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abditoryalive's reviews
647 reviews
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
🐦⬛ Had me at Gothic Aesthetics. Anyone who knows me, knows I will eat up anything even vaguely gothic - the drama, the tension, the eerie beauty. One Dark Window leans into those elements but with a softer, more atmospheric take, blending gothic fiction with a touch more female empowerment than is usual in the genre. I'm often sceptical of books made popular on social media, I will state that I did start One Dark Window with low expectation and was very happily surprised on my enjoyment.
🎴Use of Poetry: A really fresh, lyrical quality to the story. I love the depth of each card with its own poem. The rhythmic, almost chant-like structure of these lines makes them feel like old spells or warnings.
🎴 Magical Card Magic System. I loved this concept. Each card is activated with three taps, giving it an almost ritualistic feel, like a mix of tarot cards or card-based video games.
🐦⬛Duology: Big fan of duologies : very picky on series (burnt too many times by middle filler book syndrome). Keen that One Dark Window fits this criteria - even if the ending on One Dark Window was a bit of a cliff-hanger. From a marketing point of view, it was very successful. I was not willing to wait 14 weeks on hold at Libby and immediately bought the second book at 1am, desperate for answers.
🎴 Sometimes it feels like fantasy authors never say their characters’ names out loud before finalising them—this feels like one of those instances. Elspeth Spindle is a mouthful of hissing 's' sounds, and Ravyn Yew has that same issue. While visually striking, but awkward when spoken. They look cool on the page, but try saying them three times fast, and you’ll see what I mean.
🪟 For Fans of: A Study in Drowning, Ink Blood Sister Scribe, Dragon Age magic-at-a-cost concepts/demon possession.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
4.5
Apprehension built like soil tossed upon a new grave
The Nightmare whispered behind my eyes, his claws sharp. But the Spirit was neglected, no matter her plea. The Rowans erased her, as they once did to me. But she keeps her own time, and I keep a long score. The tide that comes next will blot out the shore.
🐦⬛ Had me at Gothic Aesthetics. Anyone who knows me, knows I will eat up anything even vaguely gothic - the drama, the tension, the eerie beauty. One Dark Window leans into those elements but with a softer, more atmospheric take, blending gothic fiction with a touch more female empowerment than is usual in the genre. I'm often sceptical of books made popular on social media, I will state that I did start One Dark Window with low expectation and was very happily surprised on my enjoyment.
🎴Use of Poetry: A really fresh, lyrical quality to the story. I love the depth of each card with its own poem. The rhythmic, almost chant-like structure of these lines makes them feel like old spells or warnings.
🎴 Magical Card Magic System. I loved this concept. Each card is activated with three taps, giving it an almost ritualistic feel, like a mix of tarot cards or card-based video games.
🐦⬛Duology: Big fan of duologies : very picky on series (burnt too many times by middle filler book syndrome). Keen that One Dark Window fits this criteria - even if the ending on One Dark Window was a bit of a cliff-hanger. From a marketing point of view, it was very successful. I was not willing to wait 14 weeks on hold at Libby and immediately bought the second book at 1am, desperate for answers.
🎴 Sometimes it feels like fantasy authors never say their characters’ names out loud before finalising them—this feels like one of those instances. Elspeth Spindle is a mouthful of hissing 's' sounds, and Ravyn Yew has that same issue. While visually striking, but awkward when spoken. They look cool on the page, but try saying them three times fast, and you’ll see what I mean.
🪟 For Fans of: A Study in Drowning, Ink Blood Sister Scribe, Dragon Age magic-at-a-cost concepts/demon possession.
Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
🐴 It read like the author had a bingo card for "most common phrases in romance books" and was determined to hit every single square. Yes romance novels by nature of the genre can be formulaic but this one was determined to frustrate me.
🐴The main characters whole romance was built on the foundation that they were super horny for each other. I felt zero chemistry between Emmy and Luke
🐴I understand that this is a ‘man-written-by-a-woman’ and, therefore, meant to embody the female gaze. But no man is out here noticing the exact material of a woman’s skirt. This was further confirmed when I asked my own husband what material my pants were that day, and he had absolutely no clue (colour and pattern yes, material no). While I appreciate the effort to make the male lead more attuned to detail, it ended up feeling more like wishful thinking than realistic characterization.
