#75 The Luminous Dead

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling 

The Luminous Dead is an adult debut atmospheric/sci-fi/horror 2019 release. This story follows Gyre Price who lies on a job application and fakes her experience level to bag a caving job that pays a lot of money. Her motivation for this is that she is searching for her missing mother and needs to make a lot of money to travel to other garden planets to find her mum. The cave job is offering an extortionate pay out as its a very difficult expedition that many others have died attempting before.

Gyre undergoes surgery to have a suit fitted that will protect her from the elements of the cave and ultimately protect her from the 'tunnellers' which are monster type creatures that dwell in the caves and are attracted by human voices, they are highly dangerous as they can cause the cave to disintegrate and can also create new tunnels making it difficult to follow a map. Gyre must avoid them at all cost. The suit she is fitted into has built into speakers and microphones to the helmet so that Gyre can stay in contact with her handler, Em. It is Ems job to externally control the suit and ensure Gyre completes the excavation successfully.

The book takes a twist when Em doesnt seem to want to help Gyre and is cold towards her. She leaves Gyre for long periods of time without speaking to her and slowly begins to manipulate and blackmail her to conform to Ems agenda.

The book is highly atmospheric and has a really creepy vibe to it, i listened to this on audio book and i think that really added to the overall tone. The tension really builds throughout and the writing is fantastic. I enjoyed this book a lot, its highly underrated in my opinion. I enjoyed the high tech elements to this story, it was really interesting to read about the advancements and what the suit was capable of.

Gyre as a character was really well fleshed out, shes strong and knows what she wants but shes also extremely vulnerable and the cave and isolation really takes its toll on her. Em is also very interesting, her character is very mysterious and in the beginning you dont know why she is so frosty towards Gyre and why she isnt doing her best to help her through this mission but all begins to unravel as the story goes on. In the beginning few chapters i thought it was such a risk to only have two characters throughout the entire book but it really played to the books strengths and helped me as a reader get so invested in both characters mind sets.

I ended up giving this one 3.5 stars as it is a great October/fall read but i felt like some sections were overly long and certain bits felt really repetitive. I think this would have been easier to read physically as there is a map with the excavation site at the beginning and it was quite difficult to visualise when listening to the book. I was shocked that this was a debut as it was really well done and highly original, one of the better 2019 releases ive read this year and i really want to pick up a physical copy now.

#74 Gideon the Ninth

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir 

Gideon the Ninth is a 2019 debut adult sci fi/fantasy and one of my most anticipated reads of the year, i was so pumped for this and i hate to say it but i didn't love it, it was very much not my cup of tea at all. Its a really difficult book to write a review of because even though ive read it i find it very difficult to not only describe but also to summarise. This book is pitched as 'lesbian necromancers in space' which sounds perfect, that tagline had me hook, line and sinker and then i picked it up only to find that it has little to no world building, no explanation of the magic system, very little background or lore and the writing comes off as overly pretentious with overly descriptive sections. The best thing about this book IMO is the cover.

Gideon the Ninth has very little plot hence why it is so hard to describe. So Gideon lives in the ninth house and has been trying to escape since she was 4 years old but she is bound there as she was taken in and raised as a baby and it is deemed that she knows too much so they will not allow her to leave. She is kept in a cell like a prisoner and spends her days planning her escape. At the beginning of this book Gideon has spent months planning what she believe to be a full proof escape plan to finally leave but when she is discovered by her arch nemesis who offers her a way out. She is to act as a body guard and if she succeeds her master will set her free.

I found that absolutely nothing happened for the majority of this book which was really frustrating as i kept waiting for the story to kick off and for me to be sucked in, it wasnt until i got about 65% of the way through did i realise that it probably wasnt going to happen for me. There was a semi interesting mystery plot towards the end but i found it was wrapped up all too quickly for my liking considering it was one of the only things that happened. I found the characters to be a but meh, i didnt take a liking to anyone which i found odd.

It read to me like the author had tried to replicate the success of The Nevernight Chronicles and The Book of the Ancestor trilogy but it just fell so short of both of those trilogies. I dont want to hate on this book too much as 1) i hate doing that as i know the author worked damn hard on this book 2) id never want other people to not read it based on my opinions and 3) i always try to find the positives in things.

