I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was last week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
All of today’s books are the latest titles from some of my all-time favourite authors.
First up, I’d like to talk about The Hummingbird Killer by Finn Longman. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Children’s UK for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Teen assassin Isabel Ryans now works for Comma, and she’s good at it: the Moth is the guild’s most notorious killer, infamous throughout the city of Espera. But Isabel still craves normality, and she won’t find it inside the guild. She moves in with a civilian flatmate, Laura, and begins living a double life, one where she gets to pretend she’s free.
But when Isabel’s day job tangles her up with an anti-guild abolitionist movement, it becomes harder to keep her two lives separate. Forced to choose between her loyalty to her friends and her loyalty to Comma, she finds herself with enemies on all sides, particularly those from the rival guild Hummingbird, putting herself and Laura at risk.
Can Isabel ever truly be safe in a city ruled by killers?
Publication Date: 11th May
TW: on-page depictions of murder, death, and associated violence, including against children, references to past child abuse and neglect, hospital scenes, PTSD, trauma flashbacks, physical abuse, emotional abuse, experimenting on a child, torture, blood
My Thoughts:
The Hummingbird Killer continues a series that is razor-sharp and incisive in its intriguing and imaginative plotting, character works and worldbuilding. This is a series unlike any other, drenched in blood and trauma and violence, but always with a glimpse of hope in humanity peeking through.
The Butterfly Assassin was one of those books that I will be throwing at everyone I know. It was a unique, memorable and brilliantly complex book that shatters every expectation. The Hummingbird Killer builds on this and impossibly elevates it, with phenomenal world-building, character work and twists and turns that truly shocked me. The pacing is spectacular, never giving you a moment to rest or relax. There is always danger afoot and plotting upon plotting. Longman yet again just twists the knife with some moments making me need to step away from the book, make a cuppa and compute fully what I had just read. All I can say about that ending is Longman is an evil genius.
My favourite murderous, malevolent and magnificent assassin is back. Once again, Isabel was the absolute highlight of the book for me. The representation hinted at previously around her sexuality is given more explicit wording here, though it is left undecided amidst her battle with trauma and the long-running ramifications of the most messed-up childhood I have read about for a while. For me, the nuanced depiction of disability, both physical and mental, is something that really hits home. Longman feeds their own experiences in some moments that are just lived in, but also twists them with such a stabby, dark bent.
If you thought Isabel was morally dubious previously, Longman takes her into new territory. This is a dark and extremely intense book that really goes there at times. Isabel is a fractured and deeply flawed character, but something in her still endears me. The whole book is around her confrontation with her perceived ‘monstrosity’, but at the same time you see from other characters glimmers of the love and humanity she still holds.
The Hummingbird Killer is a fantastic follow-up to one of my favourite books of last year and I am beyond excited to see where Isabel’s story leads next. Longman is a voice to keep on your radar.
Next up, I’d like to talk about Painted Devils by Margaret Owen. Thank you to Hodderscape for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Let’s get one thing straight—Vanja Schmidt wasn’t trying to start a cult.
After taking down a corrupt margrave, breaking a deadly curse, and finding romance with the vexingly scrupulous Junior Prefect Emeric Conrad, Vanja had one great mystery left: her long-lost birth family… and if they would welcome a thief. But in her search for an honest trade, she hit trouble and invented a god, the Scarlet Maiden, to scam her way out. Now, that lie is growing out of control—especially when Emeric arrives to investigate, and the Scarlet Maiden manifests to claim him as a virgin sacrifice.
For his final test to become a prefect, Emeric must determine if Vanja is guilty of serious fraud, or if the Scarlet Maiden—and her claim to him—are genuine. Meanwhile, Vanja is chasing an alternative sacrifice that may be their way out. The hunt leads her not only into the lairs of monsters and the paths of gods, but the ties of her past. And with what should be the simplest way to save Emeric hanging over their heads, he and Vanja must face a more dangerous question: Is there a future for a thief and a prefect, and at what price?
Publication Date: 16th May
TW: grief, death, violence, cult, emotional abuse, manipulation, loss of autonomy (mind/body control), parental abandonment, physical abuse, blood magic, animal death, classism
My Thoughts:
Painted Devils spins a new tale of mischief and mayhem for one of YA fantasy’s standout characters, but beware of leaving your heart unguarded.
Little Thieves left me absolutely stunned in 2021 and I have been craving the sequel ever since. Luckily, Painted Devils smashes through every lofty expectation I had.
