My holiday read — reads, if I can get my hands on the next two fast enough. I can‘t believe I haven‘t picked this up before!

There‘s so much I want to do lately and so little time to do it that I‘m finding it really hard to just sink into an ink-and-paper book. About a quarter of the way in and am pleasantly surprised...

I bought both versions in a fit of homesickness. Love the leads, especially: Saenz and Lucero are whip-smart and compassionate and still very human as they delve into the (tightly-written and gripping) murder mystery, as well as the issues that caused the whole mess in the first place. Waiting impatiently for the prequel — in the meantime, please come talk to me about it? It gets lonely fangirling on my own.

How I‘m spending my evening. I‘ve heard a lot about it and I‘m a little apprehensive — but mostly excited. I cry loads in real life, but only infrequently over books... so bring on the tears, I guess? Let‘s see what this holds.

Smart and genre bending. It has the Victorian tone but everything else is different. I love the exploration of mindsets around disabilities and POC, and that Felicity wasn‘t just the bratty little sister (whose sequel I eagerly anticipate). The relationships (!!!) are realistic and adorable, and everyone is gorgeously-written, especially Monty who you grow to love despite his flaws. (Also grab the audiobook! Christian Coulson is spectacular.)

Ugh, I‘m in love with this series!! It‘s been a couple years since I reread it and I‘m so excited to meet my favourites again.

I never thought of putting a buddy comedy in WWII Russia but here we are. This book is a gem. The story is by turns funny and heartbreaking, tender and foul-mouthed, and the odd pairing of Lev and Kolya are its heart and soul. After 250 pages (or 8.5 hours, in my case) of watching them wander and make trouble on the hunt for their Egg MacGuffin, you can‘t help but love them.

Bonding time with my mum — she‘s new to audiobooks but quickly learning that they‘re much more portable than paperbacks. We agree on two things: a) Ron Perlman adds tremendous gravitas to the narrative and b) Kolya has BETTER survive this. So excited to find out more.