The Pretender

Jo Harkin

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Historical Fiction

When The Pretender was made available for advanced reading on NetGalley, I couldn’t resist requesting it. This historical novel is set at the end of the Plantagenet dynasty and the beginning of the Tudor reign. The story reimagines the life of Lambert Simnel, who was used for the Yorkist rebellion against King Henry VII.

It starts with Lambert being known as John, the twelve-year-old peasant boy, who one day is taken away by a stranger claiming he is the son of George, the Duke of Clarence (killed by his brother King Edward IV). The stranger says the boy’s identity was hidden to protect him from threats.

Lambert is then sent to Oxford to get the education he needs as a royal heir. Through his eyes, we follow his journey that is filled with danger, obstacles, political intrigue, self-discovery, and hunger for power.

The worldbuilding in this novel is so rich and vivid. The author did a terrific job drawing a clear picture of all the aspects of this world, whether it is the court, social structures, the nobility, or the medieval feel of it. Everything is well explained and described. The book is also beautifully written, like literary fiction.

Being told during a turbulent period of England’s history ensures the story has lots of deception, backstabbing, uncertainty, and twists that complement the political ambitions of the involved characters. The characters are complex and multilayered, making them perfect for the story.

I enjoyed reading the story because I have enough background about many of the characters in this book. Those unfamiliar with the Plantagenet and Tudor eras should read about their conflict and the War of the Roses before reading this story. I don’t know how much I would have liked this book or understood the events if I had no idea about the characters and their historical background. If you are a big fan of historical fiction of that era, you should not skip this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.

The Country Under Heaven

Frederic S. Durbin

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Western + Horror + Fantasy

This novel is set in the 1880s American West and follows Ovid Vesper, a former Union soldier. After a near-death experience leads Ovid to see visions of unnatural beings, he decides to go on a journey across the country to investigate all the different supernatural occurrences.

The story is told in chapters, each representing a new experience for the main character, functioning as a standalone tale or resembling an episode of a show. Between chapters, interludes offer a deeper glimpse into the main character's thoughts and experiences.

The book’s genre is entirely outside my comfort zone. It blends the key elements of classic westerns with fantasy and historical fiction. Add to the mix horror themes, which make things even more interesting. This unique blend of genres really worked for me and reminded me of the same atmosphere I enjoyed in Stephen King’s The Gunslinger.

The vivid setting, eerie horror elements, compelling protagonist, and the author’s intriguing writing style all together made the book a fun reading experience. I would say it is a mixture between the book “The Gunslinger” and the TV show “Supernatural.”

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.

Lucky Tomorrow

Deborah Jiang-Stein

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Contemporary + Short Stories

This is an intriguing book that centers on Felma, a woman who works in a flower shop and seeks her daughter after she was taken from her while serving time in prison. The world surrounding Felma and each of her customers also has their own story. There is a connection among these stories as well.

The book contains over thirty stories, each one of them focusing on different individuals with their own problems, challenges, and obstacles. These stories explore themes such as hope, grief, mental health, and identity. As a reader, you may find yourself liking some stories more than others, depending on your tastes and preferences.

One of the main strengths of this collection is the author’s writing style. It is indeed flowery, which enhances the themes being explored, particularly since flowers are a recurring motif in nearly all the stories. Additionally, I appreciated the vivid descriptions of the various locations depicted throughout the narratives. I believe the author excelled in this aspect.

Although it’s a well-written book with a very interesting structure, I believe the number of stories was excessive compared to the number of pages. The stories were short, which doesn’t provide enough opportunity to connect with the characters and their challenges. Perhaps having eight or ten stories within the same structure would have made a significant difference. This is my personal opinion, and your experience may differ, so give the book a chance if you think it’s something you might find interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Julie Chan Is Dead

Liann Zhang

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery Thriller

Julie Chan is a supermarket cashier, while her identical twin sister, Chloe, is a social media influencer and sensation. The two sisters were separated at a young age following the death of their parents. So the sisters were never close. One video of Chloe’s reunion with her sister goes viral, and Julie Chan comes into the picture and her sister’s life. But she discovers that all the kindness that her sister shows her is just a way to get more views!

One day Julie Chan finds her sister dead at her place, so the idea comes to her to become Chloe and claim that Julie Chan is dead instead. The glamorous lifestyle that Chloe lived encourages Julie to do that, unaware of the dark secrets that her sister had.

I’m a big fan of stories that involve twins, so this checked one big box for me. For a debut novel, the book was very entertaining. It is nicely written, and the story has constant tension and twists. The more secrets came out, the more the protagonist realized that her decision was a very foolish one.

The story concentrates on themes like distant sibling relationships, manipulation, the influencer culture, and one’s identity. The pace is fast and steady. However, there are no likable characters in this book. Both the twins were not decent human beings. They both were selfish and manipulative.

If you read this book and enjoy it, try to watch Bette Davis’ Dead Ringer (1963). I love that movie, and it has a very similar theme to this book, where the poor sister kills her rich twin sister and impersonates her. Like this book, that film has lots of tension and stressful events.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.

