Genre: Literary Fiction Published: Picador Press, April 2015, originally published May 2010 My Rating: 4.5/5 stars "Nothing is over yet, she told herself. The cat's still inside." I’m going to keep this review fairly short, as I’ve already spread my love for Emily St. John Mandel so many times before on this site, that I feel like I’m becoming a broken record. She stands out as one of my favourite writers of all time, with her absolute mastery over the art of language, structuring, character-work and story-telling as a whole. I love her knack for stories that feel so “reaching” and yet intimate in scope; her narratives and characters appear fractured over different places in time and space, which cements the sense of quiet isolation that’s present in all her work. Yet she also manages to thread all these lines together into an interconnected story, where all the elements and details just fall into perfect place. She makes true on this books title with that, as I believe the “gun” is a reference to Chekhovs gun; a literary device that Mandel is a master of. The Singers Gun has all these elements in place, yet despite being I sold 4.5-star read, is still my least favourite Mandel thus far. It’s fully a matter of personal taste, as this particular story and characters were simply least appealing to me. Anton’s attempted escape from his criminally tied past, creates the perfect backdrop for Mandel to work her character-magic, but it’s simply a trope that I don’t tend to love personally. If you want to get into Emily St. John Mandels work (which YOU SHOULD!), and are usually more of a thriller-mystery reader, I feel like this might be your perfect entry point. If you’re an established ESJM-fan like me, you already know what you’re in for. Don’t just stick to her latest works: the “older stuff” is (almost!) just as brilliant! Find this book here on Goodreads.

With the start of July comes the (dreaded) mid-point of the year, and a good opportunity to reflect on the past months of reading. As has become tradition; I wanted to do so in the form of the Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag, with some questions modified a little to suit my reading-tastes better. 2022 so far has been a great year for reading. Out of the 55 books I completed as of posting this, I’ve already found more favourites than I had in the entirety of last year, and the majority of my reading has been 4- or 5-stars. Here's to hoping that the second half of the year is as good as this one, or perhaps even better. Without further ado, let’s talk about some of my highlights so far. 1. Best book you've read so far in 2022... Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield As mentioned: there were quite a few to chose from, many of which will appear in later questions. The book I went with in the end is probably one of the more controversial ones, but it was also the one that stood out most to me. Julia Armfield’s debut novel is a literary horror story featuring themes of the deep ocean, grief, loss and alienation (in an environmental, personal as well as relationship level). Following the unravelling relationship between two women after one of them returns from a deep-sea mission that ended in tragedy, this novel got under my skin and has haunted me with it melancholic and eerie beauty ever since I finished it. A full review can be found elsewhere on my blog. 2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2022... Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett I’ve put off reading the sequel to one of my favourite fantasy novels until the 3rd book was released, so I could binge the series if I needed to. Upon finally being able to read book 2 of the Foundryside Trilogy, I’m so happy I did, because I couldn’t have waited 1.5 years to continue the story from this point on. Shorefall was everything I wanted in a sequel: it expended on the characters and world, and upped the scope, whilst never losing the charm that captured me in the first place. Highly recommend this trilogy to fans of Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb or steam-punk high fantasy in general. 3. New release you haven't read yet but want to… The Fevered star by Rebecca Roanhorse Nuclear Family by Joseph Han Yonder by Ali Standish As per usual, I could fill a complete list with these, so I’ll narrow things down to 3, divided by my most read genres. Continuing on the last question of fantasy-sequels; I haven’t yet gotten to The Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse. The dark world of Tova and its interesting characters are still fresh in my mind after reading Black Sun almost a year ago now, and I can’t wait to see where this story takes us next. For general/literary fiction, I’m hoping to get to Nuclear Family by Joseph Han soon. Described as a tragi-comedic family story about a family facing the fallout of their eldest son's attempt to run across the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea, at the time of the 2018 nuclear missile-alarm. For Middle-grade/YA I have yet to read the latest release by one of my favourite hard-hitting-middle-grade-authors Ali Standish. With Yonder she makes her historical-fiction debut, telling a story of friendship against the background of WWII. 4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year… What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher I’ve recently posted my top 10 most anticipated novels for the rest of this year, in case you’re looking for a more complete list, but for now I’ll mention the one that is closest on the horizon. As a retelling of the horror-classic The House of Usher by one of my favourite horror-authors T. Kingfisher, I couldn’t help myself but be excited for What Moves the Dead. Releasing later this month, the wait for this one luckily is blissfully short. 5. Biggest disappointment… The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd The Cartographers featured prominently in my most anticipated releases of 2022 at the start of this year. With its intriguing premise and the name of an author whom debut I loved, this had to be a success. Unfortunately, what was advertised as a clever mystery about missing map-makers and phantom-towns, turned out to be a clunky and plot-hole-riddled mess, as dry as the pages it writes about… My full review can be found here. 6. Biggest surprise… Sundial by Catriona Ward Honestly, I’m not sure why this was such a surprise to me: upon receiving the ARC I was expecting a fairly entertaining thriller, but nothing too special based of the description. Instead, Sundial blew me out of the water with its unsettling mystery, cindering atmosphere, and memorable characters. I found myself theorizing and reminiscing about this book long after I’d finished it, whilst also being completely satisfied with the ending. What more could I ask for in a thriller. 7. Favourite new author (Debut or new to you)… Maddie Mortimer Another contestant for my favourite read of the year so far was Maddie Mortimers debut novel Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies. I admit that this might be even more niche than Our Wives Under the Sea, considering its alternative formatting and almost poetic prose, as well as its touch subject-matter. This is a novel about cancer, but most importantly: about the body, the person and the life that this cancer inhabits, told from within. It’s a story that has to be experienced and felt rather than written about, and I highly recommend any modern fiction fan to do so. Maddie Mortimer is a name to watch, and I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us. Not only is it an absolute masterpiece in writing, it’s also a novel that thematically feels very close to me. That link growing even stronger as I read it during my first months on the job as a doctor within the specialty that has always had my heart: oncology. 8. New Favourite character… To me, characters are one of the most important elements of a story, so any main character from a book I’ve mentioned as a favourite before could count for this question. The loving but almost suffocating relationship between Miri and Leah (Our Wives Under the Sea), the warmth and comfort radiating from Sara and Emilie (Yerba Buena) or Iris and Lea (Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies) as the most raw depiction of mum-and-daughter on page I’ve read, have all left a deep impression on me. As did the joy of seeing familiar characters return in the sequels I read such as Sanchia (Shorefall), Roger and Dodger (Seasonal Fears) and the cast of The Glass Hotel (Sea of Tranquillity). As for characters I haven’t talked about yet, I want to give a shout-out to Orka from Shadow of the Gods, for being one of the most well-rounded and badass female characters in epic fantasy lately. 9. A book that made you cry & a book that made you happy… Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel I’ve combined these questions together (sort of), as I immediately thought of two books that would fit either question perfectly and interchangeably. No book got actual tears out of me this year, but two left me with that tight feeling in the back of your throat, that’s melancholic but wonderful at the same time. Those same two books also brought me warm fuzzy feelings of recognition (revisiting past characters, and meeting new ones), and it’s that contrast that makes me happy about reading. Both books of them are by authors that have had a free-pass to my heart for years now, and have made me cry ánd smile with their work before. Unsurprisingly, I’m talking about Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour and Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. One of them tells a narrative of lives intertwining through time and space, the other an intimate tale of two women finding love and healing within a cocktailbar. Both of them have memorable characters and writing that resonated with me like few others. 10. A book that made you happy… Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester As a bonus entry, however, Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester made me happy, because we finally have another YA-novel with good chronic-illness/disability representations. They are still too few and far between, so any new addition to my recommendations list is worth some happiness. 11. The most beautiful book you’ve bought this year… A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross This one needs no explanation. It’s the UK hardcover edition of A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross. I’m sorry to my American followers: I truly feel you were done dirty with that original US-cover. 12. 3 books you need to read before the end of the year… Again: too many to count, but currently topping my TBR are: Build your House Around my Body by Violet Kupersmith A magical realism about two Vietnamese women who go missing decades apart. Their stories are bound by generational history, folklore and the “memories of possessed bodies and possessed lands”. I’ve been wanting to read this ever since its release in 2021, and still haven’t gotten to it. My excitement got renewed with the flood of positive reviews when it was nominated for the Women’s Prize for Fiction this year, so it’s high time I sink my teeth into this one. What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo A hybrid between science non-fiction and memoir about complex trauma and PTSD, and the way it shapes our lives and the bodies we inhabit. Simply on my TBR because I’m (both professionally as well as personally) deeply interested in understanding this topic. The Library At Mount Char by Scott Hawkins A bizarre fantasy/horror about a missing God, a library that holds the secrets of the universe, and an ordinary man wrapped up in a murder-incrimination, involving a colourful cast of characters that might not be entirely human… I have no idea what to expect with this one, having people hear it describe as anything from “like American Gods” to “utter nonsense”. It has intimidated me enough to become a TBR-veteran by now, so it’s high time I kick myself in the but and just get to it. I always love seeing other peoples answers to this tag, so if you’ve done it as well, feel free to share your links with me. If you haven’t done the complete tag, please let me know down below: what was your best book of 2022 so far, and what’s your most anticipated read for the rest of the year? Until next time: happy reading!

Genre: horror Published: Little Brown/Orbit UK, July 21st 2022 My Rating: 1.5/5 stars From the author of the beloved dystopian novel A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World comes a new, folklore inspired horror story, that unfortunately left me as cold and dead as the waters it centres on... Synopsis A water-borne blight hits an isolated community on a remote island on the edge of the Northern Atlantic. When ferry-services fail and all contact with the mainland is lost, a sense of paranoia and claustrophobia sets in. what is this strange affliction that is picking their community apart from the inside? Is it a biological illness, an ancient curse or something else entirely? And more importantly: can our cast of characters figure out the answers to these questions in time to escape this thread enclosing all around them? What I liked: On paper Dead Water had all the elements to be a new favourite. Isolated island setting: check. Folklore-inspired horror: check. Prioritising low-building psychological suspense over gore: double check. There’s even representation of a heroine with a physical disability and chronic pain, something I didn’t even know about before starting this read. There’s a nice sense of setting that is accentuated by the authors descriptive writing style. Overall, here was the inspiration and set-up for a wonderful novel. Unfortunately that was all this story felt like to me: a set-up that asks a lot of investment from the reader, to ultimately never get completely off the ground. What I didn’t like: This books overall downfall was its pacing, that ranges from pedestrian at best, to glacial at its worst. It takes the story about until the 60% mark to really get to the advertised plot and suspense, which for a 500+ page novel is too much time to take for a “build up”. While I’m usually all about the slow burning stories, I actually found myself bored and unmotivated to pick the book back up. My thoughts began to drift whilst reading and my investment in the characters and the mystery dwindled the further I got. Even the atmospheric descriptions I loved to start with became repetitive over time: there’s only so many times you can read about ravens before feeling like you get the point by now. Still, I was hoping for a phenomenal ending to make it worth the investment. Unfortunately; the ending was even less to my liking. At about the 90% mark, the story start to pick up in pace, feeling very unbalanced when compared to everything before it. We end with a reveal that is a (admittedly quite cool) twist on a familiar trope, followed by a deus-ex-machina solution that felt like the author didn’t know how else to get their characters out of this mess. Considering this author’s talent for creating atmosphere and the previous success of A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World, this story felt a few edits short of the version it could have been. Many thanks to Little Brown Book Group & Orbit UK for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Find this book on Goodreads here.

