I always have a hard time with fantasy books (the worldbuilding can be intimidating) so I was hesitant to start this one. A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft is a standalone novel that transported me to a magical version of the Pacific Northwest. I was completely absorbed by the atmosphere: the dull grey skies, the foggy coastline, and the thick, lush forest brimming with magic. It stole me away, and I never wanted it to end.
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Small towns always seem so nice and quaint—I know, I grew up in one—but sometimes, the more time you spend in one, the more you realize how some things just don’t seem right. This is exactly true for Littleport, the coastal town where Megan Miranda’s latest thriller, The Last House Guest, takes place.
“History is only the sum of its people and, as far as I know, we could be the last ones.”
What would you do if you thought you were part of the last group of surviving humans after a nuclear war breaks out? Jon Keller, the narrator of The Last, decides that one of the most important things to do is keep records of everything that happens.
It has been pretty cold here in southwestern Ontario. And by pretty cold, I mean -25 Celsius at night. These freezing temperatures, paired with the piles of snow we’ve been getting, made me want to curl up under a blanket and never return. It seemed fitting, then, that I recently received a copy of The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley, because this book is perfect for reading on a cold, winter night.
I’ll admit that Watching You was the first novel by Lisa Jewell that I’ve read. I do own a few of her other books, but haven’t gotten around to reading them yet. However, after finishing this story, I have to say that I am already craving another one of her thrillers!
I finished reading Claudia Day’s Heartbreaker over a month ago, but needed time to process the story before writing a full review. Over the past few weeks, though, I still haven’t fully processed everything that happened in this story. This might seem annoying to some people—not experiencing that sense of a complete story—but I’ve come to accept that’s part of what makes books so intriguing.
I had been excited to read Not Her Daughter ever since I started following Rea Frey on Instagram and learned that she was working on a book. Her photos and bookish content were always so inspiring and well-curated. I knew right away that her debut novel would be, too. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.
In 2014 I was studying international development and project management at Humber College. In April of that year, 276 females were kidnapped from a school in Nigeria. You might remember it being referred to as the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping (Chibok was the town they were living and attending school in). I still remember this event, as everyone in my program was talking about it.
Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows that I love dinosaurs, so when I received a copy of The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal and the Quest for Earth’s Ultimate Trophy, by Paige Williams, I was ecstatic. This book contained so many things that I like: dinosaurs, journalism, natural and political history; how could I not read it?
Over the past few years, speculative fiction has become one of my favourite genres, and for a good reason. It blends elements of science-fiction with futuristic, super-natural themes; it can also include elements from dystopian, fanasty, and horror. What’s not to love?
If you’re looking for a new speculative fiction book to try out, I highly recommend Foe by Iain Reid, which is set to hit shelves this August.
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