Gideon is compared to Mia Corvere a lot especially on Twitter as they are both quite stabby and queer but thats where the similarities end im afraid. Gideon had the potential to be an amazing kick ass female character but the plot really lets her down unfortunately.  I like my adult fantasy to have extensive world building, rich characters and an interesting plot, thats not too much to ask for? am i right?

All in all i just felt a bit lost with this one, i was confused for a lot of the time and couldnt really work out what was happening. I think this book had the potential to be great if it cut out all the fancy adjective and adverbs and worked on world building a bit more. As i was reading i remember constantly thinking 'where are they?' 'why are they here?' 'who are these people?', little to no explanation for anything really. Having said all that im still not ruling Tamsyn Muir out at all as i think id like to try more of her writing in the future but ultimately this really wasnt for me.

#73 Serpent & Dove

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin 

Septembers Fairyloot book <3 ascetically it is beautiful, has gorgeous bronze shimmery sprayed edges, the cover is slightly embossed and there is exclusive art on the inside of the dust jacket. I am in love with it.

I haven't been enjoying YA fantasy lately which is really worrying as im worried that im outgrowing YA *cries* so i was dubious to start this to say the least.

Serpent and Dove is a 2019 debut fantasy YA novel set in the city of Cesarine that follows our two main characters from opposite sides of the track so to speak:

• Lou- a witch who had fled her coven. Lou is sassy, says and does what she pleases and answers to no one. I like a sassy character but Lou could be a bit over the top at times even for me. Lous is being hunted by the witches for fleeing and is carrying many secrets from her past 

• Reid- an orphan raised as a chasseur and sworn to the church, he has never known any other life and has dedicated his life to one of morals and following the rules. A chasseurs role in the society of Cesarine is to keep the public safe and to hunt witches and burn them at the stake. 

When Lou and Reid are forced into an arranged marriage they must learn to deal with each other and each others flaws. At first it did seem like an unlikely match but as time goes on the reader slowly realises that they are made for each other. The slow burn hate to love romance is done so well as well. The church is at war with the witches and Lou must hide who she really is from Reid in the fear of him handing her over to be burned at the stake.

The plot was interesting, i havent read many books like this so props for originality. Theres always something that seems to be happening so there arent many dull or boring moments. I did listen to the audio for this and found the 2 narrators did a great job. The male character is the same narrator as Nevernight and that made me love it even more!

The things i didnt like about this book mainly was the setting, i really dont dig French books, i dont speak much French and found myself forever googling chapter names or the names of places in order to not get to lost with what was happening, although this may be endearing to some i really didnt care for it.  The aspects of magic werent the most original as ive seen it done in many YA fantasy books especially the blood magic elements but hey theres only so much creativity you can bring to a magic system i guess, it didnt affect my overall rating. A few side characters could have been developed a little more as it felt like they were only used for the action scenes, they were rarely in the background unless they needed to be, they didnt feel very real for me. More background to Lou would have been nice and Reid also, the big reveal of their secrets felt ever so slightly anti climatic.

Overall i though the writing was good and the story was well plotted especially for a debut novel. I enjoyed the characters and their relationship dynamic as well as their dialogue and witty banter. I found a few of the side characters to be a bit of a let down in places but really enjoyed Coco and Hansel and hope they are included in the sequel. I am really glad i got to this book especially in October as it has such a spooky vibe but is still light, fun and engaging.

#72 The Crowns Game

The Crowns Game by Evelyn Skye 

The Crowns Game is the first book in the The Crowns Game duology. It follows two young enchanters Nikolai and Vika who are competing to be the imperial enchanter which is basically a personal magician. Vika and Nikolai have been training for this role since they were young children but were not aware that they would be pitted against each other in a duel where they each get a turn and have to try and best each other in order to win. Nikolai's best friend is the Tsarovitch meaning he is the next in line to be the Tsar. Pasha does not know that Nikolai is an enchanter or that he is about to take part in the Crowns Game. Only one enchanter will come out of the Crowns Game victorious whilst the other will be executed.

This is a debut novel and the story is inspired by Russian folklore which i have been really into lately after finally completing the Grishaverse in August, i found it was very well researched and believable. The writing is good which i hate to say i found really surprising, i read Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye a few months ago and was really disappointed in both the story and the writing. So going into this book i was hesitant but it took me by surprise. I listened to the audiobook for this one and found it to be really engaging, the voices were changed for each character and had a bit of a Russian lilt to them which made it sound much more authentic. The world building was stunning and you really felt like you were there they way everything is so beautifully described, there wasnt too much explanation regarding the magic system and why there only seemed to be a few characters that had magic, i would have liked this to have been explained more and an explanation for why there could only been one imperial enchanter would have been nice as that was the entire plot yet it wasnt really explained.

