The Book Slump

Tag: Tense

  • Alchemised

    Alchemised

    By SenLinYu

    SPOILER-FREE

    Released 2025, 1029 pages.

    “What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There’s no one left for you to save.”

    Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed.

    In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.

    According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit?

    To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.

    Rating: 2 out of 5.

    REVIEW

    THEMES: FANTASY, EMOTIONAL, TENSE, DARK ACADEMIA, SLOW-PACED.

    Helena Marino is a prisoner being held by the enemy she once fought against. She is imprisoned in the residence of the High Reeve who is notorious for his murderous rampages. Even though her records show she is nothing more than a healer, she possesses something they want. The issue is, it is hidden within her mind and neither they nor Helena can access it. Helena must dig deep to reveal what is being hidden within her, though that raises the question… is it hidden for a reason? And will uncovering it save or doom her?

    TW: Sexual assault, gore, torture, intense violence and much more.

    Does this book need to be this long?

    No. It really and truly does not. This could have been 500 pages.

    The plot of the story is strong; the settings are described in detail, and I could clearly picture every place described. There is no misconception that SenLinYu is a talented writer. There were multiple points where I was looking forward to coming back to the story.

    Whilst I did enjoy aspects of the book, the characters fell entirely flat. Helena is a martyr and I cannot understand why she did the things she did. The characters SenLinYu were trying to push as ‘good’ never actually did anything to prove this narrative. There is also an inappropriate dynamic and I am displeased with how it unfolds.

    I will go into more detail on my spoiler review; I have very strong feelings so brace for a rant.

    In saying all this, I am not a big fan of ‘dark academia/fantasy’, so that definitely contributes to my rating.

    From a fantasy reader (or just a reader), I would give this one a miss.

    Click link below for Storygraph overview, which includes general rating, summary (same as above) and other reviews.

    LINK TO STORYGRAPH PROFILE

  • Alchemised

    Alchemised

    By SenLinYu

    SPOILERS

    Released 2025, 1029 pages.

    “What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There’s no one left for you to save.”

    Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed.

    In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.

    According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit?

    To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.

    Rating: 2 out of 5.

    REVIEW

    THEMES: FANTASY, EMOTIONAL, TENSE, DARK ACADEMIA, SLOW-PACED.

    Helena Marino is a prisoner being held by the enemy she once fought against. She is imprisoned in the residence of the High Reeve who is notorious for his murderous rampages. Even though her records show she is nothing more than a healer, she possesses something they want. The issue is, it is hidden within her mind and neither they nor Helena can access it. Helena must dig deep to reveal what is being hidden within her, though that raises the question… is it hidden for a reason? And will uncovering it save or doom her?

    TW: Sexual assault, gore, torture, intense violence and much more.

    Does this book need to be this long?

    No. It really and truly does not. This could have been 500 pages.

    The plot of the story is strong; the settings are described in detail, and I could clearly picture every place described. There is no misconception that SenLinYu is a talented writer. There were multiple points where I was looking forward to coming back to the story.

    Whilst I did enjoy aspects of the book, the characters fell entirely flat.

    Rant incoming.

    I remember once I saw someone say that women often have to prove their greatness, whereas men do not. Helena and Luke are perfect examples. Luke is described as this incredible and selfless person, yet I never really see it. Helena sacrifices herself to the point of becoming a martyr, just for a measly pat on the back. Luke is simply decent – which is rather easy when you are from a privileged family!

    You are kind of beaten over the head with how selfless Helena is. It gets to a point where she is just naive. I could never relate to someone who will ruin themselves for people who could care less, so maybe that is why I dislike her.

    There are other bland and unrelatable characters throughout the book, but these are things I can get past.

    What I can’t get past is normalising abuse. Just because this book is set in a time of war, where everything is dark and dreadful does not mean you can minimise what Kaine does to Helena. Kaine literally beats Helena senseless, violates her and humiliates her for about 500 pages. These instances are ‘mitigated’ by the fact that Helena is persevering because she is secretly trying to gain his trust. Although, conveniently when the time comes to use this secret ammunition, she has grown too fond of him. Shocker. All of this is simply because he cried about his dead mum and got hurt by his own alliance. Apparently, this wipes away all his horrendous abuse. The kicker is that he justifies it by saying he was doing it all to deter her… as if it was for her own good. After this point, he is romanticized – or their relationship is.

    This continues to spread the message; ‘Ladies, if he is horrible to you just try a little harder because at some point, he may reward you with affection!’ And its harmful.

    What gets me the most, is in the end, he is made out to be this misunderstood and valiant person. He literally murdered hundreds of innocent people to find a woman who he treats as more of a possession than anything else. I felt violated reading as Helena slowly and reluctantly gave into his advances.

    I also just found out that this is a Hermione-Draco fanfiction come to life. I am officially turned off.

    Sidenote: Crowther reminded me of Little Finger from GOT.

    I will end this rant, even though I have more to say, but I don’t want to come off as a complete buzzkill.

    In saying all this, I am not a big fan of ‘dark academia/fantasy’, so that definitely contributes to my rating.

    From a fantasy reader (or just a reader), I would give this one a miss.

    Click link below for Storygraph overview, which includes general rating, summary (same as above) and other reviews.

    LINK TO STORYGRAPH PROFILE

  • The Bee Sting

    The Bee Sting

    By Paul Murray

    SPOILER-FREE

    Released 2023, 645 pages.

