Unapologetic Reviews

To Touch a Silent Fury is the first book in R.A. Sandpiper’s brand-new duology, The Bride of Eavenfold. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this one, so thank you to the author for the chance to dive in early. This is probably her longest book yet, and it’s set in a fresh new universe, separate from her previous series. The world is built around the number five—five seasons, lives measured in five cycles, five kingdoms tied to the five senses. It’s an imaginative, intricate system that feels coherent and alive. The main character, Tani, is born Moontouched. She looks a bit like an albino; her skin is pale, hair white, but her eyes are completely white. Children like her are sent away around the age of ten to an isolated island, but she is special: she’s the only girl on an island full of men. When we meet her she awaits her Fate, they key to unlocking the full potential of her powers. Lang’s chapters balance out Tani’s isolation perfectly. Where she is cut off and vulnerable, he i...

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...

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 ...

A Promise of Blood is the second book in the Amefyre series and continues Suri's journey through an increasingly complex world. This instalment takes her to more places than the first, expanding the scope and depth of the story. The novel picks up where the previous book left off, and for a significant portion, we remain in that initial setting. Without revealing spoilers, I’ll say that during this time, Suri finally gets some much-needed rest and nourishment, which was a relief. We’re also introduced to key characters who play larger roles in this book, and we learn much more about Cole’s backstory. The opening section is slower-paced than the first book, and I found it a bit challenging to get through at times. However, the slower pace had a purpose, and I appreciated the character development it allowed. Interestingly, Suri herself starts to feel restless in this setting, leading her to make some questionable decisions. Second books in a series often feel like filler, serving a...

R.A. Sandpiper's A Pocket of Lies is a fantasy book. The story follows Suri, a young woman navigating a world filled with gods, politics, and danger as she uncovers secrets about herself and her place in this complex world. There's not much romance in it, which I was very glad about. There's some smut, but it never happens within a love relationship. The story takes place in a completely different world, one filled with old gods, new gods, poverty, wealthy rulers, kings, and regions with distinct politics. It's a very rich and immersive world. I really appreciated the depth and how distinct their culture felt. The characters wore different clothes, and even accents were mentioned at one point. Let’s talk about the writing. It was... nice. Not too flowery, which I liked, but not too plain either. There were a few parts where I found it hard to understand what was happening, but this wasn’t consistent. Some fight scenes were very well done—I could picture them easily—but ...

In "Newcomer" by Keigo Higashino, I found myself immersed in a captivating blend of mystery and family dynamics. This isn't your typical detective story—it's a masterfully crafted collection of interconnected tales intricately woven into a larger narrative. The brilliance lies in how Higashino seamlessly integrates small mysteries within the broader context, creating a rich tapestry of characters and relationships. What sets "Newcomer" apart is the emphasis on family. The characters grapple with familial complexities, and Detective Kaga's keen observations shed light on the profound search for family connections. There are no great scandals in this story, just very real relationships between people and family members. The novel is not just a whodunit but a reflective exploration of human bonds. The main mystery gradually unfolds and gains focus in the narrative, with the final solution slowly coming into focus. The last chapter gives a satisfying conclus...

"Malice" by Keigo Higashino takes readers on a captivating journey through the intricate web of a murder mystery, offering a fresh perspective for those diving into Japanese mysteries for the first time. The author's simplistic writing style, devoid of unnecessary embellishments, becomes a strength, catering to readers with a preference for concise narratives, making it an ideal fit for my ADHD mind. The brisk pace of the narrative ensures that there is never a dull moment. From the outset, we are introduced to the mind of Nonoguchi, skillfully setting the stage for the unfolding drama. Detective Kaga's perspective adds to Nonoguchi's account and provides a different perspective on events. Eventually, Kaga's narrative dominates the story, however, to expand on that would contain spoilers. What sets "Malice" apart is its ability to defy expectations. Approximately a quarter into the story, I encountered a twist that blindsided me. As someone who typic...

Tokyo Tarareba Musume (Tokyo "What if" Woman) is about happiness. “Let’s get a woman’s happiness!” 30 is a huge turning point in a woman’s life. This story stars three women, former classmates who live in Tokyo. They gather at a small restaurant run by one’s father and chat about their lives. They often start their sentences with “What if…”, wondering about things they should have done differently. They all turn 30, and realise that they don’t have the husband and children they imagined they would by now. They decide to not mess around anymore, and take that goal seriously, because that is a woman’s happiness. With this in mind, they take risks, and from their previous stale lives try to build something more. This, however, leads to realisations and experiences that they would not have imagined. Rinko (Yoshitaka Yuriko) can be called the ringleader of the girls. She is also the “author” of the story. She narrates it, and in the drama there is an indication that it’s...

