5 star – Page 4 – Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Emily Wilde #1

A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love in the start of a heartwarming and enchanting new fantasy series.

Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party–or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, and the Fair Folk.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones–the most elusive of all faeries–lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all–her own heart.

Overall Recommendation:

With Emily’s unique voice set in a beautifully imaginative historical world where faeries live among us, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries stands itself firmly out among the crowd. Perfect for an autumn or winter read, this book transports you to this alternative history in early 1900s through Emily’s eyes as a researcher of the fae. I loved the extensive world building and Emily’s grumpy character to Wendell’s bubbly nature. The romance was slow burn while the world takes centre stage, but this is everything I could ask for. This is how a cozy historical fantasy should be done!

The hype was real with this book when it first came out, and I’m never too certain if I want to jump on board the hype train while it’s still hot. However, my workplace book club voted to read this so I gladly decided to pick it up now, a little behind most others, and I’m so happy I did.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is the perfect blend of coziness for an autumn/winter read, intrigue into the world building full of all sorts of faeries, and slow burn romance that makes me want to giggle like a young schoolgirl swinging her feet happily. To describe everything that I feel for this book is not going to be easy, but I can describe the tropes I found I really enjoyed.

Starting with characterization, our protagonist Emily is a grumpy introvert with perhaps more than a dash of social anxiety and a huge love of rational thinking. Think Kathy Reich’s protagonist Temperance Brennan kind of awkwardness and love for scientific discovery. I rather enjoyed Emily’s character, from start to finish. She grew a lot in her experiences at Ljosland as she hoped to finish her encyclopedia with an entry on the Hidden Ones found in this sub-Arctic country.

To balance her character, her mysterious colleague and sometimes rival, Wendell Bambleby was an enigma from the start. Bubbly personality that could charm pretty much anyone once he got started, he was the complete opposite of Emily in pretty much most ways. While he enjoyed his work on faeries, he was noted to have many students help him with the “hard” work and may have fabricated data for a study or two (whoops). His teamwork with Emily, though, was one of my favourite things. This was the true definition of a grumpy and sunshine couple, and I loved seeing their banter that brought out Emily’s snarkiness and his teasing. For fans of romance, I will say this was a very slow burn romance that barely constituted much in this book, however, I wouldn’t want it to change a thing as it sets the stage for so much more we can expect in the next book.

The mystery surrounding Wendell, as hinted in the synopsis, doesn’t actually come at the end but gradually builds which was a delightful surprise. It’s not that we know everything, but it’s enough to draw us forward for what’s to come. I thought that was beautifully done by Heather, and she may be an author to love based on this alone.

Other tropes I loved that was featured heavily is the concept of found family. Emily never made ties with the villagers in the remote locations she did field work for her research. She did her thing and left, no emotions or strings attached. But in an isolated place like Ljosland, when things go awry (and oh boy, do they have some interesting misadventures), you need someone to count on besides yourself. I really enjoyed seeing these secondary characters blossom a little, and how they brought out Emily’s softer side that wasn’t so rigid in empirical thinking.

The pace and world building were excellently done as well, something I find can be quite hard in books. Written as a detailed journal with dated entries, it never quite felt like the story was too long or the author dumped a load of information about the world for the sake of knowledge alone. References were made, including little intriguing footnotes, that made me want to know more instead of reading paragraphs full of descriptions that made me yawn. I thoroughly enjoyed this method of giving us information while being true to Emily’s experiences and her voice. If you’re a fan of Piranesi, I would think this similar writing style would be of interest to you.

I’ve done all this talking and I haven’t even gotten to the faeries yet. Honestly, even if this wasn’t a faerie book, there are just so many things to love already. But as it is a faerie book, I will mention there is so much creativity and imaginative thought put into this story. From different faerie stories collected Emily has collected in her research travels to the different species and their unique attributes/weaknesses, even the randomest details in Emily’s notes she references could play a larger role in the overall story than we know. The faeries range from scary/violent to little common fae I would love to meet. Heather has put care into describing them and crafting this folklore feel around everything. If I had to absolutely pick my most favourite element of this book, I’d have to go with this.

I could go on and gush more, but I will end off saying this book more than meets the hype. You may not think of yourself as a historical fantasy kind of reader, but you wouldn’t know until you try. There are so many elements here to love. In a similar vein to Rebecca Ross’ A River Enchanted, there’s not only magic in the story, but there is magic in reading the book itself.

5 star

Review: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

September 27, 2023September 27, 2023 Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors–until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

This is a book also recommended by a friend, who said I would certainly like it—and boy were they correct. Not that it’s a perfect book by any means, but I certainly really enjoyed it and I have an excellent perspective of it coming out the other side. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who is at all intrigued by the synopsis.

Remarkably Bright Creatures follows to main characters: an old lady, and a giant pacific octopus. How is this even possible? Read the book to find out! On a more serious note, it does take place mostly in a small town aquarium, with POVs swapping mostly between the two aforementioned characters. It is a truly heartwarming story, and has plenty of character development and intrigue for those who enjoy that. Of course, that little bit of fantasy sprinkled in just for the touch of more-than-realism which makes it just so enjoyable.

