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Rosa Mandolini knows in her heart that her family are the greatest painters of magical illuminations in the city. But the eccentric Studio Mandolini has fallen on hard times and the future is no longer certain.
While trying to help her family, Rosa discovers a strange magical box protected by a painted crow. But when she finds a way to open the box, she accidentally releases the Scarling, a vicious monster determined to destroy the Mandolini family at any cost.
With the aid of her former best friend and a painted crow named Payne, it’s up to Rosa to stop the Scarling before it unmakes the magical paintings that keep the city running, and hopefully save her family in the process!
For the Reading Challenge(s): N/A
The Reason
It’s T. Kingfisher!
The Quotes
“That’s one of the hardest parts of being an artist, you know—learning to be patient with yourself when you’re not as good as you want to be.”
“Being interesting seemed like a much better deal than being handsome.”
“Rosa thought she might be getting a headache. Maybe it was because she was rolling her eyes so hard.”
“In life, we are always seeking after something. Love…fame…glory…stuffed armadillos. It is the human condition.”
The Narrator(s)
Raquel Beattie. Loved it!
My Thoughts
This is marketed for middle grade so I didn’t expect to like it as much as I like the author’s adult novels, but I think I love it more than some of her adult novels! Rosa is such a character and I love Payne as well. Kingfisher has such a knack for writing the best characters and the non-human ones are some of the best ones.
One thing that infuriated me the most in this story is how her family blamed her for things that weren’t her fault, I thought it was horribly unfair and borderline abusive to immediately blame her and not even let her defend herself. However, the rest of the story is great and her family somewhat redeem themselves a little bit.
I do love the idea of the illuminations and the magical system in this book, and I love how creative and imaginative everything in this story is. Reading this book make me experience the joy and magic I used to experience as a child reading stories like these. I think we should never get too old for magical experiences and I love that this book gives me a taste of it once again.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Young Rhea is a miller’s daughter of low birth, so she is understandably surprised when a mysterious nobleman, Lord Crevan, shows up on her doorstep and proposes marriage. Since commoners don’t turn down lords—no matter how sinister they may seem—Rhea is forced to agree to the engagement.
Lord Crevan demands that Rhea visit his remote manor before their wedding. Upon arrival, she discovers that not only was her betrothed married six times before, but his previous wives are all imprisoned in his enchanted castle. Determined not to share their same fate, Rhea asserts her desire for freedom. In answer, Lord Crevan gives Rhea a series of magical tasks to complete, with the threat “Come back before dawn, or else I’ll marry you.”
With time running out and each task more dangerous and bizarre than the last, Rhea must use her resourcefulness, compassion, and bravery to rally the other wives and defeat the sorcerer before he binds her to him forever.
I love T. Kingfisher and I’m desperately trying to catch up with reading all the books she’s writing!
The Quotes
“Marriage was like death. You knew it’d happen eventually, but it wasn’t something you dwelt on.”
“The problem with crying in the woods, by the side of a white road that leads somewhere terrible, is that the reason for crying isn’t inside your head. You have a perfectly legitimate and pressing reason for crying, and it will still be there in five minutes, except that your throat will be raw and your eyes will itch and absolutely nothing else will have changed.”
“It wasn’t that she particularly wanted to be fattened up and eaten, or turned into a donkey, or forced to wear hair shirts and ashes like the children of wicked parents in fairy tales. But if your parents were wicked, you needn’t worry about pleasing them. When they were doing the best they could, you had no traction at all.”
“But he’s mad, completely mad, and he turns his wives into golems. He needs killing, not negotiation.”
The Narrator(s)
Kaylin Heath. I loved it!