🐴The main characters whole romance was built on the foundation that they were super horny for each other. I felt zero chemistry between Emmy and Luke
🐴I understand that this is a ‘man-written-by-a-woman’ and, therefore, meant to embody the female gaze. But no man is out here noticing the exact material of a woman’s skirt. This was further confirmed when I asked my own husband what material my pants were that day, and he had absolutely no clue (colour and pattern yes, material no). While I appreciate the effort to make the male lead more attuned to detail, it ended up feeling more like wishful thinking than realistic characterization.
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
📜 Have you ever wondered what the Aztec Empire would be like in space?
A Memory Called Empire is a deeply complex, and one of the most culturally unique Sci-Fi's I've read to date. The naming conventions alone are both bizarre and thematic (E.g Six Direction, One Lightning, Six Helicopter?!), you do adjust however. Such conventions really reinforces the cultural distinctness of the worldbuilding. Everything from bureaucratic etiquette to political poetry add an immersive layer that sets it apart from other books in the genre.
📜 Political Intrigue over Sci-Fi. If you are looking for your next traditional sci-fi book, complete with alien aliens, star maps, space adventures. This is not it. This is a tense political intrigue novel that happens to be set in a distant world. While there is AI, advanced technology the true heart of this story is focused on linguistic manoeuvring, power plays and espionage.
🌺Memory Technology (the Imago Machines) was an absolute fascinating concept in this book. These implants allow individuals to inherit the memories, skills, and even personality echoes of their predecessors, creating a continuity of memory across generations. Echo of the philosophical tensions of personal agency, inherited wisdom and ancestry throughout the novel.
📜 Dense/Slow pacing: It took me longer to get through this than I'd like to admit. Mostly because I was confronted with so many new words and concepts - which is sometimes a feature in complex fantasy/sci fi novels (bless the glossary). A Memory Called Empire is deeply intellectual, which is wonderful but can sometimes move at a glacial pace in the first half.
📜 A Large percentage of the story is pure dialogue. A Memory Called Empire, is largely powered through careful conversation, subtext and coded speech/poetry. Its a words over weapons narrative, and personally I could have done with some more showing rather than explaining.
🌺 I initially picked up A Memory Called Empire after hearing it mentioned as an LGBT novel, particularly for its sapphic relationship. However, while there are LGBT elements, the romance is incredibly subtle, almost blink and you miss it and has more of a unspoken tension than a central storyline. I liked our FMC, Mahit but I just truly never quite connected with her - I still don't have a good idea who she is, despite finishing the novel last night.
📜 Petty Critique: I was really upset they killed off my favourite character, Twelve Azalea - who was my small beam of humour and light in every scene. I understand though, you can't have a hostile city takeover without causalities - This isnt a SJM book .
📀Fans of: Adrian Tchaikovsky Sci-Fi (Children of Time), Smart Woman Sci-Fi - Ann Leckie, Lois McMaster Bujold, Ursula Le Gruin & Viewers of late night History Channel shows that summarise that Aliens and Aztecs played wordle together.
challenging
tense
slow-paced
3.5
That was the problem. Empire was empire—the part that seduced and the part that clamped down, jaws like a vice, and shook a planet until its neck was broken and it died.
He had his own epithet, of course. He who drowns the world in blooms. Mahit wondered if he'd picked it.
He had his own epithet, of course. He who drowns the world in blooms. Mahit wondered if he'd picked it.
📜 Have you ever wondered what the Aztec Empire would be like in space?
A Memory Called Empire is a deeply complex, and one of the most culturally unique Sci-Fi's I've read to date. The naming conventions alone are both bizarre and thematic (E.g Six Direction, One Lightning, Six Helicopter?!), you do adjust however. Such conventions really reinforces the cultural distinctness of the worldbuilding. Everything from bureaucratic etiquette to political poetry add an immersive layer that sets it apart from other books in the genre.
📜 Political Intrigue over Sci-Fi. If you are looking for your next traditional sci-fi book, complete with alien aliens, star maps, space adventures. This is not it. This is a tense political intrigue novel that happens to be set in a distant world. While there is AI, advanced technology the true heart of this story is focused on linguistic manoeuvring, power plays and espionage.
🌺Memory Technology (the Imago Machines) was an absolute fascinating concept in this book. These implants allow individuals to inherit the memories, skills, and even personality echoes of their predecessors, creating a continuity of memory across generations. Echo of the philosophical tensions of personal agency, inherited wisdom and ancestry throughout the novel.
