Smorgasbord Fantasia

The Sun Bearer Trials was my first book by Aiden Thomas - and my, what an interesting opening this was. Part of a Duology, The Sun Bearer Trials is a dazzling magical adventure, a story of coming-of-age, of queer-normal-friendships and lots more. A passionate, well paced story that weaves together themes about identity, community and justice.  I frankly went in, without any preset ideas about the book or the author Aiden Thomas. Which was probably why, I enjoyed the book a lot more than I expected to. Aiden Thomas is a NYT Bestselling author with his first runaway hit debut, Cemetery Boys ( Which btw, is excellent! I have picked this up and am reading it currently!) - So, in some ways, the readers already familiar with the works of Aiden, would possibly have been expecting a marvel. For me, this was new grounds which I happily waded into and enjoyed a lot, promising myself to definitely get back to Aiden for more of his work.  So, the novel is structured as a trials ( Yes - H...

Nona the Ninth is the third instalment of the Locked Tomb series from Tamsyn Muir. As we have seen before, Tamsyn Muir constructs the Locked Tomb books like an intricate puzzle, with dizzying revelations and mind-fuckery of twists that will blow your mind. So, yes even with the third book in the series, expect nothing different. In a lot of ways, Nona the Ninth is both the easiest book or the most approachable book in the series. And yet, at the same time, the most exquisitely constructed puzzle that Tamsyn throws at us readers. I will be frank, this was actually my least favorite book of the series [ I know! Don't get your knives out, yet. Let me explain!]  So Nona the Ninth happens a while after the tumultuous events of Harrow the Ninth. Fair warning, if you don't remember anything from that book, then I would suggest you go back and read the last few chapters. Because as usual, Tamsyn doesn't give us any guard-rails to help at all and we are thrown into the deep end ...