Another roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Winter 2025-2026. Beware of spoilers!
Title: Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin
Author: Nancy Springer
Series: Enola Holmes #10
Much thanks to Nancy Springer, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love the Enola Holmes books and enjoyed this installment. Spent the day reading it, didn’t want to put it down. Enola’s voice is lively and entertaining, and Springer kept the pace brisk without rushing—until it ground to a halt at the end, anyway. It was a smooth read that kept my attention, and I find Enola to be an endearing, sympathetic character.
The book’s biggest problem was that Moriarty’s the big bad, but he couldn’t be a true big bad for Enola because he was too busy toying with Sherlock off page. So Enola mostly dealt with his henchmen. Springer managed to make Moriarty a sinister presence but a distant one; I don’t feel we ever got a real taste of his deranged menace, only heard about it second or third hand. The closest we got to dealing with him directly was encountering him in passing for a few seconds. His crimes and operation were kept very vague and distant as well. It’s hard to take a threat seriously if you don’t experience it firsthand, ya know?
That led to an anticlimactic ending. I kept waiting for a showdown but didn’t get one. Trevina never faced her uncle or his incestuous designs on her; Enola only confronted him just the once, very briefly. I was anticipating a dramatic escape from the Cage, or for Enola to be involved in Reichenbach somehow. I wanted her to outsmart him. But she really just sat at home and waited. The real showdown was between Moriarty and Sherlock, a conflict we had no part of. Or knowledge about, really; at no point were we told what the beef was between Sherlock and Moriarty, and I don’t recall from the movies or shows. Never read the books. So we just sat around with Enola and waited for nothing to happen.
I would have liked more Sherlock. I was half anticipating him and Enola to team up to take down Moriarty, but no.
I wouldn’t have minded a hint of romance. How old is Enola here, anyway? I’m not sure the narrative specified. I’m assuming early to mid twenties? I thought Enola and Trevina had some chemistry, but maybe that was just me.
And the Mycroft epilogue? Really? I’d have vastly preferred seeing Enola and Sherlock reunite, or really anything else. I’m not a huge Mycroft fan.
Was this the last book? I don’t see anything noting it as the end of the series, but admittedly I didn’t look very hard. It had kind of an air of finality to it, describing what the characters went on to do in lowkey happy-ever-after fashion. But it also wasn’t definitive, so idk. Even though I was a little disappointed in how this book turned out, I’d love to read more Enola adventures.
Title: I’m Glad My Mom Died
Author: Jennette McCurdy
Series: n/a
I’m 93% sure McCurdy is autistic. I think we’d be friends.
The narrative lacks a happy-ever-after, which I prefer in my narratives; I like having the closure and ending on a positive, optimistic note. I understand, though, why there isn’t one, and it’s still a great memoir despite not feeling completely resolved.
What disappointed me was realizing the title is essentially clickbait. I kept waiting for the moment she realized what a piece of work her mom was, how much her mom messed her up, and firmly declare to the reader “good riddance!” Thus making good on the title. Instead, once her mom dies, her ED and other matters become the focus of the narrative, and she processes her mother’s abuse off page, merely acknowledging it at the end. We don’t get the satisfaction of seeing her have the epiphany that her mother dying was the best thing that happened to everyone in that family.
So it shifts focus a bit and feels more like a volume one than a full arc, but I thought it was compelling and well written nevertheless.
Title: The Faraway Inn
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Series: n/a
Thanks to Sarah Beth Durst, Penguin Random House, and Booktrovert for allowing me to receive a free ARC from a giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
This book is brimming with charm. In the end I liked it, but it took a minute for me to get into it.
In the beginning, Calisa was more annoying than sympathetic, refusing to respect boundaries and running to Jack when there were consequences, making her headstrong-ness his problem when the sweet, selfless man was already stressed and overworked. Calisa also developed an immediate crush on him while simultaneously thinking the last thing she needed was to attach herself to another boy while she was getting over her ex. I hate it when writers do this—have the character acknowledge their nonsensical behavior as if acknowledging it justifies it. Nope, sorry, the character still comes across like a hypocrite.
I think it was around the time Steve showed up that the charm and intrigue began outweighing the annoying aspects. The plot 100% hinges on the characters refusing to communicate at all—I disliked Auntie Zee from start to finish—but the good, endearing characters made up for the annoying ones, and I became invested in figuring out what was going on. Calisa grew on me; she gave Jack space, was nice to people who were rude to her, and was good to Steve. And didn’t shatter the mirror when I would have. She took weird shit in stride and didn’t annoy me with freaking-out inner monologue and prolonged denial.
I’m not going to think too hard about the magic because I doubt it’s solid and I don’t want to ruin it. Some loose ends, though, are Thomas and the statue’s relationship, Steve’s origins, Jack’s future, and that rare flower. I thought for sure Melidor would offer to grow a self-sustaining crop for them in the backyard as thanks or something, but no, it was just a MacGuffin.
Overall, if you adore cozy fantasies or Durst’s other work, give this one a shot. You’ll probably like it. If headstrong teenage girls, truculent old women, or huge conflicts that could be easily avoided by a quick conversation aren’t typically your cuppa, skip.
I nearly rated it three stars, but I loved Steve. Steve can have a star.
