Unapologetic Reviews

I finally finished my ARC copy of A Claiming of Souls by R. A. Sandpiper. This is the final part of her Amefyre trilogy, and it was a satisfying conclusion to a great series. (Also, just FYI—there’s a companion novella!) The ending was genuinely unpredictable. I usually have a good sense of where stories are going, but this one kept me guessing—so kudos to the author. I really enjoyed the story in this final book. A lot was happening, and there was even a little callback to the novella, which I appreciated. There were some surprising moments throughout. Suri’s new powers were used really well—I liked that they didn’t make her feel overpowered or invincible. She still had real moral dilemmas to face and discovered a lot about herself. Her arc was deeply satisfying; she truly developed as a character while still staying true to who she was at her core. Kol, the other main character, wasn’t as prominent in this instalment. He was present, but he didn’t stand out as much this time. Anothe...

Jane Austen was born on 16 Dec 1775. 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of her birth. Join me in celebrating by reading and watching media connected to her. Follow this schedule: Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley Becoming Jane (2007) Sense and Sensibility Sense and Sensibility (1995) Sense and Sensibility (2008) Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice (1940) Pride and Prejudice (1995) Mansfield Park Mansfield Park (1999) Mansfield Park (2007) Emma Emma (1996) Emma (2009) Emma (2020) Northanger Abbey Northanger Abbey (2007) Persuasion Persuasion (1995) Persuasion (2007) Modern Persuasion (2020) Persuasion (2022) Miss Austen Regrets (2007) Miss Austen by Gill Hornby Miss Austen (2025-)

I listened to Shari Franke's The House of My Mother as an audiobook, narrated by the author herself. It was a mixed experience. In the early chapters—where she describes her mother, Ruby’s childhood and their family’s early years—her reading felt distant, almost detached. Since Shari wasn’t part of that story, it came across as a recitation rather than storytelling. However, once the focus shifted to her own experiences, her narration became more engaging. Shari is careful not to tell her siblings' stories beyond what directly overlaps with her own, which is intentional and respectful. The only sibling she delves into is her brother Chad, and honestly, I felt bad for him at times. She recounts life before the cameras, the YouTube years, and what happened after their family’s channel declined—suddenly and dramatically, about halfway through the book. At that point, I thought, OK, so what’s the rest of the book going to be about? I couldn’t help but compare it to two other memoir...

I listened to Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao as an audiobook. The narrator was excellent, though Hana’s voice was sometimes a bit too breathy. That aside, her performance was enjoyable—especially the way she voiced the male characters. Let me warn you: the book’s blurb is misleading. It describes a whimsical, magical journey through a mystical world, making it sound light, cosy, and happy. It’s not. This book is emotional, raw, and deeply unsettling. It forces you to think, reflect, and question everything. It’s best experienced as an audiobook because, while you’re listening to the story, you can’t help but reflect on your own life. It’s like having two narrations running at once: the story’s journey of self-discovery and your own. You find yourself wondering about all the choices you’ve made—whether they were right, wrong, or simply inevitable. I finished the book just moments ago, and I haven’t stopped crying. Half of me doesn’t even know why. Japanese fiction always does this ...

Agatha Christie's Five Little Pigs was written in the 1940s, so it's a rather old book—but that's true of pretty much all of Agatha Christie's books. I actually tried to read this book once before. Funny thing: when I was in high school, I had a summer of reading Agatha Christie. I didn't just read Poirot and Miss Marple, but I also read Tommy and Tuppence’s stories. I highly recommend them; I really love that duo. The best one was N or M?, which is actually more of a spy novel than anything else. That summer, I got most of my books from an antique store because they were very cheap there. The library didn’t really have Agatha Christie because it was considered lowbrow reading—not classic literature. The books I bought were old. My copy of Five Little Pigs was a misprint, missing parts of the story, so I never finished it. Plus, by the end of the summer, I had to switch back to reading the required school books, which were long and numerous. I got behind because of ...

I listened to Ally Carter's The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year as an audiobook. It is a blend of romance and mystery. I'm a huge fan of mysteries, especially the classic amateur detective story, but I'm not really a fan of romance. Still, I gave this a chance, as it was Christmas, and I wanted to read a book set during Christmas. Usually, I’m looking for a crime story that takes place during the holidays. I gave this book three stars because it was okay. It didn't blow me away; it wasn't terrible—it was just okay. The mystery has a couple of layers. The initial mystery in the story—well, the thing is, no one really cares about that part. The main characters do, but no one else seems to. Then there’s a secondary mystery, which was hard to figure out. The solution for that was... well, without spoiling it, let’s just say it really wasn’t what I thought it would be—in a bad way. Sometimes, a twist can work well if you don’t see it coming, but this felt like it was al...