Girish Kumar

This is also a 3.5 star book, but I am willingly giving it half a star more for the opening line and the chapter titles.

I enjoyed this book, despite it being annoying. Annoying only because the previous book ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, and I desperately want the continuation of the main series. This book, annoyingly, takes us to a time right before the previous book - Hawk. Explaining the manor at the end, and the very specific room they meet in.

I think this book blends a murder mystery with the haunted gothic home tropes really well. It brings back Devara, an absolutely delightful character introduced few books ago, and gives us more about her story. We also get more about vlad's past lives and about Verra.

This book does a fair job of adding few more puzzle pieces to the overall story. It only makes me want the next in the main series even more.

Yes, I know the next book takes place even further past in the timeline, and I'm annoyed at it already. But, I love Vlad Taltos so I will read it anyway.

I will be honest, the only reason I was eagerly awaiting the release of these books, and the reason I own them in hard copy, paperbacks is because I absolutely loved the covers.


So JY Yang's Tensorate series begins with two books, novellas really - The Black Tides is Heaven and The Red Threads of Destiny. The two are stand-alone novellas but are the beginning stories in the Tensorate series. One can read them in any order. I began with this one, because Goodreads marks this as the first in the series.

JY Yang is a Non-Binary, Singaporean author and I've loved their short fiction for sometime now, so I was excited to start their new series.

The Black Tides Of Heaven follows twins Mokoya and Akeha- but focuses on Akeha- as they discover their powers and go about their lives. Their mother is something called the Protector, in a very Asianesque, Silk-Punk, Fantasy world, something like a Queen, I assume.

Akeha is sort of a runaway, and Mokoya goes to the Monastery. Akeha, working with the rebels, and the Machinists, develop new technology to try and overthrow the Protectorate. Mokoya, on the other hand, gets visions of the future, and therefore, Mokoya's life is under constant threat. Akeha, therefore, is torn between wanting to take their mother down, and staying in touch with Mokoya.

JY Yang's world building in this series is wonderful, truly striking. I love how they've condensed such fascinating world building in such a short book! The magic and the politics of the world is also amazing. Another thing I liked about this is how much it reminds me of Singapore (where I now live), a mix of several Asian people - Chinese, Indians, Japanese, Koreans.

Given that Yang is NB, I loved the introduction of a society who brings their children up gender free, using the pronouns of “they/them” and then, once they reach a certain age, they can undergo confirmation, where they eventually pick their gender. The children are also given gender free clothing. I really think that's amazing, and its a pretty unique universe that they have created, and it makes me feel so good that such books exist. I really don't think I've read a book with such a society, unless you count LeGuin's Left Hand Of Darkness.

I really liked the story and the characters, and loved how the prose flowed almost like poetry. It's was a very easy read, and I thoroughly lost myself in the world. I can't wait to see where the series goes next! I believe that the second book is Mokoya's part of the story, while this was predominantly Akeha's. I reckon this series will be so much fun!

I might have pre-ordered these books solely for the covers, but I really did end up liking this one, and I think I'll like the other one too.

I picked this book up thinking that I would be in for something light - a beach read. But, damn, was I wrong. Going by the name and the blurb, I really thought I'd be reading some cliched Hollywood starlet and her failed marriages tale; I couldn't have been more wrong.

Okay, let's get into it.
 
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo starts with Monique, a driven reporter with no fame to her name, currently working at a small magazine, Vivant being called upon by an ageing, recluse Hollywood actress. Evelyn Hugo, one of the most famous actress ever, a recluse who has avoided the public eye for years, is finally ready to give an interview but will do so only to Monique. When she actually turns up at Hugo's house, it turns out that she wants Monique, not to write an article as she told Vivant she wanted, but wants her to write Hugo's biography and publish it after she dies. And, within this biography, she is willing to reveal the whole truth about her life and her seven (!!!!) husbands.
 
But, as she begins her tale, we soon realise that it isn't as simple and straightforward as we thought it would be. As we go to her second husband, we realise that Evelyn is, in fact, bisexual, and falls madly and irrevocably in love with her co-star of Little Women, Celia St. James. It is then, that we realise, that these seven husbands that are referred to are nothing but a cover-up tactic for her love for Celia. The book, then, chronicles Evelyn's life as she comes to Hollywood, falls in love and discovers her sexuality and then her relationship with Celia St. James.
 
