Book Review: The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso

The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso

 Book title: The Book of Lost Hours
Author: Hayley Gelfuso
Genre: Historical fantasy
Published: August 26, 2025
391 pages
My rating: 5/5

“A memory, once it’s over, is never exactly what it was when it was happening. Whatever comes later changes the meaning of it.”

Eleven-year-old Lisavet Levy finds herself trapped in a vast library where memories are stored in books. As she grows up among the memories, she discovers that government agents are destroying memories to maintain their preferred version of history. She attempts to salvage as many memories as she can, but when an American agent Ernest Duquesne is sent to stop her, she must risk everything to change history itself.

The Book of Lost Hours is Hayley Gelfuso’s adult historical fantasy and an instant five star read for me. I can already tell that this will be one of my favorite books this year. I listened to it as an audio book, but I wish I had this as a physical book so I could have savored it longer! That being said, the audio book narrator did a great job, and I enjoyed the listening experience.

Book Review: The Debt Collector by Rachel Ann Hubert

The Debt Collector by Rachel Ann Hubert

 Book title: The Debt Collector
Author: Rachel Ann Hubert
Genre: Fantasy
Published: December 21, 2022
371 pages
My rating: 4/5

Evening had fallen, and I was already running late. I hurried past a mess of ivy-covered stone shops, their windows boarded up with roughly cut black wood from the forest to the east. I followed a path that seemed to narrow as I drew further in, carefully hurrying as I darted down a slope in the road that took me deeper into the city.

I glanced at my wrist and winced when I saw the flashing red coordinates.

Not much further now.

Poverty and desperation reign in Adelliah’s world. Like many people, she has made a deal with a money lender. The loan terms are generous: a lifetime to repay what was borrowed. But if a person dies before the loan is repaid, it’s Adelliah’s job as a debt collector to make sure that the loan doesn’t go unpaid. Her job is to collect the dead people’s souls to pay for their debts. Until one night, someone collects the soul first, and she must find out who did it and why.

The Debt Collector is an indie book and the first volume in Rachel Ann Hubert’s fantasy series Rise of the Tarnished. I was expecting a gritty urban fantasy-esque story, but this book wasn’t exactly what I expected. The first chapters focus on Adelliah’s work as a debt collector in several cities of the fantasy world. (As a sidenote, I wish the book would have had a map. There were quite a few different places to keep track of.) I really enjoyed these urban settings and the new characters Adelliah meets along the way.

Book Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

 Book title: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: April 28, 2015
446 pages
My rating: 3/5

“There are two kinds of guilt. The kind that’s a burden and the kind that gives you purpose. Let your guilt be your fuel. Let it remind you of who you want to be. Draw a line in your mind. Never cross it again. You have a soul. It’s damaged but it’s there. Don’t let them take it from you.”

Seventeen-year-old Laia knows not to defy the Martial Empire that has occupied her land—she has already lost her parents because of the Empire. But when her brother is arrested for treason, she turns to a group of rebels to ask for their help to free him. In exchange, she promises to spy for the rebels within the Empire’s greatest military academy. There, she meets Elias, who is training to become an elite soldier, but who is secretly planning for his escape.

An Ember in the Ashes is the first book in Sabaa Tahir’s young adult fantasy series. I listened to this book as an audio book, and it significantly affected my experience. I found the writing of this book (it’s Tahir’s debut novel) clunky and full of clichés. I’m sure that if I had been reading the book, it wouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did in the audio format.

Book Review: A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

 Book title: A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent
Author: Marie Brennan
Genre: Fantasy
Published: February 5, 2013
351 pages
My rating: 5/5

You continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon's presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one's life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten.

Isabella, Lady Trent, is a world-famous dragon naturalist. In the first part of her series of memoirs, she narrates how she became obsessed with dragons as a little girl, how that passion led her to choose a husband who would allow her to continue her study of dragons, and how she embarked on her first expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made her first discoveries.

Marie Brennan’s A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent is the first book in the adult fantasy series The Memoirs of Lady Trent. The book is set in a fantasy world that vaguely resembles the 19th century world. Isabella grows up in Scirland (the fantasy equivalent of Great Britain) with a growing fascination with dragons. The worldbuilding with its many nations and cultures is intricate, and this first book seems to only skim the surface of the fantasy world.

