Category: Reviews

Review – Finn Family Moomintroll

Posted August 7, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Review – Finn Family Moomintroll

Finn Family Moomintroll

by Tove Jansson

Genres: Children's, Fantasy
Pages: 176
Series: Moomintrolls #3
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

It is spring in the valley and the Moomins are ready for adventure! Moomintroll and his friends Snufkin and Sniff find the Hobgoblin's top hat, all shiny and new and just waiting to be taken home. They soon realize that his is no ordinary hat; it can turn anything—or anyone—into something else!

Ahh, I remembered Tove Jansson’s Finn Family Moomintroll perfectly: this is one I’m certain I’ve definitely read before, and not just the comic either. It looks kinda like I read the first part quite a few times, and rarely actually fully finished it, because I didn’t remember the chapters after Thingumy and Bob arrive into the story very well — but I very vividly remember the start of the book and all the adventures surrounding the Hobgoblin’s hat.

Once again, I love how matter-of-factly the story introduces new characters and ideas, though I did get a bit startled to remember that this is supposed to be a world in which humans live too with some detail or other, either in this or Comet in Moominland. And of course I love the way Moominmamma calmly handles each new visitor as if they are a valued, long-awaited guest. We should all aspire to be as loving as Moominmamma.

The Moomins are most definitely a lovely palate cleanser, and apparently something I needed to (re)read in this moment of my life.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

Tags: , , , ,

Divider

Review – The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter (LN), vol 2

Posted August 6, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter (LN), vol 2

The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter: Church Management Support Plan

by Yatsuki Wakutsu

Genres: Fantasy, Light Novels, Romance
Pages: 272
Series: The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter (light novel) #2
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

After getting accidentally summoned to another world, former office worker Seiichiro ends up becoming extremely close with the handsome knight commander Aresh -- although what exactly that means remains ambiguous, even after they begin living together. Just as that's happening, Seiichiro meets a priest who reminds him a bit of Aresh. When Aresh returns from his latest expedition, will he find a rival waiting for him?

The second volume of Yatsuki Wakutsu’s light novel, The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter took me juuust beyond where I’d got up to in the manga (which was volume four, so they’re not quite in sync volume-wise), though there’s one more volume of the manga already out in English that I haven’t read yet. It’s a great step forward, story-wise, forcing Seiichirou to deal with Aresh’s feelings and consider his own, and also furthering Seiichirou’s plans for improving the kingdom and giving a bit more depth to some other characters (Yua, Yurius, Sigma) and world.

I’d say that the thing that bothers me most in the manga (Aresh’s controlling actions) seem… less bad, in the light novel? Maybe because we get a touch more insight into Seiichirou’s reactions, I suppose, and the fact that he doesn’t entirely seem to mind. There’s also a bit more clear intimacy between them that the manga glosses over a lot. It’s still a bit controlling (particularly the move to living together), but it comes across a bit better, and it feels a bit more obvious that Aresh is really young (including in the art).

I won’t say too much spoilery, but I am happy that we don’t have to wait until the end for clear feelings to be discussed between the main characters. I loved the inclusion of Seiichirou’s (unsent) letters to Aresh, because it’s an adorable insight into what he’s thinking, and Norbert’s extras are cute too.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

Tags: , , , , ,

Divider

Review – The All-Nighter, vol 3

Posted August 5, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Review – The All-Nighter, vol 3

The All-Nighter

by Chip Zdarsky, Jason Loo, Paris Alleyne, Frank Cvetkovic, Allison O'Toole

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels
Pages: 114
Series: The All-Nighter #3
Rating: three-stars
Synopsis:

In this final arc, the staff at The All-Nighter are trying to piece their lives back together in the wake of Alex’s disappearance. They know that Alex would stop at nothing to get any of them back, so they have no choice: it's time to bring this fight to The Takers.

With unexpected new allies, the crew will have to live up to Alex’s dreams of super heroes. If they want to rescue their friend and uncover the mystery of The Takers, they’ll have to do it as a team—or as a family.

The third volume of Chip Zdarsky’s The All-Nighter certainly goes places. Alex’s been kidnapped by the Takers, and everyone else is trying to figure out what the new rules are. The found family splinters for a bit, each trying to figure out a way forward, and God shows up.

