Audiobook Review: Dark Water Daughter by H. M. Long

Dark Water Daughter by H. M. Long

Genre: Fantasy

Publishing Info: Audiobook by Recorded Books, narrated by Moira Quirk and Samuel Roukin

Star Rating: 4/5

Back Cover Summary:

A stormsinger and pirate hunter join forces against a deathless pirate lord in this swashbuckling Jacobean adventure on the high-seas—launching the Winter Sea series, full of magic, betrayal, redemption and fearsome women, for fans of Adrienne Young, R. J. Barker and Naomi Novik

Mary Firth is a Stormsinger: a woman whose voice can still hurricanes and shatter armadas. Faced with servitude to a deathless pirate lord, Mary offers her skills to his arch-rival in exchange for protection—and, more importantly, his help in sending the pirate to a watery grave.

But Mary’s dreams are dark and full of ghistings, spectral creatures who inhabit the ancient forests of her homeland and the figureheads of ships. Her new ally has his own vendetta, complete with revenge and a lost fleet, locked in the eternal ice of the far north, and disgraced pirate hunter Samuel Rosser is close on their trail. Samuel will stop at nothing to restore his good name and claim the only thing that stands between himself and madness: a talisman stolen by Mary herself. Finally, driven into the eternal ice at the limits of their world, Mary and Samuel must choose their loyalties and battle forces older and more powerful than the pirates who would make them slaves.

Come sail the winter sea, for action-packed, high-stakes adventures, rich characterization and epic plots full of intrigue and betrayal.

This adventurous pirate novel starts with a bang, opening on an exciting and intriguing scene as the protagonist faces the gallows. Pirate stories are not my go-to kind of fantasy. In fact, I can’t actually remember reading one before. However, I decided to take the plunge with something a little different and give this one a go. What drew me to this book was one of the narrators, Moira Quirk, who has been so fantastic on the previous audiobooks I’ve listened to. She was once again superb, capturing the mood and tone of every scene.

The world building is creative and I enjoyed the epigraphs which provided a bit more insight into the magic. I felt immersed in the world. There was plenty of detail and everything was well explained without being too info dumpy. The author does a great job of creating atmosphere too. Although the book is primarily set in stormy seas, I felt very steady reading it, like I was in good hands with this author, who carried me through the world and the story smoothly. The pacing did become a little slow in the middle, but the story kept me interested enough to keep going and built well to the concluding section of the novel. Action scenes were well-described with plenty of tension that kept me hooked.

February 2024 Wrap Up

We’re nearly halfway through March and I’m only just posting my February wrap up – where has the time gone! Life has been busy lately with work and medical treatments, so I’ve not had as much time for blogging as I would have liked. I also went on holiday to Devon in February to celebrate my grandparents’ 90^th birthdays, and it was nice to get together with the family.

Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare ⭐⭐⭐.5 – I started reading this way back in 2022, so it took nearly two years to finish. I’m not much of a short story reader, so I’ve just been reading the odd story here and there. I enjoyed some of the stories in this collection more than others. The audiobook is narrated by a large cast and while some of the narrators were great, there were a couple that were very flat and just didn’t capture the story or characters at all.

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This is a Regency-inspired fantasy with beautiful writing and an excellent audiobook narration from Fran Burgoyne. I loved the characters, romance and magic. The protagonist is a dressmaker who can sew enchantments into her garments which imbue them with emotions and memories. There is also chronic illness representation which I found relatable and emotional to read at times.

I’m continuing to plough my way through writing this book! Progress still feels slow but there is progress nonetheless. Now that I’m over the halfway mark, I’m looking forward to getting to write some of my favourite scenes.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

Audiobook Review: A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Publishing Info: Audiobook by Orion Children’s Books, narrated by Fran Burgoyne

Star Rating: 4/5

Back Cover Summary:

An unforgettable YA regency-inspired romantic fantasy about a seamstress who is sent to dress the prince for his royal wedding – and the scandal she weaves in her wake.

