About + Policy

Hello, my name is Dina and this is my book review blog.
In 2012, I decided I wanted to share my love of fantasy and science fiction books with the world and at the same time record my thoughts about the books I read. Whenever I finish a book and have enough to say about it to warrant a review, I’ll post it here. Occasionally I’ll participate in a tag or post a list of favorites, and around Hugo Awards voting season, you’ll see me talk about the shortlist and my ballot a lot. Every year, I do some reading challenges, but mostly, this is just a book review blog.

My reviews aren’t meant to be in depth literary criticism. I write them for likeminded people looking for a good book to read, and for myself as a sort of documentation of my reading journey. Opinions are subjective and can change over time (as you can tell when you check out my re-read reviews with vastly different ratings than my first-time read).

I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes. I’m Austrian and my first language is German, so it’s quite possible you’ll come across the occasional strange phrasing or spelling error. If you let me know, I’ll be more than happy to fix it. 🙂

REVIEW POLICY

I rarely accept review copies because as soon as I have to read a book, it takes the fun out of it for me. And when I do read an ARC for review, I want it to be on time, honest, and well written. So I’ll occasionally request a review copy via NetGalley, or ask a publisher for an e-ARC. But other than that, I keep my reading strictly fun and low pressure.

31 comments

  1. It’s so nice to meet another Austrian book blogger! I consider my English skills to be pretty good, so it’s probably you telling me about mistakes I made than the other way round. If you found any mistake(s) in the last sentence, let it be said, I put them there on purpose … just kidding (hopefully)!

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  2. hi!

    just got here by chance (i was looking for a nice cover for one of my books and google sent me here lol). it’s nice to see people reading similar stuff that i read (well i read almost anything incl. shampoo labels, etc lol)…
    well i guess u’ll want to correct sth in the first line of the about section… it says “regions” when i guess what u mean is “legions” (like in large groups).
    ah, btw, i do enjoy chocolate myself too… especially if it’s a milka bar lol
    cheers and good luck with ur blog! 🙂

    PS is ur middle name maria? lol all austrian girls seem to be named maria for some reason lol ciao!

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    • Ah, the shame! Thank you so much for pointing it out. A sincere typo… and it’s fixed. I’ll send you a virtual bar of chocolate as a reward. 🙂

      Hahaha, I am one of those Austrians who don’t even have a middle name. And not a single person in my family is called Maria (though I did go to school with a Maria, come to think of it).

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  3. Dear Nadine –

    This is a great blog! Thank you so much – it’s great to find women who enjoy SF & F, as well as YA and re-told fairy tales. And I really appreciate that you cover such a wide range of authors. It’s nice to be introduced to so many new (to me) writers. I have never heard of Catherynne Valente, but based on your reviews, I think it’s time I gave her a try,

    I do have two recommendations for you (you may have already read them): Susan Cooper’s “The Dark Is Rising” series, and Alex Bledsoe’s Eddie LaCrosse series. Based on the books that you gave high ratings to, I think you might enjoy them.

    Thanks much!

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    • Hey Moira,

      Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy Valente as much as I do. She’s probably my favorite author at the moment.

      I’ve heard about Susan Cooper’s series (I may even have book one on my TBR) but I’ll definitely check out the Alex Bledsoe books. Thanks so much for the recommendations.

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    • I just looked at the description for the Eddie LaCrosse series and – oh boy – this sounds so cool. I’m getting the first book right now! Thanks so much for pointing out that series. Can’t wait to read it. 🙂

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    • Thank you! 🙂
      Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been stuck at work all week. Hope to find some time this weekend to write a post about this. Thanks so much for picking me, that is a really shiny award button *squee*.

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  4. Hi Nadine,

    I just wanted to let you know that this is a great blog! Ever since you went to Vienna you left me bereft of any good book recommendations! Then I stumbled on your blog and now I am so fortunate as to pick any book that got 7 points or more. Thanks to you I’m discovering great authors again :). Thank you so much! I hope you are fine. Best wishes from Graz. Julia L.

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    • Hey Julia!
      This is a surprise. I hope you’re doing well. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. You know if you have any recommendations you can always send them my way. 🙂
      Best wishes from (finally warm) Vienna.

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    • Hello, thank you so much. I actually participated in a Blog Award tag not so long ago. It also required me to post random facts about myself, and I don’t want to simply post the same things again. But thank you so much for nominating me. 🙂

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      • 🙂 Thanks… I figured these chained awards could not be too bad. Not to mention, you work really hard on your blog.

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  5. You’re in Austria!? Yey! Not that we’re quite neighbors (I’m in Germany), but closer than most of the bloggers behind the sites that I follow on the subject of SFF. Huzzah! I would love some Austria SFF recommendations, if you have any. Or have you posted on the subject before and can point me to a link? I’m just starting to explore the world of German language SFF the last few years (am American, originally).

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  6. You should read Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult! She is my favorite author and I think you would enjoy it!

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  7. Hi, Dina!

    Thank you for your Fairy tale Retellings blog post! I found a few of my now favourite retold fairytale authors there (and purchased their books) – Sarah Pinborough, Marissa Meyer, Sarah J. Maas and a few others. Your reviews were very insightful and spot on, thank you!

    I stumbled on your blogpost when researching for a work in progress (now published) and I noticed you didn’t have any books about Thumbelina or fairies in that list. If – once upon a time – you get to the point of having the time and wish to add a few, then there really are only a few to add:
    1. C.C.Naughton. Don’t Piss Off The Fairies. – sample on kindle was too YA for my taste, peppered with humour, but not enough development in the sample to make me want to read on.
    2. J.M.Page. Thumbelalien. – not read yet, but on my TBR list.
    3. Sky Sommers. Thumbelina: The Bride Experiment. – this one’s mine. 🙂

    Thank you again and please post your lovely recommendations on Instagram as well, when you have the chance.

    Best, Sky

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  8. Weird question, but do you read your books in German or English? Are there any European authors that we may not know about in the U.S. that you would recommend? I love the blog!

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    • I read them all in English. Unless they’re originally kn French kn which case I’ll try that. 🙂
      There are German fantasy writers of course and I’ve tried a few of them but let’s say that last ones I read weren’t up to the standards I’ve come to enjoy from international authors. We’re still stuck in the whole quasi-medieval Europe type fantasy. But I should definitely give German fantasy another chance one of these days.

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  9. Hi Dina,

    I was wondering if you’d consider checking out my short story The Insignificance of Time Travel, which is available to read on my website? You’ll also find a homemade audio of the story posted there as well:

    https://jimalexanderwriting.com/?page_id=702

    The main reason behind this request is that I’m attending WorldCon 2024 in Glasgow in August. I’m trying to get the story out there with a nod to nomination for Best Short Story at the 2024 Hugo Awards. Wish me luck on that one 🙂 Thanks for your time.

    Best,

    Jim Alexander

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