So, give me fancy dress fantasy and morally grey protagonists, and I’m a happy gal. But sadly The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick felt a lot like painting-by-numbers and did not manage to get me invested. A lot of my friends really love it though, so do have a look if you think it might be for you – I just recommend a sample first!

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the eARC, all opinions are my own as always.

STAR RATING: 3/5 ✶

RELEASE DATE: 21/01/21

SUMMARY: Fortune favors the bold. Magic favors the liars.

Ren is a con artist who has come to the sparkling city of Nadezra with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister’s future.

But the deeper she is drawn into the aristocratic world of House Traementis, the more she realizes her masquerade is just one of many. And as corrupt nightmare magic begins to weave its way through the City of Dreams, the poisonous feuds of its wealthy and the shadowy dangers of its impoverished underbelly become tangled…with Ren at their heart. (from Orbit)

OPINIONS: I’m going to preface this by saying that two thirds of my friends have REALLY loved this (such as Sara, whose review on the Fantasy Inn is here) and the remaining third have pointed out similar issues to the ones I had with the book. So I really recommend you check out a sample and have a look yourself if you’re tempted!

Mask of Mirrors has everything that I like about a book. There’s stunning imaginery, fancy dresses, morally corrupt characters and no clear side of right or wrong. But nothing about it felt particularly new or innovative. For me personally, this was a fun read, but I kept craving more. While I enjoyed it, it did not pull me in on an emotional level, which I want books to do these days. It’s hard to find a systematic fault with the book, I think it just wasn’t the book for me.

There has been a lot of vaguely Venetian-set fantasy, and to be honest, none of it has really hit my sweet spot. The setting of Mask of Mirrors and its concept is wonderful and deep, the characters are interesting. I particularly liked Tess and found Vargo very charming despite being a fantasy-cop. But I guessed the big twist quite a bit before it was released, which took away the magic for me. I struggled with the fact that Ren doesn’t figure out someone else’s secret identity due to their voice – she is a con artist, she is by definition perceptive, and this just broke immersion for me. But again, I think this is a ME thing and not a BOOK thing. I’m definitely curious to pick up the second one in the series and see how the story continues.

Add Mask of Mirrors to Goodreads here, and order a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).

Today is my stop on the Midas PR Blog Tour for Melanie Blake’s Ruthless Women. This came out yesterday from Head of Zeus and according to the marketing copy it is “a glamorous revenge-filled thriller”. This of course made me curious and I was looking forward to delving into a fun and compelling story about the various women at the set of a soap opera. But while I always try to write positive reviews for blog tours, Ruthless Women sadly falls into some unforgivable traps – I am truly sorry to have to write a negative review.

You can find the book on Goodreads here, and on Waterstones here.

Thank you to Midas PR and Head of Zeus for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

SUMMARY: On a beautiful private island off the coast of the UK, the cast and crew of glamorous TV show Falcon Bay are at breaking point.

Ratings are falling, and their new boss is inventing ever more dramatic – and impossible – storylines to get Falcon Bay back into the number 1 slot.

Director Farrah, lead actress Catherine and producer Amanda are the passionate, ambitious women holding the show together. With so much at stake, they will stop at nothing to stay in the jobs they love and on the island they call home.

Can these women team up to bring down their rivals? Or will scandal, betrayal and ambition tear them apart? (from Head of Zeus)

OPINIONS: So the first 75-80% of Ruthless Women are pretty decent. It is just what it says on the tin, fluffy, overly dramatic soap opera actors and producers and their petty problems with each other, relationships and the show. It is entertaining, if nothing special to write about. But around the eighty-percent mark of the book (and this will include potential spoilers), it all goes to hell. One of the women gets outed for being trans. And not only has she previously been introduced as a sort of villain, but her transness is used as a weapon against her. It is a punchline and blackmail material. And while that alone already had me in a rage while reading, the fact that she gets killed in the most ridiculous way at the end of the book and it is considered ‘just punishment’ by the remaining ruthless women in the book made it infinitely worse. This is 2021, and the queer community has been fighting for representation and recognition for DECADES at this point, and the ‘kill your gays’ trope has been well and truly called out. There is no reason to introduce a trans character only to twist their transness against them and then kill them shortly after. Especially in this case, where there simply needs to be some kind of secret to use against the woman in question, there are so many easier and less hurtful ways to plot the story. Have a damn lovechild or fake identity or something without hurting one of the most marginalised communities. And considering the current climate in the UK and the struggle against TERFs (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists), having a supposedly feminist book treat its only trans character in such a way is certainly a choice. There is enough shit in the world that we don’t need to pile more on to trans people (or any other marginalised group). I cannot possibly recommend this book considering the harm that it does, which supersedes any merit it might have.