As the year draws to a mid-way point, publishers have been releasing their catalogues for the second half of 2022, showing off the exciting new stories we have to look forward to for the upcoming months. To be fair, my expectations for Q3 and Q4 weren’t too high, as almost all of my most anticipated releases for this calendar-year have either already been released, or have been pushed back to 2023. However, delving into some catalogues and hearing some other reviewers talk about their anticipated releases, put some new things on my radar that got me excited for the next few months again. Let me introduce you to the 11 books that I’m most anticipating for the second half of 2022: 1. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher Genre: horror Publication: July 12th 2022, Tor Nightfire Why I’m excited: I love The Fall of the House of Usher. I loved T Kingfishers previous horror works. A combination of those two can be nothing else but a recipe for success in my book. Bonuspoints for the excellent cover, which was designed and created by the author herself. Talking about someone who truly can do it all… Synopsis When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania. What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves. Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all. 2. Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman Genre: speculative fiction/sci-fi Publication: July 12th 2022, Soho Press Why I’m excited: bizarre-speculative-eco-fiction is one of those incredibly niche genres that I have an inexplicable fascination with. Drawn in by the strange title, captured by the synopsis that gave me major Jeff Vandermeer-vibes, and hooked by the positive reviews I’ve heard from people I trust, I’m still silently praying that my ARC gets approved by the publisher. Synopsis The near future. With tens of thousands of species dying out every year, our last hope is the biobanks, impregnable vaults where their remnants can be preserved forever. Until one day an audacious cyberattack obliterates every single one. In the aftermath, a troubled conservationist and a crooked mining exec must team up in search of the venomous lumpsucker, a lost fish that they both desperately need to save. Together, they pursue it through the weird landscapes of the 2030s - a nature reserve full of toxic waste; a floating city on the Baltic Sea; the dangerous hinterlands of a totalitarian state. And the further they go, the deeper they're drawn into the mystery of the attack on the biobanks. Who was behind it? And why would anyone do such a thing? 3. The First Binding by R.R. Virdi Genre: fantasy Publication: August 16th 2022, Tor Why I’m excited: Because the synopsis reminded me of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, and then I saw that the man himself wrote a rave-review based of an ARC he read. I tend to agree with Patrick Rothfuss’ opinions on fantasy a lot, so thought it was good, than I’ll be sure to give it a shot. Synopsis: All legends are born of truths. And just as much lies. These are mine. Judge me for what you will. But you will hear my story first. I buried the village of Ampur under a mountain of ice and snow. Then I killed their god. I've stolen old magics and been cursed for it. I started a war with those that walked before mankind and lost the princess I loved, and wanted to save. I've called lightning and bound fire. I am legend. And I am a monster. My name is Ari. And this is the story of how I let loose the first evil. 4. Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston Genre: middle-grade fantasy Publication: August 30th 2022, Balzer and Bray Why I’m excited: I adored book one in this series, and described it as “Harry Potter meets Man in Black, but more inclusive and modern”, and I stand by that description. I couldn’t wait to see how Amari’s story would progress further, and after an extended delay, we’re finally getting to find out. Synopsis: After finding her brother and saving the entire supernatural world, Amari Peters is convinced her first full summer as a Junior Agent will be a breeze. But between the fearsome new Head Minister’s strict anti-magician agenda, fierce Junior Agent rivalries, and her brother Quinton’s curse steadily worsening, Amari’s plate is full. So when the secretive League of Magicians offers her a chance to stand up for magiciankind as its new leader, she declines. She’s got enough to worry about! But her refusal allows someone else to step forward, a magician with dangerous plans for the League. This challenge sparks the start of the Great Game, a competition to decide who will become the Night Brothers’ successor and determine the future of magiciankind. The Great Game is both mysterious and deadly, but among the winner’s magical rewards is Quinton’s last hope—so how can Amari refuse? 5. Babel, or the Necessity of Violence by R.F. Kuang Genre: fantasy Publication: August 23rd 2022, Harper Voyager Why I’m excited: I’m not going to lie: I didn’t get along with R.F. Kuang’s debut series like everybody else did. Although I liked her writing and worldbuilding, hard military-fantasy isn’t something I tend to enjoy. When I heard that Kuang was creating a completely new fantasy world, this time with an academic setting based around languages and translations, I knew I had to give her a second chance! Synopsis: 1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he'll enroll in Oxford University's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation — also known as Babel. Babel is the world's center of translation and, more importantly, of silver-working: the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation through enchanted silver bars, to magical effect. Silver-working has made the British Empire unparalleled in power, and Babel's research in foreign languages serves the Empire's quest to colonize everything it encounters. Oxford, the city of dreaming spires, is a fairytale for Robin; a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge serves power, and for Robin, a Chinese boy raised in Britain, serving Babel inevitably means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to sabotaging the silver-working that supports imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide: Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence? What is he willing to sacrifice to bring Babel down? 6. The Unbalancing by R.B. Lemberg Genre: fantasy Publication: September 20th 2022, Tachyon Publications Why I’m excited: Described as a fantasy rooted in the mystical cosmology, neurodiversity, and queerness, told in lyrical prose and set in an already well-developed world with lore and background. Need I say anything more? Oh, and the world is allegedly based off the mythology surrounding Atlantis. I’m sold. Synopsis: Beneath the waters by the islands of Gelle-Geu, a star sleeps restlessly. The celebrated new starkeeper Ranra Kekeri, who is preoccupied by the increasing tremors, confronts the problems left behind by her predecessor. Meanwhile, the poet Erígra Lilún, who merely wants to be left alone, is repeatedly asked by their ancestor Semberi to take over the starkeeping helm. Semberi insists upon telling Lilun mysterious tales of the deliverance of the stars by the goddess Bird. When Ranra and Lilun meet, sparks begin to fly. An unforeseen configuration of their magical deepnames illuminates the trouble under the tides. For Ranra and Lilun, their story is just beginning; for the people of Gelle-Geu, it may well be too late to save their home. 7. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng Genre: contemporary fiction Publication: October 4th 2022, Penguin Press Why I’m excited: Nobody writes contemporary Asian-American family drama with themes of immigration like Celeste Ng does, and I’ve loved everything she’s written to date. It’s been a few years since her last release, and I’ve been secretly eyeing her socials for a hint of her next work. It will finally arrive this October. Synopsis Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in Harvard University’s library. Bird knows to not ask too many questions, stand out too much, or stray too far. For a decade, their lives have been governed by laws written to preserve “American culture” in the wake of years of economic instability and violence. To keep the peace and restore prosperity, the authorities are now allowed to relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin, and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic—including the work of Bird’s mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet who left the family when he was nine years old. Bird has grown up disavowing his mother and her poems; he doesn’t know her work or what happened to her, and he knows he shouldn’t wonder. But when he receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, he is drawn into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of librarians, into the lives of the children who have been taken, and finally to New York City, where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change. 8. Fairy tale by Stephen King Genre: fantasy Publication: September 6th, Scribner Why I’m excited: apparently Stephen King was inspired to write this novel during a Pandemic-slump when he asked himself “What could you write that would make you happy?”. Whatever his answer was: I want to find out. Although Kings writing is hit or miss for me, his work is almost never dull, so I’m excited to see what he does with this premise. Synopsis: Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. When Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and her aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. Sometimes strange sounds emerge from it. Charlie starts doing jobs for Mr. Bowditch and loses his heart to Radar. Then, when Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe. What Bowditch knows, and has kept secret all his long life, is that inside the shed is a portal to another world. King’s storytelling in Fairy Tale soars. This is a magnificent and terrifying tale in which good is pitted against overwhelming evil, and a heroic boy—and his dog—must lead the battle. 9. Leila and the Blue Fox by Kiran Millwood Hargrave & Tom de Feston Genre: middle-grade, illustrated fiction Publication: October 13th, Orion Children’s Books Why I’m excited: After reading its spiritual predecessor Julia and the Shark, I’ve been excited to see what natural world this duo will bring to life next. Kirans words and Toms artwork create a complementary joining that is more than the sum of its parts. Synopsis She was very tired. She lay down, her soft head on her soft paws. The sunset licked her face. The snow covered her like a blanket. Fox wakes, and begins to walk. She crosses ice and snow, over mountains and across frozen oceans, encountering bears and birds beneath the endless daylight of an Arctic summer, navigating a world that is vast, wild and wondrous. Meanwhile, Leila embarks on a journey of her own - finding her way to the mother who left her. On a breathtaking journey across the sea, Leila rediscovers herself and the mother she thought she'd lost, with help from a determined little fox. Based on the true story of an Arctic fox who walked from Norway to Canada in seventy-six days, a distance of two thousand miles, this compelling, emotional and beautifully illustrated story is the perfect gift for 9+ readers. 10. The Cloisters by Katy Hays Genre: mystery/thriller Publication: November 1st 2022, Atria Books Why I’m excited: this book purely sold me on its synopsis and keywords. Academic mystery researching the history of fortune telling, check. Blurring the lines between the arcane and the modern, the magical and the rational, check. A deadly “treasure hunt” for a mysterious tarot deck, double check. I know nothing more about this novel than you do at this point, but the mysterious alure of that short description was enough to peak my attention. Synopsis When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she expects to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination. Desperate to escape her painful past, Ann is happy to indulge the researchers’ more outlandish theories about the history of fortune telling. But what begins as academic curiosity quickly turns into obsession when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. When the dangerous game of power, seduction, and ambition at The Cloisters turns deadly, Ann becomes locked in a race for answers as the line between the arcane and the modern blurs. 11. The House of Yesterday by Deepa Zargarpur Genre: contemporary fiction Publication: November 29th, Farrar, Straus and Giroux Why I’m excited: This book ticks so many of my boxes: melancholic haunted house-trope exploring grief and trauma. Themes of diversity, coming of age, family and belonging… I’m ready to have my heart broken. Synopsis: Taking inspiration from the author's own Afghan-Uzbek heritage, this contemporary YA debut is a breathtaking journey into the grief that lingers through generations of immigrant families, and what it means to confront the ghosts of your past. Struggling to deal with the pain of her parents' impending divorce, fifteen-year-old Sara is facing a world of unknowns and uncertainties. Unfortunately, the one person she could always lean on when things got hard, her beloved Bibi Jan, has become a mere echo of the grandmother she once was. And so Sara retreats into the family business, hoping a summer working on her mom's latest home renovation project will provide a distraction from her fracturing world. But the house holds more than plaster and stone. It holds secrets that have her clinging desperately to the memories of her old life. Secrets that only her Bibi Jan could have untangled. Secrets Sara is powerless to ignore as the dark truths of her family's history rise in ghostly apparitions--and with it, the realization that as much as she wants to hold onto her old life, nothing will ever be the same. Let me know what your most anticipated releases for the second half of 2022 are, and if there are any books you think I've missed for my list. Until then, happy reading, and I'll see you in the next one.

Genre: Sci-fi Published: Titan Books, July 2022 My Rating: 2.5/5 stars Discovering Emmi Itäranta’s previous novel The City of Woven Streets was such a wonderful surprise, back when it was first released. Although not a full five-star read from a story- and character perspective, it was Itäranta’s beautiful prose and ability to create vivid atmosphere, completely pulled me in. Following this hidden gem, I was very excited to read more from her voice. Her latest release brings back some of what I enjoyed about her previous work, but also a lot more of what I didn’t enjoy, therefore making the whole feel like an unbalanced experience that didn’t work for me personally. The Moonday Letters combines a mystery and a love story, inside a sci-fi setting. Lumi is an Earth-born healer whose Mars-born spouse Sol disappears unexpectedly on a work trip. As Lumi begins her quest to find Sol, she delves gradually deeper into Sol’s secrets – and her own. The prose, worldbuilding and the boundaries for the story to take place in where once again immaculate, just like in The City of Woven Streets. Itäranta knows just the right words to pick to bring her world to life in front of your eyes, alongside with the feeling that it’s supposed to invoke. The Moonlight Letters presents a world that is rich in melancholy and hope, that has depths of mythology and history to back it all up. Massive credits go to translator (whom I cannot find the name of) as well, for capturing those nuances within the English version. Unfortunately, the set-up and presentation were stronger than everything else. The stage was set beautifully, the backdrop was gorgeous, but then the show didn’t get off the road, and the characters fumbled their lines. For a “sci-fi mystery”, The Moonday Letters is very light on the mystery and plot, and heavy on the relationship between Lumi and Sol. The fact that neither of them felt very memorable as individual characters, combined with their relationship being set up almost exclusively through letters to another, made it difficult for me to connect or get invested in them. When so much of your plot hinges on two characters finding their way back to each other, but you as a reader can’t feel the chemistry between them, my investment quickly waned. Add an unbalanced, but overall glacial pacing (an issue I overlooked in The City of Woven Streets because I liked the rest of it) and I found myself at times struggling to even continue. Note that epistolary style novels, especially in which the central relationship develops mostly through letters, are something I’ve struggled with in the past before. It may be partly a “it’s not the book, it’s me”-situations. If you are a fan of this genre, and are looking for a lesser known author to support, Itäranta is one to check out! Personally, I’m hoping her next novel and I get along better. As a final thought: I truly hope the publisher will consider releaseing an audio-version of this novel. Not just to make stories available to a broader audience, but also because I feel like the characterisation (and differentiation) in this novel would greatly benefit from a good audio-cast. Many thanks to Titan Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Add this book on Goodreads.

Summer is filled with the classic “beach-read-recommendations”, most of which tend to be heavy on the romance, and light on anything else. In a bit of a twist to the trope, I’m bringing you a list of my favourite beachy-reads, from across different genre’s and age-ranges. With 36 options to pick from, I hope you’ll find some fresh inspiration to take on your next beach-trip. All books are linked to their respective Goodreads pages, where you can find full synopsis, as well as reviews from other readers. My personal favourites: Grief and the Ocean - Our Wives Under the Sea – Julia Armfield - The Last True Poets of the Sea – Julia Drake - The Gracekeepers – Kirsty Logan - Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea – Ashley Herring Blake Adult Contemporary: - The Island of Forgetting – Jasmine Sealy - Remarkably Bright Creatures – Shelby van Pelt - Lattitudes of Longing – Shubhangi Swarup - Castle of Water – Dane Hucklebridge Young Adult Contemporary - Breathe and Count Back from 10 – Natalia Sylvester - Coming Up for Air – Lou Abercrombie - Breathing Underwater – Sarah Allen - Challenger Deep – Neal Shusterman - The House in the Cerulean Sea - T J Klune Mermaids: - The Gloaming – Kirsty Logan - Black Sun – Rebecca Roanhorse - The Seawomen – Chloe Timms - The Seas – Samantha Hunt Magical Realism and Fantasy: - This One Sky Day – Leone Ross - These Rebel Waves – Sara Raasch - The Vanishing Deep – Astrid Scholte - The Summer of Salt – Katrina Leno Middle-Grade - August Isle – Ali Standish - Rise of the Jumbies – Tracey Baptiste - Julia and the Shark – Kiran Millwood Hargrave - Utterly Dark and the Face of the Deep – Philip Reeve Thrillers and horror - Black Tide – K C Jones - The Survivors – Jane Harper - Forget the Sleepless Shores - Sonya Taaffe - The Sound at the End – Kirsty Logan - Deeplight - Frances Hardinge Sci-fi and Dystopian - The Ones We’re Meant to Find - Joan He - The Stranding – Kate Sawyer - The Light at the Bottom of the World – London Shah - The Abyss – Orson Scott Card Non-fiction: - Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid - Thor Hanson - The Salt Path – Raynor Winn - Spring Tides – Fiona Gell - Why Fish Don’t Exist - Lulu Miller

Genre: Magical Realism, Horror Published: Oneworld Publishers, June 2022 My rating: 2/5 stars Whilst grieving the death of her sister, Marianne discovers a strange change taking place in her body: a line of long black hairs has started sprouting along her spine. After a visit to her doctor, Marianne is referred to a remote rehabilitation centre in the forest that seemingly specialises in her unusual affliction. Whilst undergoing the increasingly strange treatments at the facility, Marianne and her fellow patients soon start digging for answers to get to the root of their shared condition. As a big fan of the concept of combining a story of grief with elements of magical realism and body-horror, I was very excited to give this book a shot. Unfortunately, what off as an interesting idea, quickly divulged into a convoluted mess that lacked the emotional depth I was hoping for. The opening chapter is very strong and does a great job of setting the atmosphere and framework for what could follow. If only the story would build upon that framework in a structured way. Instead we get introduced to a bunch of new interesting ideas, none of which get developed quite enough, and all of which fell flat for me in the process. We never actually get back around to that intriguing beginning, and I’m still not completely sure as to where in the story it actually fit. The Weight of Loss felt like a story with an identity crisis; it tries its hardest at being literary-horror but doesn’t quite stick the landing on many of the common tropes of the genre. It joins the trend of “breaking the stigma surrounding (female) bodies on page”, but instead of functional nudity we get being explicit and crude for the sake of. It also throws in some literary motifs that are so clunky, I wasn’t even sure they were intentional. [e.g. Why would you call your sibling-protagonists “Marianne and Marie”? Was it to indicate their “connection” and how symbiotic their relationship was? And was it a coincidence to have Marianne develop hairs on her back, as representation of her trauma of her sister dying of hairy cell leukemia? I genuinely hope so, because if not; that’s far too on the nose for me.] After all that, the story strangely veers into a sci-fi/dystopian twist ending that came out of thin air, and confused me even more as to what the intended meaning of the story was. Overall, a novel that gets an extra star of credit for the concept, but truthfully didn’t escape being a one-star-reading experience for me. Thanks to Oneworld Publications for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Weight of Loss is available today in Europe, and will release on June 6th in American territory under the (more fitting) title of Garden of Earthly Bodies.

Genre: Fantasy Published: Wednesday Books, January 2019 My Rating: 4.5/5 stars “That’s it, I’m done with YA-fantasy.” - sentence uttered by me, many times over the last few years. I just can’t take it anymore. No other genre can hold a candle to the number of disappointments YA has brought me. The awesome premises, bogged down by underdeveloped characters, predictable plots and angsty teenage romance… Why do I even keep trying?!? Then, every once in a while, one of those rare gems comes around, that restores my faith in the entire genre. Tiny gold nuggets that make sifting thought the mud all worthwhile. I think of Six of Crows or Strange the Dreamer, and can now add one more novel to that list: The Gilded Wolves. The Gilded Wolves is set against the dazzling background of 19th century Paris and follows, what is essentially a heist of an ancient forged artifact of great significance. A seemingly mismatched group of friends and total strangers, each with their own specialty must learn work together to accomplish this feat. - Severain, the protective leader of the group and heir to a powerful house of which the forged artifact in question was stolen. - Laila, the charismatic Indian girl with a troubled past, who has the ability to “read” objects by touch, and tell their history by doing so. Also bakes a mean batch of cookies. - Tristan, absolute sweetheart botanist who has a gift for plants and nature and is obsessed with his pet-tarantula. (view spoiler). - Zofia, the engineer, who is probably somewhere on the autism-spectrum, based on her behavior. She loves math, chemistry and has the rare gift of “mind-forging”. She is never “labeled” as autistic in the novel, which I really appreciated: the characters just accept her for who she is, without making a big deal out of it. She is also wickedly funny at times. - Enrique, the biracial historian with a deep interest for especially the cultural side of his profession. He can be a little shy, and probably has the least distinct personality of the group, but brings a lot of depth to the story in his quietness. - And Hypnos, heir to an aristocrat, queer and probably the biggest drama-queen in history. Although this is a very “dangerous” character to write (for risk of being “the-token-gay-comical-relief”), Chokshi just managed to pull it off perfectly. Hypnos felt well-developed and genuinely funny, and ended up being one of my favorite characters in the end. Characters are a very important part of a novel for me, and more often than not the difference between a favorite or an “okay” read. Reading about the cast of The Gilded Wolves felt like traveling with friends to me, a feeling I honestly haven’t had with any YA ever since finishing Six of Crows. Chokshi is an artist with words, and with her beautiful prose, she brings to life not only the characters, but also the lush world she built. Where Ketterdam was bleak and dark, the world of The Gilded Wolves is vibrant and full of life, and it’s a joy to immerse yourself in it for hours on end. The magic system, based on forging is best left explored for yourself, but suffice to say: color me intrigued. I loved what we learned in this novel and really hope we expand further on it in the next. In the end, The Gilded Wolves is not a perfect book (because, guess what: I don’t believe those exist), but came damn close to a perfect reading experience for me personally. Highly, highly recommend, not just for fans of YA, but also for those of you who (like me) at times lose faith in the genre: this might just bring it back! Find this book here on Goodreads.

