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 A Treachery of Swans by A. B. Poranek. Thank you to Sarah Doyle at Penguin Random House Children’s for sending me a proof in exchange for an honest review.
Raised by a sorcerer, Odile has spent years preparing for the heist of a lifetime. It’s relatively simple. Impersonate a princess, infiltrate the palace, steal the great sceptre and restore magic to the kingdom.
But when the King is unexpectedly murdered, she’s forced to recruit the help of Marie, the real princess, and the two begin to unravel a web of lies and deceit that leaves Odile uncertain of who to trust.
Soon though Odile must decide – her mission or the girl she’s falling for?
The fate of the Kingdom depends on her making the right choice.
Publication Date: 26th June
CW: death, murder, violence, injury, sexism, manipulation, classism
My Thoughts:
A Treachery of Swans was such a beautiful reimagining of Swan Lake with a Gothic feel to proceedings.
At the heart of the story, we follow Odile on her quest to return magic to the kingdom, effectively reversing the balance of power. She is wily and scheming but also kindhearted and deeply devoted to those she loves. When her scheme has an unexpected hitch, she’ll have to ally with the very princess whose place she has stolen. This leads to a twisty and tenderhearted tale of love, strength and claiming your place in the story. Odile’s character arc is brilliant and will resonate with so many readers.
I loved the way Poranek woven in these elements of Swan Lake but kept the story fresh and exciting. This is somewhat of a fantasy murder mystery with ever-shifting stakes and a story that delights in tripping you up. The pacing is exacting, drawing you further and further into its web.
Poranek’s writing is gorgeously evocative and lushly imagined but with a knife-edge to it. It is dark and delectable, drawing you into these worlds. This is a place of hidden magic that shimmers beneath the surface. It is a story that captures the allure of power and the lengths to which people will go to ensnare it. For me, it felt like the original fairytales that transport you to fantastical worlds but keep that tinge of fear. Between this and Where the Dark Stands Still, Poranek has such skill for conjuring up these atmospheric stories that keep you in their clutches. It is stunning and has a Gothic flair that feels timeless. Auréal is a place of secrets and lies with a wonderful contrast of the gilded cage of palace life and the crushing reality of those living outside the bubble.
A Treachery of Swans is a wonderfully written tale laced with darkness but is ultimately a story of empowerment and love against the odds.
Next up, I’d like to talk about Basilisk by Matt Wixey. Thank you to Titan Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Alex Webster is an ethical hacker who, like most hackers, prefers questions to answers. So when she and a colleague, Jay Morton, stumble across a mysterious game created by a shadowy figure known as The Helmsman, they are instantly hooked.
As they solve increasingly bizarre puzzles and uncover The Helmsman’s deranged manifesto, they are pursued by a sinister group known only as XXX XXXXXXX XXXXXX, who will do anything to stop them uncovering the Basilisk, a cognitive weapon which makes anyone who understands it lose their mind.
When Jay disappears, as they hone in on the truth of the Basilisk, Alex is left trying to piece together what’s happened to her friend, escape the awful smiling glitch people stalking her every move, and solve The Helmsman’s final puzzle.
Publication Date: 1st July
CW: death, murder, suicide, violence, blood, grief, stalking, manipulation, virus
My Thoughts:
Basilisk was a terrifying slow descent into madness that you cannot pull yourself away from. It is insidious and unforgettable.
This was such a well-written book that effectively conveys that creeping dread that slowly consumes you. It is brilliantly delivered horror that delves into timely topics. You cannot help but get pulled in and want to follow the characters down the rabbit hole. This was a twisted look at Internet rabbit holes and conspiracy theories – a puzzle box of death and destruction. It speaks to that innate desire to crack the code, to be the one who finds the truth. We all want to know everything and this plays on that endless quest for knowledge. There are certain sequences in this that still give me shivers. Wixey deftly creates this atmosphere of paranoia and delusion where you are constantly questioning what is real and what is fantasy, particularly filtered through these various sources and unreliable narrative voices. You have to put the jigsaw pieces together yourself, though you are handed several parts throughout. It builds to a fantastic conclusion. The reading experience is definitely fractured but the culmination of it all is well worth the journey.
You follow Alex and Jay, before and after a devastating event occurs. They are two hackers – colleagues turned into fellow hunters when an especially odd occurrence appears during a job. Their spiral exposes so much of their messiness and makes them feel that much more authentic because you can identify with aspects of their quest. We have all had that one thing we just had to chase and this is it for them. As they get pulled further into this labyrinth, it becomes evident that there are larger forces at play. In the present day, there is a wonderful story about grief and guilt being told, even as it becomes enmeshed in those fateful events.
Basilisk is the type of story that burrows into your brain and will not leave. It is impactful, timely and imaginative horror.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Flat 401 by Kingsley Pearson. Thank you to Orion for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
All Jay wants is to start again, to set himself up in a small, quiet town where no one knows him. Because here, no one will let him forget what they think he did the day his neighbour died in Flat 401.
He just needs to keep doing what he’s always done: treat people with kindness and respect, and try to stay out of trouble. But when a threatening note makes its way into the hostel he’s forced to call home – Everyone is going to know what you really did – his hope for a fresh start begins to crumble.
Jay fears that the secret he’s fought so hard to hide, that he went to prison to protect, might finally come out. How far is he willing to go to keep his freedom alive? And with a shadowy figure from his past tracking Jay’s every move, perhaps it’s not just his freedom Jay should be worried about being taken from him, but his life…
Publication Date: 3rd July
CW: death, murder, violence, racism, homophobia, abusive relationship, manipulation, gaslighting, domestic abuse
My Thoughts:
Flat 401 is an incredibly thought-provoking thriller – written with such confidence and complex characterisation. It is arresting.
This is a book that is obsessed with the ideas of vengeance and justice. It asks difficult questions about what retribution is against revenge and where the justice system comes into play, as well as interrogating its failings. This is particularly concerned around survivors of crime and the bystander effect, asking at what point someone becomes culpable for harm inflicted upon others. We delve into offenders reentering society as well and the challenges of this. Ultimately, the system feels irreparably broken but with some good people working within it. It is desolate but there are sparks of hope and a chance to claim your life once again. Pearson eloquently explores the ongoing effects of trauma, how it shapes your worldview and the way you simply exist walking through it. I particularly enjoyed the throughline about guilt and how deeply that can affect a person. Overall, this book sits in its murky morality, puzzling over these topics in a way that really stays with you.
Reflecting that nuance is Jay, the core of this story. He is wracked with guilt and haunted by the choices he has made but also trying to rebuild his life. There are a lot of layers to Jay which he shares slowly through the two timelines the narrative follows. Immediately, there is a sense of pathos in the tragic end you know the past will eventually have, but you still root for it to end differently this time. He is caught up in this turbulent web and some of his actions will be polarising for readers. I really enjoyed spending time with him and his voice was so compelling. Around him are an equally fascinating cast of three-dimensional characters that Pearson infuses with heart and humour in some cases and the monstrous darkness humanity can have in others.
Flat 401 is a compulsively readable examination of grief, guilt and vengeance – particularly within a broken justice system. It is such a strong debut.
A Short Book Lover 
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