Kalothia has grown up in the shadows of her country, hidden away, cared for by a handful of guardians. When assassins attack her home on her sixteenth birthday, she flees to the royal court – a beautiful but lethal nest of poison, plots and danger. There she must learn the truth about her identity and the fate of her parents to defeat those who want her dead.
Elena Soo is a regular high-schooler. She may be close to invisible at home – next to her much loved twin brother – but she has a loyal best friend, she’s mostly on top of her school assignments and she is adored at her local community centre – though it’s currently threatened with closure. Her humdrum life is thrown into chaos when her childhood best friend rolls into town – now a celebrated member of an internationally famous K-pop group – and demands she honour their childhood promise of attending prom together.
Once Upon a K-Prom is a fun romcom with glitz, glam and some weighty coming-of-age themes.
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I’ve recently enjoyed getting lost in the claustrophobic, dangerous world of June Hur’s murder mystery, The Red Palace.
The novel is set in 1758 and is the story of a lowly, newly qualified nurse who finds herself forced to investigate the brutal murder of four women after a dear friend is accused of being involved. The main character, Hyeon, is the illegitimate daughter of a high-ranked official and her unwelcome activities bring her to the attention of the vengeful police commander, her indifferent father and the new, attractive police inspector.
Read more: Video Review: The Red Palace by June Hur
Zetian is a girl with nothing to lose. When she signs up to become a concubine pilot to infiltrate the army so she can avenge the death of her sister, it’s in the full knowledge that the decision will likely kill her. Sure enough, she lands on the front line of the bloody war against an alien invasion. Throughout the riveting novel she battles aliens in the air and a patriarchal system that uses girls as cannon fodder on the ground.
The book has been called a cross between Pacific Rim and Hunger Games. It’s powerful and beautiful and a must-read!
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12 short stories about relationships make up this lively fiction collection. Cheating husbands, a mummy’s boy, an impotent husband, closeted men, life-long players – the stories analyse the various archetypes women are likely to encounter in the Lagos dating scene. I found the author’s wit and acerbic tone elevated this to pure gold!
Read more: Video Review: Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad by Damilare Kuku
A baby girl is born in Japanese occupied Korea and the incredible twists and turns of her life used to illuminate the trials and triumphs of the human condition.
Min Jin Lee explores the legacy of imperialism through ordinary Koreans forced by circumstance to live in Japan. For me, this dazzling novel was about the children of colonialism and the search for belonging.
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Two young women desperate to escape their mothers find their lives intertwined with a strange mansion in Timmins, Ontario that harbours dark secrets.
This gripping horror / psychological thriller is told through two compelling narrators and has multiple layers of mystery that keep you guessing until the very end.
When Dr. Georgia Young realizes she’s stuck in ‘cruise’ mode with no target destination, she slams on the breaks and calls a time out to re-evaluate her life and the choices that have led her to it. Her daughters, ex-husbands, mother, colleague and best friends worry that she’s lost her mind, but Georgia is over prioritizing the opinions of others above her own. She commits to overhauling her life and being intentional about making choices that revitalize and feed her spirit. The death of a university crush also inspires her to seek out all men she has loved over the years with the goal of letting them know that they mattered.
Terry McMillan’s 2016 novel is a story of reinvention and second chances and it challenges all of us to consider whether we are living our most optimal life or simply going through the motions.
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I started a ton of books in 2022 but finished only a handful. Here’s the (very short) list of completed books:
The Sweetest Remedy – Jane Igharo
XOXO – Axie Oh
Shine – Jessica Jung
Dread Nation – Justina Ireland
The Emma Project – Sonali Dev
The Comeback – Lily Chu
The Stand-In – Lily Chu
Pachinko – Min Jin Lee
My absolute favourites were Pachinko and The Comeback.
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One of my favourite books this year has been ‘The Comeback’ by Lily Chu. It’s a sweet, romantic comedy about a workaholic, corporate lawyer – Ariadne Hui – whose life is upended when her roommate invites her gorgeous cousin to stay in their small apartment. Unknown to Ari, the quiet, artistic South Korean guy loafing on her couch is one of the biggest k-pop musicians in the world.
Lily Chu has created two compelling, charming characters whose growing relationship propels them to liberate themselves from the expectations of others and discover what they really want from life. It’s a joyful, thrilling ride of a story that I whipped through in record time.
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