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

Reading

  • A Long Way To A Small Angry Planer (Wayferers #1)

    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

  • Chain Gang All Stars

    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… Read more

  • Project Hail Mary Film Review

    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… Read more

  • Parable of the Sower

    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. Read more

  • Talking Honestly About Books Without Taking It Personally 

    We’ve all been there: someone calls a book their favourite, and the room goes quiet when another reader admits they didn’t enjoy it. Suddenly, a difference in taste feels personal. In this post, I reflect on how we can share honest book opinions — in reviews and book clubs — without turning disagreement into discomfort. Read more

  • The Trees

    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. Read more

  • Eleanor

    I’m a big history fan, so I went into Eleanor expecting a history-focused book that would explore the life of a lesser-known Queen of England. Instead, the book is largely a retracing of Eleanor’s funeral procession through England, which, while interesting in places, wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Read more

  • Cultish

    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. Read more

  • The Christmas Killer

    The Christmas Killer is the first in a winter-themed crime series by Alex Pine. Marketed around the chilling promise of “12 murders over 12 days,” it immediately sets festive expectations—though the execution doesn’t quite live up to the concept. Read more

  • Breaking the Myth: Dyslexics Can Be Bookworms 

    People are often surprised when I say I’m dyslexic and I love to read. There’s this outdated myth that dyslexia and books don’t mix — but for me, stories have always felt like home. Dyslexia doesn’t stop you from being a reader; it just means you experience words in your own unique way. And honestly,… Read more

  • Clytemnestra

    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… Read more

  • The Egyptian Myths

    Despite my lifelong fascination with Ancient Egypt, I realised while reading The Egyptian Myths just how intricate and layered the mythology truly is. Garry J. Shaw presents each story with clarity, but the sheer volume of gods, roles, and variations can feel overwhelming—in a strangely enjoyable way. One of the most surprising revelations was discovering… Read more

  • The Secret of Secrets (Robert Langdon #6)

    Truth, like light, can blind those unprepared to face it. Yet without it, we stumble endlessly in the dark—mistaking shadows for certainty. Read more

  • Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

    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… Read more

  • The Haunting of Hill House

    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… Read more

  • Project Hail Mary

    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… Read more

  • A Marvellous Light (The Last Binding #1)

    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… Read more

  • The Hemlock Cure

    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… Read more

  • Samantha Shannon – Fantasy and Dystopia within Fiction

    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… Read more

  • The Queen’s Reading Room – Chatsworth Literacy Festival

    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. Read more