ARC Review: “I Deliver Parcels in Beijing” by Hu AnYan

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Title: I Deliver Parcels in Beijing

Author: Hu AnYan, Jack Hargreaves (translator)

Genre: Nonfiction / Memoir

Pages: 336

My rating: ★★★☆☆

Read from: 05.11.25 – 24.12.25

The E-Arc of I Deliver Parcels in Beijing was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Synopsis:

In 2023, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing became the literary sensation of the year in China. Hu Anyan’s story, about short-term jobs in various anonymous megacities, hit a nerve with a generation of young people who feel at odds with an ever-growing pressure to perform and succeed.

Hu started posting essays about his experiences online during COVID lockdowns. His recollection of night shifts in a huge logistics center in the south of China went viral: his nights were so hot that he could drink three liters of water without taking a toilet break; his days were spent searching for affordable rooms with proper air-conditioning; and his few moments of leisure were consumed by calculations of the amount of alcohol needed to sleep but not feel drowsy a few hours later.

Hu Anyan tells us about brutal work, where there is no real future in sight. But Hu is armed with deadpan humor and a strong idea of self. He moves on when he feels stuck—from logistics in the south, to parcel delivery in Beijing, to other impossible jobs. Along the way, he turns to reading and writing for strength and companionship.

I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is an honest and startling first-person portrait of Hu Anyan’s struggle against the dehumanizing nature of our contemporary global work system—and his discovery of the power of sharing a story.

My Review:

It was very interesting to learn about work life and work culture in China! The book does not shy away from describing the more negative aspects of life as a worker in China, from working conditions, to working overtime without pay, to the culture among colleagues. We follow the author, Hu, through various short-term jobs he has had throughout his life, and it gives a valuable insight into a job market dominated by big corporations and a culture where you are expected to give it your all and climb the ladder. Hu also writes about his struggles with this, and his journey into reading and writing. All in all, the story itself made for an engaging reading experience, but I struggled a bit with the formatting. I struggled with how the chapters weren’t necessarily chronological, and the style of writing felt a little disengaged from the story to me. This made me struggle with picking up the book, which is why it took me a while to read. That being said, if you feel like reading a first-hand account of the struggle against the current work culture, globally and in China, I recommend picking this one up!

❀ Mathilde

You can find me on Goodreads here

Or on Bookstagram here

ARC Review: “The Mermaid in the Millpond” by Lucy Strange and Pam Smy

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Title: The Mermaid in the Millpond

Author: Lucy Strange, Pam Smy (illustrator)

Genre: Middle Grade / Fantasy / Historical Fiction

Pages: 120

My rating: ★★★★☆

Read from: 20.11.25 – 20.11.25

The E-Arc of The Mermaid in the Millpond was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Synopsis:

Bess has left the London workhouse behind for a job at a rural cotton mill. But life at the mill is hard and cruel – a far cry from the fresh start Bess hoped for. The only way to survive is to escape, but the mill is like a prison with no way out.

Meanwhile, rumours are spreading about a vicious creature that lurks in the millpond. Bess is sure it’s all nonsense, until one night she sees something stir in the murky water …

My Review:

I was not aware that this was a historical fiction before picking it up, but I loved that aspect of it! I think this is a wonderful way to teach history and myth to children at the same time, and I highly recommend this to those of you with kids around 8 years and up.

We follow Bess, who arrives at a rural cotton mill in the hopes that life there will be easier than in the workhouses of London, but she is sadly mistaken. Life is hard and the children there are treated cruelly. Bess, though she is trying to steel her heart, ends up making a friend there, and they both decide they have to run away. In the midst of all this, there are the stories of a monster in the millpond, that Bess can’t fully put away.

I found this short book really engaging, and I loved following Bess’ story. I think there are loads of things that you could talk with your children about after reading this story, from children’s conditions historically to myths and legends. The book is only around 120 pages long (with illustrations), so I highly recommend giving it a try!

