The nitty-gritty: Four scientists undertake a dangerous mission to uncover the mysteries of a curious hole, in Christopher Paolini’s tense survival thriller. Sometimes going into a book with no expectations is a good thing, and that was my experience reading Fractal Noise, a prequel of sorts to Paolini’s To Sleep In a Sea of Stars. […]
The nitty-gritty: A dark and gritty look at a codependent relationship, with vampires. “At six o’clock, I break a teacup from the kitchenette against the wall and use a shard of porcelain to cut a second hole in my arm. I let it pool into a paper Dixie cup and tell Mom to come drink […]
The nitty-gritty: A feel-good romance with substance and just a touch of the speculative, The Seven Year Slip was a delight from start to finish. Color me surprised. This horror, sci-fi lovin’ girl just fell for a contemporary romance, and I’m totally OK with that! I’ve enjoyed Ashley Poston’s YA series Once Upon a Con, […]
The nitty-gritty: Shocking and audacious, Maeve Fly combines repulsive violence with unexpected emotion, and I could not put it down. “Having stripped most of the flesh down with chemicals and the slow cooker, and having worked my muscles to a place beyond fatigue with the hacking, I now have to dry the bones outside in […]
The nitty-gritty: Katrina Monroe explores the dark side of motherhood in this moody, psychological thriller. Everything about this book should have worked for me. Katrina Monroe’s atmospheric writing drew me in, creating a spooky, unsettling vibe and an intriguing mystery. But there’s barely a plot to grab onto, and once again I found myself reading […]
The nitty-gritty: Another thrilling entry in David Walton’s series, Deadly Memory delivers fast-paced action—and dinosaurs. Dinosaurs. A deadly pandemic. A Thai Queen. An ancient extinction event. A group of dedicated scientists. What do all these things have in common? They are all elements in Deadly Memory, the exciting sequel to David Walton’s Living Memory. I […]
The nitty-gritty: Ai Jiang explores a couple of current hot topics—AI art and the human versus machine argument—in a short but engaging story that gives readers plenty to ponder. I Am AI is a short novelette that explores the pitfalls of AI generated art, a quite timely story in fact, since the headlines have been […]
The nitty-gritty: Wonder, whimsey, science and fantasy come together in Charles Soule’s latest, a highly original ode to finding happiness. Charles Soule comes up with the most unusual ideas for books, and in my opinion he’s outdone himself with The Endless Vessel. This is my third book by the author and my favorite so far. […]
The nitty-gritty: Atmospheric and eerie, All the Dead Lie Down is a nice mix of horror, coming-of-age and family secrets. It was the creepy, evocative cover of All the Dead Lie Down that caught my attention, and I have to say Kyrie McCauley’s story matches the cover perfectly. This was such an atmospheric story with […]
The nitty-gritty: Dragons, brutal action, deadly games and romance combine in this stellar fantasy series opener. “If Jack wants to kill me, he needs to get in line. Besides, I have a feeling Xaden Riorson is going to beat him to it.” Well, that was a bunch of fun! I’m happily joining in the hoards […]