Lots of reading in October! Here are my mini reviews for these books:

Harbour of Hungry Ghosts: A creative and fun fantasy set in Hong Kong during the Opium Wars. The main character comes from a family who put wandering ghosts to bed but she and her grandmother/mentor are unprepared for the British ghosts who have been unleashed in the city. Kick-ass heroine and lots of great characters and plot twists, I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Limberlost: A coming-of-age story set in Tanzania in the final years of World War II and beyond. Beautifully and lyrically written, the prose is outstanding. The ending felt a bit short to me – like it ended without much resolution but perhaps that was also the point. The story shines through the details of everyday life of the young main character.

Black Water Lilies: This was this month’s sleeper. I picked it up to fill a HRCYED prompt and absolutely LOVED it. A mystery/thriller set in the town of Giverny with 3 storylines that revolve around a murdered art dealer found in the brook that feeds Monet’s famous pond filled with water lilies. Recommending this to anyone (or everyone) who likes a complex and twisty mystery plot with loads of great characters who all come to life in this well-written book.

Six Women of Salem: I was disappointed in this one. I took a graduate-level class my final year at university on the Salem witch trials so I always find new studies or ways of approaching the history interesting. Except this one really wasn’t. The author obviously meticulously researched any and all first-hand accounts she could find, but I took nothing new away from this one and I didn’t love that she opened every chapter with fictional “accounts” of what the women and girls involved with the trial were thinking as if they were writing in the first person.

The Briar Club: If you’re a fan of Kate Quinn (or just love women-focused historical fiction), you’ll probably love this one as much as I did. Set in McCarthy-era Washington DC during the Red Scare, it follows the stories of the inhabitants of a boarding house over 4 years leading up to a murder in the house. Only loosely based on historical facts (there was no murder but many of the characters are loosely based on actual people), it is an entertaining and fun read while also painting a detailed picture of the early 1950s in DC.

Weyward: Historical fiction with 3 interwoven tales of women in the Weyward family, who carry a strong witch line in their genes where they have a particular affinity to the natural world. While I think we were supposed to relate to the current-day character, I absolutely loved the middle character, Violet, who wants desperately to be a bug scientist. Nothing earth-shattering here but an enjoyable read.

The Teller of Small Fortunes: Sweet, cozy fantasy. If you like found families and bakers with a small dash of magic, this one is for you. Light and fluffy without a lot of plot tension, I’d recommend this for a holiday read where you just need some mind candy but aren’t looking for a wholly immersive read.

Gold Spun: A retelling of Rumplestiltskin set in a land with an obnoxious royal family and a lot of bad-tempered elves. I wanted to like this one but I didn’t. The characters were trope-laden caricatures and the love triangle left me cold and the main character and the prince both annoyed me. Pass on the remainder of this series for me.