Robin Hobb: Blood of Dragons

Hi everyone

Blood of Dragons is the fourth and final book in The Rain Wild Chronicles by Robin Hobb. I got my copy from Bol.com.

"Dragons will fly over Kelsingra once more
Attacked by hunters, Tintaglia is dying of her wounds. If she perishes, her ancestral memories will die with her and the dragons in the ancient city of Kelsingra will lose the secret knowledge they need to survive.
The dragon keepers immerse themselves in the dangerously addictive memory-stone records of the city in the hope of recovering the lost Elderling magic that once allowed humans and dragons to co-exist.
But war is coming: war between dragons and those who would destroy them. "

In keeping with my experience with the other three books in The Rain Wild Chronicles, this book wasn’t great.

The focus is way too much on teenage romance to be truly enjoyable. This has been, and still is, my biggest gripe with the series, and it persists here. It was better in this book than in the previous ones; not every page with the keepers was about their love/sex lives, but it’s still too much. It was uninteresting, repetitive, and tedious to put it nicely. And it all ends utterly predictably. I’m so, so tired of this love triangle; Hobb took it way too far, and it should have ended in book two at the latest.

I really enjoyed being mad at the dragons for how superior they act. Aside from Tintaglia (I wouldn’t have minded her death were it not for her Elderlings) and Sintara, I liked reading from their POVs, getting to know them, and understanding them. Their arrogance and one-dimensionality made them frustrating but fascinating in a way.

I don’t have an issue with the pace of the story. Hobb’s writing is so good and engaging that I usually enjoy the slow pace of her novels. The whole series is lighter than her other works, which I enjoyed.
However, I was disappointed that we got a long buildup to the "war" only for it to happen off-page. It felt like a missed opportunity.
My second problem with the plot is the sudden addition of the Silver and its importance. This came out of nowhere; it was never mentioned as being important, and suddenly it’s as important as breathing? It felt forced and unearned.
Another minor gripe was Hest’s death. I love how he dies, but I don’t understand why it remains a mystery. How can no one know anything about it, including Davvie? 

The book (and the whole series) would have been so much better if Hobb hadn’t spent so much time and so many chapters writing about the keepers’ love lives. Instead, she could have focused on the worldbuilding, exploring Kelsingra better, and uncovering more of its mysteries and the surrounding country. Even Chalced was barely explored, and it would have been so much more interesting to dive deeper into its politics, culture, and conflicts. I love Robin Hobb’s worlds and usually, she's wonderful with worldbuilding, and I would love to read more about them, just without all the teenage drama.

Have you read Blood of Dragons? Did you enjoy it more than I did, or did you feel the same way? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Stephen Baxter & Alastair Reynolds: The Medusa Chronicles

Hi everyone

I just finished The Medusa Chronicles, a collaboration between Stephen Baxter and Alastair Reynolds. I read this on my e-reader.

"Following an accident that almost cost him his life, Howard Falcon was not so much saved as he was converted, through the use of prosthetics, into something faster, stronger and smarter ...but also slightly less human and more machine than he was. And with this change came an opportunity - that of piloting a mission into Jupiter's atmosphere, and ultimately of making first contact with the life forms he discovers there. Picking up the threads of humanity versus artificial intelligences and machines, and of encounters with the alien, this collaborative novel between two superb writers is a sequel to Howard Falcon's adventures."

This was boring as hell.

The premise of this book intrigued me, but it went nowhere. The book should have been called The Falcon Chronicles because the Medusa got next to no screen time. It’s all about Falcon, and he is one boring, uninteresting, and one-dimensional character.

The book skips a lot of time, and you’d hope it would be to get to the interesting parts; but nope. It’s all tedious and boring, with no tension in the story anywhere. The story and the writing are so bland and uninspiring. A few promising characters or subplots get introduced, only to just fizzle out and not go anywhere.
And don’t get me started on the philosophy; it really felt like the authors were trying so hard to be intellectual.

The only reason I kept reading is because I love reading about discovering new worlds, species, and cultures. There were a few parts I really enjoyed, but unfortunately, they were few and far between.

