Lightfall – The Girl and the Galdurian by Tim Probert
Rating:
Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.
I can’t remember why I found this book so interesting, but it was on my wishlist for ages until it suddenly had a price reduction and became affordable alongside the fact that there’s now a sequel out too! So I bought it and I am so glad I did.
Let me start with the artwork which made me want to move into the woods and just live there with the characters, but it was also keeping really into the story and marvelling about everything. Then there are our main characters, Bea who is the adopted daughter of a pig wizard (adorable I tell you, and the ideas are so cute and make me smile), and Cad a Galdurian which is somehow supposed to be extinct but isn’t and this is confusing.
The whole adventure goes from “oh hey I am going to collect herbs” to epic levels quickly and to me the favourite part was that Bea has anxiety and enrves and mental health loitering and this shows beautifully int he art, you can understand how she feels, and relate to her and the situation being so overwhelming.
I think the one thing I wish I had gotten a better view of , is Cad mind, just a little bit and a bit more about the world before this, but it does go at a relatively active pace that starts slow and goes quicker untilw e get to the end of the story and now you want to read more.
Oh and the Pig Wizard grandfather figure kinda disappears, thre’s a bunch of cut interesting creatures and a lot fo epic journeys and saving the world and yet also a lot of “humanity” and kindness.
Cute story to be read together with a child, or just on your own when you need a little bit of hope and your brain is doing circles in a wheel that ti shouldn’t be running over and over, but still keeps doing. Soothing overall, and you will want the next book at the ready.
Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing an Illumicrate subscription, you can do it on their website.
Illumicrate is a book subscription box, it usually features fantasy and sci-fi but not exclusively young adult, sometimes it features adult too. It usually contains a new release, a pin and several bookish goodies.
In this blog, you are never too late, you’re just travelling through time because I am totally not behind in my unboxings and my blog wasn’t offline for a while due to server issues outside of my control. Instead, you get you to enjoy what was inside this box and not feel like they are spoilers!
Starting from the leaflet at the bottom and going clockwise:
Leaflet with contents and makers.
The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew, with very pretty edges as usual.
Underneath, slightly bunched up but soft as anything and very pretty, Moth Amongst Dreamers blanket.
The next teacup and saucer set, this time for the Underworld.
There was also a papercraft design that did not come withe the box and was sent afterwards.
Cable ties, which are cool designs and not just cute.
Overall, I have a love of blankets, particularly in blue so this was one gorgeous and I am happy with it. The cable ties are handy, and I do like teacups and saucers even if I don’t have enough space for them which is a shame. I still live in hope of more dessert dishes like they sent last time because those I could use everyday or some cereal bowls, soup bowls, something like that. I admit that I have fear of ruining pretty things and haven’t tackled the papercraft yet, but I am slowly making my way through my hobbies pile and hopefully will get to it at some point.
The life-changing magic of a little bit of Mess by Kerri Sackville
Rating:
Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.
Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.
As someone who is chaotic and embraces it, this book felt right for me. So when Harper360 offered it for a review, I accepted. It was intriguing. And I wasn’t sure what to expect, would it actually save my life telling me chaos is the one way? Or was it actually going to try to reduce my level of chaos?
Turns out that this was all about having a little bit of fun and also, about learning that sometimes the mess is just you know, inevitable and there are other important things in life to prioritise over cleaning.
If you come to this book expecting perfectly amazing cleaning guidance and detailed how-to guides to achieve a magnificent balance of mess and cleanliness, this is so much not the book for you. But if you are a bit confused about how influencers seem to be living their best life with minimalism and spotless houses when you barely can keep up with life, then this may be a bit of comic relief and validation that mess is not that bad.
The main reason I didn’t give it full stars is that it does a little repetitive the kind of humour and it sometimes feels overdone, or becomes a bit less funny and more “oh you again”, but there is some good advise in that maybe not keeping the perfect pristine house isn’t the end of the world and being ok with having a house you can live in,m and noticing that you are balancing, work and maybe a family, and trying to keep healthy and everything else one is meant to do, it is hard to also keep a house perfectly clean.
For me, who has days of bad body movement where I knock tea cups (normally over my desk or my hobby area, trust me it is not fun), or days where standing requires a lot of effort, so tasks are hard and I decide to rest instead of pressuring myself, it was validating, but it also reminded me that the little hacks I’ve done don’t make me less of a good person or homekeeper. There is no moral value to keeping a pristine home. So buying a robot hoover (Chaos Bot even has a personality) to cope with the dirt and mud downstairs, or a cordless hoover, and a handheld little one because that means you can tackle each of the tasks in small amounts isn’t a bad thing.