Yeah, God. Or at least, the (Christian) God humans tell stories about, in the same way they tell stories about vampires, werewolves, etc. It’s a reasonable development from what we know about how stories work in this world, giving birth to monsters and heroes, but I’m going to guess it’ll make some readers profoundly uncomfortable. However, it doesn’t preclude God really existing, if you read carefully. The “God” we meet as a character is a made creature, but that doesn’t mean there’s no real God in the world of The All-Nighter. It’s pretty wild to speculate about, but Zdarsky didn’t go there.

Anyway! It goes kind of predictably from there, because of course Lucifer shows up, amongst other developments like the found family all saving each other (though not without loss).

The idea behind this series isn’t super original (stuff like American Gods leaps to mind, but also — though not set in our world — Michael Scott’s Paedur the Bard books, and quite a few others that I’m just not retrieving from memory in this second), but it’s a fun enough exploration of it, which maybe nudges the idea in a slightly different direction by having superheroes a la Marvel also be part of the mythology that comes to life.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Divider

Review – Selling Manhattan

Posted August 4, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Review – Selling Manhattan

Selling Manhattan

by Carol Ann Duffy

Genres: Poetry
Pages: 64
Rating: two-stars
Synopsis:

The poems in Carol Ann Duffy's highly praised second collection range from the dramatic monologues for which she is noted to love poems, which she writes, Robert Nye remarked, as if she were the first to do so'. Carol Ann Duffy was born in Glasgow in 1955. Her awards include first prize in the 1983 National Poetry Competition; three Scottish Arts Council Book Awards; Eric Gregory, Somerset Maugham and Dylan Thomas Awards in Britain and a 1995 Lannan Literary Award in the USA. In 1993 she received the Forward Poetry Prize and the Whitbread Poetry Award for her acclaimed fourth collection Mean Time. On May 1, 2009 she was named the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom.

Selling Manhattan has been the collection where I recognised least, in my rereads of Carol Ann Duffy’s work so far. I remembered “Warming Her Pearls”, which is still good (and it’s much easier to see how homoerotic it is from this side of being 18). But that was about it, and I didn’t find any poems that really spectacularly stood out to me, either.

I have mused that maybe being in the habit of studying poetry helped my appreciation of the earlier collections back then, but I don’t know. I instantly loved Rapture, and to a slightly lesser extent, The World’s Wife; maybe it’s just that I prefer Duffy’s later style.

In any case, it was interesting to reread it, all the same.

Rating: 2/5 (“it was okay”)

Tags: , , ,

Divider

Review – 18th-Century Fashion in Detail

Posted August 3, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 8 Comments

Review – 18th-Century Fashion in Detail

18th-Century Fashion in Detail

by Susan North

Genres: Fashion, History
Pages: 224
Series: Fashion in Detail
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

This beautifully illustrated book reveals sharp pleats, high collars, gleaming pastes, colorful beads, elaborate buttons, and intricate lacework that make up some of the garments in the Victoria and Albert Museum's extensive fashion collection. With an authoritative text, exquisite color photography of garment details, and line drawings and photographs showing the complete construction of each piece, the reader has the unique opportunity to examine up close historical clothing that is often too fragile to be on display. It is an inspirational resource for students, collectors, designers, and anyone who is fascinated by fashion and costume.

The V&A’s 18th-Century Fashion in Detail is written by Susan North, and it’s a beautiful item, with glossy full-colour images of details from the garments discussed. My main quibble is that it doesn’t provide full images of how the garments looked as a whole, rather breaking them down into one bit that the author has chosen to discuss, like just a close-up of some embroidery. There are sketches showing the garments and how they’re put together, but it’s not really the same.

It’s still a fascinating read, especially when it discusses some of the unfinished garments that were sold part-completed, so they could be fitted to the wearer. There’s almost nothing about children’s clothes, which made me curious — I think in this period they were still usually mini-versions of the adult clothing, but I’d still like to see some examples.

It’s a lovely volume, despite the caveats.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

Tags: , , , ,

Divider

Review – The Duke Heist

Posted August 2, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – The Duke Heist

The Duke Heist

by Erica Ridley

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance
Pages: 352
Series: The Wild Wynchesters #1
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

A woman accidentally kidnaps a duke in this fabulous Regency romp that Bridgerton author Julia Quinn hails as a "delight."

Chloe Wynchester is completely forgettable—a curse that gives her the ability to blend into any crowd. When the only father she's ever known makes a dying wish for his adopted family of orphans to recover a missing painting, she's the first one her siblings turn to for stealing it back. No one expects that in doing so, she'll also abduct a handsome duke.

