A light fantasy that is surprisingly unremarkable. The characters and pace fit the cozy vibes very well but nothing makes it truly stand out.

I really wanted to love this. I was able to finish it but it just kept me wanting more in a not so good way.

Narrator was great and kept my attention when the plot itself made it wander. I would definitely listen to her narrate something else.



This was ok. I didn't completely gel with either the story or the characters but I'm not damning with faint praise; I think others would probably really enjoy this, especially if they want a queer lead who's a bit of a female rake and plenty of fey. The premise is that the MC is out courting and gets tricked into working for the Low Parliament which is where the fairies vote on various issues. I think the overall themes were that language is important and not all languages are directly translatable but that doesn't mean that what is being said is unimportant with the addition of 'some sort of political structure is better than no political structure no matter how frustrating it is.'

However, this just didn't really capture me. I liked it enough to get to the end, but it didn't rock my world or anything.

"High Times in the Low Parliament" by Kelly Robson is a delightful and whimsical romp, filled with charming characters, witty banter, and unexpected twists and turns.

At the center of the story is Lana Baker, a talented scribe with a sharp tongue and a quick wit. When she agrees to deliver a message for a fellow scribe, little does she know that it will lead her on a wild adventure involving irritable fairies, dangerous politics, and the fate of humanity itself.

As Lana navigates the treacherous waters of Low Parliament, she is joined by an unlikely group of allies, including the gruff but lovable fairy Bugbite and the enchanting human deputy Eloquentia. Together, they must work to prevent a hung vote that would trigger a catastrophic flood and a return to endless war.

Robson's writing is both playful and clever, with a keen eye for detail and a knack for witty dialogue. Her characters are vividly drawn and endearing, from Lana's sharp-tongued charm to Bugbite's curmudgeonly gruffness. And the plot is filled with enough twists and turns to keep readers on their toes until the very end.

Interesting setting but I feel like I'm not getting enough worldbuilding to keep me interested and I don't find the characters compelling enough to keep me interested either
Full review on YouTube

Cute book about a human scribe trying to solve Fairy problems in their parliament. This is a quick read, the narrator does a great job.

This is the golden age of the fantasy and SciFi novella, and High Times in the Low Parliament is another great exemplar of this trend. Like many of the best of these novellas, I got to the end and wanted more; I felt the book was to short. Not because the plot was too short (although some character and relationship development was abbreviated) but because I wanted more of this world and these characters. The fairy-led female-only universe was fascinating and the main character was a rarely seen trickster-bureaucrat, a delightfully debauched non sequitur of a scribe. I look forward to reading more about her and this world.

Interesting traipse through a world with only women. And fairies. This is novella, so the world building isn't as complete enough to understand much of what is happening. Parts of the story lagged a bit, but overall I liked the salty, chipper heroine, who was worthy of a regency romance but is rarely seen in dystopian fantasy, and her unflagging optimism despite increasingly dire circumstances. In the end, it's an illustration of the toxic effects of prejudices and how letting them go improves the world.

Am I sure what happened? No was it terrible? Also no but I wouldn’t recommend this book to people. It felt like the second in a series that I hadn’t read the first

High Times in the Low Parliament is a fun little novella centered around a flirty scribe and her unlikely companions as they witness Parliament barreling down the path of destruction. This novella was so quirky and fun, and had so many intriguing aspects to it. A world with no men, a messy lesbian mc, grumpy fairies, politics, looming danger of a great flood, and even stoner comedy. That being said, it had so much going on and not enough time to really properly shape it and flesh it out. There wasn’t much depth or substance to this story. I would’ve liked more context, background, and world-building to get a better understanding of the history and politics. I didn’t find there to be anything wrong with the characters, I just couldn’t bring myself to really care for them very much either. They lacked the depth and context needed to really hook me in and make me want to root for them.

This took me forever to finish because I just couldn’t get that invested in the storyline. However, I think this is likely due to my own personal reading preferences rather than a fault with the book itself. I prefer books that make me feel things with characters that I can really resonate with. This book did not accomplish that, but I’m not sure it was really meant to either.

Though it wasn’t for me, I do think it still has value if you’re interested in a quick, funny little novella with lesbian rep and stoner comedy.