So I read this a couple of weeks ago, but have been horrible at getting around to writing a review – looks like having a grown-up job in books affects my thinking about books outside of work!

But yes, Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman. This is an adult horror novel about the power of rumours, set in a dual timeline between Richard as a teacher and his childhood, when he was still called Sean. It is disconcerting and addictive, and I definitely recommend it if it sounds like your cup of tea!

Many thanks to Jamie-Lee Nardone and Stephen Haskins at Black Crow PR and Quirk Books for sending me an ARC. All opinions are my own.

STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶

RELEASE DATE: 06/04/21

SUMMARY: Richard doesn’t have a past. For him, there is only the present: a new marriage to Tamara, a first chance at fatherhood to her son Elijah, and a quiet but pleasant life as an art teacher at Elijah’s elementary school in Danvers, Virginia. Then the body of a rabbit, ritualistically murdered, appears on the school grounds with a birthday card for Richard tucked beneath it. Richard doesn’t have a birthday—but Sean does . . .

Sean is a five-year-old boy who has just moved to Greenfield, Virginia, with his mother. Like most mothers of the 1980s, she’s worried about bills, childcare, putting food on the table . . . and an encroaching threat to American life that can take the face of anyone: a politician, a friendly neighbor, or even a teacher. When Sean’s school sends a letter to the parents revealing that Sean’s favorite teacher is under investigation, a white lie from Sean lights a fire that engulfs the entire nation—and Sean and his mother are left holding the match.

Now, thirty years later, someone is here to remind Richard that they remember what Sean did. And though Sean doesn’t exist anymore, someone needs to pay the price for his lies. (from Quirk Books)

OPINIONS: This is an incredibly addictive psychological horror novel. Whisper Down the Lane uses the dual timeline to tell the story of what happened thirty years ago, while mirroring it in present day. The person at the heart of both storylines is the same, in one as a boy accusing his teacher of abuse, and in the other as a teacher being accused of similar things. It is disconcerting and uncomfortable at times – which for me is important in a horror novel.

What I found most terrifying is the depiction of the child storyline, where you can see how adults projecting their fears affects Sean, and how things escalate because he is trying to tell them what they want to hear. This idea of rumours spreading and lives being ruined is something that is really scary to me. Social opinion really does ruin lives, and usually due to things that aren’t true, while the people who actually do despicable things end up scot-free.

But then, the actions of Sean, the five-year-old start haunting Richard, adult teacher. The parallel stories mesh together really well, and the ending is very satisfying. It is unexpected and well done – I was worried that it would be something weird or unrealistic, so I was very pleasantly surprised. Added to that is that there is no clear-cut evil in the story. It shows all the perspectives and how someone acting in the way they believe is right and best and being thorougly misguided.

If you think this might be up your alley, add it on Goodreads here, or pre-order a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).

So Rebellion sent me this quirky little novella earlier this week and 24 hours later, I had already read and loved it! I started writing this review a few days ago, and then got distracted, as usual. I had no idea what to expect with One Day All This Will Be Yours, but it exceeded any expectations that I might have had.

Many thanks to Hanna Waigh and Rebellion for sending me a review copy! All opinions are my own.

STAR RATING: 5/5 ✶

RELEASE DATE: 02/03/21

SUMMARY: Welcome to the end of time. It’s a perfect day.

Nobody remembers how the Causality War started. Really, there’s no-one to remember, and nothing for them to remember if there were; that’s sort of the point. We were time warriors, and we broke time.

I was the one who ended it. Ended the fighting, tidied up the damage as much as I could.