I found it to be a but tropey in parts like a standard YA fantasy novel, the romance was predictable and a little cheesy. I thought i knew where the ending was going from about midway through but it surprised me and went a different way which i did enjoy.

I loved Nikolai's character a lot, his storyline of 'boy who comes from nothing' was really well done and i enjoyed reading about how he started from the bottom but worked hard to hone his magic skills. His friendship with Pasha was really endearing to read too. He has a strong sense of self and really cares about other people and their feelings.

Vika has elemental magic. I found her to be a bit dumb, i couldnt really click with her character as i found her not to be very relatable. Shes written as a 'fiesty' girl character which i think is SO overdone in YA. The introduction of the love triangle element was the main reason i gave this book 3 stars. I really hate love triangles as it always reminds me of Twilight *rolls eyes* it made the story really juvenile in my eyes. When will authors learn that love triangles are not a good plot device!

Pasha was my favourite character, he is such a complex character. He is kind natured and you can tell that he doesnt have what it takes to become the leader of Imperial Russia even though he is destined to do so. He often wears disguises and goes into the market to be among his people but not be recognised. He craves adventure and was really fun to read about.

I think in terms of writing style i would have much preferred a split perspective chapters with Nikolai, Vika and maybe Pasha too. Instead it was told in a third person style that i dont overly care for but it didnt take anything away from the story, i just personally prefer a bit more structure.

I am keen to read the next and final instalment to see where the story goes. Ultimately i enjoyed this, there was a lot of good plot twists and i enjoyed the political intrigue towards the end. The duel was well done and i enjoyed them trying to out do each other. There were parts in the middle that dragged and the love triangle was not great but otherwise it was enjoyable and i gave this a 3 stars overall.

#71 Four Dead Queens

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte 

Four Dead Queens is a debut fantasy/mystery stand alone. This book has been on my radar for a while and i was delighted when it was picked as the group read for September for the online book club that im part of!

The story opens with seventeen year old thief Keralie who lives in the nation of Quadara. Quadara is made up of four quadrants which are each ruled by a separate queen. The four queens all live within the same palace and are not allowed to leave as they would need to forfeit their crown. Each queen is required to produce a female heir in order to pass the crown on through death or if they choose to abdicate. Each queen is required to be raised in the quadrant that they will rule in order to grow up in the society and follow the traditions and rules of that quadrant. The story is told in a split perspective of inside the palace following the queens and also outside the palace following Keralie. At the beginning of the story Keralie steals something from a messenger that sets off a series of events which will result in the the queens deaths so she tries to go to the palace with the messenger to stop the murders taking place. I cant say much more than that as it will ruin the story.

The main things i liked were the murder mystery and light sci-fi/tech references, i have never read a YA fantasy that has mystery elements before so it felt very refreshing. This is really well structured and thought out which is very surprising for a debut novel. I liked the quadrants and that they were very different and stood for different things. I loved the LGBT relationship in this but wish it had been explored a bit more. A novella for each of the queens back stories would be perfect. Parts of this were very female empowering in the fact that Quadara is ran completely by women and there are no chance for a male to become king.

A few things i felt it lacked which made it a 4 star instead of a 5 star read was the sheer lack of world building, the quadrants sounded really interesting but its not as explained as well as it could have been. I would have liked a lot more back story from each of the queens, its explored a little but not enough for you to really invest in each character. I get that this is a stand alone novel so the above things took a back seat to the actual story but personally i would have liked to have seen a lot more exploration and world building. Keralie is a little annoying in parts but i did enjoy the romance elements as it didnt feel like insta love.

Astrid Scholte is very engaging with her readers on social media and i personally think thats really important. I cant wait to see what she comes out with next and i will definitely be reading it.

#70 The Kingdom

The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

'Welcome to the Kingdom, where 'Happily Ever After' isnt just a promise, but a rule' 



Before i begin i genuinely think this book has my favourite cover of 2019, both the US & UK editions are stunning but the US version is just gorgeous, i dont think ive ever seen a book where i have loved both covers so much even though they are very different.

This book is very light sci-fi but has mystery/thriller aspects which i found very unique.

