Howl’s Moving Castle (8/10)
The story follows a girl in a magical land who, after being cursed by the Witch of the Waste, decides to become the cleaning lady of Howl, a wizard with a moving castle. Charming and endearing, with a lot of humour thrown in as well and a beautiful ending. The character work and dialogue was insanely talented too.
Fight Club (10/10) A
disillusioned young man begins a fighting club with his friend Tyler Durden. After a while, they move on to bigger fish. A gritty commentary on masculinity and incel culture, with a unique, harsh voice, cutting symbolism and a jumpy, spiralling narrative. Probably (definitely) not for younger readers though – quite different to the first book I read.
Hell Followed With Us (10/10)
A religious body horror about a cult that takes it upon themselves to “cure” the earth – by releasing a deadly bioweapon known as the Flood. A fresh, thrilling take on religious horror and post apocalyptic worlds that had me reading even, like, outside of form time. Could’ve featured more Nick, though (I am literally deranged with fever about him. Actually, this whole book).
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth (11/10)
I had plans to read other books, but the HFWU brain worms forced me to buy one of the author’s other books and devour it in a little over a day. In a Victorian London where the veil between the living and the dead has thinned, Silas (lol) Bell – a violet-eyed boy who can commune with the dead – is sent to Braxton’s Sanatorium and Finishing School to stomp out his “veil-sickness”. The horror in this book isn’t necessarily the ghosts and spirits, but rather Victorian society and being labelled as “other”. It tore me apart and then sewed me back up. This was, by far, the most incredible book of 2025 and perhaps ever.
The Book of Bill (8.5/10)
Set in the universe of the cartoon Gravity Falls, Bill Cipher is back and he’s written a book. It’s hard to describe any specific plot, except that it’s a nice blend of meaningless fun and narrative progression. Bill tells the reader about his home dimension, his past attempts at opening portals, gives tips on dating and even shows some torn-out journal pages. It was a bit expensive, though. £25. What.
Dipper and Mabel and the Curse of the Time Pirates’ Treasure (7/10)
Another Gravity Falls book, this one is a “select-your own-chooseventure” following the twins teaming up with Blendin Blandin to find hidden treasure. Unlike a lot of choose-your-own-adventure books, this plot is specifically tailored to the storytelling method. Instead of just a random adventure, it’s a story/about/sprawling timelines and parallel universes. This touch definitely made it feel a lot more intentional. It was a good book to keep me occupied on holiday.
The Full Moon Coffee Shop (4/10)
Every full moon, a cafe run by cats will appear to those who need it most. Like a fantastical Midnight Burger. To be honest, I found it quite repetitive. The simple writing style made it easy to digest and the characters were all very cute, but, with each “new” short story, everything was exactly the same. Cats just… serve them coffee and read their horoscope. There was no variation. It’s a cute and simple read, but I think it could have been so much better as just the one short story. Less is more, as they say.
Beastars Vol. 1 (8/10)
In a world inhabited by animals, tension between carnivores and herbivores is always high. The manga follows a 17-year-old grey wolf, Legosi, after a fellow student is killed by a carnivore. I enjoyed the realism of the conflict, both social and interpersonal. Legosi as a character is overwhelmingly charming, sympathetic, and just overall very endearing.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (10/10)
One Thursday morning, Arthur Dent’s house is knocked down. Around two minutes later, his planet is also knocked down. After being saved by his alien friend Ford Prefect, the two hitchhike and travel around the universe. This book is a classic for a reason. Charming characters and a brilliant dry wit.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe – Vol. 2 in the trilogy of 5 (9/10)
The sequel to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I’m going to skip all sequel descriptions for the sake of clarity now, but I will say this one had more Ford Prefect moments at the end which has my seal of approval.
Beastars Vol. 2 (7/10)
It’s beastars.
Life, the Universe, and Everything – Vol. 3 in the trilogy of 5 (8/10
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish – Vol. 4 in the trilogy of 5 (7/10)
Mostly Harmless – Vol. 5 in the trilogy of 5 (7/10)
The quality of The Hitchhiker’s series certainly does decrease after the first two or three books, as it does with all prolonged fiction, but the ending to this final book was unbelievably satisfying in a way that is incredibly unsatisfying, like a bad dad joke. Which is because it sort of is. The finale is, in a way, a fitting end to my year of reading. What better way to end off than with the last book in a fantastic trilogy?