Lawrence Gosling, the Duke of Faircliffe, is tortured by his father's mistakes. To repair his estate's ruined reputation, he must wed a highborn heiress. Yet when he finds himself in a carriage being driven hell-for-leather down the cobblestone streets of London by a beautiful woman who refuses to heed his commands, he fears his heart is hers. But how can he sacrifice his family's legacy to follow true love?

Another review from the archives, which somehow never got posted here!

Chloe Wynchester is convinced that she is plain and unremarkable: that is the skill that gets her into capers with her family, the way she manages to twist situations to their advantage and right wrongs. Behind that lies a fear of being forgotten, of being replaced.

Lawrence, for his part, is damaged by neglect and by his father’s profligacy, by the way people talk about his family. He’s hell-bent on fixing his family’s fortunes and restoring their good name. At the same time, he does see Chloe, and thinks she’s remarkable; in fact, he thinks she’s beautiful, much against his better judgement.

I didn’t see at first how this was going to work out, especially given Faircliffe’s behaviour in the prequel novella, but Ridley got me hooked all the same. I loved the way Lawrence was able to be silly with Chloe, and his attentiveness to her needs — however easily he was gulled by them due to silly preconceptions, his intentions were good.

It was odd reading this after having already read the second book, but given that it’s a romance, you kind of know how it’s going to end anyway, so nothing was spoiled. I love all the Wynchesters and their relationships, and I came to love Lawrence too. I’d love to see him more involved in what they do, in future books… even if it’s just lending them legitimacy when needed, or a small part. He’d love it.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

Tags: , , , ,

Divider

Review – Cinder House

Posted August 1, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 7 Comments

Review – Cinder House

Cinder House

by Freya Marske

Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 144
Rating: three-stars
Synopsis:

Sparks fly and lovers dance in this gorgeous, yearning Cinderella retelling from bestselling author Freya Marske—a queer Gothic romance perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and T. Kingfisher.

Ella is a haunting.

Murdered at sixteen, her ghost is furiously trapped in her father's house, invisible to everyone except her stepmother and stepsisters.

Even when she discovers how to untether herself from her prison, there are limits. She cannot be seen or heard by the living people who surround her. Her family must never learn she is able to leave. And at the stroke of every midnight, she finds herself back on the staircase where she died.

Until she forges a wary friendship with a fairy charm-seller, and makes a bargain for three nights of almost-living freedom. Freedom that means she can finally be seen. Danced with. Touched.

You think you know Ella's story: the ball, the magical shoes, the handsome prince.

You're halfway right, and all-the-way wrong.

Rediscover a classic fairy tale in this debut novella from "the queen of romantic fantasy" (Polygon).

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I found Freya Marske’s Cinder House a little slower to get started than I’d expected from a novella: it felt like more than half the book was setup (though important things did happen!) and then the ending had to happen at an absolute gallop. A little more time in the second half for a good head of longing to build up would have really helped the ending, though I’m trying not to say too much about that.

The bones of the story are Cinderella, but it’s also much more than that, with quite a bit of worldbuilding woven in. The politics of the world were a bit difficult to grasp from the vantage point we have, which honestly makes sense since, well, Ella’s a house. Kind of. Interestingly, from the buildup I guessed two possible endings, and in the end they were both sort of right (and both sort of wrong).

I did enjoy the world-building, and the way the story works out — the way Ella’s sisters torture her into compliance was very well thought out and described, for instance, it’s all very thoughtful — it just felt like the pacing was a touch off.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)

Tags: , , , ,

Divider

Review – A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation, vol 9

Posted July 31, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation, vol 9

A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation

by Misaki, Momochi, Sando, Lamp Magonote

Genres: Fantasy, Manga
Pages: 160
Series: A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation #9
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

When Lizel mysteriously finds himself in a city that bears odd similarities to his own but clearly isn't, he quickly comes to terms with the unlikely truth: this is an entirely different world. Even so, laid-back Lizel isn't the type to panic. He immediately sets out to learn more about this strange place, and to help him do so, hires a seasoned adventurer named Gil as his tour guide and protector.

Until he's able to find a way home, Lizel figures this is a perfect opportunity to explore a new way of life adventuring as part of a guild. After all, he's sure he'll go home eventually... might as well enjoy the otherworldly vacation for now!

Volume 9 of A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation felt maybe a tad disjointed, because we’re lacking information about events until a flashback/explanation later, and this happens twice (once about how Lizel plans to defend the people, and then also about the promise he makes Gil make).

