Tag: book review
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“Loveboat, Taipei” by Abigail Hing Wen
As a young reader in the late ’90s, I, along with many others, came across a book series set at a now-famous magical boarding school in the English countryside. Of course, this led me to develop an ardent boarding school fantasy of my own. The idea of being immersed in a completely new world where…
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“Bright Objects” by Ruby Todd
Ruby Todd’s newest novel, Bright Objects is a riveting, gorgeous story about the briefness of our time on Earth, the ways we cope with grief, and the symbols that occupy our lives. Based on the real-life events surrounding Comet Hale-Bopp and the Heaven’s Gate cult, the novel oozes rich anticipation, demanding to be digested slowly…
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“The Bog Wife” by Kay Chronister
A family’s longstanding contract with their ancestral land unravels in Kay Chronister’s newest novel, The Bog Wife. Charlie, Eda, Wenna, Percy, and Nora are preparing to inherit their family’s cranberry bog through a ritual that generations of Haddesley children before them have performed; they will feed their dying father to the bog, then accept the new matriarch…
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“Graveyard Shift” by M.L. Rio
What do an empty grave, a bunch of dead lab rats, and a string of violent outbursts have in common? The answer to this question can be found in M.L. Rio’s new novella, Graveyard Shift, where Mystery, Inc. meets modern gothic. I reviewed Graveyard Shift for Southern Review of Books and it was such a treat.…
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“Ministry of Time” by Kaliane Bradley
A top secret branch of the British government is experimenting with time travel, and it is taking certain individuals, called “expats,” from the past and bringing them to the present day. The Ministry of Time is the story of a civil servant who is tasked with assisting expat Commander Graham Gore, thought to have perished…
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“Children of Madness” by Jarrett Brandon Early
“Stranger Things” meets Lord of the Rings in a new generation’s classic fantasy epic. I had the pleasure of reviewing the new fantasy novel, Children of Madness, for Independent Book Review a few weeks ago! This is probably one of my favorite reads of the year, and it was my first starred review for the website.…
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“The Lost Story” by Meg Shaffer
After famously going missing as children in the West Virginia wilderness, Jeremy and Rafe reunite fifteen years later as adults to find a lost girl in the same woods and discover something magical had been waiting for them. From the first page, The Lost Story is teeming with magic. It starts from an outsider’s perspective…
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“The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt
On a breezy, New York morning, Theo Decker and his mother take a detour to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, not knowing that the choice will change their lives forever. An ill-fated incident leaves Theo motherless at thirteen and in possession of Carel Fabritius’ most famous works, a secret he takes with him through the…
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“The Guest” by Emma Cline
It’s the last days of summer on Long Island, and Alex is alone with a bag of clothes, a water damaged phone, and no place to stay. Determined not to be sent back to the city where she’s burned all her bridges, Alex decides to out wait out the six aimless days until Simon’s Labor…
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“Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop” by Hwang Bo-Reum, Translated by Shanna Tan
A former office worker opens a bookshop in the hopes of building an idyllic work environment. When Yeongju opens her bookshop on a seeming whim, she is sure that it will be out of business in two years. At least, that’s what she tells her only employee, Minjun, upon hiring him as a barista. Still,…
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