’re based of Western European fairytales, and Marissa is American. I’m fairly sure we all agree that’s ridiculous, so I hope I made my point. Trying to write from the perspective of Latin-American characters however is a different story. I can’t speak to how accurate this was. Regardless of the political discussion: I wanted to love this. There was so much potential, and the writing was exquisite as always. Despite this, All the Crooked Saints as a whole was quite a disappointment. Add this book on Goodreads

Genre: Literary Fiction, Magical Realism Published: Harvill Secker, April 2018 My rating: 5/5 stars All-time-favourite "We can't carry our whole lives with us everywhere we go. Memories have weight, and no one can lift them all at ones. We have to leave some of them behind." Often, I love books with my head. I love the way they’re written, the stories they tell, the words they chose. Sometimes these books linger like ghosts in the back of my mind, and slowly creep their way down into my heart, to claim their place as all-time favorites. Rarely, I love books directly with my heart. Those are the ones that skip the ghosting-step, materialize directly into your soul and become instant favourites. One of those rare occurrences was The Gloaming… ' Set on an island where magic is more than the subject of folklore, we follow an unorthodox family of five in the wake of a tragedy that changed their lives forever. Signe (“The Bird”), a ballerina, split between grace and strength, freedom and responsibility. Her husband Peter, a boxer; body is strong as ever, but his mind falling apart. Their children: Islay (“the Beauty”), Mara (“the Changeling”) and Bee, the golden boy, whom small presence is with them everywhere they go. And then there is Pearl (the Selkie), Mara’s lover, who carries a past of her own. All of them are masterfully written, and feel so complete, that you forget they only exist on page. I especially adored Signe, whom life seems to be about balancing extremes. Frailty and strength, freedom and surrender, love and grief… the Black Swan and the White… Mara was probably a close second. Not in the sense that I adored her as much, but in the sense that she was such a well crafted character. She is damaged by her past in the most literal way. Her relationship with Pearl mimics her relationship with the sea; she fears it, yet she yearns for it, not knowing whether it’s healing her, or damaging her even more. Kirsty Logan, Mara and I share this love, fascination, and simultaneous fearful awe for the ocean. This love is definitely reflected in this novel as well, as the sea is arguably a seventh main character in itself. Unpredictable, unforgiving, yet soothing and calling to us all like a siren. Like life, it takes what it wants, only what it wants, and you never know what if it’ll ever give it back. It’s in the names of our main characters, which all carry meaning in themselves, but you’ll have to read the book to understand them. It’s in the metaphors, the themes, the chapter titles and the entire atmosphere, that is vivid enough to make you taste the salt on your lips. (Or maybe they were just my own tears: I wouldn’t rule that out completely) This was quite honestly one of the most emotion-packed, and probably most personal books I read in a long time. I cannot fathom how much Kirsty Logan managed to (effectively!) pack in just over 300 pages. Grief, family, a type of longing for home that I can’t quite describe*, the terrifying beauty of life itself and learning to live/love after loss again… There is so much more in here, but I can only recommend you read the book yourself, to see what you find. *there is a beautiful Welsh word that describes this feeling, that doesn’t really translate too well. I realize it would have been more fitting if it were a Scottish word, like the chapter titles of this novel, but this will have to do. “Hiraeth”: a bittersweet homesickness for a home you can’t return to, or a place that never was. It’s a beautiful word, a feeling very familiar, and despite the fact that its Welsh, not Scottish, I feel it would have been right at home in this novel. Add this book on Goodreads

Genre: Literary fiction, novella Published: Granta Books, november 2016 My Rating: 2/5 stars It does not matter who are. You know what you are physically, and that you’re in a kayak in the middle of the ocean. It only matter what you are, right now. A man is struck by lightning whilst kayaking, and is left partially paralyzed and only barely clinging to life, adrift on the ocean. Left to the mercy of the elements, and his own thoughts, Cove is about survival, when you literally have nothing left. Cynan Jones is known for his “bare-bone” books. He strips away anything unnecessary, to leave only the core behind. Cove embodies that philosophy to the extreme, in both story-themes, as well as style. With only 99 pages, and nothing there that doesn’t absolutely need to be there, it’s a textbook example of minimalism in writing. It’s technically well done, however, personally I felt like Jones may have stripped away a little too much from this novella. It gets its message across in the few words it uses, yet didn’t do much more for me than that. The trick to minimalism is to strip away enough to leave only the essential, yet don’t strip off any more to lose personality. To me, the latter happened to Cove, despite its best efforts. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Thriller/horror Published: Ecco Publishing, March 2014 My Rating: 4 stars “In a world where you can’t open your eyes, isn’t a blindfold all you could ever hope for?” Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a (literal) unseen horror is creeping about, we follow Malorie and her two young children on treacherous blindfolded journey to perceived safety. Their only chance of keeping whatever is out there at bay: make sure you never see it, or you'll lose your mind. A horrifying, nailbiting trip follows (both physical aswell as psychological), that brings back memories of Malories previous years of survival, and keeps you wondering: what are we fleeing from. Man, animal, or something else entirely? I could not put this book down and read it in two sittings. And that was only because I had to work, otherwise I might have finished it in one day. Birdbox is one of the rare psychological horror stories that actually envoked Some true horror in me. Living in this world would honestly be one of my worst nightmares. This book plays on a fear that is in all of us humans: the fear of the unknown. The fear of the unseen... In this world people cannot leave their houses without being blindfolded as some unseen terror creeps around and turns everyone who sees it mad. In order to reach a safe place, our protagonist and her two small children must undertake a risky journey through the dangerous outside world. The aspect that the characters are blindfolded throughout the entire journey to ensure they don’t accidentally catch a glimpse of this horrible entity that can be anywhere around them creates a terrifying and claustrophobic atmosphere that I would soon forget. Meanwhile the story flashes back to the years the protagonist spent living with other survivors, and describes how she came to the decision to leave her house in search of a safer haven for her kids. Usually in horror or thrillerstories the character (especially the ones who end up dead) are completely one dimensional and I don’t really care about them. Not the case in this book: I Was really rooting for Malorie and her children, for Tom and I was even interested in Gary. The presence of this unseen entity, along with the character dialogue raises interesting questions about the nature of fear itself, especially of fear of the unknown, that don’t all wrap up in a nice tidy bow in the end. Throughout the suspense and atmosphere in this book are REAL! In case you are looking for a truly creepy story, that does not rely on cheap horrortropes to be scary and has actual characters you care about: be sure to pick this one up. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Middlegrade Published: Pan Macmillan, may 2015 My Rating: 3/5 stars Faith Sunderly leads a double life. To most people, she is reliable, dull, trustworthy - a proper young lady who knows her place as inferior to men. But inside, Faith is full of questions and curiosity, and she cannot resist mysteries: an unattended envelope, an unlocked door. She knows secrets no one suspects her of knowing. She knows that her family moved to the close-knit island of Vane because her famous scientist father was fleeing a reputation-destroying scandal. And she knows, when her father is discovered dead shortly thereafter, that he was murdered. I was a little disappointed in this one. I really enjoyed Frances Hardinges writing style and the premise of this book intrigued me, not to mention this book has rave reviews galore. However, it was mostly the first half that tempered my enjoyment, as I found this book very slow to start. Frances Hardinge is clearly a good worldbuilder (in the fantasy sense) and it felt like that was what she was doing in the first half. However; she was building "the real world", that was already so familiar to me that I felt it was unnecessary and slowed down the story waaaay to much. I had to really push myself through the first 180 pages, and considering this book was shelved as a middle grade: 13 yo kids would probably DNF. I could really appreciate the messages this book send, about feminism in a time where this was not the norm and about this girl discovering her own morality. However; I could not quit agree with the popular opinion that this book was "deeply original". The idea of the Lie Tree felt very biblical and lets face it, this book was written in 2015: feminism was not a new concept in literature anymore. I did enjoy myself during the second half of the book, and I can appreciate the skill of writing that Frances Hardinge shows in this book. I will definitely pick up more of her work. This one was just not my favorite. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Middlegrade Published: Walden Pond Press, march 2017 My rating: 4.5 stars I wish this book would have been around when I was middlegrade age. This is exactly the kind of book I would have loved at that time. This series is a steampunky fantasy story about three kids who embark on a journey through an alternate version of New York, to decipher a century-old puzzle, left by the architects of the city. Not only does this sound like a very interesting premise, the execution, in my opinion, is pretty great. The characters are exactly the kind that I would have loved at that age: they are smart, curious and a little nerdy. The writing is full of sass, funny and engaging, and even thought this book is almost 500 pages long, you will fly through it. The main appeal of this book to me was how smart it was. This is reflected in the characters who make being scientificly interested and intelligent look cool. They are the kind of kids nerdy-eleven-year-old me would have love to relate to. Laura Ruby also does not underestimate the intelligence of her reading. Middlegrade can sometimes seem a little oversimplified, as authors are afraid to go over their readers head. Laura Ruby does not shy away from complexity, which I think many smart middlegraders will absolutely appreciate. Full disclosure: reading this as an adult, it wasn’t on the same level as some other 4 star books are. There were some moments where I didn’t enjoy myself. However, I try to judge books for what they are within their genre. As far as that’s concerned: great book. I would definitely recommend this to any middlegrade reader who likes to be challenged, and even to YA or adult readers who just crave a fun and inventive adventure with a bunch of sassy 12-year old. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: literary fiction Published: Vintage books 2010, first published March 2005 My rating: 5/5 stars All-time favorite “What I'm not sure about, is if our lives have been so different from the lives of the people we save. We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time.” Note: this review was written by some idiot who completely spoiled herself for the ending by accidentally watching the movie along with my parents years ago. However, that did not stop this same idiot from recognizing the amazingness of this book. I would go as far as to say that I enjoyed this book more because I knew the ending. It allowed me to see the meaning behind many of the trivial seeming interactions between the characters. It was like I had a sneak peak of their motivations and could therefore better see the incredible thinking that went into the reason for Ishiguro to make them act this way. Suffices to say: Ishiguro is an amazing writer from a technical point of view. He manages to describe friendship in an interesting (and for some deep disturbing reason, incredibly relatable) way, like I never read before. I am amazed by the deep insight and “birds eye view” into human interactions this would have taken to write. Some of the moments where Kathy reflects on a pivotal point of her friendship with Ruth and Tommy, and realizes that if only she has said something... if only she had done something... it would have taken their friendship to a new level. But she did not, she could not. Don’t even get me started on the dynamics of secretkeeping within their friendship. It had me torn between really happy to read this in literature and recognizing how true this was, and very sad. Because the fact that I recognized it, made me realize how flawed I am myself. In my opinion, that is one of the best things a book can do; it made me think. Not just about friendships, but about the way we live life. One of the critiques I hear most is: "why aren't they scared?" or "why don't they run away?". Because it is the reality of life they know. And to be honest, it is the reality of life we all know... These characters are just like any of us; they "know" what is happening, but they don't really realize it, or want to realize it. We all know how life is going to end: we will eventually die. We cannot run from it, and the only thing we can do is make the best of the time we have beforehand. Thinking about the inevitable will only make you unhappy, and running away is not an option. They are doing the best they can, for others and themselves, in the short time they have. And (maybe depressingly enough), I can truly relate to that. The last point I want to address is the critique I hear a lot about the ending. spoiler warning for the ending. Please do yourself a favor and read the book first! "why are they so passive?" Personally, the ending is one of my favorite parts. All characters are deeply flawed in my opinion, as are all humans, But the ending; them accepting their ending, was an act of true bravery and made me love and respect these characters. Facing the inevitable, despite your fear is sometimes way more powerful and graceful than trying to fight it, knowing you are losing... That is the true power of this book. Even if you did not enjoy the read itself; please think about the messages it sends. This is what I loved about it. It is why I remembered a movie I had watched fragments of along with my parents, when I was probably 12, and this is what cemented this book as one of my favorites... Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Poetry Published: Write Bloody Publishing, march 2014 My rating: 5/5 stars All-time favourite "And yes, on a scale from one to over-trusting I am pretty damn naive but I want her to know that this world is made out of sugar. It can crumble so easily but don’t be afraid to stick your tongue out and taste it." I find it very difficult to rate poetry collections, as it feels like I am putting an arbitrary number on someones most intimate thoughts, that they had the courage to put onto paper. However, if I had to put a number on it, it would be 4.5 or 5 full stars. I wish I had Sarah Kays way with words, so I could describe how much I loved this poetry collection in a way that would do it justice. Rarely in literature, you get hit so hard by a sentence that you literally need to put the book down and take a breath before continuing. This collection had me between that, and scrambling for pagemarkers to mark my favorites pretty much throughout it all. There were a few poems that were "just okay" to me, but others are among my favorites of all times, like "forest fires", "postcards" and most importantly: "B". Dear Sarah, I wish I could thank you for writing this beautiful work of art. Your words touched me like little others did. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Non-fiction Published: Randomhouse, january 2016 My Rating: 5/5 stars All-time favorite “You can’t ever reach perfection, but you can believe in an asymptote toward which you are ceaselessly striving.” Despite the beautiful truth of the aforementioned quote, this book came pretty close to perfection for me. If I had more stars than 5, I would have given them all to this book. When Breath Becomes Air is the memoir of Paul Kalanithi, a highly intelligent neurosurgeon, who at the young age of 36 is diagnosed with terminal lungcancer. It chronicals his journey of becoming a doctor, leading up to his diagnosis, followed by his transition from doctor to patient. Paul died in 2015, before being able to finish this book, but left behind this incredible insightful, wise and eloquent piece of work. Pauls wife completed his work with a final chapter that has the rare distinction of being one of the 3 books to make adult me cry. I cannot even begin to describe what this meant to me. I borrowed this book from the library and it took me all of five seconds after I finished this, to go online and order the hardcover for full price (which my medstudent-budget can definitely not handle). Two minutes after that, I was on the phone with my dad, telling him to pleasepleaseplease read this because I want to talk to somene about this. Thát was how much this meant to me. Now, a little later, I still think of it. I have reread pages, marked the sh*t out of my own copy and have at times just wanted to hug it for comfort. I have never read a book that has personally resonated with me on so many levels. A tiny little background about me: I am a medical intern, I have survived cancer once, but due to a genetic syndrome I will most likely get cancer again... and maybe even again, until I get a form that I will not survive. I am not telling you to this be dramatic or to get sympathy. I'm telling you because it's why this had such special meaning to me, and the reason I feel I have the right to speak on this book. I have read very few books that made me go: "this is the way I feel". This book did that for me and I cannot thank it enough for doing that. I wish I could express to the author or his family how much this book means to me. I genuinely hope his family and his daughter are so proud of the legacy their father/brother/husband left for the world with this masterpiece. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Literary Fiction Published: Atlantic Monthly Press, March 2015 My rating: 5/5 stars This review contains spoilers later on “Each thing that happens to us, each and every thing, it leaves some dent, and that dent will always be there. Each of us is a walking wreck.” Keeping to the theme here: Aquarium is somewhat like an anglerfish; it draws you in with the lightness of an innocent friendship between a young girl and an elderly man, who bond over their shared love for the local aquarium. Then it reveals its raw and harrowing true form and rips your heart to shreds where you least expected it. Seriously: I was not prepared for what was coming my way. This was probably one of the books of this year that hit me the hardest, partially for that reason. And despite how uncomfortable it made me at times, despite its wrenching of my heart it: I adored it. The story is told from the perspective of adult Caitlyn, who looks back on her own memories from when she was twelve years old, so essentially the story is told from a child’s perspective. Don’t let this fool you though: this is not middlegrade. I’d say this could well be read by a mature YA-reader, but I’d keep my hypothetical twelve-year-old away from this book, as there are very adult themes throughout! Just like that anglerfish, there are some monsters in disguise lurking in this novel, and it’s not the one you might expect based on the synopsis. So far my non-spoiler part: this novel is brilliant. The language is beautiful, the characters incredibly interesting and the story took me completely by surprise. If you want to read it, please, don’t read any further and go into this book blind. You can thank me later. Into the spoilertank, we dive! Characters So… I lied earlier. There are no monsters in this book, just extremely damaged people. I’ve heard many people call mum a monster, and I’d forgive you for thinking so. Yet I personally don’t think they get more humanly flawed that this. There isn’t a single character in this book that I didn’t hate at one point, and love at another. I could go into detail on every single on of them, because even the minor characters have a developed internal conflict and arc. Take Steve, who is basically a bit of a passive bystander in everything, seemingly just here to have an uncomplicated relationship/sexlife with Sheri. Yet gradually, he learns to stand up against Sheri, for both her own sake, as well as his and Caitlyn’s. He becomes the actual partner she desperately needs, but doesn’t deserve based on her behavior. Or grandpa, who has the most pure heart and just wants the forgiveness of his daughter and granddaughter for his previous mistakes. Yet in the end, he is still lacks the backbone to face his problems head on. Instead he rolls over and runs away, just like back then. Then there is Caitlyn. My favorite part about her is the way she was written, which ties perfectly into David Vanns talent as an author. Not only is his prose beautiful and his story extremely well crafted; he also pulls of an extremely difficult point of view perfectly. The story is told from the p.o.v. of adult Caitlyn, recalling memories from 12-year-old Caitlyn. Many authors have done this before (perhaps the most well-known example among my readers: Neil Gaiman in The Ocean at the End of the Lane), yet none of them did it better than Vann. It’s clear that 12-year-old Caitlyn doesn’t understand some of the nuances of what is happening; she sometimes simplifies thing like a child would do. Her responses to her mother’s behavior are that of a child, who cannot understand the full impact of what is happening here, and simply accepts the status quo. Yet all of the characters are written with the depth, compassion and complexity that only an adult looking at the situation would grasp. Then there is the relationship between Sheri and Caitlyn, which is the part where my heart was ripped to shreds by the aforementioned anglerfish. Sheri is a damaged woman, desperately trying to stay afloat, whilst being weighted down with the trauma of her past, of which her daughter is a constant reminder. Gradually we see her tipping over the edge into a state of rage and possibly temporary insanity. It’s horrible and inexcusable, yet somehow understandable. And it absolutely terrified me… As someone who has been in a situation where they had to take care of a dying parent at a very young age, I can see the trauma that can bring with it. My mum was the sweetest person in the world and did NOT treat me the way Sheri’s mother does, but the guilt, the grief and feeling of inadequacy are very real to most people in this situation. I’ll admit I have had moments where I wished for just a second that someone around me would have experienced the same, so they would understand me. So I would feel less alone. I DON’T agree with anything Sheri does: it’s without a doubt the wrong way to react and the worst way to treat a child, yet her motivation is extremely realistic and true. So… what’s with the fish… I’ve heard many people ask this questions: what is the significance of the aquarium and the fish? Are they a metaphor, or does David Vann just really like fish? The way I interpreted them, they are a metaphor, and a beautiful one at that. The key is in one of the dinner-scenes, where Caitlyn, her mother and mother’s boyfriend Steve are discussing their favorite fish. Mother doesn’t want to answer the question, and deflects saying she doesn’t have one: “adults don’t have time to think about things like that”. When pushed by Caitlyn and Steve, she finally reveals a quite endearing story about her own childhood. During the worst times at home, young Sheri would find comfort in going to her neighbors pond and watching the single koi fish that made its home there. She loved how the rain would come down on the surface, unable to touch the creature floating just below it. She would come up from time to time, but could always float back down into her safe bubble, away from everything. Caitlyn, at the aquarium, unknowingly mentions a similar sentiment about the aquarium being a microcosm, safe away from everything. She however, also acknowledges the predatory fish and ugly aspects of life in the tanks. I think this is the significance of the aquarium: it symbolizes a protected, safe childhood. One that neither Sheri, nor Caitlyn had, but both longed for in a way. They both yearn for their own safe family-bubbles to protect them from those raindrops. Yet in both of their cases, the actual danger was inside their safe space all along. David Vann; I tip my head to you for this honest character portrayal, horrible and confrontational and all. It’s a rare experience and the main reason I think this book will go down as an all time favorite for me. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Literary Fiction / Womans Fiction Published: Atria Books, June 2017 My rating: 2/5 stars CAUSE OF DEATH: overdosed on Hype No no! Please put down that pitchfork… I’m sure we can talk about this like civilized people… Right…? In all seriousness, I felt very torn on whether I actually wanted to write this review or not. I didn’t enjoy my time with this book at all, and frankly feel a little bad about having such an unpopular opinion. That being said, I do have a lot to say on this novel, and once I started writing, this monsterlength thing came pouring out. Before we get into it, two mandatory disclaimers: 1. These are my personal opinions; I don’t mean to offend or critique anyone who loved this. I recognize how this is a beloved book, I see why, and I am very happy that it has had such a positive impact on many people. 2. I’ve already mentioned: I’m personally not in a good space right now and I don’t rule out that this played a role in my enjoyment of the book. I’m still debating whether I should give this a second try at a later time (please let me know in the comments below if you think I absolutely should). COMPLICATING FACTORS Spoilers incoming from this point on. Story and Narrative The story is probably familiar to all of you: old Hollywood icon from the fifties Evelyn Hugo offers her life story to girl-next-door-reporter Monique. An unfiltered account of her tumultuous career, personal life, and love life including her seven(!) marriages. This should have been my first warning: it sounds like chicklit, which is not necessarily a genre I enjoy. It also sounded like a good environment for a clichéfest to me. Three questions are posed right from the start: 1. Why has Evelyn decided to tell her story now? 2. Why to Monique? 3. Which of the seven husbands was Evelyns true love? Going off the idea of clichéfest, I tried to answer them all at the beginning of the novel. These were my answers (before reading any of the story, apart from the synopsis). 1. She is dying, extra points if from cancer. Because no good dramatic book can resist a good cancer-plotline 2. Monique is her long-lost daughter for some convoluted reason 3. None of them. Evelyn is secretly gay, or somewhere else on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. As you can tell, I scored 2/3, and was in the correct neighborhood on the third. So there is my first point of critique: predictability. There is so much you can do with this given premise, yet we went down the route that was literally the first to come up in my head. A second problem is sort of inherent to the chosen narrative style: everything is told to the reader. Some of it repeatedly and blatantly, over and over. I get it Evelyn: you are sexually confident, have nice breast and you know it. Power to you: I’m all for female confidence but I don’t need you to tell me every second page… Characters This brings me to the characters, which again, I’m a little torn about. First and foremost: Evelyn. Ambitious, driven, at times selfish yet utterly charismatic, she is the star of her time and of this novel. At times she annoyed me with a kind of juvenile entitlement and naiveite, which I came to appreciate at the end, as it fits her character and backstory. She isn’t the most likable and full of flaws, yet this is also what makes her interesting enough to spend the majority of the novel with her. The same could not be said for Monique. Monique could have been replaced with a card-board-cut-out of a journalist to which Evelyn had told her story, and not much would have changed. I understand she is supposed to be the grey-mousy-character to offset Evelyns extravagance but nobody is as bland and empty as is she is. Then there were Evelyns love interests. Out of the seven husbands, Harry was the only memorable one. The rest of them have one “character-trait” and not much else. For example; Don is abusive. He hits Evelyn. I couldn’t tell you anything else about him. It’s not their fault for having no personality of development, as they have to share a 350page stage with 6 other husbands, giving them an average pagetime of under 50 pages. Lastly there is Celia. My main problem with her was that I didn’t see the chemistry between her and Evelyn, other than them being teenage sweethearts. I would have loved to root for this couple, but I didn’t feel it unfortunately. Pacing Seven husbands in 350 pages… That’s a lot… throw in a secret eighth lover, Cuban-woman-making-Hollywood-career plotline, a cancer-plotline, a daughter-with-cancer plotline, the Monique’s-dads-car-crash plotline… It’s just too much. This novel read like a soap opera: too much happens in not enough pagetime. I realize this is someone’s life story, and a lot can and will happen in a lifetime, yet for a literary piece of work (or an actual memoir for that matter), you have to make choices. Spanning your scope wide as an ocean means you can only go deep as a puddle. If the novel had focused more in depth on either one or two of the above mentioned plotlines, it wouldn’t have felt so rushed and I would have probably enjoyed it a lot more. Themes The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo brings without a doubt some very important themes to the table. Feminism in the fifties, LGBTQ-acceptance, racism, a young girl being thrown into an oversexualized role in society, domestic abuse, alcoholism, career pressure, shame, guilt, end of life choices… Again; any one of which warrants a good book, but please don’t try to tackle them all at once. This lead to all of them being mentioned instead of explored which was just such a shame to me, as there is so much opportunity here for great discussion. Lastly: I have to say that one of these themes wás well explored and the reason it wasn’t for me was probably entirely personal. This was the LGBTQ+-acceptance (in the fifties). If you have never read anything about this topic, this is seriously something I would recommend. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo does a great job of introducing you to this theme, and I can honestly say that I thought it was well done. The reason it didn’t do much for me is a personal one, and possibly a little political/controversial. I’m from the Netherlands, where LGBTQ-rights have been a big thing for a long time. Longer and more so (sorry Americans, I truly mean no offence) than in America. Books with themes like these were written in the seventies and eighties and caused a big uproar in The Netherlands then. Nowadays, some of them are on our mandatory-reading lists for Dutch literature, and are discussed at length at many highschools for years, as this is considered such an important theme. I was also raised among familymembers and friends who are very active in LGBTQ-rights movements, so this is not a new or controversial topic to me. For a book that was published in 2017, I can’t help but feel this was late to the party. Again; maybe this is cultural, maybe it’s personal; I’ve just seen all this before (in Dutch) It wasn’t a groundbreaker for me, but I want to end my review by saying: if it was to other people, I couldn’t be happier. It’s a topic that deserves attention sooner rather than later, and I’m truly happy that this novel did that for so many people. PREVENTABLE DEATH? I'm not sure... If I hadn't heared so much positive hype about it, I would probably not have been so disappointed. I might also never have picked it up, as the genre is not something I'm usually enjoy reading. In the end, this book just wasn't for me, regardless of the hype. I'd be lying however, if I said the hype didn't make my disappointment even bigger. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Middlegrade Published: Katherine Tegen Books, July 2018 My rating: 3.5/5 stars Despite the beautiful worldbuilding and great premise, this wasn't as magical as I was hoping for.... Set in a city comprised of (you guessed it:) islands, we follow Mara, a young treasurediver searching the ocean floor for valuables. Instead she finds the skeletons of strange creatures, thought to be long forgotten, humming with magical powers. This sets her off to a new adventure, uncovering the secrets of her city, aswell as the strength that lies within herself. The best thing about The City of Islands is without doubt its setting: I loved the City, which gave me major Atlantis vibes for some reason. I also loved the first half: drowned in mystery and atmosphere. Unfortunately, the pay-off was a little disappointing to me. The story takes some cliché turns and becomes something many of us have already read before. I still enjoyed my time with it, and think as a 12-year old I would have loved it, yet it doesn’t transcend its genre as some other middlegrade is able to do. It’s not for a lack of trying: there are some themes in this, that should have been able to have a deep effect on adults as well; especially child labor and slavery. Maras job is, possibly intentional, very reminiscent of Ama’s (Japanese pearl divers), which could have been a powerful plotpoint. Yet the resolve was all too easy for me and none of it quite packed the punch. That being said: The City of Islands was a very enjoyable and fantastical read, that I would definitely recommend to children in this age group or adults who just want some nice middlegrade. If you are looking for a genre-transcending read that will blow you away: this wasn’t it for me unfortunately. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Literary Fiction Published: Serpentstail, October 2018 My rating: 4/5 stars Set against the darkly atmospheric décor of the city of Prague is the story of a woman, haunted by guilt and loneliness. Helen Franklin is an English translator, who happens upon a mysterious file, containing letters and diary entries from different periods of history. Not only do all of them share themes of guilt, exile and redemption, they also share the presence of an ominous creature, old as the numbering of days and straight from the depths of occult folklore: Melmoth the Witness. Through the eyes of both Helen and the multiple letter-writers (from different times in history), we find out more about this being. Who is Melmoth? What is her purpose? Is she a product of folktales, or maybe something more… Over the short timespan since the first readers got their hands on it, Melmoth has gotten mixed reviews, and understandably so. For everything there is to love, there is also something to hate, which coincidently mirrors the theme of the book pretty well… First things first: I don’t think I have to establish the fact that Sarah Perry is an extremely skilled author. Her prose is as gorgeous as it was in the Essex Serpent, and has even taken it a step further here. The entire novel is structured like an 18th century gothic horror story, using many of the literary devices and pacing of that time. It does so to the extend that I, at times, forgot I was reading about contemporary times, and was imagining historical settings for the characters. The mentioning of a cellphone would then completely throw me off and remind me that it is in fact set in modern times. The recreation of this classical style is honestly one of the most unique things this novel has going for it and the one of the biggest testaments to Perrys craftmanship as an author. It’s also one of the novels biggest potential downfalls. Melmoth is very “literary”, for lack of a better term. Its