Then I came here, to the end of it all, and gave myself a mission: to never let it happen again. (from Solaris)

OPINIONS: I haven’t laughed as much reading a book than I did reading One Day All This Will Be Yours in ages. I loved every minute of reading it. It has all my favourite things, exotic pets, time travel and oddball characters. Like, there’s a dinosaur who eats people for his owner! The narrator is a narcissistic idiot, but I loved him so much. Need to protect. He’s the last human at the end of time, killing everyone who might have invented time travel themselves in order to prevent more mass casualties in war.

Much of the book is the narrator trying to prevent a possible future he is confronted with. He is content with being the last human at the end of time and doesn’t want anything to threaten that status quo. But things don’t go quite how he planned… The book is amazingly funny and the best part is, there’s a dinosaur who eats Hitler at the end of time (this is as out of context in the book as it is here, so I don’t count it as a spoiler). I need more Adrian Tchaikovsky being comedic in my life and you do too.

This might be a slim little novella, but it packs a punch and I highly recommend it. It reminds me of a less literary This Is How You Lose the Time War, though not queer. That’s the only way this could have been improved in my opinion, though the choices make a lot of sense in context. Add One Day All This Will Be Yours to your Goodreads list here, and pre-order a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).

So Good Morning, Midnight was published a while ago, in 2016, but it’s been getting more traction again recently because the Netflix film Midnight Sky based on the book has just been released. I hadn’t heard of this before, so I’m very grateful to Kate Moreton and Weidenfeld & Nicholson for sending me a review copy to check out!

STAR RATING: 3.5/5 ✶

RELEASE DATE: originally 09/08/16, this edition 12/09/17

SUMMARY: There is a particular beauty in silence, in being cut off from the world. Augustine, a brilliant, ageing scientist, is consumed by the stars. He has spent his entire life searching for the origins of time itself. He has now been left alone on a remote research base in the Arctic circle, all communication with the outside world broken down. But then he discovers a mysterious child, Iris, who must have hidden herself away when the last of his colleagues departed.

Sully is a divorced mother. She is also an astronaut, currently aboard The Aether on a return flight from Jupiter. This is the culmination of her career, the very reason for all the sacrifices she has made – the daughter she left behind, the marriage she couldn’t save. When all communication goes silent, she is left wondering what she will be returning to.

Marooned in the vast silence of space and the achingly beautiful sweep of the Arctic, both Augustine and Sully begin to understand their place in the world, and what gives their life meaning. For only in the silence can we find out who we truly are. (from W&N)

OPINIONS: I really enjoyed this book, although it won’t be one of my standout favourites. Augustine is a fantastic anti-hero, a grouchy old man left to his own devices. Sully and her team of astronauts struggling to figure out why they have lost contact with Earth while in deep space are great too. Lily Brooks-Dalton manages to craft a host of multi-dimensional, flawed characters that play off each other wonderfully. Good Morning, Midnight is really a character driven novel.

There isn’t a lot of plot other than to establish the setting. It is a slow book, focused on philosophical questions, which I enjoyed. The settings, both of which are based on isolation hit home these days where we are isolated in our homes. There are some coincidences in the book (especially one major one) that just seems incredibly convenient, which did frustrate me a bit. But I liked the relatively ambiguous ending a lot. You finish not knowing how the story will end, and I think it’s a great choice to end the book where it did.

If you like bleak and thoughtful approaches to isolation and philosophical considerations about life and the world, I recommend you check out Good Morning, Midnight. Find it on Goodreads here, and order a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses intrigued me due to its approach to werewolves as a chronic illness and featuring disabled characters. However, while I loved the concept, I did not end up enjoying the book as much as I expected to. It’s an interesting format, but there were some issues too.

Many thanks to Black Crow PR and Quirk for sending me an ARC. All opinions are my own.

STAR RATING: 2.5/5 ✶

PUBLICATION DATE: 27/04/21

SUMMARY: Priya worked hard to pursue her premed dreams at Stanford, but a diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease during her sophomore year sends her back to her loving but overbearing family in New Jersey—and leaves her wondering if she’ll ever be able to return to the way things were. Thankfully she has her online pen pal, Brigid, and the rest of the members of “oof ouch my bones,” a virtual support group that meets on Discord to crack jokes and vent about their own chronic illnesses.

