A Marriage at Sea (Narrative Nonfiction, Highly Recommended)

A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst. Remarkably determined woman astonishes with her choices, strength, and survival. #bookstodon #booklovers #bookreviews #books

https://bookreviewsintenwords.wordpress.com/2026/06/22/a-marriage-at-sea-narrative-nonfiction-highly-recommended/

Hugo 26 Novel: The Raven Scholar

The Empire of Orrun has eight castes, with each one named and exemplified by an animal. Fox, raven, bear, tiger, ox, monkey, hound, and dragon are also deity-like figures who, according to legend, have intervened to save the world, but they are also portents of the final end of everything. If the Eight (as they are known) return again, it will be the final time, and they will bring destruction.

Fear of the Eight underlies the political and social traditions of Orrun. Each caste has their various roles: bears are soldiers patrolling the borders, hounds are police and security and so on. The emperor rules for many years, but at the end of their reign, they do not choose their own successor; instead, there is a trial with contenders from each caste.

The reign of Emperor Bersun is drawing to a close. He has enacted some social reforms, allowing for more social advancement for people not in the nobility (there is a dual aristocracy v commoner social division as well as the castes). Among his staff is the relatively young commoner Neema Kraa, who holds the position of High Scholar, a role always held by Ravens. However, Neema’s original low social status has made her life difficult throughout her whole career. Despite her high position, she is treated with disdain by the establishment Ravens, as well as by many people at court.

Soon, the network of palaces on the royal island will be cut off so that the trials to decide the new emperor will begin. The contender from the Tigers is a young man with a grudge against the emperor who had made him complicit in the exile and death of his own twin sister. And who had written the document of exile for that sister? Neema Kraa…

There was a point about a third of the way through this book where I made a decision: if Neema ends up placed in a kind of detective role, then I’d carry on reading, but if oh-my-gosh she ends up being the unlikely Raven Contender, then that would be it, and into the metaphorical trash it would go. I was getting very tired of this book, and I was only part way through. Just to annoy me, the emperor puts Neema in charge of solving a murder AND makes her the Raven contender in the same meeting. Well, I guess that served me right.

This novel is part one in a series. If, say, the first 50% of the book was sold as Book 1, I don’t think I’d have bothered with Book 2. Having said that, I had started to warm to the story by the middle, but that first half is rough. It struggles with tone and consistent characterisation (and yes, I know, but not just the emperor), and the framework for the story felt like a bunch of cliches pulled from YA novels into a book that isn’t intended to be a YA novel.

A lot of the work here is set up. The detective story aspect is more of a feint from the actual plot and is wrapped up quickly. That reduced my annoyance because the basic solution (the who rather than the why) was obvious from the point that Neema took on the role of solving the murder. So having thought, “how long is the author going to drag out the reveal that X arranged the murder” and been annoyed, the answer was “not very long at all”. Mollified, I carried on with things.

Magic is to fantasy as cream and sugar are to desserts; there are excellent dairy-free desserts that make minimal use of added sugar, and excellent ones that make heavy use of both, but a mediocre dessert can usually be improved with one or the other or both. Midway through the book, magic becomes more important, and the plot around the exiled twin (set up at the start of the novel) starts revealing its depth.

OK, and the main character gets a talking animal sidekick. You know I like that.

Even so, the book still has a problem with clever characters not being that clever and cunning characters not being that cunning. I complained-and-withdrew-my-complaint about “thiness” in The Everlasting. I’m more tolerant of such thiness in an overtly fantasy setting, but it was particularly noticeable here. Orrun is an empire, but there’s only one other country. The Bear people patrol the borders and are seasoned warriors, but there doesn’t seem to be anything beyond the borders. By the climax of the book, some of this begins to get a hint of explanation – it’s a fantasy series, and it looks like there is a heap of back story still to come. Yet, this is rather like the reveal that X is actually not-X but Y, and hence why the characterisation of X was so inconsistent – there is a plot logic there, but also it relies on a whole bunch of clever people not noticing something that the casual reader spots.

This isn’t a YA or middle-grade book, which doesn’t work in its favour. It’s not that middle-grade books should be held to a lower standard, but I’m going to be more tolerant of guessable mysteries or characters who are surprisingly oblivious in books aimed at younger people. Likewise I’m going to be more forgiving of well worn tropes in books for younger people, because they aren’t well-worn if you haven’t read as many books

By the end, I had warmed more to the book. The later twists and turns were more satisfying than the earlier ones. Yet, while I felt kinder towards this book and even hopeful that the ongoing series might head into interesting places, I really wasn’t satisfied with it.

I’m not going to discuss whether this is a good book. By the end it entertained me, so I am not a disastified customer resentful of the time and money I spent on it. If I had picked this book up at random, I suspected I’d have abandoned it much earlier. If, say, I was staying in some beachside house with no wi-fi and far from a decent bookshop and this had been the only book in the house and I had stuck with it, I’m not sure I’d have written a review of it (well, no wi-fi in that scenario so definitely not).

However, this is a Hugo Award finalist, so the relevant question is: is this an exceptional book? No, it isn’t. It’s a reasonable start to a fantasy series, once you get past the first half, but the world has no shortage of reasonable starts to numerous fantasy series. There’s nothing new here, nor is the established stuff particularly well done. I do not doubt for a second that there are people who loved it, but, again, we are not short of fantasy books that have a lot of fans.

