The nitty-gritty: A satisfyingly complex, multifaceted tale of revenge, Vengeful is a worthy sequel and is a 2018 book you cannot miss. It’s been five years since I read Vicious, the first book in Schwab’s ambitious super hero saga, and although it’s been a longer than normal time between releases, I can say without hesitation […]
The nitty-gritty: An eerie and atmospheric Gothic ghost story with layers upon layers of secrets, gorgeously written. The Silent Companions was a wonderful break from review books this month, especially since it’s October and I couldn’t have picked a more perfect scary read. Wow, this book surprised me! I have to admit it takes a […]
The nitty-gritty: Grady Hendrix’s latest hums with frenetic energy, a dark and dangerous, pulse-pounding love letter to the power of music. “A girl with a guitar never has to apologize for anything.” I became a Grady Hendrix fan after reading Horrorstör several years ago, and I enjoyed My Best Friend’s Exorcism (although not quite as […]
The nitty-gritty: Full of humor, emotion and plenty of thrilling fight scenes, Bloody Rose is a worthy sequel that you don’t want to miss. Tam pulled a strand of windblown hair from her eyes. “Aren’t all druins immortal?” Tam asked. “Essentially, yes,” said Freecloud. The coin in his hand vanished with a flick of his […]
The nitty-gritty: A unique and action-packed start to a new series full of fascinating magic, complex characters, and even some unexpected humor. A struck match sounds like a kiss in the dark, sometimes. She remembered thinking that, watching the flame crack to life and then flutter down to the pools of alcohol running across the […]
The nitty-gritty: Bursting with complex magic, populated with fascinating and lovable characters, and written in sparkling prose, The Last Sun can’t possibly be a debut. And yet. Pyr is knocking it out of the park lately, folks. And I mean you need to start paying attention if you aren’t already. After I was bowled over […]
The nitty-gritty: Another winning story from Andrew Mayne, with non-stop thrills, fascinating details about scientific and forensic investigation, and a smart main character who can solve just about any puzzle. Andrew Mayne’s stories are just so damn fun! This is the second in The Naturalist series, starring Dr. Theo Cray, a brilliant computational scientist who […]
The nitty-gritty: Violent, action-packed and filled with cool world-building details, this is an amped up, supernatural Pulp Fiction on steroids! I listened to the jangled murmur of traffic on the freeway—all day, all night—it was the constant rhythm of this city. Sirens punctuated by horns, the bone-vibrating thud of bass from car radios below me. […]
The nitty-gritty: Dark, complex and terrifying, The Hunger fuses historical events with a creeping, supernatural horror, making this a standout book of 2018. A quick note for those who might be sensitive to the use of the word “Indian” when talking about Native Americans: Please note that during the timeframe of these events, Native Americans […]
The nitty-gritty: A big, bold, and chaotic futuristic story where the absurd is commonplace, dragons patrol the skies, and everyone has a chance at redemption. Grub and Morsel told me on another occasion that one day soon, Duluth will take them to touch a dragon–it seems this is a coming-of-age ritual in this savage locale. […]