The nitty-gritty: A sweeping family saga dripping with gothic atmosphere, The Girl From Rawblood is both a love story and a tragedy, filled with dread and shocking revelations. “When I try to think of Rawblood, to draw it with words, a muffling whiteness comes. I can’t describe it any more than I can my own […]
The nitty-gritty: A perplexing mystery and a second chance romance set the stage for this engaging science fiction series starter. This was such a lovely, gentle story with unique world building, and I really enjoyed it. If the description “cozy mystery set in space with a queer love story” gets your attention, then you will […]
The nitty-gritty: Five young writers get the chance of a lifetime in this high octane thriller debut with surprises around every corner. The Writing Retreat is one of those thrillers that starts out strong and keeps you guessing, and then later in the story sort of goes off the rails with lots of over-the-top action […]
The nitty-gritty: Zoje Stage’s latest should have worked, but too many disconnected elements made for an overall confusing and lackluster thriller. I had high hopes for Mothered, since I’ve had such good experiences with Stage’s other books, but unfortunately this didn’t completely work for me. The premise is great: a woman struggling to pay her […]
The nitty-gritty: A short novel featuring Max, Quinn and Anna, The Eidolon was a fun adventure in the midst of K.D. Edwards’ epic fantasy. The Eidolon is a pretty unique piece of writing that I enjoyed a lot, although I found it frustrating at times as well. First of all, the story takes place in […]
The nitty-gritty: An apocalyptic virus, eldritch horrors, brain eaters and more, Sister, Maiden, Monster feels like the literary equivalent of thrash metal, and that’s a compliment:-) “Living with her is breathtakingly terrifying. She seems aware, occasionally, that she’s become a complete maniac. If you crossed a savant with a perfect predator, gave that hybrid a […]
The nitty-gritty: A multi-generational story of the ties that bind a family of women together, with a bit of magic thrown in for good measure. “She looked happy, hand in hand with her husband. Perhaps she was, then. Or perhaps I was standing too far away. A great many things look different from a distance. […]
The nitty-gritty: A feel good story with lovable characters, World Running Down is an engaging dystopian that offers plenty of food for thought. Despite the gloomy title, World Running Down was a breath of fresh air, an upbeat and optimistic story that tackles some heavy themes in an accessible way, and it was simply a […]
The nitty-gritty: Surreal and heart-wrenching, The Crane Husband is a short but emotional tale of trauma and survival. “My mom was sleeping with a crane who was sometimes a man. Or a man who was sometimes a crane. My mom was sleeping with a person who hit her. Both of these things felt too awful—too […]
The nitty-gritty: Complex characters, buckets of blood, and an intriguing mystery make Don’t Fear the Reaper a worthy sequel. Stephen Graham Jones returns to Proofrock, Idaho in this second installment of The Lake Witch Trilogy, which takes place four years after the bloody finale of My Heart is a Chainsaw. I ended up loving parts […]