moonlightcupofcocoa's reviews
186 reviews

First things first, thank you to the author for the ARC! All thoughts as always are my 100% my own. 

Lately, I've found myself reading historical fiction books where the setting feels more and more like an aesthetic choice and less than an actual fully-researched experience. In 'The Death and Life of Iphigenia', you will find yourself actually transported to Ancient Greece. 

You may know a version or more of Iphigenia's story from Greek mythology, but here you get to actually live it with all of its fleeting joys and horrifying terrors. It doesn't just end at her death. You will get to experience the deep sense of loss, isolation and even growth that the young princess has to go through.

I was genuinely delighted by the level of detail in the daily life aspects of this book. It allowed me to lose myself in the pages and practically feel, see and even smell what Iphigenia is going through. The depth of research and the passion for the topic were evident. No surprise there when the author actually has a degree in the field! It really shows!

While there were moments when I wished the pacing moved a bit faster, I appreciated the deliberately human approach to the retelling. The way Iphigenia's emotions evolved naturally over time made it feel more authentic and allowed me to empathize more with her.

The fact that I kept flipping pages late into the night instead of going to bed says a lot. Not only that, but I found myself crying angry tears on Iphigenia's behalf several times throughout the read but especially towards the ending. 

This book doesn't idolize or romanticize Ancient Greece. It captures it in all of its glory and brutality. It will make you question who the true heroes are and who the real victim is.

I really cannot wait to read more by J. Susanne Wilson. I noticed that this is the first entry in a series, and I know I'll be eager to read the follow ups day one.

More details to come

So, I'm a mess. No really.

For a long while I wasn't planning on reading this book because I'll be honest Rilla was my least favourite of all the Ingleside children. Not because she was the youngest but because honestly, she was very annoying and whiny. But as I am working on a project about the Anne of Green Gables as a whole, I couldn't just put off this book forever.

It was heart-aching. Seriously. I teared up all through it! It was of course filled with war propaganda, but since it was being told from the perspective of Canadian families whose boys actually fought and died in World War I, it made sense.

What I was most impressed with, however, is Rilla's character development. I started out not liking her at all, but by the end of the books, I found myself not just liking her but actually adoring her. It was impressive and gradual and I applaud L. M. Montgomery for that. 

So much so that this was shaping to be a 5-star read. Until the last couple chapters. Why? 

Spoiler-free version: No one is safe in this book.
Spoiler-version:

Why in the world does L. M. Montgomery hate cats?? Huh? We get two cat deaths at the very end of the book while the dog comes out as a loyal loveable hero. And one of the two deaths was especially brutal!

Overall, I would still recommend reading the book (but especially give the version narrated by Barbara Caruso a try because she's phenomenal) but make sure to check out trigger warnings first!

First things first, thank you to Netgalley and White Owl for the ARC. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

As someone who adored Winnie the Pooh growing up and wanting to dig into the biographies and books by Milne and Shepard soon, I knew I just had to read this book. 

The book explores children books that precede A. A. Milne's work, then covers the creative and literary journeys of both Milne and Shepard. Many chapters are also dedicated to their experience through World War I and the emotional and physical toil on them.

I enjoyed the book overall, and it did introduce me to other books that I would like to read by the creators of Winnie the Pooh, but many times I felt it was very disjointed. For the first 50 or so pages of the book, the book is mostly focused about other literary works and authors that influenced A. A. Milne and at times sharing what he said about them. While I do think this was a useful exercise, I was surprised that such a long section was dedicated to those and felt it could have benefited from shorter excerpts and quotes from those books and more of the literary analysis by the the author.

The chapters are, in general, paced strangely where you will find many chapters that are a single page long that I feel could have been merged with the preceding or following chapters instead. Perhaps the sections dedicated to World War I could've been merged into two or three longer chapters to help with the flow.

Still, I found the book informative and interesting. Even as an introduction to two of the most influential literary figures even before Winnie the Pooh. I just wish it was paced differently and allowed to see more of the creators themselves versus those around them.

I would still recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn more about A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard and how Winnie the Pooh came to life! 

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC. As always all opinions are my own.

This was my first Julie Kagawa book and I am hooked!

As a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed series from the very first game (how in the world is the series 18 years old!?), when I read the author notes I got both excited and a tiny bit scared. I had seen some books being compared to the AC series before but ultimately failing to deliver. But I am glad to report back that, yes, Fateless more than delivers.