The characters are so well written in this book. Evelyn Hugo, the star of this novel, is one amazing character. She does have a rags to riches narrative, but her character is so strong, self-assured, determined; she knows what she wants and is willing to go out and do what is necessary to get it. Though, she isn't a one-dimensional character, as a regular rags to riches narrative lends itself to; she is complex, multilayered and has such a depth to her personality, and Taylor Reid portrays that so well through the prose. The way Evelyn talks about her bisexuality, her love for Celia, and justifying to her that she is enough is heartbreaking and touching and so good.
 
Monique, also, is quite the interesting character, because in some ways she is us as we learn about Evelyn. At least, the question that came to my mind as I read Evelyn's story, was echoed by Monique. The way she learns how to go out and get what she wants through Evelyn's story is also delightful.
 
Evelyn's relationship with Harry, her best friend - her gay best friend and, later husband, is so sweet and beautiful. I love that they get married, not because they love each other romantically - they love each other platonically; they get married so that they can have a happy life - Evelyn with Celia, and Harry with Celia's husband. There is also this really nice quote where Evelyn says that everyone thought that they were two pairs of heterosexual couples, but were just a bunch of homosexuals. I thought that that part was just so cute and adorable.
 
I guess that that was my favourite part of the book - Evelyn with Harry and Celia with John while they lived nearby and them having their respective relationships. It gets even better when Harry wants to have a baby with Evelyn - again not because of romantic or sexual love, but because of the platonic love they share for each other. Following that, there is another conversation between Celia and Evelyn about her bisexuality and Celia not being able to give her a baby, which is just so so brilliant. Not many books look at these aspects and it's wonderful to finally read such a thing in literature.
 
Again, I must commend the characterisation of Evelyn Hugo. Yes, she does use her sexuality, but the way Jenkins dramatises it, it is devoid of the male gaze and makes it so much more compelling. The complete absence of male gaze in this whole book is what makes it a much more engaging read. Jenkins portrays her as a strong lead without making her an emotionless machine, like some people tend to do. She had a full range of complex emotions, and that was a joy to read.
 
Another bit of complexity is when, much later in the book, she talks about her relationship with Don Adler, her second husband, with Ruby, his wife after Evelyn, and Monique in the present. The way she describes her emotions towards that whole encounter and Monique judging her without understanding the circumstances is just another example of great characterization. The opinions of a person outside the whole ordeal versus the person who actually went through it.
 
Evelyn Hugo comes off as a woman, a full woman, who has had a life on her own terms gone through heartbreaks and has her fair share of tragedies and really just wants to tell her story to Monique. Even the deaths in the book, it doesn't feel like it has been put there for dramatic effect; we've spent some time with these characters and we get to know them and their deaths feel like a natural end to their story.  Again, not too many books treat their characters with such emotion 
 
Towards the end, we find out why she picked Monique. I must admit, I would've liked to spend more time on that revelation and have Monique react and have a full conversation with Evelyn about it, but that is just me nitpicking.
 
I really loved this book, the treatment of all the characters, and writing and the pacing. Though the revelation that the Goodreads blurb emphasised so much wasn't that much of a focus in the narrative, maybe that is just the problem with the blurb writer and, because of which, I went in with certain big expectations regarding that revelation and I was underwhelmed by it. That aside, the book is wonderful and I finished it under a week.

I gave this book 4 stars, but it's more of 4.5 stars for me. 

The book was simply brilliant. It's been long since I came across such a beautifully written book with such an engaging story. I already feel like reading it again.

I don't usually like YA Fantasy; in fact, I actively avoid anything relating to that particular genre, because, as interesting as the premise may be, it will, inevitably, dive much deeper into the relationships, and how the girl is stuck in a love triangle, or quadrangle or whatever. No doubt, several paragraphs will be spent in describing how steamy the kisses were, how conjoined their bodies were during intercourse, how inseparable they were, how much they loved each other, and how devastated they were when the other died. Then again, my view is very prejudicial. I just don't like the writing.
But man, oh, man this book. The premise was so interesting that I just had to pick it up to read, and as I was reading I was desperately hoping that, with every page I turned, with every new chapter I begun, the character wouldn't fall in love with the nearest hot male character and then ruin the book. I was even willing to risk the love stuff for this book.
The premise is super interesting: there are three sisters, which are split up and given to different “clans” who specialize in certain abilities - the Poisoners, the Naturalists, and the Elementalists. These girls will grow up and learn their respective abilities, and when the time comes, something called Beltane, they will try and kill the other sister and take the throne. The time after the Belatane festival in which one of the sisters attacks one of the others is called the Ascension Year. And whichever sister gets to the throne, the respective clan will, therefore, reap the benefits.
There's nothing particularly brilliant about the prose, but it nonetheless flows seamlessly. We are introduced to each of the three sisters and their closest folk, and we read a lot of rumination on the interesting magic system, and ways and means of killing the other sister through out the book.
The best part? There is only one tiny bit where a sex scene is described in detail, and that is one of the very very few intimate scenes in the novel.
The story is really interesting; I love the world in which they live; I love the magic system; I love the concept that the novel explored. It is really quite unique; I don't think I've ever come across any such novel.
This, though, ends on a cliffhanger that'll leave you wanting the next book immediately. I just cannot wait till later this year for the sequel. ARGH!