How to Seal Your Own Fate

Kristen Perrin

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Cozy Mystery

How to Seal Your Fate is the second book in the Castle Knoll Files. Like the first book, it follows the same formula of dual timelines, one in the present that follows Annie Adams, and the other one in the past that follows Annie’s great-aunt, Frances Adams.

In the present timeline, Annie becomes a murder suspect after settling in Castle Knoll, a small English village. So to clear her name from this crime, she has to dig into all the secrets about the village and its residents.

The other timeline is not very different in its purpose. Frances will team up with a pub worker, Archie, to investigate a car crash that killed a family. They will uncover many dark secrets and cover-ups. The book alternates in narration between the past and present, and the two timelines eventually intertwine.

I enjoyed the first book a little more than this one. Maybe because it felt unique then, but now I understand the author has a fixed structure for the whole series, which is two timelines, fixed heroines, and the same location. I’m not sure what more ideas she will be able to come up with for this structure, but that remains to be seen.

The book has strong female protagonists in both timelines, which is a positive thing. Whether you liked both timelines will depend on you and your preferences. Usually, readers tend to prefer one over the other, so that is natural. There are lots of twists and turns, so this will keep you interested throughout the book.

While the story has its twists and surprises, there remains a level of predictability, especially for avid mystery readers. Aside from that and the slow start, I found the novel to be an entertaining cozy mystery.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.

Separate Rooms

 Pier Vittorio Tondelli

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Classic + Literary Fiction + LGBTQ+

Separate Rooms is a 1980s queer Italian classic novel that has been translated into the English language. It follows Leo, a man in his thirties, mourning the death of his lover. Leo is a writer who has been deeply in love with Thomas, a young German musician. The story highlights their relationship and how their careers affected their passionate bond.

The story is narrated from Leo’s perspective in a nonlinear style. Through his narration, we get to feel the isolation that Leo has been going through and the struggles and obstacles that affected his relationship with his lover.

The novel is about love, loss, grief, identity, isolation, and memory. With the melancholic and poetic prose, the author successfully turned this story into a tale of heavy loss and emotional depth. The representation of gay characters here is very authentic and will resonate with many readers.

Due to the lack of plot progression, I feel this story won’t be the cup of tea of every reader. The story doesn’t have what one calls dramatic events or even a clearly defined resolution. I was not a fan of the constant jumps between past and present. I feel a linear approach would’ve served the book a lot better. Regardless of these drawbacks, I still think this is a fascinating read that you should give a try.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.

Vanishing World

 Sayaka Murata

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Science Fiction + Literary Fiction + Dystopia

Vanishing World is a dystopian story set in an alternative Japan where love, marriage, sex, and procreation have totally transformed into something different from our current world and definitions of all these things.

The story follows a woman called Amane, who now lives in this world where sex between married couples is something prohibited and considered like an assault! She is shocked when she knows that her parents conceived her the natural way for our world, but not for the main character’s world!

Not only that, but Amane and her husband, Saku, have a sexless marriage where the wife also can date other men openly! As we follow Amane, we get to see the conflicts inside her, whether those are related to her personal identity or to the norms of the society. In a society where men can also get pregnant, Amane as well as the other characters have many challenges to face.

This was a crazy read! Of course I mean it in a good way. I’m sure the original Japanese version must be better because, no matter what, some sentences and meanings change during translation. But even if this version was the original version that was written, it still has a lot to offer.

The book is atmospheric and has many ideas, some of which can be considered bizarre. And I guess that was one of the main things that made me enjoy reading this dystopian story. The concept is bold and quite unique, making this book a very original work of art. The author's beautifully blended themes will make you pause and think. I love it when stories provoke my thoughts in this way.

I’d recommend this book for any reader who has an open mind and can get into the story without being too judgmental. Indeed, the topics discussed here and their treatment in this alternative Japan may not resonate with all readers.

Note: What irritated me while reading the book on my Kindle, and this is not the fault of the book or the writing, was the format. More specifically, it was the absence of appropriate formatting. It is not OK to send ebooks even if they are ARCs in this way. No matter how hard I tried to ignore the problem, it still affected my reading experience.

This is a picture of my Kindle to show one of the pages. Not all the pages are like that, but many of them are.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.

Open, Heaven

 Seán Hewitt

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Literary Fiction + LGBTQ+

This is a coming-of-age story that takes place in a remote English village. The story follows a sixteen-year-old boy, James, who is trying to come to terms with his sexuality, shyness, and life obstacles. When Luke comes into the picture, James becomes totally smitten by him, despite having a different personality than him.

The story is very well written. The lyrical and poetic prose of the author shines throughout the book. The author is an acclaimed poet, so no wonder his prose is very rich even if this is his debut novel. The coming-of-age story is very raw and real. I feel every reader will find something in James that will remind them of their own experiences when they were that young.

Sean Hewitt excelled in creating the perfect setting that will make the main character feel isolated, both from inside and outside. The remote village with the changing seasons that the author implemented in the book enriches the reading experience.

There’s something about the book's tone that resonates with me. It’s quite melancholic and bittersweet, infused with a sense of longing and heartache. This atmosphere complements the story and the character’s journey. I loved it! It’s beautiful, full of emotional depth and tenderness.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.