All Niamh has longed for is to be remembered: to create something that will last far longer than she will. For her, that means becoming a renowned dressmaker, using the magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric – the same magic that will eventually kill her.

When Niamh is commissioned to design the prince’s wardrobe for a royal wedding in Avaland, she knows she finally has her chance to leave her legacy. But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While nobles and the elite attend extravagant balls and candlelit garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class.

Niamh finds herself drawn to Kit, the prince whom she must dress for his wedding, despite his cold, prickly demeanour. And soon, a gossip column reports on their undeniable chemistry between them, threatening scandal. Niamh must decide if reputation should come above all else, whether her magic curse will allow her to experience love, and what cost she is willing to pay for a future she never thought possible…

Threaded with intrigue and unforgettable characters, A Fragile Enchantment is a sweeping romance for the ages.

This Regency-inspired fantasy captivated me with its warm heart and beautiful writing. The opening drew me in and enveloped me entirely. Allison Saft’s descriptions were just so well crafted that I found myself wanting to reread sentences to take in the stunning imagery. The audiobook narration by Fran Burgoyne elevates the reading experience. The narration was so expressive and brings to life each of the characters’ voices excellently. I always knew who was speaking and Fran captures the characters’ personalities in their voices so well.

The chemistry between the main character and love interest leapt off the page. With a grump/sunshine dynamic, I loved their interactions, which often provided humour and brought a smile to my face. There was also something very touching about how they broke down each other’s walls and helped each other grow. There is also an excellent supporting cast of side characters, through which the author explores friendship as well as romance.

The magic in this book is so interesting. Niamh’s magic enables her to sew emotions and memories into the garments she makes, which can be felt by both the wearer and those around them. However, the magic isn’t always predictable and sometimes her own feelings influence the enchantments she stitches, leading to some final results that aren’t always quite what she intended.

January 2024 Wrap Up

The first month of 2024 is over and I had a great reading month! I finished three books this month and enjoyed them all.

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – It was great to return to the world of The Bone Season, which has such unique and detailed worldbuilding. Although I found parts of this book slow, the ending is action-packed and thrilling. The audiobooks for this series are fantastic. I’m looking forward to continuing Paige’s story in the next book in the series.   

Artfully Yours by Joanna Lowell ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This Victorian romance follows the relationship between an art forger and an art critic, a concept which immediately caught my interest when I was browsing for my next read. There were some humorous moments, but this novel also tackles some heavier subject matter too. I enjoyed the romance and the relationship between the protagonists, as well as the cast of side characters. I’d happily read a book about the sisterhood of artists! There is also disability rep and I found the descriptions of chronic pain especially relatable.

Fire Becomes Her by Rosiee Thor ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This Jazz Age-inspired YA fantasy is a great read which focuses on the development of the protagonist, Ingrid. This is definitely more character-driven than plot-driven, which was a struggle for me at times as I tend to prefer more plot-driven books, however I did appreciate how Indrid’s character arc was developed and executed. The protagonist was unlikeable at times, but I think that actually made it more interesting to see her grow and change. She had flaws and felt real. I would have liked a bit more detail in the worldbuilding to really make the settings pop, as that aspect could have been more vivid.

I got some new books this month as I had a voucher to spend from Christmas. I picked up A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon and Sheild Maiden by Sharon Emerichhs, as well as the Fairyloot edition of A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft.

January wasn’t the best month for writing. While I did write, I didn’t do as much as I would have liked. Sometimes though it can be good to have a short break from it to refill the creative well and come back fresh and excited (at least, that’s what I hope is going to happen in February!).

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

2024 Reading Goals and Challenges

It’s the start of a new year which means it’s time to look at my reading plans and goals for the year ahead!

2024 Reading Goal – 20 Books

In 2023 I set my goal to 18 books and read 22! This year, I’m setting my goal at 20 books. I’m hoping I can read a few more than that, but I wanted to make sure I set an achievable target.

