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Natalie Kelda

@nataliekelda.bsky.social

I'm an author of (space) fantasy and Viking age historical fiction. ESL speaker, biologist, Danish. she/her https://nataliekelda.co.uk/book-links

3206 Posts2274 Follower469 Folgt
Natalie Kelda@nataliekelda.bsky.social · 2w ago

I've been mulling over this review for over 2 months (mostly just procrastinating because how do you write a review for a book that's so good??) I'm *almost* caught up now with my review backlog! (don't remind me I need to crosspost I *know*)

Goodreads review for Sistah Samurai: I've been struggling to write a review for a while because this book is so many things (all of which can be summed up as "simply awesome") it's quite difficult to capture properly in a review. It's wild and slightly kooky, it unapologetically mixing genres, eras, worlds even and it just works perfectly! I don't understand how it all comes together so well but it's abundantly clear that Obey is a phenomenal author from page one. In a fairly short novella Obey manages to pack in so many emotions and themes, the story will make you laugh out loud one minute and pause and just sit and think about life and time and what are we all actually doing in the next minute. I listened to the audiobook and it was, hands down, the best-produced audiobook I've ever listened to. there isn't even a radio play that comes close for me. Just an absolute blast all the way through. Seriously, just read it already, you won't regret it!
Natalie Kelda@nataliekelda.bsky.social · 3w ago

I think I might actually catch up on my review backlog?! Another 3 to go and I still have 3-4 weeks of drafting my WIP left (in which time I'll only be reading non-fiction). Anyway, I loved this book, you should read it!

Goodreads review of Love Lethal, Death Devine: After reading Dark Woods, Deep Water I immediately added this one to my tbr and I was not disappointed! The tone and vibes are different in this one but I'd still argue it's somewhere within the gothic fantasy umbrella although it does have somewhat more brightness and hope within it than Dark Woods, Deep Water. The time warping we experienced to a lesser degree in DW, DW was a lot more intrumental in the plot of this one but it made for a very interesting concept and at least when going in blid having not read any reviews or the blurb, it made for a fun and unexpected read. Liana is easy to love, I had found myself hopign to learn more about her already from the tiny remarks in DW, DW so having her as the main POV here alongside Melia who was a lot harder for me to sympathise with even though she had been given one hell of a rubbish lot in life. There were a lot of twists and turns throughout keeping you guessing with it all being well foreshadowed and the final solutions fell into place at the right time for me.
Natalie Kelda@nataliekelda.bsky.social · 3w ago

Don't you just love logging on to posts like this? Between my debut duology getting love over on the bird app, Lilje getting love here and Brise slowly collecting ARC readers from everywhere, I feel like great things are in store for my book babies 🥰

A.J. Calvin@ajcalvin.bsky.social · 3w ago

#SFFChat Q4 I recently read Reflections of Lilje Damselfly by Natalie Kelda @nataliekelda.bsky.social, and Lilje's illness was so heartbreaking at times. But she was also resilient and learned to live her life (and find love) despite her circumstances. (It's a great read. I highly recommend it!)

Natalie Kelda@nataliekelda.bsky.social · 3w ago

I really want to hit 40 sign ups before the first round of ARCs go out next week 🥹 Sapphic gothic romance anybody? 250 pages of yearning, North Yorkshire coal mining setting, a cute cat, lots of (human) death, despair, grief and some light punching of a creepy dude who absolutely deserves it.

Screenshot of google form showing 37 responses.
Natalie Kelda@nataliekelda.bsky.social · 3w ago

I finally got back to reviewing my backlog! (By scheduling an IG review post for myself next week so I have to get the last ones written before then 🤣) Really loved this one, perfect for readers who enjoy gothic and folk horror!

Goodreads review by Natalie for Dark Woods, Deep Water, review text: Loved this dark, folkloric gothic fantasy/horror! I listened to the audiobook which was excellent and I feel like it helped create the right mood and vibes for me. This is not a story for people who want constant up front action, it's what can be expected from a gothic folk horror, full of rich descriptions and a slowly increasing sense of dread and despair encroaching from all directions. The opening sets the tone well so I reckon if the first few chapters don't reel you in, then this book probably won't land for you. But if you're like me and desperately search out slower stories where the prose and characters are allowed room to breathe and develop alongside the action and more tense scenes, then this is the perfect read. I'm altogether exhausted by the current fashion of writing everything fast paced, snappy, quick. As if even our books read for enjoyment need to fall into the weird obsession with speed and "productivity" our (western) society can't let got of. This book is the perfect antidote to that and I adore if because of it.
Natalie Kelda@nataliekelda.bsky.social · last mo.

