The nitty gritty: An emotional journey through grief and self-loathing, Eric LaRocca’s latest is a dark, gut punch of a story. “The world is nothing more than a carnivorous plant that devours the things that are the softest and most delicate.” Eric LaRocca has come up with yet another intense, emotional story about damaged people […]
The nitty-gritty: A thoroughly entertaining—if not perfect—Alice Feeney thriller, full of her trademark twists and quirky characters. Alice Feeney has written another twisty story with unreliable characters and a very cool set-up, and although it’s not my favorite of her books, it was a lot of fun. We follow writer Grady Green, who, when the […]
The nitty-gritty: Another magical and thought provoking entry in the Wayward Children series, Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear brings one character’s origin story to life. This is the tenth book in Seanan McGuire’s magical—and slightly uneven—fantasy portal series, and I feel the need to not only review this particular book, but give you my […]
The nitty-gritty: A mysterious tower is the setting for this entertaining sci-fi/fantasy tale, made better by Dan Hanks’ emotional themes. Dan Hanks takes a familiar idea—the survival game—and twists it into something new and exciting. The Way Up is Death is a fast-paced thriller with horror elements and a bit of a LitRPG feel to […]
The nitty-gritty: Grady Hendrix’s latest takes a more serious tone as he explores heavy topics like teen pregnancy in this emotion-packed story of friendship and self discovery. Power cannot be given, it must be taken. It is the ability to enact your will upon the world and it must be earned by the spilling of […]
The nitty-gritty: A well written story with plenty of unsettling and scary moments, The Return is an excellent and entertaining debut. I’m catching up with Rachel Harrison’s backlist, and I decided to try her debut horror story. The Return is super creepy and weird, and while it’s not my favorite of her books, I had […]
The nitty-gritty: Found family, low stakes and fascinating world building make Rumor Has It another winning entry in Cat Rambo’s cozy sci-fi series. “That’s all a family is,” he signed. “People staying together as long as they possibly can.” Rumor Has It is the third book in Cat Rambo’s cozy space opera series, but it’s […]
The nitty-gritty: The Birds and Alien but with giant cicadas, The Swarm is not for the faint of heart and should be read indoors with all the windows firmly closed. If you’re not a bug person, you might want to think twice before picking up The Swarm. On the other hand, if you’re a fan […]
The nitty-gritty: A creepy, tension-filled story that will keep readers turning the pages, Snow Drowned was a pleasant surprise. I’ve been lucky with YA books lately, and I’m happy to report that Snow Drowned is yet another one I can recommend (with a few caveats). Jennifer D. Lyle knows how to create tension, and I […]
The nitty-gritty: The Hollow and the Haunted is an impressive YA debut with humor, high stakes and a nicely done grumpy/sunshine romance. You probably know I’m not a big YA reader, and when I do read it, it takes a lot to impress me. I’ve seen lots of enthusiastic reviews of The Hollow and the […]