The nitty-gritty: History and magic combine in this engaging debut fantasy story. The Geomagician wasn’t quite what I expected, but I ended up enjoying so many elements, even if there were a few things that didn’t work for me. Debut author Jennifer Mandula has taken a real life figure from history—Mary Anning, an English paleontologist […]
The nitty-gritty: A mysterious cellar is at the center of this short but impactful tale about change and acceptance. The Cellar Below the Cellar is an odd little story with a strong folktale vibe, and I enjoyed it! It’s sort of a mash-up of different genres, so it’s hard to pigeonhole it into just one. […]
The nitty-gritty: Cottagecore meets The Lord of the Rings in this entertaining but slightly uneven debut. I couldn’t resist this adorable cover, which I’ll admit is one reason I wanted to read How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days. And it was cute! There are also some rather weighty themes hovering over all the […]
The nitty-gritty: Seanan McGuire’s long running series returns to its roots in this latest entry, where those who are “sure” can find their real homes behind magical doors. Seanan McGuire’s eleventh book in her popular Wayward Children series is almost like a reunion. If you’ve been missing some of your favorite characters from other books, […]
The nitty-gritty: A mysterious, secluded house traps a group of teens in this atmospheric, if somewhat uneven, YA horror story. The Devouring Light had some very creepy and disturbing scenes, and in that respect it succeeded. However, it also fell into some well tread YA tropes, and I didn’t care much for the characters, so […]
The nitty-gritty: Ford, Neuland and Tilda are back for more paranormal action in this fun sequel to The Pale House Devil. The Flesh King is a fun sequel to Richard Kadrey’s The Pale House Devil, which I enjoyed a couple of years ago, and although this is a self contained story, I would recommend reading […]
The nitty-gritty: The giant lizard steals the show in Jackson Ford’s first foray into fantasy, an enjoyable but uneven story. It pains me to give anything by Jackson Ford a middling rating, but unfortunately The Bone Raiders didn’t completely work for me. As someone who is backing away from reading a lot of fantasy these […]
The nitty-gritty: Academic rivalry, romance and past trauma come together in Sara Raasch’s new series opener. I’m a big fan of Sara Raasch’s Royals and Romance series, so I was excited to see she’s started yet another series called Magic and Romance. These are all MM romances (at least so far), and her latest book […]
The nitty-gritty: Chuck Tingle mixes absurdity and heartfelt emotion in this story about saving the world, a weird (and sometimes confusing) mash-up of sci-fi and horror. Chuck Tingle always comes up with unexpected ideas, and Lucky Day might be his most original and unusual book yet. First a confession: I nearly set this book aside. […]
The nitty-gritty: Daniel Kalla tackles AI, medical drama and more in this ambitious thriller, perfect for readers who are looking for a fast-paced, although sometimes predictable, tale. The use of AI is such a hot button topic right now, and Daniel Kalla has written a thought-provoking thriller that addresses the moral and legal issues of […]