My Thoughts
I love fairytale retellings and for some reason, I’m particularly fascinated with the story of Bluebeard. It’s not my favorite fairytale, mind, just one that fascinates me because of how gruesome it is. I love that this retelling leans into the gruesomeness, and I love that it also not-so-subtly calls out the predatory practices that some modern men still engage in. One of the things I notice and love about Kingfisher’s works is that a lot of the “happy-ever-afters” in her stories don’t require some kind of romance, or men saving helpless damsels in distress; it’s often women saving themselves, or women saving each other, and I think that’s the best kind of fairytale retellings for a new generation of young people to grow up with. I wish I had grown up with this, but you know it’s never too late to be your own knight in shining armor, so I’ll take what I can from it!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
1860: As the clash between the states rolls slowly to a boil, Elizabeth Packard, housewife and mother of six, is facing her own battle. The enemy sits across the table and sleeps in the next room. Her husband of twenty-one years is plotting against her because he feels increasingly threatened – by Elizabeth’s intellect, independence, and unwillingness to stifle her own thoughts. So Theophilus makes a plan to put his wife back in her place. One summer morning, he has her committed to an insane asylum.
The horrific conditions inside the Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois, are overseen by Dr. Andrew McFarland, a man who will prove to be even more dangerous to Elizabeth than her traitorous husband. But most disturbing is that Elizabeth is not the only sane woman confined to the institution. There are many rational women on her ward who tell the same story: they’ve been committed not because they need medical treatment, but to keep them in line – conveniently labeled “crazy” so their voices are ignored.
No one is willing to fight for their freedom and, disenfranchised both by gender and the stigma of their supposed madness, they cannot possibly fight for themselves. But Elizabeth is about to discover that the merit of losing everything is that you then have nothing to lose…
I enjoyed The Radium Girls by the same author, and the subject matter of this one seemed really important as well.
The Quotes
“In the end, this is a book about power. Who wields it. Who owns it. And the methods they use. And above all, it’s about fighting back.”
“Unruly women are always witches, no matter what century we’re in.”
“Just think!” Elizabeth later exclaimed. “Forty men and women clubbed together to get me imprisoned just because I chose to think my own thoughts, and speak my own words!”
“We are only just beginning to appreciate exactly how a person’s powerlessness may lead to struggles with their mental health. With that understanding, statistics showing higher rates of mental illness in women, people of color, and other disenfranchised groups become translated into truth: not a biological deficiency, as doctors first thought, but a cultural creation that, if we wanted to, we could do something about.”
The Narrator(s)
The author, Kate Moore.
My Thoughts
Oh my, where do I start? I had about five to six hours left of the book when I had to go to bed, so I set a sleep timer, expecting that I would fall asleep as usual while listening to the audiobook. I ended up extending the timer several times until after 4am in the morning when I finally finished the book! It was so compelling that I couldn’t stop listening and wasn’t able to drift off to sleep.
Stories like this one are so horrifying because it’s an actual true story and men have been and continue to be, even now, abusive to women in ways that are incomprehensible to me. Elizabeth is only one out of many women who have had their husbands put them in asylums for not being obedient, submissive wives, and while I admire Elizabeth so much for her fighting spirit and unending faith, there were so many other women who did not make it through to the other side of this apparently too common experience for unsatisfactory wives.
However, this book focuses on Elizabeth’s experience, and takes details and excerpts from Elizabeth’s own notes and writings about her time at the asylum. Elizabeth’s strength and tenacity, her tirelessness, groundedness, selflessness, the way she fought not just for herself but for the other women who had been unfairly institutionalized, is so inspiring to see. She is an amazing woman and a hero.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Books I Was Reading On This Day Over the Last Ten Years
Most of them are accurate to the day, but when there weren’t any books for this date, I chose the next closest ones. This was such a fun prompt, I had a great time searching through my books and going down memory lane. I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone else has read over the years!
Top Ten Books I Was Reading On This Day Over the Last Ten Years
2025: The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins – This is a fun one. I was reading this series on this day in 2025 and 2015! I was also reading this in 2022, 2021, 2017, 2013, and 2011, but not on this day!
2024: Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster – One of my favorite childhood books. I was feeling nostalgic. I also read Anne of Green Gables right after this book at this time in 2024.
2023: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin – I don’t remember very much about this book anymore, but I remember loving it and rating it 5 stars.
2022: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy – This one was heartbreaking. It was so hard to read about her abuse, especially when it comes from someone who is supposed to protect you.
2021: She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan – I read this as a buddy read with a whole bunch of people and I remember loving the experience. I honestly don’t even remember much about the book itself but I did rate it 4 stars!
2020: Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson – This is the kind of book I read and then mostly forget about, and I had forgotten about it until I had to dig it up for this post. It was fun, thrilling in the moment, and my review says I enjoyed the way the story unfolded.
