Review: The Faerie Handmaid by Louisa Morgan
30 September 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Louisa Morgan, Review, The Faerie Handmaid, The Faerie Morgana
My Five Word TL:DR Review: More of Morgan’s Arthurian Tales
I read The Faerie Morgana not long ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. It brings to life the Arthurian legend with it’s very own slant. The Faerie Handmaid is the follow up to that novel – it doesn’t seem to be called book 2 so maybe this isn’t intended to be a series as such – however, personally, I think that if you’re thinking of picking this up I would advise you to read The Faerie Morgana first in order to really feel grounded in the world and characters.
The Faerie Handmaid, as you might expect focuses on Braithe, who we met in The Faerie Morgana. Braithe is Morgana’s handmaid and it could be reasonably said that Morgana heavily relies upon her. In this story Braithe has a chance to shine. The two are called upon to travel into the heart of the fey world, the White City, to try and uncover who is cursing the new king of Camelud. This isn’t a journey to be undertaken lightly. The fae are tricksy, arrogant and dangerous and their own world seems to be suffering at the moment, something that is causing certain members to become very bitter towards humans.
This was an easy and enjoyable read. I perhaps didn’t love it quite as much as The Faerie Morgana but I think that is partly because I enjoyed reading Morgana’s tale so very much. The story has moved on. Arthur has passed away for example and the Blackbird (Merlin) is dispirited, he fears for the new king and implores Morgana to help. The two set off to find the White City, soon joined by an unexpected third character.
What I really enjoyed about this, similarly to the last story, was the writing. It really is a lovely read with a perfect balance of description and dialogue to help bring everything to life without being overbearing. This isn’t particularly a fast paced book, it’s not packed with dramatic action scenes. It’s the type of book that you need to savour.
The story itself revolves around the central mystery of the cursed king but I wouldn’t say this is where the strength of the book lies. For me it’s more in the character development. This is Braithe’s coming of age story and it was intriguing to see her development and the way she was torn between her dedication to Morgana and her own desire to wield magic.
There are three POVs. Morgana, Braithe and Idhri – who is the apprentice oarsman who helps to take them to the City – he becomes embroiled when his own heritage comes into question and this feeds into the overall plot and in particular the bitter thoughts being harboured by certain fae. I liked Idhri but I preferred Morgana’s and Braithe’s povs to be honest.
I enjoyed the settings. We spend time in the Isle of Apples, Camelud and White City. White City is humming with magic and during their time here Braithe’s own abilities begin to awaken. Unfortunately there are many powerful fae who hold humans in complete disdain and this leads to a branching off – an angle I didn’t see coming.
Overall, I found this to be a lovely read. I particularly enjoyed reading of Morgana and Braithe and I could very easily revisit this world to see in what way their paths will cross again.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 of 5 stars.
Review: Carry Me To My Grave by Christopher Golden
28 September 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Carry Me to My Grave, Christopher Golden, Horror, Review
My Five Word TL:DR Review: This is One Wild Ride
This really is a relentlessly fast paced, horror soaked road trip from hell. I don’t think Maggie Wise quite realised, when she asked her son to make sure her body was taken home and buried there, just how difficult a task it would be. Or maybe she did. I mean, come on woman, at least chuck your son a bone here – a few clues might have enabled him to prepare better at least. Although I’m not sure just how well you can be prepared against such monsters.
Anyway, Maggie wise, by all accounts an incredibly selfish woman, not to mention a witch if you listen to the local children who have created their very own rhyme in her honor, has one final wish, that her son Malcolm will take her body back and bury it in her original birthplace. Of course Malcolm readily agrees. It won’t particularly be a pleasant journey, traveling with a coffin (that he must stay with at all times) in a freight car, in very cold weather for a couple of days, but, it was her dying wish and he’s agreed, so no point in crying over spilt milk now. Plus, it all seemed so urgent that he felt he had little choice. His sister in law Violet insists on accompanying him, in the absence of her husband she feels like Maggie is the closest to family that she has (and aside from that Violet and Malcolm have a growing attraction to each other).
So, things start to take a creepy turn. Unmentionable monsters seem to be stirring in the earth and outside Maggie’s window a strange man seems to be waiting for her to pass away. Upon Maggie’s demise the action immediately cranks up with a race like scenario to get to the train station without being stopped or attacked.
