Tri-Monthly Wrap-Up/ Mini Reviews

Is “tri-monthly” the right word? June, July, August — loads of books and shows that I discovered and even liked (wonder of wonders)! Interestingly, in pretty much all of these, I also found that the blurb or the trailer had been misleading. Here’s a (long post) wrap up.

Castle Barebane by Joan Aiken

A rather strange and underrated historical fantasy work set in the 1880s involving a “road trip” from New York to Scotland. The journalist heroine sets out to help her odd brother (and also escape her marriage). Then she finds herself embroiled in a blackmail plot and with her young nephew and niece in tow. This book really defies genre and age groupings. The suspense is slow to build-up, the “fantasy” part is very, very subtle. I even thought there was some LGBTQ representation in this 1976 book. Also historically accurate, as can be expected from Aiken.

Why didn’t they ask Evans?

A very quirky new adaptation of one of Agatha Christie’s more complex mysteries. This cryptic question changes every time: Why didn’t they ask Evans? Why didn’t they ask Evans? Why didn’t they ask Evans? Wait at least till Episode 2 for the show to really get going.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

I’ve generally found Kingfisher’s work to be on the lighter side, but Nettle & Bone hit just the right “darker” notes for me. Marra has to look for ways to assassinate her cruel brother-in-law, and collects a rag-tag bunch of companions for the task. There’s also a very sly joke on witchy godmothers which I just loved and reminded me a lot of Terry Pratchett’s style. Perfect blend of spooky and funny.

Night Blade by Erin Kellison

I’d really been looking forward to this sequel to The Stone God, and I wasn’t disappointed. A bunch of alien beings have been chained to earth due to an ancient trap designed to kill them. There are multiple players, and each one is given a 3D characterization with some really complex motives. This Urban Fantasy series continues to be very tense and tightly plotted, and has some amazing fight scenes. Cannot be read as a standalone, but highly recommended.

Music by Ludovico Einaudi

Am I the only one who discovered his music so late? It’s epic and just amazing, and I can play it on repeat for hours.

The Essex Serpent (TV)

A mythical beast seems to be harrassing a small village. But palaeontologist Cora thinks it’s more of a supersition surrounding the natural process of evolution. The last time I’d seen Claire Danes on screen was Romeo & Juliet, and I really liked her acting in this show. The cinematography and the OST were pretty good too. Very ominous atmosphere but with a solid grounding in hope.

Cainsville series by Kelley Armstrong

Just when things are going well for our heroine, she finds out she is actually the daughter of rabid serial killers. Everything is destroyed in the space of a day. It’s a great premise but I felt that the first installment was far too slow. I wanted some fight scenes or crazy escapes at very high stakes (because I’m used to that from Armstrong), not happening so far….

Quest for a Maid by Frances Mary Hendry

In 1280s Scotland, King Alexander died in mysterious circumstances, and his 7-year old niece – the “Maid of Norway” – becomes one of the candidates to the Scottish throne. The Maid is shipped off to England, but there is a shipwreck and she dies of food poisoning. Sounds like a political conspiracy, and ALL true! Hendry adds a supernatural bend to these historical events and adds a redemption arc for the villain. Very fascinating tale, with a Middle Grade/ YA leaning.

Dickinson (TV)

To think I knew nothing of Emily Dickinson’s life! That her possessive father practically forbade her from marriage, or that she was posssibly in love with her sister-in-law, or that she never published her poetry? The OST is absolutely brilliant, and her verses depict possible episodes from her actual life / town history. They’ve also given this period drama a modern twist (slang and all) and wry dark humor, which works really well.

The Sandman (Season 1)

I loved the first few episodes where the Lord of Dreams himself gets captured by power-hungry humans. He loses his authority totems and must slowly reclaim them. Midway though, I just lost interest. It suddenly seemed to be overflowing with cliche tropes and remarks which just made me roll my eyes. There were also a lot of Game of Thrones actors, which just… Anyone else who watched this and faced this same problem?

The Coffin / Mask of Dimitrios (movie)

How did the criminal mastermind Dimitrios really die? His corpse just washed ashore, and a mystery novel writer is fascinated by his life story. For an old noir movie (1944) based on an old book (1939), this was not hackneyed or predictable. Very engrossing, totally didn’t see the twist coming at the end. Recommended for fans of Hitchcock.

Have you read or watched any of the above? If you have any monthly wrap-up posts/ recommendations based on the above, please be sure to leave a link here!