Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: J.H. Foster SERIES: Rebels and Resistance GENRE: WWII Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: November 7, 2025 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical WWII fiction featuring a mix of real and fictional people. Good plot, varied characters. A bit too widespread in its inclusions, making it feel slightly rushed. One half of a parallel duology, with this novel being aimed at adult readers and its partner aimed at middle-graders. Plot Preview: 1938, Paris. After witnessing a traumatic attack by the Nazis a year before, Hannah escapes from Austria along with her young son Freddie and goes to Paris, hoping to meet her estranged best friend Kat. Though Kat isn't too happy at being suddenly saddled with two Jewish refugees without any papers, she agrees to help out until Hannah can find a place for herself. But when the war reaches Paris, the difficult situation turns even more precarious. When some nightmares from the past make a reappearance at Kat’s doorstep, Hannah realises that it is t...

AUTHOR: Megan Goldin GENRE: Mystery Thriller. PUBLICATION DATE: August 9, 2022 RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A psychological mystery-thriller about a young woman with limited memory and knows just one thing: she has to stay awake. Think ‘Fifty First Dates’ combined with ‘Memento’ (or ‘Ghajini’ for my Indian friends.) Clever premise, good use of the unreliable narrator trope (Such a rarity!), interesting characters, capable police detectives (Another rarity!), steady pacing. A bit of a convenient ending and too many plotholes on post-read reflection, but on the whole, an entertaining option. As always for this genre, pick up this book after taking off your logical cap. Plot Preview: When Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi cab, she has no recollection of how she got there. She stumbles her way to her building, only to find a stranger answering the door, claiming that it is their house. When Liv fumbles through her pockets to search her phone, she finds a bloodstained knife ins...

EDITOR: B. Morris Allen GENRE: Short Story Anthology PUBLICATION DATE: August 2, 2025 RATING: 3.2 stars. In a Nutshell: An imaginative SFF anthology, with the feather motif and the theme of hope being the common thread across the stories. I was looking for a soothing and uplifting read, but many of the entries went too dark for my current state of mind. I think readers might like the anthology better if they go in with the right expectations. Better for older YA/NA readers. Poetry aficionados might be aware of Emily Dickinson’s poem, "Hope is the Thing with Feathers". This book takes inspiration from the two key ideas of that title: hope and feathers, and brings together nineteen stories intertwining both the elements. I hadn’t even heard of the poem as I have minimal awareness of and liking for poetry. I Googled it before beginning this anthology and understood only the first verse in its entirety. 🤭 Of course, you don’t need to actually search for it. The epigraph of this...

AUTHOR: Jeanette Winter GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: January 1, 2005 RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A picture book about a real-life Iraqi librarian who saved books during the 2003 attacks on the country. Great intent, decent execution. Doesn't fill all gaps due to the limitation of format. A good way to learn about a brave woman. "In the Koran, the first thing God said to Muhammad was ‘Read’." – Alia Muhammad Baker. Alia Muhammad Baker was the chief librarian working with the Central Library in the Iraqi port city of Basra. The library was a welcoming place for all bibliophiles to indulge in bookish discussions. But when news of the war came , the discussions changed to personal issues such as anxiety and uncertainty. Alia was also worried that her beloved books would be destroyed in the fires of war. When the governor refused to give her permission to move out the books, several of which were rare old editions, Alia took matters into her own ...

AUTHOR: Quentin Zuttion GENRE: Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: November 30, 2022 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A graphic novel depicting one day in the life of a French family, the day after Princess Diana’s death. Clever use of the tragedy without milking it for melodrama. Excellent writing with many poignant moments. Slice-of-life in the best possible way. Great illustrations. Much recommended. Plot Preview: One day after Princess Diana’s death. Eight-year-old Lulu loves playing with his dolls, putting on his mom’s lipstick, and enacting fairy tales with his best friend Yoyo, even dreaming of kissing Yoyo after a fairy tale rescue. Lulu’s elder sister Cam has a secret older boyfriend sneaking into her bedroom at night, unknown to anyone else except Lulu. Their mother is waiting for their father, who didn’t come home the previous night. When he finally comes, they realise that something needs to change. We see this day from the perspective of the three key characters: Lulu, Cam, ...

AUTHOR: Katherine Center GENRE: Romcom PUBLICATION DATE: July 11, 2023 RATING: 2.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary romance-drama featuring a FMC with an unusual medical issue. Good characters though a tad too peppy and/or self-centred at times. Interesting use of the medical diagnosis. Most of the book was great as per the genre, with a good balance of rom and com. But the final quarter had too farfetched a situation. Still, not a bad option, especially considering the kind of plots we usually get in this genre. Plot Preview: Twenty-year-old Sadie is poised for the big change in her lacklustre career as a portrait artist: she has placed in the top ten finalists in one of the biggest portrait competitions. Unfortunately, life brings to her another big change, a catastrophic one. Just a few weeks before the finals, she has to undergo an emergency medical procedure and subsequently, gets diagnosed with a “possibly-temporary-but-we-can’t-say-for-sure” condition commonly known as face...

AUTHOR: J.H. Foster SERIES: Rebels and Resistance #0.5 GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: June 10, 2025 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A prequel story to the Rebels and Resistance series. Good pacing and plot. A bit hurried at times. Offers a good glimpse of the key characters, but could have done with some more detailing in the emotional bits. Regardless, it does its job as a prequel. I am curious to know these interesting characters more through the main novels. Plot Preview: April 1933, Austria. Hannah, a fifteen-year-old Jewish orphan, lives under the care of her strict Catholic guardian Herr Weisz. His son Pieter is a part of the SS, which makes the situation at home even more restrictive. Hannah’s only friend is Weisz’s niece Katarina, who is three years older. Katarina convinces Hannah to join her into one last jaunt to the city before they have to return to their respective schools. However, their secret escapade turns dangerous when they are caught in the middle o...