So overall, validating, interesting, not advise on how to keep the perfect house, but also, the humour can be a little bit much (do consider I don’t read a lot of humour or comedy, but this book felt like something I should read and it was good to read).
Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.
I cant remember what made me pre-order this book, since I have been limiting my preorders a lot, trying to only buy a few preorders and read through my backlog, which is honestly terrifying. But I am glad I did.
Hungry Ghost takes is through the story of Valerie, who since she was young has felt the pressure to be perfect. And perfect is not just good grades, and being a good daughter, but being thin. And being thin comes at a cost which turns into purging and binging.
The story explains a little on why there is this pressure, and family dynamics, but you also learn a lot about Val in the way she interacts with her best friend Jordan.
I have to say that I enjoyed the art a lot and it lend itself to the story beautifully, each bouncing off the other and making it into a gorgeous graphic novel. The details are lovely, there’s a lot of keeping to a few nice palettes and themes, and there is joy in this work despite the topics included.
This leads to the fact that this is a book with a few content warnings, some of which be spoilers but still, my advise is to come at it knowing there is grief, toxic projections from a parent and of course eating disorders which then touch on fatphobia and similar issues. Still, it was nice to see Val journey through confronting her own “demons” and what her mind has created out of what everyone else has said to her, and the shape it has taken.
It also makes you question where you get your value and if chasing things like thinness or perfection truly brings you the happiness needed or if is it a failed attempt before you even start? Honestly, I breezed through this one and just felt enthralled by it.
One last thing is that it shines in showing that relationships in many ways, shapes and forms can be complex, and sometimes love is shown in a huge variety of ways, and sometimes someone only knows how to love in a certain way and all we can do is do our best to bridge the gap and show them how to love us in a way that suits us better. It is easier when you stop seeing everyone as the enemy and start understanding that we all have our own things that have shaped us to show love in a certain way. It doesn’t justify things, but it means you understand better and you try to love others better but also love yourself and know your boundaries, and be kinder to others.
I recommend it is a wonderful story with good depth and fascinating art.
What it is: A box by MIND to provide you with an activity for your mental well-being or me time and to also support their work.
Where to get it: The website is extremely basic, but you can donate/subscribe here.
Let me start this post by saying that this is the first box of the series they have made, and there is obviously a lot of effort into reducing costs or keeping it “simple”. Be aware of this and set your expectations because the point for me was to donate to MIND and also get a subscription box that would make me take some time from my routine and maybe do something for me.
When I subscribed it almost made me doubt since all I got was a direct debit confirmation email and nothing else. I also didn’t get a dispatch email or anything, so the box was a complete surprise. It arrived last week and I kept it aside to do whatever came in it during the weekend, as it was going to be a hectic one.
As much as there is a lot of simplicity, I appreciate it. The box was tidy, small and had a couple of cards with quotes and suggestions. In this particular one it is to READ a book which is an easy ask for me. It also comes with a little mini booklet about MIND and the box. There was a mini notebook to almost journal in it or something which I appreciated.
Then there was the actual “craft”. I will admit that before this box I had never made a pompom in this way (my approach would be more like a tassel) and so I was happy to give it a try. So I did and broke some scissors (they are the only thing pictured that wasn’t part of the box) because I read the instructions and apparently decided I had to do everything super ultra tight and therefore it was almost impossible to actually cut the yarn which is not a phrase I thought I’d use. It also didn’t help that by the time I was doing this, I had rope burn on my hands unrelated to the activity and they were seising a little. I guess that does tell you that the craft was good enough to do even on a bad health day.
I have to tell you that I find my pom pom bookmark so fun, it kinda bounces a little so I just use it almost like a whip with a “heavy” ball at the end and whack my table, the sofa, etc. It releases stress and hurts nothing and no one and just makes me giggle.
So where am I going with this? I think that for £7.50 it is a wholesome thing, it was a lot of fun, very simple but soothing and I have a stress relief bookmark that makes me smile. The recommendation is to not make it too tight on the yarn and there won’t even be any broken scissor handles.
Consider subscribing, as it goes to mental health charity and to your own wellbeing.
Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.