I’ll leave it there in terms of what I’ll say about the story.
What I enjoyed about this. Yes, as I mentioned above the pace is fast. The action gets off to an almost immediate start and there is no let up after that until the last page. This is creepy, brutal, bloody and shocking – in that I really didn’t know how things would turn out and I certainly didn’t expect the type of monsters that we find in this story. I confess that I had the odd moment where I thought ‘come on, give me (and these characters) a moment’s peace will you.
I really enjoyed the different point of views and jumping back and forth. This might not be for everyone but it usually works well for me, I enjoy having a different perspective and provided the voices are well written ti gives you a much better view of proceedings. We don’t only have Malcolm and Violet in this tale. We have one particular monster accompanied by a young boy. We also have two of Malcolm’s siblings who make unexpected appearances with different shades of helpfulness! Even Maggie, who is dead, still manages to interject moments of strange terror and creepiness not to mention have her very own grand finale.
I’m not going to deny that this book might be too much for some readers. There is violence here and a lot of death but the stakes are high, if Maggie isn’t laid to rest in the way she has asked, well, things will get a whole lot worse. Just be warned that this is definitely a brutal and sometimes emotionally wrenching tale.
And, did I mention high stakes. This is the sort of story where you start to feel somewhat wrecked, you begin to think it simply isn’t possible and that is quite seriously a feeling that lasts until the conclusion.
In conclusion. This was a compelling read. I started off, in the dark, mildly curious about what was going on, I moved on to that tickling feeling of dread and then I full on descended into outright disbelief and horror (a feeling that I can assure you the MCs also shared). This isn’t a particularly long book (I think just over 300 pages) but the author manages to fit a lot in here, particularly in terms of getting across the complicated family dynamic. And, then, a slightly bittersweet ending. A road trip with a difference. A difficult journey and a destination that feels impossible to reach.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4.5 of 5 stars
Review: Pride, Prejudice and Peril by Jessica Bull
21 September 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Books, fiction, Jane Austen, Jessica Bull, literature, Pride Prejudice and Peril, Review
My Five Word TL:DR Review: My Favourite Instalment So Far
I’m very much enjoying the Miss Austen Investigates series, I had a few little issues here and there with the first couple of books but I find that I’ve really sunk into this series and I’m enjoying Jane’s exploits very much, I hope there are plenty more instalments in the pipeline.
Pride, Prejudice and Peril sees Jane and her sister Cassandra on a visit to Bath. They accompany their relatives, Mr and Mrs Leigh-Perrot, and although most people travel to Bath to take of the waters, enjoy the gatherings and hopefully secure a husband in the process, neither Jane or Cassandra have much interest in parading about but they are happy to accompany their relatives and Jane is hopeful to make contacts in the publishing business and possibly make inroads towards publishing her first book. They’ve barely had time to attend more than one assembly when their Aunt Jane (Mrs Leight-Perrot) is arrested on the most shocking of charges, accused of stealing a card of lace. She is arrested and imprisoned and it is left to Jane and her sister to try and uncover what is really going on and rescue their aunt before she is transported or worse.
I won’t discuss the plot, it’s amusing to discover it as you read along and I actually enjoyed Jane’s thought processes. I think this particular addition to the series was improved by the role of Cassandra as a grounding influence. The two spend a good deal of time together and while it isn’t possible to completely curb Jane’s natural impulsiveness, the steady calmness of Cassy certainly helps.
Instead here are my thoughts and feelings.
This was a very easy story to sink into. There’s the mystery pertaining to Aunt Jane, but what started out as surely nothing more than a simple mistake soon turns a lot more sinister eventually leading to murder. Jane and Cassandra find themselves dashing around bath interviewing people – many of whom have one thing in common – which obviously I’m not going to share here and often putting themselves in danger.
The setting is great. I loved that the story takes place in Bath with lots of little nods to Austen’s body of work – particularly the name of the highway robber. I really hope that the author intends to visit Bath again for more shenanigans. It really leant itself to the mystery taking place, with dark alleys, and shady places contrasting starkly with the extravagant balls and dances.
