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Taste of Persia by Naomi 

Duguid

I received this as an arc from Netgalley as an exchange for an honest review.





I grew up to the smells and tastes of my mother's kitchen. There, extraordinary spices would be used from far off places that I only dreamed of going. That was where the family gathered to exchange long-winding stories about their day, question the future, reminiscence over the past. There, my mother would knead the bread, my father would grill the meat, and the unfortunate task of chopping the onions always fell on me. Elaborate meals were created and celebrated at that kitchen.




Now, a 1000 miles away from my parents, away at Uni, I often settle for the simple. Frozen pizza, nuggets, burgers (if it's frozen, you know I've tried it!). Unfortunately, as a student, time is as rare a commodity as some of the spices in my mom's cupboard. 

But, if I found myself the time, and I cooked one of the recipes, and it brought me home.
Even if you're new to these recipes, it'll still bring you tremendous joy to create these foods (and even more joy to consume them!).




The pictures in the book were beautiful, and the recipes were well-crafted and easy to follow. Naomi Duguid also brings in interesting background context on each recipe, this book is both a cookbook and a traveller's guide to Persia.


Also a delightful addition for fans of Sabrina Ghayour's "Persiana" cookbook



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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo



5 stars

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“No mourners. No funerals. Among them, it passed for 'good luck.” 





I'm cynical about over-hyped things. My impossibly high expectations are incredibly hard to beat, and I'm usually left disappointed. Like the very first time I tried deep fried ice-cream after hearing about it for years. Sure, it was good, but it wasn't that good. 

Not only did The Six of Crows meet my expectation, it went beyond them.

Trying to search my brain to think any cons to this story, but everything was done masterfully:

Realistically flawed, and sympathetic characters ✓
Fast-paced plot ✓
Character development ✓
Hilarious-moments-where-I’m-actually-laughing-aloud-in-public (please don't think I'm crazy, fellow train-goers) ✓
Deep, quotable lines ✓ 
Imaginative world building ✓



The book starts out with Kaz Brekker. Also known as Dirtyhands, he was the enigmatic, ruthless leader of the Dregs, a city gang in Ketterdame. Due to his expertise in all things criminal, and his penchant for not getting caught, he is propositioned by the council of Ketterdame.

The mission Break out this scientist from the highest security prison in their world. 
This scientist holds the secrete to jurda parem , a highly addictive substance that is given to Grisha's, or witches, to accentuates their powers to impossible heights. 
The stakes? 30 million kruge. 
The risks Death. Life imprisonment. Torture 
The team: 




(I bet Kaz could could do that)


Kaz:
The leader. The plan-maker. The bastard of the barrel. He will lead his team to the Ice Court, but can they trust him? What is fact or fiction about Kaz...and is he as ruthless as they say?

“When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.” 







Inej:
The wraith. The acrobat. Dealing with a tragic past, she is now Kaz's spy. Can she face the challenges of the Ice Court? and the challenges of the future?

“The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.” 


Jesper:
Sharp-shooter. Hired gun. Gambler. One of Kaz's most trusted crew, but will the high risks he takes be the end of him in the Ice Court?

“His heart was pounding, and adrenaline crackled through his body in delicious spikes.” 

Nina:
Grisha. Witch. Heartrender. A once devoted soldier to the Grisha cause, she is now a member of the Dregs. She seeks to set right the crimes of her past, but will her loyalty to the Grisha cause prove to be the teams doom?

“It's not natural for women to fight."
"It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand.” 

Matthias:
Druskelle. WItchhunter. Wrongfully imprisoned for slave-trading, he is offered a deal by Kaz. Help them break into his home, the Ice Court, and he will be pardoned for his crimes. Can Matthias betray his home country? his fellow soldiers? Or will he betray his team, instead?

“The water hears and understands. The ice does not forgive.” 

Wylan:
Merchant's son. Engineer. The (willing!) hostage. A runaway from his life of luxury before Kaz picked him as his team. If his father does not pay the 30 million kruge, Wylan's life would be at the wrath of Kaz. But is there more to Wylan than just a merchants son? 

“Always hit where the mark isn't looking"

"Who's Mark?" asked Wylan.” 




“Kaz leaned back. "What's the easiest way to steal a man's wallet?"
"Knife to the throat?" asked Inej.
"Gun to the back?" said Jesper.
"Poison in his cup?" suggested Nina.
"You're all horrible," said Matthias.” 

Each character's past, motivations, fears, and hopes were explored throughly. Through flash backs, we are able to see the stories and events that shaped them. These teenagers, for they are my age (and I know that I would NOT be able to successfully break into anywhere. I can't even sneak into my sisters room unnoticed when she's asleep to get the phone charger) were capable. Not once did I think 'they're too immature to pull this off' or 'that was a stupid decision, they almost deserve to get caught.' It was a pleasure to see these misfits, once strangers to each other, develop loyalties and friendships. It was even more of a pleasure to see these character evolve and grow. 

