Category: 5 stars

He Who Drowned the World Review: Brutal, Bitter Journey to the Throne

He Who Drowned the World Review: Brutal, Bitter Journey to the Throne

Filled with political intrigue, morally grey characters and lots of yearning, He Who Drowned the World offered a fantastic follow up to the first book. As a gender queer retelling of the Ming Dynasty’s ruler, there’s enough twists and turns here as the three main characters vy for the throne. The three characters are Zhu, […]

April 5, 2025 | 0 Comments
The Tainted Cup Review: Best fantasy murder mystery

The Tainted Cup Review: Best fantasy murder mystery

A brilliant fantasy to kick off my 2025 reading year. I loved the combination of murder mystery and fantasy, with an apprentice and master investigator duo. Not only were the characters interesting, but the fantasy world also unfolds organically, through the eyes of Dinios Kol, the assistant investigator who has just graduated from his exams. […]

February 23, 2025 | 1 Comment
5 Things I Liked About The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

5 Things I Liked About The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

It’s always refreshing to read a fantasy book about a mother, given I’m one myself, but what really intrigued me about this book is that Amina al-Sirafi is a retired pirate captain. Set in a world inspired by Middle Eastern folklore, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi delivers a magical, intriguing and mystical pirate adventure with a twist. […]

June 20, 2024 | 0 Comments
A Study in Drowning Review: Magical Realism and a Thesis on a Mysterious Author

A Study in Drowning Review: Magical Realism and a Thesis on a Mysterious Author

Not quite dark academia, not quite fantasy mystery, A Study in Drowning is one of those books that is difficult to define. If I were to call it anything, I would go with a magical realism that fosters the love of books and literature. Through Effy’s perspective, we see the female architecture student accept a task out […]

October 16, 2023 | 0 Comments
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang Review: A Bold, Unapologetic Tell-all of the Publishing Industry

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang Review: A Bold, Unapologetic Tell-all of the Publishing Industry

It’s been a long time since a book has compelled me to read it as fast as possible, but Yellowface was one that I found absolutely bingeworthy. Yellowface is set in a part of the bookish community that I was intimately a part of and witnessed firsthand – the author Twitter takedowns of 2018-2019. Seeing authors […]

July 15, 2023 | 1 Comment
The Atlas Six: Dark Academia Meets Morally Grey Magicians

The Atlas Six: Dark Academia Meets Morally Grey Magicians

Here I was thinking that perhaps dark academia wasn’t for me, but then The Atlas Six comes along, and satisfies my craving for a deeply philosophical novel centered around magic. From the six different magicians, to the competition racing to the death, the philosophical discussions about life, knowledge and magic, this was everything I wanted and more. […]

October 26, 2022 | 3 Comments