Fully Booked Fantasy

The Good

Sarah J Maas really comes into her stride in this books, with intertwinned stories, subtle hints, and unfolding mysteries that I felt like I was solving alongside Celaena.

The audiobook verison of this (on audible, ew), was amazingly read and a fantastic performance.

IT HAS A TALKING DOOR HANDLE OMG!

I am excited to read the next book in this series.

The Not So Good

The mysteries in this book feel like they were written independently of each other and loosely strung together at the end.

I feel like I’m being One Piece – ed (where I am being gaslit into believing the next books with be 5 stars for sure, and I sure hope it is).

Quotes

“I worry because I care. Gods help me, I know I shouldn’t, but I do.”

“If they wanted Adarlan’s Assassin, they’d get her. And Wyrd help them when she arrived.”

The Good

This a magical Studio Ghibli inspired adventure through an awe inspiring “other world”.

It is filled to the brim with fantasy side-adventures that I absolutely love.

It made me question my feeling on fate, choice and true responsibility.

Perhaps a new favourite author, very excited to read The Elsewhere Express soon™

The Not So Good

The central section (?) of the book could have easily been removed and we would have lost no story.

Quotes

“yesterday has no door.”

“We trapped ourselves in a myth we forgot we created.”

The Good

This is my first adventure into Sarah J Maas’ work, and I really enjoyed the fantasty elements of this.

I expected this book to a gladiator style fantasy adventure where the main character fights to earn her freedom and I was not disappointed in the slightest.

I would recommend this title to fans of Sarah J Maas and those interested in the forbidden magic setting.

Despite my better judgement I will be reading the next book soon.

The Not So Good

The female lead is a strong woman who seems to hate all other women?

The tension between her and Dorian makes me sick, yes she is 18+ but she is a prisoner! just ew bleugh ew.

Quotes

“Libraries were full of ideas—perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons.”

“She snatched her hand back. “How about the story of the idiotic prince who won’t leave the assassin alone?”
“Oh! I love that story! It has such a happy ending, too—why, the assassin was really feigning her illness in order to get the prince’s attention! Who would have guessed it? Such a clever girl. And the bedroom scene is so lovely—it’s worth reading through all of their ceaseless banter!” ew ew ew ew bleugh ew

The Good

This is the third moomin book I have read, and is my favourite so far.

I expected this book to be an egotisical memoir by Moominpappa that did not give any other characters much time, but there is as much focus on the other characters in the story as Moominpappa himself and this book made me like his character even more.

I would recommend this title to all fans of Moomin and especially Moominpappa.

The Not So Good

Some of Moominpappa’s adventures are almost certainly exaggerated but as long as you can look past that, it is a fantastic read.

Quotes

“I mean, something has to go wrong before you know a law is called for.”

“I would like every young Moomin to consider my exploits, my courage, my good sense, my virtues, and my follies – even if he would never be wiser from the experience he will one day have to acquire for himself in the wondrous way that is natural for all youthful and talented Moomins.”

The Good

After somehow never reading this book, I finally got round to it!

Being transported into Tolkien’s world was a fantastic fun filled adventure with plenty of twists and turns. The stories warning of corrupting power are fasinating and eye-opening.

It was also nice to explore areas of the story that were not covered in the films.

All fans of fantasy should read this book, I cannot wait to read the other books in 2026.

The Not So Good

The story can be repetative at some points. Therefore 4/5 stars.

Quotes

“Not all who wander are lost.”

“Short cuts make long delays.”

On to the list of books I need to read in the next few months.

Very excited to read Throne of Glass, it will be my first Sarah J. Maas read!

Also really excited to read a Day of Fallen Night I loved Priory of the Orange Tree.

The Good

Before The Coffee Gets Cold is a beutifully translated book about a coffee shop that lets you travel back in time, only for a short while, but whatever you do the present cannot change.

The short stories in this book are all valuable and cover topic such as loss, grief, and self-determination in such a gentle way.

I would describe Before The Coffee Gets Cold as a masterclass in disgusing a self-help book in a highly convincing trenchcoat.

A book whose lessons in grief and loss will stay with me for a long, long time.

I wish I could read it to a younger me, who needed it most, but its okay we made it here and read it anyway.

The Not So Good

One of the stories left a bad taste in my mouth, it had a ire of emotional manipulation that I really disliked.

Quotes

“If you could go back, who would you want to meet?”

“At the end of the day, whether one returns to the past or travels to the future, the present does not change.”

“So why don’t you smile every day so that your father can smile from his box? Our smiles allow him to smile. Our happiness allows your father to be happy in his box.”

“And if the chair can change someone’s heart, it clearly has its purpose.”

After finishing The Hobbit in August I was exicted to start the LOTR (Lord of the Rings) series. After finishing Morgan is My Name by Sophie Keetch (review coming soon) last week I found a new paperback copy and I am enjoying it so far.

On my neverending quest to dekindle my life I am trying to read all of my kindle books so I can delete the app off of my BOOX Palma and move to other services. I am around halfway through before the Coffee Gets Cold and I am loving it so far.

After I have finished these, I will publish reviews for both.

After posting one, a whole one review on goodreads I decided to start a reading blog.

My Reading:

I like to read fantasy, sometimes classics, and very rarely a non-fiction palatte cleanser.

My favourite books I read in 2025:

Faithbreaker by Hannah Kaner.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik.

My least favourite books of 2025:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (hated).

Thou Shalt Not Steal by Pip Vaughen-Hughes (weird).

I will post reviews for all of these in time.

Future Business:

Posts will likely be regular, I hope you enjoy reading my reviews and hanging out.

My reading goals for 2026 will be decided in the coming weeks, this year I have read 28/30 books.