Finally getting to write a bit again – though bear with me, I’ve been very migraney, so it’ll be rather short and sweet today I think. Good thing it’s Monday Minis anyway! I’ve got three very different books for you today – a YA anthology of romantic stories, a YA fantasy about fae and a YA creepy historical/horror. Thanks to all of the publishers for providing me with eARCs via NetGalley, as usual, all opinions are my own.

Fools in Love: Fresh Twists on Romantic Tales, edited by Rebecca Podos and Ashley Herring Blake, is full of short stories with twists on romantic YA tropes by some of the most popular authors working in YA right now. You’ve got everything from fake dating to missed connections to love triangles and enemies to lovers, usually with a brilliant twist. And pretty much all of these stories are queer or diverse in another way – no straight white cis stories centred here, no ma’am – and my, how happy that makes me. I read this book spread over a couple weeks, reading just one or two stories to cheer myself up as all of them are just really lovely and delightful and positive. This is the kind of feel-good book that will make you feel better about yourself and the world and just kind of has the same effect as a hug or a cup of hot tea. While none of the stories were especially brilliant in a standout-favourite sort of way for me personally, none of them stood out as weak either – a solid anthology without clear weak spots. Highly recommended if you’re looking for something to cheer you up!

These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan is a YA fae fantasy romance. At its centre is Brie, a girl with a hate for the fae. But when her sister is sold to the Unseelie Court, she will do anything to get her back. Including bargaining with the Unseelie King to steal relics from the Seelie Court, flinging herself head-first into both courts and their machinations. I was quite ambiguous about this book – it is entertaining and a very quick read, but there isn’t anything very special about it for me. There is the expected love triangle, hinted at already in the blurb, and really nothing that makes it stand out from the many fae YA books out there. Originally I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to read These Hollow Vows, then was sucked in by the hype, and it was perfect for a train read, but not more than that if it makes sense. If fae are more your thing, or if you’re a lover of books like The Cruel Prince, this is probably more your cup of tea than it is mine!

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo was one I was very excited for. A creepy family mansion, clan secrets and a girl returning from boarding school to uncover it all? Sounds like the gothic book of my dreams. Add in some magic and wolf shifters and I’m bound to love it. However, I actually ended up dnf’ing this at about 40%. I tried reading it as an eARC, and when I struggled to get into it, I switched to audio (as I had it available on my Scribd). And while there are quite a few reasons that influenced my decision to abandon the book, the main one was that Eleanor, the main character, A TEEN, as well as her sister and cousin, both teens too, are weirdly obsessed with this middle aged man who seems to be grooming them – and I’m just not here for that. It might well be that there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for that later on in the story that I just haven’t reached, but the behaviour as depicted in the story up to where I reached just made me feel so uncomfortable as a reader that I could not keep reading. Thus, this is a book I will not be recommending.

Greetings from surprisingly sunny Edinburgh. Yes indeed, I have made it out of London for the first time this year, and I’m very excited. I reread T.L. Huchu’s The Library of The Dead on my train up to get in the proper mood, and I’m going to finish my TikTok about it later (yes, I’ve become THAT person). If you missed it way back, here‘s my review of The Library of the Dead from December. But without further ado, today’s Monday Minis. Once again, thank you to all the publishers for sending me review copies of these novels, all opinions are my own.

I struggled with Meet Me In Another Life by Catriona Silvey. I listened to this as an audiobook and kept taking rather long breaks, listening to whole books in between. This is the story of Thora and Santi, two people destined to meet again and again in Cologne, at different points in their lives, but with a shared love for the stars. There are some elements that stay the same across all of their lives, but some elements, especially their relationship to each other keep changing. Still, this makes the story feel very repetitive – there are only so many times I find the same characters meeting over and over again interesting. While there ultimately was a reason behind the story being what it was, I ended up mostly bored after the third repetition or so, and only kept listening because I didn’t want to give up. I don’t think this is a book I’d recommend, personally. It does explore interesting questions of how circumstances can change a person and how nurture influences character, and I can see how it might appeal to a more literary oriented reader. Ultimately it seems to put form over substance, and that is not the kind of reader I am.