Between the fact that this was written by Laura Weymouth who has a way with nostalgic, emotion-heavy interesting books and the fact it was usually put in lists alongside Mexican Gothic due to the whole sentient houses vibe, I had to read this book.
The start sets us on the life events that will change Violet’s, also goes as Vi, life and take from the comfort of the life she thinks she will have to depending on the hopes that she can return to that life. And then we get to the return, why she is coming back and the conditions on which she is.
I will start by saying that I struggled a little with Vi through most of the book. She was a well-written character but she was also incredibly frustrating with her hyper-focus on the need to be a Caretaker, ignoring so many other things and at first not really providing good motives beyond “this is what I should be doing” and hanging on what ifs and hopes from the past, to slightly extreme points. This kept frustrating me because at times I just wanted her to sit down, realise how much she had achieved outside of Burleigh and just you know, do something with it.
However, as the story progresses, we do find out and understand her motives better, which meant that by the time we come close to the end I was not frustrated with her anymore. I still didn’t agree with some of her choices but I saw them in a better light. So, I do warn you that if you expect a perfectly polished character that will do what you want, this isn’t it.
However, this is definitely a dark and interesting book about grief, and about agency. It tackles in some ways the definition or idea of what one is destined to do and if our destiny really is what we think or not, and if we can reshape it or ignore it. But not only that, it works on trying to understand why we do things sometimes for that destiny or against it and what agency we have.
I liked the story, and think it could have had more lore, more of the story of Burleigh and the houses, of how Caretakers and magic worked a little more padded up because I wanted to know more about how this universe worked. And I did love the idea of how far Vi is willing to go and what that means for her.
Overall, I would say this is a gritty book, with a main character that has a lot of ideas of who she ought to be and what the perfect future is, and who then has to grapple with reality and challenges that she didn’t expect alongside a magical house and a minor cast of characters. I recommend it for the emotional background and interesting approach to grief and magic. Alongside some other items, I would rather not mention much because it would be spoilers but that became very interesting including the King and the bond on houses and that part of the lore.
Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing an Illumicrate subscription, you can do it on their website.
Illumicrate is a book subscription box, it usually features fantasy and sci-fi but not exclusively young adult, sometimes it features adult too. It usually contains a new release, a pin and several bookish goodies.
We knew Babel was going to be part of this box, and gosh, it did not disappoint, plus a dark acamdeia or “academia” kind of box can be a hit or a miss, so let us see what this had for us:
Babel by R. F. Kuang. You can’t see it in the picture but it has stunning edges, the box to keep it is absolutely amazing and it blew me away as an edition. One of my favourites.
Reading Journal Planner, design is stunning, however I am not big on reading journals or planners at all, so this was a bit like a miss in functionality but win otherwise.
Split apart, but a bookmark set for Babel’s characters which is nice but I am not huge on bookmarks of characters.
A writing workshop enamel pin which is very bunny themed and wen tot my sister who loves rabbits.
The monthly leaflet with all the details on what was inside the box and vendors.
Dark Academia stamp set which is one of those that I find odd in how the set is created, win for those who love journalling but not so much for me.
And finally a pen holder with a dark design which is a good win. I like them when you can extend them so they can be a holder while you travel.
Overall it was a mixed box for me. The book was the absolute winner here, but a lot of the content was focused on journalling and therefore not as much for me, however I can appreciate it being cool and therefore enjoyed it.
Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.
Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.
Welcome to a late blog tour entry since the post delivered this a little too late for me to make it on the actual day I was scheduled to post it. But, fear not because I still set up a picture of it and started reading the book, which quickly became a devouring the book (no, I did not stay up until way past 2 am reading, absolutely not…)
Anyway, I shall say that I adore Taishi and the relationship with Jian is full of chaos and I totally loved it.
Now onto more coherent stuff. The book reads a little like a cinematic script, not in a way to say it isn’t fleshed out, but rather that it is written so you can almost see the shots, the way the camera pans in or out, the specific angles, you can hear the voices of the characters in your head. Which leads me to absolutely insist that Michelle Yeoh play Taishi because it is a perfect cast, and in my head a version of her is totally Taishi. This whole casting in my head led to me deciding to rewatch Everything, Everywhere, All At Once (if you haven’t seen this film, stop, and go watch it, mind-blowing, each rewatch just adds extra flavour to it).
