Review: DAISY DARKER by Alice Feeney

 

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists returns…with a family reunion that leads to murder.

After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.

The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows…

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed.

With a wicked wink to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Daisy Darker’s unforgettable twists will leave readers reeling.

--

I finished this book maybe six weeks ago, and I cannot stop thinking about it. It's not often that a book stays with me this much, to this extent, but Daisy Darker really is a gem.

I've started other books by Alice Feeney before but not finished them--I'm not really sure why--but I found this book to be very different and I was so compelled to read it, and I think it all comes down to the character. As a narrator, Daisy is compelling. And I'm going to try and write this review without spoilers, because that ending absolutely blew me away. And you know, up until that ending my one critiquing point really was that I felt like Daisy was a bit passive in the 'present' timeline, but that ending totally explains that and it just blew me away.

This is a phenomenal story.

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Review: RIVER WOMAN, RIVER DEMON by Jennifer Givhan

 

River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Eva's husband is arrested for the murder of a friend, she must confront her murky past and embrace her magick to find out what really happened that night on the river.

Eva Santos Moon is a burgeoning Chicana artist who practices the ancient, spiritual ways of brujería and curanderisma, but she's at one of her lowest points--suffering from disorienting blackouts, creative stagnation, and a feeling of disconnect from her magickal roots. When her husband, a beloved university professor and the glue that holds their family together, is taken into custody for the shocking murder of their friend, Eva doesn't know whom to trust--least of all, herself. She soon falls under suspicion as a potential suspect, and her past rises to the surface, dredging up the truth about an eerily similar death from her childhood.

Struggling with fragmented memories and self-doubt, an increasingly terrified Eva fears that she might have been involved in both murders. But why doesn't she remember? Only the dead women know for sure, and they're coming for her with a haunting vengeance. As she fights to keep her family out of danger, Eva realizes she must use her magick as a bruja to protect herself and her loved ones, while confronting her own dark history.

A psychological thriller that weaves together the threads of folk magick with personal and cultural empowerment, River Woman, River Demon is a mysterious incantation of reckoning with the past and claiming one's unique power and voice.

--

This is a stunning book. Highly lyrical language, beautiful imagery, believable and authentic characters, and a murder mystery that had me guessing right to the very end.

I loved the genre-blend of crime/detective story with Chicana brujería and curanderismo practices--Jennifer Givhan really pulled this off and I can't wait to read more of her work. There's a lot of very important discourse in this book about race and brutality, and I really admire the way that Givhan tackled these points. Eva is also one of the best characters I've ever read. She's flawed--deeply flawed--and there were so many times where I was begging her not to do something because I could see it was a mistake--but we get to see her learn from her mistakes, and that's what I really appreciated. Eva also stays true to her core values, and I really liked that.

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Review: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

 

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a surprisingly quick read; while the writing style was somewhat 'wordy' and a little heavy, I found it very compelling and read the whole thing in a couple of days as part of my PhD research on the Victorians' fear of primitiveness and devolution.

Going into the story, I already knew the rough plot, given it's a book that's talked about a lot. But I was still engrossed, and it's actually made me want to seek out some of the film and TV adaptations.

The language that Stevenson uses in this book was of particular interest to me. I was fascinated by the way that Hyde's personality and criminality is inscribed on his body, via his 'inherently malign and villainous' appearance due to his 'impression of deformity without any nameable malformation' and 'his displeasing smile'. He's described as unfeeling, 'a man of stone' whose 'every act and thought centred on self', in great contrast to Dr. Jekyl's caring nature. We get two very different personalities here, as Stevenson is one of the first--if not the first--author to look at the idea of split personalities, but does so in the context of nineteenth century anxieties around primitiveness, evilness, appearance, and monstrosity.

Physiognomy is at play largely in this text, as we are told that Hyde's 'black secrets, by the look of him' are visible to everyone as his 'particularly wicked-looking' countenance represents the evil inside him. There is never any doubt presented to characters or readers that Hyde is the bad guy, the killer, because this is a cruel man 'at once so callous and violent' that it has physically distorted his appearance. He is also described with primitive language and is likened to 'a monkey', tying into contextual anxieties surrounding repression and return of primitive nature. Hyde represents the uncontrollable, the evil, and the monstrous, and while Dr. Jekyll does initially manage to control him to some degree, Jekyll's death can be seen to represent a death of civilisation and goodness. Instead, all that's left is evil and reversion to what Victorians considered primitive and murderous states of being.

Yet, looking at Hyde's death--when Dr. Jekyll is trapped in Hyde's form--and he takes his own life, we can see an attempt at being the saviour, at keeping the evil at bay. While Dr Jekyll has solved the problem of the killer being at large--a problem which only came about due to his own obsession with making a drug that separates the two sides of one's personality--we also lose the 'goodness' that is Dr. Jekyll. Stevenson therefore somewhat suggests that evil runs amok when there is no goodness there to ground it.



