Martha Wells: Witch King

Hi everyone

Witch King is the first book in The Rising World series by Martha Wells.
I've read quite a few of her works now, but sadly, the only ones I truly enjoyed were The Murderbot Diaries.
I read this on my e-reader.

""I didn't know you were a... demon."
"You idiot. I'm the demon."
Kai's having a long day in Martha Wells' WITCH KING....
After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.
But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?
Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.
He’s not going to like the answers."

Unfortunately, this book was mediocre for me.

The characters were very forgettable; almost interchangeable. I struggled to keep them apart or give them distinct voices in my head. Not a single character stood out or captured my attention, which made it hard to stay invested in the story.
The plot wasn’t anything special, and the writing felt very YA and not in a good way. The tone of the conversations felt wrong for the time and setting of the story. It was off-putting, like the characters were talking too modern for the world they were supposed to be in. It just didn’t fit.

Because of this, I won’t be continuing the series. It’s a shame, because I love Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries, but this one just didn’t click for me.

Have you read Witch King? Did you feel the same way, or did it work better for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Trudi Canavan: Thief's Magic

Hi everyone

Thief's Magic is the first book in the latest series by Trudi Canavan; Millennium's Rule.
I got my copy from Bol.com.

"Forget what you know about the nature of magic.
In a world where an industrial revolution is powered by magic, Tyen, a student of archaeology, unearths a sentient book called Vella. Once a young sorcerer-bookbinder, Vella was transformed into a useful tool by one of the greatest sorcerers of history. Since then she has been collecting information, including a vital clue to the disaster Tyen's world faces.
Elsewhere, in an land ruled by the priests, Rielle the dyer's daughter has been taught that to use magic is to steal from the Angels. Yet she knows she has a talent for it, and that there is a corrupter in the city willing to teach her how to use it -- should she dare to risk the Angels' wrath.
But not everything is as Tyen and Rielle have been raised to believe. Not the nature of magic, nor the laws of their lands. . . and not even the people they trust."

It’s sad, but this book just didn’t work for me.

I really enjoyed Trudi Canavan’s Black Magician Trilogy and loved The Age of the Five trilogy (I actually want to reread those soon!). So, I was expecting to enjoy this series too. But Thief’s Magic was far from what I’d hoped.
I found it really boring, very slow, and just uninteresting. The characters were dull, naive, and simplistic, they lacked depth and felt one-dimensional. There were too many infodumps, which made the story feel clunky and hard to get through. The tone was very YA, and the romance felt too heavy-handed for my taste.

Because of this, I won’t be continuing the series. It’s a shame, because I love Canavan’s other works, but this one just didn’t grab me the way I’d hoped.

Have you read Thief’s Magic? Did you feel the same way, or did it work better for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Jonathan French: The True Bastards

Hi everyone

The True Bastards is the second book in The Lot Lands series by Jonathan French.
I got my book from Bol.com.

"Fetching was once the only female rider in the Lot Lands. Now she is the leader of her own hoof, a band of loyal half orcs sworn to her command. But in the year since she took power, the True Bastards have struggled to survive. Tested to the breaking point by the burdens of leadership, Fetching battles desperately to stave off famine, desertion, and the scorn of the other half-orc chieftains, even as orcs and humans alike threaten the Lots' very existence. Then an old enemy finds a way to strike at her from beyond the grave--and suddenly only one, faint hope for salvation remains." 

This book was brutal. I liked it a lot, but it was really brutal; the kind of brutal that leaves you reeling. We’re talking good people dying, torture, betrayals, and a world that feels like it’s always on the edge of collapse. If you’re not ready for grimdark with heart, this might not be for you. But if you are? Buckle up, because this book takes you on a wild ride.

The story is slower than the first book, not in a bad way, but it’s less relentless. A lot happens, and it’s never truly slow, but there were moments where the plot dragged just a bit. Some events, decisions, or twists felt unnecessary, like they were there more for shock value than to serve the story. But even with those moments, the book never lost my attention.

What I loved most was that Jonathan French chose Fetch as the main character most especially not just as a token leader, but as a fully realized, complex hoofchief. Her arc is fantastic. She’s tough, flawed, and fiercely loyal, and watching her struggle and grow into her role was so satisfying. Honestly, I love all the characters in the True Bastards hoof. They’re raw, real, and addictive; the kind of characters you can’t help but root for, even when they’re making terrible decisions.

I’m excited to read the third book in the series because it promises to be just as good as this one. If you love gritty fantasy with heart, brutal stakes, and characters who feel like family, this series is absolutely for you.

Have you read The True Bastards? Did you love it as much as I did, or did you find it too brutal? I’d love to hear your thoughts!  

Happy reading!
Helena   

 

Yoko Ogawa: Revenge

Hi everyone

Revenge is a collection of Yoko Ogawa's shortstories, they are interconnected and centered around revenge (obviously). I read this on my e-reader.

"Sinister forces draw together a cast of desperate characters in this eerie and absorbing novel from Yoko Ogawa.
An aspiring writer moves into a new apartment and discovers that her landlady has murdered her husband. Years later, the writer’s stepson reflects upon his stepmother and the strange stories she used to tell him. Meanwhile, a surgeon’s lover vows to kill him if he does not leave his wife. Before she can follow-through on her crime of passion, though, the surgeon will cross paths with another remarkable woman, a cabaret singer whose heart beats delicately outside of her body. But when the surgeon promises to repair her condition, he sparks the jealousy of another man who would like to preserve the heart in a custom tailored bag. Murderers and mourners, mothers and children, lovers and innocent bystanders—their fates converge in a darkly beautiful web that they are each powerless to escape." 

