keepcalmblogon's reviews
141 reviews

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

adventurous funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book was so very queer and tasty! This was a Macmillan Audio pick and I honestly have never read a Casey McQuiston book before, so that’s part of why I picked it; they are such a popular author from what I’ve seen on Booksta, I wanted to try them out!

The overarching tone of this book is bittersweet as it’s a story of second chance romance between former best friends to lovers—mind you, these are two of my least favorite tropes, but I like to go out of my comfort zone sometimes! But there is an air of positivity throughout the story, because how can anyone be too down during a European food tour?! Plus, there is also a lot of sex positivity and flirting and sexing, so that was good fun!

My favorite parts of this book were the descriptions of the locales, foods, and wines. I am such a foodie, and I think this book needs to be paired with a cookbook (see what I did there?)! I added so many cities to my “want to visit” list!

In the end, Theo and Kit absolutely stole my heart, so I’m giving this book four stars!

I enjoyed the narration by Emma Galvin and Max Meyers; multiple narrators is always a good time!

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

dark hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A Sorceress Comes to Call was a Macmillan Audio pick and my first book by T. Kingfisher. While this book is described as a dark retelling of the Goose Girl, that wasn’t a fairytale with which I was familiar, so I was able to read this without any preconceived notions. This story is pretty dark, but there’s this underlying tone of hope that was really lovely. Cordelia is abused by her sorcerer mother and used in Evangeline’s schemes, but through the love and support she finds in a new household, Cordelia finds her own power and a family who respects her.

This book was interesting in that it had cozy fantasy vibes while dealing with really dark content, and while it wasn’t entirely high stakes, they were by no means low either. Ultimately, this story was really unique, and I think it will appeal to the tastes of many different readers.

This book really sat on my chest and curled up there like a cat; I’m still thinking about it days after finishing it—definitely a five star read for me, and a world I’d like to revisit. I recommend this to anyone who can stomach the heavy stuff while traveling toward the light.

As for the audiobook narration, I enjoyed that the narration was split between a mature-sounding woman’s voice and a girl-like voice, as the POVs are split between Cordelia and Hester.

The Mirror of Beasts by Alexandra Bracken

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I was so glad to get approved for The Mirror of Beasts, sequel to Silver in the Bone, as I was impatient to find out what happens next for Tamsin and friends!

Unfortunately, I do have to start off with a bit of a downer: since I had to wait over a year between the books, I didn’t remember all of the plot points, and when searching online for some sort of refresher, I was unlucky. So throughout the second book, there were events, characters, and references I simply did not recall, which overall didn’t prevent me from following the plot, but did make the story connect with me less. If I could have had some refresher of the split between priestesses and sorceresses and Avalon and the Otherlands and the overall magic system, etc., I think this story would have hit so much harder. 

But, I did get the overall gist and was able to follow the new plot and new twists fine enough to enjoy the story. I will say though, with so many connections and such a unique magic system, I was often left confused within the story of Mirror of Beasts itself, and I did go back and reread my review of Silver in the Bone and had the same notes on that book. So, overall this duology does have an issue with clarifying the lore. I also had to look up the pronunciation of so many names, I wish there had been a guide.

On to the good part! I still really enjoyed that instead of a retelling, this was a story in its own right using elements of Arthurian legend. I think if you enjoyed the show Merlin, you’d like this duology! I loved the found family connections and the action as well as the star-crossed lovers, so I’m giving this four stars!

I’m excited to find out if Neve gets her own book??

Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve by Drew Afualo

funny inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve, by Drew Afualo, was a bonus audiobook from Macmillan Audio, and I’m so glad they sent me a widget! I had never heard of Drew before, I don’t really use TikTok, but based on the synopsis, I knew immediately that I would like her and this book. According to the synopsis: “Drew Afualo is best known as the internet’s 'Crusader for Women'” and “unofficial watchdog for misogyny.” 

“Loud is part manual, part manifesto, and part memoir. It is a summoning cry to rid the internet (and our hearts, minds, and lives) of 'terrible men' and create a space to fight outdated patriarchal ideals. Above all, it makes it clear that behind Drew’s fearsome laugh is a mission and a life philosophy, a strategy for self-confidence from the inside out, and a pathway to once and for all remove men from the centre of how women and fems think about themselves.”

I don’t usually include synopses in my reviews, but I really couldn’t say that better myself!

I was both entertained by and guided through feminist and anti-patriarchy ideology, and it felt validating, empowering, and freeing!

A particular highlight of the book for me was when Drew discussed how valid it is for women and femmes to not want kids/to be a mom. Her discussion goes a step further that the rhetoric around women having autonomy over their own bodies, as that usually centers around already being pregnant, but discusses how even outside of any pregnancy, people further have the right to choose to not reproduce/parent at all. As someone who has known for a very long time that reproduction is not for me, and yet has constantly faced patronizing remarks about it, it has always felt so empowering to meet other women who share that same conviction and have gone through the same frustrations at other people’s reactions.

