Katabasis, by R.F. Kuang

 

This book. I’ve tried to give myself time to think about it, but it just seems so big. There was a lot of description and history. This is not a book you can dip in and out of during those times when you have “ten or twenty minutes to read.” You have to be focused—every sentence seems to add information to what you already know. Sometimes you don’t think it’s necessary, but it all adds to the depth of the world and the characters.

That said, I really loved the story. Alice Law never wanted anything but magic. Her tunnel vision bordered on obsession. Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge is considered the best in the world, and Alice will sacrifice anything to work with him. When his death in a magical accident jeopardizes her goals, she is determined to go to hell and bring him back—even though her rival, Peter Murdoch, has the same goal.

The descriptions of the landscapes and the adventures while they are in hell are very entertaining. The backstory (it feels like there is so much more about Peter’s life than Alice’s) drags the story down a bit, and it does start a little slow, but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down without it occupying my thoughts until I finished it.

Expected publication August 26, 2025

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for the advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. 

The Alice Network, by Kate Quinn

 

The Alice Network was a real-life network of female spies during WWI, based mostly in the Lille region of France. They gathered information for the British by utilizing their civilian jobs to pick up information on German troop movements and military positions. The network was named after it's leader, Louise de Bettignies, who used the alias Alice Dubois.

This book has been on my TBR since it came out in 2017. I'm sad that I waited until now to read it.

1947, the world still reeling from WWII, Charlie St. Clair, an American college girl, is pregnant and being taking by her mother to Switzerland to "fix" her problem. Restless and still grieving the death of her brother, she realizes that this is her chance to find out what happened to her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in France during the war. 

1915, Eve Gardiner joins the fight against Germany by being recruited to be a part of the Alice Network. Sent into enemy occupied France. She is trained by the best, and works well for her country, at great personal cost.

Now in 1947, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded, aided by a hired hand named Finn, until a cheeky American girl lands on her doorstep mentioning a name she hasn't heard in years. The girl wants help in finding her cousin, and Eve just wants revenge.

The chapters in this book go back and forth between WWI and 1947, and while I loved Eve's story (as hard as it was to imagine what the real life spies went through), Charlie's story was less interesting to me. I also thought it could have been shorter. But all in all I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to any Historical Fiction fans. 

What Kind of Paradise, by Janelle Brown

Can you ever escape legacy?
Jane has spent all the life she remembers in a cabin in the woods of Montana. Her father tells her very little about her late mother and their former life, instead focusing on homeschooling her in philosophy, survival skills, and self-reliance. He never tells her what he's doing when he goes away for days, but he constantly warns her about technology and its inevitable destructive force on humanity.
One day, her father brings home a computer, hoping to use it to further his message, but inadvertently opens up a whole new world and skill and connections for Jane. At 17, all the questions in her mind come to a head, and she finally convinces her father to take her with him on one of his trips, and the trajectory of her life is changed forever.
At what point in trying to keep someone safe from what you believe to be controlling and destructive, do you become controlling and destructive yourself?
I absolutely loved Jane's strength and her determination to see things for herself. Jane's family was so broken, yet she always kept her own head above water and survived.
This was my first of Janelle Brown's books, but I will definitely be reading more. It's a brilliant read that brought up so many questions on the effects pop culture and technology have on who we are as people. I will be buying a copy for my own library and one to donate to the public library where I work. It is a must-read.