Have you read The Medusa Chronicles? Did you enjoy it more than I did, or did you feel the same way? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena

Wrap Up: June 2026

Hi everyone

June has flown by, and as we start a new month, I like to look back on the books I read the previous month. June brought sunshine, and a real heatwave here, so no reading outside for me! Instead, I snuggled up indoors with some great stories (and a few that didn’t quite hit the mark).

Here's what I read, with links to the reviews. 

• Harriet Muncaster: Isabella Maan onder de zee 
• Stephen Aryan: The Warrior 
• Ilona Andrews: Magic Slays
• Richard Swan: The Justice of Kings
• Bill Watterson: The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
• Harriet Muncaster: Isabella Maan gaat kamperen 
• Katherine Arden: The Warm Hands of Ghosts
• Emma Donoghue: Akin
• Anne McCaffrey: Dragonflight

What books did you read in June? Did you discover any new favorites, or revisit old ones? I would love to hear your thoughts and recommendations!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Anne McCaffrey: Dragonflight

Hi everyone

I’ve seen Dragonflight, or more accurately, the entire Pern series by Anne McCaffrey, mentioned a lot in reviews on Goodreads and Bluesky, so I really wanted to read it too. 
I read this on my e-reader.

"How can one girl save an entire world?
To the nobles who live in Benden Weyr, Lessa is nothing but a ragged kitchen girl. For most of her life she has survived by serving those who betrayed her father and took over his lands. Now the time has come for Lessa to shed her disguise-and take back her stolen birthright.
But everything changes when she meets a Queen dragon. The bond they share will be deep and last forever. It will protect them when, for the first time in centuries, Lessa's world is threatened by Thread, an evil substance that falls like rain and destroys everything it touches. Dragons and their Riders once protected the planet from Thread and the blood-red star, but there are very few of them left these days. Only the gigantic, golden Queen can breed new dragons. And the Queen is fading... dying...
Now brave Lessa must risk her life, and the life of her beloved dragon, to save her beautiful world... " 

I did not enjoy this.

Nothing interesting happens, and the few things that do happen are written in such a boring way that it couldn’t keep my attention. I was so easily distracted.
The writing really isn’t very good. The characters lack characterization, the fantastical elements are underdeveloped, the dialogue is abominable, and the plot skips months at a time with no suspense or drive.

The "Threads" were an absolutely ridiculous and unrealistic threat. And the fact that everyone forgets about them, as well as the "importance" of the dragons and the dragonriders, made me think that this world isn’t worth saving, to be honest.

The romance drove me insane. The weird sexual attraction between Lessa and F’lar was just awful and gave off disturbing vibes. What an awful thing to add to the story! The whole book felt very chauvinistic.

All in all, not an enjoyable read and I won't be continuing the Pern series.

Happy reading!
Helena

Emma Donoghue: Akin

Hi everyone

I finished my fourth novel by Emma Donoghue; Akin. I read this on my e-reader. 

"Noah is only days away from his first trip back to Nice since he was a child when a social worker calls looking for a temporary home for Michael, his eleven-year-old great-nephew. Though he has never met the boy, he gets talked into taking him along to France.
This odd couple, suffering from jet lag and culture shock, argue about everything from steak haché to screen time, and the trip is looking like a disaster. But as Michael's sharp eye and ease with tech help Noah unearth troubling details about their family’s past, both come to grasp the risks that loved ones take for one another, and find they are more akin than they knew.
Written with all the tenderness and psychological intensity that made Room a huge bestseller, Akin is a funny, heart-wrenching tale of an old man and a young boy who unpick their painful stories and embark on writing a new one together."

This was also a mixed reading experience for me.

The setup of Noah fostering Michael is really ridiculous. Things might be different in America, but here in Belgium? I really can’t see this happening the way it did in the novel. In just a couple of days, 80-year-old Noah meets Michael, is approved to foster him, meets the mother in prison, and is allowed to travel to another continent with him; AND all tickets and reservations just work out. Absurd.

