bookforthought's reviews
714 reviews

I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting when I picked up One for All, but a gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers sounded like something I would enjoy, and I was entirely right in that!

This book had everything I could have wanted: spies and court intrigue, balls and swordfights, a school that isn't at all what it seems, and a delightful found family. The story starts off a bit slow as we're introduced to Tania and her struggles to live a normal life. She suffers from a condition that causes her to have frequent dizzy spells and fainting, which we know to be POTS but in 17th-century France causes her to be dismissed as a "sick girl" who'll never amount to anything. That is, from everyone except her father. Tania's relationship with her father was beautiful, and the way he always believed in her and pushed her to defy other people's expectations and labels was heartwarming. Until he was murdered.

The pace picks up when Tania arrives in Paris to join a mysterious finishing school as her father's last wish. Between training, fencing, learning high-society etiquette and uncovering a potential assassination plot, Tania will need to learn whom to trust: her newfound sisters-in-arms or the charming Étienne?

I loved the way the author handled this work compared to the original. Unlike some other retellings, this isn't a scene-by-scene replay of the original with female characters. Rather, she took the essence of the story and weaved something new and original from it, so much so that at times I felt as though this could almost be a companion novel to The Three Musketeers rather than simply a retelling. I also liked the inclusion of French words and phrases throughout the novel, as it helped to bring the setting to life for me, although sometimes there were a few needless repetitions in translation.

Reading about this time period was also very interesting, as I realised I knew hardly anything about La Fronde and the following years (as always, thank you Wikipedia for helping me fill in the gaps!), and I love a book that pushes me to do some research and learn something new! The plot was captivating enough, although I had guessed most of the surprises (as many avid, adult readers will probably also do), but it does a good job for a YA novel and a debut at that.

The representation in this was also a major plus point for me. The book is OwnVoices, as the author herself shares Tania's chronic health problems and is a fencer. This was really cool and shown through the writing, making it all feel more authentic. As a former fencer myself, I particularly loved those scenes and how real they felt. Alongside the disability rep, there are also discussions on women's rights and social expectations, as well as a lovely LGBT rep. This last one I particularly appreciated because it was handled so delicately and not used as a conflict point. There was also a bit of social commentary, with references being made to the poorest and most marginalised in society, and how they are often exploited and used as scapegoats by the higher classes - again, one of my favourite themes (as you may have gathered if you're a regular around here!).

The dynamics between the characters were probably my favourite thing. I adore the found family trope, and this was one of the best I read recently. Every interaction between Tania and her newfound sisters Portia, Théa and Aria was an absolute joy, and I loved every moment spent together. The individual character development wasn't quite as strong for me. This is a YA novel and the characters mostly act their age, which I'm fine with, but it felt as though there was something missing in their characterisation and growth. Tania especially was a little bit of a disappointment in this sense: I loved the fact that she grew more confident as the novel progressed, but she seemed to continue to lack common sense and maturity by the end.

I accompanied this with the audiobook, which is narrated by Mara Wilson (forever Matilda in my mind). She does a wonderful job of it, both with the English and the French lines. Definitely worth it if you like audiobooks.

Overall, this was an extremely pleasant read, expertly mixing adventure with a number of social issues and some great representation. I had a few minor issues with it, but they didn't take much away from my enjoyment of this book and are very likely things that will be ironed out in future works. If this is Lainoff's debut, I'm really curious to see what she'll write next!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Analisi interessante dei diversi percorsi di azione sociale diretta sviluppatesi in Italia in seguito alla crisi del 2008. Ho apprezzato la precisa contestualizzazione e la chiara distinzione dei singoli percorsi, tuttavia il testo risulta spesso ripetitivo e di difficile lettura, rendendo la lettura più un esercizio di decodificazione del testo che di analisi.

I'm always up for a witchy read, and even more so if it's a queer one! In this respect, Her Majesty's Royal Coven completely met and surpassed my expectations. Honestly, if I'd written this review immediately upon finishing it, I had been so caught up in it, it probably would have been 5 stars. Yet, as I gave myself some time to reflect a little bit more on it, I realised there were quite a few things that didn't quite work well for me.

