Sandra's Bookish Corner

This was very readable, with great characterisation, but it was exhausting being in Àine’s mind and overall, ended up feeling a bit repetitive for me.

I would categorise this as Sad Girl Fic, for sure, but not Horror. Though it is not without its tense moments as Áine unravels, with nothing or no-one to anchor her, with her friendships and relationship fraught and tense.

How interesting that this was tagged as Horror on Netgalley; it isn't. It is however about the mundane horrors of the current rental market, about the horrors of having to deal with elusive landlords, about the horrors of existential dread…

They even have a garden. And yet, from the moment they move in, Áine can't shake the sense that there's something not quite right about the place…

Áine should be feeling happy with her life. She’s just moved in with Elliot. Their new flat is in an affluent neighbourhood, surrounded by bakeries, yoga studios and organic vegetable shops.

I Want To Go Home But I'm Already There by Roisin Lanigan
⭐⭐⭐ 3 stars
Publication date: 20th March 2025

Thank you to Viking Books and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#BookSky 📚💙

This book is based on a real-life event and (some) real-life characters - as such, the author’s notes are well worth reading for some fascinating history and context.

As the train hurtles through the French countryside, we spend a little moment in time with all those passengers - we learn about their lives, loves, hopes, desires, despair and anger - whilst in the background, Donoghue subtly and skillfully ramps the tension up.

There was some interesting societal commentary about the political unrest in France at the time, and the train itself (or “herself” as Engine 721 is personalised throughout the book) is a symbol of the rapid industrialisation across the country.

In this train, Emma Donoghue creates a microcosm of society, from the elite in their private carriage to the people crammed in third class.

I enjoyed this so much! This was well-written, propulsive (quite literally) and I couldn't put it down.
This book has a huge cast of characters, and multiple POVs that we cycle through quite swiftly - which can sometimes make it tricky to remember who's who.

It is 1895. A high-speed steam train is the emblem of progress. Industry and invention are creating ever greater wealth and poverty. One autumn day an anarchist boards the Granville to Paris Express.

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 stars
Publication date: 20th March 2025

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#BookSky 📚💙

It was amazing, wasn't it? I read it 2 or 3 years ago. It was a favourite of the year, and I still think about it now!

Thank you so much for the tip ☺️ I'll definitely try and remember it for my next post.

Yes! Shiny new account, created today ☺️

I did feel that the ending was missing a little bit of impact - I wanted something that would deliver a punch to the gut, similar to the sickening ending of Tender is the Flesh. Finally, I cannot review this book without mentioning the utterly stunning cover - gorgeous!

This is a story of religious fanaticism and collective trauma, but it is also about how much cruelty people are ready to dispense and ready to accept in the name of their beliefs. It is brutal and bleak, and relentlessly horrifying.

I loved the fact that we are dropped, without any context, in this post-apocalyptic dystopian world and in the strict confines of the Sacred Sisterhood - it is disorienting and it is suffocating.

This was so good. It was horrible, but so good! I am such a huge fan of Bazterrica's writing.
This is a little bite of a book at under 200 pages, and I read it in one sitting. It was disturbing and fascinating in equal measures and I could not put it down.

In the House of the Sacred Sisterhood, the unworthy live in fear of the Superior Sister’s whip. Seething with resentment, they plot against each other and await who will ascend to the level of the Enlightened - and who will suffer the next exemplary punishment.

Cover of The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica. A long-haired woman is hiding her face with her hand, but her features are missing. There is a cockroach on her hand.

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 stars
Publication date: 13th March 2025

Thank you to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.