#TheCityWeBecame by #NKJesmin mini spoiler free book review

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This made me feel like I did reading the Poet Anderson novels by Tom Delonge and Suzanne Young. Set in a gritty and dark New York, an unlikely and diverse group of misfits are thrown together as they take on the different districts that make up the big Apple into each of their souls, gaining some unique abilities in the process. The city needs help from an invading, parallel universe force and these guys want to stop it. They've been a part of the city for all of 5 minutes, but now they are it and they will do what they can. We think.

Really interesting premise - a little slow at times, but really quite tense and for the most part, the descriptive writing really nails the grunge nature that is NYC. Unique, modern sci-fi.


View all my reviews

#TheBoyTheMoleTheFoxTheHorse by #CharlieMackesy mini spoiler free book review

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Super beautiful, heart warming and great to dip in and out of for the occasional hit of life affirmation when you need it. Recommended for everyone, no exceptions.

View all my reviews

#ThisIsHowYouLoseTheTimeWar by #MaxGladstone mini spoiler free book review

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey... love story?

An excellent short book about 2 time travelling, covert warriors battling across time, only to begin leaving messages for one another in extremely intricate ways so as not to get caught out by each ones respective factions.

Not one to read if you can't devote your full attention to it as it will, by the nature of the theme, confuse you. But I found it to be very sweet and moving in the end and would recommend to sci-fi fans and romantics alike.

View all my reviews

#TheFinalRevivalOfOpalAndNev by #DawnieWalton (very) mini spoiler free book review

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So good you'll read it and forget that it's fiction. A superbly told, drama full story of an unlikely folk/punk duo in the 70s as they navigate the scene at the time, dealing with drugs, sex, racism and occasionally, music.

Could not put this down.

View all my reviews

#TheGalaxyAndTheGroundWithin by #BeckyChambers mini spoiler free book review

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Adored this 4th entry in the Wayfarers series. Essentially, a crisis occurs at an interplanetary service station. But really, it's about the various species, personalities, genders or none, coming together to learn about each other, enrich each others lives and support each other during a critical moment that could've gone much worse without this coming together.

I hate the adjective lovely, but this story really is. Please read it.

View all my reviews

#BeforeThecoffeeGetsColdTalesFromTheCafe by #ToshikazuKawaguchi mini spoiler free book review.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really liked both of these books. It's a lovely concept of using a quaint and unique coffee shop to travel in time to meet a loved one whilst having to obey a very strict set of rules.

For some reason, this second entry I found more difficult to get through. It didn't grab me quite as firmly as the first and felt more difficult to read. I occasionally wondered if this was down to translation or whether it's just too similar to the first.

In any case, the stories are still sad, heart warming, frustrating and emotive and it's worth it for the entirely original concept alone.

View all my reviews

#TheVinylDetective #FlipBack by #AndrewCartmel mini spoiler free book review

Flip Back by Andrew Cartmel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another excellent entry in the Vinyl Detective series by Andrew Cartmel. The initial pretence is a little weaker this time, with the quest only taking place so Tinkler can impress his ex, but once things get going it's impossible to resist it's story, location and now familiar cast.

This time, our Vinyl Detective is on the mission for a rare first pressing, flip back cover version of a folk-rock band album, of which all copies were supposedly destroyed at the command of the band's leader before it was re-recorded and rereleased. Naturally, some of these were missed and it's our crews job to try and find a copy.

Of course, it isn't long before things go south, and as they hunt for a record somebody seemingly is hunting our detective hero. A tale full of interesting characters, folk festivals, black magic, murder and...pigs? All with a lovely English seaside backdrop that put me in mind of St Michael's mount in Cornwall (though is actually inspired by Lindisfarne). It's nothing drastically new, but it's a very good story and a complete page turner.

View all my reviews

#WhatAbigailDidThatSummer by #BenAaronovitch mini spoiler free book review

What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another excellent book from the Rivers Of London Universe, this time from the perspective of Peter Grant's cousin, fox whisperer and soon to be apprentice magician Abigail.

With help of the foxes and a new friend, Abigail is investigating the disappearance of a number of kids from the area. Peter's off galivanting on another investigation and no need to bother Nightingale until there's something to report...

The story is great, and what Abigail uncovers is suitably bizarre for the Rivers Of London universe, and takes quite an unexpected dark and twisted turn. This takes place somewhere between Foxglove Summer and The Hanging Tree, along with numerous other expanded universe entries. But even though my memory is so bad (or I read those quite a while ago) I can't place it exactly, I'm so entranced with this faux-London magical universe Ben Aaronovitch has created that it was an absolute pleasure to be back there with something in equal parts familiar and different. Definitely recommended for fans of the series.

View all my reviews