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.
First up, I’d like to talk about Wish You Dead by Rebecca Westcott. Thank you to Scholastic UK for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sixteen-year-old Morgana Merrick is all about control. She’s the most feared, powerful and popular girl at Avalon Academy, while her half-brother, Art, and his chilled-out group of surfer friends reign peacefully in the year above, known for their legendary beach parties.
At one such party, an ugly encounter with one of Art’s friends leaves Morgana shaken. She retrieves the box under her bed filled with crystals, charm bags and her Book of Shadows, and asks the universe for justice to be served…
As frenemy after frenemy wrongs or irritates her, Morgana manifests revenge upon them – and, to her surprise, it works. She feels invincible. Until someone ends up dead.
Is the universe bending to Morgana’s will? Or is someone else behind the attacks? And can she find out who it is, before anyone else meets a deadly end…?
Publication Date: 5th June
CW: death, murder, violence, grief, drugging, sexual assault
My Thoughts:
Wish You Dead grabs you instantly and won’t let you escape its clutches until the final page. It is a sapphic YA thriller with speculative elements that are utilised in clever and surprising ways.
From the minute I heard the pitch for this book, I was sold. We’ve all had wishes for good and for bad or dreams we’ve worked to achieve. Sometimes we even have fleeting thoughts of the revenge we’d like to enact on those who had wronged us. For Morgana, these are no fleeting thoughts as her wishes start to come true and her darkest thoughts have consequences. It is such a brilliant premise and Westcott only builds from there. It is pacy and compelling as things escalate. The thriller aspect is well-executed with an intriguing trail of breadcrumbs to follow and people to suspect. I particularly liked how rooted in the history of the setting the magic and the story was. It is encapsulated in one particular character who is a breath of fresh air, wild and seemingly carefree. Westcott dovetails this thread with Morgana’s own development but it always feel like the setting influences proceedings with a darkness beneath the surface. The story is wonderfully atmospheric and ambiguous, leaning into the wonder of nature and the way the history of a place can leak through into the present. It is often the past we try to bury that comes back to haunt us.
Morgana is a fascinating central protagonist as a self-described mean girl, at the pinnacle of the social hierarchy. She has power and she relishes it with some devious behaviour right at the start. There is a lot going on with her and seeing her walls crumble through the book is heart-wrenching. You come to understand her much more as a wounded teenager lashing out at the world. The popularity is also a constant game of manipulation and power plays where one wrong move sends you spiralling down. Ultimately Morgana is trying to claim her power after it being wrenched from her – she is messy and flawed in her pursuit like a real teenager would be.
Wish You Dead built on its hooky premise to deliver a surprisingly tender story about finding your place in the world and loving yourself completely. This sapphic speculative thriller turns manifestation into murder in this genre-bending, brilliant book.
Next up, I’d like to talk about Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race. Thank you to Orbit Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The king has been appointed by god to marry six queens. Those six queens are all that stand between the kingdom of Elben and ruin. Or so we have been told.
Each queen vies for attention. Clever, ambitious Boleyn is determined to be Henry’s favourite. And if she must incite a war to win Henry over? So be it.
Seymour acts as spy and assassin in a court teeming with dragons, backstabbing courtiers and strange magic. But when she and Boleyn become the unlikeliest of things – allies – the balance of power begins to shift. Together they will discover an ancient, rotting magic at Elben’s heart. A magic that their king will do anything to protect.
Publication Date: 10th June
CW: violence, death, misogyny, rape, sexual assault, sexism, war
My Thoughts:
Six Wild Crowns is a bold and inventive fantasy novel loosely inspired by the six wives of Henry VIII. It breathe new life into an old tale you may think you know with political machinations, interesting magic system, intrigue, treachery and even the occasional dragon.
Race’s writing is lush and vividly conjures the world up around you. The magic system is interesting, particularly as the story evolves and changes. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and especially the varying settings with each queen possessing their own castle. These are such a fun reflection of their character and background, hinting at their nature. It feels both expansive and claustrophobic, as everything hinges on the whims of the king. When the king is seen as god, the boundaries do not exist and nothing is safe.
I liked how Race gradually built this up with both Boleyn and Seymour’s viewpoints. They are two vastly different women in the way they play the game and it is so tantilising to hear both of their voices. However, never trust an initial impression here. They are both determined to survive no matter the cost. Though they may have hidden their intelligence behind a simpering smile, make no mistake, they contain daggers. This three-dimensional characterisation extends to the other wives we get to meet, all of whom contradict the standard interpretation of them as historical figures. It feels so fun and refreshing, especially as their story has impacted the collective consciousness over and over again with a renewed focus in the past few years.
This book is primarily focused on court politics with the intimate power plays through the smallest of gestures all the way up to brazen defiance. It is wonderfully imagined with fascinating titbits of information scattered throughout (give me a Cleeves spinoff immediately). Race hints at more to come, particularly in terms of other territories and the rising tensions on an international scale.
Six Wild Crowns is history as you’ve never seen it before – taking these threads and running head first into this epic and empowering tale. I cannot wait to continue this story.
Finally, I’d like to delve into A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant. Thank you to Baskerville for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Retired nurse, avid gardener, renowned cake maker and fearless sleuth Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh, a quiet Birmingham suburb, since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. She takes great pride in her home, starching her lace curtains bright white, and she can tell if she’s been short-changed on turmeric before she’s even taken her first bite of a beef patty. Thirty-five years of nursing have also left her afraid of nobody – be they a local drug dealer or a priest – and an expert in deciphering other people’s secrets with just a glance.
Miss Hortense uses her skills to investigate the investments of the Pardner network – a special community of Black investors, determined to help their people succeed. But when an unidentified man is found dead in one of the Pardner’s homes, a Bible quote noted down beside his body, Miss Hortense’s long-buried past comes rushing back to greet her, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life, one which her community has never let her forget.
It is time for Miss Hortense to solve a mystery that will see her, and the community she loves, tested to their limits.
Publication Date: 12th June
CW: murder, death, violence, stalking, abusive relationship, racism
My Thoughts:
A Murder for Miss Hortense was an emotionally rich mystery speaking to some ugly truths of society. Mel Pennant is one to watch.
Miss Hortense joins a long line of iconic sleuths with an arresting voice right from the first page. She is exceptional – observant, clever and deeply caring behind a wall of steel. Watching her work with her investigation was fantastic. She takes no rubbish and she will let nothing stop her from solving this, especially as it harkens back to some of the darkest secrets of her own history. That emotional thread is horrific and really pulls on your heartstrings. I liked how Pennant sits in the messiness and complexity of the situation, allowing it to unravel and truly let the consequences of people’s actions unfold around them. Miss Hortense herself is hiding a deep hurt that still haunts her. She is complex and doesn’t always make the right choices, particuarly as we start to uncover the full truth from all those years ago, but she is all the more human and endearing for it. Life has been incredibly tough and you can understand the protective mechanisms she’s put in place for herself.
I really liked how Pennant wove the past and present together to give a rich backdrop of the history that brought this community together. People like Miss Hortense are the unsung heroes, the backbone of places that help them pull together and find a semblance of home in an environment that hates them to their core. The racism faced by the Windrush generation was despicable and is still perpetuated today. It feels like a timely reminder of the reality of the hatred and monstrosity that people can hold in their hearts, but it does also offer snatches of hope in finding a community that truly understands, uplifts and loves you.
A Murder for Miss Hortense introduces a sleuth that will steal your heart and a brilliant new voice that tells an enthralling and engaging story.
A Short Book Lover 
4 thoughts on “Mini Review Monday #188”