Seven Deaths of an Empire by G.R. Matthews is an interesting one. It’s a huge epic fantasy tome, with all the trappings. It starts off great, and I loved the first few hundred pages. I originally found that while it used a lot of the tropes of epic Grimdark, it also subverted them and made them into something new and interesting. It is a military fantasy, but it also has central female characters, and I really liked the flashbacks introducing every chapter. However, once I hit the halfway point, I started struggling with this book. I don’t think there is necessarily anything wrong with the story, it probably has more to do with my reading mood than anything else. But it took me forever to actually finish it, and to be entirely honest, not much about it actually stuck with me. If you’re into classic Grimdark such as Mark Lawrence or Joe Abercrombie, this is a new author to check out, but if you’re more into diverse fantasy this might not be for you.

I devoured Composite Creatures by Caroline Hardaker. When I picked this up the other day, I just wanted to read a few chapters to get a feel for it, and suddenly I was halfway through the story. It is unsettling and creepy and all too close to reality. And Caroline’s writing is stunning and immersive. This is the story of Norah and Art, a couple living in a dystopian world, which unravels over the course of the story to show just how broken it really is. And if I’m honest, I wasn’t expecting to be as enthralled by this story as I ended up being – it’s not the most plot-heavy, but it is emotionally captivating and that took me by surprise and is a large part of why I ended up loving it. Composite Creatures is the kind of soft genre-defying psychological horror that I love, that focuses on unsettling the reader rather than being a gore fest. This one I do unreservedly recommend.

I have been remiss and missed last Monday to do a full review… I haven’t been reading as much as I would like so I had to skip one to have enough content – shame on me! Three very different books today, a YA fantasy, a horror novel and a queer historical story!

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for sending me eARCs of these titles. As usual, all opinions are my own.

The Gilded Cage is the second book in Lynette Noni’s The Prison Healer trilogy. The series follows Kiva as she navigates life outside of the prison that she has spent most of her childhood and youth in. After the cliffhanger revelations at the end of the first book, she has to grapple with the tensions between her rescuer prince and her revolutionary family. This series is textbook YA fantasy – fun, easy to read, entertaining, with a sprinkle of romance and betrayal. But it isn’t necessarily a series with a TON of substance (which isn’t only negative! It’s great escapism). Kiva is a survivor and used to relying only on herself, which leads to interesting issues in her relationships. I thought that this second book had leveled up from the first one, and it’s definitely an enjoyable series that I will finish when the last book is released. It also ends with a huge bang, so I am quite upset about the wait now… Good thing they’re coming in close succession.

Devolution by Max Brooks is an odd one. It is a collection of diary entries, interviews and snippets about a fictional Sasquatch massacre. It follows Kate and her small community as they are first cut off from the outside world and then fighting the Sasquatch tribe. While this is a fast paced story with an exciting premise, I have to admit that I was rather bored by it. I struggled to connect with the characters and ultimately didn’t care what happened to them. This was the kind of book I had to make myself read a few chapters every day, and it sadly didn’t work for me. This may be more due to who I am as a reader, so do check out a sample if you’re intrigued by the concept.

The Dangerous Kingdom of Love by Neil Blackmore follows Francis Bacon during the reign of James I. It presents both Bacon and James as gay men, and takes quite a bit of liberty with history as it is known. I really enjoyed Bacon’s dry wit – the story is told from his perspective, and loved the atmosphere of seventeenth century England. What I didn’t enjoy as much is the very modern tone the story took at times, which broke immersion for me. I feel like this might have worked better as a secondary world story rather than one rooted in history, where liberties with characters and language are easier to accept for me. It did feel at times as if the strong focus on Bacon was to the detriment of all the other character’s depth. It’s a fun read (and the audio is well done) but not one that is a must-read.