Author Archives: Roseanna

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About Roseanna

A London-based reviewer mainly interested in scifi and fantasy, but occasionally prone to dabble in historical and mythological fiction. Currently an editor at Hugo and Ignyte award-winning fanzine Nerds of a Feather. When not reading, can be found playing rugby, collecting too many crafting hobbies or attempting to learn how to fight with a longsword.

Private Rites – Julia Armfield

Posted on 29/12/2024 by Roseanna

My overwhelming impression of this book is rain. Constant, undramatic, pervasive, it haunts the margins of the story so effectively that it has overwhelmed my memory of it, forming a damp sheen over the foregrounded aspects of the story. It’s … Continue reading →

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Three Eight One – Aliya Whiteley

Posted on 22/12/2024 by Roseanna

Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley is the story of Fairly, a young girl setting out on a quest away from home for the first time, on something called the Horned Road. The story comes with annotations by a reader … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Awesome, Science Fiction | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Breath of the Sun – Isaac R. Fellman

Posted on 30/11/2024 by Roseanna

One of the questions on the little slips of paper through which our book club runs asks: Was the author better at describing the concrete or the abstract? Did the use of description affect your reading of the book? Obviously, … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Awesome, Fantasy | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Pansies – Alexis Hall

Posted on 27/10/2024 by Roseanna

Jenny Hamilton, who it turns out is a distressingly good recommender of books, suggested that if I wanted to dip into Alexis Hall’s back catalogue after enjoying Mortal Follies and Confounding Oaths, I should try Pansies. I am not, in … Continue reading →

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Three Collections of Reviews

Posted on 16/10/2024 by Roseanna

Reviewing the collected reviews of another reviewer is surely an act of supreme arrogance. Who, I wonder, the fuck am I to say “this is good, actually” or, worse, “this is bad, actually”? The same could, of course, be said … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Else, Non-Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Short Fiction – September

Posted on 28/09/2024 by Roseanna

The more short stories I read, the fewer I find that I love (there are plenty I like, but finding ones that feel special?). I was much more easily impressed five years ago, unfortunately. I suppose when you only read … Continue reading →

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In the Shadow of the Fall – Tobi Ogundiran

Posted on 25/09/2024 by Roseanna

I read this on holiday, and had no particular intention to review it… until I saw someone else had reviewed it*, and drew particular attention to how it works with the constraints of the novella format. Because my chief response … Continue reading →

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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Posted on 21/09/2024 by Roseanna

When you say of a book “oh it’s doing a lot of things”, that’s normally at least a subtle burn, a mild sass. The implication is one of too many balls juggled, and thus at least a couple dropped. But … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Awesome, Else, Literary, Romance, Science Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

These Burning Stars – Bethany Jacobs

Posted on 05/09/2024 by Roseanna

It says something about where we are in SF, that an author can just say “jump gates”, never explain them, and expect the reader to follow along just fine. It also says something about what the author is – and … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Awesome, Science Fiction | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Short Fiction – August

Posted on 28/08/2024 by Roseanna

So, fun fact, I do actually read short fiction. Do I ever blog about them? No. Because I suck, apparently. Literally there’s no reason behind it, I’ve just never got into the habit (ha! foreshadowing) like I have with novels … Continue reading →

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