AUTHOR: Pedro Íñiguez ILLUSTRATOR: Nathan Kwan GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: October 7, 2025 RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A picture book about the dangers of fibbing. Cute story and cute illustrations. A good lesson for little ones (and adults) to remember. Recommended, but it will work better with discussions. Plot Preview: Second-grader Pepe planned to use the comic book he had drawn on Show-and-Tell day. But after seeing his classmates’ presentations, he is embarrassed at the childishness of his work. So he takes a ball of lint from his pocket and spins a lie about it being a magical creature with impressive physical features. Unfortunately for Pepe, his fib soon turns into reality. Worse, his “fib” grows every time Pepe fibs about its qualities. The danger seems to balloon out of Pepe’s control. How can he restore normalcy and get rid of the giant Fib monster? This is a clever book that uses a creative story to drive home an important point: even small...

AUTHOR: Sarah Andersen SERIES: Sarah's Scribbles, #5 GENRE: Sequential Art Novel PUBLICATION DATE: October 1, 2024 RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: The fifth graphic novel in the Sarah's Scribbles series. Standalone. Hilarious. Much more relatable to me as this is about thirty-plus-aged adult introverts rather than younger adults. Half the book contains comic strips and half contains her journey as an artist. Recommended. Whether you know the artist Sarah Andersen or not, you might have seen at least one of her comics somewhere on the internet. Many of her comic strips have been turned into memes. And as she often writes about topics that are relatable, the memes too end up hitting the right spot between factual and funny. Each book in her Sarah's Scribbles series contains a collection of her comic strips based on some dominant theme. Of course, the comics only partly cater to the main theme as they also cover some funny universal truths. This time around, the theme is the...

AUTHOR: Emily Buchanan GENRE: Contemporary Dystopian. PUBLICATION DATE: July 1, 2025 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: Partly, a romance-drama about an influencer who thinks that her dead boyfriend has been reincarnated as a plant. Partly, a near-future dystopian climate fiction. (Could you guess the second genre from the cover?) Not a light read. Somewhat unlikeable characters, slow-ish pacing, a bit bizarre and meandering in its plot development. Highlights the perils of social media, but also portrays environmentalists in a slightly lopsided manner. Mixed feelings, not just because the plot didn’t go the way I thought it would. Plot Preview: Thirty-two-year-old Fiona, popular online as @FoliageFifi, hasn’t left her house ever since her boyfriend Ed died three months ago. All that she had worked for – her role as a green influencer on social media as well as the environmental activism she did jointly with Ed, is now ignored. When a houseplant is left at her doorstep with an anonymous n...

AUTHOR: Tonya Mitchell GENRE: Historical Suspense. PUBLICATION DATE: August 19, 2025 RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical suspense with mild elements of thriller, paranormal and romance. Fabulous storyline, great characters, excellent historical content, outstanding atmosphere. Medium-paced for the most way. Though a couple of things could have gone better for me, I enjoyed this read. Gripping all the way. Much recommended! DON’T READ THE GR BLURB! Plot Preview: 1841. Philadelphia. Seventeen-year-old Annis has had to flee from New York with her younger brother Ben, though she doesn’t reveal the reason to him. With no family alive, all Annis has is a possibly-cursed family heirloom and her artistic talent to survive. When, after an accident, she is offered work as a medical illustrator by the awe-inspiring Dr. Mütter, Annis hopes that she can leave the past behind and finally secure their future. However, a ghost doesn’t let Annis forget what happened in New York. She can only...

AUTHOR: Sangu Mandanna GENRE: Cozy Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: July 15, 2025 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A cozy fantasy about a witch who tries to grab a second chance at getting her powers back. Wonderful and mostly whimsical characters, funky magic, great diversity, good storyline, and a satisfying ending. BUT the “cutesy-ness” feels a bit forced this time and the book contains two things that I don’t prefer in cozies: cursing and spice. Still, a good option for fans of the genre, especially if they enjoy twee adult stories. I liked this, but I loved the author’s earlier novel much more. Plot Preview: Lancashire, England. Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in the country. But when she resurrected the only parent-figure in her life, her great-aunt Jasmine, immediately after her death, Sera lost almost all her powers and was exiled from the Guild for indulging in illegal magic. Now, fifteen years later, thirty-year-old Sera, grumpy and frustrated at the loss of her...

AUTHOR: Moira Butterfield ILLUSTRATOR: Ro Ledesma GENRE: Children's Nonfiction PUBLICATION DATE: August 19, 2025 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A funny and informative picture book about the various hics and toots of the human body. Educational in content and entertaining in tone. A good choice for any child (and adult) interested in anatomical noises. 😉 You already know that the human body makes sounds. Not counting our verbalised intelligible communication, we still create plenty of noises. Involuntary audible sounds through farts, burps, stomach gurgles ( It’s called “borborygmi”! I never knew! ), hiccups, and so on; hidden involuntary sounds inside of our body that we are never aware of such as heartbeats; sounds coming because of age or illnesses such as creaky joints or coughs; voluntary sounds we make while blowing raspberries or shushing someone at the library; and even voluntary noises such as claps – the book covers it all. There are also several examples of animal (and...