Disney Villains: Happily Never After Gaston by Lorie Langdon

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Igloo Books in exchange for an honest review.

Of all the villains who deserve a sad origin story, Gaston is not one of them. Still, I was super excited to read this retelling/prequel/exploration into Disney non-canon. And I'm so glad I did!

Happily Never After Gaston is the story of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, reimagined as an ugly and unpleasant teenager. Living in his brother's shadow and hated by his family, his luck starts to change when he meets an enchantress named Agatha and they form an arrangement of sorts. If Gaston can prove himself to be a good person, she will make him attractive. It's a simple premise and one which is extremely well-executed.

This book can't have been easy to write. Gaston is intentionally a flat and unpleasant character in the original film. He has to be compelling enough here to half-lead a book, but not so sympathetic that it doesn't fit with his portrayal in the film. I'd say the author does a great job of this. Is this Gaston from the films? No, but he's close enough. And honestly, it was a lot of fun as a Beauty and the Beast fan having this alternative version of Gaston and that world.

Fun is the main word I'd use to describe this book. It has the same kind of enjoyment as the Twisted Tales books and is worth checking out for any Disney fans who like exploring the characters from new and different perspectives. It has some nice nods to the original film, good writing and characterisation, and an interesting plot

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Between Worlds: Folktales of Britain and Ireland by Kevin Crossley-Holland

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review.

This book was everything I hoped for and more. It is essentially a collection of very readable fairy/folktales, most of which I hadn't heard of before and I thoroughly enjoyed. They are told in such a way that both children and adults can appreciate them and they all run a really good length so you can binge several of them at once. I can't really say much about this collection. If you enjoy reading fairy/folktales, this is a brilliant way to get to know some of the less-common ones. I am British but haven't read much about Irish folktales before so this collection was very fresh to me. Maybe it has slightly less appeal if you're familiar with the tales, but given that I am British and it also contains those stories, I still found it fresh and enjoyable. Definitely worth a try if you want to experience some more obscure folklore.

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The Other Side of Never edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a solid premise for an anthology and I was really excited to read it. It feels like there's been a recent trend of 'Peter Pan but creepy', with my absolute favourite Lost Boy by Christina Henry standing out among the crowd. I am pleased to say that The Other Side of Never is a worthy contributor.

As with any anthology, you get the good ones and the not so good ones. I think this starts off a little weak with many of the initial stories being confusingly told or hard to follow. Sometimes a story would end and I wouldn't get what the point was as nothing had really happened, and these were the most frustrating. But after the first few, the quality improved greatly for me and there were some real enjoyable finds here.

I would say my favourites were A School for Peters (kind of disjointed and not the best told, but I liked the idea behind it) No Such Place (a fantastic thematic interpretation of the source material and one of the easiest to follow) and The Lost Boys Monologues (again, disjointed but had some good ideas behind it).

Overall, I enjoyed this anthology a lot and I am looking forward to reading the Alice in Wonderland one even more so now. I do think that in general, this series of anthologies does need a bit more editing. It does seem to be a consistent problem that stories seem either unfinished or near incoherent, and it is a shame when some of them are so enjoyable. Hopefully they will continue to improve

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The Ravens by Kass Morgan & Danielle Paige

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Hodder & Stoughton & RB Media in exchange for an honest review.

The Ravens is the story every witch-obsessed teenage girl wants to read (and quite a few young adults too). It is simply the story of two college girls who are part of a sorority which actually turns out to be a coven. We have Scarlett, the more experienced and older sorority member who is keen to fight for her place as leader (and also for her failing relationship with her boyfriend) and Vivi, the new girl who is discovering she is a witch for the first time (among a blossoming romance with none other than Scarlett's boyfriend). Tensions rise when the use of dark magic is suspected and a girl from the sorority goes missing.

I was lucky enough to be given both an audio and an e-ARC of this book, so I'm in the unique position of having listened to 75% of it and read the other 25% physically. I will say, I wish I had listened to less of it as I connected so much more with the written version. The audiobook is fine and there's nothing inherently wrong with it, but this book has a very specific style of dialogue and I think it got lost a bit in translation. When I was listening, I found that the characters blended together more. I could tell Vivi and Scarlett apart but I had no idea there were even two male characters until I read someone else's review on Goodreads. The dialogue being very stylised also means that it comes off a bit awkward when it is read out loud.

