Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Nora Gold GENRE: Literary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: May 1, 2026 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A literary fiction novella about a young math-obsessed girl caught in an institution. Creative in concept, clever in execution. Dark and disturbing content. A few inclusions made me uncomfortable, though these might not affect all readers. Definitely recommended. Not for children despite the young protagonist. Plot Preview: 1968. A twelve-year-old girl is angry at being kept in a state-run children’s home. Every day, she waits for someone to come and take her back home. But why is she there? Why is she angry? The story is told to us in the unnamed narrator’s first-person point-of-view over a period of six months. I had encountered Nora Gold’s writing through the brilliant flip-book with two literary novellas, “In Sickness and In Health / Yom Kippur in a Gym” . I was impressed enough to know that I would read more of her works. This second encounter of her writing has mostly justified...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Peter H. Reynolds GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: January 30, 2018 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A beautiful picture book about a boy who loves words. Cute story and illustrations, and loads of wonderful words. Recommended. Plot Preview: Jerome is fascinated by words and collects favourites from wherever he can. He is meticulous about organising his collection based on themes. But one day, after a little stumble, he learns that words don't necessarily belong to fixed categories, and that words from across categories can come together to create a whole new meaning. Should he keep this knowledge to himself, or share it with others? Recently, I read a picture book named 'The Gift of Words' , focussing on some beautiful words Jerome shares with others during the Advent season. When I learnt that it was a follow-up to this book, I knew I'd read this one as well. This is almost as cute! Jerome is a lovely boy in every way, as I...

AUTHOR: Jennie Wood GENRE: YA Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: April 28, 2026 RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A YA graphic novel dealing with an important topic – the online exploitation of children by influencer parents. The intent is fabulous but the execution needs finetuning. Uni-dimensional characters. Too cluttered with subplots, too aggressive about certain themes, too deliberate about inclusive representation. Decent illustrations. This has all the negatives of typical YA writing, but I guess I can’t hold this against the book as it is meant to be YA. I still appreciate the purpose behind the storyline but I wish it had stuck to the central theme instead of spreading itself thin. Might work better for YA readers. Plot Preview: Daisy is tired of her mom sharing every single detail of her life on her mom blog, even when Daisy refuses. So when she gets invited to an online group called “Not Your Baby Anymore”, she hesitates only a little before joining. This group comprises some ...

AUTHOR: Ai Jiang SERIES: Natural Engines #2 GENRE: High Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: April 21, 2026 RATING: 2.5 stars.  In a Nutshell: A high fantasy with elements of science fiction and family trauma. Highly imaginative, highly complicated. Though a direct sequel, the content feels very different, making this book feel like a different genre. I didn't expect the change, and this, combined with the complex character set, affected my experience. Might better suit readers who enjoy intricate high fantasy. The second novella of the Natural Engines duology and needs to be read in series order. Plot Preview: ( This preview contains spoilers from Book One. The rest of my feedback is spoiler-free. ) After their daring escape, Lufeng and her two younger siblings are on their way to Gear to meet Sangshu. When they are just moments away from the island, they are kidnapped by rebels, from whom they learn about the dangerous experiments Zinc has been conducting on their people. Sangshu herself h...

  AUTHOR:  M.K. Hill GENRE: Gothic Paranormal Thriller. PUBLICATION DATE: April 21, 2026 RATING:  4 stars.  In a Nutshell: A Gothic psych thriller. Fabulous use of the Gothic house and the woodsy location. Aggravating MMC (as usual), agoraphobic FMC (not so usual). Fast-paced writing. Loads of creepy vibes and twisty turns. A bit too much telling at times and slightly convenient towards the end. But overall, a great entertainer. Definitely recommended. As always, suspend disbelief while reading this genre to enjoy it better. Go in blind. Plot Preview:  England. Since eighteen months, Eleanor Teague has been staying in the remote but beautiful Haddon Hall, confined to the house because of her severe agoraphobia. Her peace of mind is further affected by almost-daily nightmares about the death of her daughter and her role in the same. Haunted by this guilt, she is ever restless, and entirely dependent on her loving but controlling husband Ezra, and on the hous...

AUTHOR: Kate Quinn GENRE: Urban Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: February 26, 2026 RATING: 2.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary magical realism novel featuring a magical library. Starts fabulous, but after a point, turns tedious. Annoying lead character. Great world-building, poor character development, decent plot development. Too many coincidences. Too much social commentary, even though it’s for a worthy cause. Feels like YA at times, though it is an adult book with dark themes. I love this author, but I might stick to her historical fiction works now onwards. Recommended to NA readers. Plot Preview: Twenty-six-year-old Alix, once a foster child and now juggling three dead-end jobs to barely eke out a living, usually takes refuge in her favourite place, the Boston Public Library, and dives into a fantasy novel to help her escape, at least in her thoughts. But today when she visits the library, she stumbles through a hidden door into a section she had never seen before. In this magical...

