tintededges

Spicy high-stakes romantasy with dragons Last year I felt like everyone was talking about this book. “Smut and dragons” seemed to be the consensus. I was curious but a bit wary of Booktok/Bookstagram hype after my experiences with “Throne of Glass“. I’ve been reviewing audiobooks on here for a long time, but I decided to quit Audible (a subsidiary of Amazon) so needed an alternative. I finally…

Metaphysical romance novel with every trope you could want and more I received a copy of this eBook courtesy of the publisher. “Tropesick” by Lauren Okie is a romance novel about Katie, a successful romance fiction ghostwriter who lives in New York. However, when her co-writer for her latest project is suddenly unavailable, her agent informs her that her new partner is none other than Tyler:…

Fourth book in the children’s fantasy series “Nevermoor” This is the fourth book in the series, so if you haven’t read the first three books yet, I would skip this review and go to the beginning. “Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow” is the fourth book in the children’s fantasy series “Nevermoor”. The book picks up shortly after the previous book and Morrigan receives a shock invitation to…

Non-fiction book about discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public servants I can’t remember how I first heard about this book, but judging by when I ordered it online (2020), I suspect it was either on Twitter or, potentially, through this research project which I heard about around the same time. Throughout this review I use “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander” and…

Children’s touch and feel book about Tasmanian devils This was another great little find at the Canberra Lifeline Bookfair (one day I will type that without checking whether it is book fair or bookfair, but today is not that day). “Tassie Devil” by Sara Leman with photographs by Steve Parish is a children’s touch and feel book about Tasmanian devils. Each page spread has a photograph of a…

Fantasy novel about greed, purpose and belonging It really has been too long since I’ve read a book by this author, partly because there are now only a few of her books that I have not yet read, and partly because of the long anticipation of this new novel which has been published by a different publisher to her previous novels. “The Amber Owl” by Juliet Marillier is a fantasy novel, and the…

Non-fiction quolls, conservation and the ethics of having children In the pre-Elon days of X (formerly known as Twitter), there was a fantastic community of people in the Australian literary scene and it was a great way to connect with other writers, reviewers and book afficianados. It was also a really good way to find out about new releases and that was how I came across this book. Quolls are…

Persion-inspired fantasy about blood magic This was a set book for my feminist fantasy bookclub last year and I was really curious about this one. It has such an interesting title and a striking cover, and I had never heard of it or the author before. “The Bruising of Qilwa” by Naseem Jamnia is a fantasy novella set in a fictional island city called Qilwa. The story is about a healer’s…

Third and final book in “The Library Trilogy” After loving the first and second books in this series, I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say this was my most anticipated read of 2025. Shorter than the first but a similar size to the second, it has a striking red and purple cover with gold foil that matches the design of the other paperbacks in the series. If you haven’t read the first…

Children’s picture book about a duck and her ducklings I’m not quite sure how this book made its way into our house, but I guess when you have a baby children’s books just do. This one stands out due to the unusual fuzzy duck face on the front cover that, despite the “soft tales” text on the front cover feels a little more spiky than soft. The cover is also decorated with silver foil – picking…

Children’s flap book about birthday presents After the success of “Dear Zoo” and “Oh Dear!“, when I saw this one at the Lifeline Bookfair, we had to get it. Please note this reivew contains spoilers. “My Presents” by Rod Campbell is a children’s flap book about the presents a child receives at their birthday. Told in the first person by an unnamed narrator, the child receives presents from many…

Horror novel about teen trauma and friendship I received a copy of this eBook courtesy of the publisher. I was excited to receive this one because I’ve previously enjoyed “Our Endless Numbered Days” and “Unsettled Ground” by this author. “Hunger & Thirst” by Claire Fuller is a gothic horror novel about a sixteen year old girl called Ursula who has grown up in the care system. When her social…

Children’s flap book about farm animals This is one of the many books that has made its way into our home after having a baby, and it has been fun exploring a random and diverse selection of books with her and seeing what captures her interest. “Fun Farm” is a children’s flap book about a variety of different animals that might be found on a farm including horses, cows, sheep, chickens and…

Fantasy reimagination of Hindu epic poem “Ramayana“ This was a set book for my feminist fantasy bookclub. I hadn’t heard of this book and was very intrigued to read it when it was selected. I have some vague familiarity of “The Ramayana” through Javanese wayang performance (dance and puppetry), though unfortunately wasn’t able to study it further when I was living there because while I speak…

Children’s picture book about a competitive Easter egg hunt This was an gift for my toddler last year so I was excited to read it with her in the lead up to Easter. “The Great Aussie Animal Easter Egg Hunt” by Emma Middleton is a children’s picture book about a wombat called Willow who always comes last in the annual Great Aussie Animal Easter Egg Hunt. Despite receiving some disparaging…

Children’s picture book about a bilby I picked this one up at the Lifeline Bookfair, and I think I’ve mentioned on here before that if you think you enjoy the Bookfair as an adult, it is even better going and choosing books for and with children. I’ve reviewed this author on here before and thought this would make a nice Easter-adjacent story. “Hunwick’s Egg” by Mem Fox and illustrated by…

Historical fantasy novel set in 1500s Japan Another Lifeline Bookfair find, I picked this up from the fantasy section many years ago because of the striking black tinted edges. It wasn’t until I finally read it on my recent trip to Japan that I realised the edges aren’t just black, but have a blood splatter design that you can only see when you flip the pages. Genre-wise, it probably wasn’t my…