Genre: Fantasy Published: Harper Collins UK, August 2022 My Rating: 3/5 stars Beneath the Burning Wave is an experimental YA-fantasy novel that I deeply respect and appreciated for everything it set out to do, but fear will only fit a very niche audience. As much as I hoped to be part of that niche target, I struggled more than I had expected to, leaving me with an overall mixed experience with this book. What I loved: We follow the story of Kaori and Kairi, twins who grow up on the ancient island of Mu, where magic flows and “gender is as fluid as the waves”. All their lives, they’ve been haunted by a generational prophecy that predicts they’re doomed to bring their community to ruin. One of them is born of water, one of fire, and natural rivalry will bring the island to its knees in flames and waves. Caught between their natural rivalry and ingrained tradition, and their desire to let peace and freedom rules, Kaori and Kairi must make a decision that will shape the future of their entire community. I’m always supportive of unique and memorable fantasy, that dares to explore important themes, and take risks in the process. Especially with the YA-age-range, too few authors and publishers dare to push boundaries (even when it comes to diverse fiction), because it’s “less marketable”. Beneath the Burning Wave takes that risk and tells a compelling story in a completely unique way. The use of neo-pronouns (using the gender neutral “mu-mem” instead of he/she/them) throughout the entire book is something I’ve never seen done before in YA-fantasy. It slots well into the rest of Mu’s interesting world, infused with elements of lesser known Egyptian and Japanese mythology to create a setting and culture I kept wanting to explore further. I hope the later instalments in the series will continue to expand upon that. What I didn’t love: As much as I was invested and intrigued by the worldbuilding, I cannot say the same for the storyline and the characters. Mostly, this was due to the overwhelming feeling of confusion I felt throughout my reading experience. Beneath the Burning Wave is not an easily accessible novel, largely due to an already confusing story, but also due to some of the writing-choices. As much as I liked the idea of the neo-pronouns used, it did add to my confusion to distinguish (already similar) characters. Especially when the word “mu” is used to refer to “he”, “she”, “they/them”, but also the island itself. The fact that many have similar names (such as Kaori and Kairi) added to my confusion, and frankly made it impossible for me to listen to the audiobook alone, as I was constantly confused as to who was speaking. As a small disclaimer: language-barrier may have contributed on my part, as English isn’t my first language. The Dutch approach to pronouns is different from the English and doesn’t even have the equivalent to a “they/them” pronoun, so this may have made it grammatically harder on me as a non-native speaker. The second thing that confused and bothered me was how “binary” the story felt, despite its emphasis on (gender-)fluidity. Although there are no gender-pronouns and characters can switch between different the two, there are quite distinct male and female gender-roles within the story, that go beyond biology. There’s still an interesting discussion to be had here, but it didn’t feel quite like the complete fluidity that was advertised… Overall, I feel like Beneath the Burning Wave has the potential to be a great read, if you know what you’re getting into. If you’re a YA fantasy-reader, with an established interest in this topic and are open to more experimental style of writing; give this a try. If you’re looking for an approachable “introductory” fantasy-story, this may not be the perfect match for you. Thanks to Harper UK for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Find this book here on Goodreads.

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Published: Quick Books (by Penguin Random House), May 2022 My Rating: 4/5 stars “I thought that getting better was a linear thing, but now I remember that chronic means “over and over” at the same time as it means “always” or “forever." It took me a little longer than normal to write this review, but considering the dust it kicked up among the community regarding its representation, I wanted to do it justice. This will be a review in 3 parts: the good, the bad, and my response to “the ugly” this book was accused of. In short: I strongly disagree with the wave of negativity that was send this books way. Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses combines humour and heart in the telling of its contemporary story with a slight supernatural twists. We follow Priya, who’s dreams of studying medicine have been put temporarily on hold due to her chronic Lyme’s disease. Doing her best to cope with her newly (at times) uncooperative body, Priya finds support in an online Discord group where she meets virtually with other chronically ill young adults. When one of her online friends suddenly falls off the radar for seemingly health-related reasons, Priya reaches out to offer her help, only to find out that her friends illness isn’t quite what she expected it to be. Spoilers: there’s a clou in the title… What I loved: When I read “Teen Wolf meets Emergency Contact” as a blurb, I was worried this would be a little too much teenage angst and light-hearted shenanigans, and a too little depth on the important topics addressed here. I couldn’t have been more wrong: Kristen O’Neal strikes a beautiful balance between a fun contemporary with humour and adventure, whilst also facing the challenges of living with a disability/chronic illness as a young adult head-on. I cannot stress enough how important this is: this is a story where chronically ill teens can see themselves in, in a way where not just their “struggles” are done justice, but also their personalities outside their condition. Growing up a chronically ill teen myself, I’ve been sick and tired of the only “illness-representation” for a YA-audience being the insulting likes of The Fault in Our Stars (romanticising cancer) and Everything Everything(view spoiler). In Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses we see developed characters, having nuanced conversations and showing actual positive support, friendship and inclusivity toward each other. The way their conversations flow from light-hearted self-deprecating jokes to calling each-other out and dropping insightful bombs like “I don’t want to define things for you or anything, but you’re allowed to be chronically ill even if someone else seems sicker than you. It’s not a contest.” It honestly feels realistic, at least to my experience, and completely positive. Through this lighthearted tone, Kristen O’Neal manages to cover an impressive amount of important topics surrounding disability in young-adults, such as coping with protective family, choosing a career with an illness, and the above-mentioned “health-competition” of feeling you aren’t “sick enough”. I haven’t seen many of these topics discussed in YA-fiction before, and I’m excited to see that change. I was on the fence at first about the choice of framing these conversations in the style of a virtual chat, as it’s often harder for me connect to this writing style. However, I appreciate the choice of portraying these online friendships as a valid support system. Too often, online support and friendship are dismissed as being inferior to real-life connections, whilst especially for people with (rare) disabilities, they can be such a valuable way to connect. Last but not least importantly, this story was fun. I was along for the ride with Priya& Bridget, their quest for answers and their adventures along the way. What I didn’t love: My biggest complaint would be that almost all of the character read a lot younger than their intended ages. Most of that was due to the internet-references and the lingo used amongst them. As someone in the age-bracket of the characters, most of it felt waaay to young for me. In addition to making me cringe a few times (to use the books style: hello r/fellowkids), I also feel like this will date the book quite quickly. Another small point of critique was the selection of illnesses that the book decided to portray in the secondary characters present in the chat-room. Perhaps I’m nit-picking here, but all of the chronic illnesses portrayed were ones that have already gotten quite a platform, especially online, in recent years (e.g. Endometriosis, Fibromyalgia). Although many of them are still very misunderstood (take Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome for example) the book does little to go into more depth on them, making it feel like a little like “name-dropping” for the sake of representation. In response to the criticism: This story’s release has been plagued by some controversy that was stirred up by a few early reactions to the cover and blurb, as well as some negative critique regarding the representation. I want to address the major ones here quickly, as I personally feel the book was done a disservice. Although I deeply appreciate and respect the authors of those first critical reviews for sharing their feelings, I want to offer a counter-opinion as well. - Not being “own-voices” The majority of the controversy surrounding this novel came down to the question whether it was “own voices” or not, as it was originally being marketed as such. The issue here being that although the author has a chronic illness, like Priya, she is not of Tamil heritage, like Priya. This raised discussion on both semantics, as well as intersectionality. To address the first: yes, I think this novel deserves to be called “own-voices”. The author wrote a story with disability/chronic illness at its core, whilst having a similar experience/background themselves. Therefore, this is an “own-voices” novel about disability. It’s not an own-voices novel about Tamil culture, but it never claimed to be so. In fact, Priya’s heritage isn’t mentioned in the blurb and played no part in the marketing. With regards to the second: I think the discussion on intersectionality is an important one. It’s important to recognise that being part of more than one minority-group drastically changes the way one experiences both identities. That being said, how far do we go with this idea? In my opinion, limiting authors to writing only their highly specific situation creates a lot more problems than it solves. Where do we draw the line? Every reader and every writer exists in their own unique intersection, and no one story will ever get everything right about your unique place in the world. In my opinion, Kristen O’Neal actually does a great job of recognizing this, if you read the novel. - Offering stereotypical portrayal of Tamil-culture Honestly, I’m not Tamil so I can’t speak to it. As a sensitivity reader though, I do know the global warning signs to look out for, and didn’t see any. The “overbearing parenting” that some reviewers mentioned is never framed as a cultural thing, rather a result of having a chronically ill child. - The cover-controversy This one was frankly a little ridiculous to me. Some people, many of which hadn’t even read the book, rated it one star because the cover was racist. The parallel between the girl and the wolf on the cover being a way to make fun of Tamil people for being hairy(?!). Had they actually read the book, they’d know that the “hairy wolf character” pictured isn’t in fact our POC main character, but her (white) friend. Language disclaimer: Throughout this review I use the words “chronic illness” and “disability” almost interchangeable as I don’t have a preference between these “labels” when referring to myself. I do not mean to offend anyone who identifies as one but not the other. Any place either term is used, you can read either, or or both. Many thanks to Quick Books/Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Find this book on Goodreads.

Genre: Literary Fiction, Magical Realism Published: Hodder & Stoughton, June 2022 My Rating: 4/5 stars If Kirsty Logan is going to inspire, endorse and even “tutor” a dystopian tale isolation, oppression and mermaid-lore, you can bet your bottom dollar I’m going to be excited for it. Luckily for me, The Seawomen delivered as one of the best summer-2022 releases I’ve had the pleasure of reading. "Instead of answers, she gave me stories. That was how she boxed me up and sealed my mouth until all those questions had nicked my insides with tiny, invisible scars" In an isolated island population, cut off from the outside world by treacherous seas, Esta is raised solely on the teachings of her community. Be pious, respect the village-elders, and stay away from the waters and the wicked Seawomen within. Do so, and God will reward you with prosperity and children within your “motheryear”. Fail to, and you risk being cast out to sea as a sacrifice to the Seawomen. One day, an unexpected encounter by the waterside puts Esta in a dangerous position; questioning how much of her upbringing was gospel, and how much was lore. The Seawomen drew me into its world from page one, and had me hooked from start to finish. It is in essence a familiar story that I’ve read before; one of female oppression, religious doctrine, and the destructive effects of unshakable tradition and superstition on an isolated community. Think The Crucible meets The Shape of Water, with the more modern “vibes” of Evie Wyld’s The Bass Rock and (fittingly) Kirsty Logans The Gloaming. Yet it’s the way in which it was told that elevates it. Chloe Timms beautiful writing brought to life the world of Eden before my eyes, drawing me in with its seemingly idyllic coastal beauty, before closing the net around me with its increasingly tense and claustrophobic atmosphere. Despite predicting many of the plot beats, I couldn’t pull myself away from the story. I was invested in Esta; from the dullness of her day-to-day life, to her journey to find the truth about her upbringing. Despite its heavily dystopian (and fantastical!) elements, The Seawomen manages to be subtle, recognisable and relatable. Esta’s battle is one that has been fought (and will be fought) in many shapes and on many different scales. I was therefore extra pleased to see the author honour that subtlety and “realness” in the story’s ending, that felt fitting and satisfying in a way I wasn’t expecting it would. Chloe Timms voice is a welcome addition to the canon of modern magical realism; one that expertly tells a memorable feminist story without falling into the trap of preaching the obvious. I genuinely hope we get to see more from her in the future. Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Find this book on Goodreads.

Genre: Magical Realism Published: Feiwel Friends, March 2022 My Rating: 4/5 stars "The world under the lake isn't just holding the parts of myself and my history that I don't want to think about. It's holding the ways I've adapted and lived. Sometimes you can't separate the hard things from the good things." To start this review off, I have to say it’s a little different from my normal long-form reviews. That’s because you’ve heard me talk about Anna-Marie McLemore’s books often enough now, and I can only repeat that I love them so many times before I become an echo-chamber of myself. That being said, I still wanted to share my thoughts on Lakelore, as well as some trends I’ve seen in YA fiction featuring representation of minorities lately. For better and for worse. Lakelore is McLemore’s seventh novel and offers everything I’ve come to love from the author: prose that is rich, lush and light as whipped cream, magical realism elements inspired by Latin-American mythology, LGBTQ (specifically trans- and non-binary) representation from the heart and characters you won’t forget long after you close the book. In this story we follow two non-binary, neurodivergent teens navigating family, acceptance, love and the feeling of displacement that comes with their identities. Bastian and Lore first meet by the edge of the lake. It’s a fleeting encounter that changes the course of both of their lives in ways neither could have predicted. The lake, filled with its mystical lore of a sunken world of half-air and half-water beneath the surface, becomes a safe-place for both of them individually. A place where they let go of the worst parts of their days into the water. Years later, the two meet again on the lakeshores. Only now, the lakes surface is rippling, and all of the world hidden below the surface threatens to spill over into ours. As much as I loved Lakelore, I think it may be my least favourite of AM’s works so far. Don't get me wrong: it's still a 4-star, which is an even furhter testimony to my love for the author. It has some of my favourite magical-realism elements (Bastián’s “drowning of the albreijes” as a metaphor is possibly tied for 1st place with some of the imagery The Mirror Season), but as a whole it was the story that I connected least with. In all fairness: I don’t identify as trans, non-binary, dyslexic nor do I have ADHD. However, not sharing an identity with them has never stopped me from connecting and identifying with AM’s characters before. It was more so the way that Bastián and Lore were written that felt different for me this time round. AM’s representation has always felt so authentic and natural, but this was the first time where I felt it teeter on the edge preachy and “explaining”. Perhaps it was AM finding their footing writing explicitly about neuro-diversity for the first time, but I feel like it may have been editorial/publishing-influence as well. It’s so painfully common in larger (YA) markets, and I’ve always championed authors like AM who don’t fall in this trap and seem to write from the heart. So editors/publishers, if you’re reading this, here’s an important message from me to you; PLEASE TRUST (authors like) Anna-Marie and let them do what they do best; let them write their experiences and stories without agenda’s. Our identities/disabilities/differences are not a teaching-tool or moral standpoint, and don’t have to be presented as such. We are here, and we are enough for existing on page, as well as off page. Find this book on Goodreads or purchase a copy via The Bookdepository here.