📜 Dense/Slow pacing: It took me longer to get through this than I'd like to admit. Mostly because I was confronted with so many new words and concepts - which is sometimes a feature in complex fantasy/sci fi novels (bless the glossary). A Memory Called Empire is deeply intellectual, which is wonderful but can sometimes move at a glacial pace in the first half.
📜 A Large percentage of the story is pure dialogue. A Memory Called Empire, is largely powered through careful conversation, subtext and coded speech/poetry. Its a words over weapons narrative, and personally I could have done with some more showing rather than explaining.
🌺 I initially picked up A Memory Called Empire after hearing it mentioned as an LGBT novel, particularly for its sapphic relationship. However, while there are LGBT elements, the romance is incredibly subtle, almost blink and you miss it and has more of a unspoken tension than a central storyline. I liked our FMC, Mahit but I just truly never quite connected with her - I still don't have a good idea who she is, despite finishing the novel last night.
📜
📀Fans of: Adrian Tchaikovsky Sci-Fi (Children of Time), Smart Woman Sci-Fi - Ann Leckie, Lois McMaster Bujold, Ursula Le Gruin & Viewers of late night History Channel shows that summarise that Aliens and Aztecs played wordle together.
Drowned Country by Emily Tesh
🪵Drowned Country is just as visually stunning as its predecessor. Filled with lush emotive imagery that bring its eerie folkloric world to life.
💚 However, does suffer for sequel-itis, and overall seems weaker than its original. I was left feeling somewhat adrift.
🪵 Second Chance Romance: There’s something undeniably compelling about Tobias and Henry’s dynamic. Henry is a reckless, self-sabotaging fool, Tobias quiet steadfastness. I was interested in the change of POV narration. However I did yearn for Tobias voice, as Henry has a tendency to test ones patience.
💚 The character Maud had potential, I loved the idea of a lady scholar. But I found her too headstrong to be compelling. Maybe she would have grown on me in time (Much like with Emily Wilde). But I did find it difficult to invest in her storyline.
💚 Plot As An Afterthought: While Silver in the Wood had a strong folkloric core, this sequel felt meandering, as if the narrative itself was lost in the woods.
🪵Unsatisfying Conclusion: Bramble’s role in the ending felt illogical, almost undermining the need for a sequel in the first place.
🌳 Fans of Emily Wilde, Diana Wynne Jones, Yaelokre music and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina but wished it had more gays and less Catholicism.
adventurous
slow-paced
3.75
“A Romantic spot,” he remarked lightly. “The sort of place where one imagined Gothic maidens being menaced by dreadful demons.”
🪵Drowned Country is just as visually stunning as its predecessor. Filled with lush emotive imagery that bring its eerie folkloric world to life.
💚 However, does suffer for sequel-itis, and overall seems weaker than its original. I was left feeling somewhat adrift.
🪵 Second Chance Romance: There’s something undeniably compelling about Tobias and Henry’s dynamic. Henry is a reckless, self-sabotaging fool, Tobias quiet steadfastness. I was interested in the change of POV narration. However I did yearn for Tobias voice, as Henry has a tendency to test ones patience.
💚 The character Maud had potential, I loved the idea of a lady scholar. But I found her too headstrong to be compelling. Maybe she would have grown on me in time (Much like with Emily Wilde). But I did find it difficult to invest in her storyline.
💚 Plot As An Afterthought: While Silver in the Wood had a strong folkloric core, this sequel felt meandering, as if the narrative itself was lost in the woods.
🪵
🌳 Fans of Emily Wilde, Diana Wynne Jones, Yaelokre music and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina but wished it had more gays and less Catholicism.
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
🫀Really wanted to enjoy this after being recommended to me several times. I’m a big fan of mythology retellings. However I didn’t quite vibe with it, mostly because pregnancy being a prominent theme (which is a personal preference, not a critique of the narrative itself).
🫀 Slow paced that succeed in gripping. The first half is mostly the everyday life of the character secluded in a cave. This may improve later.
🫀 Often with feminist retellings, I find that FMC seem to go through frequent depictions of sexual assaults or violence - I’m really glad to see that this wasn’t the case in this story.
🫀 Slow paced that succeed in gripping. The first half is mostly the everyday life of the character secluded in a cave. This may improve later.