2024 Reading Challenge – Beat the Backlist

I don’t usually participate in reading challenges and I’m a mood reader so don’t generally set any kind of TBR. However, I do sometimes struggle with indecision about what to read and thought it would be fun to give a reading challenge a go this year. I picked Beat the Backlist as it’s fairly flexible with no specific requirement for the number of books you read.

Beat the Backlist is hosted by Austine Decker and involves reading backlist books published in 2023 or earlier.

There are a selection of optional prompts to help you pick your backlist reads. There are way more than I’d be able to read in a year, so I’ve decided to pick a few of the prompts to focus on for the challenge so I have a smaller list to work from.

You can find out more about Beat the Backlist here.

Fae or aliens

4-word title

Travel by ship

Retelling of a classic

Walk through history

Door on the cover

2023 debut novel

Between 300 and 400 pages

Neon coloured cover

Hotel, mansion, or castle

Have you set yourself any reading goals or challenges this year? Chat with me in the comments!

Top 10 Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2024

2024 is looking to be a great year for new books! There are so many I’m excited for, here are 10 of them.

Top 10 Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish, but has now moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. If you’re interested in taking part click here.

Release dates are subject to change and these are based on the ones I could find for UK retailers so may differ for other countries.

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft – 4 January 2024

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole – 16 January 2024

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi – 18 January 2024

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White – 18 January 2024

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown – 15 February 2024

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal – 22 February 2024

The Crimson Moth by Kristen Cicarelli – 29 February 2024

The Temptation of Magic by Megan Scott – 23 May 2024

The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond – 28 May 2024

Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova – 25 June 2024

Did any of these make your list? Are there any I should add to mine? Chat with me in the comments!

Audiobook Review: The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

Genre: Dystopia, Fantasy

Publishing Info: Audiobook by Bloomsbury Publishing, narrated by Alana Kerr Collins

Star Rating: 4/5

Back Cover Summary:

It is a dark time for clairvoyants. Scion is in league with the Rephaim, an extraordinarily powerful, otherworldly race that intends to make humans its slaves.

In an unprecedented feat of bravery, Paige Mahoney has succeeded in leading a mass break-out from the brutal camp, Sheol I, where she and other clairvoyants were systematically imprisoned.

Paige is desperate to reach the safety of the London underworld, but the ruthless leader of the Rephaim, Nashira Sargas, is not likely to let her escape so easily….

The Mime Order is the sequel to Samantha Shannon’s imaginative dystopian novel The Bone Season, a novel which took me by surprise with its detailed and unique worldbuilding and magic system. The sequel picks up right where The Bone Season ended, throwing the reader right into the midst of the action. This was a little jarring and felt more like I was reading the end of The Bone Season, than the beginning of its sequel.

I found a large part of The Mime Order to be a little slow paced, with too many similar scenes that made it feel stretched out. However, the pace picks up in the last third of the book. All the pieces begin to fall into place and I found myself eager to continue reading. This novel builds slowly to an action-packed ending that left me on the edge of my seat.  

Once again, the detailed worldbuilding stands out. Although I found the pacing slow at times, the intriguing world of this series always manages to hold my attention. Having said that, the amount of unfamiliar words and phrases and terms for different kinds of clairvoyants was a little overwhelming to keep track of.

November & December 2023 Wrap Up

Happy New Year! I can’t believe another year has finished and gone. 2023 had a lot of ups and downs. I’ve not been as active here as I would have liked. Things have been pretty bumpy with my health, but hopefully things will improve as I now have a new diagnosis which will help me manage it better. I read quite a few books in November and December and ended the year by exceeding my 2023 goal of 18 books by reading 22!

Every Duke Has His Day by Susanne Enoch ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This book was absolutely charming and completely fun to read. I was thoroughly entertained the whole way through and laughed on more than one occasion. I adored the romance and was so happy with the ending I didn’t care whether it was predictable or not. Having been feeling a bit down, this was just the book I needed. If you’re looking for something light-hearted and fun, I would highly recommend this book.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This is a great YA fantasy with a touching romance and an interesting setting. It kept me reading from start to finish and had a heartbreaking ending. It’s not one of my favourite reads of the year, but I think that’s more down to personal taste than the quality of the book. This is an excellently crafted book and I would definitely recommend it.