The book started off slightly cheesy, and then morphed into a really good, cute and easy read.
As an adaptation of Taming of the Shrew, it's really good!

Mick Herron is three for three in his Slough House series.

Real Tigers starts off with a seemingly random prologue, which only makes sense more than half way through the novel. What Herron does best is set the scene and the world the novel inhabits.

We then watch one of Slough House's own get kidnapped and is then used as a pawn for a much larger game.

This book has such a different vibe than the previous. Since we know these characters know, we watch them deal with their own shit. Especially the after effects of Min's death in the previous book. We learn a bit more about these characters.

In this book, Lamb and River take a backseat to the events, but it doesn't affect the reading of the novel at all. It's just as thrilling and exciting as the others.

I really enjoy Herron's writing style. I will admit the first book is a bit hard to get into, but once you're used to his iconic style you're in for a treat. Herron imbues his novels with such insight and dry humour - some just so smart and well placed that it flies you, and you realise it a second later.

It's an absolute joy to read one of his novels. I loved it.

As Much as I enjoy a breif interval with a side adventure, I think two back-to-back is not ideal. The momentum from Issola, an absolutely wonderful addition to the series, is losing steam. I really wish we could get on with the main line story.

Besides that, I thought this story was fun. Exploring Vlad's family history is always a fun romp. Though, I am not sure how much we actually learn.

And here's yet another stellar book in the Vlad Taltos series by Brust.
This book reminds me of a classic Hollywood caper, something like The Sting. It brings back a lot of characters I've been missing, and Vlad is as charming, wise cracking and smart as ever.

I wish the next book in the timeline would be out soon! I know the next two books in the series take place before the events of this one, so I am dying to know what happens next with Vlad and the Jhereg.

And, I think this may be my new favourite of the series.

I honestly hadn't read the blurb before going into this book. It had just be recommended to me by Goodreads. So I was very pleasantly surprised to find the male lead to be a dressmaker of Indian origin.

I love period romances, and this one had a very intriguing premise and characters. I found the two leads to be quite interesting- a dressmaker of Indian origin and a woman whose passion is riding horses. She's in London, for the season, and decides to enlist Mr. Malik - the aforementioned dressmaker - to make habits and later even dresses for her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the discussion on identity, that of an Indian origin man in London during the Victorian era.

I believe this book sets up a lot of interesting threads that I hope would be broached in the sequels. I am definitely going to pick up the next book at some point.

I can't say I didn't like this book at all. I enjoyed some elements of it.

I had a lot of issues with the pacing, the randomly interspersed non-main character POVs (if they had been better places they would've been much more impactful).

The mystery relating to the main character seemed a bit too weak to be dragged on through Till the end of the book. If that was the main point of the narrative I'm not sure what the whole point was to begin with.

I know this is just the first book, but even first books offer some sort of closure to some threads from the opening. This book delivers on very few of those promises if any at all.

I feel like this book does have a lot going for it, but something somewhere was missing to make the magic work.

At the end of the book, I'm still soo confused about the world building. In my eyes it feels a bit half assed. Sure we are given a massive glossary at the beginning of the novel, but it's hard switching between the book and the glossary to understand what the words mean. There were several instances where the world building could've been integrated into the narrative itself, but it didn't happen.

I'm still so genuinely confused about the magic system, and the point of the dragons and a lot of things about the world. A lot of it feels very haphazard.

I'm not sure if I'll read book 2 whenever it comes out.

If the first one was good, this was absolutely excellent. From the opening page till the final, the book holds your attention with its suspense and mystery and spy craft. The second instalment in the Slough Horses series was so much better than the first.

