Claire Keegan: Small Things Like These

Hi everyone

Small Things Like These is a little book by Claire Keegan. The beautiful cover totally sucked me in. 
I got my book from Bol.com.

"It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him - and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church."

This was lovely and a perfect winter or Christmas read.

I loved the atmosphere and the setting. You can feel the cold air and see your breath misting the windows. Keegan writes so evocatively!
It was refreshing and compelling to experience the story through the eyes of a man who doesn’t fully understand what’s happening; while the women around him do. That ignorance and slow realization added a layer of tension and tragedy.
I loved the story at its heart, about small acts of kindness in a cruel world, about silence that speaks louder than words, and about what we choose to see, what we look away from and why. It’s a gentle but profound exploration of morality, guilt, and the weight of doing (or not doing) the right thing. 

But I expected more. There's not much to the story, not much happens. The story unfolds over just a few days, and while that adds to the intensity, it also felt too limited and too much is left unsaid. I'm also left with too many unanswered questions; what happens after they get home? How do his wife, his children and the community react to his decision? It feels like the book stops just as the real story is about to begin (or at the very least the second part of the book).

The story is a bit too sweet and cozy for the topic of the Magdalene Sisters. a dark, gruesome, painful chapter in Irish history where women and girls were imprisoned, abused, and exploited by the Church. But the treatment of this topic felt too sweet, too cozy for such a brutal reality. I wanted more impact, more confrontational truth. 
We learned about this in high school so I immediately recognized what was happening but I can't imagine everyone reading this book knows what happened. So I really feel it should have been more at the front of the story, more elaborated on this.

Have you read Small Things Like These? What did you think of the balance between sweetness and the harsh topic? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena 

M. R. Carey: Echo of Worlds

Hi everyone 

Echo of Worlds is the second book in the Pandominion duology by M. R. Carey (or Mike Carey). 
I got my book from Bol.com.

"Two mighty empires are at war - and both will lose, with thousands of planets falling to the extinction event called the Scour. At least that's what the artificial intelligence known as Rupshe believes.
But somewhere in the multiverse there exists a force - the Mother Mass - that could end the war in an instant, and Rupshe has assembled a team to find it. Essien Nkanika, a soldier trying desperately to atone for past sins; the cat-woman Moon, a conscienceless killer; the digitally recorded mind of physicist Hadiz Tambuwal; Paz, an idealistic child and the renegade robot spy Dulcimer Coronal.
Their mission will take them from the hellish prison world of Tsakom to the poisoned remains of a post-apocalyptic Earth, and finally bring them face to face with the Mother Mass itself. But can they persuade it to end eons of neutrality and help them? And is it too late to make a difference?
Because the Pandominion's doomsday machines are about to be unleashed - and not even their builders know how to control them." 

First, let’s talk about everything I loved. The characters are fantastic; every single one is distinct, fully fleshed out, and compelling. I cared about the ones I was supposed to care for, and I disliked the ones I was supposed to dislike (even though I understood their motivations). Carey has a real talent for creating characters who feel like real people, people who are layerd and can be morally gray. 
The worldbuilding and concepts are also fascinating. The idea of a multiverse at war, with an extinction-level threat looming, is gripping. The setting is vivid and it makes you think about our world. I love the idea of these stepwise worlds and the endless possibilities it could give us if this were true. 

Unfortunately, my biggest issue with Echo of Worlds is the same one I had with Infinity Gate: the writing is dense, and the pacing is all over the place. The first 200 pages were a real struggle. The writing style is so dense and technical that I found myself easily distracted by the smallest things. It didn’t feel like a relaxing read at all. The technical exposés that sometimes take up multiple pages didn’t help; they pulled me out of the story rather than drawing me in. Reading this book felt more like work than enjoyment for most of the time.  