August Wrap-Up and September Hopefuls

 

August Reads

 

August Wrap-Up

• Finished: 4
• Started but not finished: 2
• Total pages read: 1,409
• Average rating: 4

I finished three fantasy novels and one nonfiction book in August. Amélie Wen Zhao’s Chinese-inspired young adult fantasy Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White (4/5 stars) is the second book in a duology and a satisfying ending to the series. Lena Jeong’s Korean-inspired young adult fantasy And Break the Pretty Kings (3/5 stars) was more of a disappointment, and although younger teen readers might enjoy it, I don’t think I’ll be continuing with the series. M.L. Wang’s adult fantasy standalone Blood Over Bright Haven (5/5 stars) was an amazing read and one of my favorite books I’ve read this year.

Book Review: Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

Blood Over Bright Haven By M.L. Wang

 Book title: Blood Over Bright Haven
Author: M.L. Wang
Genre: Fantasy, dystopian
Published: July 25, 2023
428 pages
My rating: 5/5

“Brilliant men—even moderately intelligent men—in this city get showered with opportunities to succeed. Brilliant women have to fight for those opportunities, and, when we get them, we have to defend them tooth and nail, or they’ll be snatched away.”

27-year-old Sciona Freynan has worked hard to become a Highmage at the University of Magics. When she finally becomes the first woman to get a position there, she finds herself undermined by her colleagues. Instead of getting a lab assistant, she is paired with Thomil, a janitor. But Thomil turns out to be exactly the assistant Sciona needs to succeed in her research and uncover centuries-old secrets.

Blood Over Bright Haven is M.L. Wang’s adult dystopian fantasy standalone. It has been recommended to me left and right, and I’m so glad I read this book. What an amazing read and worth all the praise it gets! This book is truly dark academia—a story where the academia itself is the source of evil. The story explores the themes of sexism, classism, racism, and the persecution of native peoples.

Starting Draft 2 of Project Urban Fantasy: A Writing Update

It's been a while since I did a writing update, but that's because I haven't done much writing. I had a busy June and early July preparing for the publication of my second novel. Comes with an Attitude* is a modern Pride and Prejudice retelling about an obstinate and headstrong alt-rock singer and a proud and grumpy pop superstar.

After publication, I could finally start working on my next project: an urban fantasy novel that I started back in 2021. I've been slowly re-outlining that book, and now I'm ready to start writing and editing the second draft. I've written two blog posts about the outlining process, one covering the start of the process and the second on making a plot grid and scene outlines.

Book Review: And Break the Pretty Kings by Lena Jeong

And Break the Pretty Kings by Lena Jeong

 Book title: And Break the Pretty Kings
Author: Lena Jeong
Genre: YA fantasy
Published: June 20, 2023
448 pages
My rating: 3/5

Summoning fire was easy. Mirae had been studying the manipulation of the four elements her whole life. Scorching the woman in front of her, however, was something she hadn’t managed even once in the past three months.

After a generational madness incapacitates her mother, sixteen-year-old crown princess Mirae needs to take the crown. Before she can do that, she needs to show herself capable of wielding the three magic powers of her bloodline, including her rare ability to switch with herself in time. But when a monster is unleashed and her brother is kidnapped, she must embark on a mission to save her brother and to stop a war that has been brewing for thousands of years.

And Break the Pretty Kings is the first book in Lena Jeong’s young adult fantasy series Sacred Bone. It is also Jeong’s debut novel. I liked the Korean-inspired fantasy world and found the magic system interesting enough. However, despite the worldbuilding being solid, it wasn’t super exciting.

Re-Outlining MY WIP, Part II: Plot Grids and Scene Outlines

A couple of months back, I wrote a blog post about how I’m re-outlining an old WIP before writing the second draft. In that post, I promised to write another post on how I write scene outlines. The time has finally come to fulfill that promise. It has taken me longer than I expected to finish the outlining process for what I’m calling Project Urban Fantasy. Partly because the publication of Comes with an Attitude* (my modern Pride and Prejudice retelling) took up a lot of my time, and partly because I spend a lot of time researching and brainstorming to make sure that my plot works and makes sense. So let’s continue where I left off in my last blog post—with an updated list of steps following the first five steps I had finished by that point.

Jane Austen July 2026 Wrap-Up and August Hopefuls

Jane Austen July 2026 Reads

July Wrap-Up

• Finished: 6
• Started but not finished: 2
• Total pages read: 1,914
• Average rating: 4.2

This was my third year of participating in Jane Austen July, and again, I had a great time. That means that most of the books I read this month were Austen-related.