The book is centred around Niamh, Helena, Elle and Leonie, a group of friends who have known each other since they were children and, at one point, were all inducted into Her Majesty's Royal Coven, a secret coven of witches protecting the UK from magical threats. Yet, a long war and painful events have left their scars, none of the women is left unscathed, and their friendship is more fragile than ever. The arrival of a mysterious child, Theo, is linked to a prophecy that may destroy the coven itself: dormant tensions will rise to the surface and lines will be drawn in what promises to be a war to eclipse all others.

The story is told in alternating POVs and right from the start I immediately warmed up to Niamh. When we meet her, she has retired from HMRC to conduct a simple life as a vet, at least until trouble comes knocking on her door. Niamh was by far my favourite character and she felt like the best-developed one too. She is well-rounded and complex, fiercely loyal and ready to use her considerable powers to defend those who need help and fight for what she feels is right. I enjoyed every moment spent with her!

In contrast, none of the other characters felt quite as well-developed. I'll keep it vague to avoid spoilers, but one of the witches has quite a dramatic personality shift at one point which, while it certainly serves the plot, felt just a bit too radical in a way that was unexplained. I was also sorry not to spend more time with Leonie and her new coven, which she founded as a more inclusive coven after breaking away from HMRC. The book is steeped in political and social issues, especially those of representation, so to devote so little time to the more inclusive coven and its founder felt a little... off. This is only the first book in the series though, so this may be developed further in future books, but I would have liked to see some of that here.

With only a few exceptions, the secondary characters are also quite thin and mostly interchangeable. This is always a risk when there's a big cast of main characters, but I felt it a lot towards the end of the book when I realised I actually kept mixing some people up and could barely remember their names, let alone any other distinctive traits. This is especially true of the male characters, who are virtually non-existent except as causes of the suffering of the main characters. Now, I'm the first to champion female-centred books and to recognise the harmful role of the patriarchy in society, but the way relations between people of different genders were handled here seemed a bit too simplistic and reductive.

I don't think it's a big spoiler, but one of the characters identifies as trans. I loved this (and this character!), and having this kind of representation is so, so important. However, a lot of the conversations between different characters end up being centred on whether trans women are women, but we barely ever hear directly from this character about her experience and feelings. One POV character is also a TERF and a fair bit of time is spent with her, which is very uncomfortable and might be triggering for some.

Still, the story is extremely engaging and kept me wanting to come back until the ending (that ending!), even despite the multiple UK-centred pop culture references which were cute at first but grew old pretty quickly. I also partly listened to the audiobook for this and that was amazing! Nicola Coughlan is a brilliant narrator and SO good with accents, I could have kept listening to her for many, many more hours.

So, while this wasn't exactly the super-empowering queer feminist witchy urban fantasy of my dreams, Her Majesty's Royal Coven is a highly engaging, page-turning book with some memorable characters and a good start to a series. I'll be looking forward to reading the next book!

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Whenever Britain is in peril, the Knights of Camelot will return to save it. In a not-so-distant future, forests have almost disappeared, the air is unbreathable, the waters are so polluted even minor deities struggle to survive while entire cities are flooded, contractors and businessmen run the country while Essex had to be sold to China, and a dragon is seen again for the first time in centuries... these are quite clearly perilous times indeed. But Kay, brother of King Arthur himself, is tired and can hardly keep up with all the changes and the wars he has already lived through. Besides, does the world really need knights anymore? Old legends and heroes are not always what they seem and, in this terrible context, the possibility of Arthur's return might be the worst thing yet to happen.