    The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickie is up to his armpits in debt and increasingly preoccupied with preparing for an apocalypse that may or may not be just around the corner. His wife, Imelda, has become invisible to everyone except Big Mike, a man with unsavory local connections and a long-running feud with her husband. Their teenage daughter, Cass, always at the top of her class, has started drinking and staying out late, though nobody seems to have noticed. And twelve-year-old PJ is spending more and more time online, talking to a really funny, friendly kid called Ethan who never has his camera on and wants PJ to run away from home. 

    Every step carries the family closer to a precipice, a moment of reckoning. It feels inevitable. But how far back would you have to go to change the story? To the day Dickie hired a beautiful, feckless young man to help him out in the garage? To the year before Cass was born, at the wedding where Dickie took the place that should have belonged to his brother? To the night Imelda was supposed to skip town but didn’t? All the way back to ten-year-old Dickie standing in the summer garden, trembling before his father, learning how to be a proper man? 

    Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

    REVIEW

    THEMES: CONTEMPORARY, TENSE, DARK, EMOTIONAL, MEDIUM-PACED.

    Ireland’s recession has affected many, including the Barnes family. Each member is facing the repercussions, causing a strain on the family dynamic. The question is, is this the root of the issue, or the straw that broke the camel’s back?

    The Beesting provides a perspective from each member of the Barnes family. The children; Cass and PJ and the parents; Imelda and Dickie. Murray shows the importance of perspective, and how often we get it wrong. The juxtaposition between perception and true identity becomes obvious.

    The characters are laid bare. Neither good nor bad, only complicated. I’ve become quite fond of them, which only intensifies the storyline.

    Recently in the media, Ireland has been some-what romanticised. Through this book, Murray provides insight into the darker side of Irish history.

    The family dynamic is unoriginal. I am tiring of the ‘kind’ but absent father, and ‘present’ but overbearing mother. It perpetuates such a sexist, reductive ideology that excuses men of fault.

    Both the father and son have an endearing nature, which dilutes their flaws. Whereas the mother and daughter come across as cantankerous, despite justification.

    Such a moving read. Would recommend if you enjoy reading about complicated families or fictional stories based on true events.

    Click link below for Storygraph overview, which includes general rating, summary (same as above) and other reviews.

    LINK TO STORYGRAPH PROFILE

  • The Natural Way of Things

    The Natural Way of Things

    By Charlotte Wood

    SPOILER-FREE

    Released 2015, 320 pages.

    Two women awaken from a drugged sleep to find themselves imprisoned in an abandoned property in the middle of a desert in a story of two friends, sisterly love and courage – a gripping, starkly imaginative exploration of contemporary misogyny and corporate control, and of what it means to hunt and be hunted.

    Strangers to each other, they have no idea where they are or how they came to be there with eight other girls, forced to wear strange uniforms, their heads shaved, guarded by two inept yet vicious armed jailers and a ‘nurse’. The girls all have something in common, but what is it? What crime has brought them here from the city? Who is the mysterious security company responsible for this desolate place with its brutal rules, its total isolation from the contemporary world? Doing hard labour under a sweltering sun, the prisoners soon learn what links them: in each girl’s past is a sexual scandal with a powerful man. They pray for rescue – but when the food starts running out it becomes clear that the jailers have also become the jailed. The girls can only rescue themselves.

    Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

    REVIEW

    THEMES: DYSTOPIAN, DARK, TENSE, AUSTRALIAN FICTION, MEDIUM-PACED.

    The Natural Way of Things is a powerful story set in the Australian bush. A group of women wake up in the middle of nowhere, each as confused as the other. They are forced to endure hard labour and humiliating rituals. As the story progresses, their pasts come to light—hinting at the real reason they are trapped in this desolate prison. Author Charlotte Wood touches on the prevalent issues surrounding the patriarchy, focusing on the all-too-real experiences women face every day.

    What I adore about this book is Wood’s beautiful writing style. It is transportive, with precise and vivid descriptions. Even in the more negative reviews I have read, almost all mention Wood’s picturesque writing.

    Each of the characters is described at face value; their attributes and flaws make them relatable, insufferable, and loveable. The inner and outer dialogue seem plucked from real conversations and thoughts, allowing readers to truly resonate with the story.

    What I admire about Wood is that she treats the characters as people—not victims or even survivors. In stories such as these, it can be easy for authors to skate around the subject, cushioning each sentence to avoid potential offence. Whilst this is sometimes necessary, depending on the story, it can be more effective to acknowledge and move on than fixate and (sometimes) sensationalise.

    I was able to get to know the characters beyond their trauma and pain. This allowed me to like and dislike them without my perception being affected by their past. Wood’s nuanced approach to trauma is impressive, as it can be hard to achieve in a respectful and appropriate manner.

    What I also enjoyed was the theme of self-discovery under less-than-desirable circumstances. Even though it is a horrific situation, there is a silver lining (albeit a very small one).

    The plot of the story is interesting but somewhat confusing. I do not mind this entirely, but I think she could have clarified some parts—I am still unsure exactly where they were and whether their situation was meant to be legal or illegal.

    I think this is an important book to read. Like The Handmaid’s Tale, it explores relevant social issues and highlights how real the patriarchy is.

    I would implore that everyone read this book. I absolutely love it. However, it is rather bleak, and the descriptions can get gory—so it is not for the weak-stomached. Funnily enough, I did not find it overly bleak, but I did listen to it as an audiobook, so that may be why.

    Click link below for Storygraph overview, which includes general rating, summary (same as above) and other reviews.

    LINK TO STORYGRAPH PROFILE.