Mini Thoughts

Hello, all!



Pub Date: 1-21-25
Adult - Fantasy

The Rainfall Market- You Yeong-Gwang: Serin is a young girl with few prospects for the future. When she hears about a house on the outskirts of her town where you can send a letter detailing your misfortunes, she decides she has nothing to lose. To her surprise, Serin receives a ticket with instructions to bring it to the house on the first day of the rainy season to gain access to the mysterious Rainfall Market. Serin always thought the Rainfall Market-- a place where you can choose to change your life--was a legend, and she counts down the days until the weather changes to see what fate awaits her. At the market, Serin meets a magical cat companion and searches through bookstores and fantastical realms, trying on different lives to see which one suits her best. But Serin only has a week to find her new happiness before she vanishes into the market forever, and unbeknownst to her, a shadowy figure is hot on her tail.

I wanted to pick this up because I don't read a lot of translated fiction, and this sounded very whimsical. I loved the idea of this market where you can try on different lives. It was fun following Serin as she tried out all these versions of her life to see which one she liked the most. I also liked the magical creatures and people she encountered along the way. The execution of the plot is what kept throwing me off. The writing was simple and read almost like a middle-grade, which is fine but not what I expected. I'm not sure if some of the delicacies of the story got lost in translation, but it wasn't as impactful as I thought it'd be. It was a quick read, and I flew through it in one sitting, but I think maybe it would be better geared toward a younger audience.

Rating: 2/5

*Big thanks to the publisher for the copy!

Pub Date: 11-5-24
Adult - Cozy Fantasy

The Teller of Small Fortunes- Julie Leong: When Tao's father passes away, her mother remarries, and her new husband moves them across the country to Eshtera. Tao has never felt welcome in Eshtera, and many people look down upon her Shinn heritage, so as soon as she's able, Tao strikes out on her own. She and her trusty mule travel all over, going from village to village, telling small fortunes for the townspeople. Tao knows firsthand that big visions could have consequences, so she sticks with harmless tidbits. Life on the road can be lonely, but Tao would rather it than the one she left behind. But Tao's fortunes change when she stumbles upon a reformed thief and mercenary searching for his missing daughter, a baker who longs for adventure, and a slightly magical cat. As the motley crew travel together, Tao's walls start to come down, making her realize that the reward for putting herself out there is worth the secrets of her past.

The cozy fantasy genre is always hit or miss for me, so I was hesitant going into this. I liked Tao as a main character and enjoyed watching her form a bond with Mash, Silt, and Kina. The dynamic between them was my favorite part. They were so quick to care for one another, and I liked the lengths they went to to keep their little band together. The writing felt like being covered in a fuzzy blanket, but I was pretty bored the entire time. Not much happens plot-wise, and it felt more slice-of-life. Overall, I thought it was sweet, and I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't the most memorable.

Rating: 3/5

Pub Date: 11-12-24
Adult - Fantasy

The Courting of Bristol Keats- Mary E. Pearson: After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her two sisters are doing everything they can to stay afloat. When Bristol receives a letter from an estranged aunt wishing to meet, Bristol is initially skeptical. Bristol has no idea who this stranger is or how they're tied to her family, but their offer of help is too good to pass up. But their meeting doesn't go as expected and turns everything Bristol knows about herself and her family on its head. She discovers her father may not be dead at all but taken back to the faerie lands he came from. Desperate to uncover the truth, Bristol finds herself journeying to a land of fae and monsters, where she's pulled into a dangerous bargain with the alluring fae king, Tyghan. But Tyghan harbors secrets that unbeknownst to Bristol, have plagued her whole life. As attraction blooms between the pair, the secrets they keep will have a lasting impact on their worlds.

I've never read anything by Pearson before, but I've heard a lot of good things about her writing. Because of that, my expectations were super high going into this, and I was let down quickly. There was little to no world-building, the plot made no sense, and the characters went from distrusting one another to being in love at the drop of a hat. It's marketed as an adult fantasy, but barring the sex scenes, it reads as very upper YA. The story is also drawn out, and most of the action takes place off-page. The only positive is that the chapters are short, so you can fly through them, but nothing significant happens. It also has one of the worst endings I've read. It was such a strange and abrupt way to end that I had to check to see if my copy was missing pages. The premise was enticing, but it was poorly executed, and I won't be picking up the next book.

Rating: 2/5

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