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Review: BECOMING LIZ TAYLOR by Elizabeth Delo

 

Becoming Liz Taylor by Elizabeth Delo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

'An accomplished and memorable debut full of heart and heartbreak - an absolute corker for reading groups!' Ruth Hogan, bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things Val, a widow living in Weston-super-Mare, spends lonely evenings dressing up as the movie star Elizabeth Taylor. It seems to be a way of coping with the loss and sadness she has experienced in her life. One day, when Val sees a pram left unattended on the seafront, on a whim she kicks off the brake and walks away with it... Set in the present and the 1970s, BECOMING LIZ TAYLOR is a vivid and touching depiction of love, loss and bereavement - thought-provoking, moving fiction for fans of Rachel Joyce, Emma Healey and Ruth Hogan.****Shortlisted for the debut novel prize at the 'Festival du Premier Roman' in Chambéry.***

--

I picked this book up on a bit of a whim really. I was in Waterstones and saw that a new romance display had just been created on one of the tables, and this was one of the covers that really stood out to me. I've been trying to read a bit more contemporary fiction and romance recently, and as soon as I read the back of the cover, I was hooked!

I started the book a couple hours after buying it, and by the end of the day, I'd read half. The next day, I finished it. I simply couldn't read it quick enough.

There's something so compelling and enticing about Elizabeth Delo's writing. I think this is the first time I've read a novel that's got a narrator in their 70s, and it was very refreshing and I really appreciated the POV (normally, I read YA or narrators in their 20s or 30s).

Val is such a complex character. She's so flawed, but we can see why she's like this, and it's heartbreaking watching some of her decisions. So many times I was screaming at her! She felt so real, and I think that's what made this story so stunning and a compulsive read. Because, yes, Val is the villain. She kidnaps a baby. Only she thinks she's doing the right thing. She doesn't see it as kidnap. And while I wanted the baby to be reunited with his mother, I also desperately didn't want Val to be caught and punished.

In this stunning debut, Delo offers us a mixture of complex characters, heart, and insight into families.

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Review: THE PATIENT by Teri Terry

 

The Patient by Teri Terry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel the steady thump of my new heart beating inside me. The surgeon said everything went well. But I can’t stop thinking about my the girl who was killed. Her death saved my life. But now whoever took hers is coming for mine…
I can’t believe it when I learn my donor’s identity. The attack on Flora was all over the news. From my hospital bed I read every article, obsess over every word and soon I feel like I know the beautiful girl with flame-coloured hair, adored by everyone around her. Why would anyone hurt someone so perfect?
When Flora’s family reach out to me, I’m unsure. My hands are shaking as I arrive at their grand mansion with its golden stone and sprawling gardens, but they’re warm and welcoming, tears shining in her mother’s eyes as she smiles at me.
She even tells me to take anything I want from Flora’s things, as she can’t bear to go through them herself. I run my fingers over the racks of beautiful designer items, carefully choosing outfits in Flora’s signature yellow, the bright colour complementing the new flush in my cheeks. I think of the years I’ve wasted being ill, and the crushing loneliness I thought would never end. I deserve this.
But then there’s a violent attack on another patient who received one of Flora’s organs. My heart – Flora’s heart – races dangerously fast. Is it a coincidence?
Maybe I’ve made a mistake by stepping into Flora’s life. Has this second chance really saved me? Or has it cost me everything?

--

This was a heart-stopping read (excuse the pun!) about a woman who receives a heart transplant, only to find that her donor was murdered. And, what's more, soon all the other recipients of the donors' organs are being hunted down too...

I first became aware of this book when watching the author on a panel at CrimeFest last year, and I was very excited to read it. I knew nothing of the book's premise at that point (I'm a massive fan of her YA books) and then I learned what The Patient was about, I was gripped and just could not wait until release day was here. And what a read that was!

One thing I really loved was how fast-paced this narrative was, and how we have multiple narrators. Sometimes, this can be a bit hit-and-miss for me as I often find it hard to distinguish the different characters' narrations in my head, but I didn't have that problem here. The opening in particular really drew me in, enticing me to read as fast as I could from the very first page.

And let me just say this: Teri Terry is the queen of twists! Those twists at the end--I did not see them coming! Every time I thought I'd worked out who the villain was, another twist just blew me away.

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Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody.

White lies
When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song.

Dark humour
But as evidence threatens June’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

Deadly consequences…
What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.

With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

-- 

This book is a masterpiece. And it exposes soooooo much--not just in terms of biases within the publishing industry and how the industry works, but the racism and erasure of non-white voices in the industry and elsewhere.

I'm a traditionally published author, and there were so many eye-opening moments in this. Not just in those that really exposed how the book business works (making it a great read for those who aren't writers, as it teaches so much) but in making me think deeper about everything. A lot of complex themes are explored. There is so much important discourse. And all of this is done within the most compelling narrative voice ever. Because June's narration is just FANTASTIC. She felt so, so believable. So realistic. I mean, at times I felt like I was reading a memoir. That's how much I believed the writing.

