Oct 18, 2025 - Obscurity and Celebrity
Well. This week happened.
Somehow I read a lot this week? Which confuses me because it was an absolutely hectic week and I spent a lot of time wondering where my brain went and how the heck I could possibly convince it to come back and play nicely for a while. I'm still not sure I have a brain, but at least I have a blog post? It even has a theme again, and I'm still not sure how I did that because it was definitely a week where I read wherever my fancy took me and didn't try to stick to a genre or even what I was "supposed" to be reading. That means that in this post you'll find everything from Gothic classics to thrillers to middle grade fantasy. Some are obscure or still unpublished, others are famous and have left their mark. Some feature people living on the margins of society while others detail the lives of celebrities. It's a week of extremes.
And honestly after the week I just had, it seems oddly fitting.
Sort of on that note, the first review this week is technically one I finished this last week but couldn't fit in the post in time to publish. Shhhh, don't tell anyone.
Author: Christopher J. Yates
Genres: Thriller, Dark Academia
Star Rating: 4.75 Stars!
Review Type: NetGalley ARC Review
My Tags: modern-fiction, netgalley-ARC, region-europe
Synopsis*
When Ali McCain, an eighteen-year-old from Los Angeles, is accepted at Oxford, it's a chance to fulfill his dreams. To study English literature in England; to meet true intellectuals; and to glimpse the life he might have lived had his father--British rock star Gel McCain, legendary frontman of the Pale Fires--not abandoned him and his mother when he was a toddler.
But not long after he arrives at the storied campus, Ali is drawn into a dark, disorienting world where events grow more and more curious by the day. Trading on his father's name, he gains entry into one of Oxford's oldest and most selective secret societies, the Saracens. As he immerses himself in this rarefied world, he inadvertently sets in motion a series of events that might culminate in disaster.
My Review
This was phenomenal. Wow.
Let me start by saying that thrillers and dark academia aren't normally my thing. I'm not normally reading a book for the hair-raising adventures, and I spend enough time studying in grad school myself to necessarily want to spend time reading about other people navigating higher education. That being said, something about the synopsis for this on caught my eye when I spotted it on NetGalley, and I was intrigued.Then I hit a reading slump and just didn't want to read anything for a while, so it sat in my NetGalley app for way too long.
I finally picked it back up again, and, honestly, I wasn't super impressed at first. It just seemed like the old, predictable story of freshmen trying to figure out how to life, and I get enough of that from being in higher education myself. Still, I pressed onward and gradually became more and more intrigued by the story and more convinced that I was missing a piece in a bigger, more sinister puzzle. By the time I was 75% of the way through the book, I was coming up with just about every excuse I could to keep listening.
So yes, the start of the book is slow, and the premise doesn't seem particularly original at first. Keep going. I promise it gets better.
Part of what makes this book so good is that it uses a really clever framing device that kept me guessing and clutching at each little clue I could find as I tried to unravel the story's puzzle. I also appreciated the numerous literary references and the depth and development of each of the characters. No one felt flat to me, and I never felt like the author had strayed over into telling rather than showing. It helped that each of the three audiobook narrators pulled off stellar performances that made it feel like I really was in the head of each of the characters they portrayed. Seriously, if you can get an audio copy of this book, it's worth it for the actors' performances alone.
On the whole, I'm so glad I gave this book a try, and I'm now excited about the possibility of reading other books by this author in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I'd recommend this book for: People who are interested in a psychological, academic thriller where few are trustworthy and things aren't what they seem.
Find this book on GoodReads and StoryGraph!
~~~
This next read is one I blindly requested on NetGalley a few weeks ago when I decided that I was on top of the world and could request all the ARCs in the world and that no it wouldn't put me in a slump to all of a sudden have 10+ more books I needed to read and review quickly. Sometimes I think someone needs to take away my NetGalley access for a while for my own sanity. I clearly lack the self-control myself.
Author: Jessie Sylva
Genres: Cozy fantasy, LGBTQ, Romance
Star Rating: 4 stars
Review Type: NetGalley ARC review
My Tags: netgalley-ARC, standalone-fantasy
Synopsis*
When a halfling, Pansy, and a goblin, Ren, each think they've inherited the same cottage, they make a bargain: they'll live in the house together and whoever is driven out first forfeits their ownership. Amidst forced proximity and cultural misunderstandings, the two begin to fall in love.
But when the cottage - and their communities - are threatened by a common enemy, the duo must learn to trust each other, and convince goblins and halflings to band together to oust the tall intruder.
But when the cottage - and their communities - are threatened by a common enemy, the duo must learn to trust each other, and convince goblins and halflings to band together to oust the tall intruder.
My Review
Last weekend I hit a bit of a slump largely due to the amount of external stress in my life. I didn't want to read anything, and I have a probably too large list of ARCs to get through in the next couple months as well as other reading commitments, and it all felt overwhelming. So I skipped the line and jumped to one of the books that's not due to be reviewed until next year. Logical, I know.
