ARC Review: The Half-Life of Ruby Fielding // a WWII historical fiction novel with a twist of mystery

The title of this post is kind of boring, but I’m not exactly sure how to describe my feelings regarding this book.

In summary, it was just good. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this a lot, and it was interesting to see the complicated relationships between all the characters. However, I didn’t come away with strong feelings of either loving or disliking it. It’s just a decent, and interesting book.

I’m going to try and talk about what I enjoyed and didn’t when it came to the plot and characters, and maybe doing that will help me explain why it was just a good book overall, and not amazing/awesome as I’d been expecting.

Some disclaimers: All spoilers will be in dropdowns, so you may skip them if you like. I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a review, however all opinions and thoughts are my own.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys – Anticipated Reads of 2022 // a histfic set in 1989 communist Romania

Ruta Sepetys is releasing another historical fiction novel!

And this time, it’s set in 1989 communist Romania.

Adult, Historical Fiction, Romania, Spies

I Must Betray You
by Ruta Sepetys

Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

Expected Publication: February 1, 2022

Chance to learn about a new culture? Check!

Chance to learn about another country’s history? Double check!!

Chance to love and enjoy another histfic by Ruta Sepetys? Check, check, CHECK!!!

Out of the four historical fiction books that Ms. Sepetys has written, I’ve read three of her works and enjoyed them so much. I first discovered her novels in the summer of 2020 when I read The Fountains of Silence. I very much enjoyed the story, because it offered a look at 1957 facist-controlled Spain while also weaving a tale of love and family. I ended up giving the book 4 stars because it was a nice read, but I hadn’t been satisfied with the ending.

Fast forward to September 2020, and I read Between Shades of Grey. I cried. Three separate times. It was a very emotional story that highlighted the labor camps run by the Soviet Union in the 1940s. It reminded me so much of the Holocaust and the labor camps that Germany had, and I was shocked that I hadn’t known about these Soviet-run camps previously (I mean, maybe it was passively mentioned, but I have no recollection of it, and it was most certainly not as highlighted as the German Holocaust was). Who knows, maybe the American education system isn’t really too keen on teaching that one of its allies during WWII did something quite similar to Lithuanians.

In June of last year, I read my third Sepetys book, Out of the Easy. This one was set during the dawning of 1950, in the French Quarter of New Orleans. As my Goodreads mini review stated: “This book reminds me of why I love histfic. The characters are so vivid and colorful, the backdrop is so vivid and colorful, everything is just so vivid and colorful and it makes me want to dive into the book so I can experience it directly with the characters. I loved everything about it.”

I’ve come to adore Ruta Sepetys’ books. Being that I know virtually nothing about Romania or its history, I’m especially eager to dive into her latest novel and learn something about another part of history that I hadn’t known before.

Some questions for you:

• Have you heard of I Must Betray You? Are you looking forward to reading it?
• Have you read any of Ruta Sepetys’ books before? What did you think?
• Do you have any recommendations for historical fiction novels that are set in not so common places/time periods (ie not the US, the UK, or Germany and France during the World Wars)?

Chat with me in the comments below!

The Red Palace by June Hur – Anticipated Reads of 2022 // a historical korean murder mystery

A historical fiction novel?

Set in 1758 Korea??

With a quadruple homicide to solve?

SIGN ME RIGHT UP!

(Young?) Adult, Mystery, Korean-Rep

The Red Palace
by June Hur

Joseon (Korea), 1758. There are few options available to illegitimate daughters in the capital city, but through hard work and study, eighteen-year-old Hyeon has earned a position as a palace nurse. All she wants is to keep her head down, do a good job, and perhaps finally win her estranged father’s approval.

But Hyeon is suddenly thrust into the dark and dangerous world of court politics when someone murders four women in a single night, and the prime suspect is Hyeon’s closest friend and mentor. Determined to prove her beloved teacher’s innocence, Hyeon launches her own secret investigation.

In her hunt for the truth, she encounters Eojin, a young police inspector also searching for the killer. When evidence begins to point to the Crown Prince himself as the murderer, Hyeon and Eojin must work together to search the darkest corners of the palace to uncover the deadly secrets behind the bloodshed.

Expected Publication: January 25, 2022

I’ve only read one of June Hur’s books before (currently reading The Forest of Stolen Girls after a recommendation from Ele, which thank you!), and that was The Silence of Bones. I really enjoyed that because of the historical Korean rep, and I loved the complexity of the characters and how they grew as the story unfolded. It was also very interesting to see the culture of Korea at the time and learn about the customs, conflict with religion, and the kind of life that some people lived during that time.

And now, June Hur has yet another historical Korean murder mystery, and I am so excited to delve into the past with her amazing story-telling all over again. There’s something about historical murder mysteries that is just so much more fascinating than modern mysteries (probably because it’s interesting to see/learn how they would be solved without modern tools to help), and adding a new setting and culture instantly makes it 10 times more exciting.

You know, I actually took some notes when I read The Silence of Bones because I liked it so much and I wanted to remember some details so I could write a review…but I never actually did write one which is a serious shame. I might type up those notes and post them anyway, perhaps as a mini review since I don’t fully remember the book to write a more fleshed out review.

What I know for sure is, this time around with The Red Palace, I’m going to take notes and I will make sure to actually write a review at least that’s the plan. Hopefully this book will become a favorite and I’ll be screaming at kindly explaining to you guys all the reasons why you should pick it up immediately 🙂

Some questions for you:

• Have you heard of The Red Palace? Are you looking forward to reading it?
• Have you read any of June Hur’s books before? What did you think?
• Do you have any recommendations for books set in Korea (contemporary or historical)?

Chat with me in the comments below!

26 Books I Plan to Read This Summer (ft. lots and lots of diverse reads)

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I know that this is an incredibly ambitious list and I might not read all of these books. But I do have them all on hold/currently borrowed so I’ll have to make an effort to read them.

I think this is the first time I’ve ever made a summer TBR post, but these books sound too good to not mention, so I figured this would be the best way to get these onto your radar. Be sure to check some of them out! There’s so much diverse representation here, and books from multiple genres, so there should be a little something for everyone.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

Why I love history & historical fiction // ft. some recommendations

*cue Victorian British accent*

Good day dear bookish friends! Welcome back to my little corner. I hope you have some tea, because it would be a bore to read this without some! Add a little cookies too; don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone!

Today, I shall be speaking with you all regarding my love for historical fiction, a wonderful genre full of interesting stories, quaint times, and dazzling characters. I will also be enlightening you, as well as myself, on the problems of the past and why loving this genre may not necessarily be for you.

And of course, to wrap it all up, I shall share some lovely reads from these bygone eras that I think would warm your little hearts.

Let us begin, shall we?