2019: The Breathing Method by Stephen King – Ooof! This was a short story but it gave my imagination a lot of gore to work with and it haunted me for months. Remembering it for this prompt is bringing those gory visuals to mind again!
2018: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning – I loved this series! It’s one of my favorite series although I haven’t finished it. There are 11 books and I’ve read nine of them. I have issues finishing long-running series because I’m not always able to get all the books sequentially and in a timely manner. If I have to wait too long, I forget details and have to reread and it’s hard to reread so many books to get to the later ones.
2017: Pandemic by Yvonne Ventresca – I had forgotten about this book but apparently I liked it and gave it 4 stars! I should’ve reread it during the pandemic, but I’m also curious to read it now that we’ve been through the pandemic.
2016: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows – I don’t remember this book at all! And apparently I’ve read all three books in the trilogy! I don’t remember a single thing! Now I have to decide if they are worth rereading.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Cover Freebie
I’ve been seeing a lot of books and other media featuring octopodes in recent years and thought I’d feature them today. I’ve only read maybe two of the books featured and don’t know very much about the other ones, so if you’ve read them, let me know!
Top Ten Books featuring Octopodes on the Cover
The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft – I’ve heard references to Cthulhu, but I don’t think I’ve ever read a single Lovecraft story.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt – The only one I’m sure I’ve read. It was a bookclub BOTM and I quite enjoyed it.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne – I think I’ve read this, but I don’t remember if I read the actual unabridged book or if I read some abridged children’s version because it was so long ago.
The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery – This is nonfiction and I’m quite interested in reading it. I know octopodes are a lot smarter than we realized and I’m very curious to find out more.
Kraken by China Miéville – I recently read a different Miéville book, Perdido Street Station, and it’s so good but so heavy. I’m a fan and I want to read this one too, but I’m scared!
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler – I have seen this book featured in scifi circles but wasn’t interested at the time. I looked at the description while searching for books for this prompt and now I’m intrigued!
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden – This is a middle grade book that is more about growing up as a human than it is about an octopus but it sounds interesting!
Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith – Another nonfiction about octopodes I’m curious to read!
Three Blue Hearts by Lynne Kelly – Also a middle grade book; the young MC finds an injured octopus and cares for it while it heals.
Beyond the Graves Waits Mist and Sea by Kathleen Kaufman – This one hasn’t been released yet, it’s only coming out in September 2026, but it sounds so mysterious and scary! I’m excited to read it once it’s out!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again…
All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.
But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands – that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper – an unlikely magical connection forms.
Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?
An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.
For the Reading Challenge(s): N/A
The Reason
This series has been on my TBR for a couple of years. Someone recommended it to me a while ago after I mentioned I love epistolary books and while this series is not fully epistolary, it does have letters as a form of communication and that’s close enough!
The Quotes
“It takes courage to let down your armor, to welcome people to see you as you are. Sometimes I feel the same as you: I can’t risk having people behold me as I truly am. But there’s also a small voice in the back of my mind, a voice that tells me, “You will miss so much by being so guarded.”
“I don’t think you realize how strong you are, because sometimes strength isn’t swords and steel and fire, as we are so often made to believe. Sometimes it’s found in quiet, gentle places.”
“My favorite season is autumn, because my mum and I both believed that’s the only time when magic can be tasted in the air.”
“He found me on my darkest day. He followed me to war, to the front lines. He came between me and Death, taking wounds that were supposed to be mine.”
The Narrator(s)
Alex Wingfield. Rebecca Norfolk. They were both great and I enjoyed the narration very much.
My Thoughts
Book 1 – Divine Rivals I enjoyed the book very much but I do want to state that while there was some initial rivalry between Iris and Roman, I would hardly call it enemies-to-lovers. It was quite a short-lived rivalry, and they didn’t actually hate each other and were even friendly and helpful to each other at times. I do love the slow-burn though, and one of the reasons I love epistolary novels is because you get to know a person through actual communication, which they did here through their letters. I liked the world-building and the God-lore too, but I feel like there’s still a lot of information missing about who the Gods are and why they are important at all. I was very upset at the end of this book because I feel that what happened did not have to happen and was just drama for a dramatic ending’s sake.