Genre: Young Adult Fiction Published: Eminent Productions Ltd., April 2022 My Rating: 1.5/5 stars Home is the start of Mark Ballabons new series Leah’s Universe; a series of contemporary novels following the inner world of the titular 14-year old, as she ponders the big questions that come with growing up. A profound experience in the woods and attending an international summer camp spark the question in Leah’s mind that is at the centre of this first instalment: what is “Home”? As much as I liked the idea of this book, and felt like I should have been the kind of reader to enjoy it, this was a big miss for me. The best way for me to describe it is this: have you ever heard of #imfourteenandthisisdeep ? Because that’s exactly what this entire book felt like to me. What I liked: The first thing you notice when picking up this book is how stunning it is to look at. Each chapter starts with a full page coloured illustration in a similar style to the cover, and they are spectacular to look at. Each illustration, and every stylistic choice in this book match the feeling and context, making for a beautiful cohesive whole. Speaking of the content: I’m a big fan of children’s- and YA literature that takes their readers serious, and isn’t afraid to throw some big questions and important topics their way. One of my favourite books for the longest time as a kid was Sophie’s World, and I was really hoping to find something similar to this in Leah’s Universe. Unfortunately, as much as I liked the concept, the execution was very off-putting to me. What I didn’t like: As soon as we go into the content of Leah’s musings, the story begins to fall apart. It’s filled with so much melodrama and pseudo-intellectualism that it made me cringe at times. Take sentences like: “How do these crises come about? Are there too many people, or is there too little care?” or “Down here is only a smaller, different version of what’s up there. You’re a living breathing universe. (…) Look at your fingerprints. That’s the universe’s unique signature.” Or the fact that Leah calls chapters “windows” and goes on for half a page on why that word fits better. It tries so hard to sound profound while really being quite mundane even for e 14-year-old. The further into the story we get, the more I began to dislike Leah. How hard the author tried to make her come across as a “special” girl, and a “deep thinker”, but also how pandering and preachy the tone became about topics such as climate change or how to treat other people. It may just have been me, but to me it hit a wrong nerve. Another thing that bothered me was that Leah never felt like a fully developed character. She was more so a blank slate for the author to project his own philosophy and views on climate change on, but through the voice of a “woke” teen. Overall: spectacular first impression with the concept and the art, but left me disappointed with the end result. Don’t take my word for gospel however; I’m about a decade outside the intended age category. Many thanks to Netgalley and Eminent Productions Ltd. for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Find this book on Goodreads

Associating overly-specific recommendations to a season usually comes quite easy to me. Against the huge list books (and themes) I associate with winter or autumn, however, there’s only a handful that scream “spring” to me. Springs recommendations might be even more lacklustre than usual for that reason. What you will find is a clear theme of nature and/or cottage core throughout them all, so if you fancy a frolic through some fictional fields; you’ve come to the right place. Covers in bloom... Flowery covers to get you in the spring-mood... - When Women Were Dragons – Kelly Barnhill - Wild Beauty – Anna-Marie McLemore - A River Enchanted – Rebecca Ross Bittersweet New Beginnings... Nothing says "spring" like a tale of new beginnings. An if you know me, you may expect my favourites are a little bitter sweet... - Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng - Yerba Buena – Nina Lacour - Never Let me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro Introduction to Cottage Core (Kids & YA) Cottage Core vibes for kids and young adults... - The Girl Who Drank the Moon – Kelly Barnhill - Wise Child – Monica Furlong - Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne Cottage Core Fantasy (Adults) Ready for a deeper delve into the rural-nature-vibes? Get your green juices flowing with these fantasy novels... - The House in the Cerulean Sea – T.J. Klune - Circe – Madeline Miller - Follow me to Ground – Sue Rainsfort "I’m going on an adventure!" *runs off into the grasslands* Some adventurous characters exploring the wild wide world... - The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien - The Forever Sea – Joshua Philip Johnson - Force of Nature – Jane Harper Magical Cakes to bring on a picknick... Oh yes, this one is highly specific, but so good. What better way to celebrate the first rays of sun then with an outdoor picknick, and what better to bring than some of these magical cakes. - The Mirror Season – Anna Marie McLemore - A Constellation of Roses – Miranda Asebedo - Bakers Magic – Diane Zahler The Healing powers of nature... Go for a walk with these literary protagonists dealing with grief and trauma through the healing power of "going back to nature"… - Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens - The Light Through the Leaves – Glendy Vanderah - Wildwood Whispers – Willa Reece For the Love of Nature (Non-Fiction) Memoirs combining nature-writing with a personal tale. - The Salt Path – Raynor Winn - The Way Through the Woods: Of Mushrooms and Mourning – Long Litt Woon - Small Bodies of Water – Nina Mingya Powles

Genre: Literary Fiction Published: Picador Press (UK) & Scribner (US), June 2022 My Rating: 5/5 stars “Thyme is to chili, parsley, basil, as time is to cancer, cancer, cancer.” Every so often I come across a book that I fall deeply in love with, but know for a fact that I won’t be able to express or share that love with many others. Because my love and connection to it is as much tied to me and my personal story, as it is to the story contained in these pages. Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies is the lyrical tale of a woman, her body and the illness that coinhabits it. Told from the perspectives of Lia herself, her daughter Iris and the (callous? Cynical? Caring…?) voice of the disease itself, we follow her life after a diagnosis of terminal cancer. Despite the fact that my head is still too full with it to write a proper-form review, here are three things you need to know: 1. The prose is exquisite. It’s somewhere in that shadowland of not being quite prose, but not quite poetry either, yet every word is purposeful and in its right place. The closest thing I can compare it to would be Salena Godden's Mrs Death Misses Death, although I personally loved this book even more. 2. I can’t quite remember the last time I physically cried over a book. This one broke my tear-free streak though. With its unflinching and raw honesty, its deeply relatable characters and striking delivery, it hit a nerve I didn’t know was still so raw within me. 3. This is the best book about cancer I’ve read in a long time. That’s mainly because it’s not just a book about cancer. Unlike many others within the genre, Mortimer doesn’t portray a battle-narrative. There is no hero’s journey of a strong-willed protagonist against a body in revolt, or a personified evil to be vanquished. Instead it’s the story of Lia as a whole, and everything her body holds: memories, heartbreak, love, regrets, experiences; cancer being but one of them. Yes, it’s the story of a body’s annihilation, but only secondary to being about the life it has lived. As a cancer-survivor, and now MD in Oncology myself, that neutrality and perhaps even “compassion” was what resonated with me and my journey so strongly. The journey of seeing cancer, not as an all-powerful malevolent force, but more neutral "passenger" or co-inhabitor of a body and a life. It's what I strive for in my own life and that of my patients: for their illness not to be all-consuming, but a part of life and a body that they can look at without fear, and with acceptance and a bit of compassion. I've never read a novel that captured a similar feeling so strongly. I want to recommend this book to everyone. I also know that very few people are going to share the experience I had. I can see this being a marmite-book: great to some, off-putting to others. The only way to know is to experience it for yourself. Sometimes the best experiences are the ones we share with only a few. Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. You can find this book here on Goodreads.

Genre: YA Contemporary, Disability Published: Clarion Books, May 2022 My Rating: 4.5/5 stars “ Unable to see my legs, I feel a kinship to the mermaids. My cast covered my left leg in its entirety and my right down to my knees. It created a dividing line between the upper and the lower parts of my body that I could and couldn’t use. Like the mermaids, I too, was a hybrid creature with two halves that didn’t match. Until I first encountered them, I’d never considered this could be beautiful. ” Considering the rarity of good representation of chronic illness in books in general, but especially the ones for children and teens, it’s a joy to find gems like this one! Breathe and Count Back From Ten is an unforgettable YA-contemporary about a Peruvian-American girl navigating her painful hip dysplasia, overprotective immigrant parents, and first love, all while chasing her dream of becoming a professional mermaid. Verónica has always loved the water. Not only is gravity so much kinder, allowing her to move as freely and gracefully as she wants, it’s also the home of her favourite mythological creature: the mermaid. When an opportunity opens up for a performing mermaid in the elite under-water show of a local historical site/theme-park: Roni jumps at the opportunity. The life of a performing mermaid isn’t easy however, especially when your parents, as well as the rest of the world have different ideas about what’s safe and “appropriate” for your body to do. Having been a disabled teen who loved the water herself, I related to Verónica in many ways. I adored the many important discussions that were had here. From Roni’s split between wanting to love her body, and feeling like the world wants to erase its flaws, to her relationship with her overprotective parents who want the best for their daughter, but end up holding her too tight… It all works in this story, and clearly comes from a place of understanding and experience from the author herself. Even the romance, despite being a little too insta-love-y for my taste, won me over eventually thanks to the wonderful discussions of mental health and bodily difference had between the two. The parallel with the mermaid mythology is where the story truly shines, as speaks from the quote above. Roni’s feeling of displacement in a world that doesn’t cater to the needs of her body, and only seems to accept her when she “masks” her differences to create the illusion of perfection struck a deep cord with me. The same goes for the performance-aspect of this elite mermaid-troup. To use Roni’s own words: “The way she said crutch makes me feel like needing one is a bad thing. Like maybe the “magic” isn’t just about believing in mermaids; it’s about believing people like me don’t exist. Like maybe admitting I’ve needed crutches dispels the myths we want to believe about people. That we’re not perfect. That our bodies have needs. That this doesn’t make us any less real. Any less human.” Breathe and Count Back From Ten does disability representation justice. It’s not a “inspirational tale” written by able-bodied people, for able bodied people to pity. It’s a story without a tear-jerking, preachy agenda; a love letter to bodily differences, and a tale that invites readers to see themselves in. I truly hope this book gets the recognition and support it deserves. Not just to help (young) disabled readers see themselves in a story, but to show publishers that this is the new era of disability-fiction we want! Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. You can find this book here on Goodreads. Read-alikes: Like Water

Genre: Middle-Grade Contemporary, Grief Published: Hachette Childrens Books, July 2022 My Rating: 4.5/5 stars "Your stories are part of me, but I store more of you inside of me…" If you have been with me for a while now, you know my continuous quest and passion for books that deal with grief, illness, disability and body, especially within the children’s and YA-genre. Because(say it with me guys:) representation matters, especially to young readers! So if you’re going to pitch a book to me as “an illustrated story for fans of Onward and A Monster Calls, about grief and love for readers 9+”, you bet your bottom dollar I’m going to be all over that! I’m happy to say: this is a great one! 12-year-old Sadé has always loved words and stories, especially the ones she crafted with her mum, of an imaginary world filled with candy-floss lilac skies and magical beasts. That all changes when Sadé’s mum passes away, and part of the colour seems drained from her world, making place for sad thoughts and shadowy beasts. With her dad lacking the words to talk about their grief, and the growing anxiety and pressure she feels at school, Sadé soon finds these Shadows spilling into the real world. With the help of an online grief-support-group, as well as her caring friends, Sadé must find her place and her voice back, in order to banish the Shadow Beasts for good. Sadé’s journey goes above and beyond in terms of representation of important topic to young readers; it’s a tale of grief over the loss of a parent, family, Nigerian-British culture, diverse friendships, bullying and more. It’s packed to the brim with memorable characters, with Sadé herself topping that list. Her imaginative mind and her distinct voice (both in her poetry as well as her regular narrative) make being inside her head a bitter-sweet joy. Having lost my mum at a similar age, and finding solace in poetry and stories, I deeply related to her, and wished I’d had a character like this at the time I was her age. Sadé’s spunk and humour, as well as the lively cast of warm friends and family that surround her, create a balance and keep the story from ever feeling too heavy. A great example of this is in the way the grief-counselling-group is presented. I was a little hesitant when it was introduced, but it’s a great way of discussing the heavy topics in short bits, interspliced with some much needed humour of strange user-names and the struggles of “online-school” that many a modern middle-schooler will be used to. Although it’s is own thing entirely, this story was more “Onward” than “A Monster Calls”. Although one of my favourite books of all time, the latter left me a sobbing mess on the floor. Onward however left me with a smile on my face: a heartfelt, but fun journey all together. That’s how I felt after finishing Sadé and her Shadow Beasts. With a debut like this, and a passion for diverse childrens- and YA-literature that speaks from her bio, I can’t wait for Rachel Faturoti’s next release, which is only a few short months away. In the meantime I’m happy to have another book to add to the list of middle-grade grief-fiction that I can wholeheartedly recommend. Many thanks to Hachette Childrens Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Sadé and her Shadow Beasts will be out in stores in early July 2022. Add this book on Goodreads here.

Genre: YA Contemporary Published: Little Tiger Group, April 2022 My Rating: 3/5 stars "Being in the sea is the one place where I feel I can come up for air and just breathe again.” She pauses to look at me. “The sea will be different tomorrow, and so will you.” When 15-year old Coco’s learns about their move back to the seaside town where her mum grew up, she is both excited and nervous. On the one hand, fitting in with the small-town teens that look at outsiders with a wary eye isn’t easy. On the other hand, their coastal location will give her the chance to fully explore her hobby for swimming and freediving on a daily basis. This passion for freediving turns out to be not just the key to making new friends among the locals, but also to uncover some secrets about her family that her mum has kept hidden for years. What I loved: The sea-side setting and the element of freediving were what initially drew me to this story, and both came through the way I wanted them to. The town of Piscary came to life of the pages, with its picturesque beaches and coastal rock caves. The local culture and silent feud between the natives (Fish), newcomers (Cuckoos) and seasonal tourists (Zombies) gives it a realistic and lived-in feeling that makes it easy to immerse yourself in the setting. That “lively” feeling is even more apparent in the scenes surrounding freediving, as this is where the novel truly shines. I wasn’t surprised to read in the author’s note that they’re a fervent swimmer themselves, as their knowledge and passion for the subject really shone through. Our protagonist Coco does the best when she’s in water, and the same can be said for this book in general. Speaking of Coco: I liked her as our main character. She reads like a realistic, bubbly 15-year old, and narrates the story with a distinct voice. What I didn’t love: That distinct narrative voice is also where she began to get grind my gears however. Coco is an aspiring filmmaker, and narrates large parts of her story like she’s directing a movie. Throughout a scene, you’ll get cues like "cut through slow panning camera-shot” or “looks at camera”. while it’s a fun gimmick at first, it quickly becomes overused and stale. Another issue I had with the writing style was how some more action-y scenes felt a little choppy. I had a few moments where I missed an important action point, and had to do a small double take, because the rhythm of the scene was off. Overall however, the main reason for my three-star rating was how middle of the road the story felt. Apart from the freediving-aspect, nothing particularly stood out to me. The story was exactly what I expected from a YA-contemporary, characters were fine but unmemorable and none of the representation was ground breaking. (view spoiler) Had I been 15, I would’ve probably had a great time reading this, especially during the summer on a beach. As it stands however, it’s not one of those stories I’ll remember for years and years to come. I’d recommend this story mostly to readers on the younger side of YA; say 12 to 16. Even though it didn’t pack the same emotional punch for me as either of these novels, Coming Up for Air will probably be worth checking out if you enjoyed Summer of Salt or The Last True Poets of the Sea. Many thanks to Little Tiger Group Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. You can find this book here on Goodreads.