The writing itself. I feel like the author has really found her feet with this series. The dialogue, story, descriptions and pacing are really good. I never had a dull moment. And she manages to achieve a very good balance here with an easy reading style that still evokes the period very well.
As I said I really liked Jane and Cassandra’s relationship in this novel. almost as much as I sometimes felt that other members of her family were a little bit mean to her. Her brother and sister-in-law visit them to ‘help’ and spend most of their time trying to arrange a suitable match for Cassandra while ignoring Jane and leaving her out of excursions.
Overall, and I realise this is a relatively short review – which certainly isn’t a reflection of my enjoyment – I really enjoyed this and look forward eagerly to seeing what the author comes up with next.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4.5 of 5 stars
Review: Worry Box by Chris Panatier
17 September 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Chris Panatier, fiction, reading, Review, Worry Box
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Another Excellent Haunted House Tale
I’m loving haunted house tales and luckily they seem to be popular at the moment so it makes me very happy to be able to get my fix! Plus I’m loving the twists that some of these authors are coming up with and Worry Box is no exception. Don’t worry – I’m not going to explore the twists, you’ll have to find them out for yourself.
This really is a fantastic story. It had me totally hooked. I was in its tenacious clutches and I could barely put the book down. I’m still thinking about it a few days after putting it down. It was that good.
We have a really wonderful family. The Martins, the mum and dad, Alison and Nathan, their daughter Dru and Lailah who they are in the process of trying to adopt. They find a fantastic house, a bargain to be honest, in a great neighbourhood and although they might have liked a little more room they can’t believe their luck. The house is perfect.
Now, to be fair, it is a difficult book to review, because (and although this may seem like my constant refrain at the moment) I really don’t want to give anything away.
So, we have a number of povs. In fact, all the family have their own chapters and this is so good. No unbalanced, possibly unreliable narrator here – or is there? Plus, there is an additional narrator with a very interesting point of view.
In terms of the family. Alison and Nat are great parents. Dru is a crazy, very outspoken, punk rock loving, 8 or 9 year old. Lailah is 12 years old, she loves this family and is desperate to be adopted so she doesn’t have to go back to the neglectful life she hopes to leave behind. Leilah has intrusive thoughts, she is undergoing therapy and she uses a box to write down her thoughts and hopefully expel them. I will say, she has some very worrying thoughts. I don’t think I’d be able to sleep at night – and, of course, when things start to go wrong in the house, this makes Lailah a natural target.
How did I feel reading this. Well, it gets off to a wicked start with the prologue. Then it pretty smoothly introduces the key players and moves into the house. Everything feels idyllic, the whole family have a good feeling living here and the only fly in the ointment is that as the adoption process hangs in the balance Lailah’s condition seems to be escalating. Then, a new baby comes along, suffering from terrible colic and the parents begin to feel the strain. Cracks begin to show, arguments become heated, accusations are made and sides are taken. The family is coming undone. Slowly but surely.
On top of this Panatier really ramps up the tension. I tell you, I was reading with ever increasing horror not to mention some scary episodes that gave me the heebies. I should probably also mention that earlier in the book there is mention of animal cruelty and although these scenes are not gratuitous at all they are shocking and upsetting to read – so, if you don’t think you can cope you need to be aware of that.
This becomes steadily more horror laden. It seems like one horrible things happens after another and I was reading wondering where this would go next. But, there are twists to this tale. This is a haunted house story with a difference and its absolutely compelling.
Anyway, I’m going to leave it there for fear of letting something out of the bag.
To conclude, perfectly plotted, paced and executed. I can’t give this book enough praise. It had me gripped.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 5 of 5 stars
Review: Exit Party by Emily St John Mandel
14 September 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Emily St John Mandel, Exit Party, Fantasy, fiction, Review
My Five Word TL:DR Review: I Am Absolutely in Awe
I haven’t read everything by ESJM but the books I’ve read have all been really good, absolutely thought provoking and the type of story that all who read will surely take away something unique. Obviously, reading is a unique experience but this is definitely an author whose body of work is complex, often inter-connected, forthright and with the ability to conjure the time and place with seemingly minimal effort. Its frankly impressive and quite often a bit unsettling.
I am so in awe and also a little bit scared to write this review. It would be so easy to give away spoilers that I barely want to say anything at all – other than ‘read this’ – and yet at the same time there are so many things that I want to say. It’s a conundrum.
