Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of the most prolific authors we currently have working in science fiction and fantasy. In the last few months alone, I have read his last doorstopper sci-fi novel The Doors of Eden (released in Fall 2020, mini review here) and the novella One Day All This Will Be Yours (review here) which was one of the funniest things I’ve ever read. He writes spanning the breadth of the genres, and always at high levels of quality. So I was thrilled when I was offered a review copy of Shards of Earth by the lovely Black Crow PR and UK Tor. All opinions are my own, and if you’re intrigued, I’m doing a flash giveaway on Twitter for an Adrian Tchaikovsky bundle today!

RELEASE DATE: 27/05/2021

STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶

SUMMARY: Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade his mind in the war. And one of humanity’s heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers.

Eighty years ago, Earth was destroyed by an alien enemy. Many escaped, but millions more died. So mankind created enhanced humans ­such as Idris – who could communicate mind-to-mind with our aggressors. Then these ‘Architects’ simply disappeared and Idris and his kind became obsolete.

Now, Idris and his crew have something strange, abandoned in space. It’s clearly the work of the Architects – but are they really returning? And if so, why? Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy as they search for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value, and many would kill to obtain it. (from UK Tor)

OPINIONS: This is epic space opera the way it should be written. It is compelling, well-paced and interesting. 550 pages of action in space. I really enjoyed reading another Tchaikovsky, and I am looking forward to seeing where this series goes. Grand scale intergalactic war, yes please. I’m usually far more of a fantasy person than a sci-fi reader, but I will always make an exception for Tchaikovsky.

The architects are a true menace to the world as we know it – giant entities capable of reforming space. Earth has basically exploded years ago, and now the threat seems to be reforming. Idris – an intermediary, a sort of superhuman capable of piloting ships faster than light speed – and his crew are on a mission to figure out what is going on. And I just want to give all of the characters in this story a big massive hug. Humanity is on the brink of extinction and the exhaustion of the characters is palpable.

There is a lot going on in Shards of Earth, and I for one am grateful for the inclusion of a glossary and timeline at the back of the book. I feel like I already want to reread the book to get even more out of it now that I know about those aids (because, obviously, I’m too silly to go check in the first place). But it’s a great sign that the story captivated me so even if I was a bit confused at times and wasn’t fully sure of what was going on.

Add Shards of Earth to your Goodreads here, and order a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).

You know a book is good when a friend makes you send it to them before you even manage to review it. Heartbreak Incorporated is such a fun urban fantasy with paranormal romance elements. If you’re into that kind of thing, this is a must read!

Massive thanks to Hanna Waigh and Rebellion for sending me a review copy – all opinions are my own.

RELEASE DATE: 24/06/2021

STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶

SUMMARY: Evie Cross had big dreams of becoming an investigative journalist but at 25 and struggling to make it in New York City, she’s finally starting to admit that her dream is her side hustle and her day job is actually… her job. That is, until she signs on as a temp for a small consultancy whose principal, Misha Meserov, specializes in breaking up relationships. Misha is tall, infuriatingly handsome, and effortlessly charismatic—he can make almost anyone, man or woman, fall into bed with him. And he often does.

But the more Evie is exposed to Misha’s scandalous world, the more she becomes convinced that he’s hiding something… when a wealthy San Francisco tech CEO with a dissolving marriage starts delving into the occult and turns up dead, Evie has to decide between her journalistic desire for the truth and her growing desire for Misha. (from Solaris)

OPINIONS: Remember the urban fantasy/paranormal romance boom of the early 2000s/2010s? Because, I do. And those books are a large part of the reason why I stuck to reading predominately YA for a very long time. Heartbreak Incorporated both is and isn’t like that – it has the fun and irreverent elements of classic books from that genre, but it avoids quite a lot of the more frustrating tropes that put me off them. This is smart and character-driven, and DOES NOT fall into the alpha male trap – even though the love interest could easily serve as one. In short, Heartbreak Incorporated is exactly the kind of fun book to get me enthused about paranormal romance again.

Can we talk about the concept hook? An agency that breaks people up. It sounds so cliché and out there, but it is very well done – Alex de Campi has really managed to turn this into a smart story aimed to entertain.Oh, also, this is queer. It’s not super out-there, but there are a number of different elements that make it so (not going to actually mention them to avoid spoilers). And generally, I really enjoyed the characters. Misha is such a loveable idiot, and Evie is VERY relatable. I mean, how much more relatable does it get than struggling to make ends meet in your twenties, pursuing your dream and somehow working more on other things?

I really enjoyed Heartbreak Incorporated, and have already been yelling at many of my friends about it. It is compelling, fast-paced, and while it doesn’t have the most unique plot, it doesn’t need to. Evie and Misha are strong enough leads to carry it through any weaknesses the book has, ensuring a great reading experience.

Add Heartbreak Incorporated to your Goodreads here, or order a copy via Bookshop here (affiliate link) if you too want to be seduced by Misha.

This year is really blessing us with the folklore-inspired fantasy novels. And The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid is ready to compete with the best of them. I also really enjoyed The Second Bell by Gabriela Houston, and am super excited about For the Wolf by Hannah Witten. Forest-y, folklore-y fantasy galore, and I hope you’ll join me on this journey.

Many thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC, all opinions are my own.

RELEASE DATE: 08/06/2021

STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶

SUMMARY: In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. When soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a pagan girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered.

But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive en route, slaughtering everyone but Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he’s no ordinary Woodsman – he’s the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power. Gáspár fears that his cruelly zealous brother plans to seize the throne and instigate a violent reign that would damn the pagans and the Yehuli alike. As the son of a reviled foreign queen, Gáspár understands what it’s like to be an outcast, and he and Évike make a tenuous pact to stop his brother.