Book 2 – Ruthless Vows I did not like the second book as much. It felt like there were a lot of back-and-forth with things happening that are time-fillers rather than any actual important thing that moves the story along. I also didn’t really like Roman’s role and character in this book; I understand why his role was important to the story but the feeling is like, the story was driving his role, rather than his role driving the story, if that makes sense. I still enjoyed the overall story throughout the series, and I like that we find out more about the Gods here. Still an enjoyable story and worth reading!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this series? Would you read them? Did you like the series or do you think you would like it?
Welcome to the Monthly Wrap Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight to share our monthly wrap-up posts that summarizes our month in books, our favorite books of the month, what we did on our blogs, and anything noteworthy we want to share.
July 2026 Wrap Up
July was quite an eventful month, we happened to have a lot of pre-scheduled appointments and events planned ahead for the month and I feel like I was mostly caught up in the flow and not really directing any of it! That’s okay though, I may not have been able to progress with some of my goals as much as I wanted but I did gain other things this July and it’s all good.
My July 2026 TBR Intentions
I did not end up reading a single book I originally intended to in July. Hopefully I do better next month!
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey and The Women They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore are my non-fiction standouts this month. I loved McConaughey’s energy and introspection in his book and I’m curious to check out more of his works now. I hadn’t really watched many of his movies previously, but I did love Interstellar and How To Lose A Guy in Ten Days.
Kate Moore wrote Radium Girls, which I read and loved previously, and The Women They Could Not Silence is another angry-making true story about a woman who was committed to an insane asylum in the 1860s because she disagreed with her husband’s opinions. Ugh! Such a great book though!
For fiction, I really loved The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I typically enjoy epistolary storytelling; I love the romance and nostalgia of it, and this book really made me miss letter-writing and snail-mail. I’m also very happy about reading two T. Kingfisher books this month! I enjoyed The Seventh Bride, but it was Illuminations that I truly fell in love with. It’s categorized as middle grade and it’s so fun and imaginative, I couldn’t help but love it.
August 2026 TBR Intentions
Trying these books again in August. Let’s hope I read at least a couple of them this time!
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
The Shippers by Katherine Center
The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren
The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis
How was your month in July? What were your most memorable bookish moments? I hope you have a wonderful August with lots of great books!
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Books I HAD to Have Immediately but Still Haven’t Read
I have no excuses (except too many books, too little time)! 😭
Top Ten Books I HAD to Have Immediately but Still Haven’t Read
The Glass Chateau by Stephen P. Kiernan – This book came out three years ago and I was so excited for it and feature it on almost every To-Read list since then but I still haven’t read it!
Under the Eagle by Simon Scarrow – I was looking for books about ancient Rome and came across this one and immediately had to get it, but it’s just been languishing on the TBR.
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich – Borrowed the book the moment I saw it featured in the library, bought the audiobook not long after, and still haven’t gotten around to it.
Strong Ground by Brene Brown – I bought it the day it released and yet it’s still unread.
S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst – I loved the whole concept of this book and obviously needed a physical copy. I haven’t read it because it’s something I feel needs to be savored and I feel like I have to block off some meaningful time for it.
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth – It’s been featured on my To-Read lists many times too and I still haven’t read it.
Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane – Same with this one.
The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis – To be fair, there are 14 books in this series and it’s difficult to start another new long-running series when I haven’t finished so many other series I’ve already started.
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett – I wanted it. I needed it. I haven’t read it.
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder – It’s been 20 years since I added this one to my TBR. I’d mostly forgotten about it but recently got interested in it again. Will it wait another 20 years on my TBR? Who knows?!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
“Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn’t there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one’s life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?”
Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.
Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.
Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.
Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be “a very small thing,” but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.
For the Reading Challenge(s): N/A
The Reason
It has been reviewed highly by readers whose opinions I respect and I love epistolary novels in general.
The Quotes
“I look in the mirror and how can it be? I am an old woman. What has my life been?”
“I know you know this, but I want to repeat that when someone(s) treats you poorly, it is a reflection of him or herself and the misery within the heart of them. It doesn’t help a bit to hear that when you’re young, but later it will.”