When Brigid suddenly goes offline, Priya does something out of character: she steals the family car and drives to Pennsylvania to check on Brigid. Priya isn’t sure what to expect, but it isn’t the horrifying creature that’s shut in the basement. With Brigid nowhere to be found, Priya begins to puzzle together an impossible but obvious truth: the creature might be a werewolf—and the werewolf might be Brigid. As Brigid’s unique condition worsens, their friendship will be deepened and challenged in unexpected ways, forcing them to reckon with their own ideas of what it means to be normal. (from Quirk Books)

OPINIONS: So, the most important thing about Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses is the format. I didn’t realise this going in, but approximately half the book is written as conversations on a Discord server or text messages. Many characters only appear through such conversation and don’t physically interact with the MCs. It was an interesting approach, but for me personally it didn’t quite work. It made the story drag and sometimes hard to follow – reading other people’s inside jokes just isn’t very funny to me.

The plot itself is pretty cool, looking at lycanthropy as a chronic condition that the person in question has to deal with and contextualising it within a support group for chronically ill people. But, the representation seems to be on a surface level. It’s hard to put my finger on it in terms of the illness narrative. While I don’t have Lyme disease, which the MC has to deal with, I am someone with chronic migraines and mental health issues, and a close friend of mine has EDS. Obviously there isn’t one right way to deal with such things, or a single way to discuss it, but to me, Lycanthropy and Chronic Illness reads like a story written by someone who has talked to some people who are disabled or have a chronic condition rather than one written by someone who is able to pull from personal experience.

Added to that is the fact that Priya, the main character, is Indian-American, and her parents seem to be immigrants. However, this representation too doesn’t go past the surface. The family is presented as devoutly Christian, going to church every Sunday and putting a big emphasis on the religion. So far, so good. Christianity is a minority religion in India, so focusing on that seems surprising. The way it is discussed reminds me more of a white American approach, to be entirely honest. Throughout the book, there is little to place them culturally, apart from one reference where the mother speaks Tamil. But there are no endearments, no occasional words in Tamil or any discussion of food that is not western – the one instance food is truly talked about it’s pizza, and they refer to the pineapple controversy. While I am obviously not an expert on Indian-American culture, Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses reads to me as a book featuring a white girl with an Indian name. (Also a huge thank you to my anonymous Indian friend who patiently answered all my questions to help distill my thoughts!)

These things heavily detracted from my enjoyment of the story. PoC authors continuously fight for representation and it seems a shame that this digs into that without doing a convincing job. Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses is an enjoyable, funny book, but also a deeply flawed one. I personally wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, as much as I hate writing that on here. If you are interested in checking it out for yourself, you can find it on Goodreads here, and order a copy from Waterstones here.

So I was sent this massive chonk earlier in 2020 for the paperback release and it took me FOREVER to dare and start it – Covid has seriously affected my attention span, and 800+ page books have been a struggle. That said, once I actually dove into it, reading manageable 100-200 page chunks every day, I really enjoyed getting immersed in this epic grimdark world. By now, the sequel, Legacy of Steel, is out in the world as well and I both look forward to getting back to the story and dread reading another book this huge.

Many thanks to Nazia and Orbit for the review copy, all opinions are my own.

STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶

PUBLICATION DATE: 05/11/19

SUMMARY: A shadow has fallen over the Tressian Republic.

Ruling families plot against one another with sharp words and sharper knives, heedless of the threat posed by the invading armies of the Hadari Empire.

The Republic faces its darkest hour. Yet as Tressia falls, heroes rise. (from Orbit Books)

OPINIONS: As I mentioned above, Legacy of Ash is a massive chonk. A book not for the faint of heart. The paperback edition I have has 768 pages. But inside is an epic story that will captivate the reader throughout. At the centre of the book is a nation at war, and siblings that are just as much at odds with each other as they are with the world. Josiri and Calenne Trelan are the children of Katya Trelan, the leader of a failed revolution, whom the book starts off by killing before fast-forwarding fifteen years. Both of them fight to create their own path out of the shadow or their mother, although in very different ways. Legacy of Ash is the kind of book that features a large cast of characters in point-of-view perspectives, and thus shows the reader all sides of the story. We don’t see just one perspective, or a clear-cut good or bad, but Matthew Ward ensures that allegiances stay murky and the reader is fully immersed in this world. Ultimately, its a book about the world it is set in, rather than the story of individual characters.