Tried some new (to me) canva tricks and apps. Not sure if I actually like it but hey, new skill acquired at least! Remember that Reflections of Lilje Damselfly has a wonderful audiobook available on audible and applebooks 💜

Graphic with white wave lines and a book cover bevisible between the lines and text cut out at the top spelling out "healing". The focal point is an art nouveau drawing of a woman wearing a waterdress with two fish by her feet.
Natalie Kelda@nataliekelda.bsky.social · last mo.

It's Disability Pride month so what better timing to pick up my book about a chronically ill water nymph who goes to an Edwardian spa for treatments? A little while ago I had energy enough to go down to the riverside and I brought Lilje along with me so she could sit by the water's edge with me 🥰

Book settled on a smooth rock with a buttercup flower beside it. The book has a cover in an art nouveau style with the title: Reflections of Lilje Damselfly by Natalie Kelda and features a woman holding a water lily in one hand. She’s dressed in a blue water dress with water swirling around her arm and the hand that doesn’t hold the lily. Beneath her feet are two fish. Around the woman is a set of circles with the top half lined with water lilies and their lily pads. Around the scene is a swirling pattern in 3 tones of blue.
Natalie Kelda@nataliekelda.bsky.social · last mo.

It's fitting for disability pride month. Just reading the skeet and headline, I'm fighting tears. The grief of losing running, hiking, cycling, martial arts and reenactment often reappears with a crushing force. Sometimes, I have to just sit and allow myself a good cry for all the things I've lost.

Sue Poncin@sueponcin.com · last mo.

Long Covid is a thief. Running, teaching, live music, traveling. The list goes on… “Running is a form of mood regulation. It doesn’t matter how far or how fast you run. It’s part of how you’ve come to understand yourself.” “Losing running is a kind of grief and you are allowed to mourn it.”

Natalie Kelda@nataliekelda.bsky.social · last mo.

Finally droppping some more from my review backlog! I think I only have 4 reviews left to catch up on now. Please clap 😅 This one was a lot of fun if you enjoy well-researched Norse Mythology inspired horror-fantasy!

Goodreads review for Hotel Fen, review text: I've had the audiobook on my tbr for FOREVER and finally got around to it and wish I'd read it sooner to be honest! It's a fun, relatively short novel and while it's book 1 in a series, I think it works well enough on its own(although there is some setup for future books towards the end/epilogue). It had a slightly unusual style in that the POV didn't seem to be strictly third person but it wasn't quite omniscient either. I suspect this might bother some people but it actually read like a translated Scandinavian story because this POV style is fairly common (at least in Danish and form my limited experience with Swedish novels some use this POV style as well). Since the book focuses so much on Norse mythology, it felt fitting with such a POV style in my opinion and I really enjoyed that aspect. The story is engaging and unfolds at a great pace, there's always something new to keep you guessing and "turning the page"(listening to another few minutes in my case) and I thought the characterisation was well done too. The Norse Mythology felt well-researched and I can be a bit of a snob with that so extra kudos.
Natalie Kelda@nataliekelda.bsky.social · last mo.

It finally happened! And would you look at that average?! To think that a story created from a place of such a struggle with chronic illness and disability have brought joy to so many people is incredible to me. If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for? It's available in all formats!

Goodreads book page screenshot for Reflections of Lilje Damselfly with the star ratings and reviews highlighted. The average is 4.47 out of 100 ratings and 80 reviews.
Natalie Kelda@nataliekelda.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Look at this incredible art I was gifted! simply_i_like_it(on IG) captured Mejse and Susan so perfectly 😍 The Windfall of Mejse Oakwood is a cosy historical fantasy about a grumpy, genderfluid wood nymph who tries to chase off a widow but starts to find her endearing instead.

Drawing of two characters looking at one another and holding hands. To the left is a woman with greying brown hair who is wearing a softly lavender purple Victorian dress. To the right is a person with long deer-like ears and forest green hair wearing a shirt and breeches. The person to the right is holding the woman's chin with their right hand.
A.J. Calvin@ajcalvin.bsky.social · 2mo ago

In this week's blog, I'm discussing World Sickle Cell Awareness Day (which is tomorrow), and why I believe it's an important cause. You can read the post here: ajcalvin.net/june-19-is-w...

June 19 is World Sickle Cell Awareness Day - A.J. Calvin

June 19 is World Sickle Cell Awareness Day For those who are newer followers to my blog, sickle cell is a topic near and dear to my heart, and it’s a condition that far too few people are aware of. I’...

ajcalvin.net

Natalie Kelda@nataliekelda.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I got a beautiful review today and that means Lilje is SO CLOSE to hitting 80 reviews/100 ratings on goodreads. 1 week left until her first birthday. Will she manage to get that last review and 2 more ratings before then?

Reflections of Lilje Damselfly goodreads screenshot with 98 ratings and 79 reviews highlighted.