I’ve decided to cut and paste the description for the book below, then I’m going to stick to my usual style of review and try to talk about the elements of this that worked so well for me and keep everything crossed that I don’t blurt out the wrong thing.
2031. America is at war with itself, but for the first time in weeks there is some hope: the Republic of California has been declared, the curfew in Los Angeles is lifted, and everyone in the city is going to a party.
Ari, newly released from prison, arrives with her friend Gloria just as a fragile new era begins. But there are people at the party who shouldn’t be there. Something is very wrong…
Years later, living a different life in Paris, Ari remains haunted by that night. Whatever happened at the party fractured her sense of reality – and may hold the key to a very different world.
Freedom and surveillance, art and survival, love and loss in a broken world: Exit Party is the electrifying new novel from Emily St. John Mandel.
The first thing I would point out is that this book has two very unique settings. Parallel universes. Inexplicably, at the party mentioned above a number of people appear who are basically doppelgangers for others at the party, in fact two new people appear and one person from the party actually disappears. I don’t want to say any more about this because it will all become obvious as you read. As the book begins we are reading chapters from ‘Homeland’ later in the book we flip to Side B.
We predominantly follow Ari. Ari has been to prison for taking out a contract on her cousin, something that she now deeply regrets. She’s a very resourceful character, not given to hysterics and quite calm in a tough spot. Her life is almost inextricably linked with one of the ‘others’ who appeared at the party – a character called Nico. Through Ari we will witness the current chaos of the Homeland and read as she goes from problem to problem. Given that she’s spent almost 20 years in prison she seems to be going all out on making up for lost time. Anyway, I won’t go into everything she does but she certainly leads a very eventful life, always in the shadow of the ‘party’ and the strange occurences that had such an impact.
We then appear in Side B. This is a very different America. One that avoided uprisings, war and militia but in reality escaped little having simply replaced one set of horrors for another. This is an authoritarian world. On the face of it things appear really good. People seem to have good lives here, diseases such as cancer have been eradicated, great leaps in science allow the cities to be cooled more easily, the moon has been colonised, everything is so advanced – however, scratch the surface and it soon becomes apparent that this version is far from idyllic. People are watched all the time. People frequently disappear, their children are sent to state orphanages, other people who seem to have veered off track become ‘ghosts’. There is no freedom.
Two totally different experiences of, effectively, the same place split by whatever strange phenomenon is at work here (the multiverse I suppose).
The timeline jumps about. We don’t always follow a totally straight line in terms of Ari. Sometimes she reflects on things from her past and that’s when we catch up with some of her earlier exploits. Similarly when we flip to Side B the timeline is slightly earlier which allows the reader to observe what happened on the night of the ‘party. And, the character we follow in Side B is also very closely connected to Ari – but I won’t say why.
I loved the writing. ESJM has a gift with words. I think this book is only around 320 pages and yet it feels like she manages to convey so much. You understand the characters, they have different motivations and these all make them easy to identify, even when they seem, at face value, to be the same person. The worlds are so completely different and yet again she manages to bring them to life with so little fuss. It’s fascinating.
Now, every now and again I had to go off at a tangent and have a think about everything and where it was going. And this is actually something I really enjoy about this author’s work. I feel like I have to stay focused and more than that I want to figure things out – to be fair, I didn’t succeed at all in that endeavour but you have to have a try.
There are so many good things about this book, little twists on words and names, nods to current affairs, particularly in terms of future threats to society as we know it and also to the way we currently live our lives, and yet this isn’t preachy. Climate change has a dramatic impact as does the fear of a life threatening pandemic. It’s a book of opposites, the key characters, or more to the point, the ones with doubles, are opposites of each other, if one loves children in version A they are sure to be totally indifferent to them in version B. And all of this, the wonderful writing, dramatic settings and unusual characters are glued together by an intriguing storyline that I was desperate to get to the bottom of.
I don’t think I can say much more. Thoroughly enjoyable. I have no hesitation in recommending this. Much like the themes of opposites explored within the pages this is a story that is complicated and yet at the same time understandable, feels strange and yet familiar, scary and yet hopeful.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 5 of 5 stars