awareness of what it’s doing may come across to some as pretentiousness. It also treads the very thin line of becoming a gimmick, and sometimes lands on the wrong side of it. This is my one, but major criticism of the novel. I really wish I could say it didn’t bother me, but frankly it did. Going hand in hand with the gothic setting are the dark atmosphere and themes. Where The Essex Serpent interwove darkness with beautiful, almost romantic scenery, Melmoth is much bleaker in tone and therefore more difficult to read. The characters are raw and deeply flawed. It takes a while to get to know them, and once you do, you are not guaranteed to like them. Just like real people. Yet my favourite character may not be a real person at all: Melmoth herself. I loved the way she was portrayed and what she meant. Spoilers ahead for my interpretation of her in the next paragraph. In my opinion, Melmoth is the manifestation of loneliness, grief and most importantly: guilt. I loved how the complexity of those emotions are captured in the duality of her nature. Melmoth is not a simplified boogieman. She is repulsive, terrifying and mean, yet also ever present, familiar and deceptively comforting to the point where you want to disappear in her dark embrace. I actually know that feeling well... “Oh my friend, my darling. Won’t you take my hand? I’ve been so lonely…” Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Magical Realism Published: Feiwel & Friends, October 2017 My Rating: 4.5 stars " Estrella's mother had hoped. If she named a girl for things held in the sky, how could she be tied to anything on this earth? But her mother had not freed her from their family's legacy. She had just given it the shape of stars" Trying to review Wild Beauty is a bit like trying to describe an expensive perfume. It is extremely personal and very up to taste whether you like it or not. However, if someone ask you to describe why you like it you end up struggling to express yourself. I personally love my perfumes and when thinking about it, this story has more aspects that remind me of a good perfume. Yes, this sounds cheesy AF, but hear me out here. Plot and atmosphere Like any good perfume this story has pretty much three layers. The top notes are the first you experience, but last the shortest. They are usually distinct and sweetly fresh and draw you in. Wild Beauty does this with its imagery and setting. It starts by painting pictures of lush gardens and women who bloom flowers from their hands. It shows us a family in a seemingly paradisal setting but already hints at what is underneath. Basically the start of the story feels like the cover looks. Beautiful and idyllic. If you are into botanica, gardening or flowers, this may already be enough to draw you in. For me personally, the description of the different plants added a layer of nostalgia. My mother used to be a biologist, and used to teach me all about plants and flowers as a child, before she died. Now, years later, I still cherish the memories of us spending time outside together, looking for some particular plant in a field of flowers. This is obviously a very personal experience, but Wild Beauty really brought back those memories for me. The second layer of a perfume are the heart notes. They are (as the name suggests) the heart of the scent and last a little longer. They are usually floral, a little deeper and less light than the top notes. At the heart of Wild Beauty is the story of love and loss. Not only romantic love, but also the love for family and friendship. If you are afraid of this book being too much romance for you; I personally have a very low tolerance for cheesy romance and I was fine reading this. To me it was more about the family, their relationships and their history. Which brings me to the third layer: the base notes. Basenotes are musky or woody and more raw then the other notes. They linger however, and they are what you carry around with you, long after you have left your perfume bottle behind at home. (see where I am going with this). The basenotes of wild beauty are the tragic legacy and the dark family secrets that the Nomeovides carry around. The tragedy that lies (literally) buried beneath the soil and requires the characters to get their hands dirty to uncover. This part of the story was what emotionally got to me and stayed with me even long after I had finished this book. The writing You know how some scents are delicious, and you love them, but once you have too much of it, it gives you a headache. The only way to really, fully enjoy is, is to take it in little whiffs at the time. It was the same with Anna Marie’s writing for me. I loved it, it was creative, distinctive and technically very well done. However, I did find myself wanting to take a break every 25 or so pages, which meant it took me a longer time than usual to read. For me that was not a problem, as beautiful writing is one of the things I most enjoy in reading. However, it will be very much up to your personal preference whether this is for you or not. Recommending this book to anyone in particular is difficult, as it is such a personal experience. What you should know before you decide: - It is magical realism (I love it, but I know it can be a turn off for some) - There is way more to the story than romance - There are LGBTQ+ characters, but they this is not the major focus in my opinion - The writing is very, very lyrical Ultimately though, if you ask me if you will like it or not, I would answer the same as I would if you had asked me if you should buy a certain perfume. The only way is to take a whiff and decide for yourself. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Magical Realism Published: Candlewick Press, march 2014 My Rating: 5 stars “To many, I was myth incarnate, the embodiment of a most superb legend, a fairy tale. Some considered me a monster, a mutation. To my great misfortune, I was once mistaken for an angel. To my mother, I was everything. To my father, nothing at all. To my grandmother, I was a daily reminder of loves long lost. But I knew the truth—deep down, I always did. I was just a girl.” One of the biggest surprises of 2016, in the best way possible. Based on what I had heard about this book, I was expecting fluffy, sweet magical realism, filled with pretty much "feel--good-vibes". What I got was a full blown tragedy in the best way possible. The title alone contains three words that describe this book perfectly; strange, beautiful and full of sorrow in the end. The writing Leslye Walton is an artist, using words as paint, as she draws gorgeous images of a girl with wings in a picturesque village, working at a small family backery, so vividly you can almost smell the freshly baked bread. The gorgeous and idyllic atmosphere and writing form a stark contrast to the dark and bleak message the author leaves you with in the end: Everything beautiful is bound to be destroyed. Just based on this single book, this is an author to keep an eye on for sure. With her talent, I feel she could even make a grocery list interesting and I truly hope she publishes more in the future. Characters I actually felt attached to almost all of the characters in this story, which is pretty rare for me. Often, I feel like there are some main characters that are well developed, whereas the rest are just wooden figures to further the plotline. In this book, every character felt unique. From the protagonists Ava, Vivianne and Emilienne to more minor characters like Henry (one of my absolute favorites) and Gabe. Even the dog Trouver felt so real to me, as if I could go out and take him for a walk anytime. I also want to mention the names she chose for each character and the great symbolism behind them. It's a tricky trope, that can really go either way for me. If done too obviously, it can really annoy me, yet if done subtly like in this novel I'm a sucker for it. The ending (no spoilers) I you go in expecting a more lighthearted ending, like me; you are in for a surprise. This ending destroyed me. The final image this book leaves is such a powerful one that leaves a bittersweet taste in your mouth. I don't think I will ever forget that scene. Critique My only point of critique, if any, was that the story did start fairly slow. There was a lot of atmosphere in the beginning, but not yet a lot of story. The fact that the pacing was slow and there were so many characters introduced can make it harder to get into the story. I personally like books with an atmospheric set up, but if this is something that puts you off; maybe reconsider reading this book. This is a book that may take some effort. I have heard many people name the rape scene as one of their lowpoints of the story, because of the violent nature. I can understand this, but I personally do not agree. Let me be very clear; that scene actually made me nauseous. It started with the image of the room filled with dead birds, which already burned its way into my brain and only got more dark from there on. What happened in that scene shocked me and had me utterly uncomfortable reading it. But that's the point... So many authors shy away from the more gruesome stuff to please readers, but the act that is committed in this scene it truly horrific and therefor the only appropriate response from the reader is shock. Being able to provoke that emotion in your reader isa sure sign of a 5-star author for me! Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: YA Contemporary Published: Dutton Books, february 2017 My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars, all time favourite This review is going to be a bit more personal than you might be used to from me... “I was okay once, I will be okay again”. If there is one thing I want you to take away from this review, it’s that quote. If there is a second thing I wish you would take away from this review, it’s that that book is a masterpiece. A masterpiece that I cannot review. I will try, but as with many of my all-time-favorites, I will feel like my words have not done the experience justice. I have read We are Okay 3 separate times now, the latter two times with the intent do review it, and keep finding myself at a loss of words after finishing it. It’s the bookish equivalent of going to a play or movie and having the crowd be completely silent after the last line is spoken, before starting to their ovation. I’m currently still stuck in that heavy silence. This book reminded me of an experience I had myself, exactly two years before my first time reading it: It was my first year of college, Christmasbreak. I was one of the few students left at my studentcomplex (kind of the Dutch equivalent to a dorm-building), after everybody had headed home to celebrate the holiday with family. My mom past away a few winters before that, my dog (the last connection to my family home, I felt) a week before, and my dad had taken his new girlfriend on a holiday. In my new collegeroom, miles away from one of my parents and an unfathomable distance from the other, I felt alone. I felt, in the most literal sense of the word, “homeless”. Yet that same semester, and the years that followed, mark the most positive change in my life so far. That lonely, empty room was also my blank canvas. The bare foundation from which to build something new. At its core, I think We are Okay describes this experience perfectly. It’s a universal experience, that I think many college students, or anyone going away from home for the first time, can relate to. The feeling of loneliness, losing your home and starting a new one. Just like the memory of that winter, this book is filled with contradictory feelings. It’s filled with so much sadness and loneliness, and yet brimming with hope. It’s filled with love (including an LGBTQ-romance) and grief. Longing and fear. Wanting to prove that you can do it all by yourself, yet wanting nothing more than to have a good cry on you mothers shoulder. Feeling homesick, but feeling unsure if you even have a home to go back to. As a final contradiction; for a book that is all about loneliness, it made me feel incredibly connected. The more often I reread it, the more the latter stands out to me. It’s a bit like a hug in book-form: knowing that an author out there wrote this, reading reviews from other people that related to this, it made me feel like I am not alone, and that everything is going to be okay. “I was okay once, I will be okay again...” So will you...