The way Noah talks is so cringe. He’s like a walking tourist guide in a country he realistically shouldn’t remember a thing about because he left when he was four. Who has so many detailed memories from their toddler years? No one. And then, for someone who’s so clever and knows so many utterly boring things, he’s not very smart when it comes to solving the mystery. Instead, it’s eleven-year-old Michael who doesn’t read like an eleven-year-old. I can’t imagine an American boy of that age not knowing you shouldn’t joke about gun violence in public. Both characters felt very unrealistic.
And the constant "teaching" was so boring to read! It felt like I was reading a textbook.

I enjoyed the mystery in this novel. It was too easily solved, and I guessed long before the end, but it was a good way of opening up a conversation about the Second World War. I very much liked the discussion about collaborators and the resistance, and Le Réseau Marcel; something we actually learned about in school.

Akin had some interesting moments, but the unrealistic setup and flat characters made it hard to fully enjoy. Still, the historical mystery was a highlight for me.

Have you read Akin? Did you enjoy it more than I did, or did you feel the same way? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena

Katherine Arden: The Warm Hands of Ghosts

Hi everyone 

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is the second book I’ve read by Katherine Arden. I read this on my e-reader.

"January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?
November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.
As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely."

This book really went half and half for me.

Similarly to my experience with The Bear and the Nightingale, I never felt a real curiosity or need to keep reading; it was easy to put aside and do something else. However, Laura’s POV was the half that worked for me, while Freddie’s didn’t.
Laura was an amazing main character. She has professional pride, compassion, and a genuine caring for others, and she felt realistic. I could easily imagine her as a real person in a very trying time. She just gets on with it, and I love a non-dramatic female heroine.

I loved the setting. Reading about my own country (Belgium), places I’ve been to, grave sites and battle sites I’ve visited, and a time in our history that left a huge mark on the world was incredibly immersive. I loved how Katherine Arden doesn’t paint the soldiers as heroes but as real people; scared, mad, vulnerable, and sometimes cowardly. She wrote those scenes amazingly well, and I felt like I was right there beside them. It’s a very atmospheric book, and the historical elements like the nursing practices were true to the time, which I greatly appreciated.

While the setting was amazing, I really didn’t like the plot. It felt very underdeveloped. I think this whole novel would have worked better as a historical novel, so without the ghosts and supernatural elements. It was exactly these elements, mostly in Freddie’s chapters, that I disliked the most. And once Freddie left the battlefield, and thus the supernatural elements were introduced, his chapters became utterly boring and quite pointless.

The ending was overly sweet. There was no need for both Laura and Freddie to end up in a relationship. It felt too fairy-tale-like and unnecessary. The story itself wasn’t focused on romance, which is exactly why it felt so out of place at the end.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts had so much potential, but the supernatural elements and underdeveloped plot held it back. Still, Laura’s character and the historical setting made it worth the read.

Have you read The Warm Hands of Ghosts? Did you enjoy it more than I did, or did you feel the same way? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena

Bill Watterson: The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

Hi everyone

This was my third time reading through the entire Calvin and Hobbes collection by Bill Watterson; all 1456 pages of it! Given its length and the fact that I’m not always in the mood for comics, it took me a few months to finish. This is such an amazing collection to own, and I got it as a gift from my husband quite a few years ago.

"Calvin and Hobbes is unquestionably one of the most popular comic strips of all time. The imaginative world of a boy and his real-only-to-him tiger was first syndicated in 1985 and appeared in more than 2,400 newspapers when Bill Watterson retired on January 1, 1996. The entire body of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons published in a truly noteworthy tribute to this singular cartoon in The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. Composed of three hardcover, four-color volumes in a sturdy slipcase, this New York Times best-selling edition includes all Calvin and Hobbes cartoons that ever appeared in syndication. This is the treasure that all Calvin and Hobbes fans seek." 

I had so much fun reading this collection. There were moments I got tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. My 8-year-old daughter found it so hilarious that I was laughing so much that we went to the library to borrow one of Bill Watterson’s books in Dutch so she could try them out too. And the best part? She enjoyed them too! When an 8-year-old and a 37-year-old can enjoy the same thing, that speaks volumes. Of course, we both see and understand things differently, but that’s exactly what makes it so much fun to reread them.

Obviously, not every comic is amazing, hilarious, feelgood or philosophical. Some are rather boring or feel flat to me. But it’s still a great collection nonetheless, and I will definitely read it again.