I was really excited about the concept of the Mother Mass, but it felt underrealized. It had so much potential but it felt like a missed opportunity.
The ending didn’t feel satisfying at all. Without giving away spoilers, the resolution relied heavily on a deus ex machina; something I always absolutely hate. We’re just supposed to trust it to know what’s best for everyone? That’s not how I like my stories to wrap up.

Echo of Worlds has amazing ideas and characters, but the execution left me frustrated. The dense writing, uneven pacing, and unsatisfying ending made it a tough read for me. In the end, it just didn’t deliver the experience I was hoping for.

Have you read The Pandominion Duology? What did you think? Did you struggle with the pacing like I did or maybe it wasn't a problem for you? Let me know in the comments; I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Brian McClellan: The Crimson Campaign

Hi everyone

I just finished The Crimson Campaign, the second book in the Powder Mage series by Brian McClellan.
I got my book from Bol.com.

"When invasion looms... Tamas's invasion of Kez ends in disaster when a Kez counter-offensive leaves him cut off behind enemy lines with only a fraction of his army, no supplies, and no hope of reinforcements. Drastically outnumbered and pursued by the enemy's best, he must lead his men on a reckless march through northern Kez to safety, and back over the mountains so that he can defend his country from an angry god, Kresimir.
But the threats are closer to home...
In Adro, Inspector Adamat only wants to rescue his wife. To do so he must track down and confront the evil Lord Vetas. He has questions for Vetas concerning his enigmatic master, but the answers will lead Adamat on a darker journey.
Who will lead the charge?
Tamas's generals bicker among themselves, the brigades lose ground every day beneath the Kez onslaught, and Kresimir wants the head of the man who shot him in the eye. With Tamas and his powder cabal presumed dead, Taniel Two-shot finds himself as the last line of defense against Kresimir's advancing army."

This book was non-stop action: gritty, gruesome, and thrilling from start to finish.

One of the things I loved most was the character development, especially for Nila and Bo. But the real star of this series is Tamas. I’m so glad we get to know him as a character and not just as someone who is talked about by others. He feels incredibly real, with his inner doubts, concerns, and faults. We can see his military genius at work. In fact, none of the characters are pure heroes; everyone has their flaws and merits (except for Vetas, who felt a bit like a caricature).

The writing is easy to read but hard to put down. Brian McClellan’s style is straightforward and to the point, without unnecessary frills, which I really appreciate, especially in epic and grimdark fantasy. I also love reading from multiple POV's; it makes the story and the world feel so much richer and more rounded.

Now, I already knew a lot of what was going to happen because I read the second trilogy, Gods of Blood and Powder, first, without realizing this series came before it. But even though I had all this foreknowledge, it didn’t detract from the suspense or the awesomeness of this book.

If I have one critique, it’s that Brian McClellan sometimes relies a bit too much on deus ex machina solutions. An ex-lover showing up in just the right city, Nila turning out to be something more than expected, and a few other minor events felt a bit too convenient. But honestly, that didn’t ruin the experience for me.

Have you read The Crimson Campaign or any of the other books in the Powder Mage series? What did you think of the characters and the world McClellan has created? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena

Wrap Up: November 2025

Hi everyone

November has arrived, and with it, the start of the cold, dark, and wet months here in Belgium. October usually treats us to a few sunny days, but by November, those are few and far between. To chase away the gloom, we’ve put up fairy lights around the house, I’m drinking more tea than ever, and my blankets are always close by; ready to snuggle under with a good book.

Here's what I read last month: 

- Jen Williams: The Ninth Rain

- Emma Newman: Atlas Alone

- Patrick Rothfuss: The Narrow Road Between Desires

- Werner Herzog: Of Walking in Ice

- Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter: The Long Cosmos

- Nikki Erlick: The Measure

- Benedict Jacka: An Instruction in Shadow 

How was your reading month? Did you discover any new favorites, or revisit an old one? I’d love to hear your recommendations; what should I add to my list for December or next year?

Happy reading!
Helena