Mini Reviews // City of Ghosts + Vengeful + Stardust

I have been enjoying lots of lovely and slightly dark sci-fi/fantasy novels in these dreary Autumn/Winter months. I find myself missing the brightness of Summer, but genre books always feel warming on cloudy days. Here are three magical and paranormal books I have read recently.

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

★★★★☆

I love Schwab's books so much, and this was no exception. City of Ghosts was everything I've come to associate with Victoria Schwab's writing: brave girls, strange boys, and dark supernatural forces. The unwavering friendship between Cass and the dead-boy-who-is-haunting-her/best-friend Jacob was really sweet, and the Edinburgh setting was deliciously spooky. The ghostly world of the Veil was fascinating, and the supernatural lore was something I would have adored as a young reader and found thrilling as an adult reader. As someone outside of the Middle-Grade target audience, City of Ghosts felt wonderfully nostalgic, reminding me of childhood favourites like Harry Potter and His Dark Materials, but with its own magical flair. The novel is packed with mystery and enchanting writing, and I can't wait to see what is next in store for Cassidy Blake.
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Series: Cassidy Blake #1

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

★★★★☆

Vengeful was just as intoxicating as it's predecessor. With magnificent structuring and glorious characters, Schwab weaves an intricate tapestry of interconnecting timelines to create a thrilling story.
I loved seeing more of the peculiar family that is Victor, Sydney and Mitch, and the complexity of those relationships. This sequel also brings the similarities between Victor and Eli to the forefront, and it was interesting to see my sympathies shift in ways I hadn't expected.
The new characters were equally fascinating to follow. Marcella is a brutal hurricane of a woman in an intense pursuit for power. June was more difficult to pin down but just as interesting, and seeing these two women destroy everyone who stands in their way made this novel all the more epic.
The only thing that kept me from completely adoring Vengeful was the conclusion. There is a lot going on throughout the story (almost too much), but when it came to the end, I felt nothing had really changed. The characters felt the same as when the book started, just in different places. The climactic finale didn't have quite the same build up and impact as Vicious did. It left me a bit underwhelmed and not fully satisfied.
However, in defence of this book, I hold Vicious on a very high pedestal. It is one of my absolute favourite books, and nothing I have read since it has ever truly lived up to it. That said, Vengeful is still an undeniable masterpiece, and it was nearly impossible to put it down.
Genre: Adult Science-Fiction
Series: Villains #2
Diversity note: asexual protagonist
Warnings: death, murder, domestic abuse, gore, torture, child abuse, self-harm, suicide

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

★★★☆☆

This was quite a lovely little book, and I'm glad I finally found the chance to read it. Stardust has a strong fairytale charm about it, both in it's language and in the story. It's perfect for those who grew up on magical stories and Gaiman mirrors them perfectly, although his storytelling is far more dark and violent. For me personally, this book didn't do anything for it to stand out from the other fantastical stories I have read, but I enjoyed it's sweet familiarity nonetheless.
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Warnings: death, murder, blood, animal gore

What books have you been reading this winter? What were your favourites?