Book Review - The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

 

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo is about a female fox spirit, Snow, who wants to avenge the death of her child. In 1908, in Manchuria, a courtesan is found frozen to death in the doorway of a prominent restaurant. The shop owner fears that her death is a bad omen especially since rumor has been circling that it is the work of foxes. Foxes are believed to have the ability to trick and lure people into doing their bidding because they transform themselves into beautiful and alluring people.

Bao is an amateur detective that people hire when they want to find people. He has the ability to tell if someone is lying or if they are telling the truth. He was hired by the shopkeeper to find the dead woman’s identity so she could get a proper burial and not haunt his shop. Bao has always been intrigued by fox gods since he was a child. He is excited that he finally might get his chance to meet one now.

Snow is a fox spirit haunted by the death of her child. She is searching for the man responsible for her child’s death. She is traveling from northern China to Japan searching for the truth. Unknowingly on her trail Bao is determined to find out the truth behind the dead woman.

I found the book to be an entertaining read. It was filled with emotion and well-developed characters. While the book was predictable, I still found myself wanting to read what happened to the characters. I loved reading about the fox spirit mythologies, but I just wish the book had a quicker pace. I liked that the book was told from alternating points of view. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - The Californians by Brian Castleberry

 

The Californians by Brian Castleberry is about a young man, Tobey Harlan, trying to escape from a wildfire, the events that happened a hundred years ago, and how they affect the present. Tobey has just been dumped, and to make matters worse, he lost everything he owned, even his job, to a Northern California wildfire.  He decides to steal three paintings by a popular artist Di Stiegl from his father’s house, in hopes that with the money he gets from selling the painting, he can move somewhere no one can find him.

A hundred years earlier, German Jewish immigrant, Klaus Aaronsohn was in love with silent cinema. He manages to gain access to a film studio in Astoria, Queens and changes his name to Klaus von Stiegl, and crafts a persona of a mysterious German film director. His popularity soared and he became well-known and famous. He ends his career directing a notorious 60s-era detective show.

The novel is told from alternating points of view of the different characters and time periods. I was excited to read the book but after a few chapters, I decided this wasn’t the book for me. The book had too many characters and it was difficult to keep track of them and how they all related to each other. The writing style was confusing and tedious to read. The book would jump between characters and periods and it wasn’t always clear when the change was being made. After reading more than twenty-five percent of the book, I stopped reading because nothing was going on that kept my interest.

Book Review - Build a Girlfriend by Elba Luz

 

Build a Girlfriend by Elba Luz is about a young woman, Amelia Hernandez, who was recently dumped and her subsequent ploy to become the ultimate girlfriend.  Amelia was excited to see her girlfriend until she was unexpectedly dumped right after Amelia confessed her feelings to her.  Amelia feels that her family curse caused her relationship to dissolve. The rumor is that every romantic relationship that a Hernandez woman is in will eventually end. Amelia’s sisters, mom, and aunts seem to be okay with the curse and have accepted it, but Amelia wants to be in a relationship and wants to break the curse for herself.

Amelia feels that she is the reason why her relationship doesn’t work. She is determined to find a way to fix the issue. Together with her sisters, mother, and aunts, they hatch a plan for Amelia to re-date her exes and figure out where she went wrong and how she can become the perfect girlfriend. Unfortunately, her plan hits a snag when she is reunited with Leon. Leon was the ex that Amelia is still not over. She decides the best way to get over Leon is to show him the perfect girlfriend she is and break his heart in the process.

The book was an okay read, but it was much longer than it needed to be, as well as boring and repetitive at times. There were too many characters and they felt one-dimensional. The book was very predictable and had all the common romance tropes. Amelia was hard to understand and like as a character. She could be fun at times, but then she did some silly things out of nowhere. I did like the family dynamics between the different characters and enjoyed reading those parts. I think if the novel had been edited down and fine-tuned, I would have enjoyed it more.

March Empties 2025

 

It's been a while since I did an empties post! Oh wowzie I had finished a lot of things in the last few months. I do need to try and stay on top of cleaning and throwing these out. There were a few things that I liked and a few things I wouldn't try again. 

The Hair Toss Empower-mint Conditioner was a basic conditioner but I wouldn't mind trying the other scents. The conditioner came in a giant squeeze bottle and had a pleasant minty scent. It was very affordably priced even though it wasn't on sale.

Frankly Butter So Much Cream was so hydrating and it wasn't too heavy or greasy. I do wish that the dispenser was a bit better though. It had a small nozzle and sometimes I would oversqueeze and too much product would come out. 

The Goldfaden MD Supreme Serum was an overpriced waste. I didn't notice a single difference while applying this serum. Also the dropper didn't even work. The serum was too thick. For something this expensive I would expect a lot better. Even the bottle felt cheap and dingy.  

I love the Starface Moisture on Mars! It is one of the most lightweight and soothing cream. The cream isn't heavy and leaves skin feeling like butter. I am so disappointed that they don't make this cream anymore.

I love the Lancome Hydrazen serum oh wow this made my skin feel and look radiant. It gave me an amazing inner glow. It is so lightweight but it left my skin feeling like silk. I loved this.

Was there anything you finished this month that you liked?

Book Review - After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot

 

After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot is about a woman, Emily Leland, returning home after the death of her husband. Emily is hopeful to be returning home to Sweetwater Crossing after her abusive husband dies in a bar fight. She is hoping to reconnect with her sister, Louisa, and father. Emily receives more bad news instead of the warm welcome she was expecting.

She discovers that her father has died but the circumstances and story don’t add up to Emily. She believes there is more at play than the sheriff and the townspeople believe. To make matters worse, Louisa doesn’t believe that there was more to their father’s death. She feels that Emily is drumming up drama and shame for the family instead of accepting the circumstances of their father’s death.

Craig Ferguson is the new schoolteacher and also new to the area. He and his son moved to the Sweetwater Crossing after his wife died in an unexpected accident. As they enter the town, the house they are going to stay in burns down, leaving them homeless. Emily decides to turn her family home into a boarding house and welcomes Craig and his son into her home.

Louisa is upset that Emily just arrived in town and decides what to do with the family home without consulting her. She decides to leave town and learn the midwife trade in another town. Emily tries to make the best of the situation but feels lonely and lost. Craig who is still bereft from losing his beloved wife, understands her pain and the two find themselves growing closer. As the pair grow closer, a few strings of deaths occur which makes them suspicious that there might be a killer among them.

While the book does have some mystery pieces, I found it to be more of a cozy romance read. I felt like the murder mystery portion took a backseat to the budding romance between Craig and Emily. I thought the book was an okay read. I felt like the pacing was slow and I found my eyes glazing over a few times. The book does have one major twist, but it was mostly predictable. I would be open to reading more books by the author.