Unfortunately, I found Revenge to be really mediocre.

Most of the stories were forgettable and left no impression on me. They felt flat, lacking the depth or emotional punch I was hoping for. There was nothing that stood out; no moment that made me pause, no character that lingered in my mind after I finished reading.
The only bright spots were the little moments where the connections between the stories became clear but they weren’t enough to make the book memorable or impactful.

It’s a shame, because I love the idea of interconnected stories, especially with such a dark and intriguing theme as revenge. But in the end, Revenge just didn’t resonate with me.

Have you read Revenge or anything else by Yoko Ogawa? Did you feel the same way about this book, or did it leave a stronger impression on you? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena

Rachel Joyce: Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North

Hi everyone

Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North is the third book in the Harold Fry series by Rachel Joyce. It's not a series where you need to read the books in order but I would recommend doing so just to know the backstory.knowing the backstory adds so much depth to Maureen’s journey
I got my book from Bol.

"Ten years ago, Harold Fry set off on his epic journey on foot to save a friend. But the story doesn't end there.
Now his wife, Maureen, has her own pilgrimage to make.
Maureen Fry has settled into the quiet life she now shares with her husband Harold after his iconic walk across England. Now, ten years later, an unexpected message from the North disturbs her equilibrium again, and this time it is Maureen's turn to make her own journey.
But Maureen is not like Harold. She struggles to bond with strangers, and the landscape she crosses has changed radically. She has little sense of what she'll find at the end of the road. All she knows is that she must get there." 

I really enjoyed this book.

Maureen is not my favorite character in the series; she’s angry, spiteful, impolite, and disrespectful. But because you know her story, because you understand what she’s been through, you excuse her behavior a little more. You sympathize with her, even when she’s at her worst. And I’m glad she changes over the course of the book. She lightens up, starts to see other perspectives, and becomes more open to people and experiences. It’s a quiet but powerful transformation, and it made me care for her in a way I didn’t expect.

Rachel Joyce’s writing is as warm and accessible as ever. The story flows beautifully, never feeling overly dramatic or forced. Instead, it’s gentle, reflective, and deeply human; just like Harold’s journey, but with Maureen’s sharp edges and quiet resilience.

Have you read Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North? Did you connect with Maureen’s journey, or did you find her as challenging as I initially did? I’d love to hear your thoughts!  

Happy reading!
Helena  

Wrap Up: May 2025

Hi everyone

May was a good reading month. Because I didn't really enjoy Parker-Chan's He Who Drowned the World; I read a few children's book alongside and I really liked this combination.

Here's what I read: 

- Terry Practhett & Stephen Baxter: The Long Mars

- Jim Butcher: Furies of Calderon 

- The Poetry of Emily Dickinson

- Harriet Muncaster: Isabella Maan gaat naar de kermis

- Harriet Muncaster: Mirabelle heeft een slechte dag

- Paul van Loon: Birthday Surprise

- Paul van Loon: Full Moon

- Shelley Parker-Chan: He Who Drowned the World

- Emma Newman: Before Mars

How was your month? Did you read anything you'd like to recommend?

Happy reading!
Helena

 

Emma Newman: Before Mars

Hi everyone

This is my second time reading the third book in the Planetfall series; Before Mars; written by Emma Newman. I read my own copy.
While I didn’t review it the first time, I’m excited to share my thoughts now!

"After months of travel, Anna Kubrin finally arrives on Mars for her new job as a geologist and de facto artist-in-residence. Already she feels like she is losing the connection with her husband and baby at home on Earth--and she'll be on Mars for over a year. Throwing herself into her work, she tries her best to fit in with the team.
But in her new room on the base, Anna finds a mysterious note written in her own handwriting, warning her not to trust the colony psychologist. A note she can't remember writing. She unpacks her wedding ring, only to find it has been replaced by a fake.
Finding a footprint in a place the colony AI claims has never been visited by humans, Anna begins to suspect that her assignment isn't as simple as she was led to believe. Is she caught up in an elaborate corporate conspiracy, or is she actually losing her mind? Regardless of what horrors she might discover, or what they might do to her sanity, Anna has find the truth before her own mind destroys her."

I loved this book just as much the second time around! Since I’d forgotten most of the details, I felt the suspense and tension just as strongly as I did the first time. 
Emma Newman’s writing style is so easy to read, and I love the worlds she creates. Her characters feel like real people; distinct, flawed, and deeply human. The plot is gripping, and I found myself eager to keep reading, unable to put it down.

One of the things I appreciate most about Newman’s writing is how she explores mental illness and trauma in her characters. She handles these themes with sensitivity and depth, making Anna’s struggles feel raw and authentic. It’s not just about the mystery or the sci-fi setting; it’s also about how the mind can betray us, and how we fight to hold onto reality when everything feels uncertain.

If you love sci-fi with psychological depth, suspense, and rich character development, Before Mars is highly recommended! It’s a thought-provoking, atmospheric read that stays with you long after you finish. 

Have you read Before Mars or any of the Planetfall series? Did you love it as much as I did? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading.
Helena