Have you read Calvin and Hobbes? Did you love it as much as I did? I’d love to hear your thoughts! 

Happy reading!
Helena 

Richard Swan: The Justice of Kings

Hi everyone

The Justice of Kings is the first book in the Empire of the Wolf series by Richard Swan.
This book was a gift from my parents some time ago.

"The Empire of the Wolf simmers with unrest. Rebels, heretics and powerful patricians all challenge the power of the imperial throne.
Only the Order of Justices stands in the way of chaos. Sir Konrad Vonvalt is the most feared Justice of all, upholding the law by way of his sharp mind, arcane powers and skill as a swordsman. At his side stands Helena Sedanka, his clerk and protégé, orphaned by the wars that forged the empire.
When the pair investigate the murder of a provincial aristocrat, they unearth a conspiracy that stretches to the very top of imperial society. As the stakes rise and become ever more personal, Vonvalt and Helena must make a choice: will they abandon the laws they've sworn to uphold in order to protect the empire?"

I didn’t really enjoy this book.

My biggest problem was the constant foreshadowing of bad things to come; things getting worse, danger lurking around every corner. It’s on almost every page, and I hate it when authors do that. Richard Swan might think he’s creating tension or a sense of anticipation, but for me, he’s only creating aggravation.

Second, the book was rather boring. I’m not a huge fan of murder mysteries, but I do enjoy them from time to time. The issue here wasn’t the genre; it was the writing and conversations, which were bland and unengaging. Swan goes on and on about the legal stuff, and while the idea of a traveling justice system is intriguing and fresh, it slows the story down too much. There’s not much going on, the plot gets chopped into pieces, and the characters go back and forth without progress. The book is way too long for the story it tells.

Third, I despised Helena’s insta-love story and how immature she was. She meets this boy, they fall in love, say "I love you", imagine spending their lives together, and talk about marrying and having children; all in maybe four meetings? I fully expected her to throw multiple temper tantrums throughout the book. All she does is fall in love, cry, feel hurt, and be angry. For someone who is supposed to be a rough street child, she acts like a spoiled, weak, unskilled weasel.
And what’s going on between Vonvalt and Helena? Sexual tension gets hinted at, love gets hinted at, but also a father-daughter bond. What is it? I sure hope it’s the last one, because if it’s not… yikes.

The Justice of Kings is about Konrad Vonvalt, but it’s written from the POV of Helena Sedanka (which was weird for me, reading my own name in a book!). I thought that was an excellent idea because Konrad’s POV would have been too dry and boring, so reading from Helena’s perspective was a great solution.
I also enjoyed the world and the magic. Both are minimal but really well written and interesting enough to keep me reading. I love fantasy novels where characters travel around and meet different people, and this book delivered that.
The idea of a system of judges who travel around to all the small towns was a great concept; something I never thought about in other books. It’s fresh and intriguing to see how justice would be administered in such a world.

The Justice of Kings had some great ideas, but the execution fell flat for me. The foreshadowing, bland writing, and Helena’s immaturity made it hard to enjoy.

Have you read The Justice of Kings? Did you enjoy it more than I did, or did you feel the same way? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Ilona Andrews: Magic Slays

Hi everyone

Magic Slays is the fifth book in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. I read this on my e-reader, though I’d love to own a physical copy of the series; if only I could find all the books in print!

"Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.
So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price ..."

I can’t really put my finger on why this book didn’t grip me as much as the previous ones. I enjoyed my time reading it, but I never felt compelled to keep going.
Magic Slays is just as fun, entertaining, action-packed, and fast-paced as ever; it just felt a bit off.

I thought there was too much going on mythology-wise. The addition of Baba Yaga on top of everything else felt a bit gimmicky to me.
I’m also not sure if I’ll enjoy the relationship between Curran and Kate now that they’re actually in a relationship. If they keep second-guessing each other, setting rock-hard boundaries, and then breaking them, it might get frustrating rather than romantic.

Still, Magic Slays was a solid entry in the series. It didn’t blow me away, but it kept me entertained. Have you read Magic Slays? Did you feel the same way, or did it grip you more than it did me? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena

Stephen Aryan: The Warrior

Hi everyone

The Warrior is the second and the last book in the Quest for Heroes duology by Stephen Aryan. 
I got my book from Bol.