Drew narrates the Loud audiobook herself, and I always appreciate that, especially in nonfiction, because I believe it lends more weight to the messages the author is sharing. I think it’s needless to say this book is five stars!

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Most of you must know by now that I’m a huge fan of Ava Reid! I was so stoked I got approved for Lady Macbeth on Netgalley & even more excited to read it of course!

Needless to say, this book did not disappoint! I read Macbeth in college, & while I didn’t recall the nuances, I didn’t think I needed to. I did remember that Lady Macbeth’s character is often considered a villain, though, & that was definitely an important aspect to remember while reading Lady Macbeth. This book gives Lady Macbeth more context to her actions. She is considered “hagseed” by most, & a witch by the rest, simply because of the accident of her birth & her genetic predisposition to ethereal beauty. She is then married off (read traded for an alliance) to a foreign clan chief in a country quite dissimilar to her own (she is from Brittany, a Celtic region of North-Western France), & therefore she is as foreign to, & thus alienated from, them. She is further alienated by the sexist (even more so than the usual of that time!) tradition of separating women servants from castle life—immediately upon arrival Roscille’s handmaiden is removed.

Focusing on Lady Macbeth’s name is also quite an important nuance. In the original text, the character lacks a first name & is only referred to by her relationship with a man––thusly she is defined only by the men around her. Reid gives Lady Macbeth the name Roscille, which is changed upon her arrival to Scotland to the more Scottish Roscilla (another act of alienation & attempt of definition by the men around her). Throughout Roscille’s mistreatments by the men in her life (historical context: women were property & childbearers at that time), she learned from a young age that while her body may be owned by men, her mind could be free. So she sharpened her wit & attempted at every turn to use her wiles to keep herself as safe as possible from the men in her life. Unfortunately, that did not go very well for her, & she was often reduced to using her cunning in service to her husband, et al, to save her own life, the last thing she had besides her mind. Each time she was forced to choose between autonomy & breathing another day, she hated herself & resented even more the men around her. She recognized that the women of her time had very little to barter with, & even being a noble woman seemed to afford her less freedom, for she was expected only to produce male children, or else. 

In the end, there is so much more I can say, like the pan-Celtic symbolism of the animals of Scotland, Brittany, England, & even Wales Reid uses throughout the text, or further examples of the sexism of the time, the plight of the prisoner witches in the dungeon, or the small ways Roscille fights for feminism. But a good summation is a quote from the text: “Let them call you witch, as they do any woman who professes strength.” Five stars. Period.

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

When I opened The Shadows Between Us and saw it’s dedicated as a Slytherin Romance, I was immediately intrigued! Right off the bat, the dedication helped me to understand Alessandra’s attitude, goals, and drive. While I wouldn’t describe her as a relatable, or even necessarily likable, character, she was quite intriguing. I enjoyed watching her discover love and companionship while not compromising on her principles or ambition.

While I felt some aspects of this plot confused me in that they seemed to require a bit of editing—for instance, a woman who claims to want to become the ruler of her empire, and therefore kill the current ruler, didn’t seem to know much about the monarchy (her king’s name, the fact his elder brother died, or the last king’s name, who only died a year ago). While some of these things might have been believable if the FMC had been a peasant, Allessandra is part of the nobility class and it seems as if none of the above was kept secret by the monarchy, so it was kind of odd. Especially in regards to the Shadow King’s name: when Alessandra first learns it, she acts as if she’s been let in on a secret, but following that it turns out that all of the nobility know his name, so that was a silly kind of continuity error. I also was very confused about Kallias’ shadow abilities being essentially an open secret. While he says no one really knows how it works, it would appear that enough people know how it works to leak the information to his enemies, at which point I would assume his enemies would widely share and it would cease to be a secret—which kind of happens and yet…doesn’t. In the end, I will give this 3 stars for having a strong romance plot with a badass FMC!

Let the Games Begin by Rufaro Faith Mazarura

inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Let the Games Begin was my first sports romance book! To me it felt like contemporary YA romance, & not in a bad way! What I mean by that is that though the characters are adults, 23, Olivia is on a journey through her career path to her ideal job, & Zeke is at the zenith of his athletic career & experiencing the anxieties that come with not knowing for how much longer he’ll be able to keep winning races, These two plot lines therefore felt like that middle ground between ending high school & beginning adulthood. Olivia & Zeke are also dealing with coming to terms with the concessions & compromises they’ve made to get where they are as well as discovering exactly who they are when it comes to love & friendship—all themes of contemporary YA romance, & reasons why I love that genre & greatly enjoyed this book! 

Meanwhile, this book takes place during The 2024 Summer Olympics & features beautiful athletes in top form! Yet, my impression is that a sports romance is meant to have the sport featuring into the story of the romance, while Let the Games Begin felt more like sports was the setting rather than a plot point. This wasn’t a bad thing, just a way this book broke all of my expectations (& also, I could be wrong, because it was my first sports romance book!).

