The nitty-gritty: A gruesome war story with surreal, ghostly elements, The Warm Hands of Ghosts is an emotional tale of a brother and sister during WWI. “Sometimes, as he walked the hotel corridors, Freddie told himself he was trying to find the door that led out, but he wasn’t. He didn’t have enough hope left […]
The nitty-gritty: Readers looking for the perfect fantasy/mystery will love Robert Jackson Bennett’s immersive world building and lively characters. “Perhaps it is a wise thing, to prepare for death every day, just as the Empire prepares for death every wet season.” I always love it when the first book in a new series works, and […]
The nitty-gritty: Magic, art forgery and heists make up the plot of Gwenda Bond’s latest, a fun mash-up with mixed results. I ended up having a lot of fun with The Frame-Up, despite a few issues with pacing and some of the world building elements. Gwenda Bond has written a magical heist story with a […]
The nitty-gritty: Emily Wilde and friends return in this whimsical, magical sequel that succeeds on every level. “I have never felt so spent. Yet I must write what happened—for how else will it be known? Already the details drift from my mind like dandelion seeds scattered by the wind. The price of too much time […]
The nitty-gritty: A skillfully constructed story-within-a-story full of emotion, tension and magic, Dreambound is one of my favorite books of the year. Dreambound is every bit as good as people are saying, and trust me, this is one 2023 release you’re not going to want to miss. Dan Frey has stepped up his game from […]
The nitty-gritty: Evil apples take on the residents of a small town in Chuck Wendig’s latest, a tension-filled, bloody tale of survival. “This is the apple in your hand. Some would say it is so red that it looks black, but that’s not quite right. It’s the color of wine and offal, of liver soaked […]
The nitty-gritty: A long-running, mysterious children’s television show is the catalyst for emotional trauma in this intriguing but uneven and confusing story. “What did Mister Magic look like? He was tall and enormous. He was slight and lithe. He didn’t have arms or legs. He was all arms and legs. He was a person. He […]
The nitty-gritty: Romance, history and horror combine in this well written and dramatic tale. After hearing so many good things about Isabel Cañas’ last book, The Hacienda, I was very excited to dive into her latest. And I can see what all the fuss is about! Vampires of El Norte is an engaging historical romance/drama […]
The nitty-gritty: Full of fascinating history, slow build suspense, and two unforgettable main characters, Silver Nitrate is a must read for Silvia Moreno-Garcia fans. “Editing was changing. The Moviola and the Steenbeck machines were yielding space to video monitors, tapes, and computers. Beyond the Yellow Door was an item from another era; it enchanted her […]
The nitty-gritty: A magical story full of humor and heart, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries will charm even the most jaded of readers. After reading so many glowing reviews of this book, I was thrilled to discover that everyone is right! Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries was a delight from start to finish, an upbeat […]