❀ Mathilde

You can find me on Goodreads here

Or on Bookstagram here

ARC Review: “Shout Loud, My Heart” by Youga Rayri

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Title: Shout Loud, My Heart

Author: Youga Rayri

Genre: Manga / Romance / Yaoi

Pages: 192 pages

My rating: ★★★✭☆

Read from: 25.06.25 – 26.06.25

The E-Arc of Shout Loud, My Heart was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Synopsis:

A sexy new BL one-shot manga that will seduce you with its sultry tones! A rocker meets a smooth-talker and falls deeper and deeper…until he finds himself longing for more…

Ages 18 and up only.

College student Gen plays guitar in a rock band called Eve. At a gig one night, he meets a man named Mike. Mike’s the kind of person who has no trouble saying what’s on his mind, and Gen soon finds himself captivated by this smooth, handsome voice. The next day, the two meet again when they realize they go to the same college. Be it on stage or in casual conversation, Gen finds himself more and more captivated by Mike’s voice. The more time the two spend together, the more Gen realizes it’s more than just Mike’s voice he’s attracted to…

My Review:

This was my first yaoi / boy’s love manga, and I enjoyed it! I liked both Gen and Mike, and their romance was fun to follow, especially once they finally admitted their feelings. What I struggled with a bit was the pacing, and the amount of story packed into just one volume. I think this might have been better as a series, instead of as a one shot, at least for me. That being said, if a one shot yaoi manga about two men in bands sounds up your alley, then definitely give this one a go!

❀ Mathilde

You can find me on Goodreads here

Or on Bookstagram here

ARC Review: “Sweet Obsession” by Katee Robert

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Title: Sweet Obsession

Author: Katee Robert

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Mythology

Pages: 336 (the Kindle edition)

My rating: ★★★★☆

Read from: 22.03.25 – 22.03.25

The E-Arc of Sweet Obsession was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Disclaimer: This is book 8 in the Dark Olympus series so both the synopsis and my review might contain light spoilers for the previous 7 books when it comes to the main storyline that flows from book to book.

Synopsis:

He was mine to protect. Mine to adore. Mine to lose forever.

Icarus may not have flown particularly close to the sun, but he has fallen…right into the rough hands of Olympus’s own Poseidon. Being held captive by the gentle giant wouldn’t be so bad if Olympus wasn’t on the eve of destruction…or if Poseidon stopped looking at him with those irresistibly stormy eyes.

Poseidon doesn’t have time to babysit his increasingly bratty prisoner, but he has no Olympus is officially at war, and someone has to keep their best bargaining chip out of harm’s way. The thing is, the longer Poseidon is with Icarus, the more he starts to care for his sworn enemy…and the more he realizes that Icarus isn’t the villain he’s been made out to be. There’s a warmth to him, a vulnerability, that Poseidon finds difficult to ignore or deny.

Now with Circe and the Aeaens at the gate and Olympus a hair’s breadth away from falling, Poseidon will have to make a difficult about himself, about his allegiances, and about the man who woke his heart from its long slumber only to threaten to break it for good…

A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Poseidon and Icarus.

My Review:

This is one of those books where the “scorchingly hot” from the synopsis is actually 100% correct. This book is smutty in all the best ways, and I am once more in awe of how Katee Robert writes about kink. The communication is not just present but it is a huge part of the sex scenes. They are constantly checking in with each other as they explore the kinks they are into. For reference it might be worth noting that this book contains the exploration of a pain kink, as well as a dom/sub relationship. In Robert’s books, sex and kink are not just there, but they are active elements of the main character’s personal growth, as well as the development of their relationship(s).

In addition to the romance plotline, there is a lot of build-up for the overarching plotline of politics and war. I will not go into detail, as to not spoil anyone, but the tensions are rising! I am really excited to see where this goes, and I am especially excited for the next book which is finally going to be Zeus/Hera. I have to admit that the political plot is not my main focus while reading these books, I am first and foremost here for the romance, which is why these books work so well for me. I am also a huge fan of all the ways Robert lets the original myths shine through in her works, even though they are by no means true retellings.

