Fiction
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Chain Gang All Stars is set in a near-future America where prisoners can earn freedom by surviving a televised death-match programme. The story follows teammates and lovers Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker as rules shift and protests rise. While the large cast and frequent perspective changes can feel confusing, the central relationship is…
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After giving the book a full five stars last year, I was both excited and a little worried to see the film adaptation of Project Hail Mary. Would it capture the humour, tension and science that made the story so compelling? Thankfully, the film manages to stay true to the spirit of the book while…
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ke It Back is a gripping and thought-provoking novel that follows Zara Kaleel, a former barrister who leaves behind one of London’s brightest legal careers to work at a rape crisis centre. When she begins supporting Jodie Wolfe, a vulnerable sixteen-year-old who accuses four Muslim boys of rape, the case quickly spirals beyond the courtroom.…
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I went into The Favourites expecting a straightforward romance set on the ice — what I found instead was a dramatic, twist-filled story of ambition, obsession and destructive love. Set against the glittering but ruthless world of competitive skating, this modern reimagining of Wuthering Heights delivers betrayal, sabotage and shock after shock. Just when you…
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Written in 1993 but set in 2024, Parable of the Sower feels less like dystopian fiction and more like a chilling forecast. As society fractures under climate change, inequality, and violence, Lauren Olamina begins to build a new belief system from the ashes — proving that even in collapse, something new can grow.
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The Trees confronts America’s history of racial violence through a darkly satirical lens, blending murder, history, and uncomfortable humour. While the novel raises powerful questions about reckoning and revenge, its strange structure and genre-blurring approach may leave readers unsettled — and unsure — by the final page.
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Leviathan Wakes is an expansive, cinematic science fiction novel that balances mystery, political tension, and interplanetary conflict across the solar system.
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Cultish challenges the idea that cults are only religious or inherently bad, instead presenting them as something that exists on a spectrum. By exploring sport, fandoms, and marketing alongside religion, Amanda Montell shows how language creates belonging — and how easily that sense of connection can shift from healthy to harmful.
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Wordslut is a thought-provoking read filled with linguistic facts that really stick with you. While its strong focus on American English made some examples less relatable as a British reader, it still offers an interesting exploration of how language shapes gender and identity, even if not every section brought new clarity for me.
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“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…
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Clytemnestra is a sharp, accessible feminist retelling that gives one of Greek mythology’s most notorious women her own voice. I enjoyed how easy it was to read, though the short, punchy sentences sometimes made the story feel a bit rushed. The themes of female rage, power, and trauma come through clearly, especially in the chapter…
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Truth, like light, can blind those unprepared to face it. Yet without it, we stumble endlessly in the dark—mistaking shadows for certainty.
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Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that shines a light on everyday sexism and gender inequality in South Korea. Through the life of one ordinary woman, Cho Nam-Joo reveals how deeply rooted these issues are in both family and society. I especially liked how the author wove real statistics into the…
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The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is a slow-burning psychological horror that focuses less on ghosts and more on the fragility of the human mind. While the story promises supernatural terror, the real haunting lies within Eleanor — a lonely, uncertain woman whose desire for belonging mirrors the house’s dark allure. Jackson’s writing…
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In the silence of deep space, one man wakes up with no memory — alone, uncertain, and thousands of miles from home. As fragments of his past return, he realises he’s humanity’s last hope against an impossible threat. With only his mind, his courage, and an unexpected ally, Ryland Grace must unravel the mystery of…
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A Marvellous Light is a queer, magical realist novel set in an alternative Edwardian England. It follows Robin Blyth, who unexpectedly finds himself in a new government position that plunges him into a hidden world of magic. After being attacked and cursed, Robin must rely on the help of Edwin Courcey, a prickly and intelligent…
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This novel is set close to home for me, in the small Derbyshire village of Eyam, and takes place during the Great Plague of 1665—a time also marked by suspicion and fear of witchcraft. The story follows two central women: Isabel Frith, the village midwife, and Mae, the youngest daughter of Wulfric. Their lives intertwine…
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Last weekend I was lucky enough to go to The Queen’s Reading Room, a literary festival at Chatsworth House. I was so proud to meet seven wonderful authors, including Samantha Shannon. I also attended her talk Fantasy and Dystopia within Fiction, where she was interviewed by the equally incredible Saara El-Arifi. The setting made it…
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On Saturday 20th September, I had the absolute pleasure of attending The Queen’s Reading Room, a remarkable literary festival hosted within the breath-taking grounds of Chatsworth House and Gardens — famously recognised as the cinematic backdrop of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
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The Unmaking of June Farrow is a fantasy/sci-fi novel by Adrienne Young, featuring June, a woman who travels from 2023 to 1951, entangled in a complex timeline involving murder, romance, and a family curse affecting only women. The engaging story highlights gender roles, despite leaving some questions unanswered, and showcases intriguing character relationships.