"Bound, by duty and responsibility, Kell is King only in name. Trapped in a loveless marriage, he leaves affairs of state to his wife, Sigrid. When his old friend, Willow, turns up asking him to go on a journey to her homeland he can't wait to leave.
The Malice, a malevolent poison that alters everything it infects, runs rampant across Willow's homeland. Desperate to find a cure her cousin, Ravvi, is willing to try a dark ritual which could damn her people forever. Journeying to a distant land, Kell and his companions must stop Ravvi before it's too late. While Kell is away Reverend Mother Britak's plans come to a head. Queen Sigrid must find a way to protect her family and her nation, but against such a ruthless opponent, something has to give..." 

While I really enjoyed The Coward (the first book in the series) The Warrior was nowhere near as good.

First, the premise was good, but it wasn’t clearly worked out. There were so many questionable things happening, so many strange decisions made just to move the plot forward, and so many things left unexplained. It was also a surprisingly sad book, which I didn’t see coming.

Second, Willow’s character, her background, her culture, her people, and her world were barely expanded upon, even though she’s one of the maincharacters in this book. We learn a bit more about her people, but not much, and this was one of the main reasons I wanted to read this book. I was really looking forward to diving deeper into their way of life, but it never happened. That was a real letdown.

Kell and Willow’s journey was actually quite boring. There’s endless talk about The Malice, incessant instances of characters losing themselves to it, and a few action scenes in between. I loved the action scenes, but they were too few and far between.
Odd was such an interesting character, but just like Willow, we don’t really get to know him. What is The Hunger exactly (an infection, an alien, something else?)? Where does it come from? Can it be cured? We don’t know. Odd felt like a strange addition to this cast, as if he didn’t belong in this story but would work much better in a totally different series.

Lastly, the pacing was off. Kell’s story was much too slow, Sigrid’s story was too fast, and the ending came kind of out of nowhere. Within 15 pages, everything is over, and everyone is miraculously at the right place at the right time. It felt rushed and unsatisfying.

The main reason I kept reading was Stephen Aryan’s writing. His prose is very easy to read; engaging, accessible, and enjoyable. There’s not too much drama, which I always appreciate. No endless whining or romantic mooning, just straightforward, compelling storytelling.
I also really liked Sigrid’s journey and growth. Her struggles with the people of The Faith and the arising questions about where this religion is going were really well done. Her story felt a bit rushed to be fully believable, but it was still one of the highlights of the book.

All in all, The Warrior is not a bad book, but it felt like a missed opportunity.

Have you read The Warrior? Did you enjoy it more than I did, or did you feel the same way? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Wrap Up: May 2026

Hi everyone

May is my favorite month of the year. There’s lots of sunshine, warmer weather (but not too hot for a walk), and flowers and greenery everywhere, so what’s not to love? 

Here’s what I finished this month:

- Lara Taveirne: De kinderen van Calais

- Rebecca Yarros: Fourth Wing

- Shauna Lawless: The Words of Kings and Prophets 

- John Scalzi: Redshirts

- Harriet Muncaster: Isabella Maan gaat logeren

- Kristin Hannah: The Great Alone

- Gareth Brown: The Book of Doors

- Ben Aaronovitch: Tales from the Folly 

Sadly, I did not finish two books:

- Ferdia Lennon: Glorious Exploits

- Ken Liu: The Grace of Kings 

Did you read any of these? Loved them, hated them, or somewhere in between? Let me know, I’d love to hear your thoughts! 

Happy reading!
Helena  

Ben Aaronovitch: Tales from the Folly

Hi everyone

Tales from the Folly is a collection of short stories set in the world of Rivers of London. I received my copy as a gift from my parents, and it even has Ben Aaronovitch’s signature!

