REVIEW MXTAKES

REVIEW- The lives and Loves of the Mountbatten's by Andrew Lownie.

Consumed by audiobook from the library, I am so sorry for how long this review has been on the back burner but I've been WIPED the past week or two.

⭐⭐

Most of this book is both surface level and tries to dip in deeper without trying to piss off living royals.

The author is however pretty brutal about them, how Lord Mountbatten was constantly trying to shove above his mental pay grade and caused issues within the military. Lady Mountbatten is called out for her constant affairs, even to a point making humour of how she was so blatant.

There is nothing really in the book that people don't already know, expect for the last part which goes on for a very long time about how Lord Mountbatten was probably homosexual, that people around him hinted towards it including his drivers and his relationships are all documented within his writings but are locked away from the rest of his public letters. There was also a heavy implications that he was also an abuser of children and there was a video that was meant to be played after his death, that admitted it but the royals have locked it away/destroyed it. Honestly wouldn't suprise me considering how all the royals are grossly linked to Epstine.

Whispers Most Deadly by Emma MacDonald

Consumed via hardback copy I got from my local library.

⭐⭐

I honestly feel super bad for this one because I had just finished Babel before this and so I had the Dark Academia standard already set.

Firstly, I'm sorry but I'm getting really tired of the storyline of being at a Magic College/University that has 3 trials that the student have to take. I did however appreciate that Rose (lead) was a necromancer in training/accidentally a necromancer.

I have to add a quote - "Glittering with their pronouns" - the first time I have ever heard that sentence and was highly disappointed that this didn't involve actual flowery pronouns given to the students.

I also have never said this before, but the book has a fuck tonne of pages and it could have been shortened by not making everything ever seen or done a two paragraph description. I like having a world built for me but using descriptive language for EVERYTHING just feels like you are trying to pad out an essay.

The one thing that WASN'T descriptive was the sex scene between Rose and Sylvie - but it's descriptive between Rose and Callum and the three way between Rose, Sylvie and Callum. That one sex scene is incredibly rushed compared to the other two.

I did appreciate that there was a whole polyam thing going on.

Karma: My Autobiography by Boy George

Consumed via audiobook I got from the library.

Boy George writes his own autobiography discussing growing up, going on tour, going to prison and going through drug addiction and recovery.

I literally wrote over 2 A4 pages of notes on this explaining how I felt reading this book.

Firstly Boy George is incredibly open about his feelings, his life and on his terms. For big chunks of the book it makes complete sense, such as his career, his love life and drug and alcohol usage. In other other terms, he complains from time to time about the younger queer community, how he would probably be cancelled if he said what he wanted to all the time. How he admits that he keeps quiet at time purely because he is getting bank. He briefly talks about the trans debate and that there should be space for every point of view but also says that he fully supports trans people.

I found some bits difficult, expecially considering whilst he's trying to be open and honest, he's trying to constantly be centralist about his feelings and political behaviour. He makes mention about how he was younger that older gay people would judge him for his loud and proud stance but also talks about liking republicans - those who are trying to take gay rights away.

I feel also that this book was an exercise to stop the guilt from his incredlibly problematic behaviours he has done in his life, as well as him being both bitchy at times, being violent in relationships and sometimes uncomfortable name droppings.

Alchemy by S.J. Parris

Consumed via audiobook. Over 17 hours to be precise.

3.5 stars out of 5

Murders in Prague in the 16th century start happening to known Alchemists and other city residents. Is it the "Golem" that everyone is scared about or is there more going on than it seems.

As I said it's over 17 hours, and it it a long dedication to read/listen to, if you have the time, I think it's worth a go. It puts a fresher spin on detective stories and feels both modern whilst keeping the time frame accurate as possible. Every one from poor to rich has a motive and it takes our lead through a mystery tour that he doesn't want to be involved in.

The content warnings for this is Murder, domestic violence, Anti Semitism, animal cruelty, child endangerment and alcohol and gambling addiction. I know some people don't like to be told what's in a book, but I am in the camp of not throwing someone blindly into a book without warning of certain topics. I recently had this with a book, and it has brought back memories of my partners death and the book was meant to be fun. I don't want that shock having to happen to other folks.