And June's characterisation was truly phenomenal. She is blood-thirsty. She turns everything to her advantage. Even when her crimes were catching up with her and there seemed to be no way out, I was struck by how she always managed to use it for her own advantage again and again. She is the epitome of an unlikeable character--and I was struck by just how unlikeable she is while the narrative itself is hugely likeable. I mean, this is one of my fave reads of 2023. And even though June is pretty much an awful person you can totally argue that she's a good person who just made one bad mistake (a terrible mistake!!!) and then didn't want to be found out. Like, everything snowballed. There were times when I wanted her to get away with it, because the first-person narration is just that good at justifying it, and then I was horrified at myself.

This was a compulsive read that I just couldn't put down.

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Review: COUNTERFEIT by Kirstin Chen

 

Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For fans of Hustlers and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, the story of two Asian American women who band together to grow a counterfeit handbag scheme into a global enterprise--an incisive and glittering blend of fashion, crime, and friendship from the author of Bury What We Cannot Take and Soy Sauce for Beginners.

Money can't buy happiness... but it can buy a decent fake.

Ava Wong has always played it safe. As a strait-laced, rule-abiding Chinese American lawyer with a successful surgeon as a husband, a young son, and a beautiful home--she's built the perfect life. But beneath this façade, Ava's world is crumbling: her marriage is falling apart, her expensive law degree hasn't been used in years, and her toddler's tantrums are pushing her to the breaking point.

Enter Winnie Fang, Ava's enigmatic college roommate from Mainland China, who abruptly dropped out under mysterious circumstances. Now, twenty years later, Winnie is looking to reconnect with her old friend. But the shy, awkward girl Ava once knew has been replaced with a confident woman of the world, dripping in luxury goods, including a coveted Birkin in classic orange. The secret to her success? Winnie has developed an ingenious counterfeit scheme that involves importing near-exact replicas of luxury handbags and now she needs someone with a U.S. passport to help manage her business--someone who'd never be suspected of wrongdoing, someone like Ava. But when their spectacular success is threatened and Winnie vanishes once again, Ava is left to face the consequences.

Swift, surprising, and sharply comic, Counterfeit is a stylish and feminist caper with a strong point of view and an axe to grind. Peering behind the curtain of the upscale designer storefronts and the Chinese factories where luxury goods are produced, Kirstin Chen interrogates the myth of the model minority through two unforgettable women determined to demand more from life.

--

This book has been on my radar forever. I'd borrowed it from the library a couple of times but then my loan was always due before I had a chance to start it, and when this was about to happen for the third time in a row I decided to knuckle down and get started. And I read this book soooooo quickly!

I love stories about con men and women. I love stories where the narrators lie. I love stories that are multiple POV and you never know who is the most reliable. I love stories with huge plot twists. So, essentially, this book was PERFECT for me!!!!

Counterfeit follows Ava Wong, a pretty 'ordinary' law-abiding woman, as she reunites with former best friend Winnie Fang--and becomes embroiled in Winnie's illegal, fraudulent business where she produces counterfeit designer handbags. So, like, I didn't realise that I would be so interested in the world of handbag production and counterfeits. This book has soooo much detail on this, and I found it fascinating. Like, we have pages and pages about it, and it's so eye-opening.

But the characterisation is what really makes this book amazing. And the plot twist. Okay, spoilers ahead! So, for the first half of the book, I was feeling sorry for Ava. She's married to a pretty awful guy who cuts off her money and controls her and throws strops. She's having to single-parent their child because he decides to move somewhere else for work, leaving his family for pretty much the whole week, every week. And when Ava dares go and visit her family, he throws a temper tantrum about that, and removes her from their joint bank account. Cue Winnie stepping in and giving her an easy way to make a lot of money. We see Ava struggling with the ethics of this and we see how once she gets started she can't get out. There are a lot of mind games, and she just seems so vulnerable. The narrative at this point also consists entirely of Ava recounting all these events to a police detective, as part of her interview, so it's first person. (I loved this as a narrative mode, plus we have no speechmarks for dialogue within this as the whole thing is pretty much the prose transcript of Ava's speech.)

I totally believed her--and then part two gives us Winnie's third-person narration where we begin to piece together that Ava has been lying to the police the whole time (and lying to us!). She's not innocent, being swept along by Winnie. She too is a con woman (she conned us all!). And that reveal is just FANTASTIC. So, so, so good!!!! We then alternate between the rest of Ava's dialogue to the detective and Winnie's narration, which give quite different versions of the same events. And I loved this, because who are we supposed to believe? Winnie's narration seems more objective as it's third person, but it's still close third person, so can she be trusted either?

I am a sucker for unreliable narrators and this book was great!

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