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@a_field_of_fiction

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🍀 26 | Australia | Book Reviews and Rambles
🌼25/30 books read - 2026 Goal
🌸 Fantasy, Romance and Literary Fiction
📖: ninth house

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🌸 Book Review 🌸

Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

A great read for spooky month ngl!! A bit of a long review so I've put it in the post this time, but overall I really loved this book and am a bit sad the series is over. I feel like Alex is such a unique and special main character and I really hope we maybe get some short stories or novellas with these characters in the future!

Let me know if you've read Dead beat or are thinking of starting the series!!
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#bookreview #deadbeat #leighbardugo
#bookrecommendations #readersofinstagram by @a_field_of_fiction

🌸 Mini book review 🌸

Tha Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

It's been a few months since I read The Jasad Heir so my ability to do an in depth review has kind of gone 😂 but it was too good a book to not make a post about!!!

A major aspect of this world I really appreciated was how intricate and fully developed the political landscape and relationships between characters and nations were. Nothing was ever really black and white, which I think made the character's decisions and dilemmas way more interesting.

A highlight of this was Sylvia's relationship with her position as the heir of Jasad, and the inner struggles she had coming to terms with her beliefs around her family and nation. Seeing her mindset shift slowly through the book and build connections to the people who still believed in her was so satisfying and I think done so well.

Also as an enemies to lovers enthusiast, I feel like the relationship between Sylvia and Arin was perfect, the amount of development it had felt natural and understandable!!!

Anyway very keen to read the second book and hopefully do a more in depth review when I get to it!!
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#bookreview #thejasadheir #booklover
#readersofinstagram #readingcommunity by @a_field_of_fiction

💐 September Reading Recap 💐

September was a pretty busy month for me so I'm kind of amazed that it was also one of my best reading months!

I had a bit of a romance reading moment, where I got through both Firet-Time Caller and The wedding Forecast in like a week! But then I had a bit more of a spooky, magical vibe for the end of the month, which is perfect for heading into October.

But between reading I also had my birthday, turning 26, and moved states to live in Melbourne! So a lot of exciting things going on!

I have just finished my re-read of Hell Bent, and have finally gotten to Dead Beat which I'm loving so far!! I've been waiting so long for this book 😭😂

What were people's favourite reads in September?
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#bookblog #readersofinstagram
#readmorebooks #bookfriends #booklover by @a_field_of_fiction

🌸 Book Review 🌸

The Wedding Forecast by Nina Kenwood

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Omg what a book! Sometimes you just find the right book at the right time, and this was definitely it for me. I absolutely devoured this book, I didn't want to put it down and I literally had to put all my strength into leaving it behind when I had to go out for social plans 😂.

The Wedding Forecast had nearly everything that I like in a romance novel, that being that the main character has a fulfilling personal plotline outside of the romance, and that some focus is also put into building the main character's platonic / familial relationships.

Anna was such a mess but I loved her for it. You could just feel the spiral she was going through at the beginning of the book, but loved how she found humour and strength to get through it. The early banter between her and Mac was *chef's kiss* , but I also loved how she handled the relationship as it progressed. I also think the issues that arose for the romance plot were realistic and understandable, which I highly appreciated.

Her relationship with the mums and Hayley were wonderful and I liked that she even had an individual relationship with Luke. I even enjoyed the presence of Joel as it really rounded out Anna as a fully realised character.

Overall the humour to romance ratio was perfect, the reveals were amazing and I was living for the drama. I am now really looking forward to Nina's next book which comes out really soon!!

Also, if you love these felt hearts as much as I do, you should check out @1000_hearts 💓
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#bookrecommendations #bookblog #romance #readmorebooks #booklover by @a_field_of_fiction

🌻August Reading Recap🌻

August was a pretty busy month as I was away for most of it in Brisbane or Melbourne!! However I still managed to read the same amount I generally do, so ngl I'm pretty proud of that 😂.

