November 2023 Monthly Spotlight

Every year, I am surprised by the cold wind and dark evenings as winter approaches here in the UK. Even more baffling is that some parts of the world are experiencing summer and high temperatures right now! The good news is that whatever the weather you are experiencing, there are new releases for that season this month! Here are a few to check out:

ASSISTANT TO THE VILLAIN by Hannah Nicole Maeher

Writing: 🌟🌟
With a loose historical setting, random creatures and unexplained magical powers, the world-building in this story lacked the depth needed to make much of an impression on me. I also struggled to find the simplistic, fairytale-style narrative engaging, especially since the humour fused into it generally fell flat for me. Despite all this, there were some vivid scenes that stood out to me, and it was very satisfying to have dual points of view from both Evie and the Villain.

STAR BRINGER by Tracy Wolff and Nina Croft

As someone who doesn’t read much sci-fi, I was glad that the writing style was simple and easy to understand. Enough details are provided to bring the story to life, and multiple points of view (POVs) give the full scope of what key characters encounter and their emotions. Only the worldbuilding made this aspect of the story underwhelming, as it is presented in information dumps at the start and then poorly developed over the course of the story.