Back to the book,the author creates a really good world and explains in detail of how grim the city is. There are so many characters with their own stories but it doesn't get too busy with everything. Everyone is slowly linked in with each other.

The ending is no way what I expected, but it explains the pattern of murders.

Final thing. He keeps the dog. That will make sense at the end.

Whilst this isn't personally for me - because realistically I am someone who signs up to something and completely forgets that they have done so 10 mins later, this sounds like an amazing project and I wish you all the best on it.

Review: The Devil's Playground by Craig Russell

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Consumed via audiobook from my local library - you know what I'm going to say, you should join local libraries where possible.

Plot: 1920's in Hollywood and their leading lady for the film "The devils Playground" has been found dead. All the signs lead up to suicide but was it in fact murder and who would even do that? Hollywood studios "fixer" Mary is on the case. Is it a cursed production or is there something else.

Content warnings for racism, religious scaremongering, brief childhood abuse and murder throughout the book.

If you have ever played the game "L.A. Noir" it really reads like it. It's both grim yet entertaining. Our main lead Mary is actually a well written and rounded character, she's both flawed and perfect at her role as covering up her movie studios mishaps. The book keeps you entertained and also uncomfortable. It also brings up the fact of how terrible Hollywood and celebrities have been since the dawn of Hollywood, so by that context it also feels quite modern considering it's time frame was a hundred years ago, just before movies became what they are now.

I did not guess the ending in the slightest. I gasped.

Babel by R.F. Kuang

Consumed via hardback book from my local library. Please go to your local libraries, we don't want to loose educational venues.

The first thing to say is thank you to the YouTuber "willow talks books" for the suggestion of reading this. I loved this book so much.

As per usual I will put in the content warnings for racism, abuse, murder and parental death.

When I first got the book, I was expecting it to be a whimsical piece about Oxford university and the building of Babela and how language is romanticised. What I got was a rollercoaster of a ride that starts in a quiet little library and ends up in the grips of the opium trade and crisis of the 1800s.. with a pinch of silver and manuscript smuggling.

Got a little bit sad at the ending, but honestly this book was never going to have a happy ending.

All of the characters are incredibly flawed but that's the point. They are working out their issues whilst trying to exist in a world that treats them different because they are not white men.

The Whispering Night by Susan Dennard.

Consumed by book, specifically one from my local library.

So first off, in typical fashion, I read the last book in the series. I did not know that this was the last book, I only found out it was whilst I was filling out my book spreadsheet - It's for HRCYED but honestly I'm probably going to make another spreadsheet when HRCYED is finished. My order of reading books standing, to the review.

The book has made me want to read the previous two books that have come before it. I have a whole page of notes in my reading journal, so let's go through a couple. Spoilers incoming.

"EAT THE PIZZA" - Speaking as someone who nearly drowned in a pool when I was younger, the first thing I wasn't thinking about was thinking about pizza. I know Winnie's thoughts were blurred and uncontrollable whilst she is fighting off fear, The Diana's and drowning.. but is eating pizza the polar opposite of what swimming instructors tell us to do in water.

I thought Jay was incredibly pushy when it came to Winnie. He tried to push kissing her a lot more than probably needed.

My questions about whether Werewolf's were alive and allowed to be in the universe was finally answered in the interview section at the end. Thank you for giving me closure.

The crow. I got confused for a while, I didn't realise till way later than I should that there was the bird crow, and the human crow. ALSO THE ENDING.

I also got confused how people were called days, especially when they would be talking about day activities. That's more on me and my reading comprehension.

For a while I did think Winnie's mum did frame her dad.

I really enjoyed all the pictures that were drawn and the explanations.

The Big Bad Wolf by Nicolette Olivier

(Consumed by PDF on my iPad as my Kindle threw a shit fit and didn't want it on there - Copy has been graciously given to me by the author, this is still however an honest review)

Plot - Brady discovers his father's police evidence files after his father dies, the files are about a bunch of college students who have séances and attempt to talk to the dead. After a while they decide to fake their own ghost when bad things start happening around them. Have they awoken a monster or is there something else?

