Assassin's Apprentice
Robin Hobb
Robin Hobb's world-building is immersive without being heavy. The politics and magic feel earned rather than explained.
What I've been reading
Books I've finished, roughly in order. Short notes on what stuck.
Foster
Claire Keegan
Short, precise, and quietly devastating. Keegan doesn't waste a single word.
The Things We Never Say
Elizabeth Strout
Beautiful prose but felt like familiar Strout territory, quietly melancholy domestic lives.
Good People
Patmeena Sabit
Couldn't put it down. Sharp moral ambiguity and a plot that earns every twist.
Dissection of a Murder
Jo Murray
Tightly plotted courtroom thriller. The forensic detail is convincing without slowing the pace.
Hidden Pictures
Jason Rekulak
Genuinely creepy. The slow-burn dread builds perfectly, one of the best thrillers I've read.
The Calamity Club
Kathryn Stockett
Rich period detail and a strong ensemble cast. The pacing in the middle section drags slightly.