The nitty-gritty: Unusual formatting, a captivating story and distinct character voices make Calypso a unique treat for sci-fi fans who are looking for something different. Novels in verse require an extra level of attention from the reader, but they can be so rewarding if the author knows what they are doing. Case in point, Oliver […]
The nitty-gritty: A remarkable story in so many ways, Shelby Van Pelt’s debut will stick with me for a very long time. What a wonderful surprise this was! I thought Remarkably Bright Creatures was a story about a woman and an octopus, but it turned out to be so much more than that. This is […]
The nitty-gritty: Thrilling, romantic and charged with emotion, The Serpent & the Wings of Night is the dark vampire tale you didn’t know you needed. I hadn’t even heard of this book when I was offered a review copy, but a few glowing reviews caught my attention and I agreed to read it. And I’m […]
The nitty-gritty: An ambitious SF dystopian tale with plenty of interesting characters and situations gets bogged down under some basic writing mistakes. I badly wanted to love Stars Like Acid, especially since my review copy came directly from the author. And the reviews on Goodreads are mostly rave reviews, so I’ll admit my expectations were […]
The nitty-gritty: With colorful characters and an intriguing setting, What Never Happened is a fun mystery with some great twists. Rachel Howzell Hall is a new author for me, and I’m so glad I had the chance to read her latest book. This was a fun, boisterous, guilty pleasure of a story. It’s not perfect, […]
The nitty-gritty: Four scientists undertake a dangerous mission to uncover the mysteries of a curious hole, in Christopher Paolini’s tense survival thriller. Sometimes going into a book with no expectations is a good thing, and that was my experience reading Fractal Noise, a prequel of sorts to Paolini’s To Sleep In a Sea of Stars. […]
The nitty-gritty: Chana Porter subverts our ideas of food and sex in this unique dystopian tale. “This is normally where we would have sex,” teased Georgina. “But you’re the girl who doesn’t like sex.” “I like sex,” said Beatrice softly. I just like food more. The Thick and the Lean has one of the most […]
The nitty-gritty: An atmospheric setting and the promise of an intriguing story couldn’t make up for the scattered plot and over-the-top prose. October Animals is a short novella (or perhaps even a novelette) that I really wanted to love, but unfortunately, it didn’t work that well for me. The story is rather convoluted, and I […]
The nitty-gritty: Gear brings more deadly creatures, more political maneuvering and lots of action to the table in Reckoning, another fantastic entry in his Donovan series. It’s always fun when a new W. Michael Gear Donovan book comes out, a series that could keep on going as far as I’m concerned. I’m convinced Gear isn’t […]
The nitty-gritty: A group of friends discover the mysteries and dangers of ghosts and hauntings in this creepy, disturbing tale. “Ghost isn’t the kind of drug you find. It finds you. You hear about it from someone who’s used it. They tell you about it, then you tell someone else, like a —” “Ghost story?” […]