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 Love and Other Curses by Annaliese Avery. Thank you to Nina Douglas and Simon YA for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Spoilers below for The Wycherleys – so head off and read that first before coming back here!
Aurelia Wycherley has found someone to tether her magic to – her enigmatic former enemy, Jules Nightly. Now, they are heading off to coven college to learn advanced magic. But they are also on a secret mission: to discover the Lost Quarter of the college, create their own coven of twelve and try to discover a way to bring back the Old Magic.
When malevolent magic interrupts their first night at college, Aurelia and Jules discover that Jonathan and his coven of untethered witches has escaped and now they are after her magic, curse and all…
Can they save the magic and the world – or will Aurelia lose her magic for good?
Publication Date: 15th January
CW: death, grief, murder, violence, injury
My Thoughts:
Love and Other Curses continues this fresh and exciting YA series full of fantasy, intrigue and romance. It is truly magical.
The Wycherleys was an incredibly fun read with a gripping story and intriguing world-building. Think Bridgerton with witches and a mystery to solve. This took everything I loved about the first book and took it up a gear. The lore, the history, the world-building and the twists were all a step and served to flesh out the world further. I adored learning more about the magic and the way this world is set up, especially with Aurelia at the centre of it all. Yet again the narrative framing device pays off with a final page that will leave you reeling. It is such a brilliantly detailed world, from the little flourishes to the grander structures that we are now understanding more. Avery picks up some smaller threads from the first book and weaves something exciting and new. It is everything a sequel should be and more.
Aurelia continues to be one of my favourite YA protagonists. She is in a more assured place than the first book but still battling with her curse and the ramifications it has for those she loves and the world she inhabits. Love drives her entirely and she would do anything to protect her loved ones. That coven dynamic is explored wonderfully here with familiar faces and new alike. I really enjoyed the evolution of Aurelia and Jules’ relationship with some excellent twists and turns along the way. The chemistry is still palpable but their story is not without its challenges. Their dynamic is tested and stretched in different ways and I adored the ending, even as it made me desperate for the next book.
Love and Other Curses is a wonderful sequel that continues a spell-binding series. It continued that perfect balance of action, characterisation and romance.
Next up, I’d like to talk about Vivian Dies Again by C. E. Hulse. Thank you to Viper Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Time heals all wounds. Except blunt force trauma.
Vivian Slade is a cautionary tale. The wrong side of thirty, she’s no longer the life and soul of the party – she’s a party of one. But she’s determined to turn over a new leaf, even if that means going to a family gathering where everyone hates her.
Turns out, someone really hates her – enough to push her off a balcony to a very messy end. But then Vivian wakes up! Only to be murdered again. And again. Stuck in a baffling time loop, Vivian’s only ally is a sleep-deprived waiter who just wants to finish his shift. Will Vivian be able to solve her own murder? Only time will tell…
Publication Date: 29th January
CW: murder, violence, death, grief, injury, blood
My Thoughts:
Vivian Dies Again is a witty and wonderful murder mystery with a genre-bending slant and characterisation that leaps off the page. Hulse transforms this ingenious concept into a story that will surprise you in so many ways.
This has the comedy mixed with introspective commentary and complex family dynamics of Fleabag meets the closed-loop murder mystery format of Happy Death Day. It is a stellar crime debut from an accomplished contemporary novelist, continuing her reputation for excellent characterisation and comedy. This has the exact type of dark humour I adore. Even in the bleakest of times, Hulse includes a sliver of humour that catches you off guard. It is a vital part of Vivian’s defence mechanism – the snappy, snarly way she’s become in order to survive. Her narration is laced through with this dark comedy and brilliant observational remarks. It is sharp, snappy and smirk-inducing.
Vivian is the centrepiece and what a force of a character she is. She is bombastic and deeply flawed but also vulnerable, caring and determined to find a way out of this death-loop. Her actions have hurt people and I enjoyed the way Hulse explored the ripple effect of this through different timelines and perspectives. You get a sense of the incomplete jigsaw puzzle she is but love her all the way through anyway. She isn’t always right and she’s made terrible mistakes, but she is caught up in this ultimate confrontation. The character development is excellent and demonstrates Hulse’s skill as Vivian gradually morphs into someone a little different than she was on the first page. It is informed by her character dynamics and I enjoyed seeing the relationships change and evolve. What really struck a chord with me though was the tender throughline about grief. It was depicted brilliantly and contained plenty of nuance.
Vivian Dies Again is a fantastic crime debut with this high-concept mystery that explores family, love and facing up to your past from an author that you will want to keep on your radar. This is the type of book that lingers with you long after the final page.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Control Alter Delete by K. L. Kettle. Thank you to Little Tiger for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Hal is living a fairy tale – almost. Thanks to tech genius Francis Knox and her company’s pioneering work building the perfect World 2.0, the universe is available at a swipe, and Hal has everything she wants. (Except for her family, which fell apart after her dad’s disappearance years ago.)
Except, perhaps, winning the notoriously competitive Knox Cup. That’s a dream even World 2.0 can’t fulfil, not when Hal doesn’t have the funds to enter.
Then out of the blue Hal’s guardian challenges her to prove herself, arranging for Hal to compete. It’s an opportunity she can’t waste. If she wins, she’ll meet Francis Knox herself – then all of Hal’s deepest, secret wishes might really come true. But as the competition progresses, Hal discovers decay hidden beneath the world’s perfect veneer – and, as the cracks begin to grow, she is forced to make a choice about what it is she truly wants.
Publication Date: 5th February
CW: death, violence, murder, fire, grief, hospitalisation, dementia, injury
My Thoughts:
Control Alter Delete was a thought-provoking YA speculative thriller exploring the thin line between fantasy and reality and asking just what you would give up for those you love.
Hal was a great protagonist – you completely understood her motivations and I enjoyed her perceptiveness. She was smart, skilled and subtly goes on a journey of recognising her own abilities. The situation she is in is complicated and Kettle explores the allure of escapism, brought into reality with a literal other world you can live in at any time. It is a dangerous pull to keep running from your problems. There is plenty of commentary around this and it feels like an increasingly timely book as the conversations in society uncomfortably mirror some of those here. You can recognise certain archetypes, but I particularly liked how Kettle added depth to every character, no matter how minor a role they play. They each had something that expanded their initial depiction and another layer to learn about them.
The world-building is great with a level of immersion and detail that helps situate you in Hal’s story entirely. I really enjoyed the game-playing sequences and how vividly imagined these games were. You could see how addictive they could be and how easily we could lose hours playing them. The puzzles were intriguing too and paid homage to the Easter eggs fans often hunt for in media. It tied together well and underscored the compelling plot as it introduced further speculative elements.
There are some brilliant twists and turns along the way, made all the more impactful by interesting characterisation and the shifting dynamics between Hal and this core group. Kettle delivers this creeping atmosphere of dread well, especially as the layers peel back for Hal of this perfect world. I really liked the dystopian elements and how they come into play. There is a tonal shift that lands so well early on in the book and from there on, you know Kettle is not playing around. Without giving anything away, I adored the ending. It was perfectly fitting for the book’s tone and tied in wonderfully with the gaming themes.
Control Alter Delete is an uncomfortably timely YA speculative thriller with a three-dimensional world that draws you in.
A Short Book Lover 