#1 | Every Heart a Doorway
By: Seanan McGuire
Genre | Fantasy
Every Heart a Doorway is the beginning of a magical series, a magical series I cannot believe I had not discovered earlier but am kind of glad I didn't. Discovering this series in 2021 provided me with the opportunity to read all the currently published Wayward Children novels in quick succession instead of having to wait for each new releases like I currently am for the next instalment!
What I adore about these novels are that they diverge from traditional upbeat magical realms I've read into horrifying and gruesome realms that for most are terrifying but for one, are their paradise. Initially I didn't like how each novel followed a different character but after the second instalment, I came to appreciate it. This series explores magical worlds that children have unwillingly returned from and what it means within the confines of Eleanor West's Home for Wayward children. This is an amazing series and I am over the moon that I was able to find something so fabulous with new publications on the way!
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#2 | House of Hollow
By: Krystal Sutherland
Genre | Horror
With horned men, dead bodies, and disgustingly beautiful memories slowly being uncovered - House of Hollow is a horror-filled and yet, beautiful journey to find a missing sibling. What I adored in this novel is what I adored in Every Heart a Doorway, the subversion from comfortable into something uniquely enthralling.
The Hollow sisters haven't always been oddities, it was only after they reappeared from their month-long disappearance with black eyes and white hair that they earned that title. The youngest of three, Iris, has been avoiding the strangeness that surrounds them until her eldest sibling disappears and it becomes up to Iris and her sibling to find her. Along the way they learn that their sibling has been hiding a terrible secret since their disappearance and that to survive, they must embrace the strange.
Find the full review | HERE | for House of Hollow
#3 | The People We Keep
By: Allison Larkin
Genre | Fiction
After "borrowing" a car to perform at an open mic-night, April Sawicki comes to the realisation that her life can be so much more than the suffocating town she lives in. After a vicious fight with her father, she packs her bags and leaves beginning a journey to find a life of her own discovering along the way that where she was born, never dictated her future.
The People We Keep by Allison Larkin had me crying in 2021. I valued the heartfelt nature of the story and the message that the people we keep, those are the people we choose. This was a beautiful novel containing a sentimental message which that was presented well and an overall story I surprisingly loved.
Find the full review | HERE | for The People We Keep
#4 | The Rose Code
By: Kate Quinn
Genre | Historical Fiction
Kate Quinn writes fantastic historical fiction pieces. I have read a few of her works and this one topped the charts in being both one of my favourite works by her and also one of my favourite historical fiction pieces. Told through two time periods, 1940 and 1947, The Rose Code is about three different women who answer the Bletchley Park call. It follows the tale of the friendship and the impact a war can have on friendships and futures. When one ends up in an asylum in 1947 and an encrypted letter is sent, it is up to them to decode one last letter despite the enemy and danger drawing near.
I listened to this exhaustingly long novel on audio and I physically had to sit down and stay stationary as I was enthralled by the plot. I am an active person so for me to sit still and listen was an evident sign that I was absorbed by the novel because guess what, I was. Why? Because it is a fantastic novel!
Find the full review | HERE | for The Rose Code
#5 | Piranesi
By: Susanna Clarke
Genre | Fantasy
Hands down my favourite novel of 2021, okay tied with these other four but maybe, just maybe, a smidge above, is Piranesi. It contains an intriguing writing style that evolves the longer the story progresses which truly creates a captivating read.
Piranesi contains descriptive and beautiful writing that immersed me in this fantastical world; I also enjoyed this piece because it combined history and mythology into an intriguing mystery that initially I thought would be a snooze except it was anything but - it was magical.
Piranesi lives in an extraordinary home where the corridors are longer than the eye can see, glorious marble statues fill each room, and a giant but dangerous ocean is nestled in the centre. Piranesi is thankfully not alone, he lives with the Other whom he meets with twice a week to discuss knowledge but as Piranesi continues to explore, he begins to pick up on clues that there may be another person within the confines of their home - a person bringing with them terrible truths and revelations of a world that Piranesi has never known.
Find the full review | HERE | for Piranesi