Dear Sister is an interesting drama. It’s mainly about the importance of family, especially siblings. Being an only child myself, I could just look on, and remember when as a little girl I so wanted a sibling. As the title suggests, the two main characters are sisters. Though I do have to note here that they are not the only siblings in the story. There are also two brothers and a brother with a sister, so you get all combinations. Let’s focus on the main storyline. The two sisters seem very different. Hazuki (Matsushita Nao) is the responsible one. Seemingly. She has a government job, a boyfriend, lives alone, looks after her mother. She wears shirts and pencil skirts. Misaki (Ishihara Satomi) is the younger, irresponsible sister. She left home at an early age, never got an education, works in shady places, has men issues. Because of these Hazuki sees her as the lucky child, the one who could always do what she wanted. However, she could be wrong. Assuming that Misaki is s...

After I saw this series, I started to read the manga, because I fell in love with the characters so much, I wasn’t ready to let them go. Therefore, I will make some references to the manga as well, though I haven’t read it all yet. Hapimari is about a lot of things. Fathers, marriage, love, happiness. It starts out with a strange event. A man proposes marriage to a woman he doesn’t even know. Interestingly, in the manga he’s actually her boss, which complicates things further. However, in the drama he’s not. I think they took that part out as it was a bit disturbing, almost bordering on a kind of harassment. It was also a conflict not closely related to the main story, which in the manga takes places over several more years than in the drama. So getting back to the story, a woman accepting a proposal by a strange, but wealthy man seems equally improbable. However, just as the man has a good reason for the propositions, so does the woman for accepting it. That doesn’t mean they b...

After reading Caliban’s War, I realised what I missed from Leviathan Wakes . The excitement of not knowing what was going to be next! I’ve seen the TV show, so I knew what was going to happen. However, since the show stops at about half of the book, the rest was a mystery. I couldn’t put it down. Literally, I would walk home with my Kindle in my hand, and just letting my feet take me. The story went more into politics with the few new characters. One was Avasarala. Pretty high up in the UN food-chain, those who watch the show know her already. She only gets introduced in the second book, though they wrote her some parts in the first season. I’m really happy they did that, because she’s a great character. I love that she’s like a posh Indian lady, who curses like a sailor. It’s also very interesting to see the point of view of someone who is so politically savvy. Avasarala for President! She’d hate me for that. The other was Bobby. She’s a Martian, which can sound a bit ...

  Any book about the future is always also about the present. This book isn't Star Trek. Humans are still petty, after their own interest. So while the setting is space, people act the same way they would on Earth. I guess the old saying of the more things change ... works. I had this thought, but so did the author, that no matter what, we are just primates swinging poo at each other, or poking things with sticks. The story is about a period of humanity when we have left Earth, but took the problems with us, while staying in the Solar system. We have colonised Mars, some moons, even rocks in the asteroid belt. I loved how living, growing up in space had physically changed people. I also found the way they spoke interesting. A mixture of the different languages of the people who went there. However, the same way as when Europeans colonised the rest of the world, the colonies are treated just as badly. And they want to break away just as badly. Thrown into this tense environmen...

I listened to this book as an audiobook. I actually enjoyed it in this format very much. It was mainly read by the author, but it also had a full cast for the characters. Much better than when a male reader tries to imitate female voices. Though sometimes that can be very funny. It reminded me of the fairy tale cassettes I used to fall asleep to as a child. The story itself is about a girl, Lyra. It's obvious from the first moment that she's one of those destined children so popular in fantasy fiction. She's also 11, which is a common age to start child characters off. Lyra is a smart and cunning child. One of those natural leaders that can be the next Martin Luther King Jr., or the next Stalin. Which one she will become depends entirely on her basic temperament and life experiences. She is also very adaptable, just like her daemon. Whatever environment she finds herself in, she becomes part of it. She does feel like a normal child though. Sometimes children in stori...

Let me start out by saying that I haven't read the books. So if you're expecting some sort of comparison, not in this review. Though the books have been on my list for about a decade, maybe I'll finally read them. MTV makes TV shows. It was odd at first, after all, first it was music, then reality shows, and now, TV shows. I was sceptical at first. That is, before I saw Teen Wolf . I kept hearing about it, so one day I decided to give the first season a shot. About 10 hours later, I couldn't stop watching it. Now with The Shannara Chronicles I was hoping for more of the same. Let me tell you, it didn't disappoint. When is the next episode again? So I'm writing this 3 episodes into the series. Let's start with the visuals. Every good fantasy has to wow us with the visuals, that's sort of a given. It certainly does. One thing I didn't know about the world was that it's actually set on a future Earth. The pictures in the show never make ...