Title: The Crowned Mystic
Author: Lauren Kutney
Series: Royal Insights #1
Thank you to Lauren Kutney and Booktrovert for allowing me to receive a free ARC in a giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
DNF 15%, the last 2% skimmed.
I am so confused and bored, and I don’t want to have to expend any more mental energy trying to make this story make sense.
I think this was an ARC giveaway, so l’ll overlook all the formatting issues and typos—inconsistent verb tense, random commas, the like. Beyond that, the writing is clunky and amateurish; the dialogue feels inorganic and inauthentic. Like, “Okay, this is what my characters need to say now.” The seductive pitch is Princess Diaries meets The Bodyguard, and it is that—but in a teenager-writing-fanfiction way.
There’s a lot of action movie logic—never-ending bullets, for instance, the bad guys can’t aim for shit, successfully landing the getaway vehicle on a barge (presumably jumped off a bridge, but we aren’t actually told that)—and the women are unbelievably accepting of and largely undisturbed by being attacked, abducted, and fed this outlandish story. They talk about rebelling for about two seconds but don’t actually do so; they mostly take the self-professed good guys at face value.
Also, since the women are orphans who grew up in the foster system, the narrative just assumes their shitty little orphan lives deserve zero regard. No way, at 21, could they possibly have jobs they like or friends, family, or pets they love. No one would notice if they disappeared. Made sure to collect their clothes from the apartment, though; it’s established that clothes are important to them. Kutney could have shown them being unfairly fired from their jobs and finding an eviction notice on their door, maybe an abusive ex on their case, to cultivate sympathy and demonstrate how few options they had; instead she dolled them up, sent them out clubbing, and showed them needing to be rescued not once, but twice, and expected us to take them seriously.
And the bodyguard love interest—I laughed so hard. He’s all the things. He trained with “MI6 and the CIA, in addition to working alongside SEALs and Special Forces.” LOL wtaf. He has supernatural abilities too. Gotta make sure he’s completely invulnerable. He is THE bodyguard, after all. His and Elena’s conversation on the plane was soooo awkward—that’s where I started skimming. She’s known him less than 24 hours, they’ve barely interacted, and she thinks, “What do you want out of life? Is this what you dreamed of for yourself?” is appropriate small talk? (See what I mean about the forced dialogue?)
The backstory’s already full of holes and inconsistent. It says Elena wasn’t born in Zurdonia, but it also says she was sent away when she was three; where was she born, then? Was the royal family exiled at the time? Her parents, the king and queen, were killed in what appeared to be a car accident and there was evidence 3-year-old Elena had been with them, so everyone believed her dead when she’d actually been sent away days prior—so my question is, exactly what “evidence” was there that Elena, specifically, had died that day? Because this is set contemporary, meaning science exists. And these were royals, so they would absolutely double check. Was there blood or teeth that matched Elena’s DNA? How? The king and queen didn’t know they were going to be killed, I assume, so how could there have been evidence of Elena’s death at the accident? Did they have a bunch of her blood in a jar in the backseat just in case? Did they have a special arrangement with the only ME in Zurdonia to make a false claim? Just finding a strand of her hair or a toy in the car doesn’t mean she was present, much less killed. Then there was that video her parents recorded—how was that missed for 18 years and then suddenly found? Also, with all Alexei’s training, in the year he researched her and surveilled her, he couldn’t get more than a few grainy photos? What year is this supposed to be?
Also, we’re seven chapters in and have no idea who the antagonists are. They’re just vague bad guys. We have no idea what’s going on in Zurdonia that makes anything that’s happened to Elena to date necessary.
What’s more annoying than having these questions is that it never occurs to Elena to ask them.
Maybe the rest of the book has answers, but I don’t want to read any more and find out. First impressions and all that.
A wonderfully intriguing premise very poorly executed.
Title: Murder in Blackfriars
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Series: Below Stairs Mystery #9
(Cover isn’t available at time of posting.)
Thanks so much to Jennifer Ashley, Berkley, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love this series so much. I love the rich detail Ashley includes without getting too dry—historical, geographical, cultural, and baking-wise. I can’t verify any of its accuracy, but Ashley’s writing feels so intelligent that I have little doubt. I could see some readers saying they don’t need detail on the level of turn-by-turn navigation and cooking class (things I’ve even said before about other books), but for some reason I enjoy it in Ashley’s writing. It feels immersive, not like she’s avoiding character development or fluffing word count.
I love the characters too. Honestly I don’t need a murder in the plot, the social drama would be enough. I’d read these characters just to see them go about their lives. The cast having expanded, we can’t spend as much time with everyone as I’d like, yet Ashley manages to give everyone organic cameos and touch base on their goings-on.
Big things happening in this one. I’ll try to discuss without spoilers. I admit I’m a little disappointed Daniel’s origins weren’t…different, but I understand why Ashley went this route. The method of discovery seemed rather far-fetched, but when they started cross-referencing it became more believable.
I was happy to see Kat’s stall was a success (did we doubt it?), and was baffled but pleasantly surprised by the interaction between Hannah and Errol. The Grace development broke my heart, and I predict a reckoning with Mrs. Bywater one day. We also haven’t seen the last of Mr. Naismith, I’m sure.
I can’t wait for the next book!
Title: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Series: n/a