I'm writing this as I've just finished reading the book, and I find my self still so moved by the final chapter of the book. Sure, the action and everything got over some time back, but the book doesn't forget to give you some emotional moments as well.

I loved this.

I thoroughly enjoyed book 2. More so because I re read the first book just days before it, so the story was fresh in my mind.

I think interfered this book over the first. I loved the plotting and the pacing, I enjoyed the new characters and cameos by some old faces. This book was so delightfully cozy.

It's been a while since I've read a 5-Star book.

I'm not a huge fan of reading horror, because sometimes the horror element doesn't translate as well for me. But, I do enjoy Japanese horror novels - the classic Ring by Koji Suzuki, for one.

This book offers an interesting spin on the horror tropes of Ju-On: The Grude and The Ring. The book has its fair share of horror elements, that's as much fun to read as it woudo eb to watch a good horror jump scare. The plot is fast paced and layered. The characters are well crafted and you want to invest in their journey.

This book has all the best things from a good horror movie, and gives all its characters the respect they deserve.

Firstly I want to thank netgalley and the author for an eARC of this book.

In the last year I have read whatever of June Hur I could get my hands on, and up until this one, The Red Palace was my favourite. I fear there's a new first place contender.

I loved this historical mystery romance. From the opening it reminded me of some of the saeguks I had recently watched. This gave me the vibe of a more elevated Joseon drama - rich young characters, seeped in true historical events with an engaging mystery and a sweet romance.

I thought the book was really well written, and a good mystery at its core. The reveal of the killer was definitely surprising. I liked that they didn't show some of the characters to be perfectly good and above reproach, instead showing them as grey characters with personal motivations for doing the things they want to do.

Up until 90% of the book, it was really really good. It was only the last 10% where I think it got tooo much like a drama. The last 4-5 chapters went past in such a flash, I wished we close sat with the events for a bit, see people's reaction to it before getting to the end. But everything happened so so fast, it was a bit too fast. It felt like a rushed ending.

Apart from the ending, I thought the book was really really good.

So, I don't read a lot of science writing books mostly because the writing can get stale and the tone becomes monotonous; the author will repeat metaphors and facts again and again, for the sake of the untrained, unscientific, casual reader looking for something non-technical. I'm usually very wary of the sciency books I pick to read, so I usually stick to those that I know of very well, or those that come highly recommended. Then too, I can easily get bored.

Now, when you're talking about Particle Physics, it's very hard not to wax technical as the book progresses; it becomes even harder when you have to speak about the experimental aspect of it. While being technical, it is hard to hold a casual reader's interest in the material. And don't even get me started on what it is to talk about Neutrinos.

Ray Jayawardhana is an astrophysicist by trade and after this book, I'm convinced he is a very good science communicator. He has managed to chronicle the tale of the Neutrino - from its inception, all the way till its detection and the experiments that help detect Neutrinos. He weaves in the tales of the scientists involved in it, and crafts a wonderful story that is both engaging and informative.

It really is hard for me to read a science book from beginning to end if it glosses over the technical bits, especially if it is relating to physics, but this book managed to keep me engaged and I learned a lot towards the end. It is fun, after all, reading the stories behind some of the most groundbreaking discoveries in the physics community. If you really like physics, and you're not afraid of technical details, then this book is a good pick!

Mostly I wanted to read this because Vishal Bhardwaj's adaption if it set in Solang Valley comes out in a few weeks. Being the book nerd that I am, I HAD to read the original before the adaption, especially because it is and Agatha Christie novel.

That being said, this book was as classic a Christie novel as it gets. This is one of the few Christie books that I have read without Marple or Poirot, yet it features a classic seance that announces the murder, several red herrings, multiple suspects and false identities.

If you've read enough Christie, you can solve the murder yourself - I think that is the beauty of these classic detective novels. It is a lot of fun playing detective. There are enough clues for us to follow and we can solve the murder along with the detectives in this novel. That doesn't take away from the fun or the suspense that Christie builds.

The Sittaford Mystery is as fun and engaging as some of her best Poirot or Marple. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the Bharadwaj adaption in a few weeks.

There are so many things going on in this book that it'll take me a while to sit down and decipher all of it. A really mesmerising book, and I loved it to the very end.
The characters were really rich, the prose was poetic, and the atmosphere was magical.

Having discovered the Vlad Taltos series this year has been an absolute highlight. I think this book might be my favourite of the 9 I've read.