🧡Heart the Lover by Lily King was definitely the highlight of the month, and I am now invested in reading every book by her. Honestly she might have become an auto-buy author. I listened to this as an audiobook while on a road trip and it was just so beautiful but bittersweet, and at points I was literally gasping out loud in the car with the reveals!! This is also the first time I've successfully finished an audiobook, which I think is a sign of how good it is 💓.

I'm also excited to keep reading the Once Upon a Broken Heart series! I loved the Caraval series when it was coming out, but for some reason never picked up this one. However I am once again invested in this whimsical world and very keen to see where the story goes!!

Edit: just noticed it says Lovers & Writers, not Writers & Lovers😭😞. I spent way too much time on canva to change now so pls ignore 😂

How was everyone else's August??
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#readingcommunity #heartthelover #onceuponabrokenheart #bookblog #bookish by @a_field_of_fiction

🌸 Mini book review 🌸

Daughters of the Tide by @arianne_writes

I finished this book a month ago but I wanted to do a little post on it! Arianne is the head of my book club, so I had been anticipating this book for a while before it came out 😂.

A beautifully descriptive and atmospheric novel, Daughters of the Tide follows three women in 1920s Tasmania, Isla, her mother Clara, and her aunt, Adelaide, as they contend with long-hidden family secrets and a pull towards the ocean that have them dreaming of seals and remembering selkie stories from their childhoods.

The book is split into three sections by character perspective, with the first section from Isla's POV, then Adelaide's and finally Clara's. I was surprised to find that Clara and her section was my favourite, which I was not expecting from the first part of the book. I cried so much reading about her battle with mental health, and I found her struggle of motherhood and the complicated relationship she had with the ocean very compelling. Maybe it's also because I'm a younger sister myself, but she was definitely the character I connected with the most.

I was initially surprised with how subtle the fantasy elements were, but ended up quite enjoying how their relationship with the ocean, and their beliefs around selkies and the fantastical, were so interwoven with their personal relationships and family history.

And I don't know if it's also because I live where the book is set, but the places, the beach and the house were so clear in my mind!! Overall a heartfelt read really highlighting the struggles but also the power and love within familial bonds.

I've also added a photo from Arianne's book launch which I didn't post! Also look at the seal stamp, is it not the best thing everrrr. by @a_field_of_fiction

Pantone Birth chart book recs ☘️🪻🌹🌷

I saw everyone else doing this trend and decided I wanted to try it as welll! And ngl, I feel like I was very lucky with my colour palette. But omg why was it actually hard to find some books for these colours 😂😭.

Hope everyone is doing well! I've been on holiday the last few days and have been enjoying some time for reading, and Ive even started an audiobook! (a very rare occurrence for me)

I've also just finished the Jasad Heir and I'm very keen to make a dedicated book review post for that as well, because wow, what a good book!!! 💓
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#pantonebirthchart #bookrecommendations #readmorebooks #bookish #bookstagramcommunity by @a_field_of_fiction

🌸 Book Review 🌸

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

⭐⭐⭐.5

My bookclub read for July! I was incredibly excited to read this book as it would be my first time picking up an Ann Liang book, and I've seen so many people on bookstagram rave about how good she is! And now having read A song to Drown Rivers I think I have begun to understand 😂

This book is a beautifully written historical novel based on the legend of Xishi, one of the four famous beauties of ancient China. We follow Xishi as she is recruited and trained to become a concubine for the rival kingdoms king, and work from the inside to take him down.

I absolutely devoured this book, I think it's the quickest I have finished a book in months. I really liked Xishi as a main character and loved her soft strength and resilience as she tackles all the issues that come her way. Her relationship with Fanli was heart wrenching, and I was very impressed with how quickly I became attached to their relationship, only after a handful of scenes of them being together. Like I was in it with themmmmmm. Why couldn't my babies get at least one more scene 😭😭.

But I also ended up loving Fuchai, and thought he was so well written as a morally grey character. You could really understand Xishi's struggle and inner conflict when it came to her relationship with him as the narrative went on. Also appreciated the friendship between Xishi and Zhengdan, though would have loved a few more scenes between them.

