The Fox Wife, Yangsze Choo

 Book Title: The Fox Wife

Author: Yangsze Choo

Date Started: February 8th  2026

Date Completed: February 15th 2026

Genres: Magical Realism, Contemporary

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Five Star

Final Rating: Five Stars

Review:

◆ Thank you NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆

I thoroughly enjoyed this book once I got into it. Both accompanying narrators, a detective and a woman who is also a fox, are compelling in their own ways, spinning closer and closer to one another as the serendipitous threads of fate pull the stitching of the story taut. The mystery and overlapping lives were so satisfying the whole way through, small details gathering meaning long before their meaning is unearthed.

I loved Choo's ability to balance her tones of sincerity, comedy and lightheartedness with gut-wrenching tragedy; anger with joy, wistfulness with ferocity. These characters are fascinatingly flawed, spiteful, curious, overconfident, daring; their mythos all the more enthralling as these whispered creatures become real and, despite the stories, mostly causing mayhem unintentionally. The one stumble was when our protagonist found her goal achieved, but we just sort of rushed on - understandably, knowing the full pilot, but it did feel unfinished and easily let go by Snow.

I want ten prequels about Snow, Kuro and Shiro's adventures - or, having read the closing notes, for Choo to indeed fill an entire novel with footnotes of anecdotes, mythology and side stories in the tradition of Chinese marginalia. I want more time with these characters, more roadtrips across ancient and historical Asia, more mysteries uncovered, chaos wreaked and ridiculous hijinks.

Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon, Mizuki Tsujimura

 Book Title: Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon

 Author: Mizuki Tsujimura

Series: Lost Soul #1

Date Started: January 28th  2026

Date Completed: February 8th 2026

Genres: Magical Realism, Contemporary

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

◆ Thank you NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆

What a unique idea for magical realism; an elusive contact who, if you manage to track them down or happen to be passed their details by a family member, can give you one night under a full moon to meet someone dead. You don't have to know them, you don't have to pay anything, but you and they only get one chance to see it through. My favourite part is that it was brought to life in such a believable way, with no greater purpose, no magic system supporting it. It doesn't try to be epic or universal, but just something a handful of people try to do for others.

I was really hoping this novel would move from each short story into an exploration of the common element: the teenage go-between who fulfils the living's request. And I'm so happy it did. I do wish it had framed both the start as well as the end to make the final revelation land a bit more. If I'd been thinking about it throughout the book, it would've been such a pay-off at the end.

I'm often not a fan of the episodic nature of these types of novels, but each character's story was special and different enough to avoid feeling repetitive or disjointed, and ultimately everything came together at the end to create a satisfying completion to a central character's arc. It's hard to distinguish a lot of these books that fall in the thoughtful magical realism category, but Mizuki Tsujimura has impressed twice for me so far.

A Court of Frost and Starlight, Sarah J. Maas

Book Title: A Court of Frost and Starlight

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #3.5

Date Started: January 18th  2026

Date Completed: January 28th 2026

Genres: Fantasy, Romance

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Three Star

Final Rating: Three Stars

Review:

A Court of Frost and Starlight is a very novella-esque bridge between novels without a real story, which is a bit sad given Maas has crafted some fantastic short stories with ARCs and consequence for Throne of Glass. It's not a bad idea to set up where the cast find themselves after the first trilogy, getting ready to move into the next, but this book felt mainly motivated to prove one thing: that Feyre and Rhys are the most perfect people to ever exist, apparently.

Yes, okay, we get it. Feyre and Rhys are the most considerate, charitable millionaires ever. Yes, they went through war and now they can only see those families who lost loved ones, how lucky they are (yes, how lucky). Ah, shopping, a luxury they hate but do frequently, as long as we know how guilty they are about it. I exaggerate and there's nothing wrong in principle with these character elements, it's just laid on so thick so many times in this short book, which you probably could see coming when you realise it's a Christmas-themed short story where the most conflict comes from what to get each other as presents.

ACOTAR honestly has never hit me like TOG does. I think it tries to be darker and sexier, but roots that in very surface-level motivations and emotions, which (yes) definitely leads to the steamier scenes sooner, but also feels like it doesn't build up such a complex system of relationships. The war felt much smaller than TOG, even though I'm pretty sure we spend a lot more time on the battlefield. For me, I crave that other sense of epic, mythic sagas where characters both champion and impede each other with their own quests above intimate friendship groups leading the way into battle. There's nothing wrong with the latter, it's just not as moving for me.

I am, however, excited at the prospect of Nesta and some of the other side characters coming to prominence for the next book. Ultimately, they began as foil and conflicts for Feyre and Rhys, but have grown with the series, so to me feel more fleshed out as characters with all the bad as well as the good and charitable. I suppose, following on from why I think I connect with TOG more than this series, I find the way Maas writes messy and defensive compelling.

