Blog Archives

Less Cosy, More Plodding

23/2/2026

Brigands & Breadknives (Legends & Lattes)
by Travis Baldree

Fern has spent years as a bookseller, doing nothing of note. Something feels off, so she transplants her shop next door to her friend Viv's in Thune... and yet, something is still off. Instead of talking to Viv, Fern gets drunk and passes out in the cart of a legendary elf transporting a very strange bounty. Fern soon finds herself far from Thune and her chances of apologising to Viv are now very slim...

The main selling point of the previous two books, for me, was the cosiness. Brigands & Breadknives lacks that cosiness, which makes it feel too similar to the typical fantasy journey story - basically, not what I was hoping for when I picked this up. If you look past that disappointment, which I sometimes managed to do, this is a vaguely amusing story where the real treasure is the friends we made along the way. Never mind that it was a big of a slog to get through...

And is there a reason that Bradlee is an anagram of Baldree? lol

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Eventually Enchanted

13/2/2026

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Enchanting the Fae (Queens of Villainy #2)
by Stephanie Burgis

Lorelei is a half-fae queen with a neighbour set on conquering the continent and ousting all of faekind. Gerard de Moireul, infuriatingly resistant to her charms, is a general who wouldn't hesitant to obey orders to attack her land. Lorelei needs to change his mind somehow. So she abducts him and whisks him away to the fae realm, where she doesn't intend to lose...least of all her heart.

I adored the first book in this series because it was totally up my alley. This one was a little less so, I could tell that from the blurb, but I love the world Burgis has created so of course I had to jump back in. The fae tournament wasn't all that interesting and it felt rather weak to me. I was thinking I wouldn't enjoy any aspect of Lorelei and Gerard's story... but oh those intimacy scenes were top notch. Reluctantly, I have to admit that I was won over.

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Papa-paparazzi

9/2/2026

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All Your Wishes (Two Hearts #2)
by Laura Sieveking

Piper's parents are both movie stars and her life is the complete opposite of normal. But normal is exactly what she needs right now, so she's happy to be spending six months attending a regular high school while she stays with family friends who are keeping her identity a secret. Soon she's crushing on a popular boy who's supposed to be a bully, but she is sure there's a different side to him...

A tale as old as high school. There's nothing new here and it's a fairly average book, but these kinds of stories are always going to be popular, no matter the decade. The selling point for me is the fact that this series is aimed towards Australian tweens and written by Australian authors - cheers for that, Scholastic. Oh and how about those gorgeous sprayed edges? The target audience is going to love it.

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Out With the Old

8/2/2026

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Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata

Amane's origin as a child born of copulation marks her as abnormal in a world increasingly devoid of sex and love. Her mother's beliefs hark back to an older way of doing things. Amane knows it would be disgusting to have sex with her husband, since they are family, but she seems unable to let go of her sexual needs as others have. Will she become a reminder of a time long past?

One cannot read this book without immediately comparing it to Brave New World. There are similar themes, though Vanishing World is a more modern - and more disturbingly relevant - take on them. Murata's short story "A Clean Marriage" definitely laid the foundation here, though I think the book is more successful because the length allows her cover more ground. I will have to agree with others that the ending is... ick. And yet it works. But frankly, I would be more impressed by this book if Murata hadn't written the same type of story over and over again.

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Kindness in the time of Covid

7/2/2026

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The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon

Mrs Yeom loses a bag containing her wallet at Seoul station and returns to discover that Dokgo, who found it for her, is homeless and has no recollection of who he was before he came to Seoul. She hires Dokgo to cover the night shift at her convenience store - and never once does she regret it. Giving Dokgo a second chance will cause a ripple effect of second chances for others.

This book will make you believe that kindness can change the world - even if it starts as a simple, small act. I certainly believe. Dokgo was such a fascinating, mysterious character. I was almost disappointed to find out about his past towards the end, though it was handled so well. I have a keen interest in COVID-19 fiction and this certainly fits the bill, but I also admired the message about taking our kindness with us into such an uncertain global situation.

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Nanami in Bookland

3/2/2026

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The Cat Who Saved the Library (The Cat Who... #2)
by Sōsuke Natsukawa
Translated by Louise Heal Kawai

Nanami Kosaki lives a very limited life due to her asthma and the library has become her sanctuary. When books begin to go missing, she notices while others don't. Something terrible is going on in the world, with her beloved books at risk, and with the help of a grumpy cat she might just be able to put a stop to it. But she must keep hold of hope and courage lest all be lost.

I feel that the term "Ghibli-esque" is overused, but it definitely applies in this case. A girl and her love of books can save the day - which is a nice thought. I also related more to Nanami than I did Rintaro (though it was nice to see him again!). Unfortunately, just like in the previous book in this series, Natsukawa became bogged down in pontification, much to the detriment of plot and pacing.

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They Mostly Come at Night

2/2/2026

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Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada
Translated by Philip Gabriel

The Night Library is only open at night and has a very specific purpose: displaying and protecting the book collections once owned by deceased authors. The staff all have their own stories about how they came to be at the Night Library and all of them have secrets - but the greatest secret is the identity of the library's mysterious owner.

I think I was about fifty pages in when I realised that I absolutely adored this book. Dinner at the Night Library may not feature any magic or dream-like sequences, but it is still utterly magical and dreamy. Character development may seem non-existent at first, but then it creeps up on you at unexpected moments. The mystery surrounding the owner was handled in a similar way...teased for a while and then suddenly resolved in the most perfect way. I'm so fascinated by the Night Library and dearly wish I could visit it in real life!

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Book Reviews

Less Cosy, More Plodding

Brigands & Breadknives (Legends & Lattes)
by Travis Baldree

Eventually Enchanted

Enchanting the Fae (Queens of Villainy #2)
by Stephanie Burgis

Papa-paparazzi

All Your Wishes (Two Hearts #2)
by Laura Sieveking

Out With the Old

Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata

Kindness in the time of Covid

The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon

Nanami in Bookland

The Cat Who Saved the Library (The Cat Who... #2)
by Sōsuke Natsukawa
Translated by Louise Heal Kawai

They Mostly Come at Night

Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada
Translated by Philip Gabriel

About

Archives

Categories

Book Reviews

Less Cosy, More Plodding

Brigands & Breadknives (Legends & Lattes)by Travis Baldree

Eventually Enchanted

Enchanting the Fae (Queens of Villainy #2)by Stephanie Burgis

Papa-paparazzi

All Your Wishes (Two Hearts #2)by Laura Sieveking

Out With the Old

Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata

Kindness in the time of Covid

The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon

Nanami in Bookland

The Cat Who Saved the Library (The Cat Who... #2)by Sōsuke NatsukawaTranslated by Louise Heal Kawai

They Mostly Come at Night

Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada​Translated by Philip Gabriel

About

Archives

Categories

Brigands & Breadknives (Legends & Lattes)
by Travis Baldree

Enchanting the Fae (Queens of Villainy #2)
by Stephanie Burgis

All Your Wishes (Two Hearts #2)
by Laura Sieveking

The Cat Who Saved the Library (The Cat Who... #2)
by Sōsuke Natsukawa
Translated by Louise Heal Kawai

Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada
Translated by Philip Gabriel