🫀 Often with feminist retellings, I find that FMC seem to go through frequent depictions of sexual assaults or violence - I’m really glad to see that this wasn’t the case in this story.
The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow
(Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an eArc in exchange for a review, it was an absolute pleasure)
The Knight and the Butcherbird is a phenomenal dystopian novella set in a distant post apocalyptic wasteland of a future. It features a survivor, Shrike who is the towns oral historian, (which function similar to an ancient bard), and the infamous demon killing knight, who is hunting her possessed wife.
🐦⬛Dark and Dreamlike. The Knight and the Butcherbird masterfully intertwines many of Harrow’s signature storytelling elements—emotionally rich lyrical prose, the blurred lines between myth and reality, with a touch of gothic allure The Knight and the Butcherbird embraces the melancholic, where tragedy and romance intertwine like ivy on an nature-consumed ruin.
🐦⬛ There's a real aching pull of love against destiny in this novella - basically everything I loved about Starling House in miniature. And, of course, every good fairy tale begins with Once upon a time—but not every fairy tale promises a picture perfect happy ending.
🐦⬛ Rich with Mythological References. Strikes' story is woven with echoes of ancient legends, forgotten gods. I enjoyed seeking out each individual one, like an easter egg hunt. Each detail feels like a thread pulled from an overarching tapestry.
🐦⬛ Short and Sweet. The Knight and the Butcherbird is a bite sized 36 pages, and I’d eagerly devour a full-length novel set in this world. I was left with wanting more.
🎭Singular Critique: During the worldbuilding, Shrike mentions the toils of being an outlander. "Did he think we didn't know how many people we love every year to flash floods heatwaves, COVID and cancer". Which gave me a bit of an ick. The modern reference to Covid 19 broke my immersion to the dystopian folkloric setting. A more generalised mention to plague or sickness may have done the same thing.
📖 Fans of early supernatural episodes (like the one where Bobby's wife is possessed), Fall out 4 brotherhood of steel, - and if you haven't read Starling House by Harrow but enjoyed this one, definitely pick up a copy. ( Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia may also be a good fit).
emotional
fast-paced
4.75
I couldn’t stop smiling—the euphoric, hysteric smile of a woman who has been lying on her lover’s grave and has just felt the earth move beneath her.
(Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an eArc in exchange for a review, it was an absolute pleasure)
The Knight and the Butcherbird is a phenomenal dystopian novella set in a distant post apocalyptic wasteland of a future. It features a survivor, Shrike who is the towns oral historian, (which function similar to an ancient bard), and the infamous demon killing knight, who is hunting her possessed wife.
🐦⬛Dark and Dreamlike. The Knight and the Butcherbird masterfully intertwines many of Harrow’s signature storytelling elements—emotionally rich lyrical prose, the blurred lines between myth and reality, with a touch of gothic allure The Knight and the Butcherbird embraces the melancholic, where tragedy and romance intertwine like ivy on an nature-consumed ruin.
🐦⬛ There's a real aching pull of love against destiny in this novella - basically everything I loved about Starling House in miniature. And, of course, every good fairy tale begins with Once upon a time—but not every fairy tale promises a picture perfect happy ending.
🐦⬛ Rich with Mythological References. Strikes' story is woven with echoes of ancient legends, forgotten gods. I enjoyed seeking out each individual one, like an easter egg hunt. Each detail feels like a thread pulled from an overarching tapestry.
Once upon a time there was a woman who became a tree to escape a hunter
🐦⬛ Short and Sweet. The Knight and the Butcherbird is a bite sized 36 pages, and I’d eagerly devour a full-length novel set in this world. I was left with wanting more.
🎭Singular Critique: During the worldbuilding, Shrike mentions the toils of being an outlander. "Did he think we didn't know how many people we love every year to flash floods heatwaves, COVID and cancer". Which gave me a bit of an ick. The modern reference to Covid 19 broke my immersion to the dystopian folkloric setting. A more generalised mention to plague or sickness may have done the same thing.
📖 Fans of early supernatural episodes (like the one where Bobby's wife is possessed), Fall out 4 brotherhood of steel, - and if you haven't read Starling House by Harrow but enjoyed this one, definitely pick up a copy. ( Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia may also be a good fit).
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
🌳 The Prose! Prose as rich as the ancient forests it describes. Silver in the woods feels like stepping into an old fairy tale—one full of forgotten gods, buried secrets, and the quiet, inevitable pull of destiny.