Anyway, this is the book I ended up reading. It's a delightful cozy fantasy set in the corner of the fantasy map where the inhabitants are the more petite fantasy races (mainly goblins and halflings) each with their own respective biases and cultures. If you liked anything written by Sarah Beth Durst, then you'll probably enjoy this book as it has the same cozy, cottagecore fantasy vibes. While it is a romance-driven book, I appreciated the work put into the characters themselves that kept them from feeling flat and kept the story from becoming exclusively about their romance. As someone who studies how to cross cultural barriers well, I thought that the cross-cultural aspect of the story was also very well-done. When I requested this book on NetGalley, I hadn't realized that it was a LGBTQ romance, which is not a genre I normally enjoy or seek out. That being said, the romance was well-written, and I appreciated that it was closed-door--something that seems to be increasingly hard to find.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Anyway, this is the book I ended up reading. It's a delightful cozy fantasy set in the corner of the fantasy map where the inhabitants are the more petite fantasy races (mainly goblins and halflings) each with their own respective biases and cultures. If you liked anything written by Sarah Beth Durst, then you'll probably enjoy this book as it has the same cozy, cottagecore fantasy vibes. While it is a romance-driven book, I appreciated the work put into the characters themselves that kept them from feeling flat and kept the story from becoming exclusively about their romance. As someone who studies how to cross cultural barriers well, I thought that the cross-cultural aspect of the story was also very well-done. When I requested this book on NetGalley, I hadn't realized that it was a LGBTQ romance, which is not a genre I normally enjoy or seek out. That being said, the romance was well-written, and I appreciated that it was closed-door--something that seems to be increasingly hard to find.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I'd recommend this book for: People who want a cozy cottagecore fantasy romance and enjoy LGBTQ themes.
Find this book on GoodReads and StoryGraph!
~~~
This next one is by one of my favorite authors but is one I'd never heard about until earlier this year. I've been waiting in eager anticipation all year to read it, and (spoiler alert) it did not disappoint.
Author: Louisa May Alcott
Genres: Gothic Romance, Classics
Star Rating: 5 stars!!!
Review Type: Recommended to me
My Tags: favorites, region-europe, classics
Synopsis*
"I'd gladly sell my soul to Satan for a year of freedom," cries impetuous Rosamond Vivian to her callous grandfather. Then, one stormy night, a brooding stranger appears in her remote island home, ready to take Rosamond to her word. Spellbound by the mysterious Philip Tempest, Rosamond is seduced with promises of love and freedom, then spirited away on Tempest's sumptuous yacht. But she soon finds herself trapped in a web of intrigue, cruelty, and deceit. Desperate to escape, she flees to Italy, France, and Germany, from Parisian garret to mental asylum, from convent to chateau, as Tempest stalks every step of the fiery beauty who has become his obsession.
My Review
A friend and I are trying to fully enjoy the fall season by reading as many gothic classics as we can. When this book was suggested as one of the books we should add to the list, I was intrigued. Louisa May Alcott's more famous book "Little Women" is quite possibly my favorite book of all time, and one I come back to regularly when I need something comforting and homelike. I knew she wrote other books, but I'd never read any of them beyond the books specifically talking about Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, so I was intrigued to try something by her that was so different from anything else I'd read.
Honestly, this is a book that I want to own someday. It's much more dramatic, dark, and sensational than Little Women, but the prose and the characters bear Alcott's trademark style, and she handled the topic of abuse in relationships with a level of nuance, realism, and compassion that I frankly hadn't expected. While at times the characters are larger than life, the message always remains grounded, practical, and--quite frankly--one still needed today.
I will say that one of the things I enjoyed about this story is that I could so clearly see the Louisa May Alcott I've grown to love through Little Women in the pages of A Long Fatal Love Chase. Reading this book felt like meeting an old friend in an unexpected setting and picking right back up where the friendship left off the last time we'd talked, and so it's hard for me to tell if this book would be just as enjoyable for people without that background. If you do love Little Women, though, and you want to read a book that feels like it came straight from Jo March's pen, then please pick this book up and give it a chance. May it captivate you just like it captivated me.
Honestly, this is a book that I want to own someday. It's much more dramatic, dark, and sensational than Little Women, but the prose and the characters bear Alcott's trademark style, and she handled the topic of abuse in relationships with a level of nuance, realism, and compassion that I frankly hadn't expected. While at times the characters are larger than life, the message always remains grounded, practical, and--quite frankly--one still needed today.
I will say that one of the things I enjoyed about this story is that I could so clearly see the Louisa May Alcott I've grown to love through Little Women in the pages of A Long Fatal Love Chase. Reading this book felt like meeting an old friend in an unexpected setting and picking right back up where the friendship left off the last time we'd talked, and so it's hard for me to tell if this book would be just as enjoyable for people without that background. If you do love Little Women, though, and you want to read a book that feels like it came straight from Jo March's pen, then please pick this book up and give it a chance. May it captivate you just like it captivated me.