(view spoiler)

The plot was fast-paced. It tore your hear out because everything that could go wrong...went wrong. You had to know what happened next, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I'll need to reread this book in the not too distant future, just to savour the words like wine, instead of guzzling them like cheap soda. This book is meant to be savoured, but unfortunately the temptation of finding out what happens to our favourite band of misfits proved to be too much.

The world-building was out of this world (hahaha, get it?). Heavily influenced by Eastern European culture, it was fascinating to read about the customs and traditions of that world. The world was described in great detail at the right places , but thankfully not too much detail (I'm looking at you, Lord of the Rings!). 



(I imagine Ketterdame like Prague)

Diversity:
Thank you Leigh Bardugo, for including a cast of characters that are as diverse as the world you created. Thank you for creating diverse characters that were not influenced by stereotypes, or were background noises. Thank you.

“A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse.” 


Six of Crows was a great book. Scratch that, it was one of the best books I've read this year. Will I reread this? Hell yeah. But let me get the second book in my hands first. Screw savouring, that book I will devour.

Book Pairings 
The Demon King (World-building is similar)
Daughter of Smoke & Bone (although not my favourite book, the world-building was stunning)





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Radium Girls by Kate Moore

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3.5/5

I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I am a huge fan of lawyer shows. The suave suits, the briefcases, the courtroom drama? What's not to like?

And, in every single one of these shows, there is always an episode dedicated to bringing justice to workers who have gotten sick due to big corporations using toxic materials in their factories.

Unfortunately, these dramas glosses over the real struggles these workers face to get adequate compensation.

This was quite a good book.

It tells the tragic (and true!) story of the struggles of factory workers to get adequate compensation for the terrible health problems they faced due to their exposure to radium. At times it is heart-breaking, sorrowful, and hard-to-read.

Throughout this book, we feel the girls pain. The aches, the progressing disease, the fight against the corporation. This book bears a stark reminder to the current unsafe work standards in underdeveloped countries that manufacture our clothes.

Rather than written as a story, it's written like a news article. While this may throw you off in the beginning, it allows for more historical accuracy.

Overall, this was a historically accurate book that was often devastating but never boring.

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With Love,

Bookish Review:

 The Shadow of the Wind

Title: Uprooted
Authors: Carols Ruis Zafon
Language: English
Rating: 5 foxes out of 5


A stunning 4.5 stars



This will not be a standard review, for any cohesive thoughts left in my brain has been wringed dry by the Shadow of the Wind.
I am haunted by Barcelona. I yearn for avenues never walked, for cafes never tasted, for artwork and for buildings I have never seen. Zafon breathed life into the city until it was alive, with as much complexities and intricacies as his characters. A great writer has the magic to transport its readers into extraordinary lands, to make them feel like they belong even in the strangest places. Zafon does just that.
But he does not stop with the city. No, he breathed life into every character, giving them unimaginable depths with only a few short words. I carried them all in my heart: the murderers, the prostitutes, the booksellers, the writers. Some characters felt like olds friends, like Fermin, others felt like reflections of myself, like Daniel. 
His writing is poetry, both humorous and tragic. I find myself rereading some phrases to imprint them in my mind. This book needs to be savored, unfortunately, I had to no choice but to devour it whole.
You see, I had to know. I had to know who was the man burning the books? Who was Julian Carax? Penelope? In the end I am left completely satisfied, albeit also exhausted, with the ending. Do yourself a favor, read this book. 

Most preferably, read this book when the outside looks like this. 




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Book Review: Uprooted

Title: Uprooted
Authors: Naomi Novik
Published: 2025
Language: English
Rating: 5foxes out of 5


After a dry spell with a bunch of horrid YA's, I seemed to have lost my faith in all books. I did what any sane person would do after a nasty book breakup--I swore of all books! That meant: no bookstores, no audiobooks, no lovingly rearranging my shelves, and no Goodreads *GASP*. 

Of course, that lasted for about a day.

Then, I picked up Uprooted by Naomi Novik, and it was like the first sip of a cup of tea after walking home in the rain. Pure bliss. 

"Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose"

What utterly charms me about this book is the creativity. I value imagination in a writer more than anything, and Novik seems to be chock full of imagination. I also liked that the romance in this book wasn't overbearing, but fit alongside the plot quite well (trust me... it wasn't insta-love). 

Now, let's speak about the characters. 

Agniezka:

I adored her. She was funny, loyal, and extremely untidy. I'd be hard pressed to find a book where friendship, especially between girls (authors generally don't write much about strong female friendships, and if they do, they're usually extremely catty, and filled with petty jealousy's... SIGH!), that was portrayed so well. 
One criticism though, I felt that as we progressed throughout the book, Agniezka became almost too amazing at everything she did. 