Perilous Times is an interesting mix of Arthurian queer retelling, contemporary fantasy and dystopia. The Britain it is set in appears to be very close to the end of times and was, frankly, quite terrifying. The climate crisis is a central element in this book and the depiction of one of the possible futures awaiting us is handled incredibly well, with vivid descriptions making it feel very real and imminent. This Britain is dark, desolate and poisoned, marred by an excess of individualism and frantic search for profit, with very few elements of humanity and compassion left in sight. It would be easy to despair and depict a bleak future, but the element of resistance is strong in this book, with pockets of hope and characters who just don't give up trying, even when there seems no point in it anymore.

Kay was an interesting main character, and he was quite easy to sympathise with most of the time. He has flaws and plenty of regrets and actively questions his place in the world and his role in history. When he meets Mariam, a young climate activist with a flair for action (and at times destruction), and her friends from FETA (the Feminist Environmentalist Transgressive Alliance, not the cheese), he figures he may just have found his place. That is, until Lancelot returns with plans to stop him. Several other characters from Arthurian legends make an appearance and most of them are not what we have been led to believe. The author's deep knowledge of the mythos and his interest in different interpretations of it shines through in the incredible detail involved. I have a fairly superficial knowledge of the legends, but still could very easily follow without ever feeling like I was being lectured.

Although it may seem that way from the publisher's blurb, this book is not all heavy action, sword fights between old knights and slaying dragons. Sure, there is a fair bit of that (and it is highly entertaining!), but there is also quite a lot of politics and people reflecting on the state of the world and a possible way forward when all hope for the future seems lost. There is also a pretty heavy-handed critique of neo-liberal capitalism and exploitative practices of accumulation and profit, as well as a wry portrait of the fragmentation and inaction of activism and the left. I personally really enjoyed these elements and appreciated the satire, which spared no one (including the "good guys") but it may not be everyone's cup of tea, especially if you're picking this up expecting something completely different.

The whole "hero" narrative is also thoroughly explored, and the very human tendency of absolving ourselves from all responsibilities by finding someone to fix all our problems for us is critiqued throughout. Although it is pretty clear that we're supposed to be rooting for certain characters (hint: not the world-destroying ones), no side is exempt from witty criticism for their actions, inactions and dubious choices, not thinking through the consequences.

Despite having appreciated the more political/satirical elements, as I said, this was also where at times I got a bit frustrated with this book. The message is pretty clear from the beginning, yet it is still not-so-subtly repeated multiple times throughout, making it feel a bit as if we were repeatedly bashed over the head with it to ensure the point comes across. This slowed down the narrative several times and felt very repetitive. The book is also very Britain-centric, not just in setting, but also in references and humour, so I'm sure I missed something there but, despite making me smile in a few places, I never had any laugh-out-loud moments. I also had a few issues with the characterisation of Mariam's friends: I loved seeing a tight-knit, diverse group of friends, but I would have liked for them to have a more central role and to be more fleshed out. As it was, the friends were largely interchangeable, and by the end of the book I still could not remember who was who.

Overall, this was a pleasant read that allowed plenty of space for reflection and more than a few interesting quotes, providing hope in dark times. An urgent reminder of the importance of taking responsibility and the power of community to effect change.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley as part of the blog tour organised by Compulsive Readers. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Well, what a ride this book was! Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a highly evocative and captivating fantasy steeped in Chinese mythology and I was so here for all of it!

I knew this book would be quite something right from the start, where we jump straight into it with a chase scene shortly after the brief introduction. All the settings were gorgeously drawn, with very vivid descriptions (at one point, I could almost smell the flowers!), and the worldbuilding was absolutely on point! This world feels rich and deep, and even though I was a bit confused by all the names at first (alas, a common problem for me with fantasy), by the end I had it all pretty much clear in my head. There were intrigue, drama, politics, secrets and backstabbing, and it was delicious. Plus, dragons!

Xingyin was an interesting main character and I loved watching her grow up throughout the book. Her journey from servant to archer in the Celestial army was a delight to follow, as she finds new ways to make her own fortune, constantly trying to free her mother. I also liked the bond she developed with her study companion - none other than the Celestial Emperor's son. The relationships were probably the best thing in this: be they family relationships, romantic ones or just friendships, they all felt teased out perfectly and given a chance to grow in a way that made sense within the story. There is a love triangle, which I honestly wasn't terribly keen on but it did make sense so I wasn't too annoyed, despite rolling my eyes maybe a few times.