AUTHOR: Anna Rose Johnson GENRE: Middle-grade Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: March 5, 2024 RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: An OwnVoices middle-grade historical fiction about an orphan sent to live with a new family. Great use of the lighthouse setting. Annoying main character. Good secondary characters. Slightly repetitive and bland storyline. Minimal Ojibwe representation. I hope it will work better for the target age group. Plot Preview: 1912, Michigan. As eleven-year-old orphan Lucy Landry has no one to take care of her, she is sent to foster with a family selected by her late guardian. The Martins reside in a lighthouse in the middle of the gigantic Lake Superior. Lucy has been frightened of the water ever since her sailor father died at sea, but she doesn’t have any choice. Though the Martins are strangers to her, they seem kindhearted. However, there are too many of them and there is too much work to do, so Lucy struggles to fit in her new home. But one day, she learns that...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Peter H. Reynolds SERIES: Word Collector #2 GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: October 7, 2025 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A lovely picture book about the beauty and power of words. Set around Christmas season but applicable throughout the year. Adorable lead character, wonderful message and stunning illustrations. Much recommended. Plot Preview: Young Jerome loves collecting words. Every now and then, he takes his little notebook and walks through town looking for new words with his rescue dog Ekka for company. But this holiday season, he cannot find any words that "warm his heart" even though he looks everywhere. Then an idea strikes him. If he cannot find the words he likes, what if he shares the good words that he already has with the world? I've been on a reading binge of whatever picture books I can find written by Peter H. Reynolds. His heartwarming writing and beautiful illustrations are just what I need when the ...

AUTHOR: Rocío Bonilla SERIES: Babymoni GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: April 29, 2025 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A cute picture book about a little girl trying to understand what love means. Decent story, adorable illustrations. Could have done better on a couple of things, but not a bad book. Plot Preview: Little Monica, affectionately called Minimoni, enjoys exploring the neighbourhood with her dog Max. They both understand each other perfectly. However, Minimoni doesn’t understand grown-ups that well, especially when they talk about love. What is love, and how can Minimoni comprehend it if she can’t see it or touch it or smell it or paint it or play with it? Is there any way of recognising love? The story is written in Minimoni’s first-person perspective. This story was originally published in Catalan/Spanish under the title “Què és això de l'amor, Minimoni?” in 2023. This English translation was published in 2025. The storyline is quite simple yet d...

AUTHOR: Lisa Ridzén TRANSLATOR: Alice Menzies NARRATOR: Ifan Huw Dafydd GENRE: Literary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: August 19, 2025 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemplative literary fiction about a geriatric dealing with the vagaries of old age. Contemplative, melancholic, realistic, heartbreaking. Beautifully written with no filters about aging issues. This is a mood read, but if you pick it up at the right time, it can deliver all the feels. Not for those looking for uplifting stories; the book is mostly bleak. Plot Preview: Sweden. Eighty-nine-year-old Bo has only his dog Sixten for company in his home. His wife Frederika has Alzheimer’s, because of which their son Hans admitted her in a care home some time ago, even though Bo wasn’t too happy about this decision. Now Hans feels that Bo is too old to take care of Sixten and wants to take the dog away as well. Not surprisingly, Bo is very upset. The whole narrative comes to us in Bo’s first-person perspective, reflecting upon hi...

AUTHOR: Jane Davis SERIES: The Chiswell Street Chronicles #2 GENRE: Historical Literary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: March 2, 2026 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical literary fiction about a bookseller couple. Based on a true story. Character-oriented storytelling. Excellent research, sensible writing, admirable depiction of 1780s-90s England. A book about books, but the books alluded to were too esoteric for me. Somewhat conversation-dominated at times, which doesn’t always work for me. The second book of the Chiswell Street Chronicles duology, and better read in series order. Definitely recommended. Plot Preview: 1780. London. Dorcas and James Lackington are ready to put their dream into action: to create a reading space where no one will feel out of place by their gender or occupation or social class. They believe that books are the best way out of poverty, which is also proven by James’ rise to his position as a successful independent bookseller. So they launch a daring soci...

AUTHOR: Ann Dávila Cardinal GENRE: Historical Magical Realism PUBLICATION DATE: October 4, 2022 RATING: 1.5 stars. In a Nutshell: An OwnVoices family saga with elements of magical realism. Meant to be Adult Fiction, reads as a poorly-written YA soap opera. The plot had great potential but fails to make a mark. Flat character development. Way too much secret keeping and miscommunication. Way too many subplots. Didn't work for me. YMMV. Plot Preview: Every summer since Isla Larsen Sanchez's father passed away, her mother has been leaving her in Puerto Rico with her grandmother and her great-aunt while she stays back home in New Jersey and drinks. This began when Isla was eight. Now at eighteen, she learns that she has a special ability passed down from the cuentistas (storytellers) in her mother's side of the family: the stories of the dead cuentistas are brought to life and replayed in front of her repeatedly every day. Is this a gift or a curse? Is Isla the only current San...