I would highly recommend this book series if you think romance stories set in a semi-fantasy world based on Greek mythology sounds fun! This series is smutty in all the right ways and I am absolutely obsessed with it.

❀ Mathilde

You can find me on Goodreads here

Or on Bookstagram here

ARC Review: “Death” by Laura Thalassa

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Title: Death

Author: Laura Thalassa

Genre: Fantasy / Romance

Pages: 560 (the Kindle edition)

My rating: ★★★✭☆

Read from: 31.03.25 – 03.04.25

The E-Arc of Death was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Disclaimer: Since this is book four in a series, the synopsis, as well as my review, might contain light spoilers to the first three books. I will in no way be spoiling this book, but if you want to go into the series blindly, save this review for when you are done with the first book!

Synopsis:

He’s known by many names: Thanatos. Horseman. God’s last angel. And then, of course, there’s the one I’m all too familiar with—

Death.

The day Death comes to Lazarus Gaumond’s town and kills everyone in one fell swoop, the last thing he expects to see is a woman left alive and standing. But Lazarus has her own extraordinary gift: she cannot be killed—not by humans, not by the elements, not by Death himself.

She is the one soul Death doesn’t recognize. The one soul he cannot pry free from her flesh. Nor can he ignore the unsettling desire he has for her. Take her. He wants to, desperately. And the longer she tries to stop him from his killing spree, the stronger the desire becomes.

When Lazarus crosses paths with the three other horsemen, an unthinkable situation leads to a terrible deal: seduce Death, save the world. A hopeless task, made all the worse by the bad blood between her and Thanatos. But Death’s attraction to her is undeniable, and try though she might, Lazarus cannot stay away from that ancient, beautiful being and his dark embrace.

The end is here. Humankind is set to perish, and not even the horsemen can stop Death from fulfilling his final task.

Only Lazarus can.

My Review:

I have loved the series so far, but I think my expectations for Death were too high. I was so excited for the final book, the epic conclusion, but this was basically the same as the first three. The plot follows the same progression, and I did not feel like the ending warranted the four-book build up that we have had. That being said, I still really enjoyed the book! I stand by what I said in my review of book 3, this series has become crack to me. I am completely addicted. The books are essentially un-put-down-able and I am having a great time reading them, even this one!

I really enjoyed Lazarus’ immortality and how that played into the plot and Death’s actions. The juxtaposition of Death himself meeting the one soul who cannot be killed was nice. I wish the dynamic of him being death and her being life had been explored a bit more, it would have been so cool if she had turned out to actually BE life itself. But alas. Maybe I will enjoy this book more the next time I read it, because there will be a reread of the series at some point, since I’ll know not to let my expectations grow too high. For now, it was a little disappointing, but still really good! I would highly recommend this series (make sure to look up trigger warnings though).

❀ Mathilde

You can find me on Goodreads here

Or on Bookstagram here

ARC Review: “Famine” by Laura Thalassa

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Title: Famine

Author: Laura Thalassa

Genre: Fantasy / Romance

Pages: 472 (the Kindle edition)

My rating: ★★★★☆

Read from: 02.01.25 – 03.01.25

The E-Arc of Famine was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Disclaimer: Since this is book three in a series, the synopsis, as well as my review, might contain spoilers to the first and second book. I will in no way be spoiling this book, but if you want to go into the series blindly, save this review for when you are done with the first two books!

Synopsis:

They came to earth―Pestilence, War, Famine, Death―four horsemen riding their screaming steeds, racing to the corners of the world. Four horsemen with the power to destroy all of humanity.

They came to earth, and they came to end us all.

Ana da Silva always assumed she’d die young, but she never expected it to be at the hands of the haunting immortal who spared her life years ago. Famine. But if the horseman remembers her, he must not care, for when she comes face to face with him for the second time in her life, she’s stabbed and left for dead.

Only, she doesn’t quite die.