Now I'm going to be honest, and this is not on the author, it's solely on me. I struggled to read this, it took me way longer than expected. Partially due to my dyslexia but also a part was that I struggled to recognise who was talking during dialogue segments. I know this happens with a lot of books, but if it doesn't say who is talking, expecially when there is heavy back and forward dialogue, I will loose track on who is saying what. This was a constant issue for me throughout a majority of it.

I will give you the TW that there is an attempted rape in the book - for those who need that. There is a few instances where Hannah is fatshamed and then sexually assaulted after, men are incredibly cruel to her.

The back and forward between period of time is good, sometimes in novels it can get clunky, but it flowed pretty well. There was a couple of points where I got confused but it was because I was used to a chapter pattern between the modern time and the past.

I personally didn't like Brady, Hannah or even Robbie towards the end, but you don't have to like characters to enjoy a book. Not every character is designed to be liked and it helps blurring the narrative between what is true and what is not. I expecially didn't like how everyone was using Robbie and then were shocked when he snapped. Like dude, bad shit is happening and he's not ok with it. Brady's behaviour becomes more and more erratic whilst he is going through the case files and at one point when the paperwork is moved, he blames his own child aggressively. He looses his mind as he goes through all the evidence.

I did love at the end there is a playlist for the book.

Whispers Of The Deep by Emma Hamm

Consumed via Amazon Kindle as part of the Kindle Unlimited collection.

You are getting TWO points from me from a point system I don't have. One is because it is a book and the second point is that this book is art, that some appreciate but I do not.

Firstly you know you will be in for a rough ride when the author states from the start that they are not a scientist, this is about mermaid fucking. Yes it's that book that was going round for a bit. For those who are curious - they fuck twice.

I don't know whether I'm just too gay for M/F erotic literature, or don't take a fancy to mermaids but I didn't find it enjoyable. I ended up speed reading to get it over and done with.

The story was a good idea, but it takes a really good while for them to actually build what's going on between humans and mermaids. They are at war, they have been studying each other for years, the whole world is submerged in water with dome pockets. More could have been said to build this up.

All of my kindle notes are literally saying that the merman sounds like the average incel/nice guy with the language that they use, not just to our human woman story lead, but to all creatures but expecially with females. It gets really grating after a while and I almost gave up after him saying generic incel noises for the 20th time

Mary or The Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout

Got this book from my local library - this is your reminder that you should go to your local library. This is also the second time I've written this because the first version broke.

Mary Jane (aka Mary Shelley) gets completely shit faced when Lord Byron challenges everyone (during a heavy night of Laudanum) to write a horror novel. Mary accepts this challenge, whilst battling her own demons and falling in love with her best friend Isabella, knowing that their relationship will never happen because they are destined to marry other people.

It's a really good gothic horror retelling of Mary Shelley's writing history as well as her sapphic love life. Not going to lie though there is so much "mouth to nipple" talk that it often at times becomes distracting from the actual story that surrounds it.

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Three different eras with three different women, all with the same questions. What is happening with the people I care about and do witches exist?

*Content warnings for the book - Murder, Animal Abuse, Sexual Assault, Rape*

**SPOILERS IN POST**

So I'm going to be blunt, I don't know how I feel about the book. I didn't get behind any character beyond Alba, which she takes up no more than a third of the story. It felt like a cross between Dark academia and horror, but the twist at the end is incredibly obvious from the start .

Only one line stuck out for me and it was "I wonder if they have a special dry cleaner for that" when there is discussion of murder and the removal of blood stains.

Carolyn is a terrible character, murders either for power or because she doesn't want to get caught. For someone who goes on about family and legacy, she is pretty happy to kill off family members she doesn't deam worthy.

I do not understand why the university wasn't proactive in regards to having a large portion of their students being murdered/going missing. Was Carolyn paying the university more than what she was giving to poor students? It makes sense at the start but it had been going on for 60+ years? Surely they couldn't kill off everyone who questioned everything.

Betty deserved better!

So I've picked up "Whispers of the Deep" and I know we all came for the wild as fuck warning intro about Merman fucking, but fucking section made me laugh so loud, cause it just sounds like every human Nice Guy (TM)