Lets begin, so the Kingdom is a Disney inspired futuristic theme park, its basically like a very high tech Disneyland but instead of human Disney princesses you have cyborg 'fantasists'. We follow our main character Ana who is one of seven fantasists, she is an artificial intelligence programmed to entertain, guide and look after the theme park guests. There is a dual timeline in this story so you get both past and present events. From the beginning of the story we learn that Ana is on trial for murder so the past events tell us what happened leading up to the murder and the present events are leading up to and during the trial. There are quite a lot of mixed media included in this book which in my opinion really adds to the story, i loved the interview transcripts as it made the story flow really well. The story is basically about whether Ana committed the murder and if she did can she be held accountable for it as the creators state that she is not programmed to be capable of violence.

I loved the themes of this book mainly the 'what is it to be human' theme and the exploration of AI evolving by experiencing feelings, dreaming and making choices. It also lightly explores rape culture and how women are treated within society as well as masculinity issues. The fantasists are regularly sexually harassed in this story so you may want to be aware of that as it could be quite triggering for some people. There are also a lot of mentions about the environment and how many animals have become extinct so the creators have had to develop hybrids of some animals which i loved as it really modernised the futuristic element to the story. There are a few scenes regarding animal cruelty that can make for difficult reading so please be mindful of that if you are sensitive to that kind of thing.

I couldnt put this down, it reminded me so much of Irobot, it was really intricate and well written. I would love to see some novellas in this world maybe following Owen and his sister on their original visits to the Kingdom or the back story of the fantasists and how they were created, i think that would be really interesting. I loved that this was a stand alone as it was rounded off very well and left me satisfied and i felt complete at the ending, having said that i would love to read a sequel to this.

#69 Nevernight

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

HOLY SHIT BALLS, let me just begin by saying this book was amazing. It reminded me of why i love reading so much (not that i had forgotten) but sometimes you need a book to come along and kick you up the ass and this book did that for me. It has reignited my love for adult fantasy books and i am dying to read Godsgrave, i have it on my bed side table but cant fit it in until the beginning of next month.

Ok, onto the book Rachel and stop gushing! Nevernight is the first book in the Nevernight Chronicles which is a trilogy. I am a little late jumping on this band wagon as the final book is due to be released next month. I guess one good thing about being late to read it is that i already have Godsgrave (book 2) as mentioned earlier and will be able to pick up a copy of the final book next month. I am ashamed that it took me so long to read this as ive even read Aurora Rising which Jay co-authored and it came out earlier this year. I had a bit of a rocky start with this one, i took it out from the library a few months ago and couldnt even get past the first page, the writing wasnt for me. It read like a poem that kept repeating itself and i put it down thinking the whole book would be like that, how simple minded of me! Fast forward a few months and my amazing bookish friend on IG (Steffimariareads, hit her up cos shes awesome) had bought and started it. She convinced me to give it another chance which i did and the rest is history.

This book follows Mia Covere who at the beginning of the story (no spoilers of course) she witnesses her father being hanged for treason, her lifes goal from that point onwards is to find the men responsible for his death and kill them. She then joins the Red Church which is basically a school that trains the pupils on how to be deadly assassins known as the Blades. Mia also has the added ability to control shadows which is pretty badass IMO. Along with Mias ability she has a shadow cat called Mr Kindly who was easily one of my favourite parts of the book, he is so snarky but the way he protects and looks after Mia is very endearing. The banter between them was genuinely hilarious for the most part.

This book gave me serious Red Sister by Mark Lawrence vibes which i read in June/July as it also has a school for badass assassins. The writing is very close to flawless, it was so descriptive but in the best way as you can really imagine the world and the characters in your mind as you are reading. Nevernight has joined the ranks as one of favourite books that ive read this year (out of 109 so far) and not only that it is one of my favourite books of all time. I loved how the footnotes added an element of comedy to this serious natured book, after following Jays twitter i can confirm the man is a comedic genius.

I have seen quite a few people shelve this book as young adult of goodreads, it is very much an adult book. This book has some of the best sex scenes ever written in a fantasy novel and Kristoff certainly didnt shy away from that kind of content, man can he write! Theres also a lot of gory scenes, some scenes really shocked me and i dont shock easily!

Overall this was a fantastic read and one that will stay with me a long time, i can imagine myself rereading this a lot and thats not something i say so soon after finishing a book which i can only take as a positive sign. I am now a fully fledged member of the Jay Kristoff fan club and i will auto buy anything he writes in the future.