If there’s one thing Famine is good at, it’s cruelty. He can’t forget the pain humanity has brought him, and he’s ready to bring it back to them tenfold. But when Ana, a ghost from his past, corners him for what he did to her, she and her empty threats captivate him, and he decides to keep her around.

In spite of themselves, Ana and Famine are drawn to each other. But at the end of the day, the two are enemies. Nothing changes that. Not one kind act, not two. And definitely not a few steamy nights. But enemies or reluctant lovers, if they don’t stop themselves soon, heaven will.

My review:

After aboslutely loving the first book in the series, and really enjoying the second one, I had a feeling this would be a winner. I was right. I don’t know what Thalassa puts in these books but I swear they are like crack. I basically read the entirety of this book in one sitting. I fall into the world so easily and the story is engaging enough to keep my attention throughout the whole book!

Still, Famine/Ana did not hit quite as hard as the first book, but I nonetheless enjoyed their relationship as it grew. They had a lot of funny banter, and I enjoyed the aspect of Ana being a sex worker and being so open about it. It paired well with Famine’s attitude towards sex lmao. My main love for this series is still the way it portrays humanity, with its focus on how humanity is reedemable and ultimately worth saving. All in all, I would definitely recommend checking this series out! Especially if you enjoy fantasy romances. Beware of the trigger warnings though, these books are heavy and can be triggering to a lot of people. The mmcs are the Horsemen of the Apocolypse after all.

❀ Mathilde

You can find me on Goodreads here

Or on Bookstagram here

ARC Review: “Bespelled” by Laura Thalassa

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Title: Bespelled

Author: Laura Thalassa

Genre: Romantasy

Pages: 544

My rating: ★★★★☆

Read from: 21.07.24 – 18.11.24

The E-Arc of Bespelled was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Disclaimer: Since this is book two in a series, the synopsis, as well as my review, might contain spoilers to the first book. I will in no way be spoiling this book, but if you want to go into the series blindly, save this review for when you are done with the first book!

Synopsis:

No one told witch Selene Bowers having a soul mate would be so difficult. Nor did they warn her that he might be a vengeful, ancient sorcerer who would frame her for murder, force her to remember a past life he swears she lived, and then coerce her into an unbreakable marriage pact. But that’s exactly what happens the night of the Samhain Ball, when Selene finds herself in a jail cell.

After waking from enchanted sleep, Memnon swore to discover why Selene betrayed him long ago. But when his soul mate’s memories return, the truth reveals something else entirely. Horrified by his own actions and desperate to make amends, Memnon offers Selene the unthinkable: a magic bond that will give her full control over his will. And Selene is desperate enough to accept it.

But other enemies still haunt Henbane Coven, Selene’s magical academy, and they’ve taken a keen interest in her. If she wants to stop them, she’ll need Memnon’s help. But partnering with the sorcerer is a tricky business, especially when he’s dead set on winning her heart. And that can’t happen…because the bond controlling him will break the moment she falls in love with him.

My Review:

I had some reservations about this book, because I struggled a little with the first one. Without going into too much detail, the mmc Memnon did some things to the fmc Selene that I just could not forgive. This led to me not shipping them anymore, so I was rooting for the romance to fall apart, lol. And again, without going into too much detail, all is now forgiven. In the same way that Warner, in the Shatter Me series, can be forgiven after reading further into the series, Memnon can be forgiven after reading Bespelled.

I really enjoyed this book! Selene grew a lot as a person and as a witch, and her connection to Memnon became clearer and a lot more romantic throughout the book. Similarly to the first one, I loved the way the magic worked in this one as well. Also, I am a sucker for magical bonds between people, so Bespelled definitely hit the spot on that one. The book has intrigue, mystery, drama, action, and romance. I enjoyed it a lot!

If you’re into romantasy as a genre, or you love reading about witches, werewolves, anti-heroes getting the girl, and suspenseful drama, then definitely give this series a go!