Winter is the last novel in the Lunar Chronicles, which was kind of sad. I discovered the series a few years ago, and devoured the first two books. They had the perfect blend of adventure and romance, without the romance overpowering the adventure, as so often happens with books aimed at young adults. Frankly, I like some romance with my adventure, but if there is too much of it, I get bored. Then throw the book against the wall. This book I started with a mix of anticipation and sadness. I wanted to find out how Cinder would get her throne, since she obviously would, but I knew that once I turned the last page, that would be the end of my adventures with the girls. Yes, I did tear up in the end for these very reasons. The story itself is the longest, and the most complex of the series. There are times when I wonder how they're going to get out of the situation. All the girls have their roles to play, the end result could not be reached by the end. I also liked how no one ...

Many years ago, I've seen reports on a group called "FLDS", and their prophet, Warren Jeffs. I remember Oprah talking to a group of girls looking like something out of House on a Prairie , who said how their one goal in life was to get married. Having been a student of Gender Studies, and chosen religions as my focus, I was saddened by how these girls were brainwashed into thinking that was all they were good for. I wanted to get married and have children all my life myself. However, I also wanted other things, and was ever so glad that I had options, opportunities unlike most women before me, and a lot of women even now. Mormons had been a special interest to me, since they were a major focus of my thesis paper that served as the conclusion of my university studies. I've learned a lot about their beliefs, and it always fascinated me how people could believe so much in something that had been so obviously constructed as a fraud. I had been looking at books co...

This book has been on my to-be-read list for a while. I've read a couple of great reviews, but I've recently burned myself with a book like that, and I was afraid that this would be the same. However, I've just finished A Song of Ice and Fire series, and I've read somewhere that if you like that, you're going to like this. Therefore, I picked it up. The beginning was weird. For a while, it just made no sense. Then there was a discussion, and finally, I realised how it was tied to the story. The story itself is about three siblings, who are the children of the Emperor. They all grew up away from each other, under very different circumstances. Adare is the oldest, and the sister. I have read that the author got complains that her story seemed to be the less interesting one, but he assured everyone that it would change in the later books. She is a bit naive, but growing up in the palace does that to a person. Most of her learning comes from books. However, she gets mi...

I have finished this book some months ago, but only got around to reviewing now. This is the last book in the series. I was saddened by this, because I had really grown to love the characters. I did like the ending though. However, I wouldn't mind short stories about them like five years down the road. Some story lines had a rather abrupt ending, I felt. The story branched off in this book as well. I was very glad to see Nico have his own voice. He had been a favourite of mine for some time. Overall, it's very hard to talk about this book without spoiling the others. I am glad that I read all five books together, because they came together as one more than the previous five. They were also more adult than the previous five. While both end in battle and some deaths, this was different. In fact, there were more than one battles, and all of them were unique. The talents of the different demigods were used in complex ways, and there wasn't just one individual that stood out. ...

This one was actually kind of epic. When I first started the book, I was thinking: "YAY PERCY!" And also: "YAY Roman Camp!" I loved getting to know this new environment. It was close to my heart, because the history of the Roman Empire is kind of a hobby of mine, among many others. I've also been to Rome, and while there I tried to imagine how it would have all looked whole. Imagining myself in New Rome was great. I also have to note that most of this book I listened to as an audiobook while running Xmas errands. I was so keen on the story, I had to put it on my phone and listen to it while walking around. The audiobook was quite good, but I think they said Geae wrong. Okay, I also don't like it spelled that way, Gaia is the more common spelling. Still, I have no clue why they would say Geae that way. Yes, this REALLY bugged me. If the person reading this review has read the previous book, then it comes as no surprise that Percy doesn't remember who he i...

I've been anticipating this movie for some time. From the previews it looked fun, sci-fi, action, the good stuff. I'm happy to report that it was real sci-fi, had a lot of funny moments, and the action was great. The story isn't huge. It kinda reminded me of Star Wars with the face on the big screen partly veiled as the big evil guy, then him having an evil front man who does all the actual stuff. Then there was the usual personal tragedy bits, etc. I didn't expect the movie to invent the wheel though. The story itself was entertaining enough to keep me interested until the end. In fact, there was an episode I wasn't expecting, and the whole bit with the escape was really great. However, the "out in space" scene was very awkward and forced. It came out of left field, and felt like a clumsy solution to a problem in the story. I watched it in IMAX, so the 3D came in wonderfully. I enjoyed the different worlds and environments we got to see. By the ...