My only issue was that it maybe rushed through the narrative a bit fast at times, and could have benefitted on going a bit deeper into some of the topics it introduced, like I would have loved a bit more exploration on how the people of both nations were suffering from the whims of kings. I also did think it read a bit more YA than adult, but I also knew going in that Ann Liang mainly writes YA, so it didn't bother me that much.

But overall, an epic novel that kept me enthralled the entire time, had me in tears at points, and has definitely made me very keen to try some of her other novels.
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#bookrecommendations #bookreview
#readersgonnaread #asongtodrownrivers #booklover by @a_field_of_fiction

🌷Books I want to borrow🌷

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted 😭, time really has been flying! Hope everyone had a great June!

I've been working a lot these last few weeks, but as I work in a library, this has not stopped me from coming across more books to add to my tbr 😂. I feel like everyday I see a new book that interests me or an older one I forgot I wanted to read.

So here are a few books I've found at the library that I would like to borrow! Let me know if you've read any of these, what are your thoughts???

I feel like I sometimes forget how awesome it is to have so many books to read for free. So if you aren't a member of your local library, I would totally suggest you go check it outtt!
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#bookish #booklover #readersofinstagram #library #readmorebooks by @a_field_of_fiction

🌸 Book Review 🌸

Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi

⭐⭐⭐.5

I read Cleopatra at the start of May for my book group, and I was quite keen to read this as I only knew the very basic history of Cleopatra!

The book follows Cleopatra right from the beginning of her reign as Pharaoh, through to the end of her rule, detailing her life with a definite focus on her relationships with family, and lovers.

The writing was beautiful and I thought the descriptions of place were really well done. I also really liked seeing Cleopatra's non-romantic relationships be highlighted, particularly her relationship with her handmaid, Charmion, and her children.

I also found the depiction of the gods and the different religions of Rome and Egypt really interesting, and loved how they intersected through Cleopatra and her relationships with Ceasar and Marcus.

You can really tell that El-Arifi has written this book in response to the way Cleopatra has been characterised by male writers in the past, with the book broken up into three sections based of titles Cleopatra have been given such as, 'the witch', 'the whore', and 'the villain'. I thought she did well at showing how misogynistic these depictions were, and giving the reader a more nuanced depiction of Cleopatra.

My only issues with the book is that it did feel hard to connect with the characters at times, and I also wasn't the biggest fan of the use of foreshadowing at the start of the book, as it would wreck my immersion when trying to get myself into the narrative.

Let me know if you have read this book? What did you think??!!
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#bookreview #cleopatra #readersofinstagram #booklover #bookrecommendations by @a_field_of_fiction

🌹Jam Book Challenge 🌹

My attempt at @bookish.nay 's That's my Jam Book Challenge after being tagged by the lovely @amber_rose_reads !

I love book challenges like these, they're so much fun but I always take so long to choose my answers!! So ngl kind of proud that I actually got around to finishing this one!

I've tagged a few people but if you see this and want to do it, you should definitely go for it, I'm always so interested in seeing what people choose!!
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#bookstagramcommunity #readmorebooks
#bookish #booklover #readersofinstagram by @a_field_of_fiction

🌸Book Review 🌸

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

After reading a string of fantasy books, I decided it was time for a break and to change it up, so I decided to read Crying in H Mart which had been sitting on my shelf since last year.

It took me long time to read, literally most of April, however it was so worth it. Crying in H Mart is such a beautiful but incredibly sad autobiography which details the relationship between Michelle and her mother, particularly focused around the time of the her mother's cancer diagnosis and death.

I found myself crying numerous times while reading this book. The writing is so well done, you really feel all the emotions Michelle is having and the grief and anxiety, but also the love and care and connection. You also really see how her relationship with her mother is highly interlinked with Michelle's connection to her Korean heritage, and the affect her mother's death has on her identity.

While the story is highly unique I think the themes of grief and family, as well as the depiction of the relationship between Michelle and her mum, are feelings and relationships that many people could relate to.

It's not really a book I feel like giving a star rating, due to how personal it is, but I would highly recommend people reading it, even if non-fiction isn't something you pick up often.

Let me know if you've read this book! by @a_field_of_fiction