February 2024 Mini Reviews | Part 2

Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim

Published: 3rd February 2022 by Oneworld Publications

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.

I find Japan's control of Korea, and Korea's eventual independence, to be a very interesting, though tragic, aspect of history that I don't know enough about as it isn't a common topic of history taught in the UK, and in seeking out Beasts of a Little Land as a narrative interpretation of people's experiences during that time, I found out so much, and in such an approachable way. Although quite clearly fiction, the lived experiences of each of the characters portrayed how this time was experienced in such differing ways, from Jade's turbulent childhood to Jungho and his fight for his country's freedom. I did find the story to drag at times, especially when reading about the characters that I didn't care for as much as Jade, and I found the pacing of the story and its timeline to be a bit confusing towards the end. Whatever little gripes I had with Kim's storytelling were only small, and I do think this story as a whole portrayed a very important message.

3.5 stars

The Knowing by Emma Hinds

Published: 18th January 2024 by Bedford Square Publishers

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.

I am not ashamed to say that I was mostly drawn to this book because of its stunning cover - the designers knew exactly what they were doing in illustrating this tale of a gritty, mysterious, 19th-century tale. Unfortunately, I don't think the story itself lived up to my expectations that the cover, and its premise of a girl, branded an outsider because of her tattoos and her ability to commune with the dead, fighting to survive in a society filled with men trying to control her. I really liked the first half of this book, of Flora escaping the clutches of her abusive relationship and forging a more independent future for herself, but there never felt like any real sense of revolution, and I think Hinds was trying to do too much with the gang element alongside Flora's paranormal abilities and her relationship with Minnie that I wasn't a fan of.

2.5 stars

One Night on the Island by Josie Silver

Published: 17th February 2022 by Penguin

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.

After really enjoying A Winter in New York around Christmas, I was excited to pick up another Josie Silver book, and this was another emotionally charged romance that I really enjoyed. I'm not normally the biggest fan of pure enemies-to-lovers, because sometimes it doesn't feel genuine that they can move past their initial hate, but witnessing Cleo and Mack's relationship change felt real to me. The setting of the island and the cast of supporting characters really solidified my enjoyment, as Cleo in particular found a home away from home amongst the locals. Refreshingly, I also found that the third-act breakup felt much more realistic in this than in most other romances - it made sense why they had to separate, as did their level of communication afterwards, and I think that helped to make their reunion feel that much sweeter in the end.

4 stars

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson

Published: 5th December 2023 by Piatkus

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.

I really don't know how I feel about this book - the chemistry between Mackenzie and Noah was great, but their relationship was so formed on the physical side of things that I sometimes found it hard to root for them as an overall couple. I quite enjoyed the integration of the werewolves alongside the humans in day-to-day life - I didn't feel the need for there to be a huge amount of time spent on contextualising the world, and I thought that part of it worked well! I just didn't find their relationship morphing from purely physical to an emotionally fulfilling one to be believable, especially as it all came as a result of her being 'in heat', rather than any quality time spent together or trust being built up between the two. I also thought their conflict towards the end of the book could have been completely avoided and it just frustrated me.

2.5 stars