The Creak on the Stairs by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
Length: 315 Pages
Genres: Mystery/Thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Violence, Gore, Stabbing, Bullying, Animal Death and Torture, Sexual Abuse of a Child, and Domestic Violence

"She had to remind herself that she wasn't a little girl anymore. That the real evil wasn't to be found lurking in dark corners but in the human soul."

Lately, I've been feeling an itch that only Nordic-Noir can scratch -- with snow-covered mountains and sparkling fjords, complex relationships, and of course, murder. While I'm a huge fan of Scandinavian TV and films, I'm not sure I've ever dipped my toes into the literature. The Creak on the Stairs has been on my to-read list for quite a while, so I decided it would be as great a place as any to start!

Chief Investigating Officer Elma hasn't been home to Akranes, a small port-town on Iceland's west coast, in over a decade. Most escape to the glittering capital of Reykjavík, but there are those who remain, who like the familiarity of the same faces, the same stories...and the same secrets. Elma isn't one of those people, but after a heartbreaking end to a long-term relationship, she needs the change. She is welcomed back as a daughter of Akranes, and finds an easy friendship with her new partner, Sævar, that could definitely develop into more.

Things seem quiet, but usual, for a small town -- until the body of a woman is found on the beach near the lighthouse -- is she a victim of a simple hit-and-run? Or something more nefarious? None of the locals recognize her, though she has striking dark hair and eyes, a standout in blonde-haired and blue-eyed Iceland. When she is finally identified as Élisabet, a woman who lived in Akranes as a girl, dark secrets, long since hidden, bubble to the surface. By all accounts Élisabet hated Akranes, so what could possibly have brought her back? Through small scenes at the beginning of each chapter, we learn about Élisabet's troubled childhood -- the loss of her father and baby brother, her mother's drug addiction, and most troubling, the man who comes up her stairs at night.

This book was a breeze to read, and had that sort of dry narration that Scandi (according to my very well-read sister) writing isn't complete without. Now that's not my preference when it comes to prose, I very much enjoy a well-crafted description and deep-psychological dives into the characters, but I found it didn't hinder my enjoyment whatsoever. I figured out one part of the mystery fairly early on, but the rest was a pleasant surprise, and one I stayed up late trying to discover!

And if you're still craving more, you're in for a treat: Ægisdóttir published the second in the series, Girls Who Lie, last July!

Book Review: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Length: 301 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Blood, Death, Miscarriage (Only Mentioned), Suicidal Ideation, and Predatory Behavior Against a Minor

"'For many of these women,' Nella whispered, 'this may be the only place their names are recorded. The only place they will be remembered. It is a promise I made to my mother, to preserve the existence of these women whose names would otherwise be erased from history. The world is not kind to us... There are few places for a woman to leave an indelible mark.' I finished tracing an entry, moving on to the next one. 'But this register preserves them - their names, their memories, their worth.'"

I've actually been meaning to read this book since I was gifted a signed copy by my sister (best sister ever) for my birthday in April. I'm so glad I finally got around to it, as it was one of the most talked about historical fiction novels of 2021!

Present day, London. Caroline Parcewell was meant to be spending her tenth anniversary with her husband, visiting the Tower of London and practicing making a baby in their swanky hotel. But just days before she discovers a series of texts between him and employee at his work -- a female employee, and realizes her marriage, and her life, are not what she thought they were. Angry and confused, she flees to England on her own, and happens upon a group of "mudlarkers", people who explore the banks of the Thames in search of something special. In a stroke of luck, or perhaps fate, she finds a blue vial with a mysterious etching of a bear on it.

1791, London. Nella is a purveyor of tobacco leaves and plasters. And poisons. She is a mysterious friend to every woman in London, whether she needs to get rid of a cheating husband or a murderous brother. Nella spends life tucked behind a hidden door in her mother's abandoned shop, wracked with guilt and disease.

Eliza Fanning is only twelve but she already knows the danger of men. Tasked by her mistress to go to the apothecary to pick up a poison to dispose of her husband, she is entranced by the mysterious Nella and her shop. Little does she know it is her choices, and her mistakes, that will dictate the fate of the shop, hidden in 3 Back Alley.

I was so excited to hear that this book was set in London in the late 1700s! It's such a fascinating time in such a fascinating city, but it is criminally underused, with most historical fiction being set in the Victorian era, or WWII. I loved Nella and Eliza's chapters, and with most dual timeline books, I was always eager to get back to them. Caroline was fine, though not as interesting or complex as the others. However, I was very pleased with the conclusion to her story, especially in regards to her cheating husband! My only true issue with the book was that I felt the end for Eliza and Nella was perhaps a bit too easy, a bit too wrapped up, and caused me to somewhat suspend my disbelief. 

Overall, I think this is a solid historical fiction novel, with fascinating glimpses into the complicated lives of women of the time period, and a mystery that will keep you reading until the wee hours of the morning.

Book Review: The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker

The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker
Length: 393 Pages
Genres: YA Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Violence, Gore, Death and Body Horror

"I was nothing but Death that bled from every organ and anger so vicious that it could tear the sky to shreds, drain the oceans dry, and crack the universe in two."

Another book recommended by my sister, who actually got an early copy of this and ended up really liking it! It was one of my options for my November Book of the Month so I jumped at the opportunity to snatch it up.

Ren Scarborough's life is measured by her differences. She is Half-Japanese and Half-English, raised in London by her father and stepmother. She is also part Reaper, soul collectors who can stop time with clocks made of pure silver and gold, and part Shinigami, demons that ferry souls down to the depths of the Japanese Underworld, Yomi. When she finally has enough of being abused for being different and her Shinigami powers explode -- literally -- leaving other reapers injured, she knows she will be hunted down and left to live the rest of her supernaturally long life trapped in a tomb. With little else to do, she escapes to Japan with her sensitive half-brother, Neven, by her side.

There, she travels to Yomi and meets the Goddess of Death herself, Izanami. She sets Ren up with an impossible task: kill three powerful Yokai to become one of her Shinigami. Ren accepts, and is helped on her task by the jovial, yet mysterious, Shinigami Hiro. Ren wants nothing more to belong, and to possibly find her mother along the way. And she will do anything to get it.

Abby warned me that this one took a minute to get going, with much of the first half being devoted to worldbuilding, but as a fantasy lover I was no stranger to that, and actually don't mind it! At times I clashed with the writing style, which sometimes was too descriptive at the cost of losing tension and readability, stumbling into repeating the same thing again and again. However I loved the mythology in this book, and learning about these amazing monsters and Gods. Ren you'll either love or hate -- she is boiling over with emotion and righteous anger, so much so it sometimes comes at the cost of her relationships. The ending was phenomenal, and luckily, we have another book to look forward to! Check this one out if you're getting tired of good girls and the crushing amounts of Euro-centric fantasy populating the genre.