Year: 2021

  • Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

    Pacific Rim meets Handmaid’s Tale in a futuristic Chinese setting. Inspired by China’s only Empress, Iron Widow is the story of Wu Zetian getting revenge on the man and organisation that murdered her big sister.  Her society has been plagued by massive mechanical creatures called Hunduns. To protect their world, society fights back with giant…

  • The Monster of Her Age by Danielle Binks

    Danielle Banks has once again written a soul-touching piece of literature that makes you rethink your own perspective in life. The Monster Her Age follows Ellie Marsden as she deals with the pain and trauma of being hurt by someone you love very dearly and not knowing how to forgive them (or even if you…

  • All the Murmuring Bones by A.G Slatter

    All the Murmuring Bones is the story of Miren O’Malley and how she tries to forge her own destiny away from the pre-prescribe family legacy and path placed upon her by her grandmother.  This novel’s gothic setting was stuff of legends. It was the main drawing card that piqued my interest, but aside from the…

  • Deliverance of the Blessed by A.B. Endacott

    This short fantasy standalone novel delved into a world of magic full of rules and mystery, but what made it a fantastic read was that the magic was not the main plot point, but the actions people make due to grief and how they attempt to move forward with it. In Deliverance of the Blessed,…

  • Heartstopper Volume 4 by Alice Oseman

    Heartstopper is the sweetest graphic novel series celebrating happiness and love between two British boys. If you don’t know the story of Nick and Charlie…well I am quite shocked since they are beloved by essentially everyone in the book community at this point. But in case you really don’t know… Heartstopper is a sweet contemporary…

  • Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadows By Denis Knight & Cristy Burne

    This hilarious new series is perfect for fans of Nevermoor and Artemis Fowl. Our main protagonists Wednesday Weeks rather study science than magic. Unfortunately, her gramps is determined to make her his apprentice.  One day Wednesday is plucked away from her science class by her grandpa– after a science experiment fiasco–to begin her magic apprenticeship…

  • Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

    This beautifully written retelling of the Greek Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur gives voice to the women often forgotten in Greek myths. The story of Ariadne reminds us of the ambition, power, and individuality these women had but were frequently destroyed by men’s greed or ego. “It was the woman, always the women, be…

  • Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars #1) by Elizabeth Lim

    Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim is a fantastic story influenced by the Chinese legend of The Cowherd and the Weaver, the French story Donkeyskin and the Norwegian tale of East of the Sun. Pitch as Project Runway meets Mulan, this novel follows Maia as she disguises herself as her brother to participate in a competition to become the imperial…

  • House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

    It has been a very long time since I read a book in two sittings. I was a bit worried I wasn’t going to enjoy House of Hollow since it was described as a thriller-horror story with a folktale twist. Iris Hollow and her two older sisters are strange. Ever since they mysteriously disappeared in…

  • Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

    Perfect on Paper is a delight contemporary novel of a young bisexual girl who runs a love advice locker. One day she gets caught by one of the school’s popular kids, and he wants to hire her to help him get his ex-girlfriend back.  While I am not usually a big contemporary fan, this novel’s…