Elle Hartford

I'm very slowly making my way through the Nancy Drew books, and this one was more thrilling than I expected! Boat chases, diving, ghosts, explosions–it's definitely an adventure. And the mystery has a few good twists, too!

A fun new addition to the series–mystery meets folklore! Definitely one of my favorite installments yet!

This could be a good cozy for people who really like Shakespeare or NC beaches! There's also a super cute parrot. :)

I have to say though, I personally didn't relate to the characters and found the mystery unfortunately easy to solve [even just saying that is a spoiler, I think]. The amount of anti-cozy and anti-romance sentiment felt unnecessary. I can see it being a fun twist for a cozy protagonist to have that attitude, but only if it's handled with humor; otherwise it can feel like the author is dissing the reader. But I can see how humor might not have been an option because the murder hit pretty close to home, which I also wasn't super comfortable with. Overall, I was hoping for a lot from this cozy, but the threads didn't quite come together for me.

I lived the fairy element in this story; it felt like the rules and system of being a fairy could have their own series! It was actually the human characters I felt less connected to. That said, though, the mystery had some nice twists, and the ending was very satisfying!

I enjoyed the voices in this narrative, but I have to admit I enjoyed even more the annotations that happened to be handwritten in my copy, haha. The movie definitely managed to capture the same tone, in my opinion, so if you've seen it, you know what you're in for!

This was more of a 3.5 for me if I'm honest. I loved the setting and the cats! And I liked the characters, aside from their sleuthing. My problem was they made a lot of decisions that were super audacious or risky, and the main character in particular frequently made the same mistakes (going off on her own when she's repeatedly been set up, etc). I just found her behavior baffling at times, enough to throw me out of the narrative. And the conclusion felt a bit abrupt.

All in all, I did enjoy the story, but it didn't quite live up to my hopes. I'd recommend this to folks who love bees, cats, or the Pacific Northwest because it still has a lot of great cozy feel, but you have to be forgiving with the heroine. :)

I loved this twist on fairy tales, and the self-assured attitude of Bry–not to mention her friendship with Elle. I'm not sure I'll continue on with the series, but this was a fun and twisty YA romance!

A nice translation with notes and a helpful glossary. I enjoyed it, but the stories are a bit dense (aka pretty typical for their original time period, the 12th century!). I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point for someone unfamiliar with Arthurian stories, but it's interesting reading for someone who's read other versions of the myths and wants to go more in-depth!

The Irish Murder mysteries meet the locked room puzzle!!

I loved the mystery in this one! The whole set up with the suspects being poker players added to the fun (and sometimes, the frustration, haha). Plus, the recurring characters' relationships were so satisfying to see as they evolved . . . no spoilers though ;)

Moving on to the next one asap! :D

Just lovely!

It did take me a while to get a feel for Linus, I will admit–I found the intersection between ‘company man' and ‘optimist' and ‘wry humor' a little tough to keep up with at first. However, as soon as he gets to the island, things snap into place. The children are, after their various first impressions, wonderful; and the adults are intriguing. I loved their Saturday adventures and trips into town especially! The dialogue deals often and very directly with issues of prejudice, stereotypes, etc; but it was the relationships between the characters that really left a lasting impression on me. The ending was perfect!

I loved the inclusion of the Writers Museum in the plot! The interplay of history and present mystery was such fun.

I love Amanda Flower's other series, though this is the first Amish cozy I've read. It was very enjoyable and even as an outsider (Englisch!) I was able to follow along! The protagonist was super likeable, and the goats are really fun. I had a suspicion about the murder, but didn't figure out how all the pieces fit together until the very end. All in all, it was an interesting mystery!

I'd give it 3.5 if I could. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone with an interest in Dublin!

I think my problem was mainly that it was the kind of mystery where you really can't have any idea who the murderer might be until they've already revealed themselves. It was an interesting expat story, but throughout the actual mystery, the clues were a bit too thin for me to enjoy trying to solve the puzzle.

It's a bit dated now, of course, but I enjoyed the thought given to different types of fairy tales and how fairy tales relate to other kinds of stories!

Great for Jane Austen lovers! I myself always preferred Bronte, so I skimmed some of the conversations about Austen novels I care less about xD As a story, this was a fun historical read that came together nicely in the end.

A very enjoyable historical mystery!

I was taken aback at first because the POV switches, but once I knew to expect that, it was fun to see the different perspectives. Lots of colorful characters in the cast, and a classic setting! :)

A very complex and inventive plot that wrapped up several interwoven threads. I did see one of the big clues coming, but I enjoyed watching the characters unravel everything else!

I had my suspicions all along, but as usual, the conclusion included some twists I didn't foresee! The final piece of evidence was pretty specific, but it was interesting to see how it played out. Overall the story was satisfying! And I really enjoyed following some of the side characters in the story.

I actually hadn't read any of the other books in the series, but I was able to pick this one up just fine. The author gave a very thoughtful note at the beginning about historical context, and it seemed to me the world was very carefully drawn. That said, it did take some time before the action really started, and even longer before the murder. And then the wrap-up was a bit abrupt. Nonetheless, I enjoyed our narrator very much, and this was a fun vacation read!

I really liked the premise of this book and the interplay of the different nations' histories. However, I struggled a bit to keep up with the present-tense omniscient narration.

For example – sometimes I couldn't tell which character was the central point of focus (and I know sometimes that was on purpose, but other times it was just confusing). And though the story is in present tense, it jumps around (especially at the beginning) so the start of some chapters is actually in past tense as it catches you up to speed . . . which felt unnecessarily complicated to me. But maybe those are things I notice because I spend so much time writing!

There are also some pretty dark backstories for all the main characters, so I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who can't stand child endangerment or violence (I have a friend who is that way!).

All that said, this could be a good beach thriller for folks interested in historical puzzles and conspiracies!

I loved Greek myths growing up, and these retellings certainly do the stories justice, in my humble opinion. :)

The highlight for me was definitely the budding relationship between Kate and Charles. Beatrix Potter was also a very fun character, especially since this author team also has another series centered around Beatrix Potter's world!

This is definitely an academic book – heavily cited, organized, and a bit dense at times – but in my opinion it's still interesting to the casual reader because of the quotes & insights from notable figures at the time! I'd recommend this to anyone looking to dive into the 1840s and the book world in particular. It was fun to see that no matter how much things change, some themes remain the same!

This was a re-read. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy Amelia! The whole adventure was pure wish fulfillment for me, as a former archaeology student. ;)

That said–I'd also forgotten how the tension drags on a bit, haha. And I adore Evelyn, but her scruples–though probably time-appropriate–do get a bit frustrating. I hadn't remembered much of the plot, but midway through I did remember the solution (or maybe I've gotten better at guessing? xD) and came to my conclusion quite a bit before Amelia and Emerson did.

Still, though–I thoroughly enjoyed being swept away by this book, and the characters are lovable for all their flaws. I look forward to continuing the series!

Read this book. Seriously! I loved it!! This was my introduction to Becky Chambers, and I am absolutely looking up all her other books now. This book was a wonderful, gentle, welcoming perspective on life and purpose, with an absolutely lovely conclusion.