Sarkan:
Not going to say much about this, but totally had a crush on him.

The pacing was fast, I found that I wouldn't have been able to put this book down even in the face of Russian torture. I especially liked the message the author was trying to communicate about the forest. 

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that turned out to be my favourite one this year. 


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Sincerely, 

Book Review:Emerald Bound

Title: Emerald Bound

Authors: Teresa Richards
Published: 2016
Language: English
Rating: 3.5 foxes out of 5

I received an arc from Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review. 


3.5 Foxes out of 5

How I feel when there is a new Fairy Tale retelling out:




I blame it on OUAT and my love for this man:

 

Danger was what made the game of truth and dare fun, but Maggie did not expect it to go this far. Dared to spy on the star high school baseball player’s house (with a father rumored to be in the FBI) the game goes quickly awry. Caught spying, she and her friends are invited to their house. Except...something's wrong. There's a noticeable gloom in the house, a wrongness, that sends the readers heart shuddering. I've never read a retelling for the Princess and the Pea, even as a child I found the tale to be quite bland (I mean what kind of plot line revolves around a pea?). But, Teresa Richards was able to bring it to life by turning the pea into a an emerald that sucks the souls of unsuspecting girls. 



This book was just so darn entertaining. I love retellings, I love reading my favorite fairy tales with an added twist. Teresa Richards was able to skillfully turn a nursery tale into a complex, dark book that compelled me to abandon my anatomy homework for (Et tu, book?). 
I am a firm believer that all retellings need to bring something new to the table (i.e: Cinder=futuristic cyborgs, ACOTAR=fairies, etc), and Teresa Richards not only brings a lot to the table, SHE BRINGS THE TABLE. This book was unique, with plot twists, and intricate side stories, and complex characters. (oh, and as a side not, let’s not forget the AMAZING depiction of female friendship)

Light and breezy, Maggie is a narrator designed to entertain. And boy, does she. Humorous, and with plenty of pop culture references, she is compelling to read. Each character had their own voice: from poor, imprisoned Lindy to vapid Marshall. Told between two POVs; from Maggie, in modern day times, and Lindy, in 1600 Sweden, we are able to slowly pierce the mystery behind the emerald. 

One of the cons for this book, that lowered my rating, is that I found the villains to be two dimensional. As in, they had the typical motives, the typical lines, the typical cruelty. They didn’t feel real to me, and if anything, they felt like cartoon caricatures of what a villain should be. 
But, despite this, I am eagerly awaiting the next book.

If you’re looking for a twist on a beloved fairy tale, for compelling characters, or for hours’ worth of entertainment…pick up this book immediately. 


What to read next if you enjoyed this book:

For other Fairy Tale retellings:
-Cinder by marrisa mayer
-A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sara J Maas
-Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

For similar writing styles:
-Anything by Ally Carter
-Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier


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Sincerely, 

The Bear and the Nightingale Book Review

Title: The Bear and the Nightingale
Authors: Katherine Arden
Published: 2016
Language: English
Rating: 4 foxes out of 5

This book was generously provided as an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review '

I think my love for winter came from both being born in midwinter, and from spending my childhood in one of the coldest countries of the world. Very few novels are able to depict both winter’s magic (crackling fires, warm mittens, cinnamon spiced drinks) and its cruelty (hunger, frost-bitten fingers, wild winds). The Bear and the Nightingale was able to portray both, seamlessly.

 A blend of Russian fairy-tales, with reminiscence of Uprooted and Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, this book is evocative and haunting. Books like these, that effortlessly captures your hearts and lures you in, only come in a reader’s hands rarely. 

  In the space between one breath and the next, the wind told him a tale: of life and death together, of a child born with the failing year.

Vasya was born different. She is more wild than tamed, a dangerous thing to be in medieval Russia, when strange females were seen as witches. As cruel forces threaten her village, Vasya must use her courage to defeat the evil that threatens all she knows.

Blood is one thing. The sight is another. But courage—that is rarest of all, Vasilisa Petrovna.

Vasya was quite a character. One who refused to be imprisoned by society’s expectations of women, who refused to be caged, who found beauty in the wilderness of the forest, of winter, and of the cruel Winter-King. 

The book also speaks about fear, and how easily we relinquish our freedom when we are afraid. This message gives the book a wonderfully darker tone, that kept me entranced the entire way though. 

Each character had depth, from the fearful priest, to the mad stepmother. Even the spirits that roam the land are different, from the household spirits that help with chores (I would like three, please!) to the lake spirits that drown wayward travelers. Written compellingly, I will not soon forget that snowy Russian village near the forest, the Winter Demon, nor Vasya, the bravest of them all.

Let's hope there will be sequel, shall we?

Book Pairings:

Uprooted

Howl's Moving Castle

The Bronze Horseman *for another book set in Russia

Keturah and Lord Death

The Blue Castle *For a girl whose also wild at heart

Sincerely,