I'd recommend this book for: People who either loved Louisa May Alcott's other work or love a good gothic romance that deals with hard themes well.
Find this book on GoodReads and StoryGraph!
~~~
I'm never quite sure what to do with books that everyone all of a sudden decides to read and adore. Sometimes jumping on the bandwagon means I get the literary experience of a lifetime, and many other times I'm left wondering, "Why is this so popular again?" This next book is one I've been hearing about for well over a year now and seeing everywhere. I finally let my curiosity get the better of me and checked it out from the library this past week to see if I could figure out what the hype was all about.
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
Review Type: I was curious
My Tags: historical-fiction, region-north-america, modern-fiction
Synopsis*
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn's luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the '80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn's story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways.
My Review
This one feels complicated to review because on the one hand it's a beautiful work of writing and on the other hand I struggled with so much of the content. Evelyn Hugo is not someone I think I'd get along with at all in real life. In many ways, she and her values are the exact opposite of just about everything I believe is good and right and true. She treats things in a cavalier way that I believe need to be treated with intentionality and care, and she pours herself heart and soul into things that I don't think deserve that level of sacrifice and pain. She admits to not being a good person, and the story clearly shows that ugly side to her character.
And at the same time, the she's such a nuanced character. I may disagree with just about every single decision she made over the course of the entire book, but I can understand why she made those decisions, empathize with her, and wish she'd felt like she had other options. Her story sucked me in and made me want to keep reading until the end.
I firmly believe that you don't always have to agree with everything you read. Yes, there's a value in reading books that align with your understanding of reality, but it can also be helpful to step outside your reality and look at the world through someone else's eyes for a while. You might still firmly disagree with them in the end, but hopefully with a bit more empathy than when you started. Evelyn Hugo was that sort of character for me, and, for that, I'm thankful.
And at the same time, the she's such a nuanced character. I may disagree with just about every single decision she made over the course of the entire book, but I can understand why she made those decisions, empathize with her, and wish she'd felt like she had other options. Her story sucked me in and made me want to keep reading until the end.
I firmly believe that you don't always have to agree with everything you read. Yes, there's a value in reading books that align with your understanding of reality, but it can also be helpful to step outside your reality and look at the world through someone else's eyes for a while. You might still firmly disagree with them in the end, but hopefully with a bit more empathy than when you started. Evelyn Hugo was that sort of character for me, and, for that, I'm thankful.
I'd recommend this book for: People who enjoy nuanced, character-driven narratives that doesn't shy away from portraying the good and the ugly in people's lives.
Find this book on GoodReads and StoryGraph!
~~~
Here's another one in a similar vein although the hype isn't quite as intense for this one as it was for the last one. Sometimes you just decide it's the time to finally put your curiosity to rest, you know?
Author: Cressida Cowell
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Star Rating: 3 stars
Review Type: Recommended to me
Place in the Series: Book 1 of a completed series
My Tags: fantasy-series
Synopsis*
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the quiet and thoughtful son of the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans, tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan by catching and training a dragon. Can Hiccup do it without being torn limb from limb?
My Review
...where to start?
So I knew going in that this book was nothing like the movie based on it. If you didn't know that, I'm warning you now: The book and the movie are absolutely nothing alike.
When I was first recommended this book, I was told that the series was just as good as the movies but totally different and that it really picked up about three books in or so. I hope it does because I just didn't really enjoy this one at all. The humor is crude, the art bothered me (I apparently have a hard time with books that have art in it that I don't find aesthetically pleasing), and the tone felt much more middle grade than I normally enjoy (I mean, it is a middle grade series, so there's that). I'm going to keep going because of the promise of greater payout later, but I think I'll switch to the audiobook since then the pictures won't bother me and also it's narrated by David Tennant and his voice is always enjoyable to listen to.
So I knew going in that this book was nothing like the movie based on it. If you didn't know that, I'm warning you now: The book and the movie are absolutely nothing alike.
When I was first recommended this book, I was told that the series was just as good as the movies but totally different and that it really picked up about three books in or so. I hope it does because I just didn't really enjoy this one at all. The humor is crude, the art bothered me (I apparently have a hard time with books that have art in it that I don't find aesthetically pleasing), and the tone felt much more middle grade than I normally enjoy (I mean, it is a middle grade series, so there's that). I'm going to keep going because of the promise of greater payout later, but I think I'll switch to the audiobook since then the pictures won't bother me and also it's narrated by David Tennant and his voice is always enjoyable to listen to.
I'd recommend this book for: People who enjoy middle grade fiction and somewhat crude humor.
Find this book on StoryGraph and GoodReads!
~~~
And that, my friends, brings us to the end of this week of extremes! Until next week!
Comments
Post a Comment