The series explores a rich, immersive, albeit harsh fantastical universe that lives in the shadows of the now dead Deathless Kings. We follow Sparrow, a young thief who'd spent her entire life working for and living with the Thieves guild. Her fate seems sealed until she receives a curious mission from the Circle, the mysterious group of individuals that seems to control the Thieves Guild from the shadows. And that's when all hell breaks loose.

I really enjoyed the world-building here. The attention to detail was evident, from the varying cultural and religious interpretations of "Fate' to the weather and impact of the harsh changing ecosystem and environments as a consequence of the death of said Deathless Kings. The writing is very atmospheric that I could practically see, feel and even smell, what the characters are being exposed to. Which wasn't always pleasant for the poor souls, let me tell you.

The characters are fun. I appreciate that the FMC actually showed vulnerability. In fact, her character development was done so well, I cheered for her aloud while reading towards the end. "FINALLY YOU GET IT!" In a very good way, haha. Her growth made sense and was handled very carefully and tastefully, in my opinion.

There are some spots where I felt the pacing was a bit slower, but this was usually followed with epic fast-paced action-packed scenes right after that they didn't really make me lost interest or anything. Especially that those scenes were important for character growth across the board.

Overall, I am very excited to read the sequel and I know I'll be recommending this to so many people in my life.

(Thank you to the author for the ARC! All opinions are 100% my own)

"Even in the midst of turmoil, there was always something to be thankful for."

This quote captures the essence of this story so well.

I'm a firm believer that a good middle-grade story can be enjoyed by readers of any age. Olaf and Essex is a good example of that. I'd argue that adults might even enjoy it more than children! More so about this later.

The story follows several characters through an adventure (in the cases of some, misadventure) revolving around a very special baby. Two of those characters are Olaf the bear and Essex the fox. This might be taking place in New York, but this is a very different city from the one we're used to. A city where the NYPD's Chief Magic Detector just won't stop going after the magical community. 

Throughout the story, you will find yourself asking who really should be raising the baby and what could possibly happen next?

While the story sounds very cutesy and almost childlike on the surface, this book delves into darker, and often mature, themes like: Resentment between parent and child, falling out of love between spouses, abandonment, cruelty, giving up and even grief and death. Many times, throughout the book, animals hunt and eat one another. Witches tear wings off of bats. Many deaths.

This alongside with the vocabulary and references (such as many Macbeth and Shakespearean quotes) being used at times had me pause a couple times and double check whether this is marketed for middle-grade or if I'm misremembering. That being said, I remembered that as a middle-grader, I really enjoyed some of the darker stories.

I, an adult in my 30s, cried like a baby so much towards the end for reasons I can't reveal too much about without spoilers, but the writing, the imagery and the events did get to me. But I'll be honest, I cherished it. Not just those scenes but the story as a whole. 

It reminded me a lot of Diana Wynne Jones' books where yes, the story may jump around a bit, but the conclusion will be so worth it. And the magic in this universe, the world building and the characterization are all done so well.

Overall, I really adored this book (you already know that from the rating) and I am already looking forward to the second book. As an adult, I think you'd find the journey whimsical, introspective, funny and touching. If you're considering this for a child, I would read it first and then decide whether or not your child would stomach and comprehend the themes.

As for me, I honestly can't wait to read the next book in the Magic-Competents series. The sneak peek we get at the end of Book 1 has me hooked!

P.S: The illustrations are gorgeous!

(Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own)

"We didn't know if it was the whole house or just The Children's Wing, but there was an unsettled feeling to the air inside that made us not want to be along."

I finished this novella two days ago and it's been haunting me ever since. I needed to sit with my thoughts to figure out how in the world to write this review.

Here's my recommendation: Skip this review, put on the 'Melancholic Instrumentals' playlist on Spotify and just dive into 'Root Rot'. It's unlike anything you've ever read. You'll especially enjoy this if you're a fan of psychological horror and Shirley Jackson!

Now for the actual review:

Root Rot is a fever nightmare that leaves you feeling vulnerable, emotional and exposed. Nine children join their family on a visit to their grandfather's property. More concerned with playing with their cousins at first, they find themselves slowly questioning what is real and what is not.

The children are unnamed, but are given titles such as The Liar, The Oldest, The Crybaby, etc. This may be confusing at first, but the more you read, the more you start recognizing their voices, their quirks and their inner thoughts. You start to feel their emotions, learn glimpses of their lives and question their titles. The plot explores their family dynamics and themes like boundaries, family vs individual, toxic parenting and self-acceptance.

The story is told from a strange, oddly-inclusive POV through scenes that at times bleed together. This leaves you wondering whether something is actually happening or not. Especially when you compare them with later scenes. Was X actually with the group? Where did Y go? Why is Z acting this way now? I enjoyed trying to decipher what was being unraveled and this writing choice definitely added to the tension and creepiness. Especially as your brain starts seeing the patterns and connecting the dots (shudders).

