What To Expect - - 'The Salt Grows Heavy' is a dark fairytale novella with complex prose and uncommon language.

My Feelings - - I ate this up. The rich prose became one of my favourite parts of this reading experience and I loved the themes that this book explored. The descriptions were stunning and grotesque and the characters compelling because of the darkness they had within them.

I adored the undercurrent in this story of being seen and known, even your darkest parts, and admired anyway.

The ending disappointed me, but I am still glad I read this - I also think I will get even more out of it with a reread. I will 100% be picking up other stories by this author.

Recommendation - - If you love dark stories, complex and descriptive prose, exploring themes that aren't handed to you on a silver platter, and unique fairytales - this story is for you.

4 ⭐️ = great story, this will stick in my mind

What To Expect - - 'Tender Is The Flesh' is a novel I would describe as a mix of horror, dystopian, and speculative.

My Feelings - - I didn't enjoy reading this story, although I can appreciate what it was doing. I felt the clinical way of writing the POV of our MC was very effective in communicating the themes of the book, and the way the story was pushed forward in the second part, and then wrapped up, was exceptional.

The descriptions of the 'special meat' were pretty gross, but I found the casually horrifying ways the MC would think and act more disturbing.

Recommendation - - If you like to read about flawed MCs, awful government propaganda, and disturbing themes - this book is for you.

2.5 ⭐️ = I can see why other people would enjoy it, it just didn’t quite hit for me

What To Expect - - 'Blood Over Bright Haven' is a standalone fantasy novel with academia and darker themes.

My Feelings - - This story was masterfully written, incorporating the main themes of racism and misogyny, the plot, magic system, characters, conflict, and setting all together in a way that elevates them all. It felt like none of them could exist without the other in a way I've rarely seen done so tightly before.

Although I loved reading this book, the heavy handedness of the way the themes developed took some of the enjoyment away for me. I think this is because the characters started feeling a little more like puzzle pieces in the overall narrative/point than fully fleshed out people. I think with a little more subtlety (and maybe some more time developing things) this would have been a 4.5/5 star for me.

Recommendation - - I would definitely recommend this book to you if you like academia, unique magic systems, flawed characters, and fantasy worlds that explore current world problems.

4 ⭐️ = amazing story, this will stick in my mind