Wrap Up: July 2025

Hi everyone

July was a fantastic reading month for me! We were on holiday for two weeks, which meant fewer chores and more time to relax; especially in the evenings. With two daughters (3 and 7) and plenty of fun activities during the day, finding quiet time to read can be a challenge, but I managed to sneak in some pages whenever the girls were playing together. And, of course, once they were in bed and everything was tidied up, it was my time to dive into a book and my husband's time for gaming or watching a series.

Here's what I read in July:

- Brian McClellan: Promise of Blood

- Yuval Noah Harari: Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

- Ilona Andrews: Magic Burns

- Peter Brown: The Wild Robot Protects

- Christian White: The Nowhere Child

- Terry Pratchett: Carpe Jugulum 

- David Dalglish: A Dance of Mirrors 

- Marie Brennan: The Waking of Angantyr 

- Margaret Atwood: Surfacing 

And there's one book I didn't finish:

- Blake Crouch: Dark Matter 

How was your reading month? Did you find more time to read, or did life get in the way? Do you read more or less when you’re on holiday? I’d love to hear how you balance reading and relaxation!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Marie Brennan: The Waking of Angantyr

Hi everyone

The Waking of Angantyr is a standalone novel written by Marie Brennan.
I read this on my e-reader. 

" The bondmaid Hervor is used to dead men whispering in her sleep. They’ve been doing it for as long as she can remember; it’s the living she has to watch out for. And when a new arrival at her holding triggers her into a berserker fury, she’s forced to flee the contract that enslaves her and into the arms of an uncertain future.
Unchained from the living, Hervor goes in search of a way to silence the dead, but it will take much more than grit and determination to make that happen. She’ll need the help of a ruthless Viking, an ailing jarl, a mad witch, and more―for the treachery that killed her ghosts isn’t nearly as dead as they are, and the path to peace must first traverse a river of blood."

This book had its moments, but mostly left me disappointed.

The pacing was definitely off. The story started slow and, while it picked up eventually, the plot felt scattered and all over the place. Brennan skipped months at a time, and every jump felt jarring. I often found myself lost, struggling to reconnect with the story after these abrupt transitions. It felt like she was trying to do too much, and the narrative suffered for it.

The characters were mediocre, too. Hervor was strong and determined, but there wasn’t much else to her. The other characters were one-dimensional, and by the time I was two-thirds through the book, I didn’t care about any of them. They all died, so why should I be invested?

The book never really gripped me. I never felt the urge to pick it up or keep reading. Once I started, it wasn’t terrible, but I got distracted easily; and that’s not a good sign. For a book filled with fighting and gore, it was surprisingly boring.

While The Waking of Angantyr had a lot of potential with its Viking lore and fierce protagonist, it ultimately fell short in pacing and character depth. It’s a shame, because the premise was so intriguing.
Have you read The Waking of Angantyr or any other books by Marie Brennan? What did you think of the story? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena

Wrap Up: December 2024

Hi everyone

December, the last month of the year, the final chance to dive into the books you’ve been meaning to read all year, or to finish those series you’ve been putting off. For me, it was a mix of wrapping up old favorites and exploring new stories. 

Here’s what I read last month:

- Brian McClellan: Blood of Empire

- Muriel Barbery: A Single Rose

- Emma Newman: After Atlas

- Peter Brown: The Wild Robot

- Lucy Jones: Matrescence 

- Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan: The Gutter Prayer

- Mike Bockoven: Fantasticland 

- Marie Brennan: Driftwood 

- Becky Chambers: A Psalm for the Wild-Built

- Terry Pratchett: Jingo 

Did you finish any series or discover a new favorite last month? I’d love to hear what you read, let’s swap recommendations!

Happy reading!
Helena

Marie Brennan: Driftwood

 Hi everyone

I just finished Driftwood, a standalone novel by Marie Brennan, the author of the Lady Trent series, which I really enjoyed. I read this one on my e-reader, and while I loved the world and its creativity, I’m left feeling a bit conflicted

"Who is Last?
Fame is rare in Driftwood- it’s hard to get famous if you don’t stick around long enough for people to know you. But many know the guide, Last, a one-blooded survivor who has seen his world end many lifetimes ago. For Driftwood is a strange place of slow apocalypses, where continents eventually crumble into mere neighborhoods, pulled inexorably towards the center in the Crush. Cultures clash, countries fall, and everything eventually disintegrates.
Within the Shreds, a rumor goes around that Last has died. Drifters come together to commemorate him. But who really was Last? "

I'm conflicted. The story was confusing and all over the place. Because it's so short and Brennan wanted to write multiple characters it felt disjointed. The whole novel consists of several shortstories centered around this 'person' Last. I liked the world, the different people and cultures. But I never felt connected to the characters or the story.

Driftwood is a fascinating concept. Brennan’s worldbuilding is as rich and imaginative as ever, and I loved exploring the different people, cultures, and remnants of lost civilizations. The story is creative and very atmospheric. 
But the story also felt disjointed. Because it’s so short, and Brennan tries to weave together multiple perspectives and timelines, it never quite works. The novel is structured as a series of short stories centered around the enigmatic figure of Last, but I never felt connected to him or to the larger narrative. The characters come and go, and just as I started to care about one, the story moved on to the next. It left me wanting more depth, more cohesion, more emotional weight.

Have you read Driftwood? Did you connect with it more than I did, or did you feel the same? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena