The nitty-gritty: A unique location and a quirky cast of characters set this high energy slasher apart from the crowd. This was a blast from start to finish! This is my first Brian McAuley book, and I have to say I’m impressed! Breathe In, Bleed Out is a fantastic, well rounded horror story with plenty […]
The nitty-gritty: The characters steal the show in this fun, fast-paced YA supernatural mystery, a great blend of humor, romance and creepy intrigue. Susan Dennard is one author I will break my “no YA” rule for, and I’m very happy I had the chance to read The Executioners Three, which appears to be a standalone […]
The nitty-gritty: A sweet, uplifting story about finding yourself, complete with witchy magic and adorable spiders. Now that I’ve read Cackle, I’m officially caught up on Rachel Harrison’s backlist (except for her short story collection Bad Dolls, which I’m not interested in). And Cackle was a lot of fun! This is much lighter than some […]
The nitty-gritty: An entertaining, cheeky fantasy with outstanding humorous banter, The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is a solid series starter by a very promising writer. Some readers love this book and others don’t, and after reading it for myself I can appreciate both opinions. The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy […]
The nitty-gritty: Sarah Beth Durst revisits the world of The Spellshop in this magical, cozy and emotionally satisfying companion novel. “Behind her, Rijes let out a small gasp as she beheld the bookshelves–it was the sound of a woman who didn’t expect to find happiness but discovered it anyway. Terlu knew that sound well.” I […]
The nitty-gritty: Cats, cozy fantasy and time travel combine in this delightful witchy feel-good romance. I was expecting An Ancient Witch’s Guide to Modern Dating to be a cute rom-com, but I didn’t expect it to have so much heart and emotion. I ended up falling head over heels for Thorn, Walls and all the […]
The nitty-gritty: The Palace of Illusions is a unique Nutcracker retelling with magic, charm and sparkling characters. The Palace of Illusions was a breath of fresh air in a crowded pool of “retellings,” and I was in love from the first page. In this case, Rowenna Miller takes on the story of the beloved Christmas […]
The nitty-gritty: The House on Utopia Way is a weird cabinet of wonders, set in a mind-bending, mystery-filled landscape. “It was a drawn breath of a day, sky the colour of a computer error screen, low wind.” The author told me this book was “too weird” for traditional publishing, but I read and review a […]
The nitty-gritty: Cosmic horror with a twist, You’ve Awoken Her provides mystery, chills and relatable characters. You’ve Awoken Her is the latest YA horror book from Ann Dávila Cardinal, and although I usually shy away from YA these days, I do take chances on YA horror from time to time, and this one did not […]
The nitty-gritty: Ashley Poston channels the joy of music in this funny, romantic story about following your heart. This is the fourth book in what I’ll call Ashley Poston’s magical realism romances, and I say, keep ‘em coming! Sounds Like Love is an ode to music and finding your passion in life. It’s also about […]