After being disappointed by the last 2-3 books, i was glad to be back to the main storyline. This time around the Lady Teldra has come to ask Vlad for help in finding Morrolan and Aliera who have gone missing under mysterious circumstances. This leads him to confronting beings that transcend both time and space.

The book effectively builds on the lore of the Dragaerans and the history of their world, pulls at some of the loose threads from previous books as well. It doesn't necessarily bring those threads to a definite conclusion, but it's getting there (one would hope).

Vlad is definitely back to form in Issola. I loved Lady Teldra's character as well. She was an absolute joy to behold and a wonderful addition to the cast.

With every new book, the characters feel more lived in, and so does the world. There may be books in the series here and there that don't have the best story, but the world that Brust has created is a really lovely one.

This year has been very very lucky in terms of reading. I've come across some really amazing books, a lot of them between 4 and 5 stars.
I've read a few Tess Gerritsen books, several years back, mostly because I loved the Rizzoli & Isles TV show. When I read those books, I didn't enjoy it as much because it wasn't like the show at all, and that was my mistake.

The Spy Coast is the first non-Rizzoli and Isles I've read of hers, and I absolutely loved it. The book features a group of ex-CIA operatives living a retired and quaint life in Purity, Maine, when the past comes back to haunt one of them.

I think this book builds the suspense and the thrill of the mystery so well. The characters all feel so lived in, and are just amazing. I love the fact that we are focussing on older spies, giving me a John Le Carre vibe.

This looks like the start of what is to be an amazing series.

For some reason I had deluded myself into thinking this book might be good. Given the track record of the crescent city novels, I should've known that I would be disappointed.

Anyway. Here we are. Another exceedingly disappointing addition to the series. Made even more disappointing burner fav that she squandered what cousins been an amazing crossover opportunity.

On top of that, SJM rehashes her old classic tropes (you'll know when you read the book). It's as if she's not learned anything new in the last few years and hasn't found anything new to write about.


I liked the first 20-25% only because we got to see some of my favourite characters from the ACOTAR novels. But that is all that this book has going for it. Maybe one more thing but that's a spoiler.

Disappointing.

It's been a good long while since I've read a sci-fi novel, and longer yet since I've read a GOOD sci-fi novel.

This one is really amazing. It's just the right blend of science and military sci-fi- the fleet formation and description of the battle were vivid and amazing. I am not always a fan of military sci-fi, but this reminded me of some of my favourite elements of The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey.

I'm glad this book doesn't go into unnecessary meandering. The story is simple, save the fleet from the enemies along with the macguffin - in this case a Key. It doesn't take long for the action to kick in and the journey to begin.

And what a journey this is going to be.

This is more of a 2.5 star book for me, really.

I had really high expectations of this books because in some ways it was a second chance romance by way of coming of age. I loved a lot of aspects of this book, but it took some time for things to happen and I wanted to fast forward some of the sections in between.

I think this is a really really decently book, but I found the pacing a bit lacking. I felt like more could've happened in the course of the book.

It was an okay read though. It was a fine queer coming of age novel. I loved that it brings up some of the messier aspects of coming out at a later age, discovering your sexuality and coming to terms with it.

Finished book 3 the same day I finished book 2.

And the one criticism I had about book 2 was fixed here - we got more Flyte! They still have amazing chemistry and I love seeing them grow together into whatever it is to come.

The book starts with Cassie not being able to “listen to the dead” as she used to. She's lost her super power and must find a way back to it. I felt like that part of the novel should've been explored a bit more. I felt like that got resolved a bit too quickly, that's my only criticism for this book.

The mystery in this, again, was done really well. I loved this book. I think this is my favourite of the three.

I am really loving this series and the characters. Now.. I must wait for book 4

I love the fact that this one picks up threads from the previous one and builds on it. It's still a sequel where you don't necessarily need to have read the first to enjoy it, but if you have the sequel is way more enjoyable. You can already see character development, relationships being formed whether friends or otherwise. And this time we learn more about Flyte as well.

This one looks at the death of cassie's mother and her dad's imprisonment, which was revealed at the end of the previous book.

Like the previous one, the suspense is built so well, and the reveal is hidden amongst multiple red herrings. And think this book does the red herrings really well.

Another book that I've finished in a day because I really couldn't put it down. The characters are just so much fun that you don't want to leave them. If I did have to say something, I wish we could see more of Flyte. I think she is a really interesting character and I love the chemistry between Cassie and Phyllida.