With so many mixed reviews flying around, I was both anxious and excited to dive into Wicked Saints. On the surface it seemed like exactly the kind of book I love, with a Gothic sensibility, horrific elements, blood magic, warring religions and even monsters. And the verdict? I was pleasantly surprised by this book, and […]
The nitty-gritty: An interesting world with lots of potential, Smoke & Summons was a fast-paced story that would have benefited from more cohesive world-building. I ended up with mixed feelings about Smoke & Summons, despite a solid beginning, but overall I did enjoy this book. Holmberg has created a fascinating world where humans are used […]
The nitty-gritty: A slow-paced beginning turns into thrilling excitement at the end, which makes up for some of the more tedious sections. I’ll admit that when I first saw the cover of Breach, I thought it was science fiction. Maybe that’s why I feel like I got off on the wrong foot with this book. […]
The nitty-gritty: I loved the world-building and some of the characters, but the MC Tomas didn’t completely win me over. Reviews for Priest of Bones seem to be all over the map, so I was very curious to see where I would fit in. And the answer to that seems to be somewhere in the […]
The nitty-gritty: Although I didn’t enjoy all the stories in this collection, I’m still a big fan of Mamatas and his unending, quirky imagination, and some of these stories will be hard to forget. I have read and enjoyed a couple of Nick Mamatas’ novels, and I thought it would be interesting to see how […]
The nitty-gritty: Full of blatant, over-the-top horror, Hunter Shea’s latest is just what I needed for a quick, summertime read. After reading numerous rave reviews from fellow bloggers Barb and Stormi, I knew I had to try a Hunter Shea book. And Jurassic, Florida was pretty much what I expected: lots of fun, tons of […]
The nitty-gritty: A disturbing and atmospheric story that had some cool ideas but didn’t quite deliver overall. When I saw the cover of Aetherchrist I just knew I had to read it. I mean, come on! It’s such a cool cover. And after reading this VERY dark novella, I can say that the cover perfectly […]
The nitty-gritty: Big on atmosphere but lean on plot, Space Opera is a colorful, musical, over-the-top love song to music and musicians everywhere Except that the Voorpret turned out to be really rather good at the whole civilization thing. Yes, yes, they obliterated the natural biodiversity of any region they touched, but wherever their infection […]
The nitty-gritty: A slightly uneven but entertaining collection that is made better by the relationship between Dana and Jana. It’s been years since I’ve read anything by Joe R. Lansdale, and so when I was offered the chance to read his latest collection, co-authored with his daughter Kasey, I didn’t hesitate to say “yes.” Terror […]
The nitty-gritty: An uneven collection of short horror fiction that nonetheless delivers some truly terrifying tales. It’s very rare these days that I accept a book for review directly from an author, especially one unfamiliar to me. But I decided to take a chance on Deborah Sheldon and her debut short story collection, Perfect Little […]