2025 Books I’ve Read So Far…
One of the best parts of social media is training the algorithm to show things that I actually want to see, which these days seems to be few and far between. However, thanks to the algorithm and Hilarie Burton-Morgan (of One Tree Hill fame, she’s now an author) I discovered a new to me author, A.G. Slatter. Her books have that Victorian gothic fantasy vibe to them and I really like that they take place in the same world, however you don’t necessarily need to read them in a specific order for them to make sense. I read them in order of publication - All The Murmuring Bones, The Path of Thorns, then The Briar Book of the Dead. She now has another book out, The Crimson Road, which I have not read yet.
All the Murmuring Bones - available in paperback or e-book from Bookshop.org.
From Bookshop.org:
Long ago Miren O'Malley's family prospered due to a deal struck with the mer: safety for their ships in return for a child of each generation. But for many years the family have been unable to keep their side of the bargain and have fallen into decline. Miren's grandmother is determined to restore their glory, even at the price of Miren's freedom.
A spellbinding tale of dark family secrets, magic and witches, and creatures of myth and the sea; of strong women and the men who seek to control them.
The Path of Thorns - available in paperback or e-book from Bookshop.org.
From Bookshop.org:
Asher Todd comes to live with the mysterious Morwood family as a governess to their children. Asher knows little about being a governess but she is skilled in botany and herbcraft, and perhaps more than that. And she has secrets of her own, dark and terrible – and Morwood is a house that eats secrets. With a monstrous revenge in mind, Asher plans to make it choke. However, she becomes fond of her charges, of the people of the Tarn, and she begins to wonder if she will be able to execute her plan – and who will suffer most if she does. But as the ghosts of her past become harder to control, Asher realises she has no choice.
The Briar Book of the Dead - available in paperback or e-book from Bookshop.org.
From Bookshop.org:
Ellie is being trained as a steward, administering for the town, and warding off the insistent interest of the church. When her grandmother dies suddenly, Ellie’s cousin Audra rises to the position of Briar Witch, propelling Ellie into her new role. As she navigates fresh challenges, an unexpected new ability to see and speak to the dead leads her to uncover sinister family secrets, stories of burnings, lost grimoires and evil spells. Reeling from one revelation to the next, she seeks answers from the long dead and is forced to decide who to trust, as a devastating plot threatens to destroy everything the Briar witches have sacrificed so much to build.
I gave All The Murmuring Bones and The Path of Thorns 4/5 stars, and to be honest I ended up DNF-ing The Briar Book of the Dead about 60% of the way through - I just wasn’t drawn to this story like I was the other two.
My favorite out of the three was The Path of Thorns - the main character, Asher Todd, had great presence and the mystery was very gothic and just grabbed my attention right from the beginning.
All The Murmuring Bones was also good, although I did get a little confused at times regarding the lore that drives the plot so I did have to go and re-read some sections. This story has more of a Celtic folklore air to the story than the other two.
The Briar Book of the Dead just didn’t hit for me. I was invested at the beginning, however I personally felt that the story was dragged out in some areas and I kind of stopped caring about the characters, which was my sign to not finish the book.
I’m looking forward to reading her newest book, The Crimson Road, which was just released last month. If you are a fan of stories that have the Victorian/gothic vibe along with fantasy elements such as witches, magic, supernatural creatures, and mystery, I recommend picking up her books!
One of my goals for this year was to read more, but also to not force myself to finish books that I’m simply not liking. Normalize the DNF! Life is too short to spend time readings books you aren’t enjoying.
I also wanted to share that, going forward, I am going to make an effort to not share links to books on Amazon and instead share the links to books from Bookshop.org, which is an amazing site that helps to support indie bookstores with each purchase. These links are not affiliate links. I’d also like to strongly suggest picking up books from your local library - with the current political climate, libraries need to be supported and protected.
