Keys and Raccoons
Oct. 7th, 2026 08:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearA Hall of Keys and No Doors by Emmie Keys was a surprise - not YA or fantasy-heavy as I expected - but an absolute delight all the same. It follows Ella, who inherits her grandmother's house, which contains a hall of keys, which may or may not cause varying things to happen when touched. The otherworldly elements get less ambiguous as time goes on, but are always intriguing and entertaining. There's a wonderful romance, an excellent best friend, and an older relative who causes a lot of trouble. It's gentle - until it's really not - the stakes get pretty high towards the end, but I liked how the conclusion came about. A really enjoyable audiobook.
Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky was a hugely anticipated read for me - and it didn't disappoint. It's very dense in terms of world-building - almost to the exclusion of the story for most of the book. But it's a truly fascinating world, which has been planned out and thought through on so many levels, so I was engrossed throughout. Skotch, the uplifted raccoon investigator, was a wonderful guide to the world beneath the city, and I got very invested in what was happening to him. There's a big cast of great characters from a dizzying number of factions, all trying to find one poor scientist mouse. The pace gained speed towards the end and resulted in a very exciting climax. Some of the events were a bit grim - but very fitting for the tone of the book overall, and there was enough lightness along the way to prevent it becoming too much. A masterclass in immersive setting, with a great main character and a plot that pulled me along right to the end.
Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky was a hugely anticipated read for me - and it didn't disappoint. It's very dense in terms of world-building - almost to the exclusion of the story for most of the book. But it's a truly fascinating world, which has been planned out and thought through on so many levels, so I was engrossed throughout. Skotch, the uplifted raccoon investigator, was a wonderful guide to the world beneath the city, and I got very invested in what was happening to him. There's a big cast of great characters from a dizzying number of factions, all trying to find one poor scientist mouse. The pace gained speed towards the end and resulted in a very exciting climax. Some of the events were a bit grim - but very fitting for the tone of the book overall, and there was enough lightness along the way to prevent it becoming too much. A masterclass in immersive setting, with a great main character and a plot that pulled me along right to the end.