Featuring magic, war and tense relationships, Legacy of Ash is a truly epic debut novel. It feels well-developed and is able to stand on its own, although I, and I’m sure most readers, am curious to see how the story develops over the course of the trilogy. I personally wish that it wasn’t quite as long, but that’s more of a me thing than anything else. The story is compelling and keeps up tension throughout, so it’s not like Legacy of Ash is boring – I just really like being able to read books in a couple of days and that wasn’t the case here (and pandemic brain). It is very well-written, and full of characters that are multi-dimensional and determined to follow their goals. Thus, if you can brave a chonk, I highly recommend Legacy of Ash. Add it to Goodreads here, and order a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).

I’ve really been spoiled by the excellent books I’ve gotten to read recently, and The Boy I Am by K.L. Kettle is no exception. A dystopian YA turning gender roles around and presenting a society far from our own and still hauntingly close. The Boy I Am hits home and brings the genre back for the 2020s.

Thank you to Charlie and Little Tiger for sending me a review copy of this wonderful book. All opinions are my own.

STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶

PUBLICATION DATE: 07/01/21

SUMMARY: They say we’re dangerous. But we’re not that different.

Jude is running out of time. Once a year, lucky young men in the House of Boys are auctioned to the female elite. But if Jude fails to be selected before he turns seventeen, a future deep underground in the mines awaits.
Yet ever since the death of his best friend at the hands of the all-powerful Chancellor, Jude has been desperate to escape the path set out for him. Finding himself entangled in a plot to assassinate the Chancellor, he finally has a chance to avenge his friend and win his freedom. But at what price? (from Little Tiger)

OPINIONS: The Boy I Am is a compelling dystopian tale. It features a world not all that dissimilar to our own, but where women have all the power. Centering Jude, a young man trying to change things, this story is full of twists and great characters. I really enjoyed reading it and immersing myself in the worldbuilding. It is reminiscent of classics such as The Handmaid’s Tale and reminded me a bit of the early 2010s dystopia boom – it was wonderful to go back in time to when life was simpler.

The Boy I Am is well-written and fast-paced. There is always something happening, pulling the reader into the plot. Jude, Ro and Walker are great characters to lead the story, and their journeys show that things are not always as simple as they seem. It is interesting to see gender dynamics turned on their head, though I wish that it had been more nuanced than merely flipping it. Nevertheless, it is a story asking many questions and not necessarily providing the reader with a simple answer. Friendship, revolution and to an extent, emotional abuse are all themes discussed with nuance in The Boy I Am, hinting that there might be more depth to the issues raised than visible on the surface of the story.

Add The Boy I Am to your Goodreads here and pre-order it from Bookshop (or indeed your indie of choice!) here. (affiliate link)

I didn’t know quite what to expect when I picked up Unchosen by Katharyn Blair. I thought it might be a fluffy YA dystopia, but it is so much more. The characters live in a world ravaged by a pandemic, and Charlotte struggles with the changed world and feeling invisible next to the people in her life that always stand out. And the story spoke to me. I devoured this book and loved it so much.

Thank you to Harper360YA for sending me an ARC. All opinions are my own.

STAR RATING: 4.5/5 ✶

PUBLICATION DATE: 26/01/21

SUMMARY: For Charlotte Holloway, the world ended twice.

The first was when her childhood crush, Dean, fell in love—with her older sister.

The second was when the Crimson, a curse spread through eye contact, turned the majority of humanity into flesh-eating monsters.

Neither end of the world changed Charlotte. She’s still in the shadows of her siblings. Her popular older sister, Harlow, now commands forces of survivors. And her talented younger sister, Vanessa, is the Chosen One—who, legend has it, can end the curse.

When their settlement is raided by those seeking the Chosen One, Charlotte makes a reckless decision to save Vanessa: she takes her place as prisoner.

The word spreads across the seven seas—the Chosen One has been found.

But when Dean’s life is threatened and a resistance looms on the horizon, the lie keeping Charlotte alive begins to unravel. She’ll have to break free, forge new bonds, and choose her own destiny if she has any hope of saving her sisters, her love, and maybe even the world.