❀ Mathilde

You can find me on Goodreads here

Or on Bookstagram here

ARC Review: “Notes from an Island” by Tove Jansson & Tuulikki Pietilä

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Title: Notes from an Island

Author: Tove Jansson & Tuulikki Pietilä

Genre: Nonfiction, memoir, nature

Pages: 126

My rating: ★★★✭☆

Read from: 01.08.24 – 02.08.24

The E-Arc of Notes from an Island was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Synopsis:

In the bitter winds of autumn 1963, Tove Jansson, helped by Brunström, a maverick fisherman, raced to build a cabin on a treeless skerry in the Gulf of Finland. The island was Klovharun, and for thirty summers Tove and her beloved partner, the graphic artist, Tuulikki Pietilä, retreated there to live, paint and write, energised by the shifting seascapes and the island’s austere rocky charms.

Notes from an Island, written in 1996, is both a chronicle of this period and a paean to the mature love that Tove and ‘Tuuti’ shared for their island and for each other. Tove’s spare prose, and Tuulikki’s subtle washes and aquatints combine to form a work of meditative and plangent beauty.

My Review:

I think the best word to describe this book might be understated. It is a quiet, muted thing, this little insight into Tove & Tooti’s lives on the tiny island of Klovharun. This book would be perfect for someone who is a die-hard fan of either Jansson or Pietilä, but it would not work all that well for someone approaching their art for the first time, in my opinion.

Notes from an Island might at first be considered a little boring to read, since it takes effort to slow down to the point where the book, with all its art, is enjoyable. I struggled a bit myself, but I found it interesting to read after a little while. I loved learning about the tiny island Klovharun, and seeing how Tove & Tooti approached the wildness of nature, trying to co-exist and create art.

For those with an interest for it, I would definitely recommend this book! But for those looking for a good starting point, especially if you are looking to start exploring Jansson’s writings, I would recommend looking elsewhere.

❀ Mathilde

You can find me on Goodreads here

Or on Bookstagram here

ARC Review: “Seeds” by Angie Paxton

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Title: Seeds

Author: Angie Paxton

Genre: Mythology / Fantasy / Retelling

Pages: 393

My rating: ★★★★✭

Read from: 21.11.24 – 29.12.24

The E-Arc of Seeds was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Synopsis:

Kore has lived her entire life under her resentful mother Demeter’s shadow, trying her hardest to please a woman grown bitter by betrayal. With her self-esteem in tatters and deliberately isolated by her mother, it’s no surprise that Kore is flummoxed when she meets a collection of otherworldly women – the Goddesses of Olympus – who tell her that her mother is in truth a Goddess herself. Kore tells them her preferred name, Persephone, and hopes they will not only have answers for her new questions, but the friendship and love she craves. Instead, an imposing and stoic figure emerges from a nearby cave on a magical chariot and snatches Persephone away.

Upon realizing she has been taken to the Underworld by Hades, who desires she become his queen, Persephone vows to escape.

Demeter, enraged upon finding her daughter taken, goes to extreme lengths to reclaim her – putting the lives of all humanity, and even the gods, at risk.

Angie Paxton breathes new life into a myth that has been reshaped, adapted, and loved since Homer’s Hymn to Demeter. Seeds is a deeply romantic story of two lonely souls finding one another, the pressure put on children to forgive their parents’ abuse, and the power of resentment.

Content Warnings: child abuse, animal death, starvation, forcible confinement

My Review:

I feel like I need to start this review with a disclaimer: while this is a story with romance at its core (the one between Hades and Persephone), it is not a romance book. I was expecting a romance book, which put me off at the beginning of the story.

What this really is, is a more truthful rendition of Persephone’s story based on the original myths, with its own original spin of course. Persephone’s story begins with her life as a mortal girl, living with her abusive mother, in a village where everyone shies away from her. We follow her through her abduction at Hades’ hands, witnessing the beginning of her life in the underworld, where she is desperately trying to escape. At the same time, we follow Demeter in the upper world, where she is desperately trying to get her daughter back.