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – The final book in the Grishaverse series! I can’t believe I’ve finally reached the end and won’t be returning to this world again. Unless Leigh Bardugo decides to go back to this world at some point, and I would be perfectly happy if she did. Rule of Wolves is a great conclusion to the series. Some old, favourite characters return which made it feel like a homage to the series as a whole and a bit of a farewell tour.

The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – As I enjoyed The Bone Houses, I was looking forward to returning to the same world, with new characters and a new story. This was a fun heist story and there were some great twists towards the end.

Whisked Away at Christmas by Mahi Chesire ⭐⭐⭐ – I was looking for a fun, Christmassy read and came across this on Audible. The story centres around a prestigious baking competition and a second chance romance. While I enjoyed the story, I think I would have enjoyed it more with different narrators, as the ones chosen for this audiobook were a little flat and didn’t bring the story to life.

Sisters of Sword and Shadow by Laura Bates ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I love Arthurian stories and tales of knights, so I just had to pick this one up when I saw it. The audiobook narration is great and works really well for this one as the writing has the feel of being told a classic tale of brave knights. The ending leaves things open for a sequel and I’d be interested in returning to this world and characters if the author does write another.

I ended the year pretty well, reaching the midpoint of my novel which is really exciting. I’ve been working on it a long time now, so to reach this milestone feels like a great achievement.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

Top 10 Tuesday: Favourite Books of 2023

It’s time to pick my favourite books of 2023! I read so many good ones last year, but there are definitely some that stood out as my favourites.

Top 10 Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish, but has now moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. If you’re interested in taking part click here.

Every Duke Has His Day by Suzanne Enoch

Legendborn by Tracey Deonn

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Sisters of Sword and Shadow by Laura Bates

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin

City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

Have you read any of these? What were your favourite books of 2023? Chat with me in the comments!

Audiobook Review: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Publishing Info: Audiobook by Magpie, narrated by Alex Wingfield and Rebecca Norfolk

Star Rating: 4/5

Back Cover Summary:

Eighteen-year-old Iris dreams that one day her writing will make a difference. A war between gods is raging, and she’s landed a prestigious job at the Oath Gazette.

But at home, she’s barely holding it together. Her brother is missing on the frontline. Her mother is lost in a haze of addiction. And each night Iris pours her heart out in letters to her brother.

Letters that will never be answered. Or so she thinks…

They’ve made their way into the hands of the last person Iris trusts: Roman Kitt. Her cold, unforgiving rival at the paper.

Drawn together by fate and magic, they form an unlikely connection. They say love conquers all… but can it triumph in a war between gods?

Divine Rivals is a touching and emotional YA fantasy. With a setting inspired by the Second World War, this novel stands out from other works in the genre. As you would expect from a novel set during a war, Rebecca Ross deals with some heavy topics such as grief and trauma. The focus of the novel is the romance between rivals at a newspaper, which was beautifully written and lovely to see how they transitioned from rivals to lovers.  

The magic at the start of Divine Rivals is intriguing, with magic having seeped into the city of Oath, resulting in interesting quirks such as a supermarket that only shows you products you can afford or a house which provides late night milk and biscuits. Once the story moves away from Oath, however, there isn’t as much magic, and the novel felt more historical with touches of magic despite being set in a secondary world rather than being historical. I would have personally enjoyed more magic akin to that at the beginning of the novel, though this is down to personal taste rather than any issue with the book itself.

I enjoyed reading a fantasy novel set in a different era from most and the romance was woven brilliantly between letters and in person interactions. Although I can see why this novel has struck a chord with so many readers, it’s not a favourite read for me though I can’t quite put my finger on why. The ending was heartbreaking and certainly provides a strong draw to read the sequel. Even though this isn’t one of my favourite reads of the year, I would highly recommend it as an excellently crafted YA novel with an interesting setting and beautiful romance.