This is a story where the side characters, the children, stand out more to me than the adult leads. We do get the points of views of all but it is obvious who our main characters are. Rowan, she is our star, the woman who washes ashore to a remote island. I did not understand why she did some of the things she did knowing the situation that she was in. It did not make sense to me. Also, the romance was unnecessary. I did not feel any chemistry and it was jolted upon. For a good chunk of the book we are going through cycles with the character arcs and I even believe after the events of the book the same thing will be happening. I did like the aspect of not knowing who was in the right and how that changed day in and day out or quarter to quarter while trying to unravel the mystery of the book. 

The atmosphere was my favorite part. Shearwater Island becomes a character itself rather than just the setting. I was so vividly immersed onto this Antarctic island in a world being ravaged by climate change, rising sea levels. All your senses are invoked, even your emotions are by how stunning the wildlife and scenery are that will come to your mind while reading. It’s such an ancient, eternal feeling. The island, the story, could be thousands of years ago when in reality it is in the near future.

Now let’s get to where it is confusing, the writing. I do vibe or gel well with McConaghy’s writing style itself. The words are so blunt and matter of fact but at the same time can read as lush as she builds this world around you. I do want to recommend reading this on ebook or having a dictionary nearby as some of these words are quite hefty and pretentious. There was a lack of consistency in the pacing. Rowan’s chapters could be up to thirty pages, while the others might only get one to five. It really dampened how I usually read a book. This book is short in page number but it took me a while to get through. Moving along with the pacing, the stakes would get really high and my adrenaline would be pumping and then we would wait another quarter for something to happen again. It was uneven. 

I always love when a thriller is more than just that. More than a basic plot but going into themes and ideas as well. This is a looking glass, at what could possibly be to come with the rising sea levels that we are seeing in our world. The mystery was good as you never knew who to trust. Tides are constantly changing. This is a story of grief, and how everyone’s experience with it is a different journey even if it all stems back to one event. Grief can fully take over a person. At the same time we see the lengths that love will go. Everyone’s experience is different. The feelings and emotions are different. Love can fully take over a life. Love and grief are so intertwined. 

 There are some smaller themes like where we are born and raised can shape our beliefs, our view on the world. How home is so much more than something physical. As I wrote before, this is a piece of climate fiction. This is a survival story. Surviving the battle with grief, with love, physically surviving climate change. ‘Wild Dark Shore’ has a lot going for it in these regards. I was on the edge of my seat for this one. Even if the author reused themes from ‘Migrations’, a woman with a shady past, man who also might not be as he seems, a climate ravaged world. It is similar. I thought this book was just alright as it did lack consistency.

3.75 out of 5 stars.

“I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness by Irene Solà is a haunting, polyphonic novel set within a single day in a remote Catalonian farmhouse called Mas Clavell, where a dying matriarch named Bernadeta lies surrounded by the spectral voices of her female ancestors . Spanning centuries, the narrative weaves together folklore, witchcraft, devil’s bargains, wars, and curses linked to a pact struck by Joana, an ancestor who traded her soul for a husband—only to discover he was physically imperfect, dooming her descendants to bear birth defects the-tls.com+5kirkusreviews.com+5ft.com+5. Through surreal time shifts and vivid, earthy storytelling, the novel explores the resilience, suffering, and defiant humor of women who have survived brutal histories, as ghosts and living voices echo the landscape’s darker legacies goodreads.com+3ft.com+3theguardian.com+3.”

I really enjoyed these characters, with Joana being my favorite. They are campy and quirky, but not in a cringe-worthy way; they almost remind me of the witches in “Hocus Pocus.” However, I want to remind you that this is a horror novel. While these women might be comedic and the story may have humorous moments, at any moment, things could snap and become creepy. It was fun to see how different bits of history, as well as the present, are reacted to by different generations. 

We see these characters through all stages of life, and as I mentioned, they can be comedic or creepy, but they also have their flaws. They are all still people. These flaws can be mental or physical; they aren’t perfect characters. In fact, I would say they are quite imperfect, which makes them all the more enjoyable to read about because I never really knew what these women would do next.

The atmosphere was definitely my favorite part. This story feels so ancient; it seems like it could have been told around a fire pit hundreds of years ago, yet it could also be told in 2024 when it was published in English. It has that fairytale, folktale vibe, and I love that because there’s always something to be learned from that kind of story.

The writing is definitely unique. It’s somewhat confusing, and I found myself puzzled while reading at times. In some instances, this style is definitely an acquired taste. Normally, I’m not someone who enjoys descriptive, long, stream-of-consciousness writing; that’s typically not for me. However, when the book is less than 200 pages, I can manage it without issue. 

Something I did notice about the writing, which might be attributed to translation, is that there were a lot of big words I wasn’t familiar with, which caused some confusion for me as well. However, I loved the allegories and metaphors used, especially at the start of a chapter where a house is used to describe the human body and how our souls and lives are contained within that body, with the body being the house for our soul. I know that sounds confusing as I worded it now, but it’s truly incredible to think about.

