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This picked up on a couple of genres that have been fairly well-trod, but was so well written they seemed fresh and propulsive. Helen and Edith were likeable and relatable, and the prose was direct but enjoyable and descriptive. The use of magic was well thought out. I thought the short length benefited the book, it made its points and got in and out.

One nitpick is that a lot of the characters' ages seemed off. Chronologically they were mid-20s, but it feels like Helen was written as older.

The thing that stands out most to be is that it's written so well it leaves you wanting more, but also explains to you why the story's a closed loop, and shouldn't continue beyond what was written.

Even though Helen knew the end, it's not going to stop me from speculating that their story after the book plays out differently. Hey, it's happened before.

Short, fast, intense, and overall a really fun read.

I read this whole book in about two hours. While the beginning didn't really grab me, the clues that led to the twist were there from the start, and I had a really fun time picking them out during the finale. The particular phrases the narrator used were annoying before they became charming, but I feel they lent to strong characterization more than hurt my opinion of the story.

The worldbuilding in this book was really cool. The more I think about the setup of the world and the way the magic system works, the more I want to learn! I especially liked how the author portrayed angels and the idea of heaven, as well as magic practicioners' connections to the morals of the bible.

3.4/5 stars rounded down, might change once I've digested the book a bit more. I recommend it for readers that want a quick, light read to easily finish in a few days, or two and a half hours if they really have the time (like I did lol). Good for lovers of noir romances, murder mysteries, and magic. Happy reading y'all. :)

There wasn't a lot of substance in this book until the final 10%. Other readers have said that they'd reread for the cozy fall vibes, and it is very slice of life, but I wish we learned more about the island and community for those slice of life moments. When the island of Saoirse became a narrator, it made me wish we had more of it's point of view, as a primary aspect of the story's narration is in regard to how much the island is its own separate entity and controls the magic, and the people of Saoirse as an extension.

The plot itself was interesting enough. I didn't think that the characters were very interesting, though Emery got more characterization near the end of the story as more past events were revealed. I was surprised by the ending, the twist that I had guessed (view spoiler) was flipped, and I actually liked that.

2.5/5 rounded down. Reflecting on this book is difficult because again, it had little to reflect on at all. I'd recommend for people who enjoy slow reads with a tiny bit (the tiniest bit) of magic, want to experience the small-town vibes, and have a really relaxed reading experience with some excitement at the end as payoff.

I loved this one!

It's the story of "Piranesi", as written in his diary. Piranesi lives in a place he calls the house, which is filled with halls and rooms, no two of which are the same, and with statues all over the place. There are clouds in the upper level of the house, and water in the lower levels, water which sometimes floods the middle levels. As far as Piranesi knows, he has alwas lived in the house, and the only other person we meet is the Other, who meets with Piranesi once a week, but who's whereabouts the rest of the time are unknown.

The quickly suspects things are not quite as Piranesi describes them, and the rest of the plot consists of Piranesi finding his place in the world again.

I loved the prose and the setting of this one, and there were a number of callouts to C. S. Lewis' works, which thematically fit the work really well.

Abitha is trying her best to fit in to this strange new world, America where she is wedded to a man she never knew until her father sold her off from England. Though not necessarily in love with her new husband there is an affection there, and she does what she can to be a good wife. Her husband's brother is a selfish and greedy man while her husband is often too meek to stand up to him. The villagers are Puritans, and are more realistically portrayed in this work of historical fiction than in the actual history book I was made to study as a child. They are not people who believe in religious freedom, they are my way or the highway kind of people who would sooner shackle you and stone you than let you get away with being 2 minutes late for a sermon, and heaven help you if a lock of hair ever escaped from under your cap! When Abitha's husband is killed, his brother expects Abitha to become his servant. He tried to tell her she was weak, that she did not matter because she was only a woman, he tried to sabotage her efforts, however she was stronger and more powerful than he knew, and with some magical helpers she will have her revenge.

This book is so many things in one. It's horror, fantasy, historical fiction, and a harrowing tale of revenge. It begins in 1666 and has a perfect ending in a 1970s epilogue. It is at times hauntingly beautiful and at others graphic and gory. I loved the way Abitha awakened to her true self.

4 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy.
All of my reviews are posted at wellwortharead.blogspot.com/

Be sure to check trigger warnings before reading this book!

I really like Slewfoot. It’s my first Brom book, but definitely made me want to read more.

Slewfoot is about a woman brought to a Puritan colony in America after being sold as a wife to one of the men there. While Abitha and her husband live outside the colony, they still go to church and are beholden to the morals of the townsfolk there. Abitha pokes at the Puritan religion through the entire book, and I feel it would have been more believable if there were another woman that also had doubts about their religion.

The book started out very slice-of-life, with a dash of horrific imagery and magic here and there. I really liked the magical aspects of this book. The combination of pagan and Christian morals was interesting. I also really liked how the magic was universal, with all of the gods and their followers being one.

However, I didn’t feel comfortable with the portrayal of native Americans in this book. Abitha kills an indigenous man and uses his body as a warning for trespassers. The native communities are glossed over and there is never a conversation about the impact of the Puritans on their culture and way of life. While this may not have been the point of the book, I feel it is still important to address in any colonizer narrative.

2/5 for being fun to read, would be a 4/5 if not for the disappointing glossing over of the indigenous perspective.

TW: Mentions SA

This is the first book by Ava Reid that I've actually enjoyed. While some of what I didn't like from her other works (cough The Wolf and the Woodsman cough) were still present (mainly repetitive prose and weird similes, though after the 60% mark it mostly went away) I ended up really liking the final messaging of the book.

There are consistent metaphors focusing on water, most of which I found incredibly relatable when they referenced Effy's assault. (When they didn't, it felt annoying) Effy's rage paired with how she feels like she's 'drowning' during those periods, feeling like she'll see her assaulter just around the next corner, wow. Though the prose stayed simple for the most part, with patterns to the text in the beginning that were a little bit annoying, I still think the message of female empowerment and overcoming odds that feel suffocating came through beautifully.

There are sections of the book in which Effy is openly bigoted towards her love interest, and that bigotry is never fully resolved. The war with Argant felt more like a thrown-in conflict between Effy and Preston to keep her from getting with him too early on, which is not a good reason to have a main character be bigoted. It felt very odd to me. The war isn't elaborated on much either, it feels more like an aspect of world building. I don't think Effy should have been left with her bigotry unaddressed either way.

2.5/5 stars from me. Would be 4 if not for the odd bigotry plot point. This book is nowhere near perfect, but I personally think it successfully conveys what it was aimed to. Recommended to readers who don't mind flowery script here and there, enjoy seeing protagonists actually grow throughout their story, and like a dash of magic in all the right places.