As soon as I switched to the ebook though, I was hooked. Instantly the characters and plot came to life, and I desperately wanted more of this world. I think this is a fantastic set up for a much larger, Buffy-esque series focusing on this sorority fighting the powers of darkness and I really want that. This is a solid fantasy story with a cool use of magic, interesting worldbuilding and great characters to populate that world.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I definitely have plans again to read it entirely in print as I think it will get a higher rating from me. As it is, it still has a lot of strengths and I want to be clear that my view of the audiobook is mostly down to personal taste and preference. If you enjoy witchy stories and like a focus on exploring the supernatural through college-age characters, you should definitely give The Ravens a try.

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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit, I was a little afraid to read this book. Fantasy isn't hugely my genre but I have loved Schwab's writing in the past and the hype for this book was real. Thankfully I was utterly enchanted by The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. This is a romance with a fantasy set up, with the premise being our main character Addie is immortal due to a deal she made with some kind of devil/demon figure long ago. Now she will never age nor die, but she can also never be remembered or leave a lasting mark on the world. Much of the book focuses on her past life and the unique relationship she has with the devil/demon figure, but in the modern day she meets a man who is able to remember her and quickly falls in love.

As I already hinted at, this was much more of a romance than I expected which I am glad of as I'm not the biggest fan of historical fiction. Having said that, I really enjoyed the passages set in the past and Addie was a compelling character so it was good to have so much focus on her. If you enjoy dreamy, slow-paced character explorations then this is definitely the book for you. It did take me a long time to read as it is slow-paced and quite long, but it never felt like a slog or a chore to get through. For a genre of book I don't normally reach for, I was very enchanted.

Overall, I have to join the legions of people singing this book's praise. It is beautifully written, full of heart and manages to be quite unique despite the topic of immortality being nothing new. I fell completely in love with Addie and her story, and I know this is a book which will stay with me for a long time.

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.5

The Charmed Wife by Ogla Grushin

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review.

The Charmed Wife poses an interesting question: what happens when the magic goes out of Cinderella's marriage? Feeling unloved and embittered by the false dream she has been sold, our main character seeks out a witch to cast a spell to kill her fairytale prince. Just as they are about to cast it however, the fairy godmother shows up and urges her to look back on her relationship and whether things are as bad as they seem.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this book. It has a dreamy, fairytale style sprinkled with humor and thought-provoking imagery. It takes an interesting look at what life for Cinderella would actually be like, and I particularly enjoyed the asides about the saga of her two pet mice. That honestly was my favourite part of it and I wish it had continued throughout the entire book.

Halfway through however, this book changes gear and here it got a bit less enjoyable for me. A lot of different fairytales start appearing and this was great at first but quickly became crammed and a bit tiresome. I felt like the plot had gotten away from the author and I wanted to get back to it. The ending I cannot discuss without spoilers so highlight the text to see: I think the decision to have it all be a potential delusion could have worked a bit better but it was woven in so messily into the multiple fairytale stuff that was going on, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. And personally I would have preferred to stay in the fairytale world as I found that more insightful and that it worked better as a metaphor. The final scene with the prince revealing he never got what he wanted either is very powerful, and it doesn't need the real world muddying the waters.

Having said that, this book was incredibly creative and I found myself very absorbed and invested in the story. It is unlike anything I have read before in a really great way, and I was completely enchanted seeing where it would go. It's definitely a powerful book and one I know will stick with me for a while.

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Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review.

It is no secret by now that I am obsessed with the Wayward Children series. I have yet to read an installment I didn't like and Across the Green Grass Fields is no exception. This is a standalone in the series which is always appreciated, and this book follows the story of Regan, a horse-loving girl who finds her door after a particularly traumatic incident at school. Behind this door is a world of centaurs and unicorns, where humans have a destiny they must fulfill. Regan however just wants to enjoy life with her newfound family.