The plot kept me on my toes for a while, trying to guess at all the mysteries and secrets, and there were a few surprises there! I struggled a bit with the pace in certain sections towards the middle that felt a tiny bit repetitive but maybe it had more to do with me being extra tired when I read them rather than it being the book's fault.

Overall, this is a great epic fantasy and a fantastic first book in the duology. I'm curious to see where the story will go next, since most of the mysteries seem to have wrapped up in this one.

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

I loved The Good Place and this was the main reason I picked up this book written by its creator. Michael Schur is a great writer, and it really shows here too. Despite being a book that focuses on moral philosophy and complex ethical theories, this was truly entertaining and accessible and I even laughed out loud a few times after a particularly well-placed joke. It is rich in anecdotes and keeps a nice pace, explaining difficult concepts in an easy and fun way, rich with examples. Several of these were US-centric, as often happens, but enough context was provided so even someone slightly less familiar with US culture could still appreciate them.

I partly listened to the audiobook for this and it was a delight. The author does a great job of narrating himself, plus he borrowed the voices of some of the cast from The Good Place to read parts of this, which was a nice touch.

I had a few issues with the book, mainly around the repetitiveness of certain sections and the evident bias of the author around some issues, even though I mostly agreed with him. Obviously, this isn't a philosophy school text so I wasn't expecting total objectivity but, since a lot of space is devoted to the idea of "moral perfection" and how unattainable (and undesirable) that is, I would have liked to see a little less judgment towards certain people and thoughts, especially in the second half of the book. Or, at least, an acknowledgement that these biases exist and are human, similar to the ones the author included in relation to other issues (which I really appreciated).

Still, this was a really pleasant read overall and the audio made it even more fun. Definitely recommended to fans of The Good Place looking for an introduction to moral philosophy.

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

I love a good mystery (even though I don't read that many anymore), and even more so if any humour is promised so The Satsuma Complex sounded like just the book for me. I received a sampler from NetGalley (although I hadn't immediately realised it wasn't the full copy) and finished listening to it on audiobook on Storytel.

I'm not too familiar with Bob Mortimer and his brand of humour, so I wasn't really sure what to expect from this, but I was in the mood for a light read and to switch it up a little after lots of fantasy books. Unfortunately, this didn't really meet my expectations.

The premise was quite good and I liked the mystery aspect of it, though I won't go into any details to avoid spoilers. I tend to like stories where we don't really know which characters we can trust, and there was plenty of that going on here. However, for the most part, the characters just felt flat. I definitely appreciated the attempt at introducing a wide and varied cast, and there certainly were some colourful characters in there, but to me, they all felt very one-dimensional and I never actually started caring about any of them, which meant the stakes were very low whenever any amount of danger was involved.

I found the main character to be very annoying and... well, just not funny. I did like his relationship with his neighbour Grace and her dog, which I found wholesome and sweet, but he didn't really have much else going for him. I found it very hard to get through the book and was bored for the most part. I really only finished it because it wasn't overly long and I wanted to see if it would improve when everything wrapped up. The ending itself was good, but it didn't really make up for the rest.

This is by no means a bad book; if anything, I found it fairly average, just like Gary: not anonymous, but not memorable either. It probably just wasn't my kind of humour and others may like it a lot more, but this one just wasn't for me.

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

I love opera and I have often thought that more of those stories would deserve a modern retelling, so when I saw this book up for review I knew I had to read it!

Elizabeth Kirtenpepper is a coach and accompanist who loves music, playing the piano, and helping young opera singers find their voice. After receiving some devastating news and receiving a mysterious book, she somehow finds herself thrown straight into The Marriage of Figaro.