Book Review: Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by Amélie Wen Zhao

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White
by Amélie Wen Zhao

Book title: Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White
Author: Amélie Wen Zhao
Genre: YA fantasy
Published: January 2, 2024
345 pages
My rating: 4/5

I am Sòng Lián, survivor of the Sòng clan and heir to the Order of Ten Thousand Flowers. I will bring an end to the Four Demon Gods and the vicious cycle of power, war, and bloodshed they have wrought upon this land and its peoples.

Eighteen-year-old Lan must find an ancient weapon to destroy the demon gods and to rid her land of the occupying, cruel Elantians. At the same time, Zen seeks to harness the dark powers of the demon gods. Both will find what they are seeking in the desert city of Salakhira, but once they find the hidden city, they uncover dangerous secrets.

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White is the second book in Amélie Wen Zhao’s young adult fantasy duology Song of the Last Kingdom. I read the first book, Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, last year. Unfortunately, over the year, I had forgotten a lot about what had happened in the first book, and Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White didn’t do a very good job of reminding me of all the things I had forgotten. I wish more fantasy series did something like what Saara El-Arifi’s The Ending Fire trilogy did with the second and the third book beginning with a recap of the events of the previous books.

Book Review: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Book title: Mansfield Park
Author: Jane Austen
Genre: Classic
Published: 1814
479 pages
My rating: 5/5

“Fanny Price was at this time just ten years old, and though there might not be much in her first appearance to captivate, there was, at least, nothing to disgust her relations. She was small of her age, with no glow of complexion, nor any other striking beauty; exceedingly timid and shy, and shrinking from notice; but her air, though awkward, was not vulgar, her voice was sweet, and when she spoke her countenance was pretty.”

My choice for this year’s Jane Austen July was Austen’s third published novel, Mansfield Park. This review is a rather spoilery one, so if you haven’t read all (or any) of Jane Austen’s novels, be warned. Ten-year-old Fanny Price is sent to live with her rich relatives at Mansfield Park. Growing up with her cousins, she is constantly aware how precarious her place in society is. When a dashing couple from London, Henry and Mary Crawford, enter this rural world, they manage to dazzle everyone except Fanny, who sees through their superficial glamour.

Book Review: Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

Book title: Pride and Premeditation
Author: Tirzah Price
Genre: YA historical mystery, Jane Austen retelling
Published: April 6, 2021
368 pages
My rating: 3/5

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a brilliant idea, conceived and executed by a clever young woman, must be claimed by a man.”

Seventeen-year-old Lizzie Bennet dreams of becoming a barrister like her father. When she learns of the murder of Mr. Hurst, she quickly deduces that the man suspected of the murder, Mr. Bingley, might be innocent. She suggests to Bingley that they find the real murderer, but she is faced with opposition from Bingley’s friend and lawyer, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. 

Pride and Premeditation is Tirzah Price’s young adult historical murder mystery inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I read it for this year’s Jane Austen July. This was the first Jane Austen inspired murder mystery I’ve read, and I was excited to see how the author would handle the source material in a new setting.

Comes with an Attitude Is Out Now!

Comes with an Attitude (A modern Pride and Prejudice retelling)

Comes with an Attitude, is out now! Comes with an Attitude is a modern Pride and Prejudice retelling, and I'm super excited to share it with the world. The book is now available on Amazon in several formats (e-book, paperback, and hardcover), and it’s also free on Kindle Unlimited. You can get the book here (*Amazon affiliate link). If you’re looking for a fun contemporary romance with Jane Austen vibes, enemies/rivals to lovers, slow burn, and low spice (kiss only), here’s the blurb for you:

June Wrap-up and July Hopefuls

Two of my June reads

June Wrap-Up

• Finished: 9
• Started but not finished: 2
• Total pages read: 2,738
• Average rating: 3.944

I had not expected that I’d read so many books in June! I thought I’d have time to finish five books, but I read four more. In the beginning of the month, I read one novel in verse, Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming (5/5 stars), which was also my favorite book of the month. I also read Sarah Brooks’s steampunk fantasy The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands (3/5 stars), which unfortunately was a bit of a disappointment.