The characters were truly, truly excellent in this book. My favourite character was the octopus, which sounds just absurd, but he really was. Although we are all perfectly aware he is just an octopus, the way he is written is truly excellent, and so relatable (?!) and you’ll just have to see what I mean by reading it. The humans were also great though. So many of them were all complex, with their own thoughts and how they see and interact with the world. Their flaws, and how they individually try to overcome or sidestep them. Truly each character was so relatable, or at least understandable, and I felt for them all, even if I didn’t necessarily agree with their viewpoints. If you are into characters, relationships, and development (of adults), this one is definitely for you.

The plot is decent. No it’s not exactly unpredictable, and for the most part it is quite predictable. That being said there were still a couple of twists that I didn’t quite see coming, and truly the characters are so excellent, the plot isn’t really anything too too important, but rather just a device to bring all the characters together into a proper story. Because of the way it’s used in this book, I didn’t dock any marks for this in my rating. However, if there were a way to make it an even more excellent story by being slightly less predictable, or perhaps less obvious about the direction it was going with the hints, that may have been better? I enjoyed it nonetheless.

The writing overall was truly excellent. This ties back mostly to the characters, but I personally enjoyed the tone of the piece a lot. It may not be for everyone, but the way it was so casually written, almost as if I was just a friend floating alongside all the characters really drew me into the story and kept me hooked. This book isn’t the shortest one out there but it certainly felt that way as I flew through its pages trying to read more (about the octopus, of course!). I really liked the different ideas and themes that were explored in this book as well, and it really felt like a heartwarming, cozy, yet totally meaningful story to read. I can’t recommend it enough! I feel like a wide-range of audiences could appreciate this one.

Overall Recommendations

Remarkably Bright Creatures is a book revolving around a mischievous giant pacific octopus in a small town aquarium, attended by a lovely old lady who cleans it. The two unlikely friends navigate their individual isolated lives, as both deal with heartbreak and other tensions that everyone is familiar with. Told through multiple POVs and in a very casual tone, the story really gives an in depth look into all its complex characters and relationships, and the nature of expectations and observations about human nature. This is an excellent book, and I definitely recommend it!

5 star, YA

Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

July 24, 2023July 23, 2023 Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Achilles, “the best of all the Greeks,” son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods’ wrath.

They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.

I really didn’t want to cry, and I almost didn’t. But on the very last page I broke, which I think is appropriate in its own way. I had a couple friends recommend this to me as one of their favourite books, and I think I can see why. If you enjoy mythology like I do, I think this one especially hits hard.

The Song of Achilles is a retelling of the story of Achilles, as told through the eyes of Patroclus. It is a coming-of-age story combined with the classic myths of Achilles and the Fall of Troy. If you’re a mythology buff, you will also recognize many other characters. The story goes through Patroclus’s unfortunate upbringing up to his exile and training and finally their participation in the war against Troy. Of course, the gods are always meddling and placing their own cryptic prophecies ever guiding the paths of heroes and mortals alike. Just who and what will be sacrificed as each tries to reach their dreams?

Nothing should really come as a surprise in this book, as it doesn’t deviate too far from classical mythology in terms of the plot. I am not an expert in mythology but I know that the general plots were followed. However, there was so much more packed into this book. It literally starts from the very beginning with the birth of Patroclus, and it really takes us through the journey of his childhood, teenage-hood all the way up to his adulthood. We really get to see into his thoughts and the story really builds on his whole journey and his feelings all the way through.

The characters were very well crafted. Of course there is a baseline expectation for all the different mythological characters but Miller really executed them well. Odysseus was wily, Peleus was kind, and King Priam was also his meek self. The story almost felt real, even though the myth is literally a tale as old as time. I couldn’t help but be wrapped up in the emotional story, even as I knew what was coming.

The use of foreshadowing was excellent in this book. It really played on all my expectations of the book and augmented the emotional anguish I felt for what was coming. I had to pause every couple of pages at some point just to catch my breath because of how intense the feelings come through in this book. If you’re into that kind of storytelling, where the emotions really reign supreme, this one is definitely for you. The way all the plot devices were used to enhance the story were excellent, and the way the story completely revolves around Patroclus’s perspective really adds to that. We really only understand the world as through his eyes, and there is something about the deep connection that you form with the main protagonist that really strengthens the emotional bond that you form with him from minute one.

I can’t sing enough praises about this book, though I can see how it might be a bit more convoluted if you aren’t familiar with the characters and how they might act. But to me, I had a great time watching a good myth come to life, told in such an emotional manner that I had never experienced before and had not expected from this myth. I really felt for all the extremely tough decisions that had to be made, and how the gods and other higher men were always unfairly influencing his life, and just the general inevitable (Greek) tragedy unfolding before my eyes that brought me to tears. What a great cathartic read!

Overall Recommendations

The Song of Achilles is a heartbreaking tale of the Greek myth, and follows the life of Patroclus, Achilles’ ever-present companion. As usual, the story is subject to the wiles of different divinities, and the two must navigate the ancient political agendas and all their familial expectations. The foreshadowing was excellent and the emotional rollercoaster was truly something of a marvel. The fidelity to the original myth was also excellent, and something I look for. Overall a very very excellent read.