After a little bit of a hiatus, it is back: my favourite readathon, and the only one I’ve participated in consistently and enthusiastically for years no. It’s of course the Magical Readathon: Orilium, organised, hosted and created by G from BookRoast. If you’re not familiar with this readathon I highly recommend you check out this video on the BookRoast-channel, as it’s far to in-depth for me to explain shortly. That’s also what makes this readathon so special, as it honestly feels more like a reading-themed D&D-campaign within the book community by now. In this post, I’ll walk you through my created character, and the books I’ll be reading during the month of April to pursue my chosen path. Character Creation: Back in September of 2021, our Orilium-journey started with round 1 of the readathon: The Novice Path, in which we were able to create our characters and make our ways to the magical academy of Orilium. Based of the prompts I managed to fulfil, and a bit of my own imagination, I’ve crafted the following character for myself. Meet Lyra, named after one of my favourite fantasy-protagonists from His Dark Materials. She’s an Earthling, bound to the element of Earth and has grown up in the Wild forests of Aeldia. She comes from a long line of passionate herbalists and apothecaries, to whom natural magic and the art of potion crafting seem second nature. However, after years of being an apothecary’s apprentice, Lyra’s ambition has outgrown their small village. Fascinated by the art of combining natural ingredients to make potions, she wants to study a similar technique on bigger scale. This sent her on her journey to the Orilium-academy with dreams of becoming an Alchemist: a highly ambitious career, in which she’ll learn to combine the very elements of nature to craft magic itself. Prompts and TBR: For my chosen career as an Alchemist, I need to read 10 books during the Spring Equinox Readathon, and will have to read another 14 during the Autumn Equinox. It’s going to be an ambitious careerpath, but I’m excited to give it a go. Below are the “classes” I’ll be taking during the April-readathon, and of course the books I’ve picked to fill each prompt. There’s going to be a theme of diversity and disability-novels/ARCS, as they’re part of a larger project I’m doing, so I’m combining the two. Alchemy: Potion of Infatuation – A book featuring romance Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester Since I’m not big on books where romance is the primary focus of the story, I picked a contemporary novel from my ARC-stack that features a secondary romance-plotline. Breathe and Count Back from Ten follows Verónica a Peruvian American teen with hip-dysplasia, who uses swimming as an emotional outlet and a form of physical rehabilitation. Her audition to become a Mermaid-performer at the local Floridian theme park starts a journey of navigating first love and feeling at home in her own body. Although I’m mostly interested in the disability representation, I’m interested to see how the romance pans out. really hoping to see a positive and supportive one, and not a case of boy-saves-disabled-girl (gag!)… The blurb and themes of this book reminded me a lot of Like Water by Rebecca Podos, which I loved, so I have high hopes. Animal Studies: Ways of Pegasus – A quick read Sadé and her Shadow Beasts by Rachel Faturoti or The Accidental Apprentice by Amanda Foody When I read this prompt, I knew I wanted to pick a middle-grade novel featuring animals. Immediately, two books came to mind, and I’ll pick between them based on whether the ARC of one arrives at my door in time. That ARC in question is Sadé and her Shadow Beasts, a 2022 release marketed as “an illustrated story for fans of Onward and A Monster Calls, about grief and love for readers 9+”. You can imagine how fast I was to request the ARC. In case, however, the ARC doesn’t make it in time for this readathon, I have a back-up on hand. The Accidental Apprentice by Amanda Foody is a middle-grade fantasy about a boy who accidentally bonds with a magical Beast, and is sent on a whimsical adventure into the magical Woods. Its cover alone makes it a great match for the Animal Studies prompt. Astronomy: Asteroids & Comets – The book at the top of your TBR-list Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore No need to think too long on what book would fit this prompt, as one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 has just arrived at my doorstep: Lakelore is Anna-Marie McLemore’s latest release, featuring her signature stunning prose and own-voice representation take on diversity and acceptance. This time, we follow two Latinx non-binary teens who are pulled into a magical world under a lake, when lines between reality and lore begin to blur. I don’t need to hear anything else: I was sold based off AM’s name alone. Demonology: Shadow Demons – A book with the word ‘shadow’ in title Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne For Demonology, I picked a novel that would’ve worked as my “intimidating read” as well, but ended up here by virtue of its title. Shadow of the Gods is the start of a Norse-inspired high fantasy series featuring dead Gods, dragons, ancient legends and more. I’ve been wanting to read this ever since its release last year, so this felt like my cue to get on that. Elemental Studies: Basics of Air Dynamics – A book under 100 pages Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie For this prompt I had to dig deep through all the tomes on my shelves to find one short enough, and found one that I (again) have been meaning to get to for about a year now. Notes On Grief is the long-form essay by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, describing her experience of losing her father and grieving his absence amidst the COVID-lockdown of 2020. I’ve loved the authors previous writing, so I’m excited to explore her take on this topic. Spells & Incantations: Anti-Gravity Spell - Short story/essay/poetry Phantom pains by Therese Estacion Within the theme of disability-short fiction, this collection of poetry has been on my radar ever since it was mentioned by Jen Campbel in a video-haul. Based off the authors own experiences of limb-loss following a severe blood-infection, this collection explores disability and grief through the lens of Filipino folk- and horror stories. Inscription: Glyph of Strength - An Intimidating read The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyam I was already dreading this prompt before I even scanned the list, as every rendition Magical Readathon has included one similar to this. My dread for this book is trifold. It’s a Russian fantasy novel, so it’s already far outside my comfortzone to begin with. It also features a full cast of characters with various disabilities, and I’ve heard mixed things about the representation (from great to harmful), which has me apprehensive. Lastly: it’s almost 800 pages thick. Nonetheless I’m desperately hoping to find a good fantasy novel with (positive and substantial) disability representation, so I’m genuinely hoping to love this. It’s time I bite the bullet and just find out for myself. Restoration: Cure Wounds – A book featuring healers A Map of our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer With quite a few fantasy novels on this list already, I really didn’t feel like adding another one, so I took the term “healers” loosely to include doctors to be able to fit in one more disability-project-read. A Map of Our Spectacular Bodies is a new debut release, described as “being part lyrical coming-of-age story, a meditation on illness and death, and a kaleidoscopic journey through one woman’s life—told in part by the malevolent voice of her disease.” Say no more, I’m interested! Artificery: Scematic Literacy – A book with an Earth-setting The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka I could’ve picked almost any book off my selves for this prompt, but based of the “scematic literacy” prompt, I wanted to go with a literary fiction novel, set in everyday life. For this I picked The Swimmers, by Julie Otsuka. In this story we follow a group of regulars at the local swimming pool, circling their daily routine of morning- or afternoon laps. Their repetitive routine is rudely disturbed when a crack appears in the bottom of the pool, forcing pool-management to close the pool down “temporarily”. As swimming is something I do multiple times a week, this fit the idea of a novel about “mundane-earthly life”, but with a twist perfectly. Lore: Myths Most Known – A mythology inspired novel The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott Last but not least, multiple novels before could have fit this prompt, but I’m going with The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott. This magical realist novel interweaves themes of climate change, personal regret and healing, through the story of two people’s impossible search for “the Rain Heron”; a bird from local mythology, known to bring about rain. Magical realism based off obscure myths and legends, an Australian setting, and some great reviews from friends I trust make me very excited for this one. Wish my luck on my ambitious but exciting journey this month. The Magical Readathon is always one of my favourite times in the book-community, so I’d love to see what other people are reading. In case you’d like to join us, be sure to consult all G’s resources and show her some love, and as always: happy reading!

Genre: Literary Fiction, Sci-fi. Published: Picador Press/Pan MacMillan, April 2022 My Rating: 5/5 stars “It’s shocking to wake up in one world and find yourself in another by nightfall, but the situation isn’t actually all that unusual. You wake up married, then your spouse dies over the course of the day. You wake up in peacetime and by noon your country is at war; you wake up in ignorance and by the evening it’s clear that a pandemic is already here.” I have mentioned before this “problem” I have as a reviewer, where I struggle to review the books I love the most. The books I can’t keep out of my mind, that make my heart overflow; they are also the books where words fail me in discussing them. I can already tell that Sea of Tranquillity is going to fall victim to that as well, so strap in for a longform loveletter. TLDR: do yourself a favour and pre-order this book today! What is Sea of Tranquillity? To paraphrase the publisher: it’s a character-driven story of time travel, that precisely captures the reality of our current moment. To use my own words: it’s a return to everything I loved in the authors previous two novels, both of which I consider all-time-favourites. All three are stories that follow a cast of characters, surviving (and living, because “survival is insufficient”) their own brand of “apocalypses”. All three share themes, a feeling of melancholy and hope, and now characters, as Sea of Tranquillity brings back familiar names from her previous works. Reaching across time from 1912th Canada to a Moon Colony in 2401, this novel has the scope of a sci-fi epic, but the intimacy of a midnight kiss. Characters for the ages As mentioned: Sea of Tranquillity introduces a new set of wonderful characters to us, but also brings back some familiar names from Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel. It’s a bold choice that works out great in this story. You don’t have to read the previous two works in order to enjoy Sea of Tranquillity, but I personally do recommend it. I had recently reread both The Glass Hotel and Station Eleven and having these stories so clear in my mind added a deeper layer to my current reading experience that I wouldn’t have wanted to miss. Yet even if you come into this story brand new, you will still benefit from Mandel’s familiarity with these characters and this world. The fact that she knows them through and through makes it possible to craft some of the most memorable and fleshed-out characters I’ve read about in a long time, within less than 300 pages. Part of that familiarity may also come from a place of personal experience. Through the character of Olive Llewellyn - an author who published a pandemic novel, right at the dawn of a real-life pandemic – Mandel reflects on her own pandemic-experiences. Whilst I usually don’t enjoy these clear “autobiographical nods” from the author, in this case it was subtle, relatable and seamlessly integrated. Structurally brilliant In a recent interview Mandel mentions David Mitchells Cloud Atlas as an important piece of inspiration for Sea of Tranquillity. Although I love Mitchells work, I feel like Mandel did more than just take influences from this style; she managed to improve and master it completely. The story and characters loop back on themselves, and even their predecessors with an effortless grace that I think only Mandel could’ve pulled off. Where Cloud Atlas was a pioneer of the style, with all of the clunks and kinks that go along, Sea of Tranquillity is a well-oiled machine. Every phrase, every motif and every timeline interlocks and spins together like the gears in a clock; meticulously crafted but seeming effortless. It’s the display of wonderful craftmanship, without sacrificing readability that makes Mandel a favourite for me. As much as I loved her work before: she keeps getting stronger and stronger with every subsequent release. Worthy of its title On a more personal note: this “universe” (Station Eleven, The Glass Hotel, and now Sea of Tranquillity) has a very special place in my heart. Each book has a distinct feeling to it, and each of them slotted somehow perfectly into the rhythm of my life at that moment. It may not be the books virtue perse, but it’s a powerful reading experience regardless. When it comes to “the feeling”, Sea of Tranquillity honours its title: it feels like the serene calm to follow a storm. It feels like… well: I’ll let Mandel do the talking one final time: “I’ve been thinking a great deal about time and motion lately, about being a still point in the ceaseless rush.” Many thanks to Picador Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review: it was an honour to read this early. Find this book on Goodreads.

Genre: Fantasy, Mystery Published: William Morrow, March 2022 My Rating: 2/5 stars “What is the purpose of a map? (…) To bring people together.” With an ironclad premise that sounded completely up my alley, as well as their wonderful debut fresh in my mind, I had high expectations for Peng Shepherds sophomore novel. Unfortunately, this goes down as a textbook example of “brilliant concept, poor execution”, and I can’t say I’m not a little bit devastated about it… What I loved: Part fantasy treasure-hunt, part mystery-thriller, The Cartographers is inspired by the real-life mystery of Agloe NY; the phantomtown that doesn’t exist. In our reality, Agloe is a so called “paper town”; a fictional place added by General Drafting Mapmakers, to catch copyright-fraud with their products. In the world of The Cartographers, our protagonist Nell learns there is much more to the story than that. After the disappearance of her mother, Nell has grown up with only her father, a legend in the field of cartographical research. When her father is found dead in his office with a strange map hidden in his desk, Nell is send on a wild-goose chase around NY to uncover the secrets that have seemingly torn her family apart. It’s a fascinating, adventure-filled mystery that drew me in from the start, but unfortunately starts to fall apart quickly after. What I didn’t love: Plot holes (and not just a few) The novel is riddled with them, and as is inevitable with any hole-infested structure, the whole thing comes tumbling down in the end. It’s not helped by the fact that the author goes out of her way to “explain” some of the twists through some of the most overused tropes in the book, thereby only hammering home the fact that it doesn’t make sense. Static, flat and unmemorable characters From bland Nell, to her “nerdy and smart” academic friends, to the cartoonish mustachio-twirling villain; I couldn’t get a feel for any of the characters, other than annoyance. That wasn’t helped by the fact that Shepherd goes out of their way to emphasize how brilliantly smart these characters are, only to have them make the stupidest choices. There were so many moments where there’s an easy solution right in front of them, and yet the characters make up the most convoluted plans for seemingly no reason at all. Other than furthering the plot of course… A Second-chance romance plot that felt as forcefully dry as dragging your nails over a chalkboard. Just… No, thank you… I was reminded more than once of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown or the movie National Treasure, in both the good and bad ways. Easily readable fun adventure, as long as you don’t think too hard about it making sense. If you’re looking for something similar to that, The Cartographers might be worth a read. For me however, the whole thing just left me with a bitter taste of disappointment that I haven’t completely shaken just yet. Add this book on Goodreads.

Genre: Contemporary-fantasy, Young Adult Published: Balzer & Bray, March 2022 My Rating: 4.5/5 stars “People come and go in our lives. They leave impressions on us, like letters in dust. Then she bends over and blows on the sugar, scattering the grains across the tabletop onto the floor. Inpermanent things can still change us forever.” Rebecca Podos’ writing could go either way for me. Where Like Water still stands among my favourite YA-contemporary novels, The Mystery of Hollow Places did absolutely nothing for me. Her latest release was a wonderfully positive surprise, that combined what I loved in Like Water with what I wanted from The Mystery of Hollow Places. From Dust a Flame is a Jewish-inspired contemporary-fantasy with themes of family, self-discovery and retracing your (cultural and familial) roots at its core. We follow 17-year old Hannah and her adoptive brother Gabe, who’ve never had a place to truly call home. Every year-or-so their free-spirited mum uproots the family to move cross country; no trails left behind, no extended family to inform, and no explanations provided. That silence is forcefully broken when Hannah falls victim to a curse that mutates her body in impossible ways overnight. Their search for answers leads Gabe and Hannah down the path of her Jewish ancestry, along myths, legends and the tragic history that their family has carried for generations. From Dust a Flame does a great job of balancing all the elements it introduces to create a story that offers plenty of (fantastical) plot and action, but sacrifices nothing on character development along the way. There’s a lot to love here, with its representation of Jewish culture being front and centre in a way I haven’t seen done in YA before. Hannah’s journey of discovering and claiming a culture and history that she hasn’t grown up with, but has nonetheless shaped her life in many ways, is wonderfully done. There’s discussion on generational trauma, religion vs. culture and balancing your own desires with cultural- and parental expectations. In addition we have LGBTQ representation (which is wonderful, as it is in all Podos’ work), discussion on bodily autonomy, perfectionism, (academic) pressure and much more. Combine all that with the fantastic sibling-relationship dynamic between Gabe and Hannah, and a good helping of supportive friendship and non-cringy budding romance along the way, and you have an absolute winner of a novel. In short: From Dust a Flame is YA contemporary-fantasy in its finest form, that I won’t be likely to forget soon. Add this book on Goodreads or purchase a copy here from The Book Depository.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction Published: Lake Union Publishing, March 2022 My Rating: 2.5/5 stars Glendy Vanderah is an author I’ve been proudly championing from day one. Her debut Where the Forest Meets the Stars remains among my all-time favourites, and with her sophomore novel The Light Through the Leaves she proved herself to be more than a one-hit-wonder. The Oceanography of the Moon is her third release in as many years, and unfortunately my least favourite in the line. Although still a compelling and enjoyable read that I flew through, the deep emotional resonance I felt with her previous novels just wasn’t present in this one. We follow 21-year old Riley Mays, living with her cousins on their Wisconsin-farm since a series of horrible events ten years ago took the lives of her mother and aunt. She now spends her days caring for her extraordinary adoptive brother Kiran, and indulging her personal fascination with nature, the moon and lunar oceans. Her fragile life’s balance is disturbed when a broken down car leaves best-selling novelist Vaugh Orr stranded just outside their property. Offering him a temporary place to stay, Riley and Vaughn quickly get to know each other, and it soon becomes clear that both are keeping secrets. Was it truly a coincidental car-breakdown that lead Vaughn to her property? Or have their lives crossed paths long before already…? Clearly constructed from the same building blocks as her previous works, The Oceanography of the Moon offers much of what I’ve come to expect from a Vanderah novel; a melancholic yet hopeful story of family bonds and tragedy, carried by a cast of livid characters, and sprinkled with a little dash of mystery. The authors fascination with biology, nature, genetics, and themes of nature-vs-nurture that made me love her books so much, also make a reappearance here. The final structure that came from these building blocks however, didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Vanderah’s novels are all about that deep connection with-, and love for, her protagonists to me. All of them have complex and troubled pasts, that may not be obvious from page one, but their stories never hinged around the mystery of that. The Oceanography places the mystery-aspect much more central, and sacrifices some of the character work to do so. Characters would go out of their way to speak in vague terms about certain events even within their private thoughts, as if aware the reader was listening. It felt painfully clear that this was for the benefit of preserving the mystery for the reader, and it often shattered my immersion. When thinking back on Where the Forest Meets the Stars, I could almost forget that Joanna and Gabe are characters in a book, and picture them as real people. Riley and Vaughn’s voices seemed so scripted and aware of the reader that they never reached even close to that level. Their lack of real-ness bleeds over into other aspects of the novel as well. The plot was very contrived yet still somehow predictable. Dialogue felt overwritten and at times cheesy, which all added to my ultimate inability to feel for the protagonists, or be on board with their romance. Where the authors previous written relationships felt very mature and came from a place of support and emotional healing, this one did not. There was a feeling of inequality about it that I couldn’t shake, and left me feeling a bit uncomfortable. *for more details, see the spoiler section below. Overall there were many potentially powerful themes, metaphors and messages included in Riley and Vaughns story. Unfortunately, the level of polish and development I know Vanderah is capable of wasn’t there. Too many mixed metaphors and motifs that needed more depth lead me to speculate that perhaps there was some publishers-involvement pushing for a one-book-a-year-schedule. The core of greatness was present, and I’m sure that given adequate time, her next novel will be another favourite. Many thanks to Lake Union Press for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review. The Oceanography of the Moon is out on March 22nd. *Mild spoilers below: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many aspects of Vaughn and Riley’s relationship felt very inequal to me. I don’t have a problem with age-gaps (21 vs 29) when both parties feel evenly matched. However Vaughn read much older, and Riley much younger than their actual age, emphasizing the difference. Then there is the inequality of information (Vaughn lying and withholding information from Riley), and the fact that he happens to be rich, famous and much more sexually experienced than her. That's where the whole thing becomes really uncomfortable for me. The reveal that the older party knew the younger party as a child however is where it truly becomes creepy to me, even if there were absolutely no feelings present back then.