Genre: YA Magical Realism Contemporary Published: Harper Teen, june 2018 My rating: 4 stars "But as you know, in all camp stories, there are monsters. In this one, there are two. The seamonster. And me. Wild Blue Wonder was in my top 3 most anticipated YA-books to come out in 2018, right after The Muse of Nightmares and the Astonishing Color of After, and it did not disappoint. If the entire book had been as good as the second half, it would have been a five star for sure. The first half however, left some to be desired for me. The break in enjoyment level was quite noticeable, and even visible in my readingspeed going through this book. The first few chapters (the setting of the scene and introduction of characters) is great. I am very biased, as I am a sucker for magical realism setting, especially when they include lakes or the sea. I loved the “summercamp in winter-setting” and I think Carlie Sorosiak absolutely nailed the atmosphere for both seasons with this. Then, between page 50 or so and the halfway point, it started to lag a little for me. Mostly small things that bugged me, but the cumulative result was me not being as excited to pick it up anymore. One of the things that annoyed me were the very frequent pop-culture references to contemporary movies, TV-shows and books. This is a big risk while writing, as it will instantly date your book, as well as appeal to a very specific agegroup, while locking the rest out. Even though I think I am in or around this targeted group, even I felt it was too much. There were sections where every page contained 2 references to The Hungergames, Harry Potter or specific Vampiremovie. Even I as a booklover don’t reference books that much, which made it feel a bit forced. The second part I did not enjoy was the storyline with Alexander. Honestly: WHY? Not only did I lowkey hate his “personality” (absolute stereotype of Charming Brittish Boy) I couldn’t help feeling the only reason he was put in was to be the “new love interest” to show that Quinn could be okay after all that had happened to her. It was just unnecessary and a little daunting. Also, speaking from experience: when you are still that deep into the grieving process, you don’t have time to fall for new boys straight away… Then, when I hit the halfway point, I was hooked. We find out what exactly went down last summer, and why Quinn feels the way she does about it. In my opinion, this part was executed extremely well. It had me feeling quite emotional at the right moments, both in happy and sad ways. This is quite an accomplishment for a YA novel these days for me. I feel all main characters, but especially Fern and Quinn really came to fruition and I actually felt for them and related to them in some way. Reading this back, it may sound pretty negative, but I only nitpick at it because it's so close to being a 5-star. If the 150 middlepages had been as good as the end, or had been cut shorter, it could have been a five star read. Despite some small flaws, there is some extremely good stuff in here. I would still very much recommend it. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: (YA) Fantasy Published: Alfred A Knopf Books, april 2005 Rating: 4 stars. Childhood favorite A land in turmoil, an ordinary boy, a dragon egg… the start of an epic adventure. Eragon seems to be one of those series that divides the community. People either love it, or are hugely disappointed by it. I have talked to many lot of people about this book, and have heard everything from “the perfect fantasy” to some blatantly calling it bad. In a way I can agree with both. If I had to “objectively” review this book, I feel a 3 star rating would be most fair. This is epic fantasy in its most classic, if not tropy, form. If you ever need an example of a book that follows the Hero’s Journey in fantasy to a T; look no further. The world is heavily inspired by Tolkien, including the races and their political relations as well as the tendency to describe it in a lot of details. To be fair: if you are an avid fantasy-reader, you will most likely not find anything new to you here. HOWEVER: I love this book to pieces! If I were to rate it purely on my enjoyment-level and the nostalgia I feel from even looking at the spine on my shelf, it would be a 5 stars. For the purposes of this review I am middling it out to a 4 star. Eragon was the first toe I dipped into the high fantasy waters. It’s the book that opened my world to all the Tolkien, Hobb and Sanderson that was in my future, which makes it a pivotal moment in my reading life. Besides that, these pages are saturated with amazing childhood memories for me. The first time I read the series was with my best friend (still to this day). We had never done anything like that before (buddy-reading wasn’t a thing back then), but had the most amazing experience. We discussed so many details, exchanged our friendly annoyance about Eragon as a character and fantasized about having our own dragons. I even got my mother to read this series, and repeated the entire process with her again. I was not an experienced or critical reader back then. I wouldn’t even consider myself one now, but that’s besides the point. The point is that none of the above mentioned flaws bothered me. I loved this book in a childlike, irrational and unconditional way. That feeling hasn’t left, even after multiple rereads, which is why it has never left its spot on my favorite shelf. When it comes to my childhood favorites, I guess logic goes out of the window and my inner child (the one who would still love to ride my blue dragon to Hogwarts) takes over. I guess it’s true: nostalgia is a powerful force… Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Literary fiction Published: Viking Publishing, june 2015 My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars This was quite the hidden gem. I randomly picked it up at the library, read the prologue whilst still standing at the shelf and was immediately intrigued. The House at the Edge of the World is a beautifully atmospheric family drama with a hint of mystery, set in the coastal area of Devonshire. The story starts on the night that John Venton drunkenly falls to his death from the cliffs near his home, as he tries to pee off them. As the blurb of the book states: "it was a stupid way to die". We follow Johns twin children in the seventeen years following, and see via their eyes how the concequences of this event ripple trought the remaining family. All of the characters, in my opinion, were very well written. They are realistic and flawed to the point of almost being unlikeble. This includes our two protagonists. Despite (or maybe even because of that), I was very invested in their story of dealing with the loss of their father, and looking for answers as to what exactly happened that night. The uncertainty surrounding their fathers last moments plays a rather large role, especially in the latter half of the book. I was at first not sure if I was on board with this as I was afraid that it would be the build up to some twisty/thriller ending, just for the sake of sensation. Luckily, this was not the case. It was handled extremely well: it made the book quite the pageturner and added a layer of extra emotional depth in the end. My only critique would be the writingstyle, which walks a very thin line between beautifully poetic and pretentious. The author herself seems to be very aware of this and addresses the fact that her characters are quite pretentious in the story itself. Still, at times it felt a little forced and made me dislike the protagonist. Again: maybe this was intentional, but I feel I should mention it. To get back to my starting statement: this was truly a hidden gem for me. It was very much up my alley and I'm very happy that I decided to pick it up. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good family tragedy. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: High fantasy Published: Gollancz, March 2007 Rating: 5/5 stars, all time favourite All the stars for this book! I was putting it off for so long, as my expectations were through the roof based on everything I had heard about it. I was basically setting myself up for disappointment, as no book could ever live up to the standards I had set. Right...? Wrong! The name of the wind met my unrealistic expectations and then some. I cannot (yet) put my finger on the magic of this book but it had me invested from page one, where Patrick Rothfuss describes “the silence In three parts”. His writing is incredible, lyrical but not over the top, funny at times and completely engrossing throughout the book. With just this one book, I feel safe to add Mr Rothfuss to one of my favourite authors I have ever read. Take my hard-earned money, dear sir: I will probably buy anything you write without question, possibly in multiple languages! As far as the story is concerned I have heard some people say it is unoriginal. While I understand where they are coming from I disagree. Patrick Rothfuss’ take on fantasy is one of the most vivid ones I have ever read. He brings his world to life, in a way that very few other authors did for me. Every “trope” he makes his own: the magic with the Names feels unique and believable. His Draccus is unlike any dragon I have ever read about. His “chosen one/protégé protagonist” may not be the perfect hero he makes himself out to be... Whilst reading this book, I was torn between wanting to burn the midnight oil to finish it and wanting to slow it down and treasure the amazing feeling this book gave me. It both inspired and daunted me to write again (as I know I will probably never create this kind of a masterpiece), it took me out of reality in a very difficult time and send some of its warm atmosphere with me. I cannot wait to read book 2, or for that matter book three, but dear Pat, I will not beg you to hurry it up. One cannot rush genius and if book three is anything like its predecessor, it will be nothing short of that. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Middlegrade, Magical Realism Published: Candlewick Press, March 2016 My Rating: 5/5 stars “Most stories don’t end” he says. “They just turn into new beginnings” I seem to have a particular soft spot when it comes to middlegrade stories. For some reason, maybe even more so than YA, it harbors some of these gems that transcend an age group and can be loved by anybody. I do think that The Hour of Bees is one of those underappreciated gems. We follow Carolina, a twelve year old girl, over a summer where everything she knows seems to be changing. She is forced to spend the summer with her parents at her grandfathers remote desert farm, as he is suffering from the onset of Alzheimers disease. Initially, Carol isn’t thrilled about the prospect of being away from her friends and spending time with her gruff grandfather, who she barely knows, but as time passes, they develop a strange and beautiful friendship based on the one belief they have in common: that there is magic on this stretch of land. The Hour of Bees is so pure, sweet, sad and wise all at the same time. It’s also incredibly well executed from a writing perspective. The magical realism approach is perfect for this type of story, as it explores the boundary of what is real and what isn’t, and whether that matters or not. Carol and her grandfather are united by this whimsical, childlike perception of reality; she because of her age, he because of his illness, and it’s both heartwarming and heartbreaking to read about. This is truly the type of book that I think everybody can get something from. Younger readers may find a whimsical, magical adventures of a girl and her grandpa, adults may see the bittersweet story of a child that is desperately trying to make sense of all the changes around her. No matter what you end up finding, this is a journey that is worth your time. Beautifully written (again: suited for both adults as children) and deeply heartfelt; this hidden gem needs to be dug up from the sands to be appreciated by everybody. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Horror Published: Pan Publishing, may 2011 Rating: 1 out of 5 stars Oh boy... My dislike is strong for this one... I’m not the biggest horror-fan, but was recommended this book by a friend who told me it was "more of an atmospheric/psychological one" and it was one of her favorites. While I don’t agree, I can’t really blame her for that description… For about the first 100 pages, this is pretty accurate, and I did really enjoy myself. Adam Nevill does a great job at creating the creepy atmosphere of the forest. I would say this atmosphere is so dominant in the story that the forest is like a 5th character: an ever present glooming horror of isolation and claustrophobia. This first part serves as the “psychological part” and was genuinely creepy to me. However, around the 250 page mark, the novel has a serious identity crisis. It tosses all the psychological suspense out of the window and goes full on gory-creature-feature-style. In short it becomes all the things I hate in horror: bad writing, clichés and heavily relying on gore and playing on disgust rather than actual fear. I truly don’t understand why authors do this: I have NEVER had an experience where gore worked for me in a book. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a medical student, but you really have to try hard to gross me out, and even if you succeed, that doesn’t mean I will you book because of it. Qualitywise, the second half truly would be more befitting in some Reddit-thread than in the work of a published author. I would have loved to see a continuation of the tone of the first half, which made this turn of events such a disappointment. If you loved this book; power to you and I apologize for being so crude, but this really, really was not for me… Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: YA horror Published: Penguin Random House, january 2018 Rating: 3.5 stars DISCLAIMER: The Sacrifice Box probably doesn’t deserve the rating I just gave it… “Objectively”, it’s not a good book. It’s pretty bad actually... Subjectively, I had a ton of fun and it was just what I needed, right now. If you are reading this review, you have caught me in a moment of weakness. I’ve had a really rough week (maybe more like weeks), and I was in desperate need of a little guilty pleasure. Some people grab a horribly cheesy rom-com, some O.D. on chocolate and wine, I indulge in some horror. More specifically: bad horror. Youtuber Chris Stuckman (check him out if you enjoy film reviews) has coined a term that is perfect for those type of horror movies: hilariocity. Something that is such an atrocity that it becomes hilarious. I said it in an update after 100 pages; it reads like a B-horror movie in bookform. The further I got into the book, the more I saw the resemblances. We will get to those similarities in a second; don’t worry. The book starts off with great potential. A group of kids in the eighties find a mysterious box in the woods. Each of them sacrifices an item of great value to the box to cement their friendship and swear an oath: never come to the box alone, never open it after dark, never take back your sacrifice . Four years later a set of strange events starts to take place. Someone broke their oath, and now their sacrifices come back to haunt them. This first segment has some great eighties horror vibes and has the potential to be a pretty decent thriller. Then around the same 100-page-mark though, the novel completely derails and enters a realm of paranormal absurdity and eighties horror tropes. At this point it basically asks you to either get off the train, or just roll with it. If you roll with it, you are in for a treat… I’m about to spoil something for you, but in all honesty, I would have liked to have known this before going in, so I could have prepared myself… Ready…? THERE’S A KILLER TEDDYBEAR. Yup… Killer toys and reanimated zombie-animals. I’m actually laughing my ass off! Besides taking that Stephen King approach to trying to make innocent childhood icons creepy, it takes inspiration from more popular horror tropes, which is why I said it reads like a B-movie. It relies heavily on gore and classic imagery (crows, deer, the one mentioned in the spoilerpart) for its scares, and therefore it gets more chuckles and eyerolls out of me than anything else. Even in its style it mirrors its movie-counterpart. For example, during more tense scenes the novel will sort of “jump cut”, where it switches p.o.v. quickly to obscure what is happening. Chapters will end in “false jumpscares” sometimes, where we are left with a creepy image, only to find out that it was just a friend scaring them. At times I was wondering whether the book was being self-aware about it. There is a scene where one of the characters tells the groundskeeper (you know… the dude that happens to be a veteran when it comes to dealing with the entity they are up against, just so he can conveniently give you some sweet, sweet expositional dialogue about it) how he’s supposed to act, according to that archetype. I was really hoping the book would go through with that tongue-in-cheek approach, as it’s really the only way you can go when your plot revolves around KILLER FREAKING TEDDYBEARS… Unfortunately, it takes itself very seriously and actually tries to claw its way out of guilty-pleasure-movie-territory, by adding deeper layers to the backstories of the characters and their friendship. To me, it didn’t succeed at that. It’s all delivered in a way that is too heavy-handed and again: more of the same clichés we have all seen before. In all reality, it would have been so easy for me to pick this apart for all its faults: clichés galore, gore, pacing issues, writing that is at times pretty clunky… As an example of the latter: I was at first confused about the gender of certain characters, because of the way the author uses pronouns. In some scenes I thought the author referred to Sep as “she”, while he is supposed to be male. Upon rereading a few lines I’d realize the author was referring to his mother with “she”, but the way the sentence is set up is just very awkward. This happened multiple times during the story. Despite these flaws, I truly enjoyed myself too much on an “eighties-horror-guilty-pleasure-level” to judge it too harshly. Would I recommend this book? I really don’t know. If I were to read it again, I’d probably be a lot harsher. That being said; it was the right book at the right time for me at the moment, and sometimes that’s all you need for a good time. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: literary fiction / short stories Published: Bloomsbury, february 2018 My rating: 2/5 stars How to describe Folk…? Not only is that question pretty hard to answer, it’s also my main problem with this novel. This review is bound to be about as disjointed as the book, so I apologize in advance. Admittedly I had heard mostly mixed to negative reviews about it, yet the premise sounded awesome enough that I was really hoping to be the unpopular opinion on this one. Unfortunately, I agreed with most of the reviews I had seen, and was left with the same questions others were left with. The main one being: “what is this book?” Is it a novel or a short story collection? Even after reading the whole thing, I can’t give you a definitive answer. The story is set on the fictional island of Neverness, where magic and folklore are as real as the islanders that inhabit it. Each chapter follows a different character, each with a separate little story to tell. The stories share geography, and many characters reappear as side characters in each other’s chapters, yet there is no clear overarching narrative that links them all together, which left me disconnected from all of it. As a concept, I think it’s interesting, yet in reality it works as neither. The chapters are too disconnected to work as a novel, yet lack individual depth to work as standalone short stories. Many reviewers have blamed the publisher for false marketing because of this. I don’t think this is entirely fair, as really: it falls somewhere in the middle. I think the book would have been stronger if the author would have decided to go either route, instead of combining the two. Speaking of the publisher, I don’t often discuss covers in my reviews, but in this case I want to make an exception. I want to give some credit to cover designer David Mann, the same man responsible for other gorgeous Bloomsbury-covers such as that of Circe, Sing Unburied Sing, Black Fox Running and many others. All of these are stunning enough, that I would frame them and hang them on my walls without a moments hesitation. If you have read this: please let me know in the comments how you think this should be approached (novel or short stories)? I would really love to hear your opinion. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Fiction / Young Adult Published: Walker Books, may 2011 Rating: 5/5 stars, all-time favorite “Don't think you haven't lived long enough to have a story to tell.” This is a book that is extremely close to my heart, maybe closer than any other book on my shelves. If I had to choose 1 all-time favorite book I would struggle hard, but I am fairly sure this would be it. It is one of those books that defines a five-star read for me: it hit me on a personal level and I am not able to find any major flaws with it. It has helped me through a lot, even years after the fact, and I will forever be grateful for that. Instead of writing pages and pages about the sheer brilliance of this book (which believe me, I could), I will try to keep it as concise as possible. Here is what you need to know: About the book: A Monster Calls is the story of Connor, a thirteen year old boy who is about to lose his mother. Connor and his mother both know this to be the truth, yet it is too painful to openly talk about it. Both talk around it, deny it, or don’t talk at all. One night, at seven minutes past midnight, Connor wakes up to find a monster at his window. This is the start of a strange and beautiful “friendship”, in which the monster helps Connor, in exchange for one thing: the truth. A few sentences about me: - I lost my mother to a terminal illness when I was 13 - I am very familiar with cancer: I have both personally, as well as in my family experienced it. - I have a hard time crying. Not just over books, but in general. There are 2 books I can remember to have made me physically cry since I was 13. - This book made me bawl my eyes out 4 TIMES, including once in public, over the course of 3 (re-)reads. My experience with the book: I have never before (or since) felt so understood by a book before. I remember vividly putting this book down a few times while reading and literally thinking “this is MY story. THIS is what it felt like”. It does three things that I rarely see in books on the subject: 1. There are a ton of books (even YA and middlegrade books) about grief, yet almost all of them seem to deal with the grief that follows a death, not the grief that precedes an imminent one, which is a whole other beast in its own right. A Monster Calls tackles the grieving period leading up to a loss, and does it in a supreme way. 2. It doesn’t underestimate thirteen year-olds, and the complex feeling that they experience. Kids in these situation (especially smart kids, like Connor) will understand so much more than adults think they will. A child’s grief is often discredited as being a kind of simple sadness that they will get over, because they are too young to understand the full depth of loss. Let me tell you, that that’s as far from the truth as you will get. If anything, a child’s experience with death and grief is more intense, and more complex. A Monster Calls does a perfect job of recognizing that. 3. Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd DO NOT HOLD BACK. Let me tell you from a place of experience: this type of life event is ugly, messy and often very dark. You will think and do things that you hate yourself for, even years down the road. A Monster Calls is brutally honest, yet so loving towards all its flawed characters, in a way that is hard to find in adult literature, let alone YA or middlegrade. I can honestly say that this book helped me accept some things and made me feel less alone, even six years after my mothers death. Even if you have not experienced anything like this personally, I would 100% recommend this book, just for its sheer amazing characters, atmosphere and storytelling. All the stars and praise for both Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd: I wish I could thank them both for writing this book. It will always hold a special place in my heart. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Short Stories (Magical Realism) Published: Dzanc Books, sept. 2014 Rating: 4.5 stars 2018 is going to go down as the year where I reach a deeper level of appreciation for short stories. And with powerhouses like Jen Campbell, Kirsty Logan, Daisy Johnson and now Anne Valente entering my life, can you really blame me? I have nothing but respect for people who can put pen to paper and create characters that feel lifelike, and convey feelings that so many of us have, but can’t express. For people who can create and sustain a world for hundreds of pages, to the point where that world is just as real to you as your own. Even more respect do I have for those people who can do this exact thing in a maximum of 20 pages. There is truly an art to sanding down your message, until nothing but the core remains. The collection is woven together by themes of loss and grief, all explored through a lens of magical realism, which in my opinion is the perfect fit for both the theme and this format. I have mentioned before how grief is a topic that is close to my heart. For me personally, it’s the single most difficult experience to describe in words. At the risk of sounding woolly; it can be a tangible, almost physical presence in your life for years, yet remain unfathomable, and escape your ability to be grounded by mere words. At times it can seem to inhabit a reality of its own, as it can not belong in yours. This type of darker magical realism can sometimes be the most “true” way of describing that feeling, despite being fiction. Many of Anne Valente’s stories do exactly that. My personal favorites from this collection include Not for Ghosts or Daffodils (probably my favorite out of all of them), Mollusk, Membrane, Human Heart and To the Place Where We Take Flight , all of which I would individually give 5 stars. Unfortunately, this high level is not consistent throughout the collection. Overall, the second half felt was much stronger than the first. Some of the earlier stories, for example Dear Amelia and Terrible Angels were closer to two stars and brought down my total rating by half a star. Despite those two stories, Valente’s prose is beautiful and she clearly has a lot of talent in this genre. Enough so that I feel like the stories that didn’t click with me still have the deeper layers to connect to other readers, or maybe to me at a different point in my life. This is collection has earned itself a permanent place on my shelf, and I can see myself coming back to this many times in the future. Individual story ratings: Latchkey: 4/5 Dear Amelia: 2/5 To a Place Where We take Flight: 5/5 Terrible Angels: 2/5 A Taste of Tea: 3/5 Everything that Was Ours: 4/5 By Light We Knew Our Names: 4/5 If Everything Fell Silent, Even the Sirens: 4.5/5 A Very Compassionate Baby: 3/5 Minivan: 4.5/5 Not For Ghosts or Daffodils: 5/5 Until Our Shadows Claim Us: 3/5 Mollusk, Membrane, Human Heart: 5/5 Find this book on Goodreads

4 out of 5 stars “Not even knowledge takes all the strangeness from the world” The Essex Serpent is one of those cases where I wanted to wait out the hype. Around its release in 2016, this novel seemed to dominate every bookclub, store shelf and reviewers frontpage. 19 year old me was a little intimidated by this and decided to put off reading the book, and apparently I completely forgot about it for quite some time, until I recently found myself in the library, being drawn to it by the sirens call of this beautiful cover. I’m happy I waited, as if I had read it during the hype, it might have been a bit of a disappointment, whereas now it was a very positive surprise. I had a great time reading this book. It ticks many of my boxes: themes of the conflict between myths and science, taking place in an atmospheric setting, gorgeous writing and very well developed characters. As an extra bonus: some of them have a great interest in medical sciences. Sarah Perry’s amazing skill as an author really shows in this novel. Her writingstyle has the right balance of descriptiveness and lush language for me, and I utterly enjoyed it. She weaves together many individual storylines, and yet managed to keep me engaged in all of them. There was a single point (at around 200 pages), where I felt like the story of Cora dragged just a little, but throughout the rest of the book I had trouble putting it down. Moreover, the novel is incredibly clever in its construction and its use of symbolism. Often authors fall into the trap of wanting to make their book “too smart” and either overstating their symbolic references, or leaving everything as vague as possible, to the point where you can question whether there was meaning in the first place. Sarah Perry finds a very good balance here; her symbolism is not too heavy handed, yet it’s clear she had her reasons for including many of the details. The strongest part about this novel, in my opinion, is the connection between the setting and the narrative. The story deals heavily with themes of finding explanations and meaning (either through science, religion or convention) for things you can’t understand. The mysterious, dark and often frightening nature of the landscape matches this perfectly. I did feel the need to take a star off my rating, because of two gripes I had with the novel. The first is the character of Cora, who is presented as a feminist with scientific interest, even though that was unheard off for a woman of her time. This in itself was great, however, she did often fall into the trope of “fixing history”, where the protagonist is basically a modern woman who tells her contemporaries how to live “the right way”. We are told that this behavior is unheard of for a woman, but we are never shown this. Everybody around her seems to completely accept and respect her, and behaves as if they wouldn’t expect a lady to do otherwise. It would have been much more powerful (and realistic) if she had been a little less of a modern woman, and had sometimes had to battle the prejudices of her time and come out the other way. The second disappointment was the ending, in some way, which was a little too neat to my taste. If you would like to know more about this, see my review on Goodreads, and click the spoiler-part. Other than those two points; this was a great read, which I highly recommend. I am personally excited to read more from Sarah Perry and will be picking up very soon.

Genre: Science Fiction Thriller Published: Crown publishing, july 2016 Rating: 4.5 stars Uploaded as part of my extreme-backlog of reviews ;) If I had to describe my relationship to sci-fi, it would probably come down to that awful, overused Facebook-cliché: it’s complicated. About 75% of sci-fi falls into the “meh-category” for me, and those chances increase even further if the book is a space-opera. Dark Matter is definitely in the other 25%. This may have something to do with the fact that it reads more like a thriller than a sci-fi, but nonetheless: this was a great read. Before I go any further: I recommend you go into this book blind. DO NOT look op story spoilers, because those will ruin it for you. As a matter of fact, many Goodreads reviews are full of them, so it would be best to just close this tab now and go read the book. That being said: this review will not contain spoilers, just my honest opinion and experience whilst reading. I first heard about this book on Books with Emily Fox’ channel, and she made it sound very mysterious, but very interesting. So I picked it up, not reading the synopsis or any reviews online and started reading one night, around 10 PM. That was a mistake… Before I knew it, I was burning midnight oil; I could not put this book down. I finished the book in 2 sittings: both of which ended in very-very late nights. Blake Crouch is a master of creating tension and mystery in his stories, not just in the situations he offers, but also in his writing style. Whenever the action gets intense, you can almost feel the protagonists adrenalin in the short, quick sentences. It’s the writers equivalent of the jump-cut in movies, and it tricky but done very well in this scenario. Another thing that is tricky but done well here is the use of cliffhangers. Dear authors, take note: THIS is how you do them. Cliffhangers should be at the end of chapters to keep the reader engaged and to motivate them to keep reading, not at the end of the book to make the reader feel cheated and obligated to buy the sequel... Almost every chapter from Dark Matter ends in an extremely tense or puzzling moment, which made it so hard for me to put the book down and go to sleep already. At the very start, I did feel like the characters were a little lost in the action, as happens often with a fast paced book like this. We got a very short introductory chapter about protagonist Jason and his family, before immediately diving into the madness that follows. For some reason, and I can’t put my finger on why, I wás invested in Jasons story, even though that was not fully deserved by the build up from the start. Later on in the story, the characters do get more space to show themselves and to develop, as they face some situations and dilemma’s that would make anyone’s head spin. Really, the “reveal” and concept behind this are very clever and put your mind to work. I am not going into this at all, because again; spoilers will ruin this. Suffice to say that this is one of those books that had me thinking about its concepts for days after I had finished it. Definitely one of the best books of 2017 for me, and still one of the best sci-fi thrillers I have ever read. Highly recommend it! Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Science Fiction Published: Crown Publishing, february 2014 Rating: 5 stars “Yes, of course duct tape works in a near-vacuum. Duct tape works anywhere. Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped.” The Martian has to be my most surprising read of 2017. Not only that: it was also one of my favorite reads. I haven’t had so much fun reading a book in a long time. The premise of this book sounds terrifying. Mark Watney is part of the first crew to ever set foot on Mars. What begins as a successful space-mission ends in a disaster when a dust storm surprises the crew and separates Mark from the group. Injured and presumed dead, the crew evacuates, leaving Mark stranded on Mars, only having his own wit and intelligence to fall back on for survival. It honestly sounds like the start of a dark thriller or horror story, and although it has the tension befitting of that, this is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. This probably says a lot about me and my very poor sense of humor, but I chuckled out loud a few times whilst reading, and am not even ashamed of that. Something else I am not ashamed to admit, is that Mark is one of my favorite characters of all time. I don’t crush on book characters, but if I had to pick a fictional boyfriend, I’d go with Mark. I want to emphasize how hard it is to do what Andy Weir did here: he wrote a scenario where one character has to carry the entire book. As during the majority of the book he is literally the only person on the planet, so if the reader doesn’t like or feel for him, your book is pretty much fucked (see what I did there 😉 ) Mark is the perfect character for this: he is incredibly smart, levelheaded, brave and copes with his impossible situation with the most amazing, smart, dark and cynical humor, which I live for. We see Mark in his lowest moments, scared and alone, and you just want to step into the book and give him a hug. Yet we also celebrate with him in his most victorious ones when he finally gets some piece of technology created from duct tape and tinfoil working. I can honestly not remember ever rooting so hard for a character since I was a kid. Kudos to Andy Weir for making me (a soulless ginger with a heart of stone) feel so many emotions whilst reading. And whilst we are at the topic of Kudos: I have deep respect for all the scientific research that went into this book. Although I have a hard time believing that all of it would work in reality, most of the things that are discussed are at least grounded in reality. You can tell the author did his homework! Finally; this has been a pretty lighthearted review, as that mostly fits the tone of the novel. However, the beauty of this story is that it is more than just wise-crack science jokes and potato-growing. At its core, this is a novel about the survivalstrength that is in all of us. Our ability to stay positive, and find joy and positivity in the little things, even in the most bleak of situations. A quote from the book that says this perfectly is the following message from Mark to Earth: “Things didn’t go as planned, but I’m not dead so that’s a win…" If you look past the humor, this is actually more profound than you might think, and might as well be the slogan of my life… Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Short Stories, Magical Realism Published: Two Roads, november 2017 Rating: 5/5 stars Based on the tiny synopsis, and the fact that it has Jen Campbells name on it, I was sold: Spirits in jam jars, mini-apocalypses, animal hearts and side shows. A girl runs a coffin hotel on a remote island. A boy is worried his sister has two souls. A couple are rewriting the history of the world. And mermaids are on display at the local aquarium. This sounds like it was made for me! Yet for a book I was so excited for, I put off reading it for a very long time. This seems to be a trend for me; the higher the expectation, the greater my fear of disappointment. I’d rather live in the bliss of anticipation of something incredible, than read something mediocre. I am so happy to say that once I picked it up, this collection did not only meet, but surpass my expectations. The main reason for my anticipation, and thus fear of disappointment, was the author. I have followed Jen as a reviewer and YouTuber for quite some time and I’m a big fan of her. She has great taste in books, incredible insight in writing and has given some of the best bookish recommendations I’ve ever come across. Moreover, she seems like such a nice and wise person that I would just love to meet and talk to. She discusses important topics on her channel, that are very close to home for her. Many of those mean a lot to me as well, and I cannot express how much I admire her for her strength and eloquence in addressing them. If this same passion and eloquence would reflect in her shortstories, I was bound to love it. Yet if it wouldn’t, I’d be at risk of being disappointed by someone I greatly respect and admire. Luckily, I loved this shortstory collection even more than I could have hoped. Each story is highly atmospheric, magical and fairly dark and they deal with all the same topics I love Jen Campbell for, and interweaves these with elements of folklore and fairytales. For anyone familiar with the origins of these folklore, it’s evident how well thought-out all of them are, and how each of them has a meaning that is more than skindeep. In my opinion Jen has mastered the art of shortstory telling; every word is there for a reason, every reference is relevant... Each of these tiny stories contains a world of depth below the surface, if you allow yourself to dive in deep. Without going into each of the stories separately, my favorite was the final one“Bright White Hearts”. Jen really put a lot of herself in that story, and it shows in the best way possible. Other favorites were "Little Deaths" (which I see many reviewers name as their least favorite: why?) and the titular story "the Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night". The collection as a whole is coherent as well due to the consistent themes and atmosphere. I think the entirety of it was smart, magical and most of all: brave. Jen, thank you for this little gem and thank you for sharing you voice. I am truly glad to have read this book. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: Literary Fiction Published: GP Putnams Publishing, Jan. 2018 My rating: 3.5 stars “The power of words. They weaseled under door crevices and through keyholes. They hooked into invididuals and wormed through generations.” The Immortalists is one of those books with a castiron premise, and some great hype since it’s release, so my expectations were up. Part of it lived up to those expectations, while others did not. It was a good and quick read, but I definitely think there are better books in this genre. After a strong prologue, in which 4 siblings visit a fortuneteller who tells them the exact date they will die, the story is told in 4 parts, each from the perspective of a different sibling, whom we follow until their deathdate. We follow a part of their lives and the way the knowledge gained from this fortuneteller has influenced that. Despite the magical sounding premise the book is definitely literary fiction, not magical realism. It is never confirmed that the fortuneteller actually was able to see their future. It’s the actions of the characters, based on this “knowledge” the leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy. I really enjoyed that aspect, although I think it would be good to know beforehand, considering the marketing of this book. I will quickly go into my thoughts on the four separate storylines, as there were two that I enjoyed way more than the others. If you want 0 spoilers, you may want to skip this part. I will hide major spoilers as such. Part 1: Simon Probably the most disappointing one for me. Simon is a young gay man in the ‘80’s, who moves to San Francisco in search of love, lust and acceptance. This in itself would make an interesting novel, but my first thought while reading the first chapter was; oh god, please don’t let her do “this thing” leading to Simon’s death. (view spoiler) And what do you know: that exact thing, that took me 30 seconds to think of, happened. It felt cliché and a bit cheap for the only gay character in the book. Part 2: Klara Even though I predicted Klara’s cause death as well, it made sense for her character and I enjoyed this part more than the first. Klara becomes one of the few female magicians in Vegas, obsessed with defying and controlling death in her magictricks. She had some interesting thoughts and I could relate to some aspects of her character. Part 3: Daniel This was where the book shone for me. Daniels part is very reflective; he thinks a lot about the relationships in his family and the way this prophecy has affected his siblings and himself. It was heartfelt and Daniels character was one I would have loved to spend some more pagetime with. His deathscene for me was the most emotional one in the book. Part 4: Varya A little disappointing unfortunately. (view spoiler) felt a little gimmicky in the context and I could not really connect to her character in full, which made for a bit of a disappointing ending. All in all a 3.5 star read for me. I would recommend it, although I am not sure I feel it lives up to all the hype it gets. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: YA Fantasy Published: Tor Books, january 2017 My rating: 1 star Quick question: in how many ways have you ever been disappointed in a book…? Because I think this might be a record... I knew nothing about this book before picking it up, but the synopsis and the promise of this titanforest-world had me sold. Unfortunately, the reading experience was more akin to a swamp than a lush forest: a shallow thing I had to slog my way through, occasionally feeling very dirty whilst doing so. I will get to that "dirty" part later on. Honestly I feel bad about bashing or even one-starring a book, but I can honestly not think of a single aspect of this book that did not let me down. The worldbuilding: I feel the author put a lot of time into coming up with this world, however, she did not manage to bring this across. The book is fairly short for an epic fantasy, so perhaps there was simply to little time to develop the worldbuilding properly. Any in depth information about the that was provided, was wrapped up in expositional dialogue or provided in a dry “lecture style”. The set up was very promising, but it needed a lot more pagetime to be developed enough to be good. The characters: flat as the leaves that surround them. What little character protagonist Unar does have is unlikeble. She is entitled, immature and is horny all the time. No really; she REALLY likes to think about sex. Which brings me to my next point: Sex: I can’t remember ever, as an adult, feeling so uncomfortable reading sex scenes. I am not against sex in books, but this was just too cringy. The way the author manages to describe some of the sexual content was honestly repulsive to the point where it was almost funny. (view spoiler) Writingstyle: apart from some of these very cringy descriptions, the writing was okay at times but trying way to hard at others. Honestly, the cringy descriptions were the part of the writing that I will remember most. Again, I hate to bash on books, but this was in my opinion one of the worst books I have read this year. I don’t recommend it, not even if you are interested in this world as I was. Find this book on Goodreads

Genre: literary fiction Published: Hamish Hamilton, october 2016 My rating: 3/5 stars “Language is like poppies. It just takes something to churn the earth round them up, and when it does up come the sleeping words, bright red, fresh, blowing about.” Autumn has gotten much praise over the last year and has basicly been dubbed a piece of art in many reviews. Obviously, my expectations were high and I could not wait to see my opinion on such a bold statement. The answers is more complex than I thought before writing this. I can objectively see the quality and craftmanship, but I personally did not enjoy it. Autumn is utterly original in concept, in fact, the idea of a quartet of novels thematically set around the seasons, is brilliant in al its simplicity. The novel has a lot of thought put in it, and can be interpreted in many different ways. This means that everybody will have a vastly different experience with it, for better or worse. In my case, I feel like it was the latter. In many ways, Autumn is all over the place. It is at times purposfully incoherent and at others just plain boring. We spend most of the book in the heads of the two main characters in the "autumn" of their lives, thinking back on past times. Interwoven in this is the political setting of "post-Brexit UK", which was the reason I picked the book up in the first place. There are paragraphs that are poigniant and briliantly worded, but they are sometimes lost without context. I love books that set up a framework, and make the readers figure out this meaning and context themselves, but in this case, the framework was so shaky that there was little to guide you. It's a little like a very experimental piece of art: you go looking for a deeper meaning, because you know there is suppose to be one, not because you organically find it. For example, I was drawing parallels between the story of Daniel and Elisabeth, and the political sitution, but maybe more because I was looking for it. In reality I don't know if I was supposed to, because the connections on paper were (pardon the pun) paperthin. It was an interesting reading experience, and probably good "food for thought". I feel like this is one of those cases where no two people will read the same book, because it heavily relies on what the reader brings to the table, interpretationwise. I had a good time thinking about it, but as a novel however, I have to say I didn't necessarily enjoy it.