“An e-mail can in no way replace a written letter. It does concern me that one day all the advancement of technology will do away with the post.”
“I remember when you said in an email that when you find a place for yourself in the world, it feels like music.”
The Narrator(s)
Maggi-Meg Reed. Jane Oppenheimer. Carly Robins. Jeff Ebner. David Pittu. Chris Andrew Ciulla. Mark Bramhall. Petrea Burchard. Robert Petkoff. Kimberly Farr. Cerris Morgan-Moyer. Peter Ganim. Jade Wheeler. And more. An amazing production! I love what the cast did with the characters’ voices!
My Thoughts
What a wonderful, nostalgic book! I’ve always loved letter-writing and books that feature letter-writing. Penpalling was one of my favorite hobbies as a child but snail-mail is no longer as popular as it once was now that we have “fast-mail”, and unfortunately I don’t have as much time to write letters as an adult as when I was a child anyway. Still, I have wonderful memories of writing letters and receiving them, and I love epistolary novels because letters can tell such a story!
I love how Sybil’s character shone through from her letters. I love seeing her relationship with the people in her life from the letters they write as well. I particularly love her relationships with Rosalie and Harry. Oh, to have a life-long friend like Rosalie who loves you enough to tell you hard truths and risk your ire. And Harry, a child who trusts her and feels safe with her. It was all very heartwarming.
There is only one minor complaint I have with the book, and it’s the whole weird mystery about Colt and the unsent letters. I feel like there was no need for the mystery, and in fact, quite unrealistic in tone considering the reveal. However, I’m letting that go because I love the rest of the book so much, and I’m still giving this 5 stars.
Note for everyone who loves letter-writing and snail-mail: I’m writing this here because if you’re reading this review, chances are you’re as charmed by this book as I am and/or are interested in the premise of letter-writing. This book has made me want to start penpalling again. I wonder if anyone else feels this way and want to start something up? I have often gotten the urge to find penpals again but I worry that I can’t keep up with regular letter-writing. This book has made me realize that the longevity of the connection is more important to me than the frequency, and if anyone else agrees, I’d love to give it a try! Hit me up if you’re interested anytime you see this, even if it’s years and years and years in the future!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
On a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire’s enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name ‘The Sword of Kaigen.’ Born into Kusanagi’s legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family’s fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen’s alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be. Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.
Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.
When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?
For the Reading Challenge(s): N/A
The Reason
It’s been on my TBR for a while because everyone says how good it is. I’ve also read Blood Over Bright Haven by the author and loved it, so I thought I’d love this one too.
The Quotes
“You learn over time that the world isn’t broken. It’s just… got more pieces to it than you thought. They all fit together, just maybe not the way you pictured when you were young.”
“Most strong things are rigid. If you are water, you can shift to fit any mold and freeze yourself strong. You can be strong in any shape. You can be anything.”
“But if I learned one thing from Firebird, it’s that a person’s tragedy doesn’t define them or cancel all the good in their life.”
“Why don’t you try taking responsibility for the things you can control instead of the things you can’t?”
The Narrator(s)
Andrew Tell. He was really good.
My Thoughts
I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the first 50-60% of it, and you can be sure I ugly cried for hours at that part. It’s a great story with great world building, and I loved how emotional it was, how visceral everything felt. Every character in the Matsuda family was so compelling; I loved them, I hated them, I wanted to be their bff, I wanted to hurt them… It held my heart in a vice grip from the beginning, and I loved it.
However, the later part of the book felt like it went on too long and didn’t have a place to go. It wasn’t a bad ending; I’d say it ends properly for a story of just the Matsuda family but there were still many unanswered questions about the state of the world of Kaigen and how that affects the Matsuda family. I understand this is because it’s technically a prequel to the author’s Theonite series, which was released a few years before this book but takes place years after the events of this book. Realizing this gives me a little more context to why this book ends the way it does, but as it’s marketed as a standalone, I feel very disappointed in the lack of a more concrete ending.
Having said that, I’m not sure if I’ll bother with the Theonite series as they feature a new set of characters and it’s the Matsudas I fell in love with here, but I am curious to see where the world stands in those books so never say never.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