Genre: Literary Fiction, Magical Realism, Horror Published: Picador, March 2022 My Rating: 5/5 stars "The deep sea is a haunted house: a place in which things that ought not to exist move about in the darkness. Unstill, is the word Leah uses (...) The ocean is unstill, she says, futher down than you think. All the way down to the bottom, things move." Ever since her 2019 short-story collection Salt Slow captured my heart and imagination, I’ve been eagerly anticipating whatever Julia Armfield would bring us next. When I learned that her next release would be her debut literary horror novel, featuring themes of the deep ocean, grief, loss, and an F-F-relationship, it quickly moved to the top of my most-anticipated-list. With such high expectations, I was setting myself up for disappointment, right? Wrong! Our Wives Under the Sea is a phenomenal gem that lived up to all its promises. When marine-biologist Leah embarked on her latest deep-sea research mission, neither she nor her wife Miri could have anticipated the way their lives are about to change for good. When a technical malfunction leaves the submarine stranded on the ocean floor in complete radio silence, Miri knows she has lost her beloved wife for good. Her euphoria over an unlikely rescue mission that returns the crew to the shallows safely, soon turns to dread, as she realises that the woman who resurfaced isn’t the Leah she knew before. Something inside her has changed and whatever she encountered in those abyssal depths has nestled itself deep inside her, and accompanied her in her return to the surface. Through Miri’s eyes, intercut with journal-entries from Leah’s time below, we follow the unravelling of their relationship in the aftermath of an event that cut a rift through both of their lives. Our Wives Under the Sea is quite frankly achingly close to being my perfect book. Not only does it combine all of my favourite elements (a metaphor of deep-sea biology, hauntings, themes of grief, loss, parental illness, an F-F-relationship that’s past the first-love stage, and so much more), it does so subtly, cohesively and sticks its landing. Besides the signature breath-taking prose and striking talent for making the familiar feel deeply alien and unsettling that Armfield has shown in her previous work, what sets this book apart to me it its sense of depth and layering. Mirroring the descent through the oceanic layers that loosely structure the novel, I found myself diving deeper into this story with every page. In true fabulist-fashion, much is left unspoken, and its up to the reader how far they want to explore. It’s a creepy tale of a woman changed by the sea. It’s also an elegy on loss in all its different forms, about co-dependency, about growing apart after an lifechanging experience you can never completely share, and about traveling into the dark to return changed. Throughout much of it I was reminded of my experience reading (and watching the Netflix-adaptation of) Annihilation. Both conveyed the subliminal dread of the aforementioned themes perfectly, and both got deeply under my skin because of it. In some sense this was the lovechild of Annihilation’s subverbal dread, and Kirsty Logan’s oceanic prose. Coming from me, that’s about the biggest compliment a debut author can get. Many thanks to Picador and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Add this book on Goodreads.

Adult Fiction 1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy. A brilliant magical realist tale of a boy's experiences from a traumagic summer, through the distorted, hallucinatory lense of memory. 2. Bridge of Clay – Markus Zusak The breathtaking story of five brothers who bring each other up in a world run by their own rules. As the Dunbar boys love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world, they discover the moving secret behind their father’s disappearance. At the center of the Dunbar family is Clay, a boy who will build a bridge—for his family, for his past, for greatness, for his sins, for a miracle. 3. Never Let me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro Hailsham seems like a pleasant English boarding school, far from the influences of the city. Its students are well tended and supported, trained in art and literature, and become just the sort of people the world wants them to be. But, curiously, they are taught nothing of the outside world and are allowed little contact with it. Within the grounds of Hailsham, Kathy grows from schoolgirl to young woman, but it’s only when she and her friends Ruth and Tommy leave the safe grounds of the school (as they always knew they would) that they realize the full truth of what Hailsham is. 4. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath The Bell Jar chronicles the crack-up of Esther Greenwood: brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under—maybe for the last time. Sylvia Plath masterfully draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that Esther's insanity becomes completely real and even rational, as probable and accessible an experience as going to the movies. Such deep penetration into the dark and harrowing corners of the psyche is an extraordinary accomplishment and has made The Bell Jar a haunting American classic. 5. My Dark Vanessa – Kate Elizabeth Russell In this profound, brave, insightful, nuanced and at times frighteningly relatable novel Kate Elizabeth Russell explores the relationship between a precocious fifteen-year old and her charismatic but manipulative teacher, 46-years her senior. From the perspective of both teenage-Vanessa and her adult self, looking back, we explore the inner conflict, ruination and lifelong aftermath this affair brought. 6. Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned--from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren--an enigmatic artist and single mother--who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community. 7. On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one's own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard. 8. The Unseen World – Liz Moore Ada Sibelius is raised by David, her brilliant, eccentric, socially inept single father, who directs a computer science lab in 1980s-era Boston. Home-schooled, Ada accompanies David to work every day; by twelve, she is a painfully shy prodigy. The lab begins to gain acclaim at the same time that David’s mysterious history comes into question. When his mind begins to falter, leaving Ada virtually an orphan, she is taken in by one of David’s colleagues. Soon she embarks on a mission to uncover her father’s secrets: a process that carries her from childhood to adulthood. What Ada discovers on her journey into a virtual universe will keep the reader riveted until The Unseen World’s heart-stopping, fascinating conclusion 9. The Museum of You – Carys Bray Clover Quinn was a surprise. She used to imagine she was the good kind, now she’s not sure. She’d like to ask Dad about it, but growing up in the saddest chapter of someone else’s story is difficult. She tries not to skate on the thin ice of his memories. Darren has done his best. He's studied his daughter like a seismologist on the lookout for waves and surrounded her with everything she might want - everything he can think of, at least - to be happy. What Clover wants is answers. This summer, she thinks she can find them in the second bedroom, which is full of her mother's belongings. Volume isn't important, what she is looking for is essence; the undiluted bits: a collection of things that will tell the full story of her mother, her father and who she is going to be. But what you find depends on what you're searching for. 10. Aquarium – David Vann Twelve-year-old Caitlin lives alone with her mother—a docker at the local container port—in subsidized housing next to an airport in Seattle. Each day, while she waits to be picked up after school, Caitlin visits the local aquarium to study the fish. Gazing at the creatures within the watery depths, Caitlin accesses a shimmering universe beyond her own. When she befriends an old man at the tanks one day, who seems as enamored of the fish as she, Caitlin cracks open a dark family secret and propels her once-blissful relationship with her mother toward a precipice of terrifying consequences. 11. Pet Sematary - Stephen King Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son-and now an idyllic home. As a family, they've got it all...right down to the friendly car. But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth-more terrifying than death itself-and hideously more powerful. The Creeds are going to learn that sometimes dead is better. 12. Vita Nostra - Marina and Sergey Dyachenko While vacationing at the beach with her mother, Sasha Samokhina meets the mysterious Farit Kozhennikov under the most peculiar circumstances. The teenage girl is powerless to refuse when this strange and unusual man with an air of the sinister directs her to perform a task with potentially scandalous consequences. He rewards her effort with a strange golden coin. As the days progress, Sasha carries out other acts for which she receives more coins from Kozhennikov. As summer ends, her domineering mentor directs her to move to a remote village and use her gold to enter the Institute of Special Technologies. Though she does not want to go to this unknown town or school, she also feels it’s the only place she should be. Against her mother’s wishes, Sasha leaves behind all that is familiar and begins her education. As she quickly discovers, the institute’s "special technologies" are unlike anything she has ever encountered. The books are impossible to read, the lessons obscure to the point of maddening, and the work refuses memorization. Using terror and coercion to keep the students in line, the school does not punish them for their transgressions and failures; instead, their families pay a terrible price. Yet despite her fear, Sasha undergoes changes that defy the dictates of matter and time; experiences which are nothing she has ever dreamed of . . . and suddenly all she could ever want. 11. Never the Wind - Francesco Dimitri 1996 - Luca Saracino is thirteen and has been completely blind for eight months when his parents move to a Southern Italian farmhouse they dream of turning into a hotel. With his brother dropping out of university and the family reeling from Luca’s diagnosis, they are chasing dreams of rebirth and reinvention. As Luca tells his story without sight - experiencing the world solely through hearing, smell, taste and touch - he meets the dauntless Ada Guadalupi, who takes him out to explore the rocky fields and empty beaches. But Luca and Ada find they can’t escape the grudges that have lasted between their families for generations, or the gossiping of the town. And Luca is preyed upon by the feral Wanderer, who walks the vineyards of his home. As Luca's family starts to crack at the seams, Luca and Ada have to navigate new lands and old rivalries to uncover the truths spoken as whispers on the wind. 12. Yerba Buena - Nina LaCour When Sara Foster runs away from home at sixteen, she leaves behind not only the losses that have shattered her world but the girl she once was, capable of trust and intimacy. Years later, in Los Angeles, she is a sought-after bartender, renowned as much for her brilliant cocktails as for the mystery that clings to her. Across the city, Emilie Dubois is in a holding pattern. In her seventh year and fifth major as an undergraduate, she yearns for the beauty and community her Creole grandparents cultivated but is unable to commit. On a whim, she takes a job arranging flowers at the glamorous restaurant Yerba Buena and embarks on an affair with the married owner. When Sara catches sight of Emilie one morning at Yerba Buena, their connection is immediate. But the damage both women carry, and the choices they have made, pulls them apart again and again. When Sara's old life catches up to her, upending everything she thought she wanted just as Emilie has finally gained her own sense of purpose, they must decide if their love is more powerful than their pasts. At once exquisite and expansive, astonishing in its humanity and heart, Yerba Buena is a love story for our time and a propulsive journey through the lives of two women finding their way in the world. Young Adult Fiction 13. Strange Creatures - Phoebe North We follow the story of Jamie and Annie, an inseparable pair of siblings; basically twins except for their date of birth. Alike in almost every way, they promised to always take care of each other while facing the challenges of growing up different in suburban America. And when life became too much for them, they’d escape into their own space their house. A place they called Gumlea, where fantasy and reality merge together, and where nobody could find them. Until Jamie disappears, and Annie is left behind… Unable to process any other faith for her brother, Annie becomes convinced that Jamie has escaped into Gumlea one final time, and she will do anything to follow him there, and bring him back. Told from three separate perspectives, we witness the fallout of a tragedy on a family, friends and a small town community; from the harsh reality of growing up, to the stories we tell ourselves to keep going… 14. The Saturday Nights Ghost Club -Craig Davidson Growing up in 1980s Niagara Falls--a seedy but magical, slightly haunted place--Jake Baker spends most of his time with his uncle Calvin, a kind but eccentric enthusiast of occult artifacts and conspiracy theories. The summer Jake turns twelve, he befriends a pair of siblings new to town, and so Calvin decides to initiate them all into the "Saturday Night Ghost Club." But as the summer goes on, what begins as a seemingly lighthearted project may ultimately uncover more than any of its members had imagined. With the alternating warmth and sadness of the best coming-of-age stories, The Saturday Night Ghost Club examines the haunting mutability of memory and storytelling, as well as the experiences that form the people we become. 15. The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl's struggle for justice. 16. We Are Okay - Nina LaCour You go through life thinking there’s so much you need… Until you leave with only your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mother. Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit, and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart. 17. Like Water - Rebecca Podos In Savannah Espinoza’s small New Mexico hometown, kids either flee after graduation or they’re trapped there forever. Vanni never planned to get stuck—but that was before her father was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, leaving her and her mother to care for him. Now, she doesn’t have much of a plan at all: living at home, working as a performing mermaid at a second-rate water park, distracting herself with one boy after another. That changes the day she meets Leigh. Disillusioned with small-town life and looking for something greater, Leigh is not a “nice girl.” She is unlike anyone Vanni has met, and a friend when Vanni desperately needs one. Soon enough, Leigh is much more than a friend. But caring about another person stirs up the moat Vanni has carefully constructed around herself, and threatens to bring to the surface the questions she’s held under for so long. Middle-grade Fiction 18. A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don't quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there's a visitor at his window. It's ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth. 19. How to Disappear Completely - Ali Standish While her grandmother was alive, Emma’s world was filled with enchantment. But now Gram is gone, and suddenly strange spots are appearing on Emma’s skin. Soon, she’s diagnosed with vitiligo—a condition that makes patches of her skin lose their color—and the magic in her world is suddenly replaced with school bullies and doctor appointments. But when Emma writes one last story in the journal she shared with Gram, something strange happens. Someone writes back to her, just like Gram used to. Who’s writing to Emma? And just what is her story going to be, now that everything is so different? 20. My Jasper June - Laurel Snyder The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone. Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find. But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both 21. Julia and the Shark - Kiran Millwood Hargrave & Tom de Freston Julia has followed her mum and dad to live on a remote island for the summer – her dad, for work; her mother, on a determined mission to find the elusive Greenland shark. But when her mother’s obsession threatens to submerge them all, Julia finds herself on an adventure with dark depths and a lighthouse full of hope… A beautiful, lyrical, uplifting story about a mother, a daughter, and love – with timely themes of the importance of science and the environment. 22. Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea - Ashley Herring Blake Hazel Bly used to live in the perfect house with the perfect family in sunny California. But when a kayaking trip goes horribly wrong, Mum is suddenly gone forever and Hazel is left with crippling anxiety and a jagged scar on her face. After Mum's death, Hazel, her other mother, Mama, and her little sister, Peach, needed a fresh start. So for the last two years, the Bly girls have lived all over the country, never settling anywhere for more than a few months. When the family arrives in Rose Harbor, Maine, there's a wildness to the small town that feels like magic. But when Mama runs into an old childhood friend—Claire—suddenly Hazel's tight-knit world is infiltrated. To make it worse, she has a daughter Hazel's age, Lemon, who can't stop rambling on and on about the Rose Maid, a local 150-year-old mermaid myth. Soon, Hazel finds herself just as obsessed with the Rose Maid as Lemon is—because what if magic were real? What if grief really could change you so much, you weren't even yourself anymore? And what if instead you emerged from the darkness stronger than before? 23. Wise Child - Monica Furlong In a remote Scottish village, nine-year-old Wise Child is taken in by Juniper, a healer and sorceress. Then Wise Child's mother, Maeve, a black witch, reappears. In choosing between Maeve and Juniper, Wise Child discovers the extent of her supernatural powers--and her true loyalties.

