2025 : First Quarter Book Review
Please note that the following review contains mild spoilers.
A lot of time has passed since my last post, and I’m at that point in my life where changes are underway. Despite everything, I’ve made it my goal to read at least 44 books before 2025 comes to an end, and the little book club that I’ve formed with my closest friends is perfect for sharing recommendations and buddy reads.
Of all the books I’ve read so far, a couple have certainly left an impression—some have been good, and others, not so much. So, let me preface this by saying that these opinions are entirely my own, and that my cup of tea might be something you loathe. However, these reviews are not meant to incite hatred toward the authors in any way, shape or form.
With that being said, let’s move on.
The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom
The House of My Mother is a daughter’s tale of resilience which unfolds in the form of a gripping narrative. Both gritty and introspective, Shari Franke’s memoir documents her journey as a victim of emotional abuse, and whether you’ve watched family “vlogs” in the past or not, I’d urge you to read this for some insight into how exploitative the industry can be.
Shari’s mother, Ruby opened a YouTube channel in 2015 to focus on family-friendly content. Aptly named the 8 Passengers, the channel focused on Ruby’s children and everything was aired for the world to see—their successes and failures, as well as moments of joy, sorrow, and even humiliation.
In her search for validation, Ruby Franke meets Jodi Hildebrandt—a cultist who encourages her abusive tendencies, convincing her with visions from the devil that turn her into a fanatic. Her children suffer emotional, verbal and physical abuse in the process, and Shari can only watch in defeat as things take a turn for the worse.
I’m going off on a tangent here, but at its core, family vlogging is an unethical practice and a dangerous one. One must leave room for their children to grow away from the spotlight—away from the anonymous users of the internet who have no shame in battering and bringing them down. With generative-AI becoming so commonplace online, there’s no telling what people could do with hours of content focusing on a child.
Don’t believe me? Take a look at this report from UNICRI.
Children are powerless, and this memoir highlights how damaging that powerlessness can be. Shari experiences so much as she navigates childhood and adulthood alone, but in spite of everything, every page that she’s written is imbued with hope and a growing understanding of God’s love. Even though The House of My Mother doesn’t expand on the depravity that her siblings faced, what it does address is enough to leave you in tears.
From documenting her mother’s descent into fanaticism to showing us how her family must now pick up the pieces, Shari Franke’s story will shatter and piece you back together. Whether you’re religious or not, I can confidently say that this memoir will certainly touch your heart.
Haunting Adeline
H.D. Carlton is a household name on “BookTok” (a community of avid readers on TikTok), and her novel, Haunting Adeline has garnered quite the reputation online as a must-read for fans of the dark romance genre. With scenes that elicit horror, encounters with the supernatural, child sacrifices and human trafficking, this book is certainly not for the faint of heart, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a masterpiece.
For context, the book explores the relationship between a stalker and his newest obsession—a young writer who lives alone in an old manor. We have the headstrong Adeline as our female lead, who may surprise you with how bold and daring she gets, and then we have Zade, who stalks and treats her as his prey.
Certain aspects of Carlton’s writing were remarkable—the subplot which focused on Adeline’s great-grandmother and her stalker left me at the edge of my seat, and the unexplained paranormal occurrences within the manor actually prevented me from dropping the book altogether. I also liked the tension that surfaced whenever Zade broke into her home and left traces of himself behind for the sole purpose of unnerving Adeline.
That being said, the characters aren’t very likeable. Adeline is bearable, even though her POV reads like that of a rebellious teenager than an adult, but Zade is real piece of work. Every paragraph of his POV reflects his god complex—his belief that he’s the best thing to ever happen to Adeline, and this vigilante of justice spiel that doesn’t suit him in the least, making him feel like more of a hypocrite.
As this review is meant to be spoiler-free, I won’t reveal more, but Zade seemed to be portrayed in a way that felt as though Carlton was trying to make him likeable. Perhaps I’m a part of a minority when I say that I enjoy characters who are truly morally irredeemable, and I may have liked Zade a bit more if he didn’t try to act otherwise (and also, if he weren’t so vain to begin with).
Would I recommend this book? Not really, unless you’re looking for shock value that presents itself in the form of smut and obscene language, human trafficking, drugs, blood rituals, and other content that would probably make an overly religious grandmother shudder in horror. That said, I’m not here to yuck someone’s yum or rain on their parade, so whether you like Haunting Adeline or not is probably a matter of taste.
This Is How You Lose the Time War
To say that This is How You Lose the Time War was a five-star read would be an understatement. Lovingly crafted by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar, this fascinating tale blurs the boundary between the past and the present, as well as the present and the future, leaving readers to piece the plot together as they turn each page.
The story of Red and Blue—two agents from opposing factions in a war of time—might not be for everyone, as readers are plunged into the action with very little knowledge of what it going on. However, it is for this very reason that I cite this book as a fantastic example of indirect exposition (a technique in which background information is gleaned from dialogue, actions, monologue, and so on).
Though, as masterful as the prose is, it can be difficult to grasp the plot, so let me provide a short explanation below.
In this war, there are two factions—Garden and Agency, and their agents are tasked with manipulating time. Red and Blue are no different, as they must travel to different eras to ensure that their superiors’ goals are met. This could mean facilitating the death of a person, or ensuring that a tribe survives, or wreaking havoc upon an ancient civilization, and so on.
I found myself captivated by the prose throughout, especially by Red and Blue’s letters, which teem with flowery language at the start. The two of them are in a tango of one-upping the other, and it shows in their writing. But as time passes, their letters become more heartfelt, echoing the love that they have for each other.
So, truth be told, I was never a fan of science-fiction, but my first foray into it made me wholly appreciative of the genre.
Final Thoughts
As I read these books, I couldn’t help but think that, in a world where the use of AI threatens one’s capacity to think, even the act of reading is a way for us to rebel and preserve our cognitive abilities. So, dear reader, I hope this simple review convinces you to give these books a try and to challenge your mind, so that you do not lose sight of yourself and of all that you stand for.
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