In case you hadn’t noticed, I enjoyed this book a lot, it is a fun fantasy book, with a lot going on for it. I do admit there where two things I struggled a little with. One, the Sea Grass. My brain could not for the life of me comprehend it. I would read bits and pieces about it and the scenery and think I understood it, and then a few chapters later go “wait, I thought it worked like this”. I think some of it is because of the whole cinematic style of writing that was so into shots and stuff, that the descriptions and overall way of presenting it could have been a little more cohesive, but once it did click for me, which was about half way through the book, it starts making a lot more sense, and not fully grasping it isn’t the end of the world or takes away from experiencing the book.
The second thing I will admit is that because of how fascinating, funny and everything the whole Taishi and Jian parts of the plot were, the other subplots suffered for it. For example, Sali is super interesting, but by the time she’s introduced, and this isn’t too far into the book, pretty early on, I was wanting to go back to Taishi and Jian than learn about her. And this is not exactly that her story is boring or not good, it is just a very different dynamic and paled in comparison, which felt like treason to her because she is bad ass and doing a bunch of stuff which I do not want t spoil.
But overall the book was really fun to read, I kept wanting to go back to it and really visualising it happening. If you want to summarise it, a lot of it is about asking yourself about your beliefs and what you’ve been brought up to believe about yourself and the culture you are steeped in. Yes, there is a lot of badass fighting, martial arts and magic and interesting prophecies, shenanigans and the lot, but to me, at the core, it explored identity once it is stripped from you and what ends up defining who you are, or how the characters figure who they are when what they thought they knew isn’t truly who they are.
It reminded me of growing up and getting to a point where I had to ask myself what I truly wanted, and if those wants were my own, of what had been planted in my mind from childhood by my parents, culture and expectations from society. It is a crucial point in your life where you truly look inside yourself and have to confront the truth, unravel the you that makes your core from the things that have been said you would do, be or accomplish.
Anyway, I got a little philosophical just from reading a book, so my review is that if you like Michelle Yeoh, Jackie Chan (particularly some more obscure films rather than the super ultra mainstream ones) and similar, you should read this book, it is really fun, and might also hit your philosophical pondering a little.
I can’t wait for the second one and I am really curious what will happen to all of them.
Welcome to The Luminaries blog tour, in which you discover all the clans and maybe a new book to entice you into this universe.
The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
Rating:
Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.
Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.
I remember when Susan Dennard was tweeting the follow your own adventure tweets and so when The Luminaries was announced, I was very excited for it! I wondered if it would stick to the ending and the path we had “chosen” for our characters, or if things would change, what would be kept, what would go?
As I read The Luminaries I can say that overall, it retained the same feels of that choose your own adventure twitter thread. However, it lead to character development, and to pondering choices, maybe even lengthening the story or something, and you can see hints of that. The story is the same and yet it is also, very different. This difference was at first hard to adapt to, since I was expecting the same feel of the “snippet” I had read, but a thread on Twitter is very different than a proper book and novel.
However, Winnie and Jay still are the same in their own way, and the overall feel was kept through and I loved that. Once I got past the initial oh this is a little different, I started to fall in love with this story, with how much Winnie was trying and how circumstances just seemed to be and no spoilers, but wow.
The characters were fun to read, there is a big focus on relationships, belonging and peer pressure and in part also on that small town/village feel and that closeness or otherness and what makes one part of it or not.
The ending was quite interesting and leaves a lot to find out plus a lot tied in, at least on of the main plot points that the book starts with is resolved, and the overall running one that will tie the rest of the books is there but we get some more information on it. Believe me that it is hard not to squeal about everything that happens and so the best I can say is “you need to read it!”
Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.
I bought this as it looked interesting and a catboy sounded like an interesting premise. Basically we follow Olive who is lonely and wishes her cat Henry would become her best friend. This turns Henry into a “human” catboy which is hilarious and oddly weird.
For the most part, Henry is very much a cat and this is hilarious, even if it is weird or frustrating for Olive, like he doesn’t care if he’s wearing girl clothes despite being a boy cat (gender norms? what are those?) but at times the interactions were a tiny bit creepy and I did not enjoy reading the, they felt like they had been written to be funny but read more cringey and a little bit too much, so I am taking some foxes away for that. I think the concept would have bene better without those as the overall story is about being more confident, what friendship and being yourself means and similar things, so slightly creepy things weren’t necessary and did not add to a light humour touch.
The art is ridiculously cute and works well with the story, so on that part it is a big win.
Overall a cute story that lost a little bit due to odd parts of it with very cute and fitting art.