Owen’s gorgeous writing entranced me once more. I loved how much she expanded the world here, taking us to new lands and traditions. Every page is so evocative and lushly described, allowing you to fully lose yourself in the story. Little Thieves’ structure felt like an sprawling epic tale combining the past, present and future. Here, that structure allows the past and present to collide but in somewhat more grounded terms. This is very much a fantasy story, with all the requisite magic, meddling from gods and mischief from mortals. However, at its core, this is a story about family in all its forms. The mesh of times is more about working through trauma and learning to live with your past, confronting it without forgiveness if needed. Owen really digs into these various forms of family – blood, found and chosen. This creates a mesh of intriguing and fleshed-out characters around our central duo of Vanja and Emeric.
Vanja has changed, but she is still the spikey, occasionally manipulative and determined character we left at the end of Little Thieves. She is an endlessly complex and interesting protagonist who I absolutely love. That ruthlessness has diminished somewhat, except from when it comes to defending the people she loves. Her morality is still dubious and I adore how you cannot pin her down into the hero-villain dichotomy. However, Owen knows exactly what she did with that ending and I will be demanding revenge. It is a cruel cliffhanger but boy, do I want more.
I also loved how Vanja and Emeric’s dynamic grew over the course of the book. Certain plot elements drive discussions around sexuality and intimacy, something that is complicated for both of them. This was a refreshing change, with natural progressions and nuanced conversations around the topic. It felt mature and tenderhearted, making me root for them all the more.
Painted Devils is an achingly beautiful story around family in all its forms, but beware the devastatingly cruel sting in its tale.
Finally, I’d like to delve into The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar. Thank you to Team BKMRK for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Shireen Malik is still reeling from the breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives news that she’s been accepted as a contestant on a new televised baking competition show. This is Shireen’s dream come true! Because winning will not only mean prize money, but it will also bring some much-needed attention to You Drive Me Glazy, her parents’ beloved donut shop.
Things get complicated, though, because Chris is also a contestant on the show. Then there’s the very outgoing Niamh, a fellow contestant who is becoming fast friends with Shireen. Things are heating up between them, and not just in the kitchen.
As the competition intensifies, Shireen will have to ignore all these factors and more – including potential sabotage – if she wants a sweet victory!
Publication Date: 8th June
TW: racism, homophobia, fatphobia, depictions of anxiety (specifically anxiety and panic attacks and spiraling thoughts), online harassment
My Thoughts:
Adiba Jaigirdar is just one of those top-tier authors for me. I will read each and every book she publishes. They just always bring joy to my heart and a smile to my face. Queer joy, particularly queer joy for people of colour, is something that should always be celebrated and Jaigirdar captures that perfectly. Reading her books is like letting a ray of sunshine into your life or getting the sweetest bite of cake.
The Dos and Donuts of Love takes an incredible premise – Irish Bake Off where you’re competing against your ex and developing a new love interest? Sign me up immediately.
This is a book that will satisfy even the sweetest tooth. It is a hopeful, delicate and beautifully romantic story about pursuing your dreams and pushing for your space. Shireen was a character that instantly snuck into my heart. Her passion and determination was overflowing, with her talent shining through. At the same time, she’s emotionally complex and three-dimensional, making mistakes that are all too human. I just loved everything about her (most of the time) and was rooting for her to get everything she deserved.
Jaigirdar brings the best descriptions of delicious food, making me salivate over the pages and imagine these incredibly creative cakes. She explicitly marries this with an exploration of cultural traditions and how evocative food can be of a time and a place. We all have certain foods we strongly associate with moments in time. This ties in perfectly with the central relationships of the book. We flit between the past and present, allowing us to see all sides of the relationship.
The competition is intense and Jaigirdar brings the racist backlash that people of colour experience from being in the media to the forefront. There are some sickening scenes and comments made, with an exploration of media manipulation and focusing on viral soundbites. The exploitation and neglect of contestants is on full display, particularly in the inaction against racism. I always like how Jaigirdar marries these achingly sweet and tender romance plots with incisive commentary on race and discrimination, showing the horrible realities that cannot be hidden behind these moments of happiness. Instead these joys are spitting in the face of those who would like to cover them up. By confronting the realities, Jaigirdar ensures these moments are that much more impactful.
The Dos and Donuts of Love is the YA contemporary romance of the year so far for me.
A Short Book Lover 
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