Unravel the Dusk, Elizabeth Lim

Book Title: Unravel the Dusk

 Author: Elizabeth Lim

Series: The Blood of Stars #2

Date Started: January 8th  2026

Date Completed: January 18th 2026

Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Adventure

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Three Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

◆ Thank you NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆

I quickly followed up with this second book of the Blood of Stars duology, having read the first only a few weeks ago. I love a good Elizabeth Lim adventure, and while I think Unravel the Dusk was trying to do a few too many things at once, it was as always an enjoyable ride.

The threads present in the first book that were clearly going somewhere came to fruition in this second book, which was really satisfying. Side characters completed arcs, as well as the protagonist and her closest allies. The very gentle nods to the mythology of Six Crimson Cranes was also well balanced as a reference without feeling forced.

Ultimately, there were a few too many directions pulling the plot - and Maia's plans - to a speedy conclusion. The build up of the first book set the scene very well for this grand conclusion, but the closer-to-home emotional narrative struggled. Maia, having achieved the impossible multiple times, with her head still attached to her body, would commit to a decision or plan, but be swayed a chapter later for what felt like the sake of romance-fueled angst - her so called breaker of fate plot device didn't come as clearly to a head as expected.

I don't mind a happy ending, but you don't have to bait a sad one that heavily for it to feel earned; we were all behind Maia after what she accomplished in Spin the Dawn. I wish the follow up had been a bit less about her creating her own conflict and pushing everyone away and instead grappling with the tidal wave of chaos already happening in the war-torn country around her - that, yes, she definitely played a part in exacerbating. She could have atoned and grown through her mistakes with her feet on the ground rather than floating around a mess of ruminating.

With all that said, my preferences misdirected, I did of course still enjoy Unravel the Dusk. Lim paints fantastical portraits of worlds and magic and the people within it in such an engaging and vibrant way. I really liked how these books were two halves of the same story, rather than just reiterating the same narrative and character arcs over multiple books. Maia reaches the end of a journey in Spin the Dawn - the resolution is offered for that individual book - and she begins another here. But it was one that was inevitable after the first, she has baggage behind her now, and she has to learn something new once again.

The Vilage Village, Lemony Snicket

Book Title: The Vile Village

Author: Lemony Snicket

Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events #7

Date Started: January 6th  2026

Date Completed: January 8th 2026

Genres: Adventure, Mystery

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Three Star

Final Rating: Three Stars

Review:

I’m continuing my adventures of completing childhood and teen series; A Series of Unfortunate Events is truly a classic for my generation, and I’ve enjoyed their screen adaptations so I’m determined to finish the books eventually. They’re such quick and easy reads at this point they almost feel like heavily-written graphic novels.

I do admire the way the writing is always introducing reasonably big words and concepts, but does it in such an accessible way, as if the narrator is having a conversation with someone they truly respect. A key theme is the ongoing patronising of children’s intelligence and emotions, but it’s so well balanced with introducing all of this vocabulary and culture plainly and for fun.

This isn’t one of the standouts of the series, and feels quite a bit shorter in its arc, but still perfectly enjoyable to follow along the Baudelaire siblings a little further. Despite having watched the TV series, a fair part of the mystery is lost in my memory so the puzzle solving is definitely still satisfying. Halfway through the series now!

Spin the Dawn, Elizabeth Lim

Book Title: Spin the Dawn

Author: Elizabeth Lim

Series: The Blood of Stars #1

Date Started: December 30th  2025

Date Completed: January 6th 2026

Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Adventure

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

◆ Thank you NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆

I always love an Elizabeth Lim adventure. Her magical weaving of myth and folklore into thrilling stories was the perfect choice to start off the new year. Spin the Dawn took a bit of time to get into, but thoroughly enjoyable once the real stakes were introduced.

It's fun and lighthearted in the romance, but really creative in its epic fantasy. The plot devices are really satisfying and carefully placed throughout. It's a great example to demonstrate that just because the reader can sense where the story is going, it doesn't mean it's poorly written; it's just accessible and takes full advantage of the anticipation that dramatic irony builds in the reader.

I really respect the duology structure rather than squeezing out a mediocre middle book in a trilogy - it worked great for Six Crimson Cranes, and I have a feeling it'll work wonders for this story too. I'm struggling with what to say, as it's just a good time - I won't wait long to read the follow-up.

The Bride Stone, Sally Gardner

Book Title: The Bride Stone

Author: Sally Gardner

Date Started: December 22nd  2025

Date Completed: December 29th 2025

Genres: Historical, Romance, Mystery

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

◆ Thank you NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆ 

I read Sally Gardner books when I was a kid and loved her writing. I've been meaning to pick up another of her books for a long, long time. While The Bride Stone's contents definitely mark it for mature readers, it still has that spark of adventure I remember from all those years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Gardner's historical settings are always so immersive; the accuracy of speech and society is always enough to feel real and like you're in the hands of someone who knows what they're talking about, but without giving you a history lesson and impeding on the story at its core.

I was pleasantly surprised when the story switched from period romance drama to murder mystery in the second half, throwing the characters and events we had grown to love into peril in a way we were just as anxious as Duval for the truth to be discovered. Ultimately, there was a bit more period romancing than I was expecting, but the way the story unfolded throughout left plenty of plot and intrigue to balance it out.