My Husband by Maud Ventura

 

In this suspenseful and darkly funny debut novel, a sophisticated French woman spends her life obsessing over her perfect husband--but can their marriage survive her passionate love?

At forty years old, she has an enviable life: a successful career, stunning looks, a beautiful house in the suburbs, two healthy children, and most importantly, an ideal husband. After fifteen years together, she is still besotted with him. But she's never quite sure that her passion is reciprocated. After all, would a truly infatuated man ever let go of his wife's hand when they're sitting on the couch together?

Determined to keep their relationship perfect, she meticulously prepares for every encounter they have, always taking care to make her actions seem effortless. She watches him attentively, charting every mistake and punishing him accordingly to help him improve. And she tests him--setting traps to make sure that he still loves her just as much as he did when they first met.

Until one day she realizes she may have gone too far . . .

The winner of France's First Novel Prize in 2021, My Husband builds on the premise of hits like Gone Girland Fates and Furies--how well can you really know your spouse?--and adds the tension and creepy obsession of You. The result is an irresistible read--compelling, tense, and engaging, infused with sly subversive humor, and told in an utterly original voice that makes it unforgettable.

Translated from the French by Emma Ramadan

MY REVIEW: 5 Stars, No All The Stars!

Holy crap on a cracker! I’ve just found one of my favorite books of the year and I’m d@mn sure getting the hardback!  

I requested this book because of the beautiful cover and it sounded good!  I had no idea what I was in for in this book! 

This book won’t be for some people I’m sure, but give it a try anyway! This lady is obsessed with her husband, I won’t go into specifics because you need to read it for yourself! I know some people think reading a book talking about someone’s life can be boring (not me) but this book is a nutter and I love it! AND, just when I thought it could’ve get any crazier, I read the epilogue! What the hell! I wanted to smack someone and at the same time thinking what just happened! Did I just read that, lol! 

This book was so awesome! 

***Thank you so much to Netgalley and HarperCollins for a digital copy of this book 

Mel 

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

 

Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this new epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds.

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022—Tordotcom, BookPage, LitHub

The people suffer under the centuries-long rule of the Moon Throne. The royal family—the despotic emperor and his monstrous sons, the Three Terrors—hold the countryside in their choking grip. They bleed the land and oppress the citizens with the frightful powers they inherited from the god locked under their palace.

But that god cannot be contained forever.

With the aid of Jun, a guard broken by his guilt-stricken past, and Keema, an outcast fighting for his future, the god escapes from her royal captivity and flees from her own children, the triplet Terrors who would drag her back to her unholy prison. And so it is that she embarks with her young companions on a five-day pilgrimage in search of freedom—and a way to end the Moon Throne forever. The journey ahead will be more dangerous than any of them could have imagined.

Both a sweeping adventure story and an intimate exploration of identity, legacy, and belonging, The Spear Cuts Through Water is an ambitious and profound saga that will transport and transform you—and is like nothing you’ve ever read before.

MY REVIEW: 3 Stars 

I’m going to leave it at 3 stars. I can’t decide how I feel about the book. There’s no doubt the author wrote a unique book and I appreciate that very much. 

I was lost here and there. I loved some things and I was bored with some things. 

I’ve seen mixed reviews on the book so I would suggest you try it on for yourself. The audio version is awesome as well. 

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy of the book