As their mission takes them from the bitter northern tundra to the smog-choked capital, their mutual loathing slowly turns to affection, bound by a shared history of alienation and oppression. However, trust can easily turn to betrayal, and as Évike reconnects with her estranged father and discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gáspár need to decide whose side they’re on, and what they’re willing to give up for a nation that never cared for them at all. (from Del Rey)

OPINIONS: This is simply a wonderful story. It is not an easy read – it addresses trauma, both personal and that of social groups – but as a whole, it packages them in a story that is a delight. Ava Reid’s debut is lyrical, compelling, heart-breaking at times and like with many of the great books that I’ve been able to read and review this year, I already have a finished copy organised and I am looking forward to re-reading it in its finished form.

I devoured The Wolf and the Woodsman – I think I read it in a little more than a single sitting. It is an addictive story with strong worldbuilding that draws the reader in. And I loved Évike as a main character. She is stubborn and gives few shits about what others want for her. She stands up for herself, her family and her people. And Gáspár is a soft boi hiding behind a tough shell – I don’t read a lot of m/f romantic stories these days, but this was one that I found worked really well for me. I definitely need more of Ava Reid’s writing and nuanced approach to trauma and social issues.

The story has a strong Jewish element – and with that I mean both in terms of Évike finding her father and his community, finding a place to belong, but also a community that struggles against prejudice, against prosecution. But ultimately, the book’s message is one of hope. And that is, I think, a large part of why it deals so well with difficult themes. I highly recommend this one.

Add The Wolf and the Woodsman to your Goodreads here, and order a copy via Bookshop here (affiliate link).

TJ Klune has been publishing for a while, but he only really showed up on my radar with The House in the Cerulean Sea (one of our Subjective Kind of Chaos nominees!). And while I loved that one, I’d say that he levelled up with Under the Whispering Door. It takes the cosy atmosphere of Cerulean Sea, and adds further depth to it by discussing death and the afterlive(s). I should say at this point, Under the Whispering Door comes with a massive trigger warning of death, self-harm and suicide. If those are topics that cause you discomfort or might trigger distress, please avoid reading.

Massive thanks to Tor and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC, all opinions are my own.

RELEASE DATE: 21/09/2021

STAR RATING: 4.5/5 ✶

SUMMARY: When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days. (from Tor)

OPINIONS: If the trigger warnings I mentioned above don’t put you off this, please, please pick this up. It is amazing and beautiful and it talks about tea so much – and tea is the second best thing when you need to feel better (the best thing being a good book). Hugo is the most adorable cinnamon roll character and I love him to bits. Its not his story, first and foremost, but he is what made me fall for it. Because Wallace is a DICK. A huge self-centred dumbass. And that is his main story arc. Coming to terms with who he is and growing into someone bigger and better than himself. He’s the kind of person who fires an employee because they made a tiny mistake after twenty years at the company with no second thought.

But all that changes after Wallace dies and meets Hugo. Accompanied by a charming cast of side characters, he undergoes a massive character development arc in a sort of halfway-house between life and death, where Hugo acts as a ferryman. Under the Whispering Door brings back all the charm that made people fall for The House in the Cerulean Sea, except that it’s deeper, expanding the comfy vibes to philosophising about life and death and how to make the most of the time we have with the people we love.

This is a delightful book, with fantastic quirky characters, a cute queer romance and feelgood vibes, while still addressing deeper themes and trauma. I highly recommend it. Add Under the Whispering Door to your Goodreads here, and pre-order a copy via Portal Bookshop here.

Fairy stories. In all versions. They’re like catnip. And The Cottingley Cuckoo combines fairies with psychological suspense, with history, and an unreliable narrator. The reader does not know what is happening until the very end, and it is such an interesting story. AND look at the stunning cover. That gold foil is just so pretty!

Massive thanks to Sarah Mather and Titan Books for sending me a review copy. All opinions are my own.

RELEASE DATE: 14/04/2021

STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶

SUMMARY: Captivated by books and stories, Rose dreams of a life away from the confines of the Sunnyside Care Home she works in, until elderly resident Charlotte Favell offers an unexpected glimpse of enchantment. She keeps an aged stack of letters about the Cottingley Fairies, the photographs made famous by Arthur Conan Doyle, but later dismissed as a hoax. The letters insist there is proof that the fairies existed. Rose is eager to learn more, but Charlotte allows her to read only a piece at a time, drawing Rose into her web.

As the letters’ content grows more menacing, Rose discovers she is unexpectedly pregnant, and feels another door to the future has slammed. Her obsession with what really happened in Cottingley all those years ago spirals; as inexplicable events occur inside her home, she begins to entertain dark thoughts about her baby and its origins. (from Titan Books)

OPINIONS: This is a very interesting book. It is not necessarily one that will make huge splashes, but it is definitely one that I enjoyed. In The Cottingley Cuckoo, the reader doesn’t really know whether what the main character, Rose, is experiencing is real or not until the very end – and even then, it is largely left to the reader to interpret. It is a story about madness and fairies, about reality and shifting perceptions. Interspersed with this are letters about the Cottingley Fairies, from the environs of Arthur Conan Doyle.

This is the kind of slow-burn horror novel that I enjoy – no jump scares, no gore, but simply a lot of creepy and a lot of uncertainty. Neither the reader nor the protagonists know what is happening to them, packaged in a compellingly written narrative. Rose is a great main character. She isn’t special – she is your average person, thrown into a situation that overwhelms her, and had to adjust to this world that she didn’t know how to deal with – and doesn’t that sound familiar.

The Cottingley Cuckoo is the sort of novel that stradles the line between literary fiction and genre writing, that experiments while also using a lot of elements that feel familiarly uncomfortable. It is a solid book and a good read. Add The Cottingley Cuckoo to Goodreads here, or order a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).