This is one of my favourite 2022 releases. Meredith hasn’t left her home for over 1000 days. She works from home and lives with her cat Fred, and loves to read, bake, and do jigsaw puzzles in her free time. She has a best friend named Sadie, an online friend Celeste, and Tom, someone sent from a charity organization to be her ‘friend.’ The more we get to know Meredith, the more we peel back the layers of why she doesn’t want to go outside.

This book has the most unreliable narrator I’ve read and I’m here for it. There’s something about a narrator telling you she’s lying but you still end up shocked at certain turns of events. Now that’s some storytelling!

The Cloisters had me at ‘gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination’ but I’m afraid it stopped there. The book wasn’t bad, there were parts I liked, but unfortunately this was a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ kind of situation. I think fans of dark academia will enjoy this one because it’s certainly that, but I wanted more of the gothic, sinister, and atmospheric story I was promised and feel didn’t get.

Happy November everyone! November is #SciFiMonth, hosted by Lisa at Dear Geek Place and Imyril at There’s Always Room for One More. This year they are celebrating 10 years!! of hosting SciFiMonth, which is amazing. You can find Imyril’s post with a short introduction and the list of prompts for the month here. And of course please do explore both Lisa and Imyril’s blogs for more SciFiMonth goodness. I’ll try to be doing these prompts both here and on my Bookstagram. The first prompt is: “Set Your Course – SciFi Month TBR.”

I’m a mood reader, so I definitely don’t stick to TBRs. Or even make them haha. My TBR is just an overall general term, not like a monthly thing. So I’ll just talk about a handful books that I own and would like to read sooner rather than later!

I devoured this in two days. I was absolutely captivated by S.T. Gibson’s writing and the voice of Constanta, Dracula’s first bride.

“You did not let me keep my name, so I will strip you of yours. In this world you are what I say you are, and I say you are a ghost, a long night’s fever dream that I have finally woken up from.”

– A Dowry of Blood, S.T. Gibson