The nitty-gritty: A Lovecraftian-inspired story set in Korea, A Plagued Sea is an unsettling, claustrophobic nightmare. “There are, in fact, fish in the sea that have developed limbs like arms or legs to crawl along the seabed. With the volcanic eruption, rarely seen sea creatures from the deep ocean were swept onto the shore. People […]
The nitty-gritty: Filled with memorable characters, enchanting creatures and a touch of romance, Sea of Charms offers thrilling adventures and feel-good emotional moments. Sea of Charms is the third book in Sarah Best Durst’s interconnected series of cozy fantasy romances, and you can definitely read this as a standalone (in my opinion, it doesn’t really […]
The nitty-gritty: The perfect antidote to action-heavy fantasy, The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance has surprising depth, well drawn characters, and a nice found family vibe. “Climbing a mountain is more than simply striving for the peak, Ainsworth.” For a book that got off to a very shaky start, I was surprised by […]
The nitty-gritty: Cynthia Pelayo reimagines the story of Peter Pan, with elements both new and familiar, in this emotionally charged tale. This isn’t the first Peter Pan retelling I’ve read that casts Peter as the villain—check out Lost Boy by Christina Henry for an excellent example of that—but it was a good one! Cynthia Pelayo […]
The nitty-gritty: Welcome to Fell, New York, a town with many unsolved mysteries and plenty of ghosts. The Sun Down Motel has a room waiting for you, if you’re brave enough to enter… I’m so glad I finally made time to read The Sun Down Motel, after diving into Simone St. James’s A Box Full […]
The nitty-gritty: Naomi Kritzer explores the perils of pregnancy and childbirth in Obstetrix, a tense, near future thriller with thoughtful themes. I didn’t really know what to expect from Obstetrix, but I was pleasantly surprised! It’s hard to describe this book with just one genre label, but I guess I would call it a near-future […]
The nitty-gritty: Craig DiLouie twists the traditional camp slasher trope into a story told through the eyes of local law enforcement, without losing any of the thrills and chills that slasher fans expect. The Summer Fun Massacre was not quite what I expected, but I still had a fun time with it. Rather than your […]
The nitty-gritty: Gritty crime drama meets killer teddy bears in this high concept, bloody tale of revenge. Teddy Bears Never Die is probably one of the strangest books I’ve ever read, and the fact that it’s also a translated book (written by a Korean author and translated by a Korean translator), the “strange” factor jumps […]
The nitty-gritty: Sara Raasch combines humor, sports and romance in her latest, a lively, sexy fantasy with lovable characters and thoughtful themes. This is the second book in Sara Raasch’s Magic & Romance series, and this time we follow a side character from the first book who ends up getting his happily-ever-after. This is a […]
The nitty-gritty: Nicholas Binge combines cosmic horror with biting commentary on big corporations in this short and entertaining novella. Nicholas Binge is such a good writer, and Abyss was a fun, mind-bending story with some Lovecraftian horror elements, hence the tentacled creature on the cover. It’s also a cautionary tale of corporate greed and how […]