Also about toxic exes.
🌳 Folklore at its most tender. The beauty of studying myths, and what they reveal about human emotions.
🌳 Romance as inevitable and natural as the forest itself. Lingers far beyond its pages.
🩶 Was over in mere moments - haunting beautiful novellla. Heartbroken that it ended just as I was getting attached, followed by elation upon discovering it’s a Duology.
🩶 For fans of that one tree side quest in Witcher 3, Emily Wilde Encyclopaedia of faeries, and TJ Klune.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
My God” said Silver, “you like my mother.”
Tobias frowned at him.
“But of course you like my mother; she’s nearly as prickly as Bramble. Does she like you?” Silver peered at him. “She does! Heaven help me, I’ve made a terrible mistake.”
🌳 The Prose! Prose as rich as the ancient forests it describes. Silver in the woods feels like stepping into an old fairy tale—one full of forgotten gods, buried secrets, and the quiet, inevitable pull of destiny.
🌳 Folklore at its most tender. The beauty of studying myths, and what they reveal about human emotions.
🌳 Romance as inevitable and natural as the forest itself. Lingers far beyond its pages.
🩶 Was over in mere moments - haunting beautiful novellla. Heartbroken that it ended just as I was getting attached, followed by elation upon discovering it’s a Duology.
🩶 For fans of that one tree side quest in Witcher 3, Emily Wilde Encyclopaedia of faeries, and TJ Klune.
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
🌫️ After demolishing murderbot several times over, I thought I’d try another Martha Wells book. Sadly I just didn’t quite connect with the story, as much as I wanted too.
🌫️ I kept getting very confused, I think some much explanation f world building is needed (might happen further in)
🪽Really interesting topics, non human sentient shape shifting species, matriarchal societies - not a cookie cutter fantasy plot.
🌫️ I kept getting very confused, I think some much explanation f world building is needed (might happen further in)
🪽Really interesting topics, non human sentient shape shifting species, matriarchal societies - not a cookie cutter fantasy plot.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
4.75
🛤️Arguably one of Agatha Christie's most famous and enduring mysteries, Murder on the Orient Express has been adapted multiple times for film and television—and after reading it, it's easy to see the draw. Murder on the Orient Express, is a masterclass in both misdirection and deduction, expertly bread crumbing clues for an utterly brilliant and unexpected conclusion.
🛤️ Murder on the Orient Express, despite being written nearly a 100 years ago - continues to define the genre of a locked room mystery, in this case a stranded train in a snow storm. Remains a timeless classic.
🛤️ I have a particular soft spot for Poirot. The world’s most unassuming, meticulous and moustachioed detective. As I continue to work through Christies novels - there’s something incredibly satisfying about watching Poirot unravel complex puzzles of human nature. In a world of smoking, jaded rough detectives - Poirot's quirks and fastidious nature are forever endearing.
🛤️ The Ending: Left me genuinely pondering the nature of justice. Is this the first time Poirot has ever let killers go free? His usual strict moral code is challenged in a way that feels deeply personal. . I think one of Christie's most morally complex endings thus far
🔍 Enjoyable even as a reread. I enjoyed trying to pick out extra details this time as I was aware of the ending.
🔍 The Audiobook version - Read by Kenneth Branagh - was phenomenal. Branagh is very gifted at accents, that truly made Christies dialogue heavy narrative immersive. I loved the little flair Branagh brought to Poirot, and Mrs Hubbard was truly exasperating.
🛤️ Murder on the Orient Express, despite being written nearly a 100 years ago - continues to define the genre of a locked room mystery, in this case a stranded train in a snow storm. Remains a timeless classic.
🛤️ I have a particular soft spot for Poirot. The world’s most unassuming, meticulous and moustachioed detective. As I continue to work through Christies novels - there’s something incredibly satisfying about watching Poirot unravel complex puzzles of human nature. In a world of smoking, jaded rough detectives - Poirot's quirks and fastidious nature are forever endearing.
🛤️ The Ending:
🔍 Enjoyable even as a reread. I enjoyed trying to pick out extra details this time as I was aware of the ending.
🔍 The Audiobook version - Read by Kenneth Branagh - was phenomenal. Branagh is very gifted at accents, that truly made Christies dialogue heavy narrative immersive. I loved the little flair Branagh brought to Poirot, and Mrs Hubbard was truly exasperating.