This was a fun and entertaining story with some fabulous characters (Bug Bite being a personal favourite) but ultimately, the plot was a little bit meandering and overall, this was all about the vibes rather than the strength of the narrative. There were times when the tone was a little jarring given the subject matter, but I enjoyed the snarkiness a lot and thought Lana was a great protagonist. I also thought that the narrator did a great job with character distinction throughout. Overall, an enjoyable time and an interesting world for those who don't worry too much about the plot.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a lighthearted queer story. Lana is flirty and fun and I couldn't help but love her. I really enjoyed the mix of a bubbly scribe and grumpy fairy.

We're thrown right into the story and, while i'd like more explanations and world building, I enjoyed the adventure. I'd love to see more set in this world.

As I read more novellas, I’ve gotten more used to being thrown into the deep end rather than easing my way into a story, but I really did feel like this one could have used a little more world building. I enjoyed Lana’s character, but beyond that, the story didn’t give me much reason to care. The audiobook was fun, and the narrator did a good job, and I’d try this author again, because I did like her writing style.

A fun little queer fantasy romp. Lana is a fun MC and I like the flirtatiousness. The book really throws you in the middle of things, which I found a little frustrating, but overall I enjoyed the colors of the story.

If you love delightfully flirtatious heroines then this book is for you! Lana flirts with every pretty woman she see's, works as a scribe in Parliament (I love this setting) and is determined to save herself and all others at risk of something I shan't be spoiling!

I did not finish this book because I struggled to grapple with it all. It felt like it moved too quickly (novella style) while being weighed down with detail elsewhere. I really loved the concept of this, but found it hard to grapple with over audio. This one might have worked better for me in print.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for access to the audiobook of High Times in Low Parliament by Kelly Robson in exchange for an honest review.

CW: drug use, death, violence, blood, see growing list on StoryGraph.

And this is why I really need to stop requesting books without reading the synopsis....this was an absolute fever dream. This was a super quirky novella, but honestly, I can't tell you very much about the plot other than, the main character is a sapphic fairy, who for some reason has been banished to become a scribe in Parliament. But in this world, this Parliament has hyper-specific rules about voting that constantly leads to hung votes, but if they can't have a successful vote, the world ends? Idk. There were parts of this that were whimsical and quirky that I enjoyed, and I LOVED the girly flirty sapphicness of it all, but I found myself asking, what was the point? Not sure. This just wasn't entirely for me.

Delightful and humorous. I loved the world building and all-female society. I’m so curious if Robson will write a sequel or something else in the same universe.

4.5/5

Beautifully narrated.

Lana Baker, a London scribe, is sent to work in the Low Parliament, which is in danger of being drowned if the members cannot come to an agreement on their politics.

Highs and lows is absolutely right for this book. There were parts I loved, as well as parts that really began to wear on my nerves.

There was certainly interesting world-building at play - crotchety fairies live alongside humans, and it seems only women populate this world. I especially loved the relationship between Lana and Bugbite, and how their friendship grew deep despite the dislike that fairies and humans traditionally held for each other. And to my surprise, I liked Lana, who genuinely charmed me despite (or was it because of?) her feckless, cheerful personality.

However, the plot underwhelmed. I definitely understood the analogue between the events of this book and Brexit, but I did not understand Angland's motivation for their actions here. There also was a good deal of tension lacking despite the threat of imminent death hanging over everyone's heads. I also wished I had known beforehand that this book has been described as "lesbian stoner buddy comedy." I do not, alas, much enjoy stoner comedies, and I was certainly taken aback by the amount of "yeast" and "mushrooms" that were ingested in this book.

I listened to this book as an audiobook, which was narrated by Amy Scanlon. I thought she did a great job in performing Lana's chirpy personality, and I liked how she did the voices of Bugbite and the other fairies. Despite all the female characters, I was able to tell all the voices apart easily.

2.5 stars, rounded up.

A quick fantasy sapphic novella.

A scribe finds herself in the Low Parliament with her feisty fairy friend and wound up in a political vote that impacts multiple factions. While there, she becomes enthralled by a beautiful woman who is trying to aide the vote.

Overall the fantasy aspect of this novella is fun. There is no world building, so the reader is really just tossed into this fantasy world and is expected to catch up, which is fine for a quick stand-alone novella. However, the politics and its structure were conflated and without any of the world building of a typical fantasy story, the politics don't have much of a base for them to make sense. This aspect, which was a huge aspect of the story, was not enjoyable.

I also found myself wanting more of the romance aspect to have been fleshed out. This would have been more engaging for me.

This isn't one that I would recommend.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Amy Scanlon, via NetGalley. An advanced reader's copy of this audiobook was provided to me via NetGalley by RB Media in exchange for an honest review.