A curly hair ginger girl sitting on a beach surrounded by books, reading, with a small puppy dog by her side.

Between the Pages

A Literary Journey Through Book Reviews

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  • *Advanced Reader Copy* Returning to The Book Club Murders felt like catching up with old friends. The familiar cast, another compelling mystery, and Maggie Allswell’s cosy writing style made this a thoroughly enjoyable read. While I found this instalment a little more predictable than the first, it was still an entertaining mystery that kept the… Read more

  • *Advanced Reader Copy* The Knife Maker of Venice is a well-researched historical fiction set in seventeenth-century Europe, following a young English boy who is captured and sold into slavery in Venice. The story begins slowly, focusing on world-building and character introduction, before building into a more fast-paced and action-driven second half. The sibling relationship between… Read more

  • Station Eleven

    Station Eleven is a haunting and reflective dystopian novel that explores life before and after a devastating pandemic. Through interconnected characters and shifting timelines, it focuses less on action and more on the emotional weight of survival, memory, and human connection. While its structure can feel disorienting at first, the story gradually weaves together into… Read more

  • The Book Club Murders

    *Advanced Reader Copy* I went into The Book Club Murders not quite knowing what to expect, but it quickly won me over with its humour, charm, and intriguing premise. Following a book club that suspects they have stumbled across a real-life serial killer, the story balances light-hearted moments with genuine suspense. With a cast of… Read more

  • Orbital

    Orbital by Samantha Harvey is a quiet, reflective science-fiction novel that follows a group of astronauts observing Earth from space, focusing more on their thoughts and emotions than a traditional plot. While it explores powerful themes like grief, human connection, and the fragility of our planet, I often felt a little disconnected despite some thought-provoking… Read more

  • Never Let Me Go

    Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is a dystopian novel that follows Kathy from her school days to her work as a carer and eventually a donor. The story’s ambiguity can be confusing at first, and I even had to Google a few details to follow along. Kathy’s emotionally distant narration made it hard… Read more

  • There’s something incredibly special about A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. It isn’t driven by high-stakes action or constant tension, but by the quiet, meaningful connections between its characters. Each member of the Wayfarer crew feels real, flawed, and deeply human, despite coming from entirely different worlds. It’s a story that reminds you… Read more

  • Leviathan Wakes is an expansive, cinematic science fiction novel that balances mystery, political tension, and interplanetary conflict across the solar system. Read more

  • A Conspiracy of Truths

    “A Conspiracy of Truths is a clever slow-burn fantasy told through the wry voice of Chant, an old storyteller imprisoned for witchcraft. Despite the confined setting, the world feels vivid thanks to the many fables and stories woven throughout, and the dynamic between Chant and his young apprentice, Ylfing, keeps the narrative engaging. It’s not… Read more