Blog Posts - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

Pastry Portal to the Other World

24/3/2026

A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang by Lee Onhwa
Translated by Slin Jung

After Yeon-hwa's grandmother passes, she finds herself the new owner of Hwawoldang, a traditional sweet shop which has accumulated a massive debt over the years. Yeon-hwa intends to sell the shop, but first she honours her grandmother's strange request by opening the store between 10pm and midnight for a month. Soon she discovers the secret of the shop, but more secrets are yet to come.

It's no surprise that I have read yet another book from the healing fiction genre, but I still managed to be pleasantly surprised by this one. Prepare to have your heartstrings pulled. Prepare to grab the nearest tissue box. And also prepare to find yourself drawn in by the same secrets that frustrate Yeon-hwa throughout the book. This is technically a debut novel, but Lee's prior experience is evident in her excellent writing.

Crimson Sunrise

3/3/2026

Low Red Moon (Star Wars: Outlaws)
by Mike Chen

Jaylen Barsha was primed to take over as CEO of Barsha Corporation, but at the last moment his future was destroyed. The sole survivor of an attack on his family, Jaylen changes his name and survives among the galaxy's outlaws while he searches for his missing brother, Sliro. Jaylen's companion is ND-5, but Jaylen's need for revenge might prove stronger than any bond growing between them.

I'm not much of a gamer, but I have read a lot of books based on Star Wars video games. Some are terrible, some simply exist, and few are great. I went into this blind. Heck, I assumed Jaylen was the playable character until I bothered to look up the cover art for Star Wars: Outlaws - it was at this point that I realised I should probably adjust my expectations of his personal growth in this novel (ha!). In my defence, Chen wrote Jaylen so well and gave him a huge heaping of Main Character Energy. So perhaps I can be forgiven for initially being Team Jaylen. I'm totally Team ND-5 now.

There are definitely aspects of this book that could have used more time and more pages, though a prequel with this much baggage is always going to be patchy and skip over large sections of time. I liked/disliked the appearance of Fennec Shand - it felt a little forced. But I'm kind of in love Fennec. Anyway, it's not an excellent book (mostly due to the limitations placed on it) and yet I quite enjoyed this imperfect jaunt.

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

Eventually Enchanted

13/2/2026

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.

Papa-paparazzi

9/2/2026

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.

Out With the Old

8/2/2026

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.

Kindness in the time of Covid

7/2/2026

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.

Nanami in Bookland

3/2/2026

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.

They Mostly Come at Night

2/2/2026

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!

False Advertising Strikes Again

24/1/2026

Snowed in at the Wildest Dreams Bookshop (The Wildest Dreams Bookshop #2)
by Gracie Page

Ivy was desperate to get out of Fox Bay and into art college, but her first term was a disaster. So she finds herself back home for the winter break, working in the Wildest Dreams Bookshop. Fox Bay can be pretty weird on its own, but the upstairs holidaymakers may even be weirder. Trip, one of said holidaymakers, is so infuriatingly optimistic. There's no way they can get along...or can they?

First of all, that's a very misleading title and it was so obviously an intentional ploy to hook a certain audience. I'm so tired of publishers pulling this shit. I seriously don't trust any of you anymore. Fast sales are apparently more important than building up reader loyalty... Ahem. Regardless, I enjoyed this sequel, which felt comfortably New Adult (unlike the first book, which had a weird vibe), and I connected with it on a personal level because I'd have related to Ivy if I was younger. It's a light, pleasantly entertaining read.