Jane Austen July 2026

Jane Austen July hopefuls

 

Jane Austen July is a month long readathon all about Jane Austen, her novels and other writings, and her time period. I’ve taken part in the challenge the last two years (you can find my 2024 TBR and wrap-up as well as the 2025 TBR and wrap-up behind the links). As Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors, I’ve loved this challenge, and naturally, I want to take part this year as well.

There are seven challenges in this readathon: five books and two screen adaptations. You can find more information about the challenge from the Youtube videos posted by the hosts of the challenge (Katie from Books and Things, Marissa from Blatantly Bookish, and Claudia from Spinster’s Library).

Here’s what I’m planning to read this year and my reasons for picking them.

Book Review: The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks

The Cautious Traveller's Guide
to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks

Book title: The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands
Author: Sarah Brooks
Genre: Steampunk fantasy
Published: June 18, 2024
372 pages
My rating: 3/5

“There is a woman on the platform with a borrowed name. With steam in her eyes and the taste of oil on her lips. The shrill, desperate whistle of the train turns into the sobbing of a young girl nearby and the cries of the trinket vendors, hawking their flimsy amulets as protection against Wastelands sickness.”

1899, a train runs from Beijing to Moscow across the Siberian Wastelands where strange phenomena are taking place. Marya Petrovna, a young woman with a borrowed name, boards the train to find out what happened to her father on the previous crossing. Weiwei, a girl born on the train, defies the rules of the train company and protects a stowaway girl. Henry Grey, a disgraced naturalist, is determined to restore his reputation. Together, they must survive the journey even as the uncontrollable Wastelands seem to break into the train.

The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands is Sarah Brooks’s debut novel. The premise sounded fascinating, and I was excited to read this steampunk fantasy, but unfortunately, the book left me a little disappointed.

Book Review: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Book title: Brown Girl Dreaming
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Genre: Memoir, novel in verse
Published: August 28, 2014
337 pages
My rating: 5/5

Brown Girl Dreaming is Jacqueline Woodson’s memoir or autobiographical novel in verse about her youth in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Born in Ohio and raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In her poems, she talks about growing up as a brown girl, her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement, and her love of stories even while she struggled to learn to read.

I was maybe expecting a novel in verse to be more poetic, but Woodson’s poems read almost like prose. I don’t know if this is because I read the book in a Finnish translation and poems are notoriously difficult to translate, or if the translation accurately captures Woodson’s style. Whether the lack of lyricism is a minus is a matter of taste. I probably only paid attention to it because I’m not the target audience for this middle grade book. The prose-like style makes the book easy to read and understand for younger readers.

May Wrap-Up and June Hopefuls

May reads

May Wrap-Up

• Finished: 11
• Started but not finished: 1
• Total pages read: 4,102
• Average rating: 4.25

I read a lot of books in May! Four of them were novels. I read the last two books in Saara El-Arifi’s fantasy trilogy The Ending Fire, The Battle Drum (3/5 stars) and The Ending Fire (4/5 stars). I also read the first book in Hannah Kaner’s fantasy trilogy Fallen Gods, Godkiller (4.5/5 stars). And I reread Suzanne Collins’s YA dystopian fiction The Hunger Games. Since that book is so well-known by this point, I’m not reviewing it. Suffice it to say that it’s still worth five stars. You can find my reviews of the other three books behind the links.

Book Review: Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

Book title: Godkiller
Author: Hannah Kaner
Genre: Fantasy
Published: January 19, 2023
304 pages
My rating: 4.5/5

“Why does it matter what happens to me?” said Elo.
“Because we could be the same, you and I,” she said after a moment. “What happened to us does not define us, what we do next is what matters.”

After a brutal war between gods and people, worship of gods is forbidden in the kingdom of Middren. Kissen makes a living as a godkiller, but when she meets a god that has bonded with a young girl, she promises not to kill him. They set out to the ruined city of Blenraden to ask for help from the last wild gods haunting the place. On the way, they meet a former knight on a mission to save the king.

Godkiller is the first book in Hannah Kaner’s adult fantasy trilogy Fallen Gods. This was a fast-paced and exciting read. Although the plot was rather simple, there were nice twists along the way to keep my interest up. I also liked all four point-of-view characters, and there wasn’t single one whose chapters I wanted to skip. Despite them all being moody and grumpy, it was easy to learn to like them and to root for them. I also liked the disabled and queer representation in this book.