That said, it’s a great conclusion to this little arc of the attack on Marcade, and we see a lot of Lizel’s scheming. And it’s to be hoped that in the next volume, Gil and Eleven give him whatfor about it, for goodness’ sake.

There are some really fun moments between the trio, though most of the focus is on Lizel’s cleverness and his efforts to thwart Variant Ruler. The elves kind of come out of nowhere, and I felt kinda like I’d missed something, but they were technically somewhat foreshadowed…

Not my favourite volume in some ways, but I enjoyed it as always.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Divider

Review – The Buried City

Posted July 30, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – The Buried City

The Buried City: Unearthing the Real Pompeii

by Gabriel Zuchtriegel

Genres: History, Non-fiction
Pages: 256
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

This is Pompeii, as you've never seen it before.

In this revelatory history, Gabriel Zuchtriegel shares the new secrets of Pompeii. Over the last few years, a vast stretch of the city has been excavated for the first time. Now, drawing on these astonishing discoveries, The Buried City reveals the untold human stories that are at last emerging.

Pompeii is a world frozen in time. There are unmade beds, dishes left drying, tools abandoned by workmen, bodies embracing with love and fear. And alongside the remnants of everyday life, there are captivating works of art: lifelike portraits, exquisite frescos and mosaics, and the extraordinary sculpture of a sleeping boy, curled up under a blanket that's too small.

The Buried City reconstructs the catastrophe that destroyed Pompeii on 24 August 79 CE, but it also offers a behind-the-scenes tour of the city as it was before: who lived here, what mattered to them, and what happened in their final hours. It offers us a vivid sense of Pompeii's continuing relevance, and proves that ancient history is much closer to us than we think.

The cover copy on the inside flap of the dust cover suggests that Gabriel Zuchtriegel’s The Buried City is about amazing new finds at Pompeii, but that’s not really a good description of the book (though it does discuss some recent finds). It feels more like a manifesto for seeing Pompeii differently, for seeing it not just as a source of treasure, nor a tourist site for income, but a piece of heritage that everyone has a stake in, and everyone deserves the chance to learn about.

It takes a while to unfold to anything like that, though, because it’s also partly autobiographical, Zuchtriegel’s musings on what makes him who he is as an archaeologist, what drove him to the point that he became the director general at Pompeii. All of that led him to his excitement on unveiling the life of slaves in Pompeii, his attitude toward his work there, his involvement of young people in actually putting on drama in Pompeii — something which was revelatory for them and for the team involved.

It’s a fascinating book about archaeology in general, not just Pompeii; I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for being about Pompeii, but more as a view of a career and an attitude that culminated in a change of focus at Pompeii. And it really does ramble, sometimes.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

Tags: , , , ,

Divider

Review – The Governess Gambit

Posted July 29, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – The Governess Gambit

The Governess Gambit

by Erica Ridley

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance
Pages: 148
Series: The Wild Wynchesters #0.5
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

Meet the Wild Wynchesters: This fun-loving, caper-committing family of tight-knit siblings can’t help but find love and adventure!

Years ago, Chloe Wynchester and five other uniquely talented orphans were adopted by a wealthy baron with a secret mission: The motley Wynchester family fights for justice from the margins of high society. And the handsome, clever duke Chloe has long admired proves to be her worst enemy…

An unscrupulous boarding school is exploiting orphans in a secret workhouse. Baron Vanderbean plots a daring rescue. When illness befalls him, Chloe must take the reins. But how can a lifelong wallflower lead the charge to save the children?

This is another review that I wrote back when I read the book, which somehow never got posted here! 

The Governess Gambit is full of setup for the first book of this series, The Duke Heist — which I haven’t read yet — but also, for anyone who knows the Wynchesters from their other adventures (in my case the second book, The Perks of Loving a Wallflower) a tension and inevitability that you just don’t want to be real. I think it’s best experienced that way, actually: Bean might be dead in the main series, but nonetheless the love they felt for him is clear, and knowing that already is what shapes the tension of this book.

It’s also fun seeing everything from a slightly different perspective, since this book follows Chloe, and it did whet my appetite for The Duke Heist as well.

Still eager to see more of the other Wynchesters! Especially Jacob and Graham, as I feel like we see their point of view least of all so far. Though maybe The Duke Heist will change that!

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

Tags: , , , ,

Divider