I haven't read many time travel stories recently, and I certainly enjoyed that element. So many of the situations Elizabeth finds herself involved in as a modern woman stuck in 18th-century Spain were equal parts terrifying and hilarious. I particularly enjoyed all the humourous elements that were laced throughout! The setting felt very real and the descriptions helped bring the daily routine on Count Almaviva's estate to life.

I also really enjoyed Elizabeth's flashbacks to episodes from her real life as they helped me to truly understand her and give depth to her character and appreciate her growth. There is a big cast of secondary characters, both from the original and some new entries. I liked the character dynamics playing out between most of them, and a few made it all the way to favourites of mine, but I would have liked to see a little more depth to some of the characters who came across as a little one-dimensional.

I had loads of fun with the plot! I was familiar with the story of the original opera, so I wasn't thrown by the large cast, and I really enjoyed seeing all the ways in which the story playing out on page was veering off track… and all of Elizabeth's attempts at bringing it all together. Some scenes were absolutely hilarious, but there was plenty of time for reflection and enough space was left for the painful experiences. There is a healthy dose of musical jargon in here, which I really liked as it helped lend authenticity to Elizabeth's thoughts but, even if you're less familiar with it, fear not for the author included some very helpful notes to guide readers! The major plot points in the original opera are also fleshed out here, so even readers who are unfamiliar with the original or don't remember all the details can fully enjoy this without fear of missing some crucial element.

Although I ended up enjoying the book, I had some serious issues getting into it at first. The pace starts off very slow and there is a lot of setting the scene and introducing the characters in which not much else happens. The book then starts to suddenly pick up the pace until almost flying through the explosive ending. This does tend to somewhat follow the structure of an actual opera, but ended up making some sections very hard to read and struggled to hold my attention for a while. There were also quite a few repetitive passages throughout that contributed to this.

Overall, Elly Uncomposed is a highly original and very pleasant read sure to delight both opera lovers and non-fans!

I received an advance review copy for free via Book Sirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Lady Gwenevere St. James is not the typical prim and proper high society lady one might expect from her title. In fact, she is quite the opposite, much to her mother's chagrin. Gwen is headstrong, independent, well-travelled and knows many things she shouldn't, like magic, artifice and alchemy. And she knows faeries are real and dangerous, something none of her peers in New London want to believe.

When orphans start disappearing from the streets under mysterious circumstances and common criminals are apparently using a rare and new kind of magic, Gwen will stop at nothing to try to save them - even if that means uncovering some dangerous secrets and risking her life.

Vanished is a rich and engaging gaslamp fantasy featuring an unforgettable cast of characters. Gwen, the main character, is a wonderfully independent, strong-willed woman who constantly defies social conventions to do what she feels is right. She has a complicated past and some scars run too deep to ever heal fully, yet she is determined to save the orphaned children who are being kidnapped off the streets of New London, no matter the cost to her.

The rest of the cast is just as well drawn, with every character feeling fully rounded. From tough, mistrusting and unhelpfully handsome inspector Hardwicke to thieving orphans Sally and Sam to all the dwarves, elves and witches who populate the streets of New London, each interaction adds something to the story and stays with the reader.

The world-building was handled very well, providing enough information for the reader to understand how this world differs from ours without ever descending into infodumps or lecture-like exposition. The use of magic and the difference between it and artifice was also explained clearly, and the system made sense. I particularly appreciated the reference to the cost of magic, which is something I often find is missing in books featuring witches but was made abundantly clear throughout.

The introduction of political elements, discrimination of certain categories (such as the dwarves) and the situation of the poorest in society added an extra level of complexity that enriched the narrative rather than slowing it down. The straightforward prose worked extremely well to give a sense of forward movement and action to the whole book, not limited only to the more action-y sequences. The mystery was highly engaging and, although some elements of it were effectively foreshadowed, the ending still held some surprises in store.

Overall, Vanished is an excellent series starter, an engaging and original fantasy perfect for anyone looking for a fantastical mystery in an alternative historical setting. I'll be looking forward to the second book in the series!

This review was originally published on Reedsy Discovery.