This is a brilliant installment in the series and I definitely recommend it if you have enjoyed the others. The usual entertaining writing style is here, as are the engaging characters and great worldbuilding. I will say that I found this plot a little lacking compared to the others. I'm not sure what it was but there didn't feel a huge amount going on and the ending left me wanting. This is possibly my least favourite of the books so far, but that really isn't saying much given my love of the series. It's sort of the same as saying light roast is my least favourite coffee-it's still all great.

That aside, there is plenty here to like for fans of the series. Regan gives us a brilliant intersex protagonist. The world is as creative and as fun to explore as ever. I 100% recommend this book and this series for anyone who wants a whimsical but poignant fantasy series with tons of great rep and even greater stories.

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Fangs by Sarah Andersen

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I am in love! This graphic novel is perhaps the cutest love story ever told. It features a bunch of one shot comics (each page being one incident) throughout the relationship of a vampire and a werewolf. It is incredibly cute, very funny and just a fantastic feel-good read. Vamp and Jimmy are both extremely likeable characters and I instantly fell in love with both of them. I loved watching their relationship unfold and it just brightened my whole day. I 100% recommend this if you like funny, cutesy graphic novels with a lot of humour and heart.

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You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bantam Press/Random House UK, Transworld Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book. The premise sounded so amazing that I knew I wanted to read it, even though I wasn't necessarily sure if it was more fantasy or horror. You Let Me In falls directly into the dark fantasy category, and more specifically this is a book about fae. Had I known that going in then I might not have requested it but I am so glad I did because this book is phenomenal.

Cassandra Tipp is an author with a dark past. When she vanishes mysteriously, her niece and nephew must provide her lawyer with a password in order to inherit her estate, a password which can only be found in one last story she had left. This though is the true story of her life. Chosen at a young age to be the property of a fae being, she explains how all the dark deeds she has been accused of doing were really the work of fantasy beings. But which story is real?

This book was extremely well-written. I was instantly sucked into the world and the prose manages to be poetic and fitting of the fantasy elements without veering too far into needlessly flowery. Cassandra really draws you in as a character and the whole 'doubting whether the story is fantasy or if she is merely deluded' stuff is handled very well in my opinion. It would be easy for an author to misjudge and either make her a caricature or else too unreliable to connect with but she remains a compelling and engaging narrator throughout. The other characters who featured were also interesting, particularly the sister and therapist.

I strongly recommend this book, even to those who don't normally read dark fantasy. This is not horror in the traditional sense but it does contain horror elements. There is also a romance plotline and some sexual scenes so be aware of that. I would not recommend it to people who dislike the use of mental health for unreliable narration, but if you want a dark and mysterious story that draws you in, this is a perfect pick.

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Strange Girls: Women in Horror Anthology edited by Azzurra Nox

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Twisted Wing Productions in exchange for an honest review.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love horror, I really do. However, there's no denying I've had some bad luck with horror anthologies. There are very specific things I dislike and more often than not, they tend to crop up in anthologies. The idea of a horror anthology written entirely by women was so appealing to me because (sadly) a lot of the stuff I dislike tends to be written by male authors. Also, who doesn't want to support more female authors?

Amazingly, I was 100% correct in my assumptions. Almost all of these stories succeeded at being really intriguing tales of horror without any of the weird sexual elements, glorification of violence or other dodgy gender stuff I dislike. There is one exception to this-'The Eyes of the Dead' by Danielle R. Bailey is a particularly brutal tale about the aftermath of a rape. It wasn't a bad story by any means but it didn't really fit with the tone of the other stories and I felt like it was a bit too bleak for an anthology of this nature.

Having said that, there's a good mix of stories here in general. A fair few of them felt like they were too short and ended just as they were getting interesting which was a shame. Some of my favourites include 'Adam's Self-Portrait with Pears' by Rachel Bolton, 'Personal Demons' by Angelique Fawns, 'Cracked' by Regan Moore, 'Revival' by Madison Estes and 'A Song Only She Can Hear' by Wondra Vanian. There are some which are traditional horror but a lot of them had a dark fantasy side to them which was neat.

All in all, I'm very glad I read this collection and I would recommend it to anyone who has trouble finding a horror anthology that fits their tastes. I wouldn't say the tone is particularly feminist but it is a refreshing kind of horror and one I would love to see more of.

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