I loved that the meet-cute in this book was immediately angsty & gave enemies-to-lovers vibes! The banter was absolutely on fire between Zeke & Olivia. On a deeper level, I so appreciated the gray areas that Olivia & Zeke had to navigate as Zimbabwean citizens of the UK—the complex nuances of their desires to stand up for what’s right versus surviving & ultimately succeeding in their dreams. Watching Zeke & Olivia find the middle ground that worked for them, & also serving a bit of comeuppance to those who deserved it, felt so visceral! Zeke’s storyline also features mental health awareness, acceptance, resources, & healing, & I loved that that was included during a time in our history that mental health is becoming a recognized aspect of athleticism.

This was a Macmillan Audio pick & was narrated by Shaniqua Okwok, who I’d previously seen in It’s a Sin, & I absolutely loved her voice!

The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I got approved for The Darkness Within Us on NetGalley and was pleasantly surprised by how much I immediately enjoyed it a little more than The Shadows Between Us. Personally, Chrysantha was a more relatable and likable character than her sister—her desire to be free in the countryside with her books hit home more so than Alessandra’s thirst for power. Although, a favorite subplot of this book was the sisters making amends with each other; I thought that was so lovely and such an important theme for the modern world.

Chrysantha may desire different things from her sister, but she is still a force to be reckoned with! She is about as cutthroat and will do anything to achieve her goals. Watching her reckon with the plight of women in her society, while also learning it doesn’t have to be that way and benefitting from her sister’s law changes, was probably my favorite character development of the story. I did also enjoy seeing Chrysantha discover her own physical tastes and desires and come into her sexuality that way.

Eryx’s character was exciting to learn about, and I liked the mystery subplot of his identity. I’m forever an enemies-to-lovers stan, as well! In the end, this book was 4 stars!

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

adventurous lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The Spellshop is a cozy fantasy that ends up with some high stakes at the end, which I was actually really happy with because I’m new to cozy fantasy and I enjoy higher stakes fantasy! The beginning of the book is an ease into a post-revolutionary empire, which sounds exciting, but the lens is narrowed on Kiela and her sentient spider plant assistant, Caz. This narrow lens in a chaotic setting was actually really interesting to me because Kiela has emotionally and physically removed herself from society as a librarian, who seems even less sociable than the other librarians around her, and we find later on that she has already experienced the trauma of loss in her life, which makes her reaction to her government’s overthrow and subsequent executions make a little more sense—essentially Kiela remains numb throughout the fighting until her library is burned, and despite that resulting in her escape, she has an odd calm during the flight. All that is to say that throughout the book Kiela comes to terms with her trauma and PTSD-seeming symptoms as soon as she is safely ensconced in her childhood home. This type of character study may not sound very cozy, but the way it’s written by Sarah Beth Durst is calm and unobtrusive. The political upheaval in the far background of the setting and the focused lens on Kiela and her small island village act as foils in this book and made this cozy fantasy so much deeper than a simple comfort read—truly my type of story!

My favorite part of the story was watching Kiela develop relationships with the other villagers. Like the plants she and Caz cultivate in their garden, Kiela sprouted and bloomed in the safe space she found among new friends and old acquaintances in her childhood cottage—and of course she finds romance!

The Spellshop was a Macmillan Audio pick and is narrated by Caitlin Davies, and it was a cute coincidence I had just listened to another audiobook she narrated—I think she does a great job!

Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi

tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Masquerade was a Macmillan audio pick, and I was so excited to read a historical fiction set in West Africa! This book had me so surprised at every turn. I did not know what to expect from Òdòdó, but immediately was taken with her drive to survive. Watching her grow a thirst for power and freedom was like a villain-era story, but there is nothing villainous about a woman’s quest for autonomy! Òdòdó begins with the expected naivety of a girl who has been sheltered by her elders, but her natural intelligence is fed by her experiences, and she grows to outwit those who would keep her down or harm her. She has become a favorite FMC of mine; I would love to know what she is doing after the events of the book!

It was interesting to watch Òdòdó fall for a man who loves her but was so clearly sexist and power-hungry. Every aspect of her relationship with Àrẹ̀mọ had me on my toes; I never knew if things would get darker or lighter between them. Meanwhile, Òdòdó’s relationships with other characters, like Rótìmí, Kọ̀lọ̀, and Ọmóṣẹwà, were so fascinatingly nuanced, and I found it exemplary writing when Òdòdó would have “silent conversations” with such characters; Sangoyomi’s ability to write interactions between characters that had little to no dialogue and consisted mostly of body language is truly a skill of great talent!

In the end, Òdòdó’s actions did not surprise me, I only found myself cheering for her, and, as I mentioned, wanting to see what she’d do next and after, so her story wouldn’t end! This book was definitely five stars for me, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in women taking hold of their power (which should be everyone!)!

As for the audiobook aspect, the narrator Ariel Blake has so many books under her belt, but this was my first by her, and I’ll definitely be looking out for her from now on!