Is it exceptionally well written? Just at a sentence level, it is well put together but in terms of plot and structure, you can see the joins. There are layers here, which do add some interest once later revelations play out, but while these revelations close some plot holes, they open others, or sometimes just the same one but for different reasons. Neema is an instersting idea for a character but while we are told that she is knowledagable, clever and curious, all we really get on the page is knowledagable. The story absolutely depends on her being oblivious to so many things, otherwise the story doesn’t work.

Arguably, there is the question about complicity with abuse of government power, but even that is undermined by the late stage revelations.

I don’t think I will be ranking this book at all on my ballot. I don’t hate it, but there is just not enough substance here to mark this book out from any other fantasy book from 2025.

Penelope Douglas Won Me Back: My Thoughts on Corrupt

Before picking up Corrupt, I was honestly a little nervous to read another book by Penelope Douglas. My only experience with her writing was Punk 57 (which I ADORED reading at 23) and right after, Credence. While I understand why Credence has a devoted fanbase, it wasn’t a book that worked for me. Because of that, I went into Corrupt with some hesitation and wasn’t sure if Douglas’s writing style or storytelling would deliver the dark romance I was craving this time around.

Boy, am I glad I gave her another chance.

I haven’t felt this hot and bothered by a book in a while.

One of the things I appreciated most was how Douglass paced the story. Rather than overwhelming readers with information from the start, the mystery unfolds at a digestible pace. The Horsemen are introduced to us as bullies, but they’re written with enough mystery and intrigue that I couldn’t stop wanting to learn more about them. The balance between spice, tension, and plot just felt right for me. However, the larger plot doesn’t come together until about 50-60% mark, which could be a drawback for readers who like faster-paced stories.

Thankfully, Erika and Michael’s chemistry carried me through the slower build. Their tension was addictive. There were multiple moments where I had to put my Kindle down and stare into space for a second to decompress. And the locker room scene? Yeah. I won’t be forgetting that one anytime soon.

I enjoyed the dual timeline and the glimpses into the Horsemen’s histories. Kai completely stole every scene he was in. Every time he disappeared from the page, I found myself wondering when he was coming back. If his book is next, I’ll be a very happy girl!

My biggest issue with Corrupt is that I still feel like I barely know Michael. By the end of the book, I understood Erika inside and out– her fears, motivations, and growth. Michael? Not so much. Considering everything he goes through and everything revealed at the end, I expected to come away with a stronger understanding of who he is beneath the tough exterior.

Overall, it was incredibly addictive. Even with the slower start and my complaints about Michael’s characterization, I tore through this book in two days. I’m already desperate to continue the series, partly because I need answers and partly because I’m hopelessly invested in the Horsemen.

Kai’s book can’t come soon enough.

As for Damon… well. Those who have read Corrupt know exactly why I’m approaching that book with caution.

And with Will? I know I will be crying.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜’𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: "𝗔 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴" 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗲𝗹 -

Seems fitting--I mean, isn't this a book about my seeming sole occupation now?

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Bringing Real-World Careers into the Classroom: A Review

Finding career-focused literature that engages middle-grade students can be a challenge. We need books that are accessible without being simplistic, and So You Want To Be an Ice Cream Flavor Inventor hits that sweet spot perfectly.

This nonfiction guide is an excellent resource for classroom career units. Linda Soules masterfully balances the “fun” of the topic with the “real work” of a food scientist. From explaining technical tools like refractometers to exploring the complexities of global ingredients like matcha and ube, the book provides a grounded look at a unique career path.

Complete with kitchen activities and a helpful glossary, this title is a fantastic way to introduce food science as a legitimate, meaningful profession. It’s a great addition to any classroom shelf that aims to inspire the next generation of innovators.

See how this book fits into your curriculum: Read the full review at BookBelow

Sunday Reviews

Winnie’s Courage (Getting Back to Oz Book 1) by Jess Reece

What if the Wicked Witch were real?

Winifred Jones wakes up barefoot and bruised in a strange dungeon instead of her cozy San Diego apartment, and things just get weirder from there when she stops Dorothy Gale from murdering the Wicked Witch, accidentally releasing a magical tornado trapped inside a golden compass. In the blink of an eye, the three women are torn from the Witch’s castle in Oz and thrust into one fairytale world of Winnie’s childhood after another. Fighting for their lives against man-eating apes, bloodthirsty pirates, and sadistic queens, they share just one common goal: to get back home.

Pick up Getting Back to Oz: Book One Winnie’s Courage today, and join Winnie on her quest as she discovers if she has the courage to return home, or stay lost forever in literary lands both familiar and dangerous..

My Thoughts

This is another series I adore…The author is amazing. Her book Sasorie (Not sure I am spelling that right) was amazing too. This is the first of three. Each is an in depth imagining of Oz and three women there. The adventure of Oz is definitely felt but the character’s are better than what was in the original story. This has Jess Reece’s imagination written all over it. I haven’t read the next two because I couldn’t get them yet. I bought both this weekend past and look forward to letting y’ all know what I think.

Upcoming Book Reviews (Pride Edition) #bookreview

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