Once I got over my mistaken expectations of this being a straight-forward romance book, I could enjoy it for what it really is. The story is, at its heart, a story of a complex mother-daughter relationship between a Goddess turned resentful mortal and her daughter. At the same time, it is a story of two lonely and lost souls finding each other, and finding love. I loved this story! I think Paxton did a fantastic job of portraying the Greek Gods, with their distaste for mortality and their obsession with power. I also appreciated how Paxton stuck close to the original myth, with Hades’ abduction and his early actions.

All in all, I would wholeheartedly recommend this to mythology lovers! This book will add a new layer to the myth of Persephone, especially if you have only explored romantic retellings so far. Definitely give this one a chance!

❀ Mathilde

You can find me on Goodreads here

Or on Bookstagram here

ARC Review: “Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve” by Drew Afualo

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Title: Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve

Author: Drew Afualo

Genre: Nonfiction / Memoir / Feminism

Pages: 256

My rating: ★★★★✭

Read from: 03.05.24 – 19.05.24

The E-Arc of Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Synopsis:

Drew Afualo is best known as the internet’s “Crusader for Women” and is at the head of a new generation of entertainment’s rising stars. Loud is part manual, part manifesto, and part memoir. It makes it clear that behind her fearsome laugh is a mission and a life philosophy, a strategy for self-confidence from the inside out, and a pathway to once and for all remove men from the center of how women and femmes think about themselves.

Afualo has amassed more than nine million followers across her social platforms. When she first started creating content in 2020, she realized that men on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and other apps were creating sexist content aimed at disparaging women, and also containing rampant fatphobia, racism, and other forms of bigotry, with very real-life consequences. It didn’t take long for her to step into the role of unofficial watchdog for misogyny, and her signature laugh is now recognized as a feminist call to arms, a summoning cry to rid the internet (and our hearts, minds, and lives) of “terrible men” and create a space to fight outdated patriarchal ideals.

My Review:

Let it first be known that I am a huge fan of Drew Afualo and the work she does online. When I got my copy of this arc, the thing I was most excited for was learning more about Drew’s life and upbringing, i.e. the memoir part of the book, and it definitely delivered! Drew spends some time of her novel talking about pick-me-ism and how she was a pick-me girl herself when she was younger, which came as a surprise. She described pick-me-ism as “one woman leveraging her self-worth in exchange for a man’s affection, all at the expense of another woman” and mentions examples such as engaging in “not like other girls” behaviour and letting disrespectful behavior to slide just to be seen as “cool” and “chill”. I found this part of the book very interesting to read, because it is such a modern and current aspect of living as a girl and a young woman in today’s flavour of the patriarchy. What I mean by this is that pick-me-ism is something not often found discussed in other feminist books or memoirs, at least not in the ones I have read. I also found it interesting due to how much it resonated with my own experiences as a girl growing into womanhood. I fear we can all find the pick-me girl in us if we look hard enough.

However, the manual and manifesto parts of the novel are amazing as well! Drew writes about her life and her journey to becoming the loud, confident woman she is today in a very intelligent but at the same time accessible way. The book almost feels like reading a podcast episode, Drew’s voice is powerful and present and so entirely her. At first this threw me a little off, because it is very unlike the narrations I am used to reading. However, as soon as I got properly into the book I stopped being bothered by it. Drew writes about topics such as: body neutrality, rather than positivity, how it is a good thing if you are okay with dying alone rather than being ready to compromise on who you are just for human companionship from men, and how you are worth it, which is always a necessary thing to hear. Drew inspires her readers to look inwards and start searching for the sneaky tendrils of misogyny in their own hearts, and she inspires us all to work harder to empower and love ourselves as women and femmes in this “man’s world”.

I loved this book, and if there is only one thing to take away from it, I would say it is this: dare to be mean, dare to be loud, and dare to always be yourself!

Do yourself a favor and go read this book.

❀ Mathilde

You can find me on Goodreads here

Or on Bookstagram here