It's really hard for me to explain this without spoilers, but by the end of the book, I found myself experiencing many emotions including grief and release. I admit I ended up crying a bit after the last page and just staring at the wall. If that's not 5-star worthy, not sure what is.

I seriously applaud the author and Creature Publishing for this novella and can't wait to discover more works from them both.

Now excuse me while I go and try to forget about Devil's Tooth Mushrooms. Nature can be both impressive and traumatizing. So is 'Root Rot'.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for the Advanced Listening Copy! As always, all thoughts are my own.

I'll start with two quick notes for context. This is the first book I've read of this series so I can't really compare it to the other entries. Also, I am a newbie to everything Viking. I didn't know much about the civilization beyond what pop culture exposes one to, so I was approaching this audiobook with a clean slate.

To me, this was an interesting introduction to medieval Viking world. It quickly dispelled a lot of the misconceptions, as well. The stories and the details are clearly well-researched.

While I was expecting more 'slice of life' or day-to-day stories (probably because of the title), we did get some of those, but most others were more dramatic stories from the era. Blood feuds, vengeful ex-wives, houses on fire, etc. The last story was especially dark! Still, they were very intriguing and do introduce the reader/listener to aspects of the culture and laws of the time, so I enjoyed them. 

I just was hoping for more day-to-day stories as these were my favourites. Some of the stories describing home decor, clothes, food and social neighbourly visits were especially fun. They made me feel as if I was actually there with them.

The writing can be a bit dramatic at times, but I adored every minute. It never dragged and the storytelling style was fun and engaging which works especially well for the audiobook format. 

The narrator did a good job capturing the tone of the text. I listened mostly at 1x and 1.25x speeds and never needed to speed things up for my brain to engage. But with the narrator's voice and enunciation, I think the book would still be very easy to understand at faster speeds.

Overall, I really enjoyed this audiobook and will be checking out the other entries in the series as well as other books by the author!

The thirty minutes I spent with this short story were well-worth it and I think you should read it, too! 

As my family is originally from Egypt, growing up I found myself avoiding most media that is set in Egypt due to how wildly inaccurate most have been. But towards the end of 2024, I found myself really itching to read stories that include djinns with their various representations across all cultures. That's when I originally came across this book. A dead djinn? In Cairo? In the 1910s!? I couldn't resist.

The short story covers a suicide case being investigated by Fatma El-Sha'arawi, a Special Investigator reporting for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. Fatma is a strong, intelligent, urbane young Sai'idi woman that insists on dressing in a fashionable suit and her beloved bowler hat. In less than fifty pages, you go through an epic adventure and get introduced to a rich universe that brings to light the vibrant, and terrifying, lore of djinns, ghuls and ifrits.

Oh. My. God. The attention to detail is phenomenal here! While the short story takes place in an alternate steam-punkish universe, the story features many real-life locations that exist even today: Khan El-Khalili, Al-Gezira, Azbakiyya and more. And does so respectfully and beautifully in prose that will transfer you across time and place.

The story is very well-paced, very atmospheric and engaging that I didn't want it to end. And you can read it for free on Tor.com or purchase it on Amazon and it will be delivered to you DRM-free! My understanding is the series contains one more short story, a novella and a novel. And I don't know about you, but I'll be devouring them all. 

If you're looking for the perfect book to read on long flights that could make you laugh and distract you from your aching legs, this is it. 

Jenny Lawson, also known as The Bloggess, brings her 'irreverent writing style' from her blog to book format in the shape of her unbelievably true memoir. Through the book, you're introduced to her unusual childhood growing up in Wall, Texas, how she met her husband, her struggles through mental health and her growing obsession with taxidermized small animals wearing pirate costumes.(Taxidermied was the word I was going to use but apparently it's not a word?) 

I wasn't sure what to expect but the best way I can describe this book is it's a comical stream of consciousness intermixed with stories that sound improbable but turn out very possible. She even shared photos to backup said stories.

I've seen some readers complain that they preferred reading more stories and less rambles by the author. But I think while I loved the stories, those ramblings genuinely made me laugh. It does make me wonder if the reason I laughed is I related to her feverish thought process. Perhaps it's an anxious person thing? All I know is I found myself laughing out loud on a plane and that never happened before.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot and ended up recommending to a couple friends who also ended up laughing at it. So, I'd say give it a try. Don't take it too seriously. Just go along for the ride.