Genre: Fantasy, Romance Published: HarperVoyager, February 2022 My Rating: 3.75/5 stars Marketed as Fantasy-romance for fans of House of Earth and Blood and Uprooted, it was clear from the start that I wasn’t quite the target audience for this book. Nonetheless I really enjoyed this story for what it was, far more than I initially thought I would. A River Enchanted is a slow-burning Scottish inspired fantasy novel, set on the isle of Candance, where natural magic flows through everything like the titular river. When local girls start to vanish without a trace from their villages, the local clans are quick to point fingers to the trickster spirits and other mystical forces they share their Isle with. Heads soon turn to Adaira, Laird of the East, to ensure the girls safe return. Adaira knows she’ll require the help of a trained bard, capable of drawing the spirits forth by song. Forced to team up with her childhood enemy Jack, this unlikely bard and laird duo to save the lives of the missing girls and the future of their clan. What I loved: I was surprised by how deeply I fell in love with the Isle of Cadence from the start. Rebecca Ross’ lush and lyrical writing does a phenomenal job of painting a vivid and sensory picture of the isle and all its inhabitants. I’m an absolute sucker for subtle, naturalistic magic, especially when it takes inspiration from Scottish, Irish or British folklore. In that sense, the world reminded me a bit of one of my all-time-favourite fantasy novels The Queens of Innis Lear, which obviously is a huge compliment coming from me. I genuinely wish there were more Scottish inspired fantasy-novels out there, and I look forward to spending more time within this world as Ross continues this series. If only to explore this world more in depth, I will absolutely pick up the sequel as soon as it’s released. If you want to fully immerse yourself in the Scottish vibes of this book, the audiobook might be a great choice as well. I personally combined the physical book (which happens to be gorgeous to look at as well!), and the audiobook. The narrator did an amazing job bringing the characters to life in my mind and their Scottish accent truly fit the story perfectly. What I didn’t love: As I mentioned: I’m not a big fantasy-romance fan, and I’m especially not a fan of the hate-to-love trope. The switch often feels too forced and unearned to me, and at times, this too was the case for the relationship between Jack and Adaira. I liked both of their characters, and felt like they were well developed, but at times their feelings for each other seemed to come on a bit too fast to me. Again: this is a recurring peeve of mine within the genre, so it’s probably more so on me than on the book. As this is the authors first adult publication, I also feel obligated to say that this still had that distinct YA-feel to me, despite the characters being in their twenties. I hope that, as the series continues and the characters age, this feeling will age along with them. Find this book on Goodreads.

Genre: Literary Fiction, Adult Contemporary. Published: Flatiron Books, May 31rd 2022 My Rating: 5/5 stars “In the silence that followed she realized how badly she wanted to have been told a story. She craved the arc of it, the beginning and middle and end. She craved a moral, a meaning, something she could mull over in the dark.” If you know me, or have been following my reviews for a while now, it’s going to come as no surprise that I’ve yet again fallen wholeheartedly and unapologetically in love with yet another Nina Lacour novel. I feel deeply honoured and slightly inadequate to be able to write one of the first reviews for one of my all-time-favourite authors newest release. Then again, there’s only one message that I truly want to get across to you, and here it is: Nina Lacour writes grief, coming of age and the bittersweet journey of finding your place in the world after hardship like nobody else. It’s simple, visceral, understated and an arrow straight into the softest part of my heart. I’ve shed plenty a tear over Watch Over Me and We Are Okay, all of them that magical cocktail of salt, sorrow and substantiation. My experience with Yerba Buena was no different, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. If you’ve drank the bittersweet tonic of Lacour before, then Yerba Buena will be a familiar comfort. If you’ve never experienced that feeling I’ve just described: this is your chance to have your first taste. Synopsis: When Sara Foster runs away from home at sixteen, she leaves behind not only the losses that have shattered her world but the girl she once was, capable of trust and intimacy. Years later, she’s built a tentative new balance for herself, working as a bartender in the glamorous restaurant Yerba Buena, and making a name for herself with her brilliantly layered cocktails. Here she crosses paths with Emily Dubois, who’s been in a holding pattern; in her seventh year and fifth major as an undergraduate, making some extra money creating floral arrangements for Yerba Buena. Above all, she yearns for the beauty and community her Creole grandparents cultivated but is unable to commit. The two embark on a tentative journey together, leading to a relationship that is as bittersweet and strong as the herb the restaurant is named after. Many thanks to Flatiron Book and the author for providing me with an early copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. You guys have set a high barre for any book that hopes to be my favourite of 2022. Yerba Buena is scheduled for release on May 31st for US, EU and UK territory. Find this book on Goodreads.

Genre: Horror/Thriller Published: Viper Publishing, March 10th 2022 My Rating: 4/5 stars “Kids are mirrors, reflecting back everything that happens to them. You’ve got to make sure they’re surrounded by good things.” Are you done picking up the pieces of your blown mind after reading The Last House on Needless Street last March? Prepare to have it blown all over again, and stumble around in the dark again by Catriona Ward’s newest release Sundial. An intense, gritty, unnerving psychological horror/mystery hybrid about nature vs nurture, dysfunctional family dynamics and escaping your past. Sundial sunk its teeth into me from the start, and didn’t let up until the final word. Synopsis: All Rob ever wanted was a normal life, and for a while there: it seems like that’s just what she got. A neat suburban home with white picket fence, a loving husband, two perfect daughters… But the illusion is shattered when a frightening accident reveals a disturbing secret in her oldest daughter’s bedroom. One that proves to Rob what she’s feared for years now: maybe, despite her best efforts, she can’t escape what’s in her blood… In a frenzy, Rob takes her eldest daughter to her own childhood home Sundial, an remove ranch in the Mojave desert, to make sure the traumatic past she’s buried there will stay buried for good. What I loved: - the suspense and mystery I’m not exaggerating when I say that this book kept me up at night because I just had to finish those final pages. I was deeply invested in the mystery, and second guessing every single character ánd myself right up until the final page. After so many predictable mysteries, it feels great to be thrown for a loop by one completely. - The atmosphere Perhaps even more so than the mystery itself, the suspense of this story is thanks to Ward’s talent for creating an insidious atmosphere through her writing. By just the right amount of slightly wrong-feeling descriptions, she creates an atmosphere of unease from page one, even before anything remotely scary has happened yet. It’s the literary equivalent of a dissonant soundtrack playing quietly in the background during an otherwise innocuous shot in a horror-movie: nothing scary is happening yet, but your subconscious mind is sensing that something is off. Add to that a phenomenal sense of setting and you have a recipe for perfect horror-writing in my book. From that quiet unease of an almost too perfect suburban home where a little girl hides some sinister secrets, to the claustrophobia of the desolate ranch and dog farm: I was there alongside the characters. - The characters All the aforementioned praise can basically be applied directly to the characters as well. They’re all layered and complex, all of them will throw you for a loop or have you second guess them throughout the story, and you will often doubt your trust in every single one of them. Many mystery novels will have a forgettable secondary cast, just present to facilitate the story. Not Sundial: I was invested and intrigued by every single one of these characters, which is rarer than I’d like to admit. What I didn’t love: - Turning the dial to 11 Throughout the novel, Ward often demonstrates her talent for subtle and subdued suspense. Then there are a few moments where she suddenly loses that composure and throws in an overly gory scene or description in, seemingly for the sake of shock-factor. It’s a personal pet-peeve of mine, and almost made me think the author (or editor) didn’t trust the reader to understand the subtler signs given. Note: I’m not talking about the climax: it’s fine to turn the dial up to 11 for that part. I’m mostly bothered by “early hints”, that didn’t need to be this explicit. - "That final twist" I was completely along for the ride with this story and its twists. Right up until the final chapter, I actually thought it was going to stick the landing. Unfortunately, on the last page, the author adds one more twist that, in my opinion, was really unnecessary. It wasn’t quite a dealbreaker, but I wish the novel would’ve ended one chapter earlier. Additionally, as with any horror-novel: this book contains disturbing passages and subjects, so I always recommend you look into potential trigger-warnings in case you need to. One that I feel is important to mention is violence against- and experimentation on animals, specifically dogs. It’s never gratuitous, but it’s always a tough one for me personally, hence I had to include it in this section. Many thanks to the author and Viper for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Sundial is available from March 10th 2022 in UK- and EU territory, as well as March 1st oversees. Find this book on Goodreads.

If you like: The Crucible by Arthur Miller or: The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood you might like: The Seawomen by Chloe Timms or The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld or: The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings feminist fiction set in ultra-patriarchical dystopia's featuring themes of witch-hunts and female-oppression throughout our modern history. If you liked: The Secret History by Donna Tartt, you might like: If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio dark academia where elitism turns murderous. If you liked: Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier you might like: The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea gothic fiction about women battling the metaphorical ghosts of their husbands previous wives. If you liked: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson you might like: In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey or: House of Glass by Susan Fletcher gothic hauntings set in remote English manors, where the ghost could be supernatural or psychological in nature. If you liked: The Willows by Algernon Black you might like: The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher gothic-inspired horror set in a disorienting and hostile landscape of willow-trees. Any more info would be spoilers, but the vibes were so similar to me! If you liked: The Fall of the House of Usher you might like: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher A modern day retelling of the classic, about a house in decline, in more ways than one. If you liked: The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham you might like: Semiosis by Sue Burke or Bloom by Kenneth Oppel A dystopian future in which humans are at odds with a species of sentient (extra-terrestrial) plants... If you liked: The Shadow over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft you might like: Deeplight by Frances Hardinge Eldridge horrors from the deepsea warp the minds of the inhabitants of a small fishermans-town in these gothic horror stories. If you liked: Lord of the Flies by William Golding you might like: The Gray House by Miriam Petrosyan or Wilder Girls by Rory Power survival of the fittest amongst a group of young teens left to their own devices in an isolated setting. All-boys-group in the case of the first 2, and all-girls-group in the case of Wilder Girls. If you liked: All's Well that Ends Well by William Shakespear you might like: All's Well by Mona Awad A modern-day fever-dream retelling of the classical tale with a dark twist. If you liked: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck you might like: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah two powerful family-saga's about finding hope in times of severe hardship during the American Great Depression. If you liked: Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll you might like: Arcadia by Iain Pearce two refractory and slightly disorienting tales about characters who find themselves tumbling into the whimsical worlds of the books they're reading. If you liked: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley you might like: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro although these two might not seem too similar at first sight, both had me contemplating similar questions long after finishing it. Both feature themes of bodily autonomy, the moral edges of medical science, and what it means to be an individual. If you liked: Solaris by Stanislav Lem you might like: Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds or The Sea in the Sky by Jackson Musker perhaps one of my most highly-specific favourite tropes is the alien ocean from Solaris, and I've looked all over the sci-fi genre for something similar. The closest I've found was Turquoise Days, although Audible Original production The Sea in the Sky has a quite original take on it as well.

Adult If you liked: Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer you might like: Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield this comparison is going off vibes more so than story, but bare with me here. Both novels gave me the same feeling of subverbal psychological dread, that comes as much from the liminal/alien feeling enviroment as from within. They capture a feeling of paranoia and distrust for an enviroment that should feel safe, but now seems foreign. If you liked: The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe you might like: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher A modern retelling that adds length, depth of character, and Kingfishers wonderful brand of humour to the already fantastic classic shortstory. If you liked: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia you might like: The Ghostwoods by C.J. Cooke building off the previous recommendation: if you liked the dilapidated, moldy-stained manorhalls of the House of Usher as a setting, both these novels borrow the atmosphere and put a whole new spin on "fungal horror"... If you liked: It by Stephen King you might like: Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi A group of friends return to their hometown to confront a nightmare they first stumbled upon as teenagers. If you liked: The Luminous Dead by Caitlyn Starling you might like: Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes Claustrophobic sci-fi horror about a lone female protagonist encountering a "haunting" in an alien-space setting. If you liked: The Lost Village by Camilla Sten you might like: Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen An eerie abandoned, snow-covered hides secrets and threads for our protagonists to uncover when they're snowed in by accident. If you liked: Stephen King's 80's work you might like: The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig Chilling eighties-set horror, combining the terrors of real-life childhood trauma with a fantastical elements. If you liked: Who Goes There - John Campbell you might like: All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes A crew of men is haunted by an entity whilst stuck in the snowy landscapes of the arctic. If you liked: The Willows by Algernon Black you might like: The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher gothic-inspired horror set in a disorienting and hostile landscape of willow-trees. Any more info would be spoilers, but the vibes were so similar to me! If you liked: The Fall of the House of Usher you might like: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher A modern day retelling of the classic, about a house in decline, in more ways than one. If you liked: The Shadow over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft you might like: Deeplight by Frances Hardinge Eldridge horrors from the deepsea warp the minds of the inhabitants of a small fishermans-town in these gothic horror stories. If you liked: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson you might like: In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey or: House of Glass by Susan Fletcher gothic hauntings set in remote English manors, where the ghost could be supernatural or psychological in nature. If you liked: Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin you might like: From the Neck Up by Aliya Whiteley short stories that explores our the horrors (large and small) of our modern day by warping the ordinary and mundane into the uncanny. If you liked: House of Hollow - Krystal Sutherland you might like: The Watchers - A.M. Shine modern horror novels with a unique and terrifying take on the Irish changeling mythology. If you liked Follow Me to Ground by Sue Rainsford you might like: Leech by Hiron Ennes Two speculative horror novels featuring unconventional healers that apply their Frankensteinean craft to mend, but search for answers in the bodies under their hands at the same time. Young Adult If you liked: Sawkill Girls by Claire LeGrande you might like:Wilder Girls by Rory Power Feminist YA horror featuring F-F romance. If you liked: Wilder Girls by Rory Power, you might like: Horrid by Katrina Leno Combining body horror, grief and a whole lot of strangeness, both of these books are sure to unsettle and creep you out. It doesn't hurt that both are stunning to look at either. If you liked: Sawkill Girls by Claire LeGrande you might like: The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould Small town horror featuring girls bonding together towards an evil force. Includes a diverse cast and F-F-romance in both. If you liked: Here there are Monsters by Amelinda Bérube you might like: The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher This one only works one way for me personally, as I didn't love the former. If, like me, you liked the creepy forest setting and the idea behind these creatures, but didn't like the juvenile protagonists and teen drama: The Twisted Ones is for you. It also happens to be funny as an added bonus as well. Middle Grade If you liked: Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel you might like: The Curse on Spectacle Key Brave young protagonists undertake a ghostly adventure investigating haunted lighthouses. If you liked: Goosebumps by R.L. Stine you might like: Small Spaces by Katherine Arden what Goosebumps did for 80's and 90's kids, Katerine Arden is doing for kids of today. These series of books take a middle-grade spin on classic horror-tropes, destined to become classics themselves in the process. If you liked: Ghost Girl by Ally Malinenko you might like: Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh Our young protagonists are forced to form an impromptu and unlikely ghost-hunting gang to protect their friends, and find more friendship and bravery along the way