Because sometimes the end is just a new beginning. (from Katherine Tegen Books)

OPINIONS: Unchosen is simply a great book. It features a compelling narrative, gallows humour, identifiable characters… and a fierce Pirate lady. While it is initially unsettling to read a book set in a pandemic of sorts, it soon becomes clear that this world is far more complex than that and utterly different to our own situation. The state of the world is handled with humour and anxiety is addressed in a way that resonated strongly with me. It is a feminist tale for all those who have felt invisible.

Charlotte, the often overlooked middle sister, is the heroine of Unchosen. Feeling less-than next to her sisters, a series of circumstances lead to her choosing herself and so playing with the ‘chosen one’ trope. She undergoes copious amounts of growth, developing confidence and overcoming issues that have been blocking her. She deals with what reads like PTSD and anxiety in a world without therapists, and I feel I have learned more about myself and how to deal with stress situations through Unchosen.

One of my favourite aspects of Unchosen was the dynamics between Charlotte and her sisters as well as with Seth. Nuanced relationships are amazing to read and like catnip for me. I also loved the connection to in-universe mythology and history through the cursed Pirate queen, and the feminist resolution to the story. This is truly a georgeous fantasy novel about choosing your own destiny that needs more attention.

I loved every page of this story, and highly recommend it. Add Unchosen to Goodreads here, and pre-order a copy from Bookshop here. (affiliate link)

Today’s review is brought to you courtesy of Midas PR and Audible UK: The Far Wild by Alex Knight. This is an Audible Exclusive – so only available as an audiobook. I love this concept of writing straight for audio, especially in this year of insanity, I think I and many others have been relying on a variety of mediums to get our reading fix in.

Thank you to Amber Choudhary and Audible for the advance audio of The Far Wild, as usual all opinions are my own.

STAR RATING: 3/5 ✶

PUBLICATION DATE: 03/12/20

SUMMARY: An expedition gone awry.

Suni Koudounas is enamoured with the wonders — and dangers — of the Far Wild. As a naturalist’s apprentice, she’s studied every book and expedition report about the miraculous wilderness. But when her mentor goes missing on expedition, Suni sets aside the Far Wild of ink and paper to venture after him into the primordial jungle.

A missing skyship.

As the empire’s most beloved adventurer — or most successful raconteur — Senesio Suleiman Nicolaou doesn’t want much. Wealth beyond measure, fame beyond reason and a small kingdom somewhere warm should be about enough. When news of the rescue mission reaches him, Senesio knows there’s no better opportunity to add to his living legend.

The most dangerous wilderness known to man. 

With unexpected enemies above and monstrous predators in the jungles below, it’s up to Suni, Senesio and their companions to uncover the truth of what’s happening in the Far Wild. It’s a revelation that will shake the empire to its core and reshape the lives of all involved — assuming, of course, they don’t all get eaten first. (from Audible)

OPINIONS: As this is audiobook original, it was written especially for audio and performed as such. At times, the narration is almost reminiscent of an audio play rather than just a book read aloud. It has a full cast of narrators, being read by Stephanie Lane, Carlyss Peer and Peter Kenny for the different perspectives. Sadly I found Peter Kenny’s voice grating, and the narration in general to be too dramatic, which lead to me tuning out at times. I am quite particular when it comes to narrators, and found that this style and especially the male voice did not work for me. If you are intrigued by the synopsis, do make sure to listen to a sample first to ensure that it does work for you!

In terms of the content of The Far Wild, I loved the world. Reminiscent of a fantasy version of Jurassic Park, the Far Wild is a remote and dangerous region, with huge beasts threatening anyone who dares explore there. (Just look at the amazing illustration the publisher sent me to accompany my review!) That, combined with the university framing of the story made me enjoy the world-building a lot even if I struggled with the narration. Led by two main characters, Suni, an apprentice naturalist, and Senesio, an explorer who is very assured of his own worth, The Far Wild tells a compelling story of betrayal, discovery and personal growth. The story is fast paced and interesting, though I didn’t connect to the characters as much as I would have liked. Senesio, as an arrogant male, was rather annoying to me, reminding me of issues in the current world, leading my thoughts to wander. However, he did provide a great counterpoint to the naive and enthusiastic Suni.

If you are looking for a thrilling adventure I do recommend you check out a sample of The Far Wild. While the narration might not be everyone’s cup of tea, the story is fun and entertaining. Add it to Goodreads here, and order the audio from Audible here.