There are a lot of themes in this book that are prevalent, such as motherhood, religion, and the powerful influence of religion itself. You really have to be careful about how you approach and handle these themes, as you could end up cursing your legacy and everyone who comes after you. However, I think the main theme here is that everything in life has blurred lines. Reality is a blurred line. Before I read the book, I didn’t check the back cover, but this sentence on it describes the story perfectly: “A novel in which the line between the dead and the living, past and present, story and history are blurred. In it, Irene Sola draws on oral tradition as well as art, literature, and fairytales to tell a completely new kind of story.” This description captures the essence of the book perfectly. Irene Sola hit the nail on the head with that.

If that was the kind of book she aimed to write, then it’s a perfect description. We would not be here in the present if it weren’t for history, and history wouldn’t be history if it weren’t for the present. This book felt like a fever dream, and while it can be a lot to take in at the moment, as I’ve done with her other work, the more I think about it, the more I realize how impactful and thought-provoking the author’s work can be.

Now, would I recommend this book? Yes, I would. I’d like to do some comparisons: if you like this book, then you might enjoy works by authors like Mona Awad or Otesha Moshfegh, as they often explore themes of “weird girl” literature. This book made me realize that if bodily fluids and bodily functions are a part of the narrative, it’s probably going to be a “weird girl” book. For other books that remind me of “Northwoods” by Daniel Mason, which explores how a plot of land holds so much history and influences the ambiance around it, I also think of the iconic classic “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” The village in that novel reminds me so much of the house in this book, with all the little mystical things happening to the family. 

Yes, I really did enjoy this book from one of my favorite authors.

3.75 out of 5 stars

“Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed is a richly imagined, feminist reimagining of One Thousand and One Nights set against the real historical backdrop of 12th-century Persia. It centers on Shaherazade—recast not just as a storyteller staving off death, but as a clever, morally driven woman confronting betrayal, wielding her narratives to influence a powerful, unruly ruler and ultimately challenge empire-sized conflicts like the Third Crusade and Oghuz invasions. Balancing sweeping historical intrigue with the magic of folklore, the novel offers both interior depth and grand political vision as Shaherazade fights for redemption, agency, and the power of her own story .”

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of this book review, I want to state that I’ve never read “One Thousand and One Nights,” and this book is a retelling of that story. Now, let’s talk about the characters. I liked the ideas behind these characters, but I don’t think the proper work was done on their arcs. Shaherazade is our main character and the POV we follow throughout the book. It makes a lot of sense for a woman who grew up at the court of the Malik to be observant and gain power throughout the story. However, we don’t actually see that development taking place.

The whole middle of the book lags, with not a whole lot happening when the proper character work could have been done. Yes, this is about a massive journey from Persia to Palestine, covering miles and miles of land. Once we get to the last quarter of the book, there’s a sudden shift, and Shaherazade emerges as this powerful woman. While I think that transition is understandable, we, as readers, don’t see that growth unfold in the text; we have to fill in those gaps ourselves. I don’t believe that’s how books should be written. Again, I like the idea, but I just don’t think it was properly executed.

I did like the atmosphere, and I would say that was my favorite part of the book. Some of the world-building, especially in Baghdad, was very vivid and somewhat reminiscent of when we visited Essos in “Game of Thrones.” I was really intrigued by the settings, and it made me want to research all the names and groups of people that I was hearing about. However, that was also one of my problems with getting immersed in the story. I found it challenging to engage because I didn’t have a background in all these different cultures and terms. This could just be my ignorance, but I feel like a book really needs to immerse you in its world and build that world for you so you can understand it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t done here. 

On the positive side, the book did inspire me to research these cultures and this time period in the medieval Islamic world.

Let’s talk about the writing style, as it relates to my earlier point about being immersed in the story. I found myself really having to focus to grasp what I was reading in the main storyline. Shaherazade is portrayed as a storyteller, which makes sense since she tells stories that are woven into the narrative of “Every Rising Sun.” However, while trying to understand this world we’ve been thrown into, I found myself facing a fictional story within the story. I had to rearrange everything in my mind, questioning what is fiction in this world, what is real, and what important information I was supposed to take in. It was just very overwhelming for me to read.

Again, maybe if I had a better understanding of the Islamic world during medieval times, this book would have been easier for me to navigate. But I do think that the writing style could have been improved to avoid making me feel like I was being thrown from one story to the next and back again.

As I mentioned in the earlier paragraphs about the character work, this book starts out very fast-paced. It took me a little while to read because I was trying to adjust to the story, the culture, and the world-building. A lot was happening, and there was plenty of political and court intrigue, which I really enjoy in my historical fiction. However, once we reached the actual journey, it felt long, boring, and repetitive. The story was told over and over, with little scenes depicting the struggles of being on the road, such as dealing with plague, battles, and the inner turmoil between harems of women. You would think all of that would be intriguing, but the way it was written made it feel dull.

Then we get to the end, where things start to pick up again, but everything feels so sudden that it lacks the necessary buildup. All that time spent in the middle of the book felt like a waste. I felt like I wasted my time reading all of that when there could have been proper character work taking place. I do think this book lacks some logic; it makes sense how an observant girl could become powerful and how someone who immerses herself in stories and learns about the world around her could emerge as a strong woman. Yet, we don’t actually see this development; we’re just told that it happened.

This book didn’t do much for me, but I do think it could be a good historical fiction choice for those who enjoy young adult fantasy set in a desert, Middle Eastern-inspired world. If you like those themes, you might appreciate this one, but overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book.

2.42 out of 5 stars.