If you liked: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman you might like: Strange Creatures by Phoebe North Two adult protagonists retelling the tales of their troubled childhood in which they fled into a paracostic shadow-world to escape a traumatic situation. If you liked: Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter you might like: Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer Two novels written in alternative format from a highly unique point of view, about illness, body and grief. The narrator in both GITHWF (grief personified) and MOOSB (cancer personified) take the voice of Ted Hughes Crow. If you liked: Everything Under by Daisy Johnson you might like: Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi Magical realism taking inspiration from dark European fairytales to tell a story of a "mundane" yet complex domestic situation. If you liked: Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley you might like: Challenger Deep by Neal Schusterman Imaginative but heartfelt stories that use fantasy element to explore the inner world of teenagers with life-changing illnesses. If you liked: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton you might like: When the Moon was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore Magical realism set in small towns about being different and feeling like an outsider. Both written in highly lyrical prose that is art in its own right. If you liked:The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan you might like: King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callendar Tear-jerking magical realism on grief, about teens and children who believe their deceased loved-one has changed into an animal upon death. Both also happen to feature themes of immigration, belonging and prejudice. If you liked: Bone Gap by Laura Ruby you might like: We Speak in Storms by Natalie Lunde or: Beasts of Extraordinary Cicumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang Small town cosy magical realism featuring coming of age stories with just a small touch of magic. If you liked: Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power Or: If These Wings Could Fly by Kyrie McCauley Small town claustrophobic magical realism, using magical elements to express the real-life horrors of domestic abuse. If you liked: The Harpy by Megan Hunter you might like: Chouette by Claire Oshetsky Two modern fairytales about domestic life (being a wife and being a mother) with a magical element of a bird throughout. If you liked: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel you might like: The Gloaming by Kirsty Logan Although not similar in plot at all, both capture that feeling of melancholic hope amids a world in ruins, that I adored so much. If you liked: Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden you might like: Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejide Literary fiction with a dash of magical realism, following characters coming to terms with themes of life, death and eternity, helped by a "death-companion". (Death personified as a working-class black woman, vs a ghost that haunts the trunk of a Plymouth Belvedere respectively). Both authors are poets as well, leading to works that brim with liminality in both themes and style. If you liked: A Constellation of Roses by Maria Asebedo you might like: Wildwood Whispers by Willa Reece Characters healing from trauma in a small-town setting, by the helps of tranquil forests and magical cakes... If you liked: Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy you might like: Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Emmie Ruth Lang Two deeply moving, characterdriven novels focussing on vagarious protagonists who've converted a tragic past into a fascination for wolves. The former leans towards the tragedy-side, whereas the latter takes a more whimsical and hopeful tone.

Films and TV-shows If you liked: Netflix's Stranger Things you might like: The Devouring Gray - Christine Lynn Hermann Small town teens with superpowers fight a supernatural threat from a "shadow-dimension" If you liked: Netflix's Squid Game you might like: Reprieve by James Han Mattson A gameshow (in this case set in a famous escaperoom) takes a deadly turn, and our group of contestants must survive their way to the end. The social commentary and "political horror" elements in both are ironclad. If you liked: Disney's Atlantis you might like: Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor Scholarly man with a very niche research-field finds a hidden city and love within. If you liked: Disney's Onwards you might like: Sadé and her Shadow Beasts by Rachel Faturoti Colourful middle-grade featuring family love and moving on after the loss of a parent. If you liked: Hotel Transylvania you might like: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune Wholesome and heartfelt adventures in a house filled with monsters, who honestly are a lot more adorable than they are scary. If you liked: The Shape of Water you might like: Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz or The Seawomen by Chloe Timms Modern fairytales about a girl who falls in love with a fish-man. Both are a bit dark and weird, but cover much deeper topics than what meets the surface. If you liked: The Shawshank Redemption you might like: Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky Following the inner politics, forged friendships and building feuds among the inmates of an isolated and deeply corrupt prison. A big difference of course being the fantasy setting... If you liked: Prometheus you might like: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini The infection of a xenobiologist with an alien parasite leads to life-threatening situations and rising questions about transcendence and what it means to be human. If you liked: Get Out you might like: When the Reckoning Comes by Latanya McQueen Horror-thrillers featuring themes of American slavery, racism and injustices commited against people of colour, that ripple through to our modern times. If you liked: The Thing you might like: All the White Places by Ally Wilkes Bonechilling arctic horror about a group of polar explorers, hunted by something unknowable. If you liked: Slasher-movies you might like: Final Girls by Riley Sager Serial killer hunting down vitcims, who coincidentally happen to be scarcely clad college girls. Okay, the book is a bit more feminist-friendly... If you liked: Firefly you might like: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams A combination of Sci-fi, space-travel, humor and that found-family trope that we all love so dearly. If you liked: The Descent you might like: The Anomaly by Michael Rutger The exloration of an as-of-yet virgin cave-system unearths a threat that nobody expected. If you liked: Supernatural you might like: American Gods by Neil Gaiman combining our modern world with beings and Gods from mythology and legend in a roadtrip-narrative with deadly concequences. And of course a dash of occasional dark and dry humor. If you liked: Gray’s Anatomy you might like: The House of God by Samuel Shem The dramatised lives of young doctors in the cut-troat ratrace of resident-life. Games If you liked: Mass Effect you might like: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers Character-centred space-farers-sci-fi featuring a diverse cast of characters and their interpersonal relationships. If you liked: Skyrim you might like: Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne High fantasy inspired by Nordic mythology, featuring plot of battling (dead) Gods and dragons. If you liked: Dungeons and Dragons you might like: Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames Set within a world that is heavily inspired by D&D-archetypes and creatures, but presenting it with its own humourous spin and flair. or One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence A sci-fi-fantasy hybrid about a group of teenage D&D-players, who find the lines between game and reality beginning to blur, as bizarre events enter their lives. If you liked: The Sims you might like: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid If you like to create over-the-top drama within the personal lives and relationships of your Sims, and are looking for a book that captures just that same dramatically chaotic energy, Malibu Rising's celebrity drama may scratch that itch. If you liked: Alan Wake or The Vanishing of Ethan Carter you might like: A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw The edges of reality and fiction bleed together when turns supernatural when an author goes missing... If you liked: What Remains of Edith Finch you might like: Watch Over Me by Nina Lacour Melancholic tales of family tragedy featuring "ghosts" in one way or another. Mostly, these two are linked based off the feeling and vibes they give me.

If you liked: The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson you might like: Constellations by Sinead Gleeson or Sight by Jessie Greengrass Beautifully written memoirs in which women combine science with an exploration of body, health, motherhood and more. If you liked: The House of God by Samuel Shem you might like: This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay Although one is satirical fiction and one is truth, these two books about the life of a junior doctor are freakishly similar. As an MD myself, I can unfortunately confirm that the truth is often very close to this... If you liked: The Salt Path by Raynor Winn you might like: The Way Through the Woods: Of Mushrooms and Mourning by Long Litt Woon Both memoirs about mourning and healing through submerging yourself in nature. If you liked: Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig you might like: A Face For Picasso by Ariel Henley Two incredibly insightfully written memoirs about coming of age with a physical disability that I related to strongly. Both have a feeling of (non-toxic) positivity and strength to them that I really admired.

All titles are linked to their respective Goodreads page for easy access to full synopsises and purchasing links. Some titles will come with heavier themes/trigger warnings, marked with an asterix. Please take care of your own wellbeing and consult more resources if you need them. Contemporary Fiction If you liked: The Lightkeepers by Abby Geni* you might like: Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy* Stunning nature-writing combined with character portraits of damaged women against a background of arctic isolation. If you liked: Snow Falling on Cedars by David Gutterson you might like:Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens A court-trial stirrs up memories of prejudice, outcasts and forbidden love in a small town community If you liked: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens you might like: The Light Through the Leaves by Glendy Vanderah Literary protagonists dealing with grief and trauma through the healing power of "going back to nature"… If you liked: Sight by Jessie Greengrass you might like: The Upstairs House by Julia Fine or A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa Two modern explorations of the beauty and horrors of motherhood, intertwined with elements of historical memoirs from the past... If you liked: The Overstory by Richard Powers you might like: Greenwood by Michael Christie Generational fiction with strong nature-writing about our relationship with and dependance on the forests and natural world around us. If you liked: Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter you might like: Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer** or Me (Moth) by Amber McBride Three novels in verse with a central theme of grief. the first and second are primarily targeted at an adultaudience, whereas the latter features young-adult protagonists, all three transcend age-categories and cross-over easily. If you liked: Burntcoat by Sarah Hall you might like: The Fell by Sarah Moss Two pandemic novels that perfectly capture the feeling of isolation combined with heightened social pressure, and other unique anxieties of the 2020 pandemic. If you liked: 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak* you might like: The Antarctica of Love by Sara Stridsberg* Two stunningly written stories about a woman's turbulent life and tragic death, told by the woman herself from beyond the grave. Both stand out to me as having exceptional sensory writing as well. If you liked: The Unseen World by Liz Moore** you might like: The Museum of You by Carys Bray** Coming of age novels about memory, missing, grieving and letting go of a parent you maybe didn't know the way you wanted to. Also: two of my personal favourite coming of age novels of all time. If you liked: All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld you might like: Caribou Island by David Vann Two deeply dark stories of characters living their lives in a cold and isolated rural setting in self-emposed exile. What ties these novels together is their tone: hard-hitting and beautifully executed , but at times so deeply dark and pessimistic that it can become almost draining to read. If you liked one though, the other is a safe-bet for something similar. If you liked: Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss you might like: Lanny by Max Porter If you loved the small and intimate scope of these small-community-tragedies, woven through with vivid descriptions of their rural Brittish settings of one, you'll be sure to love the other as well. Both make for perfect atmospheric fall reads. Speculative Fiction If you liked: Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden you might like: Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejide Literary fiction with a dash of magical realism, following characters coming to terms with themes of life, death and eternity, helped by a "death-companion". (Death personified as a working-class black woman, vs a ghost that haunts the trunk of a Plymouth Belvedere respectively). Both authors are poets as well, leading to works that brim with liminality in both themes and style. If you liked: The Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan you might like: Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker Coming of age against the backdrop of a world wrecked by climate-related apocalypse. If you liked: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell you might like: The Actual Star by Monica Byrne or Arcadia by Iain Pearce or Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr or The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell or Storyland by Catherine McKinnon or The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick or Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel Cloud Atlas' unique format, of weaving together stories that span generations, format ánd genre's, has spawned a complete new genre. For fans of the original, there's plenty more in that vein. If you liked: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel you might like: How High We Go in the Dark by Sequioa Nagamatsu Both similar in setting and feeling, both these books portray a post-pandemic future world through a fragmentary storyline. To me personally, these stories are mostly linked by their atmosphere of melancholic contemplation with júst the right amount of hope through interhuman connection. If you liked: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel you might like: Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson Two sci-fi novels that focus on the human aspects and a deeply felt sense of melancholic hope, rather than the space-ships or action. Both share themes of leaving, remembering and starting anew from scratch. Historical Fiction If you liked: The Secret History by Donna Tartt, you might like: If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio Dark academia where elitism turns murderous. If you liked: Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier you might like: The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea Gothic fiction about women battling the metaphorical ghosts of their husbands previous wives. If you liked: The Bookthief by Markus Zusak you might like: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetes Both set during WWII from a perspective you may not have often read from. If you liked: The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry you might like: One Upon a River by Dianne Setterfield Historical fiction about the lines of science and mythology blurring on the English riverside. If you liked: The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar you might like: Things in Jars by Jess Kidd London-based historical fiction about collectors of curiosities who stumble upon what may or may not be a mermaid. If you liked: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid you might like: City of Girls by Elizabet Gilbert Although I personally didn't enjoy these two novels, they did remind me a lot of the other. Both are show-girl centered historical fiction, about an aged star recounting the dramatic and turbulent (love-)life of her hay-days. *Contains themes of sexual violence against women. Nothing is graphical or used for shock-value, but still make sure to look up trigger-warnings if you need them. **Contains depiction of (chronic) illness, cancer and dementia.

Adult Fantasy If you liked: The Kingkiller Chronicals by Patrick Rothfuss you might like: The First Binding by R.R. Virdi Epic fantasy series in which a legendary hero recounts the story of his life, perhaps not quite unbiasedly. If you liked: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern you might like: Piranesi by Susanne Clarke Lyrical, slow paced stories of characters wandering the halls of their own extended mind-palaces. If you liked: The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson you might like: Foundry Side by Robert Jackson Bennett High fantasy novels by celebrated authors, featuring a strong female protagonist, a heist-plotline and magic-systems só well built that they feel more like science than magic. If you liked: Mrs Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, but for adults you might like: Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro Two stories about the protection of orphaned children with magical powers, which leads to high stakes adventures within a historical setting. If you liked: American Gods by Neil Gaiman you might like: The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins Both these novels share a story of a man caught up in a supernatural battle between (former) Gods in modern day America. Both are witty, brutal and feature a remarkable pantheon of a cast that you won’t soon forget about. If you liked: American Gods by Neil Gaiman you might like: The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin A modern-day American pantheon brought to life... If you liked: Vita Nostra by Marina and Serge Dyachenko you might like: All's Well by Mona Awad When dark academia meets the strange and unsettling... Both these novels will challenge your brain, brighten your senses and have you question your feelings and loyalty towards the protagonists. If you liked: The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton you might like: A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross Island-set, slower paced fantasy with an inspiration in folklore and mythology of the United Kingdom. Both are heavily characters-based and filled with lush, lyrical nature-writing. If you liked: The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski you might like: Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James Dark fantasy about monsterslayers that are not for the faint of heart: both feature gruff (bordering on unlikable) protagonists who don't mind getting their hands dirty to get the job done. If you liked: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune you might like: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna Get the ultimate feel-good-fantasy vibes with these two novels featuring kids with magical abilities, found family and unexpected love. If you liked: What Should be Wild by Julia Fine you might like:Feathertide by Beth Cartwright Young women plagued with strange afflictions leave their sheltered homes, in search for their fathers and uncover (family) secrets in a world that's a bit more magical, and a bit more sinister than our own. Young Adult Fantasy If you liked:The Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo you might like: The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi YA-fantasy-heist stories involving colourful and diverse casts of characters that are some of the best represenation the YA-fantasy genre has to offer. If you liked:The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo you might like: The Bright and the Pale by Jessica Rubinkowski Arctic-set fantasy featuring magic, intrigue and a bit of romantic tension. If you liked: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor you might like: City of Woven Streets by Emmi Itaränta heavily dreamlike stories featuring characters exploring a mysterious city, and finding love along the way. If you liked: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab you might like:The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell action-packed YA urban fantasy featuring a "dimensional" traveling protagonist and banter-filled side kicks. One set in New York, one in London. If you liked: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire you might like: Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow Portal fantasy with heavy focus on the characters, both in their portal words, as well as after their return. It helps that both have similar writingstyles as well. If you liked: The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker you might like: From Dust a Flame by Rebecca Podos fantasy- coming of age stories heavily inspired by Jewish mythology and folklore. If you liked: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman you might like: The Lighthouse Witches by CJ Cooke although quite different in tone and feeling, both feature witches, fae and changelings, as heavily inspired by their depiction in Welsh and Scottish folklore. Childrens/Middle-grade Fantasy If you liked: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (but want a more modern and diverse version) you might like: Amari and the Ghost Brothers by B.B. Alston If you liked: Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynn Jones you might like: The Language of Ghosts by Heather Fawcett If you liked: The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill you might like: The Last Windwitch by Jennifer Adams Middle grade witch-stories, in which two young natural witches, surrounded by a cast of colourful side-characters, find their place in the world and coming into their powers.