"Return to the world of Rivers of London in this first short story collection from #1 Sunday Times bestselling author, Ben Aaronovitch. Tales from the Folly is a carefully curated collection that gathers together previously published stories and brand new tales in the same place for the first time.
Each tale features a new introduction from the author, filled with insight and anecdote offering the reader a deeper exploration into this absorbing fictional world. This is a must read for any Rivers of London fan.
Join Peter, Nightingale, Abigail, Agent Reynolds and Tobias Winter for a series of perfectly portioned tales. Discover what’s haunting a lonely motorway service station, who still wanders the shelves of a popular London bookshop, and what exactly happened to the River Lugg…"

This collection of short stories was okay, but nothing special, to be honest.

In my opinion, short stories aren’t Aaronovitch’s strongest suit, and you can definitely tell these are his first attempts at the format. They lack the humor, flair, and atmosphere we’ve come to love and expect from his full-length Peter Grant novels. The setting is as wonderful as ever, the characters are lovely and the magic is great. But they don't shine in this collection.
The stories just cut off. They stop abruptly, and every time, I was left feeling like I was missing something. There’s no satisfying resolution or proper closure, just a sudden end that leaves you wanting more.

In short, Tales from the Folly is an enjoyable collection that adds extra background to some of the Rivers of London characters. But if you’re looking for the same depth, wit, and charm as the main series, you might find this a bit lacking. 

Have you read Tales from the Folly? Did you enjoy it more than I did, or did you feel the same way? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Gareth Brown: The Book of Doors

Hi everyone

The Book of Doors is Gareth Browns debut novel. I read this on my e-reader. 
The premise is intriguing, but unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me.

"In New York City, bookseller Cassie Andrews is living an unassuming life when she is given a gift by a favourite customer. It's a book—an unusual book, full of strange writing and mysterious drawings. And at the very front there is a handwritten message to Cassie, telling her that this is the Book of Doors, and that any door is every door. 
What Cassie is about to discover is that the Book of Doors is a special book that bestows an extraordinary powers on whoever possesses it, and soon she and her best friend Izzy are exploring all that the Book of Doors can do, swept away from their quiet lives by the possibilities of traveling to anywhere they want. 
But the Book of Doors is not the only magical book in the world. There are other books that can do wondrous and dreadful things when wielded by dangerous and ruthless individuals—individuals who crave what Cassie now possesses. 
Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is, it seems, Drummond Fox. He is a man fleeing his own demons—a man with his own secret library of magical books that he has hidden away in the shadows for safekeeping. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all... 
Because some doors should never be opened." 

First, the writing style; or more specifically, how Gareth Brown writes women. He falls into the classic trap of having his "heroine" stare into a mirror and describe herself, including unnecessary details like her breast size and everything she supposedly hates about her appearance. I hate when authors do this. What do her breasts have to do with the story? Why does the other woman feel disgusting for eating carbs? There are so many strange, unnecessary comments that pulled me out of the story.
And then there’s Cassies trip to the past. She ages 10 years, and suddenly she’s in her thirties, complaining about being old, grey, and sagging. Please. As someone who actually is in her thirties, I can tell you; this is not how it works and it's insulting. And how is it possible to live somewhere for 10 years without a job, an identity, or any kind of life? What did she do all day? Why didn’t she take up boxing or learn a skill that might help her survive? It made no sense.

I didn’t care for any of the characters. They were all one-dimensional, lacking proper motivations, and without much background or growth. I couldn’t care less whether someone lived or died.

Some (okay, a lot) of the choices the characters made were just plain stupid. Sending a cold-hearted killer back in time instead of just killing him? Absolutely asinine, especially in a book where time travel exists. And did they really think the villain wouldn’t notice her books were gone? It felt like the characters were making decisions just to move the plot forward or in a certain way, not because it made any logical sense.
I would have loved to find out more about the other magical books. What were they capable of? How did they come to belong to someone? The concept was so cool, but it was barely explored. It felt like a wasted opportunity.

And finally, finding out why the villain became the bad one was a really strange decision. I like that we got some background, but not this background. It made the "heroes" seem just as bad, and I really don’t understand Brown’s reasoning here. It undermined the moral clarity of the story.

The Book of Doors had so much potential with such an intriguing premise, but it fell short in almost every way. The writing, characters, and plot choices were frustrating, and the worldbuilding was underdeveloped. It’s a shame, because the premise is so interesting.

Have you read The Book of Doors? Did you enjoy it more than I did, or did you struggle with the same issues? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena