The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (✫✫)

The book started out great, but went downhill pretty quickly. It became very boring, and I had to drag myself to the end hoping something would improve the plot line, but that never happened.

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell (✫✫✫)

I was really torn when reading this book: I really wanted to enjoy it and it was genuinely engaging, but it was so flawed and frustrating it ends up ultimately disappointing. But it’s not bad, either.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (✫✫✫)

I enjoyed this book! It was really interesting and kept me turning the pages. The one thing was that it read like a romance more than a fantasy novel. I felt like the plot took a backseat to the romance aspect.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (✫✫✫)

It was a decently written novel, with fun characters and a somewhat tense storyline. A bit artificially prolonged, it still kept my attention and desire to find out what happens next.

An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (✫✫✫✫)

This was a pleasant story about an artist and his relationships with friends, his daughters, old colleagues, and his grandson after WWII has ended. It is an interesting insight into the mind of someone who was active politically in imperial Japan who then had to look back on his actions objectively and make apologies for it post-war.

Reign of Madness by Lynn Cullen (✫✫✫✫)

An excellent historical view of Juana, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabel of Spain. The characters are beautifully developed, and the plot kept me very interested.